I've never been so happy to be back in Japan. Even though I really did want to spend more time with my family, there was a lot of stress I had to deal with at home and also did I mention how bad the haze was when I was there? It was hard to breathe, my eyes hurt, I couldn't stop sneezing and on some days, it was so hazy that buildings nearby were hardly visible. I'm glad to be back here to fresher air, honestly.
Also because of the haze, I didn't get to do a lot of things or go to places I wanted. The air was very unhealthy, so it was not practical to be out and about. On the first night I was back, little sis and I decided to go to our favourite bar for some choya martinis since we didn't get the chance to go last time I was back in July. We headed out to Orchard after dinner, my mom cooked!
As much as I like my drinks in Japan, I still prefer choya martinis here over anything. Since alcohol in Singapore is expensive, this bar ( I forgot the name) has one for one at SGD$18 for martinis from 9pm - 2am on weekdays. It's considered cheap and reasonable for this country, also the one reason why I love this bar so much is because they serve you a (huge) complimentary bowl of peanuts and you can just throw the peanuts shells away on the ground. I enjoy doing throwing the peanut shells away like that a lot, it's strange that something so simple can make you feel more relaxed almost instantly.
We ordered some nachos with salsa as well, and had 3 martinis each. Choya, peach and midori. We wanted to drink more but the Midori martini was so strong that we both were done after having that. We spent about close to two hours there just talking. Everyone knows how close I am to my sister and she is my favourite person in the world, so everytime I get to see her (for the first day at least), we would be stuck together like glue and stay up till really late just talking. I've missed her so much.
My dad came back on Wednesday and I went out shopping with my mom on Thursday. The haze was pretty bad on Thursday. I bought a red dress and a long skirt, got my bangs cut again and just spent time with mom on Thursday. It was so nice spending time with her again, the only difference now is that I have to take extra care of her when we are out because she tires easily and needs to be held most of the time. I don't mind though, I'd rather her be next to me than at the hospital. We went for dinner with dad at a Chinese Restaurant we've been going to since I was a kid. Little sis couldn't make it because she was still at work.
On Friday, the family went for lunch at Restaurant Andre. Little sis reserved a table from more than a month ago, and even had to pay a deposit of $50. It's almost impossible to get a table at this restaurant because (according to Google) it is the best restaurant in Singapore and top 50 in the world, ranking at number 46.
Restaurant Andre is located at Bukit Pasoh's renovated shop houses, the houses has been there since 1928. I've never been to this part of Singapore and it was really picturesque. It's rare that I take photos of Singapore's architecture. The only other place I really like taking photos is at Tiong Bahru.
The restaurant itself is really classy and intimate, with only 30 tables. This is not one of those places that pretentious people go to "show off" that they are so ~classy~, if I could rant about how annoying people are when it comes to food and how much they think they know when they really don't, this post will never end. But let me just say, I hate overly pretentious people who post photos of food on Instagram and Facebook and write a whole fucking essay about posted picture.
The menu is chosen for you at Restaurant Andre, it was a six course meal and my mind was blown away. His creative culinary artwork brings the taste buds to another gastronomic journey. The service was also first class with the waiters explaining to you in clear detail what they're serving you. I really liked how they add at the beginning of every course " Now, we move to France." or "Back to Japan..." Chef Andre's food is a fusion of French, Japanese and Chinese cuisine. My whole family really enjoyed the meal, especially my dad.
This was called "snacking", the balls are made of duck meat.
my least favourite dish because the centre was made of celery (I hate celery)
baby eel broth with chicken skin.
my favourite one, I really liked the idea for this dish because t
he inspiration came from the New York Bagel.
it is bagel puree with salmon, seaweed and cream cheese on the side.
I was so bummed I'm allergic to prawns because the sauce for this dish was Prawn Noodle broth
(a very famous Singaporean Hawker food dish I used to love to eat before getting allergic to prawns)
dessert, the inspiration for this was autumn.
speculoos, cream cheese ice sorbet, orange and honey comb.
My dad was really impressed with the food, I really enjoyed the experience. It was refreshing for all of us to go to somewhere new, instead of the usual restaurants we always go to. After lunch, we went to Orchard to catch Hotel Transylvania 2 because my mom loves it. I was kind of bored throughout the movie, and actually fell asleep. After the movie, we went for dinner and then went home.
I stayed home on Saturday and on Sunday, went out again with little sis to do some last minute shopping for souvenirs and stock up on some of my own stuff. We went to Benjamin Brown Bistro and Bakery at Forum for dinner just because I wanted to try the milkshake.
Little sis left for work after dinner and I took a bus back home and did some packing. On Monday, mom cooked dinner again because she knows how much I love her cooking. I left home for the airport at close to 8pm. It was hard saying goodbye to my mom again because she was crying. Hopefully, she recovers faster so she can come visit me in Japan.
I have no plans on going back to Singapore anytime soon. My sister is planning her trip here next year so I can't wait till she comes. I'm already back in Japan and life here is completely different. I love my life in Japan, I just hope that some people can see that and stop asking me when I'm going to come back to Singapore again.
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