Freshly Baked Buns from Bunnies Bakery @ People's Park Complex [Chinatown]

When the smell of freshly baked buns hit me while walking briskly along a walkway filled with people, i know i have to stop and look for the source.

Bunnies - In China, this implies that the shop sells rabbit meat but here in Chinatown (Singapore), it is simply a bakery with bunnies as its mascots.

On the outlook, i would have discounted this shop and tagged it with any neighbourhood bakery in Singapore that is trying to gain a foothold in this competitive industry by having nicer decor, adopting a mascot etc etc.

But the delicious whiff of fresh bread proved too irresistible and i queued; just like the four customers in front of me.

There are twenty four regular flavours to choose from and i could not make up my mind immediately on what to have for takeaway! Eventually, i settled for garlic, cream cheese and egg mayo.

Sizes have already been pre-determined for you; either six mini buns in one or two buns in one. However, they are quite tiny and i could easily squeeze a few mini buns in my mouth.

The above is the box of six egg mayo mini buns. Singaporeans would have recognised this style fondly as many neighbourhood bakeries do offer this with fillings like red bean paste, lotus paste and even curry.

For me, there's no doubt on the buns' fluffiness and freshness. Pricing wise, i also thought they are in a comfortable range affordable for many people. There's always a but.

Out of the twenty four flavours, i chose three. For all three flavours, i know of other bakeries that do it better. Barcook Bakery for cream cheese, BreadTalk for garlic and well, i am not really impressed with the egg mayo.

To give the cute bunnies the benefit, i could have chosen the wrong flavours.

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Location

1, Park Road, #01-66

People’s Park Complex [red star on map]

(near KFC and next to the hawker centre)

Pricing

Garlic [2in1] - S$1.40

Cream Cheese [6in1] - S$1.60

Egg Mayo [6in1] - S$1.30

Geylang Ho Kee Pau (和记包) - Dim Sum Galore (点心) @ 康福 Hock Khong Coffee Shop

My stomach has digested countless dim sum from Ho Kee Pau for over ten years but when asked if i have ever patronised its main teahouse in Geylang, i am ashamed to admit that my first visit was only early this month.

It's kind of amusing that it took me so long since i frequently send my mom for her massage sessions nearby, my favourite durian stall is located directly opposite, the MRT station is merely a five-minute walk away and i do drive my family car all over Singapore.

Notwithstanding the above, the point is that i am finally here.

There is no air-conditioning and the setting is kopitiam style; not exactly the teahouse with traditional Chinese decor many would have expected from the terminology.

Decor is secondary when it comes to food; one of the basic food philosophies adopted by the Gang of Four (although it is really enforced by Kon and myself since the two younglings are so bloody pampered)!

Wanton Noodles

(云吞面)

This came as a really nice surprise since i wasn't expecting much from a dim sum place.

Once you mix up all the ingredients, it's hard to believe that such a simple bowl of noodles could be so tantalising to the taste buds. Definitely worth another visit just for this.

Lotus Rice

(腐皮卷)

This is one item i would never order on my own given my past experiences with almost tasteless grains that could be put to better use as fried rice with egg.

However, this is way better than the ones i had before although it gave me the impression that i am eating savoury rice dumplings.

Beancurd Skin Dumplings

(腐皮卷)

They were not even close to Wan Dou Sek's standard. Period. 

Char Siew Bun

(叉烧包)

To be honest, i find it quite difficult to find a char siew bun that tastes horrid. Either that or i have been pretty lucky in my orders for juicy Char Siew buns.

Chives Dumplings

(鲜虾韭菜饺)

Simply put, this is one item i commonly ordered from Ho Kee for takeaway and it is a must for me to squeeze a generous amount of chilli sauce to go with the dumplings.

Chives are much hated vegetable for kids and i am no exception myself. But i could never have the heart to resist these chives and prawn dumplings from Ho Kee.

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Location

No. 43, Geylang Lorong 27

[very near to Aljunied MRT Station]

Prices

Look above for the menu (front and back)

Additional Information

This is a 24-hour establishment and i could not help but feel envious for those people living in the East! It's alright; my aim to lose weight would never materialise if i live in that region.

There was this super-crowded coffee shop two doors away! Guess another trip is a must in order to find out why there were so many diners.

nex Skygarden [Retail, KidzPlay, K9 Park and Library] @ Serangoon, Singapore

Shopping centres in Singapore used to be places that serve the very purpose of women's (and some say men) favourite activity; shopping.

Time has changed and shopping complexes are no longer just squeezing as many retail outlets as they can and have instead gracefully included relaxation corners, kids' playground and in the case of nex, even a dog run.

Known as skygarden @ nex, this open space rooftop concept is one of the biggest in Singapore.

Inclusion of retail outlets is inevitable given the large area although they are limited to outlets like tuition centre and furnishing company like King and King Wong (a damn nice place to shop aside from IKEA).

The public library is also appropriately located on this quiet level; this would also help to save the taxpayers some money as prime spots on the lower levels can be so expensive in land-scarce Singapore.

Mini water park - always the kids' favourite!

The water looked so enticing!!! I can just imagine myself not wanting to go home if i am an eight year old again. There wasn't such thing when i was eight!

Nonetheless, it was still a joy seeing young children enjoying themselves. I should bring my bulldog cheeks niece and bratty nephew here in the future.

This water feature is common yet i always feel that it is the main highlight. There is a similar one in the Singapore Zoo but that one in the zoo is HUGE.

Next up is this K9 park for the canines (duh)!

Before Rubee passed away, i have frequently mentioned that i should bring him here so that he can enjoy the facilities without the grass (which is a hotpot for ticks).

Well, i didn't manage to.

Anyway, there is also a dog cafe by the name of doggie style; not exactly the best name given its sexual reference. However, the most important thing is that dogs are allowed to dine together with their owners!

In summary, the skygarden is a nice place to chill out and it's not hard to know why so many new shopping centres have incorporated the same concept.

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Location

23, Serangoon Central,

Level 4, Serangoon Nex

Operating Hours

As below, with a list of 'don'ts'

Oops, i think i broke one of them!

Additional Information

Both K9 park and KidzPlay are opened daily from 11am till 9pm.

Creamy Parmesan Popcorn (Halal) from Chef Tony's Gourmet Popcorn

In the past, i would not have expected much from a bag of popcorn that is pre-packed. Freshness aside, they just don't taste as good and most of the times, the supposedly satisfying crunch was greeted with much disappointment.

A tub of Chef Tony's gourmet popcorn changes that perception recently.

Each individual piece of popcorn was covered with a thin layer of highly addictive parmesan cheese powder and i especially love the gentle crisp that was definitely not the result of prolonged exposure to heat.

I felt somewhat embarrassed as the tub belonged to my colleague and i was practically sticking my fingers into the tub every few minutes!!!

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Where to buy it?

How much is it?

What flavours are available?

The answers to the above questions are best answered by the following website set up by the importer and also retailer:

http://www.snack.sg/

Beef Lasagne & Strawberry Freeze @ Dôme Café (Singapore Art Museum)

'World's Finest Coffee' - a tagline that should have enticed me a long long time ago but surprisingly, i was able to reject this temptation until last month.

The first drink i had was strangely not coffee; it was a delicious cup of frothy hot chocolate. My taste buds were sold and i resolved to return in the near future to partake on other food and beverages offered by this cafe with an old decor feel.

It took me less than a week to step into the realm of the artistic district and even though i would love to have a cup of the world's finest coffee, the hot and stuffy weather practically deterred me from doing so.

Strawberry Freeze

Nothing beats a glass of ice blended strawberry given the high temperature and weak air-conditioning.

Okay, i typed too fast - the freeze was too diluted and lacked two things; the strong flavour of fresh strawberries and the tiny strawberry seeds that come with REAL strawberries.

Beef Lasagne

This is one lasagna i would purposely make a trip for.

Many people prefer their lasange to be cheese-heavy. Not me. I like my lasagne to have a significant amount of meat that makes it extremely delectable.

Layered with patches of thin pasta, loads of minced beef and a comfortable level of cheese, this was a spoonful of pure happiness. 

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Location

71, Bras Basah Road,

#01-01, Singapore Art Museum

Price

Strawberry Freeze - S$6.40

Beef Lasagne - S$15.90

Subject to GST and Service Charge

My "Heavy" New Year's Eve 2011

This is nine days overdue!

But since i just got home from work and am too lazy to start on a long post, i figure this short entry would at least create some noise. Frankly, short entries might appear quite frequently in this blog for at least a few weeks given how busy i am at work. :(

Coming back, new year's eve was spent in a very simple yet indulgent manner; a super heavy late night supper in my house for the Gang of Four coupled with a celebratory bottle of Moscato wine.

I am not kidding when i said "heavy"; there were portabello, white buttons mushroom soup, onion omelette, stir fried broccoli, mixed potatoes-onions-luncheon meat, five-spice meatballs, glutinous rice and a big plate of salmon sashimi for the four of us!

At 500 grams, this plate was easily one of the most satisfying sashimi i ever have. Put it this way, it was good enough for us to eat another 500 grams the next morning!