Avo Rosemary Chicken @ The Soup Spoon Union (Raffles City)

Not sure what to eat when you are with friends or when you can't decide where to go, head down to The Soup Union where you could have a variety of western choices - from soups to burgers, to salad, to grills. 

Today, I think I chose a healthy food - Avo Rosemary Chicken but (cheat days) topped with french fries. Well, healthy it would be, as it was a little bland but still acceptable for me. Could have done more to the serving of the avocado spread and more sriracha aioli dressing! 

Address:

Raffles City Shopping Centre Basement 1 Unit 61

Red velvet cake from Butter Studio

First buy from Butter Studio after searching online for a cake shop at One KM mall. Contemplating between the two flavours - Red Velvet and Oneh Oneh. The former which is more normal and should suit most people while the later is special and unique but the kids might find it 'weird'. So settled for the red velvet cake which was the safe choice. 

Everyone loved it. Topped with fresh cream cheese which was not too sweet and heavy and the cake was just nice, to everyone's liking. 

Happy Birthday, my dearest friend!

Website: http://www.thebutterstudio.com/

Marmite Chicken Waffle at Dandelion (Bukit Merah Central)

Cafes have been popping up at Bukit Merah Central.

Tonight, we went back to the ice-cream shack which has changed its name to Dandelion. Still selling the waffles and ice cream and i guess, it adds to its menu some staple food. 

Ordered the Marmite Chicken waffle that comes with salad and potato wedges after 'consulting' the lady at the counter. 

I have read about people eating fried chicken and waffle at other places and this is the first time I am trying out this combination. Waffle to me is always best with ice cream but savory taste, it's the first.

Nice, if you like the taste of Marmite! top it up with the maple syrup! A combination of savory and sweetness, with the cripsy chicken and the softness of the waffles. A mixture of texture and tastes in the mouth at a time! 

Even the kids kept stealing my marmite chicken to top with their waffle!

Marmite Chicken Waffle

Address: 

#02-3605, 163 Bukit Merah Central, 150163

Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel, Tokyo

First time staying in a Capsule Hotel in the country where it starts... A no frills place to just sleep, where everyone in the same room shares the common bathroom and all. We chose to stay at the "Women-only" floor which was available in the hotel. Why capsule? We aren't on budget (a person paid about SGD50) but we wanted to experience how it feels to stay in a capsule hotel. Moreover, we reached Japan in the late evening and well, we need to move on to Kawaguchiko early the next morning, then we thought, why not?

After checking in, you will still get your key but is the key to the locker where you can put all your valuables in and lock it. Up to the room, is time to find your capsule for the night. We did not specify or rather we we were not asked whether we would like to have the upper or lower capsule even though the room was not fully occupied. We were given the upper capsule which I guess was good. 

where is my room?!

Climb the steps beside to climb into the pod. Small, but good enough. your pillow and blanket and well, your pajamas (yes, if you choose to wear).

the capsule room

There is a small TV inside the pod, or you can choose to listen to the music. See the handle at the top, pull it down and that's your door (see my opposite roommate, she 'closed' her door). 

all in the capsule

 Here's the luggage/ locker room. Placed your big luggage at wherever you find a space and locked your valuables in the locker.

the luggage room

The shower/powder room was clean. That's very important especially so many ladies used it. All the basic items like toothbrush/paste, towel, hairdryer, toiletries, lotions can be found here. Not bad!

the bathroom

 Explored the common room and there were many vending machines. Fret not for feeling hungry!

the common area and the vending machines

My Verdict:

The place is good but will I return to stay? Well, i guessed once-in-a-lifetime experiencing a Capsule Hotel is enough for me. Not that the place is not good. It has all the essential things that all hotels provide. But for me

• I need more space to place the luggage (do not want to leave it out of sight and unlocked).
• The roommates that day were a bit noisy and I think they returned late at night and noise started to flow especially that we stayed near the shower room, 
• The airflow was not very good. I felt hot in my own pod. 

But if you just want to experience it once, I would recommend this Capsule Hotel as it was in Shinjuku (minutes walk away from the JR station) and was quite easy to find. 

Shinjuku Kuyakushomae Capsule Hotel, Tokyo
(1-2-5 Kabukicho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Tokyo-to, 160-0021 Japan)

Fuunji | 風雲児 @ Shinjuku, Japan

Our first meal in Japan, Tokyo after checking in. Did some research for recommended food at Shinjuku and Fuunji appeared. I had never tried tsukemen before and therefore, here we went. 

Fuunji, a small and unnoticeable Ramen shop hidden on a quiet street near Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Japan. 

We were there before dinner time and there was already a queue. 

Outside the shop

There are only bar counter seats and well, the queue was all the way right to the end. Not the best experience to enjoy the ramen as you will feel the "pressure" behind you. But, nonetheless, it was still an experience. 

Just queue

Order was made through the vending machine. Not much of a choice but well, i guessed we did not do much research and thus, we went on to order 2 different Ramen to try.

Food Ticket

Here we went after getting a seat. Passed the food ticket to the staff and waited for our food. This is tsukemen - cold noodles are served separately from the soup. Dip the noodle into the soup and once the noodles soak up the flavors of the soup, slurp away. The broth was really great. 

After you finished the noodles, if your stomach still have room, grab one of the kettles on the counter and pour hot water into your bowl and drink the remaining soup. That's what we observed what the locals did and follow. Must try!!!

tsukemen - cold noodles are served separately from the soup

If you are not game for the Tsukemen, try the other dish which is the Tokusei Ramen. Needless to say, Japan Ramen is yumz...!

Tokusei Ramen

Address:

2-14-3, YoyogiShinjukuTokyo

Comnam Broken Rice @ Raffles City

Value for money Lunch set at Comnam Broken Rice on weekdays. A bowl of Vermicelli with Fried Tilapia Fillet, and along side is fried wonton and a cup of coffee makes the mid day of the mid week a happy one. (at least, i seems to have saved some lunch money). 

The serving was reasonable and did not shrink just because this is a lunch set. The fried Tilapia fillet was nice and flavourful that matched with the taste of the vermicelli. The fried wonton was crispy and well, mayo always a good choice to go with fried food. 

The ice Vietnamese coffee was yumz. 

hanoi Fried Tilapia Fillet with Galangal, Turmeric, Dill and Vermicelli

Address:

Raffles City Shopping Centre #B1-46/47 

High Tea at The Landing Point (The Fullerton Bay Hotel)

A splendid afternoon spent over a traditional English Afternoon Tea with the buddies. 

We took the seats inside the building to enjoy the aircon while having a great view. (the weather was too hot to bear). An open concept where anyone and everyone could walk past. Nonetheless, it was still a nice place to immerse in.

Come, enjoy a (flask) cup of nice tea to start the afternoon tea session.

Choose from a list of tea or coffee

The afternoon tea was served on a three-tier stand and it made every food item on it look so delicate and yummy. 

A range of pastry from sweet to savory, from English to local, from cakes to pastry to sandwiches made me full by the time I had the last few bites. A sip of tea goes pretty well with the food while chatting and catching up with each other's life. 

Did i mention, they also some free-flow food items at the side which you can have many servings in the event that you simply love it or you have a great appetite! 

Our tiers of happiness

A nice place and great food for gathering and chatting over a cup of tea!

Address:

The Landing Point

The Fullerton Bay Hotel

80 Collyer Quay

Singapore 049326

Modern Asian Fusion food @ Froth Singapore

We had always wanted to visit Froth for the longest time but was never able to find a time for it. Located at the CBD, it was never a convenient place for us to meet up since we don't work there, neither do we live near there. 

Finally, one fine Saturday, today, we decided to make it there after visiting the National Gallery. A short walk from Raffles Place MRT and there we went. 

Truffle Fries was never out of sight on the table when we sighted it on the food menu. And here we eat:

Truffle fries

What's for soup - Duck Kut Teh. Sounds special that we ordered to try. The broth tasted similar to the traditional Bak Kut Teh but the red dates used made it a little sweeter. Topped with a churro-look-alike yu tiao makes the presentation of the dish looks nice! Drink it while it's warm!

Duck Kut Teh 

My main dish was the Seafood Tom Yum Risotto. The tom yum taste was not very strong which made the main a nice one to start with. The creamy and tom-yummy rice was complemented with the  grilled prawns, flower clams and squid. Not stingy with the quality of the seafood made this dish a must-order! A satisfying dish !

Seafood Tom Yum Risotto 

Like I always say or agree to it, our stomach always has a special and dedicated compartment for desserts. Ending off the dinner with Taro Waffles topped with a scope of Earl Grey ice cream. The waffles were dense, and the earl grey ice cream was not overly sweet which, well, rounded up the fantastic dinner for us. 

Taro Waffle topped with Earl Grey Ice cream

A nice and quiet place for some nice catch up with friends.

Address:

No.2 Finlayson Green

Ascott Raffles Place Singapore

Singapore 049247

[Closed] Dim Sum at Tak Po (Smith Street)

Family day at Tak Po Dim Sum to enjoy some niceeeee food.

Best to savour the Dim sum when they were piping hot - no time for individual shots. Overall, the Dim Sum here tasted great.

a table full of Dim Sum

 The frog leg porridge served in the claypot was delicious.

Claypot of gems

Tak Po Dim Sum Restaurant
42 Smith Street
Singapore 058954

Dinning at Prego

1-for-1 promotion brought us to this place before 6pm. We always welcome early dinner so that we can eat more later at night. 

Well, I ordered the Clam Vongole which was nice. Generous in the Clams and the linguine was cooked to my liking. 

Clam Vongole 

The pizza was baked to prefect with great nice crust served.

Prego
Level 1, Fairmont Singapore, 80 Bras Basah Road,
Singapore 189560 (City Hall MRT Station)

Big Mama Korean @ Tiong Bahru

Second time back at Big Mama Korean place at Tiong Bahru. A cozy place to dine in where the service crews seems to be all korean. Simple English conversations completed the placing order process.  

First up on the table is definitely the banchan. I simply loved the lotus dish out of the many served.

Side Dishes (Banchan)

Next up is the seafood pancake. Normally, it got on the table as we loved korean pancakes. Fried thinly, this dish can't be missed if you love pancakes too.

Seafood Pancake

Main dish of the day goes to this - Dakgalbi. Tender (loving) chicken, cabbage, rice cake, sweet potato, and spicy sauce are all in and pan-fried on the spot. Goes well with a bowl of rice. 

Dakgalbi

Big Mama serves home-style Korean food and I shall be back if I'm not going to step into S. Korea soon.

Big Mama Korean Restaurant
2 Kim Tian Road, Singapore 169244 

G7 Sin Ma Live Seafood Restaurant

After a nearby hike, we came to this place to enjoy the fruitful "exercise" day. 

We ordered the Dry Chilli Bullfrog (Buy 3 get 2 free) and sambal Kang Kong to share. 

Hot bubbling clay pots of yummmz and smooth porridge was great to enjoy after a long walk. Satisfying tender bullfrog meat together with the nice gravy and top them on a spoon of porridge really sealed it off. 

ymmmmz

With the downtown line, it is easy to get to this place.

G7 Sinma Live Bull Frog Claypot Porridge G7新馬活田鸡粥
No.5 Cheong Chin Nam Road
Singapore 599730

8 E!IGHT korean bbq @ Clark Quay Central

Come, the 3rd time at this wonderful Korean BBQ place. Choose from the 8 flavours of Mangalitza Hog and wait to be served.

we only managed 4!

The service crew will help to bbq and cut the meat into bite size for us to indulge in. Kimchi and bean sprouts are served unlimited to go with the bbq meat. Well, they shared the same sizzling plate. Next to the bbq, we ordered a tofu stew. It was nice too.

sizzling pots of satisfactions 

Will I be back? Definitely.

6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#02-79//90
Singapore 059817

Brunch @ ButterScotch Cafe (Bukit Merah)

First thing first on the first day of 2016 was to enjoy a brunch with bestie! Read much about ButterScotch Cafe near the area but there wasn't a common time to meet up there till today! So there we hopped to on Jan the first!

We reached pretty early and were the first customer of the day. They do have a lunch promotion which starts at 11am. The service crew was very nice and informed us of the promotion when we made our order at 10.50am. They said they could on hold the payment after 11 am though we can still go ahead to make our order so that they can prepare the food. Really appreciative of their kind gesture and service. Do take note that some food items are not included in the promotion. Check it out if you want to enjoy it - $15 for a main dish and a cup of drink. 

I ordered the Chili Crab Cake Burger with potato wedges and a cup of flat white while Bestie ordered the French Toast and a cup of Mocha. 

The Chili Crab cake patty was real soft, topped up with the sweet and spicy chili sauce. The bread was soft too. I spread the chili crab cake on the bread and ate it. I figured out that's the best way to enjoy it. The accompanying potato wedges was nice too. Bite it and it is like mashed potato, simply 'melted' in your mouth. 

The French Toast is another great dish, with slabs of turkey bacon and caramelized banana. An indulgence of  sweet and salty made one savor in delight .

Butterscotch Cafe @ Bukit Merah  - Chili Crab Cake Burger with Potato Wedges, Mocha, Flat White, French Toast with Banana and Turkey Bacon

ButterScotch is a Muslim-owned bakery and café which is small and cozy cafe. The interior made one feels like home and we had  a great time bonding there. There aren't many people there in the morning so we were able to hog on to the table. Well, we were very full after the meal! and will I be back? 

Definitely! To try out the desserts, the churros, the truffle fries!! See ya around!

Address:
Blk 164 Bukit Merah Central #01-3625 Singapore 150164

JB CIty Square

Time out to the neighboring country for a foodie day! Considering the good exchange rate now, we can really eat till we dropped without burning a hole in our pocket!

1. Sushi King

First up in the itinerary is to Sushi King. Sushi on the conveyor belt is really a delight to the eyes. It is like a spread of buffet travelling in front of you while you eat!

The ingredients used were fresh and the sushi were reasonably priced. We had a very full stomach and the total damage was MR70 including drinks!

2. Arashi Shabu Shabu

Dinner was at Arashi Shabu Shabu. Each one had our own pot with our own set. Each set comes with a choice of soup base, the type of meat or seafood, a choice of noodle or rice and a bowl of vegetables, and ala carte items which I reckon should be their best selling items!

The meat was fresh and the the bowl of vegetables really complements the whole meal. Take a walk to the sauce counter to mix and match your preferred taste of sauce to dip in. What's best, a nice meal that cost us ard MR70 again! 

And Why cafe @ Bali Lane

Dessert Time @ And Why Cafe at Bali Lane. 

It's been long since we popped by the area and it is great to see so many cafe popping up in the years. Hop into Any Why cafe and there we come, calories!

This cafe is small and cozy but the ambiance was nice. The cakes were all on display and we can simply choose and pick from there. Ask if you need any recommendation for the cakes. We had the banana cake which was really yummy and the Neapolitan Cheesecake does not taste like cheesecake at all.

Okay, we did not try the mains here but well, maybe we will be back soon to try them out!

Full Passion, Wildberries, Neapolitan cheesecake, Banana Cake

Address:
31 Bali Lane #01-01, S 189867, tel: 6291 0993

The Ramen Stall

To The Ramen stall for a dinner was not a bad choice after all. Do head there early so that you do not have to queue long and also, a parking lot is easily available. No harm to start dinner early as you can hop over to other lanes for desserts and drink. The night never get late while in Kampung Glam area!

After some contemplating, I ordered the Volcano Ramen. You have the choice to choose the spicy level which range from level 1 to 3. I took the level 1 as I would like to taste the broth. But I reckon if you like spicy but does not know which level to choose, get the level 3. You can scoop out the chili when the ramen arrived and slowly add them back to get the right spiciness.

The broth was light and after the level 1 chili was mixed in, it tasted better. But if you do not really take spicy stuff, you can remove half of the chili, trust me. 

The Japanses style half boiled egg was well-cooked where we can taste the creamy side of the yolk. The crunchy corns, mushroom, minced meat and seaweed added texture to the whole dish. 

I gonna be back to try out the other food stuff. stay tune!

The Volcano Ramen @ The Ramen Stall

Address:
787 North Bridge Road

Cedele Tofu Miso Pasta

Time for dinner and it's a meatless Wednesday. 

Ordered the tofu miso pasta. okay, the meatless meal wasn't planned but I really did not know what to choose for dinner. 

Not a bad choice after all. Loved the combination of the tofu, pumpkin, mushroom and the edamame, The linguine was  just nice! a great dinner, for sure.

Tofu Miso Pasta

SALUTE coffeeshop @ ALEXANDRA

Found a heartland eatery - Atas food choice but at affordable price. So off we went to Salute Coffee Shop @ Alexandra - near to Ikea and Queensways Shopping Centre. 

As the setting goes as a Coffee shop, this place contains many uprising (in my humble opinion) food eateries coming together. 

We managed to try out 3 stalls there. Well, when there's food on the table, photos seems to be less. Reason being, (1) I want to start eating straight away. (2) You got to try it out yourself!

1. Two Wings

Because one just isn't enough. 

Actually I have not really heard from my friends so that day was really the first day I get to know about this stall. So with no reviews in my head, I tried out the wings. Well, the wing tasted okay to me. It does not taste oily though it was deep fried. The crust was a little less flavour. Okay, one is enough for me! 

2. Stew Kuche

Ordered the Aglio Olio as we wanted to have some carbos for the night. Had a pork sausage as well. The aglio olio was al dente and flavorful. Paired up with the pork sausage was great. The pork sausage was juicy but a little oily. Okay, I think this place is more for its Pork knuckles and so, well, I will be back to try it out the next time! 

3. Sea Salt - The Seafood Place

Mussels was at the top of our mind when we saw this place. As we ordered the Vino mussels. This was quite disappointing as we had tried better ones. Not much of the white wine taste and aroma and the whole dish tasted quite bland. 

Next up is the Garlic Cream Prawns In A Pot. This was much better as the sauce was tastier. Dip the the complimentary baguette in it and it tasted great. The prawn was fresh and juicy. So thumbs up to this dish!

Last on the table went the Deep Fried Sea Bass with Mango Sauce. This is served with potato salad and broccoli on the side. No photo of it as we were busy eating away. The sea bass, I have to say, is really fresh. There is no 'muddy' taste and the mango sauce supplemented it well. 

Left - Seasalt the seafood place
Right - Stew Kuche

Will I be back? Definitely to try out other stalls!

Address:
Salute
119 Bukit Merah Lane 1
Singapore 151119
(behind Alexandra Village Food Centre)

Beauty in the Pot @ One Km

Time for dinner, time to venture out of comfort place (aka town). So let's head to One KM near Paya Lebar MRT station. It's just a 5-minute short walk from the station.

So what's for dinner tonight. We are going to try out the latest dinning concept of the Paradise Group - Beauty in the Pot. What's the fab? Well, collagen steamboat for a meal. Nourishing soup bases for the healthy us, why not? But well, if you did not make a reservation or you are too late in making a reservation, no worries, you can still do a walk-in. But the catch will be, you might have to wait up to 1.5 hours for a table. They have a rule to dine within 1.5 hours which I think it can be flexible if there is no queue outside. So, bear in mind. 

Soup:

We ordered the 2 soup bases - Beauty Collagen Broth and a medium spicy nourishing broth. It was not the first time I had Collagen Broth. I tried the 美人锅 before but the presentation is different. For 美人锅, the collagen came in the form of curb but for Beauty in the Pot, it came in flasks. Not sure if the flasks are refillable but 4 flasks of it plus the initial pot was sufficient for the 3 of us. 

The Beauty Collagen broth was really good. It tasted a little like those traditional prok broth which was simmered for hours before presenting to the customers. But if you want something that complements steamboat food and if you can take spicy stuff, the Spicy Nourishing soup would really suit you. Chinese herbs such as red dates, woldberries, ginseng are 'found' in the soup presented to us. Well, the fragrance of the herbs was great. There are three levels of spiciness for you to choose from, so take your pick!

Food:

Ordering through a tablet makes things easy for both the service crew and the customers. We can take our time to order what we really want to eat. 

For this meal, we ordered the pork belly, pork collar, homemade  fish paste, cabbage, tang o, assorted dumplings, live drunken prawns, black pepper pork balls, crab sticks (is really Crab stick) and many more.  

I can only conclude the food was really fresh. The prawns were still jumping in the glass pot presented to us. How fresh can it not be. The fish paste was great too and it was really tender. Pork belly and collar was, too, tender and shabu shabu it was really easy and quick. 

Say no more, try it yourself!

Oh, they do serve a refreshing dessert/drink at the end of the meal. Good to quench the thirst and to 'wash' away the oiliness!

Sauce:

Like many others, the sauce bar presented many sauces for customers to create our own blends of sauces. Each is unique to each individual and definitely makes us feel happier to dip in our food. So hesitated no further to customize sauces by your imagination and mood of the day. 

Service:

Well, the wait of 1.5 hours can really be a deterrent for me to revisit. Our wait of 1 hour is really a max for me. 

But what I can say is that each table is served attentively by a delicate staff who will bring you through the whole meal. From ordering to helping you to put in the fish paste to signing the bill. They bowed when they walked away. What a service. Me too, follow suit to return the bow. That's really too much for me to take. 

Conclusion:

Some asked if this is better than the popular Hao Di Lao, I would say "Give it a try! and conclude that yourself!"

 

Beauty in the poty @ One KM

Address:
OneKM
11 Tanjong Katong Road,
#02-21
Singapore 437157