I remember growing up and my parents would have people over. Not often mind you, but when they did the dinners would be conducted without any background music. The only music you’d ever hear in the house was my music being played at ear splitting volume (I was a teenager) and my sister’s classical music.

I’ve since then learned that having music during dinner parties or when friends come over is actually quite crucial. For starters it puts people in a good mood and fills any gaps in silence. Sadly I do subject people to my own music taste ad at the recent True Blood dinner party people did comment that it was certainly an “eclectic” range of music. I should of course have just played the CD I was given from Ministry of Sound which is tailor made for setting the mood when entertaining. There are 41 tracks on 2 CDs and each CD is worth $35. There are tracks by Groove Armada, Cee Lo Green, Erykah Badu and Mark Ronson.

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Haji Lane

Pendants from Threadbare & Squirrel

I’ve often thought that if I could do anything at an Olympic level, it would be shopping. I’m certainly not qualified or gifted with the physical ability to do anything else. So when there is actual shopping time worked into a travel itinerary I am ecstatic. To me, there’s only one thing to do when your tummy is full and that is to shop! My justification is that burns up calories in preparation for another meal

A mini dictionary pendant

With print on each page!

So far we’ve seen quite a bit of Singapore in our short time. Today we make our way to Haji Lane, a small lane way that houses some fantastic boutiques. Whilst larger centres such as Ion and Orchard Road offer chain store goodies and air conditioned relief, Haji Lane in the middle of the Muslim quarter is pure Paddington or Surry Hills boutiques full of young designers at ridiculously low prices. The clothes and accessories are smack bang on trend and we were only dragged out of there by the fact that we had to check into our hotel before dinner.

A bear disguised as a monkey

The lane is small with about 20-25 boutiques and they open late at around 3:30-4pm but it is well worth a special visit (taxis are inexpensive in Singapore). All up I bought three dresses, a necklace and a sweater with each item averaging about $35SGD which is about $30AUD). Sizes are mostly one size fits all and they will fit up to a size 12 Australian depending on the cut. Yep this is why they budgeted in shopping time!

Dresses at where my credit card went a little nuts: Collage Boutique

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The LPs on this wall all have a wine theme to the name

I’m having a deju vu moment. I look around and my mind appears to be spinning and my surroundings melting. I remember I used to dine in this space way back when it was a Hyatt Kingsgate hotel and it used to be a Japanese restaurant. In fact I have just walked past where 20 years ago my friend Miss America and I used to sit down and have chawanmushi and sushi way back when it was somewhat of a new cuisine. Yet 20 years later it is nothing like it used to be. Now it is a wine bar called Time To Vino run by sommelier and owner Clint Hillery who was the recent winner of the Electrolux Young Restaurateur of the Year award.

She’s a bottle opener if you can believe it!

Part of the Diamant hotel for whom they also provide the room service meals it is a place full of quirky knick knacks, many with the wine theme such as this buxom lass who in her spare time is a bottle opener. Clint tells us that they have a lot of fun scouring ebay for pieces and the waiter is kind enough to bring me a little nesting table to put my camera on, the table being another ebay purchase!

Wine corks a plenty everywhere!

The bar snacks are a comforting cut above with bangers and mash and a glass of wine for $20 or a Sunday roast with pudding for $30. And last but not least is the legendary toastie which changes regularly. Darren tells us that the toastie’s fillings change regularly and can feature fillings such as duck rillette and truffles.

Every Thursday night for the rest of the year they will also hold a wine and charcuterie plate tasting with 5 courses of nibbly style food and matching wines for $60.  Their point of difference is that they do their charcuterie in house including an incredible venison morcilla (blood sausage) using New Zealand venison. While we are standing around a divine guinea fowl pate and cassis jelly eclairs are passed around along with a glass of NV Louis Roederer “Brut Premier” champagne. The guinea fowl livers used have a mild, less gamey and lovely flavour.

Wild Abalone with pork sausage served with 2010 Robert Oatley Riesling (Great Southern WA)

The wild abalone and pork sausage is a fresh sausage and Clint explains that the sausage only has a short life of one or two days because they cannot use a preservative as that will turn the abalone tough. The oyster and Swiss brown mushrooms are cooked in an abalone sauce which is made from the off cuts of abalone and the mushrooms have a slightly Asian flavour while the abalone and pork sausage pieces are packed full of flavour and to top it all off is a baton of crunchy, airy, lacey pork crackling. And the wine it has to be said is an excellent match. I’m not a wine writer, not would I ever claim to be but one thing that everyone has in common is knowing when wines match and this one softens the acidity in the wine and makes it smoother.

Burrawong Chicken Liver Parfait, poached quail egg, walnut remoulade and pickled mushrooms served with a 2009 Robert Oatley Chardonnay (Margaret River, WA)

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