Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri - Grand Deluxe Room in a Five-Star Hotel 300-Meter from BTS Station @ Bangkok [Thailand]

Time for me to write about my stay at Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri, the five-star hotel, built in 2007, that we chose for our recently concluded Bangkok trip!  

Located just 300 meters from Ratchadamri BTS station (a station away from Siam station), about a 4-minute unsheltered walk; I must say I got a relatively good deal at less than S$100 a night for a Grand Deluxe Room (44 sqm).

Let's check in first. A few years of travel had taught me that I am better off arriving in the evening / at night. Some would have argued it's a wasted hotel night but I seriously don't like waking up so early for a flight and getting all tired when I reach the host country. 

Key card pouch with the internet connection details. Wi-Fi was better than expected and I relied on it heavily to clear some urgent work every night on an almost daily basis. 

Hotel Lobby

There's always a reason for having a header. Complimentary drinks are provided at the lobby every day from 7am to 7pm, and it's not just plain, drinking water.

You can also get plain tea and hot water. 

My favorite had to be the automated coffee machine, where we can choose from cappuccino, espresso, flat white, americano, latte, mocha and even thai milk tea and hot chocolate! Yes, everyone was complimentary!

4 bottles of water would be provided in your room on a daily basis but it wasn't enough for both of us; hence, we would sometimes refill our empty bottle at this corner. p.s. for hygiene purpose, we would wash the bottle beforehand and be extra cautious not to touch the mouth of the dispenser.

Newspapers were also laid out at the lobby for you to take. I think this is much better than providing a copy in every room, unless there is a special request to do so.

There's even a vending machine in case you need some carbonated drinks or snacks. Prices were not exorbitant (for example, 20 baht for a can of coke) although a 7-11 store was just about 250 meters away that provided more variety.

p.s. condoms were available in the vending machine too. 

Lift lobby that would bring us up to our room level. Six lifts in total but they were halved to serve the high floors (level 29 - 50) and low floors, respectively, with common stops below facilities floor, which included the mezzanine level and lobby.

Room 3106

I used to dislike hotel corridors as they were often carpeted with dim, orange lights that had shadows in a lot of corners. Thank god the corridors at Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri were a lot brighter. 

Frankly, I don't see this often; complimentary ice from an ice box on every room level. In most good star hotels, I guess guests would just call the lobby and ask for some to be delivered to their room.

Well, I am all for self serviced but given the pandemic now, I am just wondering about the risk of cross contamination. Anyway, it's a choice and if you are worried; there's always the fridge in your room where you can make ice. 

Entrance to our Grand Deluxe room! 

Stepping in, the dining table for two persons was the first thing that met our eyes. It might not seem like much but every morning, you would see both of us seated there, sipping our coffee, with Alex playing his games, and me reading The Straits Times online. 

A shoe cabinet next to the door, with an umbrella for your use if it rains, which happened on two days of our seven-day trip! But I usually don't bring as I have a tendency to lose my brolly. 

On the side was a small studio kitchen, equipped with sink, induction cooktop, a microwave oven and a washing machine! Only things lacking were just pots and pans even though you wouldn't see me cooking when I am overseas.

I don't wash my dirty laundry when I am overseas; preferring to put them in a separate bag and then wash them when I am back in Singapore. Two reasons; I don't know how long it would take for them to dry, and secondly, I don't like to haul along washing powder / liquid detergent. 

Here at Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri, you can request for washing powder and this Siemens washing machine has a dryer function! Hence, I would wash clothes almost on a daily basis as they would be dry (and smelling sun baked) the next morning! One lesson though; not all clothes can endure the drying process. 

Fridge wise, it's a full sized one and not the mini one found in most hotels! I should have just filled up the bottom drawer with fruits that could last the six nights I would be in Bangkok. By the way, the drinks in here were free and would be replenished on a daily basis.

Same goes for the snacks on the dining! 

Finally coming to the 'bedroom', with one queen-sized bed, parquet flooring, a large Thai artwork and a chaise lounge on the side. Bed was alright but pillows were too soft for me.

TV console with a study table on the left. You could also probably see from the picture that the power plugs in the hotel were the international types that could fit Singapore's standard 3-pin plug. 

Small wardrobe with bathrobes, safe and a hair dryer in one of the drawers. 

Another cabinet housed an ironing board and iron; which you may use as clothes got real wrinkly after going through the washing and drying in the washer dryer. 

Window views are important and our view, given that we were on the 31st floor, would likely be fantastic! Time to open up the panel blinds! 

Overlooking The Royal Bangkok Sports Club, with Chulalongkorn University right behind, and many notable buildings (like King Power Mahanakhon, Ashton Chula Silom) at the background, it's a sight that we can't complain.

I did have one complaint though; I can't shut out the sunlight using the panel blinds, which means I tend to wake up pretty early in the morning, despite having a late night. And it didn't help that our dear Alex loved to open up the panels as the night view outside relaxed his mind! 

Bathroom - another important necessity for my travel. I always like ensuite bathroom and toilet and hence, would prefer not to stay in a hostel with strangers as my room mates. 

Amenities at the vanity sink. 

Separate shower; Singaporeans tend to shower twice a day and a shower is much more useful than a bathtub. Problem was that we don't get hot water instantaneously and after two or three days, I mastered the technique; had to alternate the hot and cold knob for the water to be extreme hot and cold before we can stop it at the somewhat warm level. Ridiculous if you ask me. 

A bathtub was available too and I did manage to use up two bath bombs! 

The dream Japanese style toilet bowl; and one that I feel should be made available in every hotel room. It was so soothing and relaxing every time I washed my butt after a big "business". 

Facilities Level 

Coming to the F level where two directions would determine what you intend to do. I would first touch base with the common hotel facilities; the gym, pool and sauna.

A reception counter for you to register yourself and get a pool / gym towel, plus a bottled water. You can don't register though, if you do not need the water and towel. 

Aerobics room within the gymnasium.

Main focus for me would be the gym though, with its numerous machines! It's pretty spacious and never too crowded for me to train for my daily 30-minute gym session. 

While not on a high floor, the view wasn't too bad.

Photographs of the swimming pool; unlike my staycations in Singapore, where you would see me checking out the hotels' pools, I didn't exhibit the same enthusiasm in Bangkok as it had been so long since I last visited my favorite city and I didn't want to waste time relaxing in the pool. p.s. I might be motivated if the pool was on the top level though. 

 

Jacuzzi sections within the pool. 

Pool side menu for your reference. 

Another jacuzzi in the toilets, together with the sauna, steam rooms. As there's no one in the toilet, I decided to take some photographs to show you the inside!

Spacious with a hot water jacuzzi towards the glass windows. But notice the door on the last photograph? Should it be open, anyone walking pass would see if you happen to be in your birthday suit!

Terms of use for the sauna and steam rooms; frankly, I don't know how to use those rooms and am unaware of their benefits. If I prefer a relaxing session, a dip in the pool or a soak in the jacuzzi would be very much preferred. 

Game Room - equipped with air hockey and table football, "also called foosball and table soccer", this are old school games that could keep your kids occupied for a short while. Best of all, they were free for use. 

Scared of cross contamination of virus given the pandemic? Use the hand sanitizer, provided in the room, before and after playing the game.

The exclusive GCP club room that I have no access to as I am not considered as a privileged guest. According to the website, it offers prevailed guests "complimentary coffee, tea, drink and seasonal fruits" plus reclining massage chairs.

Less privileged guests like myself would have access to a resident lounge, where I can still have complimentary coffee and tea, and many books to read. 

A playroom and playground for kids! Being sheltered, it's at least additional option available to expense young kids' energy so that parents can have a better sleep at night. 

Others

Views from the mezzanine level which are mainly used for conferences and meetings but there's also a horizon room, where hotel breakfasts were served. 

We opted for hotel breakfast buffet on our last morning and you may check out my review here. In a nutshell, pretty good variety and only cost about S$14 per head. 

This wasn't advertised elsewhere but I noticed it on the hotel TV channel; free shuttle bus to Asiatique Night Market, Chinatown and Chatuchak Weekend Market at specific timings. Reservation is required at the concierge and limited to 10 seats.

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Overall, I had a good stay in Grande Centre Point Ratchadamri; room was huge for the price I paid for, there's a dryer, BTS station was near etc, although I encountered issues like water temperature for the bathroom and the soft pillows, which I managed to address eventually by fiddling around with the knob and getting the cushions on the chaise lounge. 

Address

153/2 Ratchadamri Rd, Lumphini, 

Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand

Map 

As above. 

Website

https://grandecentrepointratchadamri.com/

Room Rate

As above. Until 31 October 2022. 

I booked via Trips.com; cheaper! 

Pricing

Grand Deluxe Room - S$91.90 a night via Trips.com

Click here for my 7 Days 6 Nights Papazao Itinerary to Bangkok

The Toast (土司坊) @ Mount Austin in Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

I was in Johor Bahru (JB) again last week but it was an entirely new area that I had yet to explore; Mount Austin, which had grown to be a well known food district in the state capital.

There's something strange that I realized in my recent visit; there's a high chance I would go with traditional local breakfast whenever I pop by Malaysia for a day trip! And a place like "The Toast (土司坊)" would definitely appeal to me! 

With five branches within Johor Bahru, I guess further expansion would be expected. Even before eating what they had, I must say the interior design would have won over those from my parents' generation and older; they would remember the abacus, the bread man on bicycle etc.

Spanning two shop spaces, business was booming and we were glad to secure the last available table! I was surprised as I purposely visited on a Monday and 10.00 am shouldn't be considered as peak breakfast period. 

Our order for two persons.

Kopi - it's necessary to kick start the day with a cup of local Malaysia / Singapore coffee! This was pretty good as it wasn't too sweet, although a bit milky.

Butter Kaya Toast - 15 types of toast to choose from, with four that were recommended; butter kaya, tuna mayo, cheese ham, cheesy sausage. Being a hardcore traditionalist when it comes to toast, butter kaya shall be the choice for the day.

Kaya definitely didn't ooze out the way it did on the menu but we all know pictures are purely for illustration purpose. To be fair, it was still a sizeable chunk of butter in the middle. The bread was lightly toasted and its soft fluffiness was evidenced when my teeth used minimal effort to break through. Only issue was that there were just too much butter and at some point; I appeared to be just eating butter.

French Toast Peanut Butter - this shall be voted the ugliest French toast ever! However, we must always remember the old adage; looks can be deceiving.

Well, it was oily, bread was mushy, you get a bit of crisp edges from the eggs surrounding the toast which was better than nothing. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it better than the toast as the overall poackage, with the crunchy peanut butter inside, was more satisfying, albeit on the sinful side. 

Sambal Seafood Fried Noodle - given the name, I assumed it would be strands of noodle with a red tinge and peppered with cuts of chilli padi and / or chilli flakes. At one glance, I thought it was the wet style hokkien mee! 

Turned out this was the best dish at The Toast that morning and it reminded me of a dish I had in Singapore before. Punggol mee goreng even though this was saucier and had a rich tomato-based flavor blessed with a spicy kick (I can't control the peals of sweat rolling down my head) that was incredibly appetizing! 

Burp! 

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Address

19, 21, Jalan Austin Heights 3, Taman Mount Austin, 

81100 Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

Map

As above. 

Menu

As above. 

Pricing

Kopi - RM 3.30

Butter Kaya Toast - RM 2.80

French Toast Peanut Butter - RM 6.40

Sambal Seafood Fried Noodle - RM 11.50

(Inclusive of Service Tax)

Guann (元) Signature Minced Pork - Crab Meatballs with Prawn and Fish Maw Soup in Onze @ Tanjong Pagar [Singapore]

My mom prefers a bowl of soup over fried chicken and I decided to bring her to check out a soup place with pretty good Google reviews after her visit to Fook Tet Soo Hakka Temple last weekend. 

There wasn't any noticeable signboard for Guann (元) and that's unusual as most businesses, especially new entrants, know the importance of having prominent signage! Thankfully, Onze @ Tanjong Pagar is compact with just a few commercial entities.

Signature Minced Pork-Crab Meatballs with Prawn and Fish Maw Soup - I am just going to dive into the topic! The pork+crab meatball soup was literally the only dish with variations based on whether you want prawn, seafood, fish maw. For me, the signature option seemed like the obvious choice. 

As I was sharing the soup with my mom, I topped up with a bowl of cabbage rice; grainy with a nice aroma and too oily, this was not bad although I think a scattering of shallots would have enhanced the flavor. Sadly, my mom can whip up a mean serving of cabbage rice and hers was definitely better.

Now on the signature soup; said to be MSG free with ingredients like cabbage, mushroom, tofu and tomato, the broth was light and tasted appetizing. It wasn't rich though and I bet some people might find it a bit bland. 

I loved the ingredients which did a marvelous job in soaking up the broth! They were fresh and I would have gladly paid for more of the crunchy cabbage with mushy insides. Fish maw was the usual but I only took one piece as the rest were quickly cleaned up by mom! 

Aside from the soup, it appeared that the minced pork - crab meatballs were another signature. While they didn't disappoint, I would have thought they were essentially very soft handmade pork balls with negligible taste from the crabs.  

What caught me by surprised was their chill; spurts of sharp spiciness that was sour in the beginning and eventually gave way to a sweet onion aftertaste! The potent spiciness lingered on the tip of my tongue for a while but it was worth it. p.s. perfect condiment for the meatballs! 

Cleaned up! I like the soup but personally, I prefer a flavor that was more intense and rich. And at S$12 a bowl, it could only be an occasional indulgence even though you could get a basic minced pork + crab meatball soup for just S$8.00.

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Address 

11 Kee Seng St, #01-05, 

Onze @ Tanjong Pagar,

Singapore 089218

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Minced Pork - Crab Meatballs with Prawn and Fish Maw Soup - S$12.00

Cabbage Rice - S$1.50 

Bami Express - Vietnamese Baguette (Banh Mi) @ Tanjong Pagar Plaza [Singapore]

Does banh mi appeal to you? When I first got to know of this Vietnamese food, my first thought was its similarity to subway and back then; I didn't quite enjoy Vietnamese cuisine and lacked the motivation to explore further.

An older me is like a different person; I have taken a liking to bun cha and banh mi! Bami Express was on my radar for quite some time and I wasn't successful in my first three visits; once was due to off day and the other two was because of out of stock, and I didn't have the patience when I saw the long queue.

I am 4th time lucky; there was just one person in front of me and I got my banh mi in less than five minutes! There were nine options and we opted for bami saigon, which was presumed to be the signature for being listed number one on the menu and that its name doesn't refer to any ingredients like fried egg, fish patties, tuna, smoked duck, bbq chicken etc.

My Bami Saigon had ingredients like pate, pork ham, stewed pork and chicken floss. You can choose to add extra ingredients and I had go with fried egg, given my love for them.

"Scrunch~~!!" The sound caught my mom by surprise; it's actually her first banh mi and I guess she didn't expect the texture to be that crispy! Said to be baked fresh on a daily basis, the baguette didn't feel heavy on the tummy and had no strong yeast taste.

Mom was pleased to find so much vegetables inside! In summary, a satisfying meal that could only be described as both healthy and delicious; I absolutely enjoyed the combination of the aromatic freshness of the cilantro, the sour-sweetness from the carrot and radish and subtle savoriness from the meats. p.s. if you are looking for more meat satisfaction, I would feel that Nhung Kitchen is a better fit.

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Address

Block 5 Tanjong Pagar Plaza, 

#02-02, Singapore 081005

 

Map

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Bami Saigon - S$5.50

Add Egg - S$1.00

Sugar And Tease in Onze @ Tanjong Pagar [Singapore]

Onze @ Tanjong Pagar is a building beside Tanjong Pagar Plaza that most people wouldn't have noticed as it's at one corner with only one floor of commercial entities; I wouldn't be surprised if some of you assume it's the renovated backyard of Tanjong Pagar Plaza. 

I was on my way to check out a soup place within Onze @ Tanjong Pagar but the above eye-catching display stopped me in my tracks. I figured I could leave some stomach space for desserts.

45 minutes later, I was back with mom at Sugar And Tease; this tiny cafe that could maybe just sit ten customers! There was even a label on each table for customers to limit their usage to 30 minutes. Thank god I am not a cafe hogger. 

Aside from the cakes and tarts, you can also indulge in cookies, brownies and loaves! With only two tummies between us, I guess we have to be selective on what to have.

A cup of Lotus Tea would help make us feel less guilty; earthy with a touch of bitter aftertaste. I was most happy with the complimentary cookies; so nice to give us four pieces knowing there were my mom and I! They were delicious and almost melt in my mouth; from the look of them, I think they are pecan cookies and valrhona dark chocolate & fleur de sel. 

One in a Melon - introducing to you Sugar And Tease's signature watermelon cake! This was the reason I braked in front of the cafe! There were so much red in it; I initially thought it was a over the top strawberry cake.

A closer look revealed that there were also slices of grapes, some flower petals, in addition to strawberries and watermelon. Now, I love watermelon but never in cakes. Would it be weird?

Sandwiched by two thin layers of cake (which could have been mistaken as bread toast) was a slab of chantilly cream with chunks of watermelon peering out. As watermelon is a fruit with high water density, the cream has to attain a high vicosity so that the watermelon doesn't sink! 

Mmmm! With so much cream, I was surprised it didn't taste cloying; was in fact light and fluffy with an interestingly flowery-scent to its taste! The pieces of watermelon resulted in crunchy yet juicy bursts of sweetness that soothed the throat on hot days.

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Maybe I would buy one for a family's birthday celebration.

p.s. there is a dark forest cake that I would love to check out too! 

Address

11 Kee Seng St, #01-04, 

Onze @ Tanjong Pagar,

Singapore 089218

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.sugarandtease.com/

Pricing

One in a Melon - S$12.00

Lotus Tea - S$4.00