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.

Tapa King

Em-J told me that he''ll be having a late dinner at Lau Pa Sat to try the newly opened Tapa King. I heard about the news that a branch is opening soon a couple of weeks back. When I told a friend about it, he was a bit doubtful since they mostly serve beef which he felt would isolate some of the market here. I guess he's wrong since the target market is just us pinoys. I asked Em-J to take home a meal for us which he did. (He dropped it off at home before heading out again.)

We all made an exception today and feasted on the simple meal despite the late hour. I love Tapa King!

Now that Tapa King is here, can a comeback from Jollibee be far behind? 

Battle of the Hawker Centres

Hawker Centres are very much part of Singapore culture that a trip here would be incomplete without paying a visit to at least one. Two of the most popular hawker centres here are Newton Circus and Lau Pa Sat. We normally frequent Newton Circus since it is closest to where we stay.

Newton Food Centre

Based on our experience, the usual practice at Newton is stall owners approach you, get you a table and provide you with a laminated menu and you order away. After your meal, the owner then informs you of your total bill. No receipt has ever been given to us nor were we ever given a breakdown. We have never questioned this practice and we always felt that paying an average of $35 per person is pretty cheap for fresh seafood. It's not as if we eat out here all the time. I guess splurging once in a while is okay.

The last time we visited Newton, there were prominently displayed comic strips encouraging patrons to go to the stall itself, check the price of each item and order there. I later found out that one stall was suspended for 3 months for overcharging their customer. Click here for article. We ordered cereal prawns, shark's fin soup, squid, fried buns and medium rice plus lime juice. The bill for the three of us came to about $120.


Since Clarice was visiting over, we wanted to take her to Newton but Em-J's friends warned us about it and told us to head to Lau Pa Sat instead.

Lau Pa Sat

I've only been to Lau Pa Sat once and that was to eat at Happy V, formerly Jolly V, so I haven't tried their Singaporean dishes yet.  I'm always game for an adventure so last night, we headed there after work. We got there at dinner time and immediately managed to get a table. None of us were in the mood for crabs so we settled for cereal prawns, large rice, chilli kang kong, a set of chicken and beef satay plus drinks. The total bill for four was $65. Food was just as good; I even found the cereal prawns to be better than the ones that we normally order at Newton. 

I guess you can say we've already made our decision. The next time we're craving for cereal prawns or chilli crabs, Lau Pa Sat it is.