Waffles @ Craftsmen Specialty Coffee

Coffee cafes are really brewing in Singapore. Was out in the Eastern part of Singapore and found Craftsmen Specialty Coffee quietly tucked in a corner. I guess I will never notice its existence if not that I passed by on the other side of the road. 

Weekday is really the best time for cafe hopping as it is not especially crowded. You get to choose seats, you get to people watch and you get the time to slowly take your order. 

Finally I decided to go for the waffles as they were not serving the croissants that day. "Sunshine" is the name to the waffles where yogurt and berries added to the taste. Wasn't really the fluffy kind of waffles but the healthier choice of yogurt and berries made the overall experience a nice one.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do - so at a coffee cafe, drink a cup of coffee? Well, I did not. Blame it on the hot weather outside, I seriously needed a cold smoothie - sweet and cold to ease the hotness and stickiness!

Waffles @ Craftsmen Specialty Coffee

Okay, will I be back? Definitely, to try out their coffee and did I mentioned, they do sell craft beer too. A beer and a brunch, how good does that sound? Be there, soon, I hope!

Address:

2 First Street Siglap V #01-01 

Singapore 458278

New Menu @ TCC

TCC once again. I guess this is a place where I can visit many times in a year and not really sick of the food? Not sure why, but my friends seems to like it there for a casual meal. 

Good thing about TCC, they do change and update their food and drink menu. This time round, we got to see the new menu. But well, not every item that were removed from the menu were not popular. My friend was looking out for her Salmon Mentaiko Pasta but it was being phased out this time round. I wonder what did TCC base on to update their menu. 

Okay, in my opinion, I sort of think that there are lesser food items in the new menu, not sure where, but just have a feel. Maybe this helps the ingredient procurement process and help to reduce cost? 

So, I took the step to try out the new item - Clack & Clams Crayfish pasta. Not too bad, but the gravy seems too much for the spaghetti. It was more like a 'soupy' pasta. But overall, the taste was good. The clams and crayfish servings was generous. Maybe, TCC should give a side plate for patrons to put the shell. Good customer service goes a long way!

Clack & Clams Crayfish Pasta

Korean Food @ Han Kook Gwan Korean Restaurant

Family time at Han Kook Gwan Korean Restaurant as sis wanted to try raw crab. We watched a variety show that featured that and off we went. 

The banchan (side dish) comes in five different variety and are refillable. My favourites will be the kimchi and the pancakes. 

banchans

Next up was the traditional Korean raw crab, also known as ‘gan jang gae jang’. Usually we had chilli or pepper crab but this raw crab meat is really a first time. We just need to suck and slurp on the legs and the meat will be right in your mouth. I totally did not enjoy this crab dish. Though it is fresh, but the rawness is not to my liking. Though I love sashimi. It is a little pricey at ~$53. Try it if you love raw food and if you dare!

Soy Crab 

Compared to raw crab, the Korean BBQ meat is the highlight of the meal. We ordered the BBQ set which includes pork belly, marinated pork and chicken bulgogi and a side dish - steamed egg. This is the first time I had steamed egg in Korean restaurant. 

The BBQ was great. We did not have to do it ourselves as the service staff did it for us though the bbq grill is right in the middle of the table. As usual, with the bbq meat, we will wrapped it with vegetable and added some garlic, onions to bring out the flavour and experience. Nice!

Korean BBQ pork

Be back for more!

Address:
26 Tanjong Pagar Road
Singapore 088449

Roti Prata and Milk Tea @ Casuarina Curry

Off to Upper Thomson for prata and there we were at Casuarina Curry. 

Since we were at a prata shop, we went for plain roti prata (aka roti prata kosong). This is the best way to find out the standard of the chef. Not the best prata I had, but it was not too bad. It was crispy on the outside but not that fluffy inside. Dipped into the curry to taste better. Added a milk tea to the meal to complete it. 

Roti Prata & Milk Tea @ Casuraina Curry 

Anyway, besides prata, Casuarina Curry also offers a large range of other Indian food such as Briyani, Murtabak as well as plenty of drinks. Everything is all priced very reasonably!

Will I be back? Yes, maybe for the other Indian food and maybe for the tidbits shop that is next door!

Address:

136 Casuarina Road
Off Upper Thomson Road
Singapore 579524

Cendol Melaka @ Changi Villge Road

Ice cold dessert is the best remedy on a hot afternoon.

Was at Changi Village food centre for nasi lemak and there was a banner in front of a shop located directly opposite Mizzy’s Nasi Lemak stall (at the food centre). It totally attracted my attention where it stated traditional cendol at $.150. Traditional from Malacca. I have been to Malacca once and I have tried the cendol too. It's really nice and so, I told myself to head over after lunch.

For the $1.50 version comes the basic version with only cendol, gula melaka and coconut milk. With additional cost, there will be toppings like red bean and even durian. 

Okay, at a glance, I can't see any shaved ice and it seems that there was too much coconut milk. Gave it a few stirs and the thick of gula melaka and shaved ice was mixed with the green jelly flour. The jelly was really smooth. The cendol was not very sweet to my liking. 

If you happen to be around the area, no harm popping by to have this dessert!

Cendol Melaka

Address:
Blk 1 Changi Village Road
01-2046
S500001

Nasi Lemak @ Changi Village Food Centre

Heard so much about the nasi lemak at Changi Village Hawker Centre but it was too out of the way for me to head there for just nasi lemak. 

So happen that my job gave me the chance to pop by the area and there I headed to find the famous nasi lemak. Basically I googled and Mizzy corner appeared a couple of times and so, that's it. I looked for the stall and okay, no queue for me. 

Well, I was a little disappointed. Not that it is lousy but after all the hype that I heard of, this really does not live up to my expectation.

First, the rice was normal. The egg was normal. 

The chicken wings was not bad, served ho and crispy. 

The ikan bilis was a little too salty. 

Well, the chili was the best - spicy and sweet.

But sometimes I wondered, why does a plate of nasi lemak with a chicken wing, an egg and ikan bilis cost so much?

Nasi Lemak @ Mixxy Corner

Address:
Mizzy Corner Nasi Lemak
Changi Village Market and Food Centre #01-26
2 Changi Village Road

St Marc Café @ Marina Square

What's beat a hot weather? Definitely a cold dessert! 

Decided to head to Marina Square as, in our humble opinion, a quiet getaway place in town area. So, the early-comers managed to find seats in St Marc Cafe and there we stayed for hours, chitchatting, taking photos, and of course, eating!

Okay, a little about St Marc - it is a Japanese chain that serves pastry, coffee, parfaits and more. They also serve sandwich which make it a place for you to have a proper meal as well. 

At 3plus in the day, desserts become a great choice for me. Ordered the Classic Fuji - very nice! What can go wrong with ice cream and pastry. They took around 5 minutes to prepare the order - so when the buzzer buzzed, the freshly toasted buttery flavour croissant is served hot, topped with cold ice-cream with caramel sauce, red bean and macha. The croissant is pipping hot and crispy. I like!

Classic Fuji

St Marc Café Marina Square
6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square
#02-105/184/185, Singapore 039594

Chicken Up @ Tanjong Pagar

I have to say first, my photos do not justify for the good food and presentation of the food! So here we go:

Chicken Up is a Korean restaurant in Tanjong Pagar, along the stretch where there are many Korean steamboat eateries. As for Chicken Up, they specialise in chicken dishes especially Fried Chicken and many different types of soju. 

So we ordered the famous watermelon soju. It is served in half a watermelon fruit. They only poured in the soju at the table. Well, for this soju, it is sweet and does not really taste like alcohol. The fresh watermelon juice really takes over the soju taste and well, if you are not careful, you will sure to get drunk!

Watermelon Soju

As for the food part, we do not really know what's good. All in the menu were 90% chicken dishes. In the end, we went with our gut feeling and ordered 4 types of chicken dishes, truffle fries and seafood pancake. But into the night, I forget to take photos of the food. I guess it is more important to eat! And well, as for you, it is best that you try out the food to see it for yourself! :)

First up the table was the Andong Chicken Stew (it comes in either Full or half chicken). Together with the chicken, the stew is cooked with glass noodle, rice cakes, potato, carrot, onions and chilies, in spicy soy-based sauce. For those who do not take spicy food, this dish might pose a threat to you. For me, I thought a bowl of rice to accompany the dish will indeed be heavenly!

We also tried the Soya chicken which was savory and nice! The crispy up chicken was really indeed KFC - Korean Fried Chicken. 

Variety of the chicken dishes

Okay, for the seafood pancake, it was unlike the crispy kind that I normally had. It was rather thick and it's spicy. They also served green and red chilies at the side to top up the flavour. An unique way to have the pancake. 

On each table is a small thrash can meant for the chicken bones. A good way not to dirty the table and easy for the customers to keep the place clean. The service crew also emptied the thrash when it was full! Thumbs up!

Did I mentioned, they have the All-You-Can-Eat Chicken Buffet costs $25 (before tax) per person. Top up and you could have free flow beer!

Will I be back? Maybe I have strong cravings for many variety of chicken!

Chicken Up
48 Tanjong Pagar Road #01-01,
Singapore 088469

Pan Delights @ Bukit Merah Central

A small and quiet place situated at the corner of Bukit Merah Central. Not a very convenient place to eat but well, good food is worth the inconvenience. Pan Delights is located near Bukit Merah Public Library and just next to the pet shop - a cosy place with simple decorations.

Regular item on the table is TRUFFLE Fries - as usual, it is a comfort food and you will never go wrong with ordering this item. 

Next up is the chili crab pasta - a western item topped with a local taste. This is how I was drawn to ordering this item. The chili crab paste is really authentic - If you love crab and does not want to dirty your hand, this dish is definitely for you. That's also provided that you like the garlic taste. Good if they give me more crab meat! For price of $16.90, you can really give this a  try. 

Left: Truffle Fries
Right: Chili Crab Pasta

There are many other items that I would like to try. Will be back!

Pan Delights
Blk 161 Bukit Merah Central
#01-3725
Singapore 150161

Zi Char @ Telok Blangah Crescent

The family just love to eat Zi Char. A nice place which we have been to a couple of times. Just below one of the HDB flats near the market.

Seoul Accommodation - PJ Seoul Hotel

A really nice hotel, away from the bustling shopping area of Myeong dong at Jung-go. Best thing about this hotel, it provides shuttle bus service. 

The triple room was quite comfortable and there are walking space after we left our luggages lying on the floor. With a table to condor off the sleeping area and the wardrobes - Visually, it makes the room looks bigger. Furthermore, there is a relatively big balcony which we can see the Seoul tower. Unfortunately, the weather was a little cold for us to enjoy the balcony to the fullest. 

While hotel normally gives toothbrush, combs as toilet necessity, this hotel also gives free masks (but well for the first night). Not too bad and maybe if they have given more, we could have tried the different type of masks and could have bought back as souvenirs. 

PJ Seoul Hotel - Triple Room

Direction:

1. Bus 6015 from airport / Chongmuro station (Exit Gate 8)

2. Turn left at first street (in between Kia Motor and Paris baguette) and continue walking straight for about 150m. You will see the hotel on the left. 

Shuttle Bus Service:

Course A (from 0815hr to 1800hr): Chungmuro Station > Myeongdong Station > Namdaemun Market > Lotte Department Store

Course B (from 1900hr - 0200hr) : Chungmuro Station > Sejong Hotel Entrance > Myeongdong Entrance > Jongro-2ga > Jongro-5ga > Dongdaemun Market

Address:
71, Mareunnae-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-282, 

South Korea

Switch by Timbre

The birthday girl has the final say to where to head to for dinner. As the Singapore Night Festival is on and she has cravings for duck pizza,  there we went - Switch by Timbre group at NTUC Income building. Switch does take in reservations, but only for 50% of the tables. The remaining 50% is for walk-in. I thought this was a great idea so that walk-in customers do have the chance to head in.

Okay, we did not make a reservation and luckily, one of us made the effort to be early to join the queue. 'A mad rush' for the queue when the door was opened was her comment. Actually, this was only a dining place with music, what's the great deal about it? Why the rush? 

Well, okay, enough said. Time for the food. Duck pizza was up on the table together with the truffle fries and Kirin Frozen Foam beer (Elder Flower). The duck pizza was not too bad. It was special as it was a fusion to me. The portion was well enough for 3 persons who were early. When the fourth person joined, we ordered the truffle fries, a salad and another pizza (not captured in photo). It was a simply relaxing meal with of course the beer to match it. My first try at the Frozen Foam beer - not too bad, will be back to try the other flavours!

Switch by Timbre - Duck Pizza, Kirin Frozen Foam (elder flower), Truffle Fries

We did not stay for the music that starts at 9pm. We went off to 'participate' in the night festival. It would have been great if the music could actually start early. If not, dinning customers might not leave before 9pm and waiting customers could not have their dinner.

73 Bras Basah Road #01-01/02

Singapore 189556

Hoshino Coffee 星乃珈琲屋

Not the first time to Hoshino Coffee 星乃珈琲屋 at Plaza Singapura and the queue was normally long. I reckon is the waiting time for the food to be cooked and served to the table. I always have this mindset that Hoshino would prepare the food only when they received the order. Thus, it will always take more than 15 minutes for the food to be served. Thus, let's do some maths. If we took 5-10 minutes to decide what to order, than another 15 minutes for the food to be prepared, it will be 20-25 minutes before we started to eat. With another 15-20 minutes of eating and maybe another 10 minutes to dilly-dally a bit, it will be 35-45 minutes before the table can be freed up for the next diner. Woooow... 

Anyway, I always forget that the curry base served in Hoshino is cooked with beef. Thus, if you do not eat beef, then skip the rice section. I like the fact that the serving crew makes the effort (without fail) to remind diner of this clause - very responsible!

So in the end, the curry rice order became void and I ordered the Lobster Bisque Soup Spaghetti. So basically, drink the soup and eat the spaghetti. It's 2-in-1 dish, worth the $16. The spaghetti was simply al dente and went well with the bisque soup. With ingredients like tofu and prawns, this pasta simply makes it to one of the top place in my Japaneses pasta list. 

Desserts is simply a love-hate dish in this world. Chocolate Fondant cake with softee - a heavenly combination of the chocolate lava cake with ice cream! This lava cake took real long to be served - more than 15 minutes since we ordered it. I wondered if they actually started preparing only after the main course is being served or when we were half way through the meal. 

Cut the cake into half and see the chocolate flows out. Eat together with the soffee and it was marvelous. The portion was not that big, but was well enough for us to indulge in it. A nice way to end the meal. 

Top:  Lobster Bisque Soup Spaghetti
Bottom: Chocolate Fondant cake with softee

I simply love the service received at Hoshino Coffee - the crews were attentive. Will be back if the queue is short! 

Plaza Singapura
68 Orchard Road #03-84

Seoul 2014 - Day 7 - Hongdae Free Market, Ewha Women’s University

Today was spent at doing last minute shopping at Hongdae  and Ewha Women's University. Nothing much to emphasize but well, enjoy the walking and buying!

But before that, time for our early lunch at Gogung. This place is famous for its Jeonju bibimbap. Really had a great meal here and it's our very first and only authentic bibimbap in Seoul this time round. Had the seafood pancake too.. Loved it! 

I would definitely recommend this place and well, will be back when I'm back in Seoul!

Address:
37, Myeongdong 8ga-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul
서울특별시 중구 명동8가길 37 (충무로2가)

Direction:
Myeongdong Station(Subway Line 4), Exit 10.
Go straight for 30m towards Migliore.
The restaurant is located behind Sejong Hotel.

Gogung, Jeonju bibimbap

After the heavy brunch, we headed to some shopping at Myeongdong before heading to Hondae.

Well, time for a late lunch now. Did a last minute google search and found this place:

(심슨탕) Sim Seun Tang for its Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew). Not a very big place to start off with but it's definitely cozy. The service crew did not speak much English and the menu is totally in Korean. Well, some pointing, some nodding and some simple English and that's it - we ordered our lunch .

If you are a kpop fan, maybe you can spot your idol's signature hidden somewhere!

Address:
Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. 355-210

(심슨탕) Sim Seun Tang -Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew)

A long day of shopping and we ended up eating Korean BBQ near our hotel - 

Ssamsarang. Why here? Because we always saw it when we visited the convenience stall but we did not have the time to visit it. Well, lucky us that we managed to step in and had our dinner. Simply loved it there. It is a very nice traditional Korean BBQ restaurant. The owner is very nice and even cooked for us and taught us the correct way to have our food. Simply loved their service and well, the food too!

Direction:
Chungmuro Station exit 8. look out for the 7-Eleven convenience store. This restaurant is just a couple of shops away.

Ssamsarang Korean BBQ near Chungmuro Station

BiBiGo @ Raffles City

Dinner at Bibigo for a Korean meal. It was a gathering to meet friends whom I have not really mingle with for the past year. 

As usual, korean pancake is something that will definitely be on the table if it is found in the menu. I can never resist not ordering one. But there aren't many restaurants in Singapore that really serve great pancakes. I think the best I had was at Big Mama. 

Alright, a seafood pancake to start off the dinner. It was not too bad. The base was thin and crispy. But into the night, it turned soggy. So eat it while it's hot. The sauce that went with the pancake was a little salty for me. So be mindful when you dip your pancake in. Otherwise, this dish is not that bad. 

Next up was my main course - Kimchi chicken fried rice served with an egg and of course, some banchan (side dish) which was not refillable.  The fried rice was quite good, not that spicy. I have to say, please be more generous with the chicken. I doubtfully thought that I ordered plain fried rice. 

I have not tried eating fried rice in korean style. So I simply 'mashed' up the egg and eat in 'bimbimbap' style. In my opinion, not too bad than to eat the egg as a whole. 

A simple meal - to start theeeeeeee weekend!

Left: Seafood Pancake
Right: Kimchi fried rice

Raffles City Shopping Centre,
252 North Bridge Road, #B1-74

Seoul 2014 - Day 6 - COEX Aquarium, Noryangjin fish market, Hangang River Park

Breakfast first before we split up for our morning activities. After some research on where we can have breakfast at 9am, we stumbled upon O’sulloc Tea House which opens at 9am. Cool, and we were the first customers of that day. This cafe is situated in Myeongdong and is very accessible. It has three-storey seating space and it feels very peaceful inside. Free wifi, if you are looking for a cafe to relax and surf the internet. 

If you love green tea, this is a place you should visit. Most of the food and drinks item revolves around green tea. The green matcha latte was really good, I love it. The food was not too bad. Do give it a try if you are around the corner. 

O’sulloc Tea House

Address:
Seoul-si Jung-gu Myeongdong-gil 48
(Myeongdong2-ga)

Direction:
Myeongdong Station, Exit 6, turn left onto Myeongdong 8-gil.
Go straight about 400m, and you will see O´sulloc Tea House on the right.

After breakfast, we headed to COEX Aquarium which is at COEX Mall. Unfortunately for us, the mall was under some major renovation and the shops were not fully opened. It was quite confusing to pass through the constructions to get to the Aquarium but we made our way there. Not posting the fishes photos here as I really took quite a fair bit. But here's the transport direction:

Myeongdong Station (Line 4) -> Transfer at Seoul Natl Univ of Education (Line 2) -> Samseong (line 2)

So what's next after the fishes was of course Lunch. Today, we made our way to Noryangjin fish market. This fish market is really full of fresh seafood. It is really huge but we did not bother to roam the whole place as we soon realised that each stall sells similar stuff. We finally decided on the stall with a friendly Chinese lady who was able to communicate with us in Mandarin. I guess communication was important now as we were buying something that has no price tag to it. 

Noryangjin fish market

After some recommendations and negotiations, we bought what we want and the lady brought us to a small restaurant on the second level. We did not bother to ask for the price for helping us to cook the seafood as we reckon it will be almost the same since it is so competitive. So, here's our Fresh seafood lunch from the market.

Left: Raw octopus
Top right: Abalone
Bottom Right: Scallop

The food is really fresh. This is my first time eating raw octopus. The feeling was not that fantastic. Though it was not the whole octopus, the tentacles were still moving. Well, it was pretty tough to chew. Not the best dish on the table, in my opinion. 

The abalone was really tender and nice. And the scallops was stirred fried and it was flavourful. 

Direction:
Subway Noryangjin Station (Exit 1) and walk across the overhead bridge to the market. Please remember it is EXIT 1 instead of exit 9. There are 2 exit points at the station. Though Exit 9 can still bring you to the fish market, it will take a walk at the street. Exit 1 is nearer!

Next up, we went to the Hangang River Park, in hope to see Cherry blossom trees. Luck was a little on us and we managed to catch a few trees with blooming. Nice view, how I wish I could see the full blossom. 

Hangang Rive Park - blooming trees

We saw a cart selling strawberries, and decided to get a box - Sat at the park, admiring the scenery and well, enjoy the strawberries. 

Our main aim was actually to catch the sunset cruise at Hangang River. Not sure well, but a cruise was always enjoyable. Relaxing and nice way to end the day. 

Hangang River Cruise

Headed back to Myeongdong for dinner and we settled at two-two chicken shop. Fried chicken was in trend and well, we cannot miss it, right? We had the original and spicy. The meat was a little dry for the original but the marinated ones was great. But for the price, we thought there were more chicken servings. 

Two Two chicken

So when the night was still young, we went for mid night shopping at Dong dae mon using the shuttle bus service provided by the hotel! Loving this service!

Seoul 2014 - Day 5 - DMZ Day trip, Lotte Supermarket

Today, we woke up pretty early to start the Day at DMZ. So here's the breakfast for us.

Breakfast at Hotel as it was too early

We booked the tour through Koridoor Tours and we had to make our way to Camp Kim by 7.30 am for the tour. Really early but really excited over it. The price was rather steep at USD 92 and it included lunch with choice of bimbimbap or bulgogi. 

Well, photos time for the DMZ - not doing a write up on the tour, you've got to do it on your own! So enjoy the photos. 

DMZ

North Korea, where are you?

Looking forward to the day where we can take the train from here to the North

Lunch

Well, that pretty summed up the DMZ trip. So time to head for a tea break before the supermaket shopping commenced.

Found this cafe "Angel-in-us Coffee" near to Seoul Lotte Supermarket. Pretty nice beverage. 

Tea-break before hitting the supermarket

After the supermarket, we lugged back our goodies via the train again. We did not even consider taking a cab despite our heavy boxes. So we popped into the Korean BBQ restaurant that is just beside the Chumgmuro Station which we passed by everytime we visited the convenience stall. Pretty authentic food and nice! The service was great and the service crew would help to do the bbq-ing, so we just sat back and enjoyed the meal. 

Korean BBQ

So what's next? We headed to Dongdaemon for midnight shopping using the hotel's shuttle bus. I have to say... THIS shuttle bus service is really good!!!!!!

A short getaway to Montigo Resort (Batam)

A short getaway from Singapore to Montigo Resort in Batam. While all think that ferry to Batam departs at Harbourfront terminal, please note that the nearest ferry terminal to Montigo resort is Nongsa. We took Batam Fast ferry and a return ticket costs around SGD$46. Do note that you can purchase an open ticket for the return trip so that you can decide when and where to take the ferry back. In the end, we took the ferry back from Batam Centre after visiting Nagoya Hill Shopping mall. 

Price:

Back to the blogging on the resort. We booked the Hilltop Villa via their own website. We managed to book it at around SGD$425 per villa per night (for 4 persons) through a Flash deal promotion. It is noted that a fifth person can be accommodated and has to pay SGD$100+ per night. 

Service:

Montigo resorts provided a shuttle service (to be pre-arranged) to bring us to the Resort from Nongsa ferry terminal. It was around a 5-10 minutes ride. Check in time is at 3pm but you could check in early if there is availability of room. Check out is at 11a.m. Montigo also provides a shuttle service to Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall at 10am (well, it was late when we took it at 10.40am the next day) and back at 4pm (which we did not take). The journey was around 45 minutes to an hour depending on the traffic. 

I have to say, Montigo staff at the reception lobby were very attentive. When we alighted the shuttle bus, we were given a glass of welcome drink and a cold towel. Then as we proceeded to the lobby, a staff was 'appointed' to do the check in process for us. He also went on to tell us about the floor plan of the resort and did some introduction. Do note that we have to give SGD$100 as deposit which will be returned upon check out unless we spent on something during the stay. Well, do prepare the notes if not, charge a million rupiah to your credit card!

Here's the first few views I saw at Montigo Resort:

the first look at Montigo Resort

As the villa was not ready, we were being shuffled to TADD’s by buggy service to have lunch. While, as it was Hari Raya, they had a buffet lunch promotion at around SGD$25++ for the festive where drinks were not included. In the end, we paid around 1.6 million rupiah for 4 persons - I have to say, a pretty expensive meal in Batam. the variety of the food was not that great and some were beef which I do not take. The appetizers were special and spicy enough to perk the stomach. The desserts which are mostly kuehs were good too. Just that the mains were so so.

Here's some of the food we had with  a nice gloomy view - Lucky Sun was not on our side and it started raining there. What a letdown when we are supposed to be under the sun swimming!

The Lunch - not that fantastic and an expensive one!

After the lunch, we took the buggy back to the reception lobby. Lucky for us, the villa was ready and there we went to the start of the retreat! 2 card keys were given to us - 1 was to slot into the card slot to activate the electricity while the other is for us to use when we were out of the villa - we did only once, that was to have our breakfast the next day!

Without further ado, here's the pictures of the ground floor of the villa - with the living room + kitchenette, the dining table next to the private pool. A private pool that we spent most of the time at. It was a little 'dirty' and we reckon it could be due to the downpour earlier on. 

A wii machine is found at the TV area and 2 controllers were available. A NBA game disc was there as well and we tried to play. Only one controller is working and well, that marks the end of our touch with the wii. We did try to call the reception for more games and only Mario driving game is available. I told them to deliver to our villa and not sure of it is due to some communication breakdown, the game disc never arrived!

Level 1 of the Villa - the place we spent most of the time at

Next level up is the 2 bedrooms. A master bedroom with a pretty big washroom - a bathtub sitting in the middle of the washroom! A double bed was fantastic and there is a long sofa (I think there will be where the fifth person can make him or herself comfortable!).

The bedrooms on the second floor

 Well, I cannot resist but to capture the art pieces there. The painting, the decorations were really very captivating for me. What say you?

Can't resist the art pieces!

Spent the rest of the afternoon soaking in the private pool. With fun and laughter, chit chatting with the girls. Bonding time is the best quality time ever! I love! 

Soon, it was time for the sun to rest.. Pretty sunset by the sea. Taken by the pool.. Nice!

What beats a nice sunset with friends... on ground level

Off to the rooftop for some more pretty views of the sunset....

Up to the rooftop for a better view

Good things come to an end fast! real fast! Day 2 came in a twinkle of the eye. Here's the complimentary breakfast at the same place we had the lunch yesterday. We all agreed that breakfast was indeed much better than the lunch. Well, typical international breakfast buffet. One nice dish to talk about would be the prata and its curry sauce. The curry sauce was actually jackfruit flavoured. They used Jackfruit to cook the curry. Sweet and spicy made the prata tasted better! I like!

Breakfast is the best meal of the day!

More views of the common pool on a sunny day. How nice was it! Definitely better than yesterday! I hope for one more day to be spent there but reality set in real quick!

The main pools

The Tiigo Bar which only served the adults. Here's how it looks in the day!

Well, the rest of the resorts!

Shall be back soon to enjoy more of the common facilities in the resort. For the price we paid, for the service we had, I think this is rather a good choice. Away from the bustling city in just 40 minutes, who would mind going to Batam!

From here, we took the shuttle service to Nagoya Hill shopping mall. Not much time to shop as we went for a (not-that-fantastic) massage! Should have used that time to spend in the hypermart!

I think I will be back here soon... the hypermart was irresistible!

Seoul 2014 - Day 4 - Bukchon Hanok Village, Changdeokgung Palace, Tosokchon Ginseng Chicken, Jongmyo (Royal Shrine), Insa-dong

Is cultural day today as we happened to be there at month end - Do note that it is free entrance to the Palace on every last Wednesday of the month. But you still have to pay for the entrance to the Secret Garden. 

Alright, there was no plan to where's for breakfast today and we decided to head towards Changdeokgung Palace area for a look. Luck was on us and we managed to find this porridge place -  Bonjuk - Nice warm porridge to start off the day. 

Do try out the porridge at this shop, the porridge was really great and thy are generous in their servings. 2 bowls of porridge and the 3 of us weren't able to finish, not that it was bad but it was too much! 

Porridge at Bonjuk 

After the breakfast, it was time for some walk. We joined a free English guided tour at 10.30 am at Changdeokgung Palace. It was great with the guide around. We learnt more about the history of the Palace and of course, the country itself. The pace of the tour was just nice, taking an hour to bring us through the main events of the Palace. It was not the first time I've visited this Palace, but it was the first time I heard more about the place. 

Changdeokgung Palace

More of Changdeokgung Palace

After the guided tour at the main Palace, the timing was just right for the Secret Garden Guided Tour. This was not free and it costed 5,000 won per person. This secret garden was pretty well-preserved and the weather at end-March was pretty awesome for the walk. 

Directions to Changdeokgung Palace:

Anguk Station (Subway Line 3), Exit 3. Go straight for 5min.

For Bonjuk Porridge, it will be at one of the road intersection, turn to the left and walk straight. You will see it on the left side. 

Secret Garden 

Alright, time for lunch. As usual, we tried to do some research on the great food at the area and the best place we had was at Tosokchon Ginseng Chicken. 

Priced at 15,000 won, the Ginseng Chicken is truly worth the price - 

The ginseng taste is especially strong and the chicken soup is really thick and rich. The chicken meat is tender and moist and you do not need much effort to eat as it will fall off easily when you used your chopsticks.

We tried both the black chicken and the ginseng chicken. Both were equally good. Oh, the kimchi banchan was great too. This place was real crowded and though you do not speak Korean, the ordering was easy and smooth. 

Direction:

Gyeongbokgung Station (Seoul Subway Line 3), Exit 2.

Go straight about 170m and turn left onto Jahamun-ro 5-gil Road, the shop is on the left. 

Tosokchon Ginseng Chicken 

Next up, we went to  Bukchon Hanok Village. Pretty much a well-preserved place where there are people currently living at the Village. So do not talk loudly and make a nuisance out of yourself so as not to disturb the locals living there. 

Oh, by the way, the house which Lee Min Ho starred in Personal Taste was actually a real unit in Bukcon Hanok Village. Want to know where is the exact location, look out for the free information guide stationed at the Village, they will let you know the direction. 

One thing I love about Seoul is that they have guides all over the place. They are more than happy to provide the information we need and if they do not know, they tried their best to find out for us. It really made the travel experience at Seoul a pleasant one. 

Direction:
Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 2.

Bukchon Hanok Village

Next up was Insa-dong. It was a pretty nice walk along the streets, exploring the different shops at the place. When tired, just find a cafe to sit in and relax. Enjoy a tea-break before we embarked on our walks.

Insa-dong

Insa-dong is pretty much a relaxing place to be in and well, we noted that some of the shops are not in their usual form. That is, the shop names were written in Korean instead of the usual alphabets. Pretty cool. 

Shop Names in Korean @ Insa-dong

When the sky got darker, we decided to try out the dine-in street stall for dinner. Pretty much a new experience to eat in the tentage with the locals. I would not say that the food was fantastic but at least, the eating atmosphere was not too bad and it's an experience indeed.

Street stall food