Riders Cafe at Bukit Timah Saddle Club

So today, I woke up at around 10am and was craving for some ME time. I really need weekends like these, where I have at least an afternoon of nothingness. Best if I don't have to work the next day.

So I texted ner and asked her to introduce cafe with good brunch food. She replied, "symmetry or riders cafe. Food good."

Since I've been to symmetry and it's usually crowded, I decided to try riders cafe.

So I drove there. I thank God everyday for my car. My car is called "blessings". Unmerited favour I tell you.

Anyway, I drove into this narrow road, it felt like another world... Like the countryside..



White fences on the right side... Old school speed limit of 30 km/h sign...

To cut a long story short, I got to riders cafe... It was quite packed with reservations. But cos I was alone, I got a seat by the window within 8 mins.






It was great, though slightly warm from the heat radiating off the carpark pavement. Slightly humid... I will not be here during May period, it would be insanely hot.







I ordered a ice latte cos it's very simple to me. When the place is not cold enough, and you need to cool off, drink cold drink. And the opposite if the place is freezing.
I ordered "The usual" cos I was starving and in the menu, it had the longest sentence to describe what is in the dish.

It was great! A great place to have reflection time... I was brushing up on my offering message for service at 5pm later, and spending quiet time with God. It was perfect cos God was there.

By 3.30pm, I left with a full tummy, satisfied heart and nourished soul.

Cafe Wok Inn Fish & Chips at Toa Payoh Lorong Something..

Honestly, Toa Payoh area is too confusing. When i have to refer to food places to my lunch khakis, i'll usually go... "THERE, that one... the very dope teo chew mui... remember? but a bit expensive one..."

So that's how my conversation usually go...

Anyhoo, i brought my friend to the Fish & Chips at 21, Toa Payoh Lor 7 the other day... I just realised it's called Cafe Wok Inn. Pun intended. Cafe Walk in. Ahh... I smell some cheese...

It looks like this...

 I have tried the fish and chips here once but i'm not a big fan cos they serve it with Peachy Malt Vinegar... And let's just say, i love mayo a LOT!

Fish & chips that my friend couldn't wait to devour before i took a photo.

crispy chicken with pasta.

 My friend likes malt vinegar, so she kinda liked it. But i thought it was alright. The pasta was al dente.. I mean, it's surprising cause you can't usually get al dente spaghetti at a western food stall in a kopitiam. Maybe i wish the batter had more flavour...

But it was cheap. Fish & Chips for $5 (i think). Mine was $5.80 (i think). Sorry, i hadn't plan to post this. thus, everything is a little fuzzy. ahhaha.

Food Glorious Food - Saveur - Great French Cuisine

So the other day, i brought my colleagues to Saveur and they loved it.
I promised that i would introduce them to cheap affordable fresh cuisine... By affordable, we are still looking at 20 bucks per head, with two sides and one mains. A missing picture is the potato gratin. I was busy eating when it came.... ahah.

Bottomline: they loved it tooo!!!

Saveur Pasta - a MUST TRY! But i look at the dried shrimps and it reminded me about what Chef Lee said during my BKK cooking class (prev post)

Duck Confit, mash potatoes, grilled mushrooms and some tangy oranges. SEDAP!!

Chef Leez Cooking School Bangkok Review

Everyone was very surprised that i chose to do a cooking class in BKK.
First reaction: So exciting!

Yes, indeed.

How it came about was just by googling Top Activities to Do in Bangkok on tripadvisor.com. Guys, aint no rocket science.

So anyway, the group class was from 10am to 1pm. It was FUNNN. One of the main highlights of the trip.
I took a cab there at 9am, and it cost me ard 97 baht. The jam was ridiculous due to protests going on nearby and people were still going to the temple to pay respects to the monk who passed away 2 weeks before i arrive.

To cut a long story short, when the other 2 of my "classmates" arrived (an australian couple who recently moved in Singapore a few months ago), we headed out to the market nearby to do our ingredients shopping.

Chef Lee imparted her knowledge to us... I was rather surprised how a lot of processed foods, don't contain what they claim to contain.

Below is a picture of a bottle of lime juice with a star burst labelled "100%". Chef Lee said, "if this bottle of lime juice is 100%, the real lime juice from lime will be 200%". She said, sometimes, they just use vinegar, chemicals and colouring to make lime juice with no lime.

On the right is a picture of 3 types of dried shrimps. The darkest in colour is the cheapest and the lousiest, contains a lot of colouring. The second darkest in color contains slightly less coloring than the first, but equally lousy. So we bought the lightest in color one!

They usually mix the low quality with high quality, thus color difference.

Straw mushrooms that don't look like straws. Messing with my mind!

Fresh old coconut - old coconuts are good for cooking, cos all the juices has been infused into the meat.

2 Types of Egg Plants!!!

Teh Limau Ice Please!!!

The color of the egg depends on the natural color on the chicken's neck.

I love egg tofu. But chef says egg tofu got no egg!! Just put colouring! Imagine my disappointment.

Chef said be careful of the sotongs in thailand. If it's without skin, it may have been dead for a long time, but soaked in formaldehyde. The chemical will perserve the sotong to be like a fossil, and it will make it bigger and puffier... Bigger means they can sell more money. You want?

Does this look like a disgusting pot of bugs? It's just tamarind as known affectionately as assam! Best! Assam makes my world go round!

Our first dish: Red Tom Yum soup and Clear Tom Yum soup. I love the red Tom Yum soup more cos it has fresh coconut. But when i got back to Singapore, I made the clear soup (cos market had closed) and it tasted AMAZING! Clear soup is so much easier to cook. We also made Mamasan Curry, but i didn't take a photo of that cos i didn't really like that curry.

Next up, we made Pad Thai! I tell you, it was SUPERR NICE when we made it.

 But when i tried reproducing the dish, it was a COMPLETE failure. I had deviated from the recipe and i went mad with the fish sauce, palm sugar and tamarind... So the dish went into the bin.

 Then, we made green curry. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD... Haven't tried to reproduce it, cos it's a lot of work. Mainly cos i can never wake up early to buy fresh coconut. Too lazy.

 Lastly, we made mango sticky rice. It was so good, but i don't think i wrote down the precise steps on my recipe. I failed when i tried making it last Sunday. Failed terribly that i had to comfort myself with two mangoes!!!

Pratunam Market vs Platinum Mall - Which is better?

Being a regular shopper at Bugis Street, $10-$20 is what you'll usually expect for Bangkok fashion.

So, imagine my surprise, when I found out the prices at Platinum Mall are also around $10-$20 SGD. 

I'm very practical. It doesn't make sense to pay $300 over bucks for airtickets to get clothes at the same price. Just doesn't. Sure, you could say that the fashion there is newer. Really, new Bangkok fashion is not worth $300 of airtickets.

So i went to look for Pratunam market (they distribute to shops in Platinum Mall, i think). It's slightly more uncomfortable and warm... Most shops will want you to buy at least 3 pcs of the SAME design. But there are shops that will allow you to mix 3 pcs of different design.

pratunam market

 I bought most of my tops, bottoms and dresses at below 150 baht, which is $6. Savings of at least $4. I bought about 60 pcs of clothing. which means a total savings of around $240. Now, that makes sense to me.

Hope that helps. I can't say much cos when you are shopping, you go into hunting mode. Ain't nobody got time for taking photos or blogging. hahah.

Bangkok October 2013 Shopping Trip - Boxpackers Hostel Review!

Helloo...

So i decided to restart my blog and my first post will feature my Bangkok 2013 Trip alone...
Yes, i travelled alone to BKK.

The common first reaction is "Why!"
My common first response is "Why Not!"

I was free to do whatever i want. Plan my own day, do stuff, have quiet time... It was just a great getaway. Sometimes i think i'm just too comfortable doing stuff by myself. OCS much, Only child syndrome.

So anyway, i took Airasia which got me to Don Mueang (DMK) airport. The airport is around 1 hour away from the city and it's actually really expensive for a solo traveller to cab around.

When i land at DMK airport, i didn't know where to go. In the end, after some walking around, i stumbled upon a bus that was headed to Mo Chit. I thought to myself, "as long as it brings me to a BTS station, i can figure my way to my hostel!" So i hopped on, wide-eyed... looking lost.
Anyway, it was an alright bus ride... Throughout the journey, i was enjoying the moment... The moment of doing the unplanned, the unexpected... :)

It took me around 1 hour to get to Ratachathewi Station. After asking a few people, i found my hostel.

I stayed in a 4-female share dorm at Boxpackers Hostel which i booked around the same time i booked my flight. I figured that since i was alone, it wouldn't hurt to have some human interaction. Just get to know new people. Pretty exciting for me. As i grow older, i love the unexpected, unknown, unchartered... Spontaneity! Love it!

Honestly, the hostel is AWESOME. At least my room was. I had my own space, could draw the curtains if i didn't want to be disturbed, could spend quality quiet time in my box!!! It's actually pretty spacious and comfy.

In the afternoon, though, the airconditioning is all switched off... and the place is quite stuffy and hot. So i try not to go back. If i had to go back to drop stuff, i'll stay in the lobby area for a while to cool down before heading up.

Oh, cos i stayed for 4 days, 3 nights, i think i paid around SGD90 for my entire accommodation. For me, I don't have to stay in a hotel, as long as the basic amenities are there... Just close your eyes, and start dreaming! hahaha. But for real, i'm not one who believes in splurging in accommodation. I did a calculation once. Airticket and accommodation used to take up more than 3/4 of my travel expenses. It doesn't make sense to me. Even before you spend a single cent in a country, you already burst half of your budget... Comfort is relative. Anything more than a hard wooden floor or cold concrete slabs, is comfortable. Aircon is a non-negotiable for me though, especially in South East Asia.

So anyway, i'll continue with the Cooking Class i did in Thai, what i discovered about Thailand Shopping etc in my next post.