Makan Session

Went to have dinner at Melt - The World Cafe at Oriental Hotel. Because of CNY, they raised the price to $50+++. Citibank Dividend Platinum (I think) had 15% discount so it's $50 nett per person. Pricy, but the service was very good. Food was great as well.





Newly renovated Oriental Hotel. Looks good rite? Laterns were at the entrance of the hotel. Pretty.

The Food



We have Italian (I think)...



Japanese...



Indian... Their Nann is very nice. I love their mango chutney but they didn't have it this time. I dunno why.



Seafood (Clams, Oysters, Baby Lobsters, Crayfish). Daddy and mummy liked the oysters because they were not too big.



Chinese... Their Chicken Bak Kut Teh Soup was delicious! They change soups from time to time. The last time I went, it was Shark's Fin Soup. Also very nice.



The bread counter...



Cheessssssseeeeee



Lots and lots and lots of ice-cream toppings. They have waffles for your ice cream too but too full to have them.



Cakes. Not many but nice. Their blackforest is very very rich. I love their cherry filling.



Chocolate Fountain... Dark and milk. I loved their orange chocolate fountain the last time I went but was disappointed that they don't have it this time. I asked the chef and he said they change the flavour each time they finish a block. Wasted sia.

They also have a large selection of fruits available. They will cut for you after you have chosen what you want. The fruit du jour is MANGO. This HK guy beside us had like two servings of three mangoes! It was very nice.



Mini Pasteries (this is 1 of 3 sections). They have this orange pudding thingy that's very nice.



Apple Crumble from the pastry section.



Steak from the BBQ section. Medium rare even without your asking. Yum.



Strawberry and Vanilla ice-cream topped with vanilla sauce, chocolate sprinkles and chopped almonds plus 2 wafers. :)

Lo-Hei!



They have free-flow Yu-Sheng! The first one was the four-serving portion (which is not a lot) and we added salmon and swordfish sashimi from the Jap counter. Yum. I asked for another two-serving portion later on. The presentation actually looked nicer. Heh.



Lo Hei-ing.

Uncle Eat-A-Lot



This uncle can eat a lot sia. He came later than us and left earlier than us. But he definitely ate more than one of us! The first time he went to take food, he brought back three plates (as witnessed by mummy). After that I think he went for at least six more servings! Non-stop one man, and he eat very fast! Later he went to talk to the waitress or something before continue eating. Then he disappeared for quite a while. We found him talking to another waitress while holding a bowl of ice-cream.

He moved on to the desserts. And just when you think he's done, he went back to the main course. I think he knew I was taking his pic cos of the stupid red AF beam. :p Anyway, this was the best shot I could get cos it was dark by that time.

There was probably a important person somewhere in the building cos got 4 traffic police and one army guy eating in the cafe. Someone told them to have the buffet then another waiter said that they already had food prepared for them. They got Nasi Padang. Sad but the nasi padang itself looked very good.

We started at 7pm (reached at 6.45pm tho), ended at 10pm. 3-hour marathon but we ate slowly.

Great stuff.

End Shot

Where's My Ang Pow?

Don't think you are in Australia you can escape giving me Ang Pow. :p You owe me one.



Chinatown Madness

A glimpse of Chinatown activity a week before the real thing. This year's theme (other than the Year of the Dog) was abt the 12 zodiac animals with the doggie headlining the whole decor.




Then there were the crowds. Because it was raining non-stop the week before, everyone was charging down to Chinatown to add to the madness.



That's the queue for Lim Chee Guan. One week before CNY. Today when I was passing by Chinatown on the way to work, the store wasn't even opened but there was a looooooong line in front of the shop, snaking all the way to the MRT side, forming an L-shape! Xiao. And the news reported that of the 3 most popular Bak Kwa shop in Chinatown, the authorities found that one of them were guilty of dishonest trading. They shortchange customers by giving them 30g less! So investigations going on now.

Laser Show



This year they have a laser show to enteratin people. It's on every night but dunno from what time to what time. Anyway, it's a short story about the zodiac. Most amusing is the Uniquely Singapore endorsement.

Cai Shen Dao!



Tiger Beer has stationed 2 Cai Shens this year. One along Pagoda Street, and the other at the junction of Smith and dunno what street, where Yum Cha is. Just nice caught this one giving out ang pows. Where's My Ang Pow?



I also caught this act cute Cai Shen mascot at Plaza Sing. He was going to the second level via the travellator (sp?) Too bad he refused to look my way.

Special Finds at Chinatown



First time see so many blooms on the Pussy Willow. They don't let you touch it.



They sell Mai Ya Tang or 麦牙糖 in special flavours like Orange, Lemon, Sarsi, Honey, Lychee, etc. Retailing at $1.20 per stick, or $12 for... 15 sticks? or $16 for... 24 sticks I think. I bought a few to give away.



Chocolate Fountains are popping up everywhere. We first saw something like this outside Heeren. They were selling it at $2.50 and $3 per stick and you can dip the chocolate yourself. But at Chinatown, they dip it for you I think and they sell it at $2 per stick. But like no one buy from them. Wrong crowd I guess. The Korean Cuttlefish store, on the other hand, was doing big business.

Closing Shots of Chinatown



My Stash



What I bought to give away. The fishies look very cute! The orange one reminds me of Nemo :D. Mummy and I bought to give away. Mummy bought and put in containers. They end up looking like a container of Nemos. They look so happy hor?



The Mai Ya sticks.

Presents

As with Christmas, there were presents (actually only one) from people. This time it was Bak Kwa (Minced Meat, 500g) from Warner Music. Not bad hor?





The hamper that mummy got from Dr Yim. Contents: 2 bottles of wine, 1 box of nuts, 1 box Ferrero Rocher, 2 Cans Xiang Bao (shellfish that tastes like abalone), 1 Can superior stock of something, I tin Cuttlefish. I think that's it.




Carrot Cake (1kg) and cookies from the CNY goodie bags that John's Mother gave. Cookies given are Cereal Killer (yum) and Shortbreak Buttons (I actually love the Fruit & Nut Thins but they never give it :p)

Caramel



Just for fun.

Finally uploaded ALL the chinatown pics. :p

Oh and they are offering shuttle service to and fro Chinatown to Tanjong Pagar and Outram MRTs. Not bad hor? SBS transit has jumped onto the CNY bandwagon with this promotion:



Heh. Check out the names they give to the service numbers! "Lucky Chinatown Services" "Prosperous Chinatown Services"... Hur hur hur.... For a better pic, go to www.sbstransit.com.sg