Numsaram, Korean Bingsu

Honestly there are so many bingsu places out there right now in Singapore, it's a little overrated and after a terrible experience with the mango bingsu at upper thompson road's nun song yi, I've been avoiding all sorts of bingsu places -____-

Nonetheless there is one I think is worth sharing, and that is Nunsaram!

Located on the 5th Floor of Orchard Central, this outlet offers bingsus at reasonable prices.
However, the waiting time killed it for me. Although my friends and I went there on a week day at an off peak hour (about 4pm?), we were made to wait for almost 40 minutes just for a single bowl of ice :(

As much as I like how this green tea bingsu tasted (9/10 IMO), the waiting time was no joke and I would really not queue for this again...

Short post for today! Thanks for reading.

National Orchid Garden at Botanic Gardens

We went to the national orchid garden during the national day holiday :> I believe there is a token entrance fee but it was free when we went so yay.

There were just so many pretty orchids there, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

We walked from the carpark at NUS, which is near the botanic gardens mrt. It took us 15 minutes to get to the national orchid garden, which was 1.2km away. The signs at the botanic garden are all accurate, so we simply followed them all the way. :D This is why... I didn't take any pictures of all the signs.

A few tips when coming here to the Botanic Gardens

1) Do not come at noon. IT IS TOO HOT OH EM GEE. And it was really hard to take pictures of the orchids because of all the glare and excessive sunlight. 

2) Wear good walking shoes. Please do not wear your heels -_- Which I saw many tourists doing and struggling through the long walk. 

3) Do not come after dark, some areas are not so well lit and it may be dangerous for you to walk.

4) Grab a map, or take a picture of the map!

5) sometimes the locals know the way, sometimes they don't. So don't be disappointed if no one is able to direct you! Honestly the map should do.

But without further ado... here are some pictures :D

Some orchids were high up and hard to reach. USE SELFIE STICKS! <3

Oh... Er... Hi there O_O

Food Review: Eng's Wanton Noodles

Hi all! Just a quick update from me.

This is my FAVOURITE WANTON NOODLES IN SINGAPORE and is in my opinion the NUMBER 1.

Eng's Wanton Noodles is found along Tanjong Katong Road and is a little far from the city.

To get here, you need to take the MRT to Paya Lebar Station, and then head to the bus stop near Paya Lebar Square. Board bus 43, 76 or 135 and then alight 4 stops later near the Esso Service Station. 

Walk along the road in the same direction as the vehicles and head into the row of shophouses. Eng's Wanton Noodles is quite prominent!

For those driving here, there is actually a carpark just behind the shophouses. Entrance is near the Esso Station. Carpark space is ample and functions using the usual paper coupons. 

~

I personally really like the dry version of the wan ton noodles. Texture of noodles is chewy but not soggy. Char Siew meat tastes yummy. Wanton is delicious. Green Chilli and Pork Lard are the extras you must add to your dish! I do not enjoy having the chilli as I am not a fan of spicy food, but my parents have told me it tastes really good and is very very spicy!!

However, there are different opinions as to how good these noodles are because there are various types of sauces that can be used to accompany the dry noodles. My mum does not like it, but both my dad and I do! 

Some other variations include more oil, darker sauces, etc :D

Definitely a must-try if you are in the area!

Poodle Cafe at Serangoon

This poodle cafe is located at the heartlands of Serangoon. I got here by car~

Address: 1G Yio Chu Kang Road S545513

Website: https://www.facebook.com/thepoodlecafe

I decided to come to this place one weekend just for fun. Brought my parents along also!
Bookings are recommended as there are not many tables here.
Tel: 62820809

Honestly the environment is cosy but I didn't make a booking, so I was made to go upstairs when all the dogs were downstairs :< So I kept abandoning my stuff and walked down to try and interact with the doggies.

As you can see, the interior is a pink princess theme haha :]

This little boy always ran back into the counter area to hide!

This was the cutest pic! The poodle in clothes actually belonged to another customer who brought him along. That big fluffy guy is a chow chow and poodle mix! So cute :DD

The drinks here were okay. I saw some people eating food and it looked... okay too!
Spent only about 40 minutes here as my dad wanted to go and was bored, but I really liked all the poodles here haha! :D

Maybe I'll see them again~

Overall, this cafe has a cosy environment with cute poodles. While the princess theme was cute, the food and drinks were so-so. Would visit again, just to see the dogs again haha :D

Cat Cafe Singapore: Neko no Niwa

I have always longed for the opportunity to visit a cat cafe ~ and there's one by the Singapore river haha :)

To get to this place, you have to take the MRT to Raffles City and head to exit G

After getting out of this exit, head right towards the river. Stop near the river, turn left and walk straight, pass a building until you start to see shop houses on your left.

Look out for this sign

And then walk up the stairs!

You'll then see the shop entrance :)

Their official website is http://www.catcafe.com.sg/

The address is 54A Boat Quay

I highly recommend making a booking once you arrive in Singapore, as the cafe can get quite crowded and they will refuse customers if there are too many people in the cafe! Call them t (65) 6536 5319

This is how the interior looks like! If you want more pictures, check out their instagram page @nekononiwa :D

My friend and I stayed here for just an hour, which cost us $12 each.

The fees are time based
1st hour : $12
Next 0.5 hour: $5
3 Hour special: $24
Whole Day Special: $32

I personally found the 1 hour passed by quite quickly.
The best time to come is either in the morning or late evening after 6pm.
I came from 4.50pm to 5.50pm and majority of the cats were busy having a cat nap ><

Although... there was one cat who took a keen interest in sitting in my bag xD

I give this place two thumbs up! Service crew are friendly and will chat with you about the cats, whom I can tell they also love a lot. There are quite a number of cats and they have the most beautiful fur :D

I guess what I appreciate most about all these cats is the fact that they are all adopted! Now some of them fat fat so cute hahaha

Will definitely hope to visit this place again soon~

Train Breakdowns in Singapore. What to do and what NOT to do

Read all about today's breakdown here and here.

I was caught in the midst of it sadly.
And... it is really bad that both of the most heavily utilised lines were affected. The Red North South Line and the Green East West line..




Which means, NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST ALL AFFECTED LIKE WOW
If you're familiar with Singapore news... yes this happens once in a while. How often? It really depends but yes it has happened quite a number of times.

This is the first time I was badly affected and in the thick of the action
So this post is dedicated for such train breakdowns, and I will recap how I got through the breakdown today

[Breakdown at City Area]
I am at Raffles City, City Hall mrt area. Both red and green lines are down. City hall mrt is now uselesss! What should I do?!

Check and understand the current situation! 

1. Check @ltasg on twitter to know exactly why is going on. Check SMRT's facebook page where they will update if services has resume.
2. If you can't access these, ask a friendly local for help, wherever you are
3. If you are already at the mrt, there are volunteers with pamplets and suggestions on alternative routes

Know your options, and change your plans if necessary!

1. I strongly recommend going to the next available line that is working fine.
   
   This was what I did. I walked a long distance from City Hall to Dhoby Ghaut Mrt, which had both the Purple North East line and the Yellow Circle line that were still working. Ask locals for directions! (but pls, if the local appears not to have a good sense of direction... just say thanks then move on and ask someone else!!!)


2. I then recommend taking the train service again if it resumes


3. Last option... take a bus to your destinations
   
   The free shuttle bus services that run along the mrt lines tend to be crowded, filled to the brim and very slow. I don't recommend taking the free shuttle bus at all to be honest.
   
   For myself, who tried to take a normal bus, this was a very bad first decision. Buses were at a standstill in the city area. In 10 minutes, I covered about 600-800m by foot. However, the bus I saw at Raffles City was still stuck at the exact same position while I have already traveled to a bus stop further down.
   
   The problem with the city is that each bus stop has many buses, up to 13 even. Imagine all 13 buses need to now alight the numerous passengers who can no longer use the mrt and are queuing up in a single row to enter the bus stop. Add all the cars who have been summoned to the city to fetch people home in order to avoid the mrt. Now add in all the taxis that are being used up to send people where they need to go.
   
   you get one massive traffic jam.
   
   In fact, it was so bad that after 30 minutes of staring at buses that could not move, I then gave up my original plan of taking a direct bus home and walked to Dhoby Ghaut mrt station. I took the train and then SOS my dad to pick me nearer to home.


4. Not even an option... taking a cab
   If you are stuck in the traffic jam I mentioned above.... be prepare for your money to fly. Every minute your vehicle is stationary, the meter in the cab would continue running. So you are MUCH BETTER OFF taking the public transport (and the inconvenience).
   
   Remember the bus I left 800m behind? There were also about 9 cabs trying to turn right into the cross junction but to no avail as traffic was absolutely at a standstill. 

I really hope this post might help you in the event the train breaks down again. I refused to take pictures of the crowds and standstills as I wanted to save my phone battery. Click the two news reports at the top of this post to see all the details if you want!

Food Courts at the City Series #3: Isetan Basement

Recently the food court here was renovated and now there is so much awesome food!
There is everything from local cuisines to international cuisines.

This foodcourt is located at the basement of Isetan, and is accessible from Orchard MRT station.
Look for the signs that leads you towards tangs (once you see Citibank and Rubi, then a corridor with shops on both sides, you're heading in the right direction). Take the exit that leads you to Isetan/Scotts Road.

You'll then see this scene, escalators on the left and a slope on the right. Go to the right!

Walk up the slope and tadah! You'll be at Food Junction :D

My personal favourite is the thai food and the hotpot!

 The best part about the hotpot is that you can put as much ingredients (mushrooms, veggies etc) as you want onto the empty white dish, and then cook your own hot pot. Mine was very mushroom-y as I filled half my dish with mushrooms haha. I personally always go for the spicy miso, as it tastes very good. But! I visited this place recently (4th July) and they no longer offer free 1st bowl of refills, soup is now more bland and prices are going up! I am indeed disappointed. Shall try other food next time

Food here is reasonably priced and very tasty! The only thing I find rather expensive is the drinks sold here. Be prepared to pay $1.80 for a single canned drink. There is a lot of variety in terms of the types of food, and there is a lot of space to sit even on a saturday evening.

Here are some of the stores

Do come here and have your meal if you're shopping at Isetan, or just want to have a quick meal :D

Walkthrough: Getting to bus 138 at Ang Mo Kio for the ZOO!

Hi everyone!

Many a times I have had to direct tourists who are trying to find bus 138 in order to get to the zoo from Ang Mo Kio MRT.

Here is a picture walkthrough of how to get to the bus terminal of Ang Mo Kio, and take bus 138!

This is what you will see after exiting the mrt. Head STRAIGHT and DO NOT EXIT the mrt.

You'll then see a lot of people going onto the escalator at this EXIT C

If you look carefully... there is a sign here! :D 

Take the escalator ....

And walk a short distance till you see this!
Use the escalators on the RIGHT. Which say "Bus interchange (Level 1)"

You'll then see this, and you will have to walk straight for a while.
There will be some shops on your left selling cakes, bubble tea, donuts etc. Feel free to buy some but please remember that you're not allowed to eat on the bus!

At the end of this straight road, you'll notice this sign, and 138 is on it!

 So turn right into this smaller corridor

And walk to the end!

TADAH!! Bus 138! There is even a toilet nearby for you to use.

Please note that if you're paying cash, you must pay EXACT as the bus uncle will not give you any change. This is when I strongly recommend getting an ez-link card. If not make sure you have sufficient coins and small notes for both this trip and your return trip!

The journey is said to be 40 minutes long, and the Zoo is the very last stop, so you won't have to worry about missing any stops :D

I hope this walkthrough is useful for you! Hopefully not so many people will mistakenly walk to the wrong bus stop anymore!