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I think it is always nice to enjoy some good food with the family especially during the weekends. It has been quite some time that we have not been to the Chinese restaurant to eat Dim Sum. 

So, it’s time to have some before the restaurants are over-crowded with people who have reserved the tables for the Chinese New Year reunion feast.

We went to the Chinatown today to buy our Chinese New Year goodies as Chinese New Year is approaching. We were craving for Dim Sum so we popped in to the Mouth restaurant to order our favourite food.

Century Egg Porridge :

Fried Banana and Prawn Roll :

Fried Dumplings with Salad Sauce :

Shrimp Dumplings (Har Kau) :

Steamed Carrot Cake :

It is always good to eat something first to fill the stomach before you have the energy to walk about. It can really help us to go a long way to shop around after a heavy meal. 

My Favourites :

Today is the birthday of my eldest sister and we have had a little celebration for her. We bought her food that she likes to eat on this special day of hers as on 16 Dec.

We bought a mango cake for her and here is a picture of how the cake looks like.

Mango Cake :

We ordered a buy-1-get-1-free Hawaiian pizza from a nearby Canadian pizza outlet. It took about 30 minutes for the pizza delivery man to deliver the pizzas to our house.

Canadian Hawaiian Pizza :

Crab is our favourite seafood so we bought a packet of Black Soya Sauce Crabs from the nearby seafood house.

Black Soya Sauce Crabs :

Satay is another favourite food of ours so we bought 50 sticks of chicken satay and 50 sticks of pork satay plus 4 packets of satay rice wrapped in pandan leaves.

Chicken Satay :

Satay Rice wrapped in Pandan Leaves :

Cucumber :

My sister bought pastries and buns too for the birthday celebration.

Pastries and Buns :

It is always fun to have celebrations for all occassions. We will have another birthday celebration 2 days later as my youngest nephew will be having his 8th birthday on 18 Dec. I’m looking forward to having fun again 🙂

My Favourites :

My sister likes the meals at the English-style Jack’s Place restaurant very much and she often bugs us to visit Jack’s Place whenever she has accumulated enough reward points. She really gets excited when it’s time for us to pay Jack’s Place restaurant a visit.

My family and I had finally gone to Jack’s Place restaurant tonight for our dinner as my sister has accumulated enough reward points to exchange for one or two complimentary meals. When we reached there at 7:15pm, the restaurant was already full so we got to make our last-minute reservation to come back at 8pm.

We reserved a table for 10 persons first and then reached the restaurant at 8pm sharp. After we were ushered to our table, we spent about 15 minutes to place our orders as there were 10 of us undecided what to eat. Luckily, the captain was quite patient so she was waiting and recommending the food to us.

We had finally made our orders and then waited for our food to be served. We ordered spring chicken, grilled chicken chop, chicken breast meat stuffed with cheese & ham, lamp chop, cheesy mushroom with scallops and so on.

Chicken Breast Meat stuffed with Cheese and Ham :

Cheesy Mushroom with Scallops :

My sister feels that the accumulated reward point is helping her to save money for having the chicken chop, mushroom soup, lobster soup, desserts and so on. Whereas, I find that it is a time to burn a big hole in the pocket when paying for the bill.

I would think that the strategy of using reward points to exchange for meals is working well for most of the restaurants and retailers because most if not all of the consumers would think that it is a waste if the accumulated reward points are not used.

Anyway, we will take it as a time for the family to get together. It is going to help to boost the economy too 🙂

My Favourites :

First of all, I wish you have a very happy and peaceful Thanksgiving Day if you are staying in the US.

I went to the SITEX PC show and John Little Mega Sale at the Singapore Expo this afternoon as I was not working today. It was not too crowded over there probably because it was not a weekend. 

I think it is better this way so that I can really go from booth to booth to look at those laptops, desktops, gadgets and other IT accessories on display without having to get squeezed around in the crowd. Besides laptops, Apple’s iPod Classic, iPod Touch and iPhone are very popular IT products which drew the attention of many visitors at the SITEX PC show.

iPhone is in the wish-list of many people :

Besides PCs, there was also a section for selling cars. I think the event exhibitors nowadays are trying to pack a few different events together in one exhibition hall so as to cater to different needs. Maybe this is the so-called killing one bird with two stones.

Here is a picture of the sportscar displaying at the mini car show :

As for the John Little Mega Sale, I walked around and then picked up a few packets of Japanese Wasabi peas and seasoned seaweed. These are the snacks that my sisters and niece like to eat very much.

After spending a few hours at the SITEX PC show and John Little Mega Sale, I was really feeling tired and hungry so I went to the Malan Noodle restaurant to have a bowl of Chinese crunchy prawn noodle.

Here is a picture of the Crunchy Prawn Noodle :

I like the prawns which were very fresh and crunchy. You will love the crunchiness of the prawns after taking one bite. It will taste even better when eating the prawns with chili.

I spent my off day at the PC show today but I yet to have any plan for tomorrow which is also my off day. Hmm….let me think about how I want to spend my day tomorrow.

My Favourites :

It has been closed to 5 months that I have not visited Downtown East. I’m surprised to see there are many new shops setting up at E!Hub building. There are many new restaurants, games outlets, amusement outlets, fashion shops and so on. 

As usual, my sisters, sister-in-law, niece, nephews and I will hunt for food first whenever we go for our outings. So, the choice for today was to have our lunch at a newly-opened restaurant called Buddy Hoagies Cafe which specialises in selling western food and their price list seems to be reasonable too. We placed our orders and then waited for the food to be served. 

Grilled Pepper Chicken Chop :

After having our lunch at Buddy Hoagies Cafe, we went to the arcade game outlet to have some fun. My sisters and I played our favourite “spot the difference between photos” game. It was really very fun and we enjoyed the game very much.

We spent a few hours playing at the arcade game outlet. We were tired and hungry so we obeyed our hunger and then went for our dinner. The choice for dinner was to try out something new at another newly-opened restaurant so we went in to Just Acia to have our oriental food there.

Just Acia serves a combination of Chinese, Japanese and Korean food. 

Ginseng Chicken Soup :

Soft Shell Crabs :

Salmon Meal :

We like the different varieties of food served there and I’m sure we will go back to patronise Just Acia restaurant in the future. We just had too much food and too much fun for today. Probably the best thing to do was to go home straight and to have some rest.

My Favourites :

I was not working today and I also didn’t have any specific plan for myself on how I wanted to spend my rest day which is a Friday. It happened that my sister and sister-in-law were also not working today as they needed to pick up some document from the town area. So I sent them there after having my breakfast.

After parking my car, I brought my nephew to buy soft drinks while waiting for my sisters to settle their stuff with the agent at the Peace Centre. Suddenly, I heard someone was calling my name from behind when I was opening the canned drinks. I turned back and saw my ex-colleague whom I have not been seeing for 10 years.

He saw me passing by through the glass door after he had deposited a cheque at the bank counter. He told me that he is jobless now so he has the time to do some missionary work for the churches. It includes travelling to the less developed countries and linking up the missionary work with schools. 

My ex-colleague had also updated me about how some of our ex-colleagues were doing. He can keep on talking on and on until my 8 years old nephew was so impatient by pulling my hand to signal me to go. So, I told my ex-colleague that I got to make a move first to meet up with my sisters.

After that, we drove to the Park Mall to have our lunch at the Han’s restaurant. My nephew likes to eat crispy fried noodle with gravy so we ordered one set for him. My sister ordered a set of chicken chop and I ordered a set of cheese omelette.

Chicken Chop With Mushroom Sauce :

Cheese Omelette With French Fries :

Yuan Yang or Yuen Yong (A Mixture of Coffee and Tea) :

After having our lunch at the Han’s restaurant, we travelled to Orchard road for window shopping as well as bringing my nephew to his favourite arcade game outlet to play some games. We have had a very fun and enjoyable day. All these activities are unplanned and this is how I spent my rest day today.

My Favourites :

My chubby nephew has been begging me for a few months to bring him to his most favourite restaurant, Country Manna, for meal. The last time that we had been to Country Manna was in late April this year when we were celebrating the 10th birthday for our chubby, cute, adorable, lovely and charming nephew. 

During that time, we were having our American country-style meal at the Country Manna’s Serangoon Garden branch. We have had an enjoyable chat with the restaurant manager who told us that the Serangoon Garden branch would be closing down in May due to the contract was expiring. 

My sisters and I felt sad to hear that because Country Manna restaurant is one of our most favourite restaurants. We like the American country-style environment and the delicious food there. We recalled that Country Manna used to have more than 10 branches all over Singapore but it is left with one at the present moment, ie. November 2008.

This one and only one Country Manna restaurant is located at Sun Plaza of Sembawang. So, I drove my sisters, my niece and my nephews all the way from the east side to the north side of Singapore today.

Chicken and Celery Soup Topped With Pastry :

Baked Scallops :

Whole Spring Chicken with Baked Potato, Salad and Peaches :

Here is a brief note on Country Manna : 

Country Manna was founded by a group of Christian businessmen in 1993. Country Manna Restaurants feature healthy oven-baked country meals and superior service. Using a special mixture of herbs and sauces, the Country Manna oven-baking process removes most of the harmful oils that occur during the cooking process while sealing in the succulent, natural flavors.

We like the food there. My chubby nephew likes the American country-style food at Country Manna when he was 1 year old. He is 10 years old now and he still likes the Country Manna’s chicken soup topped with pastry, spring chicken, bufflo wings and so on.

We sincerely hope that the one and only one Country Manna restaurant located at Sun Plaza won’t vanish just like the rest of the branches. 

My Favourites :

I read the newspapers and get to know from the advertisement that now is the crab season. Many restaurants are promoting the crab feast. One of the restaurants is promoting buffet of crab and durian delights. I think this is something special as I don’t get to see this kind of crab plus durian buffet that often.

I called upon my second nephew who loves to eat crab very much. This little cute and chubby boy was so delighted to see the advertisement which was promoting the crab buffet. He told me immediately that he wanted to go to the restaurant to eat his favourite crabs.

My sister made a booking at the Ellenborough Market Cafe and then we brought our nephews, the 2 chubby boys, to the Swissotel Merchant Court hotel at noon time today. When we reached there, we were surprised to see there was a long queue of people waiting to enter the Ellenborough Market Cafe. Maybe because it was a Sunday.

Despite the world economy is slowing down, many people are still willing to spend money to enjoy good food especially when the restaurants are promoting crab and durian delights. These are the food that we don’t get to eat so often for buffet style.

So, we filled the plates with the crabs of different flavours immediately after we were ushered to our table. The crab dishes include Sri Lanka Black Pepper Crab, Nonya Crab Popiah, Curry Crab, Chilli Crab and so on. The durian creations featuring on the buffet are Durian Creme Brulee, Durian & Mango Napolean, Durian with Red Bean Agar-Agar, Durian Pengat and so on.

Here are the pictures of the yummy food.

Sushi, Mussel, Crabs, Prawns and Fried Rice :

Crayfish, Abalone and Other Varieties of Food :

Black Pepper Crabs :

Black Pepper Prawns and Crabs :

Crayfish, Crabs, and Kang Kong Vegetable :

Prawns, Oyster, Mussel, Crabs, Fried Rice and Bun :

Abalone, Durian Cakes and Vegetables :

Durian Cakes and Pastries :

Durian Pengat :

Besides the crab and durian delights, Ellenborough Market Cafe also serve their usual spread of International, Local and Peranakan specialities. My sisters, my nephews and I find that the Ellenborough Market Cafe is generous enough to serve the different varieties of food in big portions. The tastes of the crab dishes and other food are very delicious. They serve real Abalone instead of mock Abalone in their buffet bar.

We really like the nice and yummy food there. We consider this as value for money. Furthermore, my sister is a HSBC credit card holder so we are entitled to enjoy the offer of “one dines for free with every three paying adult diners”. It really helps to save some money for us to enjoy the good food.

My Favourites :

Thanks goodness, today is a public holiday. I don’t have to think of ways to beat the Monday blues for today. Thanks to Indians or Hindus for celebrating their Deepavali Day.

Today is already the third day of the long weekend. Hmm…how time flies? Just a blink of an eye and the 3 days have passed so quickly without us even realising it. I have to go back to work tomorrow and get stressed out by the long list of unfinished tasks again. 

Although I’m dedicated to my work, I don’t consider myself as a workaholic even though some people have mistaken I’m one. Anyway, I will put work behind me for today because today is a public holiday. This is a time for me to relax and to enjoy myself. After all, I’m a human instead of a working machine.  

So, I went to shopping with my sisters today. As usual, we will either go to foodcourt, fast-food chain or restaurant to have our lunch. As for today, we chose to go to the Chinese Ramen restaurant to have noodle meals.

We ordered Tom Yam Seafood Ramen, Ginseng Chicken Ramen, Shrimp with Carrot Dumplings and Chinese tea for our lunch. 

Tom Yam Seafood Ramen :

Shrimp with Carrot Dumplings (Har Kau) :

 
We have been to this Koo Kee Chinese Ramen restaurant many times. We like the way they cook the Ramen / noodles and we also like the various flavours of other side dishes. The shrimps inside the dumplings are very crunchy and fresh. The Tom Yam Seafood Ramen is not too spicy and it is suitable for kids too.

Koo Kee Chinese Ramen restaurant is one of our favourite restaurants. We really love the food there. The price is reasonable too. I would consider this as value for money. Happy Holiday!

My Favourites :

My sister and I went to Toa Payoh’s HDB Hub for shopping today. It has been a long time that I did not visit this place. I also cannot remember when it was the last visit. We reached there at around 2pm and were planning to have some food later.

My sister went to the basement to look for her favourite video shop and I went to look for the AXS machine to pay my bills. We went separate ways for an hour and then met up to have our late lunch.

We then walked to the nearby Chinese restaurant for the High Tea meal. Their High Tea time starts from 3pm to 7pm on every Sundays. 

This is the picture of the Chinese Fortunate restaurant :

My sister ordered our favourite Dim Sum for our late lunch. Immediately, a few waitresses were busy pushing their Dim Sum carts towards us and were trying to upsell their Dim Sum of different varieties. We picked those varieties that we like to eat and the table was then occupied with Dim Sum baskets and dishes.

Shrimp Dumplings (Har Kau) :

Broccoli with Eggs :

Shark-Fin Dumplings :

Yam Cake :

We had a sip of Chinese tea while having the Dim Sum so as to help in the digestion.

We also ordered desserts after finished eating the Dim Sum. My sister ordered Honey Dew with Sago and I ordered Longan with Tofu.  

Honey Dew with Sago Dessert :

Longan with Tofu Dessert :

It was a great Dim Sum meal and we enjoyed the food there very much. We paid the bill and then set off to our next round of shopping venture.

My Favourites :