Old Hong Kong Kitchen @ Novena Square 2

24 March 2013


I've read reviews that their service is bad and the tim-sum food is just ok.

Well, I've never taken their tim-sum but the 2 times that we have been there for dinner - the service's good and the food excellent.

The salted egg yolk prawns was so yummy !

Ma-in-law wanted to try the pork trotters in vinegar soya sauce.

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We bought a lotus wrapped dumpling to eat the next day or two for dinner. 
It was huge and delicious though the glutinuous rice was too mushy. Hmm..... maybe I over-steamed it ?
You can smell the lotus leaf fragrance throughout the kitchen and hall.

............half eaten already.................

Price is a bit on the high side but with such good quality and tasty food, it's well worth it (well, at least the 2 times that we were there, it was tasty).

Old Hong Kong Kitchen (Square 2)

10 Sinaran Drive

#02-76 to 84/88/90/91 Novena Square 2

Tel: 63977023

Tim Palace @ SAFRA Toa Payoh

20 March 2013


We got the NS vouchers and decide to use it at Tim Palace.

Looks big and impressive. Menu looks impressive too.

This dish is not too bad.

Dong-po rou - the pork was not soft at all.

This was really laughable. The rolled sliced pork with some veg was so small, like the size of my pinkie and the sliced pork was dry . And that sauce was so salty.
It looked like some haphazard slicing of the pork rolled with some haphazard slicing of the veg being tried to look like some fine cuisine but unfortunately the taste wasn't that fine.

And the worst dish of all. Duck meat with sliced mangoes, spring onions toss with sesame seeds. Think there were cucumber slices too.
The duck meat just do not go with the mangoes and that plum sauce - don't know what kind of plum sauce that was. 
On the whole, the ingredients in this dish just do not gel together. 
I would even say, it tasted horrid.

The prices in this restaurant are on the high side and thus, would expect better quality of food.

Luckily, we didn't have to pay for this meal and used the NS vouchers, otherwise we would feel even more grump.

Maybe the cook is not having a great day that day, who knows. But one hopes that this is not the usual standard.

For sure we won't be going back.

Big Lizard @ Botanic Gardens

20 March 2013

Look what we saw. A big lizard ! sunbathing.

The kid like to throw leaves into this little stream and watch it float away.
I told him that he can get into the stream if he wants. You should see his face lighted up.
Soon he was happily splashing the water with his legs. He fell down once but I acted not too concern(of cos, I was spying to make sure it wasn't anything major) and asked him to get up.

Kids nowadays unfortunately will not get to experience the joy of longkang fishing for example.
I remembered walking with my cousins from Toa Payoh to MacRitchie Reservoir and along the way, we would go into the longkang/drains and this were big ones, to catch little guppies and tadpoles.
We got dirtied and wet but boy, we had such a fun time.

Astronomy @ Toa Payoh Library

18 March 2013


A couple of times, when we walked past the Toa Payoh library, there will be this guy with his telescope.

I remembered the first time I approached him and asked him what he's looking at and he very generously offered me to view through his telescope.

What is it ? It was Saturn !

I couldn't see it at first - I thought I will be seeing a gigantic pic of the planet but instead it was a very small pic of Saturn. Why is the planet moving up and down ? Becos Earth is not still but spinning.

It was such a thrill. An actual planet so far, far away and Saturn with the rings round it.

He explained more in details about the planet.

So I was rather happy that he's conducting astronomy talks at Toa Payoh library on a regular basis (check out his website or Toa Payoh library for more details).

That's Gary conducting the astronomy talk.

A great turn out. There were about 3 queues. Some of the other astronomers turned up with their own telescope.

Thank goodness, otherwise the queue will be even longer.

Queueing patiently.

And Eugene having a close up view of the moon.

This guy brought his gigantic telescope to look at Jupiter.

Very nice guy, this Gary.

Picture of the Moon taken by my iPhone thru the lens of the telescope !

If you do not want the crowd, do check out Gary's blog below. He will usually state the time and venue where he will bring along his telescope to view the stars and planets and will let you view it too.


Visit Gary's blog : http://www.astro.sg/

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND !

Bumbu n Medz

16 March 2013


The first time I ate at Bumbu, Kandahar Street was many, many, many years ago. I remember thinking that the food's good and nice nonya set-up.

Forward to present and our group decided to try it out again.

We ordered the set - easier lah - no need to think so hard.

Food was not as tasty as before. The green curry chicken was so dismal - runny, watery, sweetish, did not taste like green curry at all.

Kampong Glam area is now so glam.

We took a bus and went to Medz at Millenia Walk.

Again, food standards down. See my first post on Medz here.

The crepe was tough and rubbery.

The baklava still taste good but the presentation was a little different now. The last time I had it, there were definitely more pieces and cut into cubes.

Keng Eng Kee Seafood @ Bukit Merah

10 March 2013


Pa-in-law brought us to this tze-char.

So, so shiok, this salted-egg crabs.

All the food that we ordered were very delicious - I would say, above average for a tze-char.

Order the salted-egg crabs when you patronise, it's absolutely sedap !

Do call to reserve your table. It is very popular and you won't have a table or have to wait pretty long if you do not have a reservation.



Keng Eng Kee Seafood
Blk 124, Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-136 (150124)
For reservation : 6272-1038
http://kek.com.sg/index.html#!/home

Horsecity @ Turf Club

09 March 2013


We always wondered why there are always so many cars at this place when we pass it to go to Giant supermarket.

The big sign that we saw was 'Picotin' which is a kind of bistro, bar, pizzeria rolled into one. We decided to check it out - must be good if there're so many people right ?

Well, it seems that 'Picotin' is just part of this compound called 'HorseCity'.
There's a stable, a music school, yoga school, some small shops selling stuff.

Here's looking at you kid !

We encouraged Eugene to pat the pony, to feel his mane and body.

Feeds are $2.00

Most people feed the pony. Poor donkey - we asked Eugene to feed the donkey too.
Eugene was scared of the donkey as it was baying. I guess donkey's not happy that everybody's feeding the pony most of the time.

A pony ride for $10.00
Eugene was initially very enthusiastic about riding the pony. 
After telling him the rules (we have to sign an indemnity form) like no making big noises as this might startle the pony, no standing behind the pony etc..... he changed his mind and refused to have a go - sigh, maybe I should not have told him.

This is Picotin. Good food but pricey - the bread that comes with the soup is the best.

PICOTIN
http://www.picotin.com.sg/


HORSECITY
http://www.horsecity.com.sg/index.htm