This is the first year that D & I will celebrate Christmas together. In our conversations as to how each of us typically celebrates Christmas, we learnt that this period is often spent over gatherings with close friends and family meals. This period will also be a no-go for future travels, given our mums' birthdays fall right before and after Christmas.

I have been wanting to visit the light show at Gardens by the Bay ever since their debut two years ago. This however, never did materialise as the free event was often way too crowded. This year, the organisers have implemented the sale of admission tickets and I believe this has eased the crowdflow. 

I would also like to share three tips we had gathered following our visit:

1. On Admission Tickets:

• Tickets to the event are only sold online.
• Choose to visit Christmas Wonderland earlier than later. Due to the potentially lower crowdflow and cheaper tickets - tickets are sold on a tiered pricing basis and range between S$4 to S$8.
• Purchase with Visa Pay for a 25% discount.

2. On Food & Activities:

• "Snow" foam falls every hour between 8pm to 10pm.
• A moderate range of food and snacks is available on-site. We recommend the grilled meats from FYR Cycene Ond Drinc which are well worth the added expense.
• A wide range of carnival games and an iced skating rink is available (payable). The carnival games are largely by luck, however relatively easy to game. During our time there, we took home a large sized tigger, and two small Christmas bears.

3. On Attire:

• Go in comfortable walking shoes. There is a fair bit of walking required as the event is hosted on a 57,000 square metre fairground.
• Dress appropriately for summer weather given Singapore's hot and humid weather.

Themed "Christmas Wonderland", Gardens by the Bay is transformed into an area of hustle and bustle, illuminated by 240,000 multi-coloured light bulbs and 67 hand-sculpted structures.

Various attractions and a festive market are available. 

Attractions range from light decorated structures and christmas trees, Glass House by Harry's to a Hi-5 Funtastic House. Activities range from the Ice Palace, which hosts a skating rink, to Santa's Cottage where you can snap photos with a live Santa, and a whole host of carnival games, which has pretty generous giveaways.

The festive market is slightly smaller relative to the available attractions with a few food and snack stands, and christmas craft stores.

We both thoroughly enjoyed the attractions and fun & games, separated into two main clusters hence making for a nice leisurely stroll under the lights. It is well worth a visit if you are in Singapore during this period. 

Lastly, sharing a beautiful night scene of the Super Trees, with the iconic Marina Bay Sands as the backdrop - captured on a romantic stroll as we left the park.

xx,
L

Steak has been a big part of my repertoire of comfort foods. It has always been shared together with the closest of friends and family, and my likeminded friends are on the constant lookout for newer and better steakhouses, not restricted to Singapore.



As part of celebrating L's return from her work stint in the Philippines, I decided to bring L to the highly raved Fat Cow for us to experience what they have on offer.



Despite hearing more about how their lunchtime wagyu dons are of great value, we decided to go for a steak dinner that is more befitting for this occasion.

We kickstarted dinner with a round of cocktails - an out-of-the-norm whiskey-based Fat Sour for L, and an aptly named Negroni-san for myself.

The sliced bream with black truffle was a great palate opening appetizer. The fresh bream sashimi was beautifully lightly seasoned, that left us in deep anticipation for the ensuing dishes.

OHMI Grade A4 Ribeye.

MIYAZAKI Grade A4 Striploin - This is labelled as the ‘champion cow’.

The highlights of our night were our medium rare cuts of A4 Ohmi ribeye and A4 Miyazaki striploin. Prepared before us in the central charcoal grill, interspersed with rising flames spurred by the drippings of fat, we savoured these simply with sea salt and the occasional dip in the accompanying yuzu sauce.



Both cuts were excellent and had that melt-in-your-mouth characteristics one would expect of steaks of this level, with the charcoal grill providing wonderful smokey overtones to the mix. However L and I both agreed that the Ohmi was the standout of the two, providing that fine balance between flavour and richness.



Couldn't resist pairing these steaks with Kinoko - sautéed Japanese mushrooms with sake, lime and butter, which added an extra dimension of creaminess to our meal.



We concluded our meal with some carbs in the form of a wagyu dashi chazuke, which is rice topped with mince, mixed in a clear Japanese broth - this came highly recommended by the staff. Surprisingly flavourful despite its clean disposition, and a nice touch to round off the flavours of the evening.



Definitely one of the best steaks we've had in Singapore. Highly recommended for couples seeking a little sanctuary in the heart of town for celebratory occasions.



D

My interest in baking started when I went to New Zealand for a university student exchange program four years ago.

In the eight months that I was there, living alone forced me to be more domesticated. At the same time, I developed the liking for being in the kitchen. Baking was easier than cooking, in a way, given its precision in grams, inches and degrees Celcius. For a beginner, it was more science than art, leaving a smaller room for error.

Google became my best friend - I enjoyed researching for recipes, and the virtual visits to famous bakeries around the world. I was in search for baking tips and tricks, and expanded my research to bakery-published books. More importantly, I was on the hunt for "the best", "famous" and "most popular" recipes out there.

From breads to cakes, brownies to cupcakes and muffins, it soon became an addiction. All I looked forward to was to try out the new recipes that I formulated and pieced together.

Today, I would like to share one of my first bakes, which remains a family favourite until today.

My Favourite Banana Bread
(Adapted from Flour Bakery's Famous Banana Bread Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (sieved)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1/2 cup canola oil
3 1/2 very ripe, medium bananas (peeled and mashed)
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup walnut, toasted and chopped

Tips:
- One way to assess if bananas are ripe enough is when they start to turn "spotty".
- Freeze the ripe bananas and thaw it before use for best flavours. This little trick from Cooks Illustrated, captures the juice when the bananas thaw, which is so full of flavour.
- Sifting flour is necessary, and highly recommended, as it is much lighter than unsifted flour, making it easier to mix into other ingredients.
- Banana bread can be stored in a plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, it can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. 

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 165 degrees Celcius. Butter a 9-by-5 inch loaf pan.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together, in a bowl.
3. Use a stand mixer to beat the sugar and eggs together on medium speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
4. On low speed, slowly drizzle in the oil. Adding it slowly allows time to incorporate eggs and not deflate the air beaten into the batter. This process should take about 1 minute.
5. Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla and continue to mix on low speed until just combined.
6. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture and the nuts, until thoroughly combined.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
8. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, until golden brown on top and the center springs back when you press it.
9. Let the banana bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before removing it from the pan to finish cooling.

xx,
L

Hong Kong has always held a special place with me. The territory has so many similarities with Singapore, but yet the differences are so stark. In part, it is because I have come across so many wonderful people from Hong Kong through my university days and my short professional life - many of whom I continue to hold dear to today. So much so that the annual family trip to Hong Kong is more a pilgrimage than anything else.

Coincidentally, I have ventured up north three times in the past year, each for entirely separate reasons - which in itself makes for distinct experiences. In May, I had the fortune of trying out the famed Kam's Roast Goose for lunch in Wan Chai with an old friend from my London days, just before rushing off, goose in tow, to catch my flight back to Singapore (and a near-connecting flight to Tokyo - a story for another day).

So when news hit that Kam's was making its first venture overseas to Singapore, I instantly raved to L about the country and all the wonderful experiences and places to visit. When L and I were wandering round Orchard last weekend, we were drawn to the crowds at Pacific Plaza and decided to give it a shot, at the expense of Tsuta next door.

The roast duck was definitely a worthy replacement for the traditional goose, though it didn't quite match that unique flavour you get with a goose. The fantastic plum sauce and wanton noodles, supposedly air flown daily, did somewhat make up for this shortfall.

The star of the show, in my opinion, was the toro pork. Albeit on the fatty side, the meat was oozing with melt-in-your-mouth goodness. As well, charred on the outside to give that extra boost of flavour. However, both L and I felt that the other meats we had, the soy chicken and roast pork, were rather standard.

Must say that the service staff made good effort in adding a personal touch, however their internal procedures remain far from being well-rehearsed. Though I am sure they will iron this out over time.

Hong Kong, we will be back.

D

D & I have decided to start this blog to document our experiences and growth story,

We are same, yet different. Similar in that we are both adventurous in trying out new things, enjoy travelling & good food. Different in that he is more chill, laid back, whilst I am always chasing after the next sunrise. Somehow, our worlds magically collided seven and a half months ago.

It was not easy at the start, given my frequent work travels, our dates involved many car rides to and fro the airport. Perhaps because of that, we treasure our infrequent dates with more plans than we can ever execute. 

Being relatively young working professionals, the time vs career / money equation is a challenging balancing act. At mid-ish to late 20s, we are at the age of climbing the corporate ladder and figuring out what we want in life. 

Now that I am back for a couple of months, this will be an insight to our normal dating life. Before jetsetting to Europe for work in March next year, this blog is also our way of sharing our experiences during this long distance relationship. 

I hope you enjoy reading away!

xx,

L