when there's a burning in your heart

While on a short walk one day.

(dress and necklace: Madewell, shoes: Aldo, bag: Melie Bianco) 

On a side note, I do adore all things Madewell. Like this dress that I want to wear for all picnics or tea sessions. :) It's a (not-so) secret desire of mine to be a buyer for a store like Madewell one day. I wonder how I can go about doing that??





I tell myself that one of these days I should just spend an entire day going around Singapore taking photos. :) There are a couple of places that I'd definitely like to go to -- Marina Barrage (where opportunities to take photos of all the kite-fliers abound!), Chinatown, Little India, random neighborhoods...maybe Balestier or Ang Mo Kio... and just see what sort of photos I end up with at the end of the day. I can totally imagine some people saying, "but that's being just like a tourist!". I totally agree. But sometimes, being a tourist is the only way to keep from getting bored with home. As in the case with anything that's longstanding, be it relationships or work or daily rituals, sometimes it helps to take a step back and try to look at it from a different perspective. Who knows, it might elevate things from the level of tolerable to pretty-darn-awesome. 

xx 

Strangers' Reunion

Always happy to discover new places that I LOVE. :)





Strangers' Reunion is now one my new favorite cafes. Tucked away along the stretch of shophouses lining Kampong Bahru road, I find it hard to believe that I never knew this place was there all this time. I went in there during a weekday for lunch with my mum (don't you love days off from school/work?) and it's a very small, cozy place with people coming and going (and always forgetting to close the front door). 





A cafe with decent cappuccino art automatically scores brownie points with me! :) 



Ohhh this was my favorite. Buttermilk waffle with berries, banana slices and a hefty scoop of vanilla ice cream. MMMM. Maybe it's the buttermilk but this waffle was just extremely light and fluffy, yet crispy at the edges. Makes me want to try making waffles for myself. :D 



Roasted pork baguette - a unique twist on roasted pork that's normally eaten with rice and other meats. The baguette was excellent and crispy. Only qualm I had was that the roasted pork is a little hard to bite into easily especially when eaten with the baguette. It would've been easier if the pork was softer/the baguette less thick and crispy. Individually they were good but when combined, didn't quite make for an easy eat. 



Left: I LOVE the clever way they hung these tiny flower vases all over the cafe. :D Isn't it charming? There are so many aspects of their interior decor that inspired me and make me want to do something similar with my own apartment next time. Ohhhh so many things I wanna do with my future apartment. 


Right: Perfect place for a quiet afternoon cuppa. 

Strangers' Reunion

37 Kampong Bahru Road, Singapore 

Tel: +65 9368 3610 

Opening Hours Mon–Sun: 9am – 10pm (Closed on Tue) 

 I should definitely try one of their coffees the next time. Two-time national Barista Champ is no mean feat! 

(dress: GAP, cardigan: Need Supply, Bag: Melie Bianco)

 

In a nutshell, Strangers' Reunion is just a great place for a peaceful afternoon alone with a book/thoughts/cup of coffee or tea/with friends. I love discovering a new place in SG that I'd love to go back to. It's also because SG's such a small place, there's the tendency for the prevailing sentiment of youngsters towards the city to be that of boredom. But really, there are tons of great places around the corner if we look hard enough. 


Ok enough with that sentimental diatribe. Next time for sure, I'm ordering COFFEE. 

The Pigeonhole

A place that combines a love of coffee, books and art. What's not to like?


I first passed by The Pigeonhole one evening after eating dinner at Group Therapy (another really great cafe at Duxton!) and the first thing that came to mind was, wow, this place is pretty awesome! A quick peek through the window and you'll see a haphazardly cozy space that screams laid-back with a mish-mash of eclectic furniture (including the sort of desks used in schools!), walls covered in posters/postcards/signs promoting local artistes and events, people laying back and chilling out. I admire how the owners started it out with the aim to provide a space not just for people to relax in and have a drink but also for the promotion of the local arts scene - what with readings, open-mic nights, movie screenings and the like. 








There aren't a lot of options on their menu, so we went with Chicken Pot Pie and Mac N Cheese. (Chicken Pot Pie above. It's kinda neat how they incorporated fried youtiao (the pieces of fried dough) into the dish which made for extra crisp but also contributed to it being a rather thick, starchy dish that got a little heavy after awhile.)



A unique twist on the typical Macaroni and Cheese dish! :) I like how the cheese was more of a crumble rather than the usual melted form. For someone who doesn't like cheese very much, I'm glad this one came out more salty and cheddar-like rather than parmesan (that tends to really smell). Interesting taste and I loved the crumbly texture of the cheese, but it could do with more mushrooms or even chicken to make it more substantial. That's just my opinion. ;p After awhile the homogeneity of the taste got to me.



Bread and butter pudding for dessert! This one was good. I love how they made use of croissant pieces as the 'bread' component. Really makes me want to try making some bread and butter pudding as well. NOMz. 





Apparently their selection of beers is really good. As usual, I ended up having tea. 

The Pigeonhole

Website

52/53 Duxton Road 

Tel: 62262880 

Verdict: I would definitely go back there but more for the atmosphere rather than the food. It's a perfect place to relax and read on a quiet weekday afternoon. I can imagine it gets a lot more crowded at nights and during the weekend so pick your time to go wisely. 


Just a bit of advice, it's not really the place to bring your mama to if she's not appreciative of second-hand furniture thrown together in a manner that's creative/typifies hipsterdom. Plus, she was right in that it's not a place to go for purely for the food, since it's all stuff that can be reheated upon request. But the bread and butter pudding was good, and really, it's more a place to go to to chill out with friends after work or to lose yourself in a crowd when you need to be alone.

(top and skirt: Urban Outfitters, bag: Melie Bianco)

Outfit for the day. I actually got my hair permed but for some reason the curls aren't really maintaining themselves! O_o I'm hoping they'll last at least a few months. I've resorted to manually curling locks of hair whenever my hair's down and I remember to do so, sometimes receiving strange looks from friends. ;p It's not a compulsion; it's me hoping I haven't thrown XXX amount of money down the drain with this recent perm. 


On a side note, I really want to attend one of those events at The Pigeonhole (open-mic nights etc). I wish I could go out more just to listen to some good bands play sadly, those nights are few and far between. (Dang you, exams!) The one band that I really love listening to is The Next Movement (part of a larger band called Sixx) that plays Monday nights at Wala Wala in Holland V. Ohh I should really go back soon. Their rendition of 'Ordinary People' by John Legend always sends chills down my spine. In a good way. :D 


xx 

a croissant a day

... is something that would be pretty incredible, no? In a way, it's good that there's no bakery that's within walking distance of my place (nahh a Four Leaves outlet doesn't really count!) because I can imagine myself getting one every day for tea and slowly...but surely...expanding...O_O

That said, how lucky are the residents of Tiong Bahru? Apart from the all these awesome eateries and stores, they're now within stone's throw of a recently opened bakery by the Parisian baker, Gontrand Cherrier (who also happens to be Rachel Khoo's good friend! :D according to her little snippets in her recipe book). When I was in Paris just a few months back on the way home from Montreal, Donald and I happened to miraculously step into one of his bakeries in Montmartre and it was one of the best experiences ever. That afternoon, the bakery was quiet and when we entered, there were rows and rows of gorgeous looking tarts, pastries, breads, the WORKS, all ready and waiting for us to pick out and savor. I tried a grapefruit and pistachio paste tart that was SO GOOD (and that was the first time I'd tried pistachio paste!), I was hooked. Naturally, when I heard that he'd opened a bakery in Singapore I was thrilled. And it's part of the Food Collective group of restaurants too. I've only tried Open Door Policy and Barracks@Dempsey but the other places sound awesome too.



Couldn't resist getting a chocolate almond croissant. It looks pretty monstrous right? But I go for taste more than looks when it comes to desserts. After all, most of the time spent eating a dessert is with one's eyes closed. X) This one I must say was pretty decent, but I suppose once you've eaten extremely light and crispy chocolate almond croissants in THE land of croissants, nothing can really compare. This one was just a little heavy/dense in my opinion. That's the problem with eating something really good in a particular place; just like how HK-ers always complain about local dimsum because it can never match up to their standards. DUH. There's no argument there. But in order to still enjoy/appreciate something of decent quality, it's a matter of adjusting your standards and dealing with it.

 

Couldn't help myself - had to get a chocolate bun too! 

Didn't manage to get that many photos of the place though the branding and interior decor was quirky and slick. I'd definitely like to go back there again to get a closer look at the (maybe more pictures then too!). Also ended up getting a fruit and nut loaf back home which was pretty good. But I would say, for bread, head on over to Baker and Cook! 

Tiong Bahru Bakery 

56 Eng Hoon Street 

Singapore 160056 

Opening Hours: 8am – 8pm 

closed on Tuesdays 

Verdict: I would definitely like to go back again to give it another shot but ONLY when it's NOT SO INSANELY CROWDED!!! 

Yes, you've heard me, unless you've got the patience of a monk or old sweet granny, I would advise you NOT to go on a Sunday late afternoon. I know, what was I thinking right? But my mum, sis and I were all free for tea and this place was new and...I couldn't help myself. In the end, we ended up waiting a fair bit just for a seat and if not for the fact that my sis is an excellent seat-nabbing vulture, we might have ended up waiting for a lot longer. There were just too many people inside, the atmosphere being completely opposite from the peace and quiet in the Gontrand Cherrier bakery that I'd been in in Paris. And the seats are packed rather close so instead of having some meaningful conversation, a large part of the time was spent inadvertently (really!) eavesdropping on the next table's conversation (a group of men who looked like they'd just come back from a Club Med trip). Exciting stuff.

(dress: Urban Outfitters, hat: Brixton, from Rock Star by Soon Lee.)

It's been so so so so so hot and humid lately... so I thought I'd bring out my favorite summer hat. :) I don't see why more people don't wear hats in SG! It's the perfect accessory for outfits and helps with shielding away some sun. I'm still always envious of people who live in temperate countries because of their layering opportunities but then when I snap out of my green-eyed/ heat-induced stupor, I figure might as well make the most of living in the tropics by slipping on a cheery sun dress and getting my Vit D on. 

Monday tomorrow. EEPS. 

xx