Yesterday was hubs' birthday! I brought him to Melt - The World Cafe at Mandarin Oriental. I had high hopes, having read on a few bloggers' blogs that Melt is one of the best buffets in Singapore. I think they raised my hopes wayyyy too high.
To me, first of all, a buffet has to have HUGE variety, especially when you're charging that kind of price tag. It costs $108++ for an adult (free flow non-alcoholic drinks) and $158++ for the alcoholic one. So if I'm gonna pay $108++ for a meal, the selection of food available better make me happy, or otherwise, better be of good quality.
Melt, unfortunately, fell short of both quality and quantity. The only food items worth mentioning were the Alaskan crab legs and the foie gras (which I don't eat but the hubs swooned over them). The sashimi was fresh but they only served tuna(maguro), salmon(sake) and something else (hamachi?), which in my opinion, was quite a humble selection.
Oysters were fresh but not shucked properly, and not replenished quickly. Lobster was a tad too dry. BBQ section was the WORST. I was so deeply disappointed at the paltry selection of meats. Honestly, it was disappointing beyond belief. The BBQ section only had beef, chicken breast, kebabs of squid and salmon, prawns, mini burger and satay. Friends who were with us commented that the satay was not bad. Hubs and I had the beef and well all I can say is, go for it, if you like the taste of charred meat (which I know, surprisingly, some people do). It was a tad too charred for my liking, I could practically taste the grill. The beef's doneness was also not consistent.
They had two soups, one herbal chicken and one tom yum goong. Nothing fantastic, I suggest saving the stomach space for other stuff. The Indian food selection was also not fantastic. Papadum had a greasy taste to it. You could taste the oil - not exactly pleasant. The cooked food section with meats like bacon and sausages. Er...$108++ for bacon? Really? Even the sauteed mushrooms didn't taste good. I've gone to cheap breakfast places and had so much better. The shepherd's pie was also terrible. The lamb tasted so horribly strong I felt like I was at a sheep farm. Hubs tried the live pasta station and commented that the aglio olio wasn't nice.
The desserts section was slightly more decent, with a fairly large selection of desserts. Nothing fantastic though like before, but there weren't as many screw-ups as all the previous sections. The crepe with homemade vanilla ice cream was nice. The thin hot crepe paired with the cold ice cream was quite a treat.
All in all, for $108++ per person, Hubs and myself as well as our two other good friends were quite disappointed. The couple with us frequents Fullerton more often and he felt that Fullerton's buffet is better (and cheaper too no less). This is probably the first time and last time I stepped into Melt.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
My Wedding Journey #2: Destino Bridal Gallery
On Saturday, KC, the hubs and I drove into JB. I was excited because it's gown fitting day. Our appointment is at 3pm so we went in for lunch and tea break haha. When we got there, we were led into a small little area separated from the main area with a thick velvet curtain. The little area had a big sofa and sort of like a stage area with a big mirror. So I have to change on the "stage" then draw the curtains to show the audience.
First thing the assistant does is to take your measurements, because some of the dresses off the racks may not be in your size. So if it's not, then the assistant wouldn't bother to bring them to you for trying. At the beginning, I didn't know what gowns to select so the shop assistant brought me many different styles to try on. Some of the dresses' designs were so "off" that I didn't even want to try them, but she did say I need to try out the different cuttings/styles.
In the end, the hubs came up with a brilliant idea. He asked the assistant to bring in some sample albums, and he selected the gown based on the photos he saw. This way, he could easily look through 40-50 dresses in a flash and select the ones he believes I'll look good in. Though I do suggest that the bride sit down together with him to select. In any case, as he went through the album and selected the gowns accordingly, the assistant would tell you whether the gowns are available in your size.
Anyway, she brought a few of the selected ones in and they were an instant hit. Though I have to say there were some misses as well. It was quite a fun experience and I took about 2 hours plus max. Definitely less than 3 hours. It was fun having 2 good friends there as well to cast their votes. You'll be surprised at how different their tastes are. :)
Tips & Tricks for gown fitting:
1. Bring a nubra - for that cleavage
2. Make sure you are wearing a pair of nude panties or nude safety shorts or better yet, both! - some of the gowns happened to be very revealing, some are the lacy sort. I even had one that flashed my butt and my purple and grey striped panties. That's all fine but one of the friends who went along happened to be the other girl's husband. There were definitely some embarrassing moments.
3. Try not to put on make up. - many of the dresses will be worn from top down. I don't think the assistant will be very happy if you dirty their dresses with make up. Actual day photography is different...
4. If you're planning to bring friends along, bring along friends who you know well and are very comfortable with. - Like I said, there will be embarrassing moments when your body will be discussed in detail. It's best to be comfortable with the people you have with you, otherwise it's just gonna be awkward all around.
5. Look through the albums - I recommend doing it like what the hubs did because indeed, it truly saves time. In addition, unless your husband-to-be is the kind who doesn't really care, it will be good to know what designs both of you like. After discussing, I believe it helps the assistant select/recommend dresses more easily as well.
6. Note the dates - Stupid me went to choose National Day, which happened to be near Hari Raya (think massive jams across the Causeway) and also it is during the Lunar 7th Month aka Hungry Ghosts Festival. Both our mothers gave me grief over the date so we had no choice but to postpone it. Oh well more time for me to lose weight. So if you're Chinese, don't select 7th month unless your parents don't care about such superstitions!
Most important of all, have fun! It's once-in-a-lifetime experience. :)
First thing the assistant does is to take your measurements, because some of the dresses off the racks may not be in your size. So if it's not, then the assistant wouldn't bother to bring them to you for trying. At the beginning, I didn't know what gowns to select so the shop assistant brought me many different styles to try on. Some of the dresses' designs were so "off" that I didn't even want to try them, but she did say I need to try out the different cuttings/styles.
In the end, the hubs came up with a brilliant idea. He asked the assistant to bring in some sample albums, and he selected the gown based on the photos he saw. This way, he could easily look through 40-50 dresses in a flash and select the ones he believes I'll look good in. Though I do suggest that the bride sit down together with him to select. In any case, as he went through the album and selected the gowns accordingly, the assistant would tell you whether the gowns are available in your size.
Anyway, she brought a few of the selected ones in and they were an instant hit. Though I have to say there were some misses as well. It was quite a fun experience and I took about 2 hours plus max. Definitely less than 3 hours. It was fun having 2 good friends there as well to cast their votes. You'll be surprised at how different their tastes are. :)
Tips & Tricks for gown fitting:
1. Bring a nubra - for that cleavage
2. Make sure you are wearing a pair of nude panties or nude safety shorts or better yet, both! - some of the gowns happened to be very revealing, some are the lacy sort. I even had one that flashed my butt and my purple and grey striped panties. That's all fine but one of the friends who went along happened to be the other girl's husband. There were definitely some embarrassing moments.
3. Try not to put on make up. - many of the dresses will be worn from top down. I don't think the assistant will be very happy if you dirty their dresses with make up. Actual day photography is different...
4. If you're planning to bring friends along, bring along friends who you know well and are very comfortable with. - Like I said, there will be embarrassing moments when your body will be discussed in detail. It's best to be comfortable with the people you have with you, otherwise it's just gonna be awkward all around.
5. Look through the albums - I recommend doing it like what the hubs did because indeed, it truly saves time. In addition, unless your husband-to-be is the kind who doesn't really care, it will be good to know what designs both of you like. After discussing, I believe it helps the assistant select/recommend dresses more easily as well.
6. Note the dates - Stupid me went to choose National Day, which happened to be near Hari Raya (think massive jams across the Causeway) and also it is during the Lunar 7th Month aka Hungry Ghosts Festival. Both our mothers gave me grief over the date so we had no choice but to postpone it. Oh well more time for me to lose weight. So if you're Chinese, don't select 7th month unless your parents don't care about such superstitions!
Most important of all, have fun! It's once-in-a-lifetime experience. :)
Sunday, July 7, 2013
My wedding journey #1
It's 8th July and I'm 5 months away from becoming a missus. Somebody else's wife. Oh the horror.
The hubs (I already call him hubs) and I are pretty cool about the wedding. I haven't turned into a bridezilla and he hasn't pulled out all his hair, so things are ok (for now). Our biggest concern thus far is the issue of finances. We aren't rich people and I think it's so expensive to get married in Singapore that we are both a little scared, but have decided to forge ahead nonetheless (actually it's me forcing him to *smile*).
Here's a little rundown on our finances so far:
Hotel = $3500 deposit
Normally hotels ask for $5000 deposit. We were quite lucky in the sense that the hotel we selected only required $3500 for deposit. Which freed up the $1500 cash for other stuff.
What you need to look out for when selecting a hotel
- Alcohol - the hotel we selected provided free flow wine and beer, which was the biggest reason as to why I selected it. Usually alcohol can cost quite a fair bit, especially if you have really good drinkers for guests. So now I don't have to worry too much about wine, though I'll still need to buy hard liquor.
- Invitation cards - ours provided invitation cards PLUS printing of inserts. Some hotels only provide invitation cards but require you to pay for your own printing.
- Complimentary table/food tasting - the hotel gave us one complimentary table and one table for food tasting. We exchanged the food tasting for another complimentary table. So we have 2 complimentary tables, which really helps to save.
- Other miscellaneous items - enough carpark coupons and wedding favours. All hotels provide wedding favours but for me, teddy bears and chocolate just make these so meaningless. I would rather give my guests something more useful, like a coaster etc. This is a personal choice though. :)
Bridal Studio = RM$5000
We decided to head over to JB for bridal studio because it's definitely cheaper than Singapore. On average Singapore's packages cost from $3000 upwards (not sure if you can even find $3000 packages these days). As the hubs drives, we didn't mind travelling in if it could help us save a little. Plus, I really liked the photos from this studio that I saw on Facebook.
Photographer = $1000
Quite fortunate to get this good deal at $1000 nett for full day (with break in between). Recommended by a friend.
Make-up artist = $450
That's for me, and also a good deal. A little apprehensive though. Hasn't seen her work yet, she came recommended by the same studio that found us the photographer and it was quite a bargain. The other one I wanted was charging $680.
Wedding bands = $1800
This one we didn't fork out cash, we paid by credit card instalments. To get points also hehe. Anyway we were slightly more ambitious and bought from Goldheart's Celestial range instead...thus the cost. Actually it costs $2400 but I traded in my old Celestial solitaire for $600 so there was a discount. We actually saw rings that cost about $800 or so, if you're on a budget and not fussy. :)
That's the rough breakdown of our expenses thus far. Hope this provides a brief guide for all the grooms and brides-to-be.
What I still need to settle:
- Dress for my mum (hubs will settle his mum's dress) and sister
- Make up artist for mum and sis
- Wedding shoes
- Wedding manicure
- Videographer for the morning highlights
- red packets for the helpers
- Chinese custom guo da li items
Sigh. So many things, so little time.
Gown fitting coming up next week! Haven't dieted at all *sheepish smile* I will just go and look slightly flabby, at least not emancipated. C&K joining us for our trip down to the bridal studio in JB! Looking forward to a fun time and a nice supper! ^_^
The hubs (I already call him hubs) and I are pretty cool about the wedding. I haven't turned into a bridezilla and he hasn't pulled out all his hair, so things are ok (for now). Our biggest concern thus far is the issue of finances. We aren't rich people and I think it's so expensive to get married in Singapore that we are both a little scared, but have decided to forge ahead nonetheless (actually it's me forcing him to *smile*).
Here's a little rundown on our finances so far:
Hotel = $3500 deposit
Normally hotels ask for $5000 deposit. We were quite lucky in the sense that the hotel we selected only required $3500 for deposit. Which freed up the $1500 cash for other stuff.
What you need to look out for when selecting a hotel
- Alcohol - the hotel we selected provided free flow wine and beer, which was the biggest reason as to why I selected it. Usually alcohol can cost quite a fair bit, especially if you have really good drinkers for guests. So now I don't have to worry too much about wine, though I'll still need to buy hard liquor.
- Invitation cards - ours provided invitation cards PLUS printing of inserts. Some hotels only provide invitation cards but require you to pay for your own printing.
- Complimentary table/food tasting - the hotel gave us one complimentary table and one table for food tasting. We exchanged the food tasting for another complimentary table. So we have 2 complimentary tables, which really helps to save.
- Other miscellaneous items - enough carpark coupons and wedding favours. All hotels provide wedding favours but for me, teddy bears and chocolate just make these so meaningless. I would rather give my guests something more useful, like a coaster etc. This is a personal choice though. :)
Bridal Studio = RM$5000
We decided to head over to JB for bridal studio because it's definitely cheaper than Singapore. On average Singapore's packages cost from $3000 upwards (not sure if you can even find $3000 packages these days). As the hubs drives, we didn't mind travelling in if it could help us save a little. Plus, I really liked the photos from this studio that I saw on Facebook.
Photographer = $1000
Quite fortunate to get this good deal at $1000 nett for full day (with break in between). Recommended by a friend.
Make-up artist = $450
That's for me, and also a good deal. A little apprehensive though. Hasn't seen her work yet, she came recommended by the same studio that found us the photographer and it was quite a bargain. The other one I wanted was charging $680.
Wedding bands = $1800
This one we didn't fork out cash, we paid by credit card instalments. To get points also hehe. Anyway we were slightly more ambitious and bought from Goldheart's Celestial range instead...thus the cost. Actually it costs $2400 but I traded in my old Celestial solitaire for $600 so there was a discount. We actually saw rings that cost about $800 or so, if you're on a budget and not fussy. :)
That's the rough breakdown of our expenses thus far. Hope this provides a brief guide for all the grooms and brides-to-be.
What I still need to settle:
- Dress for my mum (hubs will settle his mum's dress) and sister
- Make up artist for mum and sis
- Wedding shoes
- Wedding manicure
- Videographer for the morning highlights
- red packets for the helpers
- Chinese custom guo da li items
Sigh. So many things, so little time.
Gown fitting coming up next week! Haven't dieted at all *sheepish smile* I will just go and look slightly flabby, at least not emancipated. C&K joining us for our trip down to the bridal studio in JB! Looking forward to a fun time and a nice supper! ^_^
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)