Short Batam Trip Part 2

Tempat Senang is a peaceful and private resort. However the down side there is nothing near its vicinity except for the golf course. Nevertheless the resort can help to arrange for taxi service for SGD$20 (IDR$150,000) for 3 hours and SGD$7 (IDR$50,000) for subsequent hour. Just tell the driver where you want to go.

I went to Nagoya Hill Shopping Mall which is about 20-25 minutes car ride. I usually went there to do some toiletries shopping as well as having my A&W root beer float and waffle. This trip I found the super spicy local snack (on the left on the pic below). It is damn "shiok" if you are a chilli lover. Be warned! It is not for the weak taste buds.

After shopping, dinner was at Golden Prawn 933. It is a restaurant built on top of a pond. I suspected it is a prawn pond which was how the restaurant name came about. There is another restaurant, Golden Prawn 555 beside it. Both restaurants should be owned by the same owner since the receipt came with both the restaurant names.

Compare to another seafood restaurant Delima near Harris and Holiday Inn, the food at Golden Prawn 933 was far better. The chilli crab sauce was different from Singapore version but very tasty and nice. The mussels were fresh and big too.

Golden Prawn Chilli Crab 4.2/5

Kailan 4/5

Mussels 4.5

Hotplate Tofu 4/5

4 courses dinner

Short Batam Trip Part 1

During the Christmas period, I went to Batam for a short getaway. Many of us probably have visited Batam and stayed at Harris, Holiday Inn or Novotel. Not many may have heard of Tempat Senang. It is a boutique Balinese resort that only has 7 suites with its own spa and restaurant. Each individual suite is decorated with a different theme (Bali, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai, Tree and Sultan). Recently they have also added 2 more apartments, Ocean Spray and Sea Breeze to cater for larger group. Do note, no children is allowed at the resort.

The other attraction is their mix and match 3hr spa packages that caters to your liking. For example they offered different massage types such as Aromatherapy, Tibetian Hot Stone, Chinese Bamboo Stick, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Tradition Indonesian, Thai, Balinese, Swedish, Shiatsu and Water Shiatsu. In additional the resort also has day trip spa package.

I was the peak period over Christmas and the resort was fully booked. I was quite lucky to make reservation as someone cancelled his booking. I was given the Thai room which actually came with two bedrooms.

After my 3 hr spa which I chose the Hawaiian Lomi Lomi, Coconut scrub and Foot Reflexology, lunch was served at the restaurant on the 2nd floor overlooking the golf course.

Watermelon Juice

Nasi Goreng 4/5

Beef Redang 4/5

Beef Redang with Rice 4/5

Modern Peking Duck @ VivoCity

Eating Peking duck has turned modern with a new snack concept. From a $60 dish in a restaurant to a $6 snack of 5 pieces of Peking duck wrapped in egg crepe. In each piece of egg crepe, there was a piece of cucumber and Peking duck topped with hoisin sauce.

I could not taste the crispiness of the Peking duck but overall it was a nice and tasty snack. Although the egg crepe seems factory made with equal machine cut size, it texture was surprisingly soft and tasted nice with the Peking duck filling.

Peking Duck 4/5

Modern Peking Duck
VivoCity
#B2-K15
Nearest MRT: Harbour Front (NE Line and CC Line)

Lerk Thai @ Changi Airport Terminal 3

Another colleague's farewell lunch and we went to Lerk Thai as it is a Halal restaurant. I ordered the set lunch which came with a main, tom yam soup and drink. My colleague also ordered the set lunch but chose the seafood green curry for the main while I chose the minced chicken with basil. Food generally was good but not authentic or excellent.

Minced Chicken with Basil 4/5

Green Curry Seafood 4/5

Seafood Tom Yam Soup 4/5

Lerk Thai also has a new dessert menu which was quite interesting hence we ordered some to try. The desserts had improved and definitely worth trying.

Dessert Platter 4.2/5

Mango and Glutinous Rice 4.2/5

Lerk Thai
Changi Airport Terminal 3
65 Airport Boulevard
Departure Hall Level 3
Nearest MRT: Changi Airport (EW Line)

Homemade Tangyuan (汤圆) for Dongzhi (冬至) Festival

Dongzhi Festival or Winter Solstice Festival is traditionally a time for the family to get together. Traditionally Tangyuan was made and ate during the get togethers. It is made from glutinous rice flour and symbolize reunion.

For my family, it is also a time to worship ancestors. The recipe was passed down to my mum from grandma. I love the homemade Tangyuan from my mum because it was full of color and ingredients. Besides the balls of glutinous rice, there were red dates, dried longgan and gingko nuts.

VeganBurg @ Jalan Eunos

Previosuly, I have written a post on VeganBurg stating that they are selling vegetarian burgers. Technically I am wrong, the burgers at VeganBurg also excludes the use of eggs, dairy products and other animal-derived ingredients.

I have always wanted to go back to VeganBurg to taste the rest of their burgers on their menu. In a way, I am amazed by how tasty the burgers were even though it excludes the use of meat and animal-derived ingredients. This time I tried the Hawaiian Pineapple burger. The soya based patty was really nice and tasty. The pineapple gave the burger a freshness dimension too. I encouraged you to give VeganBurg a try to the new concept of healthy burger.

Hawaiian Pineapple 4.2/5

Vegan Burg
44 Jalan Eunos
Nearest MRT: Eunos (EW Line)

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Bar and Billard Room @ Raffles Hotel

I have been eagerly waiting for the lunch after reading so many good reviews of their buffet. To make sure that I will not be caught up with work, I even took leave specially for the lunch appointment.

The restaurant has a cosy ambient with its dark wooden furniture and colonial style setting. There was a huge variety of food and all were of top quality. Service was also excellent. It was definitely one of the best buffet experience and I never regret taking leave to taste all the excellent spread of food.

I will let the photos tell its own story... enjoy.

Different types of ham 4/5

Different types of ham 4/5

Oyster 4.2/5

Tuna 4.2/5

Smoked Salmon 4/5

Scallops 4.5/5

Pork Belly 4.2/5

Vietnamese Chicken Wrap 4.2/5

Salad 4.2/5

Zucchini and Egg Plant 4.2/5

Crackers with Duck Rillette and Beet Caviar 4.5/5

Lamb Curry with Apple and Almond 4.2/5

Black Mussel with Cream and Basil 4.5/5

Salmon with Sorrel Sauce 4.2/5

Black Cod with Shallot, Pesto, Tapenade Sauce 4.5/5

Duck Breast 4.5/5

Coulibiac with Snapper 4/5

Chocolate Tart and Eclair 4.5/5

Bread Pudding 4/5

Chocolate Mousse 4.5/5

Vanilla and Green Tea Ice Cream 4.5/5

Bar and Billard Room
Raffles Hotel
1 Beach Road
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line)

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