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This entry is long, long overdue….. I guess inefficiency may be in my blood.

Anyway it was THAT time of the month for self-indulgence. Not sure what the rest of you were thinking of, but I was only referring to my PAY-DAY. It is unlikely that the significance of this particular day can be fully appreciated by students, the filthy rich, those people who for various reasons do not/cannot/will not look for proper jobs and have to depend on others and the jobless generally. For me, well, I see it as the day that I get “compensation” (as opposed to being “rewarded”) for an entire month of tedious, tiring and un-appreciated labour.

So, reservations were made for Hai Tien Lo, a rather well-regarded Chinese restaurant. The ambience of the restaurant complemented the quality of its food nicely – soft lighting and calming Chinese instrumental music, and there was a good view of the city area from the restaurant as well. I was secretly glad that there wasn’t much of a crowd when I was there. I mean, if I wanted to be surrounded by people and have my eardrums vibrate continuously with loud laughter and conversation, I could easily make my way to any hawker centre or food-court in Singapore.

We were served two small plate of appetizers (S$2.20). The first was preserved cabbage (right on the picture), and tasted very much like Korean kimchi with its sweet, spicy and sour flavours. The second (left on the picture) was deep-fried yam strips. It wasn’t oily but tasted rather plain.

The chefs more than aptly corrected the taste of the plain appetiser in the main courses.

There could not have been any complains on the stir-fried frog legs with ginger and a special sauce (S$28). The meat tasted fresh and firm, and the special sauce was such a perfect blend of spicy, salty and sweet flavours that I immediately wanted more.

The King Prawn in “chili-crab sauce” (S$15 per serving, and only sufficient for 1 person even if you think you are a small eater), a chef’s recommended dish was also top notch. The sauce for the “chili-crab” which so many Singaporeans are fond of, was so nicely substituted by the king prawn that I would have believed that Singapore’s national dish is “Chili-prawn” instead of “Chili-crab” if I were a foreigner. The prawn was also served with a man-tou (Chinese bun) fried till a nice golden brown and tasted crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. Delicious!

The third course, sautéed scallop with lily buds, cashew nuts and wild greens (S$32) was also a palate pleaser. The dish was lightly salted, but this brought out the freshness of the scallop, and its firm texture was very well-complemented by the crisp lily buds, nuts and the other wild greens.

Next up, the sautéed mixed vegetables (S$22) and coconut fried rice (S$26). These 2 dishes were nice but they just cannot be described to be of the same standard as the first three courses mentioned above. The fried rice was fragrant and it was good that the coconut scent and taste was not overly strong. The vegetables was nothing to shout about, but I guess a little fibre is good for the body.

After the satisfying chinese meal, me and my dining companions were craving for something sweet, and so we made our way to Oscars at Conrad Centennial Singapore for desserts.

We had their speciality, Hazelnut Crunch (S$15) and Tiramisu (S$12). Notwithstanding the fact that I am no chocolate fan, I actually liked the hazelnut crunch which tasted more nutty than chocolatey.

It may be the case that the pleasures of life do not compensate for the miseries but sometimes, a little occassional indulgence and pampering does make one forget temporarily that more mundane affairs and unpredictable events ly ahead. At least, that was the case for me when I ended my meal that night.