This is an extremely late post.

One of the freebies from Earl's former office were free tickets to the Singapore Zoo. We never got around to availing them until his last day at work.

At first, Earl wasn't too keen on going as he thought our daughter was too young to appreciate it. At one year and seven months, Hannah enjoyed looking at the smaller animals, but completely zoned out when it came to the shows, and looking at the elephants, and tigers (the big mammals).

She also fell asleep midway through the zoo, and due to the heat, we decided to just go home instead of checking out the other attractions. We're thinking now that we'll bring her back once she's a bit older and can actually go through the whole area in one day.

Char

Right now I feel like I just want to mindlessly munch on Char's Butter Chicken. I've passed by this restaurant before as it's just a two minute walk from the apartment, but never even thought of stepping foot inside. It wasn't until a friend suggested that we have lunch here that I got to try them out and now I think I'm in love!

Butter Chicken (SGD 14)

The star of the show is actually their Char Siew, which was good, but I just can't get enough of their Butter Chicken. I've since had it many times and have yet to tire of the taste. Truth be told, I liked everything I've eaten here including the vegetables.

Special Char Siew 100g (SGD 6)

Three Treasures (SGD 14)

Chinese spinach cooked in a delicious broth with salted egg, century egg and egg

And the best part is, I don't have to miss any of this because they recently opened a branch here in Manila!

For those in Singapore, the place is usually packed during lunch so it would be best to make a reservation beforehand.

Ollella

Many stores have come and gone in the four years that we lived on Petain Road, and I was never really interested in any of them until Ollella opened shop. Named after the owners, sisters Marcella and Olivia, they mainly sell desserts - luckily for me. But as someone who has tasted everything on their regular choux menu, I can attest that not only do they taste good, they also look great! (I wish I had a picture of their packaging as I loved that too.)

It was so convenient to have them downstairs especially when we needed to give a gift. I would just call and our order would be ready for pick-up by the time we got out the apartment's main door.

Though there's one thing on their menu that I really loved - the Smoked Salmon Choux (SGD 7.50).

For me, this particular choux has the perfect balance of sweet and salty, soft and crunchy. And the only thing that kept me from eating it everyday was the fact my wallet would suffer greatly along with my weight.

Here's hoping they will still be around by the time we go back to Singapore for a visit.

Choupinette

We once had an early morning appointment at Coronation Plaza so I decided to search for a place nearby where we could have breakfast. Luckily, Choupinette was just across the street.

On our first visit, we ordered the Eggs Royal's (not sure why it's spelled with an apostrophe) which Earl and I both liked. Their brunch sets are quite generous with the drinks as it comes with two beverages - one cold and one hot. For me, this is great if you're having a leisurely meal as I couldn't finish both drinks due to time constraints.

We so enjoyed our breakfast that we said we would come back. But since Choupinette is a 15 minute cab ride from our apartment, and the fact there's nothing suitable for our baby to eat (she throws up with anything that contains eggs), it took us a few months to return. We finally got around to it when my sister, Katrina, came to visit.

Earl got The Tristan's which was just okay (your usual breakfast sausage) while I ordered the Eggs Royal's again. Though after tasting what Katrina ate (Le croque-monsieur), I wish I had gotten that instead. My meal was still good, but my sister's order was better. Well, this will just give us another reason to come back.

Eggs Royal's (SGD 26+)

Eggs on toast with smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce + any fruit juice + any hot coffee or hot tea or hot chocolate

Le croque-monsieur, poulet or vegetarien (SGD 19.90+)

Grilled sandwich with a choice of ham, chicken or eggplant with emmental cheese and bechamel sauce

The Tristan's (SGD 24+)

Scrambled, poached or fried eggs with pork or chicken sausage, mushrooms, a "tomate provençale" and a wholemeal bread roll with butter + any fruit juice + any hot coffee or hot tea or hot chocolate

The restaurant itself is small (can be cramped) but cozy and they only accept reservations during weekends for groups of six or more. So, if you do end up waiting for a table, you can either shop (they also sell cheese and freshly baked goods) or pop by the German Market Place next door to pass the time.

The Ultimate Crab Feast

Either I read about it once the promo had ended or they were already fully booked. So after what seemed like ages, I was finally able to try out Plaza Brasserie’s annual crab buffet! So, was it worth the wait?

On the day we were there, they had Cereal Crab, Salted Egg Crab, Black Pepper Crab, Curry Crab, Steamed Crab with Dang Gui, Honey Rock Sugar Crab, and Chilli Crab. But despite having all these options, I've discovered that I like my crustaceans just steamed with lemon butter sauce (or soy sauce with calamansi) and a lot of crab fat.

The rest of the buffet was what I would call "low-key" as the dishes were simple and not overflowing. It kind of made me feel that since they were serving all-you-can-eat crabs, they decided to skimp on the rest of the menu.

So if you love crab meat and will focus mainly on that, then yes it's worth it. But if you're also looking for crab roe and a great overall buffet experience, then it may be better to look elsewhere.

The Ultimate Crab Feast will run until 23 August 2015.

Bella Pizza

We were at Robertson Quay to visit the Singapore Tyler Print Institute as they have free guided tours every Saturday. But since the tour starts at 1 PM, we decided to have lunch first at Bella Pizza just a few doors down.

Fagottino Di Bufala (SGD 21)

Buffalo mozzarella and fresh tomatoes, wrapped in Parma ham

This is something I definitely want to re-create at home! The combination of the salty ham with the creamy cheese and the sweet tomatoes made me think that sharing wasn't such a good thing...

Pizza Capricciosa (SGD 24)

Pizza with tomato, mozzarella, mushroom, cooked ham and artichokes

Let's just put it this way - this was better than the pizzas we've had over at Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza.

Pannacotta (SGD 9)

Custard served with strawberry sauce

The end to our meal wasn't that sweet as their pannacotta didn't quite make the grade. The custard was almost bland and the sauce was not to my taste.

But overall, this is a great place for those craving Italian and I definitely see repeat visits in our future.

Chatterbox

Chatterbox is famous for their chicken rice. So when my friend Merly came to visit recently, I decided that it was the perfect time to see what the fuss was all about.

Satay (SGD 18)

I have yet to encounter bad satay here in Singapore and this was no exception. Maybe I'm just not picky or anything that's dipped in peanut sauce is always good with me.

Crispy Baby Squid (SGD 16)

Good squid and I wouldn't mind going back to order this again! Jumbo Seafood also serves a version of this dish, but in my opinion, this one tastes better. Note though that they placed an upturned lettuce leaf underneath so the squid is just on top, and it's hollow in the bottom.

Barley Water (SGD 9)

The usual price for a glass of barley in an air conditioned food court is SGD 1.80 (slightly less at open air hawker centers). Since it tastes the same as the cheaper versions, you'd think they could at least give a bigger glass (or make it refillable). I'll stick to asking for iced water on my next visit.

Chicken Rice (SGD 27)

Merly loved the rice and couldn't get enough of it. As for me, I felt there was nothing spectacular about the dish considering you can get the same taste for less than SGD 5 elsewhere.

Strictly Pancakes

Pancakes for lunch? Everyone I've brought here were initially skeptical, but completely converted after trying it just once.

Potatoes Leeking Cheese (SGD 12)

Two pancakes stuffed with potatoes, cheese and leek served with sautéed mushrooms and sour cream on the side

Our friend Celia ordered this and ended up returning to Strictly Pancakes with her husband Mic in tow. Looks can be deceiving though, as the serving size may seem normal, but it's actually very filling.

Garlic Buttered Prawns (SGD 15)

Medium stack served with prawns buttered generously with garlic and cherry tomato salad on the side

I love this! So much so that I've had it on three separate occasions and wouldn't mind ordering it again.

Tiramisu (SGD 13)

Kahlua infused Mascarpone cheese slathered over three fragrant chocolate pancakes and topped with chocolate flakes, vanilla ice cream and a dash of cocoa

I was too full to appreciate this, but then again I've never been fond of Tiramisu (this was Mom's meal).

The Pros and Cons of Living in Singapore

PROS

1. Safe. Anyone can walk alone at midnight and not have to fear for their lives.

2. Clean. Hardly any trash and no graffiti (you could get caned AND jailed for what others would call public art).

3. Efficient public transportation. Cars are not a necessity in the Lion City.

4. There are no hurricanes, tornadoes or flooding. The monsoon season is something you only see on TV.

5. Airline hub. You can fly non-stop to over 120 cities from Singapore and with six budget carriers operating here (Jetstar, Scoot, Air Asia, Tiger Airways, Lion Air, and Cebu Pacific), the travel possibilities are nearly endless.


CONS

1. Shopping is a bit on the expensive side. Except for electronics, you can get the same item for less in other countries.

2. Watching a movie? Popcorn with extra butter does not exist here (*sniff sniff*). And while we're at it, pizzas that are overloaded with toppings and oozing with cheese are hard to come by.

3. No such thing as cool weather. Even the Philippines has areas where you will need a sweater from December to February. For example, Manila has had temperatures as low as 18°C (64°F) and Baguio even lower at 8°C (46°F).

4. Big hips, big feet, big problem. In a land where over 90% of the women are slim AND during a time when skinny jeans are in vogue, I have to go to other countries to find something that will fit me. Oh, and many shoe brands don't stock the larger half sizes as the average seems to be a size 5. My feet are 8 ½ (or 9).

5. Dessert is just mildly sweet. I have a huge sweet tooth and I find that most of the desserts here are low on the sugar content. In the mood for a rich and gooey chocolate cake? What you'll likely get is a cake that's a tad bittersweet without much icing.

Fortunately, there's not a lot to complain about around here. Despite its size, there are many things you can do in the Little Red Dot, which is why it's my favorite city in Asia.

What are the things you like (or are not so fond of) about the country you live in?

Singapore: Around Our Block

I'm taking a page out of Expat Living magazine for this post. They have have a section called Street Talk where people describe the area in which they live. Let's start, shall we?

THE SPECIFICS

What street do you live on? Petain Road.

What does it mean? It's named after World War I French hero, Henry Philippe Petain. But due to the questionable decisions he made as Prime Minister in World War II, the French community has been campaigning to change the name of the road.

What's the name of your neighbourhood? Little India.

How long have you lived here? Almost two years.

Why here? Out of the six apartments we looked at, this was the only one that had an oven aside from being an extremely short walk to the mall, MRT station, AND the bus stop. It's so nice to have a movie theater just a few steps away.

THE SCENE

When you walk out of your place, the first thing you see is: Somme Road Playground.

The closest store (of any type) to your front door is: A coffee shop.

When you’re in need of a dose of culture, you: Walk around the block or go to Tekka Market.

Petain Road Terrace Houses

Tekka Market

If you’re missing home, you: Call Mom!

A mandatory stop for out-of-town guests is: Chinatown which is just seven minutes away via the MRT.

You’d swap houses in a second with: Nah, we really like this place.

A common myth about your neighborhood is: That the entire area is chaotic. This is true of the nearby Serangoon Road, but our side is pretty quiet.

If you’re ever woken up at an ungodly hour, it’s almost always due to: The birds during mating season - they are so much louder and earlier than our alarm clock...

THE SUPERLATIVES

Your hands-down favourite neighbourhood joint is: City Square Mall

You won’t find better local food than at: Hmmm... There are quite a few places that have been written about extensively - Swee Choon Dim Sum, Kok Kee Wanton Mee, and Sungei Road Laksa. Sadly, I've only tried the wanton mee (and it was good) which is ironic considering they are all walking distance from the apartment. Then again, I think it's precisely because they are near that I have yet to get around to them. Am I making sense?

We love a good bargain. The best deals in your neighbourhood are: Mustafa - the 24 hour department store, supermarket, bakery, pharmacy, money changer, electronics - you name it, they have it.

The most convenient thing about your building is: Aside from the location, the shops on the ground floor. I like knowing that I can easily grab dessert downstairs (great for unexpected guests).

Room for Dessert & The Little Prince Cafe

One thing you’d never change is: The park in front of our building.

But one thing you wouldn’t mind seeing go is: The construction site two doors down.

Why should your neighbourhood be featured in a guidebook? It already is =) Also, there are tons of interesting cafés in the area and the Hindu festival Thaipusam starts here.

The Tiramisu Hero & Windowsill Pies

Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple

What's your neighbourhood like?

Fort Siloso

One of the reasons why we chose to stay at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa was because it's next door to Fort Siloso.

As mentioned before, Earl loves anything related to World War II so this was definitely on our to-do list. We both enjoyed this tour and would recommend it to those who like history. I would suggest though that you board the tram at Beach Station so that you won't miss the interesting commentary as you drive through Sentosa island.