Tag: dating

Not Your Average Sweet Treats – The M Plot’s Macarons Come In Flavours Like Salted Egg X Curry

What’s there not to love about macarons?

You might remember the snaking queue at Ladurée when they first opened in Singapore. Suddenly, almost every bakery stocked macarons. The two light and crisp cookie shells sandwiching jam or buttercream filling – is the ultimate indulgence for dessert lovers.

We recently came across The M Plot which offers macarons that are handcrafted with a unique flavour selection, ranging from Classic Dark Chocolate to their signature – Salted Egg Yolk x Curry, which was inspired by the Singaporean all-time favourite dish “salted egg yolk prawn”.

For Your Sweet Tooth

Prior to starting his business, Ryan Yong, co-founder of The M Plot was a former Senior Quantity Surveyor in the construction industry.

Despite his initial lack of knowledge in the F&B industry, he spent years learning how to perfect the texture and flavour of his macarons. “I did not go to culinary school, it was self-taught. I had done a lot of research on how to make macarons,” he added.

4 years ago while on a long break from his former job, he took a trip to Paris to visit his sister and immediately fell in love with French desserts. He was intrigued by the flavours, textures and how each dessert was eye-catching and delicious. Ever since that trip, Ryan decided to put all of his time into making macarons.

One of their iconic signature flavours would definitely be the Salted Egg Yolk x Curry macaron. While most Singaporeans would be more familiar with the sweet macarons, we were pleasantly surprised when we first tried the Salted Egg Yolk x Curry flavour.

“The Salted Egg Yolk x Curry was inspired by a local all-time favourite dish, “salted egg yolk prawn”, it took us 3 months in order to achieve the right ratio and flavour layering!” he exclaimed.

With just one bite, you will be delighted with a mouthful of salty creamy egg yolk and curry spice flavours. It’s truly a rollercoaster ride for your tastebuds.

One of their best selling flavours would be the Lychee x White Chocolate. So if you’re not as adventurous and looking for something on the sweeter side then this is the perfect choice for you.

Ryan also mentioned that his personal favourite flavour would be the Ginger x Chocolate. The chocolate ganache is infused with blended ginger and a slice of candied ginger in the middle of the macaron which elevates the overall taste of the dessert.

Their macarons are also 100% handmade and natural – they use only natural extracts like fruit purée to get the colour and flavouring, so they can only produce limited quantities each day.

Since their first debut at Artbox 2017, they see more returning customers and are starting to take on more events. They have taken on events such as Winter Wonderland at Gardens By The Bay and a pop-up at Orchard Central back in August.

The M Plot does their macarons right. They’ve got everything from texture to the flavour nailed down and not only are they Instagram aesthetic worthy, they taste pretty damn good too.

They cater to events, parties or corporate so if you want to swap out that birthday cake for something unique, they’ve got you covered.

Check out The M Plot here!

The M Plot
Website

Also Read This Young S’porean Sells Traditional Nonya Kueh On Instagram Using His Ah Mah’s Recipes

(Header Image Source: The M Plot)

This App Will Be Your Cheatsheet When Bae Asks You, “Where Should We Go Ah?”

Dating is tough these days.

If it’s not a movie date, it’s a dinner and shopping. While there’s nothing wrong with that, sometimes having variety isn’t a bad thing.

After all, variety IS the spice of life. But if you’re fickle or indecisive and cannot seem to make up your mind on what to do, there’s an app to help you with that.

Date Out

While I’m sure that binge-watching seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Netflix is entertaining (it really is. It’s a great series), your partner might not think so.

*cue infomercial music* Getting bored of staying home? Finding it hard to go on interesting dates? Introducing Date Out! This brand new application curates a selection of date activities, unique experiences, and even gift ideas for couples! *cut music*

Okay, you get the point. So, despite my singlehood, I downloaded the app to check it out, FOR JOURNALISM!

The app has 5 different categories of experiences – Workshops, Sports & Adventure, Personalised Gifts, Intimate Gifts, and Flowers.

At the moment, only 3 of the categories are populated with experiences. I mean, the app is very new, so give them some time.

Workshops

You can choose from Unicorn Cake workshops for 2, Terrarium workshops, Leather Crafting, and even Friday Night Themed Cooking workshops for 2!

Sports & Adventure

The Sports & Adventure category currently has Go-Karting activities, Segway guided tours, escape rooms, combat saber experience, and many more!

Personalised Gifts

The Personalised Gifts category offers customised stamps, candles, personalised jewellery and even customised wood watches for couples!

I guess we’ll have to wait for them to find more vendors and update the remaining categories, Intimate Gifts and Flowers.

For those of you wondering what “Intimate Gifts” is going to include, I can only say this, the app asked if I was above the age of 18.

If you purchased a gift or flowers via the app, you will be able to track your orders and see your order history within the app.

The app even tracks your current location and every workshop listed in the app currently, is displayed on the map as a gift box, so you know where to go.

They Didn’t Forget The Singles

Also, while the app is primarily targeted at couples, it can also cater to friends who are looking for unique activities to do in Singapore.

Date Out offers a comprehensive reward system, where regular users can accumulate points and redeem them for tickets or curated events.

Every “experience” you book or gift you buy via the app, will entitle you to 5 Date Out points.

The rewards that are redeemable with Date Out points at the moment include Starbucks vouchers, a pair of Golden Village movie tickets, and Capital Land vouchers.

Date Out can now be downloaded for free on iTunes and Google Play and online at their 15 Things Only S’porean 90s Kids Will Remember From Their School Days

(Header Image Source:

7 Types Of Singaporean Guys You Will Meet On Tinder

You know how the older you get, the tougher it is to meet new people? Whilst not everyone on Tinder is on it for the same reason as you may be, you have to admit that it does, in one way or another, ease the communication process. Plus, making the first move as a girl can get pretty stressful. What if the guy thinks you’re a freak?

Whether you’re looking to meet new friends, casual flings or to find The One, listed below are the 7 types of guys you’re bound to meet whilst swiping left. Yes, left.

1. The Animal Lover

Aww, how cute. And by cute, you’re talking about the Golden Retriever puppy the guy is cuddling with. The amount of guys featuring puppies in their profiles are ridiculously high you start to wonder if this is the latest ruse to get the ladies to swipe right. Sure, it’ll be great if he really is an animal lover and not one who borrowed his friend’s pup for a photo before grumbling at the amount of fur it left on his shirt.

2. The Hipster

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400"] Source:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Source: You flinch as soon as his face appears on his screen. Has Tinder ran of guys already? 

Since you need to enter your location to use Tinder, you’re bound to come across someone you’ve met. In this scenario, you’d either swipe right to have a laugh/secretly hope that it’s a match or swipe left praying he did not notice your profile.

4. The Check Out My Matching Pipes

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="426"] Source:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] Source: With more stamps on his passport than you have stickers on your Koi loyalty card, this dude has seen it all. Also. 95% of his profile photos will feature a mountain or lake of some sort. Well, the good news is, this jet-setter will have enough stories to keep you intrigued over your dinner date. Though on the downside, he may appear a little snobby as you know, he has seen the world.

6. The Clinger

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="322"] Source:

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="430"] source: He may be no Ryan Gosling, but there are some genuinely cool guys on Tinder who are looking for The One. They’re in to enjoy conversations and to find out more about you. It may be hard to find them but trust us, they’re definitely out there. Somewhere. Amidst the creeps.

(Header image source: The Gateway Online, words by editor)

Also read: Got A Minute? Here’s How You Can Save Yourself From A Disastrous Dining Experience

Happn – How I Connected With The Girl I Crossed Paths With

“There she is again,

looking perfect as always,” I thought to myself. Sitting on the bench while waiting for the train, I nervously took a quick glance at her direction. Did she recognise me from the other times we’ve crossed paths at the MRT station?

She didn’t look like she did. Her fringe covered her eyes slightly as she looked down at her phone. Every now and then, she would type something and a smile would break across her face. She must be chatting to some dude, I obviously stand no chance.

Chance encounters

I sighed. Ever since I began my new job at Tanjong Pagar, I have to go through this uncomfortable situation every week. It was strange. Uncomfortable it was, but I still looked forward to seeing her. The sight of her messy hair but immaculate work clothes was enough to send me all aflutter. Her pretty smile and squinty eyes charmed me from the day I met her.

But I could never summon the courage to approach her. Why would someone like her even entertain the likes of me? I am far from the epitome of handsomeness, and neither am I close to the likes of Channing Tatum nor Tom Hardy. My geeky interests – Star Wars, video games, and Marvel comics would probably end the conversation between us very quickly.

Movement at the corner of my eye stirred me from my deep thoughts. The train was already on the platform and she was nowhere in sight. Pushing away any lingering emotions, I picked up my bag pack and quickly boarded the waiting train.

The world is too small for us not to meet

I trudged out of the train, more than glad to be off the packed carriage. Peak hours are not exactly the best time to travel on the MRT, especially after a long day at the office. Exhausted, I brightened up at the thought of KOI. Surely that would perk me up!

As I neared the venue, I did a double take. Isn’t that her? The lady I always crossed paths with at the MRT? As I squinted my eyes to verify, thoughts quickly raced through my mind. That can’t be anyone else, can it?

It is definitely her; I distinctly remember that she is wearing a blue dress today. And she is holding a cup of Ovaltine Macchiato, the same drink that I am planning to buy! Can’t believe she likes that same unconventional drink.

To approach her, or not?

My heart began to race. This is it, a perfect opportunity to strike up a conversation with her! Should I introduce myself immediately? Or play it cool instead by asking her for the price of the Ovaltine Macchiato? No, that would be stupid, there’s a price list on the screen for that very reason!

Should I mention that I’ve seen her plenty of times before this, to make things less awkward? Probably not, it would paint me as a stalker instead. Argh, this is agonising! But this is my chance, and I don’t want to miss this opportunity!

As I slowly approached her while figuring out the best one-liner, I saw her heading towards a group of ladies. There goes my chance. They began to laugh and talk animatedly, while sharing sips of each other’s drinks.

Stopping dead at my tracks, I knew that there was no way I could go through with the plan. Being all flustered over one lady was bad enough, but to be rejected in front of a group of ladies would probably spell the end of my self-confidence.

One of the girls noticed me staring and turned to my direction, a questioning look on her face. Swiftly turning away, I suddenly decided that it would be best to have a nice cup of cold water at home instead.

When I heard about Happn

As I poured hot coffee into my mug at my office’s pantry, I overheard a conversation.

“Oh, in that case, have you heard of Happn?” he pulled his phone out and showed the other colleague. “It’s like a dating app, but it’s about people you’ve crossed paths with or encountered before!”

My interest perked at the mention of this new dating app.

Rather than wait for a stroke of luck, create your own

Sitting at my office chair, I stared at my phone screen. I had downloaded the application, and had spent the previous night tinkering with my profile. So far, I’ve seen a few other profiles but not hers.

Opting for a short break from work, I launched a quick game of Tetris or two.

I stopped when I saw a new notification by Happn, asking me to check out new partners. I was about to swipe the alert away when a thought stopped me. No harm in checking the application out again.

I opened it and saw the same ones as just now. As I scrolled down, my jaw dropped.

Discovering her on Happn

I am staring at that lady’s profile page! Rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things, I stared at her picture for a few more minutes before clicking on it with a trembling finger.

I let out a tiny squeal. She likes Star Wars! She is a big fan of Marvel Comics and loves a whole bunch of video games. Her taste in music is almost similar to mine, from Coldplay to Imagine Dragons, it was all too much to take in.

I grinned like a silly cheshire cat. This is all too surreal, for her to share so much common interests with someone like me! I knew that I had to do something or I’ll never forgive myself for a very long time.

Like or Charm?

Taking a deep breath to calm myself down, I brought up the happn application again. I could either click on like, in hopes that she would eventually click like on my profile and realise that I was similarly interested, or click on charm and go direct with my intentions.

Charming was unnerving for me, as I feared a cold response, but liking would probably mean no reply at all. But I also know that we will cross paths many, many times. Enough times for her to at least take notice of me eventually. My finger hovered over the like button and inched closer to the screen.

Everything happens by chance, but it all comes together perfectly

“Aaron! Stop using your phone and get back to work! Those reports are due today!” Startled, I stuffed my phone in my pocket and muttered a quick apology to my supervisor, who was glaring at me from the side of my table.

Waiting until my supervisor was out of sight, I pulled my phone out. My eyes widened with disbelief. I set my phone on the table and placed my hands on my face, groaning miserably.

I’d clicked the charm button.

Waiting

Standing in the populated train back home, I stared at my phone’s screen for an eternity. A whirlwind of thoughts was going through my head. Why did I click the charm button? Why hasn’t she replied to the accidental charm? How will I face her at the station when she knows that I’ve sent her a charm?

I put my phone away and willed myself to calm down. There’s no use worrying. It’ll happen if it does.

At that moment, my phone began to buzz. I tenatively picked my phone out from my pocket, as if I was afraid of what’ll be displayed on the screen.

Two parallel lines never meet, unless they are made for each other

“Hi! I’m on the same train as you! J”

My heart froze. It was her, messaging me through happn. Was this some kind of dream? I had to pinch myself to make sure this wasn’t a figment of my imagination. No, I am definitely awake and reading the message on my phone.

And she is on the same train as me, right now! I slowly looked up from my phone, my heart racing.

Full circle – There she is again,

standing at the opposite side of the carriage, the same messy hair and cheeky grin. The quick smile, squinty eyes, and her phone were all familiar to me. I stood rooted. She waved at me, motioning me to come towards her. My heart is beating so fast, it is going to jump out of my chest.

I stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Eventually, a warm smile crept over my face, and I began to make my way towards her.

–

Inspired by true events

Have you crossed paths or had a chance encouter with someone that left you impressed? With only your memory of his or her face, and without a name or number, you can’t reach out or connect. With

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