The Simplest Aphrodisiac: Best of the Year 2010

2010 was a great year for this food blog, with a comfortable crop of over 200 food-related posts and hundreds more of pictures. It was also good that I was able to travel overseas more often this year, and in so doing got to see more of the world beyond Singapore and to eat more of what these amazing countries have to offer. Extra kilos aside, it was a lot of...

Beijing, China: Air China Business Class Lounge

Am I being too pampered? I hope not. But there wasn't anything else to do in transit anyway (I spent my remaining renminbi on a duty-free Tommy Hilfiger cologne) and I thought I might as well make use of my privilege access to the Star Alliance lounge. Two hours of waiting is a lot of time and I needed some place comfortable to rest my feet. The Air China Business...

Beijing, China: Acting @ BCIA

Traffic conditions at the city were smoother than I had expected, and so I arrived early at the Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) for my flight back home. Since there wasn't much to do at the airport, the only option left was well... to eat. There's a number of Western establishments here, such as Starbucks, Burger King and Häagen-Dazs, but I eventually...

Beijing, China: Cèpe @ Ritz Carlton

My love for all things Italian knows no bounds. No matter where my journeys will take me, I am sure little Italy will have a special place in my heart. On food, there is nothing pretentious about the cuisine, for what you find is something both hearty and heart-warming, and one which takes pride in delivering richness in almost intricate simplicity. It is little...

Beijing, China: Serve the People

Chairman Mao would have been proud. His famous maxim "Wei Ren Min Fu Wu", literally translated as "Serve the People", has been put to good use by a popular Thai restaurant in the embassy district. Even the taxi drivers seem to know this humble eatery by name, which is no small matter given how big Beijing is. Serve the People is primarily staffed by Chinese...

Beijing, China: Novotel Xin Qiao

During my week-long holiday in Beijing I stayed at the Novotel Xin Qiao hotel, located just next to the Chongwenmen subway station and a leisurely 10-minute walk to the prime Wangfujing shopping district. I would have opted for Novotel Peace Hotel for its slightly better location, but it was fully booked so I made do. Since I had the Accor Club Gold Card (which...

Beijing, China: Forbidden City

I love this picture so much I thought I should share it. I was so affected by the crowds at the Forbidden City you see, that I decided to pay the authorities an undisclosed amount to have the whole place to myself for a whole hour before sunset. The things that only money can buy. It's a different feel altogether when you're alone in such a vast space, so full...

Beijing, China: Wangfujing Street

Merry Christmas Everybody! This is the closest that I could get in this Beijing series to show something vaguely Christmas-y to usher in the holiday weekend. Starbucks in Beijing is a godsend by the way, because China is still very much a tea country and you would be hard-pressed to find a good cuppa. It's a perfect thing to have really in the middle of a cold,...

Beijing, China: Nan Luo Gu Xiang

One of my favourite places in Beijing is Nan Luo Gu Xiang (or, Nanluoguxiang), a quaint little street packed with bars, café, restaurants, boutiques and souvenir shops. It's a blend of past and present with the iconic hutongs and siheyuan (courtyard houses) transformed into modern commercial spaces. In winter evenings its usually quieter and less crowded, which...