Places to Dine near Chinatown

 I have came up with a third compilation for places to dine near Chinatown (2022 edition). The last sharing focused on just places to dine in Chinatown Point (2021 edition), so I extended the scope to explore more food areas near Chinatown (including Chinatown Point).

1. Group Therapy Coffee (Cross Street Exchange)

Group Therapy Coffee is a busy and charming cafe located in between Chinatown and Telok Ayer. One good thing about this cafe is that there is no service charge involved, only GST is included in the bill.

Hashbrown already has a place in my heart so I went for Hashbrowns & Smoked Salmon with Poached Eggs and Avocadeo Lime Sauce ($17+).

The eggs were poached just right, with the egg yolk flowing out when burst and letting it seeped into the smoked salmon and hashbrown. The hashbrown was nice and resembled a little like McDonald's standard.

I had Kyoto Matcha Latte ($6+) to go with the meal. I like that the matcha latte did not taste diluted even though the ice was slowly melting.

181 South Bridge Road #01-05 & #K1-04 Singapore (058743)

Operating hours: 8am to 5pm from Sun-Tue, 8am to 9pm on Wed and Thu, 8am to 10pm on Fri and Sat

2. Tendon Kohaku

Cravings for Japanese food, we went Tendon Kohaku located at Chinatown Point for lunch, a place that serves hearty bowl topped with crispy beautiful tempura.

We topped up for the set meal which came with Chawanmushi, Miso Soup and Ice Green Tea. The Japanese steamed egg arrived piping hot and tasted delicious with the rich seafood broth in it.

I had the Signature Kohaku Tendon which came with substantial amount of ingredients, consisting of 2 Prawns, 1 Chicken, 1 Squid, 1 baby Corn, 2 French Beans, 1 Shiitake Mushroom, 1 Kabocha Pumpkin and 1 Soft Fried Egg.

Although all the ingredients were deep fried, it did not have the greasy texture. All the pieces have the crispy exterior while the meat remained succulent. The sweet sauce added to the rice complemented well to the taste of the rice bowl.

133 New Bridge Rd, Chinatown Point, #02-34, Singapore 059413

Operating hours: 11.30am to 3.30pm and 5pm to 9.30pm daily

3. Chu Huang Hong Kong Royal Chicken

Chu Huang Hong Kong Royal Chicken is a small eatery located at People's Park Centre that specialises in Gui Fei Chicken (貴妃雞). This is my first time hearing about Gui Fei Chicken, so it sparked my interest in trying this eatery.

I had Soy Sauce Chicken ($5) instead of Gui Fei Chicken because I prefer to have the roasted chicken drizzled with soy sauce which was juicy and helped to enhance the flavour. I don't like that the chicken came with many bones, I prefer it to be boneless.

101 Upper Cross St, #01-05L, People's Park Centre, Singapore 058357

Operating hours: 11am to 8pm daily

4. Saizeriya

Saizeriya is known for their affordable and quality Italian cuisine with most of the dishes under $10 with no additional tax and no services charge. It has been awhile since I last had it.

You can complete your meal by opting for the set which incudes free flow of drinks and a bowl of salad. The salad was quite a refreshing one with the sauce added.

I had Creamy Garlic Chicken ($7.90) with chicken and mushroom bits. The spaghettis was on a dry side as I didn't feel there was much of creamy garlic sauce.

We also had Mushroom and Bacon Pizza ($7.90) for sharing. The pizza has a really thin crust texture and the edge was crunchy like biscuit, yet it was able to hold the ingredients on it. The pizza was better than their spaghettis. 

133 New Bridge Rd, #02-10 Chinatown Point, Singapore 059413

Operating hours: 11am to 10pm daily

5. Danji Korean BBQ Buffet

Craving for Korean food, we headed straight to Danji Korean BBQ Buffet without looking at the menu. I ordered Soy Chicken lunch set ($14++) and was surprised that it turned out to be a BBQ buffet (free flow of vegetables, hotdog, kimchi soup and rice). I was just expecting it was a hot plate for weekday lunch. It was still filling lunch for the price paid, just that it was troublesome that I have to spend most of the time flipping the meat.

133 New Bridge Rd, #02-35 Chinatown point

Operating hours: 12pm to 2.30pm and 5.30pm to 10pm from Mon to Fri, 12pm to 10pm on Sat and Sun

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Alexandr&Co's New Flagship Retail Opening at Isetan Scotts Singapore

Congratulations to Alexandr&Co. the world’s first luxury silk sericin skincare brand, for the opening of a new flagship retail point of sale at Isetan Scotts, Singapore. 

Alexandr&Co. is a Singapore-born luxury skincare range made in Japan (that explains the Japanese word below the brand's name). 

Alexandr&Co. is founded by doctors who studied the clinical applications of silkworm sericin in the context of skin healing and repair. This is the first time silk sericin is available in a luxury skincare range in Singapore and globally online.

Moving Alexandr&Co. to Isetan is definitely a strategic positioning as Isetan is a prominent premium retailer in Singapore and Japan, Isetan has robust loyalty programme for active members, making the place an ideal shopping destination.

There is a grand opening promotion where there is 30% off sericin skincare sets where set A (U.P $238) and set B (U.P $258) is now retailing at $199. It also comes with a free dreamguard pillow case worth $149.

The star product of Alexandr&Co. is SeriGlow Elixir Anti-Aging Serum (retail price: $159), that moisturizes, brightens and conditions skin, reducing the visible signs of ageing for a youthful appearance.

There were display set for customers to try out the products. I have tested out another best selling product, SeriGuard Anti-Aging Moisturizer, which is fast absorbed into skin and provide supple appearance. 

I received a deluxe travel size of SeriShine Anti-Aging Eye Cream, which is good to carry around in a pouch, especially when traveling overseas.

The eye cream was enriched with ultra-concentrated Serisil for vital care of our eyes, hence the texture of the eye cream is slightly thicker. Despite the thicker texture, the eye cream was fast absorbed into the skin and hydrated the delicate skin under the eyes. I love using it at night and wake up to a less puffiness looking eyes, my eyes no longer looked so restless.

For more information, please visit https://www.alexandr-co.com/ 

Places to Dine At Millenia Walk

There is an abundance cluster of restaurants and eateries located at Millenia Walk, a popular lunch spot among office crowds. I love to travel there for lunch because of the wide range of variety of food. I have compiled a list of restaurants and cafes that I have tried at the mall.

1. Kith Café

You can identify Kith Cafe by their iconic yellow and black octagonal shape logo. It's one of our all-time frequent cafe whenever we came to Millenia Walk for lunch.

I had BLT Wrap from Weekday Lunch Special Menu, the meal came with Ice Lemon Tea. The Tortilla Wrap was filled with Bacon, Tomato, Lettuce, Eggs, Spicy Tomato Beans and Cheese Sauce, creating a creamy texture. It can be a little messy when eat because the ingredients kept dropping out, it was simple and satisfied my brunch cravings.

9 Raffles Blvd, #01-44/45, Millenia Walk, Singapore 039596

Operating hours: 7.30am to 10pm daily

2. Saboten

Saboten is a Japanese restaurant that specialises in tonkatsu. They use high-grade ingredients to create simple and elegant food preparations that brings out the unique flavour of the ingredients. 

I ordered a cup of Green Tea to go with the meal while the Chawanmushi was included in the set, which was silky and flavourful.

I had Saboten Special Gozen which came with Fried Shrimp, Mini Pork Tenderloin Katsu, Half Pork Loin Katsu and Crab Cream Croquette. Every piece gave a satisfying crunch with the breaded batter and juicy meat in it. Although the meat was being deep fried, I don't feel the oiliness when consumed.

This deep fried dish was a delight to enjoy when dipped into the sauce where each bite provided crispy bite and savoury kick with the sauce coated.

The set lunch ended off with a scoop of Matcha Ice Cream. As a matcha lover, I enjoyed the earthly flavour of the matcha with mild sweetness.

9 Raffles Boulevard, #02-14 Millenia Walk, Singapore, 9 Raffles Blvd, Singapore 039596

Operating hours: 11.30am to 10pm daily

3. Bistro G

Bistro G is a cafe popular with office crowds during weekdays, they are known for their traditional bistro style food with a modern Asian twist. 

Bistro G has a rustic interior with the wood decor and potted plants, creating a relaxing and homely vibes. No wonder this cafe was a favourite hangout place for office crowds during lunch hours, everyone love the cozy ambience.

I had French The Bacon ($20++) with Bacon and Poached Egg sat on top of the French Toast. Drizzle the maple syrup to add sweetness to the buttery French toast. It was a well executed dish and the portion was just nice for me.

Burst open the poached egg to let the egg yolk flow to the bread, softening the buttery dough but bringing out a fragrant aroma.

9 Raffles Blvd, #01-79/80 Millenia Walk, Singapore 039596

Operating hours: 10am to 10pm daily

4. Sapporo Misono

Sapporo Misono is the first Hokkaido specialty ramen concept by Keisuke Group, offering customers an opportunity to try out Hokkaido-style ramen, rice and side dishes. 

I had Tonkotsu Ramen ($12.90++) which allow us to customize to our preference, I opt for less salt and less oil for my broth which taste good with the light flavour. The noodles were springy and chewy, will recommend to add on ingredients as the bowl was quite plain without much ingredients.

I saw that Hokkaido Potato Mochi ($6.90++) was quite an unusual dish to see on the menu so I decided to order it. The potato mochi has a nice crispy exterior and chewy on the inside, it taste sweet with the savoury sauce and topped with butter.

9 Raffles Blvd, #2 - 15 Millenia Walk, Singapore 039596

Operating hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5pm to 9.30pm on Mon to Fri, 11.30am to 9.30pm on Sat and Sun

5. Gochi-So Shokudo

Gochi-So Shokudo is a Japanese casual dining restaurant, specialises in enhancing the original flavor of our Iberico Pork by using Charcoal of the finest grade and special dipping sauces. The seat was a little squeezy as there was no space to lean back and have to sit upright throughout the meal.

I had Iberico Tenderloin Katsu ($18.50) which comes with deep fried golden brown battered katsu, dipping sauce, salad, rice and miso soup. The katsu was light and crispy, it was not greasy too. I finished all the meat but still left with half bowl of rice. 

The sweet and savoury dipping sauce complimented the katsu with a combination taste that matched well. Leaving me wanting for more katsu.

9 Raffles Blvd, Millenia Walk #02-16, Singapore 039596

Operating hours: 11.30am to 9pm from Sun to Thu, 11.30am to 9.30pm on Fri and Sat 

Happenings in November - Kazokutei

Monday 14/11/22

Began the week with a dinner meet up with GF, who is just back from her Italy's trip and she has gotten me some souvenirs. 

We settled for dinner at Kazokutei @ Bugis Junction, one of Osaka’s most well known brands of udon restaurant. Though they are famous for udon, both of us are not udon lovers so we had omu rice instead.

Both of us had Fried Chicken Omu Rice consisting of fried egg on top of rice, kaarage chicken and fries. The rice has been drizzled with special spice sauce and the aroma has entice my appetite. It was definitely a hearty meal.

We also had Chijimi, the portion of the Korean pancake was quite petite to me. It was slightly oily, so pair it with the sauce to lighten the greasy taste.

Tuesday 15/11/22

The Genmaicha was served in a tea pot with mini cup and candle, allowing the tea to stay warm throughout. I love the roasted fragrance of the tea.

Next was Curly Fries ($6.50++), my favourite type of fries that will leave me addictive once I started eating.

We also tried on Salmon Okonomiyaki ($13.80++) which was Japanese style pan-fried pancake with Norwegian salmon. The pancake resembled a little like omelette with salmon chunks in it. The savoury flavour was further enhanced by the sauce drizzled on the pancake.

Ended off with Black Sesame Ice Cream ($4++), I like black sesame flavour that it was not too sweet and the nutty flavour of sesame was brought out well.

Saturday 19/11/22

I found a quaint little cafe.

There is limited seating inside the cafe. Not to worry if full house, because they always have alfresco area. The cafe has a simple and rustic look with minimalist decorations.

I had 70% Dark Chocolate Tart ($8) which has strong cocoa flavour and it can get a little too rich in chocolate taste towards finishing it.

Time passed so fast, it is only a month from the end of 2022.

Turkish food at Arkadas Cafe @ Fusionopolis

My love for Turkish food has brought me to another Turkish food finding, Arkadas Cafe at Fusionopolis. 

The traditional decorations added rustic vibes to the interior of the cafe and fresh flowers were placed in the vase at our table.

I had Turkish Tea served in a traditional glass cup, the tea was light, aromatic and refreshing. It helped to cleanse the palate after the food.

I had Sis Kebab Chicken where grilled marinated chicken was accompanied by different colours spread of vegetables that was pleasing to the eyes, the vegetables also helped to wash away the greasiness of the meat.

 Wrap up our lunch with Turkish traditional dessert, Baklava. A sweet layered pastry with crispy exterior and filled with chopped nuts, pistachios and sweet syrup. The sweetness was just right as the pastry can be finished in just few bites.

Dining

We started off with Takoyaki ($13++), Japanese octopus ball topped with bonito flakes and the sauces brought an infused savoury to the soft takoyaki. Every component complemented well each other.