Happenings in June - Typhoon Cafe + Friend's Gathering

Saturday 15/6/19

I have been exploring Tanjong Pagar area recently. This time round, I tried on the Japanese food at Tendon Itsuki, an outlet under Ramen Keisuke.

The outlet is a very small area with only 24-seater and most of the seats are counter bar facing the kitchen, you are expected to eat and go. Tendon Itsuki only offers 2 choices of tendon in their menu, hence it makes selection a lot easier.

Tendon comes with a steam egg. The chawanmushi was very smooth and delicate that literally melt in my mouth.

I had Special Tendon ($13.90) which consists of 2 pieces of prawn, 2 pieces of chicken, half-boiled Egg and 4 pieces of vegetables together with miso soup. The fresh ingredients were served in special porcelain bowls by Arita - a 400 year-old porcelain brand from Japan. 

I also ordered a cup of green tea to ease the greasiness of the tendon.

The ingredients contained all the crispy fried food, though sinful but it was nice. The chicken breast maintained juiciness in the inner while the exterior remained crispy texture.

Sunday 16/6/19

Early in the morning, my MP came over to do house visiting.

And in the late afternoon, 10th floor aunt brought us egglet which was very fluffy and crispy. We ate a bit of it before heading out to our favourite zichar place for Father's Day dinner. Though we sort of celebrated last week, since mummy never cook today, we went out to eat again.

We reached at about 6pm and I started off with an coconut ice cream.

A plate of Kai Lan to go with our meal. The vegetables had a good crunch which added texture to our meal. 

Instead of the usual curry fish head, we went for fish soup since it was only 4 of us today. There were plenty of ingredients in the soup. I gulped down the flavourful soup mouth after mouth.

Friday 21/6/19

Right after our event ended, we went Hokkaido Marche @ Orchard Central for dinner.

I settled for Special Oyako Don ($11) from Donburi Mayura, originated from Hokkaido Sapporo. I love how the runny yolk burst and spread the egg yolk into the chicken and absorbed in rice, enriching the flavour.

Saturday 22/6/19

Satisfied my cravings with curly fries from Chickaboo, I wanted to have Chickaboo for the longest time.

I opt for the chicken and fish combo with 2 side dishes to choose from. I chose curly fries and cream of chicken soup. I missed the curly fries the most. It's my turn to treat for the dinner.

After the dinner, I went to Gardens by the Bay again. It was really crowded due to the carnival. 

I caught the light show in action again. 

The light show at Gardens by the Bay is instagrammable, so many people waited every evening to capture this moment.

Sunday 30/6/19

We came here for dinner again, it showed how much we love the food here. We dropped by here at least once a month. Apart from the usual dishes that we normally ordered, we tried 2 different dishes.

The prawn omelette was requested by dad, it was a delightful dish added to our dinner. The omelette was fluffy and crunchy with the mixture of onions and prawns in it

The pork ribs were served in a swan like bowl that captivated us with its appearance and fragrance. It has good mix of lean meat and fats, do be careful of the bones too.

This marked the end of my June's updates. Good bye, June.

The Magnolia @ The MiniBAR

I began my TGIF on a sweet note with F&N Magnolia ice cream indulgence at MiniBAR.

MiniBAR at Centrepoint has collaborated with F&N Magnolia Ice Cream where Instagram-worthy local desserts and signature ice cream cocktails are now introduced.

F&N Magnolia ice cream has been for generations and they are known for their tasty ice cream indulgence. Back in the 1960s, the first Magnolia Snack Bar has won the heart of many young and old Singaporeans.

50 years later, fans of Magnolia ice cream can enjoy our favourite ice cream at the new MiniBAR at Centrepoint. Fans will be spoilt for choices of elevated recipes inspired by the famous local desserts and ice cream cocktails.

We received a welcome drink upon settling down. It was Coconut Milkshake. It was a refreshing and sweet drink to cool myself from the mad rush.

I tried on Popiah Ice Cream Roll ($2.50). Consumer can choose the flavour and sauce they want. I go for coconut flavour ice cream with gula melaka sauce which blended well together. The gula melaka sauce has added sweetness to the popiah.

CK had Wafer - Single Hawker Cut ($2.50) with peppermint chocolate ice cream. A flavour that is not too sweet. 

One thing I like about Magnolia @ The MiniBar is that the desserts are all affordably priced, allowing us to indulge in all the desserts without burning a hole in our pocket.

Here's Yam Ice Cream Milkshake ($3.90). A slice of pandan cake was sitting on top of the milkshake, making the milksake infused a hint of pandan taste and fragrant aroma.

My favourite among those I tried was Traditional Dessert Reimagine with Teh Terik Dinosaur ($3.90). The dessert gave me a sugar rush with the double sensation. The charcoal cone was decorated with nut crumbs on the outside which gave extra crunch when we bite, while the inside was filled with rich whip cream and a stick of teh terik ice cream.

This is definitely a dessert for the sweet tooth.

The MiniBAR presented many Instagram-worthy desserts with the nostalgic Magnolia ice cream. Bring your friends and family down to enjoy this great taste. 

It felt so great seeing the girls again and we had a tantalising good time at The Magnolia @ The MiniBAR Come drop by the MiniBAR and perched a seat with a view of busy Orchard Road. It is located right outside The Centrepoint.

Happenings in June - Gathering with Family and Friends

Saturday 1/6/19

Mummy found out about this Sum Kee Food Restaurant from my relative yesterday and she immediately wanted to try today.

Sum Kee Food Restaurant is a zi char restaurant located at Telok Blangah which offers air-con and al-fresco dinning. We went down to the restaurant without booking a reservation and the indoor was full house, so we have to sit outside instead.

We had Salted Egg Chicken, it was one of the best salted egg chicken that we tried before. The salted egg sauce was thick and full of flavours, making the chicken extra tasty.

We also ordered Curry Fish Head. We didn't enjoy this dish as much as the rest because the restaurant actually forgotten this order and the dish only came 20 minutes after the other dishes were served. Our rice were almost finished and we didn't feel the shiokness of drizzling the curry over our small portion of rice left.

Monday 3/6/19

I reached home around 11.30pm last night, so nice waking up to an off day. I dated KP out for lunch today because her birthday is coming.

We settled for Ajisen, something that KP didn't have for a long time. Our ramen set comes with a bowl of ramen, a drink and a side. I opt for Chicken Karaage for my side.

KP ordered Karaage Ramen. Hope you enjoyed the birthday meal.

Photo first before eating. 

As we grew it, each of us has our own commitments. Despite that, we still try to make an effort to meet up a few times a year to hang out for shopping and eating.

We ended our meetup with McDonald’s Purple Sweet Potato Waffle Cone at $2. At first bite, the sweet potato ice cream tasted a little weird, but after a few mouthful, I actually fell in love with the taste. A sweet dessert to have during humid weather.

Saturday 8/6/19

10 floor aunt came to our house and brought us lots of food for dinner. I ate a bit before I headed out for my early dinner. It's been a long time since I last went to a cafe, I made my first visit to Baristart Coffee situated at Tanjong Pagar.

Since I was not hungry, I decided to have something light for dinner.

I have Mixed Berries Waffle ($14.80+) which comes with strawberry, blueberry, sliced almond and milk soft serve. The waffle itself was flavourful with the combination of sweet and fruitiness.

Took a stroll at Gardens by the Bay and to see the light show. The Supertrees were dazzled with the light entertainment. Through the lighting effects, the quiet garden has come alive in the night.

Tuesday 11/6/19

Finally met up with my poly peers in full attendance after 1.5 years. I was caught up in my work, hence I was late for 15 minutes. Thankfully, I was not the latest. We had our dinner at Typhoon Cafe @ Plaza Singapura, a Taiwan cafe that brings the “Taste of Taiwan” to the heart of Singapore.

Grace and I had Fried Fish Crispy Noodles. To me, I find that paying $13.90++ for crispy noodles is overpriced as it is quite a common dish.

Mix the crispy noodles well with the gravy before eating. It was a simple and enjoyable dish, I love that the fried fish was in bite size, it remained soft and slightly crispy texture.

After our dinner, I had Green Milk Tea from Gong Cha at $2.90. It was a thirst quenching drink for us. I was a bit disappointed with the green milk tea as it tasted blend, it did not bring out the actual flavour of the tea.

It was a great catch up with the poly peers, time always passed fast when we enjoy it. Let's hope our next meet up will not be 1.5 years later.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Dad's Birthday Celebration at Yan Palace

 Our family does not have the habit of celebrating birthday. However, this year I want to make an exception for my Dad because it is his big day. 

My family always preferred a big gathering. Hence, we called upon my uncle family and 10 floor aunt to join us for the dinner celebration at Yan Palace.

We booked a 12 seats table in a private room. In order to enjoy this private room, one has to spend a minimum of $500 (excluding GST and service charge).

First dish was Cold Dish Combination which comprised of Fried Fish Skin, Prawn, Eggs and Wu Niang. The Fried Fish Skin was the kids' favourite. 

Our room has karaoke set and Amber kept requesting "Baby Shark" song. We listened to it for at least 4-5 times throughout the dinner.

The soup was rich and creamy, it was soaked with the flavour of chicken and mushroom. The soup immediately warmed us up and brought comfort. 

Next was Roasted Chicken with Prawn Cracker. Each piece of the roasted chicken was juicy and contained lean meat, it was not too fatty as well. The cracker on the other hand was addictive, we couldn't stop until we cleared all.

Mummy's favourite was Pan Fried Cod Fish in Soy Sauce. The fish was fried till the skin was very crispy yet the inner flesh still maintained soft and moist.

After having so many rounds of good food, it's time to have some green and healthy food to add along to our course of dinner.

The Braised Beancurd was extremely silky and smooth, it was accompanied with mushroom for texture contrast.

I love the Salted Egg Prawn the most because the prawn was coated with generous serving of salted egg yolk sauce.

Fried Beehoon.

We then ended off the dinner with Fried Mango Ice Cream Bun. 

Glad that my dad and family enjoyed the dinner, it makes the $600+ worthwhile to pay. They have worked hard for us for so many years, it's time that they relax a little and enjoy the family time. Cherish the time with our family while we can afford.

Happy birthday, dad.

I wore a new shirt out that night, thanks GF for getting me the shirt.

Yan Palace

Blk 531 Upper Cross Street #01-49 Hong Lim Complex, 050531

Johor Bahru Taman Mount Austin: The Alley + Secret Ingredients Chicken Pot + Hotcake Johor

I embarked on a day trip to Johor Bahru (JB) Taman Mount Austin with the gang again after 3 years. JB has become one of the most familiar state of Malaysia that I have been visiting frequently, I have lost count of the number of times I have visited and I never get tired of visiting despite my last visit was just 2 weeks ago. So when GF asked me to go along for this trip, I immediately agree because there is just so much more things to explore in JB.

To avoid the jam, I was at Woodlands early in the morning at 9am and began my adventure together Meryl, GF and Kelvin. It took us an hour for us to clear both checkpoints and reach JB.

We made a stopover at Taman Century and start our day with the famous Wanton Noodles at Restoran Yit Foh for breakfast. This was my second visit to Yit Foh after 6 years. The restoran was full hourse when we arrived, thankfully we managed to secure a table without much waiting time.

We got a plate of crispy wantons which has a crunchy texture when bite, it was so addictive.

The wanton noodles were served with the home-made cha siew and wanton soup. The egg noodles were springy and toasted in chilli sauce that gave a fiery kick when consumed. It opened up our appetite at once.

We also had a big bowl of wantons for sharing. This was really a savior which helped to balance out the spiciness we experienced from the wanton noodles. The bowl of wanton soup was comforting and delicious.

Restoran Yit Foh

153, Jalan Harimau, Taman Century, 80250 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Operating hours: 8am to 4.30am daily except Thursday

After the satisfying breakfast, we drove down Aeon Mall Tebrau City Shopping Centre for shopping. GF and I got a black dress from Padini.

After we were done with shopping, we went to The Alley (鹿角巷) to try their famous bubble tea chain that originated from Taichung. 

I got Earl Grey Milk Tea with pearls at RM10.70 (or S$3.57).

The Alley is best known for its unique rounded base cup and handmade Deerioca tapioca pearls. The drink has a fragrant earl grey tea flavour and combined with ice, it made a perfect refreshing drink.

The happy us with our drinks, we were enjoying our trip so far.

We walked over to Komugi Japanese Bakery to buy bread which we will be smuggling in to karaoke for our late lunch.

Aeon Mall Tebrau City Shopping Centre

No. 1, Jalan Desa Tebrau, Taman Desa Tebrau, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

We walked over to Tesco Tebrau City to play claw machine and snack shopping. Being a enthusiast, it is GF must do activity when she's in JB. No matter how old are we, we become a kid at heart when we see cute plushie. 

I bought a big pack of Rota Prawn snack at RM2.50 (or S$0.83) from Tesco.

After we completed our mission, we headed for karaoke next.

We revisited Decast KTV because of the affordable package that they offer. We paid RM20 (or S$6.67) each for 3 hours of singing session from 3pm to 6pm with free flow of drinks.

Singing our heart out for the past 3 hours.

JB feels like a second home to us, we frequent this city a lot for their shopping, entertainment and food. JB doesn't bore us as there is always new places to explore. Moreover, the pricing is reasonable and it won't burn a hole in our wallet.

Decast KTV

1, Jalan Austin Heights 8/5, Taman Austin Heights, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

We drove down to Restoran Secret Ingredient Chicken Pot which is highly recommended by GF. The restoran is also located along Taman Mount Austin, an area where many great food spotting places are located.

The restoran has a clean and simple furnishing. Perhaps because it was a Sunday, there was still ample of seats in the restoran. 

We ordered the large Chicken Pot for sharing among the 4 of us. The chicken pot inside comes with generous chunks of gong bao chicken in a delicious non-spicy broth. It was a comforting pot to have for dinner where we drizzled the flavourful broth on our white rice.

We also ordered more side dishes to add into the chicken pot for our steamboat dinner. Here were some of the dishes we ordered - glass noodles, luncheon meat, hotdogs, baby corn, crabsticks and vegetables.

I enjoyed the dinner where the broth was packed with flavour from the gong bao chicken and all the ingredients we added in. The price was also very pocket friendly, it was only RM20 (or S$6.67) per pax.

Secret Ingredient Chicken Pot 秘制鸡公煲

35, Jalan Austin Height 8/1, Taman Mount Austin, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Operating hours: Tue to Sun from 12pm to 10.30pm

We ended our night with our last stop to Hotcake Johor which was located further down the street for a drink and dessert session. The cafe looked inviting with its cute decorations and pleasant colour combination.

Feeling thirsty after the steamboat dinner, we immediately ordered a drink to quench our thirst. I had Milk Tea at RM10 (or S$3.33) with jelly cubes in it. I just can't have enough milk tea.

The milk tea has a light roasted brew, together with the milk , it added sweetness to the drink. My all time favourite drink.

GF and Kelvin ordered the Pancake with Vanilla Ice Cream for sharing. The pancake was very fluffy and light, it literally melted when we insert in our mouth.

The cafe was a nice place to enjoy a dessert break and laughter with the awesome companions. Good food, shopping and great company creates the best escape from our mundane life in the stressful city.

Hotcake Johor 舒馥芮松饼

71, Jalan Austin Heights 8/1, 81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Operating hours: 11am to 11pm daily

Time was getting late and we left JB at about 9pm, there was a jam and we reached Woodlands at about slightly past 10. Though it was only a day trip, we managed to accomplished so much in a day. It was always so fun when we travel, let's have the next one soon again.