You know you should be eating less, drinking way less, or at the very least exercising when your clothes are threatening to rebel. Unfortunately, the only kind of running I’ve been doing is from one appointment to another or chasing after cabs—in heels, no less.  It’s been a blur of festivities, and it’s not over yet. I reckon if everyone celebrated birth months, we’d all be happier people. I was seriously bummed out that I couldn’t make it to Sydney for AC/DC’s “Black Ice” gig earlier this year (despite having already been gifted the concert tickets from a good girlfriend of mine). A fact I was reminded of when I attended a lunch event at Sage, The Restaurant (7 Mohamed Sultan Rd., 6333-8726), courtesy of Meat & Livestock Australia. Served up by Chef Jusman So, I was treated to a five-course meal that showcased meats from down under in dishes such as roast beef rump carpaccio and lavender-glazed lamb shoulder on lentil cassoulet. The comforting beef au gratin, with achingly tender cubes of buttocks braised in red wine, was my favorite (pants down). 

I also managed to head down to martini bar @ mezza9 (Mezzanine Level, Grand Hyatt Singapore, 10 Scotts Rd., 6738-1234) for some seriously delicious cocktails. Jamey Merkel, Beam Global Asia’s mixologist, and martini bar’s Vasantha Kumar, have created seven original cocktails ($17) to add on to their already illustrious list. I made sure to try all of them, you know, for research purposes. Crowd pleasers were the honey pandan and lemon custard, but mine was the fruity 4b martini with a lovely lingering basil note.

Good news if you like stacks of pancakes (anyone who doesn’t should be mocked and ignored, not necessarily in that order). Strictly Pancakes (44A Prinsep St., 6333-4202) has opened up right beside Le Bistrot du Sommelier, serving both sweet and savory options. I’m thinking of popping by for brekkie on the weekend, if I can bring myself to get out of bed. A sweet spot called Dessert Ministry (#01-03 Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, 8 Grange Rd., 9819-0787) has also decided to join in the fun. Specializing in Asian desserts, I’m keen to try their D24 durian daifuku and matcha steamed milk with egg white.