artichokes rock.

you say its your birthday... its my birthday too yeah.. no really, it was my birthday. 25 again. ;) so the ladies took me for champagne brunch. yeah!  except i got a bit lost enroute and was half an hour late.  oops.

we went to the artichoke cafe and bar which is a delightful hidden gem off the busy middle road behind a chapel.  its got this cool idea (not vegan, so not the coolest, but cool) the chefs just cook whatever they feel like.  and they use fresh ingredients.  they even have a herb garden outside the kitchen where they grown their own herbs.


i ordered haloumi and mushrooms which comes with tomatoes and rocket on top of toast.. thick turkish sliced bread.... which was pretty damn good. they don't do soy milk (cause they didn't want to... its a whole milk, organic meat kinda place....) so i ordered an espresso   which was lovely. kathy ordered champagne..oh la la.... remember.. we are celebrating.. ME!!
the others did order something to eat.... it looked equally awesome in these massive fry up skillets.. but i really don't remember.  i was so absorbed with eating my awesome bread.  yup.  the bread was awesome.  and then we ordered dessert which was this awesome burnt toffee pudding, which tasted just like cool november nights in canada sitting by a fire watching the wind blow the last leaves off the trees.  seriously, it was just wow.

and also for my birthday.. i went shopping and bought myself a nice little treat.  tiffany's what?  working my life away in singapore does have a few perks....

and also for my birthday.. i got not one but 2 messages from my newest man toy.  seriously, what is wrong with me?  how can i not just find one nice one that i like and can keep and take home?!....... oohh but this one is sooo nice. i met him two weekends ago. he was in singapore on business.  and we went for dinner at clarke quay and made out by the river. so romantic.  then i went for lunch with him the next day and wandered china town, bum-boating around the town acting like the tourists that i avoid. oh heart of mine be still.   he's coming back in october.  not getting my hopes up.. but fingers and toes are crossed.  this guy.. is the bomb.  he's from california (so he's got that cool open minded thing going on..) he's tall (like 6 ft.  i am obsessed with height since living in singapore.. aka.. land of short people)  he's smart.  he's funny.  ok, he doesn't drive a ferrari .. but really does that matter?

so artichoke.... a bit heavy on the whole meat and milk loving vibe.. damn when did i become so elitist? (remember, i'm a vegan......)  but the food was good. the herb garden was cool.  and the vibe was really good. if i lived near i'd go again.  often. i have no idea how much it cost. how cool are my friends??!  let's just say.. it wasn't twenty dollar bills that kathy was laying down.. more like fifties..a few of them.... ok so.... it doesn't top boomerang.. but its damn close.

Artichoke Cafe and Bar
161 Middle Road
Tel: 6336 6949

hahaha.. their email is wassup@artichoke.com.sg.  serious.   awesome.

puttin' on the ritz.....and the eclairs

i have been in singapore for officially one year.  what? i know. times flies when you are expected to work ALL THE TIME. and the weather never changes so it all just seems to fade into one extremely long day.. now i know how janis joplin felt.... "as we discover on the train.. its all the same fucking day"... except i'm not high on drugs..constantly drunk... or in southern US in 1969.... just imagine if i was! oh now that would be a blog i'd want to read!!

so to celebrate our awesome one year of mental stagnation we spared no expense.  there was only one place to go. the ritz baby.  ritz carlton. high tea.  the stuff dreams are made of.  the ritz carlton high tea is held in the chihuly lounge that was made for no one else but me.  it is completely decorated in... wait.. gold.  gold tables, gold sofas, gold pin stripped arm chairs, gold rimmed tea service... and odd modern glass swirly curly tail like sculptures by dale chihuly  the hotel itself is up on a small hill surrounded in lush greenery, so when you leave the main road and drive up to the entrance, its like you are ensconced in this lovely little serene luxiorious oasis.

the tea itself kicks the ass off of raffles.  its a buffet style with at least 3 different stations.  and all you can eat!  first station is finger sandwiches and nibbly bits.  second station is fresh warm scones, cream, jam.. and a banana split station.. and third station is eclairs.. at least 20 varieties.. including the chocolate one covered in... yup.. gold.  and its cheaper at $45.00 per pax (each person) than raffles.   and the couches were comfortable.

so we were all there, frankie, lizzie, laura and kathy. except claire who is now in dubai.. and isabella who's been in canada for far too long.  laura is unsure what to do about her bali boy.. who seems to want to get alot more serious than she.  he asked if he could go home to canada with her when she goes in december. what? and lizzie's german is playing hard to get.. since he really lives in hong kong and was just in singapore for business.. and i've decided to give gordon another chance.

what is with me and guys that have names starting with g? this one, gordon, i met on the internet... (i know!)  he is singaporean. (which explains also the odd choice of english name... i know, gordon.. not gord or gordy.. but gordon...odd right?)... so we have a bit of a cultural gap.. well he calls it culture .. i call it him being a massive player.  i gave him the boot rather not nicely a few months ago by shouting at him and his playing ways.  he decided to 'never talk to me again'.  but well.. its a small town and its a short life.. and one thing leads to another and texts are sent and replied to.. and well... he has a ferrari.  can't blame a girl for enjoying driving around town in a ferrari. and nothing is wrong with a lovely dinner every now and again.  huh.

which is how i explained it to the girls.  yeah.  back to the eclairs.  that's right.  i did two trips to the eclair station.  i couldn't help myself. i seem to have developed a few weaknesses in singapore... namely for toffee chocolate eclairs.. and ferraris.

so yes, besides a bit of leg being shown as we tried to stand up from the very plush sofas, high tea at the ritz was a very civilized and posh affair.  oh..and our server was from switzerland   he was this tall drink of water with impeccable manners.  and a deep low voice.  and a french accent. damn cute.  if only i was drunk and high as janis now, THAT would be an event. back to the eclairs.

The Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore
7 Raffles Avenue
Tel: 6337 8888

slice of saturday

macritchie reservoir 10:00 AM. me, lizzie, laura and kathy hit the trail.  and walked and walked and talked and walked. for 3 hours!  11 kms around the reservoir.  we even took the sky bridge detour. now that is a view.  people should build houses up in the trees again.  i would kill to live in the top of one of those massive trees surrounded by lush greenery and silence.  mmmm..

and after 3 hours of walking we were hungry. i had originally suggested starbucks, but my friends were in need of a little more sustenance then coffee and cakes after our 11 km walk...   and so we hoped into a taxi to upper thomson and out in front of crust.  crust is a pizza place.  not just any pizza place but a  gourmet pizza place.. its hard to get anything close to good pizza in asia... and this place.. was pretty damn good... especially with thin crispy crusts and vegetable pizza options.. like artichoke hearts.

i ordered vegetarian supreme which was pretty good.  kathy ordered cajun chicken.  laura ordered the brushchetta and lizzie ordered the spicy pesto scallops.  and we all ate most of it.  their pizzas are quite large,  well for one person (8 slices) but we were hungry and it was delicious.

and this time.. not much talking. we had spent all our conversation on the 3 hour long hike.  what fun!
so....if you live in the upper thomson area (there's one in holland village too)... crust delivers.  not bad.  not great.  but not bad.

Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar
Upper Thomson
215R Upper Thomson Road
Tel: 6456 1555

bananas.

ok..so not a brunch post.. but for those following along... just too hilarious of an event not to post.  as you know, my relationship with graham as been gradually fading.. but he is a nice guy, and you know, if it weren't for some serious physical and mental obstacles there could be... ok fine... no, but he is a nice guy and he's fragile having just been ripped out of his family (his words).  so i haven't had the heart to make a complete break like i probably should have.  instead i chose to gradually fade.

so... graham invited me for a late sunday lunch/early dinner at the banana leaf apolo in little india.  i am mentioning it, because the food is good.  damn good.  its mostly all vegetarian... or can be if you chose.  but... you need to be warned, the decor of the restaurant is odd.  it's a massive cafeteria style room with strangely uncomfortable wooden chairs and usually very little patrons. and don't go to the washroom.  they are attached yes.... but not in a nice way.. in a connected to the rest of the mall way... in a rather grungy mall in little india.. if you get my drift... BUT... but the service is excellent and the food, did i mention?  good.  so good.  we ordered naan (of course) some red spicy vegetable dish, paneer and lime juice.  and then no plates!  just large banana leaves which we spoon our choice of food onto and dip into it with the naan.  so hearty.

speaking of heart... or lack thereof.. so... after the meal as we are sipping our lime juice, eating our second order of naan bread... yum...naan... and i am wondering how to get out of wandering around the markets to buy me yet another packet of jasmine, graham starts to tell me that he thinks it might be time if we see another people. well it went sort of like this.

"you know how first i thought i was in love with you and i wanted to get really serious?  but then you said we should slow down?"
"yeah"
"and then you said that maybe we shouldn't move in together cause it was too fast.."
"yeah"
"and then you thought that i wasn't over my divorce and you thought i needed to sow my wild oats so we decided to see other people?"
"ok.."
"well, i did that."
"ok."
"well, actually i met a really nice girl from malaysia.. and well, she doesn't want to share me."
"oh.  ok."
"you know i want to thank you.  you have helped me so much. before i met you i was in such a dark place.  and you made me smile and you showed me that i could fall in love again."

see? it all worked out.. and no one was hurt.  yeah i didn't have to make a big break up scene.  just fade to black.   ahhhh.. but... why is there always a but?......but ..here's the key girls... if you keep silent and let a man talk long enough he will eventually tell you the REAL truth..

(a few minutes later)

"so.....have you slept with this malaysian girl yet?"
"no.  that's why i wanted to tell you first.  so i could be completely honest with her."
"oh.  that's nice."
"and now i am completely confident that it will be good.  i have you to thank for that."
"really?"
"thank you.  you taught me that; just relax and don't try so hard.  kiss the upper lip and then the bottom lip. you want to know something?"
"ok, sure."
"you know the second time we were together and you asked me if i had been practicing?"
"yeah."
"well i had.  after the first time and you taught me how to kiss, i went out and slept with 5 other women to practice what you said."
"oh."
 um......WHAT THE HELL?   who does that?

............and so if you are in the mood for fantastic indian food in an uncomfortable ambiance  then the banana leaf is for you.  and cheap!  3.5 stars.

The Banana Leaf Apolo
48 Serangoon Road
01-32 Little India Arcade
Tel: 6297 1595

like a boomerang

having pretty much exhausted my choices (and my wallet) at dempsey, i went back to google to search once again for brunch. but this time i got smart. you see i think the best place i have ever had brunch (well besides the cafes in paris... oohh i love paris)  was in australia.  serious. amazing brunch/breakfast places.  with get this - fresh vegetables and fruit served on the plate!  and vegetarian options. what are they thinking?  i know!  so there was this place i remember looking awesomely cool on the riverside near clarke quay.. i had seen it during one of my midnight romantic strolls with graham.. who am i?  i know!  you are thinking that my life sounds like a movie, am i right?  well.. um.. no.. you see, sad thing is i wish graham was half as cool as he is in my dreams.  and that he wasn't still recovering from a painful divorce (him being the one kicked out of his house and wishing he could get his wife, child and life back.)  damn.  ever notice the ones you want are hard to get and only want to use and abuse you... and the ones you get.. are the ones you don't want.. the needy, overly romantic, clingy type?  sigh...

anyways. brunch. on the river.  booyah!  or.. more to the point, boomerang. what a great place! and.. wait for it... i could order directly from the menu.. completely.. again wait.. vegan choice! i was so excited.  i know it won't seem awesome to you... but to me.. so exciting.  i ordered the avocado toast.. which essentially is two thick chunks of wheat toast with slices of avocado and grilled tomatoes on the side.  and what i did was order a side of beans and hash browns. and then i put the beans over the toast, then the avocado then the tomato.... and damn!  good!  fresh!  yum!  to add, i ordered a soy cappuccino   ok the others? they ordered equally awesome - non vegan meals - buttermilk pancakes, the 'bondi' (poached eggs and spinach on toast) and 'the ashes' (big fry up, sausage, bacon, eggs, toast...yada, yada)....AND ... all the meals were served at the same time.  after AFTER the drinks.  i actually had time to chat and sip my cappuccino till it was finished and then booyah!  there arrived my meal.  perfection.  damn aussies.  they have the sun, the surf and now impeccable timing. what next?

and the chatter.. um.. well.. it flowed just as smoothly as the aussie service.  maybe because the restaurant itself is this clever inside/outside type set up with a roof but with open walls overlooking the very posh area of robertson quay.  lovely to just sit and people watch.  so gossip.. well...claire is moving to dubai. what?  she just got here. yep.. and she's pregnant again.. with girl number two. lizzie is over the moon with a german businessman we met (she dragged home) at an internations event (our first.. sadly not our last).  i was bemoaning the very gorgeous eygptian man i met (but didn't drag home) at the same said internations event who was sporadically texting me.. and i was trying my best to play coy wishing he was even as slightly as interested and head over heels in love with me as graham... and then.. there is kathy who just got propositioned to take on a HOD position at a very posh school in Singapore for 3 times her now very VERY adequate salary..... apparently education is big business in singapore.

so boomerang.  awesome.  awesome. awe.some.  and to add to its already awesome status, the bill arrived. what?  reasonable.  i walked out of my new favourite place in singapore full, refreshed and relaxed with my wallet only $25.00 lighter.  and so like a true boomerang (which coincidentally  i actually own having bought one and been taught how to correctly throw it in maroubra (near sydney) by a genuine aboriginal boomerang craftsman.  yup. no biggie) i will definitely return.  4.5 stars.  seriously, in singapore i am not sure it can get better.... but a girl can still hope.

Boomerang Bar and Bistro
Robertson Quay at the Quayside 60 Robertson Quay
Tel: 6738 1077

ps. (cafe) i love you.

and back to ps cafe. cause it was an easy choice.

and.....this time it wasn't me and the brunch ladies... it was just me and a guy; the guy i'm seeing graham. and we sat outside, but in the shade and it was fantastic. i didn't want dumb salad and fries again, so i thought i would try to do what i got so used to doing in new york. (i just came back from 2 weeks in brooklyn. holla!!) you see what i could do in new york (brooklyn) was just tell the waiter that i was vegan and that i wanted a mash of potatoes and vegetables. they were so damn good in new york (brooklyn) that they let me even list the vegetables that i wanted to add.  actually, where i stayed (in my sister's guest room) there was a true blue.. or is it green vegan restaurant s'nice (that's the name.. but it's true.. it is nice..) right down the street.  can you say heaven?  seriously fantastic.  i am dreaming right now of their soy chai lattes and vegan brownies ... oh and their awesome urban vibe.. and non humid air.......... sigh....

but this waiter surprised me. "oh, you are vegan? well we can do a portobello burger for you?  or we have a pasta with tomato sauce."

"what?" i was completely flummoxed, "but that's not on the menu."

"no, we write it on the board as vegetarian or vegan options."

"OMG! i love you!" no i didn't say that.  but i thought it.  alot.

so i ordered that; the mushroom burger and a cappuccino with soy milk......and it was fantastic! seriously.  fresh tomatoes and rocket salad with a thick slab of mushroom. yay! a party in my mouth.  i didn't eat it all, not because i didn't want to. but because i was also talking the whole time. cause when i'm happy i can't shut up. and finally in singapore at brunch i was happy.

and then my happiness doubled because this time we ordered dessert: carrot cake... and another cappuccino...
just cause it was a beautiful day sitting in the shade, chatting with a guy...

we split the bill. i know, he's supposed to pay. but he always pays. and why not? the bloody tab came to $126 and no one ordered any alcohol. what the?  but, as graham suggested, if we broke it down by hour, then we essentially paid about $20 an hour to sit there in the cool shade, surrounded by lush greenery and relax and chat and be.

ahh.. happiness. awesome today.  5 stars.....minus the cost, less would be better, but whatever, it was a splurge... ok fine 4.5 stars.  no less.

PS Cafe
28B Harding Rd  Singapore 249549
Tel: 9070 8782

salted caramel heaven.

i know its not brunch.  but its a must stop.  serious. ever since i've been vegan, well no even before that, i gave up ice cream.  i don't know why.  it just played havoc with my stomach.  about an hour after sticking a tub of haagen dazs triple brownie overload (have you ever? fack me that was good stuff) into the microwave for 30 secs to get that nice soft half melted thing going and then devouring the damn whole ooey gooey chocolate ambrosia, the sounds coming from my stomach were.. um... not nice.  did you know the  name häagen dazs was made in america. new york to be precise. its two made-up words meant to look scandinavian to americans so they think the ice cream is danish.... as danes are supposed to make the best ice cream.  huh.  so if they lie about the name.. god knows what they put in their triple brownie overload.

anyways, i was out for dinner the other night in ma hood of upper thomson dining on some fantastic indian cuisine.  see, indian food is the shit.  so many vegetarian choices. and lime juice.  and naan.. ohhh naan...  however, dessert, indian food does not have.  no. i'm not eating those weird styrofoam balls covered in watered down honey.  ok, maybe that's not what they are.. but that's what they look (and taste) like. 

and so, across the street my friend (nope not my brunch ladies.. my man friend....mwah.....ok fine. his name is graham) spotted two ice cream stalls side by side. one very busy. one not. we went in the not busy one. salted caramel. i was looking for some dumb lemon sorbet or mango sorbet.  the general default suspects.  but what.... what is this?  they have chocolate sorbet. huh... could be good... could be crap....whatever, i was in an adventurous mood. and get this... it was FANTASTIC!!   it was soo good my mouth exploded! serious. so not like the watered down cocoa that chocolate sorbet usually tastes like. this tasted like pure chocolate heaven. and not just dark chocolate, but damn, i don't even know how to explain it... it was hershey chocolate syrup out of the can, the thick stuff from the good ol' days....expect with added depth and richness and chocolate-ness. it was good man. damn good. damn fackin' good. and it was vegan. huh?  heaven!

graham got the salted caramel. meh. it was ice cream. i gave him a spoon of my chocolate heaven and then his too became ice cream heaven!
seriously.. ain't got no idea what everyone was doing at the other store.  even the name..udders... tacky!  salted caramel gets my vote.  4 stars.  ( i can't give 5 cause there really wasn't anywhere to sit because it was busy.. and i don't know if there are any other worthy flavours...yet..)

Salted Caramel
246F Upper Thomson Road
Tel: 6753 1718