Latte Art

While we were trying to pass the time at Orchard, Ronald had this idea of going to a coffee shop other than Starbucks and Coffee Bean. He suggested we go to a coffee place where there's latte art.



My first actual encounter with it would have to be when we went to Spinelli and Ronald was served his green tea latte below.



I honestly don't know where to go so we Googled it up and saw that Jones the Grocer at Mandarin Gallery serves their coffee that way.







Liking what we saw, we looked up several latte art places and found out that the owner of Oriole at 313 was Singapore's best barista for 2010 so we headed there when Ronald went back to visit.







We weren't that impressed.

Ronald lucked out one time when he and his friends had coffee at Robert Timms. He sent me a photo of three coffee cups with the cutest teddy bears. We went there the day after, unfortunately, we were told that the barista was not familiar with complex latte art.





We went to the one at Wheelock on Ronald's last night here and was lucky that the barista there knows how to make an angry bird.



This photo was taken at Robert Timms at Somerset when I went back there this time with Em-J and Phoebe.



I certainly love coffee but the best part for me would have to be dessert!



Do any of you know where else to get latte art?

Orchard

On Oliver and Analyn's third day, we decided to stay at Orchard...well, we originally wanted to stay at Marina Bay Sands but apart from it being a bit expensive, Em-J didn't want to go there because he says it's nothing special and that the Sky Park is too crowded. Orchard is actually the best option since it's right smack the shopping district.

We stayed at the Royal Plaza on Scotts, home of the famous Carousel.

It was a simple room but I loved how friendly the staff were. The sheets were also lovely plus everything in the fully stocked mini bar is free, how very generous of them. Security is a bit strict since key cards are required in the elevator. 

Clarice was starting to feel lazy and just wanted to order in at McDonald's. Lol! We walked along Orchard and eventually decided to have lunch at Takashimaya's newly renovated Food Village. For dessert, Em-J suggested Maggie Moo's at 313. 

We saw an outdoor art exhibit on our way to 313. Orchard Road is always interesting, you never know what to expect next. 

After dessert, we decided to head back to the hotel but we chanced upon Night Safari's Halloween Promo at ION. 

By this time, it was already a bit too late to head back to the hotel so we decided to go straight to Lau Pa Sat for dinner. 

Interesting, I only found out when we went there that you're not allowed to sit outside if you don't order any satay. Nobody really wanted those from our group but we were left with no choice. 

After the filling dinner, we headed back to Royal Plaza. Oliver wanted to swim which was not part of our plan. None of us brought a proper swimming attire but the hotel staff still graciously allowed us to use the pool wearing our regular shorts.

I can't say how much I loved the hotel. I do have one complaint, the white macaron that I bought from Carousel, supposedly a White Chocolate Truffle tasted like garlic. The rest were wonderful though.

Singapore with Good Friends

Our friends, Oliver and Analyn came by to visit again. They arrived late Wednesday night so there was really nothing to do after picking them up at the airport but head home and sleep. We had quite a late start the following day.

We waited for Em-J and Analyn, Em-J went to SingTel early to try getting his hands on an iPhone 4 while Analyn was coming over from her brother's where she spent the night.

After having their separate interviews, Oliver told us that he wanted to avoid all places hot which didn't leave us with a lot of options. We decided to just head to the cinema and watch a movie.

For lunch, I took them to, in my opinion, the best Food Republic in Singapore, the one in 313. (The one in Vivo City would've been on top of my list if only it wasn't always crowded). Most people prefer the one in Wisma Atria but I actually hate it there. It's too cramped and dark. I like this particular one because it's spacious and clean. It doesn't feel as if you're eating at a food court.

Oliver wanted some fried rice but I really don't know where to get one at the food court except for the economic rice that I love. 

He proceeded to order for all of us while I headed to get my all time favorite shrimp rice rolls and some custard at Fortunate for our appetizer and dessert. 

After the late lunch, we headed to Cathay to get tickets for Devil. We then visited Rockstar, a store I also love. They have items that are unique. It is very spacious and most important of all, the sales staff let you be. 

We then proceeded to the cinema lobby while waiting for the movie to start. 

After the movie, we proceeded to Funan to get both their netbooks. We then had dinner at Hand Burger. We all ordered the original burger since it was all our first time there. I liked the buns the most. The burger was also good but the side dishes could sure use a bit more flavor. 

It was a day well spent, lots of good food with good friends.