Tag Archives: coffee

Singapore: Second, Third & Fourth Stop – Tiong Bahru, Haji Lane and Bugis.

| Leave a Reply

Delicious food, aromatic coffee, unique interior, hipster area, friendly people – I’ll be there.
These are the kind of places whereby I really look forward to whenever I travel with Fatty, instead of the usual tourism spot.

Where: Tiong Bahru Bakery
What: Pastries and Coffee

So I heard that Tiong Bahru Bakery has got the best croissant in Singapore and yours truly here is a very croissant kind of person.
I love eating a good croissant.
I too heard that Tiong Bahru is one of Singapore’s hipster area as there are more and more unique cafes opening up in this rather old area.
I’d say, old is definitely the new black.


#1 Don’t let their name fool you.


#2 I thought it was a grab and go concept and I was shocked when I saw all the seats filled up with people. And so I thought to myself, this must be good.


#3 They sell croissants, danish, tarts, and even hamburgers.


#4 They too have brownies and cakes, you will be spoil by choices.


#5 A guide for you if you do not know how to differentiate coffees.


#6 Spot the tote bag? I WANT! I also like their wooden door that swings both way.

I bought a croissant ($3.20) and a raisin danish ($3.50) for me and fatty to share.
I’d love to try out their coffee too in the future if I ever goes back.
Both the croissant and danish were pretty decent but only if I can eat it while it’s hot, it’ll be even better.
Fatty who loves croissant as much as I do thinks that Tiong Bahru Bakery’s croissant tasted normal kind of good.
Then he started telling me how AWESOME this croissant he had in Hong Kong was whereby he queue for an hour just to buy it.

OKAY! Don’t be so cocky next time I fly to Hong Kong just for croissant!

TIONG BAHRU BAKERY
56 Eng Hoon St
#01-70 Singapore 160056
+65 6220 3430
8am – 8pm daily (Close on Tuesday)

Where: Open Door Policy (ODP)
What: Modern Bistro

For lunch, we headed to ODP as knows as Open Door Policy which is just few streets away from Tiong Bahru Bakery.


#7 Is this the most creative name or the most random name?


#8


#9 I absolutely love their interior and it was full too when we were there. /Jackpot


#10 These steel ceilings used by ODP reminded me of Acme’s.


#11 We sat by the open kitchen which I do not have a single problem with. I love seeing chefs do their thing.


#12 Latte, $5.50.


#13 Wild mushroom risotto with truffle crumbs, $22. Mushroom risotto was great as it tasted slightly different from the normal ones I ate and the white mushroom you saw on top of that risotto, it is actually raw.


#14 Green gazpacho with scallop ceviche and fresh coriander, $16. I haven’t tasted anything quite like this before, it was a cold soup. Every mouth I took is full with surprise and the scallops aren’t cook which is the way it’s meant to be. It doesn’t taste awful at all, it just tasted different. I cant take in a big amount as my tummy started acting weird but this soup taste nothing like bad.


#15 Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toasted ciabatta with spinach and fresh herbs, $21. Love this dish, portion was big and the amount of smoked salmon they gave was generous. Scrambled eggs were soft and the best part was that the ciabatta wasn’t hard and chewy.


#16 The three of us.


#17 Why cant they just give me a decent look?

ODP
19 Yong Siak Street
(Yong Siak View)
Singapore 168650
Tel: +65 6221 9307
Fax: +65 6221 9032
Enquiries:
enquiries@odpsingapore.com

Where: Tiong Bahru
What: Cafes and Shops

Walked around Tiong Bahru’s neighbourhood to check out more cafes and shops.


#18 There he go again, appearing in my picture nonchalantly.


#19 Social Haus, a cafe I’d like to try out someday in the future too.


#20 Books Actually that obviously sells books.


#21 Books Actually is not your ordinary book store as the books they sell is a lot more different from all the mainstream books. Just go and have a look if you’re a book lover and happens to be around Tiong Bahru.


#22

Where: Haji Lane
What: Boutiques

Told you my days at Singapore was jam packed, we went from one stop to another.
Haji Lane was next and this is the place Fatty suggested that we go have a look at.


#23


#24 Fatty and mini me at Haji Lane.


#25 Haji Lane is somewhat like our Bangsar Telawi conquered by boutiques but I adore Haji Lane’s building more.
Love the windows on the upper level.


#26 Displays were a lot nice compared to Bangsar’s too, very creative and put together.


#27 Love the plants! Now you get what I meant?


#28


#29 Don’t spoil market lah you.


#30 Must kacau and try on glasses.


#31 And I must take picture of self.


#32 Just a candid of me and Dennis while we rest outside a bar that was closed.

Where: Bugis Street
What: Affordable shopping

Bugis Street is the only shopping place for me at Singapore because everything sold there is so much cheaper compared to malls.
The area was big enough for me to shop and what was on their display rack was a lot more similiar to what I saw at Bangkok or Sungai Wang.
The prices were hiked up quite a lot since I know how incredibly cheap it is to get the stocks from Bangkok which made me reluctant to shop anymore.

My legs were really sore too so we made it a quick one and I managed to buy 2 pair of shorts.
At least I bought something, so mission accomplished.


#33 Fatty bought something too, a pair of sunnies for his rave. But no, not this pair.


#34 This is one of the cutest sunglasses I’ve came across and I hesitated for awhile if I should bring it home. $15, not wise.

Where: Maison Ikkoku
What: Cafe, Boutique and Bar

Last stop for the day before Zouk Out Day 2 was Maison Ikkoku.
There’s three floors altogether and the first floor is a cafe, second is a boutique, while the highest floor rest their bar.


#35 Felt like I walked into an entirely different country, with mosque right in front of me and coconut trees along the way. A very nice place to just sit and relax.


#36 From the name of it, I was hoping to have our dinner there expecting some Japanese or Fusion food but all I got in the menu was all day breakfast.

Cant do breakfast after our meal at ODP so we just sat and have coffee instead since coffee is their main specialty anyway.


#37 My pictures don’t do this place any justice.


#38 Dennis’ tea as he’s not quite a coffee person.


#39 Our Vanilla Latte which I absolutely love.

We wanted to check out Maison Ikkoku’s bar too but it was closed. :(
It’ll be really nice to sit on the top floor overlooking the mosque and people passing by.

Maison Ikokku
20 Kandahar Street Singapore 198885
T +65 6294 0078
F +65 6294 2616
info@maison-ikkoku.net

Love all the cafes we went, love all the food we ate, and love all the coffee we drank.

24th Birthday Getaway : Melaka

| 1 Comentary

Birthday post! :)
Or maybe not so much of a birthday post since there’s no cake in my post.

I celebrated my birthday weekend at Melaka, with a swollen neck and a fat boyfriend.
It was somewhere around end of September that this ‘I-want-to-go-to-Melaka’ feeling bugs me but we both just couldn’t find the right time.
So after waiting for more than a month the best time to go turns out to be my birthday weekend.

This time, we ditched the commons. No chicken rice, no satay celup, and no Jonker Walk foods.
I have a list of eateries waiting for us to try them out.
I always have lists and itineraries when it come to travelling for I believe that doing research before hand will gain me the most out of those trips. And along the way, that’s where the random exploration takes place.

We reached Melaka early and checking in early was out of the dictionary so filling up our empty stomachs seems like the best thing to do.


#1 First stop : Kedai Kopi & Makanan Soon Yen.


#2 Famous duck noodles is what brought us here.


#3 I was hoping that the first bite I take will take me by surprise but unfortunately it did not. The duck noodle with gravy sauce was okay but I felt like there was a lack of taste. I also regretted ordering a large portion because this should be our makan trip but the hunger in me made me lost my self control for that little while. If it’s a makan trip, just go for the smallest portion at all times.


#4 Fish ball is normally what I’d stay away from but since we’re on an eating spree, I gave it the green light.


#5 Also can be called as Melaka Loh Bak which contains fish ball, fish skin fritters, and prawn fritters that came with sweet chilli sauce. I like the prawn fritters the most and when dipped in the sweet chilli sauce, it opened up my appetite.

Kedai Kopi & Makanan Soon Yen
596 Jalan Tengkera, 75250 Melaka


#6 Second stop : Baba Low. It took us some while to search for Baba Low, the colonial style bungalow right in front block the entire view.


#7 I ordered Nyonya Laksa for myself and I really like the laksa broth a lot for being extremely flavorful. Downside was that I wasn’t feeling too well and I’m not advised to take in spicy food AND COCKLES or else I would have whack the entire bowl. I was also a little full from that big portion of duck noodle.


#8 Boyfriend ordered Pai Tee which I am not interested at. If my tummy allows me, I will go for mee siam anytime.


#9 Le bf.

Visiting Baba Low will definitely be in my list again for the next round.
I want to really enjoy my nyonya laksa and try their mee siam as well, it’s a must!

Baba Low (behind a bungalow)
486 Jalan Tengkera, 75250 Melaka.

After eating so much, it’s time for us to check in and sleep (LOL).
We stayed at ‘The Stable’, which is extremely convenient for us because it’s right smack in Jonker Walk.


#10 We paid RM380 nett (weekend) for a night stay or if you’re on a budget you can always opt for weekdays (RM300 nett).


#11 The Stable welcomes us with a pantry and a coffee machine.


#12 Small living area with magazines and games for you to play if you need to entertain yourself.


#13 History of Melaka hangs on the wall.


#14 Behind that glass door is where the toilet is and two umbrellas in case of rainy days which we make full use of.


#15 Worry not on toiletries, they provided everything.


#16 Small and cozy, perfect for couple.


#17 Take the stairs up and that’s where the room is. Yes, it’s a two stories boutique guesthouse all to yourself and your partner.


#18 Love the bricks and definitely loving the huge mirror that gives a baroque feeling to the room.


#19 An inviting and comfortable bed greets us, waiting for us to sink in.


#20 Flat screen tv with Astro channels and some dvds for us.

‘Original wooden beams dances around richly-textured rooms of rough exposed bricks, Peranakan tiles, quaint louvered windows and reclaimed lumber floor. An inviting bed beckons you to relax while looking out the window to the lively street below. With a brilliant collision of influences – from the modern to the baroque to the local Peranakan heritage, this small guesthouse is an inspired fusion of old-world charm with distinctly contemporary style and energy’


#21 Fatty sitting by the window enjoying the street’s view.


#22


#23 Absolutely love my stay in this guesthouse.


#24 Haha! I asked for a picture and there he was, acting all silly.

The Stable Melaka Guesthouse
No. D, Jalan Hang Kasturi,
75200 Malacca
Malaysia
Email: enquiries@musanglena.com
Contact: David Chang: +6012 6234459
Soon Lum: +6012 626 6977 / +6012 6235459

We took a nap before heading out again but I was pretty reluctant seeing that Melaka was raining at that moment.
Why don’t we stay in and continue sleeping instead?


#25 In such a cold weather, we needed coffee and after walking under the rain going into cafes that are closing we finally settled for Limau-limau cafe.


#26 Who cares about the rain? We had a good laugh at our legs getting real dirty so often because of it.


#27 Getting my coffee fix.


#28

Limau-Limau Cafe
No. 9 Jalan Hang Lekiu, 75200 Melaka.


#29 Third stop : Dinner at Medan Ikan Bakar Muara Sungai Duyong.


#30 Lots of fresh seafood for us to choose from.


#31 Forgot what it’s called in Malay.


#32 Sotong goreng which Fatty really like.


#33 Bakar ikan pari which turns out to be TASTELESS. We didn’t ordered bakar bercili afraid that it might get too spicy for us but I didn’t expect it to be this tasteless either.


#34 There’re packets of nasi lemak on the table and it was the best from the dinner. Fatty ordered a plate of nasi putih that is too wet and towards the end of our meal I suggested that we should really try their nasi lemak. Thank God we did, everything tasted so much better with their nasi lemak.

Bill came up to Rm49 including 2 coconuts and 2 otak-otak (too sweet for my liking). Price is rather decent but I still prefer seafood cook in chinese style. I kinda crave for the seafood we had in Penang, a place where I will definitely go every time I’m there.

Medan Ikan Bakar Muara Sungai Duyong
KM 4-5, Jalan Padang Temu,
Permatang Pasir,
74560, Melaka.
Contact: Azmi: 012 6362339

We went back to The Stable after our meal, to rest and to wait for the time to pass.


#35 How The Stable looks like from the outside, at night.


#36 Fatty took the scrap book he made for my birthday and surprised me.

He told me he was really busy before Melaka and acting all weird, going into his room without me telling me that he’s taking his charger where in fact I took it. I knew he’s up to something. :)
It was very very sweet of him because I can tell that he put in a lot of effort and patience into making the scrap book.
His creativeness, his wittiness, and his sweetness, I appreciate all of that.


#37 The woman I fancy the most, I turned the page and saw my reflection. Hah!


#38 After all the cuddling, it’s his football time. So if you’re like my Fatty who cant live without watching Football, you can head over to Eleven Bistro to catch some football game. Walk into the street where Geographer cafe is and you’ll find a few bistros with football channel on.


#39 It was resting time again so we went back to The Stable, to watch some shows and played Jenga. I took half an hour nap before heading out for supper. My long awaited supper!


#40 Restoran Pak Putra, famous for it’s tandoori and naan.


#41 I was happily noming my favourite food until I remembered I forgot to take a picture of it, hence my pathetic tandoori.


#42 The best naan I’ve ever tried. Onions, garlic, cheese, egg, and butter. Add everything in and this naan will never fail you.


#43 Dhaal which taste just as good.

They also offered Indian food like butter chicken but we were too full to try.
This will also be another restaurant that I will definitely be coming back. Cant get enough of em naans.

Restoran Pak Putra
Jalan Laksamana 4, Melaka, Malaysia.

We both enjoyed this Melaka trip quite a lot. It was different, we found quite a number of new things and I’m glad that Melaka now seems like an interesting place all again.
I especially love staying at The Stable and the next time if all else permits, I’ll go for ’45 Lekiu’.
45 Lekiu has got the same concept as The Stable, under the same management. What’s better is that 45 Lekiu is so much more bigger than The Stable and they even have a pool to it.


#44 45 Lekiu’s private pool.


#45 Roof patio, probably the best place to chill with a bottle of wine.


#46 Living area with more and more bricks.


#47 3 stories all together, with 2 rooms.


#48 Master bedroom.


#49 That one thing which caught my attention the most, bathtub!


#50 Kitchenette.

You know what, I might as well just wait for my bff to be back and force her and her boyfriend to stay a night with me at 45 Lekiu.
And I’m gonna force her to let me sleep in master bedroom so that I can stay in the bathtub as long as I want.
Both of them can sleep in another room, two single beds. HAHAHAHA! I’m so bad.

Rm999 nett for weekdays and RM1099 net for weekends. I sure do need a number of friends to enjoy such an elegant guesthouse with me.
Don’t you just love it? :)

45 Lekiu
45, Jalan Hang Lekiu,
75200 Malacca
Malaysia
Email : enquiries@musanglena.com

Birdman Eating and The Hardware Société

| 2 Comentaries

I was expecting a blog post from myself last week but little did I know my ‘timetable’ was be jam packed.
Tuesday and Wednesday was spent watching ‘Bottled Passion’, a TVB drama.
The habit of watching drama all day, from episode to episode is no longer in me.
Or I should say, not much drama interest me nowadays.

Saw my mom and brother watching ‘Bottled Passion’ and it looks so interesting I have to get it from my brother.
It was real good I finished it in 3 days, mainly because it’s a love story with a twist.
But I hate the ending so it kind of made me feel like I wasted my time watching it.
TVB should know by now that ‘unhappy ending’ will not make us, the audience happy.

After the drama, the rest of my days were spent outside of home hanging out with friends from Melbourne cause most of them are at KL for now. (:
Speaking of Melbourne, here is the post as promised.

Food from Melbourne’s cafe.
You see, it’s been pretty long (very damn long in fact) since I came home from Melbourne so I guess I probably cant describe how the food taste like anymore except that it tasted good wtf.
But I’ll try my best to dig out whatever I can remember from my brain.

First off, Birdman Eating.
Yes, what a name I thought to myself when Fatty first told me about it.
Birdman Eating : Odd name, simple, and brilliantly done (food and ambiance).

I do not do any research about restaurant or cafes during my stay in Melbourne (unlike here in KL) because obviously, it’s the boyf’s job while I visit him.
Apparently Birdman Eating is very famous for their baked eggs as I’ve mentioned in my previous post.


* The first thing that caught my eye when I stepped into Birdman Eating is their hanging carrots in plastic bags. What a decoration. The first one is a bird man like figure with colourful feathers, second is the hanging plastic-bag-carrots and the third are flowers in vases which they changed it on the spot when we’re there.
Very creatively done.


* One of the best Chai Latte I’ve ever tried in Melbourne which came in a rather unique red tin. Very aromatic and I really like it that way. Damn, I seriously miss drinking Chai Latte. $5.50.


* I guess we ordered baked eggs of the day which you can made your decision based on what they have on their blackboard. Just imagine, on a chilly early noon you’re served with pipping hot baked eggs with runny yolks on a metal skillet and with a sliced of buttered toast. Your day will be a wonderful one after eating the baked eggs, hah. $14.


* Soup of the day which I cant remember much.


* A picture while we were walking towards the tram station. I will definitely be back for more baked eggs, some time this year. (:

So if you happened to be in Melbourne, do drop by on a Sunday morning for some perfectly bake baked eggs.
This will not disappoint you, I swear.
It’s located at Fitzroy and here’s the address.

Birdman Eating
238 Gertrude Street
Fitzroy, VIC 3065

Mon-Fri 7am–10:30pm
Sat-Sun 8am–10:30pm

Next on is The Hardware Société.
Did not bother much on why Birdman Eating is called Birdman Eating but how did The Hardware Société’s name came by is from the lane itself, located at Hardware street.
So next time if you cant figure what name to give your cafe, you can try ‘Hang Tuah Société’ if your cafe is at Jalan Hang Tuah.
Damn, Malaysia’s street name never sound right.


* Another perfect place for a warm hearty breakfast. I seriously love eating breakfast in Melbourne.


* If you pay attention enough, most of the newly opened cafes in KL look like the above picture. Probably inspired by cafes from the west.
The Hardware Société’s interior actually looked much better than the picture above. I was too busy catching up with my friend and too busy focusing on food. Cant be bothered with pictures that very moment. But do google for it if you’re interested and you’ll be amaze.

Expect to see a line of people waiting for tables when you’re there, probably a very normal scene for The Hardware Société.

Do forgive me because I am not able to name a single dish here, my brain failed me.
So this time round, I’ll just say I’ll let the pictures do the talking.


* Chai Latte in a pot wrapped by a cute and colourful knit. Told you I love Chai Latte, just simply irresistible.


* My friends were not quite used to the taste and the combination of ingredients the cafe offered.


* Just take a look at the peas/beans!


* This is the best dish but I cant remember what it is.


* I was really happy when I get to meet Foon in Melbourne and that’s where we enjoyed our breakfast together.

The Hardware Société is located in CBD, in the heart of Melbourne city.

The Hardware Société
120 Hardware Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

Opening hours:
Mon – Fri 7.30am – 3pm
Sat – 8.30am – 2pm

Now you see the difference between Malaysia’s cafe and Melbourne’s?
Or you still don’t?
Sometimes it just feels like these Melburnians put so much heart and effort in their food and drinks.
Damn, Melburnians can really cook!
Worth every penny you pay!

Hi Giraffe

| Leave a Reply

Gosh, I feel so lazy to blog!!
But my boyf forced me to, which I don’t know.

Ben: Faster go blog.
Me: Tomorrow lah, I’m very lazy.
Ben: Blog now lah. You’re a professional blogger, later no more follower.
Me: -________-”’

Since when am I a professional blogger whatthehell!
I’m a professional housewife LOL!
I always need some oomph to blog, I cant just blog like that.

Anyway, we had lunch at this really nice cafe with a cute name called Giraffe Cafe.
And the food taste pretty good too.


* feels like home, a cosy home which is really different from FullHouse cafe kind of home. Those are boring.


* I like how they put a tree trunk inside the cafe, from floor to ceiling. I would love to have a huge ass tree trunk in my house, not the house I’m staying of course. Some dodgy looking house.


* Their coffee taste awesome with ice-cream in it. Normally I drink hot coffee here but this ice coffee taste a little like what I drink back in Malaysia. Of course, not the crappy kind of coffee.


* Chicken Risotto. Actually this is the first risotto in my life, never cross my mind to try one out before. Remember the first time I saw a plate of risotto was when Aaron ordered it and I was thinking, why does his meal looks so much like a vomit wtf. I don’t know why risotto do not look appealing to me, but boy it taste heavenly.


* A-nothing-to-rave-about-bread-pudding.


* Candid.

I find out that cafes here in Melbourne, even if you randomly picked one they wont really fail you.
Unlike the ones in KL, I really dare not randomly walk into a cafe.
Man, I’ve tried some and the food just taste so bad. Service is bad, food is bad, everything is bad.
There aren’t much good cafes in KL, or more like in Cheras.

This Giraffe Cafe, they do not really have a kitchen.
It’s just a small open kitchen right in front of the entrance door.
And there’s just two lady working that day, so they have to basically do everything from cleaning up to ordering to cooking.
It kind of makes me feel, hey maybe it’s not THAT hard.
But of course, there aren’t much choices to pick from the menu.

I wanna have a cafe of my own too, can I? *puppy eyes*