Dinner at Pasta J, Thomson Road (November 2016)

Pasta J is named after its owner, John, who may come off pretentiously for the uninitiated--he openly admits to having no prior F&B experience, leaving an engineering career in the pursuit of his culinary passion. However, all it takes is one visit and a sampling of his dishes to know he isn't just all talk.

His pesto appetiser is delightfully full of the good stuff that makes you want to scrape the bottom of that shot glass. It has an intensity that I have not been able to find anywhere else.

Likewise, the mushroom soup is by far the most intensely flavored of the lot I've had in memory. Legend has it that he reduces the water content in the mushroom so much that when it ends up being stock in the soup, the flavor is rich and full.

Remember the reduced-mass mushrooms? I think those belong to the same bunch in the pork cutlet dish. I think there's a deliberate choice in the cut of pork used in this dish, as it's all tender and nothing chewy/rubbery that you would find with a larger cut.

I've saved my favorite for last. This is the Caramel Carnivore, and it is packed with caramelized onions, pork meat balls, and a dash of heavy cream (that you pour from a shot glass when served). Meat lovers, this dish does not come any more highly recommended!

All in all, Christine and I always enjoy our time at Pasta J. We've even come here for Mothers' Day celebrations, and have brought both mothers from respective families here. The only warning I can think of is if you're not a pet lover, and you can't stand dogs, this place is pet-friendly. From time to time you may have owners coming in with their beloved pooches--who may bark, run past you, brush against your leg.

Read More

Brunch at Grub (November 2016)

So this place has undergone a face lift since Christine and I last dined here, with the bar area gone and the menu changed completely.

With the bar gone, some of the "home kitchen" vibe that Grub once had was lost. I suppose they had to change it up due to increasing patronage.

Call me a geek but I think the typography on the menu invites me to read it in full.

Dried flowers do make for a fuss-free, easy-to-maintain decoration on the table.

Christine had the har-cheong-kai (prawn paste chicken) burger, which was juicy, flavorful and had that prawny tinge encased in the crispy crust. This may be a minor thing for some, but we think the fries were absolutely spot-on. None of them were soggy, each had a decent level of crispiness, and they were not overbearingly big.

I had the breakfast stack, which had bacon and chicken cheese sausage, much to my non-kosher delight (that's what staying in a Jewish hostel can turn you into). The generous topping of balsamic vinegar brought out the freshness of the salad. My only gripe, as it is with most breakfast meals, is that the roasted tomatoes were still too wet. But then again, that's my personal preference.

To top off the meal, Christine got a serving of churros, which were nicely crisped. I could taste the Nutella sauce, but not so much the cream.

More info here:
http://grub.com.sg/

Read More

The Sims Freeplay: Building a Factory to Generate Cash, Experience and LP's

I've recently got onto The Sims and tried my hand at playing it. It seems like conventional wisdom in life, like getting a job, career advancement, and improving your skills in your chosen profession don't work effectively in this game. Instead, being unemployed (which frees up your time) and working on your garden is the best way to generate cash, experience and lifestyle points! Allow me to direct your attention to the following video which really helped explain this anomaly of Sim economics:

A huge "thank you" to Make2, the wonderful couple who are a huge inspiration for all things Sims-related.

Here's a suggested "factory" layout to maximise the use of your Sims' time and energy. I took the liberty to make the factory look nicer by using the first house as its template, hence the blue flooring and a dedicated toilet.

Meeting Your Sims' Needs

To recap what the video tutorial said, your Sims have a few basic needs that the factory meets:

• Food: Use the fridges to provide sustenance.
• Sleep: They don't necessarily have to sleep, so use the coffee machines to keep them up indefinitely.
• Toilet: Well, it seems the Sims don't mind being in a unisex, uncovered toilet.
• Cleanliness: Kitchen sinks have the advantage of being able to keep your Sims clean (they don't necessarily have to bathe) and being the place they can clean up plates (in cooking to generate LP's).

The only critique I have for the factory is the lack of socialising, which I suppose we could spend some time with the Sims making conversations to fill that up.

Generating Cash and Experience

Gardening is the quickest way to earn cash and experience depending on the plant. Some plants have shorter growth cycles, such as corn which takes 20 minutes, while others can take up to a whole day. Pumpkins generate the most amount of experience, so it will really depend on your immediate needs.

Generating Lifestyle Points

The cooking hobby allows for all Sims to participate in chalking up hobby items. Once all hobby items are complete, you'll earn experience and prizes. Completing the hobby items consecutively earns you LP's, so get those Sims to make lots of cheese on toast, the quickest cooking task, and one which only requires a basic stove.

You will, however, need to exploit a bug in the game. Get one more countertop, place it in the corner, and buy a toaster. You will need to make the toaster face outwards, away from the "correct" orientation. For cheese on toast, the Sim will usually cook on a stove then head over to a toaster to finish off. However, with the toaster inaccessible, this last animation is totally bypassed. The kitchen sink is especially useful because it will allow your Sim to wash up the plates right there and then, instead of wasting time walking out to the trash.

Read More