Warned

hmm.. it seems we got a warning letter posted on our door this evening, telling us to remove the satellite... OR ELSE...

This makes me smile when I get annoyed at work

I was annoyed today at work. It was trivial, but it irritated me nonetheless. Whenever I get annoyed at work I always recall this Dilbert comic that I saw years ago.  Last frame never fails to cheer me up. 

I only wish there was a Dogbert to help me perform this "exorcism" in real life.  

Spirited away to Spice Spirit

Some time last year, a local friend, knowing how much I love spicy food, took me  to eat at Spice Spirit. One taste and I was hooked. The creative Sichuan food was tongue-numbingly spicy and I loved it! 

6 mths later, I got a chance to take Daniel there. He was initially skeptical - what could be so great about a chain store serving Mala food? 

Well, it was certainly good enough for him to take his friends back there for a meal :) At our meal, we had Mala spicy prawns, Sour spicy mushrooms, Vinegared tapioca flour noodles and a non-spicy veggie soup. Ah, we also ordered a jug of  sour plum drink. This sumptuous spread cost us less than 200RMB. 

We ordered everything at mid-level spiciness which was alright for me. Poor Daniel however, was dripping sweat 5 mins into the meal because of the spice. At that point, we determined that Spice Spirit's a a great place to dine on a cold winter's day. 100% guaranteed to warm you up! 

Not only was the food good, the restaurant was also very tastefully decorated. It seems like a standard look across the chain of restaurants. We were eating at the Shuangjing outlet, located within Viva Mall. Spice Spirit is also found at The Village.  Check out this website for more locations www.spicespirit.com

Brunch@ W dine & Wine

Tried out W Dine& Wine's egg brunch yesterday. It was yummy especially if you love eggs. For 58 RMB ( about SG$13) , you get a coquette ( a little cast iron pot) filled with 2 eggs and fillings of your choice, and separate servings of hash browns, baked beans and pan fried tomatoes.  A cup of fresh juice is also includes in the price.  I thought it was a very good deal.

I had half cooked eggs with bacon and Ratatouille Nicoise while Daniel had eggs with duck liver and raisins.  Both were lip-smackingly good! 

22-1 Dongzhimenwai Dajie, Dongzhimen opposite Canadian Embassy 

东直门外大街22-1号 加拿大大使馆对面  Tel:6416-9838

Lijiang Pork rib hotpot @ San Die Shui

Dan & I checked out a new place last weekend called San Die Shui Lijiang Waxed Pork Rib Hotpot 三叠水丽江腊排骨火锅.  It's located in a little hutong along  Gu Lou Da Jie, not far from Nanluoguxiang. 

We had the hotpot of course. 78rmb gives you a fair amount of ribs, tomatoes, celery and potato. You also get a small bowl of spicy dip made of fermented tofu, chilli flakes, black sesame and coriander.   The ribs are a tad tough but definitely tasty, being preserved and all. The soup base started out real salty - i guess from the ribs - but after restaurant staff added more stock, it tasted absolutely heavenly. It was a mix of salty, sweet & sour ( thanks to the massive number of fresh tomatoes).

Also had their Luoguo fan 锣锅饭  (18 rmb); sticky rice steamed in a bronze pot with lightly fried potatoes. The rice was lightly salted which made it quite addictive to eat. To wash down the food, we ordered the homemade rice wine, which had a lovely sweet after taste. 

Though we only ordered 2 dishes, we could hardly finish the food. We should have stuck to having just the hotpot but I was hungry! 

In terms of decor, this place is as simple as it gets. It's a typical small chinese eatery that's gotten a lighting upgrade, a new coat of paint,  simple wooden chairs and a hotpot table. It's more suited for a simple meals with close family and friends. 

Address: 鼓楼东大街东公街 25号 （ 交道口西边第一个胡同） 

Tel: 6404 1190