Early birthday celebrations at DB Bistro & Oyster Bar, MBS

I like DB Bistro & Oyster Bar. It was my third visit and I still enjoyed it very much. It is fine without being over  the top stuffy; the food is not groundbreaking but the execution is nearly spot-on. Overpriced it is, so a special occasion beckons.

My brother-in-law and his family were recently in town and it was great spending some time with them, especially this was a spontaneous trip back from California. To cap off their trip, we had lunch at DB Bistro & Oyster Bar and I ended up celebrating my birthday early with KW's side of the family.

 

We each ordered a main and some items to share. The Kale Caesar was rather unexceptional, while the House Salad shined with a smattering of goat cheese, beetroot and pecan nuts. As for side dishes, the brussel sprouts were some of the best brussel sprouts we have ever had, thanks to the smoked bacon.

We order a beef and parmesan pasta for the kids and it impressed the adults around the table. Fresh pasta tossed in a rich buttery beef bolognese. Any restaurant that takes kids' meals seriously scores high in my books; I would be hardpressed to find a reason to NOT order it the next time I'm back.

I was set on getting the sea trout but changed my mind at the eleventh hour and got myself a Frenchie instead. A hefty beef patty coooked beautifully pink, topped with confit pork belly and cheese.And those fries? To hell with no carbs, I say.

My better half ordered the 300g Brandt Farm USDA Prime Ribeye and he was kind enough to share half with me. It was really good too, a shade of perfect pink with little need for any of the accompanying sauce and mustard. My only grip would be the price tag ($75) which makes it hard to swallow, especially since KW has been making exceptional steaks at home these days. 

  

P for Profiteroles and ... Pizaazz. A server brought over the profiteroles, drizzled some hot chocolate and caused the chocolate disc to collapse under the heat. Very dramatic. But it was more style over the substance for the profiteroles themselves were rather pedastrian. P for Pedastrian, I guess.

Russell's Atlas of Adventures

OUR FIRSTBORN IS FIVE!

Craziness doesn’t even begin to describe what we’ve been through over the past few years. While I might reminisce our child-less days, I wouldn’t give up my current life for anything. No life of luxury can replace the fullness I have these days.

One of Russell’s favourite books is Atlas of Adventures by Lucy Letherland, so the theme largely circled around that. My mother-in-law found a banner with over a hundred country flags and with that monstrosity, there wasn’t a need for more decorations. As KW aptly put it, "The UN is in session." It’s amazing how Russell recognises most of the flags. The walking Google of country flags.

This time round, we had full attendance, meaning all of our friends could make it. Usually, a few couples and families would have conflicting commitment, but last Saturday, the house was packed packed packed. Believe me, I was so tired after the party, it hurt just to shower. #IntrovertWoes

I am not complaining though. It has been a while since we had so many people over, so we strapped up our boots and cooked up a storm.

Vietnamese Grilled Pork Salad – I love love love this salad. I based it off this recipe and it was a great refreshing summer salad. That pork belly alone is good enough to snack on and quell the worries of carnivores.

Spinach and Mushroom Pasta Bake, based off this recipe. To be honest, I thought it was ok but my a couple of guests raved about itso maybe my tastebuds are weird.

Jerk Chicken, which Russell had too many pieces off since he is feeling T-Rex carnivorous these days.

Wagyu MB4 Steak, which was undeniably the pierce de resistence of the evening! I can't even remember the last time we went for steak at a restaurant.

Most importantly, Russell is at the age where he enjoys his birthday parties and it gives him so much joy to be able to spend it with family and friends. Our tables were full – and so are our hearts!

Russell // five years old

 My dear Russell,

You are 5 today. Wow, I never thought we make it this far. I mean, the first year was rough and I was pretty much shell shocked from motherhood. Your second year was no better though I have to say we were conditioned by then, and we knew you were a high-strung baby.

As the months wore on, we learnt your language. Numbers and music. You memorized Sam Smith songs and read off numbers from the lamp posts while we drove past them. You could recite multiplication tables at 3 years old, but you also had a taste of failure and hating trying new things for fear of making mistakes. As much as it was tempting to praise your intelligence, your father and I switched tracks and applauded your efforts instead.

You are such a ball of energy and you never fail to surprise me. You are a learner like your father. From numbers to planets and dinosaurs, you love discovering knowledge and books are your respite. You soak up everything like a sponge and I can tell your father loves enriching your childhood with knowledge.

Your younger brother literally worships the ground you step on. From birth, he's been infatuated with you and now that he can be your playmate, he's become your companion in crime. The two of you couldn’t be more different in personality yet you find joy in each other. I don't think I'll ever get tired of your brotherly antics and laughter.

But it's your kindness that gets me. Whenever we pass by a florist, you will tell me you want to get me flowers for my birthday. When we travelled to Fukuoka, you helped us lift the baggages off the belt, much to my amusement and horror. Your younger brother adores you and you do a great job of sharing your love of knowledge with him. When your father travels for work, you immediately assume "Man of the house" mindset and a sense of responsibility wise beyond the time you have been in this world.

You are strong-willed as ever. There are days where we will butt heads and egos, and I seriously question what I did wrong. Then I realised, we are both on a journey. You have only been in existence for this long, while I’m just as new to this parenting game as well. I know your strong personality might rub people the wrong way, and you come across as uncompromising and disrespectful. As much as I wish people around us were more understanding, it's not something we should expect. You are a sweet little being, very misunderstood by those close to us. I hope I have the judgement to recognize potential contention and guide you to a place where you don't feel like you have to stick out those porcupine spikes. Stay you, my little man. I love you very much.

Love,
Mama

Hock Hai (Hong Lim) Chicken Curry Noodle, Bedok Interchange

Despite being a Singaporean, I have never had curry noodles. What a travesty huh? I guess there is something about the richness of the dish that didn't really appeal to me - till recently. A friend and I popped over to Bedok Interchange for lunch and I thought, after travelling this far, I shouldn't get the usual boring ol' fishball mee pok.

I gamely joined the short queue at Hock Hai (Hong Lim) Chicken Curry Noodles and subsequently had my mind blown.

The kicker was the thickish curry gravy which I lapped up till every last drop. There is a decent amount of steamed chicken under that blanket of tau pok. I loved how the gravy coats the yellow noodles and vermicelli, with little room for a breather. This was a real sensory treat on every front.

Dotty for Dinosaurs

Hope you are having a good long weekend so far. Isn't it swell that we get the day off on Monday as well? Big love. 

Russell had a school assignment to complete over the long weekend. It was simple enough - create an artwork using dots. Yes, very Yayoi. And because the boys are really into dinosaurs these days, we printed out some dinosaur outlines and got some circle stickers to fill up the dinosaurs.

Hey, presto! An activity that occupied the boys for close to an hour. It's really easy to create an home, why didn't we think of this activity sooner?

 

Idaten Udon, Changi City Point

When the colleague suggested udon for lunch, I mumbled something along the lines of "It's just carbs... blah blah blah." But I went along - it wasn't like I had more exciting plans in line.

Part of the Ichiban group, Idaten focuses on the humble udon. Perhaps in this present moment where people love to complicate things and create bastardised fusion food, I appreciate Idaten's mission to keep things the way they were.

The steps to getting a hot piping bowl of simplicity is well, simple enough:
Step 1: Choose your udon: Soup or dry, and plain, matcha, yuzu or pumpkin.
Step 2: Pick your sides from a wide variety of tempura, including mixed vegetables, pumpkin, squid, crab stick, chicken and crab croquette
Step 3: Grab garnishes such as seaweed, spring onion, tempura flakes, chilli padi and tempura sauce from a nearby bar

Though the meal looked uninspiring. it was surprisingly very tasty. I stuck with the basic udon soup that was filled with al dente toothsome noodles. I would love to try the matcha noodles next. A fried salmon belly filled with omega-3 goodness brought things home. To top it off, a generous confetti of seaweed and fiery chili padi sealed the deal.

And it's Father's Day

H A P P Y F A T H E R S D A Y 

to the man who works tirelessly to make 

parenthood a wee bit easier for the both of us