GV Vivocity expecially GV Max is my top choice when going to the movies.
Reasons being:
1. Loved the large leg space. Dun have the feeling of being cramped any more.
2. Large screen. Jz loved it! Haa...
3. Great sound system.
4. The layout of the cinema. Spacious and wide! Do not have the feeling of like being in a very cramped place.
5. Many ticket counters and snack counters as well.
The only thing I dun like is the exit point of the cinemas, tend to led out all the way out of vivocity and need to make a loop to go back to the shopping centre again.
I had the impression that Pet's Lovers Centre was this chain store thing that was really expensive and un-feeling about pets because they generally do not sell pets (except in Simei).
But I was pleasantly surprised on my recent visit there last week. Was there to look for some stuff for my Rabbit and wasn't quite sure which litter pan to get as there was quite a few to choose from. The salesperson who approached me was very friendly and he shared with me his experiences with HIS rabbit. He gave me plenty of nice tips on what I can do to resolve my problem too. Showed me some stuff but did do any hard-selling.
The variety in the store is quite wide and they are willing to order stuff in if they do not have it at the moment.
Price-wise, I was surprised to find that they are cheaper than my regular pet-shop. About a dollar cheaper for my rabbit's food.
Oosh is a Japanese Restaurant located at Dempsey Road. It also serves up some fusion fare and western stuff. After some recommendations from friends, I decided to try it out.
It's been sectioned into different places The Bar - Alfresco Bar overlooking the Garden The Cellar - where you find fine wine and mingle Yen Dining - the conventional Jap Restie with the sushi counter The Roof - for chillin The Trellis - Enclosed little enclaves in the open area The Terrace - A Pavilion for finger food tastin The Lookout - A platform where you can see the entire place The Garden - Alfresco dining area The Deck - for functions
All the places are tastefully decorated and very cosy looking. Ambience is superb whether you're there on a date or for a gathering or even a casual dinner with clients.
The Garden Experience Out in the open, save for some bugs around, it was very nice dining under the stars and warm cosy lighting.
The Food : Garlic Shrimp, Stewed Oxtail, Sausage Pasta and Yuzu Sorbet.
The Garlic Shrimp was a tad bland for my taste. It wasn't even as well presented as it looked in the menu. Definitely not worth ordering.
My Sausage Pasta was average with little bits of garlic which didn't quite help in the taste. It wasn't bad either. But it could've been my cooking on a good day.
My companion commented that the Stewed Oxtail was just average as well. He's definitely had better ones.
The one thing that we loved was the Yuzu Sorbet. Well me more than him. A delightful dessert to end an average meal.
The Service: Pretty slow really. Was it too dark that they couldn't see us waving? The food only came after a couple of reminders and smiles were really few and far between.
The damage : about $70 for the two of us. A little ex for average food but if you consider the great ambience, I guess it's alright.
Conclusion: Not sure if I would go back. Maybe for chilling and drinks but not for food. :) The damage :
After a whole day without food, we went to Sakura for buffet dinner. Each pax $28 7%gst on weekends and $26 7%gst on weekdays. Price wise, its considered one of the cheapest buffet around. Serving quite a wide spread of Japanese food (sushi, sashimi, tempura, tepanyaki etc), Dim Sum, Chinese cooked food and yummy cakes.
We've been there many times for their high-tea buffet which consists of just sushi and sashimi. This was our first for their dinner. And we were satisfied with the entire experience. The food is good (not very good), taste wise still alright (after eating that much, the taste just blended) and the choices were alright for the price.
Can take a peep at what they serve in the photos I've uploaded. These are just 1/3 of what they have there.
Shoppers Rainbow is a local blogstore selling fashion from Taiwan and such. Their site is well-kept and comprehensive. They also organise sprees and allow pre-orders on items.
Although they don't have a very wide variety of items ( I expect them to "expand" soon) but their replies to tags and emails are very prompt. They are also very polite and make an effort to update their customers or taggers regularly. I think in terms of service that's good. They also do not give information which they are unsure of to unsure that no one is unhappy. :) Great people!. Do pay them a visit. :)
I love GV@ Vivo too! But the rest are absolutely right. You definitely need to make bookings to get your tickets. I love GVmax with it's ultra wide screen.
It's always bustling with people so if you want to get popcorn and stuff you'd better be there early. I love the seating with plenty of leg room.
It's never too cold. and the food is always cooked. (i've eaten hotdogs which aren't before and had food poisoning.)
I have one major gripe though. There only one restroom with 3 lousy cubicles. On weekends it can really be hell queuing before a movie. ANNNDD if you are watching at GV max you would have to go in to the other side for the restroom.. come out again to enter into GVmax on the other side. URGH... Why can't they have more loos! Can you imagine if you had to go in the middle of a movie.
Oh yes one more gripe.. one of the cinema exits.. lets us out into unfamiliar place... and I got really lost trying to look for our car. haiz.
This is something that I think everyone should try. I was there recently (well not so recent) and we went to Thailand first. After which we took a train to cross the border to Siem Reap. Here's how it goes.
1) In Bangkok, take a cab or tutuk to Hualamphong Train Station. should take more than 150 baht by cab.
2)You have to take the 5.55am train to Aranyaprathet, the train station at the Eastern border of Thailand. Please be early and reach about 5.30am. This is so that you can get a seat which faces the front of the train. There are actually two train times for this train travelling to the border but you have to take this one if want to make it to the border before the office closes. (yes it closes) It's a 6 hour train ride, so buy some food stuffs to eat on board. You wouldn't want to buy from the hawkers peddling up and down the train. Trust me.
3) On the train you will pass by many many towns... and it will get crowded along the way especially if it's close to a public holiday and people travel back to their villages. You'll even get to see train stations which are just ONE POLE in the middle of nowhere. The train master will come on much later in the trip. Pretty near Aranyaprathet...
4) Here's the tough part. When you get out you need to take a tutuk to the real border. Rem, this is just the train station near the border. You need to get to immigration at the border. It'll only take 30 baht. Don't settle for anything more. They will hustle for up to 100baht just for that 5-10 min ride. Also, here you will find people wear official uniforms tell you that you need a visa. Singaporeans DON'T NEED. So don't get scared and pay them the money. This would be the first of scams along the way, which makes it exciting isn't it?
5) The tutuk will bring you to the border where you might meet more persistant "officials". Remember to be polite with rejected these scammers. Even if you do not have a Singaporean Passport and require a visa, it's only 25 baht at the Cambodian Border and can be done immediately. These "officials" claim that it takes 3 days and they want 30-50baht.
6) Here you will get your passport stamped to prove that you are leaving Thailand. then you walk. And walk. and walk. you will pass hawkers, magazines stands, hotels and even casinos before you reach the Cambodian immigration to enter Cambodia for real. It's warped. But really fun. It'll be good to make a couple of friends here now. But of cos if you have money to spend then it's not a problem.
7) once out of the Cambodian immigration, some people will tell you that you need to take a FREE shuttle to the bus station, where you will find buses and cabs to Siem Reap. This is where we got scammed. The right way : Just out of the immigration, you just need to walk a little further on, don't board the shuttle. You'll find cabs waiting a little further up. One entire cab costs 60USD to Siem Reap, each cab can take 4 passengers. If you're all Asian you can probably tell them 5. But if there's a european or American amongst you, they'll tell you 4 only. It's the way things go there. This is a 3-4 hour ride all the way to Siem Reap. The wrong way: we boarded the shuttle, went to the bus station and were surrounded by all their people. They insisted on 90USD per cab at first. After some bargaining 80USD... and they started to surround us. We and two friends we made at the immigration agreed then. So if you don't mind that 20USD then... it doesn't matter.
(** they deal in USD there. their own currency is used as "coins")
8) The ride into Siem Reap The 3 hour ride is super bumpy, thanks to the roads which weren't maintained... you could actually fly off the road. haha And it was fun riding on a road with no lane markings and no traffic lights at junctions. Very exciting when you see a huge lorry charging right at you and your cabbie drives out onto the grass.
9) You'll reach Siem Reap at about 6pm. We stayed at a Guesthouse called Rosy Guest House and Western Bar. It's run by Aussies. Very clean, very friendly. I've heard of people having their stuff stolen at other places. Or overcharged even after they'd agreed on the price. So be careful where you go.
One of the places we ate was at Siem Reap Cafe. Prices are ok, the food was nice and the service was fantastic. The day we left, we had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and wanted to buy sandwiches the night before as breakfast the next morning. The owner wouldn't allow it. He prepared our breakfast at 5 am in the morning in time for our flight and made sure we had it fresh. He usually opens at 10am....
One little thing before you head up to Ang Kor Watt, get a guidebook and read a little before you go. :) you'll enjoy it much more.
Endoh would be referring to me. yes. We visited Earle's together with Feizhu and Claudia on that fateful Sunday.
Ambience - pretty nice. A bright place overlooking the sea. Of course you'll see many of PSA's cranes at the side but it doesn't really spoil the view. They have jazz playing in the background. It's more of a family place. Looks better than the normal deary-looking Swensen's though.
Food - Cajun Salmon Fillet and Chocolate Fondue (For the other items, please read the other reviews)
The Cajun Salmon Fillet was a had a slice of FRIED salmon in a sweet chilli sauce. The salmon was dry and the frying made the salmon lose its taste. So the inside was virtually tasteless. The sweet sauce wasn't fantastic either. It was strangely sweet with no chilli taste. The mashed potato it came with was too watery and mashy.
The Chocolate Fondue which we ordered (no thanks to me) was pretty normal really. We didn't get to choose the flavours of the ice cream though, which was a downer. It came with the standard five flavours - chocolate, strawberry, Choc mint, Mocha and cookies and cream. There was enough for 3 people to share.
The service was a little too slow for my liking. There weren't many people. The servers would walk a huge round to get to our table instead of walking here directly. I have no idea why but I caught them doing it twice.
UNO Beef House is one of my favourite place for western food! I believe they are famous for their steaks, but since I'm no steak lover I can't give any steaky recommendations.
But their fish & chips and chicken chops are excellent! Portion is large and prices are reasonable (around $4.50 and above).
It helps that they are so near my home. :) Highly recommended if you happen to be free to drop by.
1=SGD 0.0587
GV Vivocity expecially GV Max is my top choice when going to the movies.
Reasons being:
1. Loved the large leg space. Dun have the feeling of being cramped any more.
2. Large screen. Jz loved it! Haa...
3. Great sound system.
4. The layout of the cinema. Spacious and wide! Do not have the feeling of like being in a very cramped place.
5. Many ticket counters and snack counters as well.
The only thing I dun like is the exit point of the cinemas, tend to led out all the way out of vivocity and need to make a loop to go back to the shopping centre again.
Rating given:
Another vote on the bad back rest. The angle is awkward. And it gave me an aching neck after just a short 100 minutes show.
But the other Yebbers are definitely right about the spacious seats and the clean (but which cinema isn't clean while it's new?) comfy feel.
I still prefer The Cathay. :)
Rating given:
I had the impression that Pet's Lovers Centre was this chain store thing that was really expensive and un-feeling about pets because they generally do not sell pets (except in Simei).
But I was pleasantly surprised on my recent visit there last week. Was there to look for some stuff for my Rabbit and wasn't quite sure which litter pan to get as there was quite a few to choose from. The salesperson who approached me was very friendly and he shared with me his experiences with HIS rabbit. He gave me plenty of nice tips on what I can do to resolve my problem too. Showed me some stuff but did do any hard-selling.
The variety in the store is quite wide and they are willing to order stuff in if they do not have it at the moment.
Price-wise, I was surprised to find that they are cheaper than my regular pet-shop. About a dollar cheaper for my rabbit's food.
Will probably be buying from them regularly. :)
Rating given:
Oosh is a Japanese Restaurant located at Dempsey Road. It also serves up some fusion fare and western stuff. After some recommendations from friends, I decided to try it out.
It's been sectioned into different places
The Bar - Alfresco Bar overlooking the Garden
The Cellar - where you find fine wine and mingle
Yen Dining - the conventional Jap Restie with the sushi counter
The Roof - for chillin
The Trellis - Enclosed little enclaves in the open area
The Terrace - A Pavilion for finger food tastin
The Lookout - A platform where you can see the entire place
The Garden - Alfresco dining area
The Deck - for functions
All the places are tastefully decorated and very cosy looking. Ambience is superb whether you're there on a date or for a gathering or even a casual dinner with clients.
The Garden Experience
Out in the open, save for some bugs around, it was very nice dining under the stars and warm cosy lighting.
The Food : Garlic Shrimp, Stewed Oxtail, Sausage Pasta and Yuzu Sorbet.
The Garlic Shrimp was a tad bland for my taste. It wasn't even as well presented as it looked in the menu. Definitely not worth ordering.
My Sausage Pasta was average with little bits of garlic which didn't quite help in the taste. It wasn't bad either. But it could've been my cooking on a good day.
My companion commented that the Stewed Oxtail was just average as well. He's definitely had better ones.
The one thing that we loved was the Yuzu Sorbet. Well me more than him. A delightful dessert to end an average meal.
The Service: Pretty slow really. Was it too dark that they couldn't see us waving? The food only came after a couple of reminders and smiles were really few and far between.
The damage : about $70 for the two of us. A little ex for average food but if you consider the great ambience, I guess it's alright.
Conclusion: Not sure if I would go back. Maybe for chilling and drinks but not for food. :)
The damage :
Rating given:
Value for money buffet...
After a whole day without food, we went to Sakura for buffet dinner. Each pax $28 7%gst on weekends and $26 7%gst on weekdays. Price wise, its considered one of the cheapest buffet around. Serving quite a wide spread of Japanese food (sushi, sashimi, tempura, tepanyaki etc), Dim Sum, Chinese cooked food and yummy cakes.
We've been there many times for their high-tea buffet which consists of just sushi and sashimi. This was our first for their dinner. And we were satisfied with the entire experience. The food is good (not very good), taste wise still alright (after eating that much, the taste just blended) and the choices were alright for the price.
Can take a peep at what they serve in the photos I've uploaded. These are just 1/3 of what they have there.
Rating given:
Shoppers Rainbow is a local blogstore selling fashion from Taiwan and such. Their site is well-kept and comprehensive. They also organise sprees and allow pre-orders on items.
Although they don't have a very wide variety of items ( I expect them to "expand" soon) but their replies to tags and emails are very prompt. They are also very polite and make an effort to update their customers or taggers regularly. I think in terms of service that's good. They also do not give information which they are unsure of to unsure that no one is unhappy. :) Great people!. Do pay them a visit. :)
Rating given:
I love GV@ Vivo too! But the rest are absolutely right. You definitely need to make bookings to get your tickets. I love GVmax with it's ultra wide screen.
It's always bustling with people so if you want to get popcorn and stuff you'd better be there early. I love the seating with plenty of leg room.
It's never too cold. and the food is always cooked. (i've eaten hotdogs which aren't before and had food poisoning.)
I have one major gripe though. There only one restroom with 3 lousy cubicles. On weekends it can really be hell queuing before a movie. ANNNDD if you are watching at GV max you would have to go in to the other side for the restroom.. come out again to enter into GVmax on the other side. URGH... Why can't they have more loos! Can you imagine if you had to go in the middle of a movie.
Oh yes one more gripe.. one of the cinema exits.. lets us out into unfamiliar place... and I got really lost trying to look for our car. haiz.
Rating given:
Oo Siem Reap with its famous Ang Kor Wat
This is something that I think everyone should try. I was there recently (well not so recent) and we went to Thailand first. After which we took a train to cross the border to Siem Reap. Here's how it goes.
1) In Bangkok, take a cab or tutuk to Hualamphong Train Station. should take more than 150 baht by cab.
2)You have to take the 5.55am train to Aranyaprathet, the train station at the Eastern border of Thailand. Please be early and reach about 5.30am. This is so that you can get a seat which faces the front of the train. There are actually two train times for this train travelling to the border but you have to take this one if want to make it to the border before the office closes. (yes it closes) It's a 6 hour train ride, so buy some food stuffs to eat on board. You wouldn't want to buy from the hawkers peddling up and down the train. Trust me.
3) On the train you will pass by many many towns... and it will get crowded along the way especially if it's close to a public holiday and people travel back to their villages. You'll even get to see train stations which are just ONE POLE in the middle of nowhere. The train master will come on much later in the trip. Pretty near Aranyaprathet...
4) Here's the tough part. When you get out you need to take a tutuk to the real border. Rem, this is just the train station near the border. You need to get to immigration at the border. It'll only take 30 baht. Don't settle for anything more. They will hustle for up to 100baht just for that 5-10 min ride. Also, here you will find people wear official uniforms tell you that you need a visa. Singaporeans DON'T NEED. So don't get scared and pay them the money. This would be the first of scams along the way, which makes it exciting isn't it?
5) The tutuk will bring you to the border where you might meet more persistant "officials". Remember to be polite with rejected these scammers. Even if you do not have a Singaporean Passport and require a visa, it's only 25 baht at the Cambodian Border and can be done immediately. These "officials" claim that it takes 3 days and they want 30-50baht.
6) Here you will get your passport stamped to prove that you are leaving Thailand. then you walk. And walk. and walk. you will pass hawkers, magazines stands, hotels and even casinos before you reach the Cambodian immigration to enter Cambodia for real. It's warped. But really fun. It'll be good to make a couple of friends here now. But of cos if you have money to spend then it's not a problem.
7) once out of the Cambodian immigration, some people will tell you that you need to take a FREE shuttle to the bus station, where you will find buses and cabs to Siem Reap. This is where we got scammed.
The right way : Just out of the immigration, you just need to walk a little further on, don't board the shuttle. You'll find cabs waiting a little further up. One entire cab costs 60USD to Siem Reap, each cab can take 4 passengers. If you're all Asian you can probably tell them 5. But if there's a european or American amongst you, they'll tell you 4 only. It's the way things go there. This is a 3-4 hour ride all the way to Siem Reap.
The wrong way: we boarded the shuttle, went to the bus station and were surrounded by all their people. They insisted on 90USD per cab at first. After some bargaining 80USD... and they started to surround us. We and two friends we made at the immigration agreed then. So if you don't mind that 20USD then... it doesn't matter.
(** they deal in USD there. their own currency is used as "coins")
8) The ride into Siem Reap
The 3 hour ride is super bumpy, thanks to the roads which weren't maintained... you could actually fly off the road. haha And it was fun riding on a road with no lane markings and no traffic lights at junctions. Very exciting when you see a huge lorry charging right at you and your cabbie drives out onto the grass.
9) You'll reach Siem Reap at about 6pm. We stayed at a Guesthouse called Rosy Guest House and Western Bar. It's run by Aussies. Very clean, very friendly. I've heard of people having their stuff stolen at other places. Or overcharged even after they'd agreed on the price. So be careful where you go.
One of the places we ate was at Siem Reap Cafe. Prices are ok, the food was nice and the service was fantastic. The day we left, we had to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and wanted to buy sandwiches the night before as breakfast the next morning. The owner wouldn't allow it. He prepared our breakfast at 5 am in the morning in time for our flight and made sure we had it fresh. He usually opens at 10am....
One little thing before you head up to Ang Kor Watt, get a guidebook and read a little before you go. :) you'll enjoy it much more.
View more pictures here! Click click
If that cannot be clicked do copy and paste this to view the pictures.
http://brainybimbo.blogspot.com/2006/12/blog-post.html
Rating given:
Endoh would be referring to me. yes. We visited Earle's together with Feizhu and Claudia on that fateful Sunday.
Ambience - pretty nice. A bright place overlooking the sea. Of course you'll see many of PSA's cranes at the side but it doesn't really spoil the view. They have jazz playing in the background. It's more of a family place. Looks better than the normal deary-looking Swensen's though.
Food - Cajun Salmon Fillet and Chocolate Fondue
(For the other items, please read the other reviews)
The Cajun Salmon Fillet was a had a slice of FRIED salmon in a sweet chilli sauce. The salmon was dry and the frying made the salmon lose its taste. So the inside was virtually tasteless. The sweet sauce wasn't fantastic either. It was strangely sweet with no chilli taste. The mashed potato it came with was too watery and mashy.
The Chocolate Fondue which we ordered (no thanks to me) was pretty normal really. We didn't get to choose the flavours of the ice cream though, which was a downer. It came with the standard five flavours - chocolate, strawberry, Choc mint, Mocha and cookies and cream. There was enough for 3 people to share.
The service was a little too slow for my liking. There weren't many people. The servers would walk a huge round to get to our table instead of walking here directly. I have no idea why but I caught them doing it twice.
Not worth the buck, in my opinion.
Rating given:
UNO Beef House is one of my favourite place for western food! I believe they are famous for their steaks, but since I'm no steak lover I can't give any steaky recommendations.
But their fish & chips and chicken chops are excellent! Portion is large and prices are reasonable (around $4.50 and above).
It helps that they are so near my home. :) Highly recommended if you happen to be free to drop by.
Rating given: