This Weekend – Beauty Still Prevails

While this weekend seems to be turning lotsa lovelies into ghouls, thank goodness there is still some sanity in certain quarters who have not tumbled into the madness of Halloween here. (Since when did Singapore start celebrating Halloween anyway? Didn’t we just have the Hungry Ghost month?) So where can you go this weekend without being greeted with a facefull of ugliness?

Carrie K. Jewelry Public Viewing

If you’re in the Normanton Park vicinity this Friday, 30 October, drop in at Singapore jewely designer and silversmith Carolyn Kan’s first public viewing of her bling at the Sealy Brand Studios. From 5.30pm – 8.30pm, this Evening of the Finer Things in Life showcases the latest Carrie K. jewelry to lust over, ‘little people portraits’ by photographer Sealey to coo over, Heather Barrie finger foods to nibble on, Carolyn’s signature sangria, and boutique champagnes from fine grower houses to sip on. You have to pay $15 for the Champagne tasting, but it will be refunded with any purchase of Carrie K bling.

1 Westbourne Road #01-02


- Ee Waun

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Binge - Home Grown Confectioneries

These days, baking is not just a hobby but also a legitimate business and one that you can happily launch from your own kitchen. Take for instance, these great home grown Confectioneries and private Bakeries that have hatched at home. With Christmas around the corner and the special occasion parties that you may want to throw, we hope you find this Simplyfab list both helpful and handy!

YUMMIE MUMMIES

Cynthia Gondobintoro is the yummy mummy behind Yummie Mummies, a creative confectionery which specialises in cupcakes, birthday cakes and speciality chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies. Born and raised in Holland, Cynthia speaks Dutch fluently and grew up watching her grandma bake traditional Indonesian goodies. Kitchens run strong in her family and her Dad and Brother run a popular Chinese Indonesian restaurant in the families’ hometown in Holland. 


This enterprising mother of two pre-schoolers, started Yummie Mummies from her very own kitchen as a simple hobby, at first catering for her friends and family who wanted home made birthday cakes and simple party snacks that were delicious, uniquely decorated.

Pictured here is her M and M's vanilla sponge cake topped with a deliciously rich chocolate icing.

I am a big fan and have catered from  her before. My SimplyFab vote goes to her Lemon  Snicket cupcakes, pretty swirls of buttercream bursting with lemon curd, topped with marscapone, delicious to the sweet and sour core. 

Expect nothing less than quality ingredients like Nielsen Massey’s Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean extract, valrhona chocolate, Lavazza coffee and Baileys to go into her many classy creations.  

WHERE: 
YUMMIE MUMMIES (Cynthia Gondobintoro)
Tel: +65 9620 3688 
Email: mailto:cyntgoh@hotmail.comm

#1 BAKER STREET 

Chanel fans, sit up and take notice! This is the place to go if you want to have your bag and eat it! I swooned and started getting dizzy when I saw this one. I could not believe the attention to detail - see the link chains at the side of the bag. Not to mention the tag, the coins and lipstick... totally blew my mind and expectations! This was workmanship, surely at its finest! 

Birkin fans get ready to pay homage! Which of you could resist this super luxe selection of Birkin cupcakes? Each beautifully detailed down to the marzipan handles, buckle, strap and in an assortment of colours! Couture at its absolute tastiest! 

Responsible for these amazing creations is Sheela Suppiah who has been operating  her confectionery, #1 Baker Street since 1992 from her home. Her passion is in the detail and she loves creating cakes that delight and obviously WOW! 

Sheela's  speciality is clearly designer and couture cakes and she has an amazing knack for custom making virtually any 3 dimensional creation that takes your fancy!              

Case in point, this chocolate box gift cake with real chocolates inside, complete with resplendant cover, ribbon, rose and message! Expect for Christmas this year, Christmas parcel cakes, Christmas bauble cakes and anything really that your heart desires! She makes them in carrot, butter and fruit cake variations but her speciality, definitely is her chocolate cake! 

WHERE: 

#1 BAKER STREET (Sheela Suppiah)  

40 Windsor Park Road, Singapore 574145, 

Tel: +65-94559322. 

Website: www.1bakerstreet.com.sg

Email: tequilasheela@gmail.com


HOT FUCHSIA CAKES 

Another true talent is Beng Li-Sher who owns and operates Hot Fuchsia Cakes. This made-at-home patisserie is also a culmination of her dream to create edible works of art with artistic designs that taste delicious. 

Trained at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in London, Li-Sher hand-sculpts and custom makes all her edible sugarpaste creations into 2D and 3D designs. 

Recognise the High School Musical figurines on top of this cake with pop corn holder and movie reel, made for a lucky 6 year old's birthday?

Her rich Nonya heritage shines through when  you look at this Nonya Tiffin Carrier which is not only a lavish work of art but also in all the precisely accurate cultural colours of that era.  

If craftsmanship is your thing then the Teddy Bear's picnic complete with a tea all laid out for your favourite bear, might just be the perfect unveiling at Junior's next big do. 

Do check out her new website for a fabulous link to all her creations.  

WHERE: 
HOT FUCHSIA (Beng Li-Sher)
Tel: +65 9662 9065 (Between 9am and 5pm on Mondays to Fridays
Website:http://www.hotfuchsiacakes.com 
Email: lisher@hotfuchsia.com

SALLY'S CUPCAKERY 

Sally's Cupcakery is cute little 'cupcakery' (love the word) that currently specialises in American style cup cakes. It's owner, Sally Kim is Korean and has been living in Singapore for the past two years having moved here from Los Angeles. 

"There is something magical about baking" shares Sally. She started her business in Singapore  focusing on cupcakes as they are what she considers the "ultimate individual dessert that can be transformed in so many different ways depending on what kind of cake, frosting, fillings and decorations you combine."

The Cupcakery's best sellers are her PB  and C, a moist dark chocolate cupcake with sweet and salty peanut butter frosting.

Other favourites are her Southern Red Velvet, a light cocoa cake made with buttermilk that shows off a strikingly red color, topped with either tangy cream cheese frosting or old fashioned creamy vanilla butter cream and her Lemon Meringue which is a tart lemon cake topped with billowy, sweet Italian meringue.

For Halloween and Thanksgiving, try Sally's Pumpkin Cupcakes decorated with orange and green cream cheese frosting or caramel cream cheese frosting! 

WHERE:
SALLY'S CUPCAKERY (Sally Kim) 

Tel: 8133 5664
Email: sallycupcakery@gmail.com
Website: www.sallyscupcakery.com

- Elaine

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Binge – Lubricants for the Ladies

Naughty Naughty! We are talking about wines, girls, – proper and polite ones for that matter!


As it draws closer to Christmas time, Madam recently discovered some lovely libations for the festivities. Mind you, while I’m mainly a food writer and not a wine expert, I drink a fair bit and these darlings stood out in my amateur opinion. If you are planning to buy a few bottles to share with the girls or stock up for the parties, here are my discoveries. In keeping with the season, they are happily all red in hue. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with techy sounding tasting notes (snore!):

Zaccagnini Montepulciano Cerasuolo ($45) – Yes, it’s a long name. Just remember Cerasuolo then. It’s a playful Italian rose, gently fizzy, nicely crisp to a point and elegant, despite its girlish good looks. It’s aromatic, fruity and fresh, lots of strawberry and cherry flavours, but don’t worry – it is also dry with a strong supple structure like a SimplyFab woman with Michelle Obama arms! (Us, Darlings, us!) Pour it out and it’s a bright festive cherry colour. You can identify it by the little twig on its neck – it came from the very vine from which the grapes were picked! – and the red and blue curly words on the label. Made from Montepulciano d’Abruzzo grapes. Nice paired with a spa pedicure on a hot afternoon, or with Peking Duck – cuts through the fat.

Plaisir Passito Bianco ($62) – Also from Zaccagnini, this is a very aromatic yet gently sweet wine of Muscat, rather honeyed and smooth. Don’t worry – it doesn’t have the throat throttling, suffocating, cloying sweetness that some dessert wines have because it has some crisp acidity at the back. Recognise it by the fat white dove on the label. Nice in measured quantities, and lovely with lychee sorbet and grass jelly, perhaps even ice kachang. Bring along to your nearest dessert stall for a touch of class.

Peter Rumball Sparkling Merlot ($48) – What’s festive without the fizzy? I like a sparkly red sometimes, a bit of a change from Champagne….less snob appeal and maybe more fun. Peter Rumball is an Australian label specializing in sparkling reds. I tried the merlot not long ago and its really very enjoyable, all nice and round and big and fruity and berry and fizz, fizz, fizz! Just as a point of reference, it was the Best Sparkling Red in the 2006 Boutique Winemakers of Australia Wine Show. I like, and am about to order a few more bottles. They do a Shiraz as well which is just as lovely.

Marabino Archimide ($65) - Okay, so you have a mature, sophisticated hottie that you want to seduce with your impeccable taste. You whip up an impressive dinner complete with wagyu steak, put on your 4-inch, F-me, bondage shoes, fitting scarlet-lady dress, and other bits and pieces and you’re ready to do your thing. What lubricant? I suggest the Archimede, and not simply because you can share it in the bath just like its namesake. For this wine is voluptuous, sexy, bursting with blackcurrants, curvaceous and rounded. Its bouquet is peppery, vanilla and spicy, while being velvety smooth on the tongue. This darling is exotic, va-va-voom and intense, like a  roll in the hay with your man. How to resist?

 
These wines are available for retail only from 
Top Wines
33 Tembeling Road
Tel: 6468 4866
email: sales@topwines.com.sg

By the way, a point of interest: Top Wines is one of the leading wine distributors in Singapore and it's owned and run completely by women. How fabulicious is that! Check out their massive range of wines from both new and old world. Good gems in there.

- Ee Waun
(Top photo of wine glass from free-stock-photo.co.uk)

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SimplyFab X'mas Gift Guide - Gadgets and Gizmos Part 2

Everything works at the touch of one button. Yes its a dream come true. One touch technology arrives with Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote. 


This One-touch Activity Control has a brilliant 3.5" (9cm) touchscreen so that when you feel like watching a DVD, you simply touch the “Watch a DVD” icon and the Harmony remote powers on your TV, DVD player, stereo receiver, sets all the inputs and even presses play! Controls up to 15 devices with more than 250 different activities. Battery saving rechargeable design. S$699 at all Logitech resellers and Challenger stores. See: www.logitech.com

Samsung has launched a one-touch phone called the Corby with easy to access widgets to access live feeds and the update your status via Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. 


The handset supports YouTube, Flickr, Picasa and Photobucket so that the user can share Christmas moments on the move. 3 bold colours - Jamaican Yellow, Cupid Pink and Minimal White. S$298 without contract. See: www.samsung.com

Ultimate portability arrives in the form of Samsung's HMX-U10. Easy to use, the camera is a full HD camcorder that captures 10 megapixel still images and a 2 inch LCD screen. 


Pocket sized, it weighs only 95g with the battery and has a sleek frame with a wave design that allows you to better grip the camera without stress on the wrist or arm. S$329 and comes in silver, red or black. See: www.samsung.com

- Elaine

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SimplyFab X'mas Gift Guide - Gadgets and Gizmos Part 1

Week 10 and counting down ... ideas for that Gadget Geek in your life! 

Get the perfect introductory digital SLR Camera: The Olympus PEN E-P1. 

This good looker comes in this season's white and silver and is nicknamed the Olympus Pen.  


A hybrid multimedia machine, take still pictures (12 megapixels), do audio recording (stereo), video movies (720p HD-ready) with art filter options. 


Single Lens Kit (M. ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm f3.5-5.6) @ S$1,298 onwards. Comes with one 8GB SD Card. 


See:  http://www.olympusimage.com.sg/products/dslr/pen/

Bring your music on the move with the The Altec Lansing new inMotion Classic 

Ghetto blasters have evolved! Now they are portable, well designed with great sound and work with your iphone and ipod. The new inMotion Classic comes with a rechargeable battery so you can carry it around wire-free. A versatile handle doubles up as a stand and a FM radio function with 4 station pre-sets delivers crystal-clear reception. S$289. 

Convert Cassettes, LPs, CDs, and MDs to digital format with the Creative Sound Blaster® Easy Record 


Rescue those nostalgic long playing albums aka records and mouldy cassette tapes. One single wire jacked into the USB port of your PC, effortlessly converts everything into a digital format. This comes bundled with a Smart Recorder software that  has the option to import recorded tracks directly to your iTunes® library. There is also a 3.5mm Line-In connector for MP3 players or mobile phones, and a Headphone-Out for monitoring the audio during recording. Compatible with Windows 7 / Vista / XP. 

S$49.90. Available at the online store at sg.store.creative.com, CREATIVE Stores at International Business Park and Marina Square and authorised dealers in Singapore from mid October 2009  See: www.soundblaster.com. 

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Breakaway - One of the Best Peak Season Hotel Deals in Hong Kong

The problem with travelling in December is that accommodation gets so expensive with the ‘peakest’ season of the year – Christmas and New Year. So if you’re planning a trip to Hong Kong during the holidays, make sure you check in at Hotel Jen. For it’s got one of the best deals we’ve come across.

From 1 Dec to 3 January 2010, the Hong Kong hotel is offering a stays at HK$1,288 (S$231) per night, including daily continental breakfast, 'Happy Hour' drinks and snacks, and buffet dinner for two. Guests also get a welcome bottle of wine, a 20 percent discount on all food & beverages including mini-bar, and a late check-out of 3pm. And here’s the best thing: these rates are available even over Christmas and New Year. For a bit of luxe, you can upgrade to a Jen Harbourview room for HK$100 plus a 10 percent supplement, to get a sweeping view of Victoria Harbour.

Certainly no roach motel, Hotel Jen is all contemporary chic with its slick Sky Lounge on the 28th floor – so wanted for evening cocktails with a view – rooftop pool, 24-hour gym and WIFI throughout the hotel. It’s minutes from the hip spots like Central (near the designer boutiques), Lan Kwai Fong and SoHo, and for convenience, they run a regular shuttle to the Macau Ferry (Sheung Wan MTR), Central Star Ferry, Airport Express Hong Kong Station (ifc mall) and Admiralty MTR (Pacific Place).

So if you’re going to Hong Kong for Christmas, stay at Hotel Jen. Really.

508 Queen’s Road West

Tel: (852) 2213 6663

email info@hoteljen.com

website www.hoteljen.com

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This Weekend - New Wines and Your Favourite Brit Labels

Wine for Asia - Lotsa Libation!
We know - it's a campy picture, but behind these ladies is a vast show of grape juice done the way we like it.....WINE!!

Totter down to Wine For Asia 2009, the annual wine and spirits show, at Suntec City from tomorrow till Saturday (22-24 Oct) for copious quantities of heavenly libation. You can to see, feel and taste thousands of wines and spirits from California, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and South America.

A couple of highlights - a Spirits Pavilion where you can check out new cocktails and watch international mixologists (that’s what they call bartenders in the cool circles!) work their magic. What’s the hottest cocktails to shake up these days? Find out from the guys here. There’s also a Delicatessen for Wine showcase which helps you pair deli foods with wine – how clever! After all, ham is just pig until you pair it with wine!

There's free cocktail tastings from 2-4pm every day at the Spirits Pavilion, and what’s best is you can buy your bottles here, too. And because some wineries at the show would be looking for distributors here, there'll be wines which are not retailed here yet, so this is a fine chance to buy and try. Plus, hope to be among the 1000 visitors to get a $25 voucher to cover your admission plus $10 for extra shopping.

For the first time, Wines for Asia is open to the public every day: from 6.30 – 8.30pm on 22 - 23 October, and 2pm – 8.30pm on Saturday 24 October. Admission fee of $15 gets you in for all three days.
For more info, log onto http://www.wineforasia.com/

It's Sale Time!

Topshop, Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Ben Sherman, Warehouse, Maxstudio.com, Karen Millen and Miss Selfridge are all on Sale!

Pick up some pre-festive season best buys at up to 50% discounts at their respective outlets.

F3/VIP members as well as UOB cardholders enjoy additional 10% off the sale items from 16-25 October. 

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RED (and white) ALERT! 10 Weeks to Christmas with The SimplyFab Gift Guide

Scream! "We are officially 10 weeks away from Christmas!!"

Which means that you actually have a choice: 


i. to start planning your list and checking it twice 


OR 


ii. scrambling like you do every year, in the two weekends before! 

Starting from this week, look out for our 10-week long gift guide with what's new out there. We hope that it will help you put some bounty in your basket as you play Santa for the year.


Like the ideas or have a new one to share? Please post a comment. Or rate the post - FUNNY, INTERESTING or COOL by ticking one of the boxes below each post. 


Felice Navidad! 


The SimplyFab Team 

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Binge - Asia’s Top 20 According to Miele

So, the Miele Guide 2009/10 was unveiled recently, and we thought you’d like to have a quick run-down on their list of Asia’s Top 20 restaurants. Some predictable diehards here, but a couple of nice surprises too like Jaan par Andre up on the 70th floor of the Swissotel in Singapore. Set lunch menus starting at S$58. Nice….Watch out for the lemon sous vide and the young chef, Andre Chiang, too. Cute little dinky morsel….(er, the lemon that is).

But I really don’t know about Ke De Ta in Bali though….A bit overhyped, says my humble opinion. Went there some years ago, sloshed as a seabass and didn’t think there was anything remarkable about the foood……

Maybe ‘cos I was sloshed as a seabass……

Anyway, darlings, here goes the list for some bragging rights if you've been there:  

Asia’s Top 20 restaurants 2009/2010

1. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Hong Kong, China

2. Iggy’s, Singapore

3. Robuchon a Galera, Macau, China

4. Jaan par Andre, Singapore

5. Les Amis, Singapore

6. Mozaic, Bali, Indonesia

7. Gunther’s Modern French Cuisine, Singapore

8. Laris, Shanghai, China

9. Ku De Ta, Bali, Indonesia

10. Yung Kee, Hong Kong, China

11. Bukhara, New Delhi, India

12. Beijing Da Dong Roast Duck Restaurant, Beijing, China

13. Zanotti II Ristorante Italiano, Bangkok, Thailand

14. M on the Bund, Shanghai, China

15. Nobu, Hong Kong, China

16. Caprice, Hong Kong, China

17. Antonio’s, Cavite, Philippines

18. Aubergine, Manila, Philippines

19. Fook Lam Moon, Hong Kong, China

20. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Tokyo, Japan

- Ee Waun

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Buys - If You Only Have 30 Minutes At The Jewelfest.....

Let’s face it – we all love bling. That’s why we did a preview of the Jewelfest. Now, Madam is giving you a first-hand low-down and lap-up of the glitterati at last night’s opening of the 2nd part of the Singapore Jewelfest. If you feel in need of new sparkles, this is the place to get it ‘cos most pieces here are either new in town or making its debut before they hit the stores later; plus, many jewelers there are offering as much as 50% off their brand new baubles, but do bring your UOB card.

But if you are short on time, make a beeline for the more unique brands in the bejewelled tent. Here's what you can do:

First stop, feast your eyes on the most expensive piece in the festival to get into the mood: this gorgeous baby (Grandiosa) by Goldheart costs over S$6.38 million, and each diamond on the choker alone is 1 carat! The big rock in front? 30 carats, and the whole necklace weighs in at 206.95 carats. You’ll need a couple of body guards around before you wear that out for din-dins.

Second most expensive piece is from Mouawad – huge massive yellow and white diamonds, over $4million.

Moving on, I liked March Jewels which does gorgeous nature-themed jewelry, from the little dinky animal rings (the Whimsy range we featured earlier – the birds and squirrels move on a hinge) which cost just over $1000, to the fabuliciously over-the-top reptile rings in the shape of a crawling iguana that sat so nicely on the contours on my finger, to a naughty snake-and-rose combination.

The lotus range (pictured here in black gold and fancy diamonds) is also beautifully graphic, and Madam couldn’t help but part with a little hard-earned moolah for a pendant from this range – just like wearing a piece of art!

The thing about March is, they design for ladies like us – lusciously experienced in life, and old enough to carry off bold, brilliant bling that 20-something-year-olds simply can’t pull off with the same aplomb.

By the way, March Jewels does not have retail outlets yet – but they plan to open by end December this year in Novena Square, Clifford Centre and OG Orchard Point. You heard it at SimplyFab first!

Across them is Voi Jewellery which specializes in huge cocktail rings. Nice stuff, but what caught my eye were candy coloured eternity rings (from $400plus each after discounts) you could stack on your finger. These guys are at Fullerton Hotel and Suntec City Mall.

Italian jeweler Zydo also has lovely, nostalgic cocktail rings....See?

For the first time, Soo Kee has brought in Versace jewelry which turned out more affordable than I thought. The gold V-ring (pictured, ring in the centre) smoothly curls around your finger, and is customized to your little digit. After you pay for it – just over $2000 only! – you’ll have to wait 2 months for it to be made just for you. Not bad value for a ring you can wear literally every day. The Versace range will be available at Soo Kee outlets at Tampines Mall, Vivocity and ION Orchard after the fest.

If you like colour, take a look at Bibigi at the Tianpo showcase; for serious natural pearls, see Baerling including the necklace with a ‘lady’ sitting on a piece of jade (but be prepared to fork out serious money too); and for jade, Malaysia’s Straits jewelry has some nice pieces.

So much bling, so little time….

- Ee Waun

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