Galbiati gourmet deli

A cosy, little deli shop at the Rail Mall in the Upper Bukit Timah area offering authentic Italian cusine from salads, antipasti, soups to a selection of main course, pasta and dessert. And of course, without being too harsh on your wallet. The ambience allows for a date with your loved ones for anniversaries, a quick lunch with your fellow colleagues or bonding with your family over pasta. pizzas and fine wine.

I was there for a quick meal with my colleagues though, a team lunch to be exact. Looking to tighten the string on your purse ? Then you can try out their lunch set menu ranging from SGD18++ to SGD24++, comprising of starter, main, coffee/tea and dessert. There is a selection of starters and mains to choose from, whichever tingles your tastebud.

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The Bierhaus ... the only German food in town ... or so they say

My family and I was looking for something different from the usual joints for dinner last week, something beyond what naturally surfaces out in our head ... something the likes of Gianni, TGI Fridays or Chez Papa. At least after last week's to The Bierhaus, we have now a new row in our where-to-dine list.

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Kluang Lim kopitiam ... a lesser known to the Kluang Railway Coffee

Kluang Lim is a lesser known as compared to its famous counterpart, Kluang Railway Coffee. They serve many different types of kuih (or snacks) and brews a pot of excellent coffee & tea too. Not to be missed is their fried prawn crackers but it is usually only available during tea-time and not any other hour. Since I was there during the lunch hour, so it wasn't available but luckily they still have an assortment of kuihs to satisfy that glutton in me.

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Cincin Restaurant 津津酒楼

My family was enroute to buy mooncakes (from a very famous pastry shop) for the Autumn Festival in Kluang, and stopped by this chinese restaurant. My dad tried it before and he commented the food is not bad, so we decided to settle our lunch over here.

From clockwise, we had the

Kungpo diced chicken - Average, and the diced meat is dry. Rating: 5.5/10

Fried vermicelli - Nicely flavoured and springy noodle. Rating: 6.5/10

Stir fried spinach with garlic - Average, not much impression of it. Rating: 5.5/10

Crispy pi-pa duck - One of the recommended dishes. The roasted duck skin is crisp and its meat is tender, but you have to go with the plum sauce, otherwise it could be a tad bland. Rating: 7.0/10

Steamed codfish in light soya sauce - It's fresh and my mum's favourite. Rating: 7.5/10

Specialty beancurd - The beancurd's texture is smooth and although I'm a fan of all tofu dishes, somehow this just does not rock my boat. Rating: 6.0/10

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Restaurant Hua Mui 华美茶餐室 ... since 1946

Restaurant Hua Mui has been around since 1946 and that til today, it is still leaving its footprints in and around Johor Bahru. I believe they have another outlet at Taman Sutera but it is this shop (their main branch) along Jalan Trus that really absorbs one into a time portal, and back to the future. 

Mind awashed with the tranquility and laid-back lifestyle of the 1950s, I very much enjoy sipping away the coffee with a hot toasted bun on my hand, flanked by buildings from the colonial era.  Don't be lazy, the atmosphere is best experienced in the early morning. Shave off an hour of your sleep, wake up early and head over where there are minimum traffic and crowd. I certainly enjoy this short moment of escape from reality.

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Satisfying Batam, 2D1N trip

There are a lot of trips on Groupon or Deals.com which features tons of inexpensive trips to Batam for 2D1N. I got mine for less than SGD80 inclusive of hotel stay and ferry tickets :D That's quite a bargain, and I know my trip there would comprise of shopping, food, massage and (of course) a visit to their cinema theatre. Prices for a ticket only costs ~RM5 ! In case, you think their theatre are old and dirty, then think again ! I can tell you theirs (at least the one in Nagoya Hill shopping centre) are comparable to what we have in Malaysia or Singapore or better.

If you are heading to Batam, drop by Nagoya Hill shopping centre where there are an wide selection of outlets selling cheap replica goods, from tshirts to bags. Upon arriving, what else but to satisfy our hunger first. Food ! I decided to drop by Food Street on the ground floor of the shopping mall, with choices ranging from fast food outlets (A&W or KFC) to their local cuisines. I opt for the latter choice.

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