This might possibly the most fun event I've had the chance to attend, courtesy of FIJI Water Singapore!

As I had announced before, I was the official blogger for FIJI Water for one of the largest music festivals of the year that spans the whole of 12 hours from 12.40pm to 1am.

This was my first Laneway, and I was rightly excited because my recent discoveries of Poliça and Of Monsters and Men are going to be playing!



We arrived at around 12.45 by taxi and then walked in to join the throngs of people at the entrance. At that moment, Kings of Convenience was playing. They did around 5-6 songs I think, and warmed up the crowd for what's to come next. I've heard about them, but they are such a quiet sort of band I didn't expect the lead singer to ham it up for the crowd, dancing in his cute awkward way.

There were also FIJI Water Girls who were getting festival goers to take part in their Instagram contests with props. That added some air of festivity to the gig.



Here's where we settled for our spot! It was on the base of the hilly slope, just behind the circular path that people have to walk by to get to the other side. It was like a constant hipster parade, against the looming ship on top of 3 hotels, and the stage.


This is my outfit for the day - hipster sunnies, tank top and shorts. But I was inadequately prepared for the sun, as I painfully found out later...

Of course, there was FIJI Water to keep the thirst at bay. Thank god for these -- or we might have ended up in the First Aid tent somewhere where people were fainting left and right from the heat!


The heat itself was relentless. No umbrellas were allowed because it could block views, or used as a weapon. But if only they built some tents or provided some form of shade as the alternative, because everyone was withering from the sun!


There were a few moments where it hid behind clouds, but the skies were mostly clear.


By late afternoon the crowd has started to stream in. I actually can't see anything on my phone screen, so I just pointed at the general direction and snapped.


And this has got to be my favorite candid (phone screen still not visible) shot of the day. 

Yes it is very unglam. But it captures the colours, the people and the spirit of the festival.

And here I am with some FIJI Water! Ice cold never felt so good.


Bumped into the lead singer of loca band King Kong Jane at the festival too. Yay!


And now, some videos which I painstakingly uploaded onto Youtube to share the moments with you. You can see the crowd and feel some of the atmosphere, I hope. The moments when I turn my screen in, is when I tried to check if I am indeed recording. Haha. You don't have to play all - I'm sure there are better recordings out there on Youtube.

I really like Poliça's gig and was happy they did a great job at the Festival. The sound was excellent and the lead singer delivered with the same fortitude as the recording.








And my favorite - Of Monsters and Men! We came back specially at 4pm to catch this, after catching some air con in MBS after Polica. They were great because they knew how to work the crowd and had impressive stage presence.



Thanks again to FIJI Water Singapore for the treat!
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I was invited by the folks from Steam Sia to head down for a meal the other day.

Which was such a coincidence, because my friends had been talking about visiting the place for a while, and even saw a Groupon for it (but we missed it).

So of course I had to go over and find out what the name "STEAM SIA" really means.

It is definitely a very memorable and catchy name for a restaurant. The original or colloquial meaning of "Steam Sia", for the benefit of non-Singaporeans, is that of being sexually stimulated. 

For example, you might say, wow I saw a really hot girl walk past the other day. Steam sia!!

The restaurant's located in the heart of Little India. It was a late Saturday afternoon when we arrived. The place has a nostalgic and open-air concept to it, with old school coffeeshop tables. There's no air conditioning but it was very breezy.

Just at the entrance you would see an interesting kachang putih corner where you can make your own, or take some of the toys and play with your friends. They still had the Xmas decor up, but they should be removed soon.



I really like some of the old vintage displays they have. Like that electric clock (used to have 1) and typewriter!

Moving on to the food! Here's the menu for your perusal. On this page they have the Asian dishes.


Here are the mains, which is mainly Western to cater to the tourists around the area, but they also are comfort food for us, on some level.


We had the Nonya Chicken Curry ($12.90 for 1, $20.90 for 2) which came on a wooden board with tin and porcelain plate/bowl. This is their famous dish. I must say, perhaps I had my expectations set too high, but I felt like the curry was not warm (perhaps my fault, need to take photos!) nor spicy enough! Perhaps I have been spoiled by the curry my mum cooks, which is perfect.

It is a very comfort food type of dish that your grandma or mum would make though and there's a generous helping of ingredients in the curry, which is thick with coconut milk. I would think it is slightly pricey to pay $12.90 for a portion though.

Here's a look at the cutlery used. I love the blue rimmed tin plates. They will not break, and is light and easy to clean. How very practical.


The next would be the absolute hit and favorite among all the dishes. The Classic Tom Yum Spaghetti with Seafood ($16.90) was such a surprising combination and done so well, it was hard to resist! If there is one dish you want to have here, have this.

The tom yam sauce was piquant yet creamy to the right degree, filled with little spice notes and does not seem to come out of a package. Drench that on al dente spaghetti pasta and add a few fresh prawns and voila! you have yourself a unique fusion dish.

Next, a odd little plate of stuffed potatoes, with a seafood filling that tasted strongly of mussels. It's called the Seafood Stuffed 'Sailing Boat' ($8.90). It had a rather strange flavour even though it theoretically sounds like a good idea.



After the odd dish, we tried something more normal. The signature grilled salmon ($18.90) was the next best dish that day. The salmon was fresh, though slightly overcooked. The salsa was wonderful though in tantalizing your tastebuds and whetting them for the fish.


We also tried the Steam Sia Net Catch platter ($18.90) which had prawns, sotong and mussels, sauteed in coconut white sauce. On the menu it says served with 1/2 a baguette, but since we are tasting the portions are a bit different. This I actually quite liked, but my dining companion's opinions are that the coconut white sauce is a bit too thick and 'gelak' for their liking. Which I can see why. Order this only if you are a huge seafood and coconut fan.

After all that seafood, it's time to draw in the fishing line, and look to the pastures for some meat.
We had the Ribeye Wild Mushroom ($22.90) that's topped with red wine sauce. In a lot of 'Western' places, the vegetables are more for the colour and garnishing than for taste. It is the same here.

The ribeye itself was however quite pleasant. Pink on the inside and not that chewy or tough. So if you are in the restaurant and didn't feel like having seafood, this might be a good option.


Lastly, the dessert! It's their Waffle with Ice-cream (with choice of chocolate/vanilla Movenpick ice cream) at $16.90. The waffle looked rather different from the one in the menu (flatter). Unfortunately on that day, the waffle was a bit burnt so I did not enjoy it much. The ice cream was really good though.


And here I am with my dining companions that day! We all had a lovely time catching up and chatting. The restaurant has a really great atmosphere for that.


Oh and if you have read all the way till here, you must be wondering - so why is the place called Steam Sia? 

From Sue Ann, the friendly assistant marketing manager, we found out that the founding partners of the place originally wanted to do steamed dishes. Then they realized most of their dishes has prawns (sia in mandarin) in them. At the same time, "steam sia" also can refer to the feeling of something that is "shiok" or, feels good. With all that combination came the name Steam Sia.

NOW YOU KNOW!


Great place to just have a casual meal and chit chat amidst the very eclectic area of Little India. Food's on the slightly pricey side, but still not exorbitant.
Steam Sia
5 Hindoo Road, Singapore 209107
Mon-Sun 10am to 1am
+65 63966585

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