Pantry Magic + Bunalun

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Pantry Magic + Bunalun

finally, i went to pantry magic yesterday! but bad timing, shermay's cooking sch was closed. there goes my silpat & vanilla extract :( guess i hv to make a trip down again soon. at first glance, pantry magic gives you a feeling that you're in overseas. the place is brightly-lit & beautifully decorated, just small. in my opinion, i don't think they actually carry a very wide selection of things. IKEA has more, and they're much cheaper. anyway, i didnt really buy alot from there yesterday, feel that they're really too expensive. can you imagine, a normal looking springform tin cost $41! it looks non too different from the ones at phoon huat (where you can get it at $16). i set my eyes on the 6-pc silicon madeleine mold initially, but it cost $14, so i thought, forget it. i only bought measuring cups, a food brush & 3 pcs of tea towels/table cloths. the measuring cups come in gradual sizes of seven - 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1 1/2 & 2 cups. looks a little too exaggerated but i thought they're pretty useful and not that expensive. only $39.50. the tea towels cost $7.20 each, which is not really cheap, but i think they hv very nice designs that i cannot find elsewhere. i'll be back another day to get the digital candy thermometer. they were in the midst of unpacking lots of newly arrived goods, and the sales lady told me they havent unpacked the thermometers and labelled the prices on. again, bad timing. overall, if only pantry magic was bigger. i don't know much about the quality, coz the products might actually be expensive due to the fact that they're in better quality. but from my point of view, i wouldnt spend $19 on a loaf tin or $41 on a springform tin when im pretty sure i can get them cheaper elsewhere.

afterwards was to bunalun, a shop that's just a few doorsteps away from pantry magic. bunalun carry quite alot of things, and i wish i could buy out the whole store! from a wide selection of teas, marmalades & breakfast muesli to dried goods like pasta, popcorn & beans/legumes/lentils to fresh produces and condiments, there's even fresh organic produces and a good selection of wine & flavored oils like olive oil & balsamic vinegar. i think im weird but balsamic vinegar goes really well with alfalfa sprouts. makes me love rabbit food all over again :p then of coz, i couldnt buy out the whole store, so i just settled on two items which i need - coarse sea salt (fleur de sel) for making caramel fleur de sel macarons and a soothing herb tea. the sea salt is not very expensive in my opinion, only $8.95 and the herb tea's $10.95. basically i bought the tea coz i love whats IN it - a medley of organic herbs like rosehip, hibiscus, cammomile flower, orange peel & cinnamon quills. but most importantly, i love the no-fuss packaging in black/white tones. im sucker for anything minimalist. and here are some "innard" pics :