2008-09-15

Party Indulgzance

Yippee! Indulgz invited me back for a fourth round of food-tasting, as they have changed their chef!

This time I invited my poly schoolmates:

Junne, Clara, Ben, Shuyin
, and of course Mike la, who is the only one not from Singapore Poly.

To make it more fun today, I told everybody to bring their own wacky headgear!

First of all, we had to take the traditional photo outside Indulgz's doors!






I dyed my hair ashy green btw.

Once inside, owner Christin pulled Mike and I into a little booth that's decorated with only one clear purpose in mind: ROMANCE.



Isn't it pretty?



Woah! This is every girl's dream date table can!

And suddenly...



Mike whipped out roses for me!

Actually these are provided by Indulgz la, but still, I like to imagine he bought it himself... *dreamy look*

And then... He did a mock proposal to me!













Tadah! I really look very happy hor? Where is my ring??



One more without flash to show the romantic candlelight...



The pretty flowers...


Couples who want exclusiveness in Indulgz Bistro can take up this Lover's package!

Lover’s cocktail, one each, or upgrade to a full bottle of wine at 15% off the original price.

The rest of the menu is available on the website at www.indulgz.com.

They can keep any presents or surprises for the couple beforehand or even slip a secret message into a pre-ordered slice of cake or into your dessert.


Want to propose, but have no idea how to do it? Let the experts do the job! Email weddings@indulgz.com for more info.

Next we move on to the feast!

Today is party-themed!

I was completely surprised when I saw that our table had pretty pink balloons tied on the chair backs...





With little gift bags for everyone and a pink crown + wand for me!

As it turns out, this is a mock pink theme, suitable for a birthday party. Indulgz now does customization for their customers' events!

The settings are extra charges, but you no longer will have the hassle of organising anything yourself!

Indulgz Events
also organize company get-togethers, DND coordination, or any company functions. You can either hold your functions in Indulgz Bistro or Indulgz can bring it out to a venue of your preference. They can even source for the venue and coordinate from scratch for you!




Clara (left) and Junne (right) wearing their headgear and looking quite matchy with the balloons.


Shuyin has on kitty ears...

And our menu of the day is printed out for us!

How nice, just like in wedding dinners!

If you wish to, you can also request for the same.



Looks really good!




But first, mascara. You should have seen my friends' faces... They were all so hungry and had to wait for me. Wah lau! If I don't put real make up I have to spend hours drawing it on with photoshop lor!



Everyone has headgear on!
Someone tell Ben it's not Xmas yet leh...



I'm in my Indulgz tiara and Mike has on Shrek ears!





Group pic!



Our sparkling wine is served to us first... Hmmm



Tadah!





Junne is an alcoholic.



Christin says a bottle of good champagne
is supposed to have loads of bubbly!



Cheers to free food!

The wine is $49.90, which is really cheap for champagne. Further 10% off during happy hours!

The taste is sweet at first, and a bit dry later. I liked it, even though I don't usually drink. :)

In between the food servings, we cam-whore!






Bff



And now our first food dish!




HOMEMADE CAESAR SALAD



With croutons, pieces of homemade baguette, bacon bits, and generously sprinkled with cheese with a creamy homemade sauce...

Fresh, crisp whole pieces of romaine lettuce... and a special ingredient of anchovies! Can barely taste it but it is there. Supposedly a necessary ingredient in caesar salads!





The baguette is especially a must-try! It tastes nothing like the usual baguette, but more like a crispy biscuit.

No wonder everyone's fighting for it.



Shrek's ears are itchy...



Shuyin being chio...



Shuyin being ugly...

That's supposedly a hair tuft from daiso. The description says Elvis Presley hair bun, but it looks more like pubes.



And Shuyin being weird...

"Ni kan wo!" she said happily, pointing to her single horn. "I am a one-horn monster!"

-_-

Next dish:



GRATINATED POTATO SKIN
WITH BACON




Yums! Potato skins with bacon and mozzarella cheese atop it.

The creamy sauce on top of it is homemade.



Especially gratifying when you are feeling hungry



Inside: Soft baked potato, which a slightly oniony favour to it, and cheesy to add!

It tastes a little like the Malay potato dish... You know, where the potato is in the shape of a ball and fried! I love that!



My notes of the day on Juicy Couture paper. :)


Next dish:



CRISPY SOFT SHELL CRABS




Delish! Who doesn't love soft shell crabs?

As you can see, it comes with a very unique salsa that contains capsicums and onions, etc. It is sour and mild and goes very well with the rather "heavy" taste of the crabs...

The thing I usually don't like about soft shell crabs in other places is that it is always very salty, so that after your second piece or so you don't feel like eating anymore.

Not this one! Because the batter is mild, you can fully taste the crab meat's sweetness.



Ben likes it.



And gone! Only a little of the garlicky cream sauce is left.



Shuyin tries to take a pic of us with the mirror...

Next stellar dish is...



PAN SEARED FRESH SCALLOPS
IN BACON WRAP




Can you say YUM???!

Whole (not halved) humongous pieces of jumbo USA scallops, pan seared to perfection.

The flesh is succulent, bouncy almost, and cooked just the right amount.

And then, as if that's not good enough, the scallops are then wrapped in pieces of bacon, and drenched with creamy sauce.

The bacon's smoky flavour infuses the scallops to make an excellent combination!

OMG I love scallops!



Junne and Clara acting chio.

Next up we have:



TRUFFLE AND
WILD MUSHROOM SOUP




This might be getting old, but for the fourth time, Indulgz's soups are really the best!

Very creamy, very tasty, and just about the best mushroom soup I've ever had. (seriously)

Since the chef is changed, the soup is no longer as chunky as before but super smooth. Wild mushrooms are used.

As you all know, truffles are really expensive! Truffle oil and a little bit of real truffles are added in this perfect concoction, so you must try it!



Everyone's scraping for the last bits of it.



But fret not, the next best-selling soup is coming up!



CRAB CHOWDER SOUP


Yup. Not clam chowder. CRAB chowder.



With real big chunks of pain-stakingly plucked crab meat ready to be fished out of the soup... and eaten!!! WAHAHAHA!!!

This is another one of Indulgz's awesome creations. My ex-favourite soup, the lobster bisque, was removed and is now replaced with this!

Very creamy and yet has a strong "seafood" taste... Not to mention, of course, the generous potions of fresh, sweet crab meat.

The soup is smooth and has diced celery and carrots inside too. Very rich and not diluted at all!



Junne being glutton of the day while Ben looks on...
Erm, what's that expression? LOL



Mikey and I

More food!



SIGNATURE SLIPPER LOBSTER
AND SCALLOP PLATTER




Junne loves the scallops and thought that the bacon wrapped scallops was the last she would see of them, but she was wrong!



Sorry for making you see this, especially if you are hungry...



So fresh and so juicy!

As you can see, this dish comes with broccoli and Indulgz's lovely mashed potato.

The mashed potato is a little thicker and smoother than before, and creamier too.

The lobsters go very well with the truffled spinach sauce. Mmmhmm!

And seriously man, can the scallops get any bigger?

Shuyin says the lobsters are very "Q"! Q is a taiwanese-coined word to describe very 'doink doink' kinda food... Like how curly noodles bounce right back up when you pull them? This lobster is so fresh it is almost a little crunchy, and therefore is Q!





See? It's so good Ben is fighting Mike for the last piece!



As a punishment for his greediness Junne makes Ben wear her purple Mongolian head-dress...



PINK SALMON AND
WHITE WINE SAUCE




Big slab of pink salmon,
marinated in premium Japanese soy sauce and wasabi.

Other than the usual salmon taste, it also has a mild sweet tinge to it. Comes with dill and white wine sauce!



Pan seared to the exact right amount - half raw!

The skin is crispy and salty (and not to mention has salmon fats under it). I love salmon skin!!



Ben tried to snatch food again and spilled his drink in the process! Owner Christin brought him into the storeroom and spanked him for 1 hour.

Just kidding hor.



BRAISED LAMB STEW



Don't think that these chucks of lamb are just mere chucks of lamb ok!

They are braised for at least ONE FULL DAY to ensure maximum tenderness!

The sauce is very tasty and made with veggies that are cooked for so long, the taste of the lamb + veggies are all infused inside.



I eat you!

Lamb is not easy to make right as it has a strong odour sometimes, but this is good!

I noticed something...



How come there is this cute thing in the stew?!!

It is a piece of shallot!





Junne and Shuyin both bravely give it a try. It is crunchy!


Next we have steak!



CHAR-GRILLED RIBEYE STEAK




I always look forward to the steaks during Indulgz's feast, and this is no exception!

Very tender, very fresh...

The juice oozes out of the steak as you chew on it, because it is chilled and never frozen!



Never disappoints!

Comes with mashed potato and mesclun salad as usual.



Clara enjoying her steak



This last piece all for me!



It's time to choose the chioest nurse!


Contestant 1:

Junne


Nonchalant


Act sexy


Contestant 2:

Me!


Pretend to be a flower


Act chio


Act like a shu nu!


Contestant 3:

Ben




Poor Ben... Ok la... I choose him.




Or is he a better easter bunny? LOL!!


We keep putting stuff on his head and he is damn game to let us girls do it.




Shuyin is very confused, apparently.
Should she be an ogre, or a bunny?





Proof that Santa Claus is not vegetarian.

And then we decided...
Why not?
Let's put wigs on the guys!!










HAHAHAHAHA!! WE LOVE YOU BEN!!!

Mike does not escape from this sad fate either!!





Oh dear, he doesn't seem to like this new hair colour...




Shuyin with her Daiso moustache


More wig drama!








Can you see how happy this Ben is?!

He was shaking his head to make the hair fly lor, damn funny!!!




Junne acting chio again! Haha




Clara with big lips and a bigass mole







Lala and me!

Stop the camwhoring for a bit coz the next dish is here!




CRABMEAT LINGUINE
ALIO OLIO





See the crab meat? Woo!

Garlicky linguine cooked al dente.

This pasta dish is done in traditional Aglio Olio style with extra-virgin olive oil, chilli flakes and red capsicum bits!

Very zesty and seafoody.

Big portion too, for hungry people!






Food time!

Can you see the smoke coming up from the dish? Woohoo!



Back to cam-whoring...



Junne tries on the black "Angela-baby" wig...



While I take the purple. Actually these wigs belong to Kaykay! She left them in my house, haha...

Ugly photo coming up!!


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Tadah!!

Remind me never to go bald. And just so happens, my eyes were totally awry lor. How sexy.









I think only Shuyin managed to look chio in the short black wig (ok la, also Ben)...





I'm asked to join the picture although I don't have a wig to wear, because according to them, my hair already looks like a wig. WTF?!



Purple-haired people still need to eat ok!!


And then, in the midst of our embarrassing camwhoring, the chef came to introduce himself!!




The guy who cooked us all the great food for the night!


And introducing...



CARAMALISED WILLIAM PEAR
AND VANILLA ICE-CREAM




OMG... I have to rave about this!!

I've never had anything like this!

The william pears are glazed, pitted and exceedingly soft. Sweet and light and smooth, it is nothing like pears we commonly eat.

You know how pears sometimes have a "sandy" taste to it? These pears don't have that at all!

Poached for 2-3 hours in saffron and drenched in very very yummy, homemade caramel, this is a must-try of a dessert!

The ice-cream is also homemade vanilla icecream, and it blends perfectly with the william pear.

Loves!

More dessert!



SIGNATURE BANANA
CHOCOLATE CAKE


I love thick chocolate cakes! You know, not the spongy kind but the very creamy and heavy sort.

This cake is one of Indulgz's signature gourmet ones!

The chocolate is moussey and velvety smooth.




The inside is filled with layers of chocolate mousse, banana mousse, as well as an abundant amount of walnuts and cookies.

Comes with vanilla ice cream with homemade berry compote!



And lastly, we have our thick shake of the day!



RUM AND RAISINS THICKSHAKE




Whipped cream and raisins on the top...

Creamy smooth and a bitter sweet milky rum shake in the middle...

With bits of crushed raisins at the bottom!

Very sweet, with a slightly alcohol aftertaste. I like this! It tastes like baileys to me, although nobody agrees...





Shuyin likes it!



And so does Clara!


We thought we were done for the day but Christin put these weird bottles and glasses on the table...



She organised a game for us!



I wonder what we have to do...

As it turns out, the game's really fun and we are basically supposed to mix an alcoholic beverage into a stipulated colour!

I go first and my chosen colour was black!! WTH!!



Choosing



Mixing



They said its not black so I have to drink it! It is black lor hello!! I never photoshop it black hor!



Cannot finish so give to bf...



Bleah! Dunno I mixed what turned out so horrible.



Ben is a pro and finishes it up.



Clara's turn





Mike delibrately does his wrong so he can drink...



Junne's turn... She was supposed to make blue, then she went to mix yellow and green and white! Hello!!

Drink!



Haha lousy!




Shuyin's colour is brown and she did it right but we made her drink it anyway!

At the end of the day, here's everyone's favourite food!!


Shuyin: Lamb Stew

Clara: Crab Chowder

Ben: Mushroom soup

Mike: Bacon wrapped scallops

Me: William pears

Junne: Salmon, bacon-wrapped scallops and potato skins! Hello, supposed to only choose one but she said she cannot decide.

Isn't it funny that everyone has different favourites? :D


This marks the end of my entry!


Thanks Indulgz for the very very fun evening!!

Remember to go to Indulgz if you got any special occasions to celebrate, or just for a happy night out!!

Once again, here's Indulgz's website, and it is located at Tan Quee Lan street, walkable from Bugis MRT! Phone no: 6238 7032


Set Lunches are available from Tuesday to Friday 11.30am to 3pm. Choose to upgrade any main courses or pasta from the Ala Carte menu to a FULL SET LUNCH MENU starting from $5.00+ (includes a soup of day, main course/pasta, coke/sprite & one scoop house vanilla/chocolate ice-cream).

Other upgrades are also available. Please log on to Indulgz's website at www.indulgz.com under “Lunch” for more details.


INDULGZ WEDDINGS

Weddings can be non-hassle if you leave your solemnization or customary wedding ceremony in the hands of Indulgz's Wedding Conceriges. Email to weddings@indulgz.com for details.

Log on to www.styleweddings.sg for a detailed editoral of Indulgz Weddings and their services.

Read The Full Article
2008-08-27

Health and Hovid


Advertorial

I've been sent a bottle of "Anti-oxidants" by Hovid, the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers in Malaysia.




Quite frankly, throughout my life I've never taken health supplements before! When I was a kid maybe I did chew on those orangey robots vitamins, but that was it.

Mike, however, is always popping vitamin pills.

While I look at him, politely puzzled, he always just says "our bodies don't get enough vitamins".

I guess what he says has some truth in it, coz with all the junk we are eating nowadays, I think it is highly unlikely I am hitting my vitamins quota, and neither are you (if you are not some health nut).

Therefore, health supplements!!




This little bottle that they sent me says "Maxi Bio Absorption" and claims to have this thing called "Coenzyme Q10" in it. What? I don't understand what that is!

Fortunately trusty wikipedia is always around for things that matter (ahem therefore I'm on it, ahahaha!), and I was quite shocked to see how awesome this Q10 thing is!

Skipping the boring parts, in short, it helps:


Mitochondrial Disorders - Dunno what it is but I hope I don't get it.

Migraine headaches

Cancer - as a relief for cancer treatment side-effects and being investigated as a treatment.

Brain health

Cardiac arrest

Blood pressure

And even increased the lifespan of rats who take it!



It's like a miracle thing leh!!


But actually, this Q10 occurs naturally in our bodies (as well as in other things such as chicken leg/pork heart), just that most of the time we don't produce enough, or do not absorb enough of it.


This is where Q10 Supra-Bio comes in. It's absorption formula makes it easy for our bodies to absorb loads and loads of Q10!!


Wait, I hear something...




The pills want out!




These little yellow pills are chockful of Q10 goodness...




I'm gonna eat them!



Ahem.


Today I am going to teach you how to take your vitamins!!






Pose with your pills. No reason. Just do it.




Open bottle. Smell it a bit. Is it moldy?
Check expiry date. 1989? No? 2011? Ok good.




Pick your favourite pill of the lot!




Pop it into mouth! Don't bite, swallow!




Water to flush it down. Plus water is good for you!!




Task finished!




Show love or it won't work for you.
True story.




OK la, those were just lame excuses to cam-whore.



But seriously though... I just watched Money No Enough 2 (very sad show leh...), and those of you who have seen it are probably also reminded of the importance of health.

Taking care of one's body is really crucial and people should not take a back seat and take good health for granted.


It is true! If you can't be bothered to exercise, then health supplements should be taken - after all, they are so easy... No effort needed whatsoever.

(Unless of course you are in some desert and water is very scarce so you can't swallow your pills.... But then again people in deserts probably don't take health supplements.)


So, where do you go to if you want to buy some vitamins?



It is no secret I am a big fan of online shopping, and I can't believe now you can even buy health products online!

The steps are really easy - choose your product, register, pay, and if you are in Singapore, you will get your products within one day!

Now that's what I call awesome shipping!

If you have any enquiries, the best thing is, there is a live desk of Hovid staff who are more than willing to answer your questions immediately!

No more need more long emails and waiting for replies (only to realise the person misunderstood your question. Always happens to me).


Hovid's website is exceedingly easy to navigate, and their products range from Teas to Women's Nutrition to Cardiovascular... Got a lot la!


Of course, you have to be very careful and stringent when purchasing consumable items.

Who can forget the Slim10 incidents?!

Therefore, only purchase from the most trustworthy companies!


Hovid Berhad is a listed company based in KL, and has been around since 1945. It first started when Dr. Ho Kai Cheong founded Ho Yan Hor tea.

Familiar?


It's this one!






My dad and mom love it.


The company has since then grown into one of the leading pharmaceutical manufacturers in the world with over 300 products and distributing to over 40 countries.

I've personally had the pills and I am feeling fit as a fiddle!!

So get your much-needed vitamins today, you couch potato!

If not, get it for your elderly parents/grandparents, you unfilial person!


Click here to buy!


(Also I suspect it is cheaper to buy directly from the production company...)

Read The Full Article
2008-07-01

Be Absolutely You

Advertorial sponsored by Kimberly Clark

Ok here's a fair warning... BOYS GO AWAY! This is a girl's entry and purely for females only!

I told you to go away!!

Fine! Read it if you want! I'm gonna be talking about PERIODS!

Frankly, I hate having my period. Everytime it arrives, it reminds me of my early secondary school days when I would get cramps so horrific I can honestly just faint man!

(But thinking back now, I realised I don't really hate periods that much anymore. They are more of a come-and-go thing for me and don't really bother me much. Gone are the secondary school days of staining skirts! And why am I the one who's always washing people's skirts for them as they hide in the toilet??! BTW I once used chalk/liquid paper to cover up my stain coz my uniform was white. Haha... My mother wasn't pleased.)

As medicine is invented for my cramps, other things are also invented that are a God-sent.

Such as pads so thin:


Kotex Soft and Smooth Ultrathin with wings

(Amazing hor...? And ultra absorbent too!)

The experience of having my period has come a long way since Feb 6 1995 when I first got it.

Yes! I still remember the exact date ok! I ran to my mother and told her, expecting her to hug me and exclaim, "Yes! You are finally a woman my little baby girl!" but she did nothing of that sort.

In fact she just nonchalantly gave me a pad.

A super thick pad!!

Nowadays periods are so much easier. Pads have improved drastically since 1995, and from slim, they become thin, and now... ultrathin!

They are no longer so heavy they make your panties look like diapers.They no longer leak from the sides.

My grandmama told me that during HER time, when pads were still not invented, women had to use pieces of cloth! And the women had to wash their own cloths coz they cannot afford to waste like that!

EWWWWWWW!!

Can you imagine?? So yeah I guess we shouldn't complain about the circa 1990s thick pads.

There can now be so much freedom when it comes to that time of the month. BE ABSOLUTELY YOU!

As long as you use a good brand you can trust (Kotex for me!), you can still go about dancing, jogging etc. No problem. Especially with the super long kind that will never, ever leak. (Unless you are extremely filthy and don't change for 3 days la)


And of course, the best thing about having your period is knowing you are not pregnant. Eh... If you are not ready la. Which I am not, so it's always good for me. If you want to get pregnant and you are not.. Well erm... good for your husband/bf I guess!! Ok... awkward... Moving on!

I was at Watsons the other day and I saw this on the shelf:



Everything is so prettified nowadays!


The flora box contains:



1) Kotex Soft & Smooth Ultrathin 23cm 20 pcs
2) Kotex Soft & Smooth Overnight Ultrathin 28cm 10pc

Just nice!





Kotex Soft and Smooth Ultrathin pads - 28 cm

Now in a minute 5 pc pack!


This chic little package is really convenient as it is super tiny and can fit into any small bag! It only has 5 pads inside. It's awesome for travelling.


After using up the pads, you can use it...



To put your own stuff!

I imagine if you buy a lot of these and keep the boxes you can build a mini-cupboard with them. Haha!

Can also cam-whore with it!!





Hahaha... So boh liao.

So anyway, advertorials always end with a bit of goodies for the readers.

This one is a DAILY lucky draw!

Everyday there is a winner, and you can be a winner more than once!


To enter, easy - just call 1800-6222-888!


With every purchase of $5 of Kotex Ultrathin products, you can stand to win $100 everyday! This starts from 1st July to the 15th of August - 46 long days.

If you still didn't win, fret not! Your entry will then be snowballed for the grand draw of $1,000! Sheesh, I don't mind getting that man. I'd totally get loads of Juicy stuff...! *salivating at the thought*


Click!


Get Kotex now! As my grandmama always says, don't wait until want to shit then go build the toilet bowl. *nods wisely in agreement*


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