Chye Seng Huat Hardware

We wanted to check out either Loysel's Toy or Chye Seng Huat Hardware and eventually decided on CSHH. It was pouring like crazy the weekend we visited CSHH so we braved the rain from Lavender MRT to CSHH. It was a pretty short walk but we were still considerably wet. 

The exterior design of CSHH is traditional and really really rustic. It reminds me of the old provision shops I used to visit when I was younger before modernity took over. I love the design of the folded door and the old-fashioned signboard.

Turn right after seeing the door above and you will be greeted with a wide metal gate which was slightly closed when we arrived. Pushing open the gate brought us into an entirely different concept. The driveway was on the left and the cafe was on the right with an outdoor sitting area. The interior of the cafe was warm and dimly lit, perfect to lounge around with a good friend over a nice cup of hot coffee. You have to queue at the counter to place your order and when we arrived that afternoon the queue was snaking around the counter.

So there were no seats inside and the nicely covered outdoor seating area was full too. We were left to find seats at the back of the cafe which was half exposed to the pouring rain. The wind did not help too and soon, we were both wet just sitting there and the table was wet too. I spied the Annex at the side and out of curiosity I gathered up my things and approached a waiter to ask if I could sit inside since it was getting really wet outside. The waiter said yes, so I went in only to be subsequently chased out by another waiter who said   that I can't because I had to make a reservation. I was in a good mood that day so I decided not to argue but seriously, I did actually ask and it was not like I just walked in without asking at all! But anyway, I just decided to let it go since I was already so wet I doubt I could get any much wetter. Another lady who was chased out after me got embroiled in a fierce argument with the same waiter who apparently told her that the Annex was used for classes. I would say they need better wet weather management.

I ordered the espresso and creme brulee set. The creme brulee was much bigger than I expected but it tasted pretty ordinary. The espresso was good; thick strong and fragrant.

The concept of this cafe is good, and I might actually return to try their brunch. But I will definitely check the weather forecast before making the trip down next time.

150 Tyrwhitt Road

Kith Cafe

Visited Kith Cafe sometime back as the best friend and I were thinking about new places to check out and she suggested Kith Cafe. So we decided to visit the Park Mall outlet for dinner one night after work. 

The cafe is situated in the corner of Park Mall. If you are walking over from Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, simply turn left before entering the main door. The entrance to Kith Cafe is situated outside Park Mall and is extremely easy to find. In fact, there is a little chalk board at the entrance pointing you in the correct direction.

Not very crowded for dinner, I would say. Which is good since I was too hungry to queue much longer for my food. The place was simplistic with a casual vibe and I spotted some magazines behind my seat at the back row. Needless to say, it would be great to flip through a magazine over brunch at Kith Cafe some day.

We both ordered pasta and I ordered the Linguine and King Prawns with cherry tomato and pesto sauce. The king prawns were really fresh and juicy, soaking up the pesto sauce completely. I enjoyed the linguine although it was a little salty and oily. But overall, still a pretty good dish.

If you would like a quiet place to have dinner in town without the crazy crowds, then Kith is your answer. A simple, fuss-free cafe with pretty good food, it certainly beats having to brave the crowds for the same types of food over at the shopping malls. 

#01-01E Park Mall

Al Forno

The previous time I dropped by Al Forno was a long time ago, probably back when I was still in university, and I came by here only because there was a DBS promotion going on which allowed for a 1-for-1 main course. Fast forward a couple of years and there are no more credit card promotions and the crowd has definitely thickened considerably. 

We came here over the long weekend to celebrate my dad's and bro's birthday. Was thankful that my mum did eventually get around to making a reservation or we would be stuck waiting outside for a long while judging by the size of the crowd. Every table was filled and there were people milling around outside waiting and some eventually gave up and decided to order takeaway instead.

We ordered a parmigiana to share which is egg plant baked in tomatoes and cheese. It was totally heavenly. I loved the juicy slices of eggplant that have absorbed the essence of the tomatoes and cheese and the sweet ripe tomatoes bursting in my mouth. Awesome.

We also ordered a pizza with parma ham and rocket leaves to share. This was my own recommendation as I was craving for parma ham and all of us agreed that this pizza was fantastic. Al Forno pizzas truly never disappoints! It's always so good. Lots of mozzarella cheese beneath the thick slices of parma ham and the thin crust was crispy and yummy.

My dad, brother and I each ordered a pasta for our main dish while my mum ordered a pan fried chicken in white wine sauce. The pan fried chicken came looking really healthy, but it tasted a bit bland and the chicken meat was too dry. The mash potato was really buttery and filling but I wouldn't recommend this dish.

My dad ordered Linguine with Lobster in cherry tomato sauce. The linguine was done al dente but the lobster was slightly overcooked which resulted in the meat being quite tough as it lost all its essence in the long cooking process.

My brother ordered seafood spaghetti in tomato and cream sauce. He could hardly finish his plate of pasta towards the end of the meal as the sauce was too creamy and it left him feeling very uncomfortable in the tummy. The seafood was really fresh though!

So I made the right choice after all. I ordered Spaghetti Vongole which is spaghetti with clams tossed in white wine and olive oil. It was delicious! Al Forno was really generous with the clams and I had a plate overflowing with fresh juicy clams soaked in white wine. The spaghetti was al dente and tasty with the white wine. I loved my pasta!

Not exactly in the most convenient location, Al Forno can be accessed by bus (alight across from Two Fat Men and walk along East Coast Road to the Peranakan Hotel) or you could drive there and park along the  slip road beside Al Forno.

Do remember to make a reservation if you are intending to have dinner here over a weekend!

400 East Coast Road

Crystal Jade Jiang Nan (Vivocity)

This Crystal Jade outlet is a relatively new addition in Vivocity and I pointedly asked the boyfriend to accompany me to try it as I was curious about the types of Jiangnan dishes they would serve.

It was crowded around dinner time and we were ushered into a nice little table in the corner. After flipping through the menu, we eventually settled for a 2-person set meal which came which an appetizer, two half-sized portions of la mian, 8 coloured xiao long baos of different flavours and dessert.

For the appetizers, we chose the cold spicy chicken and black fungus. The cold spicy chicken tasted queer and slightly stale while the black fungus was tasteless. The boyfriend hardly touched the appetizers as he said they tasted weird so I finished everything (which could explain my subsequent bad tummy ache).

The 8-coloured xiao long baos of different flavours. I had high expectations and was really excited when they came. But when I popped them into my mouth, the skin was too thick and the soup within was too little. The xiao long baos were not juicy enough and I was really disappointed. Think their Xiao Long Bao Steamboat Buffet at Holland Village serves better xiao long baos.

We chose the zha jiang mian and dumpling la mian for our two half-sized portions of la mian. The zha jiang mian was average. I mean, you couldn't go too wrong with zha jiang mian, but it's definitely not one of the best I've tried.

The dumpling la mian was below average. The soup base was really really bland and the noodles were tasteless. The dumplings were all right but nothing to rave about.

Our dessert of red bean in mini pumpkins and mochi. The red bean was a tad too sweet but the mochi was pretty decent.

So all in all, I pretty much wasted calories and money on a meal that was hardly satisfying. If that was not bad enough, I had to endure a night of diarrhea afterwards and could only crawl into bed in the early morning when the medicine started to take effect. I also missed my Forest Adventure Outing because of this so I'm majorly pissed. 

I wouldn't go back again. Definitely not.

#01-52 Vivocity

Sik Wai Sin Eating House

Living near Geylang has its perks. I've been wanting to try Sik Wai Sin for a very long time but did not have the opportunity to do so until last week when my parents messaged to ask if I was keen to take a walk to Geylang after work. They wanted to try Sik Wai Sin too and my dad assured me that it was not too long a walk for my high heels. So we went.

It was further away from Kallang MRT than Lorong 9 Frog Leg Porridge and we had to walk on the main road most of the time as the pedestrian pavement was either full of tables, chairs or various objects. When we reached Sik Wai Sin, a couple of tables were already filled and the place was bustling with activity.

Sik Wai Sin is basically a modest zi char store which serves superb food. There is no menu here and the only way you know what to order is by listening to an elderly lady rattle on a list of yummy food. The eating area is linked to the kitchen so you can smell the delicious aroma of food being cooked at the back while you wait patiently for your food.

The elderly lady recommended several dishes and we went ahead with her recommendations. The Steamed Fish Head with Bean Paste was served first and it was so awesome. The fish was fresh and very tender, drenched in fragrant bean paste. 

Fried vegetables with prawns. The wok hei in this dish was incredible! Oh my, I love my zi char cooked over  very hot fire as the wok hei gives food an extra punch. It certainly takes a lot of skill to achieve this standard.

The last dish we ordered was Braised Pork Ribs with Bitter Gourd. The pork ribs were meaty and tender, absorbing the essence of the sauce completely. The thick slices of bitter gourd were not bitter at all and had this nice salty aftertaste. Yummy!

I figured the secret to the success of Sik Wai Sin zi char was not only the wok hei but also the lard used in all the dishes. I know, i know. Lard is unhealthy, clogs my arteries and puts all my hours in the gym to waste. But hey, none of the other types of oils can give your zi char this unique fragrance that only lard is able to achieve!

We ordered everything above without knowing the prices at all as there is no price list anywhere and the elderly lady was unlikely to list the prices verbally as well. So we only got to know the total bill when we paid for our meal. It was roughly $60 for 3 of us, 3 dishes and many bowls of rice. Quite reasonable for the large portions!

287 Geylang Road

Menya Musashi at Ion

I have always wanted to try Menya Musashi when they opened their outlet at Raffles City but the queue has always deterred me. So when I found myself at Ion in the late morning on a public holiday, I decided immediately that this was a good time to try Menya Musashi as the mall was practically empty.

As expected, there was no queue and we were quickly ushered into a table at the side and handed the menus. The restaurant is decorated in black and red with pictures of warriors around and the kitchen is at the side with a glass pane for you to watch them at work.

We ordered quickly. I chose the Black Shabu Shabu Ramen while the boyfriend chose the Black Aburi Ramen. The soup base of my Black Shabu Shabu Ramen was too oily for me and I had trouble finishing my bowl of ramen as it was just getting more greasy with each mouthful. The shabu shabu was average and totally lacking in flavour. The egg was bland and tasted like a regular hard boiled egg. I found that I liked the seaweed best in my bowl of ramen. 

The boyfriend's Black Aburi Ramen had the same soup base as mine but the thick aburi slices were good. In fact, they were so much better than my shabu shabu that I gladly exchanged some of mine with the boyfriend. The aburi slices were well-marinated and tasty. At least that made his bowl a much better one than mine.