River Safari Tea House

My cousin wanted to visit the River Safari to check out the Giant Pandas, so we went along with Dharshiney, Dharshiney's brother and Aunty Shabi! But, this is a food blog, so this post will be obviously about food. No, it's not about eating the animals in the park. It's about eating at the River Safari Tea House.

Can't wait to dig in!

It was the BEST CHOICE to order this meat platter which consists of Crispy Roasted Pork Belly, Roasted Duck and Char Siew. Just look at that brown and crisp duck skin! Rich and juicy, it was no wonder that Aunty Shabi (pork lover) attacked most of the roasted pork belly. The meat were all tender, moist and flavorful.

There is also something about the simplicity of their Bak Kut Teh that kept us wanting more and more. The ribs of the Bak Kut Teh were cooked till tender and the soup has a slight peppery taste to it but would be good if there were more flavors of herbs. We could not have enough of the soup so we asked the waiter to top up more soup for us!

Aunty Shabi's and my all time favorite Teochew dessert! The texture of the Yam Paste had a smooth consistency and the amount of sweetness was just right. We thought that this was quite good!

We were there at about 2pm after the weekend lunch crowd so that probably explains the rather empty restaurant. Food did not take long to be served, service staff were prompt and I like how they play Chinese oldies to match the theme of the restaurant. The food worked out to around $18 per person, which is considered quite expensive for a tze char style. But, being at a tourist attraction, it is normal to have to pay a higher price. I would definitely recommend the River Safari Tea House to people who are visiting River Safari. Suitable for families and large group of friends!

River Safari Tea House
River Safari, 80 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729826
10am to 8pm

Birthday Picnic

I have been wanting to have a picnic since forever. This is how I envisioned my birthday picnic to be like: 

This was what Glenn did for me on my birthday:

The picnic basket is from Food For Thought, and it comes with cutleries and and a mat so you don't have to worry if you do not have one! You can rent it through the Food For Thought website, and there are quite a few items to choose from. You can pick sandwiches, sides, desserts, drinks or wine if you prefer. On average, if you were to get a full course, it would cost you about $40++.

Being such a cheapo frugal man, Glenn decided that we should bring our own food and he only ordered the Chicken Wings with Thai Lemongrass Chilli Sauce and Tomato Lemongrass Corn Salad with Lime Laksa Vinaigrette.

The crispy chicken wing tastes even better with the chilli sauce. Do eat them while they are hot.

Salad was yum yum. I finished it before I remembered to note down its taste. 

I wanted to get cupcakes from Plain Vanilla Bakery to suit the theme, but they were closed on that day (lucky thing I checked their Facebook page before making a trip down) so Twelve Cupcakes would have to do. Quite a good choice after all!

Reused the Royal Pudding glass bottle and filled it with shredded colored papers. Initially, I wanted to get baby's breath (my all time fav) to put in the glass bottle but I figured that paper flowers are more practical and durable. 

Glenn has been trying to perfect his shocked face every time I point the camera at him. Still need more practices, haha.

Got these lovely printable cake toppers from Elephant Shoe.

Here, Glenn demonstrates how to eat a cupcake, like a sir. Simply twist off the bottom half of the cupcake and stack it on top like a sandwich! No cream cheese on the nose! 

I recently created an account on Pinterest while I was searching for DIY crafts and free printables. Some of the craft blogs that I follow such as Beautiful Revelry, Creme de la Craft and Eat Drink Chic provide me with inspirations every now and then. Made some paper flowers by following tutorials on Grosgrain and Joybobo. I used construction paper instead of crepe paper because I am too lazy to go out and buy materials (ultimate lazy bum here) and besides, construction paper works well too! If you want a softer and natural look to your flowers, then crepe paper would be a better choice.

Total Expenditure:

$12    Picnic Basket + Chicken Wings + Salad

$3+    Pink Grapefruit Flavoured Sparkling Fruit Juice x 2

$12    Cupcakes from Twelve Cupcakes x 4

$5      Strawberries

$2      Grapes

$2.60  Tuna

$2.90  Bread

Anyone can tell by looking at the food we brought that we are not much of a DIY person when it comes to a picnic. So, if anyone has suggestions, do leave us your comments! :)

P.S. Thank you for everything, Glenn! <3

Strangers' Reunion

After reading good reviews about Strangers' Reunion's newly revamped menu, I have been wanting try their food for myself.

So, on a lazy Saturday morning, Shi Rui, Wei Hao and I, decided to make our way down to Strangers' Reunion for Brunch. It didn't take us long to find the place as it was nestled amongst the long string of shophouses along Kampong Bahru Road, pretty close to the Singapore General Hospital.

I was expecting the place to be packed (mentally prepared myself to wait quite awhile before we could be seated). However, it wasn't their peak hour as of yet, so it took about 15 mins before we were shown to our table.

I was thrilled that we reached around noon because we had the option of trying their lunch and breakfast menu if wanted to.

Wei Hao taking a million years to decide what he wants to eat.

Shi Rui's million dollar smile :D

Hot Chocolate - $5.50

Wei Hao felt that it wasn't as hot as he would have liked when they served it to us. However, taste wise, it was a realtively good cuppa.

Magic - $5.50

Shi Rui felt that it had an extremely strong coffee taste but it was much too bitter for her liking. It was supposed to be less bitter with the double ristretto and milk but somehow, that didn't make much of a difference. Quite a disappointment from her end.

Cafe Mocha - $5.50

The mocha had a subtle taste of coffee which wasn't too overpowering combined with cocoa powder and milk I presume. On the whole, it was a pretty average cuppa. Nothing much to shout about.

Though most of the drinks weren't really to our liking, the coffee art was very much appreciated.

Ham Hock Benedict - $17.50

Wei Hao was throughly disappointed when they served this - the portion was rather small. That was the only down side though.The poached eggs were cooked to perfection such that when you cut right through, the runny yolk came oozing out. The bread was delectably soft and went well with the eggs and hollandaise sauce.

Baked Eggs in Shakshuka - $17

I was simply trying to be adventurous and it did not disappoint. These are probably the best eggs I have eaten in my entire life (I'm not exaggerating). The eggs were runny when you cut through and went well with the tomatoes and spices which supposedly made up the shakshuka. I had quite a bit of sauce left and ended up licking every bit of it from the pan. That's just how good it was. Regardless, I would have preferred if more bread was served with it.

Florentine - $18

Shi Rui thoroughly enjoyed this dish. Salmon, spinach, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce on bread. How could you go wrong with that? The portion size was just about right and they were generous with the smoked salmon and spinach. A complete hit I would say!

Truffle Fries with Truffle Aioli & Parmesan Cheese - $12.90

We love truffle fries so when we saw this on the menu, we weren't going to pass up the opportunity to try them. They were served hot with the aioli which had more truffle! It just made it more addictive. Though I wish they were more generous with the parmesan shavings, it's the best truffle fries I've tried thus far!

Buttermilk Waffles with Vanilla Ice-cream & Fresh Fruit - $11.50

The waffles were crisp on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. Served with fresh fruits and a generous dollop of vanilla ice-cream (traces of the actual vanilla bean could be seen). It was gastronomical bliss indeed.

One very distinct attribute of this cafe would be the incredibly good service. It was prompt, servers were accomodating to us when we requested for a change of table. Despite being packed at all times, patrons did not have to wait long for a table or for their food to arrive. Kudos to them! No wonder people keep coming back for more!

This cosy place has left me wanting more! So, I'll surely be back to try out their lunch/dinner menu. For their food and inviting atmosphere, it is definitely worth a visit! Do check it out for yourself!

Strangers' Reunion

37 Kampong Bahru Rd S(169354)

Walkable distance from Outram MRT Station (via Cantonment Road)
Opening Hours: 9am – 10pm, closed on Tuesdays

EatPlayLove Cafe

5 months of internship finally came to an end. I have not seen Vanessa, Laura and Yong Lin these few months as they were working at other companies, so we decided to catch up on one of the weekdays. On a recommendation by a friend and after looking at pictures on Instagram, I suggested to meet up at EatPlayLove Cafe. 

One of the reasons why I decided to choose this cafe was because of the turquoise walls that I thought Vanessa will like. True enough, she fell in love with this place immediately when she stepped in. The decor and knick knacks of the cafe were visually appealing as well. 

Make your sock monkey for $15!

There is a Kids Craft Corner in the cafe where you only have to pay $5 for the first two hours to use their craft materials. This space is great for children birthday parties as it can seat up to 20 kids.

Smores Waffles - $7.50

Their kitchen closes from 3pm to 6pm, so the only items that we could order were waffles and drinks. We have been seeing people posting mainly pictures of their waffles on Instagram, so we reckoned that their waffles must be really good. Well, the ice cream was okay, other than that, meh. They have mains ranging from $8 to $14.50 and set lunches at $9.90. Some of you might also be pleased to know that Tiramisu Hero stocks some of their tiramisu here as well.  

The ambience at EatPlayLove Cafe is relaxing, with songs like Michael Buble to bring out your inner creativity. This place feels almost like home that we were not shy to explore every corner of the cafe. 

EatPlayLove Cafe
28 Aliwal Street , #01-07
Singapore 199918
Closed on Tuesdays
Daily: 12pm to 10pm

St. Marc Cafe

Decided to pop down to Marina Square to watch Kick Ass 2 and we were surprised to find out how much the place has changed. One of the many stores that was new to us was the St. Marc Cafe. St. Marc Cafe is best known for its croissant, called the Chococro. The Chococro is so much of a signature product, they decided to include in in their signboard! I have been wanting to try the desserts at St. Marc Cafe every time I walk pass their Vivo City outlet but it is always packed! Since St. Marc Cafe originated from Japan, we had high expectations for it. 

Pick up fresh breads and sandwiches from the counter and put them on a tray!

The croissants are flaky on the outside and soft on the inside (外脆内软). For the Chococro ($2.40), the chocolate was not hardened but slightly liquid. Strawberry used for the Strawberry Daifuku Chococro ($2.60) was very fresh. One croissant was not enough to whet our appetite. But looking at the huge selection they have there, the small portion is probably a good thing so that you have more room for other desserts, or just a perfect tea time snack!

Their matcha items and Little Fuji look good, so we will probably head back to try more of their desserts!

St Marc Cafe @ Marina Square

6 Raffles Boulevard, Marina Square

#02-105/184/185

Singapore 039594

63388606

Daily 10am to 10pm