Cavalock and The Very Happy Monkey

There's a new Japanese restaurant in town and it's situated right next to my fav Japanese supermarket. How could I not check out Yayoiken that's right next to Meidi-Ya supermarket at Liang Court?

Have actually been there twice and both times I ordered the Buta Yakiniku (pork) set meal (yah I know, boring) cos it was really good. Now the first time I had it, they apparently forgot to give me the dipping sauce. Oh, the above pix is from my second visit. Now I didn't know there was supposed to be any dipping sauce and I did remarked how much nicer it would be if they some dipping sauce. But having each mouthful of pork slice together with some bean sprout, that was the solution. The crunchy beans and tender pork made a truly tasty combo.

Now when I was there the second time, they gave me dipping sauce but I found it a little too sweet so I simply stuck with my bean sprouts and pork combo. Not bad for a S$9.90 set meal. A tie with my other favorite pork set meal.

And since I was at Meidi-Ya, here are some of new stuff I spotted on their shelves. Bailey's (non-alcoholic) flavored coffee creamers! Saw them in the food mags that downloaded a couple months ago but first time seeing them here. There's also some new popcorn from the US, they look very tempting too but I didn't buy any. :P

It's Father's Day and although I don't usually celebrate Father's or Mother's Day in my family (my late Mom always said 'Everyday's Mother's Day so don't need a special day'), I thought I'll just showcase some of the latest wildlife pix my 77 year-old Dad took over the last couple of weeks.

Believe it or not, we do have quite a healthy eagle population here on the island. More of my Dad's pix here and here. Oh, and here's the very happy monkey in the title!

Cavalock and The Return of The Omakase Order

Two omakase meals in a year? Oh yah, it's a new record cos usually it's one in like, 'never' years? Back at Hinoki at China Square Central but this time almost everything's different.

For starters, was there on a packed Saturday nite instead of a quiet weekday dinner like the last time. Reservations definitely needed on weekends. Had a table for four instead of a counter seats too so that's kinda new too.

Told the big guy Gary that I wanted more sushi and sashimi. Then I sat back with a cold beer and waited for the parade to begin. Maybe it's just luck but almost everything I had this time was different from the last which is a good thing I mean. No repeats and all that.

Since it was full house, the food took a little longer to arrive but since I had some really good company that night, the time just flew.

They were rather generous with the truffle oil during my previous visit. Well, they still do as I caught more than a whiff of it exuding from the above baked fish and at least one other dish. No major complaints just a bit getting used to some people I guess.

Oh, and all the dishes came in the order you see here in the pix, from top to bottom, like after the fish you got a nice little oyster dish.

Followed by yet another oyster, this time resting gently in my chawanmushi. The below serving of beef that came next was extraordinary tender. Maybe it was wagyu? I dunno, I forgot to ask.

Then came sushi and more sushi. All in all, another very excellent omakase meal. Oh yah, I had the green tea ice cream instead of the grape-flavored one like last time. A better choice I thought.

Cavalock and The Case of The Mysterious Emotional Restaurants

With hardly any time to try out any new joints, I figured I'll look back at one of my old posts, exactly five years to this day, another Sunday the 3rd of June and what was I blogging about? Oh yah, brunch at Glaze. Geez, been ages since I been there, not an easy place to go to without a set of wheels.

I thought I'll just share some 'interesting' pix I snapped over the last week. Hope they at least bring a smile or two. <^;^>

A Japanese magazine at Kinokuniya, I have no idea what an 'emotional' restaurant is but I sure would like to see the menu

Yes, for a mere S$100 you can get frozen foie gras at our local supermarkets 

Don't you wish real traffic cops ride bikes like these?

Am sure there's a message-in-a-bottle reference somewhere in there

Cavalock and The Avacyn Restored Game Day Victory

Been awhile since I been back to Freshness Burger and it looks like they got something new on their menu. Vegetable soup! Yah, I know it doesn't sound like the most exciting thing on the menu but I was nursing a cough back then and figured this was better than a side order of fries.

Now that's what I call a 'vegetable soup'! That's a heck lotsa vegetables in that S$2.80 little cup, you got chucks of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers and onions. I felt it was a heavier and filling soup than the chowder or minestrone at Mos Burger. For that price and at a fast food joint, it's a tasty enough veggie soup with lots of flavor.

WARNING! 

You are now entering the geek zone!!! Most of you will have no idea what I'm talking about below! It's not too late to turn back! ;)

I started this blog to talk bout stuff that makes me happy and boy, was I ever on seventh heaven when I made it to the Top 4 on Magic's Avacyn Restored Game Day. I played my usual white weenie rush deck with some new cards from Avacyn Restored thrown in, like Divine Deflection and Angel of Jubilation.

There were six rounds of swiss to play before cutting the list of about 50 players to the Top 8. The first two decks I faced were red green ramp but my mainboard Elite Inquisitor with its protection against a Huntsmaster/werewolves onslaught plus a last minute Divine Deflection draw against a Wurmcoil Engine saved the day. And then I crashed to a devastating Planeswalker deck that I had no answer to. So at the halfway point of the tourney, I was leading at 2 - 1.

For my fourth match, I was paired against a black zombie deck, it was the perfect match-up for my white guys, especially since I got 4 Miriam Crusaders and 4 Celestial Purges in my sideboard. Hah! Then after whopping his candy ass, guess who or what was my fifth match? Another black zombie deck! Yup, clean wins for my fourth and fifth matches!

Next came my sixth match or final round of swiss. By then the standings were up and at 4 - 1, I was seated at a steady and sturdy third position. My sixth opponent (playing blue black control) asked if I wanted to do an ID (intentional draw) as we were both already assured a place in the Top 8 playoffs later. No point in risking one of us losing, getting less points and not making it. Of course I agreed. Then I dashed down the old shophouse steps, and crossed the busy road for a quick solo Teohew porridge dinner (my friends were still playing). :P

The Top 8 playoffs! Met up against a white green deck, came bloody close to losing until my Terminus saved the day by clearing the board. Nope, I didn't use its Miracle ability as I had it in my first hand draw. Goodbye to all you pesky Strangleroot Geist, Blade Splicer and Restoration Angel!

So me and my friend both made it to the Top 4!!! So the Top 4 guys (Delver, Planeswalker, white token and white weenie), we were mentally exhausted by then, it was like over 8pm and we had been playing since 2pm. Do the math. We all decided to just spilt the Top 4 prize boosters equally 4 ways, that's 7 boosters each. There's also a single playmat prize that we decided to play for, just for fun, I didn't want it anyway since I already have 4 other playmats at home. So guess who I had to play against? The one and only guy I lost to that day, the guy with the Planeswalker deck! It's a great deck, naturally he would be in the Top 8 or 4. It was actually a pretty close fight, closer than our first encounter but I still lost when his Sun Titan came out to play.

All in all, it was fantastic afternoon and evening especially if you count the fact that it was a free event! Plus every player I met was especially nice and gracious. Besides taking home 7 Avacyn Restored boosters, I got 2 special promo cards too. MVP of the day goes to Elite Inquisitor for taking care of the werewolves as well as zombies from 4 different opponents, and Divine Deflection coming in as a close second MVP.

Cavalock and The Japanese Steak House Visitation

To celebrate the smartest decision I ever made in my freakin' life, dinner on Wednesday nite was a fancy little deal at Angus Steak House at Takashimaya. I have been hitting the Japanese steak joints like Ma Maison recently and its been awhile since I tried Angus so here I am again.

I was told that they had renovated the place but it kinda looks the same to me, bright but still kinda cozy, the piano is still near the entrance and what I like is the tables are nicely spaced out and it don't feel too cramped. "Damn it, woman! I need my space!" ;P

Add a mere S$10 to your main and you'll get a (fish) starter like the one above, soup of the day (pumpkin), salad and dessert. Not a bad deal at all.

As for the piece de resistance, my medium ribeye was thick, juicy and pretty much just the way I wanted it. But the slice of lime kinda left a tangy after taste I wasn't all that crazy bout ... so I gotta say I still prefer the steak at Ma Maison over at Bugis.

Now I know there's more that I wanna write bout the dinner and all but like most guys around the world right now, I'm waaaay too busy hacking my way through Diablo III.  Will I have time for anything else? <^;^>

Cavalock and The Fruit Cocktail Concoctions

So with a new kitchen comes (at least) one new gizmo, and that's the Hurom Juicer. You might have seen it at Takashimaya some time back but anyway, there's one sitting on my kitchen shelf right now and I'm really enjoying every last drop from it.

I'm not a spokesman for it but you can see it in action with Martha Stewart in the driver's seat. What I really like is how easy it is to clean. No sharp blades just this big heavy grinding 'screwdriver block' that crushes the fruits, veggies, nuts or whatever. The juice goes into the right container while the pulp goes into the left one. Definitely no regrets getting it.

Not bad from three apples and a carrot, that's one and a half cup of really pure 'thick' juice.

But if fruit juice ain't your thing, maybe this kinda 'fruit' cocktail is more your type? Bwahahah! Yup, cocktail hour now comes in a can at where else but ... Meidi-ya supermart!

And then I saw this! Cadbury Biscuit Bites! They look so damn tempting, there's mint, honeycomb, rocky road and orange crunch.  If not for this nasty cough I'm having, I would have gotten mint or honeycomb pack. Still don't get it why the other supermarts don't bring in stuff like this.

Oh, and if anyone out there who knows my past and who's wondering about a certain computer game. Hell yeah, I'm in it for sure! And right now as I'm typing this, I'm a level 14 Witchdoctor with three very large zombie dogs by my side. <^;^>

Cavalock and The Westbound Treats

As a guy who was born and raised around town, moving a little to the eastern part of the island was really a big deal for me. Took me awhile to get used to all that sea breeze and also, them KTV lounges, that's right folks, the east definitely has way more KTV action. ;)

So what do I on a lazy afternoon? Head out west of course! Tiong Bahru to be exact. A sleepy little neighborhood where lunch was an extremely satisfying yong tau foo at a quaint kopi tiam at the junction of Tiong Poh Road and Eng Hoon Street. Very clear and cleansing soup, not thick and oily at all.

I'm sure there are a lot of little hidden treasures around here but I'm here for something else. And if you have been reading the local papers, you'll know what it is.

I was there to check the newest and most talked-about bakery in town, Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier. It wasn't as crowded as I expected it to be, even during a weekday lunch. Service was prompt and the queue moved along pretty fast.

From top clockwise, picked the chocolate croissant, vanilla flan and sugared brioche. Sweet creamy goodness all the through. Best ever dessert on a blazing hot afternoon.

A little geek speak again! Check out my new iPhone Lego case! Was never a Lego fan but I couldn't resist this when I saw my friend's iPhone case. Took me awhile but I finally found it, the same hard plastic case and the possibilities were endless as to how I could 'mod' it.

It's like a blank canvas to attach all kinds of bricks and other Lego accessories to it. For the moment, I thought I'll just stick an antenna or two to it. Spent S$2.60 at the local Lego shop that sold loose parts. So there you go, an antenna iPhone! Pretty neat eh?

Or you can stick a cute little Lego figure on it too! <^;^>

Cavalock and The East India Community

A new supermarket shows up on my radar and you know what that means, yup, time to see if there's anything about this place that sets it apart from the others. The supermarket is the new Cold Storage store at Changi Point. And guess what, seems like there is something different about the place after all. Almost an entire aisle dedicated to food items from India!

I sure don't remember any other Cold Storage outlets having anything like this. It's kinda like Mustafa if you know what I mean. You got rows of Indian dessert packs (I really like the super sweet ones!) and sacks of different basmati rice. I thought it was pretty neat.

And in the fresh foods area, there's even a little section dedicated to veggies from India. I mean, I think they are from India cos the sign says "authentic".  I guess the folks at the supermarket chain did their research and ...er... there are a lot more Indians working or living here in Changi???

Anyway, look what else I found. Caffeine Free Coke! They are available at their other outlets so no rush in getting them right there and then. They are also 40 cents more than your usual Coke. Apparently it costs more to be healthy. Well, hope you can taste the difference! <^;^>

Geek speak time again! The last week has been packed with all kinds of crazy geek activities, from catching The Avengers movie to playing the new Magic set Avacyn Restored to having a blast at Free Comic Book Day.

To the uninitiated, that was Thanos at the end of The Avengers movie credits. Watching him onscreen was akin to every comic book fans' wet dream. And here's a brief account of how my Free Comic Book Day went on Saturday. :P