Singapore (Office) Revisited

I worked out of our Singapore office for two and a half years, but since I moved back to the Philippines three years ago, I didn't have any reason to come back for work, until last week that is.

I was very happy to stay in the newly opened Park Hotel on Alexandra Road.
As you can see in this picture, it's right beside Ikea... so that means it's
fairly easy to sneak in some shopping after work, and believe me, I did!

It only opened two months ago, so everything is new, and it's now fairly close to our new office, which used to take me an hour by bus (or SG$15) by cab to get to from where I used to live in the center of town.

But the other best part is, it's right across Anchorpoint Mall!!!
I took this photo from the lobby while we were getting checked-in.

Anchorpoint Mall remains to be one of my favorite stops when I'm in Singapore because it has a few outlet shops of stores I actually buy from. You can read my post on it here, but some stores have closed - like Cotton-On Kids, but other stores have opened, like the Typo Outlet Store, one of my favorite Stationary (Useless Stuff you absolutely need to own) Stores.

They have a nice pool, so Sof would love to come with me when she's on
vacation.

Alexandra Road Intersection, View from my Room
When I'm impatient, I don't hesitate to jump on a bus instead of wait around for
 a cab, then I get off on the nearest bus stop and walk so the shopping can begin.

Breakfast, which is included in the room rate, is yummy too!
Aside from the regular hot dishes, fruit and muesli bar, they have freshly
baked bread, creme de marron spread (my French landlady will be impressed)
and Egg Spa to keep the soft boiled eggs ready to eat at the right temperature.

At the office

One of the things I enjoyed was getting FREE Ben&Jerry's
Ice Cream and coffee from the B&J Cafe!
They used to make us pay for this when I worked here!!!
I probably spent quite a fortune here for 1.5 years!

Another highlight was getting Salted Egg Chicken from the food court,
until I finished the whole thing and realized there's a reason why I didn't
food court food. Yummy, but unhealthy x10!
You can call the dish Salted Egg Deep Fried Breading, but that didn't stop me
from eating it. Hahaha. Back to Cedele and Astons for me next time.

For late dinner (after I was able to shop), it's always good to meet up with
Anson. (Photo Credit: Anson's Canon G7x) 

He recommended Mak's Noodle, a famous wanton noodle place from HK,
which newly opened in Singapore.

Since the wanton noodles were a bit on the too-healthy side,
I ordered this deadly peanut butter brownie from Starbucks to compensate.

Always great catching up with the old boss!

For dinner on our second night, I brought Karl to Fat Cow, one of my
favorite steak places in Singapore, you can read my post on it here,
but it's still best to come at lunch to enjoy the foie gras and wagyu donburi!

Some tips if you visit Fat Cow for dinner, the fat rice is just SG$1 less than the foie gras, so it's a no brainer, go for the foie gras instead and order white rice, we really didn't taste the fat anyway.

On our last day, we had to rush through our meetings so we could catch our flights, so lunch was at the airport.

I was happy I finally got to eat Roast Duck which I've been craving for
since our Hong Kong trip because they ran out of stock at the HK airport.

I went for the birds, while Karl went for the pork. Our lunch was SG$57!
Tai Hing HK Roasts was ok, but I found it extremely expensive for Singapore,
when you can get the same at the Kopi Tiam - or the hawker stalls.
So you really are captive market at Changi.

That was a good 3 days back for work. Singapore still feels like home - made even better with free Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, everyday if you wish. just saying.

I'm on the fence about Dim Dim Sum in Hong Kong

On our last trip to Hong Kong, which you can read about here, Sof and I only stayed for the weekend, so I wanted to try a combination of new places and old favorites.

So for our first Dimsum brunch, we opted to try Dim Dim Sum in Causeway Bay (though in reality closer to Wanchai) instead of doing the usual Maxim's Dimsum brunch, you can read about our last visit to Maxim's here.

Surprisingly, when we got to this Dim Dim Sum branch, there was no line. (That in itself, may be scary, since all good DimSum places I know, you need to line up for.)

Though this large sign sort of makes you feel better.
But take note, this is cover is from 2012.

When we arrived, we had the entire second floor to ourselves.
But in fairness, guests did start trickling in.

One big difference between this place and Maxim's is here, you order from the menu/ list, while in Maxim's once you secure your table (after lining up! yes! even if you arrive before the doors open, you need to line up), the dim sum carts start going around so you can immediately start eating.

In our case, the first thing we ordered, because everyone was hungry was 6 baskets of Xiao Long Bao with truffles. Then we looked at the menu to compliment that.

Tito Noel and Fi with matching grey shirts while waiting
for our food.

Our food started coming, and I must say, they serve the Best Shrimp
ChongFan (left) I've ever had. It has crispy bits in it, but I don't know what it was. 

Their HaKaw or Shrimp dumplings were also very good.

The skin was so thin, you could see the shrimp chunks inside.

The vegetable dumplings were okay. I still prefer the ones from the DimSum
place in Tin Hau.

The Pork Siomai were also good.

Unfortunately, our dim sum brunch experience started to go bad when all the food was gone, and our 6 baskets of Xiao Long Bao still haven't arrived. When we followed it up, it seemed as if we needed to order it again, though I am sure it was captured in our first order, because one of the servers came to confirm that we were ordering 6 baskets. There was even some argument on whether we were really ordering 6. After a long wait, 2 baskets of Xiao Long Bao finally arrived. 6 pieces in total.

It was actually a blessing in disguise that they screwed up our order because
THESE ARE THE WORST XIAO LONG BAO I've ever had!
Let's even forget for a moment, there should be an added bonus of truffle. 

I have never seen Xiao Long Bao that wrinkled, from a place that's part (or has been part) of the world's best 101 places to eat no less. The wrappers were soggy and sticky, so once you carefully lift it up from the basket, half the bottom is stuck to the paper, so goodbye to what little soup is there anyway. It was such a bad note to end our dimsum brunch on that I totally have to remind myself that the first few dishes were good.

I'm not really sure if this is place I will visit again, but if you do, make sure you skip the Xiao Long Bao. You will have a totally different experience, guaranteed. just saying.


Dim Dim Sum
G/F, 7 Tin Lok Lane
Wan Chai

3 Day Paris Itinerary for repeat visits

Singapore Airlines currently has an offer for discounted tickets, Paris included, for travel next year and I am so tempted to book flights for Sofia and myself.

I really love Paris. I try to go back every year if I can, though unfortunately, I've only managed to bring Sofia once because she either has school, or I'm just too lazy to apply for a visa for her as mine is still valid. Though I want her to travel to Europe more, on the off chance that she might decide she wants to study and live there in the future!

Here is what I normally do when I visit Paris for a short trip.

Montmartre

I normally stay in the Montmartre area, so the Sacre Couer, and the pattisseries and fromageries along Rue Lepic is just a hop and a skip away.

Marsh

3rd and 4th Arrondissements on the Right Bank of the Seine

The Marais has a lot of posh looking Vintage Stores, though I really don't
know who their market is for LV and Chanel at those prices.
The second hand stores selling by the KiloKilo are also in the Marais.

Walk along the Seine 

There's a lot to see from the Louvre and D'Orsay Museums to Notre Dame and Saint Michel

There was some sort of demonstration in front of
Saint Michel.

I was only confident enough to get close and take a photo because I saw
there was police watching them from across the street.

Walk from Jardin de Tuileries to Tour Eiffel

Scenic walk with great view of Place dela Concorde, Madeleine, Arc de Triomphe, Tour Eiffel, etc

Paris Food Favorites (not in any particular order)

Breizh Cafe for the Best Crepes!

Reservations required, or try your luck at the epicerie beside which serves the same menu.

You can read more about Breizh Cafe here.

GROM
One of the best gelato places in Italy.
You can ignore this one if you're planning to go, but totally great to have it in Paris if you're not.
You can read about the best gelato places in Florence here.

STEAK
For the Best Steak Frites (secret sauce included), visit Le Relais de l'Entrecote
You can read my post on that here.

For the Best Steak (quality and value), visit Atelier Vivanda, a Michelin Bib Gourmand.
You can read my post on that here.

FATTY LIVER 

For everything Foie Gras, Au Petit Sud Ouest is the place to go. Reservations Required.

You can read about that here.

Cholesterol Heaven
Goat Cheese Salad with Pan Seared Foie Gras cooked with Truffle

Another place I want to call out for Foie Gras is L'Avant Comptoir, for their exceptional Foie Gras Broschette. You can read about that here.

Leon's for the best mussels, cooked any way you prefer!

You can read my post on Leon de Bruxelles here.

For Sweets 

Angelina for Chocolat Chaud and pastries, you can read about that here.

For Macarons, Pierre Herme is the best - hands down!

You can read my review vs Laduree here.

For Traditional French Food, we really enjoyed Wepler.
You can read my post on that here.

Though, I've heard about Les Cocottes, and it's on my to try list for next trip.

 ...and ironically, McDonald's makes it to the list if we need a quick lunch, or if they have a nice Happy Meal toy for Sof.

Shopping
I always try to visit La Vallee Village in Val d'Europe (RER A - one stop before Parc Disneyland).
They are open on Sundays - when all the other stores are closed.

The first thing I do is visit the Customer Service Booth, to pick up discount
coupons which they give to members. Remember to sign up online before coming.

The advantage of visiting La Vallee Village not on a Sunday, is you can pass through the shopping mall to get there.

They have a big toy store where I was able to buy a crepe
maker which has come in very handy.
You can read about it here.

I also thought it was interesting to see Nail Polish vending machines.

They also have Hema, the wasteland of cute stuff, in this mall.
You can read about Hema here.

If you're only in Paris for a few days, and don't really have any specific thing in mind to buy, the easiest way to shop for the higher end brands is to visit the Grand Magasins. In the Opera - Haussman Area, you have Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.

You can also visit Le Bon Marche, if you're on the other side of the city.

On the more affordable edge of the spectrum, Primark finally has opened in Paris, but it's just a bit far by Metro (imagine going to the end of line 8). However, it's still a good option to get your Primark fix, if you don't plan to visit London. The good thing is Primark is located in a mall where there are other nice shops, so it's worth travelling the distance.

For my staples, I normally stock up on Galette Bretonnes, Palmiers, and Nespresso Capsules! Nespresso Capsules are more than 50%

And sucker for a sale that I am, I normally buy the big box to get the free.
Last trip, I got the capsule holder and a set of espresso cups!

My luggage sort of looks like a grocery cart. Hahaha.

Some other totally French things I can't resist including...

Beware of the old Metro trains.
You need to open the door yourself by twisting the knob.

I never can resist checking out the real estate agencies renting -
and selling apartments. I want one someday!

Writing this post has helped me decide. I'm going back to Paris with Sofia next year. just saying.

à bientôt!