{bubble tea love}

The Mr and I made a quick little escape on Saturday night to check out Grub Noodle Bar .  A few friends have been recently so I was keen to have a taste. Aiming to be a late night supper joint, the noodle bar is only open nights and there are only 2 main dishes, laksa or beef noodles.  But these are special noodles. You get fresh soft egg noodles accompanied by a gorgeous beefy broth - there was so much flavour!  The beef goodness comes in the form of minced beef, beef balls and your choice of beef cut eg brisket, rump, sirloin or ribeye. There was certainly no shortage of meat and all for under $20. They also have a range of starters if you are feeling more adventurous.  We had the Hokkaido Scallop Tataki which was well balanced, fresh and citrusy and some pretty off the charts good Chicken Drumlets which were coated in curry leaves, garlic and sesame seeds.  I am still dreaming about that chicken. I definitely recommend Grub Noodle Bar if you ...

You may have seen from some of my previous posts that Singapore is benefiting from the opening of a load of 'third wave' cafes which very much pleases this coffee loving girl.   However I was surprised to see that 150 new cafes have opened in the last year.  I know Singapore is foodie central but that is pretty insane! Check out the full listing on Daniel Food Diary .  So many places to try and not enough days! :) My coffee at an old fave,  CSHH 

Yesterday I took advantage of my child free time off and spent a lazy day exploring Tiong Bahru - one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore.   The area is a mix of the old and new and is full of character.  It is has been undergoing a bit of a renewal over the past few years with cafes, bakeries and small and eclectic boutiques moving in.  A great area to explore and spend some time. I started my morning at Forty Hands and caught up on my news and social media over a piccolo latte and eggs benedict.  I then crossed the road to check out a new little urban grocer pop up ( Crateful) , walked through the various criss cross streets past Flock and One Olive down to Tiong Bahru Market where I eyed off lots of fresh flowers, housewares and the hawker stalls.  Next stop was over to Eng Hoon Street by Tiong Bahru Bakery , Orange Thimble and the gorgeous Bloesom.   I headed back to Yong Siak Street as Books Actually, Woods in the Books a...

Feeling grown up is buying furniture for your house that is not IKEA. I love IKEA (and I think we will always have IKEA items in our house wherever we live) but there is something about investing a little bit more into your couch or table that makes me feel very grown up :) We are on the hunt for a new dining table.  We bought our current table almost 5 years ago from Lush  and it has served us well.   But it was floor display stock so it was cheap and the legs are now getting pretty wonky and unstable.  It also has a glass table top with sharp corners that unfortunately the little Miss has run into on the odd occasion... so we think it's time for a change before our dining table becomes a really dangerous hazard! One of my favourite furniture stores in Singapore is Grafunkt .   It's got a very cool cosy and contemporary vibe and they stock both their own original designs and other labels.  We liked these two tables so just deciding whether to get one...

As we head into another weekend, I thought I would write up about two new places we visited last weekend. Potato Head Folk  The Mr and I spoiled ourselves to a child free sneaky Saturday date lunch and decided to check out Potato Head Folk.  Some readers may have visited Potato Head in Bali and Jakarta before. Potato Head Folk is their latest opening in Singapore. Taking up one of the corner blocks on Keong Saik Street, Potato Head Folk has been open for a few months now.  In the past we have tried a couple of Friday/Saturday nights to get in but there was always a long queue (1 hour or longer).  Fortunately we didn't have to wait for our table at lunch and scored a table in the Three Buns Dining Kitchen on the second floor.  Really pretty painted murals adorned the walls with eclectic furniture sprinkled throughout.  They only serve burgers so I recommend it as a cool place to have a fun lunch or dinner. The Lokal The Lokal opened r...

Mrs Pho from Burpple My mum is visiting us at the moment so I have been relishing in all the Vietnamese home cooking - she is so sweet and the first thing she did when she arrived was go to the supermarket and buy ingredients for dinner! I love it when she visits as I can really get my Vietnamese food fix.   People often ask me where we go and find good Vietnamese food in Singapore.  I have to admit it isn't great but I can recommend a couple of places that are better than most compared to the other pretty average offerings around town. Mrs Pho Opened up by friends of friends, this tiny little restaurant on Beach Road serves up a decent Pho and the best pork chop rice I have had so far in Singapore (most have been pretty abysmal).  The Pho's broth is full of flavour (so many places here have watery or bland soup for their Pho) and they use fresh noodles not the dry stuff out of the packet.   My only complaint is they don't give you enough fresh basil with ...

images from Design for Mankind I saw this written up on my friend's blog and I couldn't help but share - such a delightful little insight into our lovely city.   Plus I am biased as it mentions a lot of our favourite places too! Read the full "What to Do in Singapore"  here .

The little lady woke me up at 4.30 yesterday morning and then was awake again last night between midnight and 2.30am! The Mr is away for work so unfortunately I have been on solo night duty... The poor thing has been sick so that doesn't help but it means a very very tired Phuong the last few days... hopefully she will be back on track again tonight! So it has meant a bit more coffee than usual... Unfortunately there is a serious lack of good coffee close to my office so I had to make do with the office coffee machine. It did get me thinking though that I should update my list of favourite  coffee places in Singapore . Over the past few years there has been a surge of 'third wave coffee ' places opening - it seems there is a new cafe opening every couple of months.  All the better for us coffee snobs! I am pleased to report that since my last post in 2011 , all the cafes I listed are still open and still good. To add to the list: Common Man Coffee Roasters : Fr...

Unfortunately Singapore has a bit of a lacklustre reputation for being boring, sterile, uncultured... especially in comparison to other Asian developed cities like Hong Kong + Tokyo.  Yes it is true that the vibe here is different to those other cities, but I think Singapore is definitely coming into its own and a lot has changed (even in the 3 years I have lived here). To get an idea of some of the creativity out there, check out  lilreddotfolks . A bit like the Selby , this neat little blog gives you insights into the worlds and homes of some of the inspiring and creative peeps who call this island home.

We are still counting down to the little one's arrival so we are continuing to take advantage of the DINK time (see previous posts here and here ) and checking out a few new places... Lucha Loca A laid back, buzzy new Mexican Taqueria at Duxton Hill which opened a few weeks ago serving up Mexican street food.  Lots of choice including awesome tortilla chips, yummy tacos, quesadillas, ceviche (which I really want to go back and try once I can eat raw food again) etc.  It's hard to find good Mexican so tasty food along with great service, a cool and buzzy atmosphere and (I am told) yummy margaritas - you really can't go wrong! Nassim Hill Bakery Bistro Bar We stopped by here yesterday for breakfast and we're glad we did.  An artisan bakery, the smell of beautiful hot bread greets you when you open the door and enter the airy space.  It wasn't too busy when we were there so quick friendly service and a wide selection of brunch choices.  Coffee not th...

In continuation of our DINK time , here is a rundown of a few other places we have visited in the last couple of weeks: Keong Saik Snacks The third restaurant opened by Jason Atherton  in Singapore, Keong Saik Snacks (located on Keong Saik Road) is a casual diner style restaurant serving up some of Jason's favourite comfort food.  A small hip establishment with only 30 seats, menu highlights for me were: Jason's Very Hot Dog which consists of homemade chorizo sausage with tangy ketchup lime, crispy shallots, cheddar, avocado and jalapenos (so so good - the chorizo is amazing!).  My only complaint was the bun which I think is store bought and a bit sweet - it would have been on another level with a freshly baked hot dog bun.   Home made warm cinnamon donuts served with a side of vanilla chantilly cream and salted caramel cream.  These were incredible!  Blu Kouzina Serving up Greek food (a bit of a rarity in Asia but so prevalen...

The Mr and I have been taking advantage of our DINK time before the little one arrives so we have been  making an effort to try out some places around town that we haven't been before: 1. Fat Cow -  I took the Mr here for a surprise birthday dinner the other week.  Fat Cow is a Japanese inspired steak house located in the Camden Medical Centre of all places.  Our expectations were high as we had heard lots of good reviews and it is owned by the same folks who run Kinki   and the various Marmalade Pantry  outlets. They didn't disappoint.  Fat Cow serves a range of steaks mainly Wagyu or half Wagyu from Japan, Australia, New Zealand and the US.   For those like me who are not steak lovers, there is also a range of other mains including shabu shabu .   I had the shabu shabu with their A3 grade Japanese beef and I must say it was the most incredible (and most expensive) shabu shabu I have eve...

Kith recently opened their second outlet at Park Mall (the Mr and I were very excited when we heard as it is walking distance from our place). We used to spend most weekends at the Kith at Robertson Quay (and if you have visited us, no doubt we have taken you!) but the Park Mall outlet is a lot bigger and with a more extensive menu and it being closer to home, it has now become our new go to breakfast/brunch place on the weekend. Good food, great coffee, lovely owner Jane and her wonderful staff.... My favourite place to spend a Sunday.  Images c/o Kith's facebook page

Our weekend was spent catching up with friends, pram buying adventures (by adventure I mean painful overwhelming shopping experience) and of course one of our favourite past times - eating and checking out some new places around town.  On Friday night we caught up with some of the kids over Korean at Two Days One Night  at Tanjong Pagar (our Korean friend Chaz recommended and invited us along and according to him it is one of the more decent places around).   It's always so fun when (a) you go out and eat in a big group, (b) one person who knows what they are doing takes control and orders for everyone and (c) you just delight in whatever comes to the table.  Lots of yummy spicy, meaty goodness.   The pancakes were my favourite - soooo tasty.   There was a massive line out the front of the restaurant so it is obviously a popular choice.  I would definitely go back. After dinner, ...

I am a big fan of the local coffee shops here in Singapore or kopitiams as they are known. Thick peanut butter or kaya toast, kopi and soft boiled eggs dipped in salt and pepper and dark soy sauce is often my comfort food in the morning.   The New York Times recently ran an an article about Singapore's kopitiams - have a read here and be sure to visit one next time you are in town! images from the New York Times  

Moving house means discovering new locals and haunts to hang out in.  Although we only moved about 10mins walk away from our old place we are a lot closer to Orchard Road now... hence the last few meals for us have all been located unsurprisingly at Mandarin Gallery ... For those Aussie readers you might think it's weird that you can get decent food and decent restaurants in shopping centres, but it is pretty normal in Singapore and Hong Kong where some of the best restaurants and cafes are either found in shopping centres or hotels. Whilst not new to us, we hit up Tonkatsu by Ma Maison on Friday night.   I am going out on a limb to say that I think it is the best tonkatsu in Singapore.  Deep fried goodness - seriously how can you not like it? Nice and crispy outside and served with all you can eat cabbage, miso soup and rice.   I personally can't go past the katsudon which is one of my favourite Japanese meals despite it being a bit of an ojisan 's dish :) Sat...

Tonight we checked out a new French bistro that has opened just around the corner from our place, Balzac Brasserie . A fabulous + cozy little French place serving all the traditional French dishes.  I gobbled down duck confit and the Mr ordered the 48 hour braised wagyu beef cheeks.  Our mains were served with sides of truffle mash, macaroni and cheese and grilled asparagus.   We rounded off our meal with a glorious citrus tart - it was a wonderful meal in a gorgeous setting.  A little bit of France in Singapore. A cute little touch was handing us the bill within the pages of a Honore de Balzac leather bound book. Will definitely be back! Balzac Brasserie, #01-01 Rendezvous Gallery, 9 Bras Basah Road, Singapore

We had a big night out last night - date night at the wonderful  Tippling Club  (thanks to our friends at Survival Chic  for the discounts!) and late night sake with good friends at one of our favourite haunts,  Orihara  to farewell the lovely Sandra. So today I have tried to take it a bit easy whilst recovering - Maccas for breakfast (naughty but there is something so magical about hashbrowns after a big night out!) watching random tv, decluttering in preparation for moving house, cooking, a run... hmm perhaps I haven't been taking it as easy as I had hoped!  Finishing off the evening and the weekend sitting up in bed, blogging and a cup of tea is pretty golden though xx Source: via Phuong on Pinterest

Just had the loveliest weekend... Despite the 8pm work call on Friday night! (a downside of working in a global company), I spent the rest of my Friday night with Pauline, Shwu, Odmaa, Nat and Sandra celebrating Nat's hens.  The Mr and the boys were away in Jakarta for Alex's bucks so us girls planned our own fun.   First stop was Maison Ikkoku (I previously blogged about their yummy coffee earlier ).  Since my first visit, they have opened a men's boutique and a fantastic little rooftop bar.  We ended up staying there all night after making friends with the bar tender and revelled in a fun night of gossip, chatting, yummy cocktails, bubbles, shots and chicken wings.  You always need a good midnight snack stop for the way home so we headed to Kampong Glam Cafe  for late night/early morning milo, 100 plus, kway teo, chicken curry and rice and noodles. The late night festivities of Friday meant my Saturday had a bit of a late start.  But it was a ...

Long brunch sessions with good mates hanging out by river front coffee shops always leads to: watching hilarious youtube videos ( exhibit A ) finding out about awesome and funny new blogs (exhibit B: accidental chinese hipsters !) talking about random stuff we read on  wikipedia  I love the internet.   I love my friends.  I love sundays.  oh and the eggs and coffee at  toby's estate rocks!  x   via Phuong on Pinterest