W.39 Casual Dining - Bistro and Bakery @ 39 Jalan Mas Puteh (Near Clementi Stadium)

Cafe hopping is a trend i could not grasp for the following reasons; i am hardly considered as a trendy person among my peers and i seriously could have better uses for the money i am handling out to those cafe operators. 

Having said that, i am perfectly fine with the occasional indulgence (as i do with restaurants) and hence, followed my NUS colleagues to this cafe in the western side of Singapore; W.39 Bistro and Bakery.

The name, W.39, came about (i am guessing over here) likely due to the address which is 39 Jalan Mas Puteh and the fact that it resides in the western part of Singapore, where cafe setups are less common. 

Every cafe tries to differentiate from their competitors by instilling its own style and decoration and this has contributed to the popularity of cafe hopping. W.39 is no exception and you could find vintage looking furnishings coupled with placement of sweets i often had when i was a kid. The erasers (we knew it as rubber then) with flags were particularly memorable. 

W.39 is also a dog-friendly cafe and you are welcome to bring along your beloved canines! Complimentary dog treats are available in a big glass container located at the counter should there be a need to arrest your pet's restlessness. 

Other offerings included the sale of freshly baked breads! Unfortunately, most of them were wiped out by the time we were done with our lunch. Anyway, our purpose was actually to try out their breakfast which sadly was only available on weekends and public holidays. :(

We had to make do with either the ala carte items on the menu or the executive set lunch that comes with a main, a bowl of soup and a glass of drink. 

Before making a decision on the main, something else caught my attention! The aesthetically cheerful rainbow cake that i have had heard so much about! So, let's begin with dessert first!

Rainbow Cake

With its six layers of vibrancy, it's no doubt that everyone's eyes would be drawn to the rainbow cake; there was that somewhat childish yet immensely chirpy aura surrounding it! Okay, enough has been said and it's finally time to check it out!

Texture was too hard; butter cream had an aftertaste that didn't quite sit well with me; honestly, pretty normal with none of the initial hype. If all rainbow cakes are to taste like this, i would not see any point to order again.

Drink and Soup

(part of executive set lunch)

All four of us had the executive lunch set and i requested for the ice honey lemon which was a thirst quencher in that bloody hot day we visited.

Soup was potato and leek. Satisfying would be my conclusion as the consistency was generously thick with a rich, delicious flavouring! 

My friends had the above with their comments in brackets; pan-fried salmon (the sauce was overly salty), penne pasta (normal and didn't quite justify the price it commanded) and mini beef striploin (overcooked) respectively. I did quite like the striploin for its addition of herb butter! 

Pan-fried Chicken Thigh

This was my order and the first thing that came to mind as my teeth came upon the crispy skin was its similarity to the French dish; duck confit! 

Other than the sinful cackling skin, i quite enjoyed the juicy chicken thigh which wasn't excessively seasoned   although i had to add that this dish, in its totality, still fell short of being impressive. 

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Location

39 Jalan Mas Puteh

(Near Clementi Stadium)

Map 

As above

Website

http://www.w39bistro.com/

Reservation

Reservation is strongly recommended if you require air-conditioned seating. You may check out the reservation tab on the website which would auto generate an email template for you to fill up. 

Opening Hours

Tuesdays - Fridays - 11am to 10pm

Weekends and P.H - 9am to 10.30pm

[Closed on Mondays unless it is a P.H]

Price

Rainbow Cake - S$6.80 a slice

Pan-fried Salmon (Set) - S$21.90 

Penne Pasta  (Set) - S$18.90

Mini Beef Striploin (Set) - S$24.90

Pan-fried Chicken Thigh (Set) - S$22.90

[Subject to Service Charge only]

Additional Information

If you can bear with the recent heat wave, outdoor seating with ceiling fans is available.

Besides the executive set lunch, there is also the tea set promotion on weekdays between 3 and 6pm.

Day Five (including review of Transtar First Class Solitaire Coach): Ipoh - Cameron Highlands - Kuala Lumpur Trip 2013

Phewwwwwww. It is with great relief that I am finally concluding the trip i took last year! Hopefully, i would not take THAT long to cover a 9-day trip that i am making in April!

Back to the last day of the Ipoh - Cameron Highlands - Kuala Lumpur expedition, i was once again dragged out of the lovely, comfortable bed by the parents at 6am! $%@^$%#^#$%#Y

We were out on the streets (to be specific, it was the famed Jalan Bukit Bintang) by 7 am; the appearance of lighted street lights was a simple testament of how early we were.

Knowing breakfast was of utmost importance to my folks, i brought them to Jalan Alor, where i am sure we could find some decent Chinese food. In the past, the budget hotel along this stretch was my favourite choice for accommodation; hence my familiarity with the area.

Sight of the homeless along the street; it's kind of sad to see such scenario but we are not at liberty to assume or dictate the "story" behind this man's plight. Every family has their own problems, their own story, including mine. :)

Restoran Gou Lou with its tagline of "famous fish head noodle" caught my mom's attention. 

She ordered a serving (RM 8.50) and following was her comment after cleaning up the bowl: the broth was delicious while the fish swimming in the soup (not literally of course) was fresh and chunky! *like*

Dad and i were not keen in soupy stuff and proceeded to have prata in a corner shop along a different street; they were pretty normal in my opinion although they did help to satisfy my craving that started in Cameron Highland the day before. 

View of the KL Tower.

Gourmet Bak Kwa! Under the watchful eyes of the dad, i had to forgo any intention of even buying a small quantity to check them out!

Notice anything amiss from the above photograph?

We checked out shortly after reaching the hotel as mom had an appointment for Thai massage while i wanted to do some last minute shopping! Dad was dumped at Krispy Kreme with two donuts and a Chinese daily since he wasn't keen on either! 

A snaking long queue was found outside an attraction within Berjaya Times Square.

It was none other than the largest indoor theme park in Asia! Ticket prices have almost doubled since its inception; i remember paying around RM 25 in the past (which, by the way, was a long time ago). 

Time to move over to the Transtar shop (135, Jalan Imbi) where we would take the 12 noon coach back to Singapore! 

One of the reasons why i chose to stay in the NS Golden Green Serviced Suite @ Berjaya Times Square was because of its proximity to the Transtar outlet. By foot, it took us no more than ten minutes. Picture above was taken right outside the Transtar.

Grand arrival of Transtar First Class Solitaire; their top range model that was often showcased in Malaysian travel fairs. I had the pleasure of checking it out in the last fair together with Vanessa and it was just so impressive; so much so that i decided to book with Transtar for the 4-5 hour ride back to Singapore! 

Instead of the common two plus one seating arrangement, this was pure luxury at one plus one for each row! There were cons of course; for example, i tend to spend my time talking to friends / family members when i am seated next to them, instead of being separated by an aisle in this new coach.

Every chair was fully reclinable and this is extremely important for me as i am the kind of travellers who find it hard to sleep if i am not on a sleeping-on-the-bed position. 

Compared to my coach i took (also from Transtar) to Ipoh, this was pure luxurious! There was even a massage functionality even though i had to admit it was a far cry from "real" massage chairs.

What i love most was how roomy the seat was; I can even turn to my side comfortably to catch a wink without the need to crouch like a baby!

I am not even halfway done! For those who could not stand the cold temperature on the bus, fret not! A cozy blanket would be provided for your personal usage should you feel chilly. 

Video on demand on a 10-inch LCD screen! I think i can spend a few days on the coach as there were so many options to select, including Japanese, Korean and even Hindi movies (yes, i enjoy Bollywood movies too)! 

The movie list was updated frequently and i could not wait to watch as many as i could! 

Unlike other coach companies, food was provided and there was even a stewardess stationed on board who would come by to pass you coffee / tea and check on your needs / wants.

The halal bento was seriously quite good! Please keep in mind that there is only a vegetarian option and i am not sure if you could request for other meat / carbo.

For S$36 per person, i am delighted with the service and comfort level and should have strongly recommended Transtar First Class Solitaire Coach to friends and family members. I am having second thought here because the "nothing's perfect in life" jinx decided to wreck havoc two hours into our journey; battery for the chairs and LCD monitors went dead. 

I would have taken it calmly in my stride but it pissed me when the stewardess didn't follow up promptly upon our checks with her! I had to check with her three times before she finally admitted that the problem could not be resolved. Hallo! At least tell me lah! From my conversation with a few frequent travellers, this is supposedly a common problem. 

Now, that's hardly comforting news! 

Reached Singapore Custom (2nd Link) in approximately 4 hours! If you are still interested to check out the Transtar First Class Solitaire Coach for your Genting Highlands / Kuala Lumpur trips, you may book online here.

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For Day One (Ipoh), click HERE. 

For Day Two (Ipoh), click HERE. 

For Day Three (Cameron Highlands), click HERE. 

For Day Four (Kuala Lumpur), click HERE. 

For an overview of my trip, 

Click HERE.

CNY Feast - Yunnan Garden 云南园酒楼 @ One-North [NTU Alumni Club]

Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year as some prefer to call it as it is essentially not limited to only the Chinese) is coming to an end tomorrow. 

Fifteen days of celebration, many of which were spent on feasting and constant snacking! Let me bring to you one such feast that i had last Friday at Yunnan Garden @ one-North.

It was my first time to this restaurant that had its beginnings in the 1970s as a humble cafeteria in what used to be called Nanyang University (now known as Nanyang Technological University) and since i am clueless on its specialties, i have to rely on my trusted colleagues to make the order.

Yusheng

There is one dish that is a must-order for any feast during Chinese New Year; the prosperity yusheng (发财鱼生)! Its cultural significance is generally restricted to the Chinese community in Southeast Asia although i heard its popularity has spread to other parts of the world.

Most of us would know at least one or two of the auspicious blessings being said as ingredients like pepper, oil, peanuts, sesame seeds, fish etc are added; for example, 年年有余 when fish is added to signify a year full of abundance. As our server was a non-Chinese, her blessings were in English! Kudos to her effort! 

After tossing the ingredients as high as we could (instead of voicing words of wishes and blessings, we spent half of the time talking about work!!!!), we finally sat down and enjoyed the 'fruits' of our excessive arm exercise. The slices of salmon were so chunky!!! Me like!

Prawns in Mayonnaise and Broccoli

Boasting a crunchy exterior smeared in a fruity tasting mayonnaise, these prawns topped the yummy rating with juicy and seafood-sweet meat! Having the nutritious broccoli by the side kind of enticed me to have more to balance out the supposed "poison" of prawns! 

Tofu with Mushrooms

In my opinion, this was honestly a bit too bland for me and the tofu had a bitter aftertaste that didn't quite sit in. 

Yunnan Pork Ribs

Oh my god, this was heavenly!!!! Generally boneless, eating each piece was just such a blissful affair; imagine sinking your teeth into each piece with the juiciness literally bursting in your mouth, filling it up with an aroma of delicious flavour! 

Thinking back, it was almost like a sweeter and meatier version of the sweet and sour pork ribs i had in Melite Chinese Restaurant. Sounds like i have my wish come true! 

Triple-Egg Spinach

As expected, this didn't impress me. I believe i have mentioned somewhere in this blog (good luck in verifying since i have over a thousand posts) that i have tried this dish in many restaurants / tze char stalls and so far, only the one in Paradise Inn was worth a mention. 

Yam Paste

Similar to Western cuisine, a Chinese feast would require dessert to conclude the meal and nothing's better than to have yam paste! 

I liked the texture of the paste and it wasn't cloyingly sweet! The downside to this was that the coconut milk was a tad too overwhelming. At the start, i was under the impression i might be drinking more the milk than eating the paste. 

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Location

11, Slim Barracks Rise, 

#03-01, NTU Alumni Club

(Off. North Buona Vista Road, via one-North Gateway)
NOW MOVED to 1, Fusionopolis Place, 
#02-02, Galaxis Singapore 138522

Reservation

Call 6665 8888

Website

http://www.yunnangarden.com.sg/

Price

Yusheng (S) - S$58.00

Prawns in Mayo and Broccoli (S) - S$26.00 

Tofu with Mushrooms (S) - S$15.00

Yunnan Pork Ribs (S) - S$16.00

Triple-Egg Spinach (S) - S$24.00

Yam Paste (L) - S$30.00

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Ah Piaw Wanton Noodles (阿標雲吞面) @ Johor Bahru [Malaysia]

Since the unfortunate 'demise' of Ah Biao wanton noodles in Singapore a few years ago, i have been wanting to check out the original store that hailed from Johor Bahru. 

It wasn't that hard to find since the signature signboard can be seen whenever my brother in law drives to taman sri tebrau; a hot spot in JB where you are likely to find a high proportion of Singaporeans.

However, it took me a few more trips before i could finally step into the non-air-conditioned restaurant (honestly, it was more a kopitiam than a restoran). Can't blame me when there were so many food options in the vicinity!

Ta-da - here's what i had with my family! 

This was of the rare occasions i actually enjoyed the dumplings and the soup; the former was meatier than many of its counterparts back in Singapore and the soup was surprisingly light with a gentle pepperiness to it. 

My order - black style wanton mee! The noodles were as delicious as i remember them to be even though mom found them to be on the harder side (in her opinion, slightly under-cooked). My only complaint had to be the 'flakes' of hardly appetising char siew! What has happened to the smoky juiciness i experienced back in the Singapore branch?!?!

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Location

Jalan Keris, Taman Sri Tebrau, 

81100 Johor Bahru

Malaysia

Map

As above (red star) and super near to the hawker centre where i had the amazing butter crayfish!

Price

RM 6 a plate