Magnum Mini @ Joyce's House

Food is never not available at my sister's house. At times, you can find some really good stuff that you crave for, yet cannot bear to part your money to pay for it!

A classic example is the insanely expensive (at least by my standard) Magnum ice cream. Though mini with a slightly more economical pricing, the sucker in me will never pay for it.

And the last time i was at my sister's place, i found 4 huge tubs of ice cream from Scoops!!!!

=_=!!!

With two tubs being the super pungent durian ice cream (which her husband detests), I think she wants to fatten up her brother (me) and hopes that he loses focus on his weight reduction plan!!! Haha.

Marina Bay Sands (Building/Construction Phase) @ Singapore

Singaporeans love acronyms and Marina Bay Sands is now affectionately called MBS by many of the citizens, confusing many academia with Masters of Business Studies!

The casino lobby

The second "official" casino in Singapore is situated in MBS and though the integrated resort was officially open on 27 April 2010, it was purely a minuscule gesture nicely termed as the first phase.

 Unfinished Works!

Yes, i know the all important casino is fully operational! Construction work is however still ongoing (loud and clear for all to see) for the rest of MBS!

My heart goes out to the group of solicitors who attended the embarassing lawyers convention (they are currently in the midst of suing MBS and being counter-sued by them)!

Dramatic indeed!

Big pots of plants towering over the pedestrians!

Huge barrel-like structures!

That aside, MBS caters more to a high end cluster (thanks to its close proximity to the central business district) and that can be seen by the expenditure splurged on external and internal designing and decorating.

Heck! Even the toilets looked so posh!

I usually use toilet paper as an indicator on the luxury level of hotels (top of my list is Raffles Hotel). Unfortunately i did not have an urgent need to use the toilet then.

No doubt, the whole integrated resort will be an imposing icon for the Singapore's skyline (as viewed from Marina Barrage) in the future.

But as of now, my recommendation is not to go until it is fully completed! Unless you are in some addictive need to donate your money to MBS.

Their Deadline for Completion?

December 2010.

Kim Gary (French Toast, Vitagen Ice Blended) @ Vivocity, Singapore

I seldom patronise the Kim Gary in Singapore since i can always get the same type of food from the same restaurant at roughly half the price across the causeway in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Today is different.

Because my mom was with me.

And we happened to be at Vivocity for brunch!

Here comes our orders

French Toast

The first and best French Toast i ever had came from Kim Gary in Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore's version of the same brand name did not disappoint with a healthy amount of peanut butter smacked between two slices of golden fried bread! 

That tiny dob of butter can be bigger though.

Vitagen Ice Blended

Love the Lactobacillus bacteria? 

Then i believe you will adore this ice cold drink! Especially thirst quenching in the super hot and humid weather Singapore is having recently!

Combo Hot Plate Set Meal

The mother loves fish and this was the only dish containing non-fried fish! The combi of grilled pork chop, fish fillet and chicken chop was doused with a generous serving of garlic sauce (three other sauces are available).

Overall, it was pretty okay with the heavy garlic content upping the taste test.

The combo came with a slice of garlic bread and a bowl of savory borsch soup (either this or cream soup)!

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Unless really necessary, i would still prefer to dine at the Kim Gary in City Square, Johore Bahru due to its promixity to Yishun and the unbeatable pricing!

Pricing

French Toast - S$3.00

Vitagen Ice Blended - S$3.90

Combo Hot Plate - S$17.50

Subject to 10% Service Charge and 7% GST

Location

1, Harbourfront Walk,

#02-128, Vivocity

Toast Box @ Resort World Singapore (RWS)

It was one pm and the sleeping bug had kicked in, swaggering our footsteps and confusing our minds. 

The hot, humid weather was not helping and both of us (mother and son) desperately looked around for an air conditioned place to have a cup of Singapore coffee.

The saviour?

Toast Box from BreadTalk!!

While i was making payment for my kopi and kopi O, my eyes caught the price tag of this kaya cake, beautifully placed in a glass cabinet just beside the counter.

S$1.20 a slice.

Woooooh. Such good pricing in a touristy area!?!?!? Sentosa is notorious for selling food and drinks that are priced way beyond the usual!

I had to have it!

And it tasted so delicious with such a thick layer of cream!!! It would have been better if the layer of kaya was thicker but well, i would not expect too much for a piece of cake that cost only S$1.20!

I should instead be thankful they did not cut the amount of cream.

Yum Yum!!!

Helix Bridge - An Iconic Structure @ Marina Bay (Beside MBS: Marina Bay Sands)

Mathetically named as Helix, this newest kid in the Singapore's bridge-scape is situated right across the Marina reservoir and was officially declared open on 24 April 2010!

Kanasai!

Should make it 25 April mah!

More auspicious!

Besides having a DNA-strain inspired design, the pedestrian-only bridge should have been named DNA Bridge due to the heavy focus the gahmen places on the biomedical industry.

It's highly probable that the design for the next bridge in Singapore will either be sperm or egg inspired (as an educational tool for encouraging Singaporeans to pump up the falling fertility rates).

Disregarding the debate on its name (which was already set in stone), this curved bridge serves a key role in connecting Marina Centre with the latest and hopefully last casino for Singapore, Marina Bay Sands.

With five viewing pods facing the panoramic city skyline, it shall be another platform for people to squeeze, sweat and view (and awwwww) the annual Singapore Fireworks Celebration!

It may look pretty out of place with most of the surrounding area undergoing construction but i bet you this will be an exciting area in time to come, when the Marina Bay Sands and Gardens by the Bay are completed.

And that is the right time to pay for a ride on the Singapore Flyer.

Le Muria (Once Again) @ Nee Soon

A busY buSY bUSY BUSY week and i needed some comfort food to soothe my badly neglected stomach. Which by the way, is in need to be neglected for some weight reduction i wish to have for a long long time.

I endeavoured to have the beef stew in my last post on Le Muria and it was the beef stew we ordered this time! Plus a plate of delicious Buffalo wings and a bowl of mushroom corn soup (unlimited servings)!

The focus today was of course on the beef stew, which came highly recommended by a fellow foodie in HungryGoWhere.com (app is also available in iTunes for your iPhone). 

Beef Stew

Firstly, the chunks of beef were too big and would be easier to eat if it's half or even one third its original size. However, the beef was not the highlight of this dish.

The broth was the rightful star!

It was so RICH with flavour! Now i fully understand why the beef tasted so ordinary! The Asian spices, tomato based broth had absorbed most of the beefy essence!  

I did not regret having Chapati instead of rice to accompany the stew. The light flavour of the pancake thin chappati contrasted greatly yet perfectly with the strong flavour of the stew.

This dish is best shared amongst a few people and i thought baguette (aka French loaf) will be a perfect dabber (curry chicken style) for the stew.

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My next order for the next visit?

Burgers! Beware, Aaron!

Location

Look for it HERE.

Prices

 Beef Stew - S$15.90

Only 5% Service Charge!

Question - What's so special about this house?

What's so special about this house?

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Its height?

Its design?

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Look More Carefully!!

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Use the skills you normally reserved for photohunt!!

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Answer

A bloody big statue of a dog!!!

Are the family canine fanatics or what?!?!

Another saying:

This house could be a private temple honouring Xiao Tian Quan (the pet of a Chinese mythical god; Erlang Shen).

Pick and Bite @ Thomson Plaza

Alex wanted a bowl of Tau Suan (Split Green Bean Soup) to satisfy his craving for traditional Chinese dessert and i needed a cup of Teh O (tea with sugar) to perk up my sleepy self.

This cafe in Thomson Plaza beckoned us with available seating..... and a picture of Tau Suan.... and a bowl of century egg porridge priced at an unbelievable S$1.50!

Tau Suan

More thickener than mung beans, i liked it for not being overly sweet and the beans had more bite compared to the mushy ones sold in most dessert stalls. If only the soggy dough sticks (you tiao) were more crispy.

Century Egg Porridge

When i saw the preparation (open lid of cooker, scoop out plain porridge, put it pre-prepared century egg dices, sprinkle with fried onions and chopped spring onion), i thought i made the wrong choice.

No doubt it was a very simple dish but it was surprisingly delicious!

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Location

301, Upper Thomson Road,

#03-45B (Thomson Plaza)

Price

Tau Suan - S$1.50

Century Egg Porridge - S$1.50