Singapore's Lush 99.5 FM vs. Philippines' Jam 88.3 FM

Rating:
Lush 99.5 is easily my favorite radio station in Singapore. They describe their music as "a luxurious mix of chill-out, adult urban and nu-jazz" which is a very exact description of what they play!

They only play chill-out, ambient house, and urban contemporary music-- perfect while driving, working in the office or at the gym which is basically where most of us listen to the radio. Since there is minimal talk and no commercials, who needs an MP3 player?

One gripe I have is that since there's minimal DJ talk, they rarely announce what the current song is. You have to send them an SMS (S$0.30 per message) and they'll respond with the current track.

The closest radio station I can compare Lush to is the Philippines' Jam 88.3 which has a better website, more variety in its playlist but has chattier DJ's and more commercials. Don't get me wrong about Jam though, among the rest of the FM stations in Manila, these guys have the least talk and most music. Plus, every Sunday's Jam Sessions gives new musicians a chance to be heard.

Four and a half pawikans for Lush 99.5 and extra points for playing my favorite song, Desert Sunrise by Brett Dennen!

Crazy Horse Paris, Singapore

Rating:
I've never been to a nudie show before [cough cough] and so one fine Saturday night, I got dragged (willingly, i might add!) to Crazy Horse Paris, Singapore which is the largest venue of its kind in the world! Oh what an experience it was!

Crazy Horse is a French Cabaret which features nude European women performing on stage. Now before you get the wrong idea, let me tell you that this is not your run of the mill stripshow but is something classier akin to a broadway musical.

The ticket I got cost $87 and was inclusive of one drink and a bowl of wasabi peanuts. The theater isn't that big and is oddly shaped like a rectangle with the long sides parallel to the stage. I was about 5 meters from the stage however I was seated by the edge so sometimes I couldn't see them if they were dancing near the wings. Like the restaurant (which I reviewed in a previous post), everything is trimmed in red and was lush lush lush! During the 15 minute intermission, I went to check out the bathroom and the walls were brushed metal-- they were so shiny that they almost seemed like mirrors. Kinky! (but nice.)

On to the show-- it's composed of sixteen "mini-shows" and they're basically live music videos with nude (topless + skimpy thongs) women dancing. I was expecting Singaporean performers but I was surprised that they were all European; Plus they all looked the same! Same height, same hair, same shape!

My favorite performance had a sultry woman lip-synching a sexy sexy french song as she stripped and slinked up and down a couch shaped like a bright red pair of lips. All I could understand from the french was the word séduction and if seduction could have a body, it would be her. The song she performed was an excellent choice: full of throaty purrs and growls and verrrry seductive. Rawr!

The audio of the theater surely helped the performance and I would dare-say that it approached hi-fi quality! Every breath, every nuance of the different songs were faithfully reproduced with a very warm sound and a convincing soundstage!

The show was pure eye-candy and because of the fantastic lights, most of the time, I couldn't even tell if the performers were nude. The picture above isn't just a stylized version of the performance but is actually what it looks like! The theater is pitch black (no photography allowed!) and the playful lights are perfectly choreographed with the dancers such that you think you're in a dream. So if you're expecting porn, stay home and watch a DVD as I think this would get a PG-13 rating.

Five pawikans for Crazy Horse-- bonus points for the intro (God Save Our Bareskin) which had the women marching and stomping in military boots providing an oh-so-yummy contrast between soft, supple flesh and tough masculine military drills. If you ever swing by Singapore, this show is a must-see.

Le Restaurant at Crazy Horse Paris, Singapore

Rating:
I've never been to a nudie show before [cough cough] and so one fine Saturday night, I got dragged (willingly, i might add!) to Crazy Horse Paris, Singapore which is the largest venue of its kind in the world! Oh what an experience it was!

This post is about the dinner at the restaurant so if you're interested in the show itself, read this post instead.

Before the 10:15pm show started, we decided to do have dinner at Le Restaurant, the fine dining resto adjacent to the theater. The place was surprisingly empty and we were the only patrons that night!

For starters, I had the wild mushroom soup that was served in a cup and was meant to be sipped like coffee-- no spoons! The soup wasn't as hot as I wanted it to be but it was very tasty with strong hints of garlic. For my main course, I had cod fish on a bed of potato wedges and Agent A had the scallops with fennel. The portions were fine-dining sized (read: small) and tasty but there wasn't really anything grand about it except probably for the price (S$120 for the whole meal) but plus points for the plating.

I'd also like to give special mention to the ridiculously expensive S$7 bottle of Panna water imported from Italy which is the most expensive water I've ever drank. The cost of this bottle is more than the daily minimum wage of a worker in the Philippines!

(BTW, It tasted like my faucet water.) Back to Le Restaurant...

The place is lavishly decorated and everything was trimmed in red! The carpet, the walls, everything! So if you ever decide to eat here, wear a different color or else the waiters might not notice you. Because of the mirrors all around, the place looks deceptively large but I estimate that it will comfortably sit about 80 people. The service was efficient but then again, we were the only ones eating there! If you want to impress a date, bring her here but for real food, eat at Jumbo Seafood instead which is just a 10 minute walk away.

Four pawikan points for Le Restaurant, plus points because of the beautiful interiors that's perfect for photo ops!

Tomorrow, I'll review the Crazy Horse Paris show itself so come back tomorrow or subscribe to my feed!