Nice Wednesday...

Wednesday was quite a busy day.

The day started with waking up before the alarm went off, which is usually the case. Haha!

Since I had dinner plans, I thought of going to the gym in the morning. It was perfect because there was a 7AM class. It would be just like pre-telecommuting days when I did Pump before heading to the office.

The gym was almost empty when I arrived. In about 15 minutes though, more people started arriving. I walked over to the counter to ask for the registration sheet for Pump. The nice staff then told me that there was Circuit Training, but no Pump.

Strange because I checked the schedule and I was sure Pump was on schedule. Hmm, I just decided to hit the treadmill and run for 30 minutes. When I was already 20 minutes into my run, I heard the music coming from the Group Exercise room. I was sure it was a Body Pump song. I decided to stop the treadmill and rush to the GX room. True enough, it was a Pump class. Haha!

Thankfully, I'm quite familiar with the song. I've been doing Pump for a few years now so it was quite easy to follow the instructor. It was just a 50-minute class. No biceps and triceps tracks. It was okay because I had enough time to shower and head back in time to start work.

For lunch, I had my second session with Harusensei. The session this week was a lot tougher than the first one. I could understand 80% of the things he said. The challenge was verbalise my thoughts. At one point, the sentences were too complicated. Even Harusan though that the sentences were too long! Lol! Oh, I still need to improve on the use of the particles.

I'm thinking of trying out sessions with another teacher. Harusensei is good. I think he is best for someone who already has been studying Japanese for a year now, maybe a JLPT 5 passer? I like him a lot because he's very patient, very cheerful, and that I am forced to really listen and try to speak in Japanese. But maybe I need a teacher who can properly supplement the lessons I learn in class. Let's stick first to Kono kaban wa dare desu ka? Or Kore wa dare no kaban desu ka? Isshni tabemasenka? Ja owarimashou.

Let's see how it goes.

In the evening, I just went to Holland V for dinner, followed by coffee and dessert at a cafe named Baker & Cook. Late did it occur to me that I actually could have checked out The Monocle Cafe. I've been wanting to go and check it out.

Good start of the day and good end of day.

Sunday with MonRich...

Saturday night was spent with Richie and Mon. Sunday night was also spent with Richie and Mon. Haha!

So last night, we did go for the screening of Dior and I at Shaw Lido. I'm glad we were able to catch the docu film because it gave a glimpse of how things are at the house of Dior under Raf Simons' direction. I also like watching such documentaries because it allows me to experience a world that I may never be able to experience. Hehe.

To a point, I can say that Mon (and maybe, Richie) share the same sentiment because we were gushing about how awesome the documentary was. It was great seeing the amount of creativity, effort, talent, stress it takes to come up with an awesome collection. I have such high respect for the team. Just thinking about the skill required to create all the masterpieces makes my jaw drop. Haha!

Tonight, I met up again with them because I was in the city. Originally, the plan was to watch Into the Woods with Jon and Lara. However, the available seats were sucky so I decided to just let Jon and Lara watch the film since there were good seats available for two people, sucky seats if it's for three.

Since I was already in the city, I told Mon and Richie I would join them for dinner. Dinner extended to coffee and dessert. In fact, I just got home thirty minutes ago. Haha!

We went to a simple Thai place across Richie's office for Sunday. It's a modest food place but the food they serve is really good and I guess, authentic. It doesn't have the commercial feel one gets from the Thai restaurants in malls. After a happy dinner, I suggested we have dessert. We ended up going to next door where there was a P.S. Cafe. Richie was craving for the chocolate cake with ice cream that we had at P.S. Cafe Ann Siang Hill when I-van was in town.

Since it was a Sunday night, the place was not packed. We were able to get a nice area in the restau and just spent an hour or two talking about the usual things we talk about. Haha!

It's a good weekend. There is really nothing I can seriously complain about. There are a lot of things I am really grateful for.

Ready for the start of a brand new work week...

Peranakan Museum, Kith Cafe and Saboten on Saturday...

Saturday was quite a busy day.

In the morning, Tipz and I met up with Jamie and his brother Rain for a visit to the museum.

I suggested we visit the Peranakan Museum since I thought the Peranakan culture was something Jamie and Rain would appreciate. (Turned out I was right! Yay!)

We joined the 11AM guided tour. Though I've been to the Peranakan Museum a few times, I haven't had a chance to join a guided tour. I was really glad the docent assigned for the 11AM was very good and knowledgeable. At the start of the tour, there were about 10 of us. Towards the end, our docent was left with the four Filipinos who were very interested in (almost) all things Peranakan. Hehe!

From the Peranakan Museum, we headed to Kith Cafe for lunch.

Luckily, we got there before more hungry people arrived. Hehe! PG Boy joined us for lunch. Glad that he met Jamie and Rain. I told Jamie that PG Boy is half-Hokkien. I tried to get them to talk to each other in Hokkien. Well, they managed to communicate though Rain said there was a slight difference in accent. Hehe!

Afterwards, we all parted ways. Jamie and Rain wanted to check out some furniture stores. Tipz headed to Plaza Singapura to buy a birthday pressie. PG Boy and I headed back to his place since he still hasn't packed for his work trip.

Packing for a trip is one more area where PG Boy and I are on opposite sides of the coin. Lol! He's all pack light and I'll just bring whatever. I, on the other hand, always have trouble packing. "Pack light" does not exist in my vocab. Lol!

We'll see how I'll be for our upcoming trip.

PG Boy's flight was close to midnight but we decided to head early to the airport. It was my suggestion, of course. Haha!

Since we were heading to Changi, I already knew what I wanted for dinner - Saboten!!!

We dun go for tonkatsu that often anyway. I felt like I was allowed to treat myself.

I really like Saboten. The food is just great. The other tonkatsu place is Tonkichi. I should bring Tey and Moneigh to these awesome restaus on their next trip to Singapore.

After dinner, PG Boy and I headed to T3 for coffee and dessert. By the time I left Changi, it was already 10PM. I told PG Boy that by the time I get home, he would already be boarding his flight.

I was correct. Haha!

So, yeah, it was quite a busy Saturday. It's one Saturday I feel was well spent. Hehe!

Kith Café
#01-01E, Park Mall, 9 Penang Road
Tel: 6338-8611
Opening hours: 08:00 – 22:00 daily
(Breakfast menu until 3pm)


Saboten
80 Airport Boulevard
#031-004 Departure Check-in Hall Level 3
Changi Airport Terminal 1
Tel: +65 6214 9504
Daily: 8am – 10.30pm

BNO at eight cafe and bar and Roosevelt's...

Last night was one of the semi-spontaneous night out with some of my closest friends here in Singapore - RKGreg, Chris and Tipz.

As the day came to an end, we all just chatted and asked about what each other's plans for Friday night were.

Except for MkSurf8 who was on a business trip to MNL and Ian who already had plans, the four of us were the only ones free to meet up.

We all agreed to go to eight cafe and bar in Outram Park. I've been meaning to go since I follow the owner Bill on Instagram.

His food photos are always mouthwatering. His cafe photos make one want to visit.

Surprisingly, we were still able to book a table though we called quite late.

Chris and I were the first ones to arrive at the cafe. It kind of reminded me of the Sanctuario cafe in Tagaytay. Friends Romil and Sean own the cafe and I used to visit Tagaytay quite often to hang out with the pair. eight cafe had the same vibe.

Since we were starving, we ordered ahead of Tipz and RK Greg. Chris got the aglio olio, while I settled for an onion soup and a salad (given that I ate rice for breakkie. Haha!) Later on, Tipz ordered the fish dish while RKGreg got the laksa pasta. We also ordered a calamari to share.

It was an enjoyable dinner. We stayed at the cafe til close to 10. Aside from the food, what I also liked a lot about the cafe was that it was a place where everyone can just really chill and be themselves... ;)

From eight cafe, we walked to Outram Park station and tried the coffee and dessert at the newly-opened cafe Roosevelt's. The mocha was quite similar to what I usually get. Price was cheaper compared to other cafes. We also ordered the apple forest berries crumble a la mode. It was quite an interesting dish I must say.

We parted ways close to 11, which was just right for me since I had to catch the train.

It was definitely a good boys night out.

eight cafe and bar
8 Bukit Pasoh Rd, Singapore 089822
6220 4513
www.eightcafebar.com/‎

Five & Dime Eatery...

A food shot by an IG friend of what he ordered at Five & Dime got me interested to try out the place.

I told PG Boy about the place and we agreed that we should go try it out.

Our first attempt was a fail. Haha! It was a Friday. It was drizzling. There was a mad jam. And neither of us had any idea how to get to the place, even with the guidance of GoThere. (Or actually, it was just the thought of having to be stuck in a jam or walking an unknown distance under the rain that made us decide to ditch the plan. Hehe!).

Our second try was successful but with a minor glitch. Hehe!

After finishing my session at the museum, PG Boy and I were WhatsApping on where to meet. He was at the Orchard area. I was in a bus coming from Bras Basah. It was only past five and that's when it occurred to me that we should go search for Five & Dime. We agreed to meet at Somerset and from there, we followed the directions to 297 River Valley given by Google Maps.

It wasn't that far at all. Maybe an 8-10 minute walk.

Five & Dime was easy to locate, too. It was right next to a bus stop and a row of beautiful old shophouse style.

The first thing that we were asked when we entered was whether we had a reservation. That's when I saw that all the tables had namecard. LOL! Why did it not occur to me that a reservation was needed? However, the guy who attended to us checked his schedules and told us he can give us a table but we had to leave by seven thirty. We were both okay with it since we just wanted to have dinner and then head somewhere else for dessert.

After getting our table, I took a look around the place. It was easy to understand why the cafe/eatery has been such a hit. The setup was very nice. I really liked the decor of the place. Cafes in Singapore have been doing a good job in creating a unique feel and ambience giving customers several options. If you want a setting that's industrial, go to Chye Seng Huat. If you want a garden setting, go to PS Cafe at Dempsey. If you want something modern and cosmopolitan, go to Wild Honey at either Scotts Square or Mandarin Gallery. That's one thing I really like about the cafes here.

Back to Five & Dime, the food was also quite enjoyable. For starters, we ordered homemade meatballs. It was about $8 for five pieces. Not bad at all. I even daresay it tastes better than the one served in Ikea. Then we shared a salad and grilled chicken. It was quite filling and we both enjoyed the food. Uhm, I would have wanted steamed corn on the cob but that's just a personal preference.

Overall, I would still say that the first Five & Dime experience is enough to get me to want to go back and try it again. The service was also quite good. There was this one girl, whose name I forgot to get, but she was really good. She paid attention to diners and was ready to assist. Also, on the next visit, I would like to try the brunch. I've been reading quite good revs about it.

Five & Dime
www.fiveanddime.com.sg/
297 River Valley Rd Singapore 238338
9236 5002
Weekdays -12 noon to 12 midnight (Closed on Tuesdays)
Saturday - 10 am to 12 midnight
Sunday - 10 am to 10 pm
Last orders for lunch at 230 pm. Last orders for dinner is 930 pm.

Saturdate at La Petite Cuisine and Habitat Coffee

I may have mentioned it in a previous post, but I will just say it again. One of the things PG Boy and I like to do during weekends is to try out new restaus and cafes around the island.

Okay, I have to correct that. Mostly, the restaus we try are either in the East or the Central part of the island. So far, I've had little success with convincing him to go to my side of town more often. Hehe!

Anyway, last Saturday, PG Boy surprised me by saying that we were going on a dinner date. I really like it when he makes these surprise announcements. Hehe!

He may not agree with this, but usually I would be the one doing the suggesting where to go and he'd usually just agree.

This time, not only did he suggest the place, he even gave two options - either Changi or Marymount.

Since I was somewhere in Dhoby Ghaut and I was too tired to go to Changi, I quickly replied that we should just do Marymount. It's an area we don't really get to visit quite often. Haha!

However, I was a bit doubtful when he said Marymount because I was quite sure there was nothing there except for HDBs and the revered Raffles Institution.

It turns out Marymount would just be our meeting place. We would do a bit of walking towards Upper Thomson Road. Haha!

Alright, if you haven't been to this part of Singapore, this stretch actually has a number of interesting food places. Mr. Lim and I previously tried Nam Kee Chicken Rice. On another of our walks, we headed to Longhouse hawker for lunch.

After about 5-10 minutes of walking, PG Boy and I reached our destination - La Petite Cuisine. It's a French restau that won't burn a hole in your pocket. Hehe!

PG Boy said he read about it in one of the more popular local food blogs and he decided we should try it. The place is quite small, quite intimate. Uhm, I'm not too happy though that the kitchen was directly beside the dining area. Hehe! Dunno about you, but I really dun like leaving a food place smelling like the food place. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad. It probably meant the place has a good exhaust system.

The service was quite quick. The food was enjoyable. I ordered a chicken dish. PG Boy got a duck dish. We both ordered soup to start. There was also compli buns with butter. Our meal came out about $35 I think, which wasn't bad at all.

For dessert and coffee, we headed to Habitat which was just two doors away. I actually liked this place. It had a nice ambiance. It was very relaxed. It had that nice cafe feel. The coffee and the dessert were also quite enjoyable.

On the way back, PG Boy and I saw a few more food places that got us curious. We agreed that we have to go back and explore Upper Thomson more. Hehe!

La Petite Cuisine
227 Upper Thomson Rd Singapore 574359
Tel: 6459 0553

Habitat Coffee
223 Upper Thomson Road
Tel: 6456 2567

Keisuke Tonkotsu King and Group Therapy...

A stone's throw away from the Tanjong Pagar MRT is a ramen shop that always has a long queue.

The ramen place, Keisuke Tonkotsu King, located at Orchid Hotel is one of the places I've always wanted to try. There was never a time I passed by the shop and not see a queue outside the small shop. The fact that the queue is always quite long made me really curious to find out just how good the ramen at this place is.

Last Friday, PG Boy and I finally got to experience the ramen. The shop can only sit about twenty people. This is not the place to go to if you want to hang out and chitchat with friends over dinner. This is a place where you just eat your ramen and go.

Before you are given a table, there is a piece of paper where you can already indicate the ramen that you want. You have the following choices - Tonkotsu Ramen ($10.80), Black Spicy ($11.80) or Red Spicy ($11.80). You can also select your choice of toppings (seaweed, egg, char siew), how you want your soup (light, strong normal), the amount of chicken oil to be used (less oil, etc.) and the type of noodles (soft, hard, etc.)

I went for Tonkotsu Ramen Special All Toppings ($14.80) just so I can try everything. Hehe!

The ramen was quite delicious. Some may say that the soup may be too salty. Coming from a country that has dishes that are rich in flavour all the time, I found the soup to be quite good.

Overall, I would say that the ramen is oishii and enjoyable. However, I don't think I'd be queueing for thirty minutes just to satisfy my ramen craving. I could go to the other ramen shop just around the corner - Menya Sanji - and still enjoy my bowl of ramen.

After the very quick dinner, PG Boy and I headed to Duxton for dessert. I felt like dinner was too rushed. Hehe! It was a nice Friday night and it would be such a waste if we just headed back immediately after dinner.

So we decided to head Group Therapy - the cafe just above Etna Italian Restau along Duxton for some coffee and dessert.

I enjoyed it more because it wasn't that crowded, and we were able to take our time in having dessert and drinking coffee while talking. Hehe!

Good Friday night.

Keisuke Tonkotsu King
1 Tras Link, #01-19 Orchid Hotel, Singapore
Tel: 6636 0855

Group Therapy Coffee
9 Duxton Rd 089513
6222 2554

Tuesday aftie at the Phil embassy + PS Cafe...

Took the afternoon off today to head down to the Philippine embassy.

After six long weeks, my new passport is now ready for collection. Yey! =)

For fellow OFWs in the island, here's some good info in case you dunno. You won't be asked to leave your old passport while the new one is being processed.

Initially, I wasn't too happy about the thought of leaving my passport with the embassy. What if I felt like heading out of the city on a weekend? Or what if I needed to fly out? Anyway, it was really great that I get to keep my old passport while the new one was prepped.

From Holland Village, I took the bus heading to Orchard and alighted just across St. Regis. I was contemplating on taking a cab going to the embassy from the stop because it was extra hot that afternoon.

I ended up just walking since it wasn't that far. I thought to myself that maybe if I walk at a glacial pace, I wouldn't sweat too much.

Dead wrong. Haha!

When I got to the embassy, I was already sweating like crazy. And if you've been to the embassy... hehehe. :)

The good thing about heading to the embassy on a weekday is that it's not that crowded. There may still be a crowd but they're usually there for other stuff I think (OEC, etc.)

I waited for less than an hour before I finally got my new passport. Yey!

With hours to kill before meeting up with some OC volunteers, I decided I'd hang out at a cafe to cool myself and do some things. I brought Stefan with me so he'd be really helpful.

From the embassy, I decided to just walk back again to the main road. There were two Starbucks branches and a CBTL nearby, but I found myself walking towards Palais Renaissance.

I figured I'd reward myself a bit and have some me-hohol time at P.S. Cafe.

As I'd expected, it wasn't crowded at all. I got a table and for the next two hours, I did some research on a possible project. It was good that there weren't that many people. The wait staff didn't have to kick me out. Haha!

By 5 plus, I decided to leave PS Cafe and do some more walking. I made the mistake of ordering a slice of carrot cake and it was damn huge. Haha!  So to lessen the guilt, I walked to Orchard and then to Somerset. Haha!

Nice me time afternoon.