“Two is Better than One”

It’s the season of weddings. Well more like just endless weddings. It all started in 2010 when the wedding invites started to roll in, slowly but surely. In 2011, I saw more of them. In 2012, just over 8 weeks, I have attended 5 weddings and the difference? This year, it’s my close girlies that are getting married. So it’s not just painful for the pocket but really quite exhausting too.

Don’t get me wrong. I love weddings. In fact, I am a hopeless romantic and a sucker for all that’s sweet. And I am very happy watching my friends walk down the aisle and listening to those heartfelt vows and thank you speeches, often bring a tear to my eye. My best friend is getting married in 2 months and yes, I am praying I do her justice and proud by delivering a good maid-of-honour speech. But before all that, I’m really looking forward to the hen’s party we will be throwing for her.

Finding someone…I knew at an early age that this wasn’t going to be easy. Yet as I grew older, I somehow found people whom I thought were “the one”at some point although they didn’t turn out that way in the end. I guess with every relationship, and through your experiences in life, you develop a sense of what you want and what you don’t want. This then branches out to whether or not this particular person is or is not what you are looking for; and if he/she is able to complete that puzzle. Of course, there is a lot more to this, and it’s really not possible summing everything up in just a sentence or two, but I suppose what I’m trying to say is – I’m finding it more and more difficult! Not to mention the external factors such as shrinking sample size, crazy work schedule that leaves a pretty much non-existent social life, fatigue from work which makes you just want to laze at home, hence preventing you from going out there to meet new people…yada, yada…then there is that all important chemistry.

So really, I congratulate all the happy couples and remember to always remember why you fell in love in the first place.

With all the weddings I have been attending, I previously did reviews on the various wedding venues. That’s too painful for me to do now, so here’s the abbreviated version:

1. St. Regis

I love the square/rectangle ballroom with the high ceiling. This is an absolute must for a feel of grandeur and class. I am not a fan of odd shaped ballrooms, and definitely not a fan of pillars. So this is good. However, depending on your seating arrangement, the doors to the ballroom (at least for the wedding I attended), had the bride and groom walk in an L which personally, I don’t fancy. I prefer the traditional straight walk down.

The food was rather good I must say. I was particularly pleased with the appetizer which had scallops and pan fried foie gras. Lovely surprise. The food served was generally of quality and I like how they were being served as individual portions instead of the usual lazy susan style. 4/5

2. Mertius Mandarin Orchard

I am not sure if there is more than one ballroom here as I recall being in a different one before. Anyway, I have attended 2 weddings in this ballroom on the 35th floor and I guess it is good for a small crowd as the ballroom can’t hold many tables. I am afraid this is one of my least favourite ballrooms. I find the structure a little awkward as the entire ballroom is similar to that of a sunken forum or a lecture theatre if you like, with stairs leading down to the centre, where the stage is. I find the positioning of the tables a tad awkward as well.

In all fairness, the food isn’t bad. It isn’t spectacular but it tastes decent. I recall the worst wedding lunch food I had was at the MBS. I am not sure if it is because they were new and had just opened, but the food was awful. I also didn’t like the convention centre concept. Anyway, side-tracked there…I think this ballroom is good if you don’t have a crowd as it is rather cosy. 2.5/5

3. Shangri-la

There are 2 different ballrooms at the Shang and I have attended weddings in both. My most recent wedding was held at the bigger ballroom – the Island ballroom. I love the size of this ballroom and the foyer leading up to it. I love the spacious area out front for guests to mingle, enjoy the cocktail reception, etc just before entering the ballroom. Again, I love the high ceiling and the square/rectangle shape. The food is excellent. Depending on your choice of menu of course, but the Shang standard is pretty high and I particularly love the steamed soon hock. I think the position of the projection screens, the size of it and the stage, are pretty ideal. The staff are attentive and again, I like the individual servings as opposed to the conventional lazy susan. 4.5/5

4. Four Seasons

I like the food at the four seasons and yes, whilst the ballrooms have a high ceiling and are of my favourite square/rectangle shape, there is just something about the four seasons that doesn’t appeal to me. Perhaps it’s the fact that it feels old. The colour of the carpet, the walls, I can’t quite place my finger on it. It is pretty good though, yet somehow doesn’t cut it for me. 3.5/5

R&D’s Engagement Party @ Pangaea

Of the weddings I have attended recently, I had one in Hanoi and one was a wedding luncheon at Bistro Soori. Let’s talk about Bistro Soori first. I loved the ambience. Its a very chill, european, cosy restaurant that makes you feel like you are overseas. I love it how there is so much sunlight that comes into the place. I love the private dining area and the lounge area which has really cool furniture. It’s quite perfect for an engagement party or a casual luncheon.

The food was delicious! The combination of ingredients were very unexpected and unconventional, and they tasted amazing put together. I went in with no expectations and I left thinking I have to go back to this place! The food left an impression. Perhaps it’s the unique preparation as well as the surprise factor that comes when it touches your tongue and tingles the taste buds. I loved every single dish that I was served. Magnifique!

My friend G chanced upon this lovely hotel in Hanoi called Metropole and decided she wanted to have her wedding there. Personally, I am not impressed by Hanoi but the hotel is beautiful. Possibly one of the nicest hotels I have ever been. When you are inside the hotel, it doesn’t feel like you are in Hanoi and in present day at all. It places you back in time, in the early 1900s, in Europe, maybe Paris; yet it is not old and dingy but clean, bright and welcoming. It’s one of those classic old buildings yet with an elegant and classy interior. They have many items from the early years, well preserved and there is just so much character. The wedding was held when Hanoi was between 9-15 degrees so that added to the European feel. It was like we were in a different world and time.

The wedding was beautiful. G really did a fantastic job planning the entire wedding right down to every detail. The colour scheme was pretty and everything was just fabulous. The food was good and everything pretty much played out like a fairytale wedding in the movies.

New Year’s Eve 2012

Valentine’s 2012 with L

Tea with the RMU girls @ Wild Honey; Scotts and A & J’s Hen’s Night @ MINK

Suggestion for an Engagement/ROM Party

Recently attended a close friend’s ROM and it was the sweetest thing. The entire event was very personal and intimate. Held at GRAZE (4 Rochester Park), it was a simple and small ceremony, graced by close friends and family from both sides. My friend J was in a beautiful white laced cheongsam and her hair nicely curled and twirled in a half bun/ponytail. She looked amazing. The groom B was a handsome thing himself, decked out in a smart suit. They were a good looking couple and very down to earth folks which made everyone feel at ease and just happy for the both of them.

Whilst the ROM ceremony was held outside, we adjourned inside for dinner. It was a 3 course western dinner. We were given choices to select what we wanted for our appetizer, mains and dessert.

Honestly, I think GRAZE did an awesome job handling everyone all at once and not confusing the orders (at least not at my table). Every dish was tasty and well presented. For starters, I had the crab meat salad which was pretty good and had a generous serving of crab meat. My friend had the confit vine tomato and whipped feta which was really good. I made a mental note to order that the next time around.

As I had been to GRAZE before, I knew their Risotto was good so I opted for the safe option and went for it. It wasn’t as good as I recalled it to be but still tasty nonetheless. My friend S loved it though and kept stealing mouthfuls of it. I would say that their risotto isn’t too much such that one would feel jaded which is rare for most risottos are very starchy and make me breathless and full after a few mouths. This was actually alright and remained tasty throughout.

Dessert was yummy although a tad sweet. I had the pavlova and I must say I enjoyed it. In fact, I enjoyed the entire meal and finished my plates clean. Great company, nice ambience and excellent food…I would say the ROM was a huge success. Not to mention, we moved upstairs to MINT where we chilled with wine, music and board games!! We even had B’s friend perform songs for us and it turned into a “KTV” session with just a guitar. It was very sweet and I had a great time.

Thanks B and J and I wish you both the best. Congratulations!!!

Can’t live on Love & Fresh Air…

So this year has been crazy for me in terms of the number of wedding dinners I have attended and will be attending. I literally have been attending at least 1 a month and in some cases, 2 a month. Whilst it has been painful for my pocket, it has also been tear jerking emotional moments watching your friends at possibly their happiest moments and witnessing the love they have found and the joy that fills the room. Since I have been attending so many weddings with more to come, I have decided to help couples out there selecting a venue for their wedding by giving my 2 cents worth on the food served. Well, I have previously done entries on some of the places I have been like the Fullerton, Shangri-la, Rasa Sentosa, Meritius Marina Mandarin, Conrad, Raffles Hotel etc. You can find them under the Wedding Venues category. Here shall be my recent take on some of the weddings I attended these couple of months.

To my friends and family, please DO NOT take offence as this is NOTHING PERSONAL. Just my review on the food at your weddings…

CHIJMES

Attended a wedding here and whilst I love the arcs and the architecture of the hall, the food just didn’t cut it for me. It’s been my dream to walk down the isle similar to that of the CHIJMES hall and I love how everything is so old and colonial there but the food really wasn’t good. I can’t recall in detail what I ate and all but I think it wasn’t great. So if you are headed to CHIJMES for a wedding, I say eat a little something first especially if you are a fussy pot like me. It’s not all bad…just really average.

RASA SENTOSA

Now I have been here for a luncheon and it was awesome. The food was really good. The prawns were of a generous portion and they were very sweet, fresh and juicy. I can’t quite remember the rest of the dishes as this was some time ago, but it was really nice. The wedding was held on the 2nd floor in a small ballroom that faced the beach and there was a patio/terrace so sunlight streamed into the ballroom as the ceiling high glass panes took up half the ballroom. It was a casual, light-hearted event and the 5 course luncheon was yummy. Good food and good quality.

On the contrary, I went to Rasa for a wedding DINNER as well. And this was held in a big ballroom in the basement I think. Now the food this time, wasn’t great. And the ballroom layout wasn’t very impressive. The walls were a dowdy colour along with the not so grand carpets. It just wasn’t good. I don’t even remember anything of what I ate that night. But I recall thinking it was so vastly different from the luncheon I attended. I think I didn’t like the whole layout too of the tables, stage, etc.

MBS Convention Centre

Now, whilst it’s really awesome and grand to have a wedding at MBS, I think it’s a little early. Perhaps they are having teething issues, but the food at the MBS really sucked. I don’t just mean the restaurants (it was the same for RWS when it first opened, not sure if they have improved), but the wedding luncheon I attended here seriously could improve in terms of the food standard. I LOVE the way they did the place up, it was really nice. And I heard they provide a suite and rooftop access to the sky park which is awesome. But the food was mediocre. To be fair, I didn’t finish the lunch as I had to rush off, but I distinctively remember that the shark’s fin soup was terrible. There. I think that’s all I remember. Everything else wasn’t too bad, just really mediocre.

Meritius Marina Mandarin

Attended another wedding here again recently and the food was pretty decent. I wouldn’t say it was awesome but it’s above average. The prawns were fresh and yumms, the vegetables good, etc. Overall I would say the food was pretty good. The fish was disappointing though. I LOVE steamed fish in Soy Sauce but this time round it was over cooked and the fish was hard and not very tasty. I think the best fish is probably Conrad and Fullerton from my memory…

Conrad

The food is from Peony Garden so seriously, need I say more? :p AWESOME.

Raffles Hotel

Not too bad, pretty decent. Probably just slightly below Meritius Marina Mandarin. The wasabi prawns are delicious!!

Attending more for the rest of the year so will keep you posted!

Love is in the Air…

Last weekend was a wedding dinner “over-run” for me. I had 2 colleagues getting married, one on Saturday night at the Raffles Hotel and another on Sunday night at the Meritus Marina Mandarin. It could have been worse. I could have had them both on the same day then have to choose my attendance.

The dinner served at the Raffles Hotel was the regular 6-8 course Chinese dinner meal. The best dish for me has to be the Wasabi Prawns. The prawns were very fresh, well fried, and had a generous slab of wasabi sauce resulting in the prawns being crunchy and absolutely delicious.

The dinner at the Meritus Marina Mandarin Hotel was also a regular Chinese dinner except that the standard was alot higher. The cold dish was better. For one there was a lobster salad, and the other sides such spring rolls, etc, were very tasty. The shark’s fin soup was also an improvement from the previous night at Raffles.

It had more flavour and was more easy down the throat. I would say the fish at Raffles was better though. The one here seemed somewhat blend. The abalone vegetable dish was good and so were the prawns. In fact the prawns were very good! Unfortunately there was only enough for 1 per person. For me, the highlight would have to be the dessert, which was Mango Sago with Vanilla Ice Cream. I have never tried this combination before, let alone at a wedding whereby the desserts are usually a standard fare. This was very YUMMY! I loved it!!!

I can’t quite recall all the weddings I have been to but food-wise, I’d say Meritus Marina Mandarin and Fullerton Hotel have left a deep impression on me. So yup, for now, these 2 top my list!

Wedding Dinner Venue tips

Attended 2 weddings back-to-back. So here’s my takeaway:

• High ceiliing just gives it a grand feel.
• Lighting is very important. A cosy dimly lit room usually sets the mood.
• Flowers…don’t underestimate these little heavenlies. The colour, quantity and arrangement can make or break your wedding. Be it the bouquet in your hand, or those around the room, on the tables…
• Wedding pictures…simple, sweet poses brimming of innocent and pure deep love usually works. Location and outfits are also key essentials.
• Outfits…for the guys, tie, vests, or as I saw at Jason’s wedding – a scarf tied like a tie; it all works. Try to steer away from the conventional boring tux. Girls, I am currently in love with the mermaid cut. Bustier tube top, well fitted all the way past the waist, hips and legs; before opening up like a fin halfway down the calf. Very flattering and very elegant. Probably a range of dresses. The white dress can take a leaf of Vera Wang’s collection…MAGNIFIQUE!
• Food…it is OK to move away from the typical shark’s fin and go for something like…fish maw soup? The usual soy sauce steamed fish is a keeper, so is the sorta-abalone with vegetables in oyster sauce, and steamed prawns. I really could do away with the Ee-fu noodles. Don’t understand why we have to serve that all the time. No duck please! Not everyone takes duck (EHEM!). Dessert should be something sweet, yummy and cold!
• ROM and dinner on the same day? I say YES! ROM at the same venue just before wedding dinner? I say double YES. That way, the probabilty for latecomers will be reduced. 

That’s it for now…until my next wedding dinner and I get inspired…