{ Taiwan Travelogue Part Two } Taipei Day 2: Jiufen & Jay Chou Fujiwara Tofu Shop

Posted on June 12, 2014 by missuschewy

Day 2 in Taipei saw us waking up early in the morning because we had planned to go to Jiufen (九份)! As mentioned in my previous post, we stayed at iTaipei Service Apartment which is located right above Taipei Main Station. It was really convenient for us.

Queuing to buy train tickets to Ruifang.

The express train journey took about an hour. It was raining when we reached Ruifang. 🙁 Waited for the public bus to take us up to Jiufen.

I had been to Jiufen at least 3 or 4 times and honestly, I don’t find this place interesting. Plus it always rains in Jiufen! 🙁 It was misterchewy’s idea to visit Jiufen again.

Stopped by Zhang Ji Traditional Fish Balls (張記傳統魚丸) for lunch.

Braised pork rice! These were quite good, although not exactly fantastic. The rice could definitely use more sweet soy sauce.

Their mixed balls soup was pretty awesome! My favourite was the cuttlefish ball.

We were so hungry that we ordered another bowl of braised pork rice and mixed balls soup to share 😛

Feeling kinda full already but we stopped by Lai Ah Po Yu Yuan (赖阿婆芋圆) for handmade taro balls. Heh.. I think I still prefer Blackball because it’s sweeter 😛

I was initially quite worried about going to Jiufen because I was quite sure that there wasn’t any nursing rooms there. Thankfully, misterchewy did some searching online and told me that we could take a 10 minute bus ride to Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park. Taiwan is really baby-friendly! This kinda place can also find nursing room. Really not bad!

The hubs bought this Agnes B bijoux bangle for me at Q Square shopping mall on our way back to our hotel! 😀

AHHHHHH! I can hardly contain my excitement! We had dinner at Jay Chou’s Fujiwara Tofu Shop!! It was really a dream come true for us Jay Chou fans! 😀 😀 😀

This photo was taken during closing time. There were only about 5 tables of customers that night. The location wasn’t that easy to find, imo.

If you don’t already know, this restaurant is named after the tofu shop owned by the characters played by Jay Chou and Anthony Wong (as his dad) in the popular movie, Initial D.

We randomly chose a place to sit but apparently we hit jackpot! Sat right next to the iconic Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86)! There was a mini one too! How cute 🙂 I suppose nobody sat there because it was near the entrance. Haha.

I was grinning from ear to ear the entire time we were there 😛

We bought an unopened bottle of Ramune soda (also known as marble soda) and brought it back to Singapore as a souvenir.

I might update this space again if I manage to find the receipt. Honestly, the food is mediocre but we didn’t regret at all! 🙂

HAHAHA. I swear it wasn’t my idea! 😛

It was an extremely memorable night for misterchewy and I. I know it sounds kinda funny but it was as though we could feel Jay Chou’s presence. LOL! We visited another of Jay’s restaurant two days later which will be featured soon! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

{ Taiwan Travelogue Part Two } Taipei Day 1: Ah Chung Mee Sua, Formosa Chang, iTaipei Service Apartment Review

Posted on June 10, 2014 by missuschewy

Hot on the heels of Part One of our Taiwan travelogue featuring our short stay in Cingjing, Part Two will be spilt into 4 mini posts because we spent 4 nights in Taipei. Hehe. As I had mentioned in my previous posts, misterchewy and I really enjoyed our two-night stay at Dreamtown Minsu (嵐山小鎮) because our room was comfortable and the people were very hospitable. My heartfelt gratitude to 二姐 who thought of an ingenious way to transport my frozen breast milk from Cingjing to Taipei. Will be sharing tips another time! 😉

Upon reaching Taipei, we left our luggage with the hotel concierge and immediately headed to Xi Men Ding for Ah Chung Mee Sua (阿宗麵線)! It’s a must eat each time we go to Taipei and this trip alone, we patronized Ah Chung thrice!

Salivating at the thought of a delicious piping hot bowl of mee sua with braised large pork intestines, topped with some garlic, chilli and vinegar! YUMS!

Look at that! The pork intestines were damn chewy! Ah Chung Mee Sua is legendary. I used to think that it’s overrated but not anymore. Totally missing this now!

And then we decided to have Hot Star Large Fried Chicken. Aiya since we were already at Taipei, then just eat all the way.

Just fyi, the fried chicken cutlet are not cut up like what you typically see in Singapore. The entire slab was bigger than our faces. The ones that we had in Singapore were usually dry and a little tough but Hot Star’s fried chicken was superbly crispy and succulent.

It started to rain and we decided to go back to our hotel to rest and for me to express my milk. Got a shock when we saw this. We were rudely reminded of the crazy human traffic back home! Muahahaha. After our short break, we took the metro to Wufenpu to do some shopping.

It wasn’t our first time visiting Wufenpu and each time, I would leave almost empty handed because I don’t fancy lacy dresses. I see plenty of that at Wufenpu! Guys clothing are so much nicer!

If you intend to do some shopping at Wufenpu, do cross over to Formosa Chang (鬍鬚張) for a taste of really fabulous braised pork rice (滷肉飯) that you will never be able to get in Singapore! Food is damn cheap and good!

This bowl of braised pork rice (NT$33) may look simple but its taste is far more complex. Stewed in sweet soy sauce, every mouthful was so fragrant and the shreds of fatty pork melted in the mouth. It’s a pretty small bowl so we ordered another large one to share.

You have to order the pork trotter (NT$80) to go with your braised pork rice. Loved it for its gelatinous texture! I think I almost polished off the entire plate because misterchewy is not a fan of pork trotters.

Spent four nights at the very awesome iTaipei Service Apartment. Our room was lofty and spacious, clean, and the location of iTaipei is good! It is situated at Taipei main station, above Q Square shopping mall. Talk about convenience!

Sorry for the rather short post! Been busy since I got back to work! Promise that the next few posts will be more interesting 😛 Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

{ Taiwan Travelogue Part One } Cing Jing Day 2: Green Green Grassland & Carton King Restaurant

Posted on June 6, 2014 by missuschewy

Imagine waking up to this sight. The view is beautiful and the air feels fresher in Cingjing. If you have read my previous post, you would know that the weather wasn’t too kind on the day we arrived Cingjing. It rained the entire day! The weather on day 2 of our trip was good! In fact, it was hot and sunny. You don’t really need a jacket or sweater in the day if it’s not raining in Cingjing. Can just walk around in t-shirt and shorts 🙂

Enjoying the view while having breakfast prepared by one of the minsu auntie.

Very simple breakfast but so homely and delicious, which warmed the cockles of my heart.

Before setting off for our first destination of the day, 二姐 invited us to take a look at her new pets! She bought these cute little chicks from the market that morning and named them Bao Bao and Bei Bei. She even lifted up their cage and allowed them to strut around. Too cute!

When 二姐 knew that we wanted to go to Green Green Grassland, she offered to give us a ride! It sure saved us a lot of time waiting for the public bus. Really damn hot with the sun shining down on us! Regretted wearing long sleeves with jacket somemore. We quickly proceeded to purchase the entrance tickets which cost about NT$200 per person.

The hubs and I were pretty amused by the name Green Green Grassland because it’s the direct translation of 青青草原! Anyway, Green Green Grassland is the largest attraction in Cingjing so you might wanna set aside a few hours just for this. There were definitely more people than sheep when we first went in! Before trekking down, we could see people following the sheep everywhere they went, just to take a decent photo. LOL.

The sheep were roaming about freely and nom-ing on grass. You can purchase food for the sheep too if you wanna draw their attention to you 😛

This photo quite funny! Looks as though misterchewy is out to steal some sheep!

This hand appeared from nowhere and offered us food for the sheep! Ok la we bumped into a very friendly Singaporean auntie so we asked her to help us take photo too 😛

Time for sheep show! Spot the odd one out!

OMG the weather was freaking HOT. All of us were shielding ourselves with our umbrellas but were told to keep them before the show started in order not to block anyone’s view of the stage. Took off my jacket and folded up my sleeves but the heat was still unbearable!

The sheep show was quite similar to the one I saw in Australia. Basically sheep shearing and stuff. Quite entertaining though!

Awwww this pony looks so cute but a little sad, don’t you think?

I decided to try sheep milk ice cream!

The taste is really.. unforgettable!

There was a whole line of stalls selling food, food and more food.

It was really fun to be able to walk alongside so many sheep! To be honest, I was a little scared though. There were some teenagers (both guys and girls) screaming their heads off when the sheep charged towards them. LOL!

All that walking around made us super hungry and we took the bus to Carton King Restaurant! Almost everything is made using corrugated cardboard, which I guess is the only interesting thing about this restaurant. Haha! But then again, it’s really amazing the amount of things that one can do with cardboard alone.

Drinks are interestingly packaged in a carton, and you can ask the staff to flatten it for you to bring home and subsequently use as a coinbox!

Both of us ordered the Steamboat Set (NT$380)! Mine was Japanese style fish soup base which was very sweet tasting and yummy!

The hubs went for the Hokkaido concentrated milk soup base and it tasted a little like carbonara! I can’t imagine drinking so much of the soup! Like so fattening lor. But the hubby liked it.

We were very satisfied with our lunch at Carton King Restaurant. Wanted to order some snacks initially but we were too full when we were done with our steamboat.

It was a real pity that Small Swiss Garden is closed for maintenance till around mid June. We didn’t have anywhere else to go and decided to take photos at the free photobooth inside 7-Eleven. Haha!

We went on a night tour to see fireflies and stars but didn’t capture it on camera. It was quite an eye-opening experience for us and we had a good time getting close to nature! This marks the end of part one of our Taiwan travelogue! Next up, we will be featuring our sightseeing and eating adventures in Taipei. Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

{ Taiwan Travelogue Part One } Cingjing Day 1: Afternoon Tea at The Old England Manor & Dreamtown Minsu 嵐山小鎮 Review

Posted on June 3, 2014 by missuschewy

Yoohooooo~ misterchewy and I are back from our Taiwan trip! First time feeling so happy that our holiday was finally over! Before I delivered, I thought I badly needed to go on a short trip before I return to office and also to reward myself for my 9 months of ‘hard work’. HAHA. As first-time parents, we were too naïve to think that we wouldn’t miss our baby! Ended up having to video call home almost every night. I also didn’t factor in the breastfeeding part which is one huge obstacle and had to pump every now and then during the trip. Mad troublesome but for our darling girl, it was all worth it. This selfie was taken before we left for the airport, using the selfie rod that misterchewy bought for the trip 🙂

Our Taiwan travelogue will be divided into two parts because we travelled to Cingjing and Taipei. Happy reading ya! Before our midnight flight with Scoot, I pumped in the nursing room at T2 which had adequate facilities. Selfie before boarding!

Felt hungry a couple of hours later and got the hubs to order this for me. The Thai red curry was nubbad! After that I pumped at around 4am again at my seat! Got so exciting or not? I used my jacket to cover la and they had turned off the lights.

Wanna thank XCom Global for lending us this portable WiFi router which helped us to stay connected to the online world throughout our trip! XCom Global specializes in providing low-cost wireless Internet access rental services to business and leisure travellers, and is an established leader among international 3G/4G broadband companies worldwide. XCom Global aims to provide secure, user-friendly wireless Internet access at a reasonable price. It covers more than 170 countries and rates are 40% cheaper than Telco data roaming. For Taiwan, the flat rate per day is only $9 and what’s the best part? Up to FIVE devices can be connected to the router!

While other travellers had to rush and queue to buy their prepaid SIM cards, all we had to do was just switch on the device as soon as we touched down. Connected within seconds while still on the plane! The WiFi network name and password are conveniently labelled on the device. The rental process is idiot-proof! Simply fill in the order form here. You can choose to pick up the device or have it couriered to you at a small fee. Highly recommend getting your WiFi router before jet setting off for your trip!

The minute we cleared customs, I went to pump at the nursing room at Taoyuan International Airport. They call it breastfeeding rooms over in Taiwan. There is also a diaper changing station and the room looks really impressive!

This was where I pumped. So spacious and clean!

How to get to Cingjing from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1:

1) Take the Kuo Kuang Bus from airport to Taipei High Speed Rail (HSR) Station (also known as Taipei Main Station)
Fare: NT$125 per person (ticket can be bought at the airport)
Duration: Approximately 60 minutes

2) Take the High Speed Rail from Taipei HSR Station to Taichung HSR Station
Fare: NT$765 per person (strongly encouraged to book early here to enjoy discounted rate)

3) Take the e-go Cingjing Tour Bus from Taichung HSR Station to your Minsu in Cingjing
Fare: NT$450 per person
Duration: 90 – 120 minutes

*Alternatively, you can just take the e-go Cingjing Tour Bus from Taipei Main Station to Cingjing but note that the meeting time is 06:45 and the journey is estimated to be take 4 hours*

We were pretty amused by the cute appearance of this particular HSR that we boarded because of the cartoons from Cartoon Network.

Ahahaha can see the selfie stick -_-

We were still connected even though the train passed through the tunnel. Not like in Singapore where ppl go, “Argh.. Tunnel! No network!” Our only gripe was that the battery life of the WiFi router was only about 4 to 5 hours. The adaptor and charging cable are provided so you need to have your own portable power bank so that you can charge the router on the go.

I didn’t sleep well on the plane so I was conked out on the HSR. LOL. Was a little hungry when we reached Taichung so misterchewy bought railway bento which looked damn good!

Their 台鐵便當 is so popular! Saw many locals eating it at train stations. We ate on the E-go bus while en route to Cingjing. Damn, the ride was kinda bumpy initially and I was so afraid that the pork rib would fly out of out my hands. It’s a damn huge piece right! If drop on the floor very sayang. After eating I pumped on the bus. Purposely chose the last row seats when we boarded so that nobody could see.

Finally reached our choice of accommodation, 嵐山小鎮 (Dreamtown Minsu)! I wanted to stay at a minsu that is not so commonly picked by travellers so Starry Minsu and Sunnydale Minsu were struck off the list. The hubs was crazy enough to suggest staying at Old England Manor OMG. A night costs like $600 or more?! In the end, we settled for Dreamtown Minsu because firstly, their website is in English and secondly, I thought that their rooms looked quite pretty, and with a good view too!

As it was too early to check in, misterchewy helped me to ask if they had any breastfeeding rooms which was kinda funny really. The lady, whom she introduced herself as 二姐, looked sympathetic and opened up one of the rooms for me. Really appreciate her kind gesture! She even asked if I needed ice to store my milk.

If you had noticed the pattern, pumping and eating go hand in hand. LOL. Mad love the 大骨湯 that’s available at Taiwan’s 7-Eleven stores! Why don’t we have it in Singapore?!

After our satisfying snack, we hopped on the public bus using the 悠遊卡 (Easy Card) that we purchased at 7-Eleven. Next agenda was to have afternoon tea at Old England Manor! Our afternoon tea was actually quite early and could qualify as lunch but my uni friend who had been there before advised me to go early due to its popularity.

The weather was bad and it kept raining on and off! But that didn’t stop us from taking a selfie.

Or maybe two selfies 😛

Just goofing around~

We were served this special dessert before our high tea set. It’s like mango mousse with white chocolate in it. Damn good!

Savoury and sweet treats on a 3-tier high tea stand. Came with a huge pot of tea as well. The afternoon tea cost about NT$450 per person which was pretty ok I guess. You get to revel in the ambience and savor delicious pastries.

It was still drizzling when we left Old England Manor and while we were deciding where to go next, a couple (in the background) approached us to help take a photo for them. And this was what misterchewy did! He took selfie without me! T_T

We agreed that it wasn’t such a good idea to head down to Green Green Grassland because of the weather and called up the minsu folks to pick us up if it was convenient for them.

Collected our key and this was where we stayed for 2 nights! Kinda like chalet. Haha.

Our beautiful room! Amenities were adequate. There was a mini fridge for me to chill and freeze my milk. Toiletries such as toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, shampoo, soap, etc were all provided on a daily basis.

Dinner was not included but we decided to get the minsu people to prepare steamboat for us! It can get pretty cold in Cingjing when the sun goes down so it’s really good to have steamboat! Plus the view is quite awesome at Dreamtown’s cafeteria so we didn’t think about going anywhere else for steamboat although many people highly recommend Yinagu.

Huge bowl of meat and veggies! NT$250 per person and it’s non-refillable. Want more meat have to pay extra NT$100 which was what we did. Hehe.

We really took it nice and slow on our first day in Taiwan, Cingjing. Look out for our next post because we will be featuring our visit to Green Green Grassland and Carton King Restaurant! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

My Very First Mother’s Day

Posted on May 12, 2014 by missuschewy

Happy Mother’s Day to me and all mummies out there! It felt very heartwarming to receive numerous texts from friends yesterday 🙂 The husband and I travelled back to my parents’ place together with Chanelle to stay over for the weekend. Thanks to my mum who offered to take care of Chanelle! We managed to take a breather and unwind ourselves through good food and retail therapy! 😀 Being a mother is really not easy. It drives me crazy and wears me out, but of course, a big toothless grin from my baby really brightens up my day! Chanelle is almost 2 months old now and she’s really smiling a lot more than before 🙂 Because our little one is still so young and requires too much of our attention, we decided to go for mother’s day dinner without her around 😛 At least we can eat in peace and not have to rush through our meal and feel so stressed! Felt bad but we will definitely include Chanelle next year 🙂

Our dinner venue was decided out of spontaneity. The husband shortlisted a couple of places but I wasn’t too keen. The night before just when we were about to go to bed, he said, “Let’s go to Keppel Bay!” Asked if he was thinking what I’m thinking. YES! We were both thinking about Takumi Tokyo. Hehe. We had our first year wedding anniversary dinner there in 2012. 🙂 The menu hasn’t changed and this time, we ordered the Salmon Belly Sashimi ($25). Not as fatty as I would have liked it to be.

Looking back on my previous blog post, the dishes that we ordered this time were the ones that left us a positive and lasting impression back then. Assorted Sushi ($35) comprises of 8 sushi pieces and 1 roll. Loved the uni!

The Chirashi Sushi ($38) is what I call “Happiness in a bowl”. Even the sushi rice is worthy of mention.

Grilled Assorted Mushrooms ($22) were flavorful and tasted mildly sweet. Must have been coated with butter!

The Pan Seared Foie Gras with Wine Jelly ($35) was melt-in-the-mouth smooth. Definitely will order this every time we visit Takumi!

Again, the Grilled Lamb Rack Marinated with Apple Miso Sauce ($25) was very tender but it was even saltier than the previous visit!

Thanks for everything! Enjoyed the company! 😀
Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

AMOY Hotel Singapore Staycation Review

Posted on March 12, 2014 by missuschewy

– Sponsored Staycation –

I’m sure our recent staycation at AMOY Hotel would be our last before I pop! Very soon, we will be welcoming Little misschewy into our family of two and I know that life will never be the same again! Three’s a party YO! Lol. Even though we spent very little time in this lovely hotel because we each had a wedding dinner to attend, we enjoyed every moment because AMOY exudes a very homely atmosphere. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it could be due to the personalized service that we received throughout our stay.

AMOY is Far East Hospitality’s newest boutique hotel and the first in Singapore to incorporate a museum that traces the footsteps of early immigrants from China. How cool is that? I reckon it’s a gem for locals and foreign travellers who are history buffs!

The first thing our forefathers did upon arriving in Singapore was to build a temple to honour the gods for their safe voyage. As part of AMOY’s authentic experience, guests will enter the contemporary hotel via Fuk Tak Chi museum, formerly a temple and the headquarters for the Hakka and Cantonese communities in the 1800s.

This photo was taken at night but the lobby looked even more stunning in the day with natural sunlight streaming in through the glass ceiling and windows. The husband and I were each presented with a welcome mocktail drink while waiting for our check-in to be done.

Another part of the lobby.

One of the hotel staff, Lina, personally showed us to our Deluxe Double room on the third floor and along the way, she explained that each room is emblazoned with a Chinese family name on the door, an ode to the contribution of Singapore’s early migrants who lived around the area. I think you can try to request for a room that has your surname but it’s subject to availability.

We also learned that AMOY Hotel was converted from a series of historic shophouses dating back more than 170 years and much of what is seen within the hotel, such as the steps along the corridors, is painstakingly conserved.

Revolving around the theme of “Old Meets New, East Meets West”, our reasonably spacious room had interiors that evoke the charm of traditional Chinese design and architecture as well as the comfort and convenience of contemporary facilities. The rooms are thoughtfully designed to include heritage accents with carefully selected furniture like traditional Chinese stools and porcelain basin. The idea is to recreate the living experience of the early Chinese settlers with a modern and contemporary twist. No two rooms are alike, in terms of layout and furnishings.

Definitely not your typical ‘garden view’!

The mini bar is entirely complimentary!

Besides coffee and tea, you can enjoy fruit juices and also have a bag of chips and peanuts to go with your can of beer! Heh that was what misterchewy did when he was hungry in the middle of the night.

I find the layout of the bathroom very interesting. It’s elongated probably to maximise whatever space there is. There are doors to separate the wash up area, toilet bowl and shower stall.

We didn’t have time to tour the hotel immediately after checking in as we had an appointment at Artica Hair Studio at Far East Plaza and had to rush down. 1st March 2014 (1314) is a very popular date for weddings! I was invited to Nadnut’s wedding at Orchard Hotel and misterchewy was asked to emcee at his buddy’s wedding at Hotel Royal @ Queens. The banquet at his side ended about two courses earlier than my side, so he managed to pop by and take photos with us at the instant photobooth! Hurray! 😛

So happy that we managed to get a nice shot together! 😀

We still had energy when we reached the hotel so we decided to do a quick night tour even though it was really late! Haha. Kinda fun actually because we were whispering to each other, not wanting to disturb other guests 😛

Earlier on, we managed to find out from April, another hotel staff, the location of the 周 (Chew) room which is actually a Cosy Single room.

Found my surname too! Think it was occupied by other guests.

AMOY provides turndown service! Some people might not think much of it, but a simple gesture like this really goes a long way.

We also found a cute handwritten goodnight note left on our bed.

I stuck this on my magnetic board at work as a little momento from AMOY 🙂

Very thoughtful to have reading lights fitted on each side of the bed frame.

I tried my best to get the widest possible shot of the bed and bathroom by plastering my back against the cupboard. Anyway, we had to check out really early the next day so we woke up at around 6am. Took a hot shower which instantly made me feel refreshed even though I only had 4 hours of sleep!

The breakfast buffet spread was very simple yet homely, featuring items such as cereal, bread with an assortment of spreads, pastries, beehoon, yogurt, etc.

We were probably the first guests to arrive at 7am but I’m kinda puzzled by the rather empty juice dispenser.

Although the breakfast selection was nothing to shout about, I thought that the plain white toasts with kaya were good enough to keep us satisfied.

AMOY is really such a cool hotel that we certainly don’t mind going back to for another staycation! Click here to check out our list of Singapore staycation reviews! Stay connected with us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

AMOY
76 Telok Ayer Street
Singapore 048464
Tel: +65 6580 2888
Email: reseasy@fareast.com.sg

Naumi Liora Hotel Singapore Staycation Review

Posted on March 3, 2014 by missuschewy

– Sponsored Staycation –

How’s it going chewys! I have not been updating my blog as regularly as I would like to because I’m either feeling lazy or too exhausted after a long day at work 🙁 Yes! I’m still working even though I’m about to pop anytime now! I don’t intend to take maternity leave early. Say hello to my 9-month old baby bump! Hehe ok I think it’s not very obvious in this photo. Getting really nervous because I don’t know how it’s gonna turn out on the day I go into labor! :S Yeah I’m more nervous than excited actually. Glad that misterchewy and I managed to squeeze in a weekend staycation at Naumi Liora Hotel recently to take my mind off things! 🙂

Located in the heart of Chinatown, Naumi Liora is The Hind Group’s second boutique hotel that opened in November 2012. Naumi Liora boasts a design concept of an old yet modern charm that is strongly reflected throughout the hotel. To remain true to the inherent spirit of the 1920s Peranakan-styled building’s heritage that Naumi Liora is housed in, the original timber flooring, French-styled windows and ‘five-foot way’ have all been traditionally preserved.

Through the use of its signature light motif alongside a harmonious balance of warm and vibrant colours such as hues of Chalk and Pumpkin, the craftsmanship of Naumi Liora creates an intimate environment that invigorates and soothes at the same time. Abstracted from the lattice design of traditional Peranakan tiles as well as the original metal railing pattern from the exterior of the hotel, these light motifs are also translated into timber screens and used strategically from the lobby to the rooms.

Guests are more than welcome to help themselves to the complimentary 24-hour self-serve Nibbles snack bar at the reception lobby. There is a whole range of treats such as Nespresso coffee, Dilmah tea, and ice cream!

Biscuits, cookies, chips and chocolates are also available at the snack bar.

We had to rush off to the Babycare Festival at Singapore Expo, so earlier in the day, I contacted the hotel shortly after we finished lunch at Ion to see if they could accede to my request for an early check-in at around 1pm. Was told that the only room available is located on the ground floor and it is also smaller than our designated one 🙁 Didnt have a choice but to accept it. This is the Liora Heritage Double, which is approximately sized up to a comfortable 28 square meters. Single bedding option is also available.

Liked the personal touch that made us feel at home in an instance. The welcome note highlighted Naumi’s signature service philosophy. During the later part of our stay, I phoned one of the Naumi Aides upon finding out that there wasn’t any toothbrush and toothpaste in the bathroom. Wanted to confirm if these were being provided for by the hotel and was told that they will be issued only upon request. I had two sets promptly sent to our room in a couple of minutes! Was super impressed by the Naumi Aide’s efficiency!

Open wardrobe concept.

The size of our room was modest yet it feels adequately spacious for two at the same time. The layout of the room is also perfect for families with babies or toddlers in tow as there is definitely enough space for a stroller and a travel cot.

My favorite Malin + Goetz peppermint shampoo and rum body wash are provided!

The mini bar is complimentary and is well-stocked with coffee, tea and soft drinks.

A selfie in our room before heading out! Haha now you can see my huge baby bump 😛

We were supposed to meet my in-laws at the fair but they couldn’t make it at the last minute. Buying stuff to prepare for the arrival of Little misschewy was a pretty mind-boggling affair because there were so many things that we weren’t sure if we needed to buy.

We snagged a limited edition Maclaren stroller, which is pretty chio (in our opinion lol). Good thing there was free delivery! Also bought other stuff like organic baby bath, milk bottle sterilizer and loads of pampers (some with free delivery). In the evening, we went our separate ways to meet our friends for dinner. Guys’ night out and girls’ night out 😛

Complimentary breakfast is provided just next door, at Keong Saik Snacks. Was looking forward to it since it’s by Michelin Star Chef Jason Atherton. Breakfast starts from about 7am and ends at 10am. We intended to wake up earlier but the bed was seriously so comfortable that we kept hitting the snooze button and woke up with only 20 minutes to get showered and changed!

We went there expecting that the breakfast would be somewhat similar to what was being served at Cocoette during our stay at Wanderlust Hotel. To our dismay, the spread at the buffet counter was quite limited. A small selection of bread, cheese, ham, cereal, yogurt, etc, nothing to get excited over.

The ambience at Keong Saik Snacks was nice though. If only we had more time to enjoy our breakfast, I seriously wouldn’t mind paying extra for the weekend brunch which is available from 11am to 3pm but that would mean we had to wait an hour for it.

Taking a quick look at the gym before checking out. It’s open 24 hours. It’s a pity that there’s no swimming pool in the hotel.

As part of its celebration of Holi, an ancient Hindu festival, also known as the “Festival of Colours” as all ages go into the streets for fun, throwing of powder paint and coloured water to celebrate the victory of ‘good’ over ‘bad’ and also the triumph of devotion to god, Naumi Hotels celebrate the colour ‘Pink’ which symbolises the significant support of Breast Cancer Foundation and its cause. During this playful ‘Festival of Colours’, Naumi Hotels will proudly donate up to SGD$15 for every eligible room stay on 17 March 2014.

In the meantime, do visit ZALORA SG, Asia’s leading online fashion destination! Zalora carries a huge range of apparel, footwear, accessories and beauty products from various brands, you will definitely be spoilt for choice!

Click here to check out our list of Singapore staycation reviews! Stay connected with us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Valentine’s Day 2014 @ Tamashii Robataya

Posted on February 18, 2014 by missuschewy

So glad that Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday this year! I applied for leave, but not really because it’s V Day la. Went for my weekly checkup at Mount E and was told by my gynae to rest more because both mother and baby didn’t gain any weight for the past week. I admit that my schedule is getting more hectic as I’m getting close to my EDD but it feels good to be moving around because I really think it’s not good to be sedentary. The long weekend was a very fulfilling one for misterchewy and I because we accomplished quite a few tasks, albeit being very last minute as usual! And the photo you see above? We will definitely blog about it soon! 🙂

The husband had actually shortlisted a few places for our Valentine’s Day dinner and I was told to choose one that I like best. OMG all of them are Italian restaurants! Ok la more romantic but I was craving for Japanese food and suggested Tamashii Robataya because I had read some pretty good reviews. Reservations were made and we were there before 7pm. Was trying to decide between the omakase or set dinner and we agreed on the $128++ set dinner. If you have any dietary restrictions, feel free to let them know and they will have the particular dish replaced with something else of similar value.

The Sashimi Moriwase is originally on the menu, which was only enjoyed by misterchewy. So sad that I could only watch him eat this. LOL.

Instead of sashimi, I was being served three types of appetizers in small portions.

I liked the grilled eggplant best from the Yaki Yasai Moriwase.

After having small servings of the first few dishes, we were surprised that the Yaki Sakana was about the size of my palm. Before that, we were thinking how were we ever going to get full at this rate. Haha. The fish was grilled to perfection and was very juicy!

I’m gonna say yes if anyone’s gonna ask me if we will revisit Tamashii, thanks to the Pork Cheeks Donburi which was very fabulous. Explosive flavors with every mouuthful! Will be back for this!

Didnt really like the Asari Osui because the broth was too salty for me.

Dessert of the day was Pumpkin Ice Cream on Pumpkin Cake which was pretty refreshing. The pumpkin cake tasted a little like caramel pudding though.

Counting down to my EDD! Excited! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Rendezvous Hotel Singapore Staycation Review

Posted on January 30, 2014 by missuschewy

– Sponsored Staycation –

Happy Chinese New Year, chewys! May all of us HUAT in the Year of the Horse! Anyone looking forward to Valentine’s Day already? Do consider a staycation in Singapore if you don’t have any solid plans yet! I’m sure we are all familiar with Rendezvous Hotel Singapore, one of the many hotel establishments by Far East Hospitality. But do you know that the 16-year-old hotel recently unveiled a brand new look after undergoing a transformation in November 2013, guided by three core values A.R.T. – Attitude, Retro elements and Technology?

Located in the Museum Planning Area of Singapore, Rendezvous Hotel Singapore draws inspiration from its surrounding arts and cultural district along Bras Basah, while at the same time offering its guests convenient access to several popular art galleries and museums such as Singapore Art Museum, SAM at 8Q and National Museum of Singapore. To top it off, guests will enjoy free or special entry rates to museums in the vicinity simply by presenting their key cards at the respective ticketing counters.

Upon entering the hotel, guests will be greeted by a magnificent floor-to-ceiling sculpture along with wall panels behind the reception counters that changes colors every four hours throughout the day, taking guests through a cycle of warm orange, purple and magenta to reflect a sense of vibrant excitement during the day, to a soothing, classy warm yellow, cyan and deep blue during the evening.

The hotel’s bar lounge, renamed The Library, is fitted with plush seats and has a wall of shelves lined with books. This totally takes chilling out to a whole new level.

The artistic revamp is also extended to Club Rooms which occupy the three highest levels of the hotel. These rooms may either be adorned with breathtaking photographs or may bear quotes by famous authors such as the Club Room which we put up at.

The Club Room isn’t one of the largest around but there is a choice of a large king bed or two single beds. The height of the large king bed was around my waist level (maybe I have really short legs) and had difficulty hoisting myself up given my huge baby bump in the way. The husband clearly had a lot of fun jumping from the side and doing some kinda side roll onto the bed. LOL.

Our room comes complete with a large screen television, writing desk and complimentary WiFi.

Bathroom amenities from French Connection.

If you are hankering after a cup of tea, The Courtyard basks in natural sunlight, making it a lovely place for you to indulge in freshly baked scones and other dainty pastries.

Club guests will have access to the Plaza Club Lounge on the 11th floor offering all day complimentary coffee and tea, and also light bites and cocktails from 6pm to 8pm. We popped in after an early dinner tasting around the area to check out what the lounge has to offer.

Interestingly, within the lounge, the different views that guests observe through each particular window are imprinted on the curtains in grayscale. In time to come, the hotel façade facing the junction of Orchard, Stamford and Bras Basah roads will also be transformed into a piece of interactive anamorphic art where pedestrians will be able to see the intended composition at a specific spot diagonally across the street.

Still quite full from dinner earlier on but we happily helped ourselves to piping hot dimsum and some other desserts. We saw that a young couple sitting two tables away from us order practically every single drink from the alcohol menu. Poor server was kept really busy marching in and out of the kitchen the whole time.

Went back to our room to chill for awhile. Our initial plan was to either make a trip down to Switch for some live band music or catch a late night movie. At around 9pm, we looked at each other and decided that we just wanted a good rest after a long day. We were feeling a teeny bit hungry and misterchewy wanted to try Maki-San at The Cathay.

This time, I was captivated by the sculpture’s beautiful shade of blue when we arrived at the lobby because it’s my favorite color!

Love Rendezvous Hotel’s superb location! So many food choices around the area. It took us only a 5-minute walk to get to The Cathay.

Took a long hot shower before hitting the sack! Bed was so comfy that we slept for an additional hour before dragging ourselves down for breakfast 😛

Club guests can choose to have American breakfast served at the club lounge from 7am to 10am. The selection is limited but I suppose there has to be some sort of trade-off for exclusivity.

For a much wider variety, I suggest heading down to Straits Cafe on the ground floor. The buffet line closes at 10.30am and we were there at around 10am.

We were gently reminded that the buffet line closes in 30 minutes so we grabbed whatever looked yummy to us. Should have gotten more of those hot fluffy waffles with maple syrup!

We were entitled to a late checkout at 3pm so we took a little tour around the hotel.

As part of the new Rendezvous Hotel Singapore’s opening promotion, guests who make bookings now to 16 March 2014 for a minimum two-night Club Room stay now to 30 April 2014 will enjoy 30 per cent off the hotel’s best flexible rate. To sweeten the deal, guests will be eligible to enjoy the Far More Perks programme, such as guaranteed early check-in from 10am or late check-out till 4pm, as well as complimentary FunVee City Tour. So many perks! How to resist! 😀

Click here to check out our list of Singapore staycation reviews! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Rendezvous Hotel Singapore
9 Bras Basah Road
Singapore 189559
Tel: +65 6336 0220
Email: info.rhs@fareast.com.sg
Reservations:
Tel: +65 6496 7699
Email: reseasy@fareast.com.sg

Capri by Fraser Changi City Singapore Staycation Review

Posted on January 10, 2014 by missuschewy

– Sponsored Staycation –

What better way to kick off the first weekend of 2014 than by pampering and treating yourself to a revitalizing Singapore staycation? Here’s a photo of us, happy to have finally checked into Capri by Fraser Changi City! 🙂

Capri by Fraser is a new hospitality concept which cuts through the conformity of typical hotels, bringing together the extensive range of facilities and services of a smart hotel together with the comfort and convenience of a full serviced residence, designed to meet the 24×7 lifestyle needs of today’s tech-forward travellers.

The hotel which just had its grand opening in January 2013, is located moments away from Singapore Expo, Changi City Point, and a mere 5 minutes from Changi Airport. There is an airport shuttle service which runs to and from the airport on a frequent basis. The MRT station is just opposite the hotel, which makes travelling to popular shopping belts like Orchard Road extremely convenient for both locals and overseas guests.

The lobby area exudes sophistication and yet, feels warm and homely at the same time.

The check-in procedure was pretty smooth. No hiccups whatsoever.

I always look forward to swiping the electronic hotel card key and pushing past the room door to see what surprise awaits me! We were given a 44sqm Studio Premier room on the 6th floor which is immensely spacious as compared to the rooms of most hotels that we had reviewed over the previous two years.

Welcome fruits and drinks.

The king bed looks so tempting!

Gotta love the extra living space! Perfect for lounging on the couch and watching movies on the LED television all day long. You can borrow DVDs from the hotel and play them on the DVD player as well.

Another unique feature about Capri by Fraser which I adore is the kitchenette! You are free to do light cooking in the room but we didn’t because yours truly can’t cook to save her life. LOL.

Electrolux microwave oven

One of the major advantages of induction cooking is safety, especially if you have young children in the hotel room. The stovetop stays cool even when you are cooking.

A must-have at every hotel stay these days, the Nespresso machine!

The bathroom is connected to the bedroom on one side and the walk-in wardrobe on the other. We didn’t have a bathtub but we loved the rainshower feature.

The safety deposit is also unique because there is a charging point inside where you can charge your devices while locking them safe should you decide to leave the room.

Played songs from 98.7fm via the powerful Geneva sound system.

The view which greeted us when we looked out the window!

Hopefully this is a better shot of our room enough to justify its magnificence. I can’t emphasize how awesomely huge it is!

Another selfie before we check out the hotel amenities! I realized I blend well with Capri’s choice of cheery color, orange 😀

There are 24/7 laundrettes on every floor which go by the name Spin & Play because all you have to do is chuck your laundry into the washing machine and play while you wait!

This is on the 6th floor, where you can utilize this unique-looking cycling machine to get some cardio exercise.

There are also interactive games such as Wii and XBOX, etc in the Spin & Play rooms on selected levels.

24/7 gym with pool view. The 20-metre pool is very cool too, because there’s a hydro treadmill if you are sick of doing laps after laps.

I think misterchewy fell in love with the suntanning rocking beds.

If swimming is not your thing, there are bicycle loan services as well!

The Pod is a 98sqm function room for up to 36 persons classroom-style seating. Looks very relaxing and fun to just lie around on the giant bean bags!

Keep yourselves occupied during your staycation by borrowing some console or boardgames to play.

We were hungry from all the walking and decided to pop by Delite which is open from 10am to 7pm serving soups, burgers, pizza, sandwiches and other light bites.

The husband had Buffalo Wings ($15) to go with his pint of Erdinger.

My Albacore Tuna Sandwich ($13) tasted delish. Loved the flaky tuna and crusty Turkish wholewheat toast.

Caprilicious is an all-day dining oulet with hotel buffet breakfast, set lunch, a la carte dinner, and 24-hour room service.

Also located on level 1, Drinx has quite a few Happy Hour deals!

Boys will always be boys. The husband was having fun with the XBOX in one of the Spin & Play rooms while I played Hay Day on my iPad. Hehe.

We had late dinner and decided to have it in the comfort of our room. We phoned Caprilicious and it didn’t take long for our food to be served.

Char-grilled Portobello Mushroom ($11)

Rock Lobster Bisque ($13)

Seafood Tom Yum ($11)

Saffron Risotto ($20)

Grilled Lamb Cutlets ($32)

Snuggled in bed and was planning to watch Pacific Rim which we borrowed earlier. Decided against it in the end when we realized that there would be violent content that I better not expose myself to right now 😛 Off to slumberland!

Breakfast in bed is the ultimate experience! Nothing beats waking up to the smell of delicious American breakfast and a glass of freshly squeezed juice.

Our staycation experience at Capri by Fraser Changi City was a splendid one and we felt really reluctant to check out after a night’s stay. We will be back again with little misschewy! 🙂 In the meantime, do check out Capri’s Lunar New Year Festive Staycation Package for a really good deal!

Click here to check out our list of Singapore staycation reviews! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂

Capri by Fraser Changi City
3 Changi Business Park Central 1
Singapore 486037
Tel : +65 6933 9833
Fax : +65 6933 9888
For hotel bookings or reservations:
Tel: +65 6338 0800
Local Toll-Free: 1800 338 0800
reservations.singapore@capribyfraser.com

missuschewy

Singapore Lifestyle and Travel Blog

Category Archives: #Dating & Marriage

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Valentine’s Day 2014 @ Tamashii Robataya

Rendezvous Hotel Singapore Staycation Review

Capri by Fraser Changi City Singapore Staycation Review

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