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I’m normally not one for buffets as I find that quality tends to be sacrificed for quantity instead, but I’d heard many good things about Basilico’s buffet and the Italian cuisine they serve up, so it was off to Basilico for their reasonably priced $38++ weekday buffet lunch!

Beautiful chandelier centerpiece

Selection of fresh semi-soft cheese – my favourite part of the buffet!

Paired with a variety of fresh, sweet tomatoes

Cheese selection with a variety of honey and accompanying nuts and dried fruits

DIY salad station + some tasty terrines

White asparagus!

Hot meats section

Pretty candies

Desserts galore

Good selection of gelato

Mini dessert cups in the glass display cases

A must try – a vanilla mousse cake studded with mixed fruits, pistachios and chocolate chips

Cold cuts

The verdict? A lovely buffet that I find was well worth the money paid. Many of their items are flown in directly from Italy and other parts of Europe (there’s also a leg of parma ham I forgot to capture), and while it wasn’t the largest buffet spread around, the quality was top notch by buffet standards, especially their antipasti offerings. Those milky, creamy soft cheeses are to-die-for, and I was pleasantly surprised by the white asparagus they had – it’s white asparagus season and I’d been wanting to get my hands on some but shelling out some $30 for a few sticks at the restaurants that offer it seems a little too much. Got my fill here instead!

The desserts selection was pretty small with about 15 items but I found myself going back for seconds for many of the items! My favourites were the pistachio panna cotta (one of the silkiest, smoothest, most luscious panna cottas I’ve had – and that’s a lot. Plus that pistachio flavour…), the pistachio gelato (again, great pistachio flavour. I have a feeling they brought them in from Italy too but did not verify), and the Cassata. Delicious.

Basilico does a dinner buffet as well, which has an antipasti and dessert buffet selection, and an a la carte main course of your choice at $65++. Considering how the main course section was my least favourite (there was a good selection of wood-fired pizzas, pastas, and meats though), the dinner deal sounds like a wise move.

Basilico

1 Cuscaden Road, Level 2 The Regent Singapore, Singapore
+65 6725 3232
Lunch: Noon – 2.30pm
Dinner: 6.30pm – 10.00pm
Brunch: Noon – 3.00pm (Sundays)

Pamplemousse is an elegant restaurant that serves up cuisine that I can best describe as fusion, with a French undercurrent. We headed there on a Saturday afternoon with the intention of having brunch and was pleasantly surprised that they had both their brunch menu and their set lunch on offer. Choices, choices! We settled for the best of both worlds and had one brunch item and one set lunch to share.

A hot mini baguette served up shortly after ordering. Nice and crusty – never underestimate the appeal of a hot bread.

The Baked Eggs in Cocotte is a simple brunch dish luxed up – a couple of eggs, a slash of cream, foie gras, port jus, caramelised onions and truffle salt all baked in a cocotte. Dip some of those toast soldiers into the eggs and indulge! Very addictive, I found myself dipping and munching until the cocotte was scrapped clean.

We started the 3-course set lunch with the Pork Knuckle Roulade. Tender pork knuckle, wrapped in a thin layer of crunchy kataifi pastry, sitting atop a bed of spinach and smoked shitake mushrooms and served with a grain mustard sauce.

For the main course, I was dearly looking forward to trying their Uni Tagliolini, and was massively disappointed when I was informed that they were out of uni! The Japan crisis, perhaps? Instead, they substituted salmon roe. The crustacean cream sauce made the dish mighty flavourful, but I found it a tad too oily.

For desert, we had Pamplemousse’s interpretation of “Toast and Milo” – Caramelised bananas served atop a toasted brioche with dulce de leche sauce and a scoop of milo ice cream with nutella “soil”. Love the creativity and reinterpretation of a childhood breakfast!

We experienced really good, friendly and efficient service while we were there, and I love the high ceiling in Pamplemousse! The lunch set is a pretty good deal at $32++, and there’s a duck confit on it that looked pretty good too. Love the atmosphere at Dempsey, as usual.

Pamplemousse

Blk 7 Dempsey Road #01-04

Singapore 249671

Tue–Fri: 12pm–2.30pm, 6.30pm–10.30pm
Sat–Sun: 11.30am–2.30pm, 6.30pm–10.30pm
(Closed on Mon)

It’s another hot, humid day in the city and all I can think about right now is escaping to some secluded island retreat and sipping on a cocktail while lazing on a comfy lounge chair, while gazing out into the beautiful, vast ocean. Oh, wanderlust!

I’d long wanted to give my trip to Cuba the proper ode it deserves. We stayed on an all-inclusive resort for a week on Varadero Beach while we were on this Carribean island, and it encompassed everything I wanted from an island escapade – to be transported into an exotic world and be pampered for a week while soaking in the culture and scenery of the beautiful place.

lazing by the poolside…

or suntanning on the sandy beach

blue, blue skies and crystal clear waters

some sea sports, perhaps?

Lounge chair rentals at a dollar each for the entire day

pick up some souvenirs and beach-suited accessories!

Free flow alcohol on the resort with bars at every corner and friendly bartenders whipping up a nice mojito or three! Be it in Las Vegas or Cuba, people know that the best way to unwind is with a drink in hand (;

Yes, please!

Remember to pack a novel or two in the suitcase!

But there’s more than just the sun, sand, and sea. I truly believe that you should immerse yourself in the culture that the destination provides. Cuba, for all it’s troubled past (and present as well), has its vibrant and spirited people that spread their infectious joy.

While there, we visited a tabacco farm as well, while in the beautiful UNESCO Heritage site that is the Vinales. This is where the process of making a Cuban cigar all begins!

Fresh tabacco leaves hanging out to dry in the sun

The farmer

Smoking a handrolled cigar

To me, nothing tells me more about a place and its culture than its food. Cuba’s a poor country, and as with most places that have seen hardship, the food of the people is largely made up of filling carbs – in this case rice, beans, and plantains, and a smaller portion of meat. Out of necessity, people learn how to use the less popular cuts of meat that are normally tough, and slow cook them until they are fork tender, like this Ropa Vieja – literally translated to mean “Rope Pork”, which is a delicious pork stew.

Thin slices of marinated pork

Flan (or creme caramel) seems to be the most popular national dessert!

Cheap street food

A sublime pina colada on a hot day is absolutely refreshing!

Or maybe some rum…

Our stay was complete with wonderful service, which is always essential for any vacation. Dreaming of your very own getaway to an exotic island for some quality relaxation? Here’s your chance to win one! I’m not just talking about any ordinary getaway, this one sounds absolutely amazing to me and I’d kill for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Have you heard of Nikoi Island? I actually have! I remember hunting for exotic, quality resorts close to Singapore several years back and learnt that they were building an exclusive resort on Nikoi Island – and I really do mean exclusive – there is only this one resort on the entire island and only 15 villas in the resort. Imagine! This is about as close to experience having an island all to yourself!

To-die-for scenery!

Tiger Beer is giving one extremely lucky beer drinker a chance to win a trip to Nikoi not just for him/herself but for 14 of his/her friends as well! 15 friends on this posh resort on the private island, relaxing, partying, without a care in the world and having every whim and fancy catered to… I really cannot dream of a better holiday.

That’s not all, Tiger Beer will also be providing free flow of its beer for the winner and 14 friends throughout the 3D2N stay on Nikoi! Throw in a party that they will organise specially for you and your friends… Golly Gee!

How to win this amazing holiday? Simply purchase $30 worth of Tiger Beer in a single receipt from just about anywhere in Singapore and you’ll be eligible! Hop on over to www.facebook.com/TigerBeerSingapore for full details.

What are you waiting for?

Momiji Japanese Buffet, run by the Suki Group, is one of the most affordable Japanese buffets around – at $19.90+ for Adults on a weekday lunch and just $16.90+ for Students, it reminded me of the old days at Sakae Sushi’s buffet, but with a lot more food options. Momiji boasts over 200 items in their spread, and covers the spectrum of Japanese food including sashimi, sushi, teppanyaki, yakitori, tempura, paper steamboats and more.

Assorted Sushi

Cold Side Dishes including Baby Octopus, Duck, and Assorted Vegetables

Teppanyaki Station

Yakitori prepared a la minute

Seafood Paper Steamboat

Sweet Juicy Prawns mmm!

Salmon Sahimi and Miso Baked Oysters

More Sashimi!

Assorted Desserts

Apologies for the poor picture quality, as well as other stations I didn’t feature – was too busy eating! There’s also a chocolate fondue, which may excite some! And at $18 (student weekday lunch), I really can’t find anything to complain about – the sashimi and seafood alone was enough to make me a very satisfied girl. Not top-notch quality, but definitely fresh, and exceeded the standards I had expected from the price.

Momiji Japanese Buffet

1 Selegie Road, #03-11 PoMo, Singapore
Daily: 12pm–3pm, 6pm–10pm

2011 Week #18

Location(s): Singapore

1. and 2. homemade breakfast for dinner – a feast of french toast, pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausages and bacon!

3. Chilled, stuffed tomato at The Handburger. Mmmm.

4. Nutella milkshake at The Handburger. Possibly the thickest, richest milkshake in town.

5. Sashimi. Cravings still not satisfied.

6. Tiramisu from Da Paolo – the hunt for the best tiramisu continues!

7. Lychee konnyaku jellies (:

xx.