Dine Out: Xiao La Jiao Sichuan Cuisine

Something that I can't live without in my food diary is chilli!
Yes, it means everything spicy is my cup of tea.

~*~

And it's so thoughtful of my babe, Mag from Modgam.com taking me for Xiao La Jiao Sichuan Cuisine to indulge the extra craving of spicy food during my early pregnancy stage.
And it's totally satisfy every single craving buds on me.
 - Thanks a lot babe -

Located at :

112 East Coast Road #03-05 112 Katong Mall

Singapore 428802

Tel: 6636 3736

Serving the authentic and yet acceptable for Singaporean taste of spiciness, 

Xiao La Jiao is the place to dine out with your family and friends. A different kind of food to try out for the weekend dine out ritual. Especially if you love spicy food like me. 

This is perfect.

And oh, one thing you must not forget to order when you get there, is the sour plum drink and the honey lemon. I know, you might think you already know the taste of the two, but hey..I don't think so, until you tried this one. 

My favourite is the sour plum drink.

It has the sweet, sour and salty taste in it.

We started with the appetisers:

Husband & Wife Beef Offal with Spicy Sauce

I feel like having a party on my mouth when I eat this, and it is actually the intention of Sichuan food to open up our taste buds before proceeding to the next menu.

Served cold, with a tangy and spicy taste.

Pig’s Ear Slices with Spicy Sauce

For the non spicy lover, this might be the most suitable appetiser for you.

Crunchy texture, mild taste - with a spicy sauce as an option -

Served Cold: crunchy and mild taste.

Sichuan Wontons with Spicy Sauce

 Moist dumpling in a spicy soup with a little vinegar taste in it.

Camphor & Tea Smoked Duck

Not a typical smoked duck. 

You will found this dishes is different from a normal duck dish in a chinese restaurant where the crispy skin is the main focus of the dish. For this Camphor & Tea smoked duck, they waste none of the duck meat, and actually the meat itself is the part that I love the most of this dish. It's fragrantly smokey and tender.

A MUST TRY dish.

Rainbow Dumplings

Generous filling! 

No matter what are the taste you tried, you will find a full chunk of filling inside it.

Sichuan Guo Tie

Super yummy! 

I can take the whole plate down by myself :) 

No kidding.

I love the combination of the pan fried in the outside, and an unexpected broth inside it.

 Pork Strips in Sweet Bean Sauce

Although I prefer a spicy food, I think having a sweeter and milder dish among the fiery one can be very interesting. Especially, if it something as tender, sweet saltish and moist pork strip like this.

Sichuan Fish Slices with Pickled Greens

I LOVE THIS! I am a fans of fish fillet, and anything with fish fillet, I will open my mouth in a big AAAA.

Too bad I can't show the big AAAA on my mouth when I am enjoying this sourish fish soup from Xiao La Jiao. But I do ignore everybody while enjoying this soup, it's simply tasty and far from the fishy smell, if you are worried about it.

 Cabbage with Rich Broth

Simple dish with a vegetable sweet kind of broth.

I'm ok with it, but not really a fan for this one.

But, indeed I am a big fan of 

 Sichuan Ma Po Tofu

Feed me this and I will be the happiest girl during lunch/dinner time!

Add on to this!

..and I am the happiest girl with spoonful Ma Po Tofu on white steam rice. Perfect.

Ge Le Shan ‘La Zi’ Chicken

Super delicious, addictive and makes you numb.

try it yourself and you will know what I mean.

Sichuan Waxed Pork Soup

Not my kind of soup, but I quite like the clear feeling after all the spicefull food.

Dessert time!

 Sichuan Pumpkin Pancake

If you are a fans of sesame, this might be your choice.

Part from the sweetness of the pumpkin inside, you will taste a rich sesame on the skin.

Mixed Sugar Guo Kui

I will definitely come back for this!

Love the sweetness and the texture.

And of course, we have to close the night with a group shots, right?

This is us, hosted by a very friendly Isaac from The Creative Eateries group.

Thanks a lot Isaac, we are looking forward to meet you again!

And if you have OCBC credit card, 

you can enjoy the 50% Camphor & Tea Smoked Duck with $50 min spend.

Promotion valid until 30 April 2013.

credit: Modgam.com

We love the food at Xiao La Jiao!

Credit: A Winsome Life

'Till the next dine out at Pinkbuble In Da House

Vanity Trove - April Spring Update

On this April Trove, I received mostly on Elizabeth Arden whitening series in sample size and Dr. Ci: Labo collection in sample size as well. I found many people complaint on the sample size they received in their Trove, which I don't understand why. I still think this sample size come really handy for travelling, and let me tell you that since Vanity Trove become a part of my monthly indulgence, I never run out of items to go for travelling. From Tropical to winter holiday, there are always things from VT that tag along with me for the trip.

..and psst psst..

VanityTrove re-shapes beauty discovery with a

collaborative trove together with SuperBerry.me, bringing to you a new stash

of beauty labels to the limelight!

Usually, this superberry me trove can only be purchased from Superberry me, but Vanity Trove are running a special campaign where my readers can quote My name and score a superberry.me trove worth over $100 when you guys take on a 6 or 12 months with VanityTrove (,applicable for new 6 or 12 months subscribers only)

Superberry brings only the finest grooming products from around the world to

cater to the needs of women in Singapore. Superberry has products that can

groom a woman from head to toe. Be it hair products, moisturizers, fragrances

or nail polish.

Here’s what you may find in your Superberry.me exclusive edition

VanityTrove:

• Storyderm Mask: In stem cell, red ginseng, collagen, E.G.F. Coenzyme

10, vitamin C or Caviar

• Margherita Ghel foam cleanser• Femme Science product: In 2 different types; body polish (200) and

face cleanser (100)

• Sassi topcoat

• Sassi nailfile

• Denman mini brush

• Ghassan hair mask sachet

Also, if you have not known about this already.. 

the VANITY magazine inside the trove is getting better on each issue, 

I love the way they put the article in a compact format, full of information, and many discount coupons!! 

Yay-ness! Not to forget, many useful tips and tricks from fellow bloggers friend and also my take on certain beauty regime. Keep reading yeah!

This month, the lovely duo from The Cambelles share up their tricks.

Get your own trove and find out what are the things they are sharing :)

'Till next month.

Beauty review: Blistex Deep Renewal Protectant

Sponsored review

I wanna share the new Anti Aging treatment for the Lips!
We do have anti aging skincare for face, anti aging food, but I never heard about the anti aging treatment for lips..until I tried this BLISTEX Deep Renewal.

So what is this Blistex Deep Renewal Protectant, you ask?


" Deep Renewal is the anti-aging lip treatment that’s
clinically proven to reduce visible signs of aging,
deliver superb moisturization, and promote lasting
lip health and vitality with consistent use."

Blistex Deep Renewal utilizes best-in-class ingredients for
beautifully cared-for-lips. It contains:

Coenzyme Q-10 - the gold standard for moisturization and overall revitalization.
Hyaluronic Filling Spheres - help give lips a fuller appearance.
Vitamin - Collagen Anti-oxidant Complex - promotes lasting lip health.
Light - refractors - contribute to improving lips’ luster and youthfulness.
Sun protection - SPF 15 helps protect against sun damage that can
 accelerate the aging process.

And you know what? apart from all of it, this lip treatment smells really good!

Do you wanna try it?
and get to know the feel of nice glow on your lips meanwhile your lippy is getting the treatment?
Write down your name and why do you need this lipbalm?

And I am going to give my lucky 2 readers and friends a full size Blistex each to join me in getting a healthy kissable lips. So drop me your name, NOW!

Maybelline Color Tatoo 24hr

Sponsored review

I know I was too late to share about this collection of Maybelline :)

But hey, it's better too late than never, right?

I actually already get the photo ready like ages ago, but lately..I really don't feel like doing any make up review and.. Don't ask me, I don't know why -> blame it to pregnancy maybe?

Anyway,

I received " painted purple " and " fierce and tangy " to try on!

I would say..

I love this products because..they have many colours to choose from, affordable and OMG! it does last for 24 hours. But too bad, the colours that I received can't be used for daily make up..so I use this for my editorial photo shoot and some party make up. And apart from that, I found the nice texture easily dried up so I need to blend it quickly before it stays.

I used this product for a water photo shoot with German model sometimes ago.

The colour is simply beautiful under the lighting and camera captured it well.

Make up by Me

Photo by Nino Yap

In House cooking: Nasi Gila

I finally made my homemade " Nasi Gila " today!

Back in Jakarta, I love to had this as my late dinner by the street vendor near my house. 

- ..and I think I never had this one for a looooong time!

- dah lama aje jek -

~*~

Basically, this dish is a very simple dish with a combination of:

- Beef meatball

- Beef sausage

- Eggs

- Shreded chicken breast ( I didn't use this one tho )

Served on a steam rice.

This dish is really easy to make, and it could be a substitute of Indonesian fried rice for breakfast too.

Start with heating up your pan;

  add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil

2 cloves of garlic

2 chilli padi (this is completely optional)

Get your meatball and sausages ready.

Put in your sausages and meatball while adding:

2 Tbsp oyster sauce

2 Tbsp chilli sauce

1 Tbsp sweet soya sauce

Salt and pepper to taste.

before mixing eggs to the pan.

..And you are done!

Easy and yummy.

Happy trying.

My Journey with Kose Infinity - part 3

I hope you guys are still with me for my journey with Kose Infinity:)

Since I started a campaign for a brightener and clearer skin with Kose Infinity like almost a month ago, I feel a tremendous improvement of my skin tone. I used to think that I don't need a brightener series of skin care because I am already have a fair skin, so why would I need more? But after using Kose Infinity for almost a month, I can see my pigmentation start to appear lighter and even with a little make up..it is close to flawless skin. - I know, it's too good to be true, right?

Although I must say that this series is a bit dry for my skin. 

Therefore, if you have a dry skin like mine - please apply a generous Kose Infinity serum on your face, just like I did and shared on My journey with Kose Infinity part 2 post.

As long as you are doing this, you'll be fine.

Apart from the lighter pigmentation, I found Kose Infinity helps to even out my skin tone.

Look at my photo before using Kose Infinity:

I tend to have a reddish and uneven tone between my face and my neck..

and I guess it's pretty obvious in below photo.

After almost one month, tadaaaaaa...

Take a look at my almost even skin tone between my face and neck!

I am really happy to see the result and I think you should try too.

Grab it while you can still enjoy the discount until 30 April 2013.

INFINITY KOSÉ New Launch Promotion 

Enjoy exclusive 10% Introductory Discount:

• Deep Protection UV at $49 (retail: $54)

• Realizing White Lotion XX at $99 (retail: $110)

• Realizing White Serum XX at $99 (retail: $110)

I hope, this will works on you as it is to me.

Happy trying.

Welcoming my little angel..

Aku ada announcement! 

*ting ting* - dentingin mangkok -

Tepat besok, daku on my 13 weeks! 

Cihui! Akhirnya bisa gw pamer juga berita ini di Blog..hahahha...walo gw ga percaya pamali 3 bulanan or whatsoever itu, gw akhirnya nurutin juga lah karena setelah gw pikir-pikir..iyeh..repot juga yah, kl uda Hoo Haa Hoo Haa..ternyata *touch wood* ada apa-apa, gw mesti jawabin satu satu lagi.

Dan ternyata kata dokter uda aman kandungannya, baru deh eke berkoar koar soal ini di blog :)

Hihihi..hepi yah ternyata.

Pas gw tau gw tekdung, gw cerita ke Belzy ma Elsiey duluan.

Dan mantap dah info dari belzy ini, dia bilangin gw what to and what not to do, apa yang bagus dimakan dan apa yang harus dihindarin dll. Secara gw buta abis lah ya..soal kuas ma BB cream, boleh lah gw tau. Tapi soal tek dung-an...oh aku tak mengerti. hahahha..

So far, gw ga ada morning sickness-an sama sekali..cuman gw jadi anti pork.
Nyium bau roast pork yang biasanya gw paling nepsong, ini jadi mual se pol-pol nya, pernah sekali makan garlic pork rice gitu, pas makan gw ga ape ape..pas burping, kebauan sendiri trus munte deh.
Gubrak abis dah!

Cravingan gw cuma salad sama buah, dan..makanan yang gw masak sendiri.
Hahahaha..hamil songong, uda ga jagoan masak, masih sok. hahaha..tapi tapi yah, gw jadi niat bo!
Kemaren gw buat ayam kuning. Wohoooo! berhasil sukses enak yummy sampe buat 2 x makan pake nasi anget. Songong ya?

Ini aku pamerin ayam kuningku:

Resepnya dapet di Ci Meilany nya MC photography, dasar gw amatiran..ga bisa nakar bumbu, gw susun begini..trus whatsapp si cici " dah cukup belon ci? " nanti di reply " tambah kunyit, tambah lengkuas " gitu..sampe rasanya pas..baru deh gw potong2.

 



Trus gw masukin aja ke food blender gini, males parut bo.




Abis itu, gw tumis di kuali sampe wangi..lalu gw masukin ayam ampe kira-kira matengnya belon mateng. - apa sih bahasanya? -


Dan gw jeburin ke slow cooker.
Males bo nungguin sampe empuk, gw mesti bikin make up tutorial yang Tampines 1 blogger challenge itu.


Abis itu gw goreng! Jadi dah!


Buat bang arip yang makan ini, dia sampe kaget gw bisa bikin ayam kuning pake bumbu tradisional..bukan bumbu sachetan bok.

 

Walo kurang daon salam, tapi rasanya tetep ayam goreng abang-abang. Itu yang penting. Rela dah gw kuku yang cantik pake gelish manicure jadi kuning2 gara2 kupas kunyit pas ngeliat si abang makan ampe puas gitu. Apa ini naluri keibuan yang mulai muncul ya? - HALAAAAAH.com ya judulnya? hahaha. Biasanya, masak..makan..kau suka sukur..kalo engga, ya too bad. hahaha.

Trus gw masak belakangan rasanya jadi enak banget, pas gitu semua2nya.- bias abis -
Semoga terus berlanjoet ke sotoy-an gw ini..minggu kemaren2 masak pad thai, sumpee enak juga.
Kayak gw tau what to put dan kurang apa gitu..langsung gw tambain en yum yum, dan ini kan gw sama sekali ga pake micin..karena katanya MSG ga bagus utk tekdungan..jadi ya suda lah.
Ternyata bisa enak juga yah masakan gw ga pake micin. hahaha..bangga gila.



Trus yah..bisa kesambet gitu..pulang kerja malem2, masak sop buntut coba? siapin bumbu nya trus gw hajar ke slow cooker. Dan teteup..enak gila. Ternyata masak makanan enak tuh gampang yah.
~ Toyor pala gw sini ~ hahahaha..



Lalu yah, gw kan takut banget nambah gendut..hahaha..saban pagi, gw nimbang.
Kalo naek 0.5 kg..malemnya gw makan sayur aja yang banyak ma buah..kalo lagi turun beratnya, gw makan kwetiau goreng. Teteup! Ini motifnya apa coba, gw juga ga jelas.

Alhasil 1st tri-semester ini gw cuma naek 1.5 kg. Nabung bo..katanya 2nd tri-semester bakal naek gila ya? betul tak gosip ini? coba ibu-ibu di clarify.

~*~

Aku pingin bikin pregnancy journal ah di blog ini :)

1st tri semester so far daku makan folic acid, progesteron hormone (yang kata dokter buat jaga kandungan gw padahal rahim gw ga kenapa napa), vitamin untuk preggers, sama susu Anmum - ternyata enak ya? hihihi.

Trus gw ampir ga minum coffee at all - cuma yang decaf aja seiprit, dan gw jadi anti ngemil.
Super wow gw sama perubahan yang ga perlu will power gini. Kalo hari biasa, ga ngemil rasanya perlu tekad dan niat membara, pake liat poto heidi klum di Victoria Secret catwalk sebagai inspirasi pula. Ini gw disodorin Old Chang Kee pun..meh!

Lalu aku jadi sedikit males dandan..pede jaya berasa glowing selalu, padahal kulit jadi makin kering kerontang. Aneh yaaa? walopun gw harus tetep cantik kl pas meeting sama editor or client penting, palingan cuman nebelin eyeliner dikit sama pake circle lens biar mata cerah sedikit..beda abis sama dulu sebelum tekdung..kalo ada meeting penting, wuih..blazer gw keluarin, bangun 15 mnt lebih awal..ngeblow rambut dan cantik siap siaga. Sekarang, screw it lah. Enakan tidur.

Ini muka ku bunting 3 bulan :)
So far belon bengkak bengkak, dan idung gw belon berubah jadi idung jambu.



Trus dong, beha gw dah sesek pol..jadi berasa pake push up bra setiap hari..ngumpul semua di tengah nge-bentuk cleavage. Hahahaha..sexy dah.
Kata abang Arip " makin bohai kamu " - ah bang, aku kan selalu bohai ih!

So far ga ada mood swing, berasa sayang banget sama abang Arip..yang bentar bentar..gw nyariin gitu..agak aneh juga jadinya..yang biasanya " Bye sayang " dari pagi dan kalo gw sibuk tetek bengek di kantor..bisa ngobrol lagi tuh pas jam pulang. Lalu emak gw juga ga kumat kepo nya, cuman dia saban telpon nanya " cewek cowok? " - yeeee, mana gw tau..cewek kali. Gw jawabin ngasal aja.

Lalu apalagi yah, babe in law ku yang biasanya cool cool aja mulai ikutan seru cari cari info soal what is the best gynae di SG, sampe nanya ke banker nya pula..alamak babe babe. Trus mak in law ku juga pas gw lg selonjoran di sebelah dia, perut gw dipegang pegang gitu..sambil ditanya " mana baby nya? " hahaha..trus pas ke supermarket, kamu makan ini yah itu yah..lentil yah, semua buah yah, nanti mama bawain dr NZ deh yang sehat sehat. - Lebih murah bo lentil2an..di SG, mosooloooh harganya lentil2 gitu yang organik.

Ini poto perutku:



Trus yaah..aku mo bilang kalo baby bawa blessingnya sendiri yah!
Bener kata orang banyak anak banyak rejeki :P

Awal- awal gw tau gw bunting, gw deg2an langsung sama harga private hospital dan biaya dokter disini bo! Dan gw sampe doa loh, semoga semuanya tercukupi..karena kita ada rencana untuk investasi juga taon ini..jadinya, keuangan agak2 menegangkan. Hahaha..walo spare untuk rumah dan baby uda kita siapin, tapi tetep aja lah ya..gw gitu loh, yang selalu menganut prinsip better worry than sorry akhirnya uring2an sendiri.

Tapi entah ga tau gimana, Tuhan sediain loh..dan semuanya cukup..gw bisa tiba2 dapet job Bubbly Brush yang puji Tuhan angkanya bikin gw ga usah khawatir soal biaya ke gynae sampe gw lahiran en segala macem scan-scan an itu. Semuanya ke cover.

Ini Baby kami ;)

Tadi pas scan..kita uda liat details scan nya, cek jari jari tangan en kaki, neck thickness, ada bagian tubuh yang bolong ga, jaw nya, otaknya, tulangnya, idungnya (kata dokter idungnya mancung) - ngikut sape ya? hahaha, trus cek spinal belakang ada defect dll ga, aduh puji Tuhan so far so good. Tinggal nunggu hasil blood test gw aja minggu depan.

Selipin nama aku dan kami yah di doa kalian..semoga gw ga parnoan, ga stress sendiri, baby grows healthy dan ga kekurangan apapun. Kalo laki seganteng Daniel Henney, kalo perempuan secakep Song Hye Kyo. Hahahaha..ngarep. Doain aja lah ya pokonya.

Makasih :)

This blog is no longer mine?

Some people said that this blog is no longer own by me, and it's not about my life anymore.

It is about the beauty products I reviewed, the events I attended and the sponsorship I received.
That's true.
 

But hey, this is my life now..eventho sometimes I hated it, but I am grateful for the opportunity that this blog has brought to me..and not gonna stop writing about all of this things, just because some of you think this is boring - but I bet the almost 40.000 others that visited my blog monthly might have a different say.

Walk in my shoes, and start judging my path.
If you have not, just shut up.

~*~

Intermezzo:
Belakangan nemu orang aneh lagi..hehehe..
 

Gw bingung loh, ada aja orang yang sempet dateng ke blog gw cuman buat bilangin gw

" eh blog lu boring " yeee..jangan mampir kalo gitu. Beres urusan. Kenapa juga uda bilang boring tapi mampir lagi mampir lagi..? kenapa hayo?
 

Trus yaaaa, kemaren itu terima komen orang yang bilang dia liat gw di jalan, tapi ga yakin itu gw ato engga..karena gw keliatan lebih jelek dari poto en judes?
 

Huahahahha..kalo emang muka gw lebih jelek dari poto, itu emang bener banget. Tapi kalo gw lagi jalan sendiri - emang biasa muka gw jutek. Masa gw ketawa2 sendiri pas lagi jalan, gila apa?!
Begini loh nona, poto2 saya di blog itu biasanya full make up..semua tertata rapi, bulumata palsu dll..ditambah poto pake kamera bagus, lighting ok dan ekspresi gw yang emang rada mendingan di poto daripada aslinya. Jadi yah..laen kali silahkan sapa saya kalo pas nemu di jalan, yg mirip2 gw tapi jelekan dan bertampang judes. Itu biasanya gw. hahaha..

Ah sekian update-an ku untuk hari ini.
Minggu depan aku akan update puanjaaaang..siap siap bacanya.
hahaha. *pengumuman macam apa ini?*