April 24th, 2008 inmacau
And his name was Neoguri. He blew into town on Saturday and made a huge mess. But when he left, he took all the pollution with him, and left – according to the guys at AJ Hackett at the Macau Tower – “the clearest sky we’ve seen in a long time”.
I asked my best friend Google where the name Neoguri originated from. But all I found out is that Neoguri is the name of a rather famous brand of instant ramen.
I’d have to say that I like packet Neoguri with soup. But when it comes to Typhoons, I’d rather the dry variety
When I went to work on Friday, I did regret wearing a dress, what with the swirling winds threatening to make me commit indecent exposure. But by Saturday morning, the warning signal was already at 3. At that point in time, it was impossible to get a cab. So a group of us hopped on bus 10 to StarWorld Casino, where we had booked brunch at Temptations restaurant on the 16th floor.
The buffet, as always, was amazing value at only MOP128 and a 10% discount with Visa payments. There were truckloads of sashimi, which were more chunk-like than slices, a fresh wood-fire pizza station, and counter serving up laksa and mini burgers with bacon. The salad selection was also impressive, as was the 2 dessert counters.
No, we ate more than just greens. But the salad selection was impressive - roasted eggplant, cold mushrooms, grilled vegetables…
The mini burger with bacon. Mmmmm
Fresh pizza anyone?
There was 1 white chocolate fountain, 1 milk chocolate fountain, as well as a fresh crepe station with Haagen-Dazs. I went to town with the Belgian chocolate, (it had real chocolate inside!) but found pistachio a little strange. I dumped some into my soya sauce and tried to pass it off as wasabi to a friend. No, he didn’t fall for it.I had 3 journalist friends from Singapore in town, and the plan was, after stuffing ourselves silly – to go and get some outdoor exercise in the form of War Games at Fisherman’s Wharf (similar to paintball, but using pellets) and with a spot of go-karting in Coloane. The go-karting in Macau, by the way, is amazing value for money, considering it’s a fraction of the price of what you’d pay in European countries. And the track is challenging and long enough to make you feel like a real speed racer.
It’s only blurry cos I’m going so fastNow, if only they could teach the mechanics to smile just a little more – I’d be tempted to invest in my own kart. But anyway, I digress.
No chance for karting. By 3pm, the warning signal had been hoisted to level 8, so what were we to do, but keep eating. It was a good choice, because later I find out that Neoguri was so strong he actually blew away our Macau.com billboard. Now that is one big billboard, so imagine what he could do to us mere people.
Finally, when the rain and winds showed no signs of dissipating, we made our way to the casino levels, where we split up and hit the slot machines and Blackjack tables.
All of us are not really gamblers, but I now understand how addictive it can be. I’m a brave girl, I ride motorbikes in Malaysia, backpack around Thailand alone, and eat RMB1 meals in back alleys of Shanghai, but until now, I hadn’t dared to sit at a table and gamble.After watching my friends double, then triple their money, I finally built up the courage to take a seat next to them, and learnt how to signal Hit and Stay, and yes, even Split.
I even felt pretty smug when I realized one lady nearby couldn’t count, and required the croupier to tally up the numbers before making her decisions to Hit or Stay.
However, I knew I was in trouble when I had emptied my wallet and pockets of cash, and was asking each of my friends for a loan. After a 1 hour winning streak (including 3 Blackjacks in a row!) I was spent 2 hours at the same table on a losing streak. I had a feeling that the croupier actually felt sorry for me when he sighed, when he pulled a Blackjack or I busted time and time again. He actually made what I thought were some encouraging remarks, although as a non-Cantonese speaker, I couldn’t be sure.
When he finally whispered English – change tables – I took his advice and fled with the few chips I had left (to the opposite table). Later I find out he’d been telling me the same thing in Cantonese for the past hour. Time to improve those Cantonese skills.
The next table wasn’t my friend either, so we headed upstairs to catch the Thai lady boys perform. Direct from Thailand, they were gorgeous, and I have my doubts to whether the mesmerized middle aged guys watching with open mouths knew of their actual original orientation. I still prefer the Glamour Girls at Sand’s however. They look like they could be dancers for Justin Timberlake’s live performances any day – and guys, as an added bonus, they perform in g-strings.
We were planning to head to Lion’s Bar, simply because it’s the one place I could think of where the women are just as rowdy as the men and nobody bats an eyelid. The new band – The Freddie James Project from Canada have 2 pretty talented singers – plus a drummer that looks exactly like Owen Wilson (although you’ll have to wait till in between songs to have a look, otherwise he’s always head banging). It’s unfortunate that Freddie James fancies himself as a bit of a stand-up comedian however. His singing is a much better crowd pleaser than his toilet-humor.
One request Freddie? Hold the cheese.
And less talk, more rock!
Trying to get some food just after a Typhoon warning 8 is no easy task. On a Saturday evening, when Senado Square is usually a mass of bodies, it was a virtual ghost town. Even Watsons was closed – although I give Starbucks credit for still sticking around to serve up lattes. There were a few stores open selling beef jerky, and the sales women eyed us up like we were their first customers all week. It’s quite unnerving to see them charging towards you, brandishing sharp scissors and bright red slices of meat. Our plans for the night came to an anticlimax when we returned back to my flat to find the living room flooded.
Neoguri – he robbed us and then left us ankle deep in hot water.
April 18th, 2008 inmacau
Beautiful girls and pretty boys were the highlight of the Gucci store launch at Wynn Macau.
Designer brands are nothing new to Macau. Just take a walk round the shops in 5-star hotels like Wynn Macau, MGM Grand and The Venetian and you’ll see luxury boutiques like Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani, Dior, Versace and Ferragamo everywhere.Those in the know actually stock up on their designer goods here.
The prices are actually lower than many other cities like Singapore, since Macau’s imports are are not taxed.
And last Friday, one of the big players, Gucci, launched their first Macau store in Wynn, with the focus on accessories.
While it wasn’t a flashy affair - invited guests comprised press and VIP customers - there were some notable celebrities in attendance.
Macau-born model/actress Gaile Lok (above, right) showed off Gucci’s Spring Summer ‘08 line along with other models Patina Lin, Mikki Yao and Eunis Chen. Gaile (or should we say Mrs Lai), recently married Hong Kong superstar Leon Lai in an intimate ceremony in the Maldives on March 13.
In the later part of the evening, Hong Kong celebrity couple model QiQi (of SK-II fame) and her action star husband Simon Yam made an appearance hand-in-hand.
Six-footer QiQi was thoughtful enough to wear flat boots, though she still looked like an Amazon next to Simon, who is 5 foot 11 inches. QiQi’s 70s hairstyle makes the couple look like the Asian version of Sonny and Cher.
I dunno, maybe it’s just me.
The celebrity couple (bottom right) had dinner with (from left) Mimi Tang, President of Gucci Group Asia Pacific and Pansy Ho, daughter of Stanley, who has a stake in MGM.
Pansy, who is in her mid-40s looks amazingly young and fresh. We know QiQi’s secret lies in her SK-II products, but we’d love to find out Pansy’s beauty secrets - her flawless skin makes her look at least a decade longer than she actually is.
QiQi, may be endorsed by SK-II, but even all the pitera in the world cannot replicate the youthful glow that radiated from Gaile.
Newly married Gaile, appeared sans her superstar husband, but she looked every inch the radiant new bride.
Although petite Gaile admitted removing her breast implants due to health complications, there is one thing that is still supersized - her luscious lips!
We’re not sure how natural they are, but they certainly give Angelina Jolie’s puckers a run for their money!
April 7th, 2008 inmacau
For me, dining out is a very joyful and satisfying culinary experience. But it is rare to find good food in an environment which actually makes eating out fun. The Kitchen on Level 3 of the Grand Lisboa hotel manages to combine a fun dining environment with some seriously good food.
In Macau, it’s rare to find good bread, good salad (and I’m not talking about frozen shrimp with mayo or a lettuce leaves with thin slices of tomatoes drowned in Thousands Islands dressing), steak and fresh sashimi. At The Kitchen, you’ll find them all, and it’s designed so that greedy folk like me can have all of it in one sitting.
It’s a really fun concept too, because all the food, from the wagyu, prime rib, veal etc, are all displayed in a glass case. The salads buffet is for customers to help themselves to while waiting for their mains, and the live seafood in tanks await their fate while the sashimi displayed to the customers is simply mouthwatering.
It’s all incredibly fresh, hands-on and appealing. Diners are encouraged to interact with the chefs, who cook in the open kitchen either in the ovens or the grill. Discuss the finer points of grilling a 4-inch thick Porterhouse steak, and which of the 12 home-made sauces it will go best with.
Believe me, it looks delicious, smells delicious, and the taste isn’t a letdown.
One highlight for me was the homemade bread, baked fresh in front of your eyes by a German chef. There are two varieties of breads on offer – a buttery soft mint-chocolate brioche with virtually melts in your mouth and a totally satisfying country loaf – crisp on the outside and chewy in the inside. The bread is baked only after you arrive, and served up in whole loaves so you can see the steam escape when you slice it up.
I was tempted to rip into it with my hands – it has been that long since I’ve had freshly baked bread - but had to remind myself to show some restraint. A sad note is that these breads are not for sale, but are complimentary for diners, so you’ll have to come back here for your fix. If you ask nicely however, they’ll pack away a fresh loaf or two to take away – (FOC) free of charge!
We started with the sashimi, which was beautifully displayed in a crystal bowl.
The two fishbowls containing little Japanese crabs have more than just an aesthetic purpose. Those little critters are actually bar snacks which can be eaten whole (alive!) or deep fried and apparently taste good with sake.
I would like to say no crabs were harmed during the writing of this post, but Chinese writer Trevor - who is braver than me, ate two of these crabs, and proclaimed they were “tasty”.
Our porterhouse, while intimidating in size, actually went down a treat – especially when paired with the home made mushroom sauce recommended by the chef.
Save some room for dessert. The French chef makes the most divine lifght and fluffy creations which are well worth busting that diet for.
Guys and gals, don’t forget to pay a visit to the bathroom. You’ll be in for a surprise - the gent’s has a transparent moneybooth - activated by the wash basin. As for the ladies’ - check it out for yourself.
For more restaurant details, click here.
April 7th, 2008 inmacau
The undisputed King of Mandopop played a sell-out concert at The Venetian Macao-Hotel-Resort on Saturday night. And he broke his image of a cool, private, slightly aloof musician – charming his 15,000-strong audience with his brand of unique humor and his cheeky antics.
Comprised of 15,000 fans mainly in their teens and 20s, many of them waving banners and placards with tributes emblazoned, the rabid enthusiasm visible in the facees of the audience left no question as to why the rather expensive tickets had sold out weeks ago.
The pop star made an appearance just after 8.30pm in an outrageous operatic headdress with what looked like hair extensions and acknowledged fans from Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. After seeing fans enthusiastically waving glow sticks (which had been banned) in the air, he encouraged those that had managed to sneak them past security to throw them on stage, so he could use them as drumsticks.
Throughout the 2-hour concert, he continued to tease and chide the crowd – and they lapped it all up with glee. He chided the audience, accusing them that they probably only came to Macau to gamble, rather than to see his show (we’re guessing he was referring to the portion that were old enough to step into a casino). With members of his family, including his grandmother and mother in the audience, he told the protesting crowd: “My mum told me not to go to casinos because you’ll lose a lot of money. I only came to this casino to see you all.”
He then added cheekily, that he probably would gamble later, so “see you around”. According to an article on batgwa.com, in an interview after the concert, the Jay admitted that he did gamble (we assume with the high rollers) and lost HKD20,000.
He had a lot more luck on stage than on the gaming floor however. He certainly delighted the crowd by throwing his performance props including what must have been a very light pair of nunchuks and a cane into the audience and showed he could multitask, by singing while playing the piano.
Jay once again showed his diverse talents, with street and break-dance moves (which while not boy band material) were proficient enough) and strong clear vocals.
If you couldn’t understand what he was singing, it was through no fault of the sound system – his trademark style of mumbling while singing meant it was difficult to discern the lyrics. Thankfully – forward thinking meant some bright spark had arranged for the lyrics were projected on a huge overhead screen, allowing fans who hadn’t memorized the words to sing along.
In what Jay said was a first in all his years in performance, he announced that he would do something “special” - which was bringing a fan up on stage to sing a duet. At this point, the fans right until the back of the Arena started to surge forward, and had to be restrained by security. After saying he was looking for a good singer, a bunch of clear-headed fan club members singled out one female member. Jay asked security to bring up the young and surprisingly calm fan, who then proceeded speak in broken Mandarin to him, even after Jay told her he could understand Cantonese. The lucky girl then got to sing a duet with him, before being ushered back to reality by security.
She wasn’t the only one who got to interact with Jay. In an exercise which probably proved a major headache for Venetian security, Jay came down from his pedestal, right past the barricades, and continued singing while shaking hands with people in the audience. His crowd-pleasing behavior stopped at removing his top – although the hunky male dancers stripped off, much to the delight of the female fans.
Jay had another surprise in store. For his first encore, he disappeared for a while, only to appear on a mini-stage at the back of the Arena, winning brownie points of the fans who could only afford the cheapest tickets, and creating surge to the back.
One put it quite eloquently, saying: “I thought he was ugly, but up close, he looked pretty good. He exuded confidence and was charming, and smiled a lot more than I thought he would.”
Jay left by a side door, and reappeared back on the stage to perform a few more numbers. Over 20 songs, and more than 2 hours, and 15,000 happy customers.
Yay for Jay.
April 1st, 2008 inmacau
Look out Macau! The name’s Mini and I’ll be heading to Sin City from April 17 to 20 with my two sidekicks, Romp and Chomp. Let’s hope they live up to their names.
Stay tuned for strip club adventures, gastronomic discoveries and ahem, the deflowering of an innocent young man.
By the way, Su, I would go to Fiddy with you if you got us free tickets. *Hint hint*
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