New year ahead !

Wishes all Fun.Food | Sweet ~ Indulgence | readers a happy 2009 !
I'd promise in year 2009, I will feature more exciting spots and food around Singapore.
Once again cheerios to everyone !
See you in the new year ahead !

P.S By the way, the post of MAD JACK Cafe really did caught attention from the people from MAD JACK group ! Cheers ! In return, I wish a Happy 2009 to all the staffs of the MAD JACK group !

X'mas Special : Mount Faber

Just as Christmas come to an end, this will be the last post of our X'mas Special.
A few days ago, I visited Mount Faber. The atmosphere there is cool, but the Christmas decorations are the main focus.
Jewel box is a restaurant located there, its decorated with mini Christmas trees on top of the logo. They have also set up a corner called Jewel Castle, which held a daily show, something alike a musical, of course with ticket admission.

But the reason I wrote about Mount Faber today is not about Jewel Box, instead I am writing because there is a tall lighted Christmas tree which will be lighted up at the same time as the daily show there.
Usually you will able to catch it for 45 minutes before it go off and on at the next show time slot.


The tree is really very well decorated, this giant tall tree can be seen in between of HDB houses when you are traveling up Mount Faber.

Ratings :
Efforts : 4.5/5 (The Chrismas tree was really tall, some efforts really needed to hang down the shiny blue lights from the top of the antenna)
Beauty : 4.5/5
Atmosphere : 4.5/5
Overall : 4.5/5

picture taken from : h2oBaby's flickr photostream

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Fun.Food | Sweet ~ Indulgence | wishes you a happy Merry Christmas !

Christmas is near

Christmas is near !
We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy new year (:
Sorry for not posting for so long,
I will be back soon !

You are welcome to be part of us !

Fancy writing a review of your favourite food ? Pastime ? Event ?
Now its your chance !
Give me an e-mail to : yienshawn92@yahoo.com.sg,
indicating your name, age, your blogger sign-in e-mail & your contact no. (if possible).
Then I will issue you rights to be a writer of Fun.Food | Sweet ~ Indulgence | !

Hope to hear from you soon !

X'mas Special : Suntec City Mall Atriums

We seemed to have forgotten something didn't we ? Haha, I remember, we have not yet written about the Christmas decorations of another popular Singapore shopping mall - Suntec City !
This year, we can see hanging mini Christmas trees being decorated at the Suntec City Mall Atriums.
Aren't they cute ?
The mini Christmas trees were also decorated with little ball ornaments on it, indeed a creative and cute way of expressing Christmas this year.

Ratings :
Efforts : 4.5/5 (The Chrismas tres were creative and neatly done)
Beauty : 4.5/5 (I like the idea of hanging tiny Chistmas trees down)
Atmosphere : 4.5/5
Overall : 4.5/5 (Creative and nice work)

picture taken from : chooyutshing's flickr photostream

X'mas Special : AMK Hub

Fancy a looney tunes Christmas ? AMK Hub is decorated with your favourite Tweety bird, and fellow looney tunes friends. At least its better compared to last year's design.
Furthermore there are two giant scaptures decorated and hanging inside the mall itself.
Outside the mall, the entrence is decorated with a roughly 2-3 storeys tall christmas tree, with shiny lights and of course the looney tunes friends as well as some presents at the side. Below it is some sort of gallery in which you can photograph yourself together with the cartoon characters.

Ratings :
Efforts : 4/5
Beauty : 4/5
Atmosphere : 4/5 (I am sure kids will like these cartoon characters to accompany them during the festive season)
Overall : 4/5

photo taken from : hyantie's flickr photostream

X'mas Special : Paragon

This year's Paragon Christmas decorations there are 22 pieces of 3m-tall mannequins dressed in lavish, bauble-like gowns(2nd picture above). Along with bright blue lines of lights.
There is also a 12m tree at the main entrance(1st picture above) which has also a few of the mannequins hanged on it.
Swags along the walkways are also filled with rich coloured burgundy, gold and champange.

Ratings :
Efforts : 5/5 (The Chrismas tree and mannequins were creatively done)
Beauty : 5/5 (I like the decorations in the mall as the blur lines of lights decorations were accompanied by the mannequins)
Atmosphere : 5/5 (As said by their advertising manager : "we believe that it will enchance the festive atmosphere and shopping experience at Paragon." I can say that they have done it !)
Overall : 5/5 (Well Done !)

Picture taken from : Udit Bhatia's flickr

X'mas Special : Tangs

This year, Tangs has decorated its Christmas decorations with a lit-up cottage, adding a quaint touch to this Christmas season. Household items such as forks were creatively used in the decoration as well. The Tangs' team had recycled most of the props for the store and window displays and also uses reflective materials to save electricity. They had also used 5 green circles and a star to form an image which look like a Christmas tree.

Ratings :
Efforts : 4.5/5 (The lit-up cottage, bright light branches, hard work were needed)
Beauty : 4.5/5 (I like the design of the lit-up cottage and the branches with lights)
Atmosphere : 4.5/5 (The lit-up cottage truly spice up the atmosphere of Christmas)
Overall : 4.5/5 (Applaud for this nice work put up by Tangs this year)

Picture taken from tammyaterry flickr

Teo Sing Food Junction

Located in Thomson Road there's a coffee shop selling Teochew Porridge.
In the night, most of the stalls in the coffee shop would be closed, except for this "Teo Sing Food Junction". They offered a large variety of food, from braised pork intestines, not-to-be-missed sotong, duck, vegetables, etc. Furthermore, its relatively cheap, not that expensive.
Lastly, their garlic chili which you can ownself scoop on the table itself is really fantastic.

How to get there :
A 15mins walk from Thomson Plaza will reached there, its located at a streets of food stalls, directly beside a KTV (if I am not wrong). The coffee shop is the brightest among them all as its decorated with many bulbs of lights.

Ratings :
Range of food : 4.5/5
Value : 4.5/5
Taste : 4.5/5
Overall : 4.5/5 (Try it !)

X'mas Special : Plaza Singapura

Decorated with colorful angels and bright line of lights, together with red, silver, golden circles decorations. Its really a nice effort put up by Plaza Singapura.
Furthermore, the angels are really cool and the lines of gold, red and silver circles are nicely done.
Its as though you have been to a "angel wonderland" when you stepped into Plaza Singapura as angels can be seen above your head.

Ratings :
Efforts : 4.5/5 (Efforts needed to decorate the tree with so many balls)
Beauty : 4.5/5
Atmosphere : 4.5/5 (The giant angels hanging down with lines of circle truly bring on the atmosphere of Christmas)
Overall : 4.5/5 (A perfect work put up by Plaza Singapura)

X'mas Special : Thomson Plaza

Thomson Plaza this year has been decorated with a tall christmas tree this year, decorated with blue, gold and purple ornaments. Actually, the tree is quite tall and together with the ornaments, its quite nice too.
There are also lights hanging down from the top and green, red clothes designed at the glass of every floor.

Ratings :
Efforts : 3/5
Beauty : 3/5
Atmosphere : 3/5
Overall : 3/5 (Not bad, quite an acceptable decoration put up, but more effort are needed next year)

X'mas Special : Causeway Point

Went to Causeway Point yesterday, the first thing I took notice was their Christmas decorations. The decorations were mainly about a santa clause-like dwarf standing on a window and putting presents there. Below it will be lines of shiny lights and some christmas stockings and gifts.
Also, on the transparent glasses of the different floors, they are also decorated with stockings and lights as well.
But personally, I felt that this year's Christmas decorations in Causeway Point was not that well done. The repetitions of santa and windows everywhere might seemed boring after a while.

Ratings :
Efforts : 3.5/5 (Efforts needed to paint the santa clause decorations)
Beauty : 3/5 (you will go quite tired after looking at so many same decorations)
Atmosphere : 3/5 (Santa,Gifts,Stockings = Christmas, but Causeway Point seemed to have a "x-factor" missing)
Overall : 3.5/5 (Quite a disappointing decorations being put up this year, more special ideas needed)

X'mas Special : VivoCity

Another tall and colourful christmas tree, this time, its spotted at VivoCity.
With 3 different colours of lighted balls, blue, yellow and red,together with lines of golden lights linking from the top to the bottom of the tree.
Can you guess how many balls are there ?
haha.

Ratings :
Efforts : 4/5 (Efforts needed to decorate the tree with so many balls)
Beauty : 4/5
Atmosphere : 4.5/5 (The giant colourful and golden tree stands out at the top of the sky park, bringing visitors and shoppers to a more better atmosphere of christmas)
Overall : 4/5 (If Tampines mall can get 4/5, VIVO City has no reason to get lower then 4, therefore, they are both 4/5. Acceptable?)

image taken from : glutton's flickr photoshtream

Breadou™ Donut

We are hoping that Breadou can accept Fun.Food |Sweet ~ Indulgence| to be the official advertisement website for Breadou (:

Anyway, Breadou have once again release a new batch of Breadou, they are know as Breadou™ Donut



Don't they looked nice ? As if they are real.

“Life can be a hole lot sweeter with a daily treat (or trick) of BreadouTM DONUT!” ~ Chef Breadou

BreadouTM DONUT is the latest collection in Big Box International’s series of stress ball cum wrist support. The frostings or chocolate swirls on each donut are hand-painted for your appreciation.

Designed and developed by Big Box International Pte. Ltd., BreadouTM DONUT comes in 6 colourful designs which are available exclusively at Action City in Singapore, for $7.95 each.

--http://breadou.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/breadou™-donut

Ratings :
Fun : 4.5/5 (Indulge in 6 different flavors of donuts)
Value for money : 4.5/5
Overall : 4.5/5 (Grab one now !)

HOKKA DON (japanese cuisine)

Japanese cuisine can be seen around shopping malls, foodcourt, but not many japanese cuisine can be spotted in coffeeshop.
In Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, there's a Japanese Cuisine located in BLK347. They are called HOKKA DON. They have just opened recently in October.

After dining a few times of their food, I felt that its up to expectations. If you lived somewhere near to Ang Mo Kio Ave 3, do take a few minutes of walk to BLK347 and have a try of their japanese food. If you do not live near to Ang Mo Kio, you can also take a bus to AMK Hub then, you can take a 10mins walk from AMK Hub to BLK 347, which is located directly opposite of AMK Hub.

A must-try is their udon and salmon garlic set.

Ratings :
Taste of food : 4/5 (not bad, above expectations)
Range of food : 4/5 (from rice chicken set to fish set, prawn set, pork set, beef set, claypot, udon, shumai set)
Location : 3.5/5 (though its not located in popular or crowded places, its just a few minutes of walk from AMK Hub and its around the whole neighbourhood of Ang Mo Kio Ave 3)
Overall : 4/5 (recommended to try if you have the time to travel to Ang Mo Kio Ave 3)

X'mas Special : Tampines Mall

This year, Tampines Mall has a huge large Christmas tree in the mall, decorated with red and white lights. The transparent glass on every floors are also decorated with some decorations and lights as well.

Ratings :
Efforts : 4/5 (Indeed it takes quite some efforts to put up and decorate such a tall huge tree)
Beauty : 3.5/5
Atmosphere : 3.5/5 (the red and white colours of lights and decorations indeed bring some level of excitement and christmas feeling to the shoppers)
Overall : 4/5 (Quite a nice decorations put up by Tampines Mall)

Picture taken from : Mugunth Kumar Flickr

Singapore Philatelic Museum

Singapore Philatelic Museum, Southeast Asia’s first philatelic museum, was officially opened on 19 August 1995 as a project of the Telecommunication Authority of Singapore. On 1 April 2000, the Museum was transferred to the National Heritage Board as a fully owned subsidiary. Created from the mantle of civic responsibility, the Museum assumes the role of custodian and curator of the nation's treasure of philatelic materials for posterity and education.

The Museum showcases Singapore's collection of stamps, philatelic materials, and postal history artefacts dating back to the Straits Settlements as well as the rare collections of private collectors. Educational activities and public programmes designed for schools, families and the general public are also organised by the Museum.

The building was the formerly part of the Anglo Chinese School. It was designed by Tomlinson and Lermit Architects and commissioned by the Trustees of the Anglo Chinese School in 1906 as an additional school building to the Oldham Hall built in 1897. The original plans of this building were approved on 22nd June 1906.

There are a total of 5 permanent exhibitions, Orange Room, Purple Room, Green Room, Room of Rarities, Heritage Room. Each exhibition has their own features. Discover why Stamps are Windows to the World and why the hobby has remained popular for 160 years. You can also view philatelic rarities from our 18th century collection and trace the growth of Singapore through philately and postal artefacts.

Singapore Philatelic Museum
23 B Coleman Street
Singapore 179807
Republic of Singapore
Tel: (65) 6337 3888
Fax: (65) 6337 8958
E-mail: nhb_spm_adm@nhb.gov.sg

HOW TO GET TO SPM
The Singapore Philatelic Museum is located at the junction of Coleman Street and Armenian Street. It is easily accessible by public transport.

* MRT
A 10-minute walk from City Hall or Clarke Quay stations.

* Public Bus
The nearest bus-stop is outside the Armenian Church at Hill Street.
SBS Transit : 2, 12, 32, 33, 51, 62, 63, 80, 197
SMRT : 61

* Car Parks
The nearest car parks are at:

1. Armenian Street (between Singapore Bible House and Asian Civilisation Museum)
2. Fort Canning Rise (before the Registry of Marriages)

MUSEUM HOURS

Monday : 1 pm - 7 pm
Tuesday to Sunday : 9 am - 7 pm

MUSEUM ADMISSION

$5.00 for Adult
$4.00 for Child (3-12 years)

All infomation are taken directly from : Singapore Philatelic Museum website

Ratings :
Exhibitions : 4/5 (I love to discover and read the history of stamps in Singapore and around the world, been there twice within a year as the place is just fun !)
Transport : 4.5/5 (Car, buses, MRT stations are located just a few minutes of walk from the museum)
Value of Ticket : 4.5/5 (Considered as relatively cheap as you can explore so many different stamps, some are centuries ago)
Overall : 4.5/5 (Not knowing where to go during this school holidays ? Then visit Singapore Philatelic Museum)

X'mas Special : Chrismas Light Up

Lets put our hands together and welcome the festive month of December !
This month Fun.Food | Sweet ~ Indulgence | will feature different decorations of different shopping malls, but lets kick things off by first posting about this year's christmas light-ups along Orchard Road.



This year, the total length of light-up along Orchard Zone(Orchard Road, Scotts Road, Tanglin Road) is about 4km, whereas at the Marina Zone (Rendezvous Hotel to Esplanade), the total length of light-up is 1.6km. The decorations used for this year is mostly sweets (lollipops, christmas sweet ornaments). A bit like candy wonderland. However, this year, I felt that it was much better compared to the x'mas light-up last year. Last year's was just light blue lights hanging down, with a star at the middle, others were accompanied by abstract lines, which I'd rather felt quite plain. Therefore, this year's pirple and blue lines, forming shapes of hearts and stars, with lollipops hanging down from tress, I felt that it makes the atmosphere more heart warming.

Ratings :
Amount of ornaments used : 4.5/5 (More then 10,000+ of lollipops used)
Atmosphere : 4.5/5 (Much better then last year's, I love the colours used this year)
Overall : 4.5/5 (What are you waiting for, take a relaxing night stroll in the candy wonderland of Orchard Road if you haven't been there yet)

Photo used : beinbrecher's flickr photostream

Lexus Cup 2008 (Singapore Island Country Club)

The Lexus Cup is an annual golf tournament for professional women golfers contested by a team representing Asia and an international team representing the rest of the world. It is sanctioned by the LPGA Tour, but any winnings are unofficial and are not included in the LPGA money list standings. This year, it was held in Singapore at Singapore Island Country Club.
Just yesterday, the 3-day event(Friday to Sunday) eventually ended with Team International winning 12½ to Team Asia's 11½.

Alright, so today I will post a rating of this 3 day golf event, also this will be the last official LPGA appearance for Team International captain Annika Sörenstam. She will retire at the end of the 2008 season.
If you have watched it from TV, and you really like the atmosphere of it, do head down next year (if its held in Singapore next year).
Anyway, after watching so many golf competitions, I still felt that Lexus Cup is one of the most relaxing and friendly competition. Both Team Asia and International didn't really played with anger, furthermore, when players and players finished the 18-hole battle, they will all wait at the 18th hole for their fellow mates and cheer for them, so this is a rare scene which can be seen in other major golf competitions.
Those players can have a relaxing and less pressure day with their opponents and they will surely have a fun light-hearted time to play their shot.

Ratings :
Venue : 4.5/5 (Much better clean and green venue compared to Tanah Merah Country Club, which held Lexus Cup 2006 & 2007)
Atmosphere : 4.5/5 (Not much pressure from each golfers, laughs and jokes can be seen in their interview after their 18 holes battles as well)
Players : 4/5 (If you are like golf, you will know some of the popular golfers taking part as well )
Overall : 4.5/5 (quite a nice experience, don't miss out Lexus Cup 2009 if its held in Singapore too)

Pictures taken from : Vantan's Flickr

Mad Jack Café

Times flies.
Today would be the last day of November and tomorrow we will be stepping into a brand new month - December ! Alright for today, we would like to post a review of a cafe Specializing in authentic Australian fares - Mad Jack !

They are located around Singapore in 4 different outlets :

Selegie Outlet - Paradiz Centre 01-04/05, 1 Selegie Rd	63389771/ 62575951
Jalan Kayu Outlet - 242, Jln Kayu (Next to URA Car Park)	64831202/ 62575951
Simpang Bedok Outlet - 304 Bedok Rd, The Market Place (next to Tanah Merah MRT)	64458168/ 62575951
Bukit Timah Outlet - 6 Duke's Rd (Bukit Timah Rd before Coronation Plaza)	64624300/62575951

Specializing in authentic Australian fares, you will go bonkers over the insanely good chow at Mad Jack Café.

• Fun games & competition – Xbox, table soccer, punching bag, graffiti, modified sports, puzzles, play room, tv, toys & games for all age group.
• Convenient & visible location with easy parking
• Raving reviews from the media
• Trendy & fun to read menu w/ Halal certification
• Spontaneous customer service
• Money Back Guarantee (Don’t take back what you have eaten)
  

Signature Dishes inclusive of their famous Fish & Chips, Crazy Chick, Fish Burger, Banana Craze, Blue Mountain (Tallest Burger in town) are all nice and tasty. They also offer a full range of birthday and party cakes.
Preparing a party? No worries, mates. Just call them and they will provide outdoor catering service for corporate & private functions.

Ratings : (for the Bukit Timah Outlet)
Environment : 4.5/5
Range of food : 4/5 (Cakes, fruit juice, burgers, desserts, ahh... lots and lots)
Taste of food : 4/5 (the food are nice, desserts and cakes are sweet too, but not too sweet)
Overall : 4/5 (a nice and pleasent place to dine in a lonely evening or with your family members)

For more details, visit : http://www.pkxpressgroup.com/madJackCafe.asp

Sweet Talk 甜言蜜语

Ok, for today, our feature will be about food - Bubble Tea.
Sweet Talk 甜言蜜语 is a stall around Singapore selling bubble tea,
they are located in many places, such as Ang Mo Kio, Bishan, Bedok, Thomson, etc. (almost the whole Singapore)
Anyway, I had tried their bubble tea, not that bad.
They have a lot of flavours to choose from and their staffs were quite friendly and patient (for those stalls that I had been to) x:
Who says all bubble tea taste the same ?
Sweet Talk bubble tea uses milk tea that they had brewed, instead of some other shops which used flavourings.

Although I am not sure how many outlets are there around Singapore and their website has nothing on it except their logo, Sweet Talk is one of the places that I know, which serves nice bubble tea.

Ratings :
Not applicable (there are a wide range of flavours and lots of outlets, therefore I couldn't possiblily know the taste, the service, the variety of bubble tea in other outlets)

Logo taken from : http://www.sweettalk.com.sg/

Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel

The Grand Ballroom is a massive 629 square metres of pillarless expanse that would accommodate a 550-seat wedding banquet amidst plush décor and elegant fittings. It may also be transformed into 4 smaller rooms with state-of-the-art equipment, lighting and controls for a high-tech presentation. Providing a flawless view of the stage, with spectacular chandeliers and decorated gold leaf wallpaper, this L-shaped ballroom is sure to impress.



The food served were nice, service were perfect. Range of food had even gone to soft shell crab. which is rarely seen being served during a wedding banquet. The atmosphere was also another factor that contributes to the high rating later. We were even given a survey form near to the end of the wedding, so that the hotel would know that where their standards stand and necessary make improvements.

Ratings :
Atmosphere - 4.5/5 (Love the colorful lights shone on the table during the whole wedding event)
Service - 5/5 (Our plates would be changed after every dishes)
Taste of food - 4.5/5 (Quite many dishes were nice, except the last course dessert, some sort of "Cheng teng". It is not that sweet, in fact, its quite tasteless)
Overall : 4.5/5 (A thumbs-up venue to held such wedding banquet)

Chewy Jr

Sink your teeth into your first Chewy Jr and you'll know it's not any ordinary cream puff. It's cripsy on the outside, yet soft and chewy on the inside, making it perfect to munch on!

The puffs were an accidental creation by founder Kevin Ong, who experimented with a blend of recipes from two different countries. Thereafter, it took him two years to adjust the processes to master the puffs to perfection. The result is a healthier version as the puffs are baked and not fried and it uses only the finest ingredients and pure dairy products from mother’s nature!

Today, Chewy Jr sells more than 3,000 puffs daily! The craze has also been featured on the Sunday Times and Youth.SG. With 14 delicious flavours to choose from, you'll be absolutely spoilt for choice @ Chewy Jr!

Tanjong Pagar Plaza Blk 1 Tanjong Pagar Plaza #01-18 Singapore 082001 Tel: 62228867 Bugis Junction 230 Victoria Street, Bugis Junction #B1-12 Singapore 188024 Tel: 63335002 Bukit Merah Central Blk 163 Bukit Merah Central #02-41 Singapore 150163 Tel: 62760223 Tiong Bahru Plaza 302 Tiong Bahru Road, Tiong Bahru Plaza #B1-09A Singapore 168732 Tel : 62722265

Infomations taken from : Chewy Jr website (http://www.chewyjunior.com.sg/)

Ratings :
Food : 4.5/5 (There is many type of creamy puffs to choose from, as well as crewy puffs with other fillings like sardine, char siew, potato ham, curry chicken, etc.)
Taste : 4/5 (The cream inside the creamy puff tasted excellent, it will flow out of your puff after you have bite it)
Overall : 4.5/5 (A must try for their creamy puff !)

Hao Zhou Dao Porridge Steamboat

Just came back after a dinner at Hao Zhou Dao porridge steamboat at Blk 712, Ang Mo Kio Central there.

They offer steamboat buffet at around $13.80. Impressed by the freshness and variety of food being offered, they actually use fresh dory fish, its great !
Ingredient wise, you get the usual sausages, fish ball, sotong ball, pork, chicken and fish slices, noodles, rice, dong fen, seaweed, tofu, egg, beancurd skin, mushrooms, veggies etc.
But the porridge steamboat is delicious.
You can taste the sweetness of the stock in the porridge.
Whats more ! If you are bringing children there, while waiting for the soup base to boil. They also have springrolls and chicken nuggets available, which can already be eaten straightaway as they were already fried before.

Ratings :
Range of food : 4/5 (Quite a lot of foods with just a relatively affordable price)
Taste : 4/5 (the porridge base and the tom yam soup are not bad)
Value : 4/5 (I couldn't remember the price of the cost of a child, think is $5.80, but adult, if I am not wrong, is $13.80 at weekdays and $15.80 at weekends/public holidays)
Transport : 4/5 (just a 10 min walk from AMK Hub, located next to jubilee)
Overall : 4/5 (you should try their porridge steamboat, its nice after you "cook" it with the lots of sotongs and seafoods)

Marina Barrage

Built across the mouth of the Marina Channel, the Marina Barrage creates Singapore’s 15th reservoir, and the first in the heart of the city. With a catchment area of 10,000 hectares, or one-sixth the size of Singapore, the Marina catchment is the island’s largest and most urbanised catchment. Together with two other new reservoirs, the Marina Reservoir will boost Singapore’s water catchment from half to two-third’s of the country’s land area.

The Marina Barrage is the result of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew’s vision nearly two decades ago when he envisaged damming the mouth of the Marina Channel to create a freshwater reservoir.


Upon reaching there, you will be stunned by colorful fountain lights displays.
So I suggest you to visit Marina Barrage during night time, the view will be perfect.
You can even enjoy the coldness of the water by stepping into some of the colourful fountain displays.

Ratings :
Environment : 5/5 (Suitable outdoor visits during the weekends for families and couples, plus the colourful fountain lights display + the sea breeze)
Scenery : 5/5 (View of the Singapore skyline and the Singapore flyer is just by your eyesight)
Transport : 2/5 (The spaces in the carpark is limited, if you arrived late, you will have to wait for a long long queue for the cars to enter and exit.)
(As said by Dallas of Cornflict, the bad thing is that its pretty inaccessible by bus or by foot)
Overall : 5/5
(A not-to-be missed Singapore coolest place !)

AMK Hub

AMK Hub is a shopping mall located in Ang Mo Kio, within the North-East Region of Singapore.
It has the air-conditioned Ang Mo Kio Bus Interchange, the third bus interchange in Singapore to be fully air-conditioned, which is conveniently linked to Ang Mo Kio MRT Station via an underpass.

AMK Hub is part of the redevelopment plan to rejuvenate the town centre of Ang Mo Kio, to make it more hip and vibrant. Seng Han Thong is the Member of Parliament for this constituency (Yio Chu Kang Single Member Constituency).
The shopping mall has 48,250 square metres of gross floor area and 350,000 square feet (33,000 m2) of retail space. Among the other neighbourhood malls around in Singapore, AMK Hub's size is bigger than Sun Plaza and Heartland Mall. Malls like Causeway Point and Jurong Point Shopping Centre are still bigger compared to AMK Hub.

FairPrice's largest branch in Singapore, the FairPrice Xtra hypermarket, at AMK Hub, occupying AMK Hub's Basement Two with its first-ever and biggest hypermarket, which stands at approximately 7,100 square metres (77,000 sq ft), and offering a wide variety of products ranging from groceries to electrical and electronic goods.

Ratings :
Range of shops : 4/5 (From tuition centers, lifestyles shops, bubble tea Sweet talk, teenagers' favourite Minitoons, to an eight-screen cineplex)
Transports : 4.5/5 (Just a underpass away from the Ang Mo Kio MRT station, there's also a bus interchange and carpark, so there's no reason why it is inconvenient to get there)
Overall : 4/5 (Do visit there if you haven't done so)

http://www.amkhub.com.sg/

Eatzi Steakhouse and Bistro

Eatzi Steakhouse & Bitro @ SAFRA Yishun Country Club and EastPoint are Halal Certified and Muslim Singaporeans can enjoy sizzling steaks and food at great value prices.

At Steakhouse & Bistro, members and guests can count on warm and friendly service alongside delicious, flavourful dishes. Indulge in a wide variety of savoury pastas, sizzling steaks, Asian fusion dishes and freshly blended smoothies.
Overlooking the swimming pool, the atmosphere at Eatzi Steakhouse & Bistro boasts a crisp and clean, upscale feel, where everyone will have a pleasant and enjoyable meal dining in the restaurant or by the poolside.

If you are lucky to have lobster soup as the soup of the day, it is a must-try recommendation. I must say that the soup really taste nice.

Operating hours :
Mon to Fri - 11 am to 10 pm
Sat/Sun, PH & Eve of PH - 9.30 am to 10.30pm

For more details or reservation, please call Eatzi Steakhouse & Bistro @ 68528 270

Ratings :
Range of food : 4/5
Taste : 4/5
Service : 4/5
Overall : 4/5

For more details, visit http://www.eatzi.com.sg/index.html

Daiso

Remember I promised you all to post about the Japanese store, Daiso yesterday?

Daiso is a unique combination of dollar and convenient store, carrying over 100,000 types of high-quality stylish household and lifestyle products at unbeatable prices. Headquartered in Japan with business expanded to Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea.
Daiso offers around 90,000 products, nearly all of which are original products developed by

Daiso through repeated trial manufacture with customer satisfaction uppermost in mind, they also maintains a strict focus on products and quality.
Additionally, Daiso makes every effort to develop new products.
They will introduce over 1,000 new products every month in an endeavour to constantly upgrade their image.

In Singapore, there are a total of 3 stores.
All the items in Daiso are sold at $2 each. No matter big or small, worth it or not worth it, all items are sold at $2. I had bought a file folder which has 48 transparent pages for you to slot notes in, and its only $2. For those who don't want so many pages, they has others with 30,40 pages as well. But as said earlier on, they are all priced at $2.

The 3 Daiso stores in Singapore :

Name : Singapore IMM shop Address : 2 Jurong East Street 21 #0385 IMM Building 609601 Floor area : 30,100ft2(2,800m2) Opened : 23 March 2002

Name : PLAZA SINGAPURA Address : 68 Orchard Road, Plaza Singapura,Singapore 238839 Floor area : 7,300ft2(700m2) Opened : 18 September 2006

Name : VIVO CITY Address : No.1 Harbour front walk #03-0616A106B Floor area : 12,200ft2(1,130m2) Opened : 1 December 2006

Ratings :
Range of items : 4/5
Prices : 4/5 (All items are at $2, so picked those items carefully which are worth it.)
Overall : 4/5

Image taken from : Daiso website

Plaza Singapura

Fancy a break after a hard day of work or school ?
Head down to Plaza Singapura, located along Orchard Road.
You can also take the MRT to Dhoby Ghout MRT station and talk a 5minutes walk there.
There are retail outlets over seven floors and two basements.
Carrefour, Golden Village, John Little, Marks & Spencer, Best Denki, Spotlight, Daiso are a few shops that can be spotted there, there are many many more.
The mall is relatively popular with families, teenagers and young adults.

How to get there :
Buses: 7, 12, 16, 36, 65, 85, 106, 174, 502, 512, 518, Nite Owl 65,
Nite Owl 85, SN 10, SN30, 14, 77, 111, 124, 139, 167, 175, 190, 518, 602, 605, 700, 700A, SN10, SN30, NR6, NR7
Walk: 5 mins from Dhoby Ghout Mrt

Range of shops : 4.5/5
Shopping experience : 4.5/5
(with such huge range of shops and even many food stalls located at the basements, its truly one of the best shopping mall for families and teenagers)
Transports : 4.5/5
(The mall has a 752 lot seven storey carpark, MRT station and bus stops nearby.)
Overall :4.5/5
(Strongly recommended for tourists as well as fellow Singaporeans who never visited Plaza Singapura before to go and check it out.)

p.s tomorrow i will feature about the japanese store, Daiso (which is also located in Plaza Singapura).

NEWater Visitor Centre

School holidays are just round the corner and its time for parents to bring their children out to explore some places around Singapore. Today, I will suggest them to bring their children to the NEWater Visitor Centre.

Located at Koh Sek Lim Road, for those who are taking bus, you can alight at the bus stop located at the stretch of road (Upper Changi Road East) just outside Koh Sek Lim Road. Upon reaching the Visitor Centre, report to the 2nd level to make a tour session if you havent done so (read below.)

You can book your tour through the website online system found here or via telephone at 6546 7874/6541 0511. As you will not be able to enter any part of the NEWater visitor centre without any tour. Tours can also be book directly at the spot, but take note of the time sessions available below, do not report there too early, else you will have a long time waiting at the waiting area (picture on the left).

Tour Session	Session Time
1	From 09:00 am to 10:30 am
2	From 10:45 am to 12:15 pm
3	From 12:30 pm to 02:00 pm
4	From 02:15 pm to 03:45 pm
5	From 04:00 pm to 05:30 pm

They will have a virtual guide "Wave" which will direct you each step of the way through the NEWater Visitor Centre. You will be educated and entertained by multimedia presentations and hands-on interactive games. At the end of the experience, you will have a comprehensive knowledge of a wide range of water-related topics and especially on NEWater and its uses.

You will also get to see a NEWater factory that is incorporated in the NEWater Visitor Centre. You will be able to witness at first hand the operation of advanced membrane and ultraviolet technologies in the production of NEWater

Transport : By car, there will be parking lots there. By bus, 12,24,31,38.
Nearest MRT stations are EW28 EXPO and EW4 TANAH MERAH INTERCHANGE.

Ratings :
Educational : 4.5/5
(you will get a chance to know and explore the various areas on how the dirty water were being transported into different areas before it become into NEWater and getting to see the NEWater factory that is incorporated in the NEWater Visitor Centre)
Games : 3/5
(During the time I went, which is a few months ago, many of the games were under repair, can someone update me with this?)
Tour : 4/5
(Tour is fairly good as the guide will explain to you about the different NEWater procedures. The multimedia presentations is done quite well too, allowing you to view on respective NEWater topics in the presentations.)
Transport : 2.5/5
(If you are not going there by car, be prepared to walk a relatively long distance after you alight at the bus stop. Avoid taking the MRT there as the distance you have to walk to there is very long. However, there are shuttle services provided from Tanah Merah MRT Station to the Visitor Centre. Please check the website for the time sessions of the shuttle buses.)
Overall : 4/5
(Recommended for parents to bring their children to the NEWater Visitor Centre for a visit, Moreover, its free and educational, why not just get a day off and head down to the NEWater Visitor Centre during the holidays. However, If you report there early and takes you 1hour+ just to wait for your tour session, its going to be a long long wait.)

P.S Remember to report there on time or 15mins before the tour, if not when the session starts, you will not be able to join the tour and have to wait for the next one, which is about 1.5hours in between.

And don't forget to grab a bottle of NEWater before you leave =)

For more info : Please visit the NEWater Visitor Centre website

Pictures photographed by : Shawn.Yi.En

Alexandra Arch

Alexandra Arch

Distance: 0.08 km
Walking Time: 05 mins

The bridge, with its curved deck and tilted arch, spans across Alexandra Road like an opened leaf. On the Hyderabad Road side, the bridge is connected to HortPark - the gardening hub, via the Floral Walk. Near the bridge is Gillman Village, a former British military camp in the early 20th century, is now home to an eclectic mix of restaurants, pubs and art galleries.

At night, the bridge will dazzle with colour-changing LED lights. The lights display will be on between 7pm and 12am daily.

The Alexandra Arch is also part of The Southern Ridges, a 9km chain of green spaces which spans across Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, Kent Ridge Park and ends at West Coast Park, each seamlessly linked by foot trails and connection bridges.

The opened leaf-shaped Alexandra Arch then welcomes you to HortPark – the gardening hub. Enjoy a delightful stroll down the Floral Walk lined with blooming flowers and pick up some gardening ideas at the HortPark!

As I am only covering about the Alexandra Arch today, I will only focus on Alexandra Arch, for more information about HortPark or The Southern Ridges, please visit the npark website or Uniquely Singapore - The Southern Ridges

For people who would want to visit Alexandra Arch or just simply to take a picture of the bridge, I would recommend you visit there at night, probably after dinner. You can have a slow stroll on the bridge, enjoying the view of the stunning colorful LED lights and it is also quite a perfect place for couples.
It will also be more convenient if you travel there by car: Parking is available at HortPark-the gardening hub.

Ratings :
Beauty : 4/5 (The dazzle colour-changing LED lights truly worth the trip)
Overall : 4/5 (If you are free, do consider going there at night and have some time to relax yourself. You can go to the nearby Hortpark too, so its worth it.)

--Pictures photographed by Shawn.Yi.En, informations taken from http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/popup/alexandra.html

Swissôtel Merchant Court - Wedding banquet

Been to my relative wedding at The Swissôtel Merchant Court Ballroom this afternoon. It was also the first time that I had been to a lunch wedding banquet too.

It was held at The Merchant Court Ballroom, which boasts a column-free wedding banquet venue with a sweeping ceiling to floor glass wall on one end.
A pre-function area outside the ballroom makes a quintessential yet private cocktail reception area.





The food there was absolutely well cooked. Perhaps one of the best that I had ever ate. Thumbs up for the Crispy chicken in mango sauce, it was really a great dish whipped up. The chicken was fried till it was crispy and easy to chew on, blending in well with the mango sauce.
Another dish worth praising is the Mango Pudding served at the last as a dessert. The milk and fruits were just absolutely great, not too sweet to make you tired of eating it.

Ratings :
Food : 4/5
Service : 3/5 (need some improvements to serve the food faster as some of the dishes served had turned cold)
Ballroom atmosphere : 4/5
Overall : 4/5
Though most of you wouldn't have a chance to eat at the ballroom unless there's a wedding taking place there, but if you happened to have a chance to eat there, do enjoy the experience.