[Limited Edition] Frezfruta & Hello Kitty Cup

Judging by this picture ~ you'll probably wondering why I want to make this blog post.. It all because I won it from this blog contest by my blogger friend, whom I met at Domino's Pizza last year: Ms Ruiying. :-)

This is also my 1st time to win such great prize from a blogger and that's why I made this post to take note of this incredible meeting. :-D

Here are the examples and ways to get picked for this contest. ;-)

Giveaway: Details up on blog.. rygohxx.blogspot.sg #Blogger #sgblogger@ rygohxx.blogspot.sg instagr.am/p/UqRls_v0eH/
— Goh Rui Ying(@RuiYingGoh) January 19, 2013

Last but not least, a group photo of Ruiying and I :-)

If you want to win more awesome prizes like me, stay tune for more updates from me !!

[EMO] Emperor's indecisiveness

Indecisiveness really cause me a pain in my ass. Not only that, it leads me to hurt innocent people and waste everyone's time. 

However, whenever I promise to someone - I want to deliver it ~ even if I'm going to do this alone, I also want him/her not to be let down by me. 

"A respect to someone as well as to myself" 

However, in just 11 hours time, it will be my lifetime decision to make it real. Either way, I will still hurt one group or another. I don't know if my decision is right or not ~ cos I'm not fortune-teller to predict the future to say which group can lead me to safety in the end.

I am forced to face multiple circumstances and prepared some conditions if the problems are not go according to my plan / direction. It's not that I don't trust people, just that I don't know him/her well. Even if he/she is my talking buddy, I also can't get myself to trust them as well.

"Believe in yourself, then others will believe you too" 

I think I don't have that kind of self-confidence to deliver the thing that i promise to say and I don't want to make so many enemies in this strange environment. 

"More friends the better, they say. But how true it is, nobody knows.."

For those who not know me well, I will try this kind of emotional post to calm myself out from the current situation that I'm facing right now.

Although this problem that revokes around life-making decisions and social network, who don't want a safe to protect them in this competitive environment, especially Singapore. It's not that I hate the life, it will merely meant on how I can fasten my pace to keep up, so as not to slow everyone down.

BUT, no one is perfect.. Even if you can accept his / her weaknesses to move on, something will never change ~ not until you're able to make a change yourself or they have get used to it already.

In conclusion, I will try to use these offers to get him. 

If not, I will have to go according to my targeted plan. :-<

PS: this is my 1st time to write this EMO post and I hope this is my last time to write it out ~ cos hate the negative feeling while writing.

[Sponsored] Ricciotti Food Tasting Session

I received an invitation from one of my blogger friends, Diana Raymond to attend a food-tasting session on Ricciotti Cafe @ The Star Vista. Not only that, I also went there with Tselyn, Mr. Loh (Val's father) and Luther (Diana's husband).

I was having some difficulty to find the cafe as this was my 1st time to visit Star Vista.

~ LOL ~

About Ricciotti Pte Ltd

Ricciotti Pizza Pasta & Deli was unveiled at The River-walk in 2004 with an aim to be the destination of choice for authentic yet affordable Italian gourmet food and pastries in Singapore. Popular among locals and expatriates alike, a second outlet was opened at China Square Central a year later.

In coherence with the opening of its third outlet at Star Vista, Ricciotti Pizza Pasta & Deli officially went through significant changes to bring its customers a new dining experience. Now known as Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill, the new contemporary, rustic and industrial design of its outlets would exude and reflect the concept of a true home-style Italian meal- steeped in warmth and comfort.

Official Homepage of Ricciotti

The food at Ricciotti stays true to its Italian flavors and is presented in an unpretentious and simple manner. Sharing is an important feature of the traditional Italian culture – be it sharing pastas, pizzas or even mussels. It is the tradition of sharing which reflects the warmth of eating Italian food, making the “cucina nostrana” dining experience thoroughly unique in a metropolitan setting.

The complete name of the restaurant is Ricciotti Pizza Pasta Grill. Ricciotti is pronounced as REE-CHORE-TEE, derived from the famous ancient Biblical scholar and archaeologist in the early 1900s, conveying the importance of Italian rich culture and history at the restaurant.

Their menu comprises of the widest variety of original Italian specialties including our new addition – COZZE, fresh black mussels with toasted garlic bread and GRILL items such as boneless chicken, pork ribs, grilled salmon fillet, sirloin steak etc. Also not forgetting their signature best sellers - LINGUINE AL GRANCHIO, Linguine with crab meat in creamy tomato sauce and their mouthwatering pizzas such as PIZZOTTO, pizza with bacon, mushrooms, egg, pomodoro and mozzarella.

Ricciotti's Official Menu Website

Ricciotti River-walk is located at one of the most exclusive stretches of the Singapore River where customers can enjoy a relaxing and laid‐back dining experience away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Yet with its close proximity to Clarke Quay and City Hall MRT stations, it is an accessible place where our customers can always enjoy authentic Italian food and great company.

Ricciotti China Square Central often bustles with the working crowd from nearby offices during lunch on weekdays; while in the evenings and on weekends, the pace slows down and it is an ideal place for customers who are looking for a spot to chill‐out and relax away from the crowd.

Ricciotti Star Vista captures a contemporary and warm ambiance while diners enter the restaurant from the bar to the restaurant. The dining area of red and brown features a graphic-illustrated wall mural at the end of the room depicting the history, culture and progression of Italy.

Chef Profile: Executive Chef Gero Dimaria

Born: London, U.K in 1974

Home: Singapore

School: Redhill Culinary College

Inspiration: Original Authentic Italian Cuisine

Favourite Kitchen Tools: Knives

Favourite Cooking Process: Grilling

Other Passions: Travel, Cars, Sports

Favorite Dish to Cook At Home: Spaghetti Vongole

Any Favorite Ingredients: Pasta

What makes for success: “Never consider yourself the best!”

Born in the United Kingdom into a traditional Italian family with a love of food, it is no surprise that Executive Chef of Ricciotti Gero Dimaria grew up with the same love of good food and an avid interest in cooking. After obtaining his qualifications in Catering & Hospitality at the Red-hill City and Guilds of London, he set out to begin his career as an Italian Chef.

Chef Gero worked his way up the ranks in various restaurants in the UK such as the prestigious Kingswood Golf Club before being scouted by Slight & Allen to helm the kitchen at New Malden Golf Club. However, he wants to achieve more and set his future sights on Singapore in late 1995. He secured the position of Restaurant Chef at Pasta Fresca where he gained many valuable experiences. He then became Head Chef at Senso, Porta Portese Pte Ltd and Da Paolo respectively before joining Ricciotti in 2006. Since then, he has wowed customers with his extraordinary culinary skills.

Picture took by a blogger friend, Tselyn 

His style of cooking – simple and light, as well as his ability to transform simple ingredients into exquisite tasting Italian fare has been much appreciated by customers, as well as his customary twinkle and good humor. He can always cook up a mean dish of Spaghetti Vongole and considers celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to be his inspiration.

"The information about Ricciotti and Chef's profile & description are kindly provided and sponsored from the marketing manager of Ricciotti, Lim Jia Wei".

After the detailed introduction about Ricciotti and their chef, let's begin the food tasting session that I have experienced, alongside with the other 4 bloggers.

It was not enough for me to taste the other 2 flavors ~ what I consume were tomato (extremely freshly) and tuna (borrowed from Tselyn ~ was equally awesome and juicy)

Bruschetta

List of Bruschetta and each of their flavor & ingredients

MISTA

mixed bruschetta platter containing pomodoro, funghi and salmon

PROSCIUTTO

parma ham, rucola, shaved parmesan

SALMONE

salmon, cherry potato, gherkins, rucola

FUNGHI

mushrooms, shaved parmesan and scented with truffle

POMODRO

fresh tomatoes with basil, italian parsley and extra virgin olive oil

AGLIO

garlic, parsley and extra virgin olive oil

I never tried this dish ... so it's difficult for me to rate it. However, seeing the rest of my female friends were enjoying at that time ~ I assume it must be very good !!

Ricciotti Salad
(mixed greens, pork bacon, grilled bell pepper, shaved parmesan cheese)

 

~ COSSE ~

Fresh black mussels with toasted garlic bread

The sauce in the pot of mussels can choose 3 different types from the menu: Marinara (tomato sauce); Bianco (white wine sauce); Rosa (tomato and cream sauce). The pot we took was containing bianco ~ no wonder it was so marvelous and fantastic !!

LOL: Tselyn gave a "peace" while I was taking the picture of this dish !!

This is the Italian snack ~ one of the famous dish in Ricciotti

Don't judge by its round ball by its cover !! It contains heated and awesome ingredients inside for you to discover its secrets, plus it was very hot (cos the skin is cold on the outside, so I ate it without much hesitation ~ haha !! = =")

SUPPLI (rice balls stuffed with beef ragu and mozzarella)

~ PIZZA ~

PIZZOTTO (baron, mushrooms, egg, pomodoro, mozzarella)

REGINA-MARGHERITA (fresh tomato, pomodoro, basil, mozzarella)

~ AT THE GRILL ~

These 2 grill dishes are the 2 main favorite that I like so far ~ especially the grilled salmon fillet .. It contains the freshness of tasty meat that once you take one bite, it can lead you to the Italian heaven that only their cafe serves the best grilled salmon ever than any other Japanese restaurants had to offer in other places. Not only that, the lemon juice that dropped on both grilled dishes helps to bring out the pleasant savory flavor to its fullest. (Recommend ~ definitely must try !!)

GRILLED SALMON FILLET

~ PASTA ~

This dish is made of spaghetti with basil pesto, sundried tomato and french beans. I was surprised at how small it was from the look of it. However, when I get to taste it with my legendary taste-bud  my tongue gave me a signal that this is not a normal pasta. The spaghetti was very "Q" and able to melt within all my surrounding of my tongue and its smooth texture just want to make your heart to be melted even deeper. In addition, this dish is also chef's favorite signature dish ever !!

LINGUINE AL GRANCHIO

~ DESSERT ~

sweet pizza - main signature dish of Ricciotti Cafe

This is the main dessert of Ricciotti ~ highly recommended by the chef himself. This is my 1st time to see a sweet pizza and I really vow to myself that I have not seen anything like this before :-)

CANNELLA (cinnamon sugar with mascarpone and raisins)

When I tasted a share from this sweet pizza with my legendary taste-bud, I immediately emerged into a scenery ~ another dimension of the world. It was a snowy place filled with eye-candy and the sweetness just filled within the air. I could sense the sweetness of my tongue melted with my saliva while my teeth was crunching the texture surface of the pizza. It was a fantastic experience and you should definitely give a shot for this dessert ~ Cannella !! <3

A small cup of Cappuccino helps to summarize up the whole session of the day :-)

Here is the overall rating that I gave to this food tasting session: 9 out of 10 !!

*********/*

Before we ended our session, here are some photos that I took with my blogger friends as well as the chef and the marketing manager. :-)

Credit: pictures taken from Tselyn's blog !!

Mr. Lim Jia Wei was telling the story while we were listening attentively ,
but I was doing my job as a professional food blogger !!  :-P

I was busy taking my pizza ~ 

Tselyn and I

Genting Group (Awana Resort Genting)

Last but not least, here is the group photo to conclude this post !!

I personally recommend this cafe to your friends and families to have a try on all of their dishes, besides the ones that I mentioned & ranked.

[Movie Review] The Impossible

On 10 Jan 2013, I won a ticket from a contest to watch a movie screening on the upcoming movie: The Impossible on 6:45 pm at Shaw Centre. At the very least, I didn't watch this movie alone. (Thanks to Diana, Luther and Val)

If you are not aware how I won this free movie ticket myself, please click here.

As for the synopsis and trailer of this movie, you can check it out from this blog post instead.

Thanks to Moovie Spy's encouragement to blog about this movie :-) !!

For those who don't know about MoovieSpy:

It is Singapore's only Facebook Page dedicated to bring the latest scoop on movie trailers, movie images, movie news, movie reviews and more. They also run contests regularly and people stand a chance to win gala premiere tickets, preview screening tickets, movie vouchers, movie premiums, Blu-rays, DVDs and many other attractive prizes every week!

* Spoiler contains *

For this blog post, I will merely talk about my movie experience that I gained from my own perceptive from the movie screening.

Firstly, the back story of this movie is quite simple. An American family went for a vacation and lived in a resort at Thailand. I came late for the movie screening for the back story. Therefore, what I described here was quite brief.. I came at the scene only when the tsunami was strike ~ LOL ~ !!

Secondly, the visual effects of this movie was stunning and you might not want to brink an eye for a second. Some of the make-up on most injuries was gross and bloody (almost look like real, cos I heard sigh and crying sound from where I sat.) For example, the mother of the family revealed half of her right boob after been hit by a sharp tree branch, during the washing waves of the tsunami. Her right knee was exposed and bloody gross scene was enough to make you want to pity the mother.

Thirdly, the story-line was based on a real person's life experience, therefore, the director of the movie was difficult to narrate the story to be more stretchy and interesting. Although the movie did try to add the elements of human minds when facing dangers and crisis, it did not expose more in-depth about the dark side of it. Moreover, the ending was ended quite simple and easy to understand (a very touching moment).

Overall, I think the movie is great and it's worth watching. You might think this is just a normal family movie, but think again about what the director is trying to send us a message through this movie. 

Specially for U

I went to Vivo City shopping mall today, right after my lesson. In the early morning, I have made a decision to buy what she wants.

This is the gift that I plan to give her.

This watch is priced S$364.25, including the wrapping paper. The watch is anti-scratch and the inner circle of the watch is surrounded with sapphire crystal, in which it is suitable to buy as a gift to loved ones / buy as a part of a collection.

I told the lady to help me package the watch.

I don't know what should I write in the card ...

I am keeping this gift till she is ready to meet me.

 

I am still considering whether or not to give this to her, despite we just merely chatted with each other online in social media sites. I am still confusing if she is the one I love or just another friend I like.  

~ Giving her the gift is equally meant to give my heart to her ~