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I still remember the news spreading like wildfire - the famed French boulangerie, PAUL was coming to Singapore and opening their first outlet at Takashimaya. Tai tai's and hipsters both queued for HOURS just to score a table at the hottest new joint in town.

Needless to say, I was one of those crazy people (neither Tai tai nor hipster) waiting in line, and boy was it worth it! PAUL 's greatest draw has got to be their pastries, their specialty French breads that are just simply delicious. Feed this to a kid who hates having bread for breakfast and they'll be a converted fan lol.

Not many know that PAUL was actually established in 1889 in the city of Croix, near Lille in Northern France, and this year marks their 125th anniversary. To bring more tastes of France over to sunny Singapore, PAUL has revamped their menu and included three new main french courses. Who needs to fly to France to satisfy cravings anymore?

Salade de la mer

So when PAUL invited me for a food tasting, I immediately accepted. Not many can resist quality French cuisine at affordable prices, The meal started off with a low carb seafood salad with prawns, mussels, octopus, avocado, grapefruit and slices of red radish. I'm not a big salad fan, so this was so-so for me. The prawn was nice and chewy, while the grapefruit added the right amount of sweetness, and the avocado brought it all together. Portion is good enough for a lady as a main course!

Tartine boeuf

The next dish, grilled sirloin steak with herb cream cheese, caramelised onions topped with a dash of balsamic glazing, was a winner for everyone at the table. G (D's date), pardon the acronyms, who lived in France for over 10 years, told us that steak in France is usually served rare. Basically, the rarer you want your steak done, the more respect and admiration you'd get from the chef! If you ask for something well done... well... the chef might excuse you because you don't look local, but for anyone else, it's sacrileges.

Back to this steak, the blend of flavours really brought out the tenderness in the steak, and this definitely isn't a dish to be shared with a guy, he'd finish it in no time!

By then we were getting a little thirsty, so we tried out their new iced teas.

I opted for the sage camomile iced tea, which is a calming concotion with sage, camomile and honey. I absolutely enjoyed this drink, and it's a great thirst quencher! No pictures of it because... well I gulped it down too fast haha!

Tried their new Lemongrass iced tea with ginger and it's a refreshing drink, though I personally prefer the sage camomile as it's sweeter. The ginger in the lemongrass tea really gives you a kick.

Back to the main courses.

Confit de canard

We were presented with a slow marinated duck confit served with roasted vegetables and seasonal cranberry sauce. This classic dish is rubbed in herbs and cured in its own fat for up to a day before roasting, to bring out its rich flavours. The sweet cranberry sauce really brought out the texture of the meat, and it really was quite authentically french.

Longe de thon

By this time, we were all getting rather full, but our bellies perked up when we saw the seasoned seared tuna loin served with vegetables and seasonal cranberry sauce. This was like seared tuna sashimi to me, and was really easy to eat. I liked it better with some lemon squeezed on top. This is great for days where you don't feel that hungry but you want to fill your tummy with the good stuff.

Hazelnut Eclair

The highlight of the day for me, has got to be this Hazelnut Eclair. I am usually not a big fan of Eclair's because of all that thick, overpowering cream, but this was a masterpiece. The actual caramelized hazelnuts comes from an ancestral recipe of PAUL, and provided a nice crunch while the Hazelnut cream was soft and tasty. If I wasn't that full I would've had 2 servings all to myself! This is a MUST TRY, take it from me.

Gaufre avec glace

Last but not least, we tried the waffle with fresh berries, vanilla soft ice cream and homemade chocolate sauce. This has got to be one of the crispiest waffles I've ever had! Fans of crispy waffles please take note and try this. The vanilla ice cream was also a huge hit as it was perfect - just the right amount of everything. Great size for sharing with friends over tea!

As our tasting was coming to a close, we were informed that PAUL makes their own chocolate. We had no idea! Was pleasantly surprised and invited to try their Signature Hot Chocolate. It was quite thick and sweet, a great way to end the meal! Will definitely order this again next time.

The new menu is available at all PAUL restaurants in Singapore.

Thanks for the invite PAUL! Don't forget to try their new apricot jam which gives a zing to your taste-buds while having your pastries or bread.

Cheers!

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Sunday, 16th November 2014 is a date to remember. It was one of the most anticipated and prestigious equestrian race in Asia, the one and only, Longines Gold Cup.

As testament to its high profile event, the guest of honour was no other than His Execellency, President Tony Tan, accompanied by other esteemed guests, the Vice President of Longines, Mr Juan-Carlos Capelli AND Longines Ambassador of Elegance, Eddie Peng (彭于晏), who flew in from Taiwan just for the weekend.

Dating back to 1924, the Longines Singapore Gold Cup is now back in Singapore for its 5th run, and is also designated as Singapore Turf Club's Annual Charity Race Day.

Sure we may be table no 40 but we were right in front of the stage and the vip table!! :D

We were at the committee box this time, and the vibe there was more polished and refined, so we dressed up for the part.

With Daniel from Oneclickwonders, Dawn Yang, Hayley Woo and Hpility

The sky was threatening rain but we were very lucky to have escaped wrath!

The races that day were all named by the club to reflect their commitment to charities. Taught Hayley how to bet at the races, you win some, you lose some. Love the adrenaline though!!

There was a private charity auction with a collection of seven beautifully handcrafted hats, and proceeds went to the Rainbow Charity, a charity which provides education and training for children with special needs.

These GORGEOUS pieces were up for auction. Glad I managed to snap a picture of them before they were snagged. Check out that peacock one! Starting bid price for these bespoke fascinators were $688 EACH. Definitely for those who like to dress to impress.

Highlight of this post: Pictures of 彭于晏, Eddie Peng, who is really gorgeous please. If you don't already know who he is, he has been in recent box office hits like Unbeatable and a highly anticipated movie, Rise of the Legend. He was born in Taipei but grew up in Canada, and is fluent in English!

Suave, good-looking, killer smile, perfectly positioned dimple, this guy's charisma is off the charts. All the ladies, young and old, were fawning over his 1.82m frame.

Eddie gave us a speech and sat down for a bit until...

Our president arrived!!

Hello Mr President. I want to visit the Istana one day.

The biggest race of the day, race 10 - had a S$1.35 million prize money, and of course, we wouldn't have missed that for the world! I bet 3 horses to place (come in first, second or third) and one of my horses came in FIRST!! Too bad I didn't bet win, or my winnings would've been much more!!

(Source: here)

Gambling is addictive but it's important to know when to stop, and set a limit before you even start.

All the donations collected that day amounted to $241,616! Congratulations!! The funds raised are matched dollar for dollar by the Government under the Care & Share Movement.

Photo you've all been waiting for...

A group shot with 彭于晏, aka Eddie Peng aka Peng Yu Yan! I know it looks like we're really close but it's the angle okay, there was no physical contact at all! Also, there wasn't much space for me to move lol.

If you're looking for a place to hold a corporate event or host important guests, I highly recommend the Singapore Turf Club! They have a multitude of rooms to suit your needs for sure :)

Ending off with a sweet picture of Hayley. Will be posting my very own hat (fascinator) tutorial soon!!

Thanks Jessie and Jasmine for the invite XOXO

Special shoutout to Tiffany and FLY Entertainment crew for helping us grab 1min of Eddie's time for a photo!! Totally made our day *starstruck eyes*

PS: The press kit is super pretty, the quality of the folder, to the complimentary pen, binoculars and portable charger, even the thumbdrive for the press materials are all world class. Thanks Longines, I want to own my own watch from you one day.

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When a guy buys a girl a drink, she could be skeptical - what does he want from me? Is he trying to get me drunk?? But you don't have to worry because free drinks ARE real, with compliments of American Express!!

Some of the hippest and trendiest bars in Singapore's central landscape are providing free drinks just for Amex platinum reserve and platinum credit card holders. Check out their promotions, summarized for you here:

Promotions

Receive a complimentary* bespoke cocktail at these outlets:

Ah Sam's Cold Drink Stall
Horse Mouth's Bar
Maison Ikkoku
Spiffy Dapper
Bitters and Love

Or get a complimentary* welcome drink/signature cocktail at

Orgo Restaurant & Bar
The Pecking Order

If wine/whiskey tasters/beer are your thing, enjoy a complimentary one at:

The Merry Men Kitchen + Bar (a glass of wine)
Quaich Bar (whisky taster)
The Men's Room (whiskey taster)
The Mad Men Attic Bar (Kirin beer)

If one drink isn't enough, enjoy 1-for1* on your first drink at:

:Pluck
Gem Bar
Manor Cocktail Room
Zui Hong Lou
The Secret Mermaid

*: Offer is valid for the first drink per day per Card Member per outlet, and is only available when Card is presented at time of order, and any payments made with the American Express Platinum Reserve and Platinum Credit Card issued in Singapore.

Sounds too good to be true? Well it IS true. In addition, American Express has launched a unique Bar Hop experience, just for their card owners! A bunch of us were invited a week or two ago to try it out for ourselves!

Our first stop was The Men's Room, which is just one floor down of Mad Men. Did you know that they're run by the same owners? The Men's Room specializes in Gin mixes, so be sure to try out one of their in-house concoctions! Being a whisky girl, I went for an Octomore Scottish barley, which, I was informed, was the smokiest whiskey in the world.

The Men's Room had a live band when we were there, but the place is a little squeezy so best to head over early!

After about 30mins, we got on the bus and went over to our next destination - Ah Sam's Cold Drink Stall, which faces boat quay's little canal.

This quaint cafe specializes in infusing local flavours into their drinks! Some of their drinks include ingredients like gula melaka and even milo! Food served here are as local as it gets, with Hokkien Mee and fried wanton skins!

Drinks had much fanfare, check out this Secret Garden.

Sam, the owner and mixologist, has won a number of awards from his own creations! Ask to try some of his award winning concoctions ;) You won't be disappointed!

Hopped on the bus for my last stop, though the route continued to Maison Ikkoku. We were led to the basement of Ocean Financial Centre for... The Secret Mermaid! In the day it's a lunch spot called Shinkansen, and at night it transforms into a hidden enclave and I love it.

The Secret Mermaid has lotsa imported spirits, and some of their specialities that piqued our interest were the Honey vodka and Salmon vodka. I opted for the Honey Vodka which of course - was sweet, but not overly empowering, and I enjoyed it immensely! The Salmon vodka, however... was not to my liking. It was a bit too fishy for me :( It was unique though!

Displayed on a wall, you can read the labels off the variety of spirits. Don't forget that you get 1 for 1 off your first drink with your Amex at The Secret Mermaid!

Smith, Howard Lo and I at The Secret Mermaid. Howard also owns the chain of Standing Sushi bar restaurants, so if you enjoy your salmon sashimi's at 50% off, it's all thanks to this guy. I'm sure some of you would recognise him from his TV appearance in Eye for a Guy.

If you're an Amex card holder yourself (or you have a friend that has one), you can join the bar hop experience!

Look out for this bus on 8 November between 7pm to 1am, at 7 key locations - Orchard, Havelock Road, Robertson Quay, North Canal, Bugis, Esplanade and Ann Siang Hill. Amex card members can bring up to TWO friends on board the bus! For more information on the locations and benefits, check out their website here.

Nightlife benefits mentioned above are valid until 14 October 2015.

Thanks for hosting us #ChillaxSG !

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After a quick shower and freshen up at H132 Hostel, (you can read my review about it here), we took a nice 20min or so stroll towards Ning Xia Night market. It's not a very big market, it's about the length of one streeth, and you can easily finish walking it in half an hour or so, but why would you want to do that?? The whole point of a night market is to stuff yourself silly, and that's what we did.

You know you've reached when you've seen this.

This is how small the lane is and yet there are annoying motorists that drive INTO the market, not giving a shit about your safety, and you're supposed to jump out of the way when you hear the engine -_- am so annoyed seriously. That's Taiwan for you!

When you first walk in, there are a bunch of game stalls that I didn't try. Did watch people playing some though!

Kids playing, our local night markets should have more games like these!

There's this stall where people pick our mahjong tiles to match the ones on the table. I don't really get the whole point of the game, especially for kids but I think they are getting training to learn how to "feel" the tiles, at a young age. Lol.

Prawn and fish catching! They don't cook the prawns for you immediately after, so you have to bring them home and cook your prize yourself, unlike in spoilt Singapore.

Ning Xia market isn't as touristy as the other markets due to its sheer size, but it's where you get lots of locals pigging out on a hot, sweaty evening. And you know, I'll go wherever the locals go :p

Ai-yu jelly was everywhere! You've got to try them when you're in Taiwan :)

I randomly joined the queues to snack on some grub before I had a proper meal!

This stall had a REALLY long queue which I couldn't afford the time to try :( If you're at Ning Xia and you spot this, be sure to grab one and let me know how it is!!

There are shops along the streets (with aircon) which we decided to try for our dinner.

I was kinda craving beef noodles because... well it's Taiwan, and so we walked into this popular beef noodle joint. I am a HUGE fan of beef plus beef tendon, so this is my bowl of soup. It was only about SGD$4 but seriously I could not finish it. The remainder of the trip we took note to share 2 to a bowl of beef noodles, but our greedy selves kept forgetting.

Was sooooooo full after that!! It's easy to gain weight in Taiwan, sigh.

Here's the beef noodle stall I ate at! It's really good and their noodles are handmade. There are seats at the basement with aircon too (it really was too hot in Taiwan, especially at the night market)

The next morning, I snooped around H132 Hostel for a bit before we checked out. For a more detailed review, check out this post.