If you are already sick of reading about my self-aggrandizing attempts at baking, have fear. For this is another one! *enter chicken pot pie*

The recipe came from Nigella (here), it's really hard to concentrate writing down the recipe with her sultry looks & smoldering eyes boring into my brain. You watch & you try. Shan came over to help, because I make a total mess of things if left on my own.

Pies ready for the oven! (Puff pastry is store-bought because, curiously, while you can't find normal pre-made pie crust anywhere in S'pore, frozen puff pastry are everywhere.)

20 mins baking.


Out they come! All golden brown & crispy.

If you're wondering why some are bigger than the others, it's because I only have 2 ramekins in the kitchen. I used rice bowls for the other 2. Still works!

Tasty, steamy fillings. Yum!

click to enlarge

Had too much fun with shrinking plastic yesterday.
I'm on a major penguin craze right now. Must be because of Oliver Jeffers.

I'm not a huge fan of bagels. But I couldn't resist stepping into this pretty furniture/bagel shop along Tanjong Pagar road. I'm a sucker for such things.

Stepped out of the blinding Singapore afternoon sun into the eclectic furnished cafe.


They've somehow managed to jam vintage furniture for sale together with the cafe in a space no bigger than a HDB corridor. Applause.

Got myself a honey wholewheat bagel at $6, with caramel cream cheese on the side. $6 may seem steep for bread - but this bagel is so filling it's like having a Big Mac. The bread is so fresh you can feel the goodness popping in your mouth with every bite, but it's also so dense my jaw felt tired after munching the first half.

Seriously can eat a whole cup of caramel cream cheese on its own.

My favourite vintage chair there is this unbelievably cute Russian doll chair! AAAaaaaHH! I waaant!


here

Books Actually had an exhibition of a boat load of Penguin books!
Book enthusiasts should check this out. You get a full dosage of heady nostalgia from the gorgeous array of Penguin books they have there.


Below is Shuning's entry for a Penguin books alternative cover. Very Shuning. She must have worn her fingerprints out fiddling with those tiny cloth bits.


Just the day after, I went down to Holland V to oogle at my favourite online cute shop - the Little Happy Shop - that is finally going brick & motar!

I rarely shop online so this is heaven-sent! Gaarrr... *cuteness explosion*
Incidentally, they are also selling tickets for the Ode to Penguin exhibit. $6 for students!

☆

On to my questing over the hills of Singapore ...
Yesterday, I passed by this handsome reading cafe called the Books Cellar.
Oooh~ The ambience is fantastic. Moody yet cosy - like an Italian salon, if such a thing existed.

Dark masculine panelling & old typewriters & a pool table at the back. I went in at 3pm in the afternoon so it was pretty quiet. Quiet but perfect.

It's filled top to toe with my kinda books~ yeah.... lotsa Stephen King, horror, political thrillers and James Patterson. Next to Lee Child, Patterson is my favourite thriller author. Read him!


That's it!
☆☆☆

Ode to Penguin → here | Little Happy Shop → here | Books Cellar pics taken from → here

Qing Ming festival was over eons ago, but I didn't develop the film until recently so here is this year's grave cleaning shots.

In the past, my dad would drive us to the cemetery waaay too early in the morning like 5am to beat the crowds, although we always get stuck in massive car queues that stretch from the cemetery to the moon. Now we go in the afternoon.

My cousin & bro lighting giant red candles. They act as timers. We leave when the candle burns out.

The most fun part is burning paper money. Everyone fights for a chance at it. Lucky Esther.
~~~
In a sudden epiphany that I could actually create things that are edible (false), I made a mille crepe cake yesterday! Everyone knows how rare is it to find good mille crepe cakes in Singapore & how much work goes into making it, so I'm blown away by the results.