WIMBLY LU

Location: 15-2 Jalan Riang Singapore 358987
How to get there: 105 or 58 stop right outside Zhonghua Secondary or Yangzheng Primary (It's right behind The Sunnydale, or as I usually advice if you really can't find your way, use google map! Technology is so advanced nowadays^^)
Opening hours:
Tues to Fri: 1300 - 2230
Sat: 0900 - 2300
Sun: 0900 - 2230
Contact number: 6289 1489

Hi all! You may be wondering why there has been a sudden spam in food outings these few days; Well, to start with it's the holiday season and I'm enjoying the mood and moreover, my friends are free from school so you'll see more guests here and there these few days! (Our dear May has flown to Korea for holiday today!!! *sobs* So I'll be out food hunting with my other friends!) Today, our guest would me darling Phyllis! We decided to visit Wimbly Lu after my class today. I was introduced to Wimbly Lu by a friend who told me it houses great desserts and has a very good atmosphere; I was not disappointed.

The atmosphere was calming and the open roof concept makes you feel like you've entered into a mini garden. For me, it feels like a mini getaway from the bustling city. I can literally sit here with a book and enjoy my afternoon. One thing that caught my attention was the way the service staff took down our orders; SWITCH uses iPad to get customers to do the ordering themselves and Wimbly Lu's staff uses the new iTouch to take down orders! Talk about technology taking over our lifestyles!

I have attached the menu for your reference as the one on it's web ain't that updated!

I had a Molten Lava Cake ($6) and a Brownie with Honey Cinnamon Ice-Cream ($7.50), and Phyllis had a Root Beer Cake with Vanilla Ice-Cream ($6) and a Single Tuna & Cheese Toasty Melts ($3.50). We paid a total of $25.30. I would break the review into the different food items we've ordered then I'll address the general advantages and disadvantages of the place itself.

Root Beer Cake With Vanilla Ice-Cream:

• Subtle Root Beer taste
• The slight bitter taste of the cake and the sweet Vanilla Ice-Cream is a very good combination (It makes you feel like you're actually drinking root beer!)
• The chocolate sauce gives an extra chocolate-y taste!
• The Vanilla Ice-Cream tastes really good on it's own!

Molten Lava Cake:

• Chocolate is not too sweet; there is a faint bitter taste (lovely!)
• The molten chocolate oozes out with just a slight crack on the top!!!
• You definitely won't get sick eating this! It's too awesome!!!

Look at the gooey chocolate!!!

Tuna & Cheese Toasty Melts:

• It comes with 4 slices of Japanese cucumber and diced tomatoes drizzled in salad sauce
• The toast is slightly salty with the combination of tuna and cheese
• The salad sauce is good and the salad itself is a refreshing touch to the sandwhich
• But it also seems like something you can make at home without much hassle  

Phyllis was very eggcited on the sticky cheese^^

Brownie with Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream:

• The brownie itself is $4.50 actually, but if you add a scoop of ice-cream its extra $3. I find this a little expensive really. But you get to have a choice over the scoop of ice-cream.
• The brownie itself is hard on the outside and soft inside (GOOD!)
• I could smell the Cinnamon once the plate was set on the table!! (Incidentally, I'm a Cinnamon fan!!! I gotta say the ice-cream was AWESOME!)

Advantage:

• I would say that it's greatest advantage would be the atmosphere! 
• The service staff is very polite and subtle
• Their ice-cream is handmade!!

Disadvantage:

• It's slightly cramp; especially at the open roof area.

Note:

• 10% service charge applies
• I would recommend you to go in the afternoon as they tend to be really crowded at night!

So looking for a dessert that will delight you? Wimbly Lu's a choice for you to consider! I have to say that I have accumulated a week's worth of chocolate in my tummy! But all's worth it!

(Here's a photo of Phyllis with her Root Beer Cake with Vanilla Ice-Cream!)

<3FJ


***Updates: 12/06/2013

Hi guys!!! I went back today with Joey! There's still so much in the menu that I have yet to try and hence I have decided to update you peeps on the things we ate today!
They have actually changed their menu design, so I'll just include it here just in case they have slight changes to it.

Anyways! We had a plate of pancakes with choice of ice cream ($7.50), Tiramisu ($6.50), Molten Lava Cake ($6) and a pot of Chamomile Tea ($5) and the bill totaled to $27.50.



Pancakes:

• They serve you 4 pancakes with ice cream of your choice and a sauce at your choice as well. I had Honey Cinnamon ice cream and Maple Syrup.
• The pancakes were fluffy, different from those you get at McDonald's.
• The ice cream is gooooood! Spread it on the pancakes and wrap it! It's good! 
• The syrup is sweet (naturally) and if you finish it, they give you free refills!

Tiramisu:

• Loads of cream cheese.
• Their biscuit is not soggy enough for Joey.
• But for it's size, I think it's rather worth the $6.50. It's quite huge.

Chamomile Tea:

• I am really not a good judge for tea as I hardly drink them. But one pot of tea can refill about 6 cups (plus minus) and it's shared between the 2 of us so it's rather worth it!
• Personally, the smell of tea is always so calming and since it price is rather reasonable, I suggest you peeps to check it out too! 

Okay! That's all on my updates!!!!! I am definitely going back for the pancakes again!!!! Kya!

Wimbly Lu always allows me to take pretty photos and they constantly change their deco to liven up the mood and to give customers something fresh. This is really one of the things I love about them. It's always the little things that counts.

<3FJ

ARBITE

Location: 66A Serangoon Garden Way, Singapore 555962. 
How to get there: bus numbers 136, 315, 317 (it's just above guardian which is opposite the bus stop)
Operating Hours: 
Tue – Fri, 11.30 am – 3.00 pm, 6.00pm - 10.30 pm
Sat – Sun 11.00 am – 10.30 pm 
Last Order at 2.30 pm & 9.45 pm 

Closed on Mondays 

Contact number: 6287 0430

Hi everybody! This is a spur of a moment review~Due to one disadvantage that I was itching to point out. (perks of going unannounced to prevent any sorts of wayang, really!)
I'm not sure if you all have heard of Arbite, I went there once before the start of this blog upon a friend's recommendation and another time today. Personally, I would not say that this place essentially sells cheap food, but their portions are huge for a reasonable price (so you can say it's a give and take)

My friends and I ordered: A Kiddy Fish & Chip ($5.90), a Arbite Breakfast ($15.90) and a Eggs Benedict ($11.90). I have included the menu here so you all can check it out :)

Advantage:

• Food comes in huge portions (especially the kiddy fish & chip set, we thought it was small but it turn out huge.)
• Their poached eggs are awesome!
• Ice water comes without asking.
• The atmosphere is really nice. Loads of white and light wood colours, very calming.

Disadvantage:

This one is really bugging me since the minute we stepped in the place: Bugging Service Staff (to say it nicely, they may be too friendly? But, sense the sarcasm my friends). 

As we were waiting for a friend to arrive, we decided to browse the menu and took our time to decide on what to order. One of the service staff paced next to our table to and fro for more than 5 times before she decided to pluck up some courage and ask if we were waiting for a friend. (We walked in clearly indicating a table for 3 by the way and there were only 2 of us, but it's only given that she may not have heard us). I find that a little irritating (the pacing). 

All was fine after we made our orders until we were almost done with our meal (we still had food left but we couldn't finish it), the service staff very promptly decide to come and clear away our plates (an indication to tell you: if you are done, get out thank you. But you gotta give them kudos for prompt action.) My friend still had her almost-untouched strawberry milkshake on the table and hence we decided to let her finish it at her own pace as we were stuffed. Then we got more pacing from the staff again! (side note: my friend was getting irritated too). 

I do not see the point for this, there were no awaiting customers who needed the table and we still had a milkshake left on the table, it's not like we have decided to hang around without making continued purchases. From knowledge, they tend to be very crowded at night during dinner and they are usually fully booked on reservation; but in the afternoon, the crowd level is manageable, a couple of empty tables here and there. This is the very point that sparked my irritation. If the turnover rate is rather high, I would have brush this off.

Hence, if they would like to close at 3pm promptly, I would suggest that they give customers a slight hint at 2.30pm that there are closing at 3pm for dinner preparation. Just this sentence and it would do the trick. STOP the pacing. (we left before 2.30pm)

Note: 

• They have a 1-for-1 lunch promo for UOB credit card holders. It is very worth it! Salad + soup of the day + a main course (3 choose 1) + a drink (4 choose 1) all for $30++
• Note that this promo ends at 2.30pm.
• If you wanna do dinner, I suggest you make a reservation!

So that's all on my food for thought on Arbite!

<3FJ

WATAMI JAPANESE DINING @ ION ORCHARD

Location: Orchard Ion B3-23
How to get there: Orchard Mrt
Opening hours: 11.00am - 10.00pm
Contact number: 6509 9366

Hi people! I have been hanging on this review for sometime...due to a million reasons! But here it is!!! It all started when my friend Joey (who wants to appear as a guest now and then...I'll introduce a picture of her later^^) decided to chill out as her exams just ended! What better way then to eat and shop, and shop and eat again? So we hit town!

I ordered a Beef Stone Bowl and Joey ordered a Okonomiyaki! The bill totaled to $20.60.

Advantages:

• Both the Beef Stone Bowl and the Okonomiyaki is about $8.80 (excluding GST and Service charge). This is rather cheap for a Japanese restaurant!
• They serve you plain water! (FREE! I always harp on water as it's important to allow your customers to quench their thirst after a meal)
• As my Beef Stone Bowl comes in a lunch set, I get a free salad and drink too! (That makes $8.80 so much more worth it!)
• The Okonomiyaki has loads of sauce just the way our guest Joey likes it! 
• The atmosphere is great and the staff is always greets customers in and out.

Disadvantages:

• The tables are place very close to each other, hence there it is rather hard to move around.
• The Beef Stone Bowl needs more sauce! (I prefer it sauce-y) 

Note:

• The set lunch meal is from 11.30am - 3.00pm.

So what are you waiting for? If you want some cheap Japanese food during lunch period here's your ticket!!! Go go go!!!

(Here's a picture of our guest Joey with a red bean dessert from Honeymoon Dessert at 313)

<3 FJ

TOM'S PALETTE

Location: Shaw Tower #01-25 (it's just opposite Aloy Thai)
How to get there: Bugis Mrt! And google map the rest of your way there! Walking distance (don't be lazy)
Opening hours: 

So after our stuffed stomachs at Aloy Thai, May and I decided to go take a walk around Bugis, took some photos at Haji Lane and came back here to enjoy a nice dessert after a hot afternoon! (Funny how the weather changes around Singapore! It just started raining as I started typing this!)

We gotta say, Tom's Palette offers an interesting range of  ice cream! So far what caught our eyes for today's ice cream would be: Chocolate Chili, Sasi Float, White Christmas, Rudolph, Chocolate Banana and Chocolate Sorbet. Plus their interior is rather cool! you get to sit and chill with your friends and they even have note boards!

Sizes: Small ($3.20), Medium ($4) and Large ($5) cups. We had a small due to our still slightly stuffed stomachs.

We couldn't try it all so I had a Chocolate Sorbet and Savory Crunch while May had a Chocolate Banana and a Sasi Float! We'll break our review into the different flavors.

Chocolate Sorbet:

• Very Chocolate-ty! (Usually sorbets don't sit very well with me, but this one sits so comfortably in my stomach!)
• Girls, you want a chocolate worth sinning for? Wells this is it! 

Savory Crunch:

• I was told that this taste a little salty. It sparked my curiosity and I decided to taste it. I was then further told that the potato chips contributed to the salty taste.
• It is very unique and I love it! (YUMZ!)

Sasi Float :

• Tastes like A&W's root beer float!
• Now you know where you can go without crossing the border to get an A&W's float alike ice cream!

Banana Chocolate:

• The fragrance of the banana coupled with chocolate is a GREAT combination!

Note:

• There is a 10% DISCOUNT FOR STUDENTS! (so still being students! we got it too^^)

So go go go if you wanna try a unique flavors! Don't go for the common ones...you travel to a place pay about $3 (for the small cup) to eat vanilla? DON'T! I rather you buy a tub of King's or other house brands at your supermarket! Try the ones that are interesting yeah?

<3May&FJ

ALOY THAI

Location: Shaw Tower #01-38/40
How to get there: You can take a train to Bugis Mrt and walk there. It's very near the NLB (once again, whats google map for my dears? ^^)
Opening hours: 12pm - 8.15 pm (Mon-Fri) and 1pm- 7.15 pm (Sat-Sun)

Hi everybody!! May&FJ have decided to drop by Aloy Thai to try out their stuffs after class today! We spent some time trying to locate it as it was tuck in a secluded corner at the first floor. Once we stepped in, it was lunch hour for the office crowd, but we had managed to snag a place within a couple of minutes anyway! 

Here's a picture of the menu!

We ordered Tom Yum Seafood Soup ($7.50), Phad Thai ($7.00) and Sweet and Sour Toufu ($8) and our total bill amounted to $22.50.

The Tom Yum Seafood Soup consists of:

• 3 Prawns
• Squid aka Sotong
• Light amounts of vegetables
• Light amounts of mushrooms

The Phad Thai consists of:

• Eggs,
• Prawns
• Light amounts of vegetables
• Chopped Peanuts and a Lime

Lastly, the Sweet and Sour Toufu consists of:

• Prawns (loads of it)
• 6 chunks of Toufu 
• Pineapple slices
• A couple of lychees
• Cucumber
• Tomato
• Bell peppers

Personally, both May and I really enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Toufu and we recommend that you should try it too! The seafood soup is also worth giving a go as the soup is filled with Tom Yum richness. Don't get me started on the Phad Thai; just go eat it! Bring a whole lot of people and just eat them all. Truthfully, though it was only 3 dishes, both of us were really stuffed! What we've ordered could have fed at least 4 people! (That's why I'm gonna go exercise after this ^^)

Advantages:

• The sotong in the soup is very Q
• The soup itself is very appetizing.
• There was a generous portion of seafood in the soup!
• The Phad Thai tastes so good! (authentic)
• Lychee and pineapple with sweet and sour sauce is such a good combination!
• The cucumber in the toufu dish is crunchy! (FRESH!)
• The prawns in all dishes have been peeled for you with an exception of the head and tail (so much easier to manage! how sweet of them!)
• Also, the prawns are reasonably fresh! (not like some places where it tastes like mush)
• Food was served quickly.
• The dishes are generally in HUGE portions (2 stuffed stomachs are our evidence!)
• The staff there is very friendly! They passed us extra tissues when the realized that one was not enough and they even asked if the food is to our liking or not. (Friendly!)
• NO gst and service charge! (NONE)

Disadvantages:

• The prawns vary in terms on whether their insides were cleaned out of not (personally, prawns with their insides not cleaned out is just~ewww)
• we had to asked for serving bowls for the soup (small thing, really)

Note:

• You gotta order with the paper they pass you and proceed to the counter to pay first (that's considered an order made)

You darlings should go try it out! The food is awesome and if you split the bill to 4 with what we've ordered, its about $5++ per person! Ain't it worth it? Go go go!!!

<3May&FJ

NIHON MURA @ KALLANG LEISURE PARK

Location: Kallang Leisure Park #04-01/02
How to get there: Stadium Mrt
Contact number: 6887 1897
Opening hours: 1130-2200

Hi guises!!! Once again I'm back with a short review during one of my outings with my friend today again!! This time we were attending 2NE1's concert! It was awesome by the way ^^

Okay back to topic, the reason why I wanna do up this review is because I think I have finally chanced upon one of the most awesome Salmon and Salmon Roe don in my life!!!
Thanks to May, I am rather sensitive to the texture and the freshness of salmon. Hence when I say it's good~ITS GOOD (just trust me on this)

My friend and I ordered 4 plates of normal sushi, 1 salmon and salmon roe don ($9.90 excluding GST and service charge which is counted in final bill...but its still cheaper than most Japanese restaurants!!), 1 toufu and 1 oreo milkshake; our total bill turned out to be $26.15

Advantages:

• Spacious
• Considering that food is prepared on the spot for you and with orders streaming; the food is served pretty fast.
• Salmon is FRESH!!! It melts in your mouth!!!! The thickness its just nice! not too thin and not too thick (I don't like thick ones, but May LOVES thick sashimi!)

Disadvantages:

• They don't serve you water (always happens to restaurants who wants to cut cost)
• We had a crab meat salad sushi and the rice was as dry as sand (BLEAGH! they left it running on the sushi conveyor belt for TOO long!)

Note:

• Last order is at 2130.
• If you order anything except for the sushi which you take yourself, you have to put the sticks into the container provided at your table and just hand it to the counter.

Hence what are you waiting for?! If you so happen to go there for bowling, ice skating, watching a movie or catching a concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, you should REALLY give this a go!!! You will NOT regret it!

<3FJ