Mozza, Marina Bay Sands

Met up with the best friend for dinner at Mozza before going for the musical Dirty Dancing. We came via the Circle Line MRT and I have to say I am really confused by the Circle Line, particularly the part where it branches out to Dhoby Ghaut and Marina Bay. I guess I need to venture to places along the Circle Line more often and stop being stuck in town or the east. 

Mozza is located directly opposite the Marina Bay Sands theatres which makes it a delightful place for a nice dinner before heading over and settling in for some amazing singing and dancing. We tried to make a reservation the night before but alas, I was told that they were fully booked and we could only walk in. So we did and were given seats along the pizza bar.

Watching them work magic with the pizzas was captivating and I spent most of the night eyeing the ripe cherry tomatoes sitting on that dish right in front of us. They looked too sweet and juicy to be true.

We ordered caprese as our starter and a Prosciutto di Parma to share. I also had a peach bellini whilst she had a rose wine for drinks.

The caprese was fantastic! I love the ripe cherry tomatoes which were so juicy, they simply burst in my mouth as I bit into them. It was sweet! Coupled with the mozzarella cheese, basil and olive oil, this dish was simple yet winning.

Prosciutto di Parma, rucola, tomato and mozzarella. I love the generous serving of parma ham and the yummy rocket leaves. The pizza was very chewy which might or might not be good for you depending on how you like your pizza done. I like mine to be chewy and thin and I am not too big a fan of the crispy pizzas that taste like biscuits. The pizza at Mozza was done just right and I enjoyed watching them bake pizzas in the oven over firewood.

It was dessert time so we asked for recommendations and eventually decided on something that was not recommended because she said this came with fresh strawberries. Now, tell me, who can resist fresh strawberries? Not me, so we had a strawberry pie. It was really nice! I love the fresh sweet strawberries and the almonds.

We finished our meal shortly before 8pm, fled into the theater, zipped to the restroom and found our seats just before 8pm. We did not want to be stranded outside but amazingly this musical did not start on time so we actually did have enough time to get everything done slowly. Ah well never mind.

The dancing in Dirty Dancing was amazing; such grace, skill and technique! The story line was pretty predictable but the dancing definitely made the ticket worthwhile. Some of the cast members came out to the lobby for a photography session and I managed to get close enough to snag a shot. The guy in the middle was Johnny, the charming male lead with crazily well-defined abs and fantastic dance moves.

Was a great night!

#B1-42/46 MBS

Bali Day 3, Kuta Square, Kuta Beach, Sardines Restaurant fine dining

We took a cab from our villa to Kuta Square because the complimentary drop-off did not extend to areas outside Seminyak. We were pretty clueless when we got off the cab so we simply walked around and went into random shops. There were many shops selling the usual surfing attire and a large departmental store called Matahari. I enjoyed shopping at Matahari where I grabbed a whole bunch of basic tank tops and the boyfriend picked a couple of tees. I have to say that they were very cheap but my tops kind of expanded after washing whilst his shrank.

Kuta Beach is right behind Kuta Square and is a long stretch of coarse sand and blue waters. The waters aren't clean and clear such that you can see the sea bed and the beach generally is not as clean and pristine as the beaches at Railay either. But it is definitely a crowded beach, full of surfers and people lazing around. We strolled along the beach for awhile until we were both hungry and started wandering back to Kuta Square in search of food.

We had our lunch at Gabah Restaurant and Bar which was an airy restaurant with average food. He had a cheeseburger while I had grilled chicken rice, neither of which was particularly memorable. We both ordered some cocktails which were decent but so forgettable that I cannot remember what we ordered anymore.

We continued walking down the street to the next mall which was Discovery Mall. It was a pretty regular mall with boring stuff that I did not fancy. I think we simply walked around and around, went up to the top floor, came back down, and concluded there was really nothing much here. There was nothing much along that street either so we decided to buy some water and grab a cab back to our villa.

We lazed around watching some movies at the villa and made a reservation for Sardines because I read many good reviews about it and was really keen to have dinner there. We hopped out of the villa and got the driver to give us a ride to Sardines. As it was a fine dining establishment, there was a dress code and the boyfriend obviously did not meet the criteria because he was wearing a singlet. Thankfully we anticipated this and he brought a tee along, so he changed into it and we were ushered into the restaurant.

For all those visiting Bali in a hot month and intending to have dinner at Sardines, I have to say that it was not a very comfortable affair. Granted, the view of the padi field right beside the restaurant was awesome and the food was fantastic, but the heat was really something else altogether. It is an al fresco restaurant and we were seated away from the main area so there wasn't any breeze or wind reaching us. I was wearing a cotton spaghetti strap dress yet I was beginning to sweat by the time I started on my main course, so yes. Food for thought if you are heading there.

We ordered a tuna carpaccio and a smoked salmon salad as appetizers. Our main courses were sauteed kingfish for the boyfriend and pan seared sea bass for me. The tuna carpaccio was great. The tuna was fresh, deliciously sweet, and I love the garnishing.

The smoked salmon salad was good too! Crunchy fresh vegetables and smoked salmon with a tangy salad dressing.

My pan seared sea bass was awesome. It was so awesome that I would go so far to say that it was the best meal I had in Bali (even La Lucciola cannot triumph this). The sea bass was tender, extremely fresh, and so sweet! It was pan seared to perfection, slightly crispy on the outside yet incredibly tender within. Drizzled with the sauce, the combination was heavenly. The mashed potatoes and salad were good too!

The boyfriend's sauteed kingfish. It was not as great as my pan seared sea bass but still good nonetheless. The boyfriend observed that the highlight of this dish was actually the rice because the grains were so chewy and tasty.

Service was impeccable and very attentive. As we opened a bottle of red wine, they moved us to a lower table beside the padi field after we were done with our food so that we could enjoy our drinks with the awesome view.

The food was great, very memorable, and I love everything about Sardines. Might be prudent to wear less if you are a lady and keen on managing the heat. If you are a guy then I suppose you would just have to suffer in slightly more clothes.

We came out of the restaurant in high spirits and were promptly led to a cab which was waiting across the street. The amazing thing was the price of the cab ride which was a shocking 50,000 rupiah for a ride which was less than 5 minutes. In all  honesty, we could have walked but I guess we were too lazy and the red wine was taking its effect. Ah well.

Read about Day 1, Day 2, Day 4, Day 5 and Day 6!

Grub, Bishan Park

I can sum up my entire experience with Grub in just one phrase - completely and utterly unworthy of the long wait. We took the MRT to Bishan, hopped onto a bus and alighted opposite Bishan Park where Grub is. A snaking long queue greeted us at the door of Grub when we piled into the place. It was a very small cafe with a handful of tables indoors and a couple outdoors which probably explained why there was such a large crowd waiting at the door. We left our name and were told that the wait will probably be 45 minutes to an hour. Crazy long wait, but I thought, hey! If the food's good, I can totally handle waiting in the heat for an hour. It was an insanely hot Sunday so we found some shade in Bishan Park, sat down and started catching up.

An hour came and went and still no call from Grub so we trudged back to the cafe to see how were things moving along. The people at the table we were allocated were not ready to leave, so we waited patiently at the door while the ladies took another 30 minutes to finish their coffees. Finally we were ushered into the cafe after a 1 hr 30 minutes wait. At that point, all I could say was, this had better be worth it.

It was not. I was bored of the usual English breakfast so I ordered a fish burger with an orange juice. We also grabbed a waffle and some churros to share.

I have to say my fish burger looked delicious when it arrived. Just look at it, the fish fillet was way larger than the bun, the lettuce looked crisp and fresh, and the fries looked sinfully crispy. All it took was one slice through the burger to know that appearances were deceiving. The fish fillet flaked beneath my knife and I was mildly surprised. Good fish fillet was not supposed to be like that. It was supposed to come apart cleanly in nice juicy pieces. It tasted really ordinary. The fish fillet was dry and kind of bland and everything else was just normal. The fries were decent, but like I always say, I could get good fries at MacDonalds within 5 minutes from my office so no, I don't think I would rate that as something so highly desirable that I would want to wait 1 hour 30 minutes for.  

The churros were so sweet and I do not mean it in a good way. There was just too much sugar coated on the churros and all of us were trying to scrape some off before putting the churros into our mouths. It got so bad that one of my friends stopped the waitress and told her to tell the chef that he should put less sugar on the churros in future. Yes I completely agree. The churros could do with less sugar.

The waffles was probably the only thing at Grub that was nice. It was not terrific but it was nice enough, though I have definitely tasted fluffier waffles elsewhere. 

Grub is one of those places that serves average decent food which I would not mind coming back for if the crowd dissipates and I am in the vicinity. I would not make a purposeful trip to Grub again and especially not with the insane queue at the door.

510 Ang Mo Kio Ave 1

Bali Day 2, Pak Malen, Seminyak Square, Ku De Ta

Woke up bright and early because my awesome biological clock refused to allow me to sleep in. Our villa package included room service breakfast in the villa so we flipped through the menu happily, ordered our food and drinks and proceeded to wash up. The butler came by around 20 minutes later with our food, set the table for us, and left. The breakfast was pretty decent. It was not extraordinary but it was definitely way better than the usual breakfast buffet spread that you have at hotels. I mean, at least I had a choice in what I wanted to eat and I could eat in the comfort of our own villa, watching tv, blasting rock music at 9am in the morning, and watching sunlight glint off the pool.

We got dressed, strolled over to the reception area and asked for a ride to Pak Malen in the Seminyak area. Pak Malen is one of the popular warungs in Seminyak serving the iconic babi guling (suckling pig). The driver dropped us off across the street and we found ourselves in front of a little roadside shop with a huge sign board that says Pak Malen. The interior was dark, stuffy and really hot, and I was sweating even before I sat down. I did not know what to expect and asked for a menu, which they apparently did not have because they only served one dish - babi guling. I was really amused and pointed at whatever everyone else was eating and asked for two. 

And this was what came. I was pretty devastated at the small slice of suckling pig because I was expecting a bigger piece. Yes, I know, I am too greedy for my own good. But the suckling pig was good, really good in fact. So thick, crispy and crunchy! Well-deserving of the raves it receives. The other little side dishes were average. I was pretty clueless as to what I was eating, but food is food, so I continued shoveling them into my mouth happily.

We strolled along the streets, peered into shops filled with clothes by local designers, got bored and finished "shopping" in less than two hours. Seminyak Square was equally boring and I concluded that we were not inclined to shop. At all. Which thankfully is a common trait shared by both of us so we quickly agreed to move on to Ku De Ta since our common hobby is to sit around at beach clubs with a drink and chill. We actually managed to find our way there based on our little map and the boyfriend's astute sense of direction. I confess that I am virtually useless when it comes to reading maps.

Ku De Ta was visibly less crowded as compared to Potato Head and we found a seat near the beach so we could have a clear unobstructed view of the sea. I really enjoyed Ku De Ta's choice of music because they were playing awesome 1980s songs the whole afternoon instead of the techno tracks favored by Potato Head. Sitting there in the strong sea breeze, humming along to familiar songs, drinks in hand and reading The Great Gatsby. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon.

When it was almost evening, we decided to stroll along the beach back to our villa. It was a nice long walk even though we had to waddle across a little stream that flowed into the sea. That was a funny moment because the boyfriend was wearing SHOES and there was no other way to get across so he had to sink his shoes into the ankle-deep waters and walk across, after which his shoes became wet, muddy and gross. I stood there laughing at him for a good five minutes while he tried to shake water off his shoes. 

Our villa package also included a dinner in the villa so I ordered the pan-fried sea bass while the boyfriend had the lamb chop. The food was decent but nothing much to write home about. My sea bass was slightly overcooked which led to it being kind of tough but the food was otherwise passable. 

That marked the end of Day 2 in Bali! Read about Day 1, Day 3, Day 4  Day 5, Day 6.

Selfish Gene Cafe

I met up with the best friend the weekend after getting back from Bali and we decided to have a lazy Sunday brunch at Selfish Gene Cafe. It is located along Craig Road which is easily accessible from Tanjong Pagar Mrt Station. Take the left exit after going through the gantry, cross the road towards Orchid Hotel, continue walking past Orchid Hotel and Keisuke Ramen, cross the road to the row of shop houses on the other side and continue walking down the road. You will pass The Plain Cafe and eventually reach Selfish Gene Cafe.

I was mighty pleased that the cafe was relatively empty and did not have a queue outside the door. The cafe was cozy with small tables lining both walls and a counter at the back. It felt precisely like the kind of place I would want to laze around for an entire Sunday morning, catch up with a good friend and filling my stomach with yummy breakfast. I got to enjoy the last bit (eating my breakfast), much of the second (catching up with Stef), but none of the lazing around for an entire Sunday morning because I received an sms which beckoned me to settle certain stuff.

The menu was decent. It was not extensive but it was definitely sufficient. I pounced on the breakfast menu like a predator because I was not going to spend my Sunday morning eating sandwiches when I eat that often enough from Monday to Friday.

I was sitting inside and I was lazy so I delegated the wonderful responsibility of getting us food to Stef. She came back with a paper cup with a number on it and a receipt stuck inside the cup. That is how they identify the orders with the tables. We ordered the Breakfast plate and BoB to share (the two items with hearts beside them on the weekend menu). I am of the general proposition that if you are unaware of what is good and you are clueless as to what you are dying to eat, then just order the chef's recommendations. If the cafe is recommending them, you can hardly go wrong. That proposition has usually served me well. 

We have also grown somewhat smarter and realised that we could actually order two different items to share instead of having an internal debate about two chef's recommendations and run the risk of both ordering the same item (which happened at Symmetry). 

The B.o.b. I love the poached egg! A semi-solid egg white with ultra-runny egg yolk. It was heaven. I love really good poached eggs and this was definitely one of the better ones I've tried so far. They were really generous with the smoked salmon and we had many thick juicy slices of smoked salmon beneath the poached eggs. The greens were fresh and crunchy.

The Breakfast Plate. For some reason, I was really in love with the bread. It was so sweet and fluffy. I was impressed with the scrambled egg too as it was soft and delicious. The rest of the Breakfast plate was pretty predictable with the usual sausage, ham, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes.

It was a very relaxed Sunday brunch and I love the laid-back atmosphere at Selfish Gene Cafe. Most importantly, the cafe was not crowded so you could really sit back and enjoy each other's company without worrying about the queue outside or trying to get yourself heard above everyone else. I'm not sure how long this serenity would last since the crowd will be drawn here once it gets more popular and frankly, that would diminish the most attractive factor in this place.

40 Craig Road 

Bali Day 1, Seminyak, Bali Island Villa and Spa, Potato Head Beach Club

I began my 7D6N Bali trip in the early morning on a Saturday. My flight was at 7:30am so I found myself waking up 3 hours after falling asleep to get dressed, throw some last minute stuff into my luggage and get my awesome dad to drive me to the airport by 5:30am. I was really sleep deprived by then but totally excited about the prospect of spending one week in Bali for a much needed break. 

We took Garuda and reached Denpasar around 11am. The free and easy package that we bought from Chan Brothers at the NATAS Fair included airport transfer so we circled around the arrival gate trying to find someone holding a card with either of our names. Found the person who was a really friendly guy and he took us to Bali Island Villa and Spa. It was a 30 minutes drive and we reached pretty quickly. We were brought to our villa immediately and the check in procedure was done in the comfort of our villa. By the way, our villa was AMAZING and service was terrific. All guests at the 10 private villas enjoy complimentary one way drop-off in Seminyak so we could just stroll up to the reception desk and ask for the driver to take us anywhere within Seminyak if we wish. Our package also included room service breakfast so we combed through the breakfast menu every morning and dialed for room service once we had decided. 

The kitchenette is right beside the door, after which we have a small dining table and the living room area. Our bedroom is separated by a sliding door to the right. Both the living room and bedroom have clear glass doors that lead out into the garden and pool. 

The day beds are on the second floor though, frankly speaking, we did not spend much time lounging on the day beds there because we spent most of our spare time lazing around at beach clubs. The only time we went up there was to enjoy the spectacular fireworks from Potato Head which was right next door.

We took a nice dip in the pool because it was hot and sunny. We tried to swim a little but we kind of reached the end with roughly 4 strokes for me and 3 for him so there really wasn't a point to swim. After that it was POTATO HEAD!!!!

Potato Head Beach Club is set in an arc enclosing a grass patch with the day beds and pool nearer to the beach. We took a seat right along the grass patch which was an awesome spot for having our lunch, enjoying the sun, and people watching.

Over the next few days, we became very well acquainted with the menu at Potato Head. For lunch on the first day we ordered Smoked Salmon and a Roasted Chicken Club Sandwich.

The Smoked Salmon was awesome. Thick juicy slices of smoked salmon which were incredibly yummy.

I love the Roasted Chicken Club Sandwich! In fact, I love it so much that I ate it again on the last day I was in Bali before heading to the airport.  The croissant was soft and they were so generous with the bacon, tomatoes, omelette and chicken in the sandwich.

Of course, you can't forget about the booze when you are relaxing at a beach club by the beach right? A beach holiday has to have the essential ingredients of sun, sand, sea, fun and.... yes you guessed it right, BOOZE.

We stayed there for the whole afternoon just surfing the net on our phones, reading The Great Gatsby, relaxing on the comfy couch, sipping our beers, and watching the hot bikini babes and hunky dudes parade around. We left the place in the late afternoon to take a short stroll along the beach, feel the sand beneath our feet, and enjoy the warmth of the sun on our face.

We came back to Potato Head for dinner as we had made a reservation for Tapping Shoes earlier in the afternoon. We were told that Tapping Shoes, which was located on the second level facing the sea, served French Food. However, when we approached the front desk to ask them to lead us to our table at Tapping Shoes, we were told that Tapping Shoes has a dress code and we were obviously not fit for entry in our beach entire. It was quite disappointing since the earlier waiter did not mention anything about a dress code. Anyway we decided that we were too lazy to venture anywhere else so we settled for Southeast Asian food at Li Lin which was on the other side of the beach club.

We ordered some innocuous typical Asian food like Stir fried Kang Kong, Grilled Chicken and Fried Rice to share. The food was average and we were full but it wasn't anything spectacular. The pricing was cheap though, if you compare it with the food served at the international cuisine area or Tapping Shoes.

We took the short walk back to our villa and retired for the night!

Read about Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5 and Day 6.