Food Review #14 - Rider's Cafe

It's been so long since I last blogged! I've changed job which gave me less freedom to use my computer at work. I foresee my entries in the future would be quite rare too sigh. :(

Anyway one weekend the hubs and I decided to head to Riders Cafe as I've heard a lot about it but have not been there before at all.

Truffle fries were nice! I like the dips they served. Fries portion was big though of course only a portion was drizzled with truffle oil. Still, nice fries!

The hubs' burger - Riders Burger. It was really good, I regretted not ordering this after tasting a bite of it. The patty was juicy and flavourful. Though the extra side of fries was a bit overkill, given we had also ordered truffle fries haha. Perhaps if you are ordering both too can request to change the side?

The breakfast was quite meh....they put my scrambled eggs on the toast which made the latter soggy! :( The sauteed mushrooms were quite flavourless and the only thing good on that plate was probably the eggs but THEY MADE MY BREAD SOGGY! T_T

The famous DBCC - Death by Chocolate Cake, which truly almost killed us as it was wayyyyy too sweet. I am not a chocolate fan nor do I have a sweet tooth so this was really too much. Chocolate cake/chocolate fans would probably love it though. 

Service was good at Riders but the food honestly wasn't that fantastic. And the entire place was non-air-conditioned so on a humid afternoon it really wasn't very pleasant to sit there and sweat buckets.

Food Review #13 - Kuru Kuru (again!)

The husband had a sudden craving for japanese buffet over the weekend, so we decided to head down to Kuru Kuru again. You can read my first review here.

The buffet now comes with an option of free flow soft drinks and dessert, each customer only needs to top up $4.90++. They then serve you a small jug of your chosen soft drink (refillable).

The sashimi was very fresh this time round, not like my last review. They were also very generous with the portion. 

This spaghetti mentaiko packed a powerful punch upon the first mouthful. Flavourful and hot and filled with mentaiko goodness, it was really good stuff that the hubs and I couldn't stop shovelling mouthfuls into our mouths, despite how hot the dish was. However, it did become a little "jelat" after that. Still, I would say this was really good.

Ebi and shitake tempura. Not sure if you can tell from the pic that the ebi tempura's skin is not crispy. It's almost a little chewy? I suppose somewhere somehow the batter probably went wrong. The mushroom tasted fine, and since our first batch of ebi tempura was ok, well this might have been a slight accident. However, the prawns were quite big and fresh and at least they were hot when they arrived at our table.

Tori Wasabi Mayo. The hubs ordered this as an afterthought but we were so full we could hardly finish it, even though it was quite nice. Crispy, hot and the wasabi mayo added a slight kick to it. 

I felt that since my last review, Kuru Kuru has improved quite a fair bit. I was surprised to see that on a Saturday afternoon there was not much of a crowd. My only gripe is the inconsistency of standard of food I guess. We did eat some dishes that were quite bleah and not worth ordering at all, e.g. Agedashi tofu, baked macaroni with prawns.

The bill came up to $80 for both of us, including gst, service charge as well as the drink & dessert top up. 

I think the hubs was a little disappointed in the braised pork belly which he used to enjoy so much. He did comment that he probably wouldn't want to go back there again but for me, I felt that the fresh sashimi and delicious yakiniku (not pictured) are redeeming factors for Kuru Kuru and I will go back just to eat these few good dishes again. But then again, I am easy to please like that :)

Food Review #12 - His.tori review

My girlfriends and I went to His.tori on Friday after work.

The grill and a bottle of oil for cooking

The interior of the restaurant, which was REALLY REALLY REALLY warm.

 Meat galore

Yum yum

I found the meats quite average, with the bacon being the most oily but yet most delicious simply because of its oils and saltiness haha. My friend gave feedback that the cooked food weren't nice so if I were you, I wouldn't bother trying.

The chicken was quite good too, the only thing that wasn't up to standard was the beef as it was tough and quite flavourless.

The buffet came with free flow drinks (lime juice, lemon tea or sour plum), the lime juice was quite refreshing! Also accompanying the buffet was soft serve ice cream which was well, normal I suppose.


The bill came up to $72.60 for 3 of us, so it costs $24.20 per person. I would say it is pretty good value. May go back again if ever I am craving for korean bbq! But then again it's not a must-go-back place so I wouldn't mind trying out other outlets as well. :)

Food Review #11 - Monster Curry @ Ion

The hubs and I have been to Monster Curry umpteen times. How we discovered this place was really funny. Those of you who've been to the Ion branch would have seen the plates of curry rice on display at the counter. You may also have noticed that the plates are huge. So when we walked past, the hubs commented,"Ya right, if the plates are these big I will go in and eat." So he tiptoed as he walked past and then he went,"Eh really so big leh!" hahaha

Since that day, we've been back about 6 times in total, the last time I bought the Groupon voucher. For the Groupon, they only give you the Spanish Pork set and a can of coke. You can add on other items if you wish. Personally I found the Spanish pork too fat and oily. The hubs found it normal but I preferred their other sets.

The Spanish Pork with shabu-shabu (we topped up money for this coz the hubs love it).

Personally I prefer their Monster Combo Curry ($25) which is kind of like their signature I guess? It has deep fried pork cutlet, shabu-shabu, prawn tempura, and a piece of fish with cheese on it. Love the cheese and fish combi. Usually the hubs and I order spicy level no 2. For me that's quite a good level, not the kind where I will be gulping down glasses of water.

The place is usually quite crowded during dinner time so I guess it's getting increasingly popular! One thing to note though is the service. From the very first time we've been there, there has been this waitress/cashier there who always gives a very sullen expression like the whole world owes her money. She doesn't look local but anyway we've had the misfortune of being served by her several times and each time is equally unpleasant. There were times I felt like asking her,"Would it kill you to smile?" =(

P/S: the photo looks bland because we asked for the curry to be served in another dish, otherwise it would make the pork katsu soggy. :P

Food Review #10 - Saboten @ Changi Airport Terminal 1

Sorry for the lack of posts! I've been swamped at work, especially more so with the many upcoming changes. I've gotten a new job and so has been busy serving my notice. On top of that, the hubs and I haven't been to many interesting places lately as we are trying to eat at restaurants less.

Anyway! So we went to Saboten to celebrate my getting a new job, a job which I am absolutely looking forward to.

The hubs and I really heart Saboten, for their pork katsu, their free flow fresh cabbage with the special goma dressing, the free flow miso soup and rice. We love ordering their set as we find it extremely filling and worth the money.

I was too excited and hungry so I only took one photo... -_-

This is the portion of the set, which to me is really a lot. 

There is the pork katsu below, there is chicken katsu on top as well as minced pork cutlet (on the right).

I prefer eating their pork loin that has less fats...I like that the meat is still very tender and together with the ground sesame seeds and the sweet sauce the combination is quite heavenly. The hubs and I really really like Saboten! Even the hubs who doesn't really like vegetables would eat 3-4 servings of the free flow cabbage because of the superb dressing.

Highly recommended! Not sure why they have very few branches though, hope they expand and open more outlets at popular shopping malls to make it more accessible! :)

Afond Boutique Spa Review

Yesterday I treated myself to a 2 hours 20 minutes spa session. Amidst the hustle bustle of Chinatown, Afond Boutique Spa is situated opposite Sri Mariamman Temple. However, once I stepped into the place, it was peaceful and serene and I forgot about the hustle and bustle outside.

I opted for the Deep Sea Secrets package that included:

- Dead Sea Salt Scrub (30 mins)
- Marine Clay Wrap (30 mins)
- Traditional Herbal Heat Rub (20 mins)
- Swedish Body Massage (1 hour)


I was shown to Strawberry Room and this was how the room looked like.

Honestly in the picture above the room looks like crap probably due to the harsh flash of my mobile phone. It doesn't look as bad. On top of the towel was a paper underwear and a shower cap, which I was later asked to change into.

The therapist who served me was named Susan and she was a middle-aged auntie who was very friendly. 

She explained the whole process and before long, she was rubbing dead sea salt onto me. I felt that her strokes were strong and thorough. I don't think she missed any bit of me haha.

After 30 mins she rubbed clay onto me before wrapping me up. It was, very literally, a body wrap! Haha. Anyway after that I had to lie down there on the heated bed for about 20 mins. It was really very hot, beads of perspiration kept forming on my face. When time was up, Susan came in, unwrapped me and asked me to go for a shower. The shower felt really really good after the hot body wrap.

After I've showered she started the traditional herbal heat rub which was quite average. And then the massage began. Susan was a very good masseuse because her strokes were even and she was thorough. If she massaged your left arm 11 times she would definitely massaged your right arm 11 times as well. The whole massage was really good as she applied the right pressure onto the right spot. I enjoyed the massage totally.

Too bad it ended so soon. :( ah wells 

This is what the other end of the room looks like, cabinet to put the customers' belongings, basin for the therapist or customer to wash hands, and a shower room.

The package costs $198+ ($211.86 after GST) for a single person. If you go in a pair it costs $368+ ($393.76 after GST) which is definitely cheaper. On top of that, pairs are entitled to Marine Sea Salt Bath (in jacuzzi I think) instead of the traditional heat rub. 

Whole experience was really pleasant, except for the last bit when I went to make payment at the counter and this lady (manager I guess?) tried to persuade me to take a package. I was on the verge of leaving when I decided to take a package because I felt that the scrub and the wrap was truly quite moisturising. Not to mention the massage was also good. So she gave me some sort of special deal, I bought 6 sessions at $98+ per session. I'm already planning my next body scrub/wrap/massage :)

You can view the website here.

Bangkok trip Feb 2014 - Park Plaza Soi 18 Sukhumvit review

I went to Bangkok with 3 other girlfriends from 21st to 24th Feb 2014. Yes, we were there amidst the ongoing protests. Actually we felt rather safe there except on our second last day when a bombing occurred in Big C. Nonetheless, the presence of so many foreigners in Bangkok really helped to ease our fears and helped us enjoy the trip more.

There were A LOT of tourists. From Hong Kong, China, UK, America, Australia etc, you wouldn't think that there were protests going on or you would think it's really no big deal. We felt pretty safe on the first day as we didn't leave our hotel area much. Second day we went to Chatuchak Weekend Market, away from the protests and that area was pretty safe too. Third day we were at Platinum Mall the entire day and when the bombing occurred at 5pm at Big C, we were still shopping in Platinum Mall. Big C is actually 2 shopping malls away from Platinum. We knew nothing about it until we finished our dinner at Platinum and took a cab back to hotel at 8pm. It was only then that we learned from the cab driver that we were so near Big C. After that we just went back to our hotel and relaxed and played games. We came back on the last day.

I think many people are concerned about the safety of Bangkok right now. Personally I feel that it seems quite safe, they don't really attack tourists but hey bombs are blind so who am I to say tourists won't get hurt? I think as long as the tourists have the presence of mind to stay away from protest areas, be on alert, and always know where your country's embassy is located in Bangkok it should be quite ok. Just my 2 cents' worth!

Anyway we stayed at Park Plaza Soi 18 Bangkok located at Sukhumvit and we loved it! :)

We stayed in the Club Room as there was a promotion when we booked it. So each room costs about $390 for 3 nights = $130 for 1 night = $65 per person per night, including breakfast. We thought it was a steal!

The other room which was slightly bigger

The good thing about staying in Club Room is that it came with free canapes and drinks/beer (free flow) every day from 5.30pm - 7.30pm. Whether you are back from a shopping or about to move off, it's a good place to just stop by and chill for a short while!

The hotel's swimming pool, which we unfortunately did not get to utilise, but we did have a barbecue dinner at the poolside on our first night. We weren't quite sure where to go for dinner and the barbecue buffet seemed decent (it was not though). 

The hotel's breakfast which included egg station, bread counter, hot foods, juices, pancake machine etc

Breakfast was really good and we enjoyed it for all 3 days.

Our loot from Chatuchak and Naraya on Day 2

The hotel has it's own tuk-tuk, and the Concierge guy drove us to the Seafood Market nearby for dinner. Please don't go there it's freaking expensive.

I read on Tripadvisor that the hotel is near the BTS station Asok and I have to say that's true. The alley leading to the hotel is relatively quiet but seemed safe. One thing that really impressed us was the good service rendered by the Concierge services. If you stay there, look for a guy named Coco, he speaks the best English amongst the staff and is always ready to lend a helping hand, give you advice on where to go etc.

Lastly, I leave you with photos of what the protest sites and the closed roads look like.

Having never seen this before, even I was amazed by the scale of tents pitched. Looked like a massive campsite.

The other closed roads become shopping streets, full of hawkers selling all sorts of items. There are lots of locals and foreigners amongst the shoppers! We didn't really dare to shop inside, which I personally thought was quite a waste :(

Edited 28/2/2014: 

Just some tips on travelling to Bangkok now. 

1. Buy travel insurance - in case of flight delays/cancellations etc. Note that travel insurance usually does not cover any incidents due to riots. Go read the fine print.

2. E-register at Ministry of Foreign Affairs website, the Singapore Embassy will send you sms if there are any updates. I was updated about the Big C bombing very soon after it happened there.

3. Write down (or take a snapshot) of the address of Singapore's embassy in Bangkok, in case of any emergencies.

4. Avoid protest areas, especially areas with high tension.

5. Use the skytrain (more worth it and actually safer than being on the roads).

These might not be the best tips or anything but based on my experience there just a few days ago I would feel these are the basic preparation to do.

Worst case scenario: just stay in the hotel and swim! :)

Stay safe!