Lemongrass House Handmade Spa Products

My first introduction to Lemongrass House was the GWP that came with the PETS Singapore magazine some time back. The second, was when I was grocery shopping at 313@Somerset, and going down the escalator, I looked around to see where the wonderful smell of lemongrass was coming from. Lately, for some reason or another, I've been crazy about lemongrass, to the extent of ordering hot lemongrass tea whenever I dine at PS Cafe. And you might know that I used to abhor the taste of lemongrass in curries. Maybe I just miss Phuket, beach holidays and spa-ing myself crazy.

Well, third time lucky, I was inducted into the history and culture of Lemongrass House when I was invited to a special event for bloggers at their Raffles City branch and given some goodies. Well, I have not tried the products yet, so no reviews for now, except for the lemongrass shower gel which I zoned in on that very same night. Although their products do not contain sulphates like SLS, the shower gel foamed up very well, unlike most natural products. Perhaps it's because they do use sodium cocoyl glutamate in their shower gels. The scent is strong enough, during use, to provide aromatherapeutic benefits, but it does not stay on the skin. Good if you intend to use perfume after your shower, but that night, I just wished the scent had stuck around for a little bit longer.

Started as a stall set up by an American in Chatuchak Market, they expanded quickly when major hotels in Phuket sought to customise a signature scent for their guests to associate with and remember them by. You can't find those customised scents in their retails shops, but they do have quite a few rather unique scents that I hardly see anywhere else, like Pomelo and Royal Lotus. However, I could do with a mega dose of this everyday!

I asked Sara, who owns Lemongrass House here in Singapore, why they aren't using glass bottles, which are more eco-friendly, instead of the plastic ones I see. You might know I have a special fondness for glass bottles. I even insisted on a glass countertop for my kitchen despite the fact that it could chip or break should I drop something heavy on it. She said that customers prefer plastic bottles as they are very forgiving of clumsy hands. So poor me. On the brighter side, the small plastic spray and pump bottles can always be reused when one is travelling, or they can be recycled at the shop itself. Every 5 empty bottles entitles you to $4 off your next purchase.

However, if you insist on being a tree hugger, they do have some products housed in glass bottles, like the reed diffusers and massage oils. Damn, I miss massages.

These cute soaps caught my attention as I was browsing. Some have aloe vera chunks in them and others don't. Needless to say, I was biased. I don't know why, but the first thing I thought of was Lush. Lush has much cuter and more colorful soaps and bubble bombs, but the scents are too artificial and cloying for my taste. Now, if only Lemongrass House would decide to come up with something similar but natural of course, I'd be the first to haul! Oh, I'd have to get a bathtub first. Soon, soon!

I've never thought of fig as a skincare scent but as a dried fruit that came in a mix bag of nuts. I thought it would smell like something dry and musty, but it was surprisingly sweet and woody.

The other thing that caught my attention was the Towel Cologne. I was stumped. Do people perfume their handkerchiefs? Most likely it's for those wet towels given to guests in Chinese restaurants, but aren't those being replaced by disposable wet tissues manufactured by Freshening? Even so, why are they retailing towel cologne to the public? Well, it says on the packaging to pour a tablespoon of the cologne into a wash basin of water, soak a face towel and it for 5 minutes and then wring it and store it in the refrigerator for later use. A novel idea, but I thought of using it like Jurlique's AHC or Dr Hauschka's Facial Steam Bath. If you think that isn't quirky enough, I was told that a capful or two can be added to your wash cycle in lieu of fabric softener, and you'll end up with laundry smelling like lemongrass, jasmine or even royal lotus :)

Well, their products do not contain harmful preservatives like parabens, and hence, have to be used up within 6 months, so woe betide me as I will have to push aside my truckload of skincare to use these first. On the bright side, a review might be coming up pretty soon :)

Lemongrass and Green Tea Moisturising Jojoba Beads Body Scrub before my dinner and movie date with the boy tonight!

Making Korean Bibimbap Workshop

I attended the Bibimbap-making workshop the previous week. I have not tasted bibimbap before this, since I've always seen it served with a raw egg and I do not eat raw food. The instructor, Nicky Kim, has her own private cooking school and if you do have an interest in Korean cooking, I'd say she is a rather good teacher.

These are the ingredients needed to make Bibimbap for one:

* 1 cup cooked rice
* 50g bean sprouts
* handful of pea sprouts (dou miao)
* 4 shitake mushrooms, sliced
* 1/3 carrot (30g), finely sliced
* 1 egg
* a bit of salt
* cooking oil

for the chilli sauce:

* 1 tbsp Korean chilli paste
* 1/2 clove minced garlic
* a pinch of sugar
* 1/4 tsp water
* 1/4 tsp cooking wine (optional)
* a few drops of sesame oil
* a pinch of sesame seeds

Method:

1. Mix ingredients for chilli sauce and set aside.

2. Heat some cooking oil and saute the bean sprouts with salt till softened.

3. Repeat step 2 for the shitake mushrooms and pea sprouts.

4. Cook the egg sunny side up.


Serving:

Dish the cooked rice into a bowl. Arrange the carrots, bean sprouts, mushrooms and pea sprouts in a circle on top of the rice. Place the egg in the middle, on top of the vegetables. Serve with chilli sauce which is to be mixed well with the rice before eating.

As we were rushed for time, I did not bother to arrange the vegetables in a neat circle.

Mixed and ready to eat. The chilli sauce wasn't as spicy as I would have liked, but the bibimbap was nicely sweet and savoury!

Dim Sum Buffet @ Yum Cha

Our favourite place to go to for dim sum before I check out the beauty and craft stores in Chinatown. We used to love having their dim sum buffets in the afternoons, but since our appetite have decreased somewhat, we now go for the a la carte.

They do serve soft drinks, but the boy loves his oolong tea. I prefer chrysenthemum tea, but they have since stopped brewing the flowers for their tea and switched to teabags instead, which in my opinion tastes disappointingly like plain water.

This is still my favourite place to have dim sum on a leisurely afternoon. There's just something about having some dim sum in a shophouse in the middle of Chinatown. Not only is the place air-conditioned, I enjoy looking out onto the busy shopping street from my seat by the window.

Here are some of the items we've tried.

Pork Ribs with Yam

Shrimp Beancurd Roll

Crystal Chives Dumplings

Crystal Mushroom Dumplings

Original Xiao Long Bao (to be eaten with vinegar and ginger)

Mini Goose Liver Xiao Long Bao

Fish Roe Siew Mai

Paper-wrapped Chicken

Crispy Vegetarian Spring Roll

They also serve desserts such as lemongrass jelly with fruits, and the boy's favourite chilled mango pudding with sweetened milk

Dim Sum Buffet:

Time: 3-6pm, weekdays only
Price: Adults $19.80, Children below 12: $15.80

Kenzoki Exfoliating Gentlemask - LOTUS

I decided to get a tub of Kenzoki's Gentle Exfoliating Mask from the lotus range of products after trying it at a facial. It's rather pricey at $82 for 50ml.

The scent is rather similar to the Belle Du Jour range, a relaxing powdery floral, but sharper and fresher. The consistency and texture is more a paste than a cream. This mask would probably not be suitable for sensitive skins as it does sting a little, considering the fact that my skin takes well to products with AHAs.

The mask contains lotus root water, avocado oil and vitamin E to nourish, huang qin and mallow to soothe, and chestnut extract to exfoliate the epidermis.

Although it claims to sweep away dead skin cells in just 5 minutes, I do not see any significant exfoliating effect and the brightening effect is very subtle. However, if you are looking for a moisturizing mask with aromatherapeutic properties, this will do the job.

National Orchid Garden @ Singapore Botanic Gardens

Entry to the Singapore Botanic Gardens is free, but there's an admission charge of $5 per person for entry to the National Orchid Garden located within the compound.

The boy and I have been to the Botanic Gardens on several occasions, to feed the pair of swans at the Swan Lake, to just lie on the grass and munch on tuna sandwiches, to enjoy the performances that are held at the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, and even to attend an Ikebana workshop! However, it had never occured to us to visit the Orchid Garden till the day we felt there was nothing new to do, and were craving something different.

The Orchid Garden is located near the Symphony Lake and the place is big enough to justify the admission fee even if you are not crazy about orchids.

Standing inside a gigantic 'birdcage'.

Walking under a series of green arches.

Of all the orchid varieties in the Orchid Garden, I love the ones at The Mist House best. Not surprisingly, this is where the rare award-winning cultivars are being kept, though I like them for the simple reason that the blooms are gigantic!

Paphiopedilum Shin-Yi's Pride and some blue orchid. If you are a fanatic, you would probably be able to decipher the fading name written in marker.

Other random and equally beautiful but nameless orchids; sorry, these didn't have any visible tags on them.

The Coolhouse was my favourite place to hang out because the day was so damn hot! It's basically a high humidity air-conditioned glass house where plants native to the mountains of Southeast Asia, orchids from the South American forest, and carnivorous plants from all over the world are kept.

Walking from the Mist House, we spied the Coolhouse through the trees.

Walking across the bridge to get to the Coolhouse.

Gongora Aromatica. If you have ever had the urge to burst the bubbles on a bubble pack, you'll understand my attraction towards this orchid.

Gongora Scaphepharus.

Another nameless orchid.

Rhynchostylis Gigantea.

Moss-covered stone imitating their natural habitat made for a beautiful sculpture.

It took us about 50 minutes to circle the place. Not entirely by choice, as that was the time we had left before they closed for the day. Seeing how reluctant I was to leave the Coolhouse, the boy got me a choice of chocolate ice cream or orange sorbet from the ice cream stall after we exited, ending our day on a sweet note.

Opening hours: 8.30 am to 7 pm daily (last ticket sale at 6pm).
Admission Fee: Adults $5.00, Students/Senior Citizens(60 years & above) $1.00, Children (below 12 years) Free