Crazy over Chocolates?

Then turn the heat up at Heat, Ultra Lounge - Hotel Royal Plaza on Scotts, along Orchard Rd on the 2nd floor.

What's special about it is Friday nights - ladies night. For $29.50 ++(I think one more +), you get to gorge yourself on a chocolate buffet, enjoy free flow of wine, caipirinhas (evil drink this one), martinis, and Tiger beer. This happens between 7pm and 10pm.

If you have the UOB ladies card or HSBC credit card, it's much cheaper - around $23 I think. It's quite a novel idea, I have to say - including a choco buffet into a ladies night. That's enough to make any choco-loving person melt upon hearing it, and I speak from experience after hearing all the excited squeals from my colleagues and girlfriends.

If you think you can't possibly eat everything chocolate (like me), then at least there's the alcohol, excuse me, drinks - because they do serve non-alcoholic stuff too. At certain intervals between 7pm to 10pm, the wait staff walk around with mini beef burgers and fried chicken - which I totally dug. I found it a welcome respite from the buffet which to me was, cloying.

I personally don't understand the dessert concept - seems like one big conspiracy to make me fat. I think it should be the other way round. Finger food buffet with waiters walking around serving you these chocolate delicacies. But then again, maybe Im just not 'lady' enough and that's my preference.

Despite my prejudice against a dessert buffet, I wholeheartedly agree that this is really good value for money. It's ambient, it's classy, it's chill, you get chocolates, drinks, some savoury food and a live band. It's really a cool place to chill with your girlfriends and guyfriends on a Friday night.

There was also a belly dance performance when I went down on Friday night. I am not sure if the belly dancing is a long term arrangement so if you'd like to check it out - do call and check before heading down.

Incidentally, did I mention that it's a male belly dancer?

Bumming Around With A Couple Of Teenagers in Holland Village and Cheap, Affordable Pasta Dinner for Students

Friday of the school holidays last week and I was compelled, out of older sister responsibilities to bring my youngest sister to Holland V to get a haircut. Arjun came along because I promised to take them out to a Mexican dinner - though we changed our plans later.




Afternoon Tea - Fosters, An English Rose Cafe (Holland Village)

Haircut done, we decided to do coffee before heading off to town and almost proceeded to regular ole Starbucks, until I remembered an even nicer, ambient spot in Holland Village. A bit of a different world in the rustic, but city like none the less Holland Village - Fosters, An English Rose Cafe.

Sitting there, you won't remember the passing traffic on Holland Road or the students, expatriates and yuppies milling about on the surrounding pavements and roads. Their verandah is so pretty, and where I was seated, I had such a pretty backdrop for Arjun and Kirti that I could not resist snapping away. The 2 of them looked so cute - as if they were out on a 1st date. Which brings me to make this point - nice, cosy spot for a casual tea or coffee date - but make sure you come equipped with insect repellant. Or, use this as testing ground to see if your partner is a whiner.

Dinna Time - PASTA MANIA.

I actually intended to go Mexican. But changed my mind because I was a bit low on cash. I would have preferred to have gone to Spageddies, but Pasta Mania was almost half their price, with as much pasta variety. Maybe not as interesting, or tasty, but there's a good choice of it. This is one joint my friends and I discovered when we fresh out of uni or while in it - because it's affordable. Then we moved on to more posh and proper restaurant fare. Such wannabe snobs.

Feeling a bit poor, nostalgic and studentlike (because I was, after all, hanging out with 2 students), I decided to check out PastaMania. Everything we ordered came up to $47.50

- aglio olio

- spicy chicken pasta

- spinach tortellini

- roasted vegetable pasta

- chicken curry pizza (more like chicken satay if you ask me)

- 2 soft drinks

- 1 glass of red wine

I was surprised to see that Pasta Mania serves up wine and beer, like San Miguel - though don't expect quality wine cause it's real cheap a glass - under $5. So, it was very heartening to see that casual dining is going a notch up in the heartlands. Here are some pics.

By the way, I've decided that Arjun would make a very good poster boy for this blog :-)

Well. I think Pasta Mania is aight, yeah. It's aight. I didn't like the pizza, and found the aglio olio bland. The rest were pleasant to eat, but not enough to make me dream and crave about it. But for ease and casual dining in my neighbourhood, I would drop in.