Two Sundays ago, I went to Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant with my parents and grandma for a buffet! It was my first post-banana-island meal haha. :x My grandma has been here many times and she excitedly told us how delicious the chicken rice tastes! 

It's located at the second floor of Quality Hotel at Balestier Road. It's supposedly a leading Chinese vegetarian restaurant from Taiwan.

It was quite crowded when we arrived!

The view from my seat.

Sorry for the not-so-good photos; the lighting was yellow and I only used my camera at the table - the rest are taken by phone.

There was such a wide variety of food!! Most of it was Chinese food, but I was so happy to have so much to choose from :D Most dishes are vegan, but some have dairy - I think it's only the mushroom soup, mayo at the salad bar, condensed milk at the ice kachang station, ice cream and some other desserts.

It's $22.80++ for the Asian Buffet! I think it's quite worth it. ^^

This is great! This kinda policy should be at every buffet restaurant.

There was a small Japanese section behind where we were sitting.

Assorted sushi. They were a little dry, because they've been left out in the open. But I was happy to eat them because I've not had sushi in a while (to lazy to make any)! :)

They all contain mock meat. Many of the dishes here have mock meat, which was expected since this is Asian-style. I'm fine with eating it once in a while. It didn't seem like there was much MSG in the food - we didn't feel really thirsty afterwards. 

It looks kinda like sashimi, but it didn't really taste like it. It's jelly-like and probably made of konnyaku or shirataki. It's the second vegan 'sashimi' I've tried, the first one being watermelon sashimi at Onaka - that was interestingly weird.

DIM SUM! :D I've not had any in a long long long while. These were average. 

My first plate! Clockwise: dim sum, sushi, sashimi, pumpkin salad, wakame salad, some peanut dish, fried item from Japanese section.

Both the pumpkin salad and wakame salad (can't remember their exact names) were yummy! Grandma agreed too.

Tiny little portions of chicken rice! They had to be ordered from a counter. My grandma lamented that it doesn't look as good as it used to - previously the 'chicken' was in slices and really resembled the real thing. Still, it tested great!!! Also, the rice was glistening and really fragrant. Mum said that the chili was really good too.

Cute little bowl of laksa. It tasted exactly like the 'real' thing - which usually has shrimp paste or something. We were blown away!

Other items to be ordered from the counters are chee cheong fun, Taiwanese mee sua and mushroom soup.

Fried noodles and fried rice.

Second plate. Clockwise: Ladyfingers, kimchi, carrot cake, lotus root, tofu salad, fried yellow noodles, fried Taiwan noodles, char kway teow, veggies.

The kimchi was meh. I don't know why but it didn't really taste good.

On the other hand, the carrot cake was AMAZING! It was a childhood favourite. Omg I wanna eat it now. 

I was glad to find char kway teow there because I was craving some for a few days before hehe. It was just like how I'd remembered it to be. Yummy, but greasy - a few bites was enough.

Other than the mushroom soup, this is probably the only other Western dish there! I didn't try it though.

More laksa in another cute bowl!

Third plate. This has quite a lot of mock meat. Clockwise: Unknown stew, curry, bread for the curry, pumpkin salad, veggies from the yong tau foo corner, jicama stir-fry

The curry was a little too oily, but the ingredients were cooked to perfection!

The jicama in the stir-fry (at the top of the plate) was deliciously crunchy ^^

This is the dessert corner beside the Japanese section. I think some, including those eggless cakes at the right, have dairy. I only had the jelly at the very left - it was some black bean thing and it was delicious! 

There was ice cream too, but they were regular dairy ice cream. If only they had Soyato.

Ice kachang! Because I was thirsty after assaulting my tastebuds with saltiness. This is ice with green beans, red beans, canned corn, coloured jelly and watermelon buried underneath. I didn't add syrup but it tasted good! ^^ There were also many drinks to choose from. I had some hot apple tea, chilled with ice, to quench my thirst!

I ate until I was really full - and I didn't even try most of the stir-fries and deep-fried food. Overall, our top 3 favourites are the laksa, chicken rice and fried carrot cake! :)

I guess the main draw of this buffet (for me) is that I get to eat so many things that I used to eat during my childhood - pre-becoming-too-health-conscious - most of which I didn't know I'd enjoyed. 

My dad even said that I should bring my friends here, and that he'll bring his meat-loving, veggie-hating side of the family here for a meal - I don't quite see that happening in the near & far future lols. But it shows that even non-vegetarians enjoy it since my dad is hard to please, veg-food-wise. :D 

Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant

Quality Hotel Singapore (Level 2)

201 Balestier Road 

Singapore 329926

Open Daily

Lunch from 1130 to 1500hrs

Dinner from 1800 to 2200hrs

For reservations, call 6254 0090/91

Berry-loaded Oats! Creamy chia oats topped with berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), cacao nibs, chopped pecans, coconut flakes and a drizzle of tahini. With a juicy sweet piece of mango at the side.

I used a microwave to make the creamy oats! No milk of any sort is required - you can make it with just rolled oats and water. The oats' own 'milk' is used to make this creamy. I know that there's some disapproval of the use of microwaves, but this will remain as my favourite way to prepare oats until I find a method that's as quick and easy as this. :)

2-minute Creamy Microwaved Oats

I've made this a countless number of times before and it never fails. It's best to put each serving in an individual mug/bowl.

1. Add desired amount of rolled oats (not instant!) in a mug/bowl.
2. Pour in water at ROOM temperature until it covers the oats.
3. Microwave for about 45s - 1 min (depending on wattage of your microwave & amount of oats). It should boil up slightly and peak in the middle - make sure it doesn't overflow!
4. Remove mug from the microwave and STIR oats VIGOROUSLY (this releases the oats' milk) until it's of a desired consistency and creaminess. At this time, you'll want to add in the rest of your ingredients (eg. cacao powder, dried fruit, nuts, stevia etc.)
5. Add in more water or milk of choice if the oats become too thick. Enjoy! ^^

I haven't really been in the mood to create/ try out new recipes, hence the lack of recipe posts here and the general lack on posts on my Instagram. Because of my renewed love for reading. And because school started last week. Sigh. 

Have you heard of EarthFest? Recently, I came across some posts on Facebook about it, and I was intrigued. EarthFest will be Singapore's first and only regular festival devoted to sustainability & greener living!

Here's a Q & A with Michael Broadhead, the Director of EarthFest! :)

1. What are the aims of EarthFest Singapore?

Our aim to help people realise you can have fun, eat delicious food and have a great modern life while helping to create a more sustainable future.

2. What will EarthFest showcase?

We're happy to have Singapore's most eco-friendly businesses on board helping to create a Farmer's Market!  There will be a great variety of inventive food and everyday living products that are more sustainable that what you normally find.  We will have live entertainment and games and crafts for children - all free and open to the public!  We are also pairing up with some fantastic organisations to help create interactive educational experiences to help people get hands-on with making greener choices in their daily lives.  There will be something for everyone - it'll be a blast!

3. Where did the inspiration for EarthFest come about?

Europe, North America, and Australia are leading the world right now with these types of festivals and they are just starting to appear in Asia on a smaller scale.  It's our hope Singapore will be the leader for inspiring other Asian nations to hold their own festivals to promote greener living.

4. How successful have similar events been in other countries? How impactful do you think EarthFest will be on Singaporeans?

Very successful - people are very concerned about sustainability and their children's future.  These festivals help empower people to create a bright future for everyone.  We feel Singaporeans have a lot of interest in this - we see lots of the schools talking about sustainability and the future, the government has made many long-term plans related to future sustainability, and many entrepreneurs are starting greener businesses now.  The awareness is there and we think our festival will help people get to know all the amazing green companies and products that exist in Singapore and get hands-on with experiencing how they can do their part to create a sustainable Singapore, and world.

5. Seeing that Singapore is already generally regarded as a 'Clean and Green' city (at least, by outsiders it is), what improvements do you think can be made? 

Yes, in many ways Singapore has been a good leader for other Asian countries.  However, we are still a long way away from sustainability.  For example, Singapore has Asia-Pacific's highest carbon footprint per person.  The vast majority of our electricity still comes from fossil fuels. We lack the ability to process organic waste and the recycling rate of the average person is very low compared to other countries with similar standards of living.  If everyone were to live like us, the planet would not be able to support it.  However, we feel Singapore could easily become the world leader in sustainability and be the country other countries look to for inspiration.

6. Anything else you'd like to add? :)

Please check out our vendors at EarthFestSingapore.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  You'll get updates on the festival.  Sincerely Green businesses can contact us to join the Farmer's Market, entertainers can contact us to involved with the live entertainment, and green organisations can partner up with us to develop educational experiences.  EarthFest is about community and realising that together we can do much more good than we could individually.  We are also open to sponsorships of the festival.  Potential options include sponsoring the market, the entertainment, or other aspects like marketing.  We are also scouting locations for the festival and so any venues that would like to host EarthFest should drop us a line.

I can't wait for EarthFest - hopefully it'll be held soon! It definitely seems like an enlightening and fun festival. Also, the Farmer's Market sounds great and the current list of vendors look promising! ^^ 

<<EDIT: Price changes since October 20th>> 

I'm currently selling 4 types (none are over $10!) as shown below. All of them are brand new and shipped over from the US. But first, details about ordering, collection and payment:

1. Email me at serene.sayyian@gmail.com with your NAME, CONTACT NUMBER, COLLECTION DATE, CHOICE OF JARS
2. Payment will be during collection. 
3. Items will be wrapped in bubble wrap. Carrier bags are not provided.
4. Please check your items once you've received them. No refunds after payment!

I've also got an Instagram account for this - @thejarhoarder! ☺

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

♥ITEMS♥

#1: Libbey Drinking Jar

16 oz (473 ml)

$7.90 without lid

$9.90 with lid*

Price reduced: $8.90 with lid

*6 left in stock!*

Not for Hot Products

Not for Home Canning

*It doesn't originally come with a lid.

I really love having my smoothies in this! ^^

#2: Ball Wide-Mouth Pint Jar [SOLD OUT]

1 pint = 16 oz (473 ml)

$6.90 each

Suitable for Home Canning

It's wide-mouth, so diameter of the lid is larger.

Pretty details at the back. There's millimeter and cup markings at the sides too.

#3: Ball 12-oz Quilted Jar

12 oz = 355 ml

$5.90 each

Price reduced: $4.90 each

Suitable for Home Canning

No millimeter and cup markings.

#4: Ball 8-oz Quilted Jar

8 oz = 237ml

$4.90 each

Price reduced: $3.90 each

Suitable for Home Canning

No millimeter and cup markings.

(The last time I checked, The Living Cafe sells this for $8.95)

#5: Ball 4-oz Quilted Jar

4 oz = 118ml

$3.90 each

Price reduced: $2.90 each

*6 left in stock!*

Suitable for Home Canning

No millimeter and cup markings.

It's so CUTE!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

♥LIDS AND CANNING♥

 Glass jars are very pretty and good for smoothies and parfaits! Mason jars (#2, #3 and #4) have an airtight screw top and can be used for canning, storing dried goods and preserving fruits & vegetables.

In case you're curious about how you can use mason jars to can...

Seems quite tedious and explosive to me haha. ^^;

If you'd like a copy of this, feel free to ask!

The lid has two parts: the band and the flat lid.

The one on the left belongs to #2, the Wide-mouth Pint Jar.

The other two are of the same size and can be used interchangeably. 

The middle one comes from #3, #4 and #5, the Quilted Jars.

The one on the right is sold with #1, the Libbey Drinking Jar (it can be used for canning, but not with the Drinking Jar; currently not sold separately).

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

♥PROMO♥

For every two jars purchased, you'll get 6 free Kikkerland paper straws (2 of each colour).

They add a pretty pop of colour to your drinks!

They are printed with food safe soy-based ink, and are biodegradable and compostable.

While stocks last.

Currently not sold separately. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't plan to buy jars any time soon! So buy before they go out of stock.

Also, feel free to give me feedback about the pricing, variety of jars etc.

Happy Shopping!!!☺

♥♥♥

Spiralisers are really convenient to use and they make salads fun and more enjoyable! It can be used to make zucchini spaghetti (tastes SO much better than it sounds), carrot shreds, potato noodles etc. It's definitely a great tool if you're trying to eat more raw foods!

I've got ONE spiraliser for sale! I'm selling it at S$38.00, which is a good price confirm-plus-chop cheaper than what you can find in stores and online. 

It's brand new; I've got another one for myself.

Here's the prices from Amazon - the one on the top is a few months back, the one below is taken on 18th April. Both prices are in USD. What this doesn't show you is the shockingly pricey shipping fee.

I'm able to sell it at this price because I bought it last year when it was cheaper, and I spent enough (USD$125) to qualify for free overseas shipping. (It took me so long to start selling because I've been procrastinating...)

If there's a demand I'll watch the prices and try to buy more when it becomes cheaper!

More photos:

Three sets of blades are included.

I love to spiralise carrots too! Despite being made of white plastic, it doesn't stain after using it on highly pigmented veggies (carrots and beetroot), even when I leave it for half a day before washing it.

This is mine, by the way. The one being sold hasn't been taken out of the box.

I made this for a vegan potluck last year! Raw spicy beetroot marinara with zucchini and carrot noodles.

You can watch this video on how it's used. (It's boring and makes me want to fall asleep, but it's the most informational one I can find lols.)

So email me ASAP if you're interested!