A friend and I went to PasarBella recently with the intention of just browsing. But faced with quite a few food shops, we could not help spend even just a little.

The first thing I did was to buy Après-Soleil from The Cheese Ark which turned out great eaten together with grapes, and Francine die Rundi which was perfect with Ritz crackers.

Our shared lunch consisted of ribs from Charly T's (SGD 23.54) - tasty but the meat wasn't too tender (it wasn't falling off the bone), and seafood paella from Le Patio (SGD 13.50) which Ember and I both enjoyed (I would not mind going back for this).

Another thing I would love to go back for are the macarons by Bonheur Patisserie. At SGD 3 each they are a little bigger than others I've seen, but I only ordered two flavours - butterscotch and mint chocolate chip - because originally I am not fond of macarons. Though after eating these, I've definitely changed my mind.

I also ordered a steak and mushroom pie from Nibbles by Rabbit Carrot Gun to bring home along with a salmon and potato quiche with sun dried tomatoes. The pie wasn't to our taste (needed salt), but Earl liked the quiche (then again he likes anything with potatoes).

Unfortunately, most of the photos here were taken before lunch and in my hunger, I forgot to take pictures of the items I actually bought.

Johor Premium Outlets

My mother-in-law was in town over a week ago and requested to see Malaysia. So we decided to bring her to the Johor Premium Outlets as it's only a short bus ride from here.

The place is also just a few minutes away from Legoland and uses the same bus so it's a very convenient day trip for anyone interested in going over the border.

I've been to outlet malls in the U.S. and I must say that if you plan to go bargain hunting, best to do it in the States as the prices here are rather steep. A pair of Nike shoes for example, range from MYR 169 to 209. Basically, MYR 169 is equivalent to SGD 70 or PHP 2334 which makes it cheaper than Singapore but more expensive than Manila or the U.S.

Ah, but then again prices in Singapore are really more expensive to begin with. My Mom found a bag she liked from Mango while window shopping at Orchard Road, but found the exact same bag in one of their Manila branches to be PHP 1000 less (SGD 30).

Another concern is that you have declare all items purchased from abroad and pay the corresponding tax (GST) once you reach Singapore. That lessens a bit of the savings any long term resident might be hoping to have.

Well, if you want things a little cheaper and can't go anywhere else at the moment, then the Johor Premium Outlets will do in the meantime. Also, the place reminds me so much of Alabang Town Center back home that I'll definitely return if only for the scenery.

UNIQLO in Manila

They opened yesterday and here's what the line looked like at around 3 PM today: