Celebrating the end on a foodie note...=)

My last semester of 13 weeks has come to an end... but strangely i felt no lingering sense of sentimentality or loss.. maybe it's cos i am just too disappointed with the choices of modules this semesters, and the lacklustre performance of some of the lecturers, and then the things that happened along the way that almost threatened to throw me back into that black pit, pain, disappointment over some people.. once again. Maybe it's also cos I feel my identity is just stuck somehow in terms of school. Compared to my normal batch, i have graduated damn late (most of my friends have already graduated last yr or mid-yr this year and have already took the plunge into the working world). Compared to my social work batch, i am graduating early. True, i am graduating with a number of grads who came from poly and only did 5 semesters in school instead of the usual 6, but I am still graduating earlier than friends such as von and karen and shem. I am so stuck and not really knowing where to begin from here that I failed to miss the sentimentality of it being my last semester.. much as i wanna savour the feeling of being a student.

Strange. I remember the sentimentality of younger days. Autograph books passed around the entire class at the end of each graduating year, or more significantly, the notable graduating of the stages--PSLE, O, A Levels. Graduation gifts in the forms of flowers, teddy bears, farewell cards were given. At times, if the class is close enough, a class party is held. We graduated amidst hugs and cries of not being able to enter the next stage together. Where have those days gone to?

In uni, u graduate without a trace left.. people like you come in and out everyday, every semester. People only realise you are graduating when it is mentioned over casual conversations, meals. *Oh you are graduating le?* *what are your plans* etc.. Funny.. As we grow older, it seems sentimentality dies as well... the numbers you accumulated or wanna get then is for future social networking contacts and not purely in the name of keeping in touch and having a meet-together.

I guess i must grow with the stages musn't i? In any case, this is how i celebrated my final week in my final semester. With a couple of impt people, in which i hope i don't have to say farewell to..

*Day out with Von*

Went out to relax with von and let her shop amidst her tiring week of Bahasa exams..

::At City Plaza::


Von and me at PL station.. it was a good hair day for me haha.. we went there: me to reattach my 8 bunches of dropped hair, and von to satisfy her shopping cravings there.. She bought so much clothes.. hahaha.. hope retail therapy worked for her. I had to be conscious of my spending, so I only bought a $8 necklace and a $2.90 pair of unique star-shaped earrings. Von bought a pair too.. hehz.

::At Central's at Tamp Mall::

Satisfied our hungry tummies at Central's at TM..

My Spaghetti fried with shrimps and XO sauce... with von's skeletal fingers. The XO sauce is really quite delish, though a bit too spicy for my taste.


Von's Pork Chop Noodles. We thought the noodles were fried.. not soupy. But i like the design of the bowl! It is in the shape of the digit 8, and they separated the soupy noodles from the pork chop. This is a good idea, as most restaurants would just serve the pork chop together with the soup, and make the fried food totally soggy and the soup oily.

Our drinks in the foreground.. My yuan-yang with grass jelly and von's thick milk tea.


My butter and sugar thick toast.. It brings me back to my childhood.. a childhood fave form of breakfast and goes really well with kopi-O!=)

::Tapas Night::

I have been looking forward to this all week. Grace invited me to join her, her best friend and her best friend's bf to a Tapas dinner at the Tapas Tree at Clarke Quay. I have never dined in that area before, as it is really out of the way, but that place is filled with unique restaurants and eateries of various cuisines.

In any case, Tapas is a Spanish sort of tradition, according to Grace, where Spanish celebrate this festival by ordering small dishes and eating through the night or sth, with beer. It is an interesting concept.. food all night!! hehz. Perfect for foodies.

I like Spanish cuisine cos they have alot of POTATO dishes.. but due to their pricing, and also the fact that most of the people ard me are "safe" eaters, I only had this cuisine once before, when someone treated me at CHIJMES. So I jumped at the chance at having this cuisine again that night=)

*Disclaimer: some of the pics are taken by grace.. the abstract ones actually.. of scenery and the place..


The inner of the restaurant is very dark, which will explain for why some of the pics turn out very dark, and that the colour of the food looks almost the same. heh. But i like the romantic glow of each table only lighted by one candle..


The vibrant furnishings which adds cheer to one's world-weary, study-exhausted spirit..


The romantic candle set in a pretty frosted painted glass..


Tapas Tapas.. anticipating our meal ahead..


My Cha-Cha, a mocktail of pineapple, mango and orange juice.. served with a slice of orange and a maraschino cherry.. pretty right?

Haha, i shall attempt to name the dishes we ordered by their Spanish names.. provided by the restaurant's online menu which grace sent me.. It's soo cool.. Spanish is sooo cool, and i heard before that Spanish men can be ultra romantic, best of all, they prepare my fave food in the world--potatoes!!.. or is Italian men who are the ultra romantics?? And they prepare another fave food of mine--pasta!! Haha.. who cares? As long as the food's good!


Pan de la Casa.. or homemade fresh baguette.

Simin, Grace's best friend said that the bread determines the quality of the restaurant's food. A good restauarant would serve good, crusty bread, or something along the line. Heh.. I am not the food expert here. The bread tastes okay to me.. i love baguettes with butter.


We ordered 4 dishes.. and they are really quite small dishes.. dun be deceived by the pictures hehz. But the portions were still alright for the 4 of us.


Champiriones salteado al Ajillo.. or Sauteed Mushrooms in Garlic and Olive oil. The mushrooms are quite succulent and juicy.


Patatas salteadas con Chorizo.. or sauteed potatoes with Spanish pork sausage. This is easily my favourite dish.


Solomillo salteado con Ajillo.. or Beef tenderloin cubes sauteed in olive oil and garlic.


Gambas salteadas al Aljillo... sauteed shrimps in garlic and olive oil. They kindly didn't add chilli to the dish, which was optional as i cun take spiciness.

Actually, it ended up as Simin said, all the dishes tasting garlicky.. and i realised almost all the dishes we ordered had garlic! there was so much, i even spread garlic and olive oil to a piece of baguette and ate it. Personally, i can't taste the difference in the cuisine. The uniqueness of the Spanish cuisine didn't come up, not like the one i had in CHIJMES eons ago. I was even thinking that normal chu chao stalls would cook the dishes better, cos if you noticed, the food we chose, can be used in Chinese cuisine as well.


Grace and me.. looking very happy and untired due to the mask of soft candlelight...

With Simin..

Ah well, i think the general consensus was that it wasn't totally fantastic, though i really love the ambience.. so romantic!! So we moved to another place for dessert.

They brought me to Canale.. at Robertson Quay which is a little walk up from Clarke Quay. It is a small patisserie set in the midst of other eateries and cafes. I have never been to Robertson Quay before, but i was really enchanted by the place, littered with eateries and people, and which in Grace's words, totally dun look like Singapore, but like some other country, especially with a clock tower, and it is also mostly frequented by expats. Oh it's beautiful.. Canale. And i love patisseries.. and it is my first time in one, don't you think the word "patisserie" sounds so pretty in itself? And i only have a toy Sylvanian one to tell me what a patisserie is supposed to resemble before i came to this placee.. I know i am gushing.. but i am so excited.. and it's really really beautiful. I fell in love the moment i stepped into the place.

Beautifully decorated for Christmas already, with Christmas wreath and dangling fantasies of decorations, the place was small and warm with the sweet smell of chocolates.. the display case was meticulously arranged with different varieties of chocolates and pastries, with 2 macaron trees, and a side table with assorted cookies.. Even the see-through kitchen looks pretty and neat with boxes of delicious-sounding ingredients stacked up high, such as "Jupiter's shells". There were even a tray of chocolate dome-shaped shells in sight, and a 6-tiered wedding cake.. Oh it's really really gorgeous.. i wish i had not been too shy to take pics to share with yall.. but there were so many people in the cafe.. I feel so happy just drinking in all the beautiful sights of this small patisserie/cafe with my eyes, my troubles forgotten for the moment.


Beautiful Canale.. you steal my heart away..


Le Royal chocolate cake.. lurves! I love the layers of chocolate with the hazelnut crispy biscuity centre..


Matcha (green tea) cake. It is really an acquired taste. i can't take to the taste at all, but the girls loved it.


A discreet pic i took of this sweet picture i saw hanging on the wall, but not very well-taken. It is of macaron fairies.. so cute right?? Each fairy is dressed up in a different coloured macaron skirt or hat. i only had the cheap version of macarons, when they sold in a bazaar in school. Eleen, from social work, offered me one. I heard the real macarons are really expensive due to the ingredients that go into them. They can cost like $12 for 5, and they are really tiny. And according to Simin, the macarons flavours come in seasons.


This is a pic of macarons i got off wikipedia..

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With my last week spent amidst happy gatherings of food (there was also this class gathering for our sociocultural module, which the lecturer suggested each group brings a dish to share with the class a la pot-luck style. it is the first and only time since i was in NUS that we had such a "celebration" to end the module.. but we all had fun. My group had fun preparing our food and getting to know each other better.. alas it was the last day of lecture.

Through centuries, food has always been used in celebrations... recall the above note: Spanish tradition of Tapas.. With the happy feelings that food can arouse in us, I end this turbulent semester on a happy foodie note. Thanks von for the sweet company, and gracie dear, for the lovely night out. Good food and company really helps to dispel the negative feelings. Haha, but i am not forgetting my exercise. Yeah.. loving CardioLatino at the moment.. and together with KB and CardioBlitz to burn the fats accumulated, and release more of the happy endorphins to keep me going through the exam period manz. Yay! ling is a strong and happy and loved girl..=)