Jiang Nan Chuan 31 Jul 06

It was a great saturday with golf at the newly renovated Serapong Course at Sentosa. Must admit I like it very much with the great view of the sea. The course is tough with its narrow fairways and very thick rough. It is also a nighmare to find a ball if it lands outside the fairway.

Went with the group to Jiang Nan Chuan at Four Seasons. It was one of my favourite restuarants with great pricing if we order the correct stuff.

It was a white bergundy night.

• Bruno Colin Puligny Montrachet, Truffiere '04 (92 by burghound). Touch of wood with white flower and citrus fruit nose. Pure puligny in style and nice intense and minerality. I thought this one was the best with the creamy palate.
• Jean-Philippe Fichet Puligny Montrachet "Les Referts" o4 (90-92 by burghound) Ripe peached and pear infused favours that are rich, sweet and intense. Finish was strong and lingered for a full 60 sec ?
• Etiene Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet "Les Combettes" 04 (93 by burghound). Wonderful complex favours. Full bodied and muscular with impressive level of dry extract. Quite deep and fine for a Combettes. And it stayed on the palate for a while. The most impressive of the lot but I thought it was so overwhelming.
• Boyer Martenot Mersault "Perriers" (91 by burghound). Ripe and floral and sweet. But the nose and the finish fell a bit short.
• Hamilton Russel Vineyard 04, Walker Bay. A red pinot noir from South Africa that got us all confused. It was dusty, earthy and stocky. Thought it was a Southern Burg but got us all wrong. One of the improving stars for SA and for the price (S$40-50?), great value.

Food was great and the beef stew with crystal noodles was the highlight of the night. It is always nice to end a drinking seesion with a nice soup.

p.s Ann, restuarant manager @ +65 6831 7220

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Phuket 23 Jul 06

It has been very hectic for the past couple of weeks. Decided to take a short break to Phuket. I cant remember when was the last time I was there before the tsunami but it always bring back fond memories of the sun and the sea.

Stayed over at the Phuket Pavilion. It was a private villa with a one room bungalow and a private pool overlooking the sea. It was a lovely place. From the receptionist, the buggy took me all the way up to my own little villa. The whole place was built on a small hill with the villas all occupying the slope. It is only about 10mins drive away from the airport and there are three nearby golf courses. Golf at famed Blue Canyon, 'one of the most beautiful golf courses in Asia' or mangrove-fringed, Nicklaus-designed Mission Hills. Or the lagoons, coconut groves and fairways of Laguna Phuket Golf Club.

The villa itself is so spacious that it just felt so relaxing. Felt just like a home. The bed faces the pool and the ocean and waking up every morning to smell the sea breeze makes it feel so eternal. Don't even feel like doing anything and it has been such a long time that I felt totally nice. Had a spa massage in the late afternoon in the room (prob costs me S$100) for 60mins. It felt great to stretch the muscles.. Swam easy for an hour each morning just simple stroking - it ook less than 10 strokes to cover the 12m length pool. And read a novel under the pavilion after the morning golf. I would have been roasted if not for the cloudy skies..

Took the free hotel limo to the nearby Layan Beach. It was a very long stretch of beach with a great ocean view. Sheraton and Banyan Tree are located along the coastline. The driver dropped me off at one end and told me to give him a call when I am ready to get back. The sea breeze was fabulous. I thought it was going to be a wonderful afternoon walking the beach till 4 wild dogs came running out of nowhere. I thought they looked more like hyenas with drooling saliva and very sharp teeth. It caught me by surprise on the deserted stretch of beach with no help in sight. The nearest bar looked like 1km away. And I dont think I can outrun a four legged creature. Even step I take, they came closer till they are like 2 metres nearer. Darned!

Guessed I couldn't run so I stood there for abt 10mins till someone came along from a distance and the dogs ran to him. He looked as if he belonged to one of the nearby construction site. I was a bit pissed that I reminded myself to file a complain when I go back to the hotel. Walked on to a bar nearby - Reggge Bar. And took a couple of bourbon cokes there while watching the sea horizon. It was nice with the sun and the sea breeze.

Proceeded to Patpong Beach later in the evening by taking a cab. Prob around THB900 one way. It looked unchanged to me; I would have thought that things might look different ater the tsunami. I love the Thai food for the spiciness. Had a fried garoupa with chilli, king prawns, oysters, tom yam soup and blah blah.... and it came down to less than S$50 a person. Went around strolling the streets.

Also went to see the Simon Cabaret. It was funny to watch them mimicking, singing in different languages like chinese, jap and korea. Guessed they just have to cater to the tourist crowd. Only 1-2 of the "actresses" look feminine. Well, as long as they are happy.

One of the best weekends I ever had. Will love to go back to the Pavilion with my golf buddies. Just so private and homely that it was just absolute bliss.

http://www.phuketpavilions.com/

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