Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun, Singapore

Continuing from Bugis Junction from lunch and shopping, the rest of them wanted to head to Holland Drive for the famous Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun came dinnertime. Now, I'm not a fan of fish but I was feeling quite ill till I had no appetite for dinner, so it really didn't matter where the dinner venue was at that time.

It didn't help that it was raining, my friends were hungry and I really didn't want to go anywhere at that point in time but I didn't want to spoil the holiday for them. We parked across the restaurant in an apartment building which seems to open its car park to the public too; one needs to put a parking ticket here. We then had to cross the road in the rain and I felt faint at that time. Thank goodness I didn't really faint as I don't think I would have like to see my friends trying HARD to lift me up from the road in the rain! LOL...That is some drama I can definitely do without.

We made our way down some stairs and I immediately sat down, my friends ordered a herbal drink for me and I just drank away while they ordered. The place wasn't as pack as usual, they say, but maybe it was due to the fact that it was raining. It felt odd that there were some clothes hanging on a clothes line at the seating area. Maybe the folks there really needed their clothes to be dried by the end of the day and had to do it indoors since it was raining outside :o).

Yes, as sick as I was, I took photos of the food as it was served (I took photos of the surrounding area only on the way out). I must have been out of my mind, a crazy food blogger! Hahaha....But honestly, I wasn't capable of thinking at that moment but I guess taking photos was just something that I did automatically ala "Night Of The Living Dead" style. LOL! When the food arrived, I knew I had eat a bit to fill my stomach as I only had ice cream for lunch or else I might really end up fainting.

The famous XO Fish Head Bee Hun. Yes, there's really XO in the soup. I had a bite of the noodles and a taste of the soup. I like the thick Bee Hun (vermicelli) that they served and the soup definitely had some alcohol though not overpowering, or was it? Hic...hic....hic.....Hahaha...

Then there is this Hor Fun (Flat Noodles) Fish Fillet. Fried together with lots of thick bean sprouts (I don't think they were Soya Bean Sprouts as they didn't taste like it), I liked the noodles which has wok hei and the crunchy bean sprouts. I rate this better than the XO Fish Head Noodle. My only regret now, thinking back is that I only had one small bowl of it :p.

The Pai Guat Wong (Pork Ribs) was nice too. Some places don't get it right at times as the meat still has the "porky" smell, with the flavour from the sauce just covering the outside. But over here...the meat was tender and each bite was flavourful.

There were a few other dishes but by this time I got tired and photos didn't really turn out good. I should mention about the Har Cheong Gai (Prawn Paste Chicken) as it is also a specialty here. I didn't touch it though as I really didn't feel like eating any deep fried stuff at that time. Oh well, there is always another time...

Read more about this place and its food from I Eat-I Shoot-I Post. Read the comments and apparently this place is also known for its bad service apart from their famous food! We didn't experience any that night or maybe I wasn't paying any attention :o).

Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun
Blk 46, Holland Drive #01-359
(Opens Daily, 12 - 2.30pm, 5 - 11pm)
Tel : 6778 3691

That night when we got back to Johor Bahru, I was shivering. I took two Advil caplets and crept into bed immediately with the blanket pulled right up to and around my neck. Next thing I know, it was morning.


To be continued...

n.y.d.c Cafe & Restaurant, Bugis Junction, Singapore

We made our way over to Singapore yet again for the 2nd consecutive day after having our breakfast in Taman Perling, Johor Bahru. We hit the shopping areas again and ended up at Bugis Junction for lunch. Still feeling full from breakfast, we were looking for something light. It was a warm day and we were feeling tired from all that walking (plus I was beginning to have a fever).

Bugis Junction was packed with lots of people and the crowd was getting to me, I needed to sit down and rest. I was tired and feeling agitated as I felt uncomfortable and could only wonder how I would cope with rest of the day in Singapore.

Going down on one of the escalators, we saw n.y.d.c Cafe & Restaurant smacked in front of us. Take a look at how close the escalator is to the front of the shop! Talk about arriving right at the doorstep :o)

We didn't really feel like having a normal meal; coffee and dessert seemed like a good choice at that moment and we decided to make a pit stop here. The place was pretty pack and it was a cosy place with warm hues. They even had large soft toys on certain seats, I suppose to placate the young ones (or the young-at-heart oldies, hahaha....) while customers wait for their orders as service was quite slow.

Betty Boo telling us what's for desserts

The view out the windows of n.y.d.c Cafe

Here's the coffee ordered by my friend. Though not feeling well, I'm still a flogger at heart and duty calls...I took pics of what we had but forgot to take notes. I'm not sure what this coffee drink was, I think it was Hazelnut coffee. My friend said that it was not as strong as she hoped it would be as she's a strong coffee drinker. So, this might appeal only to those who usually have heart palpitations after downing a regular cuppa. Hahaha....

Uhhhh.....this is a no name dessert, sorry. But it was definitely a variety of the mud pie we ordered. It was below our expectations and tasted rather ordinary.

This I know, as I took a pic of this section from the menu. This fared best among the three items. I ordered "The Wild Side" (even when I'm ill I know, I live life dangerously. Hahaha....). It has two scoops of ice-cream; Wild Berry and Mango Tango - SGD10.95/USD7.80. It was quite refreshing; served with strawberry and mango sauce and with brownie cubes lined across the ice cream bowl . I enjoyed biting into them together with a spoonful of ice-cream. It was nice but at such a price, I had expected it to be even better.

I'm not sure how the food taste here but the people around me seem to be enjoying themselves. After all, n.y.d.c is a local chain with several outlets and has been around for 10 years. That should account for something? They are opened till midnight on weekdays and till 2 a.m on weekends, serving supper! Check out their website HERE.

n.y.d.c. Cafe & Restaurant
Unit #02-47/48, Bugis Junction
230 Victoria Street
Singapore

Having rested for a while and filled up, we continued walking around. My fever had subsided but not for long ...

To be continued ...

Christmas Comes Late - Singapore

Well, we made our way to Singapore and after some serious shopping, covering Orchard Road and Scotts Road, you guess it....it was time for dinner! We ended up at Tony Roma's located in Orchard Hotel as we only had one thing in mind...Pork Ribs! As Malaysians would know, Tony Roma's outlets in Klang Valley are halal, so, this was an opportunity for us to grab something not available on Malaysian menu.

The award winning baby back ribs - It was indeed finger licking lip smacking good! Tender meat basted with BBQ sauce that fell off the bone. Woo Hoo! - SGD31.90++ for full serving and SGD27.90++ for half serving.

After that satisfying meal, we took a walk around the area again to check out the Christmas decoration (Sorry, this post is almost 2 month's late....hehehe, hence the title!) and I of course when round taking photos. The streets and mall were really crowded, check out the scene...

We then decided to have coffee at McCafe located at Scotts Road

A cup of latte and an hour of people watching later, we decided to head back to Johor Bahru. Oh, we drove right through the customs :o), sweet...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL - "What the world needs now...is love, sweet love..." ;o)

To be continued ....

Singapore - Part 2.5

On our last day in Singapore before we made our way back home to Petaling Jaya, we told ourselves that we should wake up a little bit earlier. While Zahara and I were the last two to clean up, Amy and Mrs Pitt went down to the mall and got us the famous Ya Kun kaya (jam made from coconuts and eggs) toasted bread with coffee too. I found the bread too thin and didn't have enough "oomph" to it while the coffee was nice. Mrs Pitt got two little bottles of Ya Kun's famous kaya for mom too. Got to remember to ask mom whether it's good.
Shortly after, we met up with the relatives for lunch at the Charlton Hotel. They had mentioned that the dim sum at Wah Lok Restaurant is quite good. When we reached there, the place was still empty as it was just before lunch hour but as lunch time approached, the place was filled. The restaurant had a nice ambiance and the high ceiling added to its grandeur.
The relatives ordered all sorts of dim sum and made sure we had a good meal. The dim sum here is okay but I still prefer the ones from Chynna. After lunch, Mrs Pitt whisked Zahara off the a Chinese chiropractor to treat Zahara's elbow. 8 weeks ago, Zahara had knocked her left elbow against a door knob and has been experiencing pain and discomfort since then. The chiropractor said the pain is more so as a result of her spine that was bent. He then "set" the spine back in place and miraculously, the pain in the elbow was reduced to a slight (to almost nothing) discomfort. Zahara now has to take it easy for it to fully heal.

Rushing back from the chiro, we checked out of The Stamford and made our way to the bus pick up point at The Waterfront Plaza at Havelock Road. We reached Menara Axis, Petaling Jaya at about 8.45pm where bro picked us all up. We were hungry again by that time and decided to head to One Noodle Restaurant in SS2 for some Lai Mien (stretched noodles!). Will write about that in a separate post. The Singapore trip was great though it was just for 3D/2N. Mrs Pitt, Zahara and I had another short getaway in store....

Recaps :-
Part 2
Part 1

No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one. ~ Elbert Hubbard

Singapore - Part 2

Having stayed up till 3.30am, it wasn't surprising that we woke up at about 10am. By the time we got ready, it was almost lunch time. Amy had already grabbed a bite while the rest of us cleaned up. So when the rest of us were ready, we headed towards....where else....MOS Burger for lunch! Ha ha ha......After that, we walked towards Bugis Junction and we were greeted with this at the entrance! But sadly, during our 2 hours at that place, we didn't see any guys that were "calendar" material. He he he...

It was a nice mall, looks "outdoor" but it's actually an indoor mall concept where it's aircon (our Petaling Street should be built this way!)







We then went in Seiyu and found another food haven. They were doing a promotion at this cute stall that sells Japanese Ice Cream. Apart from the usual Green Tea flavour, Uzumaki also had Black Sesame, Red Bean, Chocolate & Chips, Blueberry and Wasabi! I was tempted to taste how Wasabi ice cream tasted like but instead I chickened out and settled for my usual Green Tea. At SGD4 each (about the same price in Japan after conversion to Ringgit Malaysia), Uzumaki's Green Tea ice cream was as good as the ones in Japan! Yummy!
We then stumbled upon a busy stall selling all sorts of Chinese kuihs and snacks. To name a few that I know - carrot cake, yam cake and my all time favourite lo mai fan (glutinous rice). We bought the carrot cake after we tasted samples of it. It was really good and we also packed one tub of the lo mai fan too. It came with lap cheong (dried chinese sausage) and mushrooms! (which became my dinner as there was just too much food!). The stall had such a lot of food on display, it was a sight to behold!






In the evening we laze around the suite and I had picked up the usual hotel materials to look through. I was amused to come across their provision list. This hotel does think of "everything"! Click on the image on the left to see a larger image. Anyway, after a late night on Tuesday, we slept earlier on Wednesday. Furthermore, we had a dim sum lunch in store with the relatives the next day. Before I turned in for the night, I took the next shot and decided to take another close up shot of the orchid. I loved the way the shot turned out.


To Be Continued...

Singapore - Part 1

Continuing my post on my Singapore trip this time. We had a suite big enough for the four of us. We welcomed the sight of the expresso machine in the suite (my first time coming across this in a hotel room). Even the toiletries were L'occitane (the 75ml shampoo and conditioner really made my hair so nice smelling and soft and silky! We checked out the pricing today at the store in 1U, the 300ml bottle of shampoo and conditioner cost RM68 each!) . Oh, there's also a TV located at the long bath area for those who fancy some telly while soaking or bathing. Well, adding the great view, the suite was just lovely.
However, I did find the hotel floor corridor a bit "dark". Seems the hotel has a mixed theme of East and West.

The "dark" corridor
The lovely lounge

I loved the hotel lounge though, very chic indeed. The hotel is linked to Raffles City and all the shops were just a few steps away. After washing up in our suite, we went to look for food to fill our stomachs. Both Zahara and I were so excited on seeing the MOS Burger outlet. I was so sad when the outlet in KLCC wrapped up after a year or so. I missed eating the Yakiniku (slices of beef with rice "bun") rice burger, the lovely thick french fries and the Grape Soda. So, coming across MOS Burger again to me was a Kodak moment! Ha ha ha ...Zahara and I told ourselves that we would eat at MOS Burger as many times as we can, and we made that promise even while we were chomping down on our burgers. LOL!
We then followed Mrs Pitt's bro-in-law to his house and met up with his wife and kid, Dylan. After sitting around and catching up on what's been happening, it was dinner time again! We were quite hungry by 8pm and were brought to Lau Pa Sak (Old Market) for a variety of hawker food. The satay was really good but I found the Beef Noodle gravy a bit too starchy for me. It was okay and definitely value for money though as it was a really big bowl for SGD3.50.
As Mrs Pitt had more relatives joining in for dinner, Amy and I offer to take the MRT back to the hotel which was just one stop away. The relatives could then get into the car. I enjoyed the short ride back, as a matter of fact, we both arrived at the hotel the same time Mrs Pitt and relatives did! Anyway, after hanging around for a chat, the relatives left us at 11+ pm and Zahara quickly fell asleep. Mrs Pitt, Amy and I continued chatting into the wee hours of the morning (3.30 am to be exact) before we finally called it a night.

To be continued ....

Singapore

Was away in Singapore for a few days with Mrs Pitt, Zahara and AC (Mrs Pitt's long time friend). We had a wonderful time from the moment we boarded the Aeroline from Menara Axis in PJ for our 5 hour journey. It was my first time taking the Aeroline and we all agreed that it was definitely the better, cheaper and more convenient way to go to Singapore. I think once a person has tried it, they won't want to fly to Singapore anymore. Luxury coaches are the way to go! They even have a "captain" and "cabin crew" and served us chicken pie, muffins and gave us a choice of coffee, tea or milo. The service was pleasant and the seats were comfortable. Before we knew it, we arrived in Singapore in the blink of an eye (uh, not counting the short trips through the immigration and naps I took in between! Hee Hee).

Mrs Pitt bro-in-law picked us up and whisked us off to check into our hotel. We had a beautiful view from our hotel room on the 64th floor of Swissotel The Stamford, which is the tallest hotel in Southeast Asia! Anyway, we just got back tonight and I'm tired after editing all the photos I took. Will blog more on the trip soonest possible.

We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment. ~ Hilaire Belloc