In-between work:Lobster Rolls and Pork Noodles

Was looking through the photos taken in July with my mobile phone. Up to nothing much, except for going on a short weekend trip to Chiangmai (which I word-pressed in http://ilovelongvacation.wordpress.com/) and checking out some much-hyped about food in-between work.

Lobster rolls must be one of the latest food fad in town. Had my first one at Platypus Lobster Shack with the girls at Pickering Street after work one day. Not awesome, but wholesome :)

Cosy cafe specialising in lobster rolls after 6pm. 

The making of the lobster rolls. Looks simple. But it took a while before we were served....

The best shot I took of the lobster roll served with chips and salad. Too cosy were the lighting! We all chose The Traditional flavor, this being our first visit. Served in other flavours too. Like sun-dried  tomatoes, smoked paprika, spicy diablo etc. 

Had the famous Tai Hwa Pork Noodles (Bak Chor Mee) for lunch at Crawford Lane. Was such a long wait of 1.5 hours! Tasty but don't think  I will do it again for lunch. Too much of a queue - for taxi and then food. LOL.

Bak Chor Mee! Ingredients were cooked just right - nothing over cooked or under cooked. Sounds really simple right? But really hard to strike that dedicate balance, I think 

Huge portion of pork balls soup! Tangy balls and savory soup :)

Wish I had found the energy and time to blog earlier about these food options so you can check out if you work near or are near the CBD. Not really a fan of checking out food during and after working hours though - guess not in the food mood :P Always more enjoyable to explore our backyard on weekends (which I have spent quite a few checking out flats these days...taking a break this weekend because I'm running the Half Marathon tomorrow!!)

LIFE 没那么简单

‘别人说的话 随便听一听自己作决定‘ - 这句黄小琥的没那么简单里的歌词是昨天的心情写照。

也或许这是过去几个月累计的感触。下一句 ‘不想拥有太多情绪’真的不容易。

这么久没有留言了，没想到让我有了想动笔的冲动， 竟是想诉说 LIFE 没那么简单。

Kenting! 垦丁很美！

I just pressed about Kenting in ilovelongvacation!

Half a year later, I cannot remember the name of this beach. But I remember its beauty

Half a year later, I cannot remember the name of this beach. But I remember its beauty

Half a year later, I cannot remember the name of this beach. But I remember its beauty

Half a year later, I cannot remember the name of this beach. But I remember its beauty. 

Half a year later, I cannot remember the name of this beach. But I remember its beauty

East Coast to Changi; Sakuraya Fish Mart to Chock Full of Beans

Hello June! Almost half year gone and I wonder what I have achieved. Nothing much in this space with less than 10 posts to show :P Last year this time, I have probably already blogged more than 30 posts. Blogging is indeed a full time job, contrary to belief. It's no longer mine. Kudos to all full-time bloggers - for having the courage to pursue this career! Feeling a bit emo, I guess...

Been spending quite a bit of time with myself in May. Sometimes, I'm amazed that I feel happy doing things alone.... Sometimes, I wonder if there is something wrong with me....

One of those moments in May was spent cycling from East Coast Park to Changi Beach Park via the park connectors. Started the day with an hour long bus ride to Parkway Parade and had lunch at Sakuraya. Wanted to eat at the hawker centre but it was closed for upgrading!

Cucumber Salad - very refreshing! And quite healthy :)

The first time I tried Uni (sea urchin). Hmmm... Not sure whether I like it but I definitely don't dislike it. Will have it again to decide. Haha.

Shishamo - I love it!  :)

 Was a pretty SUNNY day to cycle...

Stopped at times to rest and well, see the world go by :) Not sure how long I cycled but it took me around 2 hours to reach Changi Beach Park from East Coast Park.

Finally had the chance to visit Chock Full of Beans, famous for its coffee art. 

In a quiet corner was Chock Full of Beans.

Was after 3pm when I had this. So I called it teanner :P

Ice Rose Latte. So pretty, right? Wanted to try the hot one so I can see the coffee art. But it was too hot. 

Eggs Benedicts. Was OK. Haha. 

Was a good day alone. Haha. Planned to cycle monthly although I have not met the target this month yet. The Sukuraya menu is perfect for one so I will definitely return to try the other items. Chock Full of Beans will face another strong competitor in Changi Village :)

Tiong Bahru - Open Door Policy and Drips Cafe

Happy Vesak Day! Finally found time to hit the laptop. LOL. Been on a cleaning spree these days, and spent time housekeeping my room section by section (not that it's that BIG! :P) But well, guess I always find it easier to chew challenging tasks bit by bit :)

Visited Open Door Policy (ODP) for the first time in April, although I have passed by a few times. Nice ambiance but surprised to find that most of the customers are Caucasian. Guess locals don't find the place value for money :P

We were seated in the courtyard and looked up to see flats (not stars). LOL. Still nice dining under the sky :)

Here's a glimpse at the restaurant!  

Starters to share. Quite exquisite.  The only nice picture I managed to take. By the time the main courses were served, every dish turned out dodgy in the pictures. LOL. 

Moved on to Drips Cafe for sweets. It's been a while since my last visit in last April/March when I was still jobless. Those were the days - kinda of miss them :) Check out my earlier posts : Drips Cafe and Marched!

Our order without the waffles...  We asked for more forks and I like how the staff went 'On the way!' :P

Raspberry Tart recommended by the restaurant staff. This is the first time I tried the tart which seems to be quite popular. Not bad - see the twinkle? :)

And waffles with ice-cream and berries and maple syrup. Nice too :) Shall return again to try the savory. Haha. 

It's a Tuesday but it feels like a Sunday! Having second thoughts about all these odd public holidays in May. It's like having two TGIFs and two Monday Blues in a week. Meh.
  

Wing.Stop

Hi there! It's quite rare for me to blog on a Monday night but feeling energised tonight after a 3KM run around the Marina Bay area with colleague F after work :) Been a while since I last run after work and I cannot remember it being such a good feeling :)

Here's a quickie - it's kind of weird to blog about Wing Stop and fried chicken after a healthy exercise. LOL. And the funny thing is that I won some Wing Stop vouchers for participating in a TWEAKITSG campaign which is about work-life balance (quite reflective of today, I guess) :)



Well, I think there is currently only one Wing Stop in Singapore at Bedok Mall and I didn't even know about this new mall till I decided to utilise the vouchers (I'm so not an east kid, right?) :P



The different flavours hung on the wall - probably need to visit at least 5-6 times to try them all?



We tried the family combo with 30 wings and nuggets (cannot remember what they call it and also what we ordered - but these three were the more popular flavours).  It came with two sides - we went for coleslaw and fries as well as two drinks.

Did not get a rave review from the family - a bit too savoury. But it is not too bad either - very difficult for fried stuff to go wrong, I always say :)

Robertson Quay Chapter 1 : Anthesis

I love the beginning of every month, as it seems to give me the energy to get things in order. May started off great with the Labour Day public holiday, which I did nothing (really! maybe a little?). I always hear people saying XXX is their favourite month (usually their birthday month or Christmas or...) and well, May may jolly well be mine if it continues its good streak :P

April was not too bad either. I visited many places for the first time and one of them was Anthesis at Robertson Quay.  


I didn't know this part of Robertson Quay, near Zouk, existed. Usually, I would be at the cafes/restaurants nearer the UE Square side. Very happy to discover this part of Singapore and to finally know where Toby's Estate and Kith Café at Robertson Quay are. Anyway, vintage sight spotted on the way to Anthesis - feels like Malacca!



Our brunch! D had Egg Duet while I chose Three Little Duck - very lovingly named, aren't they? The Café Latte I had was very nice - very latte. Did I tell the joke about us ordering latte in Rome and ended up being served just milk? :)



Cosy café. And quite spacious with social space between customers. Realised I do enjoy cafes with space. How about you?



Alfresco dining by the river would have been nice too :) but I realised many of my friends usually prefer the air-conditioned indoors :P  

Not many locals spotted, I thought. Maybe that's why I only discover this stretch now!

Well, very nice morning spent at Robertson Quay. Do see myself returning most often - that's why I entitled this post Chapter 1. LOL. Any other cafes to recommend at Robertson Quay?

Seoul - Siloam Sauna, Sigolbapsang, Passion5, Young Plaza and Lotte Department Store

Have not blogged about my travels for a while, especially here. Been thinking of consolidating both the blogs (the other being http://ilovelongvacation.wordpress.com/) because I realise I don't have much time (and content) these days. Will see how - it's tough because both are so close to my heart...

Well, I mentioned briefly about my Seoul trip in end March (we just missed the full bloom cherry blossom by a bit :( ). Went with my sister C and my cousin SS (our first trip together) so it was quite fun :) Took Cathay Airline because it was relatively cheaper and the timing of the flights matched all our schedules. But it was a red-eye flight with a short stop-over in Hong Kong airport so we were a bit jet-lagged when we arrived in Incheon at 6am...



Headed for a local sauna after we left our luggage at the hotel. Siloam is near Lotte Mart (nearest subway station is Seoul Station). Quite interesting. Besides the sauna, Siloam houses many levels of entertainment but we didn't take any pictures inside because we didn't want to intrude into the privacy of the local community - in the changing area, many were walking around in their birthday suits! Haha.

Not really sure what we were doing - the language barrier is quite apparent here because it serves mainly the locals, I think. We soaked in many different types of pools and followed by trying the different sleeping areas set at different temperatures with different setting e.g. salt, jade. We also tried the BBQ eggs and fermented barley drinks - those you see in Korean drama! Haha. There were many other facilities available e.g. gym, karaoke, hair salon, massage spas, restaurants etc. Definitely a place where you can spend a day to relax! Cannot remember how much it costs but I recall telling my sister that the amount is value for money :P



After the bath, we went to Itaewon for lunch and decided to try Sigolbapsang, a small traditional Korean restaurant. There, we tried so many classic banchans for a flat price of 8,000 won each!



Very sumptuous lunch - I think we over-ordered. Should have just ordered 1 more ala-carte instead of 2! Didn't imagined that we will be served so many banchans!



Seafood pancake. I really like this version because it was over-flowing with seafood! Really miss it as I blogged. Yummy!



Spicy chicken stew which was also huge! Thought it would be a spicy chicken soup that will warm us, not fill us up!

After lunch, we explore Itaewon where many foreigners hang out. The area is large with shops, cafes, galleries lining the entire stretch. I'm sure there are many hidden gems somewhere in the gil and dong but we did not really seek them out. Haha. Still suffering from our red-eye flight...



Then we stopped at this place - Passion 5 - for coffee. Didn't manage to take any pictures but the  café was gorgeous with pastries both savoury and sweet! We just had coffee, no thanks to our overfilling lunch. Would have been nice to try some of the sweets... Hmmm...



My mocha - I always have this notion that in a good cup of coffee, the coffee art stays till the last drop if you don't stir it. Haha. Correct me if I'm wrong :P

Left Itaewon for Young Plaza, which was next to Lotte Department Store, which was near Myeungdong. SS checked out the SM Pop-Up Store. First time I heard of EXO. Haha. And this trip, my favourite was Mr.Mr, Mr.Mr. Haha.



While I checked out the highly-raved Style Nanda. Didn't buy any clothes but got away with some 3CE cosmetics :)



SS wanted to go back to the hotel at 6pm! Gosh! So we decided to have dinner at the Lotte Department Food Court to re-charge and to explore the Lotte Department Store a bit more before we call it a day. My cold noodles which was ok. Haha.

We found out that the departmental store closes at 8pm which I thought was really early for a shopping paradise like Seoul. Well, I guess everyone will just head to Nandaemun which we did in the later part of our trip - will share on that later.

It's like only 2 weeks since I'm back to reality. And I think I need a break again. If only we can travel every day...

The Marshmallow Tree and Little Part 1 Cafe

Back with a vigour! LOL. Well, went to a few cafes in March - The Marshmallow Tree near my place (Telok Blangah MRT station) and Little Part 1 Café near Thomson Plaza.

The Marshmallow Tree

 

Been wanting to visit The Marshmallow Tree because it's so near my place! Tried to go once either on Christmas eve or new year eve (half day off from work! yeah!) - went but didn't venture in because it looked kind of crowded. So I went with MQ after we collected our goody bag for the Venus Run (took place on 8 Mar - will blog about the yummy hawker food we had at Satay Club after the run later).

 

Quirky decor.



Located right in a quiet neighbourhood, next to a coffee shop and other local shops. Very hidden, I must say. If not for all the blogs (and word of mouth), I'm not sure how people will get to know its existence....



Small and cosy cafe. Can maybe accommodate at most 20 people?



Ordered the Rose Latte - love it! :)



Wanted to try the swing. But felt a bit shy. Haha. Maybe next time.

Little Part 1 Café

Wanted to visit Habitat but XF suggested this cafe hidden in a private estate instead. Not really the typical cafe with coffees and cakes but quite a full-scale one offering main courses and alcohols. Feels a bit like Holland Village. Haha.



Decor was a bit whimsical, a fairy-tale cottage feel.

Was a really hot day that day(Singapore has not been raining much in March!) so this green tea latte was really good. It's true - sometimes, different drinks do suit different weather (and occasions). LOL.



Nachos with cheese. Really good! Please order if you go :)



Buffalo wings - hot! Nice too.



Wrap with ham and BBQ chicken, I think. The skin was really crispy but overall a bit too savoury with all sauces.



Pork ribs. Half slab. As you can tell by now, we ordered too much for two! Should have stopped at three :P It's nice and tender - would have enjoyed it more on an emptier stomach :P



Was a really early dinner and we kind of saw the sun set in the cafe with all the sun rays dancing around :)

I'm sure many of you are probably cafe-hopping somewhere, enjoying what's left of Sunday - it's like the national hobby now! The cafe scene in Singapore is indeed growing! Sometimes I feel really lucky to be staying here  - so much to cherish and appreciate :)  Well, I had my moments yesterday at Wheelers Yard, so I decided to stay home and well, just enjoy whatever I enjoy doing. Till the next post!

Wheelers Yard

Hi all! It's been so long since my last post! GOSH! LOL. Guess you can tell I'm thrilled to be back to one of my favourite activities :)

Just came back from a holiday in Seoul, so I'm still feeling recharged even though I have gone back to work since 1 April. Thought I better share about my virgin trip to Wheelers Yard before I get backlogged by work (meh).

XF kindly brought GT and me to Wheelers Yard (near Balestier) today although she's been there numerous times. It's so challenging to get there if you do not drive (or cycle :P) - we met at Novena, took Bus 21 (or 131) outside IRAS building (opposite Novena Square) and walked into an industrial park before we got there! And on a rainy day - heard Singapore has not been raining since I went Seoul, so it's been about 2 weeks... and well, it had to rain today. Phew.

Not sure if it was worth the travel. Haha. But definitely a nice place to hang out if you want to avoid the crowd. Literally because unlike many cafes, Wheelers Yard is very very very spacious! See  below pictures if you don't believe me :P



We had our brunch indoors because GT wanted it. LOL. Our next-door neighbours at Wheelers Yard.



One of the private corners. Good if you are just there for a drink. But we preferred the high table so we can eat in comfort.



The long communal tables were separated by the bicycles to create small private tables - thought it was such a good idea! 



The bicycle theme is very strong in Wheelers Yard. I'm sure the bicycle enthusiasts will love it here! We saw a few with their bicycles today :)



Cappuccino! With biscuits from the past :)



My BIG Breakfast. So full! Our neighbours had the cheese fries and fish and chips etc - they look good too!



After brunch, we moved to the outdoors. Really spacious right? :P



And the bicycle shop...

The structure in the warehouse has been left intact, I think. Adds to the charm of the space. See the high ceiling? Such a spacious café...



Last but not least, the facade and its infamous blue gate. LOL. Heard it is a photo spot! :P

It's amazing to see the café slowly fill up as we had our brunch on a rainy day. Guess it has its charm. It's worth checking out if you have not been there, especially if you have great company or you just want some quiet time alone, away from the city buzz...

PS: Cannot seem to locate the website so I reckon there isn't one. But if you Google, you will find many bloggers talking about it, with the address and what not....