SUMMER LOVIN'

I wonder where we'll end up for this year's beach getaway. Currently torn between two destinations -- places we've never been to before. Hmmm.

Out On a Date in Sabang, Palawan.
That's Hubby's inked back. Tattoo theme: Pinoy folklore.

Out On a Date in Boracay

Floating on Water
Palawan

Bulol by the Beach
Boracay

Senti over the Sunset
Pagudpud

True Colors
Pagudpud

LOVELY LEMONS

If life throws you a lemon, make lemonade. 

This is how we beat the heat.

Simple Joy: Homemade Lemonade and Lemon Iced Tea

PS
Follow me on Instagram. OutOnADate.

SINGAPORE RIVER CRUISE

We've been around Boat Quay, Clarke Quay, and Marina Bay on foot too many times. Para maiba naman, for the first time, we tried seeing these areas via the Singapore River Cruise. We enjoyed the same sights through a different perspective. 

40-minute cruise: SGD17 each
(around Php595 per adult)

Going under the bridges reminded me of "My Best Friend's Wedding."

Michael: Kimmy says if you love someone you say it, you say it right then, out loud. Otherwise, the moment just...

Julianne: Passes you by...

Michael: Passes you by. Yeah.

For more info on the SG River Cruise, visit their website.

PRETTY PANCAKES

The Date: Breakfast in Bed

Proud of my perfectly imperfect pancakes!

When you can't do perfectly round pancakes, I suggest you make them prettier and yes, yummier with bananas, strawberries and lots of honey.

Making life better is really in your hands. A lovely life lesson one Sunday morning. *wink*

TFS: THE FRENCH STALL

French Food in Little India?! Oui! 

Thanks to currystrumpet's suggestion, we got to try TFS: The French Stall, along Serangoon Road, Little India, Singapore (nearest MRT: Farrer Park).

Their sked:

3-6pm: Dessert & Drinks

6-10pm: Dinner

The facade of TFS Bistrot

#544 Serangoon Road corner Sturdee Road North, Singapore

Their lovely postcard-inspired tables.

A first: Drinking Date at 3pm. Hehe.
Our glasses of white wine were suggested by the staff.
Didn't take note of what they're called, oops.

We only had dessert (dinner's served 6pm pa). 

Hubby and I enjoyed the Dark Chocolate Cake ala-mode and the Tiramisu.

We wanted to try the honey cheesecake but it was unavailable that day.

The French chef who owns the place envisioned The French Stall to be very homey and unpretentious -- read that from a magazine article displayed on the wall. Successful siya! (Actually, sila, it's run by a husband and wife team.) The place is so charming, the staff's very friendly, and the location very interesting. It's not exactly cheap here though. Our bill was almost SGD50 (around Php1,700). But we were so charmed, we vow to be back for dinner (soon, we hope).

Bon appetit!

SKINNY PIZZA

The thinnest pizza we've had so far is also the best. As in.

Inspired by "the lovely crackling sound of something crunchy...like the crust of hot roti prata and naan...," SKINNY PIZZA is a must-try. Thin kung thin. Skinny kung skinny. (Wish I were describing me. Lol.) 

It's among the more popular local restaurants in Singapore. How good is their pizza? We actually like theirs more than Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza (at super sarap na sa Mozza ha!). 

The skinny on what we've tried:

The lime-based Kampong Glam mocktail (as in mock-cocktail so non-alcoholic). OK naman. I wanted it more tart, more lime-y. But since may halo, I found it too sweet. After my first sip, I kinda wished I ordered soda na lang, like Hubby, hehe.

The Macadamia Crusted Pumpkin Salad, SGD11 (around Php385). This was highly recommended by the Pinoy staff. We didn't expect it to be THAT GOOD. It's definitely among the best salads we've had. Pwede palang ganun kasarap ang kalabasa! (Pumpkin and squash are interchangeable, right? Same specie?) We were so happy that we kept on thanking the Pinoy waiter for recommending it. 

"Yan po talaga ang pinapa-try kong salad sa mga Pinoy."

"Panalo!"

The Truffle Fries, Sausage, Seared Brie Cheese Starters, SGD15 (around Php525). It's cheaper if you choose three starters. They were all good. But our favorite is the brie cheese. ANG SARAP. Kung ako kaya mag-sear ng cheese sa bahay, ganun din kasarap? 

The Mozzarella Bolognese Pizza, SGD23 (around Php805). Fresh, flavorful, super-thin. ANG SARAP.

The Meatball Napolitana Pizza, same price as the Mozzarella Bolognese. IT WAS SO GOOD. Sabi nga ni Hubby, meatballs are so basic but very few can make them perfectly. Ito perfect. 

If you're in SG, and you love pizza, do yourself a favor - visit any of the Skinny Pizza branches: Raffles City (This is where we ate. MRT Station: City Hall), Wheelock, House at Dempsey Road or Great World City. For more info, visit their website.

P.S.

These orders were from two different dates. Hindi pa naman kami ganun katakaw. Lol.

MISS SAIGON

I must find time to blog about our recent weekend trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As soon as I finish my paid writing projects (Money changes everything? Lol)...

Photo taken by Hubby,
at one of the HCMC Central Post Office gift shops.

HERE, FISHY FISHY!

I ordered these super cute seafood dumplings at the Ion Orchard food court exactly because they were that -- super cute! Bentang-benta sa akin. 

When I posted the photo on Facebook most people said di nila kaya kainin because they were:

• too cute, 
• looked alive, 
• nakakatakot, 
• nakakaawa. 

My Facebook reply: I agree. That's why I kissed them before taking a bite.

Now, I wonder, Ganito na ba ako katakaw? What most people won't eat, masayang-masaya kong binili to chow down. OMG. 

So were they good? OK lang. The stuffing: ground seafood (prawn, crab, and some fish). Was happier with the shark's fin dumpling. 

Dumplings: around SGD4
for each dumpling steamer set

Hubby ordered ToriQ (Japanese yakitori) for this merienda date.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Food For Thought. Good Food for a Good Cause.

#8 Queen Street, Singapore

(It's at the Sam at 8Q complex.)

Give clean water, make poverty history, inspire kind acts while you eat. Bongga. Game kami sa 'dating for a cause' so we tried Food For Thought. We had dinner here after seeing the film "Water Hands."

The facade.

The headless art installation (right in front of the resto and on top of the building across the street) is from another artist (name to follow), different from the one who created the headless Superman in front of the Singapore Art Museum. Headless as theme - Creepy? Artsy? Deep? All of the above?

The piece on SAM at 8Q reflects people's worldly and empty (thus mindless, headless) pursuits.

540 Jars hanging from the resto's ceiling. Read about the amazing light installation story here.

Zero-guilt indulgence? Hubby had the Crispy Curry Chicken with Spicy Chili Fries, Buttery Corn Salad and Roasted Tomatoes (SGD18, around Php630) on a placemat that says "Make poverty history." It was good. It's basic fried chicken with a twist -- nasa curry flavor ang twist. Big serving siya. It was actually good for two. Had we known na ganito kalaki, nag-share na lang kami.

I had the Calamari, Prawn & Salmon Risotto (also SGD18). It was good. Naumay nga lang ako. 

My placemat.

The food was good. But we're not raving. We're happy to have tried the place. And we got to help along the way so no complaints.

WATER HANDS at the SEA FILM FESTIVAL

Movie Date: "Water Hands," at the South East Asian Film Festival

SAM at 8Q, 222 Queen Street 

The festival will run until March 31, 2012

The Philippines' "Zombadings" is among the featured films! I'm so curious how the locals would find it.

Anyway, "Water Hands is a road movie about a Chinese sailor who starts doubting his beliefs after experiencing the beauty of the remote Balkan landscapes and the folk stories of the region. The more he explores the landscapes and the stories around him, the more he is determined to change something about himself. However, his attempt at making life-changing decisions become more difficult because of a woman, "She", a mysterious and sultry creature who keeps on calling him back to his country, his life and his reality."

The film-maker, Vladimir Todorovic on his creation, "After hearing numerous folk stories from the region (Serbia / Montenegro) and comparing them to the everyday life of an expatriate in Singapore, I decided to make a movie capturing these polarities. Thus, one half of the movie focuses on the reality of common people living in the economically devastated Balkans, while the other half paints quasi-bourgeois life of a foreigner in Singapore." 

Tickets: SGD10 each

Water Hands' director, writer, producer Vladimir Todorovic

I love how quiet the movie was. And it was fresh not to really see the cast mouthing their lines. You'll never get to see the sailor (Water Hands means sailor daw in Chinese.). While "She" (who represents the sailor's mother, sister, girlfriend, wife, mistress) has several exposures, never siya magsasalita on-cam. Puro thoughts. Puro reading out their exchange of love letters. 


With the journey Hubby and I are currently taking, relate na relate ako sa pelikula. I actually cried at the end of the movie, after "She" asked the final line of the film, "When are you coming home?"