The Sushi Bar ~ Popular Japanese Eatery At Far East Plaza Opens New Branch At Ngee Ann City!

There was once when I almost made it to The Sushi Bar at Far East Plaza, but did a u-turn upon sighting the queue at its entrance. Heart wanted to go in and understand the reason for the popularity of this humble Japanese eatery located in Orchard Road, but growling tummy said cannot wait. Heart lost, tummy won.

Fast forward to a few days ago: The Sushi Bar opens a new branch at Ngee Ann City, and there was no queue (yet)! Yay! Both heart and tummy are happy now! :D

Singapore Blog Awards 2015 ~ PinkyPiggu Is In The Finals For BEST FOOD BLOG!

Happy Announcement!

PinkyPiggu is in the Singapore Blog Award's finals again this year for BEST FOOD BLOG!

Much thanks to you who is supportive of this little space here where I share my dining experiences and cooking experiments.

"Organised by omy.sg, the Singapore Blog Awards honour tireless "new age wordsmith" who devote much time and energy in maintaining informative, regularly updated and innovative blogs, often out of interest rather than for personal gains." (source: Singapore Blog Awards Facebook Page)

Dragon Boat Festival 2015 ~ Glutinous Rice Dumplings! 粽子! Bak Chang Bak Chang I love You!

The tradition of eating Glutinous Rice Dumplings or 粽子 or Bak Chang to honor Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet known for his patriotism in 278BC, is so synonymous with Dragon Boat Festival (端午节), that sometimes we conveniently refer it as dumpling festival lol.

It falls on every 5th day of the 5th Lunar month, which is on 20th June for year 2015.

Even though these sticky rice treats are available all year round, it is usually during this season when most Chinese restaurants will 出 pattern come out with a host of tantalizing choices with luscious fillings such as truffles and kurobuta pork.

I love to eat bak chang, I just don't like to look like one haha. Here are some dumplings which I've been stuffing myself with this year.

Food + Socialikes Connect 2015 ~ A Food And Social Media Conference For And By Food Bloggers And Instagrammers #fscsg15

Organizing conferences has been part of my work portfolio for the last couple of years, but it did not cross my mind at any point that someday I will be part of a team putting together one on a personal front on a topic that relates closely to my heart: Food.

Food + Socialikes Connect 2015 is the inaugural Food And Social Media Conference in Singapore for food bloggers and instagrammers. PinkyPiggu is happy to be in the organizing committee with Aries (@ironsage), Derrick (SG Food On Foot), Nat (Rubbish Eat Rubbish Grow) and Nicholas (@stormscape).

The idea came about when Nat attended the Eat, Drink, Blog, the 5th National Australian Food Bloggers' Conference in Brisbane last year as a keynote speaker. He feels that a similar conference would benefit the food social media scene in Singapore, by building knowledge and community spirit among social media users. Like in all sectors, the social media sphere has some skeptical bloggers/instagrammers who create bad blood, and cause controversy. We hope to counter the negativity, and produce goodwill and understanding among the community.

Next came the actual work: Brainstorming, Planning, and Execution. It kept us busy for the last 5 months!

Legendary Hong Kong @ Jurong Point ~ Best Of Hong Kong Cuisine Within One Location, And Ooh That Awesome Duck!

The thought of traveling to the far far far west of our island did not really appeal to me, but who would have guessed that I did that for two consecutive days..... all because of..... A DUCK!

Yes, it was the specialty Roasted London Duck from Legendary Hong Kong in Jurong Point (next to Boon Lay mrt station) which drew my lazy bum over haha. Needless to say, it was one heaven of a DELICIOUS duck! Certainly one of the very best I've ever tried!

Tburu ~ A Beautiful Sushi & Grill Restaurant At Orchardgateway@Emerald

Tburu is not one of those restaurants you'd passed by and say "Let's go in and have a meal". It is hidden away on level 5 in Orchardgateway@Emerald, accessible only by a lift from within Crate & Barrel.

The lift seem to have transported us to a parallel universe when its door opened. Very tranquil and no one in sight, a far contrast to the hustle bustle of Orchard Road we have experienced just seconds ago. So here we were, beyond the white paneled entrance is a contemporary looking Japanese restaurant specializing in sushi and grilled items.

Grand Park City Hall Hotel ~ Indulge At Park Offers Long Weekend Tunch & Asian BBQ Buffet Dinner!

I thought I had already sworn off buffets in consideration of an alarming horizontal growth, but why oh why must the Grand Park City Hall's Asian BBQ Weekend Buffet Dinner sound so tempting? The spotlight is on barbeque delights grilled ala minute, in addition to the scrumptious lineup of Asian, local and continental fare.

Okay, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, and and and, we need to eat dinner anyway right? So off we go!

BOCA Singapore @ Bukit Pasoh Road ~ Serving Authentic Portuguese Cuisine & Best Egg Tart Ever!

Absence didn't make the heart grow fonder, it made the (previous) chef homesick and went back to Portugal! Oh no, will we still get to eat delicious authentic Portuguese food in Singapore then? Thankfully, the answer is ~ Yes!

Launched in January 2015, BOCA Singapore is now helmed by a duo of dynamic lads, Chef Luca Bordino and Chef Francisco Vaz. They are both natives of Portugal and collectively boasts 10 years of cooking experience. Oh boy, these young boys can really cook!

Happy Mookata @ Sunset Lane ~ Eat All You Can Ala Carte Buffet At Only $25.90nett!!!

What makes you happy? Happy Mookata maybe? At just $25.90 nett per person for an ala-carte buffet of Thai traditional BBQ, I believe it has made many tummies and wallets happy in a way :p

It was a Wednesday evening when I walked past the lure of $1 buffalo wings day at Smokey's BBQ, and headed straight for my intended dinner destination, Happy Mookata at Sunset Lane. Focus, focus, because a delectable spread is waiting.

FYR Cycene Ond Drinc @ Boon Tat Street ~ Modern European Restaurant With Asian Influences

FYR Cycene Ond Drinc (pronounced as FIRE Kitchen and Drink) sounds exactly like my kind of place! Meat! Grill! Fire! Harking us back to the primal enjoyment of food, and therein lies the appeal for me. I'm a carnivore, hear me roar!

To complete the dining experience, the restaurant is done up in a rather rustic way with wall murals depicting the etymology of fire. The use of much stone and wood elements further lends the restaurant a distinct olden-day charm.

Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant 萬豪軒 @ Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel ~ Best Signatures Of All Time!

Happy 20th Anniversary to Wan Hao Chinese Restaurant 萬豪軒! The stalwart of Cantonese cuisine stays strong amid this competitive F&B scene, and 20 years is certainly a milestone worth commemorating. This could be the perfect time to savor the delicacies at Wan Hao with their launch of The Best Signatures of All Time featuring 20 of the most popular and award-winning ala carte dishes since 1995! Woohoo! Are you salivating already?

+39 Gelato Bar @ Circular Road ~ Superb Pistachio Gelato! Must-Try!!!

Bingsu, Ice Cream, Ice Kachang, Snowflake Shaved Ice. Do we really need so many variety of icy desserts? In this hot and sunny island where we live in, the answer is definitely yes!

Add Italian Gelato that list, and more specifically, +39 Gelato Bar (named after Italy's country code) to one of my favorite places in Singapore for indulgence of the premium kind. I swooned over its delightful offerings faster than the passionate heat can swoon me.

Akari Japanese Dining Bar @ Marina Bay Financial Centre ~ A Beautiful Kaiseki Dinner

There are so many things to like about Japanese cuisine! From hearty ramen to exciting omakase surprises, I love them all! My latest indulgence was a wondrous Kaiseki dining experience at Akari Japanese Dining Bar.

This is the first time ever that Akari introduces kaiseki set to their dinner repertoire of over 70 items, buoyed by the addition of Chef Hirotaka Murata from Tokyo who has more than 20 years of culinary experience under his belt.

Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant @ Ngee Ann City ~ Seafood Paella, Suckling Pig & YouTube Video With Local Singer-Songwriter Lin Sitong 林思彤!

PinkyPiggu spent a Saturday afternoon with a pig! A very delicious Spanish Suckling Pig! Haha!

Many a times we are caught up with pursuing the latest food fad, or checking out the trending talk-of-the-town, and lose out in embracing gems which might be dismissed as "boring" only because the place has been around for sometime. Casting any restrictive mindset aside, I visited Serenity Spanish Bar & Restaurant. How was the experience? As heart thumping exciting as a flamenco dance! My tummy was serenaded with gratification in every chomp!

The Royal Mail (TRM) Restaurant & Bar @ Ascott Singapore, Raffles Place ~ Where Delectable Modern British Cuisine Awaits!

As the multitude of footsteps hurried towards Raffles Place mrt station to leave the CBD area during the happy after-6 office hour, I braved mine in the opposite direction and headed for The Ascott Singapore. I was just as happy, because that's where The Royal Mail (TRM) Restaurant & Bar is located and dinner is waiting for me.

In celebration of its 3rd anniversary, TRM is giving a 20% discount off its dinner ala-carte menu everyday from now till 30th May 2015! Woohoo must hurry!