Oh, for the Love of Tea!

Today, I decided to go for something out of the ordinary. By that I mean I will divert from my usual Tampines restaurants hunt – instead of looking for establishments that offer full-course meals, I think I would like to settle for coffee or tea instead. With a couple slices of bread or some cakes to go with it, of course.

I recently tried Joan Bowen Café, and I must say their Twinings Tea is lovely. It’s a shame they don’t have any branch here in Tampines.

But then I believe there are other café nearby that offers equally lovely coffee and tea. I think I will choose Starbucks. Again, that is. For the nth time.

Everybody knows Starbucks, as the authority for making great tasting coffee. They’ve got several branches here in the metro, and are considered one of the best places to eat in Singapore.

The Experience

Since my taste buds are on the lie-low mood, I would rather have tea for today.

Starbucks is not just famous for coffee, but for other delis and tea as well. Starbucks uses Tazo Teas, their official tea manufacturer. Here are their selections of Full Leaf Tea:

· English Breakfast Tea Latte

· Tazo® Earl Grey Tea Latte

· Tazo® Green Tea Latte

· Tazo® Chai Tea Latte

· English Breakfast Tea

· Tazo® Earl Grey Brewed Tea

· Tazo® Full Leaf Chai Tea

· Tazo® China Green Tips Brewed Tea

· Tazo® Jasmine Orange Tea

· Spearmint Green Tea

· Chamomile Blend Tea

· Mint Blend Tea



I chose the Mint Blend Tea, one of my all-time favorite. This time I chose Chicken Ham & Emmental Cheese to go with my tea. For a change.

Address: 

 

Starbucks 24 Hour Cafes
4 Tampines Central 5
#01-50 Tampines Mall
Singapore 529510
Tel: 6787 3640

Who Wants Sushi?

I do! Yes, I do. 

Sushi is one of my all-time favorite foods, at least for the Japanese cuisine of course. My taste buds are quite extensive, so to speak, and I really want to try different kinds of food if the situation allows it. See, I don’t really know how to cook, and the usual Tampines restaurants are becoming more mundane this days. With this happening, I vowed to see some other places to eat in Singapore to satisfy my cravings.

Japanese restaurants are some of the best-loved eating spots here in Tampines. Although I live within this area, I never actually had the chance to eat in one. But I guess tonight is my lucky night because a friend of mine asked me out to dine at Sakae Sushi.

The Experience

My friend and I were lucky enough to get a seat before the crowd arrives, it’s just half past six when we took our seats. We ordered straight away for sushi – I ordered Imo Imo and their Karafuru. I also tried their Omu Rice, which is really, really good! The teriyaki sauce is just so heavenly.

My friend had Unagi Horenso Tamagoyaki and asked, “how come river eel tastes this good?” I laughed. 

It’s like we aren’t satisfied yet, we ordered another Sakae for two. 

The dinner was satisfying, we are literally filled to the brim! J

Want to try out Sakae Sushi, too? Check out their store at this address:

Century Square
Tampines MRT Station
2 Tampines Central 5
#B1-02 / 03 Singapore 529509
Tel: 6787 3887
Opening Hours:
11:30am - 10:00pm daily

Seoul Garden – The Food for the Soul

Seoul food for the soul - intriguing, I must admit. This is the tagline of the Korean restaurant called “Seoul Garden.” I haven’t tried Korean food before but hey, their menu looks delicious!

I heard about Seoul Garden years ago, during my trip to the Philippines. My uncle is a Korean food fan and most of the time, brags about how great those stuff tasted. Apparently, I never had that chance to dine with him, it’s just a short visit, and there are lots to do. It’s a shame, really.

However, the rare opportune was given by this Korean officemate of mine. He asked the whole team for lunch to celebrate his birthday. Korean restaurant, it is! 

So on a bright and sunny Wednesday, we head on to Seoul Garden in Tampines Mall, just a few blocks away from the office.

The casual dining ambience is just perfect, however, the place is a bit small. But I must say that the food is A-ok and the price, even better!

Here’s what I got:

·         Deep-Fried Assorted Mushroom - $3.90++

·         Bulggogi Beef Bibim Bap - $9.90++

·         Korean Pan-fried Fish Fillet - $6.90++

·         Free flow of Cold Cinnamon Tea - $3.00++

My chums ordered some other delis, like the Wagyu Beef, Sakura Chicken Skewers, and Tuna Fillet Cubes. We also tried their Seafood Hot Pot, which is equally satisfying like all the rest!

I never thought Korean food tasted this good! Not bad for a first time.

Address: 

Tampines Mall
4 Tampines Central 5 #04-02
Singapore 529 510
Tel: 6786 1339
Fax: 6789 1338

Swensen’s Tampines – the House of To-Die-For Ice Cream

I am writing about Swensen’s for today, as promised. I’ve seen their website during one of my food delivery services hunting two days ago, and I instantly got attracted to it. I love to eat but hate to cook, so most of the time I order out and have the food delivered at my doorstep. But as for Swensen’s, I guess I will personally check the place out. Heard the place is really nice, and they say it’s really cool in there (literally and figuratively!).

Here’s what I found out about Swensen’s.

This to-die-for ice cream shoppe started out in the late 1940’s by a certain Earle Swensen. He used the tagline “Good as Father Used to Make”, thus we can deliberately say that this “America’s Ice Cream Man” came from a family where ice cream making is their bread and butter. So that explains the expertise.

Backed by the family’s heritage of ice cream making, Swensen’s now has 180 ice cream flavors, each of which is a must-try for guys and gals who usually cave in to their sweet tooth (that includes me!). They already have quite a number of stores around the word, and the number is still rising. Swensen’s set foot in Singapore in 1979 and it became a big hit to the Singaporeans since then.

Since Swensen’s is not limited to ice cream (they’ve got other foodies as well), anyone can surely have a blast of gastronomic experience! Their menu is quite extensive, and is divided into two portions – the Main Menu and the Sundae Menu. Sundae Menu definitely contains various sundaes in oh-so-yummy flavors In a nutshell, the Main Menu consists mainly of:

• Soups and Salads
• Sides
• Burgers, Fries, and Eggs
• Pizzas and Baked Rice
• Pastas
• Main Courses
• Barramundi Catch, Wagyu Beef Special, and Gourmet Burger
• Family Combo
• Asian Delights
• Drinks 1 and Drinks 2

Wow, that was really a whole lot of foodies to choose from! I’m definitely going to Swensen’s soon. By the way, their signature tiffany lamps are pretty relaxing. I think it will be worth checking out as well.

Cooking is a Passion but who cares? I’ve got IKEA Tampines!

Cooking is really a passion. I heard one of friends say that in one of our usual late night conversations. I ask myself, ”how come I didn’t get my share of that passion? Great. This is just so great.”

See, living solo in my flat actually has its disadvantage. I don’t get to taste home-cooked meals that often. I only get the chance to taste one when my friends drop by (the one who says that cooking is a passion), which happens very seldom.

But don’t get me wrong. I love eating! It just so happened that I’m not that blessed with what they call “passion.”

Then again, I must admit that I love hunting for good restaurants here in the metro. Recently I’ve come across IKEA in Tampines.

IKEA is an international home products company from Sweden. This store originally deals on anything about home and home furnishings, but for an added twist, they incorporated in their own version of a café. For coffee lovers, you can enjoy your cup of coffee here for only $0.50. They also offer cappuccino and latte for $1.50. Plus you can be assured that the coffee they serve is UTZ Certified. Good value for your money.

For their dishes, I love the Cheese Baked Saithe and  the Mee Goreng. You can have these two great tasting dishes for $8.00 and $5.50 respectively. For Muslim diners, they can check out their Nasi Padang and Chicken Wings. Both dishes are Halal Certified as well. And I must say their Chocolate Mousse is a must-try!

Now who says I need to cook when there are lots of restaurants out there who are more than willing to give what my taste buds craves? I’m eyeing on Swensens, the food there looks good. I will surely be checking their stores next time.