By the river

Lately we've been going to Robertson Quay rather often. I'll explain a little later why that is the case. One of the places that we like to go is Brussels Sprouts esp during the weekends when they offer a special kids menu......for free. Yup you read it right. Kids eat for free. You get a choice of main course from the kids menu, a free drink & ice cream.

As the name implies, they do mussels. My favorite is the one done in white wine sauce. The tom yam is good too. Order a glass of wine & be prepared to while away the afternoon.



Here's the reason why. The Girl's new toy. A Razor Kick Scooter. It's foldable so we bring it with us everywhere we go. Thankfully there are lots of places in Singapore she can scoot. Robertson Quay is one of them. It's perfect. I have my glass of wine & at the same time, keep an eye on her while she zips around.

Takoyaki Balls

One of the reasons I love being back in Singapore - snacks. Think curry puffs, chicken wings & fish balls. It's hard to go hungry here - there's food every where you turn.

My new fave snack are these Japanese takoyaki balls. They are flour balls filled with diced octopus & then topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayonnaise & topped with shaved bonito. But in Singapore, you can find them filled with cheese, ham, tuna etc.

It's always fun to watch them do it as well. Pouring the batter, putting in the filling & then turning the balls around in their individual moulds.

Yummy

Fish Head Bee Hoon

Somebody once asked me what would I like to have for my last meal, I replied at that time, Fish Head Bee Hoon. I might have a different answer now & I'm sure the answer will change each time I'm asked that question. Nonetheless, it gives you an idea how much I love fish head bee hoon.

My favorite place is Ka Soh on Amoy Street. We've been going there for years & it is ALWAYS on my check list of must-go-to-places-to-eat whenever I was back in Singapore. Boring as it may sound, we always order the same few dishes, every single time.

We don't order this but the ubiquitous deep fried pork lard is de riguer on every table. It's unhealthy but who cares.

Crab meat with tofu over a bed of chinese cabbage

Chilli Squid with Kang Kong
My photos of the Har Cheong Gai (shrimp paste chicken) didn't turn out too well but that dish is another given.

La piece de resistance
(which is a term that always amuses me cos it sounds so funny when you read it in English)
Fish Head Bee Hoon
my type of comfort food

Exploring Tiong Bahru

A few months ago (yes I know this is rather delayed) I had to go to Tiong Bahru Plaza to pick up my glasses & decided to jalan jalan over to my favorite art deco housing estate in Singapore. Talk about nostalgia. Brings back memories of Sunday morning marketing with my parents. Chwee Kuey.

Do you remember these mail boxes ?

You know something is a classic when after many years, it still doesn't look dated. Just look at this block. Love the lines.


Not surprisingly the new Tiong Bahru market looks rather out of place amongst the older buildings.

Gorgeous buildings

Do you know of another estate that has coconut trees lining its walkway ?

Tiong Bahru has become home to several boutique hotels. Above is Hotel Nostalgia. There is also Link Hotel & last night, my friends & I were at the roof top bar of the Wangz Hotel. I'd recommend going there for drinks if you are in the neighbourhood.


The good old gathering place for bird lovers. Since it's Singapore, of course, it's updated with a new structure & numbered tags for the cages.

To the Istana we went

Singapore just celebrated 45 years of independence.

In all that time, I've never been to the Istana. There aren't many opportunities to venture inside so why not this National Day. The Open House was held the day before & having never been there before, didn't know what to expect.

I certainly hadn't expected the long line. I thought getting there around 10 should be fine but the line had already snaked past Plaza Singapura. I'm not entirely sure but I figured we waited for about 40 mins. The line moved along at a good pace & people were orderly (this is afterall the Istana !) & I was pleasantly surprised to find mostly foreigners in the crowd.

I got bored & took a picture of the fence...... Anyway all Singaporeans & PR enter free whereas foreigners pay a token $1 to enter the grounds. For future reference, the mornings tend to be packed because there is a drawing competition. The crowd definitely thinned out when we made our way out around noon.

These must be some kind of barricade in case of emergency to block entry into the Istana.

I mentioned that there was a drawing competition. There was quite a crowd & they must have been doing it for years cos everybody was super prepared with all kinds of drawing materials, mats, drinks, umbrellas (for shade), portable fans.....and you could see a sea of red & white.

Hello Central Park. If I were more prepared, I would have packed a picnic basket.

The Girl had a field day. Lots of children's activities - you could choose to make a badge, clay figures, book marks, finger puppets or decorate a kite. Not to mention all the giveaways like stickers, notebooks, colouring stencils...

I had a hard time tearing her away from the main purpose of going to the Istana & that is to explore the grounds.

Then I had to tear her away again from the brass band performance.

The main building. Entry fee $2 per person & no photography allowed hence no pictures. We were only allowed to venture on the ground level - a showcase of all the gifts from other countries to our president & the official reception room.

Happy Birthday Singapore

ps cafe

One of my favorite ways to spend a lazy Sunday is to head over to PS Cafe @ Palais Renaissance, plonk myself down with several magazines from their eclectic selection, order an ice latte & the ps brunch burger & chit chat the morning away with friends. Bliss is the day off.

From the very first moment I set foot in the place, I love it. The high ceiling. The mouthwatering display of cakes & fresh breads. The decor. The outdoor seating. The beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers.


The setting is very Sex in the City but yet, the vibe is casual & relaxed, without being too much of a scene. Anyway I've always enjoyed going there. It checks all the right boxes for a good brunch hangout. For that reason, don't even think about going there without a reservation.


I forgot to take a picture of my burger, which by the way is enough to feed both The Girl & I - just thinking about it is making my mouth water. Darn, never write a food post on an empty stomach.

Another crowd favorite - the Big Nihon Salad. We would order this for the table & share - there is never any left
Decadent but oh so good, truffle shoe string fries. You just try not to order when you take a whiff as plates & plates of these start coming out of the kitchen.

Always save room for desserts & theirs are sinfully good. You know it when you stand there for 15 minutes trying to decide which cakes to order. You then order 1 of each & hope nobody wants to share.

Fat chance !