The Simplest Aphrodisiac: Epilogue

After three amazing years of food blogging on the The Simplest Aphrodisiac, the time has come for this blog to bid you adieu. I know this announcement may come as a surprise to many of you, but I assure you that a lot of thought had been put into this and I'm ready to take this important step. The biggest reason behind this decision is a happy one. I'm proud...

Hanoi, Vietnam: Green Tangerine

The remnants of French influences in Vietnam can probably be best felt in the numerous French eateries that have continued to stay on in this part of the world, with most concentrated in the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The Green Tangerine is a fine example, being located within a restored colonial French villa complete with an open courtyard and garden...

Hanoi, Vietnam: Foodshop 45

Who would have thought that you could find good Indian food in the middle of Hanoi? I certainly didn't, and so was quite impressed by what was on offer at Foodshop 45. This restaurant is located along the peaceful Ho Tay (West Lake) and is one of the cleaner and more attractive options available on the stretch of eateries and drinking holes. It's also one of...

Hanoi, Vietnam: Cafe Tivoli

Cafe Tivoli at Hanoi Club is a simple, down-to-earth coffee house offering both Western and Singaporean fare. It's one of the places where you can get a ready stash of The Straits Times as you enjoy your hor fun or chicken curry at a leisurely pace. My Ribeye Steak, as it was so called, was quite decent, with an average mushroom sauce and extra crisp (or perhaps,...

Quiznos

We all know I'm not very much a sandwich eater, but when the time calls for it I would love mine plain and simple - lots of beef, melted cheese, and maybe some onions or mushrooms. It's not surprising then that I loved my belated but first bite of Quiznos' Zesty Steak sandwich, which had tender slices of beef, soft cheese and crunchy onions. And oh, let's not...

Trattoria L'Ancora

When the travel buddy got me to choose a lunch place, I turned up with only two options ten minutes later - pizza or pasta? With a raised eyebrow (he didn't have much of a choice on the cuisine clearly) he chose the latter, and we were off to Trattoria L'Ancora along Bukit Timah Road. Complimentary Bread L'Ancora's bread were simple but good. No one can really...

Le Chocolat Cafe

Le Chocolat Cafe is a new sandwich & pastry café within the new boutique hotel The Club, and is situated along Ann Siang Hill, right where you can find my favourite K-Ki as well. The café here is small and still finding a foothold in this seemingly sleepy but charmingly peaceful part of Singapore, and I noticed that service can be quite slow as well. Nevertheless,...

Alfresco Gusto

Facing Wheelock Place along Scotts Road is Ion Orchard's new Alfresco Gusto, previously known as Gusttimo di Roma and now back with a revamped menu. On the side Gusttimo's gelato bar is still up and running, but I was here for one reason alone and that was to satisfy that crazy, fortnightly craving of mine - pizza. Bolognese-fresca Mozzarella, Salsa di Ragù...

Morton's Steakhouse

Morton's The Steakhouse at the Mandarin Oriental is an institution in itself. Despite the likes of all those celebrity chef restaurants and what have you across the river at Marina Bay Sands, this legendary steakhouse has still held its own - and I'm sure will continue to do so for a long time. From the impeccable service to the thorough show-and-tell of the...

Bloggers Outing: NYDC

Desserts are almost always a separate, special affair during our blogger outings, as you probably could tell in our past trips to Checkers Deli at Hilton or Lobby Lounge at Marriott. This time was no different, and we eventually decided on NYDC since most of the other nearby places where closing for the day.Grandma Goes Nuts, Seriously!If for real it's not a...