A Few Tips on Flower Gifting That You Can Try Today!

Flower gifting or baby hamper delivery can be traced back even to the beginning of time. Flowers are given to greet someone on a special day or to send warm wishes on big events. Flowers are also given to express love, admiration and affection. More than that, a flower is created and designed by the florist to bring something to be joyful about. A gift of flower is intended to put a smile on the face of the giver and the recipient.

On the other hand, wrong choice of flowers can be disappointing. Instead of sending the message you meant to say, you may send the wrong message if you fail to choose or send the right flowers. To avoid that, you may wish to follow these simple tips: 

Tip #1: Choose flowers based on occasion

There is a right flower arrangement for each occasion. You may find all flowers to look beautiful and lovely but it may not be appropriate to send birthday flowers on romantic events and vice versa. Ask your local florist to help you pick the right flowers based on the occasion.

Tip #2: Choose flowers based on meaning

Flowers have different meanings and a hand bouquet may actually mean another thing. When you choose to send a florist delivery for flower gifting, make sure that the flower means exactly what you wish to tell. Use the flowers to express your love and emotion, or to send your greetings to someone. The colors of the flowers and the type of flowers mean differently from each other. If you are not sure, let the local florist assist you in your flower gifting.

Tip #3: Consider giving unique flower gifts on each occasion.

Try mixing different types of flowers together for a unique flower bouquet. You can choose a monotone bouquet or multicolored one for the special occasion. The local flower shop has all types of flowers that you may need for the bouquet. In the case that you want other types of flowers, the local florist can get them easily from other local florists too.

Flower gifting is a very special way of greeting or expressing an emotion. Whether there is an occasion to celebrate or you only want to surprise your loved one on any ordinary days, you can always get the service of the local florist in your area. The flower through your a local florist is always the best option to celebrate and make the occasion a little but more special.

http://www.littleflowerhut.com.sg/

*This is a sponsored post.

Wafuken - Healthy Sous-Vide Food @ OUE Downtown Gallery

Nowadays people are getting more conscious of their health and well-being, as well as watching their diets carefully while being afraid about the fats and calories that accompanies the food. After visiting Wafuken recently, I can gladly say that the team does it well in terms of being on the healthier side yet retaining it's tastiness in their food.

The winning point at Wafuken is their sous-vide cooking method, it is a unique cooking technique that uses immersion in hot water to cook for a long period, and this will result in some of the most tender and succulent meat. Ordering at Wafuken is pretty straight-forward, customise your dish by picking your preferred protein (from S$4) and carb/ sides (from $1).

The overall cost of a dish really depends on what you pick, and here is my favorite bowl - Donburi Rice Set S$4 (Furikake Japanese brown rice + Onsen Egg + Daikon Pickles) topped with 100 day grain-fed Oyster Blade Steak (S$7 Half Steak 90g / S$12 Full Steak 180g) and finishes off with Truffle Oil S$2. This is one of our favorite customised donburi but ultimately a question of personal taste and preference. Fret not if you don't take beef, there are duck, chicken and fish to choose from.

Apart from the healthy carb and sides like the avocado, yuzu salad and quinoa, can I emphasize how perfect that slab of Salmon Belly S$12 is? This sous-vide salmon is possibly the most succulent and tender one I ever tasted, and the chef sear the skin till crispy which gives a crunch - think as salmon cracklings. Oh damn.

I like how sous-vide cooking method changed my perspective of meat texture especially chicken breast. I'm not a big fan of chicken breasts because of it's dry texture but I was mind-blown at how this method of cooking changes everything. Both the Chicken (S$4 Half Breast 125g / S$6 Full Breast 250g) and Smoked Duck (S$7 Half Portion 100g / S$12 Full 200g) were extremely tender and moist, on the first thought I can't believe they were chicken breasts. 

Elevate the overall taste by going for their house-made sauces - Garlic Soy, Black Pepper, Spicy Miso and Ponzu Pink Peppercorn. Do approach the staff for recommendations on which sauce to pair with your protein.

The second outlet of Wafuken is situated in OUE Downtown Gallery, a short distance away from their first outlet in Asia Square. The folks pride themselves in serving up healthy sous-vide Japanese dishes at an affordable price in the CBD. While both outlets are in the central, I'm looking forward to them venturing into other areas of Singapore.

Wafuken OUE Downtown

6A Shenton Way

OUE Downtown Gallery #02-23

Singapore 068815

Mon - Fri: 11am - 8pm / Saturday: 11am - 3pm

Closed on Sunday & PH

Wafuken Asia Square

12 Marina View

Asia Square Tower 2 #02-05

Singapore 018961

Mon - Fri: 11am - 8pm

Closed on Weekends and PH

http://www.wafuken.com/

*This was an invited media tasting while all opinions expressed are based on our own experience.

Suzukien Asakusa, The Most Intense Matcha Gelato In The World, Tokyo Japan

If you are a big fan of matcha, you need to be here in Tokyo. Suzukien Matcha is a gelato store situated in Asakusa that offers 7 intensity levels of Matcha ice cream, as well as other popular Japanese flavours like Houjicha, Black Sesame, Japanese Black Tea and many more. Apart from that, they are also known to serve the most intense matcha gelato in the world.

During our recent trip to Tokyo, we were told to check out Suzukien for it's richest matcha gelato in the world. The stall is actually located near Sensoji temple, google map would be a great help in navigating and looking out for a green banner would be helpful too. In this case, cut through Sensoji and it's located at the back.

I was expecting a queue after reading a couple of reviews but thankfully there wasn't during my visit. I think partly because it was about to close soon. Upon entering the stall, you will be greeted with green shade of gelato from the fridge. As the color says all, the darkest green has the highest intensity of matcha flavour (level 7) and also their best seller. Apart from the various matcha gelato, there are other Japanese gelato flavours as well.

Since I'm here in Tokyo, I know that I need to try level 7 - the world's strongest matcha gelato. We tried level 2 and level 7 - level 2 has the right bitter to sweet ratio where else level 7 was too intense, in another words, too bitter for me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the green tea aroma within. If you are not adventurous, level 2 or level 3 would work.

How can you not have Houjicha or Black Sesame gelato in Japan right? So after that we went back for second serving, this time with houjicha (roasted green tea) and goma (black sesame) gelato in a cone. I specially like Suzukien's gelato texture, it is firm on the spoon yet creamy and melts in the mouth. Damn boy, this is the best Houjicha ice cream I ever had.

Suzukien is a very old and traditional teahouse with many years of history to it's name. Besides ice cream, they sell a variety of tea products and pots as well. Overall if matcha is your favorite, their different levels of matcha richness will be your dream dessert. However, most customers are here for the premium matcha gelato, also known as level 7.

Suzukien Asakusa

Asakusa 3-4-3, Taito-ku, Tokyo

Tel: 03-3871-0311

Nearest Subway: Asakusa Station

Opening Hours: 10am - 530pm daily

Closed on the 3rd Wednesday of every month

http://www.tocha.co.jp/

Creamery Boutique Ice Creams Singapore, Lava Cookies From Bangkok

Many people have mixed up between Creamery Boutique and KOOKS Creamery in serangoon for serving up similar lava cookies as desserts, but both brands have no relation to one another. Creamery boutique ice creams is originally from Bangkok, with a couple of outlets in Malaysia and now Singapore being the latest project.

Credit: Creamery Boutique

Creamery Boutique Ice Cream is located at Tyrwhitt Road, just opposite the popular coffee house Chye Seng Huat, the space is formerly occupied by Anythingz Cafe. Using the same recipe as Bangkok, the menu incorporate homemade ice cream, milkshakes as well as 6 different cookie set. The star here is their lava cookie, basically a lava cake in a cookie structure.

Among the 6 different cookie, the Salted Egg Lava Cookie S$9.90 is Creamery Boutique's latest creation that is now available in the Singapore outlet. Thick salted egg filling encased in charcoal cookie, topped with legit salted egg white and a choice of ice cream - recommend to pair with salted egg white caramel.

Among the 3 different cookie we have tried, I was quite skeptical about salted egg dishes these days but I was surprise that this combination works extremely well. The salted egg white caramel ice cream leans towards a sweeter note and therefore sweet and salty blend well as a whole. The cookie on the other hand was soft and slightly chewy. 

The Monster Matcha S$8.90 is possibly the best seller here, this time we pair it with 'Secret Garden' ice cream - a tea flavour created using 1872 clipper tea. The distinct floral aroma coming from the ice cream is highly notable, setting a contrast to the matcha lava filling. The cookie base in this case is slightly different from the charcoal, although it was more 'crumbly'. 

Apart from the lava cookie options, there are 2 non-lava versions and one of them is the Brownie Cookie S$7.90 - think a chewy and gooey brownie but in a cookie form. In this set, we topped it with 'zombie food' ice cream, also known as passionfruit flavour. Not a big fan of this as a whole, it gets quite jerlat after a few mouthful.

With special names tagged to some of these ice cream flavours, I believe many would have been confused. Anyway from my experience here, I would suggest to first sample the ice cream flavours before deciding which to pair along with your cookie. You do not wish to get disappointed when both the ice cream and cookie flavour clashes.

There are 12 different ice cream flavours on display and they rotate weekly. Honestly, I was expecting more localised flavours in the Singapore branch but was told that they are actually working on it - am looking forward. All in all, with it's contender KOOKS Creamery that has been around for some time, Creamery Boutique is in a fierce competition.

Creamery Boutique Ice Creams

139 Tyrwhitt Road, #01-03

Singapore 207557

Friday - Wednesday: 11am - 10pm

Closed on Thursday

Tel: 8133 1250

https://www.facebook.com/creamerysg/

*This was an invited media tasting.

A Better Florist - The Freshest Bouquets of Singapore

In my search for items that are going to make my everyday life just a little bit more beautiful and motivating, I found flowers in Singapore whose flower arrangements exuded happiness. A Better Florist is far better and creative than any florist I came across lately, simply because their bouquets are insanely beautiful. It’s not just about the flowers and their freshness, which I will get to later, it’s about how they combine them, and pay attention to details to make you feel happy instantly.

The best florist in Singapore found a way to make people happy, even by taking a look at the picture of the blooms they have on their website. Their beautiful selection of chic, non-traditional arrangements is enough to make you want to hit that shopping button. I am guilty of that the first moment I stepped into their bloom world, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. You definitely won’t regret it.

What you see on their website, is exactly what you will receive. I was a little anxious about the photo being more flattering than the flowers are in person, but they proved me wrong. The back story of their picture-perfect blooms is that they grow their flowers on a beautiful farm on Cameron Highlands. After they’ve been showered with love, they are picked just at the right time, and used for crafting these breathtaking arrangements. This makes them as fresh as they can be, and also they actually last longer. 

They have a modest selection of flowers on their website, but it’s still difficult to decide which one is the most beautiful one to purchase. They have so many choices, and they are open to creating custom, authentic blooms with your loved ones in mind. Not only do they make the usual flower bouquets and arrangements for almost any occasion that comes to your mind, they have the best baby hamper delivery Singapore has seen in a while!

They are also known as the best florist in Hong Kong, since it doesn’t take long for the good word of mouth to spread. They know have a Dubai Florist and are dominating the Hong Kong flowers scene. Not that it’s a surprise, because they truly are a talented florist team.

In addition to their flower skills, their delivery system is one of the best and most reliable I have come across, and not just when it comes to flower delivery, but overall. They deliver every day, on the most important holidays and if you have a flower emergency they can deliver their beautiful blooms on the same day within only 90 minutes. They definitely bought me with this, especially because life just keeps getting busier and faster for all of us.

// This post is brought to you by A Better Florist, Singapore.

It’s heartening to know that not only does A Better Florist offer gorgeous bouquets that are crafted with great attention to detail, but they also offer fresh farm flowers. Their blooms travel from a farm on Cameron Highlands, where they are taken care off with love and knowledge. Then, in the ideal moment the flowers are transported to A Better Florist and used to create your orders, which is why each time your bouquets are always so fresh.

https://www.abetterflorist.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ABetterFlorist/

Kogane Yama, Homegrown Tendon Concept @ Bugis Junction

From the people who brought you Chir Chir and Masizzim in Singapore, the latest tendon restaurant Kogane Yama is the group's first original dining concept housed in Bugis Junction. Being able to customize your Tendon bowl is what sets them apart from the other tendon joints, such as picking your preferred staple - Rice, Udon or Soba.

The menu is pretty straight forward, you first pick your preferred bowl among the 4 choices given:

1) Chicken Bowl S$13.80 - If you can't take or not a fan of the usual prawn tempura, you may opt for this that features chicken fillets as well as vegetable tempura alongside.

2) Prawn Bowl S$13.80 - Likewise, this is cater to the opposite group of people - the seafood enthusiasts. If you specially fancy prawn tempura, this is definitely for you, with vegetable tempura at the side.

3) Vegetable Bowl S$11.80 - This is for the vegetarians out there, loaded with assortment of battered veggies such as long beans, carrot, shiitake and enoki mushrooms, sweet potato, green pepper and more.

4) Mixed Bowl S$15.80 - As the name goes, this bowl include a mix of everything featuring tempura prawns, chicken fillet, long beans, carrot, shiitake and enoki mushrooms, sweet potato, green bell pepper, seaweed, shiso leaf and a dollop of ebiko.

Add-Ons: You can add on $2 to create a set meal which includes Chawanmushi and Miso Soup.

After you have decided which bowl to go for, select your preferred base next. You can choose to go with the classic Japanese short-grain rice or top up a dollar with either Soba or thin Udon - both steeped in a clear and light dashi broth. 

The tempuras on the other hand were lightly battered and fried to crispy, I will personally prefer to pair my tempura with a bowl of light noodle soup, to balance the palate after much fried elements.

If you ordered the noodles as your base, your tempura will be separated in a plate like this. Tip: If you are a smaller eater, you can order a set to share the tempura among 2 person, then additional ala carte order a rice or noodle as your staple.

Lastly, customization goes a step further with the selection of one of four tentsuyu sauces - a sweet and savoury homemade blend of garlic, sesame oil and Japanese shoyu. The non-spicy version is perfect for kids and those who can't take spicy. The selection followed by spicy level 1 to level 3 - three different levels of heat.

To spice things up a little, I would say go for either level 1 or 2. For something more fiery, level 3 it is but it really depends on individual. For a tip, I suggest requesting to the staff to separate the sauce, instead of them drenching it on your tempura. This way, you can have more control on the spiciness.

Unlike other tendon eateries where most of their kitchens are open concept, Kogane Yama's kitchenette is tucked at the back of the store and rest assured that you won't reek of oil after dining in. I will definitely be back here for being able to customized my tendon bowl to my preferred base as well as the generous portion.

Kogane Yama is the latest addition to the Tendon options we have in Singapore, I am currently torn between this and Tendon Ginza Itsuki - in terms of money value and quality.

Kogane Yama

Bugis Junction

200 Victoria Street #02-50 

Singapore 188021

Sun - Thurs: 11am - 10pm (L.O 930pm)

Fri & Sat: 11am - 11pm (L.O 1030pm)

https://www.facebook.com/koganeyamasingapore/

*This was an invited media tasting.

Disney Dimsum @ Crystal Lotus, Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

During my recent trip to Hong Kong in 2017, my friends and I have decided to check out the Disney dimsum that is exclusively available at Crystal Lotus restaurant, located in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. It wasn't our first time to HK Disneyland but we were stoked to get our hands on these adorable dimsum. The hotel is reachable via a shuttle bus at Disneyland entrance.

Once you see the iconic Hong Kong Disneyland Resort entrance, you should walk in the opposite direction and that's where you will find the shuttle bus station. There are a total of 3 hotels in Hong Kong Disneyland so do take note that Crystal Lotus restaurant is in Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. Please avoid taking the wrong shuttle bus, more info here.

Crystal Lotus in Disneyland Hotel serves up Chinese fine dining specialties in an elegant ambience, do bear in mind that it comes with a price tag as well. Anyway, Disney dimsum is available on weekends for lunch when you order at least 24 hours in advance and no Disney dimsum is available from Monday to Friday UNLESS reserved.

Our day of visit happens to be on a Monday thus advance booking is required. I highly recommend to plan your date of visit early and reserve the Disney dimsum at least 3 days in advance to avoid disappointment.

Unfortunately, the reservation process is only available via a hotline number which is rather inconvenient for tourists like us due to international call charges. No email reservation is allow. However, we got this sorted quickly thanks to our Airbnb host in Hong Kong who was very nice to call on behalf of us to make the booking.

So apparently after you reserved your table on the phone, the restaurant will email the Disney dimsum menu (photo above) to you to order. You will then need to reply the email with your preferred items as a confirmation, so that the restaurant can prepare the 'characters' before hand. 

There is no minimum amount of spending here, so you can order a couple of Disney dimsum and the rest from their ala carte menu which you can order on the day of your visit. We came with no expectations because one would say it's gimmick right? But I was pleasantly surprise that it was better than average, way better than the Hello Kitty dimsum in Tsim Sha Tsui at least. All in all, we knew that these lovable dim sum comes with a price tag but I would say it's worth a visit. It's Disney!

Crystal Lotus

Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel

Lantau Island, Hong Kong

For reservations: +652 3510-6000

Monday - Friday: 12pm - 230pm, 6pm - 10pm

Sat & Sun: 11am - 3pm, 6pm - 1030pm

https://www.hongkongdisneyland.com/

Sydney Day 1 - Qantas, Park 8 Hotel, Dove & Olive, Aqua S

Last summer, our second stop in Australia was Sydney after spending 5 days in Melbourne. We were bound for Sydney on Qantas, our route basically looks like this: SIN - MEL - SYD - SIN. Anyway, first order of business upon arriving - Aqua S.

Print For Fun | Singapore Online Photo Printing Boutique

Gone were the days when photo printing is a major hassle, where I had to head down to a photo printing hub to get my photos printed through a self-service kiosk. And also stressing over the snake queue behind me because I was uncertain on using the machine. But now, Singapore online printing boutique, Print For Fun is here to solve that agony.

Cinnamoroll Pop-Up Themed Cafe, Sanrio x Kumoya Singapore

The recent opening of Cinnamoroll cafe marks the latest character themed cafes in Singapore. In celebration of Sanrio's character, Cinnamoroll 15th anniversary, Sanrio has partner up with Kumoya Singapore to present the themed pop up cafe. However, this collaboration is only here for a limited time, from 17th May to 13th August 2017. The best thing is it's Halal.

Dine Inn - Savour Home-cooked Meal at a Host's House

Dine Inn – share a taste of home emphasises on creating a one-stop community marketplace that connects food lovers, founded by Luke Lee who has a diverse background in the F&B scene and working alongside with Celebrity Chef Eric Teo. This concept allows home cooks to share their culinary skills and experiences over home-cooked meals and making new friends at the same time. Interestingly, Dine Inn is like a food-version of Airbnb.

Stew Pork Rib Bee Hoon from Host - Linda

K-Tower, 9-Tier Seafood Tower with Army Stew Base @ Amoy Street

Yet another Korean food trend has hit our shores, introducing K-Tower, the first seafood tower that offers army stew soup base in Singapore. It is headed by Chef Sky, who has several experience in Korea and Korean cuisine.

Teppanyaki Hamburg Nihonbashi Keisuke Bettei, Japanese Hamburger Cheese Steak @ Tanjong Pagar

Ramen Keisuke is back once again to unveil it's 12th and latest concept, Japanese Hamburger Steaks. Most people would know popular establishments by Chef Keisuke, such as Lobster King, Ginza Tendon Itsuki, Tonkotsu King and many more. Okay so the name of this new joint is a real mouthful, it is called Teppanyaki Hamburg Nihonbashi Keisuke Bettei but the menu is in fact really simple, with only two main dishes to pick from.

Don Meijin, Chili Crab Tendon @ Ramen Champion, Bugis+

You would have probably gotten a taste of some of the popular Tendon specialist here in Singapore, such as Ginza Itsuki and Tempura Kohaka. Adding on to the list, Ramen Champion welcomes a new contender at their Bugis+ outlet, Don Meijin, offering an assortment of tendon offerings including the main star - Spicy Chili Crab Tendon.

Totoro Cream Puffs - Shirohige's Cream Puff Factory, Tokyo

It's probably my third time to Japan and it's only during my recent trip to Tokyo, I came up with a list of cafes to go and the Totoro themed cafe is definitely one of them. I got to say that food by the Japanese is easily some of the most beautiful looking food on earth, and these totoro cream puffs are no exception either.

Seafood and Champagne Afternoon Tea @ The Westin Singapore

Visited Westin Singapore recently for a high tea session, to celebrate a birthday for a good friend of mine, Vivienne. We have been to a couple of high tea places in Singapore but definitely not one that incorporate seafood and champagne into their afternoon tea, while overlooking a fantastic view of Marina Bay Sands at level 32.