I’m quite excited to preview The Miele Guide! It is said to be the perfect sidekick for all serious foodies and gourmet travelers with iPhones! Yes this is an iPhone App. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, then you are able to download and try out the application!
For serious foodies and travelers, you’ll be pleased to know that there are 450 restaurant reviews in this mobile guide! Ever since I’ve got Chuck, my trusty iPhone has become the most convenient way to figure out what I want to eat!
I’m able to search The Miele Guide by restaurant name, top rankings, city or cuisine. it’s such an easy-peasy application. I’ll show you what I mean!
Personally I like searching via Cities! OK there are 16 Asian countries listed here: Brunei, Cambodia, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. And… I pick Hong Kong!
The Top 5 restaurants for each country is listed in the guide and each country chapter features an insider’s perspective of the country’s dining scene written by The Miele Guide’s shortlist panellists, who are top restaurant critics and food writers in their respective home countries.
Yung Kee is listed under the Hong Kong! The place where Ken and I drop by for roasted goose when we were there last year! Well, if you are having cravings for a particular cuisine and is willing to plan your holiday around that craving, just search via Cuisines! I can just mark my favourite restaurants and plan my meal itinerary in advance.
I’ll go with Japanese. And woah. That’s alot of suggestions and lots of cities! Wasabi by Marimoto in Mumbai, India sounds interesting.
But honestly, I think the best best feature of this application is its ability to detect where I am and recommend the nearest top restaurants from The Miele Guide. That’s not all. The map views also show directions on how to get to restaurants. Don’t you love your iPhone? I love mine!
The Miele Guide is available via the Apple iTunes App Store at US$4.99. Kinda steep but that’s the price to pay to have Asia’s best chefs and restaurants at your fingertips. Check out www.mieleguide.com if you are interested.
Thanks to Carlyn, I was invited to the exclusive launch party of the first Restaurant Week in Asia/Singapore at The Tower Club! Ah Jacelyn my lady, has fast fingers! She booked a romantic dinner at Il Lido right after she caught me micro-blogging during the event.
Organised by DiningCity.com Singapore, Restaurant Week is actually a highly successful event, a culinary event in countries such as The Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and USA. Thus, the launch of Restaurant Week in Singapore instead of anywhere else in Asia sorta amplifies and establishes Singapore’s position as the food capital of Asia. Gotta give credit to this tiny island for beating Shanghai for winning this launch.
After the event, I am officially a fan of Veuve Clicquot! It was lively, delicate yet powerful. Moet & Chandon, Cape Mentelle and Terrazas was also served to my pleasure.
This one-week culinary event is a darling for lucky peeps who managed to book limited seats! They can enjoy a special three-course meal at affordable fixed prices of S$35++ for a three-course dinner and S$25++ for a three-course lunch during the Singapore Restaurant Week from 22 to 28 March 2010. Just the perfect opportunity to taste a varied range of unique dining experiences at a wide selection of choice restaurants.
That’s the guys from Tatsuya. Oh when you book your reservations, do check if the particular restaurant is a DiningCity Star Awarded restaurant. If yes, you may be charged a fixed supplement of S$15 for lunch and S$20 for dinner. Also check the menu to see if you like the offerings.
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Bookings can ONLY be made online via www.restaurantweek.sg. You gotta hurry if you are interested because the last time I checked, empty tables are fast filling up. There are in total 58 participating restaurants. Unfortunately, Julien BOMPARD and Tatsuya Japanese Restaurant have NO MORE SEATS! 18,000 seats gone so fast! It’s just been a day! Must be those American Express Cardmembers. Yup American Express actually offers early booking privileges to their Cardmembers! Jealous.
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Not that I’m going to sign up for an American Express card anytime soon. So next year, I shall set my alarm clocks to be the first to reserve some Restaurant Week tables!
*Pete was resting at home so I had to grab pictures from Kyle. Thanks Kyle!*
My girlfriends and I was up to no good a month before 19 Jan. We were busy making sure one of our babes was kept in the dark of a wonderful surprise! Her sweet boyfriend of 5 years roped us in to prepare a surprise proposal for her!
Well well seems like Eujin now set a very high standard for upcoming boyfriends of besties to match. After much gossip with girlfriends, I shall share a little on what the girls think of as a sweet wedding proposal!
Surprise! Surprise!
Guys! A marriage proposal MUST be a surprise. Take time and devise a way of proposing that she won’t suspect. Jindi dear is the most unsuspecting person ever! So, Eujin had it EASY. LOLX. Anyway, if your girlfriend is slightly paranoid ie. Winnz/Elaine, you need lots of back-up plans. It always help if you are on friendly terms with her close girlfriends because they are good at diverting attention.
hahahaa. Look at Jindi’s face. She’s the pretty babe in the middle. Hahaha. After kidnapping her for the entire afternoon, we whisked her into MNG to grab this sleek black sequin dress. She took in all our nonsense and bought this highly recommended dress in less than 10 minutes! Walked out of MNG in the dress, still a daze before we made her took this pic for keepsake! Obviously Elaine and I had the ‘oh-my-goodness she got punked-to-dress-up’ face.
She was totally oblivious to what’s going to happen! The look on her face when Eujin proposed was priceless.
Write your own proposal
Saying, “Will you marry me?” should be original! Say something meaningful and sweet! Eujin’s mathematical proposal is perfect for accountants. LOLX. Yup both of them are accountants. Well, how about writing a poem or sing a song you wrote yourself? Basically,tell her why you want to marry her and write your own proposal! Then make sure you memorise the script and don’t ever read from a paper! The key is sincerity.
Getting the right engagement ring
Since wearing an engagement ring is a lifetime commitment. Thus, you got to do it right. Though personally I’m not a jewelry person, I’m quite sure that most brides want their proposal to include an engagement ring. Well if your bride-to-be is very particular about her jewelry, you may want to consider including her in the buying/designing process. In-line with the surprise element, I suggest proposing with a faux ring before going to the jewelers together after the proposal so she can pick and choose something she likes.
Can’t see the ring right? Too bling. He spent close to RM40k for that baby.
Be creative
Make the proposal memorable by incorporating significant things, foods etc. into the proposal but keep the focus on what’s important: the proposal itself. Thank goodness Eujin did not hid the engagement ring in food. It’s too cliche so no brownie points for creativity. Gotta give the guys credit for planning Eujin’s entrance with a special song he shares with Jindi. It was quite hilarious when the bride-to-be was busy eating to notice the boys had problems with the music. There were a few failed attempts to play the song. Yikes. Good thing there was a back-up CD. It pays to be prepared. Well done Kenji and Gavin.
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MUST drop to one knee
We insist. This is probably going to be the most charming and romantic moment for any guys! No wedding proposal is a proposal without the man going on one knee asking the love of his life to marry him! And with that, you passed with flying colours. We trust you, Eujin, to take good care of our bestie.
Points taken?
We are so proud of you, Eujin! Haha. Congrats to you and Jindi! We love you, Mrs.Lim!
I went on a long hiatus thanks to the longest and most important festivity in the Chinese Lunar Calendar. As mom decorated the house with red colour paper-cuts and items with popular themes of happiness, wealth, and longevity, I had fun wondering what to do with my over-flowing wardrobe.
Needless to say, I did what I do each year. Stacked those that I can no longer fit up in the top-most shelf, hoping that I can fit into them next year. I may be too optimistic. But there’s a tiny glimmer of hope. I am going to start running regularly and cut down on heavy dinners this year! I’m serious! Especially after I’ve invested in this funky running shoe.
With a perfect slimming plan in mind which I am going to start after the festivities, I’ve decided to celebrated Spring with no cares and worries. Pineapple tarts? Bak Kwas? Love letters? Beer? Bring it on.
So the Eve of Chinese New Year which really means a feast with families, came with sumptuous spread. I think homecooked delicacies are always extra tasty when everyone is gathered around the table with amiable chatter.
Not sure if it is just me but the coming of Spring this year appears to be fleeting. Before I know, the night ended with firecrackers crackling all over Adda Heights. A good indication that the population of Chinese has prosper in the area.
It is strange how fireworks always manage to evoke emotions. As I caught the beautiful display with dad, ma, bro and sis in the garden, I can’t helped but regret that I am growing up so fast. A teeny feeling of dread came over me knowing that I may not be able to spend more of such moments with them. Now I wish that time could just stay still.
This year, Eevon is more thankful for people who loves her. Happy to have 3 valentines this year.
Spring is such a warm season. Don’t you agree? How was your cny celebrations?
Attended Esmirada’s 15th Anniversary Party with Ken. Thanks Carlyn!
The celebration was held at the new Esmirada At The Pier located in the thriving dining hub of Robertson Quay. Warm lights illuminated the interior of Esmirada At The Pier and the combination of rustic brick walls with blue accents brought an easy-going allure. Seemed like the perfect place to idle away a lazy Saturday evening with girlfriends!
Esmirada At The Pier is a really cosy and casual restaurant with a rustic charm! We spent the evening at the al fresco seating. Good thing that the courtyard was breezy and when dusk arrived, pretty candles tea lights evoked a romantic feel! Nice.
Ken and I enjoyed a glass of Sangria with Esmirada’s Famous Garlic Bread (S$6) – a towering crusty baguette loaf fragrant with garlic and butter – before digging in to the selection of appetizing antipasti, salads, soups and tapas!
My favourite starter would be the refreshing Greek Salad (S$16)! The cheese was awesome and it gave the salad enough flavor that salad dressing isn’t needed. The sharp taste of onion went really well with the red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. Tasty! Would be perfect if I could add a bit of garlic, a dash of oregano and a teaspoon of white wine vinegar! Hehe I like my salad to be fancy.
Tossed a couple of cold prawns on our plates too to go with the wine. Fresh goodness.
Of course, Mediterranean food is not Mediterranean without some grilled meats, pita bread, and falafel. It was nearly impossible to decide what to taste first considering the selection dishes displayed on the counter.
That’s the roasted pork. I love the few unique starters especially the delectable Balkan dish, Cevapcici (S$18) – grilled meat fingers made from minced beef and lamb and served with a homemade mustard ragoo dip.
Another tasty entrée was this. Make a guess what this is.
Smoked ham! Totally scrummy! Look at the size of that humongous piece of meat!
The chef was there the entire evening making sure that each slices of smoked ham was cut to perfection. These delicate paper-thin slices of smoked ham were so well-flavoured.
Our appetite was further satiated by main courses such as the Esmirada Skewers (from S$28) – perfectly grilled quality ribeye steaks, lamp chops, chicken kebabs, king prawns, swordfish and vegetables served on a custom-made iron frame and accompanied by bell pepper relish, tzatziki sauce and oven baked potatoes.
Ken tried the famous Spanish saffron rice dish, Paella Espanola (S$30), that is brimming with fresh mussels, squid, prawns, chicken and vegetables. That was a hearty dish.
Always have space for dessert when it is chocolate fondue and fresh strawberries!
I’m sure no one could resist creamy smooth chocolate cascading down a chocolate fountain. Sinful.
Craving for some Mediterranean goodies? Well there’s something going on now. You can enjoy 15% discount off Total Bill from now to 31 March 2010 (not applicable with other promos) at all three Esmirada outlets.
Esmirada At The Pier
80 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-03 The Pier at Robertson
