Crepezee Crepe @ Singapore Food Festival

From my previous blog entry, you would have learnt that my sister and her boyfriend (Vera & Aik Hin) had set up a booth at Clarke Quay by the Singapore river for the Singapore Food Festival, selling their home made crepes! This is the first time they are selling the crepes so do go down to support them~ I did yesterday and I took photos of them in action so I shall promote for them here!

See~ I very kind one okay?

Located outside The Central, a long stretch of booths selling a variety of food stands by Singapore's iconic river. Well, if you have difficulties locating where Crepezee Crepe is, it's just right in front of this huge orange "Central" word because I took the photo there. Convenient, no?

And this is their humble menu. I personally find that it's a little hard to understand because the design is a little all over the place but with a little explanation from the friendly helpers there (either my siblings or Aik Hin plus his own siblings), you will understand how to order your crepe.

Well, I shall explain how ordering works here in case you want to get your orders faster when you head down to support them young people. First of all, you select your crepe's flavor. Pick from the original recipe (also known as plain), strawberry or pandan. Then, select your spread of Nutella, chocolate sauce, strawberry or caramel. Top it up with a topping of your choice - either almonds, pumpkin seeds, crushed Oreo cookies, rainbow cereals or sugar. This will cost you S$3.00.

If you want to make your crepe even more delightful, you can top up an additional $1.20 for a scoop of ice cream (pick from mint, chocolate, raspberry or cookies and cream) or an additional $1.20 for something healthier - fruits (pick from strawberries, mango, and I forgot... :P)

They also have this Savory Crepe which features tuna or salmon if you are feeling daring.

Understand how to order now? :)

Vera proudly presenting to you Crepezee Crepe!

Like I've said previously, this stall is man by teenagers whose ages range from 17 - 20 years old so they are really young people so don't be bullin' them! Furthermore, this is no school project because Aik Hin decided to rent this space for himself to sell his creations and prior to this, he practiced day and night to perfect his skills of making the excellent crepe. Really daring teenager, no? To set up a stall for real isn't simple, you know...

And of course, Vera goes down almost daily to help out because one person manning the store is definitely not enough. Leon also goes down occasionally to help prepare the crepes for the customers as well.

Vera scooping out the correct portion of batter for the crepe. It's a little hard to imagine that Vera can actually make crepes because she can't even cook instant noodles to save her life... Just sayin'~ At least she can make something edible though. :)

I supported them by getting a pandan crepe and this is Vera spreading the batter on the crepe hot pan skillfully using the wooden thingie.

Flipping the crepe over isn't as simple as it seems but Vera managed to do it anyway. And remember! She can't cook instant noodles!! By the way, you can request for your crepe to be soft or crispy. I like it crispy because it adds texture to the dessert but it's up to your personal preference. The soft one is really chewy and fun to have too~

When the crepe is prepared, Leon helps by dressing up the thin skin by applying your favorite spreads and toppings. I think Nutella is the best selling spread so far because out of 10 customers that I noticed patronizing, 7 - 8 would pick the Nutella.

Disclaimer: The photos in this post are not arranged in chronological order. I'm using this photo to demonstrate the process of crepe making. After the spread is done, Leon will top your crepe with ice cream (if you're willing to pay more but it's definitely worth it!!) and toppings. After that, he will roll it up and present it to you like a bouquet of sweetness.

This is what I had - Pandan crepe with Nutella spread topped with almond flakes and a scoop of mint ice cream! Yummy! The crepe is crispy and the crushy almonds add texture to the whole dessert and the mint ice cream cools your mouth and gives the whole thing the creamy finish~ Really delicious! I highly recommend everyone to try the ice cream crepe as opposed to the ones just with the toppings! It's worth the additional $1.20!

The master/boss preparing the crepe. Normally, Aik Hin is the one preparing the crepe skin because he's the most skillful at it. Unless he's in the loo or that Vera wants to impress some people (like myself), he would normally be assuming control of the crepe pan and wood thingie. :)

Because the crepe is so thin and delicate, extreme care has to be exercised to make sure that it keeps its shape and flipping it isn't easy, especially when the stall is located just beside the river and the breeze will mess the crepe up. There had been cases that the crepes were blown away but I believe they will get better through these experiences.

Some close ups of the preparation process and recap on how to order your crepe. First, the flavor of the crepe. Second, the spread... 

Next, the toppings...

And lastly, that fabulous ice cream!!

Some of the toppings... Inspired by frozen yoghurt, I suppose.

Vera rolling the crepe into this hand made paper cone.

Well I was fortunate to be able to capture some portraits of people enjoying the crepe while I was there yesterday. This is Yi Hui enjoying her strawberry crepe with ice cream~

Alvin's friend who I only know him as Machamp also enjoying his strawberry crepe with ice cream. So happened to bump into him and just had to introduce him to the fantastic crepes. :D

And of course, Nick digging into his pandan crepe with raspberry ice cream. This is probably the most unglam way of eating the crepe but hey~ It's up to you how you want to have it!!

This is how the crowd was like yesterday and I hope that the crowd will continue to grow today as well~ :)

And the final photo of this entry - Doraemon hand soap that they use to keep their hands germ free while preparing their crepe. They may be young but they sure know about personal hygiene when it comes to food preparation so you can be assured that you get clean and tasty sweets from them!

I hope that this entry will make you feel like going down to support them! :D That's the whole purpose of this post. In case you want to know more about their crepe, you can visit their Facebook page here. In case you're lazy, I shall just write some of the essential things that you should know~

Time:

July 15 - July 24

Operating Hours: 

Weekdays - 4:00pm to 11:00pm
Weekends - 12:00pm to 11:00pm
Well, they need to attend school too, you know?

Menu:

Crepes!! With toppings, ice cream or fruits - your pick!

But I will highly recommend the ice cream ones because it rocks!

Pricing:

Ranges from $3.00 to $4.20 - depending on what you're having.

Well that's all I have for now! Shall head down to NEX to get Maomao's kitty litter and something else. :) Remember to go down to Clarke Quay to support Crepezee Crepe when y'all get the chance, yes? :) You won't regret it!

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Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria & Oasia Buffet

Hello y'all! Did you miss me (or specifically, my rants on this blog?) I hope you did~

Well recently, my weekends are constantly being burnt because of you-know-which-evil-organization that doesn't believe in letting people rest on weekends. So much for 5 days work week right? Oh well, at least the rest of the month's weekends are free - or at least I hope they stay that way.

Anyway, yesterday, I went to Vivo City to have lunch at "Carnivore"! Heard that they are quite well known for their roasted meats and that the experience is really unique so I decided to bring Alvin there for his birthday treat. Another reason is because he's pretty much a carnivore too. :)

And as always, loads of pictures... Feast your eyes!! (pun intended)

Located on the first storey of Vivo City, Carnivore sits in a pretty isolated place from the bustling shopping center and therefore, you can be promised that peaceful dining experience. Well, probably not that peaceful when it's a weekend plus the restaurant's Brazilian music but it's still acceptable. Oh yes~ Carnivore's like an All-You-Can-Eat restaurant and they really challenge you (or just me?) to eat all you can! Obviously, I KO-ed pretty fast. I'm not born for buffets...

When you enter the restaurant, you are greeted with a small salad bar filled with an assorted selections of fruits, soup, salads, pasta and other random but nice looking food. Well decorated, no?

Yesterday, beetroots were on the menu and I still remember the days when I was in US and my friends would constantly spam beetroots at the salad bar because to him, it's heavenly but to me, it just looks scary. I don't really like food in weird colors but if you like something sweet, beetroots are for you. They also have colesaw, this green pea salad (not my favorite kind of green pea though) and pasta salads. Quite nice~

Honestly, when you stay at the restaurant long enough, you'll realize that the selection isn't that huge but I guess it's acceptable. So far, the best buffet I ever had was in US because the selection is MASSIVE! No Singapore buffet actually matched that huge variety yet but again, Asians are not made for buffets, right? See those greens? I think I ate a lot of those... :P

Now in case you're wondering "WHERE THE HELL IS THE MEAT?", calm your inner lion down. The meats are not served on the buffet table. When we got our seat, the staff gave us these round cards to place at the edge of the table to indicate if we want their staff to bring us any meat or not. So if you want meat, show them the green side and if you need a break from the oily goodness, show them the red side. Yes, the discs are 2-sided.

One of the disadvantage of this system is that you have to keep an eye on what the staff is bringing out on this huge skewer. The photo above's a bit dark but I'll show you a better photo later. So while having your meal, you need to open your eyes huge to target at the meat you want - almost like playing a game if you asked me. But if you want to try every single thing, show them the green card and be assured that they will definitely serve you.

Broy's tip on a healthier buffet - start with the salads! At least that's what my bestest friend and I did when we entered the restaurant. My logic is that you have the salad first so you have something in your stomach and you won't tend to overeat. Actually, it kinda failed because I overate eventually because I had 2 buffets in a day but that's for later in this post. Some of my friends actually call me stupid because I like to eat all the cheaper food at the buffet and some even said if they open a buffet restaurant, they would love customers like me. Evil~

Roasted pineapples! Apparently, their roasted pineapples are what attract people to this restaurant. This fruit dish may be simple but it's really sweet and juicy~ Really refreshing! Best to have it when you're almost done with your meal because it helps to refresh your mouth a little from all the meat. This is my favorite photo of the day, by the way.

 In case you haven't realized, photos in this entry aren't placed in chronological order. This is what I had first - salad with sausages. Of course, you get to mix and match what you want in your salad so this is how I did it.

Tip: If you want to dine at Carnivore and you are on a budget, say no if they offer you iced tea or anything else other than plain water because this glass of normal tasting tea costed me S$6!! Perverted no?! Guess the restaurant stuck to All-You-Can-Eat as opposed to All-You-Can-Drink. So misleading! At least tell the customers that you have to pay separately lah~

Round 2 of salad... :P

The meats. They serve an array of different roasted goodies but a lot of them are really greasy and fatty. Honestly, I wouldn't say they are the best because they are so oily they kinda hinder your ability to taste, making a lot of the stuff taste very similar. The sausages are nice though, probably because it's seasoned differently. Just by looking at the shininess on the sausage and plate is enough to tell you how fattening this meal was.

Lamb, chicken, fish, beef, etc~ The first few slices of these taste quite okay but the more you eat, the scarier it becomes because it's so overwhelming! Even carnivorous Alvin said it's a bit scary, let alone the person who eats more veggies than meat - ME! But if you really love your meats, then go for it!

Well in terms of the pricing, I would say that Carnivore isn't something that you want to have every weekend because during weekends, it costs around S$33+ per person, not inclusive of the drinks which shouldn't be very economical-friendly. Think it's only meant for a once in a blue moon treat or just a once in a lifetime experience.

In terms of service, I would say that the staff are extremely friendly and careful with their knives and skewers. They serve generous portions as well. Unfortunately, the food is mediocre because of all the oil and fat that numbs your taste buds, making everything taste the same. Guess I won't be going back there in the near future... Gosh the calories... :(

Now, let's take a break from all the oil and look at something that's much lusher and green. This banana tree is located just outside Swissotel: Merchant Court. After having lunch at Carnivore, I went to visit Vera and Aik Hin at their crepe stall by the Singapore River (will feature this in another post!). Stayed around for awhile before heading to my father's van to head off to yet another buffet. Saw this banana tree and took a picture of it~ :P

If you followed me on Twitter, you would have seen that I tweeted something like "So full I can die". Yes!! Imagine a small eater like me having buffets twice in a row consecutively! My stomach didn't even have the time to digest those greasy food and I'm thrown into another challenge.

Anyway, dinner was at this new restaurant just beside Tan Tock Seng Hospital - Oasia Hotel. Really cool looking hotel with excellent interior design. My sister bought these coupons which allowed us to eat at this buffet for S$19.90 each! Cool~ Original price is like 50 something if I'm not mistaken.

Photo above is what I started off with - salad again. I was extremely bloated even during dinner and I can't just waste the money and go to the restaurant just to sit there and look cute right? So I attempted to stuff more food down my throat and since veggies are easier to swallow, I took these. Plus salmon, of course. :D

Due to the fact that I was so bloated, I didn't really want to move around to take photos of food (In fact, when I saw food, I was a little terrorized~) so I just took some at the table. This buffet serves lots of great food though. Cheese, bread, Chinese food, salads, desserts, roasted meat (again), fruits, etc. In fact, I think this buffet is quite healthy with the selection of fruits and vegetables being so attractive. They even have a bar specially for sashimi and you can get the chef to prepare this gorgeous sashimi spread for you. The wasabi leaves look like play-dough, no? :P

Like they always say, there's always room for dessert and obviously, I did stuff my face with some of these sweet goodies. The desserts are marvelous and they actually made me slightly more comfortable because it reminds me of the taste of sweetness as opposed to grease and oil and fats. Ugh! Highly recommend the chocolate mousse in the small glass because it's made of dark chocolate but it isn't disgustingly bitter. The mango agar agar in the tall glass is also a treat! Noticed I took 2 of everything? I shared it with Vera so yes... I'm not that greedy.

They also serve lots of tropical fruits like rambutans and mangosteens. Too bad I didn't get a chance to grab the mangosteen because this greedy uncle Orang Utan took them all! :( They also serve apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries (yes!!), grapes, etc. Vera thought that the bowl of fruits at the salad bar was just for decoration but I proved her wrong when I went to take the strawberries. First buffet I've ever been to which serve fresh fruits! Thumbs up!!

Notice the crackers and cheese on the plate? This is also the first buffet that I've seen to serve a selection of cheese, including those cartoon Swiss cheese with holes, with a variety of breads and crackers. Interesting spread, no? I tried the cheese with crackers and it rocks~ Really interesting~

Vera's mini-salad which she had after having her meats. Come to think of it, I only had a few slices of salmon, some lamb because it was served with a salad and some chicken because I was so sick of meat during dinner.

Leon and his dessert which I think he ate all by himself. Fatty...

Vera enjoying her chocolate mousse. I want another one!!

I would recommend this buffet over the Carnivore one simply because it's so much healthier and probably cheaper? At least you get to try something else other than non-stop meat. The Oasia buffet is also the first that I've seen to focus so much on fruits and vegetables to encourage people to take more fiber than protein and I say it's a huge thumbs up! Call me a health freak, I don't care but I rather get sick of eating veggies than meat because veggies don't make people fat.

After dinner, we walked around the hotel to check out the swimming pool which I did take a picture of but the photo is so dark and uninteresting so I'm not going to upload it. But I did take a photo of this really scary person...

Nick stood above the light shining from the floor and because it was so dark there, it cast lots of interesting shadows on his chubby body and face. His cheeks are so huge that it cast a shadow over his eyes~ Scary!! Looks like some Japanese ghost~ He should audition for Ju-On next time~

Being the evil eldest brother that I am, throughout dinner, I had been trying to take photos of Nick's big tummy and I finally got a chance to do so when I caught him unguarded in the elevator. His stomach's so huge!! :P



Well that's the end of this entry. Maybe I shall start working on the next entry featuring Crepezee Crepe, Aik Hin's and Vera's crepe store at the Singapore Food Festival starting from July 15 - July 24. Do go down to support them. Information at their Facebook event page above!!

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Fun Pack Song?

National Day Parade's "Fun Pack Song" to the tune of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"?

OH PUH-LEASE!!
Don't make Baby Gaga laugh!!

Well isn't this musical disaster?! Okay, let's ignore the part about them flaunting copyright regulations by using Lady Gaga's tune but the lyrics?

"Oh o o o o o o o
Time for the fun pack song
Oh o o o o o o o o
We like the fun pack song"

"I want Newater and I want a cold drink
You and me, let's share a bit
I want a biscuit and I want a sweet
You and me, let's share this treat"

Looks like Rebecca Black found her match for her infamous "Friday". Wait, I think Friday has slightly more educational and intellectual value as compared to this nonsense. It can be written in any other tunes but the lyrics itself is so......

"Oh boy you made me speechless~~"
- Lady Gaga's "Speechless"

Why can't the creative directors actually find something better to do than to make weird songs like this? I know the purpose of this song is to introduce the fun pack (you know, the goodie bag that attracts all the patriotic, or not, people to the NDP) but this is a bit insane. Can't you do something like have a celebrity introduce the things physically through probably a skit? A cartoon animation - like the things inside the bag comes to life on the big screen?

But actually, people will dig through the bags and find out what's inside. You don't have to tell them that there are biscuits and sweets because they will find it! You don't have to tell them to wave the flag because they know what to do with the flag! Don't treat us like we're stupid please~

Therefore, I think the song is irrelevant and unnecessary but good thing they decided to remove it from the actual parade. Thank goodness Mr President didn't see it live but I doubt they can keep this hiccup away from him - he isn't disconnected from the country, you know. But at least he won't be embarrassed and go like "What the hell is going on with my country? The language is atrocious, as proven by this so-called 'song'!!"

Back to the point of copyright infringement. I'm really sick of having to explain to people how important copyright is because recently, I've been mocked at for buying original CDs and games. I've been told that I cannot download physical things, specifically camera lenses, but I can download music and games.

COME ON BITCH!! I can do whatever I want with my money and support all the original stuff I want because I'm not a cheapo like you! I support the great works of music creators, game designers, programmers, artists and artistes and the likes, unlike you who just rip off their stuff for free! CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!! 

YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!

Okay, personal rants aside, but I think the creative director made a boo-boo by obtaining the wrong rights. They obtained the rights to perform the song in public but not change the lyrics and that's why they removed the song - sadly not because it sounded retarded but that's good anyway.

And of course, the community online ain't happy with the bad song and they are coming down hard on the people who decided on the lyrics and concept. Honestly, I only got to know about this today but since I haven't been blogging for awhile, I shall just talk about it here. :P Gives me something to talk about.

Point is, Singaporeans should be more sensitive when it comes to intellectual properties. I mean, we, design students (or EX-design students) know how difficult it is to make a creative idea materialize into reality and we definitely would love the credit for it and for people to PAY for our hard work. I believe that given the prior knowledge, the creative director would have tried to obtain the rights for editing the lyrics but sadly, it's too late. At least they seek permission for performance of the song...

But the lyrics are still unforgivable!!

So let's get on with life and remember that this happened before and will never happen again to embarrass the nation - especially when Lady Gaga's in Singapore (big face palm!!)

Guard duty tomorrow on a weekend. That sucks... Shall go to bed in my second home. :D Gooder night y'all!!

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