Had dessert with family at Changing Appetities (6 Raffles Boulevard, #01-204/205, Marina Square, Singapore) couple of weekends ago. Dad was tempted by the Japanese sweets which they claim is even better than what you find in Tokyo. So I ended up having a Japanese dessert, which comprised green tea ice cream, glutinous rice balls, and red bean paste. XQ had something similar, except with the glutinous rice balls replaced by fruits. The desserts turned out to be rather good, and the service friendly. The restaurant space is big, so it has a rather relaxing feel.

Met BZ for lunch at Dolce Vita (Level 5, Poolside, The Oriental, Singapore) yesterday. We sat ourselves outdoors, near the pool, but within a few minutes, there were strong gusts of wind and everything was flapping wildly beside us. Upon the waitress' advice, we decide to move indoors.

We weren't really hungry, so BZ ordered a cured salmon salad and we shared a langoustine pizza. The portion turned out to be very small. The salad was just a couple of slices of smoked salmon with less than a handful of greens. The pizza was nice but it wasn't langoustine on it but just ordinary prawns. In summary, I would say the food is above average in quality, and on the expensive side. Nice ambience though.

Joined SS, BZ, AR, HG, WG, together with Visa International staff and Indonesian card center managers for dinner at Surya Cafe (Jalan Segara, Lorong 21, Tanjung Benoa, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia) last Friday evening. Ellyana Fuad, Country Manager of Indonesia Visa International, told me that this is the favourite restaurant of Indonesia's ex-President Megawati.

The restaurant setting is rustic, with a nice sea view. We had a sumptious meal, comprising grilled prawns, garlic prawns, grilled fish, deep fried squid, crabs, and vegetables. The price is rather reasonable too. We had an enjoyable time.

After our dinner at the New Melasti Cafe, I went to Jaan Restaurant (Jalan Raya Seminyak 10, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia) with BZ and his family for some drinks and to enjoy some jazz. It was rather empty when we reached there and we didn't stay long. I think we were late. JP told me that this is a rather expensive restaurant in Bali. This restaurant is owned by the influential Gede Wiratha.

BZ invited me for dinner with his family at the New Melasti Cafe on Jimbaran Bay in Bali, Indonesia sometime last week. We dined on the beach and had the table closest to the sea. The waves of Jimbaran Bay were quite powerful and the sound of the pounding waves adds to the majestic backdrop.

The food was excellent. The waiters brought us some welcome soup and we had grilled lobster, grilled prawns, calamari, and crabs, all of which were very fresh and delicious. We also had a bottle of white wine to accompany our food.

The seranading band played us many oldies which we enjoyed greatly. To top off, the company was wonderful!

Took a quick dinner at Fukutaro, Bali Airport yesterday while waiting for my flight back to Singapore. This is part of the Fukutaro chain of Japanese restaurants in Bali. I had a lobster miso soup, salmon maki, and thinly-sliced raw white fish. The quality is good, though quite expensive for most items on the menu.

I'm currently in Bali, Indonesia on a business trip. I was at Conrad Bali Resort & Spa (Jalan Pratama 168, Tanjung Benoa, Bali 80363, Indonesia) where Visa International was holding their quarterly meeting for Indonesia card centers. After dinner, HG and WG offered me a stay in their spa suite, since it was already quite late for me to get back to Seminyak, where I was staying in BZ's villa. So I stayed over and had a chance to experience the very luxuriously appointed rooms at Conrad. This is a rather new hotel in Bali, being about a year old.

The spa suite is quite huge and is somewhere between a superior room and a presidential suite. There's a patio with a jacuzzi overlooking the sea where you can just relax and soak in the sun.

I had a chance to enjoy the presidential suite as well, as AR and his wife invited me up to their presidential suite for an after dinner drink. The presidential suite is huge and has a big living room, a kitchen, private jacuzzi and suana. It can easily take two families.

I would recommend staying at the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa anytime. Coincidentally, this hotel is owned by the family of a friend, SJ.

BZ brought me to Ku de Ta (Jalan Laksmana no. 9, Seminyak, Kuta, Bali, Indonesia), together with his family, while I was visiting him in Bali last week. It was for an after-dinner drink. We reached there about 11:30pm, which is considered early by Bali standards (most night spots in Bali become happening only after midnight)! Ku de Ta is located along Kuta Beach beside the luxurious The Oberoi, Bali, and is owned by Kade Wiratha.

The attraction of this place is that you can lie in a comfortable longe sipping your drink, and looking at the waves pound under the moonlight! A wonderful way to pass an evening! Very nice and romantic! Beware of mosquitoes though ... but then where in Bali can you avoid them?

I'm trying to play catch-up on restaurant reviews, so I'm putting up some reviews which I've either forgotten, or hadn't got the time to write before. Here is one: Miao Yi Vegetarian Restaurant (Coronation Shopping Plaza #03-01, Bukit Timah Road, Singapore).

I consider this one of the better vegetarian restaurants in Singapore, with interesting glutten-based vegetarian food. I like their mock fish, mock char-siew, and two versions of their sandwiches, one with deep fried beancurd skin wrapped mushrooms between two slices of bread, and one with deep fried beancurd skin, cucumber and mock ham. Their ginger rice is also very nice, being a mock of chicken rice, although it is not available every day.

It can be crowded on weekends, so reservation is advised.

I had lunch at Trishaw Coffee House (Hotel Royal, 36 Newton Road, Singapore 307964) quite a long time ago, but had forgotten to put up a blog entry on it. Nothing on their menu looks appetizing, and I went for the pineapple rice, which is worse than even hawker center versions. I would recommend avoiding this place.

I usually would eat a quick meal at O'Briens Irish Sandwich Bar (UOB Plaza, Singapore) when I'm in that part of town and in a rush. I especially like their turkey cranberry sandwich, which many of my friends enjoy as well. Their satay wrap is dissapointing though. The sandwich comes with two choices of vegetable toppings, and I usually pick the grilled capsicums and corn. The UOB Plaza outlet offers a nice view of the Singapore river.

CC brought me to Sebastien's Gourmet (42 Watten Rise, Watten Estate, Singapore 287357) for coffee one afternoon last week. I immediately liked the place, as it was quiet and serene. Would be perfect as a place to unwind, for some talks, or just thinking about problems. Sebastien's Gourmet is a cafe cum gourmet grocer and you can get coffee, pastries, and some light meals here. The food quality is good, consistent with Les Amis' reputation.

Had lunch with family at My Secret Garden (161 Middle Road, Singapore 188978) two weeks ago. I like the laid-back and relaxing feeling of this place. You can sit in comfortable sofas in a library-like atmosphere, in a greenhouse if you like some sun, or outdoors in a nice little garden. I've tried the sandwiches, curry chicken and pizzas here. The food is nice, though nothing to scream about. Service is friendly. The one draw-back of this place is that its prices are on the high side.

It took a long time for me to decide if I should include reviews of mass market chains of restaurants such as Sakae Sushi, because the line between them and fast food chains such as McDonald's is not one that is easy to draw, and I don't want to end up writing about MacDonald's. I shall make a little discourse here since this reminds me of something that Michel Deza told me.

At the recent 2005 Shanghai Combinatorics Conference, Michel told Charlie Colbourn and myself that he hates McDonald's food but thinks McDonald's fill in a void in society. Well-to-do people have cafes such as Starbucks where they could hang out, have a coffee, and talk. But these places are not that accessible by poorer people, who would find spending US$3-5 on a cup of coffee to be too expensive. McDonald's allows these poorer people, including students and teenagers to have a coffee and talk. This is important because it enables communication and support in this strata of people. But here's MIchel's ending punchline: "But why do they have to be made to eat shit at the same time?"" Charlie Colbourn and I just rolled with laughter hearing that!

Now, back to Sakae Sushi. They have succeeded into bringing the expensive Japanese cuisine to mass market, but at some sacrifice, mainly that of personalization, variety, and some quality. I find the food not too bad and good value. It is certainly not top-notch Japanese food, and some may even say it is average, but I think the value makes up more than enough for the short comings.

Had dinner with family at Grand Asia Restaurant (Asia Hotel, 37 Scotts Road, Singapore) about one month ago. We had originally wanted to dine at the Sun Tsui Hang Restaurant (see my review here) but was surprised to see that in its place is this new Grand Asia Restaurant. We decided to give it a try. The restaurant was renovated, and the staff told us that management and chef have changed, although the menu looked rather similar to that of Sun Tsui Hang. I find the quality of food here not as good as before. But the good thing is that they still do not charge corkage for the wines you bring. Service can be forgetful, so be prepared to remind the waitresses and waiters often.