*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

One of the Boys

You know you have become one of the boys when a group of heterosexual males have no qualms talking blatantly about sex, their sex lives, the size of their manhood and women around you. I must concede that it was, erm, very interesting and it gave me more insight into the male psyche...

Mapping a Person

I came across a personal blog the other day and was very intrigued by it because of its owner's heartfelt words which then made me delve deeper into her blog. As I went through the entries, I pieced together an image of her in my mind. It felt voyeuristic reading the private thoughts and feelings of a stranger. But I guess if you're prepared to have a blog, you must be prepared to have total strangers lurking about.

Like a puzzle, I found myself trying to piece together the different facets of this girl's life - her job, personality, interests etc. She seemed like a troubled soul and her personal relationships with men suffered because of it. It wasn't the most happy of blogs, but what I liked about it was that her words came from her heart and there were no pretensions.

Sometimes I wonder what total strangers make of me when they read my blog. I know there are some readers out there whom I've never met. I'm curious as to what makes them continue to read about a stranger's life. If they ever met me, I wonder if I'll match the image they have of me. Interesting thought.

Collecting Experiences

I was chatting to a friend over msn today and he told me that he had just turned 28 over the weekend and had spent some time rethinking his life. He said he now finds that he is less keen on "collecting" experiences. Our conversation was fleeting as we were both busy, so I didn't get to ask him why. However I told him that it's interesting, 'cos for me, it's the collecting of experiences that's keeping me going in life.

In all honesty, I'm hardly the ambitious sort of person. Though I do envy the wads of cash that spill from the wallets of the bankers, lawyers, businessmen (you get the drift) out there, I can't picture myself climbing the corporate ladder. Maybe I'm just not cut out for it. Some people strive in corporate environments. While I don't wither and wilt away in such environments, I don't particularly enjoy the environment either.

What then do I want, you ask me. I've been asking myself that question all these years but I've yet to come up with an answer. I know what I WOULD like to be, but getting there seems so impossible. I envy people who seem to know what they want right from the very start. Why can't I be one of those people and why can't the job I want to do bring in the sort of money such that I don't have to worry so much about not having enough of it?

So I haven't found a vocation that motivates me enough. But I do love life and I want to experience and try new things all the time. Most of which involve travelling. So in order to do that, I have to work and earn money. Therein lies my motivation. Thus, unlike my friend, I live to collect experiences.

A columnist in today's issue of Life! wrote about how she is suffering from a quarter-life crisis upon turning 26. She was a little miffed that she wasn't allowed (by her older friends) to complain and whine about her age and the worries about a 26-year-old journalist who earns pittance compared to her high-flying executive friends. I can identify with her - I used to and still do feel this way.

I've been feeling very stagnant for awhile hence I've taken some steps to make some changes in my life. As to what these changes are, my family and close friends already know, and it'll unfold on this blog in the not too distant future. Whether it's for the better or worse, I have NO idea at this point. All I know is that while life won't be perfect, it will be different. At least for awhile.

Indexing

I've been attending a three-day course on indexing and it has really opened up my eyes to the work that indexers do. I used to think that indexing a book was really easy - all you needed to do was find that particular word on that page and note down the page number. But no, it's not that simple. It really requires a good command of the language and good understanding of the subject matter and the intended audience of the publication. In addition, an indexer needs to be just as meticulous and detail-oriented as a copyeditor.

If a word appears on that page but is only mentioned in passing, the page doesn't have to be indexed. Conversely, if a word doesn't yet the concept of it is talked about in the pages, these pages have to be indexed. So a lot of judgment calls to be made and thankfully, indexing is not something that can be done by computers. Computers can only aid to make the job easier, but indexing still requires the human brain to play around with words.

There really is a fine art to indexing! So next time you flip through those pages at the back of a book, do make a mental note of all the hard work that has gone into it!

Sick of Being Sick

That same stuffy nose and persistent cough which plagued me two months ago is back to haunt me. Gosh, it's so not fun with the blowing of the nose and the wheezing cough. Because of it, I slept the entire weekend away. Very depressing for me since I almost always spend weekends paddling in the lovely outdoors...paddling to Sisters Island and St John's etc. I feel like my muscles are now all turning into fats...i haven't been able to exercise at all! Argh.

I went to see a doctor at Eu Yan Sang clinic so I've been taking Chinese herbal medicine. The good thing is that it's in powder form and placed in sachets, so it's really easy to take around. When I went on Monday, the cough wasn't there but now it seems to have hit me with a vengeance. Think I need to pay the doctor another visit. :(

p.s. Don't ask me how I managed to finish all the food at Novus!

Novus

Despite being ill on Monday night (still ill by the way), I didn't want to break my dinner date with two colleagues and an ex-colleague at Novus as it's so difficult to fix a date to meet up. You know us modern beings, trying to get a bunch of people to meet up is tantamount to organising an expedition to Mt Everest.

But anyway, we headed to the new restaurant serving modern European cuisine for some posh nosh. The interiors were very pleasantly done up with a contemporary European flair featuring neutral white and cream tones. According to the Uniquely Singapore website, the interiors are from designers Paul Smith and Jasper Morrison (whoever they are!). But it all blends in very nicely with the newly refurbished and very lovely National Museum.

Anyway, we splurged and went for the tasting menu which went for $108+++ per person. Chef Dan Masters and executive sous chef Philipp Meisel surprised us with a complementary starter made up of one prawn fritter seated on top a bed of guacamole. Nice gesture.

They were very good with replacing our bread platter. We hadn't even finished all the bread and they were already giving us a fresh platter!

While eating our bread, a flying ant flew onto the table and was moving around the table, coming dangerously close to the bread platter. I quickly alerted the lady in charge (a pretty blond lady who speaks with a European accent) and she promptly told one of the waiters to come over. Then this waiter comes over and puts his hand seemingly to just push the insect to another part of the table and then asks in Chinese, "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to kill it?"

Like DUH!!!! I mean, I don't freaking care whether you kill it or not! Just get the thing away! What a stupid question!

Anyway, the other starters were:

1) Slices of smoked salmon served with beetroot sorbet. That was the first time I've ever eaten beetroot sorbet and I really liked it. It was nice and refreshing and went well with the smoked salmon.

2) A big piece of scallop placed on chestnut puree together with a slice of pork belly. The sauce that came with it was both sweet and savoury at the same time. For me, this was the best dish of the night. The scallop was fresh and big, the chestnut puree heavenly and that slice of pork belly cooked to perfection.

3) A slice of seared cod fish nestled on a bed of spinach and mash potato. Fish is always difficult to get right, so kudos to the chef that the cod wasn't overcooked, but rather was really nice and moist.

Before the main course came along, we were given a scoop of lemongrass sorbet each to cleanse the palate. I really liked this!

The main course was a cut of lamb served with a rectangular piece of potato gratin. The lamb wasn't overcooked, so that was good. My colleagues felt, however, that the cut contained too much fat. Personally I was OK with it 'cos I think it's because of the fat that allows it to remain moist and not become overcooked.

Dessert was some kind of apple tart (it had some fancy French name) accompanied by cinnamon ice cream. It was pretty good but rather heavy and a tad too sweet for me. Maybe the apples were soaked in too much sugar. Would have been better if it were a little more sour.

At the end of it, a complementary plate of chocolates with a macaroon and blueberry madeleine were served to us - a nice touch to end the evening.

Overall, a good but pricey dining experience. Guys, it's a good place to bring your date for a nice, quiet evening if you're willing to splurge. That's all the fine dining I'm going to do in a really really long while!

Novus Restaurant & Bar #01-02
Tel: 6336 8770
Service: Very good
Price: At least $60/pax

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

If you are wondering what book you should pick up next, may I suggest that you read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer if you haven't already done so.

The book's protagonist is Oskar Shell, a precocious nine-year-old boy who had lost his father in the 911 World Trade Center attacks two years ago. While going through his father's things, he finds a key which doesn't seem to open any lock or door at home. So Oskar sets out to find the lock to which the key belongs to. In his quest, he meets different people and embarks on a journey of healing for himself and the people he encounters.

The plot is quirky with a few odd characters, yet it also manages to explore and bring out the emotional distress and hurt experienced by the families of the 911 victims. The narrative structure of the novel is very innovative and it's been a long while since I came across a book like that.

Highly recommended!

Portobelle

Thanks everyone, I'm very happy with my new man. :) As men go, I'm still trying to figure him out and finding out which are the right buttons to push. We're still trying to get familiar with each other. Hee.

Amidst all that, I managed to take some time out to eat at Portobelle last Friday. This tiny Mediterranean cum Mexican restaurant located in one of the Peranakan-style shophouses along Killiney Road looked very charming and cosy with its terracotta walls, but unfortunately the food there didn't quite match the nice rustic look of the place. I had a plate of Quesadilla which had olive, tomatoes, green chilli and melted cheese inside. It was edible but it tasted very ordinary. My friend had the mussels in tomato sauce for a starter and ordered some pita bread to go with it. She said it was alright, but not particularly tasty.

I also tried their tiramisu which kinda disappointed. I felt it tasted rather flat - not enough alcohol, the cream was a tad too sweet, and I'd have preferred a little more coffee powder to make it slightly more bitter.

Anyway, I doubt I'll be making a second visit. I even went to Killiney Kopitiam on the opposite side of the road to have a plate of fried rice after leaving the restaurant! That plate of rice which costs $4.50 left me much more sated!

128 Killiney Rd
Tel: 6737 7127
Service: OK
Price: $30-$40/pax

New Beau

I don't normally let on too much about the romance part of my life, but I just found a new love! Ooh, I'm so happy...he's so good-looking, very modern and sleek. And as many of you know, I like my men intelligent. This one's great - has an elephant-sized memory and thinks so fast! I'll never ever worry about him forgetting anniversaries or any errands I might ask him to run. Also, normally people look horrid in white. But he seems to wear the colour very well. Anyway, I'm totally in love with my white knight!

And oh, his name's Mac. Family name: Book.

Paddling Along Gold Coast

Just wanted to share a slice of the action from the Gold Coast Cup outrigger canoe race. This is the Singapore Paddle Club ladies crew paddling past the buildings in Surfers Paradise, which is about the 2/3 point of the 47km race along the whole stretch of the Gold Coast.

And I have to say it again - the race was heaps of fun!!!!!!

Bills

Australians love to do brunch - that I've concluded from the numerous places I observed having brunch menus and the vast number of people tucking in to the huge portions of food from late morning into the afternoon.

I guess this two-in-one meal concept works for people who are late risers. But I'm an early bird for the most part and prefer eating more meals a day for more variety. Just 'cos I'm greedy. :)

But well, on a lovely and lazy Saturday, C, my good friend in Sydney brought me to bills for brunch. Located in a quiet street corner in the charming suburb of Darlinghurst, this cafe by Australian celebrity chef Bill Granger exudes a nice casual feel, making you feel like you've stepped into your own dining room.

A big wooden dining table is the centrepiece of the cafe. Diners sit around the table making you feel as if this is like some big communal eating affair. Placed in the middle of the table are magazines like Vogue, Bazaar, Vogue Travel, and other hip magazines sprawled on the table for diners to browse as they munch. I lurve it.

You can see the people in the kitchen working with the open kitchen concept. I love the blackboard on the wall too. I want to have that in my kitchen one day if I ever get my own home!

I was a little disappointed at the menu though. There wasn't much to choose from. There were pancakes, some yoghurt thingy, muffins, corn fritters and you could also design your own toast. I was just expecting more variety and some things that sound more exciting.

C chose the corn fritters and bacon above which were very tasty.

The pancakes that I saw someone ordering looked very delicious (they were thick and fluffy) what with the bananas and maple syrup but I was in the mood for something savoury. So I chose toast instead. This came with scrambled organic eggs and the sliced fresh tomatos and mushrooms were side orders. Other side orders to choose from are bacon, avocado, cooked tomatoes and a few other stuff which I can't remember now!

Though I didn't find the food particularly exciting, I must say it did taste good. Probably just 'cos the food was fresh. I really liked the eggs as they were so fluffy and delicious! There was so much of it that I couldn't finish. What a pity.

It's a nice place for brunch, after which you can head to the charming little shops for some shopping or just walk around the neighbourhood to look at some of the lovely old terrace houses.

C and I headed to Freshwater Beach which is the next beach up north from Manly. It's smaller and less touristy than Manly but just as nice too! We spent the afternoon there swimming and soaking in the sun while lying on the beach talking and occasionally eyeing the random cute surfer dude. One thing I love about Australia? There's so much eye candy for me! Drool fest! And now I'm back in the cesspool of men here in Singapore. Blah.

433 Liverpool Street
Darlinghurst NSW 2010 Australia
T +61 2 9360 9631

Mon - Sat
7.30 - 15.00
18.00 - 22.00

Sun
8.30 - 15.00