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Travelogue: Tebasaki wings Nagoya's famous food for dinner

Tebasaki. Soooo good.

The evening after visiting the girls at Kinjo Gakuin University, I went to Nagoya main station to meet my friends for dinner! I wanted to try Tebasaki, which is deep fried chicken wings, and is one of Nagoya's must try signature dishes, so they searched for a famous one :D Being nice, I will share it with you hahah.

どて家西口店 (Doteya Nishi Guchi Ten)

Sun Nagoya Noritake Buld. 2F 2-3-2 Noritake Nakamura-ku 
Nagoya city Aichi

愛知県名古屋市中村区則武2-3-2 サン・ナゴヤ則武ビル2F

Just copy and paste it into Google Maps and you'll be able to navigate it smoothly!

One thing I reaaaally dislike about Izakaya's in Japan is that they can smoke indoors :( It made my clothes, hair everything stink and made me want to finish eating as soon as possible so I could get out. Everyone around us was smoking. We quickly ordered and waited about 20minutes before our food came trickling in. In the meantime, we camwhored. 

Left: Sari, Middle: Me, Right: Junko! I hadn't seen Sari in like, forever (almost 5 years) and she lost so much weight!! Also she has long hair now so different! When we knew each other we were all still students, but now we're all working adults. Insane!

Japanese sausages, some were spicy so we had to guess the flavours lol. It was reaaally good. Or maybe I was just hungry. 

 Fried prawns. These reminded me of wasabi prawns that we have in Singapore! The prawns were really fresh though :) So-so gyoza in the background. Oh, and beer is like, a must with tebasaki, fried stuff and all.

Potato salad! Having some carbs are a must.

More salad! Sari is watching her diet so more greens I guess.

The highlight: Tebasaki chicken wings!!! These were slightly sweet but the meat was really tender! Ordered extra servings of these hahah. You have to eat the Tebasaki wings in one mouthful. Super good. Worth going to Nagoya just to have this?? Yes.

Think we're pretty pro at it haha!

As mentioned, I wanted to get out of the Izakaya as soon as possible because of the smoke so we went to Denny's which was nearby. It had a smoking and non smoking corner, and the sections were separated by a glass door so the smell wasn't too bad.

Sari was introducing me to popular japanese make up products and I ended up buying her recommended eyeshadow! Have been using it ever since.

Junko! She's a great housewife material. Cooks awesome meals, independent, caring and hardworking, 10/10 man. Then we started to take photos to make up for lost time.






We make a good titanic couple.

Why are japanese women so fair?!!? Okay I know it's the sunblock but I am so envious!!

After talking about old times and getting an update on each others lives, Yuhei came. He was positively starving (think it was like 10pm??) and he came straight from work. 

That's him gulping down his meal. Think he started smoking since the last time I saw him, which was also about 5 years ago?

Junko's crazy huge sundae that she shared with Sari.

My hokkaido ice cream dessert! The green tea was quite bitter but that was balanced out by the rich vanilla. I was surprised at how good it was!

Our reunion shot!

Everyone smiling happily here :) Til next time, Nagoya!

Oh had to take our mandatory shot.

It was pretty chilly outdoors hence the layers and scarf. When it's indoors it's quite hot so I usually take off all the extra layers. So troublesome!

I put the previous photo here for comparison. Pardon the crap resolution when digital cameras were just starting out and this was 5 megapixels. The photo was taken when we met up 5 years ago! See how much we've changed?? I think I look the same just with more makeup now.

Edit: Okay my face has definitely gotten rounder. Damnit.

Thanks for reading! Come back soon to find out more about my onsen trips in Gifu!
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Travelogue: Nagoya: Kinjo Gakuin University


I was completely exhausted the night before due to my hectic Tokyo Disneyland adventure, then travelling to Nagoya in the evening but woke up bright and early the next day feeling fresh and energized because I was in Japan!! There's so much to celebrate about that. I was living at Junko, my pen pal's place and she teaches English at an all-girl university called Kinjo Gakuin University, which is a 45 mins drive away. She kindly invited me to co-teach her class with her, as a guest, and was quite excited because she figured the students might not have spoken to many foreigners due to the rural area.

Now, I've never been to an all-girls university, and coming from an all-girls school myself for 10 years made me extra nervous. It was crucial to set a right impression from the start!! I picked a dress I had bought the week earlier from Zara and paired them with black leggings, a scarf, boots and threw on my trench-coat as it was quite chilly. Ironically, the moment I stepped into the school, it was really hot and I slowly started to peek the layers off. I was actually perspiring in the class because it was that hot indoors!!

Junko went to the class first as we were almost late (Japanese are like never late!), but I was so jittery that I had to stop by the ladies to calm myself down. Took a deep breath, and walked into the class. At that moment I heard girls squealing "Aahh!! I forgot that we are having a guest today!!" in Japanese and I was so shy that I just took the first seat I saw, which was right in front. 

After the class settled down, Junko introduced me and the class started from there. She wanted me to help correct pronunciations and read aloud so that they could imitate my sounds! I was really apprehensive at first but loosened up as the students are just so eager to learn, which makes it a pleasure to teach :) I really hope the girls continue to press forward and not give up on English!! 

A shot with the pretty girls :) I don't know how they can wear sweaters because it was really hot!!
Bought them bak kwa to try and they loved it. So happy!! 
みんな,元気ですか？:) みんなにあいたいです！！♥(✿ฺ´∀`✿ฺ)ﾉ

After class, Junko and I drove to a nearby shopping mall to eat one of the famed dishes in Nagoya - Miso katsu!

This place is famous for its miso katsu :)

Having a hard time deciding what to eat!

Since I wanted to try everything, I settled on a mixed set, with fried pork cutlet, squid and minced pork! It was sooo freaking good. The miso makes everything a little sweeter and we just sat there chatting away even though we hadn't seen each other for quite a long time :)

Doesn't this make you want to eat it already?!

We still had some time to kill, so I decided to go bra shopping lol. Seriously girls you'll be spoilt for choice in a shopping mall because there are just so many brands and soo many cute designs!! Before I came to Japan I didn't even know that Wacoal was a Japanese brand. :X They are really affordable though, like $20 for a pair, when they're on sale??? Really great quality too! Think I spent like 2hours in the shop and bought 5 pairs hahahah. Went back to Junko's place to freshen up before we went for dinner.

Walked by this wall of vending machines and just had to take a picture. So much variety!!! Singapore needs to be at that level.


Stayed tuned for more of my Japan posts!
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The only app that cares about a Food Lovers' wallet - The Entertainer

Do you eat to live or live to eat? I'm definitely someone who lives to eat, indulging in the occasional ootoro or uni or even dining at Michelin star establishments just because "I deserved it", then back to scrimping and saving for the rest of the month.


Thanks to The Entertainer, I can save sooo much money without sacrificing or reducing the intake for my pampered taste buds, AND get to check out new restaurants and cafes every week!

What is The Entertainer?

I was first introduced to The a Entertainer by my colleague, Chengaiz, who was excited to share a great app that offered amazing discounts at a low initial investment. Established in 2011 in the Middle East, The Entertainer actually provides over 1,065 ‘buy one get one free’ vouchers from the city’s most exclusive dining, leisure, wellness and entertainment venues including Au Petit Salut, Kinki, Carnivore, Hard Rock Café, Gmax Reverse Bungy and Impakt Gym. Offers are also valid for leading hotels throughout the region eg Banyan Tree across sought-after holiday destinations from Thailand to Bali, to the Maldives and more. 

In a nutshell, it's the only app that cares about your wallet. 

I've only used it on food so far but I'm looking forward to utilizing the 1for1 deals by other merchant soon!

Why you need to get The Entertainer

Two main courses for the price of one, so you'll be able to cover the cost of The Entertainer easily after one or two meals!

1) Save money on food without compromising on the quality



Applies for take-out and delivery options too! The Entertainer also promises other 1 for 1 deals like golf, archery, cooking, watersports and more.

2) Save money on hotels, spas, wellness etc


Ideal for staycations or exotic breaks, the Supplement includes 4 and 5* hotels in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Indian Ocean.

Each offer is valid for one complimentary night when a night of equal or greater value is booked at the hotel’s Best Available Rate (room only). Plus, for any additional nights you book during the same stay, as an Entertainer Member, you’ll also receive 20% off Best Available Rates including breakfast for two adults daily!

3) Access free member offers in Dubai, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cape Town and more on the Entertainer Global app!



My favourite feature of The Entertainer is the built in Map. It allows me to view places near me which have 1 for 1 deals with The Entertainer, so I can utilize those deals and not have to travel so far!

Aside from a couple of public holidays, your offers are valid 24/7, anytime, until December 30th, 2014!

You can use multiple vouchers at once and vouchers can be used with no advance notice or pre-booking (excluding hotel accomodation and spas, you're really getting value for money!

Once you've signed up, you can access your offers from any device, and you'll also be able to approve up to 3 additional usernames to access your offers! That means you can share the Entertainer with up to 3 friends or family members so collectively, that leads to even more savings!

How to get The Entertainer

It's soo convenient to use as the app and it's available on iTunes, Google's Play Store and Blackberry World. Just search 'The Entertainer' to begin saving tons of money!

Book version vs App version
Good news! The Entertainer is also available in a book form, which has exactly the same offers as the app, but would be much more convenient if you want to share The Entertainer with more than 3 other friends so all of you can save money together! However, there are Entertainer Monthly Member offers which would be easier to load from your phone if you have an App, rather than to print them from the website. The choice is yours to make!

Trial

 Download the app from the store (FREE!) and you'll be able to use 1 for 1 deals at selected restaurants or spa centres!! You'll realise just how easy the whole process is


If you want to reap all the benefits The Entertainer has to offer, don't hesitate and just sign up today! The earlier you sign up, the more time you have to explore the possibilities ;)

For more information, feel free to check out The Entertainer's social media platforms!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheEntertainerFB. 
Twitter: @EntertainerAsia 
Instagram: @the_entertainer241

The book is also available for sale in Kinokuniya bookstores.

If you love checking out new cafes, restaurants and hangouts without burning a hole in your pocket, this app is for you.

Just download it and start saving money already!
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Top 5 money saving deals that allow you to eat delicious food at top restaurants

Let's face it. We have to eat to survive, but why does good, quality food at top notch restaurants have to be so expensive??? Unless you're as rich as Paris Hilton, food expenses can really burn a hole in your pocket at the end of the day.

I like to reward myself with some comfort food after a hard day's work. But what can we do?? It's too painful a lifestyle to keep.

Which is why I went and compiled a list of top 5 tips, tricks, apps and more to help you (and me!) make use of all these deals so both our tummy's can thank us later.

Keep reading to find out more and of course, get access to exclusive discount codes!

Ready, set, go.

  • 1-for-1 main course, anybody?
Photo credits: Superadrianme

Introducing, The Entertainer. A widely acclaimed mobile app that focuses on making their customers (aka, you!) happy by caring for your wallet. The Entertainer provides over 1,065 ‘buy one get one free’ vouchers from the city’s most exclusive dining, leisure, wellness and entertainment venues including Au Petit Salut, Kinki, Carnivore, Hard Rock Café and more!

What's even better is that due to the app's international recognition, you can check out their global deals when you're overseas for business or holiday trips! Some places you can expect to use your vouchers are Dubai, Hong Kong, London... and the list goes on.

How to get it?

Download The Entertainer app now for a one month trial to get 1-for-1 main course at selected restaurants, absolutely FREE!! It's a flat fee of $95 to get access to ALL their partners til 31 Dec 2014, which can be utilized via the app, a book which they will mail over, or you can pick up at any Kinokuniya bookstore. In my opinion, $95 is a really great deal because it's easily recoverable by dining at at least 2 places before it expires. For example, a main course at Hard Rock Cafe would set you back by at least $30 per person, but if you get 1 for 1 you immediately get $30 off!

PSST!! To help you get started, key in "@claires_flair" at checkout to get yourself 20% off the original price! That reduces the price from $95 to $76 and has effectively just saved you an additional $17!! You're welcome.

Discount code is only valid until the end of April. So don't hesitate and just get it now before it's too late!!

  • $30licious set meals 

Photo credits: Superadrianme

Presented by American Express and Hungrygowhere, diners can enjoy specially curated set menus including craving-worthy-dishes at more than 30 restaurants across the island! American Express cardholders get them at $30++ while all other diners using other modes of payments get them at $35++. All you need is the person footing the bill to pay via an Amex card to qualify for the $30++ set meal!

I popped over to Mouth Restaurant during lunch recently and was treated to their signature baked custard bun that was beyond legendary. I've never had a custard bun that had a bo luo bao crispy texture on top, complemented by the liquid salted egg custard that was just divine. Trust me, the list of restaurants under this promotion? Worth going through all the trouble of signing up for an Amex card just so I could use this promotion.

For a complete list of restaurants and details of their set menu, click here. Participating merchants include Etna Italian Restaurant, Gyu-Kaku (Anchorpoint), and Tomo Izakaya, among others, offering a wide array of cuisines that even the fussiest foodie is certain to be spoilt for choice. Making a reservation on Hungrygowhere isn't an essential step, but it could help guarantee a table at your preferred location.

PSST!! The $30 set meals are only valid until end of April, so be sure to check them out ASAP!!

  • Restaurant Week
I remember my first experience with Restaurant Week when it first launched in 2011. What initially began as a curious interest to find out which restaurants were under the programme, quickly turned into a fastest-fingers-first race against time to clinch a reservation at one of the top restaurants in Singapore. Here's a tip, book first, ask your friends who's interested to meet for a meal later.

Just imagine - limited seats for a special 3-course meal at established and new restaurants will be offered at an irresistible fixed price of either $25++ (for lunch) or $35++ (for dinner)! Some really high end restaurants will have an additional surcharge, but it'll definitely be cheaper than what you could ever get when you order ala carte. 

Their partners include, but are not limited to, Il Lido, Infusion@ Dempsey, Jade, La Noce, Magma, My Little Spanish Place, Michelangelo’s, Salt Grill & Sky Bar so you know you're definitely getting value for your money.

Reservations for these high in demand spots are only available online via restaurantweek.sg . However, the most recent Restaurant Week was in March, so I doubt there will be one soon. Keep your eyes and ears peeled though! As rumour has it that they will be extending restaurant week to cover two weekends so more people can benefit ;)

PSST!! Join their mailing list to get priority booking 2 days before everybody else and to get ample notice on when the next restaurant week will happen!!

  • Subscribe to food deal newsletters

I subscribe to Groupon, and customize my alerts such that I get only one email a week about food, and boyyy have I been milking the benefits! There are discounts for a wide range of eateries, from KFC family meals to Rendevous Hotel buffets, and you can get value vouchers (eg pay $20 and get $40 worth of food) or even 70% off dim sum set lunches! The earlier you find the deal and purchase it, the faster you can make a reservation at the establishment before everyone books the place and you have til there's a slot a month later. #truestory

PSST!!  Don't forget to keep track of which places you've bought deals for, their terms and conditions (some places are only applicable for weekday lunches) and when they expire!! I've had a few coupons that were completely wasted because I either a) totally forgot about them, or b) didn't read the fine print properly and realise I'm not applicable. Bleh.

  • Get a credit card


I'm not saying you should just get ANY card, do your homework first. Citibank has dining privileges with 5 and 6 star hotels like W Singapore, St Regis and Raffles hotel, and even promises to refund the difference if you can find a better offer with their partnered restaurants under another credit card! UOB has partners with hotels as well but gives you more choices to dine at cafes and smaller establishes too. DBS  gives great value especially for entry level credit cards due to their wide range of discounts which you can find out more on their mobile app. There are tons of other credit cards but I can't be going through them all! Just spend within your means and remember to ask your friends to pay you back if your credit card is being used to foot the bill. That friend that says she'll pay you back all the time and always forgets to bring her wallet? Dump him/her.

Alright that's it! Be sure to share this post with your friends so all of you can save money together! Let me know if you have any comments or any other tips to share too.

Til next time! 
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Cooking up an antioxidant meal with Elizabeth Arden

On a cheery Saturday, a group of bloggers and I headed down My Private Chef Studio at Tras Street (just off Tanjong Pagar mrt!) for a basic cooking class to prepare our very own antioxidant meals!


But of course, before the chef starts cooking, the chef has to be fed. Lovely muffins from Sugar n Spice, super famous ones if you're near Tanjong Pagar Plaza you have to give it a try!

Muffins are best accompanied with tea :) Major plus as Gryphon teas are currently my favourite!

 Chef is very satisfied already. Hehe!

 
We were then introduced to the new Prevage anti-aging range specially formulated for ladies who want to prevent the effects of fine line and wrinkles, more so than to treat them before it's too late! 

Featuring their new cleanser which preps your skin to get maximum benefits from your beauty regimen and also gently removes any residue make up, as well as their eye serum which claims to minimizes the look of signs of aging and is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of crows feet in 15 minutes. Will share more in detail in another post after I've tried it for myself! Excited!

The Cooking Demonstration

As a kid, I vaguely remember accompanying my mother to cooking classes, she'd leave me in a corner to read my books and then hour later, we'd go home together. In the middle of her class, being a curious child, I'd walk up to her to look at what she was doing just to catch a whiff! Cooking has always fascinated me and my tummy has definitely benefited from my mum's improved skills!

Like a real chef


The REAL chefs teaching us how to slice onions efficiently. Unfortunately he was too pro and too fast I couldn't remember how he did it. How did he make everything look so simple?! Guess practice makes perfect.

After all the ingredients were sliced, to stir them up in a pan until the aroma comes out!

"So this is how you do it..."

Then, blend using this blending blade thing to mash the food up a little. This definitely looks too dangerous for young kids to play with.

During the demonstation, Chef gave us many tips, and one was to remember to add lots of salt to the water when boiling pasta so the flavour comes out! Hope mine turns out just as good~ so...

Let the cooking begin!

The first step before you begin cooking is... to read the recipe. Know which to prepare and slice up first, before freaking out while already cooking halfway.

Chefs on standby when any lifelines are needed to be used.

The first dish - Cabbage, red beet and orange salad didn't require any cooking, but the important bit was how to de-skin an orange. Now, I've eaten oranges all my life and the only de-skinning I know how to do is peeling the skin off a mandarin orange. However, we were NOT  provided with mandarin oranges so all of us were stuck. Some sliced the oranges in half while hoping to peel the skin off, while others just procrastinated and left that for later.

Chef came to help us, mortified by our lack of knowledge, and then taught us the right way to peel the skin off (how were we to know?!)

The right way, is to slice a small amount off the top and bottom of the orange, then use a knife and carefully slice the skin off. *crowd goes "OHHHH"*
Since there were some marks on presentation, I decided to place my orange slices around my cauliflower, vegetables, beetroot etc :) One down, two more dishes to go!

The second dish - Whole Grain Spaghetti Nests with Vegetables, had wayyy more items to prepare and slice up. I sliced my celeri into cubes instead of sticks, and had to recut mine LOL. Once it was done, we threw all of it into the pan, just like what the chef did earlier! If Yan can do it, so can you! (Reference to an old TV show catchphrase)

If you're wondering what's in those cupcake tin holders, that's vinegar and olive oil!I also cut my zucchini into pie shaped ones instead. For kicks. After mashing the vegetable mix to form a puree using the blender (it was fun!!), we had to cook them altogether with the pasta!

Was taught a neat little trick on how to slice basil prettily. roll them together and slice them thinly, sideways! That's me trying my best. If you've done it correctly, they will turn out pretty and curly. Place everything on baking paper, decorate, wrap, and throw into the oven. Dish number 2, done!

Everyone hard at work!!

There was barely enough time for dish 3, which was a simple rocket salad and cheese, but I rushed it out. The best part of the dish WAS THAT YOU GOT TO PLAY WITH THIS. 

I've sat at enough sushi counters to know the trick of making aburi sushi. I just HAD to try it out for myself, supervised, of course.

It was funny because I was just about to blowtorch the cheese in the picture above, when the chef freaked out and asked me to STOP because I would've burnt all the vegetables as well. #quickthinking

So one of the helpers helped me transfer the cheese onto the cutting board instead, to blowtorch. Which was really fun!!! Until... the cutting board started to get a bit burnt. Thankfully it could be cleaned off!! So don't ever blowtorch on a cutting board or near vegetables!! #lessonlearnt Guess I'm ages away from making my own aburi salmon. sob.

After it was all done...

Quick picture with everyone's successful dishes! Successful in terms of presentation, I can't be held responsible about the taste.

Finished result!


Here's a photo of my first 2 dishes. I didn't know we could take out the pasta from the baking paper. Hence mine looks brownish and greasy. Oh well. My pasta design was inspired by Squishy, my rabbit who would looove all these greens provided today!

 Too lovely to eat, right? Hahahah.

Skincare can help the outer surface,but controlling what you eat helps your body fight signs of aging too.

 With pretties Valerie and Michelle, we're ready to be the next housewives, not the desperate ones hahaha.

And Yvette! :) Loving her blown hair in this pic!

Thank you Elizabeth Arden for the morning of great fun and the kitchen recipe book for whipping out an easy antioxidant meal, anytime!

If you're wondering where this was done at, check out


My Private Chef Studio

61 Tras Street
Singapore 079000

Til the next time! :)
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