I know this would seem like a pretty strange entry that has oddly popped out of nowhere but I must say something about the decor of the place i work at. As an art student, I studied different painting styles and art movements such as cubism, expressionism, surrealism and sorts. In the 1960s, a new movement emerged and it was labelled minimalism which was essentially a style that stripped down its work into the bare essentials, in other words it got straight to the point and to its elemental essence. It’s a type of abstract art and this minimalist style got implemented into paintings, print, installations and event architecture and furnishing designs. Really brilliant but of course this style isn’t appreciated by all. I would prefer to classify minimalism as not just a style but more a taste because one has to like it or to see something in it to understand or appreciate it. Such as the paintings of minimalist Frank Stella, i think my dad would have said my paintings could have done so much better than Frank’s cause I put in so much detail and colour (i was a surrealism fan..thought i should even go get a mustache like Dali’s :D) but styles and tastes can clash and therefore cannot be compared to each other.

Whatever it is, I do love the minimalist feel of the place i work at now. It doesn’t just feel so simple, elegant and humbly appreciative of its own existence, but HA, it’s so much easier to clean up.

Ok then. enough talk bout all this frou frou stuff. I’m outta here to plan some major partying, eating, shopping and drinking. 😀

Tea Loaf. A sight for my sore eye.

Yes, I have a swollen eye. The swelling began late last nite while i was watching ‘The Forgotten’ on HBO. One, I’m a movie junkie. Two, I’m a night owl. Like one of my pals at work, I come alive at nite and I’m a bear till say 10 in the morning. So getting a swelling in my left eye really made me grumpy. It isn’t particularly fashionable to walk around looking like a frog you know. And my frustration with a particular organisation’s inefficiency (some may know exactly what i’m talkin bout!) didn’t help to up my mood at all. Alas, the only way to make me feel better was to whip something up in the kitchen. This tea loaf was a very easy recipe, with minimal prep work or ingredients. And what I liked better about it was that it was EGGLESS! Cool. Real cool.
In addition, it tasted real grandmaish, like some ol’ traditional homemade recipe passed down from daughter to daughter. It was moist and crumbly and wasn’t overly sweet but humbly pleasant in it’s wealth of flavours from the spice. One plus point too was it was so easy to turn out the loaf, it practically fell out when I overturned it! It’s definitely a keeper and I’ll continue to use and modify it, the only set back for me was that it was a little fragile and cracked easily upon slicing or handling.
This one’s a princess. Handle with care and GREAT LOVE.

The recipe below is the original. I’ve put notes in italics of my own modification.

Tea Loaf (by Sue Lawrence one again. O i do love her)
Ingredients
3/4 cup light muscovado sugar
1 cup sultanas
1 cup currants –*I used dried cranberries for both the tangy taste and colour. Mom taught me that food wasn’t just done for eating but for admiring. Presentation is half the battle.
125g unsalted butter
2 tsp mixed spice –*used 1 tsp ground cinnamon & 1/2 – 1 tsp ground cloves
2 scant cups self-raising flour

Place sugar, sultanas, currants, butter and mixed spice in heavy pan with 1 cup cold water.
Heat gently until butter is melted, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
Preheat oven to 180dCelsius.
Once sugar mixture is cold (or at least at rtp), sift in flour and pinch of salt. Combine well with a spoon.
Tip into greased loaf tin, level surface. –*I added dark chocolate chips over the top for prettiness and taste. For something with more spunk and a sexier effect on your taste buds, throw in a quarter cup dark chocolate chunks/morsels/chips. “It really works.”
Bake for 58min-1hr.

If you’re wondering about the quote above, I’m actually quoting a Russian customer of mine whom I met a couple of days ago. He’s wonderfully funny and I was thoroughly entertained. His wife was really craving chocolate and while she went to the supermarket, he’d come by to get a cake for her. We started debating about dark chocolate and the later creation of milk chocolate & white chocolate. The Russians apparently have a special Russian chocolate that is a dark chocolate basically, so dark it’s very bitter and it’s bitterness is eased with a little sprinkling of sugar. One thing good about this is that you really feel the effect of the cacao without all the distractions of the milk, cream and sugar. The Russians love this dark chocolate because it does somethng with the endorphines bit and it also enhances desire. Thus, people label chocolate as the perfect aphrodisiac. Well, my customer had a very comical face and he was going on and on about how the Europeans came up with the milk chocolate and told the Russians that this new breed of chocolate tasted much better, it’s only shortcoming being that it “doesn’t work”. And to get a taste of what true Russian chocolate is like (unfortunately Singapore doesn’t import Russian chocolate), he suggested ROYCE’s dark chocolate. Now, he’s really got my interest piqued! And though he did say eat it with my boyfriend because “It really works!”, I will have to deviate from his instructions because you know why and have the ultimate pleasure of enjoying his substitute Russian chocolate very soon.

GOBI.disturbingly delightful desserts.

All the hype’s up about the new dessert place in town.

And knowing that it’s good to keep abreast with times, and in this case, up to date with the foodie world, we had to give GOBI a try. One thing that i really liked was the presentation and the image of this new chocolatier in town. Packed in a glossy plastic bag (which itself is a fashion statement) with the pink GOBI print, to be seen carrying this would be as glamorous as being seen nibbling on a GODIVA’s chocolate or holding a box of PRESTAT goodies even though GOBI is located in the ooey gooey heart of Katong Mall.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the arabianish dreamy feel of the name GOBI. It sounds awfully exotic and lusciously sexy. The pink wings of it’s brand label also give off an innocently young and girlish image, bringing you back to those days of daydreaming, fairy tales and prettiness in simple things. What’s better, upon opening the box, one isn’t just astounded with the little sweet secrets within but the intricate pink pictures inside. There’s even an arty poem printed on the insides of the box. Something for you to ponder about while you enjoy the extravagant candies melting on your tongue. The little chocolate devil you see above is called the Dark Angel and the name suits it perfectly. It’s richness lies in its dark chocolate and the bitterness is so silken on your tongue. What makes every bite very interesting is also the fact that its texture is a bit like a cake, a caramel fudge and a chocolate square all at the same time. Quite amazing.

Everything else was all really pretty but I felt the Dark Angel was the most satifying. The rest were little carefully and lovingly put together dessert pieces formed by meringue cookies, strawberries, lavender cookies, tart pieces and cheesy cream. Nothing that really shocked me because they were still pretty safe pieces. Desserts that we can easily identify to but can lose its shine after a while. It breaks my heart to say this but GODIVA & Bakerzin would still be my regular hangouts in terms of extravagance well spent and enjoyed. GOBI’s great. Wonderful in fact, but it may find itself pretty far behind from the big bad well-established brands out there. Don’t mind what I say though. Try it out for yourself! Think these will do great as gifts because they’re so pretty, you’ll find it a toughie to stop looking at em. 😀

p.s it’s got a witty alliteration there don’t you think?