Dearest Pizzeria Mozza Singapore’s Lime Pie,

A wise man once said, “To be someone’s first love may be great, but to be their last is beyond perfect”. But what if you found your first and last love with the same person? Wouldn’t it be absolutely beautiful? As a matter of fact, I’m not actually talking about a person. I’m talking about my love for lime pie. The lime pie. Pizzeria Mozza’s Lime Pie. You.

I vividly remember the day I had a first bite of you. The sun was shining brightly; it was my last day of travelling around Singapore in May 2014 with my friend Monica. We went to see the Dinosaurs Expo at the ArtScience Museum, got completely famished, and decided to dine at Pizzeria Mozza at Marina Bay Sands Singapore simply because we were huge fans of Joe Bastianich. Total fangirls, I know. 

While the home-made Grapefruit Soda was an utterly refreshing beverage and the Margherita Pizza was heads and shoulders yummier than any other Margherita Pizzas I had tasted in my life, it wasn’t until you came out that we had a total eye-rolling, ooh-aah-ing, out-of-this-world-so-good moment. You were, pure and simple, delicious.

Ever since then, I fell in love—hard—to all sorts of citrusy pie.

The fact remains that none of my citrusy pie conquest tastes as wonderful as you. This is why I jump at the opportunity to revisit Pizzeria Mozza. This time with my mom, my fellow citrusy pie enthusiast.

I must admit that I pay little attention to the pizza—Prosciutto di Parma, Rucola, Tomato, and Mozzarella—or the pasta—Fazzoletti with Beet Greens, Ricotta, and Mushroom Besciamella. My heart is pounding so fast, waiting for you to finally present yourself to me once again. When you do, oh boy, what a treat.

You, my dearest lime pie, are as gorgeous as how I last saw you; the bright yellow colour of your fillings contrast beautifully with the almost-black blueberries, complemented with the vine-like placement of candied lemon zest. The dollop of cream on the side simply begs me to dip my spoon into it and have a feast. I take a little bit of everything and slowly savour the burst of flavours and sensation assaulting my palate: the wonderful acidity from the lime, the crunchy pie crust, the watery sweetness of blueberries, and the creaminess of cream that ties everything together. I feel like shedding a tear from your perfection. My mom loves you too, by the way.

When will I get to see you again?

My lime pie, you will remain my one true love. Although I can’t promise that I would not try for relationships with other citrusy pies, I promise you that I would always love you. That, and I will be back someday. Wait for me. 

With love,

Sandra

P.S. My dearest lime pie, why do you have so many yummy dessert friends? I must admit that your friend, Caramel Copetta, is kinda cute too. Her combination of marshmallow sauce and salted peanuts are deadly delicious. Please send my love to her.

Pizzeria Mozza Singapore
Official Web / Facebook / Instagram / Google Maps
Address: Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Phone: +65 66888522
Opening Hours: Daily Noon - 11:00 PM

Ever since This Love was released 13 years ago, I’ve been a fan of Maroon 5—and yes, admittedly, of Adam Levine. My musical tastes have gone through many periods of changes, yet Maroon 5 remains one of those few that stay in my playlist. Even when their musical direction has changed a lot since Songs About Jane. Even if I hated some of their songs.

Maroon 5 has come to Indonesia for concerts a couple of times, yet time hasn’t seemed to be my friend; I had prior engagements each and every time they came. At the time I finally managed to snatch a ticket of the Indonesian leg of the V tour, the concert was freaking cancelled! That was why when the offer to attend Maroon 5’s concert at Singapore F1 Grand Prix on September 19, 2015 arose with reasonable budgets, I barely thought twice.

I was lazily browsing through my laptop when I stumbled upon some photos of my time at The Hong Kong Observation Wheel during my trip to Hong Kong at February 2015. While some time have passed since then, I sincerely hope this “throwback” post could give you some ideas on how the ferris wheel ride feels like, as well as entertain your eyes with fun-looking ferris wheel shots from strange angles. Enjoy!

Fewer things can make twenty-something girls go from completely silent to completely ga-ga compared to the word ‘DISNEYLAND’. Unless someone says ‘Benedict Cumberbatch’, then it’s another story. While we realize not every girl fits into this category, we certainly do — and are proud of it! Long story short, this post tells the story of our one-day adventure at the magical world of Hong Kong Disneyland. We hope you’ll find it entertaining and (somewhat) useful!

Most people who may eat pork, love pork and all dishes that are made with it. Bak kut teh is no exception. Bak kut teh is a popular pork soup dish that dates back to hundreds of years ago, with a recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. There are a couple of ways to cook this dish, and the method used in Old Tiong Bahru Bak Kut Teh, Singapore, is one of the favourites. Why, you ask? The clear broth is the key.

Look at any set of postcards of Jiufen, Taiwan and it’s likely that you’ll find at least one - or more - picture of the gorgeous Ah Mei Tea House. Thanks to its beautiful architecture and unmistakable hanging red lanterns, Ah Mei Tea House has become one of Jiufen’s most iconic structures. It is said that this very building is the model for the bath-house in Studio Ghibli’s Oscar-winning animated movie ‘Spirited Away’. When I visited Jiufen, I got the chance to visit Ah Mei Tea House twice: for lunch in the afternoon and for tea in the evening. So, were the food and the view worth the price tag?

Whoop whoop! I finally got the time to write down this post, which has been brewing inside my head for a couple of months. Talking about my journey in the small rainy city Jiufen, Taiwan won’t be complete without dedicating a whole post to Windsor B&B - the super awesome B&B where I stayed. Windsor B&B has a couple of villas that are spread throughout Jiufen, each with its own unique theme and views. I stayed at a room called ‘Owl Museum’, and it was hands down the most interesting room I’ve stayed in the last five years!

Strategically located at the heart of Singapore, the Orchard Road, and inside one of the most famous malls for youngsters, Plaza Singapura, Tim Ho Wan is the perfect place to make your hungry stomach satisfied. It’s originally a famous dim sum chain restaurant from Hong Kong. When it first opened in Singapore, people had to queue for two hours to get a seat! But right now it has opened a few outlets, so it’s not as crowded anymore.

The original Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong has acclaimed a Michelin Star and dubbed as “the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant” in the world! For those of you living under a rock and thus are unaware of what a Michelin Star is, it’s basically a food guide, listing the best restaurants in Planet Earth. If this fact doesn’t intrigue you enough, I hope the pictures will. So, shall we?

Jiufen. Something as simple as typing its name instantly flies me back to that beautiful rainy November day I spent in Jiufen, Taiwan. Jiufen -albeit very touristy- definitely has its charm and is hands down my favourite city in Taiwan. It has that extra something that I can’t put my finger on… Is it the narrow red-lantern-lit streets? Is it the misty sea view from atop of the hill? Is it the fascinating locals? Or is just it the rain?

Back in September last year when I was planning my Taiwan trip, I tried to find some insight about what to expect of Chishingtan (or Qixingtan) Beach in Hualien County in the middle of November. Is it possible to see the sunrise? Is it going to rain often? Do I need to bring a swimsuit? I had no luck finding answers to those questions on the internet, thus after I got home I decided to write a post about it. After all, there are 7 billion people in the world and if one person tries to find a particular info, there must be someone else looking for the same info as well! 

I know, I know, I know. How are three hours enough to explore the beautiful island of Cijin? Cijin Island was my last destination in Kaohsiung area, Southern Taiwan, and I had booked a train ticket to Hualien for that afternoon, thus three hours were all I had. It felt rushed and was certainly not enough to fully soak up the atmosphere of Cijin Island, but I’m happy to say that what I managed to see, I like. Anyway, here’s the story of my awesome three hours in Cijin Island! I went to Cijin Seaside Park, Cijin Wind Turbine Park, Cihou Fort, Cijin Star Tunnel, Tianhou Temple, and ate some fresh seafood.

Hello Omnivores! As promised at the previous Taroko Gorge post, today I’m going to share my experience when trekking at Baiyang Trail. Out of all the trails I visited, Baiyang Trail is the farthest from the park entrance and was the only one I trekked from start to finish. The trail spans for 4.2km (round trip), which requires 2-3 hours of walking in a leisurely pace. It ends at a mysterious-sounding location called water curtain cave.

DEPAPEPE, an acoustic guitar duo from Japan, is one of the most long-standing resident of my music playlist. When I first heard the song Butterfly sometime around 2006—waaay back when I was still a high school student—I was instantly hooked. The catchy tune was a perfect companion for studying, it is both upbeat AND instrumental. Fast forward to 2012, DEPAPEPE performed live at Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival. It was such a fantastic night!

After two years of no new music, DEPAPEPE released their latest album “KISS” on August and have gone on tour across Asia. I was ECSTATIC when I found out that the live show in Taipei (November 8, 2014) was within my Taiwan trip dates! (I later found out that they are going to do a show in Jakarta as well, but that’s another story) Afterwards, I tried to book a ticket and quickly found myself overwhelmed by so many questions: how exactly I could purchase a live show ticket at a city I’ve never been to before, with a language that I don’t understand at all, plus I have no friends at all in said city! The answer, mi amigo, is internet.

Before you continue reading, I want to remind you that I’m by no means an expert in ticketing and this is simply a story of my experience. Tickets that you want to buy may not be sold at the same website as mine did. I hope you find this post useful! :)

As I was browsing through pictures of my time in Taroko Gorge, Hualien, Taiwan, I felt so many regrets. I regret not having better photography skills, I regret not cleaning my lens the day before, I regret that my hands can get shaky sometimes. You get the point. I couldn’t even count how many times I said BAGUS BANGET- that’s Bahasa Indonesia for very beautiful. Taroko is sublime, and weeks later its beauty still burn at the back of my mind.

Inside Gardens by the Bay park area, Singapore, there are three main spots that you can visit: Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, and OCBC Skyway. At the time of my visit, I only got time to visit the Flower Dome. Gardens by the Bay is located in front of Marina Bay Sands, you can go here by hopping on a bus or taking the MRT to Bayfront Station, which I think is the more convenient mode of transportation.

The maps I picked up at Penang International Airport- and I’m pretty sure numerous blogs and websites do this as well- listed dozens of tourist hotspots I should visit in George Town, the heart of Penang. Honestly, I tried to follow every single one of them (my numero uno mistake) and ended up getting frustrated under the unforgiving Penang sun. Furthermore, I picked up four maps (second mistake) and concluded after much headache that they didn’t contain the same information. Or my map-reading skills were seriously lacking. 

Recipe for disaster

Despite everything, I enjoyed George Town and here are my favourite spots:

- Khoo Kongsi Temple

- Georgetown Street Art

- Fort Cornwallis

Gotcha! Did the title bring you here? Are you in Penang right now, feeling pissed off because it is raining non stop and you don’t know what to do? No, the universe doesn’t hate you. And no, you’re not the only person in the world who has experienced it. Shit happens, sun rises in the east. Rain pours, get over it (hey, it rhymes!). Anyway, here’s my story.

It started as what seemed like a typical day in Penang. I didn’t even realize if the sky was darker, or if the weather felt more humid than the previous day. That day, I ate breakfast, walked to the station, and hopped on a bus to my destination: Bukit Bendera. True to its namesake, Bukit Bendera, or Penang Hill, is a hill at Air Itam area that overlooks Georgetown from 883 m above sea level. According to its website, aside from the spectacular view, you could also see some unique plants and historical sites.