Finally free + Singapore food trip

Not completely free, but free from my second semester. Right now, I've to find a part time job to fill in 3 long months of my holiday. =)

Royce' Nama Chocolate, Champagne flavor~ My new found expensive treat~

So right after our exams finished, we shared delicious lemon cupcakes made by Jeanna, and some Royce' Champagne Nama Chocolate outside Starbucks at campus. It was just LUSCIOUS - melt-in-your-mouth creamy, with the subtle flavor of alcohol~

I love this hat! It's warmer and more comfortable than the beanie I got from Daiso~

We started our 4-hour drive down to Singapore at around 3-4pm, with me in the backseat. I guess you could sum up my entire trip's wardrobe with one word: SHORT. Both dresses I wore were relatively short (shorter than I would usually wear), and I wore shorts in the evening. I accessorized the trip with my furry hat! Super warm~

The Welcome party, I shall call them. Found them on the guest bed - tuejitoki, Gloria and Melman~

The moment we arrived at the place we were staying, we put down our bags and immediately started making dinner plans. I have a number of relatives who live in Singapore, and in the event that we make visits, everyone calls everyone out for dinner, lunch, or a shopping trip somewhere, if their schedules allow it.

As with the last time, our first meal was at Old Hong Kong Tea House at Tanjung Katong. We had to park somewhat further down the street in the parking lot of another mall, but the walk was nice. The thing about Singapore is that it's always cooling enough - there's always a breeze, no matter how merciless the sun or the humidity is.

My arm candy~ Muahahahaha!

Red star: must try.

Old Hong Kong Tea House specializes in Hong Kongese treats and meals, from appetizers to tummy-filling meals, and hot drinks to cold, creamy desserts.

Appetizer: deep fried fish skin served with superior soup. The crispy fish skin crackles when you dip in into the superior soup before taking a bite~ Delicious~

Steamed custard buns~

I shall call this the Cholesterol bun. But delicious nonetheless~

My main dish: cheese baked lamian with pork with Portuguese sauce~ Tender pork slices, luxurious mozzarella cheese on top, what more can you ask for?

First round of desserts~ Left: durian cream with black glutinous rice and ice cream; right: durian cream with sago and pomelo~ Both are equally delicious, fragrant and smooth, with just enough sweetness to balance~

Second round of dessert: mango cream with sago and pomelo~

As much as I love this place, the service quality is limited, and the price makes the restaurant a place that you wouldn't go to often.

Outfit of the day: red striped short dress from Bangkok, Burberry-inspired headband loaned from sis~

The next day started with a morning swim, but swimming has lost the appeal it once had to me - now that the UniGym has a pool, I can go swimming whenever I want, without getting tanned. I took a few laps, and half an hour later I was out, up, and doing my make-up (tutorial to be made, I promise).

Tian Jia Fu Restaurant. Typical Chinese name for a restaurant, but the food here is daebak!!!

We then took a drive down to Clementi from Bayshore Road for lunch with my cousin and his family. The place was distinctly Chinese, tucked away in a rather silent corner of a block of buildings. Service there was superb, and for so many dishes, it only cost around S$180.

We had the fish head steamboat~

The specialty of the restaurant was fish head pot, I assume, since the item occupied the entire first page of the menu. The adults ordered an array of other dishes, mostly veggies. I made a conscious effort to try to eat more of the greens, but ended up drinking a lot of soup that came with the fish head pot~ Beautifully sweet, punctuated with the flavor of the fish and the vegetables they put into the soup - yam, tomatoes, and celery (yuck).

Doesn't look very pretty, but I can assure you, this is delicious, and well worth the money~

Veggies with cashew nuts~

Tofu with veggies and pork bits~

Another tofu dish~

Sambal-fried kangkong. Spiced to the max!

Egg fu yong. With sausages, peppers, mushrooms, and shrimp~

This is interesting. It think it's called Golden Chicken. Chicken skin, a thin layer of chicken meat, then stuffed with shrimp and fish. Served with a nice, tangy sauce~

Lunch was not to be completed with some additional dessert (the meal came with a sea coconut dessert). We took a walk down to Clementi Arcade, passing by many shops.

We didn't try it out, but the place seemed quite posh~

We happened to pass by a live seafood restaurant on our way, and despite the seeming classiness of the place (shaded terrace dining area), our group stopped and started snapping away. It seems a bit nostalgic - as a kid, we used to gawk at the live seafood in their tanks whenever we went to a Chinese restaurant which prided themselves for their fresh seafood.

Huge oysters! The size of a meaty crab!

Lobster king. XD

Fishes, crabs, shellfish. But this wasn't any old Chinese restaurant live seafood display - huge oysters, large geoducks (or as the Vietnamese call them: elephant cock snail), intimidating-looking lobsters, and most of all, Alaskan King crabs.

My first real-life look at Alaskan King crabs. Geoducks vaguely visible on the right~

That was what made us stop in the first place - the sheer size of all the shellfish there. My sister, having worked with Alaskan King crabs before, told us that this was smaller than what she had seen, and as it is, those crabs were almost two times the size of my hand!

The Daily Scoop's menu~

After a walk under the merciless sun, we arrived at Clementi Arcade, and found a table in The Daily Scoop Ice Cream Cafe. Specializing in freshly made ice cream, and an array of drinks, the place was quite crowded, with seniors, college students, and families alike.

Fresh ice cream in the making. The container is basically a very cold one. They pour the ice cream mixture into it, leave it for a while, then mix it around with the spatulas. The process continues until the ice cream is done, and is then packed into 400g tubs, or served to customers in the cafe~

Their selection of ice cream flavors included old school flavors like Simple Vanilla and Simple Chocolate, but also had some more interesting flavors, like the Durian Mao Shan Wang, Strawberry Shortcake (real, tangy strawberry with seeds!) and Bailey's Chocolate (wasn't available that day).

Ice cream in a chocolate-coated cone?

Plain scoops? Left: Durian Mao Shan Wang, right: Lychee Martini.

Or on a beautiful, sexy waffle, dusted with confectioner's sugar?

The ice creams are served either plain, in chocolate-coated wafer cones, or on freshly made waffles. My uncle kept suggesting that I get a waffle, and so I did, topped with a scoop of Kookie Monster (chocolate ice cream with chocolate cookie bits). This is how I will describe it: SEXILY SINFUL~

Real, live (at least it was) Christmas tree~

During the walk to and fro, we passed by this part of the old Singapore KTM track. I saw it, and felt the sudden urge for creative photography (not so successful though =P). The creepers, and rust, gave such a short bridge such nostalgic and calming feels~

We took a relatively dreaded walk back, then went for a visit at my cousin's new place. I would say that this would be the residence I would look to as reference for my future home. Simple, homey, yet modern and cute.

When we arrived back at Bayshore, most took to the bathrooms immediately, then took a nap. Due to reasons I shall not disclose, I decided, against my brain's screams at me to get some rest after an all-nighter study session before the exam, to stay awake, along with my sister.

I have developed a particular attention to Lancome's products, thanks to darling Michelle Phan~

I entertained myself with iPad games, and rock music pounding in my ears, drinking coconut juice to stay awake and beat the heat~ I took some time to take a look at the Lancome Rouge in Love lipsticks that my aunt gave us. A bright red with shimmer, a slightly muted coral, and a nice shimmering peachy skin tone.

For dinner, we went out near Siglap to LTN Food Village. It's right next to a Fair Price outlet~ I'll be honest, I could just spend my time in Singapore, sitting in a parking lot, watching all the beautiful cars drive past. I mean, in Malaysia you could hear a loud revving engine, but more likely than not, it would only be a modified Proton Saga, Proton Wira, more commonly Perodua Myvi, or the most disappointing of all, a Perodua Kancil or Viva.

You seldom see this car on Malaysian streets. At least I haven't. =P

In Singapore, any revving you hear comes from Audis, Maseratis, Jaguars, you name it. Too bad the speed limit in Singapore is so low. =P


Anyways, we had another pretty Chinese dinner, but I wasn't complaining. I finally got to eat my long-awaited coffee pork ribs! I've missed it ever since I had it once at Paradise Inn (Funan Digitalife Mall).

Another egg fu yong~ Different style, different taste, but delicious as well~

Tofu with veggies. Blur photo because of low light and I didn't want to flash.

Ginger and onion stir fried beef. A little lacking on the ginger.

Highlight of the night: coffee pork ribs. Succulent ribs, coated in a sticky coffee sauce~ Used sister's flashlight for this shot~

My uncle worked as a professional photographer, and he gave me a few tips for night photography. This fish dish with garlic and veggies is taken with flash, about a foot and a half away, -1.5 exposure.

Crispy fried chicken wings~! Scrumptious - crispy on the outside, super juicy on the inside~

My sister wanted a round of dessert at Old Hong Kong Tea House, but instead we got some juices from a petrol station, then shared it among each other at the squash courts of the condo, catching up with each other. Nothing beats a nice talk session. =)


We were supposed to go somewhere pretty nice for lunch the next day, but we were so caught for time that we had mixed rice at LTN again. We set out by 3pm, so if we went anywhere further than Siglap, we would be home only past dinner time.

My mixed rice: stir fried potatoes with pork bits, omelette, and braised fish~ Simple, yet decadent~

The interesting thing is that the mixed rice there are cooked by Malaysians. The food is decent, they're generous with the portions, and the price redefines the term "economy rice". In K.L., a plate of rice, with two servings of veggies and a serving of meat would cost RM4 at least, depending on where you eat, and usually the portion sizes are just meh.


Though the exact price is unknown, each plate of rice, piled high with various servings of veggies, meat, and fish, cost just over S$3, which is around RM6, given the current exchange rate. RM4 for a flat plate of rice with meager side dishes, or RM6 for a mounded plate of deliciousness? You do the math.


We brought home some yummies, if the entire food trip wasn't enough~

Wines and whiskey~

The other two variations of Royce' Potatochip Chocolate: Original, and Mild Bitter. The salty, crispy potato chips, coated on one side with creamy chocolate~ The flavor contrast is interesting - salty and sweet, as is the texture contrast - crispy and creamy. We've opened the original, and so far I prefer the White Chocolate Cheese flavor~ RM45

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I have filmed the tutorial, and shall edit it within this week, if I can. Fingers crossed that I can get it done quickly!