Imperial Treasure Nan Bei

Sonny treated us for lunch at Tampines 1 and he recommended this restaurant.

As Sonny said the spring roll was nice, we ordered this. We also ordered the Chicken Rice roll, 2 Char Siew Rice Rolls, Lotus Leaf Rice, Pan Fried Dumplings, Carrot Cake, Siew Mai, Char Siew Buns, Xiao Long Buns, Prawns Hao Fun and Dan Dan Noodle.

The spring roll was crispy but i think all spring rolls in many restaurants tasted similar. The Char Siew Rice Roll was nice. The sauce and Char Siew tasted just right and the skin was thin enough. But the Chicken Rice Roll was a bit bland. I didn't really like it.

Er... I like the Lotus Leaf Rice. Very flavourful. But i think i like all kinds of glutinous rice. Heehee.. The Pan Fried Dumplings were not as nice as Xiao Juan's mum's one though. Sad. When can i eat the yummy dumplings again?

The carrot cake was soft and nice. Siew Mai tasted very fresh too. As for the Char Siew Bun, it was the kind that i like. Soft skin and juicy meat. The Xiao Long Bun was a bit dry though.

Coz we were still hungry, we ordered the main dishes - Prawns Hao Fun and Dan Dan Noodle. Prawns Hao Fun was yummy. The prawns were huge and fresh. The sauce tasted just right for the hao fun. But I didn't try the Dan Dan noodle coz i didn't like spicy stuff.

Overall, i would visit this restaurant again. Not bad.

Brewerkz

Zi En treated us to Brewerkz last Saturday coz he said he didn't manage to treat us on his ROM. It was a restaurant at Clarke Quay. I went there for drink before but it was the first time i makan there.

As everyone has eaten their dinner, we only ordered Hawaiian Pizza, BBQ Combo, Potato Skins, Calamaries and drinks.

The Hawaiian Pizza was nice though i didn't eat the pineapple and green pepperoni. As for the BBQ Combo, i like the ribs more than the chicken. The ribs were easily cut and the flavour soaked into the meat itself. Yummy! Compared to the ribs, the chicken was not as delicious. The meat was too bland but i liked the skin though.

Oh ya, the Potato Skins was a surprise. I didn't like potato but this was nice. There were bacon and melted cheese on every sliced of potato skin. I like! But please remember to eat it hot. Though cool one tasted quite nice too.

Calamaries were as usual. Tasted like any other restuarants. Not much of a surprise.

Oh ya, that day Zhan Peng intro his new girlfriend to us. Zi En asked me what do i think of her. Really difficult to say coz only a short session. But overall, i think she was friendly. Hee

Manhattan Fish Market Vs Fish & Co

Went Manhattan Fish Market with Racheal & Angie coz needed to settle some outstanding bill from our Beijing trip. This was the 2nd time that i tried this restaurant coz usually i ate at Fish & Co which was a more common outlet.

We ordered the seafood platter, fish & chips, mushroom soup and calamaries.

All tasted similar to Fish & Co so i really couldn't state which one i preferred. Fish was crispy outside (maybe a bit crispier) and tender inside. Sauce was nice, soup tasted nice and prawns were fresh. Even calamaries tasted similar. But their rice tasted nicer though.

Oh ya. Fish & Co have something unique which i don't know whether Manhattan Fish Market has or not. Fish & Co will sing birthday song to you on your birthday. I remembered celebrating Kyle's birthday there previously. So funny. He climbed up to the chair to sing. Heehee

Pepper Crabs @ Joo Chiat Place

Kyle always recommended me to eat this Black Pepper Crab whenever we drove pass this coffeeshop near Still Road.

Coz I always meet Huan Yang and Xiao Pei for crab dinner, this time round, i asked them to try at this Eng Seng coffeeshop.

There were 6 of us so i ordered 6 crabs. 4 Black Pepper Crabs and 2 Chilli Crabs. I read their online review, many commented that customers had to call in advance to order crabs if they didn't start queuing before 7pm. The crabs usually sold out after 8pm. Due to these reviews, i ordered 1 day in advance. When i reached there, i realised it was not as exaggerating as what the reviews stated. No queue was there and the coffeeshop was not full house.

The dish came quite fast after we ordered. The black pepper crabs were really very yummy. I don't really eat black pepper flavour but this was really juicy and the flavour soaked into the fresh crabs. The shells were cracked nicely for us so we didn't really used a lot of effort in pulling out the meat.

But the Chilli Crabs were not as impressive though. Maybe it was ok but when compared to the black pepper ones, i just didn't feel like eating the Chilli Crabs. Luckily, Eng Meng was very helpful in helping us to clear it. heehee.

Besides the crabs, the stall helper also recommended us the Stuffed You Tiao which i didn't regret ordering. It was crispy outside and tender inside. The rest of them liked this dish too.

Since Xiao Pei only eats kang kong, that's the only vegetables that we would order when makaning with her. The Sambal Kang Kong and Fu Rong Egg tasted like any other Zi Cha stalls. Not awful but not fantastic too.

Three really irritating issues were that they would not accept packet order after 8 plus. Next, people got to order 2 crabs and above. Lastly, they closed at 9.15pm sharp. They kept chasing us since 8.45pm. At 9pm, all the staff just sat in 1 row to stare at us. They just kept telling us that they needed to go and asked us to pack the food back to eat if we couldn't finish. We were in such a rush and couldn't even finished our crabs. So irritating. Luckily, when we walked out, some aunties came to apologise and told us that the coffeeshop guy opened the shop at 5am daily thus he really needed to close at 9.15pm sharp so that he could go back and rest. Actually if she didn't explain this, i probably wouldn't want to go back to eat the crab again.

Anyway, i heard that the chef left this stall and open a new restaurant at Yio Chu Kang. Some even said that the chef passed away. To check whether all these rumours were true, I think maybe i should just visit the Yio Chu Kang one and see whether the crabs really tasted as nice as this one.

Pu Tian

Went Pu Tian, Tampines Mall to celebrate Cat's birthday. Coz she intended to treat, we tried our best to order moderately.

Phaedra surfed the web and found out that their buns were quite popular so we ordered one set each to try. We loved it. The bun was hot and crispy. The sesame seeds were fragrant and the meat was special.

We also ordered spinach with century eggs. Tasted ok but i dunno why this dish always have to be so soggy.

Besides those dishes above, we also tried their lychee pork which didn't really have the lychee taste. A bit like sweet and sour pork. But dunno why Cynthia liked it coz she won't order sweet and sour pork if given a choice. She commented that this tasted much better than the ordinary sweet and sour pork.

We also ordered the hong zao sliced fish. The fish was crispy. I didn't like hong zao taste so i couldn't really tell whether it was nice or not. But from what the ladies said, i reckoned it was a nice dish coz they said they would order the buns and this fish if they were to go there again.

Of course, since we ate at Pu Tian, we must order their signature bee hoon. It was very nice. A super thin kind of bee hoon. Very Q and yummy.

Oh ya, when we were there, the restaurant was having a $2 promotion. We can order one of their selected dishes for $2 only. So we ordered a cucumber roll that looked a bit like sushi. I didn't really like the shredded coconut but the cucumber with floss tasted crunchy and refreshing. Anyway it was so cheap, that was all the reason why we must order it.

Btw, i heard their main branch wasn't as good so maybe if got choice, try these at the Tampines branch instead.

Beijing 2009

Planned this trip long ago while Xiao Juan was still in Singapore. Finally finalised and went in Oct 2009. Got this SQ promo which cost us $620 per pax.

Day 1

While waiting for the plane in Singapore, we bought the cosmetic that Xiao Juan emailed Angie. We decided to sponsor part of the cost as appreciation gift to Xiao Juan. She really very Tai Tai. Her list was super long with all the expensive stuff. I told the girls that i am the most thrifty friend that Racheal got. Heehee..

I bought the Clinque set for S$86 coz Angie mentioned that Nv Ren Wo Chui Da got introduce. Quite good. Haven't tried the Estee Lauder set though. Oh ya, i helped to buy the SKII freckles lotion as Cat's birthday present. Very cheap in DFS.

Asked the girls about their exchange rate and realised i got the best rate of 4.85 yuan per S$1. While the girls were sleeping, i did some homework on the plane again coz i was supposed to be the tour guide of this trip. They didn't have any preference on where to go so i planned the itinerary alone.

When we reached Beijing airport, it was quite confusing and troublesome while we were getting out as Racheal was sick. But come to think it, even if Racheal didn't declare, they won't be able to know too. But we were trying to be socially responsible.

When we saw Xiao Juan at the Arrival Hall, she looked more excited than us. Her mum was waiting for us at home. Xiao Juan's house was a present from her mum. The deco was also done by her mum. Her mum told us she helped to put everything up but Xiao Juan didn't seem very pleased with it. Heehee. She also told us she prepared the rooms, slippers etc for us. So sweet of her. Very hospitable. Oh ya, Xiao Juan's house was just behind Plaza Royale Hotel. Very posh looking area when you entered the gate. Xiao Juan just started to drive her mum's car recently in May i think. It was left hand drive so looked very weird when i sat beside her. Btw, she drove without me getting my whole body in, so scary. Racheal experienced this too. Heehee..

For dinner, we went to eat fish steamboat near Xiao Juan's house. But after we tried it, Racheal & myself felt that Singapore's ones were nicer. And Xiao Juan told us Beijing girls don't eat rice so they didn't order any rice at all. Think i am the strange one who cannot live without rice.

After the lunch cum dinner, we went to Walmart and bought a lot of my chips, pockys and instant noodles. The stuff there were cheaper than the Market Place. My noodle only 10 yuan and my chips and pockys all around 5 yuan. Racheal also bought the masks recommended by Xiao Juan for us to try. Couldn't tell the difference but Racheal said it was good.

Xiao Juan was very nice to us. She let Racheal and Angie slept in her room while i slept in her guest room. Of course, she was left to sleep at the living room. Xiao Juan said it was very cold in the living room. She must be suffering with us being there. But when we offered to exchange, she didn't agree. She was as hospitable as her mum. Heehee.

Day 2

Though Xiao Juan bought bread from Walmart, i suggested to go out makan. Racheal did try the bread though. She said it was very hard.

Anyway, Xiao Juan brought us to the Yong He Dou Jiang near her house. We tried a lot of stuff but i think You Tiao was the best. Very crispy.

After that breakfast, we went to Xiao Juan's parents' house to have lunch. Her house was huge. It was something like landed property condo. Her mum told us she bought it at less than S$150k and now it cost around S$600k. Her basement was given free to her. Forgot why she got it free. Xiao Juan's room was very English style - a level above the living room.

We took a walk around the area so that Xiao Juan's mum could prepare the food. Her dumplings were yummy! I must start to learn how to cook that. I like it.

While at her house, Xiao Juan's mum was very nice and helped us arranged for the Great Wall and Ming Tombs tour for 180 yuan. It was mid-range price offered by a travel agency advertised in the papers.

After that, Xiao Juan brought us to Nan Luo Gu Xiang - a place with all the Hu Tong shops selling cute stuff such as Chairman Mao souvenirs. After drinking the girls' favourite coffee at a cafe there, we took cab to Shi Za Hai to meet the travel agent. He promised Xiao Juan that 180 yuan was the maximum that we had to pay for the tour and we could opt out of the additional trip.

We walked pass all the bars at Shi Za Hai and went to eat in Hun Tun Huo but the dumplings was bland and we didn't like the side dishes too. Dunno why it was a famous traditional shop.

After that, we went to San Li Tun Village to shop at Uniqlo and Watson. Watson was interesting coz everything was cheap. The "girl's stuff" only 5 yuan so me & Racheal bought quite a bit. The Pantene Clinicare conditioner only around S$6. Cheaper than Taipei i think.

As we were still very hungry, we bought crepes to try. Mine was teriyaki chicken. Yummy but cold.

Day 3

We woke up at 5am to take the tour bus. While we were on the bus, we heard the bus driver kept quarreling with someone over the phone. The next moment, we were being chased to alight immediately. After that, we received a sms from Xiao Juan to ask us to take cab back to meet her at the hotel. Then she told us that another travel agency called her after we boarded the bus. Thats why she found out that we got onto the wrong bus.

We waited till 7.15am before the actual car came to pick us up. We woke up early for nothing and made Xiao Juan almost late for her work. Xiao Juan guessed that the first bus wanted to bring us somewhere so that we got no choice but to pay money and join their tour. China travel agencies were so unlawful.

Anyway, the tour wasn't enjoyable too. The Great Wall was crowded and the steps were steep for Angie's high heels. So scare for her. Then the Ming Tomb that the tour brought us also very boring. Think they were really trying to cheat our money.

We hated our tour guide too. She was negative and said a lot of negative stuff during the whole trip. Kept asking us not to complain coz everything was really lousy and we didn't pay a lot so she won't wait for us if we returned later than what she mentioned. She just kept frowning and asked us not to frown. Couldn't she take a mirror to see herself? The food also extremely bland and awful. Look like food for beggers.

Also, the agent told us we could opt out from Ming Huang Gong but the tour guide refused to compromise. So in the end, we got no choice but to pay 100 yuan more.

Besides cheating our money, they brought us to buy some stupid jade stuff. When we reached the jewellery shop, it was like watching a drama. While the salesgirl was giving presentation, a guy came in to say that the boss wanted to meet our tour group. Then the salesgirl pleaded us to be more responsive so that she would get into her boss's good books. When the boss came in, he told us his mistress gave birth to baby boy after trying very long so he was very happy and wanted to give us presents. He kept asking us not to buy from him coz his company cheated customers by selling in high price. But in the end, still told everyone that he would sell at cost price. Strange. He kept asking people whether they wanted to make friend with him. And everyone actually applauded and shouted good remarks whenever he asked a question. Faint.. Wasted 2 hours of our time then made us only reached town around 8 plus.

The whole trip made us realised that one must never join a tour group in China. Xiao Juan and her mum were so upset about this. Xiao Juan even went online to check on this company and realised it got the most complaints.

Anyway, coz the ending point of the tour bus was at Ping An Men, we went to eat Quan Ju De. This duck restaurant served very famous traditional Beijing Duck. I heard about it during the Olympic period. The articles wrote that the foreigners were crazy over their ducks.

A lot of people were queuing but we waited for less than 10 mins (though the front desk told us we had to wait for 30 mins). The duck was ok but the side dishes were bland.

Coz we were so tired, we took a cab back instead of taking MRT. Now, i could give direction to cab driver without thinking much. Actually should turn to the hotel entrance and turn right and right to the condo entrance. After entering the carpark, just need to turn right and turn right again to stop at the carpark lift lobby. Easy!

Oh ya, that day was Monday and it was a day that Xiao Juan's car cannot be driven out. China got this new policy that car with certain car plate number (last number) cannot be driven on certain day of the week. This new policy started during Olympic 2008 with the hope of reducing traffic jam.

Day 4

We went to eat the famous bun shop near Xiao Juan's house. Xiao Juan recommended this coz she said it was clean. I saw the advertisement on the buses too. We ordered the shrimp, beef and pork ones. The buns were 2.70 yuan for 3 buns or 2 liang. Very cheap but salty. The porridge was cheap too though it was watery.

We walked to MRT after that. Around 15 mins walk but Racheal and Angie couldn't take it so we took cab after that day. The cab flagging fee was 10 yuan and it won't jump until very far so usually we only spent less than 15 yuan to go to MRT stations around Xiao Juan's house. But the MRT was even cheaper. Only 2 yuan no matter how far the distance.

That day, we went to Forbidden City. Rented the audio guide but didn't really follow coz we couldn't match the timing correctly. Most of the areas inside the palace was blocked and it was so crowded that we couldn't really see anything clearly. As there were a lot of walking, Racheal couldn't take it and her legs were very pain. We drank coffee at the cafe to rest before walking out and proceeded to Wang Fu Jing.

Coz Xiao Juan asked us to try the Bing Tang Hu Lu at Wang Fu Jing Food Street, we bought one with orange to try. It was nice and fresh. We tried the noodles there too. So-so only. Oh ya, i saw moving worms in sticks. I wondered why they eat raw worms.

Also, I realised Quan Ju De was everywhere coz i spotted one there too. This Wang Fu Jing street looked like the Nanjing Street in Shanghai. As the bookstores were part of my itinerary, we went to 2 recommended by Xiao Juan and my guidebook. Racheal bought english novels at the Foreign Language Bookstore and I bought makeup and travel books at Wang Fu Jing Books Building.

But the information counter at Wang Fu Jing Books Building was totally not professional. I helped a Caucasian to ask whether they sell English type of Hong Kong travel books and they replied me they didn't have it. Made me asked the caucasians to go Foreign Language Bookstore. Then i actually found the books on level 4. So angry.

In the evening, we went to the Silk Market to meet Xiao Juan and luckily Xiao Juan was there to help us bargain. We bought the boots for 95 yuan when they quoted us 250 yuan. The seal's price was 150 yuan and Xiao Juan helped us bargained till 30 yuan. Though the handwriting was more awful than mine. I didn't even know i should use it or not.

For dinner, Xiao Juan brought us to Xing Guang Tian Di to eat Dim Sum. She said it was cheap and nice. But i think it really tasted different from Singapore's one. Strange taste.

After that, we bought some health drinks for Xiao Juan's parents to thank them for hosting us for lunch that day.

Day 5

We went Xing Guang Tian Di for breakfast and chose a safe choice to eat Ajisen ramen. The price was cheap. Only half of what Singapore charged.

Xiao Juan said the Ma La Guo at the food court was nice too. We didn't have the chance to try it though. The shopping centre was the high end type so we couldn't find much stuff to shop.

Coz Racheal's legs were super pain, we went to Tian Tan today - a slightly less walking itinerary.

Tian Tan got 2 options. You could choose to pay for the park only and you could also choose to pay for sightseeing to view the interior of Tian Tan. A lot of elderly just paid and mingled in the park. They were doing belly dancing, singing, playing er-hu etc.

Racheal couldn't walk very far so she waited for us at the park while we did the sightseeing.

After that, Xiao Juan brought us to the massage shop which she found online. She has been searching high and low for a massage place coz we told her we needed one especially for Racheal's legs.

The cab driver couldn't find the place so we had to wait for Xiao Juan at San Li Tun Village to pick us up. Angie bought Starbucks mug there. Very nice.

We had a hard time finding the massage place. But it was worth it. The place look posh and the massager was friendly. I tried foot massage with Xiao Juan and it cost 158 yuan for 90 mins. Racheal and Angie didn't dare to do foot massage so they did the Spa instead.

I like the massage and it got free TV, free flow drinks and food. I tried peanut toast, fruit plate, dumplings, luncheon meat and egg noodle, grilled pork burger, chicken bee hoon, etc. Racheal and Angie didn't know that there was free food but their Spa only lasted for 60mins. So when they came to look for us, i asked them to order food too. Racheal said the kitchen would be scared of me in future coz i paid so little and ate so much. Heehee. If i stayed in Beijing, I sure sign up package for this. All the noodles and fruits were so yummy. They also provided hot herb pillows for my back and neck. So comfortable!

Day 6

Went Viva at Shuang Jing to eat breakfast at the Food Republic. The chicken rice was same brand as the one in Suntec. But it somehow tasted different. Price was not cheap though, it was 22 yuan. The claypot fish special cost 13 yuan and wanton noodle cost 18 yuan. Consider expensive for Beijing people.

Oh ya, I bought a pair of purple socks at the C & A there, only cost 69 yuan. Matched perfectly with my new hand warmer from Uniqlo and my shawl from Turkey.

Coz Racheal's legs still never recover, we went for Hu Tong tour today. I proposed to try Xiao Juan's suggestion to take the trishaw so that she didn't need to walk so much.

We walked around to find Xu Bei Hong Museum. A bit lost and there was nothing much there, the exhibition at SAM (Singapore Art Museum) was better.

After that, we managed to find a trishaw that charged us for 140 yuan. We went to Song Qing Ling's home. It was quite interesting but we didn't have time to wait for the free guided tour. Managed to see the look of the Song Sisters though. I really like this family. So girl power! All the sisters managed to marry such influential men and they were all very amazing on their own too.

Btw, the trishaw rider tried to cheat our money. Asked us to visit Si He Yuan that cost 2o yuan each. But in fact nothing can be seen in that Si He Yuan. Then after that, he tried to cheat us in buying the 70 yuan Gong Wang Fu ticket. Luckily i checked my guidebook and it stated only 20 yuan. So sickening. Anyway, there wasn't anything interesting in Gong Wang Fu. Everything was locked up but the exterior was grand. Very crowded though.

After that, we took a cab down to the National Art Theatre. Got 3 shows screening there but Angie and Racheal were not interested in watching so i had to give it up. I think there was some VIPs there too coz got people stopped us from walking in when some black foreigners walked out.

After that, we walked to Xidan and passed by the residence of the President Hu Jin Tao. When we met Clarie a few day later, she also mentioned that some of the ministers such as Wen Jiabao stayed there too.

We tried the KFC at Xidan and it was quite nice. While waiting for Xiao Juan, we went to my Beijing Books Building. It was huge and when i was about to pay, a guy approached me to say that he could use his membership card and get 15% discount. So i let him made the payment. But i guessed he probably earn more than half of it. Anyway i got discount so ok for me.

When we saw Xiao Juan, she brought us to H&M which Angie mentioned ever since she reached Beijing. I heard it was an international brand but only in Europe, China, etc. I bought a recycle bag there. Quite nice and only around S$6.

Xiao Juan brought us to Olympic Park but when we reached there at 9.45pm, Shui Li Fang's lights were off. So in the end, we could only took photos with the Bird Nest.

After that, i asked Xiao Juan to bring me to Hard Rock to buy my stuff. Hard Rock was located inside Liang Ma Jiao Fan Dian and it was possible to take MRT there. Luckily, Xiao Juan could drive pass that night & i didn't need to do another separate trip.

As i was still hungry, Xiao Juan brought us to the HK cafe nearby. When we faced the Hard Rock, we just turned diagonally right and walked there. We ordered pork hao fun, carrot cake, porridge and soup. The best was my pork hao fun.

Day 7

We eat the Breadtalk Bread which we bought the night before as breakfast. The Breadtalk here was quite high class coz it had paper packaging instead of plastic bags. Looked so expensive but around the same price as Singapore's. Maybe 20 or 30 cents cheaper.

That day, we took the new line 4 which opened this year April to Bei Gong Meng and walk to Yi He Yuan. Yi He Yuan was the summer palace that Qian Long built according to what he saw in Tibet and Jiangnan.

As Racheal and Angie were tired, they stopped walking after walking the Suzhou Jie. Oh ya, i bought kite and string for 16 yuan at Suzhou Jie. Should have bought it when i saw at Tian Tan. Only 10 yuan but they didn't have the design i wanted.

At first the girls asked me to walk to the temple and they would wait for me at the Suzhou Jie. So i climbed super fast to the fourth level and ran back. The gate checker didn't allow me to walk back so i had to make a huge detour. Luckily, it was all worth it coz the scenery was the best i have seen for so many days. Wanted even to take the 10 yuan boat ride to the island in Kunming Lake but i couldn't let the girls wait too long.

When i ran out, i realised the girls went to the Mac outside to wait for me. So i had to walked all the way in again to visit the rest of the places. It was a long walk and i almost got lost a few times.

After visiting the gallery featuring the Han Dynasty stuff, I visited the opera theatre (an interesting place where Empree Dowager Cixi watched opera previously - now it offered free shows in every 30 mins). I couldn't watch the whole performance coz i didn't want the girls to wait too long.

After that, i went out by the other exit and walked to Xi Yuan MRT station to meet the girls inside the train. The auntie at the gate said that it was extremely far to walk back to the entrance where the Mac was located. Thus i got no choice but to meet the girls in the train.

Then came our shopping time again, we took MRT to Qian Men Da Jie to buy Tenfu Tea which Xiao Juan recommended. We loved the street coz of its traditional and clean look.

At first, Xiao Juan wanted to bring us to Ma Lian Dao to buy tea but her parents worried that we got cheated by the traders. They said that usually the traders would let us taste one type and give us another type. Thats why it was better to buy the branded ones. But i think the tea sachets at Tenfu Tea was cheap. Only 6 yuan per box. If my luggage got space, i sure buy more. The sales assistant was friendly too. She did a tea ceremony demonstration for us after Racheal told her she wanted to try the tea. Of course, it was one of the most expensive ones.

For dinner, we went to eat Da Dong at Dong Si Shi Tiao. The place was posh and they actually served us drinks while waiting. Very good service. I heard if you eat Hai Di Lao, they would even do manicure for you. So good.

The Da Dong duck was good and the side dish tasted a bit better than Quan Ju De. But the Yang Zhou Fried Rice was awful. Angie said the 3 free desserts were not nice too. But i like the free fruit plate. They also gave us free chewy gum after we paid. So good feeling to eat there. I like. No wonder it got no 12 in Asia Best 100 restaurants. The half duck only cost 99 yuan and ingredient plate only 8 yuan. But 1 plate of fried rice cost 16 yuan. Cannot rem how much beancurds cost though. The total cost was 252 yuan.

As the time was still early, we went back Viva to shop while waiting for Xiao Juan to reach home. When we were shopping there, I saw a collection by Stephanie Sun. But i didn't really like the design so couldn't buy anything from there.

That day, we waited outside Xiao Juan's house for a while coz she worked OT that day. We were thinking that she finally got a day for herself without worrying about us. Heehee.

Day 8

We finished the vitamins C that i brought to Beijing. We really ate a lot of vitamins, Bi Pa Gao etc coz Racheal was sick. But i still got constipation. Dunno why.

Today we went to meet Clarie at 9am coz she wanted to go Dong Wu Yuan Pi Fa Si Chang. She said actually must reached at 7am so we were late already. If too late, all the good stuff will be snatched up by others. And it would be too crowded to shop by noon so everything must be done before that.

Clarie worked in Singapore Embassy and the embassy let her stayed in the landed property beside the embassy. It was a 2-storey 3 bedrooms house. Very nice. Her house got Liu Ye's paintings which cost 650 yuan for 4 pieces. Racheal liked this so we asked where she bought. Xiao Juan said the artiste drew for Clarie at Nan Luo Gu Xiang. Clarie also said Mark helped her put up the paintings to repay her for staying at her house during his visit to Beijing. Btw, i realised the guards at all the embassies were very poor thing. They stood really straight and kept turning their heads to keep a lookout. Dunno would have stiff neck or not.

Oh ya, we passed by this CCTV building everytime we entered the town area. Xiao Juan said this new building was burnt down by a few youngsters during Chinese New Year this year. She said a firefighter died due to this incident thus one of the youngsters might be given death or life sentence. She said they were actually playing fireworks at the rooftop without approval. So serious sentence. Scary. The whole hotel beside it was burnt down entirely. Billions of dollars were lost. But i heard another news that the fireworks were actually created by the CCTV. Dunno whose story was true anyway. Oh ya, Xiao Juan & Clarie were saying that the building was well-known to look like huge underpants. So funny.

Anyway, we reached quite late and actually Clarie didn't want us to eat breakfast but Xiao Juan insisted so we had KFC breakfast in a super fast rate. I didn't really like the hot tea i bought. It was pomelo honey which was too sweet and hot for me.

The wholesales market was really cheap and not much bargain was needed. I bought a Gucci belt for 60 yuan, Agnes B cardholder for 15 yuan and a Mango clutch for i think 65 yuan. We also bought Esprit shorts for 20 yuan and dresses ranged from 20 yuan to 105 yuan. I bought a jacket at 210 yuan too. Nice necklaces at 10 yuan and lovely london looking earrings for 35 yuan. Top only cost 45 yuan. We also bought recycle bags for 10 to 15 yuan.

After this exciting shopping trip, we went to eat lunch at a Thai Restaurant in San Li Tun. Coz it was very late, that was the only restaurant that was opened. There was a lot of photos of HK artistes. Maybe it was quite well-known. But Clarie was not impressed by the food. She commented that it was the worst Thai food she has eaten in Beijing.

After lunch, we went to 798 art area, it was very interesting with free exhibits and interesting art shops. I bought my favourite artistes' products there. So happy to see these products. But my Feng Zheng Jie only left with magnet which cost 12 yuan, and the laughing man bookmark cost 10 yuan. So lovely. The girls bought a lot of Gong Chan Tang pigs too. Only 15 yuan.

There was also this postcard shop that sold postcards and helped you to send them. They would help you send the postcard for a flat rate at 5 or 8 yuan within a year with the date you wanted. If more than a year, they only charged 5 to 10 yuan more per year. So interesting. Can send love notes. The art exhibits also very interesting and pretty. Moreover, it was free for visitors. But the area was too huge for us to cover before all shops were closed.

After that, we went to meet Xiao Juan's mum at Shi Mao Tian Jie. She cooked vegetarian steamed dumplings for us. It was nice.

We realised the Mango and Zara were around the same price as Singapore's so we didn't buy much stuff. But we went out to watch the huge LED TV at the ceiling of The Place before 9pm. It was interesting. I like!

For dinner, we went to a cheap 20 yuan japanese restaurant opposite Silk Market 2. It was recommended by Clarie's colleague. The ramen was so so but i like their eggs. While waiting for dinner, Clarie brought us to buy sweet potato chips at Di Gwa Fang. It was only 5 yuan per packet. But my mum didn't like it coz it was too hard for her to bite.

Clarie also mentioned that she bought walnuts at Gong Ren Ti Yu Guan market at very cheap price. But we didn't have time for marketing. So sad.

Day 9

We ate dumplings cooked by Xiao Juan's mum for breakfast. She even came to cook tomato mushroom soup for us but we were rushing out to supermarket at Xing Guang Tian Di so didn't have the chance to let her cook. Angie was relieved though coz she hated mushrooms.

I bought my Quan Ju De duck in supermarket for 73.90 yuan only and the sauce was 5.20 yuan. In Beijing, plastic bags had to be paid which cost 30cents per bag. Recycle bag was a must to bring when you went grocery shopping. The Market Place was expensive compared to Walmart. I asked Xiao Juan to drive me to buy roasted chestnuts at Li Zi Ye for 10 yuan per jin which was 500g.

Xiao Juan was really worried for our countless luggage. Our luggage without hand carry already 30kg per pax. So heavy. Luckily they didn't check whether my hand carry was 7kg or not.

Felt very sad to leave Xiao Juan. I was not good with farewell sessions.

We were super early at the airport and got a lot of time to shop. Bought my clinque moisturiser again coz only cost S$70 and Singapore sold at S$80 per bottle.

Racheal opened the blueberry pocky on plane. Tasted like bubblegum and i didn't like it.

Oh ya, i like the air steward. He asked me whether my boots was from Adidas and commented that it was very nice. So friendly.

One sad stuff on the plane though. I dropped my lip balm so got to buy it again. Sian.

Btw, SQ very updated. I watched My Sister's Keeper on the flight before it was screened in Singapore. So happy. Watched a lot of nice shows on the plane.

Conclusion

I like Beijing and will come back again if got chance. I like the massage, Da Dong, shopping at the zoo and Qian Men Da Jie. I could explore more at Nan Luo Gu Xiang and 798 etc. Then i could visit my Yuan Ming Yuan, Universities and maybe can take boat at Summer Palace.

Haven't went clubbing too. Saw the Mix (in Gong Ti) opposite the Massage place but Clarie said she got headache after drinking there. Xiao Juan said 80% of the pubs there sells fake alcohol. So scary. Xiao Juan recommended us to go Xiu at Grand Hyatt Hotel. She said the age range more suitable for us. Not too young. Oh ya, Xiao Juan also said next time can go during Single Day on 11 Nov coz all the singles will go out together and pubs will have promo. Heehee. Beijing celebrates weird festival.

Then maybe i can visit the wet market too.

Go other less crowded parts of Great Wall.

Oh ya, next time take SQ must buy 215ml SKII facial essence for $152. Very cheap.

House of Steamboat

Coz Royston was going into the Army, he suggested to go for steamboat on 8 Sept 2009. We met at Bugis Junction and went over to House of Steamboat for dinner. It was a shop located opposite of Bugis Junction.

The steamboat buffet cost $17.90 per person with free drinks. They served 6 different types of soup based with no MSG. The dancers recommended the Pork Belly soup and Tom Yam soup. The pork belly one was quite nice but i didn't try the tom yam one coz i don't like spicy and sour stuff.

After we sat down, man tuo were immediately served to us. It was crispy and yummy. But when we ordered again, they gave us spicy one which was not as nice. They also served us the fried chicken wings which was so-so and a bit dry. Luckily i like all kinds of chicken wings.

The vegetables was at the general table for us to self-service. As for the meat, we had to order. The sliced meat was nice and thin. I think we almost eaten 10 plates of chicken. Also, I realised youngsters nowadays don't really like to eat pork. The fish was not as fresh though.

Cannot remember whether it was Andy or Royston who kept recommending the meatballs to me. But I really think the meatballs really very yummy. I like!

Conclusion, it was the best steamboat that i have eaten at that area. I tried a few there and almost wanted to give up trying coz all tasted a bit weird to me. Luckily the dancers brought me to this restaurant.

Goodwood Park - Durian Products

Coz TPSA organised a durian festival in TP, so all TP staff has this 20% discount for all the Goodwood Park Hotel's durian products. 

This made me bought the durian puff and hazelnuts durian tarts for my parents though i dun eat durian at all. 

Tried the famous puff and it was nice.  Tasted like real durian and the puff was full of durian.  

But I like the tarts especially since i am not a durian person, the crunchiness of the hazelnuts and tarts made the durian tasted even better.  A must try if you are not a durian fan and even a super must try if you are one.  :)

Orchard Central - Japanese Restaurants

Went Orchard Central a few weeks ago.  I realised there was nothing much there. Except for the highest indoor rockwall in the world that cost $30 for each person who intends to try.  

There were also a lot of resting areas in the complex.  Not sure what was the reason but pretty sofas were everywhere.  It was separated into 2 major blocks with a 12-storey height.

Ootoya

That day, I tried the japanese restaurant - Ootoya.  A lot of people were queuing outside so i took the queue number and waited for around 10 mins.  There were counter seats and table seats for you to choose.  The counter seats were those japanese type of seats where the table and your legs were actually in a hole.  U will know what i meant if you've been to a semi-traditional japanese restaurant before.  Anyway, Ivan preferred a normal table seat so we didn't choose that one.

I ordered the special set which included fried chicken, katsu, egg, meaty potato, cabbage, rice, miso soup and preserved vege.  It was the set recommended by the magazine.  The fried chicken was quite nice.  The rice and green tea were free flow but i really dunno why green tea always have a kind of fishy taste.  I rather pay money for other drinks.

I also ordered the tofu chicken soup which didn't taste as nice as what the magazine stated.   

Ivan tried the grilled fish set which he thinks was super bland but i think it was nice.  Japanese fish always taste like this.  I like!

OCBC card has discount in Ootoya so in the end, the whole meal cost us around $50 only.

Tonkichi

Last friday, to celebrate Angie's birthday, she suggested eating Japanese restaurant at Orchard Central.  As i tried Ootoya, i asked them to try the Tonkichi instead.  

We ordered most of their popular dishes marked in the menu.  All of us ordered the chawanmuchi which tasted very ordinary.  There were prawns, meat, mushroom inside.  We also ordered sashimi (i dunno how is the taste coz i dun eat raw stuff) and simmered pork (quite nice but the girls think that it was too fatty).

 

Besides those dishes, we also ordered our favourite fried squids (crispy and nice).  Angie ordered the cold ramen (seafood ingredients and it tasted ok) and i ordered the hot pork based ramen (i like the soup though Racheal thinks that there was too much MSG inside but both of us think that the ramen tasted quite nice).

As the restaurant is famous for katsu, we ordered the chicken and pork set.  I think the pork one tasted better but it still cannot match with the one that i ate in Ginza.  And i wonder why they want the costomers to grind the sesame seeds on our own.  Is it because it will be more fragrant?  Anyway sauce was added in after grinding and it has a strong sesame seed taste.

The whole meal cost us around $120.  So expensive.  Racheal warned us not to order so much carbo food in future.  I think that is so difficult coz i like carbo food.  Heehee..