Changi City Point was a relatively new shopping mall. Since it was our first few visits, we found it difficult to locate the restaurant.

The restaurant was situated in The Oasis area, it was an al fresco dining with a garden view.

There were a number of other pubs and restaurants located in the same area, and there were live music played by jazz band as well. The ambiance was nice and relaxing.

Kit Yee and I ordered a drink each before happy hour ended. She had a Honeydew Basil Saketini which was priced at $13. The cocktail was sweet and cooling, not a bad choice for ladies who something light.

My choice was the Rosemary Cooler, similarly priced at $13. This cocktail was very appetising with a tinge of sourness in it, I enjoyed it a lot.

Since there were three of us, we ordered food to share. Priced at $18, we had the Snacks Sampler which allows us to choose four items from the snacks column. Clockwise from the top right corner was the Truffle Fries, Chicken Quesadilla, Zesty Wings and Ebiko Mussels. My favourite would be the Zesty Wings, which was slightly citrusy and appetising. The Ebiko Mussels were quite good as well.

Priced at $15, the Pasta al Fungi was a recommended dish by the restaurant. The mushroom, garlic and pesto cream fettuccini was cooked simple but tasty. We all loved it!

Last but not least was the TM Ribs served with potato wedges and house salad. Priced at $36 for the full rack of ribs, I found the pork ribs delicious. The sauce was thick and flavourful and it complemented perfectly with the ribs. I would love to have it again!

Overall it was a very pleasant dining experience in Table Manners. Service was good and we will return for more!

Restaurant Information
5 Changi Business Park Central 1
#01-69/69 The Oasis, Changi City Point,
Singapore.
Tel: 66047669

We arrived at Island Cremery, an ice-cream place located next to McDonald’s in Serene Centre. The ice-cream place opens from 11am to 10pm daily and offers a good range of ice-creams with local flavours.

The café was rather small but lively and cosy. There were many diners after dinner, enjoying their dessert in Island Cremery.

The walls of the café were decorated with cheerful photos of their customers.

Jefrey had two scoops of ice-creams – Durian and the Nutella ice-cream. Priced at $5.20 for double scoop in a cup, the Durian ice-cream was fantastic, it was very rich in durian flavour but not too sweet at the same time, we loved it! The Nutella ice-cream was nice as well, no doubt any Nutella lovers would enjoy the ice-cream!

As for me, I had the Pulut Hitam and Chendol ice-cream topped with peanuts. I have always been a fan of Pulut Hitam, a traditional Malay rice pudding dessert flavoured with coconut milk. It was my first time having Pulut Hitam in an ice-cream form, and it was delicious and I would highly recommend this to my readers! The Chendol ice-cream was another item which I would recommend also.

Island Cremery gave me a very unique experience with ice-cream, being able to have ice-creams in local flavours! For those who have not been to this place, I highly recommend you to do so! For more information, please visit their official website.

Café Information
10 Jalan Serene
#01-03 Serene Centre
258748 Singapore.
Tel: +65 64688859

We passed by a viewpoint and also a couple of restaurants on our way there and stopped by to take some photos and also for lunch.

The view from the restaurant was magnificent and it was peaceful and comfortable to dine in there.

The restaurant interior was mainly made out of wood, which was nice and pleasant.

This was where we were seated. We noticed that the restaurant was quite popular among tourists.

Service was good and our food arrived shortly after we ordered. We ordered a few dishes and two plates of rice. Priced at 160 Baht, the Spicy Pork Massaman Curry was a dish that I enjoyed eating a lot. the curry was thick and fragrant and the peanuts in the curry gave the dish an extra kick.

The Spicy Thai Style Chicken was priced at 220 Baht. It was good but I didn’t like it personally because it was mixed with abundance of finely chopped raw onions. It was a very healthy dish though, served with a lot of green vegetables.

The rice was served in star shape. I thought it was quite special.

Overall it was a nice place to dine in, although the price was slightly on the higher end. Service was very good almost everywhere in Phuket and I wouldn’t mind traveling there again for a vacation.

Restaurant Information
69/15 Kata Noi Road
Kata Beach
Phuket, Thailand.

It was a short drive from Rawai and we arrived at the Buddhist monastery. The temple was beautiful. It was opened from 7am to 5pm daily and tourists were allowed to visit the temple and ascend the stairs for a better view of Wat Chalong.

The photo was taken from the top of the temple. The area was peaceful and serene.

From the leaflet, I read that the temple was dedicated to two highly respected monks, Luang Pho Chaem and Luang Pho Chuang, who with their knowledge of herbal medicine, helped the injured of a tin miners rebellion in 1876.

A closer shot of the temple with the elephant statues.

Surrounding the temples were a couple of souvenir shops and drink stalls. One of these stalls were selling coconuts at 30 Baht each. As we were dehydrated during the visit, we bought one each and quenched our thirst with the juice. After finishing the drink, I requested the vendor to open the coconut for me to eat the flesh of the coconut, very delicious indeed! After quenching our thirst it was time to satisfy our growling stomachs. Back on our scooter, we made our way back to Rawai for a late lunch.

We came across this restaurant which looked welcoming to both locals and tourists.

The eatery wasn’t the most glamorous place around but nevertheless very airy, comfortable and pleasant.

We ordered a couple of dishes and rice to complement them. Priced at 80 Baht, the Grilled Fish with Salt was delicious. With only salt as its seasoning, I can taste the freshness of the fish.

Similarly priced at 80 Baht, the Massaman Pork Curry was something that I enjoyed a lot. Although not spicy, the Thai curry dish was fragrant with coconut milk and peanuts. The pork was nice and tender while the potatoes soaked up the mouth-watering curry broth.

The Seafood with Broccoli, which was priced at 70 Baht, was simple, healthy and delicious. Extra points was credited for the freshness of the prawns and squid.

Lunch was reasonably priced and delicious. When it was close to evening, we took a cab to Patong and enjoyed the night life there, which was vibrant and an eye-opening experience.

Restaurant Information
Rawai, Phuket.
Tel: 088-4428852

I made my booking through TripAdvisor, as usual, and I booked Phu Nana Boutique Hotel for a 2 night stay in Phuket. The hotel was located in Rawai, and the journey from the airport took around an hour. The hotel was located in a quiet neighbourhood, it was a family-run business, very small but it has everything that we needed, clean and very pleasant.

We were very impressed with our rooms as well, clean and comfortable. The proprietors were very nice and friendly, helpful and always smiling.

After getting directions from the locals, we rented a scooter and went sight seeing around the southern part of the island. We drove to Nai Harn Beach, which took us around 10 to 15 minutes. The beach was packed with tourists, many were sunbathing on the beach, a very popular place among the Caucasians.

The view was beautiful, blue horizons and peaceful sea view with silky soft sand beneath us. It was a great place to unwind and relax.

As we strolled along the beach, we came across a stream flowing towards the sea, there were children playing in the area.

As the evening drew closer, more people packed and left the beach.

We stayed in Nai Harn and watched the sunset.

Since there were a couple of restaurants located in that area, we decided to have our dinner there.

The view was serene and tranquil.

When it was dinnertime, we chose Food Mama, a restaurant located on the beach. The restaurant were covered by a number of big umbrellas and dimly lit, creating a peaceful and calm ambiance.

Please pardon for my carelessness of forgetting to note down the name and price of the drink. The drink was good and I liked the presentation, with an orchid as a decoration.

We were served with Som Tam first. The Spicy Green Papaya Salad consisted of green papaya, beans, chilli, tomatoes and peanuts. I liked the spicy and sourness of the dish, which increased my appetite for the main courses.

For our mains, we had a Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce. The portion was huge and the fish was fresh. However, we thought that the fish can be made more flavourful, it was slightly bland to our liking.

Dinner in Thailand will not be completed without a bowl of Tom Yum Soup. The spicy soup was nicely fragrant with strong sense of coconut milk and lemongrass. We enjoyed the soup a lot, very delicious when eaten with rice.

We ended our dinner with a plate of complimentary fruit platter consisting of watermelon, pineapple and banana.

Service was very good. The waiter was extremely friendly, although his command of language was limited, he did his best to assist us with our needs. Food was good and the environment was peaceful and relaxing. Please stay tuned for more travel and adventures in Phuket in the next post!

Restaurant Information
Nai Harn Beach
Rawai, Phuket
Thailand.

Kura is a fine dining Japanese restaurant located in One World Hotel, the hotel connected to One Utama Shopping Mall.

Kura, Rakuzen, Zen, Hokkaido Ichiba, Sushi Zanmai and Pasta Zanmai are all under the same management of Super Dining, offering different range of Japanese food. Kura, being the most exquisite and expensive outlet, brought our expectations up.

Since we went for lunch that day, some sections of the restaurant were not open yet. The restaurant was quiet and pleasant. We were seated near the window, overlooking the highway leading to One Utama.

We started our lunch with one of my favourite sashimi, fresh sea urchin (生ウニ). Priced at RM80 for half tray, it was very delicious, very fresh and it gave us a melt-in-your-mouth sensation. I loved it!

Next up was also one of my favourites. On the far left was the Live Ark Shell (活赤貝) priced at RM40. We were quite delighted to find this item on the menu as it was quite rare to be found in Malaysia. On the right was the Fatty Tuna Belly (本まぐろ大トロ) priced at RM75. Both sashimi were delicious, we enjoyed the starters a lot!

We ordered a Boiled See Eel Pressed Sushi (穴子押し寿司) to share. Priced at RM28, the Anago Oshizushi was nicely presented and tasted fresh and tasty.

Priced at RM38, the Grilled Atka Mackerel (ほっけ塩焼き) was mediocre. The Hokke Shioyaki was not too fresh and we were hoping that it could be served hotter. Nonetheless, the grilled fish would be a nice accompaniment for beer or Sake.

The Braised Cod Fish (ぎんだら煮付) was a dish that I really enjoyed. Priced at RM32, the cod fish was healthily braised with tofu and mushroom, it was simple and delicious.

We also shared a bowl of Asari Sakamushi (あさり酒蒸し) for RM20. This was my first time trying this soup. The short-neck clam were steamed with Japanese Sake and served hot. The clear soup had a slight tinge of Sake taste, which was quite nice.

For our mains, my father had his all-time favourite, Curry Rice (カレライス). He was very satisfied with his order.

My mother tried the Nama Yuba Don (生湯葉丼) for RM10. Served with Miso Soup, this rice dish was topped with Tofu Skin with Special Sauce garnished with Wasabi. I tried a bit as well, albeit a little plain, it was delectable in its own way.

Last but not least was my bowl of Sansai Nameko Udon (山菜なめこうどん). Priced at RM22, this has been one of my favourite orders since I was young. The bowl of hot udon was served with Sansai (Japanese wild vegetables) and Nameko Mushrooms. It is always a heart warming dish to me and I will order it again!

It was our first visit to Kura and we were very pleased to discover a good and authentic Japanese restaurant in One World Hotel. The restaurant surely satisfied our high expectations. As the name of the restaurant suggests, the place was a treasure and we will visit again in the future! For more information, please visit their website here.

Restaurant Information
One World Hotel
First Avenue
Bandar Utama City Center
47800 Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-7726 9660

Upon arrival into Maldives I was excited to see the island from above, the sea colour was something I’ve never seen in my life before, it was painted with different shades of turquoise blue which was impressive and mesmerizing.

Maldives consists of 1,192 coral islands grouped in a double chain of 26 atolls and located in the North of the Equator in the Indian Ocean. The climate of the country ranges between 24 °C and 33 °C throughout the year, similar to Malaysia.

Upon arrival at Ibrahim Nasir Airport, I took the boat to the resort. The journey took around half an hour and we arrived at Bandos Island Resort.

I checked into my room and it was nice and decent, albeit slightly old.

Shortly after checking in, I walked around the resort, checking the island out.

The photo above was taken from the beach of the resort.

While my friends went for snorkelling in the sea, I strolled around the island on my own, taking photos of the island.

Bandos Resort was landscaped on an island which was 178,900 square meters big, it was a nice walk along the beach and the view was breath-taking.

Maldives was blessed with beautiful blue sky and abundant sunshine with plentiful of coconut trees along the beach.

Along the walk I saw the Jacuzzi Beach Villas, which has an open-air bathroom with Jacuzzi in each room.

The water villas were even more impressive than any other chalets. I definitely hope to stay in one of these in the future!

When my friends finished snorkelling, we decided to grab a bite in the Sundowners Bar, which was located along the beach.

The bar is open daily from 7.30am until midnight. The environment was nice and shady, which allows one to sit back and relax while enjoying the scenic view of the sea.

We had a Pizza Au Fruit De Mare to share. Priced at USD17, the pizza was topped with fresh prawns, fish, mussels, onions, chopped chilli, cheery tomato and cheese, it was fresh and delicious!

I also had a Chicken Kathi Roll for USD13. The roll was filled with chicken tikka, lettuce and cucumber and served with French fries. The roll was delicious, very freshly made and the fries were crunchy and good as well. Overall the food was good at the bar but their service can be improved.

While dining in Sundowners, we saw this colourful bird feeding on a packet of sugar.

After the late afternoon snack, I went to the beach to capture more photos before the sun set.

Sunset in Maldives was beautiful.

The photo speaks for itself.

Dinner at night was at the Gallery Restaurant. Gallery was the main restaurant of the resort, which was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Buffet dinner at the Gallery was very elaborate, ranging from starters, bread, various main courses to fruits and desserts.

The friendly chef tossing and frying noodles.

The fresh fruits were something I enjoyed the most, the fruits were sweet and it was cut fresh when requested. The buffet was good overall, and I enjoyed my dinner in the Gallery.

The next morning, I woke up by a call from Jefrey. We went to the beach and had breakfast at the Sundowners Bar.

Jefrey had the Omelette cooked with tomato, onion, chilli, ham and cheese for USD7. The dish was served with sausage, grilled tomato and fries. It was quite good, a filling and satisfied breakfast for him.

I had the Peprika Cheese Toast. Thin slices of bread were toasted with mozzarella cheese, onion and egg and served with fries. Although nothing extraordinary, the cheese toast was nice and decent.

Before leaving the island, we visited the souvenir shop. It was a wonderful experience for me in Maldives and I am looking forward to visit the island again! For more information about the resort, please visit their website here.

Resort Information
Bandos Island Resort & Spa
North Malé Atoll
Republic of Maldives
Tel: +960 664 0088

Located on Orchard Road, Lucky Plaza was a mall with a number of hidden good eateries, and Ayam Penyet Ria was one of them.

We were there on a weekend for a late lunch. The restaurant operates from 11am to 10pm daily.

I ordered a plate of Ayam Penyet with rice for $7. Ayam Penyet literally means smashed chicken. The reason to hammer the chicken and smashing it lightly was to ensure that the meat will become looser and fluffier. I was happy to find that chicken was served with Tempeh (soybeans in cake form), Taufu Goreng (fried tofu), Kangkung (water spinach) and Belacan (spicy shrimp paste). The chicken was nicely fried and delicious, but the best thing which I liked about their Ayam Penyet was the spiciness of the sambal, which gave the dish an extra kick!

Jefrey ordered the Lele Penyet with rice which was priced at $8.50. The portion of the fish was quite big, and I tried a bit of the catfish, which I thought was quite good.

Overall it was a pleasant dining experience, the food was good and reasonably priced as well. I will definitely return for more when I’m craving for ayam penyet in the future. For more information, feel free to check out their website.

Restaurant Information
304 Orchard Road
Lucky Plaza
#01-45 & #04-25
Singapore 238863
Tel: +65 6235 6390

The queue was insanely long, but it was worth the wait. Cold Stone originated from Arizona, US and it allows customers to choose their ice-cream flavours and mixing it up with a variety of toppings such as fruits, candies and various nuts. Pictured above was the back entrance of the café, which was taken when we left the place at 12am.

In Cold Stone, the staff were known for their acrobatic skills when preparing the ice-cream. Take a close look at the ceiling of the café and you will understand where the stains came from.

There were three of us that day, and we had an ice-cream each, two in plain waffles and one in dipped waffle.

My Banana Caramel Crunch in the dipped waffle, ready to be eaten.

We took a seat at the couch, which was nice and comfortable.

Clock wise from the upper left was the Founder’s Favourite with pecans, brownie, fudge and caramel which Jefrey had. We thought it was very nice and creamy as he added Snickers into the ice-cream, which gave the ice-cream an extra smooth and sticky texture. The upper right ice-cream with the plain waffle was Nicole’s Mint Mint Chocolate Chocolate Chip with Chocolate Chips, Brownie and Fudge. It was very nice as well, good for chocolate mint lovers!

Last but not least was my Banana Caramel Crunch with roasted almonds, banana, caramel and extra added pecans. I thought it was a very nice combination, since I love nuts and bananas gave the ice-cream a naturally sweet flavour. Each ice-cream was priced at $5.50, which was very satisfying and filling.

I would definitely go back for more and I also agree with the saying that “ice-cream can make you happy”! For more information about Cold Stone, feel free to check out their website and their Facebook page.

Café Information
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Central Road
#01-09/10
Singapore 238896
Tel: +65 6634 1015

It was my second visit to the restaurant. Located in the vicinity of Aljunied MRT Station, the restaurant was rather easy to find, even for a foreigner like me. It was already crowded at 6pm, and so we queued up a bit for a table.

My friend had his bowl of Penang Assam Laksa (槟成叻沙). Priced at $5.50 for a large serving, the Assam Laksa was possibly one of the best in Singapore, even my friend, who grew up in Penang, thought this Laksa was better than many stalls in Penang. I highly recommend this as a must-try for my readers!

Feeling extremely hungry and craving for rice dish on that day, I ordered a Marmite Chicken Rice (妈咪鸡饭). Priced at $5, the serving was generous and the dish was delicious! The Marmite-coated chicken was rich and sweet in taste, I enjoyed it a lot!

Other than the two mains, we also ordered dishes to share. The Salted Egg Sotong (咸蛋苏冬) was also one of my favourites in Penang Seafood Restaurant. Priced at $12 for a small serving, this Salted Egg Squid dish never fail to impress me. The outer layer was deep-fried to golden brown, slightly salty and crunchy with the fragrance of salted egg, whereas the squid maintained its freshness and juiciness inside.

Last but not least, we had a Baby Spinach Soup (上汤苋菜) to balance up the meal with something green. Priced at $10 for a small serving, the soup was simple but delicious. I liked it a lot.

In my previous visit, I tried the Assam Fish Head and it was incredibly delicious, a good choice to order when sharing with friends and family. Special thanks to Jefrey for recommending this restaurant to us, a taste from home is always warm and comforting.

Restaurant Information
76 Geylang
Lorong 25A
388258 Singapore.
Tel: +65 9688 9778