alexis blogs: November 2013

Gadget Review: Nakamichi Portable Bluetooth Speakers NBS8

November 30, 2013

It's weird to hear myself speak on camera, but I've done a video review of the new Nakamichi Bluetooth Speakers NBS8 that was sent to me because I wanted to show you how it looks, how it sounds and how easy it is to use.

I do think that the motion sensor is a bit daft because I would normally control the music from my phone wirelessly, but it is a fun feature to have, especially when you are in a car for example, or have hands full of chips and salsa at a party.

HOWEVER, I am very impressed by the portability/size of it while the speakers still delivers on the sound - especially the bass. The internal battery (chargeable by USB) also means you don't have to worry about a plug when you bring it out.

For SGD$169 I can't think of any better Christmas gift for your friends or family for the home, or to get one for yourself to bring to parties or presentations!

Features:

* Dimensions: Approximately 180mm (L) X 45 mm (W) X 55 mm (H);
* Smart Motion Sensor Control Function and Sensitive Touch Keys;
* Bluetooth function supporting A2DP, AVRCP, HSP, HFP;
* Built-in microphone for hands-free function;
* Built-in rechargeable Li-ion Polymer battery;
* MicroSD slot for audio playback via MicroSD/TF cards;
* Micro USB changing port;
* Aux-in Mode with 3.5mm Aux-in jack for connecting to MP3, CD or Laptops;
* Wireless Working Distance: Approximately 10 meters;
* Playback Time: Approximately 5 hours;
* Accessories included: 3.5mm Audio Cable, Micro USB Charging Cable and Pouch;
* Weight: Approximately 400 grams;
* Colors available: Black, Silver and Red

The new range features 5 exciting new portable Bluetooth speakers:

1) NBS7 - a Bluetooth speaker with a fun, quirky design; $119
2) NBS8 - an intelligent Bluetooth speaker with motion sensor control
functions and sensitive touch keys; $169
3) NBS9 - an NFC Bluetooth speaker; $129
4) NBS10 - the dual baseball-like Bluetooth speakers with impressive
sound quality $179
5) my SoundBox BT NBS711 - an all-round portable speaker $119

Where to buy:

The Nakamichi NBS10 and "my SoundBox BT" Bluetooth speaker are now available at Tangs, Technobay Level 3, HMV, iSound@T2, eHub@T3, Challenger and other premium Nakamichi authorized resellers, while the Nakamichi NBS7, NBS8 and NBS9 will be available in the same outlets from November 30, 2013 onwards.

Thanks to Nakamichi for sending across the unit for me to thoroughly enjoy!

food review

New Restaurant: PODI with 1-for-1 mains at Raffles City Basement, Singapore 179103

November 29, 2013

There's a 1 month old restaurant in Raffles City basement (taking over Pita Pan) called Podi (pure. offbeat. delicious. infusions - that's what it stands for, apparently) which me and my friend decided to dine at tonight because Nam Nam Noodle Bar always has that super long queue. The meal was surprisingly pleasant and the best part is they are having a 1 for 1 mains opening special which I heard will expire by 8 Dec (tentative date), so you NEED to go there for dinner or brunch asap.

Despite the deal, the place was actually only 80% occupied at peak dinner hour on a weekday in Cityhall, which is not that great for a new restaurant.

Hopping onto their website, I also discovered that it is actually opened by the good folks of The Bakery Depot, who are behind Cedele. They should have talked about that somehow.. somewhere. It's good street cred to have!

Food-wise, the chicken soup with bread was very comforting and homestyle. There's actually a big chunk of chicken underneath that seemingly vegetarian layer on top of the soup. The salad was made with a sweet dressing which we did not expect (normally it's just balsamic vinegar). It's not caramalized onions.. so what can it be? Felt like syrup actually.

It's a pity the bread that was served was not really warm by the time it got to us. We feedbacked to the really friendly waitress though. Her service was great.

I had the prawn konbu pasta ($18) which was.. interesting. The sauce was not olive-oil based, nor was it creamy. The closest I could find to compare it would be.. hokkien mee. I know, weird. But actually not bad for the pasta, which wasn't over or undercooked, because the flavour is rich and intense.

One thing about the dish again though, was that I did not expect the use of rocket leaves on it, nor the fact that it was slightly spicy (I could see the chili seeds inside). Even though I LURVE rocket leaves, and the spicy level was not high at all, both of these details weren't mentioned on the menu (I think). I've also given feedback to the waitress that it would be good if their food items had more description on what is contains if it is not the usual pasta + sauce type + seafood type. Otherwise, restaurants get away with it by using photos, but their menu is the paper clipboard type..

Well if they didn't change at least you know about these two dishes!

And look at the bill! We saved 100% - $18 bucks from the promo. Even if the drink was rather overpriced at $4.50 and not very nice (house iced lemon tea, it says on the menu).

Still a good new joint to check out if you are around the Raffles City area and wondering what to eat. I know I'll be back soon before their 1-for-1 ends!

Podi

#B1-45 Raffles City Shopping Centre, Singapore 179103

6336 5648
Weekdays 10am to 10pm (last order 9.30pm)
Weekend/PH: 9am to 10pm
www.podifood.com

beauty

My Ultimate Beauty Wishlist

November 27, 2013

invited review

Food Review: Pidgin Kitchen & Bar at 7 Dempsey Road, Singapore 249671

November 24, 2013

"We don't say the F word here. It's SEA-inspired cuisine." said our host for the night as we got introduced to Pidgin Kitchen & Bar that took over the previous namesake, Pamplemousse at Dempsey. Turns out its the same owners and chef, but a different take on the food served - hence the name change. A good one too, it turns out, as the food that night turned out to be very pidgin, very delicious'in.

The restaurant's situated at Muthu's Curry block, in case you are trying to find it. The decor is nice and simple. I love the simple metal cage structure around the little bar area.

We had a total of 3 snacks and bites, 3 pasta dishes, 2 fish and seafood, 2 assorted, 3 types of meat, and finished off with 4 types of desserts. Wow. You must hate us now. But hey, with all these selection, I could tell you which are the ones you die-die-must-try while you can forgo some if you don't have the stomach space!

We started with the Chicken Rice Arancini ($8) which basically is chicken rice balls lightly fried with batter, and filled with cheese. The proper way for me to say that is - chicken infused carnaroli rice, with scarmoza and garlic chilli jam. Great appetizer in my opinion. Not heavy, just enough to tantalize your tastebuds for more!

Yummy fillings inside!

Off to a great start, and the next did not disappoint! The Crab Otak Croquettes ($12) already sounds delicious right? 3 of my favorite words in the dictionary all strung up. This was again very delicately fried and light, with the fragrance of the crab wafting through the potatoes spiced with 'chye poh' or so it says on the menu. I couldn't taste it but it doesn't mean it wasn't good, mainly because it was. I think it's because everything was made fresh.

Lamb meatballs ($12) would be my least liked among the other 2 strong contenders. Unfortunately. If the other two weren't around I might have raved about this. The ingredients were interesting. It's actually lamb meatballs (a bit too lamb-y for me) coated with Tulang Merah Sauce paired with a light dollop of Hay’s Dairies Goat Milk Yogurt on the side.

Moving on to pastas now shall we? We also have 3 to go. First up, the very grand Lobster Wonton Capellini ($26). Unfortunately, it did not live up to its name, even if the idea sounds good. In short, I found the noodles too salty for my liking and too little hint of lobster oil, with the lobster wonting in the wontons, and the chorizo iberico merely a bystander. But if you are curious as to how a bowl of reinvented wonton noodles might taste like, you could order it.

At least the noodles were quite al dente and not too dry/starchy even after we took our photos!

The next up knocked everyone out of the pasta park. The Bak Kwa Mac & Cheese ($20) is a winner in my books simply because it. is. bak. kwa. and. cheese. It's like taking your comfort food and adding that extra special bit. The cheese as you can see here is not your typical thick dark yellow creamy cheese in those boxed mac and cheese. Instead its a mix of gruyere and cheddar. Very addictive. Cannot stop "helping to finish the food" :P.

Last of the 3 pasta dishes is the one that made my colleague salivate. The Uni Tagliolini ($28) because of that 3 little letters. UNI. UNI so yunnnni? This was another fav amongst all, simply because the sauce is so dang umani and rich, coating that tagliolini like silk on skin. Just imagine.

A mini break with a mini drink! The Fever-Tree Ginger Beer is an excellent beverage to cut through the food. So very refreshing.

It's tiny though. Look at the bottle in comparison to us, and mind you, ms-skinnyfat here aka Cheryl's already petite herself!

Ok let's get to the 2 fish and seafood. We start with the dish that made me jump a little in excitement in my seat - the Spicy Tuna Tartare ($24) made with sambal belacan oil, calamansi, furikake and served with some crispy wonton skins. Those little red cubes were having a party in my mouth! The sesame seeds were a great addition. I would totally recommend this as an appetizer to start, actually. Or just as lunch.

Then we have Razor Clams Tau Suan ($20). Wait... what? OK read it again. Yes, this is 'tau suan' made with clams. And it's salty. And that's ok. It's not as weird as you think. Just don't imagine this as a dessert but more like a clam chowder? I thought it was a really fun dish to have, no harm trying if you want to claim you have eaten clam tau suan before!

Then the strangest dish (in my opinion) of the lot -- the Kampung Chicken Eggs' Oyster2 Egg ($19). Which you can call an orh luak, but no not really? It is made with scrambled eggs, Hai Loong’s Fresh oyster, dried oyster and konbu butter, served with some oyster leaves. Those leaves really tasted like oysters (so weird). In any case the oysters were really really fresh, so if you are an oyster and eggs kinda guy/gal, go for it!

In the veggie section we have 1 representative - the Quinoa ($13) with tomatoes & pandan, chinese olive vegetables, parmesan and shaved almonds. A very simply named dish, it is reminiscent of our fried rice, but with the grain that I love. A very fulfilling carbo dish worth ordering.

OK chop chop 3 meat dishes before we get to the desserts! We had the super awesome Foie Gras with Rojak Sauce ($28) and this really made an impression on me (and my Facebook/Instagram followers) only because it sounds so preposterous! Who does rojak with foie gras? That is really rojak-ing the rojak! But in this case it has manage to succeed by dint of the rojak sauce complementing the foie gras so nicely, along with the sarawak pineapple, jicama, hazelnut & almonds. Eh, really, you should try. and take pics of it to show your friends.

Next, a dish with 3 words. "Pork. Bone. Tea." ($24) is literally the mandarin "rou gu cha" in English. In a more familiar local term, we call it "bak kut teh". So what it has is a giant juicy slab of pork rib, tea smoked bone marrow (the white stuff you see just beside the ribs) swimming in garlic and pepper jus with some roasted garlic. Wow. Can someone say, effort? By this time I was already quite full, but this was still super delicious because the ribs are super tender! I wish I can go in with an empty stomach and just have this now.

Lastly, the Lamb Rack ($38). I would say you could skip this if you only have space for 1 meat, which is the pork bone tea. The wolfberry jus (or sauce) is an interesting twist, but lamb is lamb. Meh.

Now to more exciting stuff. DESSERTS! I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was over it.

We started with the Bandung Panna Cotta ($12) which seems quite harmless and quiet, but packs a good punch with the Rhubarb 'jam' around it, as well as the sesame crunch. The rose flavor in the creamy panna cotta was light and not overpoweringly artificial or sweet, which is good.

But I am sorry, bandung panna cotta, you have a strong competitor in the "Milo Dinosaur" Version 2.1 ($15). With a name like that, how can you compete? It's been upgraded! And the taste too. Made with 72% dark chocolate flourless cake (so rich, dense and heavenly), milo ice cream (just like how you like your milo peng) and crushed milo powder. This is absolutely wonderful. Can anything get better than this?

The answer is yes. Wait, what?

Yes.

The best dish of the night was the unassuming Kaya Bread and Butter Pudding ($15). Dark horse this. And it was supposedly the last dish of the night too so we totally didn't expect it to go out on such a high. The bread and butter pudding is flavored with homemade kaya with raisins inside, coupled with the icey milk tea ice cream that makes eating the hot souffle-like pudding beside so much more joyous. I would really just go back to eat this, even if I had dinner elsewhere. Why is it that the combination of milk tea and kaya bread is so good? Don't ask me, I'm stumped too!

As if that wasn't enough, the chef decided to treat us to taste some of his R&D as well - ice creams! They are from left to right: pineapple sorbet, goreng pisang and black vanilla with charcoal ($8 each). All good. No favorites because I can't possibly choose, sorry. Up to your personal preference.

Also, this is what happens when you have the black charcoal vanilla ice cream. Just saying. Might not be a very good date night dessert. BUT it is a very good organic dark lipstick.

Pic of my dining companions that night. Daniel from memoirsoffood, Leroy from thehungrycow, and Edsmond from thechosenglutton,

i also have with me cheryl from ms-skinnyfat and Maureen, misstamchiak!

One of the most inspired and interesting dinners I've had where everything I knew before was given a Southeast Asian twist and interpretation. I love how food can become so much fun under the right, capable hands. I would highly recommend this place for a casual fun dinner. Just remember to choose wisely!

Pidgin Kitchen & Bar
7 Dempsey Road, 01-04, Singapore 249671
+65 6475 0080
12pm to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm (Mondays to Saturdays).
Closed on Sundays