IndoChine Waterfront - 3rd March 2008

Stunning view of Boat Quay from Indochine Waterfront.


Chicken Basil with mint leaves as a delectable accompaniment.

The exquisite interior that screams chic!

This review is late but I simply have to post about it just to kick off my recent flurry of dining escapades. What I love about my eating adventures is how unpredictable they can be most of the time. Although budget and location are important considerations, sometimes my companions and I just end up at the most unexpected places and getting our tastebuds gastronomically stimulated as a reward. I'm no food critic but yeah, I love to share food reviews...especially when the dining experience is incredible!

So back to Indochine. Now I've heard about this famous entertainment lifestyle group before courtesy of generous press coverage and that square brochure which always comes with a copy of Juice. Even without experiencing any of the outlets or sampling any of its menus, the name "Indochine" gives off a chi-chi vibe and in my impression, is a place where I wouldn't visit unless I'm feeling the impulsiveness to splurge. In addition, the idea of mixing around with high-class executives and rich pple (no offense) isn't exactly my cup of tea (not that I can afford to anyway).

Inspired by his passion for food, entertaining and design, the ingenious and ambitious commodities trader turned food entrepreneur Mr Michael Ma founded the Indochine Group in 1999. Mr Ma, who was born in Laos in 1967, saw that that was a potential market for Laotian and Vietnamese food which was previously not available in Singapore. The first outlet Indochine Club Street was opened in 1999 and in a short 9 years, the group has expanded to include a diverse range of 14 restaurants/clubs/lounges in 5 prime locations in Singapore, as well as venues in Kuala Lumpur, Hamburg, New Delhi and Phuket. This business achievement alone is mind-boggling, not to mention the numerous accolades and awards the group has recieved in dining/experience/design, including being voted as one of Travel and Leisure's top 100 Fabulous Places and Things in 2001 and most significantly, being the choice destination for glamourous social events.

So you wonder? How did I, someone who isn't exactly into such fancy places, stumble into this place let alone taste its exquisite fare (lols). The trip began as innocuously enough when my companion EZ and I decided to have dinner @ nearby Timbre@ Arts House, thanks to my brillant suggestion, only to find out after the valet parked the car that this Timbre doesn't serve the delectable main course seen on Timbre's website. They only serve pizzas, finger food and booze as the waitress politely tells us. Not willingly to change location, we wander across to the next available option - which happens to be Tadah! Indochine Waterfront.

Chucking aside its chi-chi reputation, I actually dig this place for its atmosphere and decor. My other companions and I would have chosen to chill here on previous occasions if not for the price deterrant. Anyway, EZ tells me he dined @ Indochine Waterfront before and it was a memorable experience and I decided I should just give it at least a shot, so in we went.

We chose to sit inside but found out later that the alfresco setting was fully booked. With a breathtaking and romantic view of the river after sunset accentuated by live Jazz performances, it is no wonder that the alfresco area is so popular with regulars. So do remember to make reservations if you wanna sit outside. But the interior atmosphere ain't shabby as well. The decor is distinctively contemporary yet with a delightful nod to the Oriental with Buddha statues, rich saffron and burgundy hued drapes and antique cabinets contrasted with gleaming steel chairs. The other word to describe this place is luxurious, with its glittering chandeliers and dark leather chairs. The lighting is kinda dim though, perhaps to make the ambience more cozy, but it makes it quite difficult to see the food you are consuming.

The lack of visual stimulation shouldn't be much of a complain considering how amazing the food tasted. We ordered fried tofu, the basil chicken and the tom-yum seafood soup from the Vietnamese-Laotian-Cambodian-French fusion menu. My favourite dish has to be the basil chicken which tasted so homely with the addition of herbs and spices. The tofu was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and one of the best fried tofus I've ever tasted. You can choose how spicy you want your tom-yum soup to be but I would suggest that you go for the max because we chose the not-too-spicier version and it tasted more tomato-ish, which doesn't give the kick that good-tom-yam soup should provide. Even the rice (refillable from a basket which server carries around) tasted extraordinary and really yummy of course.

EZ was really generous to give me a treat and I really owe my first Indochine dining experience to him! Would I go back again? Definately yes. For the basil chicken and white rice and for the other highlights I've yet to try..oh and when I'm feeling rich. The service was excellent as well. The staff knew the food well and they were attentive without being intrusive. Indochine Waterfront is one place that proves that good food does come with a price!

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Address:
IndoChine Waterfront
Asian Civilisation Musuem, The Historic District
1 Empress Place
63391720 (Reservations strongly encouraged)
http://www.indochine.com.sg/
Opening Hours: 12 - 230pm and 6.30 - 11pm from Sun to Thurs/
til midnight Fri - Sat
Cuisine: Vietnamese/Laotian/ Cambodian/ French Fusion
Price: approx $30 - $60 per pax
Dresscode: Smart Casual
Darkmuze's Rating: 8.5/10
Darkmuze's Remark: Good place for business dinner or a great place to impress your first date!!

Chinatown Walk 2008

Night walk around Chinatown - 19 Feb 2008

All photos property of The Conscious Beat.

Singapore Airshow 2008

Singapore Airshow Trade Day - Feb 24th 2008

All Photos property of The Conscious Beat.

Incubus @ Fort Canning Park - 7 March 2008

Lights! Camera! Transaction! The Incubus concert kicked off at 9pm sharp, after opening band Saosin from California psyched the crowd up with a one hour set and the obligatory waiting for the rock stars. I haven't heard of Saosin (don't you just love the pronounciation?) before until the media started to give them some attention but they definately had their own fans out there in the sea of Incubus fanatics. People who were already jumping and mouthing lyrics to their brand of emo hardcore rock.

Speaking of the fans, what a crowd I'm telling you. We reached Fort Canning a little past 8pm and the sloping grassy area before the stage was already packed to the brim. And so I conclude that we do have plenty of Incubus fans in the country (just that I don't happen to know alot of them) and they were out in full force that night. I got the concert T-shirt which they were selling @ $40 before we weaved into the dense forest of people to find a good spot. The idea was to try to squeeze to the front when there was an opportunity.

The concert people decided to treat us to some 80s retro music while we waiting for Incubus and well, at least there were some people who were enjoying the good memories.

Once the band burst onto the stage with the very charismatic frontman Brandon Boyd, they began with introducing two songs from their latest album Light Grenades, "Quicksand" and "A Kiss To Send Us Off". "OK now the monster is awake..." crooned Brandon and how apt that line was. The built up was fantastic to the energetic chorus of AKTSUF and the band cleverly followed up with old favourites like "Nice To Know You" and "I Wish You Were Here". I wish you were there to experience that sort of phenomenon whereby you have the whole Fort Canning singing along. It was like some hippie movement whereby everyone was obsessed with the Incubus cause and where happiness permeated all the molecules in the air, which started to thump with the deafening beats of pure adoration. Who knows...maybe the security guards and bouncers were head-bopping too. It was that infectious.

One of the highlights has got be when Brandon sang one of their biggest hits "Drive" acoustic when the crowd's voices almost threatened to drown out his voice. The sound system was fantastic and the band were in top form, despite their intensive tour schedule. Brandon's vocals were solid, lead guitarist Michael Einziger stole the show at some points and DJ Kilmore added the unique factor with his turntablist skills. Mr Brandon showcased his guitar skills and played the bongo drums during one of the songs. We got to experience some serious guitar riffs and amazing combinations during the longer than usual Pistola. Phew. Their secret arsenal must be an infinite ageless passion for music.

The crowd went berserk (including myself) when Megalomanic was played. Even back where we stood, some 4 metres away from the stage, there was some minor moshing going on. I got shovelled a few times and Siv tried to ensure I didn't get any broken bones lolz. Oh well, if not for the wierd sickness that overcame me during the last third of the gig, I would have lurged forward, joined in the moshing, whatever. So yeah, that was a little disappointing for me. Being at such an amazing occasion but trying not to faint from the sharp pain in the stomach, accompanying nausea and stifling whiff of sweat and cigarettes that wrapped around us like a thick blanket.

Brandon made some lusty fans very happy when he stripped from his red pleated shirt, to grey singlet and to topless. Blame our notorious humidity but I think he does that quite often during their concerts. During one part of the concert, this guy from behind actually shouted something about wanted to (censored word) Brandon and coincidentally, Brandon muttered "thank you". Siv and I just looked at each other and laughed. So Brandon is certified hot and his appeal extends to both sexes. I mean some groupie wannabies were definately there for him but I'll like to think that most of us were united in our love for their talent and distinctive music.

Megalomaniac was the last song of their 14 song set but after much cajoling for an encore from the tireless crowd, the boys returned with an encore set which comprised of "Stellar", "Circles" and "Aqueous Transmission".

I’m building an antenna
Transmissions will be sent
When I am through
Maybe we can meet again
- Aqueous Transmission

So it was of the best concerts I've ever attended, though they didn't play "Warning". It was nice to know Incubus, live. I hope we can meet again.

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Complete Set List

1) Quicksand
2) A Kiss To Send Us Off
3) Nice To Know You
4) I Wish You Were Here
5) Anna Molly
6) Vitamin
7) Favourite Things
8) The Warmth
9) Drive
10) Oil and Water
11) Pistola
12) Talk Shows on Mute
13) Sick Little Sad World
14) Megalomaniac

Encore set

15) Stellar
16) Circles
17) Aqueous Tranmission

Oscars 2008

This is cute - Daniel Day-Lewis, Tilda Swinton, Marion Cotillard and Javier Bardem toasted one another with their golden statues in the press room. Photo by Steve Granitz, Wireimage.com


So yes, I actually sat through the whole 3 hours (repeated telecast) of the Oscars and contrary to the common lamentation of viewers or entertainment reviewers, I didn't find it lengthy or tedious. Getting to watch the finest actors and actresses gathering together dressed to impress and commendable, quality films and their cast and crew getting the kind of recognition they deserved, all beamed right into the comforts of my living room. I mean, seriously, what is there to gripe about?

As I've probably mentioned before, one thing I like about such award shows are how they are able to bring all the best people in the film industry together. We can put faces to the usually unseen and unheralded writers and crew members of deserving works. During the presentation of Best Director in last year's Oscars, they actually had Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas on stage together to present the award to the long deserving Martin Scorsese. That was really a moment. Its impossible not to notice ladies man Jack Nicholson with his trademark shades prominently sitting in the front row, regardless of whether he is nominated for any awards. Where else are you able to find the likes of Daniel Day Lewis, George Clooney, Johnny Depp and co, seated side by side in such a gawk worthy manner?

Thankfully for us viewers and for the greater good of the entire film industry, the writer's strike ended just in the nick of time for Oscar to proceed with his 80th celebration. This year we've got Jon Steward, talkshow host of The Daily Show, as host. He kept the show lively without losing its formality with a balance of measured demeanor and string of tongue-in-cheek jokes. Political potshots were fired light-heartedly and even the "untouchable" celebrities were not spared. His hosting was one of the highlights of the show.

The second highlight is a tie - when Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard won in their respective nominated categories. The British and French actresses, together with Briton Daniel Day-Lewis and Spaniard Javier Bardem added to the international flavour that was to dominated this year's Oscars.



Power actress Tilda Swinton trade jabs with George Clooney in the law drama Michael Clayton. Image from Yahoo movies.


Tilda Swinton, whom I think carries off her flaming red hair really well, is known for her unconventional and dark roles such as fallen angel Gabriel in Constantine and sinister witch in The Chronicles of Nardia. She also starred alongside Leonardo Dicaprio in The Beach. Tilda looked genuinely shocked to hear her name being announced but recovered in time to give a priceless acceptance speech.

"I have an American agent who is the spitting image of this — really, truly the same shaped head and, it has to be said, the buttocks. And I'm giving this to him because there's no way I would be in America at all. "George Clooney, you know, the seriousness and the dedication to your art, seeing you climb into that rubber bat suit from 'Batman and Robin,' the one with the nipples, every morning under your costume ... on the set, off the set, hanging upside down during lunch. You rock man."



Marion Cotillard wins critical acclaim for her startling transformation as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose. Image from yahoo movies.


Then came the equally shocked and visibly overwhelmed Marion Cotillard who won Best Actress for her biographic role as legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf in "La Vie En Rose". Coincidentally, the same song was used in her earlier film "Jeux d'enfants", which was the film that made me fall in love with her. Though the actress is recognized for her French works, she also gave English-speaking performances in Tim Burton's Big Fish and Ridley Scott's A Good Year. Marion beat favourite Julie Christie, who was nominated for her role as a woman wasting away from Alzheimer in the precious indie "Away From Her". Backstage, she continued to gush in adorable exhilarance.

"It feels so good. I'm totally overwhelmed with joy and sparkles and fireworks and everything which goes like bom-bom-bom."

There were no surprises in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories. Daniel Day-Lewis took his well-deserved prize for his violent turn as an mercenary oil magnate in There Will Be Blood while Javier Bardem continued his winning streak after Best Supporting Actor wins at the Golden Globes, SAGs and BAFTAs. Speaking of violent, most of the top films were of darker material and erm, violent characters and Jon Stewart didn't miss a beat when he commented in his opening monologue,

"Does this town need a hug? What happened? No Country for Old Men, Sweeney Todd, There Will Be Blood. All I can say is, thank God for teen pregnancy."

Another highlight was when independent musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova performed the irresistably romantic duet "Falling Slowly" from their film Once. Their winning song certainly outshoned the cheesier ditties from the Disney musical Enchanted.

No Country For Old Men, which had generated alot of pre Oscar buzz, was the big winner of the night. The catchy-sounding modern Western literally strolled away (due in part to the Coen brothers' reticience in displaying their emotions) with 4 awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor.

So at the end of the day, I'm just left with a violent desire to watch No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood.