Brunch with Ian and JB...

We'll be welcoming another friend to Singapore soon.

Come 1 July, JB will be working in Singapore. It was a surprise for me as I didn't think he would actually leave the Philippines since he is doing well back in Manila. However, when he told me the story of how he decided upon the move to Singapore, I then understood that it was definitely a good decision. He'll still be working for the same company, still in the same department, but his responsibilities have expanded. That would be really good training for him. He's one of those friends who's a go-getter. I definitely see him occupying an even higher position in the next few years.

Anyway, this weekend he was in Singapore for a preview trip. He came over look at possible flats that he and Ian can rent. In between their flat viewing, we managed to squeeze in a brunch. Yay.

They checked out a flat in Holland V. Naturally, we decided to go for brunch in the area. The area where Chip Bee Garden is actually has a few good choices. We decided to settle for Gastronomia da Paolo.

It was a good decision as I was craving for Western food. The place was also not very crowded so we had a relaxed brunch just as every brunch should be.

Close to 2PM, we decided it was time to go. They had a few more flats to check out. I, on the other hand, needed to head to the museum for an activity.

It was a short catchup but I was glad to see JB (and Ian, whom I was with last night. LOL!)

Advance welcome to Singapore, JB! See you in a few weeks!

Ex-Smartees reunion yet again...

Today was mostly about meeting friends.

Ex-Smart colleague Rej is in town for work since last Monday. However, she was only free to meet up friends by yesterday.

Together with also ex-Smart colleague Arlyn, the three of us agreed to have brunch at Robert Timms Wheelock. I wonder if Robert Timms has a frequent customer/loyalty card. Haha! I've been to the place quite often in the past few weeks. Anyway, it was good to catch up with Rej since a lot has happened to her since we last saw each other. It was also good to catch up with her because I got to meet up with Arlyn again. Though we both live on the same island, we hardly see each other. Haha!

Unfortunately, I had another appointment in the afternoon so I didn't get to hang with the girls.

However, I met up again with them in the evening for dinner at JoAnn's place. That was really something I was happy about not just because I get to see JoAnn and her family again, but also because she and her helper prepares really good Filipino food. Nothing beats home cooked meals! Haha!

I guess I'll write about the other meetup separately. Lol!

Brunch and volunteer work...

Before heading to the museum for volunteer work, I met up with I-van and Mon for brunch.

I-van was in town for a few days because of work. However, he's been busy and only had time to meet up today. He flew back to KL this evening.

We agreed to have brunch at Robert Timms since it was most convenient for everyone.

I didn't mind trying a new brunch place but there weren't really a lot of choices in the area. This was because we agreed to meet up at 1030AM. Hehe!

In any case, Robert Timms is always a good choice as the food is good, the price is reasonable, the place is still in the town centre but not that crowded.

Mon and I-van went shopping while I had to go for my volunteer work.

Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the work, but I was exhausted at the end of the day.

Brunch, museum, dinner, angels...

My Saturday ended 30 minutes past twelve (and it was already a Sunday).

Today was another busy day. There was not much activity. It was more of a going from one place to another to either spend time with friends or to attend a prior commitment.

In the morning, I met up with Mon and I-van for brunch. The latter was flying back to Kuala Lumpur this afternoon. I didn't get to spend much time with him since I was also entertaining other friends. Thankfully, Mon messaged to invite to brunch at Wild Honey Scotts Square. It was good because I get to see I-van again before he flies out and also because I haven't been to Wild Honey in a while, and I miss brunch. Haha!

Hmm, I-van, technically, is not really a visitor anymore since his work trips to Singapore is getting more frequent. Hehe! But still, it's always a joy to see him. Back in Manila, my workplace was only a few buildings away from his. We would sometimes meet in the afternoon for coffee and a smoke (well, just him). In a way, it kind of feels like that again.

After brunch, we walked around a bit Scotts and Taka before parting ways. Mon needed to go do some errands. I-van had to head back to the hotel to get his luggage and head to the airport. I, on the other hand, had an appointment at the National Gallery.

I'm excited for the opening of the museum. Hmm, I'm done with the first of two papers. The next thing I need to work on is to prep for my assessment tour. It is scheduled for the end of September. I need to spend the next few weeks to prepare for that. At the same time, I have to start writing on my other tour paper, which is due end of October.

The activity with the museum ended by 330. My next appointment was around 5 or 6PM. Since I had to stay in town for the next appointment, I decided to just head to the National Library to do a bit of reading.

By 5, I left the library and took the bus to nearby Plaza Singapura. Grace, another ex-colleague, is in town for less than 24 hours. Of course, a meetup was necessary. I suggested that Grace, ex-colleague/SG noob Arlyn, and I meet at Tim Ho Wan for a light snack. It was only 5PM. Surely, the queue won't be long. I was right. THW was also a good choice because Grace has never tried the food at the restau.

For dinner, we went to Lau Pa Sat and had a feast - char kway teow, satay, dumpling soup, naan with different dips. Grace requested for hawker food. Lau Pa Sat was the quick solution. Hehe! Again, it was a good choice because Arlyn has never been to Lau Pa Sat. JoAnn then also joined us for dinner and chitchat. Thankfully, LPS was not extremely crowded. It also got cooler somehow so the four of us just decided to stay at LPS for chitchat and dessert.

The last time I saw Grace was when I left in 2011. Less than a year ago, she was assigned to Melbourne. This was definitely a reunion. I'm really glad that even though I'm no longer with Smart, I continue to be good friends with my ex-colleagues. Every time we see each other, the feeling is like we're still working together. Friendship with the PA girls is something I'm really grateful for.

We called it a night a little after 10. I was already very tired. I couldn't wait to take a shower. It was hot the entire day, and I was not wearing summer-friendly attire. Hehe!

Instead of heading home, I decided to swing by the National Museum first to catch the last performance of Garden of Angels by Theater Tol for the Singapore Night Festival. I was initially planning to catch the 9PM performance, but of course I had to choose hanging out with my ex-colleagues. Hehe!

Thankfully, there was an 11PM performance and thankfully, it will end not too late and I will still get to catch the train back to my place.

It was a good decision to go catch Garden of Angels, even if I was by myself. Haha! The performance was really enchanting and it was my first time to see an aerial performance like that.

I finally reached home before 1. I rested for a bit, showered and then before I knew it, I was already in lalaland. Haha!

Both tiring and relaxing Saturday so far...

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It's been a tiring week, both because of work and my extra curricular activities.

This afternoon, I had some sort of break. By that, I mean I was able to stay at home and just take a nap for the past two hours. Haha!

Before that, I was already out of the house at 7AM and was in the city up until 2PM. My agenda this morning were museum volunteer training and brunch with PG Boy.

Museum training continues to be exciting and interesting. I definitely cannot wait for the opening of the museum later this year. At the same time, I'm a bit anxious because I have to write two papers before I become an official docent. Hehe!

After museum training, which thankfully finished on time, I walked over to the nearby Kith cafe. Since it was still before 12 noon, I didn't have to wait long to get a table for two.

It was good seeing PG Boy. The last time I saw him was during lunch with him, his best friend and Mon at a Peranakan place. I'm happy that things seem to be going okay with him and I'm happy to hear the updates about him, his fam and his circle of friends who I also know. Though there was a particular topic where he raised his voiced at me. Lol! It caught me by surprise. Lol!

Brunch with PG Boy was because I had to borrow a shirt for the birthday party I'm going to in a few hours. The birthday boy's favourite colour is green and he requested that people wear green. Hehe! More on that party tonight or tomorrow morning.

Uneventful eventful Saturday...

Quite an uneventful eventful Saturday.

Confusing, eh? Haha! What I mean is that the Saturday was filled with activities, but all the activities were things I usually do on Saturdays.

As is the case most of the time, I woke up ahead of my alarm. I went to bed a little past midnight. Since there was no work the following day, I was hoping I would get up by 7AM. Guess what? I was up an hour before the alarm went off. Damn body clock! There is probably nothing that can be done about it anymore. Hehe!

Unable to go to sleep again, I decided to just get up, head to the kitchen with my bag of dirty clothes and do my laundry. While waiting for laundry, I ate my cereals while watching an episode of Arrow.

By 10AM, I made my way to Jurong East for the gym. One "new" thing about this Saturday is that Mon decided to join me and Tipz for our crazy class combo of Pump x Combat. Haha! It was really nice of Mon to join since it was literally a journey to the West for him. HB Boy joined us at the gym much later. He went for his swim, while Mon, Tipz and I punched and kicked in Combat.

By the time we left the gym, it was already 3PM. We headed to eggs n' berries for a very late lunch/breakfast/brunch. The good thing about going to restaus at that time is that there are no queues. Yay! egg n' berries is a good brunch place. Their first branch is at Expo. PG Boy and I used to go to that place when he was still living in Tampines. I was more than pleased when I saw that another branch was opened in Westgate.

Time really just does fly so fast. It was already 4PM when HB Boy and I said buh bye to Tipz and Mon. Tips stayed behind at Westgate to check out Tokyo Hands. Mon headed back to the city to run some errands. HB Boy and I had our own unplanned plans.

Further proof that time moves so fast? Our unplanned plans lasted until 1030, I think. Lol! Having made the trip to Jurong East, I thought I'd accompany HB Boy back to his place in the north. Usually, we part ways at the MRT station. Last night, I walked him back to his place. It wasn't far from the MRT. But by Singapore standards, I would say it is far. LOL!

I'm not complaining. It's one more "walk" that can be added to the list of "walks" that we usually do. Richie once said, referring to me and HB Boy, "That's your thing, no? Going for walks." Hmm, I guess it is. I dunno. That's one of the things I like to do I guess. I'm glad that HB Boy seems to like to do the same thing.

Sunday brunch at The Loft...

After hearing the 930AM Mass at the church nearest to PG Boy's place, I headed to Chinatown to meet up with Chris and MkSurf8 for brunch.

MkSurf8 joined the SAFRA Army Half Marathon earlier and he asked if any of us would like to go for brunch. Ian also went for the run and we invited him to brunch as well but he was too tired and sleepy. Tipz, on the other hand, already made plans.

So, it was just the usual suspects - MkSurf8, Chris and me. Hehe!

MkSurf8 suggested we all go to The Loft at Smith St. It seems like it's the one that's central to all of us. Plus, I've never tried out the place though I've seen it a couple of times when I was in Chinatown.

I dunno if it was because it was a Sunday and there was a run, or because Smith St. was closed to traffic or if it was about to rain, but there was no queue at the cafe. That never happens!!! Hehe!

MkSurf8 and Chris were already comfortably seated by the window by the time I arrived. It was hard to believe that there was no queue and that the place wasn't packed at all. I wonder if it's always like that.

Anyway, I actually enjoyed the food. I ordered the Farmer's Omelette and I was happy with it. I particularly liked the toast. Hehe! I wonder how they made it taste that way.

Since the place wasn't crowded, the three of us were able to stay and hang out for a few hours and just talked and talked and talked. It was really good! I haven't been able to hang out with the guys lately so I'm really glad we got to do the brunch.

Good Sunday morning. :)

The Loft Cafe
268A South Bridge Road, S(058817)
(+65) 6221 2103
Mon: 9am - 3pm
Tue - Sun: 9am - 10pm
www.theloft.com.sg

Brunch at Eggs & Berries...

As much as I like having the usual traditional breakkie set at the food store across PG Boy's place, I still crave for something different on certain weekends.

That's why last Sunday, I suggested to a sleepy PG Boy that we head to Changi City Point instead to have brunch at Eggs & Berries.

Luckily, City Point was not crowded yet and we didn't have to wait to get a table at the restau.

I'm not sure if there's any other brunch place in the East that serves nice brunch sets. Hmm, the other closest brunch place to Tampines I can think of is already in Farrer Park. Hehe!

Anyway, what's good about Eggs & Berries is that the brunch plate is quite affordable/reasonable. Excluding the coffee, the brunch plate set which includes the three pieces of mini butter pancakes is about $15. Not bad, yeah?

Will definitely be back again soon.

Eggs & Berries
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
#01-37/38 Changi City Point
Singapore 486038
Tel: 6636 4212
Opening Hours: 8am to 10pm (daily)

Brunch with the bros (Lol)...

Met up with Chris, Ian and MkSurf8 last Saturday for brunch.

MkSurf8 suggested that we have a brunch to celebrate Ian's bday as well as to welcome 2013. And if it's MkSurf8 who calls for a get-together, you dun say no to Madame. Hehe! Kidding.

As always, it was great seeing these three guys especially since we all had our own New Year celeb. Ian was in Shanghai for New Year. MkSurf8 was in HK with the folks. Chris was in Upper Boon Keng. Hehe!

We agreed to meet at Robertson Walk and decide there where to go for brunch.

Initially, we thought of going to Kitchen + Bar by the Merry Men or Bar Bar Black Sheep but I think neither were open yet.

em by the river was suggested since it's also a great brunch place.

However, we decided to try something new so we settled for Toby's Estate.

If you want good coffee, you'll definitely want to head down to this place. It's definitely one of the best coffee places in town.

As for the food, I did enjoy the brunch that I have. Most of the brunch plates are below $20, which is quite great.

I ordered the croissant with scrambled eggs and espresso maple bacon, which was just $10. I ordered extra sides of sauteed mixed mushrooms and honey baked ham, which together cost $5.

When my plate arrived, I was pleasantly surprised because it was quite a big serving, even for me.
Oh, one thing I like about the place was that they were okay with replacing the croissant with two pieces of brioche. (Or maybe because they already ran out of croissant and had no choice. Hehe!)

Chris and Ian had the Peasant Eggs with some add-ons. MkSurf8 had Toby's Breakfast.

I dunno about the guys, but I did enjoy my breakfast. I definitely also enjoyed the Latte. It was good and I wouldn't mind having a second cup... errr... glass.

Toby’s Estate
8 Rodyk Street
#01-03/04 Singapore
Tel: +65 6636 7629
Daily: 7.30am – 6pm

Coffee afternoon at Chye Seng Huat Hardware...

PG Boy and I finally got to go to Chye Seng Huat Hardware to see what all the fuss was about.

I've been seeing the cafe in a number of blogs recently so naturally, I was curious to go and check out the place.

The cafe is very near where PG Boy used to stay. It's a very short walk from Lavender MRT. After grabbing lunch from the Thai foodstall from the kopitiam at the corner of Tyrwhitt Rd and Horne Rd, we made our way to Chye Seng Huat Hardware.

Despite being a lazy Sunday early afternoon, the place was kinda full. We still managed to get a place though so yay! :)

Prior to going, I read somewhere that the breakkie/brunch stuff weren't that spectacular. My bad for quickly believing. When I saw the brunch plates coming out of the kitchen, I actually thought the food seems worth a try. Note to self: next time, try the food yourself. Don't rely on reviews too much. Hehe!

I did like the coffee very much. I ordered the hand-brewed - Balanced. I liked it so much I had two cups. Haha! More than that, I also loved the interiors of the place. It was well done. I guess the charm of the place starts right even before you enter. The people behind the cafe retained the facade of the hardware store that it used to be (??). This gave the place its own character. Hehe!

I also like that there is a shop just above the cafe that sheels nice bags and other quirky items. Do check out the Tyrwhitt General Company store for the pieces.

Meanwhile, PG Boy was looking around every bit of detail of the cafe while he enjoyed his latte. He liked the interiors very much. Plus, he was very impressed with how the baristas handled the coffee. They really knew what they were doing.

It was definitely an enjoyable early Sunday afternoon hohol.

Must definitely go back to try the brunch and the pastries.

Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee Bar
Address: 150 Tyrwhitt Rd
Contact: 6396 0609
Opening Hours:
Tue - Thu: 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Fri - Sun: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Website: http://www.cshhcoffee.com