Rock Sugar Lemon Drink (Hot/ Cold)

It's the season for influenza; and Ric always join in. 

You know how these big guys when not feeling well, always reject your offer of everything that you promises to make them feel better? This is one drink Ric can be coaxed to; and enjoys it. Do remember to have enough food at hand, as this lemonade will be making the men hungry.

INGREDIENTS:
4 pcs    China Rock Honey Sugar
1 pcs    Lemon (wash and dry)
1/4 pcs    Ginger, thinly scraped/sliced (optional)

STEPS:
1. Wash and dry a clean glass bottle.
2. Wash and dry the lemon. Sliced it up.
3. Stack the honey sugar and lemon slices in the bottle. You can add in the ginger slices at this stage.
4. Leave the bottle on the kitchen table for 1-2 days, until all the rock sugar melted into a beautiful golden color. Then you store it in the fridge until you need it.


We love to make this as a warm beverage. Just 2 slices of the lemon and 4 teaspoons of the melted sugar does a cup. For that added punch, hand crushed some fresh peppermint leaves and top it all up with hot water. Now you have your very own lemon syrup!

Curry Times, 咖喱时光

Sambal Prawn ($15.90++)

The waitress was beckoning us into the restaurant while i was still perplexing over their large signboard that market the Curry Times as the "Best Curry Restaurant"; for it was difficult to imagine having some best curry experience in an air-conditioned modern mall.

Our good curry trips were usually transpired in humid eatery with sweat trickling down our brows.

Curry Fish Head, half ($28.90++)

As luck would have it, the curry was indeed forgettable albeit the fresh Angoli fish head. Otherwise, it was a satisfying lunch out with delish sambal prawns and greens.

Making it better, the restaurant is superb accommodating to our cheery bunch with sound of boisterous laughter! Good times at Curry times...

Oyster Sauce Kailan ($5.90++)

Sambal Petai ($6.90++)

Bandung with Basil Seed, Honey Lemon with Aloe Vera

鼎泰豐, Din Tai Fung

Fried Rice with Eggs ($7.30++)

We never fail to wonder, "Why the perpetual queue outside Din Tai Fung restaurant, always?" Simple and pretty decent food with mid-range pricing might be the reason - the limited menu was quoted by many as boring, but it does make ordering easy which the men appreciate very much, right? My group of guys has been revisiting.

Every table seems to be having their Oriental Salad in Special Vinegar Dressing ($4++) as the appetizer; while i was looking forward to their 18-folds Xiao Long Bao dumplings. One bite and hot juices ooze out, also with traces of crab roe but i remain unimpressed. The taste is very much forgettable. I can't be reminded of that intense flavor from the crab roe Xiao Long Bao from Nan Xiang Xiaolong Mantou in Shanghai, China.

The dumplings played only the supporting. Our guys love to order their fried rice; refusing the noodle. Between 4 of us, we shared 2 servings of it - one was just the plain fried rice with eggs and spring onions; the other plate which i calculated to be more value for money, has a thick slab of luscious pork chop throw in at just $10.80++.

Steamed Crab Meat and Pork Dumplings, 10 pcs ($14.30++)

Steamed Shrimp and Pork Shao-mai, 10 pcs ($14.80++)

福星菜馆, Hok Sing Eating House

Prawn Paste Chicken ($20), Fragrant Vegetable Bean Curd ($20)

Hok Sing at Commonwealth Crescent is our Plan B; Plan A, the Two Chefs Eating House is closed for renovation. Hok Sing is regrettably second-rated.

Your best bet would probably be their fried chicken and bean curd which were the favorites today. The coffee pork ribs ($18) were rather sweeten; and we have oil-soaked claypot brinjals ($12) and Malay kangkong ($12) vegetables. If you can help it, don't order the toughly fried salted egg sliced fish ($18).

It's business today. A humdrum hour of talking shop over unappetizing lunch... 

Clementi Tian Seng Fried Chicken and BBQ

Chicken Cutlet ($5)

One would never think of ordering from Tian Seng's unattractive stall which have their signboard hand-written. If it wasn't from friends' earnest intro, we wouldn't been here - some of the most remote part in Clementi, at Blk 308, Ave 4 where the road to the S21 Kopitiam ends in a dead end.

Friends gave their two cents' worth on the Chicken Cutlet. "Must try!" They had said. And our heart sank when we saw the dry and tough looking fried meat (fried cutlet has never been my cup of tea). Proceeding, we were delighted by the succulent chicken piece! For once, i preferred cutlet to chicken chop.  

The cutlet deserves a second. Quiet dining in a tranquil neighborhood and ease of parking here are the extra bonuses.

Chicken Chop ($5)

Bio-essence Basic Face Care

Face Lifting Cream, 10g 

Radiant Youth Essence, 5ml 

Deep Moisturizing Cleansing Foam, 100g

Blogging about beauty products; it is truly difficult to judge the effectiveness of it without running our skin under microscopic lens. I usually decide my support for the product based on the comfort of application and after-skin-feel, that's it.

This month i got to try Bio-Essence, our very own Singapore branding which was established in 1985.

1. Bio-Essence Youth Essence - This is rich but super absorbent! I can even use it on a warm, humid day without sweating on a sticky face! The skin seems to lock in the essence and feels hydrated and powdery smooth. Soft to touch, almost immediately. I love this.

2. Bio-Essence Face Lifting Cream - This is very oily. Not for application if you are venturing to the outdoor. But it does feels effective; the skin feels bouncy even after that evening wash-off. Perfect for the dry air of air-conditioned office, it helps preserve my skin throughout the day.

3. Bio-Essence Deep Moisturizing Cleansing Foam - It feels luxurious doing the simple face wash every time. The foam is fine and gentle; and there seems to be 'bubbles' cushioning my rough palm and the face. It feels great. The facial skin felt clean, yet softly moisturized. I can skip the moisturizer if i'm staying indoor, in non air-conditioned room. Just a light pat of my Olay White Radiance Cellucent Essence Water after wash, will do.