Yummy December 2021 - The Spot, Forty Hands, Takeshi-San

My food adventures in December continues. Read my earlier post Yummy December 2021 - Green Common, French Fold and Tipsy Flamingo. 

The Spot

Have you gone back to office now that work from home is no longer the default? In December, I had lunch at The Spot on one of my rare trips back to the office at Marina One. It was my first-time at this multi-concept venue although I always walk past it pre-pandemic! The Spot lunch menu was reasonably priced for the quantity and quality :P

My choice of set lunch (three-courses) were char-grilled octopus (appetizer), grilled pork jowl (main course) and sea coconut brulee (dessert). Enjoyed the meal with my colleagues whom I have not had lunch with for a while! :)

 

 

Forty Hands

Was good to lunch at Forty Hands Tiong Bahru with a colleague (also ex-intern :)) who came over to my hood. Well, everyone knows Forty Hands and I think Tiong Bahru was where it started. 

Too many feasts in December so I had the Falafel and the Shaken Ice Honey Oat Latte. We also shared a Tau Sar Pau (red bean bub). Did you know that the Pau at Forty Hands are quite famous? :)

Takeshi-San

Checked out this Japanese restaurant at Holland Village at the recommendation of a friend. Could not find its website so here's the link to Takeshi-San FaceBook page. It was a good recommendation!

Had the Sushi Kaidan Sets (enjoyed a 1-for-1 offer on Chope Deals), Prawn Mentako Pasta as well as the Ikura Chawamushi and Chicken Wings. Also like the decor with the chandelier which reminds me of a sky of stars / a sea of flowers! 

 

 

So this is Part 2 of this December food adventures. Look out for the other parts on this blog, or follow me on Facebook OR Instagram (@ilovelongvacation) OR Twitter (@ilovelongvacatn) for more frequent updates on life in our backyard (#ilovelongvacationsg)! :P

One Sentence Journal l 22 January 2017

Found it challenging to do this daily. Here's a throwback to an eventful Sunday. Went for Piloxing as usual, had my first acai and did my nails for the lunar new year! Managed to squeeze in time to do shopping for the house too!!

Checked out Haakon at Holland Raffles. Like the Scandinavia interior - lots of wood, white and grey. Acai was refreshing but a tad too healthy for lunch personally. The superfood salad menu looks good though. 

The Missing Pan and PARK

Throwback to October 2014. Not a very happening month. Did visit a few nice cafes though. Here goes!

The Missing Pan

Catch-up with D and C at The Missing Pan. It was not as out of the way as I thought it would be. Took bus 961, dropped at Coronation Plaza and walked a few minutes to find it! Always happy to be back at ukit Timah, an area I spent a good 2 years studying (more) and exploring (less) :)  

Can't remember the name of my choice of brunch of yummy Eggs Benedict with Smoked Salmon. 

We got a window seat which I like. It's always nice to see the world go by and Bukit Timah on a Saturday morning is quite serene. Like the natural light that flows into The Missing Pan - kind of  start your day on a bright note!

Park At Holland Village

First saw PARK at the start of 2014 from The Hatched. Can't believe it took me so long to visit. The place gives off a very chirpy vibe - feels good to celebrate ALI's birthday here :)  By the way, we all like the spam fries - doesn't look very appealing as the centre piece but it was good! 

My pulled-pork wrap was very full-filling! Heard the truffles fries and mac/cheese are good too. So I hope it will not be too long before I get to try them!  :) 

Random shot of  me having coffee while waiting to meet up with JC friends. LOL. See my nail art? Was done at The Nail Artelier during its open house during the Halloween period. 

Another glimpse of the nail. LOL. And yes, llaollao finally! Was amused by the queue. It's nice and worth it. But shall wait for the fad to pass and the queue to shorten before getting it again... 

Happy Sunday, everyone! :)

Hatched @ Holland Village

My first blog of the year is about brunch at Hatched and I thought Hatched sounds like a good start - everything starts afresh from Day 1 :)
Have heard about the many nice cafes in Holland Village but this is my first brunch experience there - partly because Holland Village is a bit out of the way. Now that the Circle Line is up and running (for a while), I definitely want to explore this area more :)

We got a window seat on level 2 and it was really nice to just gaze out into this quiet part of Holland Village. Another café, Park, is in view - want to brunch there soon! :)

Quite a cosy set-up.... but like a lot of cafes, tables are to tables, if you know what I mean?

GT chose to have peppermint tea while I got a Flat White. The coffee is ok only. May not be worth a trip if you only want to go there for coffee...

Our brunch - looked like a worthy spread for New Year Day, ya? :P Hatched offers a wide variety of eggs, so we were really spoilt for choice. Thanks for the treat, GT! HAHA.

GT and me :) The only minus of this window seat is there the service staff refused to take a picture for us due to the lighting. Haha. So we took a Selfie :P Well, GT and I have known each other for a decade (since we were colleagues back in 2003) - wow! For me, it is always tougher to make close friends, especially from work. I am the kind who wants to have a clear line between professional and personal life, where possible. Well, fate has it that GT will be one of those friends whom I have known for work, became close friends, travelled together, kept in touch although we have changed jobs, seen each other gone through various stages of life :) And yes, we seldom meet but when we do, we can catch up easily with each other :)

Papillote - smoked salmon folded over scrambled eggs on toast, topped with sour cream, served with sautéed potatoes! Wanted a change from the usual big breakfast, egg benedict, pancakes so I decided on this - quite happy with my choice :)

GT went for sweet - Sleepover hatched special! Grilled bananas and streaky bacon sandwiched between thick French brioche toast... Sounds yummy, does it? :)

Here's Hatched! Located near one of the exits of Holland Village MRT station, the stretch near Wendy's. There are a few more cafes down the stretch of shop houses and I am so going to explore them :)

Well, I seldom make New Year's resolution. Kind of feel like doing so for 2014 so I have a bit more focus in life. LOL. Think people have this tendency to keep going back to places they have been to and enjoy, so one of my New Year's resolutions is to try new things this year, and to be more specific, I am going to try a NEW café every month :)

The Daily Scoop

GT was telling me about this very nice ice cream place in Holland Village so we decided to walk there after Lee's Taiwanese (see Lee's Taiwanese) at the Star Vista. And I discovered Chip Bee Gardens that seems to be another nice place to chill on days off... Before that, here goes The Daily Scoop :P



Amazed that the place was really crowded! It seems that besides ice latte and ice cappuccino, Singaporeans indulge in their ice-cream too! Quite a cosy place in spite of the chatters around us ;-)

 

Many flavours to choose from... My choice: Cherry Brandy! GT's choice: Avocado!



GT told me that the Beer flavour is good but it was not available that day. So I thought I will try something infused with alcohol. Cherry Brandy was ok - a nice balance of cherry and brandy :) Imagine bitter-sweet!



Cute name card. There's a branch at Sunset Way too.

If you are in Holland Village, you can check out Chip Bee Gardens. It's opposite the building where Cold Storage is and you just need to cross the road and walk right in where the landed estate is. Saw a few Italian restaurants too, so I might be going back to check them out.

 

Come to think of it, I have been visiting Holland Village more frequently since last year - because my previous job located was on the Circle Line and I found it a chore to travel to Orchard after work. Many thanks to my understanding friends who are always willing to meet up with me at Holland Village :) Chip Bee Gardens is definitely another reason to return. For an idea of what is there, you can read this guide by Lady Iron Chef Chip.