Sunday:
+ Woke up to eat breakfast at cafe, scrambled eggs and bacon anyone?
+ Bri dropped us off at Market City, can you say shopping? The fun thing about shopping in Sydney is that the salespeople can mark down the clothes as they please.
+ Mission: to spend all the AUD I had. Not a difficult thing to do.
+ Walked through the city centre, QVC, shop, shop, shop.
+ Supre, Cotton On, Mambo, Mooks,
+ I bought a Tigerlily (my lovelove) pants, Emily the Strange top, Mooks top, slippers, Country Road yellow and white striped duffel
+ Ate AUD 5.25 cupcake at David Jones
+ Bri picked up us to go to Star City where we would not let me in because I did not bring my passport. Boo.
+ Ate at Oscars.
+ Ate at Gelatissimo – Death by Chocolate! Chocolate truffle. Yay!

Monday:
+ Dom’s mother brought us to eat at the Pavillion, sausage and hashbrowns
+ Last minute shopping at Chatswood
+ Back to sit on luggage
+ Off to airport
+ Bye bye Dominikki, I miss you!

Friday:
+ Went to the Westfield Chatswood, not as big compared to the Bondi one but big enough
+ Visited KMart (How I miss KMart and Target, one of the few happiest places around)
+ Bought a pair of Ugg-like Billabong boots for the cold, the salesboy was oh so cute! Can you say Hubba hubba?
+ Ate at sushi place, tried cooked beef sushi and katsu and cheese maki, tempura chef was Indian, culture shock
+ Took the bus to the city, using farecard (so long ago)
+ Went to DFS
+ Took million and one pictures of the Sydney Opera house from opposite the river and the right side because it was the touristy thing to do; Dominikki thinks its made up of bathroom tiles and it is yellow
+ Walked and walked to Veranda Bar where I got a glimpse of a non smoking place that sold alcohol
+ Walked and walked and walked to cheapo Italian place with delicious ’stale’ (as if!) bread and schnitzel as big as my head (okok, as big as the place)
+ Ate chocolate and pistachio (no tiramisu, no pistachio, did I say pistachio? – Dom) on the sidewalk and froze while waiting for Bri to pick us up

Saturday
+ To Hunter Valley!
+ Bri drove and I did my usual sleep in the backseat (remember Jupes?) and watched black MTVs all the way, Bri has a lovely elegantly pimped ride
+ First stop, the chocolate factory and tasting some pink blush wine
+ Stopped for lunch and ate schnitzel again (but chicken this time round)
+ Visited Tempus Two – beautiful posh building, Audrey Wilkinson – wonderful view
+ Bri took pictures of me running around like headless chicken
+ Stopped on the way back to look at dog house
+ Went to dinner at Thai restaurant to meet a certain section of an Indonesia village

I was on leave last Wednesday though my flight was in the evening. The usual string of events ran like this: pack, watch teevee, surf, pack more, surf, watch teevee, eat, pack. That is why I needed the entire day to pack. The laney took me to the airport where we ate Popeye’s chicken. Cajun fries are the bomb! Why are there so little Popeye’s in Singapore? There was no aisle seat because it was a connecting flight even though we checked in two and a half hours before the flight. What a bummer. Rushed to the gate because at 1900 hours, the ‘Last Call’ sign blinked on the big board at the departure area. What a bunch of kiasu typical Singapore idea. Idiots. Of course it was not last call. Had to wait so long for the plane to take off. Liars.

The flight was terrible of course. I detest flying. There were three angmoh brats who were sitting behind me who would not STOP talking through the entire flight even though people were supposed to be sleeping. Makes me wonder why taking away children’s voice box is inhumane. Making people listen to incessant chatter is inhumane.

The plane touched down on Thursday early morning and I passed customs quite smoothly, except the Aussie customs people were a touch grumpy. Perhaps I am always a touch sensitive in any ang moh land, but I always feel that the angmohs are abit rough around the edges when dealing with non angmohs. Dominikki was at the arrival gate to welcome me and whisk me off in her Volvo S40.

We drove to her house and I met Pookie the puppy. He is Dr Jeykll and Mr Hyde and an adorable bundle of doggy fur rolled into one. Then I had a nap because it was still early morning.

Thursday:
+ Bondi Junction for a pedicure, toes painted with Opi’s Cajun Shrimp
+ Shopped at the extremely big shopping centre looking for thermal things and trying not to spend so much money on the first day
+ Exposed to Scanlan & Theodore, went to Aveda, shopped at Kookai, all the lovely lovely shops and brands that Singapore did not have
+ Ate at foodcourt, given a beeper (so American!) when we bought our Phad Thai
+ Bought black dress at Crow’s Nest (?)
+ Met Bri in sharp suit, drove to Belgium Oyster Bar to wait and give up
+ Ate Pancakes on the rocks at Darling Harbour, ate lots of pancakes, pizza, chips, nachos, happy food

Friday night, the laney picked me up to go to Central where we ate at Chippy’s. I wanted to go to Ma Maison again to let the laney sample the Japanese-Western fusion dishes in a kitchsy environment but alas, the place is far too popular and I could not get a reservation. So we ate at Chippy’s:
+ cheesy curry chicken
- cheesy sausage with mashed potato
+ battered fries
+ cringle fries

Then we went to Timbre to listen to this band called the Goodfellas and I had a strawberry margarita. I also met the laney’s colleague who also has a crush on the fab four. Cool beans.

Saturday, we went to Amoy Street to eat the curry fish head (+) thing that Wang and I usually eat. The laney was wary of the parking as he got a ticket there before and lightning always strikes twice and more. Then I joined Jiaps, Jackie and Bianca at this place where Auntie Shufang was trying on her gowns. She chose her gowns faster than she shops for normal clothes.

It was warrior yoga with Adhe on Sunday morning. Totally xiong that class, I forgot how taxing it was on the thighs too. We went to Botak Jones at Toa Payoh where we ate:
+ Botak cheese burger
+ Cajun burger
- Chez fries

The burgers came with cajun fries and coleslaw. The servings are HUGE. Not the burgers but fries. But the chez fries were not that fabulous at the cheese that they used was not Cheese Whiz but sliced cheese and they topped it with lettuce. I mean spring onions were fine but lettuce??

Dinner was the Pig’s treat at Garibaldi, a pish posh Italian place along Purvis Street where they only served sparkling or still water. I do not like sparkling water so had to drink an entire bottle of 750ml of still water by myself. It was quite dark and the service was excellent. But as gourmet dining went, it took a long long time for the food to come. We ate from 7:30 to 9pm. I am usually a speedy eater. And the prices! Only when the Pig pays then can eat at these kind of places. I rather buy something (the meal cost more than my brand new leather jacket) with that money. We ate extremely small portions of:
+ Lobster soup
+ Fried King Prawns
+ Crab cake thingy
+ Foie gras
+ Beef Ravoli (the laney)
+ Duck spinach pasta (Mama)
+ Lobster angel hair pasta (Pig)
+ Beef Tenderloin with truffle potatos and some mushroom (me, only 4 miserable pieces of beef)
+ Molten chocolate cake with heavenly hazenut gelato (me, I really like the ice cream)
+ Apple tart with chocolate gelato (Pig)
+ Tiramisu (Mama, it came on a plate like ten times the size of the dessert)
+ Italian pastry thing with cream on a chocolate bar thing which looked damn yummy (the laney)
There was something called Chocolate dusgustation which I wondered aloud if it was disgusting why was it on the menu? Hehehehhe, bimbo.

Pretending to be posh.

Oosh is a huge white building next to the carpark that sells durians. I think in Singapore, there must be only one carpark that sells durians. Of course feel free to prove me wrong because I do not eat durians, anyway, so I will be gracious about it. Like when people point out my spelling mistakes.

There is a porch where people can sit down to wait for their party. It is open air and al fresco. Very conducive for chilling out. There is Japanese on the second floor and all large outdoor area with water features like a small waterfall.

The lunch menu is comprehensive with pasta, salads, sandwiches and most under $20. I shared the Thai pizza with Reiny and ate abit of her Aglio Olio pasta. The Thai pizza was minced chili with basil and some kind of Thai chili sauce, with cheese on top. It is big, two people can eat it and interesting tasting. The crust is brittle.

The spagetti done Aglio Olio was just like other places, good enough tasty but the tiny bits of scallops, one of which that I popped into my mouth was very very juicy. I think that is a good thing.

We had warm chocolate cake. With ice cream and some fruits, the ice cream was topped with crumbled pitaschio (spelling). It was alright, good but not like tongue-numbing so.

But it is a good place to relax and enjoy the weekend or if you are a tai-tai to while away lunch. The environment comes with good enough food, especially on a nice, drizzling day.

*Disclaimer: I do like Sharon very very much and yes, I also owe her money. But this place is a must go at least once, and I have heard that many people proposed to their signicifant other to sell their souls to banks at Oosh.

Awful just love love loves Northern Indian food. Awful just adores papadoms, naans and chicken tikka. Awful eats at Delhi Restaurant often. Many times in fact.

On Wednesday night, the parents and I went to eat at Delhi. It is a favourite place for the family. We have the Delhi card also. I always want to eat the same because my taste in food rarely changes, sometimes I like to try something new but that is rarely and I always fall back on good old staples.

On the menu:
* Papadoms with mint sauce and assorted garlic, onions in a tiny dish drenched in a clear seasoning is the appetizer. Papadoms are my favourite snack. More than chips and sometimes beats out cheesy things. I think the papadoms at Delhi are oven baked and not fried because when you break them into pieces in your hands, they do not leave a greasy residue. And the papadoms you get here are always in a whole piece and not those mass manufactured papadoms that are broken before you can break them.
* Chicken tikka. Good old chicken tikka that I always must have here or at any other Northen Indian restaurant. Seasoned with tandoori sauce and skewered like kebabs, this chicken is juicy and very very good.
* Delhi prawns are another favourite order here. Shelled prawns save for the tail that are slightly battered and cooked in a thick peppery sauce. The prawns are just the right touch of spicy if they are just covered and not flooded with the pepper sauce. The prawns are big and not the glass prawns that restaurants like to pass off as real prawns with their salads or pastas.
* Fried fish. We have never tried this before. I am not fond of fish. At all. Only seafood. Anyway, there were four thin slabs of fish seasoned with this muruku sauce (it tasted like muruku alright), no bones were the saving grace. I like muruku but not fish.
* Garlic naan. They are not that fluffy but they are only baked when you order them. Pieces of garlic adorn the slices. One slice is huge. The size of a normal person’s head but bigger. One slice is cut into four parts. Garlic naan is like garlic bread. But more heavenly. Especially at Delhi where it is freshly baked and warm when it comes to you.

Awful always has a good time at Delhi Restaurant.

Awful ate at Sketches Pasta & Wine Bar at Bugis on Saturday night. This cafe-restaurant can be found between Ajisen Ramen, TCC and another unidentified Japanese restaurant, I think it is a spinoff of Ajisen.

We sat outside near TCC. The decor is usual Italian. The table is kinda small. They have sketches of people and some cartoon displayed, hanging in a column from the ceiling, hence, probably the name Sketches. They had some kind of ‘design your own pasta’ promotion-dish-menu but we did not go for that. Instead, looking through the menu, I realised there was no pizza offered. I do not know how authentic Italian pizza is, probably very but it is not right for a Italian place to not have pizza. I guess that is why they called it a PASTA & wine bar. No pizza for you here.

They graciously provided us with a flask of water. This flask was put right in the centre of the table. Now, I am all for symmetric-ity and all but it was a good thing The laney was tall if not I would be looking at him through the flask. But we did not move it to the side. I guess both of us are too lazy.

The soup of the day was Onion soup. It came with a slice of garlic bread. There were lots of onions in it (I know it is onion soup after all), which was fun to eat soggy onions slices, (the only kind I eat), but it tasted abit watery and bland, perhaps they skimped on their msg. The garlic bread though was not bad.

I had the Feeling Prawny (I know, who comes up with those names? Someone who probably thinks that he has a very good sense of humour). It was prawns with spagetti done aglio oglio style with chopped chilis. The first prawn I bit it was not de-veined. And the resulting fishy taste in my mouth ruined the meal for me. The spagetti was tasteless. The remaining prawns were de-veined but it was too late.

The laney had some A Fiery Affair pasta thing that was sliced beef with spagetti and peppers done in a curious Chinese style that is common with pasta dishes. The two slices of beef I had were tough and dry (but honestly, I like that kind of meat, I like Chicken breast for god’s sake but I know most people do not). But I did not eat any of the noodles so I cannot give a opinion on it.

Finally, I had the Homemade Tiramisu. The coffee taste was far far too strong for me. I had better Tiramisus. (The Pasta Fresca ones springs to mind.)

The price was affordable, the main courses we had were less than $14. But I would not return to eat there in a hurry.

In my virgin (freshman) (first) entry for Awful Eats, I shall tell you about last night’s dinner at Rama Thai Sharksfin Restaurant at 81 Tanjong Pagar Road.

The Place: The ambience was cheesy chinese Thai. I think Red was the main decorating colour and there was a teevee broadcasting Channel 8 in the back near where the link to the kitchen should be. It is small. Sits 50 maximum, unless you are a small person (read: child). Please make reservations.

The Food:
1. Seafood tomyum soup: Red colour. Far far far too sweet due to tomatoes and probably liberal helping of white sugar. Lots of prawns! Still too sweet.
2. Rama Thai special fried rice: Recommended by an over zealous waiter-manager. Came with cashew nuts, crab meat, prawns (again) and peas (ick). Quite appetizing (spelling) but like all fried rices, oily but not overly so.
3. Diced chicken sauteed with dried chili and cashew nuts (again!): Cashew nuts again. Pieces of chicken were tender and very good chili sauce was spicy. Dubious pieces of chestnuts (not sure) and garlic (maybe).
4. Prawn Cakes: Breaded prawn cakes fried golden brown. Could see pieces of prawn and slightly springy. Yummy like all fried things. Served with sweet chili sauce and sesame seeds.
5. Deep fried octopus in special Rama sauce: Same said annoying waiter person recommended this when I wanted the octopus fried with garlic and chili. My mother is a sucker for anything ‘recommended’, which is really very annoying too, (yes, she is a lemming, if the queue at some stall at the hawker centre is very long, you can bet she will think the food sold at that particularly stall is good). Special Rama sauce was lemon sauce = too sweet and not very nice.

Other points to note: The place was old and not very well maintained. The tablecloth showed its age. Abit on the too pricey side. Plenty of cashew nuts and prawns though. Parking in the tanjong pagar area not very fun. Along the road = parallel parking.

Awful really enjoyed the chicken and the prawn cakes.