you can choose your friends but not your family..

The snow is finally beginning to subside thankfully and the sun is out but unfortunately the weather just hasn't been warm enough to melt even an inch of ice. The trains have all been cancelled as well which is making more nervous with each passing day.

I am extremely excited to be going home not just because of Christmas and New Year but also because I can go home to be looked after. The days are getting more difficult to manage, thanks to the weather, and this experience has taught me that no man is an island. God has looked after me throughout this period but sometimes he needs to do it through other people.

I'm so thankful for the friends I have here, like Tara and Liusaidh, who have brightened my days with their visits.

They say 'you can choose your friends but not your family'.. I'm glad that's true cos I don't think I could have picked a better one!

Get ready everyone, Deebs is coming home!

indulgence!

I think I've been overdoing it on the good food this November, with at least one good meal every week. I recently went to Galvin at Windows at the Hilton on Park Lane and the food was so deelish. The scallops were lightly cooked and then served on a super hot plate so that they would be so light and tender. The pigeon I had was also really tender and didn't have that overpowering gamey sensation you get with some. Lastly, I had the souffle which was also really good but sorry to say, a tad too sweet even for my sweet tooth. Nice consistency. It was probably better than I'm making it out to be but it was a month back after all!

Then the week after, we went to the Peat Inn which wasn't quite so amazing as it was the first time. Food was a bit cold and the flavours just didn't blow me away as it did before.

But what has been lingering in my mind and on my palate is Andrew Fairlie's cooking. Every dish was such an experience and definitely deserves a post of its own...

This year is my year to collect Michelin stars and I'm now on my 4th.. I've been dying to try the Peat Inn after hearing the ravings about the place and with a 2 month waiting list to get a reservation, I've finally been to the place and it was amazing!

The starter was a feuillete of langoustines, scallops and smoked haddock in Hollandaise sauce. Ooh lovely and I don't even eat seafood. The haddock was so perfectly cooked and all so fresh!

The next on the list - we decided to be greedy and go for four courses instead - was the Anstruther crab with marinated cucumber. I have to say this was the best dish! The cucumber was sweet and crunchy, perfectly paired with the light taste of the shredded crab.. Yum.

It was hard to get better after this but I then had the roast rib eye which was lovely as well. Could have done with slightly rarer beef but to be honest, it was hard to fault such excellent cooking.

However, the piece de resistance was the strawberry souffle! I had the chocolate fondant which was so rich and gorgeous, but the souffle was absolutely a work of art! Most souffles taste like butter cakes but this souffle was like eating a cloud. A cloud. My taste buds were actually dancing when I tasted this heavenly dish.

What can I say? I've lost my appetite for normal food now and my taste buds are already craving another meal at the Peat Inn!

Ah bliss...

the irony of it all

I don't think I'm generally a funny person... think all the clown genes got passed to my little sis, which is why my posts seem to be scarcer on this blog.

So it seems almost final.. I'll be going home before the F2 year is out. But not for all the reasons that people have been giving me! To be fair, I did want to stay in Dundee because of my Jag but then my family think I'm nuts...

What were the top 10 reasons then... or not good enough ones...

1. Cold Rock

2. XLBs

3. Poppy (my sis thinks that if xlbs and ice cream are on the list, then my grandma better make the list!)

4. Moving back to Greenleaf

5. Jag/Porsche Cayenne/ highly flammable Maserati

6. Sushi (the dog but maybe the food too)

7. Joanne Ng

8. Joanne Ng

9. Joanne Ng

10. Joanne Ng

You can see why I wasn't that motivated to go home.. Anyway, that's that.

sweetness!

So after all my car rants, I've finally got a new one! It still hasn't quite set in that I've bought it until I actually look at the car but oh it's gorgeous and drives like a dream! Can't say anymore than that cos a picture is worth a thousand words!

But I've also to say bye to Vincent, my little fox. always reliable and fun to drive. An excellent first car and one I would have held on to if I could. He would have been 15 months old in 3 days' time! Goodbye my darling! It's a good thing I have my Jag to get me through this tough time.. :)

my new obsession

I've moved on from food recently because my stomach can't expand anymore and there aren't so many michelin star restaurants in abundance back here in Dundee.

So my new obsession is cars!! Goodness I think I'm driving everyone nuts with talk about cars.. I've been thinking about getting an SUV like the Tiguan because Volkswagen has always been reliable but scratched that idea after my family got one. What is the point of getting a car that we already have right? So back to the drawing board. Thought about the Golf R but they're not cheap.

I really like the BMW X1 but then it's diesel which means I wouldn't be able to take it back with me to Singapore.. I wish my Fox could come too but for the amount it costs to bring it in, it's not quite worth it. If I were as rich as Lionel Richie, I'd keep every car I'd ever owned as well.

So my sister recently introduced me to Top Gear and James May was test driving the Jaguar XF. Wow. No other words but wow. I think you would squeal with delight every time you turned the car on and you'd feel every penny was worth it!

Phoned up the garage to test drive it tomorrow but the petrol cars are in low stock so it might take a little while to come.. But anyway, I can't wait til tomorrow!!

thanks a lot

My sister says that I make really nice oyako don, so she was going to make spam msubis to go with the oyako don. Only later I found out what a high opinion she has of my food:

Jo: Can you make some oyako don for me to bring on the plane?
Me: Really? You like my oyako don so much?
Jo: Yeah I hate plane food. It tastes better than plane food.
Me: Thanks alot for the compliments. -__-

Sigh.

the cost of indulgence

Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester.

I think that sentence sums it up. Anyway, chose it because it was awarded its third michelin star this year. Also meant that it was cheaper than the other 3 michelin star restaurants :)

We were greeted at the Dorchester by really friendly staff although someone asked if we were going to eat at China Tang, the Chinese restaurant. Didn't come all the way to London to eat Chinese food but maybe it's good.

Decided to go for a 3 course dinner as opposed to the tasting menu because there was tons of seafood on it. Plus I wasn't that hungry. The first waiter came round with a trolley of champagne. I went for the house champagne which was realy good. £14 a glass but worth it.

Then for little pre-starters they served little choux puffs - cheese, paprika and pepper. Light and fluffy little things, quite delicious indeed. The waiter insisted that we polish off the last remaining two choux puffs which we did without much hesitance.

Oh but my starter of Hereford snails in parsley butter with potato gnocchi and bacon! Oh to die for. The escargot were so nice and chewy with no gritty bits that you sometimes get. The gnocchi would just melt away into your palate, which is brilliant because too often handmade gnocchi can get really thick and pasty. The bacon complemented the snails perfectly, not too oily and providing a nice crunch. I think I could have eaten another plates and forgotten about the rest of the dinner. My sis had the foie gras which is cooked in the best way - pan-seared! Although I think parts of it were a bit on the salty side.

While waiting for the main course, they served some amuse bouche of lobster ravioli. Very nice indeed, even though I'm not a seafood gourmet.

I had the main course of the beef fillet and seared foie gras. Absolutely delightful. I'd asked for the steak done rare which was perfectly cooked with the lovely juices oozing out. And the foie gras gave an extra zing of flavour to the taste of the beef. Yum indeed. My only gripe was that it was accompanied by this cheap lettuce which dulled the taste somewhat.

By this time, we were starting to get really full. I had the chocolate dessert while my sis had the lemon souffle. The grapefruit sorbet was very nice and good for cleansing the palate and the flavours were very nice indeed. I can't say that the dessert really left me as speechless as the starter but it was good. However, they also served an assortment of lemon, almond and coconut macaroons which I thought were the best ever. Crispy and fluffy and so delicate indeed. Plus the pralines that they had were so amazing as well!!

Tea. Tea. I love tea. There was something about their earl grey tea that had such a pleasant aroma. Different from most other earl grey teas I've tasted. I seem to recall that taste once somwhere before but I just can't recall.

After the two of us were practically on the floor following the immense dinner, they rolled along a platter of 6 pastries. Disappointingly we were too full to eat it and the waitress herself looked disappointed not to serve it. She also tried to fill us up with some sweeties of caramel and marshmallows, but sadly I only brought along one stomach, not 4!

As we left the restaurant, the staff handed us a box of glazed orange cakes each for our breakfast the next morning. What a lovely touch indeed.

Was the experience worth it? Totally! The service delivered by the staff was impeccable and so smooth. The food was excellent (though I admit not all the courses were the best I've ever tasted) and the price extremely reasonable for a 3 michelin star restaurant! Although next time, I'm determined to eat everything they bring.

Next stop - Le Jules Verne atop the Eiffel tower (also by Alain Ducasse)!!!

a life less ordinary

London has been a whirlwind of fun and I'm back here in Dundee again. Perhaps I could have stayed longer had I chosen not to indulge as much but I definitely needed a good break.

We started the trip with a meal at Koya, a Japanese joint specialising in udon in Soho. It was good udon, but not great unfortunately. And that's that. This was followed by the musical 'We will rock you' - definitely worth watching. It's fun and lively and who doesn't know the Queen songs?

The next morning was breakfast at the Wolseley. I find that breakfast is something that can never get that special. I don't know why but I thought maybe the Wolseley would change my mind considering all the reviews I read about it. Well... the food was good I suppose. But the service completely ruined my dining experience. One thing people know about me is that I love tea. Absolutely adore tea. Will probably drink any kind of tea (proper tea, not that herbal fruity junk). And I returned the tea saying that was NOT earl grey. Instead of taking it back to the kitchen to check, the waitress insulted me by saying 'Oh these are made from tea leaves, maybe that's why it doesn't taste like earl grey to you.' I started going off at her and asked her to taste it herself! That's how mad I was. Never drank the foul thing. Not enough bergamot or tea leaves even and the water in London tastes atrocious because of the amount of chlorine in it. Definitely not fit for brewing tea. So if you're having tea, it needs to be good and strong, or get mineral water. CONCLUSION: Do not go to the Wolseley. I think the waitress was sent to serve another corner of the restaurant and no one apologised for the mistake.

KOBA: A Korean restaurant also located in Soho. Amazing. Nothing but amazing. The food was good and authentic, the service too was impeccable. We seemed to have some communication problems with the waiter which sent us into peals of laughter rather than frustrate us. So it was all good.

Monday was going to be my day. Afternoon tea at the Berkeley followed by the musical 'Love Never Dies'. When we arrived, they took us to our table with my name on it. How quaint. And the sweets and pastries were so well done! I have to admit that there was a bit too much sugar but then it's the look of the tea that takes your breath away more than anything. There was this lavender cream thing which I just couldn't stomach though. A bit like drinking hand soap or something but service was excellent and the food otherwise was great! They even insist that you take home the little desserts that you've not been able to stomach!

PRET A PORTEA AT THE BERKELEY: 4.5 stars out of 5. Definitely a fun experience. I just can't wait to go to the next one when the new spring/summer collection comes out.

I'd been aching to watch 'Love never dies' for ages but it had mixed reviews. Still, that wasn't going to stop me because it was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber. My sister didn't seem to enjoy it that much. But I think it still had some excellent songs and you couldn't fault the Phantom's and Christine's singing voices. Absolutely beautiful. The only thing is that the storyline was just well.. not quite right. Or even, not quite there. So.. if you're a musical buff and you've seen the other great shows, then go watch this. It's worth watching but I'm not sure I'd go a second time. Think I'd buy the soundtrack though!

Tuesday was shopping day. We took a train to the shopping outlet at Bicester and went mad. I blame my sister for awakening the sleeping giant. I was never much of a shopper and didn't budget much for actual shopping because I knew I wouldn't really spend on these things. I came back with a Burberry coat, Ugg boats, a Mulberry pouch and a huge hole in my purse. I think we'd have stayed longer if we hadn't run out of money, so definitely make a trip to Bicester if you're flush!

We were still aching for another meal at Koba but didn't have time and went straight to our next musical 'Wicked'. I'd heard really good reviews and it was really good in fact. I think I'm still a more intense person and lean towards the Phantom and Les Mis sort of shows, but Wicked is still worth watching again.

Wednesday was our last day in London so we saved the best for last. Or so we thought. I took Jo to Marco Pierre White's King's Road Steakhouse and Grill. Great ambience and very lovely decor but the food was just disappointing. The pork belly was a good starter which made things look very promising, but the steak was charred unfortunately. The creme brulee, which I'd long been craving for, was covered with this impenetrable layer of over-caramelised sugar. I felt utterly disappointed with this meal. A waste of stomach space in fact.

And to save the best for last was our michelin star experience. Which definitely is worth a post of its own. Heh.

the disease to please is hereditary

On Friday I was asked to work an extra shift but I really didn't want to and didn't have the guts to say no because I felt bad so got my friend to say no for me. Still, I went home feeling really guilty about it even though I had no reason to! Anyway, after about 10 hours of deliberating, I decided at 11pm that I was not going to do the shift. I was going to enjoy my Saturday off because I'd be working again on Sunday.

That was until I got a text from a friend saying that they'd really appreciate me coming in. After reading that message, that was me roped in and I jumped out of my bed into my car. I thought that by hiding on another floor, none of my colleagues would find out, that was until I ran into my consultant who'd come to see a patient. Bottom line is, I've lost the respect of everyone I work with for not being able to say 'NO!' My sister calls me the world's biggest pushover. The title used to belong to my mum so it's definitely in my genes.

I actually went to google 'people pleaser' and it's nicknamed 'the disease to please'. I still get a good feeling knowing that I've helped someone out and shared their load, plus I get paid for it! But not sure if I'm bordering on pathological! Guess I'll leave that to my sister, the budding psychologist, to diagnose. Though I have this morbid fear of confrontation as well which is probably why. Don't think I'm completely nuts yet because this side of me didn't surface til this incident and people seem to think I'm quite firm. We'll keep that illusion going for as long as we can, though probably not for much longer.

Enough ranting for now. I'm off to watch an audience with Buble.. I love Michael Buble!

oklahoma!

I first visited the UK when I was 8 years old and we stayed in my aunt's house in Leicester for a couple of weeks. There wasn't much to do in Leicester and every day we'd go to Debenhams to shop, my little sis would sit in the Postman Pat van and my dad would sit at the cafe outside Debenhams drinking tea. As for me and my older sis, we'd order jam doughnuts and squeeze out all the jam. Once Debenhams kicked us out for the day, we'd head home and just watch tons of movies. That's when my little sis made us watch Postman Pat, Grease and the Sound of Music a thousand times... But my aunt also had Calamity Jane and Oklahoma which I loved and now have the DVDs of!

I actually just bought the Oklahoma soundtrack too and watched Calamity Jane on the telly today! Oh I just love Howard Keel! Found out not long ago that Jeremy Brett, one of my favourite actors who plays Sherlock Holmes, was also Freddy Eynsford Hill in My Fair Lady!

Oh I love old movies and musicals.. Edinburgh playhouse will be showing Oklahoma but I guarantee I won't find any company to go with me.. Today they showed the movie 'The Prince and the Showgirl' starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. It was a wonderful movie but the ending seemed a bit.. well sad in a way. I watched 'The Children's Hour' starring Audrey Hepburn last time and it was a bit depressing as well, but just watching these stars who shaped the film industry was just brill!

Signing off for now to sign to my Oklahoma soundtrack!

you smell

Not sure how or why I came up with this blog post but it just occurred to me as I was going to sleep last night when I was pouring some hot water into a cup. It actually has kind of a nice soothing smell.

And I was just thinking what some of my favourite smells were...

1. Roses - doesn't everyone love the smell of roses. But only fresh roses not the scented perfumes you get
2. Earl grey tea - I'm just mad about tea tea tea..
3. Rain - the air always smells so crisp after a nice rain shower
4. Green apples - everything from my toiletries to my perfume and cleaning products are all green apple!
5. My absolute favourite smell in the world.. babies! Oh my gosh, don't babies smell amazing! I remember last time I sat in the baby unit cuddling this baby and just kept smelling her! My mum loves the smell of babies too.. haha :) I wish someone had a baby I could cuddle and smell!

That's all for my weird post.. :)

little dreams

I'm still waiting for the application for my postgraduate degree to be approved so in the meantime I've been fantasising what I can do with the money if I don't get it.. It should and probably will go to another degree instead but this is more fun.

So I was really upset because I told my family that I wanted a Tiguan and they all said it was yucky but then went to buy one! I hate it when people copy my ideas. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. I don't like it cos I just like being unique.

In any case, I've decided to move on to bigger and better things. The maserati quattroporte is still way out of my reach and unfortunately, I can't bring the BMW X1 or Lexus 220d into Singapore because they're both diesel engines. Major bummer cos I love them both. So my new aim is to get the Porsche Cayenne! Whee hee.. that means saving for another year or two but how great would that be! I'm still not ready to give up little Vincent though. I love him so much and so want to bring him travelling round to different parts of the UK. He's only done about 4000 miles..

On a more serious note and complete tangent to this topic, I had a conversation with my family about kidney transplants and who we'd be willing to give our kidneys to. Now that I work on the renal unit, it's become commonplace and today I met a patient who just got their kidney from their mum and had to go through so much extra treatment just because they weren't a proper match. I suppose that would be the most common scenario - a parent giving an organ to save their child - but I can't speak from experience. Still, I think it's amazing what parents would do for their children and that is from personal experience.

Smiles :)

where fashion meets food

So it seems the talk is all about London and will be for the next 4 weeks until we go to London and then the 4 weeks after that. Afternoon tea has always been my thing and I'm still dreaming of the day when I can take a tour of the best tea rooms around the UK.

I was really excited about booking the Dorchester afternoon tea because it's supposed to be really good, having won awards and all. But my sis has never been keen on afternoon tea, especially since she hates scones and cucumber sandwiches. In any case, she was not impressed by the tea menu, much like any other. Until my friend recommended the afternoon tea at the Berkeley Hotel, or rather the fashionista tea. It's got biscuits modelled after some of the trendiest bags, accessories and clothes and guess who finally changed her tune about afternoon tea? I won't be getting my lavish scones with clotted cream but at least we'll have a fun afternoon taking pictures of all these cool pastries!

I can't wait!

London!

Anyway, I think the most exciting bit about going to London is always the musicals and the food, glorious food.

I absolutely love musicals though there are still I've not been able to catch, partly because I keep watching the same musicals over and over again. My top favourite is a hard fight between Les Miserables and the Phantom of the Opera. I always tell people that if you watch the Phantom, to try and get the first few stalls because it's an amazing feeling when you see the chandelier coming down on top of you! Hope I haven't given away too much. I've seen Joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat three times as well which is brilliant. People often rave about the Lion King though after the beautiful production of the Circle of Life at the beginning, things kinda take a slow turn. Though not a musical, I absolutely love the Lord of the Dance as well. My sis fell asleep at My Fair Lady so I'm not pushing majorly for that.

In any case, we're going to watch Wicked, which a patient once raved about to me, and Love Never Dies, which is one Andrew Lloyd Webber's new work. Quite excited.

The other thing I'm really excited about is going to have a meal at Alain Ducasse who was just awarded three Michelin stars this year. Three michelin stars means that it's definitely worth a journey so let's see. The best meal I've ever eaten was the one at the Boxwood Cafe where I had the venison and I'm not kidding, it melts in your mouth! How meat does that I don't know but it does! And afternoon tea, oh I absolutely adore the clotted cream at Harrod's tea room but apparently the Dorchester tea is award winning so here we come!!

I'm also excited to go back to Harrods and have more of Morelli's ice cream. Other than the gelato in Italy, which you just can't beat, Morelli's is definitely the best! I was there nearly everyday when I spent a month in London! And when it comes to ice cream, I'm definitely an expert on the subject.

London here we come!

what's a sister to do..

My family always comments on how serious my blog is, so I decided that to add a side dish to my blog - a little helping of laughter and the nuttiness that goes on in my life.. as well as some interesting musings and things that make my world go round.

So today, my little sis and I decided that we would head back to our favourite spot - London. Despite her disdain of travelling alone, she seems to find her way back to Dundee every year. And although we sometimes travel to different places like Germany or Paris, London is definitely our favourite. The only difference is that now we (or I) can afford to pay for stuff and we don't need to stay in creepy hotels.

I always tell her she should take up a career as a comedian though she still hasn't taken my advice...

Jo: I hope there's no terrorists on the plane
Me: Of course. Don't be nuts.
Jo: I'm going to book the emergency exit
Me: *silence* So you can jump off the plane if there's one?!
Jo: No! There's more leg room!
Me: -__-

So as the planning goes on for our London trip, the cost seems to go up and up...

Jo: Have you been on the London Duck? It's quite good. We can go.
Me: Oh yeah ok I don't mind.
Jo: How much is it?
Me: £20 for me and £16 for you.
Jo: Actually it's quite expensive... do you want to just go yourself? I'll wait for you.
Me: WHY THE HECK WOULD I WANT TO GO ON THE DUCK ON MY OWN?! AND WAVE TO YOU FROM THE DUCK?!

Sigh. What's a sister to do.