Mcdonald's Golden Samurai Burger (Launch)

Mcdonald's Samurai Beef and Chicken burgers has been in store since about two weeks ago. Yesterday, Omy bloggers and winners of the giveaway were invited to an exclusive tasting session, Mcdonald's Singapore's upcoming launch of the all-new Golden Beef Samurai and Golden Chicken Samurai burgers!

Goodness of a classic Samurai Burger- juicy chicken or beef patty dipped in Teriyaki sauce, topped with creamy sauce and crisp lettuce- is combined with tanginess from a grilled pineapple ring, served in between toasted oat bran buns. A mix of sweet and savory! And something that makes probably all my friends go crazy, the Seaweed Shaker Fries.

Each Extra Value Meal, which includes a Golden Beef or Chicken Samurai burger, French Fries (M) and Coca-Cola (S) will be available from $7.85. The Golden Samurai Special, which includes a Golden Beef or Chicken Samurai burger, Seaweed Shaker Fries (L) and Green Tea (M) will be available from $8.95. You can make the Samurai experience even more completed with the Mocha-flavoured Mcflurry with caramelised biscuits, available from $2.90.

Glad to have nice tablemates cuz we had so much fun at the event yesterday. Voted the happiest table, especially because of the jokes that Syl made! There was a photobooth by Babooth, went a little crazy with it but, for memories sake :') 

Thank you Omy and Mcdonald's Singapore for the invitation, x 

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The Golden Beef Samurai Burger and Golden Chicken Samurai Burger will be available from 29 October 2015, 11am. The Seaweed Shaker Fries and Mocha-flavoured Mcflurry with caramelised biscuits are already available in restaurants. While stocks last.

Earle Swensen's x Dilmah Tea Appreciation Workshop

Last week, we visited Vivocity Earle Swensen's for a Tea Appreciation Workshop jointly held by Earle Swensen's x Dilmah. We got to try out some tea from the Dilmah Exceptional range as well as the new Teatime Happiness set available at Earle Swensen's outlet from 2:30pm to 5pm on weekdays. 

The range of "Dilmah Exceptional" teas were also displayed. Notice the shape of the tea bags? The pyramid shape allows the tea leaves to infuse more effectively, giving a stronger and more distinct flavour. We were given a short presentation on Dilmah, the basics and process of tea production including some fun facts that I never knew. How many people would have known that Oolong Tea, English Breakfast Tea, Green Tea etc actually comes from one plant only? I believe many would have the common misperception that different tea leaves come from different plants.

For a start, we had Chips & Slaw sandwich, served alongside Peppermint Tea and English Breakfast Tea. (Fun fact: Peppermint Tea is an infusion, not tea) The English Breakfast Tea had a much stronger taste compared to Peppermint Tea which was light. The bigger the tea leaves, the lighter the tea! I thought both cups of tea went well with the sandwich- buttered bread, coleslaw and chips. A very unique combination, I've never had sandwiches with similar combinations prior to this. Tends to get a little messy halfway through your meal though.

We had a mini hands-on activity shortly after, to make our own (Ceylon Green or Earl Grey) tea. For one tea bag or 2g of tea leaves, it is recommended to use only 220-250ml of water. We paired the tea with Swensen's famous ice cream cake and Earl Grey was definitely a better choice compared to Ceylon Green Tea which has a bitter after taste.

For those who're interested to indulge in some Teatime Happiness, choose from Neapolitan ice cream cake slice or Chips & Slaw sandwich plus a cup of coffee or tea (choose from 6 different flavours) for only $6.90++. If you would like a bowl of salad from the range of salad bar. top up an additional $3 to enjoy it! Only available at Earle Swensen's on weekdays from 2.30pm to 5pm!

Ending off with a short vlog taken during the workshop that day. Till the next, x

Snowy Village

 I visited a simple, not-so-hidden-anymore cafe located at a unique place in August. Ordered their Matcha Bingsu, that lump of purple, alien-looking thing in the middle just doesn't appeal to me at all. Sweet potato? I don't know. It is very "special", weird and probably an acquired taste too. Didn't visit the deck gallery because we were rushing for time but I'll defnitely head back. Really appreciate places with artsy vibes. Regarding the bingsu, I might re-visit if I happen to be around the area? Read: might. I might not have tried an extensive range of bingsu but I've had better ones.

Chef Yamashita

Visited Chef Yamashita with Val some time back. It was really hard to find, especially when Tanjong Pagar Plaza isn't a plaza. Seats are limited but it wasn't a problem (read; there weren't many people that day). Well, I was supposed to look for a hidden cafe and that should be it. We opted for their Mt Fuji and Ichigo (I believe??). Both of us preferred Mt Fuji to Ichigo but their Mille Feuille proved to be a better choice. Definitely have higher expectation for the cakes, maybe we just didn't make the right order. I kind of like Mt Fuji though- chestnut cream, mille feuille mm-hmm~

Old Boys Gallery

Salivating as I'm working on this post at midnight, I'd love to have some sweet potato fries now. We were treated to an extensive meal (even though we asked for smaller portions) at Old Boys Gallery weeks back. Featured above (in order): Potato Head ($7.90), Vongole Aglio Olio ($14.90), Manster Burger ($17.90), Make-your-own-triplets ($21): Crispy Baby Squids, OBG Crab Cakes & OBG Wings. Potato Head, basically sweet potato fries with curry mustard dip, was the bomb. Hands down my favourite! Not to mention that my fellow intern wiped the Vongole Aglio Olio clean. And what's a visit without a drink when Old Boys Gallery carries more than 40 different types of alcohol? I was recommended Lindemans Pecheresse, I liked it. Light, fruit beer, peach-flavoured. Anyway, Old Boys Gallery has a wall for couples or friends to attach their locks. The painting on the wall is exactly the view at the love locks bridge in Paris. They are really looking forward to filling it so either bring your own locks or ask for one from their friendly staff, it's free! I would definitely head back for another round- no I'm not an alcoholic.

Le Halo Cafe

Featured above (in order): Piggy Stew ($11.50), Tuna Mushroom Melt ($9.50), Eggs Benny ($14.50), Rose Cafe Latte ($5.80) & Rainbow Lapis ($1.80). I got to try out this cafe a few weeks ago. Surprisingly, Tuna Mushroom Melt was my favourite out of the lot. Signature Piggy Stew was slightly bland for my liking. I wouldn't say that the food tasted extremely good but definitely worth the price since most cafe food are overpriced for its 'meh' standard. Do understand that service gets a little slow during meal times as the lady boss manages the cafe on her own.

Dazzling Cafe Pink (Taiwan)

I striked one cafe off my to-visit list during this trip, which is Dazzling Cafe Pink. I visited Dazzling Cafe Sunshine last year but it wasn't planned, I just happened to be around that area. This time, I really wanted to try the highly raved Classic Honey Toast, available only at two outlets. I'm puzzled because why would you place your specialty dessert only in two outlets, not all? The "Party in Your Mouth Honey Toast" which I blogged about last year was photogenic but it wasn't that good in my opinion to have so many people rave about their honey toasts. So, I went for their signatures- Classic Honey Toast, Chicken Spaghetti with Pesto Cream Sauce. 

Anyway, service was pretty good but I "disliked" (not annoyed) how inflexible they are when it comes to opening hours. Nobody was allowed to enter before they open, not even at 11:59am. I reached about 10-15 minutes earlier at another restaurant (before they open for business) and we were allowed to be seated first? Also, do note that it's best to make reservation. Dining limit for each table is 90 minutes and there's a minimum order of 1 drink per person.

Clam Chowder Soup

Chicken Spaghetti in Pesto Cream Sauce

Smoked Ham Salad

Royal Matcha Latte

Classic Honey Toast

I'm a picky eater. Many times, things that appeal to people turns out only to be of satisfactory standard to me BUT I enjoyed this meal- everything. The least appealing to me, if I had to choose, would be the Royal Matcha Latte though it's the prettiest latte I've ever ordered. Yes, their Classic Honey Toast is good but it's the spaghetti that won me over. Or maybe, the combination of both? It turned out to be a very good decision to visit them even though we were catching a flight back that day!