the Arriviste

Standout Stores: Christopher Noto and Pagoda House

 

Top: Christopher Noto.  Bottom: Noto's Paris apartment (photo: Architectural Digest).

I happened upon the Christopher Noto and Pagoda House stores on a visit to Singapore before moving here, and both were at the very top of my list for interior design and home décor inspiration when I arrived. The two stores reflect the aesthetic of their owner Christopher Noto, an American designer living in Singapore, who deftly combines old and new, Asian and Western, antique and reproduction to supremely stylish effect.  Looking at his work (like his Paris apartment above), it’s no wonder he’s a darling of the international design press for his glamorous but restrained style.  

You too could be living in Asian-inspired luxury: Noto also offers residential interior design services.

http://www.pagodahouse.com

Pagoda House Gallery & Co and Christopher Noto

143/145 and 137/139 Tanglin Rd, Tudor Court

Style

 

Effortless cool: The lovely Lisa of Things I Like. Leopard, camel, and red works beautifully here.

Hawker center standout: Rou jia mou, the Chinese burger

 



Above: Rou jia mou at Lau Pa Sat

We here at the Arriviste are no lovers of amateur food photography.  (And by “we” I mean “me”, because, after all, there’s only one person writing this blog. “We” does add an air of authority, though, and it seems to be a fashionable pronoun on the blogs these days, so I thought I'd try it out. Anyhoo.)  More often than not, non-professional, non-styled food photographs are utterly unappetizing.*

So I realize I’m taking a risk posting the above photo of rou jia mou, aka a “Chinese burger”, at the Lau Pa Sat hawker center, but its sheer deliciousness demands that it have its own picture.  I’m also about to festoon this post with clichés as I describe the said "burger", but that can’t be helped either.  These little sandwiches are bursting with flavor: piping-hot diced pork and herbs, drizzled with a light, savory sauce, and packed into a soft, floury bun. They are now on regular rotation on this arriviste's weekday lunch lineup.

Buyer beware: obsession may ensue.  Buyer also beware: If you get there at 1:30pm, they may be sold out and you’ll have to come back for the evening round.

Jia Xin Kitchen, #76 Lau Pa Sat Festival Market, 18 Raffles Quay

MRT: Raffles Place

www.laupasat.biz

*Arriviste muse and blogger extraordinaire Notabilia demonstrates food snapshots done right here, here, and here.

 

Style

So cool, so stylish.  I adore the shorts and blazer, and the metal-tough feather necklace. 

Freebie! I-S Singapore Restaurant Guide 2011

 Image courtesy of is.asia-city.com

Because they are as awesome as the free weekly they put out on the most happening of happenings all over Singapore, the editors at I-S Magazine are offering their Restaurant Guide 2011 for free until April 8.  Download it at their website, is.asia-city.com.  Allez-y, mes gourmands!  

Style

Hong Kong Hiatus II

 

Arriviste muse. Effortless cool in soft layers, a serious scarf, and Miu Miu rainboots to fend off the Hong Kong rain.

Style

 Hong Kong Hiatus

 Effortless cool: Textured jacket, killer boots, dots and a leather cuff.

Japan

 Photo: Reuters

My thoughts and prayers are with our Japanese brothers and sisters in this most tragic hour of need.   

Faux sneaks

B-Sided espadrilles at Hide and Seek

I'm not big on writing about shopping, I find it a bit snooze-inducing actually.  But I recently happened upon Hide and Seek, a quasi-hidden shopfront on Telok Ayer St, and these "artificial sneakers" by B-Sided totally stole my heart.  On first glance I thought, wow, the Topsider trend is really big in Singapore (which it is, endearingly).  And then I realized that they were only painted to look like boat shoes and sneakers, and were really canvas espadrilles--a triumph of trompe l'oeil!  These cuties, $69, are hand sewn in the Basque region of France.

Hide and Seek also carries gorgeous small-label perfumes, vintage sunglasses and fashion from local designers.  

Hide and Seek, 176 Telok Ayer St.

A perfect cocktail

 

Going, going, gone

My new friend and Arriviste muse Connie introduced me to the Smokey Old Bastard at the Tippling Club on Dempsey Hill on Monday.  I made it ONE day before I had to go back for another...by myself!  But it was, after all, for research.

I developed my love of the creative and well-made cocktail in New York City as the speakeasy revival was getting underway (think Employees Only, Death & Co, and the departed East Side Company), and so I consider my standards pretty high.  And this is one unforgettable drink: fragrant smoke, like orange peels and tobacco in a fireplace, spills out of the bottle when you take off the cap, and the drink itself tastes like an old fashioned on a tropical holiday--gentler, mellower, and slightly sweeter.

Bartender, all I can say is bravo.  Bravo.

Afternoon tea, in high style

 
  
 

TWG is one of Singapore’s most recognizable, most elegant local brands and the fine tea house has a lovely, perhaps Singapore’s loveliest, afternoon tea at their boutique and salon in Ion Orchard.  You’ll find no gauche finger-food buffet here, but you will find a full menu, exquisite brews (naturally) and pastries, and a stylish afternoon tea. The Napoleon caramel macaron--chocolatey, caramely, and black tea-y--may be worth a visit on its own. There's often a wait for a table, so try to avoid busy times (and Ion’s roaming hordes of shoppers).

 

Style

 

Effortless cool

 

Peking duck may be addictive

 

Dumpling making at Din Tai Fung

Echoes of Art Deco elegance at Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck

 

Probably more than anything else, Singapore is an eating city, and food writing—where, what, how much, the best, the worst, blah, blah, blah—abounds.  But not without good reason: Singaporeans are serious about what they eat and restaurants are serious about what they serve their discerning, vocal clientele. (Like food writing, strong opinion also abounds here.)

As a result Singapore has an overwhelming number of excellent restaurants.  But even the most gourmand arriviste can only eat so much, especially if you're short on time.  And as much as dining at hawker centers, smörgasbords of local street food, is hailed as a quintessential Singapore experience, this arriviste would say so is eating at a Chinese restaurant.  

Here are some deservedly famous places, both elegant and relaxed, that each specialize in dishes that you will not soon forget.

-       Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck: This relaxed, elegant restaurant is famous for its Peking duck, which may be, quite literally, addictive.  You will be thinking about it for days after, I guarantee it.

-       Din Tai Fung: The hugely popular casual Taiwanese chain is famous throughout the region for its xiao long bao (Shanghainese soup dumplings).  But don’t let the fact that it’s a chain put you off—their xiao long bao may be one of the world’s perfect foods.

-       Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao: Another popular chain, and those who’ve never had the privilege should go for the fried pork dumplings (which in my humble estimation are even better than the namesake xiao long bao).  Immediately.  (NB, Crystal Jade has a number of different restaurants in its group that all specialize in different food.  Be sure to head to " Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao.")

Expect to wait for a table at all of these restaurants at busy times of day.