Canopy Garden Dining at Bishan Park

Canopy Garden Dining is located in the heart of Bishan Park, tucked between the greenery surrounding and residential area. 

Canopy Garden Dining is a popular dining spot for residents staying in Bishan to unwind after their activities in the park. Furry pets are welcome at the cafe too.

It has been 8 years since I last visited the park, the cafe I been to previously was not longer around.

The alfresco dining does not have much of a view except for the leaves covering up the roof. Nevertheless, it is still a great place to chill over a meal. Beware of ants dropping down from the roof, I flipped away at least 3 to 4 ants dropped on my hand during my entire time there.

I had Ice Chocolate which I felt was too bland in taste.

I decided to order Grilled Chicken Sandwich because it was served with fries. It came in a generous portion, making the fries very addictive.

The grilled chicken was sandwiched in between the sourdough toast together with onion marmalade, tomato, mesclun. Each ingredient contained different texture (hard, soft and crunch) and flavours.

After the lunch, it was time to burn off the calories away. Took a stroll along the park and admire the green landscape. The mid afternoon sun was glaring and half of the time we were power walking so that we could complete the walk faster. 

After taking in the greenery, we spotted McDonald and decided to seek a shelter there while having ice cream. The hot afternoon heat just made me want to stay indoor and had something chilling.

It must have been years since I last had Oreo McFlurry Ice Cream, the packaging has even changed, missed it so much. I love that it comes in a big cup that satisfied my cravings for oero ice cream in a quaint surrounding.

I think it is hard to find another McDonald in Singapore that offers such a great greenery view and cloudy sky. This is the view that I have when having ice cream, the view is even better than Canopy Garden Dining.

Good Bites Healthy Bowls Cafe at Bishan Sports Hall

Tucked in the north away from the hustle and bustle town area is Good Bites, Healthy Bowls Cafe that is located at Bishan Sports Hall, 10 minutes walk from Bishan Station. It is a convenient dining place for the residents who are looking for a comfortable setting and healthy food after their workout.

Bishan Sports Hall level 3 is home to this Instragrammable exterior looking cafe and healthy serving of food. We were attracted by the fairy lights that lightened up the pathway, leading us to the cafe.

Good Bites also makes a good location for holding private events with the cafe seats up to 60 pax and can accommodate up to 80 pax.

As we are all becoming more health conscious, Good Bites aim to bring more meal options to meet our demand for healthy eating. From homemade soups, healthy bowls to customisable salads, you can find them here in Good Bites.

Good Bites is under Citrus Group, same branding as Citrus By The Pool. One of the main difference between the two brands is the introduction of healthy bowls at Good Bites.

Thanks GF for the photo.

Good Bites is a great place for a dinner gathering with friends. I always love gathering with the girls because we have endless topic to chat about, especially enjoyable with the company of delicious food.

Good Bites has a relaxing ambience with wide selection of food and drinks. From healthy bowls, to pasta to mains, there will definitely be something to capture your interest.

Both Tracy and GF went for refreshing Ice Tea, they had Minty Green Tea with Honey ($3.90) and Lychee Tea ($5.50).

Meryl and I on the other hand opt for the Mighty Milkshakes. I had Cookie Crush ($9.90) while Meryl had Strawberry Gem ($8.90). It comes in a mega size and mix the whipped cream with the milkshake to create a creamy mouthful.

Cookies 'n' Cream ice-cream was blended with low-fat milk and Oreo cookies, toppled with whipped cream and Oreo cookies. Just one sip and I could taste the richness of Cookie Crush milkshake with a creamy finish. The milkshake was overall well flavoured. 

Currently, Good Bites has 3 healthy bowls for selection.

The first healthy bowl we tried was Baked Salmon Bowl ($15.00) which consists of baked salmon, soba noodles, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, hard-boiled egg and white sesame seed. 

The Baked Salmon Bowl makes a well-balanced healthy meal with the right amount of carbohydrates and proteins that will please our taste buds. The baked salmon with charred skin was tender and the flesh was easily cut. 

Next was Roasted Chicken Bowl ($15.00). The bowl was filled with herbs and citrus roasted chicken, brown rice, grilled cherry tomatoes, sauteed mushroom, broccoli, hard-boiled egg and multi-grain tortilla chips.

The roasted chicken with herbs and citrus flavours was juicy and tender. We also loved the cherry tomatoes which added sweetness to the dish. With every bite of the tortilla chips, a distinct crunchy sound can be heard. The savoury of the roasted chicken made this healthy bowl super appetizing. 

The last bowl was Prawn Salsa Bowl ($15.00) which consists of prawns with pineapple salsa, romaine lettuce, avocado, sauteed mushrooms and lemon wedge. It was then toppled with cherry tomatoes and raw onions mini cubes. This is my least preferred bowl as I'm not a fan of raw onion.

You can request for sauces to enhance the taste of the healthy bowls if it is too light for you. They have tartar, sesame soy and paprika yoghurt sauce to go with the meat.

Moving on to pasta.

Laksa Pasta ($12.90) which consists of dry laksa linguine with shrimps, hard-boiled egg, sliced fish cakes and crunchy taupok cubes. 

This dish incorporates our local iconic food culture which definitely will steal the heart of laksa lovers. The familiar laksa broth was locked in every strand of the al dente pasta.

Though this was my second time having Tom Yum Seafood Pasta ($13.90), this was different from the one I had at Citrus By The Pool. This is the dry pasta version. The dry linguine was coated with the signature tom yum broth, served alongside with prawns, squid and mussels. 

This pasta is not for people who can't handle spice because it was packed with such a potent flavour that one mouthful can make you sweat and start looking for your drink. The spiciness level might be overwhelming but we still enjoy eating as the pasta was really tasty.

This was the main course I wanted to try when I saw it on the menu, Fried Chicken & Waffle ($15.90). The fried chicken chunks on fluffy waffle was served with butter and maple syrup.

The fried chicken was drizzled with maple syrup, making it moist and added sweetness to the overall taste. The waffle has is buttery on the outside and airy on the inside. I loved the crispy exterior of the fried chicken and the succulent meat. The combination of the crispy friend chicken and fluffy waffle was so perfect.

Another of my favourite was Egg-ploding Burger ($12.90) served with Cajun Fries. Beneath the golden brown crispy fried chicken thigh was a juicy meat that was perfectly fried. The egg nachos mayo added a different texture which softened the sesame seed bun and chicken thigh. 

Remember to save your stomach for their dessert. We had Homemade Apple Crumble ($7.90) for dessert, it comes with a scoop of ice cream and we had vanilla flavour. I like how the vanilla ice cream moistened the apple crumble and boosted the flavour when we consumed. Every mouthful made me want to go for more.

Last but not least, we had Molten Chocolate Lava Cake ($10.90) which was in a heart shape, specially created for Valentine's Day. It also comes with a scoop of ice cream and we opt for strawberry ice cream.

Cut open the lava cake and rich chocolate flowing out. Pair the lava cake with strawberry ice cream to enjoy the warm and cold combination dessert. So tantalising.

The fairy lights looked even prettier at night, making the cafe dazzling up the dull night. I highly recommend this cafe for the ambience and food, enough supporting evidence to travel here for the food. 

Thanks Good Bites and Dawn for hosting us.

For more information, please visit https://www.goodbites.com.sg/

Good Bites 

5 Bishan Street 14 

Bishan Sports Hall, #03-01 

Singapore 579783 

Contact number: 6970 0233

Opening hours: 

Monday to Friday: 11am to 9.30pm (Last order: 9pm)

Saturday, Sunday & Public Holiday: 11am to 10.30pm (Last order: 10pm)

Food Review: Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo at Bishan

Journey to the North.

I met up with my blogger friends (GF, Claressa and CK) for a flavoursome lunch at Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo, which is located at S-11 Bishan 504 Food Court. The food court is very accessible, it is just 5 minutes walk away from Bishan MRT.

Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo is a newly opened stall in S-11 Bishan 504 Food Court. They are opened from 9.30am till 9.30pm daily. 

We were there during lunch hours and Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo has garnered the most queue among all the stalls and people just keep coming. This really makes me want to try out their Yong Tau Foo. We went to join the queue when it was less crowded.

First up was to choose our choice of ingredients.

The minimum number of ingredients we are required to choose is 5 pieces + noodles/rice at a cost of $3.60. 

Any additional ingredients added will be $0.60 per piece.

The lady boss has shared with us that the food items are freshly prepared every morning to cater for daily consumption.

Here are my selection of ingredients, one of the must try is their meat ball, highly recommended by the lady boss.

After finish choosing the ingredients, next will be to choose the noodles/rice and the soup base.

For noodle, I opt for yi mian. It is quite rare that yi mian is offered for Yong Tau Foo, hence I immediately went for it when I know they offered yi mian. 

For soup base, one can go for

- Dry/soup

- Curry laksa

- Ma la

Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo has also personalized their bowls, trays and utensils with their logo, it made us feel very homely and connected. It gave us a feel of having comfort food at home.

My Yong Tau Foo was finally here. The bowl of Yong Tau Foo came in a big bowl and looked so inviting, I can't wait to sink my teeth into it.

The taste of the broth definitely contribute to the essence of a bowl of good Yong Tau Foo. The Curry Laksa broth gave a good punch upon the first sip. It was so delicious and contained robust flavours. The noodle and the ingredients were soon infused with the broth, giving us an explosion of  fiery taste with another mouthful. Do not worry, the spiciness is still within our limit.

A delicious and satisfying lunch needs not be an expensive meal. A meal within $5 can achieve the same outcome. Thanks Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo for having us at your stall.

If you happen to be Bishan, do drop by Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo to try out their Yong Tau Foo.

For more information, please visit their Facebook Page.

Xian Mei Yong Tau Foo

504 bishan street 11 #01-04

Singapore 570504

Operating hours: 9.30am to 9.30pm daily