dining is about ambience .

before my aunt left on Saturday morning, we made a trip to another restaurant on Friday arvo. since she had never been to Mount Faber, we decided to pay that spot in Singapore (with a very misleading name because it's hardly a "Mount" and more so a hill) a visit.

we ate at Black Opal - beautiful interior design and friendly service but it didn't fare so well in the food department. twas bummed out by that. and as if to bum me out even more, there was construction going on below the restaurant while we were having our lunch - the worst kind of dining-ambience killer i reckon! the manager couldn't do anything about it because the construction workers were rushing an overdue deadline to complete the cable car infrastructure. so yups! we had to sit through a drill-worthy lunch. not the best lunch i've had but thought i'd share the little beauties of the humble Mount Faber that made up for the not-so-pleasant lunch experience.

Shabu Shabu Beef Salad - the only dish that i enjoyed.


i love their toilets. do you see the dresser at the back? there's actually a fish tank at the bottom! they had pretty cute fishes in there.
(little fact of the day: did you know that there's a World Toilet Organisation and that it started in Singapore in 2001? it's no wonder you can find quite a lot of pretty toilets in this small country.)

wearing: handmade (not by me) dress, Sportsgirl necklace, random silver rings, vintage-style-inspired bag, Ray Ban aviators, Fossil watch.

now it's time for me to head to bed!
goodnight world .

oh hail food .

you know how sometimes we need a friend or relative visiting then only would we make an effort to go out to dine 'properly'? well if you do, that's what happens ever so often in my family. with my dad and sister now living overseas temporarily, it's quieter around the house. mom and i normally just have simple lunches and dinners and well, that's it.

so, it's been nice to have my aunt in town because today, we made the effort to head out to The Fullerton Hotel to have a nice and relaxing lunch by the river. we were pretty impressed with the food at Town Restaurant so i suspect we might head back there again some day for their buffet lunch. as for today, twas ala carte.

we started with these:

Caramalized apples and Foie Gras.


Mussels in tomato sauce with garlic bread.

my mom, aunt, cousin and i then moved on to our mains respectively:

Soft-shelled crab tempura.


Cracked Pepper Cod with Miso soup and Japanese rice.


Grilled Salmon with prawn-filled mashed potatoes.


Duck's leg and breast with shredded duck wrapped in cabbage.

to wrap up our arvo nicely, we had the restaurant's tasting plate for desserts:

Vanilla ice cream with some kind of sponge cake that tasted really good.


i can't remember what this is.


Puny cheesecake.


Green tea cake that's been weirdly pierced with chocolate flakes.

i wore this dress with one shoulder off at first but decided to pull it up after lunch. i reckon it's nicer when worn as a boat-neck dress instead of a off-shoulder dress so... don't know what i was thinking when i stepped out of the house!

"i like big butts and i cannot lie, you other brothers can't deny." from "Baby Got Back".
but this one ain't such a big butt aye? haha.

wearing: brandless dress, Camberwell Market belt, Ray Ban aviators, JKC bangle, Sportsgirl bangle, Fossil watch, Chanel canvas jumbo, Wittner beige pumps (not pictured).

it's 2010 alright .

three years ago on new year's eve, i was lying in bed, crying my eyes out so hard that i can still vividly remember that feeling. my ex-boyfriend decided it was cool to blow off his girlfriend at the eleventh hour to spend it at a party smoking weed. yeah, how mature was that? it was painful for not just me, but for my parents too as i remember my dad coming into my room to try to cheer me up, saying, "come on, it's the New Year. come have a drink with your old man." needless to say, 2006 was the worst year ever.

three years on and on 31st December 2009, i was cooking a three-course dinner with my sister as we prepared an intimate countdown party for three - myself, sis and gaoster. we laughed, feasted, jumped around the balcony with sparklers in our hands while watching random fireworks go on display from different locations, and played mahjong till the wee hours. it might have been a very small and quiet affair but it was one of the best new year's eve for me.

salmon and avocado on white bread


baked potatoes stuffed with anchovy fillets, bacon, sage leaves, garlic and lemon zest.



tomato salad with cannellini beans, black olives and tuna flakes



baked blue grenadier fillet with bacon and rosemary



Simmone Logue sticky date pudding (all the way from Sydney!)

happy new year to you! i hope you had a great one and biggest thanks to you for being a reader, be it on a regular or random basis, THANKS! hugs and kisses, with a warped capsicum in hand (:

Sydney with gaoster: DAY 4 & 5

DAY 4: we went on a whale watching cruise in the morning and then hit Bondi Beach to bask in the afternoon sun. we stayed in Bondi till night time and had takeaway fish and chips on the lawn facing the beach. but the camera's battery went flat and i couldn't take any more photos by then.

off we go and out into the ocean!


unfortunately, this is the best photo i've got of the baby humpback whale.


sun, sand, shades.

DAY 5: our last and hottest day in Sydney. we decided to pay Balmain a visit and randomly walked into Cafe Broom Tree on Darling St for lunch. we weren't expecting much but our lunch turned out absolutely delicious. there was also a little park at Balmain East wharf and with such a great view of the harbour, we decided to chill out in the park and snap away.

chicken schnitzel wrap with potato wedges. this was soo good!


vegetarian pizza with heaps of cheese.

wearing: Jayjays maxi dress (i know, Jayjays?! i never expected to find anything i would wanna wear from Jayjays), Mulberry sling bag, Sportsgirl rose gladiator, Jean Chantant wayfarers, Tiff & Co necklace.

ps. if you're wondering why the top of my chest is red, it's a result of basking in the sun at Bondi for too long. part of my legs are sun burnt too thus the choice of wearing a maxi. :( looks like i must pile on even more sun block lotion the next time i hit the beach again.

Sydney with gaoster: DAY 1 & 2

the trip shas been pretty good so far. we've been doing much more eating than shopping. it started off with Kawa Cafe at Surry Hills for branch BRUNCH on Day 1. because i forgot to charge the camera battery before leaving for Sydney, i had to settle for the wonky camera on my phone.

the foam on the coffee was sooo good! what makes a good coffee to me is a good fluffy foam.


i had the Vegan (roasted tomato, pumpkin, lettuce, hommus) sandwich.


gaoster had the French Toast with maple syrup and bacon.

our dinner was at Longrain Restaurant - fantastic contemporary Thai food. looooved our dinner but my camera wasn't powerful enough for the warm lighting in the restaurant so sadly, i don't have any photos.

Day 2 kicked off with yum cha at Marigold Restaurant in Chinatown. most of the dim sims were really good and it was really nice being served by polite waitresses as compared to the yum cha restaurants in Melbourne. i can never understand why some waitresses have to be so darn rude. no photos once again cos i was too hungry and dug right into our food, leaving only empty plates for show.

dinner was at Umami Restaurant along Bathurst St. it's a pretty small eatery which appears to be catered towards working people looking for a fast, easy and good Japanese meal during lunch time. the food surprised me really; cos for the price, it was a very yummy and enjoyable meal.

the restaurant can probably seat up to a maximum of 20.


Takoyachi aka Octopus balls.


small serve of Sashimi


i had the Unagi Don. the eel was sliced nicely and man was that sauce deelish!


gaoster had the Tofu + Seafood Don. the seafood portion was rather generous and pretty fresh too.

holidays always make me put on weight the most. but hey, at least it's good food all the way!

little pleasures in life.

for so long, i'd go past a quaint little cafe called Mart130 while on the way to St Kilda. never once, i'd look out of the tram to notice it. so when my sister came down to visit in july, i'm glad i took the extra effort to look for nice places to go to for brekkies/brunch. needless to say (now), Mart130 came up in the google search.

it's funny how i don't make an effort to discover more of such places without a reason, such as the sister visiting. the nooks and crannies of Melbourne have yet to be discovered and whats more, i feel like i'm running out of time. yet, i just can't seem to find the time in my busy schedule at the moment to indulge myself in these little pleasures in life. so for now, all i can do is look back at the places and good food that i did enjoy.

if i remember them correctly... (clockwise from top left) Spinach, mushrooms and eggs; Spanish chorizos and eggs; Salmon, avocado and eggs; Bacon strips on french toast.


Mart130 used to be an old station master's building.

must look out of trams more often!

can't wait to go back there again, soon...

Mart130 (tram stop 130) -
107A Canterbury Road, Middle Park, Victoria.
Getting there:
Tram No. 96, towards St Kilda