Merci Marcel, Singapore…look good but needs to taste better

Merci Marcel brings a bit of Paris to this corner of Singapore. The space is light and airy; plants give it a ‘conservatory’ feel. Staff are on point, but equally laid back; diners are immediately disarmed and relaxed.

When it comes to eating, though, the French toast fails to excite with its plain and dry slices of brioche. There is none of the France-iness of real French toast. Still, I’m having a good time. The eggs benedict is thankfully a saving grace.

Style clearly reigns over substance. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Mr Mrs Mohgan, Singapore…not nearly worth the wait

It is oft remarked that we Singaporeans love to queue, and when it comes to dining out in Singapore sometimes that’s a necessity.

If you want simple plain roti prata, well-delivered super crispy, you can’t go wrong at Mr Mrs Mohgan. Although the prata are deeply satisfying, the queues are less great. You will die of old age before the food leaves the stall. I waited two hours for the pure, light roti of ecstasy. I’ve mentioned it enough. The plain pratas here are incredible. It’s operated by a husband and wife team who put that little extra love into their food to make you remember it and want to come back.

Then again, there is no shortage of tasty roti prata in Singapore. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Walrus & Carpenter Oyster Bar, Boston…damn delicious lobster roll

In Singapore, people treat lobsters like celebrities, and Boston has no shortage of them.

Named after the Lewis Carroll poem, The Walrus and the Carpenter Oyster Bar in Quincy Market Food Colonnade at Fanueil Hall Marketplace specializes in oysters, lobsters and other delicious seafood dishes. So, yes, these very public eating places, I’m all for them. I love the public — and can spend up to two or three occasions a month in close proximity to them without panic, vomiting or assault

The heart and soul of the menu and the reason to come eat here (or take out) is the pure and simple and elegantly delicious lobster roll. Order a lobster roll with a cup of chowder and the split top bun will arrive stuffed with chunks of impeccably cooked lobster meat which is ample, firm, tender and sweet, spot-on seasoning, and a meat-to-bun ratio that works. The winning key here is that the sandwich taste like lobster and not mayo. The creamy and comforting clam chowder also shines.

The downside? This teeny lobster roll is just enough to make you wish you had more. Just don’t try to share it…in fact, perhaps order two just for yourself.

This is the kind of lobster roll dreams are made of. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Cut & Curl, Bangkok…you can trust with them your tresses

Haircuts are just like jeans. Whether you pay $10 or $100, you need to find the right fit.

Centralworld is well-served by swish salons. Cut & Curl is a narrow salon which is sleek and simple. The whole vibe is comfortable and relaxed, the young, super-friendly, down-to-earth team is without any airs or graces and the clientele is an eclectic mix reflective of Bangkok dwellers. The cut trim itself, by Khun On, is frills-free, which includes a thorough scrub at the washing station and a simple blow dry, that showcase my newly snipped style perfectly.

Happily, my locks were in very safe hands indeed. Added bonus: Cut & Curl takes walk-ins. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Toast Box, Singapore…WARNING IF YOU LIKE YOUR FOOD ROACH-FREE DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!

What’s for breakfast? A cockroach, if you’re eating at Toast Box. No one ever expects to find anything unsavoury in places where they eat, do they? Well go to one of these Toast Box joints and you may have some extra company…

It doesn’t seem like the staff at a single branch is at fault, but rather there is something acutely wrong with Toast Box, the organization, that results in their outlets harbouring one of the most loathsome insects in our habitat: cockroaches. Once the bugs were spotted at the City Square Mall outlet and thrice they were seen at the Shaw Centre eatery.

Here’s the scoop. At Toast Box, City Square Mall, two roaches were seen running around the area where the unwashed cutleries, utensils and plates and bowls were stacked. I wish I could have told the couple who was enjoying their breakfast what happened, but I had to rush out to puke in a nearby toilet. The critters were sighted on three different breakfast occasions at the Shaw Centre branch. The first time, one was scurrying around on a packet of nasi lemak, another time near the cash register. Not too long ago a colleague alerted me that she saw a roach crawling ON a bun in the display shelf.

I don’t like seeing roaches but if I see one creature, I’m usually not put off. I consider it part of living in a city. In an urban setting, keeping roaches in check is a constant battle. You can run a restaurant as clean as an operating room. But if the situation constantly occurs in the same chain but different outlets, it’s clearly an issue.

My taste buds were assaulted by the grim discoveries – in a very, very bad way. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 24,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 6 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

Bar Central “la Boqueria”, Barcelona…Exquisitely fresh seafood. IT IS WELL WORTH IT!!!

On my first trip to Barcelona years ago, I went to Bar Central (which is located in La Boqueria, Barcelona’s most famous market)  for breakfast every day. Years later, on my third visit to Barcelona, I went there twice for breakfast. I tell you this: IT IS WELL WORTH IT!!! The food was still excellent.

You will be spoilt for choices. There’s the extensive menu written on the board. You can also take a look around and see what’s good on the counter. I tend to look at other people’s plates. If, after all that, you don’t know what to order, just ask them to cook for you. But you must definitely have some of the exquisitely fresh seafood which will be drizzled with garlic and parsley/olive oil.

Go early to get a seat, otherwise you’re just going to have to stand patiently behind the other patrons, waiting for their seats to free up! This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Dubai Segway Tours…don’t bother

The beauty of the Dubai waterfront…from Jumeirah Beach Hotel…to the billowing sail of the Burj Al Arab is undeniably spectacular.

You need to marvel and enjoy the beeze and view on the shores of the Jumeirah Beach along the Arabian Gulf…but not from the segway run by i-segway. It’s the most boring, hurried, I-don’t-care-about-you segway tour I’ve ever been on. You get the distinct feeling that the Philpino guide is rushing through the motions, probably finding us an interruption to his work (instead of being the reason for it). This is the true truth because I always say it as it is.

Shanghai Xinjishi Restaurant…

I used to be so biased, didn’t enjoy my first trip to Shanghai. After this trip, I could really spend more time in Shanghai. The food! The people! The food…

I went to Xinjishi (the XinTiandi outlet) which has several locations in Shanghai. This splendid restaurant is a part of a notable Shanghainese restaurant-chain with outlets in China, Japan and Taiwan. The food is superb and the menu features an extensive selection of Shanghainese classics.

The Grandmother’s Pork is a must have, it is slowly cooked, very tender, super tasty, and truly a taste of Shanghai. A gastronomic feast served in old-fashioned pots. I’ve been having this traditional Shanghai dish hongshao rou (soy-sauced meat), over the past couple of days in Shanghai and was loving it, but, it tasted significantly better in Xinjishi. With its perfect balance of flavors and textures, and sweet melt-in-your-mouth pork fat, eating fatty meat has never been so pleasurable.

The service wasn’t too good, the servers had an “I-am-not-too-bothered” attitude. However, that’s not enough to stop me from longing to return to this restaurant again. That’s the true truth. I’m still saying it as it is…

Sheraton Media Jakarta…it’s not a hotel. It’s a hellhole pretending to be a hotel room

I will never ever stay here again. I made a wrong choice booking myself and my 3 colleagues into this hotel. I thought since it is a Starwood hotel (and I have a lot of respect for Starwood), it would be consistent with the brand.

The room is nightmarishly deplorable. The carpets are badly stained. The bedsheets were stained. The pillow cases were stained. The luggage rack area was stained. There were holes in the curtain. The spring of the mattress felt like it had expired 15 years ago. It was the most uncomfortable two nights in my travels for a long long time. The entire room was mostly dustry. I could go on but you would need 3 days to read the list. To think that this is an upgraded room…I was told…the deluxe premier on the SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) floor.

The adapter on the power socket was loose so my laptop would suddenly stopped charging as the connection was bad. There was only ONE power point at the workarea, so it’s either the laptop or the blackberry. Never two items at once. To adjust/change the plugs, I had to crawl under the table (yes, on the carpet that has been through 2 world wars) This is absolutely not suited for a business traveller.

The ESPN channel didn’t work (I was trying to catch live broadcast of a soccer match). The internet connection didn’t work. My papers didn’t get delivered on the 2nd morning.

I stated upfront that I made a bad choice in staying in this hotel. I hope you read this review and make the correct decision and nott go through what I went through. I won’t even wish this experience for my worst enemy. That’s the true truth. I always say it as it is…….