Saturday, June 8, 2013

Forty Hands, Keong Saik Snacks and Stranger's Reunion

Hello June! And what better way is there to start the middle of the year than brunch and meeting up with friends over one/some? :)

First stop was to Forty Hands at Yong Siak Street. I have been thinking of brunching there for a long time. Somehow I didn't. And so Grace and I went last Saturday, after I completed a leisure 20 laps at the nearby public pool (skipping the swim today though, my lazy bones tell me to go for a massage and some shopping! :)) Both of us like Forty Hands, and I guess it was a good place for us to catch-up as we haven't met for since Good Friday. And happy birthday, babe!


My ice latte. Grace had ice mocha. Great choices as it was such a HOT day!
I like the coffee. In some cafes, ice coffee tend to dilute after a while but I thought this was quite consistent over the 2 hours I sipped at it. These days, I seem to like taking pictures from the top.


Counter at Forty Hands. The café is really quaint, a bit cramped perhaps. The chap next table kept bumping into Grace and he kind of apologised before he left. LOL.



Egg Benefits. Heard mixed reviews about it. But I like it because it was not too overwhelming in terms of proportion and the hollandaise sauce. Guess it was just RIGHT after a swim :) And well, the retro plates can survive knocks, see? No one can complain about the chips :P

Next stop and first stop last Sunday : Yong Saik Snacks at Yong Saik Street. It was a bit high-brow, I thought. And not really the kind of casual brunch I prefer. Food was good, pricey though. OK overall - you get what you pay right? :) Was there with Chris and MQ, a day which started rather dramatically but I shouldn't say more ;-)


Nice vintage decorations. It was empty when we reached shortly after 11am. So we could take pictures to our hearts' content. Haha.


Kind of open kitchen concept - we could see the chefs preparing food for us. I bet this converts to a bar counter at night because I heard there is a hidden bar somewhere - where? behind? :P
 
We didn't follow the menu from start to finish . LOL. Started with the second course. Fried snapper fish n’ duck fat chips. Mushy peas. Tartar sauce.


Veal sweetbread & pork pie. Onion gravy. Came with Foie Gras too. Yummy :) De Ja Vu - My French food meals continue. We ordered Skinny Fries too! 
Seared scallop. With crispy lamb balls?

Last stop of the weekend - Stranger's Reunion at Kampong Bahru. Heard that the neighbouring cafes - OKB (One Kampong Bahru) and Chef Icon - are nice. So this might be a good area to explore if you are thinking of CAFE HOPPING! By the way, I like the coffee at Highlanders just down the stretch of shop houses :P


Nice Decorations too. More down to earth. Homely. White roses, anyone? :)


The Macha Red Bean cake was quite unique.


Good service. Really attentive when it comes to topping up water. And so we left a small tip.


Another angle of Stranger's Reunion. Pretty meaningful name, is it not? When it comes to enjoying coffee and cake with people you do not know in the same abode again and again?


I forgot what tea MQ ordered. I had a ice mocha. Chris had a ice chocolate. HOT day too :P

So here is me, blogging about last weekend this weekend. Not sure if you know, I write for a living (kind of). But nothing is as enjoyable writing for you (and me) in my Long Vacation blog :)


Monday, June 3, 2013

Douter Coffee@Marina Bay Financial Centre

Not sure about you, but sometimes I just feel like having lunch alone. And I did that last Thursday at Douter Coffee at Marina Bay Financial Centre.


Douter Coffee is bigger than it looks on the outside. Not crowded before 12noon, so quite a cosy place to lunch alone.


Honey Sugar to go with the ice tea. Nice.


Avocado & Shrimp sandwich. Bread is nicely toasted. Like the mashed eggs in the sandwich. Felt more like a Shrimp & Egg sandwich :P

The wall can dance - watch the video if you don't believe me. This kept me well-entertained throughout lunch :)
 
 
Have a great work week ahead, everyone!

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Nam Nam Noodle Bar@Raffles City

Finally tried the Vietnamese cuisine at Nam Nam Noodle Bar last Sunday... XF, GT and I went to the one at Raffles City. I spotted one at Wheelock Place too. Of course it cannot be compared to the authentic cousins in Ho Chi Min City (how time flies - was in Saigon around this time last year). OK price for OK food at a restaurant setting - maybe I didn't order the right stuff like pho ;)
 
Southern rolls. Fresh :) I'm going to try the fried rolls next time!
XF has Diet Coke which cost more than the Vietnamese ice coffee! Gosh! But it came in a nice vintage mug :) So much for packaging. LOL. The ice coffee with condensed milk was good! At $2.50, I say yes to more coffee anytime.


The mousetail noodle soup I ordered. Nice in a weird way - there were fish balls, pork trotter, pork ribs etc in the soup... 
GT's order - dry beef stewed noodle... she said it has shrunk in size...


XF's version - q style egg noodle....

As I blogged, I am reminded of the Vietnamese food stall at Lau Pa Sat and missed the vermicelli with pork slices and fried roll... Cheap and good - $4-5. Definitely going to pop by one day during lunch-time since my office is nearby (10 minutes walk away). Will post a picture if I do go. Do check it out if you are in the area! :)