Din Tai Fung is a restaurant synonymous with Xiao Long Baos.

Unknown to first timers, these "Baos" are filled with not only meat fillings but also hot steaming gravy. I once had a tourist who was so excited to devour the entire thing and placed the entire "Bao" in his mouth, only to realize that the hot gravy would ooze out and scald his tongue. So for first timers, let the buns cool first. Blow a bit and take bite size mouthfuls to allow yourself to slowly enjoy the whole Xiao Long Bao tasting experience. 

A small basket of Xiao Long Bao comes in a set of 6

$6.80

These "Baos" are best eaten with vinegar.

One of the rare few restaurants that serve century egg without having to buy the bowl of porridge.

$3.80

freshly brewed chicken soup

$9.50

pork chop

$7.50

pork chop fried rice

$9.90

On a side note, I ordered other dishes too but after my incessant photo taking, I was told to stop being so anti-social :P Oh wells...I wonder if other aspiring food bloggers get such comments too. 

Anyhow....... here's more info about Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung

Junction 8 Shopping Centre

9 Bishan Place

#01 - 41

Tel: 63565228

#OOTD to Din Tai Fung

White top from loef.sg

Leopard prints skirt from H&M

Gold bangle from lovisa

Pink necklace 

Satay by the Bay as the name suggests, tries to recreate the days of enjoying Satay on small stools and short benches. 

For the novelty of it all, we tried sitting on the small tools and short benches. It was a bad choice! My legs and back were aching after the whole experience. Please go sit at the normal tables provided. The only good thing about the small table was the waterfront view which we could enjoy although it was too dimly lit to see anything.

Ordered our satay from City Satay.

It cost us a whooping $1.50 per stick for the pork belly!

Remember the $10 - $12 steamboat buffet they used to have along Marina Bay? Well, they've brought it back to Satay by the Bay but of course with inflation setting in. It is $22 per person now.

Of course, a hawker centre is not complete without our local delights. And so they have other stalls that sell seafood, big prawn noodle, bak kut teh, bbq chicken wing etc.

They even have a bar for those in need of alcohol!

And now to what I ordered.....

BBQ chicken wings

$1.50 per piece

Prawn noodles

$5

Omelette, Stingray, Vege

$30

The quality of food was good although prices are 30cents to $2 more expensive than other hawker centres. It is a very far walk from the MBS hotel so driving would be better option. If you are looking for a new hawker centre to eat at and enjoy going to ChompChomp/ Newton, this would be a new option to try out!

Satay by the Bay

Food stalls open 8am - 10pm

Drive in from Marina Gardens Drive 

Map: Click here

#OOTD at Satay by the Bay

Yellow sleeveless top from Love Bonito

 Black scallop shorts from gmarket

Black heels

During my Secondary school days, puberty hit me and pimples started sprouting out on my face. However, these pimples would only pop up once in awhile. The Oxy cream I purchased was a quick fix in drying up my pimples. 

Unfortunately, during my A levels, as I was extremely stressed up over earning a place in a local university, a terrible bout of acne erupted on my face. Psychologically, my emotions and self-esteem nose dived when not only my secondary school friends but also my own mother commented on how my once beautiful face had turned into a pimple plantation. Visiting the hairdresser or shopping malls was just as depressing. Very often, the sales ladies seemed more interested on commenting about my acne filled face rather than selling me their product. It was common to get questions such as, "Do you apply cream? I've a brand of cream to introduce for your face. Do you want to use?" 

Of course during my depressing acne phase, I tried a myraid of acne products that claimed to be the "miracle" solution. However, all these counter products did nothing to stop the big cyst acnes from subsiding. Next, I visited my local general practioner. He too gave me his set of products to try and this included antibiotics. The products did not work again :(

In my desperation, I consulted a dermatologist recommended by my friend. This dermatologist recommended a miracle drug called accutane. Initially, I was told to take 20mg once every three days. I was also told not to visit any facial salon while on accutane. At that point in time, all I was thinking of was to get rid of the dam cysts that were stubborning protruding out of my skin. I turned a deaf ear to all possible side effects which accutane might cause. 

Within 3 months I began to see the positive effects of accutane. Yes, my big acne cysts cleared up. However, my lips were cracking like mad. It was then I understood why the dermatologist had sold me lipbalm. The skin on my face was also very dry. However, seeing that my once big red acne cysts had cleared up, I was more than motivated to continue with the drug. It was my miracle cure compared to all the other products which I had purchased. However, my friends told me that I suffered periodic mood swings but I turned a dear ear to them. I was in denial. I told myself that I was the happiest girl on this planet as I had found the miracle drug to clear those disgusting red cysts off my face. Accutane was now my best friend, my confidence booster and my remedy. 

Every 4 months I would return to visit my doctor for a review. However, everytime I asked him when I could stop taking the drug, he would say that my acne would come back if I stopped. His strong words made me hooked on the drug. I was very scared to drop accutane totally as I did not want another bad outbreak to occur. 

During this period, as much as my face was clearer, it did not product that white healthy glow. There were still the occasional big acne cysts that popped out once in awhile. My skin was also very dry and peeled half the time. This made my friends wonder if I had cure my oily face and to only place it with a dry skin condition. 

This went on for 3 years. On my 3rd year, I realised that this could not go on forever. Accutane was not saving my life. It had replaced it with others problems such as dry flaky skin and bouts of mood swings.

It took me a lot of courage to walk out on accutane and to find another dermatologist. Yes, my acne did return especially during the stressful periods of my life. However, I did manage to find other acne solutions apart from accutane. I started using creams made by other doctors. I turned to ipl and laser treatments too.

Hence, I'm writing this post to encourage all those acne suffers out there who are on accutane.  

Be strong and courageous enough to walk out on your doctor when the side effects outweigh the benefits. There are other dermatologists out there who do not sell accutane but who have cured acne patients using other methods. Some use laser treatments while other use their own specialised products. Accutane is not the only solution to cure one's acne problem.

Be strong :) You can do it :)

Say hello to KaiKai and JiaJia at River Safari Singapore!

Thanks to deals.sg, we managed to secure tickets to both River Safari and Singapore River Cruise for $29. So happy I've finally managed to see the two pandas! 

Say hello to Kai Kai the more active panda. Unfortunately, Jia Jia was hiding in her den most of the time. Apparently, she's one shy panda! Anyhow, we came here on a Sunday and amazingly there were no queues to see the pandas.

Bought Kai Kai and Jia Jia paos at the River Safari too!

Aint they so adorable!!!

This is sold at the Mama Panda Kitchen just outside the panda exhibit

Of course...it being the River Safari, they were many other animals being exhibited too.

The wildlife park basically revolves around 7 different rivers and the animals that stay around these rivers. For adults like me, it is a refreshing change from seeing gorillas, giraffes and zebras at our Singapore zoo. 

However, the 2nd major highlight, the river cruise is still currently under construction. As such, ticket prices have been reduced to $25 if you buy your ticket at the entrance. It is not that crowded YET, so if you are one that dislikes crowds I would advise you to patronize the place now. 

We tried catching their animal show but sad to say, there was only one row of seats available. Most of the guest made do with sitting on the floor. I guess they are still in the process of building an amphitheater of some sort. 

The place is wheelchair and kid friendly. So if you are thinking of visiting this place, dont forget to bring along everyone in the family!

River Safari Singapore

Adult $25, Kid $16

Opens daily 9 - 6pm

Nestled on the 2nd floor of a shophouse along Clarke Quay, Hai Di Lao provides a steamboat experience with excellent customer service. If you are one who is particular about good service, this restaurant will definitely make your experience a memorable one. 

Knowing it was going to be crowded, I reached Hai Di Lao at 5.30pm. I was ushered to my table and given a warm towel while being seated. The waitress promptly asked if I needed a drink and proceeded to pour me a cup of winter melon tea. I was definitely taken aback by their warm welcome! Firstly, the warm towel definitely scored points for a tired me. I was also so glad I wasn't coerced into deciding what I wanted to eat straight away. Instead, I was offered a welcome drink :) 

Next came the introduction of the iPad menu. I was told that I could order through the iPad in either Mandarin or English. Hooray to the pictures on every dish which helped in me deciding what to eat. 

I was also given an apron to protect my clothes and a ziplock bag to protect my phone! One is usually given aprons in most restaurants but a ziplock bag to protect a phone was definitely a bonus!

From the looks of it, each waitress was assigned to a designated area. Thus, this indeed helped to build rapport with the customers as I could easily signal to a familiar face when in need of help. Interestingly, the tables around us were mostly filled with Japanese people. I reckon they have a handful of Japanese patrons.  

Fruits and tea being served before our steamboat session.

YAY to eating fruits b4 meals and healthy living!

My steamboat soup base

The bf chose the Mala and seafood flavour

Hai Di Lao provides a buffet spread of sauces for you to choose from.

They have the usuals like garlic with sesame oil to non-Chinese ones such as barbecue sauce.

A steamboat is not complete without whacking the beef!!

More beef and more food.

Slurp Slurp :)

The expensive $26 fish which tasted weird.

 Prior to this, we had ordered a cheaper fish which cost us $13 and it tasted dam good. 

So being humans with irrational behaviours, we assumed that more expensive = better tasting.

However, when this $26 fish came, low and behold, it tasted weird with the bones still inside the meat. 

My kind and macho bf told the waitress about our bad experience with the $26 fish. 

To our surprise, she waived the charges of the $26 fish and gave us another plate of the $13 fish. 

I just wanna say, all throughout the conversation, she patiently listened to our side of the story and never once did she rebut us. 

SUCH EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

10 brownie points :D

The final bill came up to $120 for two people which works out to $60 per pax.

FREE manicure service is also provided for patrons. As the queues for the manicure service are spiraling long, they allow you to come back another day just for your free manicure! 

The whole experience reminded me of my time in Taipei because of the quality of food and service. Looking forward to having more of such restaurants in Singapore.

Hai Di Lao Hot Pot

3D River Valley Road

#02 - 04

Tel: 82636674

On to my #OOTD which I wore to Hai Di Lao

Peplum top, Klarra

Blue Jeans, Aeropostale, Ngee Ann City, B2-36

Heels, Nine West

Golden Aztec bangle, Louvisa

Introducing the red hot spicy chilli crabs from No Signboard Seafood restaurant.

Being a crab lover, a random Saturday night saw me heading down to the No Signboard Seafood restaurant at its Geylang branch. The sauce was thick with egg and chilli. Although a tiny winy bit spicer than usual, the sauce was certainly a heavenly combination with the crab. 

I ordered a coconut too to quench me from all the spiciness. It was ice chilled so that really helped to queer the hotness that was floating through my mouth.

A crab here costs $55 per kg so prepare to be generous with your wallets!

No Signboard Seafood

414 Geylang Road

Tel: 6842 3149

Opens: 12noon - 1am daily

Theres more reason to rejoice for those staying in the Bishan/Upper Thomson area. A new restaurant has just opened it doors at Bishan park :)

Located next to the carpark along the Sing Ming area, Grub serves mainly western food. Interestingly, the restaurant believes in serving responsible ingredients and that means choosing animals that have been fed naturally or have had little or no contact with antibiotics/chemicals. It's great that people here are being more conscious of the food we eat. Hope this concept of responsible ingredients rides on more restaurants in Singapore! Its time to stop harming our bodies with the chemicals from fishes and injected hormones from chickens etc.

 Anyhow, this is a wide angle view of the restaurant

Bicycles were parked just outside on the grass. 

The restaurant is definitely a good place for cyclist to use as a pitstop.

If you sit outdoors, this is the amazing tranquil view of Bishan park which you would get!

Definitely a nice place to relax in the late evenings.

Pear Cider, $10

Seems like the current trend is to import NZ cider.

I'm not complaining as I love my cider.

Back in 2008, most cafes didnt even sell cider.

What a difference a few years make :)

The menu with their beliefs printed on it.

When my friend first saw it, he was like, "Why are we eating healthy food? Why no oily fried food?Unhealthy food always tastes better!!!!"

Ok but low and behold when his food came.....

He was more than pleased with his ultra huge slice of fried fish. 

It definitely made his day seeing the long slice of fish protruding out of his burger.

Crispy fish burger, $11

served with a cup of fries

Grilled steak with fries, $18.50

I'm not sure if I am not used to eating grass-fed steak but the ribeye just didnt taste good. I've tasted better steaks in Astons and Chargrill. Hence for the price, sadly I wasnt satisfied. I felt the meat lacked the succulent texture that good steaks have and lets just say, the dish tasted very flat. 

At nightfall, this place was bustling with patrons and there was even a queue outside the restaurant.

Nestled in the middle of a park, this place does provide a nice atmosphere away from our concrete jungle. While they do score points for their ambience and responsible ingredients, I feel they could do better on the taste of their food.

GRUB

510 AMK Ave 1

Bishan park 1

+65 645 95743

On to my psychedelic #OOTD which I wore to GRUB

Island Beverly pink sleeveless from Hong Kong

Louvisa three chain cross necklace

Cotton On blue pants