SimplyFab X'mas Gift Guide for Week 9 - Pantry Picks

Pantry Magic – Part 1

Oops! We’re late. We’re late. It’s the end of Week 9 already in our countdown to Christmas. But here’ the Simply Fab gift guide to turn to. We’ve sussed out some quirky things for the food-loving beneficiary of your gifting. Here goes:

Lots of new Alessi indulgences around. It’s Fall/Winter 2009 collection offers useful little home and kitchen gadgets that are as humorous as they are expensive. We like the snail dish ($128), the tea lights ($83.80) and if you want to blow a hole in your wallet for non-essentials, this gorgeous cheese knife set ($688 - $788)! Available at the Alessi flagship store at ION Orchard #04-22/23.

Absolutely new in town, these award winning liqueurs by Tambourine Mountain Distillery come in pretty hand-painted bottles. I had a taste of them at the recent Wine for Asia show and they were rich, intense, smooth liqueurs perfect as a digestif or mixed into drinks. Best buys for a lady who likes her tipple are Choc Hazelnut liqueur, Butterscotch Schnapps, Wattle Toffee, Macadamia Nut, Strawberry and Coffee, priced at $49 per 375ml bottle. There’s also a quirky Choc and Chilli liqueur and Ginger Liqueur ($53 per 500ml bottle). To get some, log onto www.highspirits.com.sg and drop an email with your requests. Since the online store is still under construction, the people at High Spirits will contact you to you to arrange delivery and payment.

Good news for us as we are, slowly but surely, tipping over into the realm of reading glasses! BRAND’s has come up with something a little more than ye olde chicken essence…. Have you heard of Innershine Berry Essence? Made from seven types of berries to protect and boost eye health, it is packed with antioxidants to neutralize free radicals and maintain the health of eye cells, and it’s also full of Vitamin A,C and E. It also tastes good too, especially chilled. Who will I give this to? Mum perhaps? Or some nice traditional auntie. ($13.20 for 6 bottles) They’ve recently launched Prune Essence as well, which boosts the digestive system and maintains your skin’s glow!

Get a hamper of wine for a grape-loving friend at Booze Wine Shop. Of their Christmas range, we like the port and dessert wine hampers best, with wines from Graham’s Port and Alois Kracher. The Graham’s Port hamper ($198) contains one bottle each of the Late Bottled Vintage 2001 and the 10 Year Tawny NV. The Alois Kracher hamper ($245) contains bottles of No.2 Chardonnay NV 2002 and No.3 Welschriesling ZDS 2002. Also on our list is the Champagne Henriot gift set ($150) with necessary bubbly for the season – two 375ml bottles of Brut Souverain and Blanc Souverai in a specially designed wooden box – and the Spanish cava hampers. There are two to choose from: six bottles of Parés Baltà Cava Brut NV for $282, or one bottle each of Parés Baltà Cava Brut NV and Cava Brut Nature NV, at $160. (Shops at 113B Jalan Besar and #01-11 Republic Plaza.)

Finally, remember the Ascaso ‘Dream’ Coffee Machine from Boncafe which we wrote about earlier when it was first launched? Well, you don’t have to trek down to Pandan Loop to get it now. It’s now available at TANGS Orchard, TANGS VivoCity and Starbucks outlets. Check out our earlier story on this cute coffeemaker at http://simplyfabulicious.blogspot.com/2009/09/buys-want-this.html. Of the 12 colours available, we like Love Red, Polished Aluminium and The Cow best! Various promotions and offers are tagged to this baby from now until 31 December.

- Ee Waun