Senso Sunday Prosecco Brunch - A Review

Back in February, during Chinese New Year this year, I wanted to celebrate a milestone in my journey of getting my life back on track. A buffet seemed appropriate, and I was feeling fancy so I decided I wanted an alcoholic brunch. The thing is, they are effing expensive. I was quite interested with the Champagne brunch at Ritz-Carlton but I thought I'd save it for later, when there really is a reason to be so extravagant.

Anyway, most Champagne brunches' prices go three digits these days so I was happy when I stumbled upon Senso's Sunday Prosecco brunch online. At $98++/pax, it was much more my pace.

Senso is an Italian restaurant that I'd never heard of until then. The fact that it is a stand-alone restaurant and not part of a hotel intrigued me. The location also intrigued me. It is located in a somewhat 'sleepy' street in Telok Ayer area. It takes up a row of shophouses and is actually more spacious than it looks.

So I called up to book a table a couple days beforehand and their staff called me on Sunday morning to confirm. So that morning my friend and I boarded the Downtown Line (Our first!) and alighted at Telok Ayer station.

Telok Ayer MRT Station

It was a short walk from there to Senso and we loved how mellow the area was. The restaurant's sign might be easy to miss because it's not too conspicuous but the place is actually not that hidden since it's facing an open field.

We walked in and found ourselves in some kind of a lobby. Very elegant and chic.

A man, whom I assumed was the maître d' then whisked us to our table which included walking around a small courtyard and into another building at the back. Other waiters were quick to get us to settle in, opening up the napkin and placing it onto your lap, helping hanging your purse by the table, and that sort of thing.

Then they poured us a glass of water and bubbly. They were supposed to have two options, the white or the rosé prosecco but sadly they told us they were having issues with the rosé shipment so we acquiesced and got the white one.

Honestly, we were quite taken aback by the formal atmosphere of the place. All the waitstaff were dressed in pants and waistcoats and the maître d' was in a suit. And since it's unlike the usual buffet, we were a little bit unsure of what we should do after we got settled in. We could see the buffet spread but it was confined in another room and we weren't sure whether we were allowed to start eating yet.

Buckets of Prosecco and the buffet spread in another room

Thankfully, a waiter finally came over and upon realizing it was our first time there, he then explained the rules. Basically, all the food is set up buffet-style except for the mains, which we need to order. All are unlimited but they do have three other mains that they charged for $8++ a plate should you wish to order them.

Senso Sunday Prosecco Brunch Menu

We proceeded to order the prawn bisque which was bland taste-wise but it did emanate a deliciously strong prawn aroma. We intended to order three mains to be shared between the two of us but the waiter stopped us and advised us not to order too much at once, citing culinary integrity. We thought this was a bit rude, perhaps he thought we'd have ordered more than three but tout ce que...

Anyway, without further ado, here's what Senso had to offer that day:

Selection of salads and cold antipasti:

Charcuterie:

Smoked salmon - which is a personal favorite of mine - I kept coming back for seconds! The slice is thicker than most smoked salmon usually served in buffets, perfectly cured and smoked, just squirt a slice of lemon to enhance its sweetness.

Good news for oyster lovers: Senso serves oysters. The bad news: I thought they weren't as fresh as they should be. Not sure which type they served that day and I'm not an oyster expert but I've had oysters before that were just heavenly; sweet with a nice bite to it and with very faint oyster smell. The oysters that day had quite detectable oyster smell which might be a put-off for some and not as 'springy'.

  

Juice Station

The juice station & bread bar:

Bread Bar

The dessert selection:

Seasonal fruit platter:

My personal favorite: Senso chocolates. Don't be fooled by their simple appearance, these little bite-size chocolate cubes pack a punch; not sickeningly sweet, smooth and creamy with a touch of bitterness from the chocolate and a rich coconut-like aroma.I just realize that day I eschewed other desserts in favor for these.

Meringue cookies, which always taste better in your head than in reality:

Onto the mains now. I actually ordered several mains but only managed to photograph some of them. The first two of the following pictures are from the unlimited list while the other three are the specials.

Here's Ribeye Steak with red wine sauce:

And the Poached Salmon with Lemon Thyme Cream:

We also ordered Seared Red Snapper with Arabbiata Sauce and Crispy Skin Duck Breast with Orange Sauce off the unlimited list. They were all without a doubt, delicious. The Crispy Duck is my friend's favorite, FYI.

And here are the specials which I think you definitely should get because they are really, really awesome. Here's Homemade Foie Gras Roulade with Mango Chutney and Brioche (Not pictured):

Here's Spaghetti with Italian Baeri caviar and Vodka:

And lastly, here's Pan-seared Foie Gras with Poached red Wine Pear:

 I definitely think these specials are worth the extra dollars. The two foie gras mains were just heavenly! The roulade was so smooth and flavorful, perfect to spread over the brioche. They also didn't skimp on the pan-seared foie gras and served you a cut with reasonable thickness so you can really savor the delicate fatty texture. And the simple and somewhat dull-looking vodka spaghetti was actually full of delicate flavor. I could never forgive myself for giving it the cold shoulder when it was delivered to our table.

They also have conveniently located bathroom:

Senso's Bathroom's Interior

 So, there you have it, folks. Thought it's nice to end it one more time with a shot of the menu and the bubbling glass of Prosecco.

All in all I spent about $350 for two persons, and that includes 3 extra mains at $8++ per plate. I mistakenly thought I'd get unlimited supply of the specials with the extra $8++, should've known though, 'coz it was too good to be true so just be careful about this.

To summarize, here's the pros & cons list of Senso Sunday Prosecco Brunch buffet:

Pros:
- Alcoholic brunch with more reasonable price
- Delicious food of top-notch quality especially the mains because they're cooked to order
- Beautiful and unique setting for those looking to experience different atmosphere
- Easily accessible with public transportation

Cons:
- Limited variety of food. You definitely don't go to Senso for quantity, you go for quality
- The super attentive staff could become a little bit too attentive it's annoying. If you leave your table to get some food, expect your napkin to have been folded into some kind of origami when you return. Every. Single. Time. This might be fancy for some but it's just not my cup of tea
- The oysters are not that delicious

Will I recommend this to anyone? A definitive yes. The different buffet style and the super - some might say over - attentive waitstaff may take some getting used to but once you're able to get past that, you'll find that Senso Sunday Prosecco Brunch is actually a very good deal.

Breakfast @ P O D I

I usually avoid eateries in downtown Singapore like the plague, mostly because when I do have the time to visit these places, it'll be on the weekends. That means long queues, jam-packed restaurants, and overwhelmed service staff. Never mind that the food are sometimes mediocre and overpriced.

PODI is located in the heart of Raffles City. It managed to nab one of the coveted spots around the fountain so diners will be better shielded from the heavy-traffic area but still be able to enjoy the lively atmosphere. But even then, I never had the urge to eat there.

So, a few weeks ago I took a day off from work and found myself in the basement of Raffles City at 10.30am in the morning, my stomach growling like crazy. I've got a couple of hours to burn and so I walked into PODI. There were not so many people and the waitress happily let me sit in a table for 4 near the fountain. True to my style, I chose the one in the corner, the most secluded one.

To my delight, they have quite a selection for western-style breakfast. I can't remember what they are now but they've got the whole page dedicated to breakfast alone, and what's even better: they serve them all day! (even though for some reason, certain selection are only available up to 3pm).

Anyway, this is what I got:

The dish consists of 2 poached eggs, 2 slices of spinach loaf, a chicken sausage, a spiced sausage, several pieces of crunchy bacon, and a small amount of salad with tangy dressing.

I understand the spinach loaf is their specialty and it goes very well with the poached eggs.

Now, I'm really terrible at remembering prices but I think this one cost me about $18 incl tax and everything. It is not cheap but I personally think it's worth the occasional splurge. Just pace yourself and really enjoy the meal, just like I did with nothing but myself and a good old InStyle magazine.

Spring 2014 : Priti NYC's Baby Blue Eyes

Spring is just around the corner! Last year I chose a perfume to mark its arrival, this time around it's a nail polish instead.

So much happened last year, I am just excited to turn over a new leaf and this dreamy blue color with silver fine shimmers called 'Baby Blue Eyes' from Priti NYC seems fresh and happy, perfect to mark the occasion.

Indoor Light

With Flash

It goes opaque after two coats, no streaks. The pictures shown here are all without top coats. I don't really buy Priti NYC because of the environmental reason, I just damn love their colors. Their polishes, especially the creamy ones, tend to run a little bit thick, though. Also, they're not exactly cheap so this is more of a splurge.

Coincidentally, Dior's Spring 2014 collection also includes a blue polish called 'Porcelaine' but it's much lighter. Isn't the advertisement gorgeous?

They also have 'Perle', a matte top coat with pink shimmers which gives me an idea. I have Ciate polish called 'Members Only' which is in the same vein as 'Perle' only it's not matte so I decided to recreate the Dior Spring 2014 look using Priti NYC Baby Blue Eyes + Ciate Members Only.

(PS. I got this Ciate polish from my office's Christmas gift exchange party last year. You tried to be specific and wrote Ciate Dangerous Affair from Sephora and still, whoever got my name messed it up. Grrrr!)

The result is not exactly a dead ringer but it is in the same vein and it is still very pretty. The subtle pink shimmer is indeed very appropriate for springtime.

One last thought: I can't help but thinking about the final scene of Breaking Bad when I heard the name 'Baby Blue Eyes', lols. Can't get that final song out of my mind so I cooked up a little something for readers who are also a Breaking Bad fan in a true Spring 2014 fashion, enjoy! =D

Spring 2013 Trend : The White Polish

Several magazines reported the white polish trend earlier this year and I must say, I liked what I saw. It looked fresh and clean but with an edge and I just had to dabble my hands in it! And so happens that I somehow end up with two practically identical white polishes and one lovely white 'glitter' this month. Here they are:

Left to right: OPI Alpine Snow, OPI Lights of Emerald City (From their Oz: The Great and Powerful line), and Ciate Snow Virgin 010.

OPI Lights of Emerald City just looks so good in the bottle, it's so dreamy because of the square white (glitter?) flakes suspended in the clear liquid with smaller square (again, glitter?) flakes that glow like oil slick when the light hits them. It evokes an image of an afternoon in a snow-covered village where it's still fairly bright outside but all the lights are on.

Here's a macro shot of OPI LoEC with flash:

OPI LoEC is best for layering. It is a pain in the ass to work with, though, as it's very goopy and the white square flakes are hard to pick up. I had to use different technique to apply it: I'd put a blob on my nails and maneuver the flakes around to get an aesthetically pleasant random look.

I layered this polish over Jessica's Cloud Mine in the picture. Here's how Cloud Mine looks on its own (1 coat):

And here's one coat of OPI Lights of Emerald City over Cloud Mine:

Tedious application aside, I do love the result! Sometimes your first instinct is to get as much white square flakes as you can on your nails but it actually looks better applied sparsely.

On to the white polishes:

I love the white polish trend! It just looks so...clean, like a good start, as Spring should be! They are really identical in terms of look but I must say I like OPI better. The formula as well as the brush are better than Ciate, it spreads more easily and if you've gotten the hang of it, you can get a smooth and opaque finish in a single coat (I have 2 coats on in the picture, though).

Ciate on the other hand, is a disappointment. The formula is less thick but what makes it worse is the brush. It looks like it can't decide whether it wants to be the round or the panoramic type and ends up somewhere in between, resulting in uneven and clumsy application. It took 3 coats to get it even and opaque in the picture. Oh, and you know the little black bow that looks so cute especially in the ad? I hate it. It looks cheap and poorly made in real life, and what's worse is, it is attached to the cap instead of the bottle so it becomes a nuisance when you're applying the polish as you have to be careful not to let the ribbon touch your wet nails.

I'm gonna end this post by showcasing all the polishes used in this post:

Make Up Store : My First Foray

Have you ever heard about Make Up Store? If you haven't, well, let me introduce you a little bit about it from a fellow laywoman point of view.

When I first lived in Singapore a few years ago, Make Up Store (MUS) had already entered the market here. To my knowledge, they have only boutiques or stand-alone stores and always located in the big malls in the city, not the small, suburban ones. Their image is somewhat reminiscent of MAC or Make Up Forever with the all-black packaging and fashiony backstage-feel.

I'm not sure how popular it is among Singaporeans here, and to an extent, among people in general. Honestly, I've never really seen their stores being frequented that heavily by shoppers and I literally never stumbled upon any article or blog that features this brand unless I happened to google it, which I never did. I've seen their products being featured in local magazines, at one time they even sponsored an event about jobs and career for women but that's about it. Yet, they manage to survive here for all these years.

Every time I walked past an MUS store, it always intrigued me but I never followed through. Today however, due to my intention to rein in my spending and to be less of a brand snob this year, I decided to take the plunge. I'd like to brag a little that I came in with a list of what I needed and I stuck by that list, somewhat...

Here's what I bought:

Clockwise from top : Lipstick in Fairy, Microshadow in Sibiria, and Blush in Sugar Muffin

There were only two things on my list, actually: a base color eye shadow and a matte pink blush on. I ended up getting three items only because they were having this promotion bundle, blush on + lipstick for $49. It was still within my budget and I needed the blush on anyway...lols.

First up is the eye shadow, or as they call it, Microshadow in Sibiria.

Sibiria (I don't understand this name, though, is it 'Siberia' in another language? does it even mean anything?) is a soft shimmery light taupe. I'd call it a shimmer wash because it provides you with a soft wash of color that is perfect as a base color. Here's how it looks swatched:

Check out the look I did with Sibiria below:

The color is perfect for office, which is exactly what I was looking for. Here's what I used in the look book above:

- Urban Decay Primer Potion Original
- Make Up Store Microshadow in Sibiria all over lid
- Chanel eye shadow in safari on the crease
- Chanel eye shadow in Magic Night as an accent on the outer crease

Next up is a blush on currently holding the title as a blush with the prettiest name ever: Make Up Store blush in Sugar Muffin.

It is a matte dusty pink blush on with silver sparkles sparsely dusted all over. The sparkles won't show up once you apply the blush, though. It's very pigmented and versatile, I think this shade suits every complexion as well, from dark to super pale. All that bullshit aside, to be honest I didn't think twice when I bought it because I wanted to tell people I wear Sugar Muffin on my cheeks.

And last but not least, the extra item I got that was not on the list: Make Up Store lipstick in Fairy.

Fairy is aptly named, though. On the container it is this pale pink pudding-looking stick with pink and purple sparkles. The SA told me it's a 'clear' lipstick and I thought to myself, what a fancy way to call a lip balm. Ha! It is more of a lip balm, when you put it on on its own you will only get shiny lips because it doesn't have any color.

The SA told me you can put it on over lipstick to touch it up, bring back the shine. I actually think it's very good to be used over lipsticks that are too drying. I have one lipstick that I have from Savoir Faire cosmetics called Grace, I really love the color but it is very drying. I can't wait to try it with Fairy, maybe I'll show you guys on the next post!

I don't know what are the ingredients but Fairy is very moisturizing. After I wiped it off with a tissue, my lips felt so soft. It's perfect for topping off matte / drying lipstick when you only want to make them more creamy instead of glossy. Here's how it looks worn over Chanel lipstick in Venise:

Overall, I find the quality of the products is OK. They're not bad but nothing to write home about, and the price feels a bit steeper because of that. The texture of the powders is somewhat coarse, no complaints on the lipstick. One good thing is that the products don't have any noticeable scent, which I like.

FYI, MUS has extensive range of products and their prices are more affordable than department store's brands. I didn't check them out though, because the only SA in the store was the pushy and overzealous kind. She was actually very sweet and nice, not the obnoxious, rude, and arrogant kind of pushy but still...how many times do I need to say it in order for her to comprehend that no means no?? She was the type that was so quick to pose as your best friend, she disregarded my words the whole time and kept trying to make me buy more, it was uncomfortable! >.< And after so many refusals she still dared to escalate into trying to convince me to get two promotion sets!

These products are made in Canada, same as MAC. Packaging, while nicely designed, is made with light plasticky material that feels super cheap. The hinge in the eye shadow / blush case is flimsy and I worry if I opened it too fast/careless it'd break. The lipstick case is the opposite, it snaps shut so tightly that you have to put a little effort to open it. So not elegant.

In summary, I would recommend not to get carried away when you visit the store. Come with a list, buy only what you need, buy less, see if you like it.

P.S. Anyone from Canada wanna tell me the deal about this brand?