Breakfast at TWG Tea Salon & Boutique @ Ion Orchard, Singapore

OVERALL: 2 /5

Food: **

Price: **

Service: **

Ambience: ***

Cuisine: Western



Located somewhere in front of orchard's 2nd floor entrance, it is hard to miss TWG Salon & Boutique as there is always a long queue of people waiting eagerly for tables. One morning, when I passed by the place, the queue had not started, hence, filled with curiosity, I quickly grabbed hold of the chance to solve the mystery behind the usual long queues.

We were greated by towering shelves with large yellow bottles of tea leaves. The salon has a classic and exquisite design which sets you in the mood to relax and enjoy your tea and scones.

They have a separate menu from lunch for breakfast, which is sadly more limited in term of choices. We ordered Singapore & New York Breakfast Set, which each came with a selection of tea, fruit juice, scones or muffin and eggs.

Pu Erh & Mediterranean Breakfast Tea



I have always liked the aroma of breakfast tea, makes you want to start your day feeling refreshed, but I find the Pu Erh lacks fragrance.

Singapore Breakfast

New York Breakfast



I particularly like the jelly like marmalade for the scones. I was too busy eating, I forgot to snap photos of it oops... Not much of a fan of Singapore breakfast's eggs though, I think it was poached eggs with olive oil, simple... but I just didn't quite like the taste. The New York set's egg sandwich seemed more appetising.

Price is on the high side and service is slow even when there was only a handful of customers around. Not quite sure why it always attract such a big crowd, perhaps I am not a tea connoisseur, therefore I have not been able to fully appreciate the tea? Haha... But it is certainly a fancy and comfortable place to have hi-tea and chat with friends.

 

TWG Tea Salon & Boutique

#02-20/21

Ion Orchard

2 Orchard Turn

Singapore 

Tel: (+65) 6735 1837

Opening hours: 10am - 10pm daily

Website: http://www.twgtea.com/



The Bee @ Jaya One

OVERALL: 3 /5

Ice-Cream: ***
Price: ***

Service: ***

Ambience: **

"What's your favourite ice-cream?"

"Chocolate!"

"Strawberry!"

"Guinness!"

"Vanilla!"

Wait a minute... (fast rewind)...

"Guinness!"

What? Guiness? Yes, you heard it right. My friend was very amused by a Guinness beer ice-cream she had at The Bee, Jaya One, and one evening she brought me to taste this discovery. Jaya One was very lively at night, in contrast with the day when it's more calm & quiet. My only complaint is that the air was filled with cigarette smoke, I supposed it is unavoidable with so many bars around unless there's a sudden increase in health consciousness among people, and these people have the determination to give up smoking. I wish there are more smoke free restaurants and bars. Sigh... my hair and clothes really stunk later that night.



It certainly tasted like beer. Was it good or bad? I really don't know how to judge hehe.... I think... like durian, it depends very much on personal preference, perhaps beer lovers would be very delighted to have this as dessert. Try it out yourself!

The Bee
2A-G, Block K, Jaya One
No. 72 Jalan Universiti, Section 13
46200 Petaling Jaya

Tel: 603 7960 2160
Website: http://www.thebee.com.my/

Opening hours

Mon - Thurs: 10am - 12am

Fri - Sat: 10am - 1am

Sun: 10am - 4pm

Shee Yaan Restaurant (Assam Fish) 喜燕楼 @ Muar, Johor

NIJI @ KLGCC

OVERALL: 3 /5

Food: ***

Price: ***

Service: ***

Ambience: ***

Cuisine: Japanese

Before heading to Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club's bowling alley, which we heard had a makeover, we went to NIJI japanese restaurant in the club to satisfy our hunger.

The ambience seemed nice, but the main entrance in the picture above could be improved in my opinion.

A fan of fortune cat? I wonder if they actually work...

Owh... you could see the fresh ingredients in the display case at the sushi bar.

Chawanmushi

Ebiko Sushi

California Temaki

Ikura Sushi

Nabeyaki Udon

Kitsune Udon

Nori Zosui

Fried Ice-cream

Crsipy tempura skin wrapped around vanilla ice-cream, drizzled with chocolate syrup. I think there's a softer batter in between the crispy skin and ice cream, which I liked very much as it added a different texture, I only wish it's thicker.

Overall, good food at affordable price, nice decorations and good service. Manager was quite friendly, came out to greet us and took us to our seats when we entered. I will consider coming back if I visit KLGCC to bowl again.

NIJI, KLGCC
No 10, Jalan 1/70D,
Off Jalan Bukit Kiara,
Kuala Lumpur

Tel: 603 2093 9791

Opening hurs:

Mon - Sun: 12pm - 2.30pm / 6pm - 10.30pm

Hainan Tea @ SS2

OVERALL: 3 /5

Food: **

Price: ***

Service: ***

Ambience: ***

Cuisine: Local

Walk into SS2 commercial area during chinese new year and you will be wondering whether you have walked into the scene of Resident Evil. Where is everybody? The usually overcrowded shop lots were unusually deserted with only a handful of shops opened. Only good news was there were plentiful of parking lots.

SS2 is popular for the variety of eateries available, however it was difficult to find one that was open in the evening of chinese new year's eve. We spotted a cafe that look somewhat similar to Old Town Coffee at the corner of the row of shops where Prince Cafe is located. Not having much choice, we gladly gave it a try.

Iced Hainan Tea (behind)  RM 4.80
Hot Hainan Tea (front) RM 3.30

Hainan Premium Coffee  RM4.50

Deep Blue Yogurt  RM 5.80

Deep Blue Yogurt... sounds interesting, still not sure what it was made of, tasted sour, quite a refreshing drink but RM 5.80? Hm... not so sure if I am willing to pay that price.

Fried Sausages  RM 4.20

Fried sausages can't go wrong.

Peanut Butter Thick Toast (left)  RM 3.90
Hainan Brown Toast 3 Layer (right)  RM 3.80

Not good for my cholestrol level with that amount of butter or margarine in Hainan Brown Toast. There were quite a few types of toast in the menu, but I am afraid the one I tried was not as good as Old Town's.

Overall, a cozy and relaxing place to hang out with friends for afternoon tea. Other outlets in Puchong and Low Yat.

Hainan Tea
No 61-9, Ground Floor,
Jalan SS2/75,
47300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Canon EOS 550D vs. Nikon D3100

Have you ever wondered how others take beautiful, awe-inspiring photos, be it a beautiful landscape or lifelike portraits? Surely, a slr camera is a must-have to express your hidden creativity. As the price of dslr cameras has gone down over the years, more and more people are able to afford these cameras to capture the precious moments of their life, they are no longer just the bread and butter of professional photographers. Investing in a good basic dslr camera will allow me to take better pictures especially when I am travelling, and will probably assist me in my blog venture too!

Canon EOS 550D and Nikon D3100 are entry level cameras for their respective brands. After reading through all the information and comparisons between the two on the internet, till my head started to spin, I went to Canon Concept Store and Harvey Norman in Sunway Pyramid to see, touch and feel the real thing.

Canon is priced at around RM3000, whereas Nikon is much cheaper at RM2000+. That’s about RM1000 of difference! According to web sources, these 2 cameras are neck and neck in terms of performance. The salespersons highlighted that the colour of the photos taken by these cameras are different, you will have to see for yourself to decide which one is to your liking.

So why is Nikon so much cheaper? The answer is Canon is made in Japan, whereas Nikon is made in Thailand. The material used for Canon might be of better quality, so perhaps more durable than Nikon. Another obvious difference is the LCD display for Canon is clearer. Canon is also slightly lighter in weight. After considering the price and quality of each camera, I have found myself a winner.

Ta-da! The Canon EOS 550D.

I chose Canon for its better LCD display and also lighter weight, very important when travelling. In my opinion, if you are looking for something more economical or to test the waters, Nikon will be a better choice, it has a nicer shutter button too. I purchased mine from Canon Concept Store and got a bag, a 4Gb memory card and a tripod for free.

When I got home, I immediately charged the battery for 5 hours and was later playing with the camera like a kid with a new toy, except this is so much more complicated and delicate and expensive.

Canon EOS Academy organizes photography workshop to guide Canon dslr camera owners, check out their website for workshop details.

Canon Concept Store
LG 2.30, Lower Ground 2, Sunway Pyramid,
No. 3, Jalan PJS 11/15,
46150 Bandar Sunway.

Tel: 603-5633 1818
Fax: 603-5633 1313
Business Hours: 10am to 10pm

Harvey Norman Sunway Pyramid
LG2.140 Lower Ground 2, Sunway Pyramid.

Luk Yu Tea House @ Starhill Gallery

OVERALL: 3 /5

Food: **

Price: **

Service: ***

Ambience: ****

Cuisine: Chinese

"爺爺泡的茶 有一種味道叫做家
 陸羽泡的茶 聽說名和利都不拿 ..."

As I passed by Luk Yu Tea House（陆羽茶馆）next to Shook Restuarant, I couldn't help singing Jay Chou's "Grandpa's Tea", " 爺爺泡的茶有一種味道叫做家, ohh...." Yeah, it's addictive. Mesmerized by the beautiful lattice walls of the chinese restaurant, we found ourselves flipping though the dim sum menu minutes later.

Initially we wanted to dine at Shook, but they were having the " Watch of the Year" award ceremony which was attended by popular figures like Tan Sri Dr Francis Yeoh, Datuk Jimmy Choo and Dr Ng Yen Yen, and Australian singer, Delta Goodrem was there to perform.

We could watch the chefs working wonders in the open kitchen, while waiting eagerly for our dim sums.

Appetiser

Appetiser was on the house, not sure what it was, too salty and oily for my taste, nevertheless good in stimulating our appetite.



Carrot Cake



Xiao Long Pau

Overall, I find the food ok but mediocre, hence not quite worth the "starhill price". Personally, I feel that the restaurant is more for customers who enjoy dining at restaurants with  fancy decorations and are not so particular with the food.

Luk Yu Tea House

Starhill Gallery 181,

Jalan Bukit Bintang,

55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 603 2782 3850

Fax: 603 2782 3818

Opening hours :
Mon.- Sat: 12:00pm - 1:00am
Sun & Public Holidays : 10:00am - 1:00am