Them at Loola's

While I took some time off to get a much-needed haircut, Fuzzy took the kids out for lunch on his own for the first time. Our favourite spot at Esplanade Mall, Ichiban, has been replaced by a new Aussie restaurant called Loola's (run by the same people behind Awfully Chocolate).

Fuzzy ordered a barramundi dish for himself and the most expensive French toast I've ever come across ($18++), for Chubbs. The food tasted great, albeit very pricey, and the best part was, Chubbs almost finished all his food.

I joined them after my haircut, and realised that even though I cherished my "me" time, I actually missed my family, even after just being away from them for just an hour or so.

And I think Chubbs missed me too :)

L'Entrecote

Fuzzy sent his younger brother off to medicine school today. And since he had to be at the airport very early, Fuzzy took the day off to run some car errands too. But there's still always time for good eats! After dropping Chubbs off at school, we snuck out for an impromptu Valentine's Day lunch at L'Entrecote, at Duxton Hill.

This is a Parisian steak frites bistro, and they only serve one main course. Steak and fries. The nice thing is that, they serve it to you in two portions, so that your meat arrives hot and fresh, and you don't get soggy fries. I also love the decor because it exudes an old world European charm that almost makes you feel like your not in Singapore.

There are two wonderful things about this restaurant. One, is that they import bread from Poilane, one the oldest, and touted to be the best boulangerie in Paris. The bread was so so good, with a crispy crust and tender fragrant interior, that I ate more than half a baguette worth of it, smeared with rich French butter. I would come back just for the bread alone.

The other, is that they serve a complimentary Kir (white wine and black current liqueur) to each guest once they are seated, which I think it a lovely welcoming gesture.

I usually prefer not to over-indulge at lunch, but I could not pass up on the appetiser of beef marrow, served with crunchy bread and sea salt. Basically, it was a plateful of unctuous fat, sprinkled with sea salt, that although we loved, we will not be re-ordering it, because we are certain the whopping calories take away at least 5 years of our lives each.

I think the steak was done very well, and the quality of the meat was decent for the price. Extremely value for money, considering the main course comes with a lovely green salad with walnuts and a light vinaigrette dressing. I loved the tangy sauce that they served with the steak, cutting some of the richness of the meat. The frites are perfectly crisp and just lightly salted. But I was commenting to Fuzzy that the kinda remind me of Mac's fries :/

The first installment of the steak frites.

We were already too full to even think about dessert by the time we finished our steaks. But the maitre d convinced us to glance at the sweet choices for just a bit. Fuzzy was sold the second he laid eyes on the words, "salted butter caramel". So we ordered the freshly baked waffles, with vanilla ice-cream with a small jug of salty caramel to pour over. It was heavenly, as anything with caramel or toffee naturally is. But I especially liked that the waffles were very light, crisp and almost slightly savoury.

There's just one down-side to this place. That is, they do not take reservations. However, if you find yourself having to wait a while for your seat, you can sit back and sip your Kir amidst the beautiful architecture, on the quaint street of Duxton Hill. Fuzzy and I will definitely be back the next time we crave some red meat, done just right. And to be honest, when I close my eyes, I can still taste the butter-smeared baguette in my mouth. That, to me, is true bliss in a bite.

"Huat Ah!"

Fuzzy and I often shout, "Huat ah!" at the most inappropriate times, just to crack each other up. For the uninitiated, "Huat ah" means, to prosper. And CNY is definitely the perfect time to be punctuating sentences with the Hokkien phrase.

My little one in his CNY outfit and ang-pow bag.

This year's festivities are extra special because our Aunt and Uncle are back from Vancouver for their first visit in three years. So Chubbs spent a good part of his time, following his new friend, Yee Sook Gong (GrandUncle) around the house and playing.

With Yee Sook Gong and Grandpa.

Our big family dinner was held at Tung Lok Classics at Orchard Parade Hotel, and Chubbs surprisingly enjoyed his meal as much as we did ours. He had some double-boiled white lotus soup with rice, some snow peas, and deep-fried whitebait. He even liked the juice shot provided at the end, which supposedly aids digestion after a heavy meal.

Using the sofas as part of an obstacle course.

Sitting with Mommy, waiting for food.

Chubbs was the only one who appreciated the beetroot and green apple concoction.

Happiness Can be Found at Infuzi

Last night, our very kind friend, JW, bought us dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Infuzi. It's owned by an old friend, Purdey, and we always have delicious meals there, like this other time. He was so little then, Purdey can't get over how fast he's growing up.

We stuck to the classics, and Fuzzy and JW ordered foie gras to start, and I chose the scallop carpaccio. The shellfish was so tender and sweet, it melted in my mouth. It went perfectly with the subtle but aromatic black truffle dressing. The boys enjoyed their duck liver very much, because it was crisp on the outside, and melting and unctuous on the inside; beautiful with sips of red wine in between.

A large portion of foie gras for the hubby.

Scallop carpaccio with truffle vinaigrette.

Call us boring, but all of us had the Maine lobster pasta for our main course. I just can't stay away from this! Fresh, sweet, succulent, crunchy lobster pieces, with noodles doused in such flavoursome oil... I close my eyes and dream away. I always tell Purdey that this is my death row dish, and she always says, "Choi!"

The very predictable order of Maine lobster pasta in lobster oil, with extra noodles.

The souffle is a must here, just because not many places even offer this. And the few places that offer this, don't quite do it as well. It's a great way to end the meal because I don't leave feeling bloated, my sweet tooth is definitely satiated, and I WANT MORE!

Coffee souffle with chocolate ice-cream.

Purdey very kindly handed Chubbs a bowl of vanilla bean ice-cream, and I asked him whether he wanted chocolate or vanilla, and he said, "I want both." And so he greedily slurped them up.

Purdey and Chef Freddie run this restaurant like a well-oiled machine. It's French classics at it's best, with immaculate service, but you'll be paying just a fraction compared to the big guns out there. I love that it's located in the lush, green surroundings of the Biopolis, and even when it was full-house, like when we ate there, it's still a quaint, quiet place to dine. So when you're looking to treat yourself and some loved ones, give them a call.

Au Petit Salut Again

My aunt, Yee, very kindly bought Chubbs and I lunch at Au Petit Salut at Harding Road earlier this week, and we had a most lovely lunch. It was rather eventful afternoon too, as nature decided to bless us with a torrential rainstorm as we were reaching and we got rather drenched just getting into the restaurant. We were seated in the al fresco area, and because of the cracking lightning, booming thunder and relentless heavy rain on the roof, it was difficult to carry out any conversation, and I had to order by pointing at the menu. A plus side that came with the storm, was that it was unusually cool, dinning outdoors.

For starters, we ordered a tuna tartare and escargot to share, and they both turned out fabulous. The tuna was tender and seasoned well with mustard, lemon and extra virgin olive oil. The garlic and herb butter that the snails were cooked in, was a delight with the hot, crusty bread rolls that accompanied the meal.

My aunt ordered the ever popular onglet with caramelised onions and fries as her main course and I had the risotto with scallops, squid and prawns. The steak was great, as always, but the risotto was over-seasoned, and the texture, a bit on the wet side. I'd have preferred it a little creamier, and oozier. I also didn't quite understand the rather odd spinach garnish.

Chubbs tried fries for the first time, and even though he's never fancied potatoes, he seemed to enjoy the crisp novelty of them very much.

Chubbs constant and loyal partner-in-crime, Buzz, was very kind to join us for dessert of creme brulee and profiteroles. Chubbs polished off quite a bit of the profiteroles, and was most pleased to have had such a rich and indulgent end to his meal. The mighty strong Illy coffee that came at the very end is always good, sending us on our way with a light buzz.

Chubbs loved running around the garden compound when the rain finally let up, and the weather was cool. The ambience and lush tropical garden setting is what keeps us coming back, and I fear that they'll see more of me when Chubbs goes to school just next door when the new year begins :/

Yet Another Year Older

I've haven't been into birthday celebrations recently because I don't like to be reminded that I'm inching towards the big 3-0! The past birthdays have been kept very simple with just dinner with the immediate family (if at all). But this year was strangely but refreshingly different. I had:-

1) Dinner with my dad, brother (my mum was ill), Fuzzy and Chubbs at CMPB- great wine, the yummiest mushroom and truffle oil pasta, crispy deep-fried chicken wings and huge desserts.

2) Dinner No. 2 (after dinner with my dad and brother) with girlfriends at P.S. Cafe-lots of laughs over drinks, a cheese platter, truffle fries and rich chocolate cake. What more can we ask for?

A very thoughtful gift from my gal, Shu; Nigella's newest cookbook! Woot!

Cheryl and I.

The girls thinking of what to order for dinner, at 10.30pm.

3) A lovely, quiet lunch and ice-cream by the river with just Fuzzy and Chubbs (literally, because we were the only ones in the restaurant).

Waiting for our food.

Pointing out to a boat.

Chubbs and Buzz checking out Christmas displays.

Ice-cream!!!

Then he moved on to the cone.

4) Lunch with Fuzzy and Chubbs at Chiharu- the best Japanese a la carte buffet in town. The sushi is outstanding.

5) Dinner with Fuzzy's family, plus cake-cutting at home. Chubbs was practising singing, "Happy Birthday to Mommy!" all day :)

Fuzzy very happily made sure that the many, many candles could be seen clearly.

Chuubs loves his Great-GrandAunts; playing with No. 5.

Hugging No. 4.

Caught licking off the cake knife.

It was a full, but lovely weekend of good eats and great company. Thank you everyone, for making this birthday a fabulous one.