Lobangmama@Carousell

Most of my close friends would have known that I am actively doing garage sale in the Carousell apps. 

I am not hoping to earn a profit from selling my Preloved and Unused loots but it's definitely a waste to throw the items away as they are all in good condition. I thought of donating them away too but am not sure if the receiving parties will find the items useful. I will prefer the next users are those who can truly appreciate the items they inherited/bought at a minimal cost.

Less than a year more to go before my Punggol flat can be sold or rented out. Hence, I am slowly digging out the "treasures" and putting them on garage sale too.

Happy Birthday to me and I am taking this opportunity to launch my new Lobangmama @ Carousell Facebook Page! I am having a 30-50% birthday  discount (kitchen appliances vs non-kitchen appliances) from 28-30 April 2015! So do help me spread the words k! I will put up the link onto the side bar of my blog soon too to link to my Carousell page ^^ 

Cheers!

Start Browsing https://carousell.com/lobangmama/

^^ Thank You!!!

Birthday Surprise from My 姐妹 - Seafood lunch buffet at Todai and Tea at TWG, MBS

MBS is usually not a place I hangout after work or on weekends because I felt intimidated by the big branded shops in it. My bad experience at Ion could have constituted to this thinking too. I still remember when I was searching for my first Kate Spade, there was this very rude sales person who gave us that "eyeball" look. We were definitely not one of those who walked into the shop because of the big 70% sale signage, but she directed us straight to the discounted bags when we tried to acquire about the price range. Yah lor, we were green shoppers because we don't usually buy branded stuff. You may have seen my Kate Spades and Braun Baffel or Laogong's Mont Blanc pen, but that's all we have for my daily usage. We are unlike many who have collections of bags and watches.

Anyway, we gave that sales person our "eyeballs" too and rejected her service. We were about to walk out of the shop when another sales person checked on us and asked what kind of bags was I looking for. Jackpot! That's the right question to ask. I got my first Kate Spade bag from her and subsequently got my Kate Spade wallet there too. You see, you just need some politeness to close more sales. It's as simple as that. 

But of coz not all sales person in expensive shops are irritating like the one I met at Ion. The sales manager where I got Laogong's Mont Blanc pen was really nice and helpful. Maybe he was experienced enough to "spot that lost look" on my face as he offered his service. He was honest in his explanation about the different types of pens and which are more suitable for younger working class. He was convinced that I would be back again when I told him I will bring "the pen user" here again to choose his present. And he recognized me as I walked in a few days later. I will strongly recommend those who are looking for a Mont Blanc to buy from this branch at Mandarin Gallery. 

Back to my MBS experiences. I somehow feel that the sale people in MBS are more professional because MBS is the more touristy shopping mall. They never know if their "eyeballs" will get blinded by the social media if they eyeball the wrong people. So everyone received us, with a smile and even a bow. The waiter at TWG was especially "helpful" too checking us out on and off to ensure we enjoyed our food. 

Really thank my 姐妹 Xiaxia and Wenwen for making the efforts to give me this birthday surprise! I seriously didn't expect theme to bring me to MBS and I was really thrilled to have another Kate Spade!!! Love the sweet pink! Thank you so much! Hugs and Kisses!!!

It was not easy to find a place that serves Snow Crab for lunch buffet. Even Kushinbo only serves Snow Crabs for dinner buffet. So I had my fill with the yummy tasty Snow Crabs!!! They have the warm steam version and the boil chilled version. I tried the steam one first and felt that the constant heating up at the steam area makes the meat dry and flaky. I really love my plate of chilled Snow Crabs coz they were Juicy, Tender and they come out as a whole when I pulled/pushed them out. Love the juicy chilled prawns too!!! Slurp! Oh yes, and the Sashimi and Oysters! 

There was quite a wide variety of international food in Todai. Somehow I felt that Todai is opened by Koreans because of the super good spread of different types of Korean 小菜. The whole time the restaurant played Korean songs and TV shows too. I could also see many Korean tourists having lunch there. 

But I didn't eat a lot mainly because the cooked food were not warm and I enjoyed my chitchat session with Xia and Wen more than the food! Hahaha! 

I had a tug into the chocolate fondue and some of the desserts though. They had ice cream, cakes and macaroons. Hmmm.. But I think I am really not a dessert and pastry person because they all seemed too sweet for me. 

Heehee but the funny thing about me is though I don't enjoy pastries very much but I look forward to making some for my loved ones! Feed them fat fat! Hahaha...

What I enjoyed more is the tea, tart and truffle fries at TWG! You have to try these three! I was quite suaku and didn't know TWG actually serves truffle fries until we saw the waiter serving to one table. So we ordered one to try! It smelled very nice and has macha powder on top of it! 

Unique! 

I love my rose tea very much too as it eased the cramps I was having after my loads of chilled seafood :P

It has been a while since we could have such a lazy afternoon of food and chats. I know that as we "progress" into our different stages in life and become attached, married and have kids, such a relaxing catch up with close friends has become a luxury. Hence, I especially treasure each time I can meet up with my girlfriends to just relax, eat and chat... 

Thank you for being there for me despite your busy schedules ^^ Muacks lots! 

Plaza Brasserie - Crazy for Crayfish and Crab Buffet, Park Royal atBeach Road

This was round 3 of my month of feasting. Last year was my first time trying out the Ultimate Crab Feast at the same location with Qiushi. There were 14 different ways of cooking crabs. It was fabulous and we really enjoyed our meal! 

Last year's Ultimate Crab Feast!

So when Qiushi heard from ironladychef's blog that Plaza Brasserie is having a teaser for this year's Ultimate Crab Feast, she Jio-ed me right away! 

Unlike the actual feast in June, this teaser considered of crayfish cooked in many different ways and the four most preferred ways of cooking crabs!

This year's teaser! 

Compared to the crab only feast we had before, I actually like this teaser feast more. You can call me lazy or not an ultimate crab lover, but I prefer a variety of seafood in a buffet than just eating crabs... 

This teaser feast not only have crayfish and crabs, it also has oysters, scallops, prawns, sashimi, seafood soup  and desserts! 

Seafood soup with real crab meat

Two rounds of Oysters

I had at least 3 servings of sashimi! 

The famous Laksa with huge prawns

Big, thick and juicy crayfish! I had 3-4 servings of Crayfish cooked in hot beans, black beans, Thai basils, chili, white pepper and the all time favorite salted egg! I especially love the salted egg crayfish!

And my finale was black pepper crabs!!! 

Other than the good food, it was really nice catching up with Qiushi.

I always enjoyed hanging out and chatting with her because of her bubbly, confident and encouraging personalities. She is definitely someone who is full of positive energy! Chatting with her not only ease me from the stress I am going through, but also make me feel assured about my next venture in life. 

I thank every caring soul in my life :) and I will definitely go for more seafood with Qiushi in future again! Hahaha! 

Dim Sum High Tea Buffet, Minjiang @ Goodwood Park Hotel

Goodwood Park Hotel is known for good ambience and quality food. I especially love the pointed roofs because it gives the rich heritage touch. Those who knew about its history, would have heard that the hotel was built in 1900 and was gazetted a national monument by the Singapore Preservation of Monuments Board in 1989, which has since merged with the Singapore National Heritage Board. 

It was a last minute confirmation to have dim sum high tea and I was lucky that the well-known Minjiang @ Goodwood Park Hotel has available tables. 

Every time I had dim sum, it reminds me of my after-As days when I was a "dim sum lady" in a Chinese restaurant in Taka. It was fun and there was a lot running around too with my trolley. I couldn't remember what was the food I was in-charged of but I had to keep my eyes sharp to spot hands waving at me. After the morning shift, I was already aching all over. But the experience was memorable and I was able to interact with people from all walks of life. I always believe my experiences as a server/waitresses had affirmed my passion to work in customer-centric jobs.  

I spotted Ivy as I walked past the durian-scent corridors. Hmm.. Have you heard of the Durian Fiesta 2015? Goodwood Park will be serving Dessert Buffet with Durian Pastries from 30 May to 2 August 2015 for only $35.80++ per pax! Yummy.. Who is keen to go with me? Hehehe... 

Back to my dim sum buffet... 

Minjiang has outdoor seating and indoor seating. If not for the mosquitoes and afternoon sun, I actually don't mind having my dim sum by the pool because the Aircon is too cold indoor.

We took a tour when everyone had reached before we decided to remain seated indoor.

Russ and I were eager to give the birthday girls their presents and made them posed in them :P

Two pretty mummies! Sandra and Ivy!

We cannot helped but took pretty pictures of the outdoor seating area too! I really love the rustic and laid-back feel. I must one day have my staycation in Goodwood Park Hotel! 

After all the pretty pictures, it's time to charge at the food! Unlike the typical ala carte or trolley style dim sum restaurant, Minjiang serves their dim sum buffet on traditional trays by the pool. 

We were lucky to be seated near the door exit to the pool area aka food area. Otherwise we would need to walk down the narrow indoor seating each time we wanted to refill our food. 

There were not many varieties of dim sum but they were generally very tasty. 

There were baby abalones on the Siew Mai! Yummy! 

Love the crispy roast chicken skin too! 

The super big 汤包 had thick broth! 

Slurp ~~~

My favorite comfort food 皮蛋粥 kept  my tummy warm and happy! 

Have you tried Chee Cheong Fun with scallops? 

Dessert time! Scooped lots of longhand for my Cheng Teng! 

OMG~ No wonder Goodwood Park Hotel is famous for their durian desserts and pastries! OMG! It's really nice! Durian Pudding with real durian flesh! Pity each guest is only entitled to one Durian Pudding! 

We were "unprepared" but lucky the waitresses were really helpful when we asked for two candles.

Happy Belated Birthday to my two pretty friends! 

Cheers to our 15 years of friendship! 

Fate brought us together in year 2000 and we have put in lots of effort to grow and maintain our friendship over the 15 years. I am really happy we are still close friends after going through the thick and thin together... Love you all! ^^

Really grateful that they are always by my side during my ups and downs. Just a phone call and they appeared to have a drink with me when I needed one badly many weeks back. Really thank you so much... from the bottom of my heart...

Before we left, we continue to take more pretty photos. We really like the ambience a lot and I believe we will come back here soon! But maybe the next time we will try the other restaurants, because Minjiang will not be serving its dim sum high tea buffet from 26 April 2015 onwards. So if you will like to try its dim sum buffet, remember to catch it before it's gone! 

Happy Belly Birthday Month - Lots of Food And Travel Reviews ComingYour Way!

17 days till my big 36! 

Last Thursday was the start of my feasting month!!! Met up with my Uni buddy, Russ, and we had a good dinner at Old Hong Kong @ Square 2. I always love Old Hong Kong food, especially the dim sums. But pity they don't serve much dim sums at night so we ordered 3 dishes instead. We thought 3 dishes should be quite manageable. But the servings were so big that I was filled to my brim! Haha! 

See the yummy food we ate that night! 

I always love starchy vegetable sauces.

It's has been a long time since I ate roast pork!!! Juicy but not oily! Squish~~~

This rice dish is very interesting. It comes with 3 small bowls of 3 different types of rice - glutinous rice with peanuts, red brown rice with pumpkin and fried ebi roe rice. Nice! 

(I secretly love the glutinous rice the most though it's the most sinful! Haha!)

As you can "feel", I am definitely in a good mood lately. Other than learning to let it go, my sweet Laogong plays a large in assuring me that I deserve better. What's more comforting than having your life-long partner stand by you in your shittiest moment in life? 

My phone calendar is now filled with feast dates and short trips. As many of you know that I LOVE to eat, explore new places and catch up with friends, hence I am really looking forward to the foodie and travel weeks ahead! 

Hmm.. I am not a professional foodie but I think Iove food enough to give sound reviews! So do look out for my food reviews these few weeks!!! 

I am not a professional traveller but I believe my travel experiences and reviews will give you good insights on how to organize fruitful, efficient and fun free and easy trips!!! So stay tune!!!

Take a look into My Feast and Travel Calendar to know what you are in for:

11 Apr - Dim Sum High-Tea Buffet at Minjiang @ Goodwood Park Hotel

12 Apr - Crayfish and Crab Feast Buffet at Plaza Brasserie @ ParkRoyal at Beach Road

17 Apr - Unknown yet. Likely Good Food and some Booze

18 Apr - Unknown yet. My 姐妹 said it's going to surprise me! So surprise me then! Exciting! 

21 Apr - Tentative plans should be Nana Thai @ Far East Plaza! I love Thai food! 

23 Apr - Tentative plans should be Dinner Buffet at Hotel Jen or some Chill out Place 

24 Apr / 25 Apr - My birthday treat(s) from Laogong!!! We going to JB for StayCation and to Feast!

27 Apr - High Tea Buffet at Marriot Cafe @ CK Tangs

28 Apr - My Birthday Cake of course! Haha! 

1-3 May - Roastrip and Feast at Melaka

28 May-1 Jun - My First Solo Trip (to Bangkok) Thai food feast! 

And more fun and travelling during the June holidays! 

Shocked? I am shocked too! This means I need to eat less and exercise more every other day! Haha!

Stay Tune for my Feast Review later!