Nearing Completion

Here's a sneak preview of the jacuzzi bath on our roof top. The house is 95% completed, and the remaining 5% (representing the nitty gritty) is driving me crazy. From lighting to switches, locks, door handles, and other finishings, these issues can really wear one down. And especially so for a near-perfectionist like me. I am so used to seeing things executed with precision and accordingly to plan and timeline, the construction industry just isn't like that. Always expect the unexpected, and one will make peace with oneself.

Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) is expected to be received by end of February. This is one month away, and there are dozens of things on my tasklist yet to be ticked off. I am exhausted, but the show must go on, as they say.

The French Stall

Never mind the unexpected setting. Fret not the heat and casual dining atmosphere. Expats throng this place, and keep coming back. It's not that strange a notion once one has tried the food here. Getting the price right is key to everything, especially in the credit cycle we're in today. The French Stall does just that, and does it really well too! Situated at 544 Serangoon Road (Little India), it's indeed a queer and the most unlikely place to find good and authentic french cuisine. 

At YS' suggestion, we celebrated Yan's birthday today at the French Stall. It was a surprised treat from YS, and we're grateful for the introduction to this restaurant. For appetizers, we ordered a bunch of things from the menu - rocket salad served with parmesan cheese, escargot, garlic bread, mussels cooked in white wine sauce and carrot soup. They were all very tasty, but of course, one can't expect michelin-star standard. My only slight regret is the presentation style for the escargots. Although at S$9.20 per half dozen, they're probably the cheapest escargots one could find in Singapore, the dish could have been better presented. 

The minced herb garlic bread was very tasty, but then again, it's a no-brainer. So were the mussels cooked in white wine, for it really is hard to get it wrong.

The carrot soup was light - more for diet-conscious people, I would say. I prefer it creamier and thicker, like how I would have made it.

As for the main courses, the most value-for-money choice on the menu for meat eaters would be the rack of lamb, as it comes in huge serving. 

However, the steak failed to impress. It was very average, and tasted rather like Han's cheap steak.

The birthday boy ordered something healthy for once - baked dory fillet served with spinach. As long as the fish is fresh, it's hard to get this wrong as well.

For a vegetarian like Yan's mom, it's not easy to eat out with a group of meat eaters like us. She had to order the only vegetarian dish on the main course menu - spaghetti in creamy mushroom and tomato sauce. This is a relatively safe dish to order, and it didn't disappoint.

For a gourmet like me (ehhmm), one of course will have to go for more refined and sophisticated choice - grilled duck breast served over a bed of risotto, and topped with orange peel. At S$21, this isn't exactly inexpensive, but overall I was rather pleased with the taste and the presentation. I consider this dish satisfactory. 

And the verdict? If you're looking for value-for-money and no-frills french food, this is the place!

Delay, Delay, Delay

It has been more than 2 months since my last entry on this topic, and there's a reason for this. Construction has hit a snag, and nothing much has moved since. I was hoping that our vacation abroad will take us away long enough to give the workers a break from my constant scrutiny, and therefore they'll be able to work more efficiently. This has proven to be totally unfounded. Contractors do need to be pressured, and constantly monitored, or they'll think you're a softy and a pushover. The last 20% is taking forever to finish. From engineer's erroneous governmental application submission to sheer project management lapses, manageable problems had snowballed into one big delay. We now have to reschedule CNY celebration because the venue cannot be ready in time. Talk about patience and expectation management, there's much to be learned. Take these cantilevered staircase for instance, they have remained unfinished for months, and the safety glass panels have yet to be installed. 

The only bright spot at this stage is the mosaic tiles that we have selected for the pool. Fortunately, they turned out to be modern-looking, just like what we have always wanted.

Le Mont St. Michel & D-Day Beaches - Day 6

We got up early for our ascent to the abbey. We were joined by several Japanese tour groups. The weather was cold and wet, but the walk up wasn't as daunting as anticipated. The sight of many quaint-looking houses helped to keep our interest going strong and distract us from what could have been a struggle up the steep slope. Once up there, the view was breath-taking!

We finally arrived at the entrance to the majestic abbey. There was a monk guarding the huge entrance door. The other tourists and us formed a line just outside, waiting to enter.

The central place of worship is a humble sanctuary. See picture below. 

The abbey has overcome many adversities over the years. It has suffered many fires and collapses, and had been rebuilt many times since. Le Mont St. Michel was a popular place of pilgrimage in the mid-century. Today, it's a tourist attraction.

It requires merely 2 to 3 hours for a complete tour of the abbey. We checked out of Hotel Mouton Blanc at around 12pm, and headed back to Paris. We took a detour to the northern beaches of Normandy, via Caen and stopping by Arromanches, one of many historic towns along the D-day beaches.

We had to drive past many remote french villages before arriving at the D-day beaches. The GPS device that we brought along with us to France proved to be a tremendous help. It would have been impossible to navigate the remote outdoors. Arromanches is a tranquil small coastal town with hardly any economic activities visible to us. It is such a far cry from the battlefield scene during D-day that we imagined.

We parked our rented Fiat 500 next to a tank.

One of the many commemorative stone at site. Reportedly more than 100,000 soldiers perished during the D-day.

The abandoned steel platforms used by Ally soldiers to land at the D-day beaches have been left strewn along the beaches, providing a grim reminder of the battlefield day.

Le Mont St. Michel - Day 5

The sight of Le Mont St. Michel looming in the distance was a welcoming relief after a nearly 4 hours drive from Paris in our rented Fiat 500. Situated out of nowhere, atop an island, the abbey offers a unique setting for a short getaway. Controlled by the rhythm of tides throughout the year, the place at times appears like an island surrounding by sea and at other times a hill surrounded by vast tracts of swamp land. Cars and tourist buses are parked along the bridgeway leading to the island entrance, as there's barely space to move once one is within the island walls.

As one nears the entrance door, one is immediately greeted by a medieval looking retractable bridge door.

At the foot of the abbey, within the island walls, a small community of Le Mont St. Michel lives in quaint stonewalled houses and cobbled stones narrow alleys.

Hotel Mouton Blanc is only a short distance walk away from the entrance. One will not miss it as there are only a few hotels on the island. Many tourists will come here for a day trip or stay just outside the island where there are larger and newer hotels. However, nothing beats the experience of staying on the island itself. The picture below shows the facade of Hotel Mouton Blanc, which is one of the oldest hotel at the foot of the abbey.

The hotel reception has a small reception counter with a wall adorned with copper pots and pans. What a cute sight!

Checking-in was a breeze as the hotel was organized and had all our details in advance. We were given a set of keys to Room 103 which is on Level 2. There was no lift in the hotel, as one could easily understand, given that it was built a few hundreds of years ago. Room 103 turned out to be a dream room. It wasn't anything fancy, but the quaint interior decor, reminiscent of an English old cottage home, really set up the mood. It's a room that looked like one lifted out of a Harry Potter film. I squealed in delight!

The picture below shows the view outside the room window.

It was about 4pm by the time we checked in and had a warm shower. The sky was once again cloudy and gloomy like in many winter days in northern France. We were reeling from our long drive, and all we wanted at that time was a good meal and some rest before the climb. The restaurant in Hotel Mouton Blanc could be conveniently accessed from our room, where we needn't step out into the cold. However, dinner would only be served only from 7pm onwards. We took a short nap in our hotel room, with "Mumbai Attack" continuous reporting on CNN - the only English-language channel available.

We were so ready by dinner time. I ordered mussels cooked in cream while Yan went for seafood platter as appetizers. Presentation was generous and the seafood was fresh.

I then had roasted leg of lamb served with french beans and green salad. Yan ordered his usual medium grilled steak. The food was average, but we didn't mind it at all. We were in great holiday mood!

We finished the meal with creme brulee.After dinner, Yan ventured outside the island wall to take a snapshot of a light-filled abbey.  It was an awesome sight.