Tucked away in Haji Lane is Pitch Black, a small café seated comfortably among the role of shophouses. It is not the kind of café that will grab your attention with loud colors, and that is perfectly why I find it cosy. It’s not a big place to speak of, with little space available. However small, I was compensated with a lazy couch to enjoy my drink.
A few steps up the narrow staircase, is their screening room. My first impression was a messy little place, with uncoordinated sofa and seats. Yet, this small screening room is capable of holding up to 30 persons. A very basic setup of a projector and the sound-room hidden in the rear is the source of every screening. Perhaps, it stops only as far as that. If only the place was kept cleaner, and with proper seat arrangement.
If you’re thinking of attending a live show, you will be disappointed. The sound quality is good, but don’t expect the best. The projection is better than our TV, but don’t expect HD quality. The screening room is simply not fitted with equipments to cater to that. But for a minimum food expenditure of SGD$5 to attend a screening free, it’s quite a bargain. For that, don’t demand sound-proof walls like those in theatres.
Pitch Black’s two young staffs are probably the only people you will see behind the counter. Being such a cosy arts café, they are easy to talk to and they will serve your drinks and food right up to your seat while you enjoy your screening. You don’t need to pay big bucks to enjoy that service. Coming to that, I realized I didn’t have a proper place in the screening room to relieve myself from holding on to my drinks and food throughout the entire show.
And yea, only one washroom to cater to the entire place. Be prepared with Queue Singapore.
My verdict? There’s a lot more to do to sufficiently call it an Arts Café.
The crust is crispy and flaky... You really get a mouthful of them when you bite into it. Not too thick or tasteless.. These puffs are fried just nice.
When you are in good luck, you could get some fresh from the pot. You'll love the piping hot puffs when the curry sauce ozzes out of the thin ultra crispy crust. YUM YUM YUM.....
The filling inside consist of chunky chicken cubes and Mushy carrots, potato and etc... Be careful not to burn yourself with the piping hot fillings inside. But its pretty much worth the TONGUE BURNING experience.......
The sound system is as good but what more sure love the extra leg room. Just like the GreatWorld and the Plaza Sing ones, they have adjustable hand rest.
So if you want a bigger seat to stretch yr legs across the sits, you could do so.... If the movie you're watching bores you that much you can also catch a nap.
2 counters for Popcorns, one on the lower level and one on the upper level is good for replenishing snacks in the middle of a good movie.
One thing i dislike about watching movies is that they would always expect us to find our ways by the back stair cases. It smells and I disliked that quite so much. I mean, how would one expect us to find our way out through these stinky, isolates Maze. BUT the one at VIVO isn't so, you get to exit gracefully and get back into the shopping mall quickly. Thats what i call good planning.
Only thing i don't really enjoy are the LOOs.. The place is huge and there are many signs for restrooms. But i am always so confused.... You got to enter a door and then through a small lane and then into another door and then corridor and then turn here turn there then you come to the opening for the restroom..... Maybe we should GPS THE RESTROOMS. I mean when you are in a hurry....... It could be REALLY HELPFUL
Looking for another interesting haunt to hang out with your friends? Why not come to T*3 Cube Cafe at Potong Pasir. I like this place the moment i step into it. Its a Jolly Fun place to be in. With its various colourful decorations and leisure ambience.
It feels exactly the living room everybody hopes to have when they are feeling JOLLY GOOD. I can say, this is one place with character. I describe it as Relaxingly FUN.......
Never been to a cafe FUN like this, there is just so much to do here. You can surf the net, or plug your lappy in and go crazy with an online war with your friends. If you are in for a football match, you could also hog the flat panel tv they have in the shop. But this is not all. There are a HUGE VARIETY of magazines NEW and OLD, Comic books and other reading materials for you to laze away.
If you are still not yet satisfied, you could also grab hold of the various BOARD GAMES to play with your friends. Wanna leave a footprint in this shop, write a message and paste it on their notice board.
The prices for the food and beverages here are of a very reasonable price. You know what i mean by reasonable. They serve coffee to desserts to beer and for food, they have snacks like brownies, cakes wedges to main course like sandwiches, spaghetti, lasagna,etc ,etc etc. You can get a decent meal here for less then $10, fun and entertainment is on the house. Ice blended fruit juices are only going for less then $4. Even their drinks and food are adorned with pretty little knic knacks. Its hard not to be JOLLY HAPPY here.....
This is a fun place and with the variety of options for FUN things to do here, it is hard to recommend all my friends to drop by....
One of the very few all women fitness club in town, I am AMORE fitness club's loyal fan.
I love the fact that it is a ALL WOMAN and Only WOMAN fitness club. Talk about Girl POWER.....
There are various classes available and usually in smaller groups. I like the attention of the trainers and the company of other women. WHen I am there, i need not worry how i look and am more focus on building my physique.
The classes that i enjoy most is pilates and hip hop. The gym is also fabulous. With many state of the art equipments available and a cosy changing and shower room. When i am doing the treadmill, i get a good view of the shoppers below. It reminds me of the calories i ingest and makes me more determined in burning them.
How do we know if we ordered a good bowl of wanton noodles. It depends on the ingredients, the texture of the noodles, black sauce and wanton...
Pontian wanton noodles is one of the best i had in singapore. It taste similar to the ones i like in KL. It is good because:
Firstly the char siew is of a good texture, not too hard or soft and the skin of the charsiew is mirinated with a good mixture of spices on a good source of fresh pork. The selection of choice meat is one that is lean with 30% of fats to keep the meat moist.
Secondly the noodles are cooked in such a way that it is chewy to bite yet not soggy. It is must be QQ to bite yet not too hard to swallow. The sauce is one that is of a good mixture of dark soya sauce with other type so sauces. It must be black with a little charred taste yet not too salty.
Third, the wanton must be one that contained just enough filling. The skin must be thin and smooth and the fillings marinated to perfection...
Pontian wanton noodles possesses all these criterias and it is hard to come by such a good stall.
Definitely a must try for all the food lovers out there.......
It was another rainy weekday afternoon and I had just emerged victorious from another massive jam on the Sheares Bridge. I suddenly have cravings for hot lce Lemon Tea.
So....... Kampong Glam Cafe... here i come.......
Parking is a breeze, thats if you have a real good luck, but because it was rainy, I found a good lot nearby the cafe almost immediately. Usually that place is cramp during lunch hours as the white collars working in offices nearby will charge at that store for their Lunch Kills....
It was a good rainy afternoon indeed. When i reached there, most of the food are still available. Immediately i ordered... Chilli Fish, Fried Chicken Wings, Some Dao Guar Long bean in chilli, tahu goreng, potato patty, curry chicken and rice. I am not a spicy eater... actually matter of fact i take Ketchup with everything.... As i always think that my lips will swell when i take spicy food. Curry to me is never a spicy food. I love especially the exotic taste of their curry and the chilli fish is so tasty. It is not too hot really and my lips didn't swell... The dishes were prepared with fresh ingredients and generous amounts of spices. You must drizzle more curry sauce on your rice as it is very very yummy... The FRIED CHICKEN was crispy on the outside and Very JUICY on the INSIDE.. I love the skin best, as it is well miranated but not too salty or oily.
Besides Rice dishes, noodle dishes, GADO GADO and Etc... They also have creative beverages. The hot ice lemon tea is wonderful to have after meals or even before. The fabulous aroma of the good grade tea leaves with a squash of lime could really relieve bloated stomach and helps in PERKING you up. The other beverage I like is Teh with Ginger. I love the smooth taste of the tea with a tinge of ginger that helps to cool the throat and soothe my stomach.
THey have traditional cakes, Kuehs and snacks served at the cheery transparent show box. They are nice, moist and soft with rich flavours of coconut, gula melaka and tapioca... There are various varieties available to go with the beverages....
If you are feeling bored and you are living in the west or south western area, you can always pop by holland village. It is a more happening place for the westies.... thats if you do not want to drop by town as there are not much choices besides great world city or VIVO city which is already nearby town.
There are many cafes, restaurants and food joints in holland village but the one i loved most is TCC. Perhaps its because of the good experience i had with the other branches of TCCs in town that i would naturally choose to go into TCC.
I like this joint partly because of the comfy seats. They have these especially elevated sits that give me privacy and much comfort. I used to laze my afternoons there after classes while i was in UNI.
I personally love the wedges with spicy cheese dip for snack. They come in pretty huge portions and remains delicious even when it turns cold. Generous cheese dips is great for a cheesy me..... I once gathered with my classmates there playing uno stacko and we could squeeze all 8 of us in one table. I also love the wonderful sandwiches they serve especially the one with slices of beef.
It comes with delicious PAPADAM crackers and yummy side veg with sweet wine vinegratte sauce. The portion is quite generous and it is definitely YUMMY....
Really a must go HANG OUT place......
Usually they are open till wee hours of the morning on eve of weekends and eve of holidays. If you like a good healthy mid night snack, you might want to drop by TCC. Or perhaps hangout with your friends for a good chat when you don't feel like hitting the pillows early.
Got a box of tau sar piahsssssss from Yebber and 603 Boss today =)
Since i do not have the durian tau sar piah in my box of freebies, i bought a small pack of it to treat my passengers on board my car.
First take on the Durian one... Light durian flavour, not too sweet. The skin is firm and not overly dry. And not extremely flaky to drop all over. Well, eating this reminds me of the durian flavoured mooncake fillings! Taste abit like that, and I can smell the durian smell in my car lingering around!
Then around 8 hrs after collecting the tau sar piah then i tried the rest. Opps...
The BBQ Char Siew Bun is not bad. The crust and fillings are not too sweet. The meat is not too bad. But i find that the sauce is not enough. Or maybe its the time lapse? I am not sure!
Green tea Piah got a very mild smell, but a strong taste of green tea when you chew the fillings. Just nice, not too sweet but the taste is very strong. should be a hit with green tea lovers!
The normal salty Tau Sar Piah is not that salty, but taste sweet also.
Chicken Pie has a nice proportion of fillings vs crust. When you bite into it, you taste most of the fillings and some crust. Not too dry since the proportion is just right. Chicken is tender and not too tough. Not bad..
Yam Piah. Not very much to my liking, as i find it too sweet. The sugar seemed to overpower the yam taste.
Red bean paste piah. Not too sweet, smooth paste. but the crust althought not chao tar.. but got the very strong "burnt" taste the kind of overpowered the red bean flavour.
Black Sesame. Maybe i tasted too many at one go. Only tasted the nice crust and a mild sesame aftertaste.
Pineapple Sweet with some burst of pineapple bits like the pineapple tarts during cny. Quite special to taste such a combination that you would want to try another bite!
Okie, overall rating, I find that the crust is good, not too flakey and quite firm to hold. Sellers are also very friendly with smiles all the time.
Ever tried to drive 1/2 an hour just for a prata. If you have eaten prata at the Prata Place, most likely you will know what I am talking about. Unless you are staying in Springleaf avenue, you will most likely take 1/2 an hour either from the Eastern or Western part of Singapore to get to the Prata Place.
The prata is simply delicious; thin and crispy and at the right size. Tried the mutton Murtabak, garlic prata (nice) and the bomb prata. Opps... did I say bomb. Hope it is not a restricted word. Anyway, the bomb (again) prata is a mixture of sugar and milk, giving it quite a unique taste. Not for the faint hearted.
The murtabak must be one of the crispyfying ones I have ever tried. Most murtabaks are soft and soggy. This one is flat and well filled with mutton. I ordered the small ($4) which is good for 2 persons. The have medium, large and extra large murtabak ($10) good for a family to soak themselves in murtabak. Might need 2 persons to carry the XL ones.
One more thing, the person taking the order is one of the friendliest I have seen. Normally when people are busy, their muscles seem to forget how to smile. This waiter is different. He smiles like no tomorrow and even has time to play with kids and babies, much to the amusement of the parents. Anyway, his friendly disposition makes it easy to place re-orders or to ask for more curry.
1=SGD 0.0587
Arts Café, that’s what they call themselves.
Tucked away in Haji Lane is Pitch Black, a small café seated comfortably among the role of shophouses. It is not the kind of café that will grab your attention with loud colors, and that is perfectly why I find it cosy. It’s not a big place to speak of, with little space available. However small, I was compensated with a lazy couch to enjoy my drink.
A few steps up the narrow staircase, is their screening room. My first impression was a messy little place, with uncoordinated sofa and seats. Yet, this small screening room is capable of holding up to 30 persons. A very basic setup of a projector and the sound-room hidden in the rear is the source of every screening. Perhaps, it stops only as far as that. If only the place was kept cleaner, and with proper seat arrangement.
If you’re thinking of attending a live show, you will be disappointed. The sound quality is good, but don’t expect the best. The projection is better than our TV, but don’t expect HD quality. The screening room is simply not fitted with equipments to cater to that. But for a minimum food expenditure of SGD$5 to attend a screening free, it’s quite a bargain. For that, don’t demand sound-proof walls like those in theatres.
Pitch Black’s two young staffs are probably the only people you will see behind the counter. Being such a cosy arts café, they are easy to talk to and they will serve your drinks and food right up to your seat while you enjoy your screening. You don’t need to pay big bucks to enjoy that service. Coming to that, I realized I didn’t have a proper place in the screening room to relieve myself from holding on to my drinks and food throughout the entire show.
And yea, only one washroom to cater to the entire place. Be prepared with Queue Singapore.
My verdict? There’s a lot more to do to sufficiently call it an Arts Café.
Rating given:
A1 curry puffs are absolutely FANTASTIC....
The crust is crispy and flaky... You really get a mouthful of them when you bite into it. Not too thick or tasteless.. These puffs are fried just nice.
When you are in good luck, you could get some fresh from the pot. You'll love the piping hot puffs when the curry sauce ozzes out of the thin ultra crispy crust. YUM YUM YUM.....
The filling inside consist of chunky chicken cubes and Mushy carrots, potato and etc... Be careful not to burn yourself with the piping hot fillings inside. But its pretty much worth the TONGUE BURNING experience.......
Rating given:
I agree with Claudia, the GV at VIVO is FAB....
The sound system is as good but what more sure love the extra leg room. Just like the GreatWorld and the Plaza Sing ones, they have adjustable hand rest.
So if you want a bigger seat to stretch yr legs across the sits, you could do so.... If the movie you're watching bores you that much you can also catch a nap.
2 counters for Popcorns, one on the lower level and one on the upper level is good for replenishing snacks in the middle of a good movie.
One thing i dislike about watching movies is that they would always expect us to find our ways by the back stair cases. It smells and I disliked that quite so much. I mean, how would one expect us to find our way out through these stinky, isolates Maze. BUT the one at VIVO isn't so, you get to exit gracefully and get back into the shopping mall quickly. Thats what i call good planning.
Only thing i don't really enjoy are the LOOs.. The place is huge and there are many signs for restrooms. But i am always so confused.... You got to enter a door and then through a small lane and then into another door and then corridor and then turn here turn there then you come to the opening for the restroom..... Maybe we should GPS THE RESTROOMS. I mean when you are in a hurry....... It could be REALLY HELPFUL
Rating given:
Looking for another interesting haunt to hang out with your friends? Why not come to T*3 Cube Cafe at Potong Pasir. I like this place the moment i step into it. Its a Jolly Fun place to be in. With its various colourful decorations and leisure ambience.
It feels exactly the living room everybody hopes to have when they are feeling JOLLY GOOD. I can say, this is one place with character. I describe it as Relaxingly FUN.......
Never been to a cafe FUN like this, there is just so much to do here. You can surf the net, or plug your lappy in and go crazy with an online war with your friends. If you are in for a football match, you could also hog the flat panel tv they have in the shop. But this is not all. There are a HUGE VARIETY of magazines NEW and OLD, Comic books and other reading materials for you to laze away.
If you are still not yet satisfied, you could also grab hold of the various BOARD GAMES to play with your friends. Wanna leave a footprint in this shop, write a message and paste it on their notice board.
The prices for the food and beverages here are of a very reasonable price. You know what i mean by reasonable. They serve coffee to desserts to beer and for food, they have snacks like brownies, cakes wedges to main course like sandwiches, spaghetti, lasagna,etc ,etc etc. You can get a decent meal here for less then $10, fun and entertainment is on the house. Ice blended fruit juices are only going for less then $4. Even their drinks and food are adorned with pretty little knic knacks. Its hard not to be JOLLY HAPPY here.....
This is a fun place and with the variety of options for FUN things to do here, it is hard to recommend all my friends to drop by....
Rating given:
One of the very few all women fitness club in town, I am AMORE fitness club's loyal fan.
I love the fact that it is a ALL WOMAN and Only WOMAN fitness club. Talk about Girl POWER.....
There are various classes available and usually in smaller groups. I like the attention of the trainers and the company of other women. WHen I am there, i need not worry how i look and am more focus on building my physique.
The classes that i enjoy most is pilates and hip hop. The gym is also fabulous. With many state of the art equipments available and a cosy changing and shower room. When i am doing the treadmill, i get a good view of the shoppers below. It reminds me of the calories i ingest and makes me more determined in burning them.
FOR the Girl POWER..... JOIN AMORE.....
Rating given:
How do we know if we ordered a good bowl of wanton noodles. It depends on the ingredients, the texture of the noodles, black sauce and wanton...
Pontian wanton noodles is one of the best i had in singapore. It taste similar to the ones i like in KL. It is good because:
Firstly the char siew is of a good texture, not too hard or soft and the skin of the charsiew is mirinated with a good mixture of spices on a good source of fresh pork. The selection of choice meat is one that is lean with 30% of fats to keep the meat moist.
Secondly the noodles are cooked in such a way that it is chewy to bite yet not soggy. It is must be QQ to bite yet not too hard to swallow. The sauce is one that is of a good mixture of dark soya sauce with other type so sauces. It must be black with a little charred taste yet not too salty.
Third, the wanton must be one that contained just enough filling. The skin must be thin and smooth and the fillings marinated to perfection...
Pontian wanton noodles possesses all these criterias and it is hard to come by such a good stall.
Definitely a must try for all the food lovers out there.......
Rating given:
It was another rainy weekday afternoon and I had just emerged victorious from another massive jam on the Sheares Bridge. I suddenly have cravings for hot lce Lemon Tea.
So....... Kampong Glam Cafe... here i come.......
Parking is a breeze, thats if you have a real good luck, but because it was rainy, I found a good lot nearby the cafe almost immediately. Usually that place is cramp during lunch hours as the white collars working in offices nearby will charge at that store for their Lunch Kills....
It was a good rainy afternoon indeed. When i reached there, most of the food are still available. Immediately i ordered... Chilli Fish, Fried Chicken Wings, Some Dao Guar Long bean in chilli, tahu goreng, potato patty, curry chicken and rice. I am not a spicy eater... actually matter of fact i take Ketchup with everything.... As i always think that my lips will swell when i take spicy food. Curry to me is never a spicy food. I love especially the exotic taste of their curry and the chilli fish is so tasty. It is not too hot really and my lips didn't swell... The dishes were prepared with fresh ingredients and generous amounts of spices. You must drizzle more curry sauce on your rice as it is very very yummy... The FRIED CHICKEN was crispy on the outside and Very JUICY on the INSIDE.. I love the skin best, as it is well miranated but not too salty or oily.
Besides Rice dishes, noodle dishes, GADO GADO and Etc... They also have creative beverages. The hot ice lemon tea is wonderful to have after meals or even before. The fabulous aroma of the good grade tea leaves with a squash of lime could really relieve bloated stomach and helps in PERKING you up. The other beverage I like is Teh with Ginger. I love the smooth taste of the tea with a tinge of ginger that helps to cool the throat and soothe my stomach.
THey have traditional cakes, Kuehs and snacks served at the cheery transparent show box. They are nice, moist and soft with rich flavours of coconut, gula melaka and tapioca... There are various varieties available to go with the beverages....
If you are nearby, you must really drop by...
Really SHIOK SHIOK SHIOK SHIOK.......
MUST TRY!!
Rating given:
If you are feeling bored and you are living in the west or south western area, you can always pop by holland village. It is a more happening place for the westies.... thats if you do not want to drop by town as there are not much choices besides great world city or VIVO city which is already nearby town.
There are many cafes, restaurants and food joints in holland village but the one i loved most is TCC. Perhaps its because of the good experience i had with the other branches of TCCs in town that i would naturally choose to go into TCC.
I like this joint partly because of the comfy seats. They have these especially elevated sits that give me privacy and much comfort. I used to laze my afternoons there after classes while i was in UNI.
I personally love the wedges with spicy cheese dip for snack. They come in pretty huge portions and remains delicious even when it turns cold. Generous cheese dips is great for a cheesy me..... I once gathered with my classmates there playing uno stacko and we could squeeze all 8 of us in one table. I also love the wonderful sandwiches they serve especially the one with slices of beef.
It comes with delicious PAPADAM crackers and yummy side veg with sweet wine vinegratte sauce. The portion is quite generous and it is definitely YUMMY....
Really a must go HANG OUT place......
Usually they are open till wee hours of the morning on eve of weekends and eve of holidays. If you like a good healthy mid night snack, you might want to drop by TCC. Or perhaps hangout with your friends for a good chat when you don't feel like hitting the pillows early.
Rating given:
Got a box of tau sar piahsssssss from Yebber and 603 Boss today =)
Since i do not have the durian tau sar piah in my box of freebies, i bought a small pack of it to treat my passengers on board my car.
First take on the Durian one... Light durian flavour, not too sweet. The skin is firm and not overly dry. And not extremely flaky to drop all over. Well, eating this reminds me of the durian flavoured mooncake fillings! Taste abit like that, and I can smell the durian smell in my car lingering around!
Then around 8 hrs after collecting the tau sar piah then i tried the rest. Opps...
The BBQ Char Siew Bun is not bad. The crust and fillings are not too sweet. The meat is not too bad. But i find that the sauce is not enough. Or maybe its the time lapse? I am not sure!
Green tea Piah got a very mild smell, but a strong taste of green tea when you chew the fillings. Just nice, not too sweet but the taste is very strong. should be a hit with green tea lovers!
The normal salty Tau Sar Piah is not that salty, but taste sweet also.
Chicken Pie has a nice proportion of fillings vs crust. When you bite into it, you taste most of the fillings and some crust. Not too dry since the proportion is just right. Chicken is tender and not too tough. Not bad..
Yam Piah. Not very much to my liking, as i find it too sweet. The sugar seemed to overpower the yam taste.
Red bean paste piah. Not too sweet, smooth paste. but the crust althought not chao tar.. but got the very strong "burnt" taste the kind of overpowered the red bean flavour.
Black Sesame. Maybe i tasted too many at one go. Only tasted the nice crust and a mild sesame aftertaste.
Pineapple Sweet with some burst of pineapple bits like the pineapple tarts during cny. Quite special to taste such a combination that you would want to try another bite!
Okie, overall rating, I find that the crust is good, not too flakey and quite firm to hold. Sellers are also very friendly with smiles all the time.
Rating given:
Ever tried to drive 1/2 an hour just for a prata. If you have eaten prata at the Prata Place, most likely you will know what I am talking about. Unless you are staying in Springleaf avenue, you will most likely take 1/2 an hour either from the Eastern or Western part of Singapore to get to the Prata Place.
The prata is simply delicious; thin and crispy and at the right size. Tried the mutton Murtabak, garlic prata (nice) and the bomb prata. Opps... did I say bomb. Hope it is not a restricted word. Anyway, the bomb (again) prata is a mixture of sugar and milk, giving it quite a unique taste. Not for the faint hearted.
The murtabak must be one of the crispyfying ones I have ever tried. Most murtabaks are soft and soggy. This one is flat and well filled with mutton. I ordered the small ($4) which is good for 2 persons. The have medium, large and extra large murtabak ($10) good for a family to soak themselves in murtabak. Might need 2 persons to carry the XL ones.
One more thing, the person taking the order is one of the friendliest I have seen. Normally when people are busy, their muscles seem to forget how to smile. This waiter is different. He smiles like no tomorrow and even has time to play with kids and babies, much to the amusement of the parents. Anyway, his friendly disposition makes it easy to place re-orders or to ask for more curry.
Rating given: