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Friday 27 June 2014

Humidity 90%!

June 27, 2014 0 Comments

GONNA DIE OF HUMIDITY.


Good lord, 90%?!


Someone help. :(



And thanks for the rain that appears to be looming over the coming week.

Thank the uprising temperature that will come along with the rain too.

Remember your umbrellas and water peeps.


MAGNOLIA BAKERY AND WHY IT'S A SIN IF YOU ARE NOT LOVING IT

June 27, 2014 0 Comments
First up, sorry for the hiatus as #estheetheexplorer has been busy touring the world. (not that I should be apologizing to any loyal readers who are dying for updates because there really aren't any anyway. But hey, stats show that my Babyface Candy Glow Tint Bar/Nakhon Thai/Chicken Up reviews are still bringing in good traffic though no one gives a damn about my travelogues. Now that is just major sad since this blog is meant to be my travelogue.)

But that shall not deter #estheetheexplorer anyway!

Today's post is gonna make you salivate but you won't regret it.
Because I regret not having been enlightened before.
So I'm gonna be this good kind soul to enlighten others now.





Now, if you live in New York City and you've not heard of this...

Or if you've been watching American TV, and you've also not heard of this...

Or if you live in New York City, watch American TV, have a sweet tooth, and you've still not heard of this....

Or if you're travelling to New York or already in NYC....


It's time you start living and listen up now.

Because I'm about to introduce the most AMAZING, most FABULOUS, most DELICIOUS, most AWESOME thing that you can put in your mouth.




MAGNOLIA BAKERY'S CHEESECAKE IS DA BOMB!!!



It's so darn good just by thinking back upon my first taste makes my world stop momentarily so I can relieve the moment.

I'm not kidding.
The first time I tasted their Red Velvet Cheesecake, I tasted orgasm.
I SWEAR.

Okay, you get the gist. It's that f*cking good.

What have I been doing all these while?!?!

I don't know why I've been to New York so many times and have never discovered this gem. Especially since it's done so well that it's been featured on big screen such as Sex And The City, and The Devil Wears Prada, and has also been franchised all over United States, and soon to be all over the world.

Here's when they shot Sex And The City!
This is where the original bakery is - Bleecker Street, on the corner of the West 11th Street, Manhattan, NYC.

Photo by: nypost

I didn't manage to visit the original bakery though.
Why go far when I could get my happiness at Rockefeller Center?
That's merely 10 minutes walk from Times Square and mind you, I'm a slow walker.


Ta-dah!!! Presenting to you, MAGNOLIA BAKERY @ Rockefeller Center!



Step inside and you'll be presented with a array of colourful, yummylicious cakes of all sizes behind the counters, waiting for you to pick them up. Trust me, I'm not a huge fan of cakes but these were like a dozen of small little things shouting at me to bring them home.

Well it's hard not to, when a simple Vanilla cupcake is described in this manner - Vanilla: rich, buttery, old-fashioned cake with a light crumb. Our most popular cupcake.

Or like this - Lemon: lemon cream filling with lemon meringue butter-cream.

Or this - Pistachio: pistachio cake with pistachio meringue buttercream topped with pistachios.

Now that's only three out of what, 20 cupcake flavours?! You tell me how to pick like that!!!

It just makes you wanna try everything!

Marketing huh.






And boy, we were only talking about cupcakes earlier on.

Wait till we get to the cakes.




For the variety of cakes, there's Vanilla Bean, Caramel Pecan, Key Lime, Vanilla & Chocolate Swirl, Chocolate, Red Velvet flavour. (courtesy of Magnolia Bakery's online menu)

Sorry I didn't take more upclose shots of the cake because I was too stressed trying to pick one and I'm pretty sure the staff wanted me out of the way as soon as I got my cake.

Not that they weren't friendly, it's just that I'm not too sure Westerners get this thing about Asians and their obsession with photographing every small little thing in life.

Ok back to the cakes, don't they just look pretty sitting delicately on their own stands just waiting to get sliced?

I always go for the ones that are less whole because that would mean that they're the best-sellers! (may well just be monkey-see-monkey-do)
Also, once they've had a slice of them taken out, I would be able to take a good look at their insides so I can tell what goodness there is in them! All the more reason to buy those right?

Being the glutton that I am, I was tempted to buy every single flavour of the cakes/cupcakes/cheesecakes that were available and I would have done so...



If I wasn't down to my last penny that is.


Oh yeah, you heard me right. I had exactly $7 to buy something from here, because I spent my other $6 on Lamb Over Rice at the Halal Guys. And i got this $11 because I made my friend have breakfast with me and I'd pay by credit card so she could pay me back in cash and I'd have cash for Halal Guys and Magnolia Bakery!

Brilliant Plan! How smart, thank you. :)

Since I had $7 exactly, a Cheesecake did just fine.
(FYI: All cheesecakes are priced at 7USD).

And boy, I made the best decision ever in my entire life because this Red Velvet Cheesecake that I bought was the most heavenly thing I've ever tasted.

Way better than Cheesecake Factory's cheesecakes or any other cheesecakes in the world. You guys can all go suck thumb, come learn from Magnolia Bakery instead!

Nope, no picture of my very own Red Velvet Cheesecake because I bought it and devoured it the very moment I could.
To the very last bit of it, ooooo yeahhhh.

However, here's a picture of the cheesecakes I took from the shop!
Uh huh, at the bottom is my Red Velvet baby.




Oh, just so you know, all these goodness from Magnolia Bakery are ALL HANDMADE.

From cakes to cupcakes to cheesecakes to cookies and pies and whatever heavenly edible items, they're all made by hand, on the premises throughout the day.

That's why it's called a Bakery because it's freshly baked and placed on the counter for sale!

Proof of their on-the-spot bakery.



As you can see, Red Velvet is obviously doing very well.

Magnolia Bakery is known for their cupcakes but my virgin experience went to their cheesecake and I must say that definitely didn't disappoint.

I will definitely be back to try the other things on their menu!
(another chance at orgasm, why not? okay sorry)




Here are just some additional information on Magnolia Bakery that I thought might be useful to some of you.

Magnolia Bakery offers customized cakes, makes wedding cakes and offers drop-off catering services.
You can place advanced orders and they even deliver!

They are even Kosher-certified and have gluten-free cake. (not that any of these matters to me but I'm sure it could be valid information for some!)

For a list of other FAQs, check out Magnolia's website over here.
 http://www.magnoliabakery.com/about-us/faqs/


Magnolia Bakery's U.S. Locations:


Bloomingdale’s

1000 Third Avenue
New York, NY
Tel.: 212.265.5320
Store Hours: M-F: 7am-9pm
Sat-Sun: 8am-8pm

Grand Central Terminal
Grand Central Terminal, Lower Dining Concourse
New York, NYTel.: 212.682.3588
Store Hours: M-F: 7:30am-10pm
Sat: 9am-10pm / Sun: 9am-8pm

Upper West Side
200 Columbus Avenue at 69th Street
New York, NYTel.: 212.724.8101
Store Hours: M-Th: 7:30am-10pm
F-Sat: 7:30am-12am / Sun: 7:30am-10pm

Rockefeller Center
1240 Avenue of the Americas at 49th Street
New York, NYTel.: 212.767.1123
Store Hours: M-Th: 7am-10pm
F: 7am-12am / Sat: 8am-12am / Sun: 8am-10pm


Bleecker Street
401 Bleecker Street and W. 11th Street
New York, NY
Tel.: 212.462.2572
Store Hours: M-Th: 9am-11:30pm
F-Sat: 9am-12:30am / Sun: 9am-11:30pm

Chicago
108 N. State Street at Block 37Chicago, IL
Tel.: 312.346.7777
Store Hours: M-Th: 7:30am-9pm
F: 7:30am-12am / Sat: 8am-12am / Sun: 8am-8pm

Los Angeles
8389 West 3rd Street at Orlando St.
Los Angeles, CA
Tel.: 323.951.0636
Store Hours: M-W: 8am-8pm
Th-Sat: 8am-10pm / Sun: 10am-9pm


There are also franchises in Dubai/Doha/Abu Dhabi/Tokyo and many more.


 So the next time you're here in New York city, do stop by Magnolia Bakery and give yourself a little treat!
Even if you can't stand anything sweet (God forbid), do just spend a little $$$ here and treat someone you love to a lovely cake.

You can't go wrong, trust me!

Looking forward to the day I see myself standing at this spot once again. :D

Friday 13 June 2014

Devious Maids and why it's so devilishly good

June 13, 2014 0 Comments

If you haven't caught this American drama series, I suggest you pause right now, open a new browser,  search "Devious Maids", stream it, download it, make a purchase, do whatever it that you do, and let it run. Because by the end of this post, you could give this drama a shot and you probably wouldn't regret it.

Unless, of course, you are a boring, old blobfish who knows nothing about letting loose and finding fun and humour in little things in life. Which I'm not surprised to know there are many around.

(Random: Did you know that a blobfish looks like this?)


WTF is this thing right? It looks kinda human-like which makes it kinda creepy actually.



Sure Devious Maids is soap-opera, brainless material that basically centers around the lives of five Latina maids who work for the rich in Beverly Hills. They may seem bimbotic, constantly talking about love and sex and what not. But they're called Devious Maids for a reason, and that's because you need brains and wit even think of devious ways!

Don't be so quick to judge click flick bimbo shows. I gotta admit I initially watched one episode on TV with a tad disdain but after that one episode, I had the rest of the season in my Ipad.

If you need further convincing, the show is made by the same people behind Desperate Housewives. So you can expect just the same kind of humour.

I like the show because it reflects a certain level of reality, amidst its drama and comedy.

The show constantly highlights the contrast between the rich and the less-rich. And I think it's hard to miss out the ridicule on the rich. The rich can really be ridiculously rich, or rich and ridiculous.

Much as this is American drama we're talking about, I love how real every situation in the show is. The sort of things people think they can get away with with money, or the mentality and behaviour they adopt on others just because they have more $$$ than the other party does.


My favourite of them all has got to be Rosie, played by Dania Ramirez.

Apart from being so devilishly gorgeous, I like her character the most because she's so full of principles! She's always struggling with her moral values and the temptations in life, yet always making the decision to put others before herself.





Ok, I'm no critic on Rotten Tomatoes so I shall stop here and resume my drama.

Darn, I'm watching it so fast that now I have to wait till they screen it in America before I can watch the next one. :(

Matilda The Musical on Covent Garden

June 13, 2014 0 Comments

Official Website for Matilda The Musical (UK): http://uk.matildathemusical.com/

Just came back from Matilda, the Musical and it is soooooo soooooo amazing! 

I can't even say how awesome and breathtaking it was because words just can't adequately do this musical justice.

Okay I say that about every single play/musical I watch in London or on Broadway but that's only because I truly mean it.

THEY ARE REALLY SO DARN GOOD, I TELL YOU.

*edit*





Us with our half-priced tickets that we got from TKTS. Yes, half price!

We got ours at 66 pounds, 8th row from the front!
I KNEW I'D ENJOY IT. Great deal for the 8th row from the front huh?

Some info on TKTS if you still have not heard of them.

What is TKTS?

TKTS is run by Society of London Theatre on behalf of the theatre industry. It is the original ticket booth and has operated since 1980 in the heart of Leicester Square. Its unique official status guarantees you amazing bargains, an incredible choice of shows, and friendly, award-winning customer service from our expert staff. And any profit from TKTS is used to fund a range of important activities in the theatre industry.

What can I buy at TKTS?

We're famous for half-price tickets on the day of performance for West End musicals, plays, opera and dance. But we've also got thousands of advance tickets, many at amazing discounts, all of them representing great value-for-money. A limited number of shows also sell full price tickets through TKTS. We also sell and accept Theatre Tokens.

How to find TKTS (Lesicester Square)?

The nearest London Underground stations are Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.
From Leicester Square Underground station: Exit onto Charing Cross Road. Head West along Cranbourn Street. At the end of Cranbourn Street, you will enter Leicester Square. Turn left and head to the South of the Square. TKTS is the building next to the Park, diagonally opposite the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire Hotel.
From Piccadilly Circus Underground station: Exit onto Coventry Street. Head East until you cross Wardour Street and approach Leicester Square. Once in the Square, turn right and head to the South of the Square. TKTS is the building next to the Park, diagonally opposite the Odeon cinema.

 PS: Information courtesy of TKTS.



Personally, TKTS is my must-stop every single time I'm in London or New York. (Yes, there's another TKTS for the shows on Broadway) Why wouldn't you go for heavily discounted tickets to the best musicals/plays in the world?!

I know for various reasons, there are people who don't appreciate theatre. Yes, it can be rather pricey for 2 hours odd, 3 hours of your life. But the very first time I watched one, I knew it was worth every single bit.

The professionalism of each and every one on stage as well as behind the curtains! It's live theatre and to be able to make it onto Broadway or London Theatre, every actor must have had a portfolio so mind-blowing, you can trust them to deliver the best on stage.

It doesn't matter if it's Les Misérables or Dirty Dancing or Matilda, the singing and the acting has never fell short of professional.
The grandeur of the theatre and stage set up is amazing too.


Okay, before I go further. Here's a couple of pictures I took of the TKTS booth at Leicester Square. There are instructions on how to get there above but it's also fairly easy to navigate without memorizing the instructions. Just go to Piccadilly Circus Underground tube station and ask the information counter or any of the staff for directions.

Note: The information counter also sells tickets to the musicals/play. They WILL try to sell you the tickets before giving you the directions to the TKTS booth. Take note of it and don't mistaken them for the TKTS booth! It's about 10 minutes walk from the station.

The TKTS booth looks like this.


Here's the queue forming to buy the discounted tickets. Not as bad as the queue on Broadway, really! And I was surprised to find that the TKTS booth in London also sells discounted tickets for shows the next day while the TKTS on Broadway, NYC, only sells shows that are playing the very same day.

So if you have time the next day for another show, why not?



A little bit information: Matilda is located on Covent Garden.

To get there, take the underground tube to Leicester Square. Exit towards Long Acre St and turn left towards Mercer St. It is about 10 minutes walk.

If you are lost, just ask for directions! The British are very friendly people and everyone there will know where these theatres are. You will be looking out for the Cambridge Theatre.

Here are some pictures of the Cambridge Theatre from the outside.



(Indeed it's one of the best musicals on my list so far!)

That's my friend Shirley saying Hi from across the street.


And me getting very excited for the show!


(See, I told you Samsung S5's front camera sucks. You can't even see the huge Matilda signboard behind. wtf)

Matilda was such a big hit by Roald Dahl. Also, having been made into a movie just gave me such high hopes for the musical.

 Upon entering, I was greeted by the amazing array of colours on stage. The stage setup is absolutely bright and cheery, and sets the tone for the anticipation of a fun-filled night.

My view from the 8th row. No zoom, no edits done.



The wonderful thing about Matilda is that they aren't dead strict on photography inside the theatre. Yes, photography and videography isn't allowed whilst the performance is ongoing but pictures before and after the show and during the interval is allowed.

I remember going to other shows like Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables and the staff hunt cameras down like dogs.

Of course it would be unethical to video parts of the performance due to rights and all, but I'm really glad that they do at least allow pictures inside the theatre when the performers are off stage.

That way, I can keep these pictures as memories!




I won't go into details of the show because I am not a critic. (though I've been trained to be one as a literature major, but come on, those people are too harsh!)

But I must say Matilda is one of the best musicals I've ever watched. Be prepared for a theatre full of children, be it onstage or offstage. Offstage because this is such a family oriented performance, do be warned you'll be surrounded by children in the audience.

Onstage the children are wonderful professionals who certainly do not pale in comparison next to the adults. Though I may not say so for the other way because the child actors are simply impressive that you might tend to give them all the credit!

Although I really give credit to Miss Trunchbull who was very very into character, so much so that when he she speaks, you can see specks of saliva shooting out of his her mouth for there's always so much vehemence in his her words. Poor actors around Miss Truchbull, they must have saliva on their faces all the time, every single night.

Thumbs-up for this Miss Truchbull!




Matilda, a must watch for all theatre-goers! For non-theatre goers, you might enjoy it too. Just get your tickets at half price and I'm sure you will feel the pinch less. 

Monday 9 June 2014

Nakhon Kitchen, Thai food at Kovan, Singapore

June 09, 2014 0 Comments
Will be reviewing on Nakhon Kitchen, a cosy little Thai restaurant in Kovan, Singapore.

Nakhon Kitchen

212 Hougang Street 21 Singapore 530212

For directions:
Nakhon Kitchen on Google Maps



I generally don't do food reviews because everything that goes into my mouth just tastes good to me.

Also, there really are so many food blogs around that I just think my post wouldn't matter.

But as I was wondering what to have for dinner since I was in the vicinity, I googled "good food in Kovan" and various blogs came up.
I then realized that it doesn't matter if I'm no Ladyironchef (who btw gives fantastic food reviews that I always trust), because any other person who bothered to blog about the place only means that the place has something worthy of mention!

So I decided to do a simple review of this place in case someone else googles "good food in Kovan" in future and maybe my blog will help bring one more customer to Nakhon Kitchen.

Ok, this is my third time to this place and I totally get what the rave is all about. It is definitely worthy of a blog post.

First and foremost,
They serve REALLY GOOD THAI FOOD.

'Serving You Authentic Thai Cuisine' - That's what the signboard says.
Well I don't know about the authenticity since I'm not Thai, but what I'm certain of, is that it's good Thai food.

Here's what we ordered. Check out my Instavid here.
Nakhon Kitchen at Kovan


Pineapple Fried Rice (6 SGD)


Yummy!

Rice was rather fragrant and the pork floss on top really goes well with the rice.
They were quite generous with the pork floss so there was enough pork floss to go with every mouthful of rice.

Only downside was that I thought there should be more pineapple since it's pineapple fried rice afterall, but as you can see, only two slices of pineapple can be found on the plate.

Plus, a tad oily. You'll see what I mean when you get to the end, because the oil will clearly reflect on your empty plate.

BUT, your plate will get empty before you see the oil because it's that delicious! Kind of regretted wolfing down my food when I saw how shiny my plate was. Oh well.


Pad Thai Tang Hoon (6 SGD)



Also very yummy!

As you can see, generous with the ingredients.
Goes well with sugar, which we requested for, and they also gave a large bowl of it, as if sugar didn't cost any money.

We finished every bit of it.

I would recommend to order the Tang Hoon because if you are a sucker for Pad Thai like I am, this is fried exactly the same way as Pad Thai so you'd get the same taste, except that Tang Hoon isn't as filling as Pad Thai. So your stomach still has space for other food!

The Tang Hoon is a dollar more expensive than the Pad Thai though.


Chicken Green Curry (8 SGD)



Good, but I've tasted better elsewhere. Still good though. (the good one I've had was from the Thai restaurant located at the basement of Far East but they've closed down. Anyone knows if they've relocated elsewhere because their green curry is to die for!)

Okay, as you can see, this Chicken Green Curry is on the thick side. Would have been great to go with plain rice. You can't drink it on its own because it's so thick but thick better than watery right?

Also, they use chicken breast but I think most places serve chicken breast with green curry. I'd have preferred thigh meat because breast meat is so dry and tough.

Again, extremely generous with the Thai eggplant and the pea aubergine although I must admit chicken parts were on the less generous side.


Seafood Tom Yam Soup (6 SGD)



Good! But mind you, it's spicy!

You can choose the clear or the thick base. We went for the clear one because I think it's less filling.

I thought ingredients were just right for the size of the bowl, because when it comes to a soup dish, it's really the soup that you're looking out for.

The spiciness is bearable for sure, since I am one who doesn't take to spice that well and this Tom Yam soup kept me going. We finished every bit of it.

But do have a cup of ice tea with you!


Thai Iced Tea (3 SGD)




I'm a sucker for all types of milk tea and this definitely doesn't disappoint.

Might be a tad too sweet for some but you'd expect that from Thai Iced Tea right?

Wanted to order another cup but damn you calories.




So here's our dinner for the day. A total cost of 32 SGD for two. Rather reasonable, I'd say. Considering the rave and the popularity that's been going on for years.

Speaking of prices, here are some pictures of their menu for your reference.










And yes, the queue here is insane. Everytime I'm here, there's always a queue. Even though it might be still bright on a weekday, people are still in the line. It's only a matter of how long the wait is. Despite being there at 5pm on a weekday, we still stood in line for close to 30 minutes.

I noticed that yes, the line's due to the restaurant's popularity, but it's also because the restaurant's seating capacity isn't too big. You can be seated faster if you're willing with share tables with others but most people there really want to sit down and have a decent good meal before moving on.

It isn't fast food because the food is good! People enjoy the food here so they'd order a fair amount and take their time to finish it.

But the good thing is that they take your order while you are in line and food is served immediately once you are seated. Food was piping hot when it came!

It was my third time to Nakhon Kitchen and will be returning again soon.
Not on a weekend for sure though, queue will be mad long.

Do head to Nakhon Kitchen for good Thai food people!

Monday 2 June 2014

Steamboat in Shanghai

June 02, 2014 1 Comments
Did you know?

The Chinese hot pot has a history of more than 1,000 years.

The hot pot is a super popular cuisine all over China.

 So what's a trip to China without having hot pot?!







Check out this 麻辣火鍋, so super red and indeed it's as spicy as it looks.

No this wasn't the famous 海底捞火锅 because we had to take a cab if we wanted that but we were all too hungry and lazy so we settled for the one that was near our hotel and it's called DOLLAR SHOP. hahaha

I had tomato-based soup because the one I had at 海底捞 was soooooo good.
Sadly, this was only so-so.

Oh and one tip I've learnt from the local Chinese is that you should avoid ordering beef as much as you can when eating out.

Because they tend to substitute beef with chicken or pork as it is cheaper but still charge you the price of beef anyway.

I'm not saying they do this in China all the time. I'm just saying this is what I've heard from the locals. So yeah. Maybe such lack of ethics is happening everywhere in the business world, I'm really not surprised.

But I must say the service standards of China has really up-ed one notch these days.

They provide aprons to prevent staining your clothing, hair bands for ladies with long hair, plastic pouches for your handphones so they don't get oily, etc etc. Of course, you should know by now that the 海底捞 in China also provides manicure sessions for customers. WTF right. Go eat hot pot can get your nails done at the same time. I wonder what else they can come up with. Dental checkups, maybe?

But I really can't care less for these random things. Just bring me ma foooooood.

Hot pot craving satisfied!

Till my next trip to China!