Across the causeway again

Besides shopping (the cost is slightly cheaper compared to Singapore and some brands are not available here), one of the best things about going across the causeway to City Square JB is value for money food. This time, we had lunch and dinner at Arashi Shabu Shabu and Taiwan Nostalgia Café.

Arashi Shabu Shabu (Basement 1)



Japanese hot pot! The 3 of us ordered 2 sets - milk broth (yummy!) and spicy Sichuan broth (spicy!) which came with ingredients such as vegetables, bean curds, fish balls and meat etc.



We chose Chicken and Pork Shoulder as part of the set and also ordered lamb as an add-on.



You can also choose a carbo item for each set - we ordered rice and noodle.

 



So this was our very sumptuous lunch which cost RM73.20 (about 35SGD) and our mother thought it would cost us at least 100SGD! Value of money, right? :P

Taiwan Nostalgia Café (Level 3)



After a few hours of shopping, we were undecided if we should have dinner before going home. We did - no prize for guessing right :P We decided on Taiwanese food. This was the Minced Meat Rice (鲁肉饭). I like it. Reminds me of the ones I had in Taiwan.



Must drink in Taiwanese café! :P Pearl Milk Tea (珍珠奶茶).



Lattea Green Tea (绿濭茶) - it's green tea topped with sea salt cream.



Crispy Salt Chicken (盐酥鸡). It was OK. Served hot which makes it nice.



My mother's choice - Taiwan Omelet (台式蛋饼). Something different from what we will order usually. Total damage was RM33.55 (about 16SGD).

For me, visiting Johor Bahru (JB) is like a short vacation without the bells and whistles. It's funny but I do feel relaxed and that I am on a vacation even though JB is only 90minutes away from Singapore. Being on foreign land always has that effect on me :)

I'm sure many Singaporeans are familiar about how to get to JB from Singapore. If you are visiting Singapore and would like to take a day trip to JB, you can take bus 170 from Kranji MRT station. Just follow the crowd and you will get there somehow :)

Tale of two cities - IKEA

My trip to Ikea at Alexandra reminded me about my trip to Ikea in Stockholm. As you may know, Sweden is the hometown of Ikea. I realised I have not blogged about my visit at all so here it goes.

Ikea, Alexandra, Singapore


Although Ikea at Alexandra, Singapore, is much smaller than the one in Stockholm, there are some similarities in the building. Guess all Ikea stores look alike :)

 

Spotted something new - pandas soft toy! Ever since pandas Jia Jia and Kai Kai came to the Singapore Zoo, there has been this craze about the endangered black/while sweeties :) And no, I don't think I spotted them in Stockholm :P I am going to see them this weekend. So excited! :)

 

Spotted another new thing - the food trolley! I must say this is a great invention, given Singaporeans love their food and order a lot of food. Ikea is quite popular with us. Don't think I saw them in Stockholm too.

 

Kind of cute to see people pushing the food trolley around. Some people said that Ikea food taste like plane food and this scene reminds me of the air stewards/stewardesses! :P

 

I would usually go for baked salmon and potatoes but I wanted something more Swedish that day I visited :P So I went for a salmon roll and clam chowder soup. Hmmm... what's so Swedish? Well, I tasted bits/chunks of shrimps and salmon in the soup. So good! :)

 Ikea, Stockholm, Sweden

 

Free bus to Ikea, which you can take at the bus stop opposite Stockholm Main Station. Was amazed by the free wifi on board the bus!  

Hey Ikea in Stockholm!

 

Must take a picture at the hometown of Ikea, right? :P

Don't think this is available in Singapore. Nice idea to have a flower pot built into a table!

Christmas was in the air when I was in Stockholm from Oct to Nov 2012.



More stuff spotted! Books in Ikea!! :)

Ikea has always been a happy place to visit, whether in Singapore or Sweden :) It is one place that always makes you feel at home. Don't you agree? :)

Highlander Coffee, I need ice latte/cappuccino please!

It is really very hot today and I badly need a fika (ice latte/cappuccino please!). Unfortunately, I have no plans of getting out of the house today and hence, quenching the heat with a home-made ice super 3-in-1 coffee and blogging about my visit to Highlander Coffee (which I recall took place on a day like today - HOT!).

Highlander Coffee is at Kampong Bahru, about 2 bus stops from my house. In terms of proximity, I have taken a loooong time to visit it. Sometimes it's funny how we don't really cherish/desire things that are within reach that much :)

The location is charming, given it is nested in a shop house. Quite a few cafes/restaurants have popped up in this area in the last few years.

I ordered a carrot cake to go with the ice latte. Solid and simple, recommended by the service staff when I asked if it is good :) also value for money, compared to a few other cafes I have been to... was a bit surprised when the cake and coffee came in plastic plate/cup - guess no frills so no passing on of 'extra' cost to customers.

 

Not very packed on a weekday. Overheard that they follow working hours and closes at 6pm. Café looks small from outside but is actually quite big because of the length of the shop house (see area behind the ladies?). Reminds me of the story I heard in Malacca about why the shop houses are so long - well, it was said that the local government will only tax for width and not length hence created a loophole for the locals to build longer houses that stretch into backyards :) I love travel stories :)

 

Café décor was very coffee-related. Solid and simple, I say again. Heh.

Coffee machines can be seen all round the café. Heard they conduct lessons too, so do visit their website if your dream is to be a barista or you just want to know more about your favourite drink of the time! :)

 

Was reading a magazine Coffee t&i and this article about how to sustain coffee trend in Singapore caught my eye. I do agree with the article that cafes, coffee roasters and consumers must adopt a genuine and honest approach to it if this is for the long run...Fad or fact is really up to the community.