Ivan Teh - RunningMan

Singapore Philatelic Museum

Singapore Philatelic Museum
23B Coleman Street

http://www.spm.org.sg/

Opening Hours:
Mon 1pm - 7pm
Tue - Sun 9am - 7pm

Admission Fees (In SGD $):
$5

Estimated Visiting Duration:
1 - 2 Hours

List Of Star Attractions (Must See):
Room Of Rarities & Singapore Postal History
Message Me
Elephant Stampede
Imagine Dragons
Adventures Of Tintin

List Of Main Attractions (Good To See):
Orange Room: Stamps & Philately
Purple Room: Stamp Production
Green Room: Singapore Stamp Collection & Collectors
Singapore Philatelic Museum Exterior & Surroundings

List Of Other Attractions (For A Complete Experience):
Heritage Room
Universal Postal Union Collection
The Story Of Dr. Sun Yat Sen

Culture, History And Fun With Stamps

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 6
Visited: Apr-2012

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Stamps. The word conjures up a nostalgic feeling of a bygone era, a time when letter writing and snail mail connected people around the world. But in today's fast-pace technological jungle, where the world is an interconnected global village with information superhighways, some may assume that stamps and letters have no place in our society.

The folks behind the Singapore Philatelic Museum would beg to differ. Built to document the history of Singapore's postal services and its stamps, the Singapore Philatelic Museum attemps to promote interest in Philately. While it is mainly for kids and families, adults can learn something from visiting as well.

The Singapore Philatelic Museum comprises 2 floors. On the lower level are the permanent galleries, along with a exhibition space. Start at the Orange Room, which explains the significance of philately, stamps and how they can be used to explore different topics.

The Purple Room gives an overview of the development process of stamps, from design conceptation to print. Finally, the Green Room features a comprehensive collection of Singapore stamps, as well as reowned collectors. These exhibits make an argument for the place of stamps in today's modern world.

On the upper level, the Heritage Room provides a snapshot of early Singapore life, from festivals, to everyday life. I particularly liked the exhibit of games and toys, including Kuti-Kuti, Chateh, Yo-Yo's, and Marbles (Goli)... All games I played as a kid!

The Room Of Rarities traces the history of postal services in Singapore, and has displays of artifacts related to the postal services.

The remaining 4 exhibitions at the Singapore Philatelic Museum are available for a limited time only. They include Message Me, an exhibit tracing the history of communication, which I enjoyed the most as a communication practitioner.

Elephant Stampede had displays of elephant tusks and a baby elephant skull... Creepy. Although I quite liked the infographic explaining the difference between Asian and African elephants.

Imagine Dragons was more for the kids, and had various play areas they could explore... I thought it was quite fun too!

Finally, the current highlight, the Adventures of Tintin exhibit. Hot on the heels of the Tintin movie, the exhibit traces the history of Tintin, its various characters, and also has collections of comics and figurines on loan from private collectors. Definitely a must-visit for any Tintin fan!

I left with a better understanding of the importance of stamps, plus I absolutely enjoyed my visit. Do allocate between 1 to 2 hours if you're planning a visit.

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Zi Char - Old Punggol End Seafood

Zi Char - Old Punggol End Seafood

288 Bedok Road
Simpang Bedok

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Punggol-End-Seafood-Pte-Ltd/293961883979847

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Old Punggol End Seafood is supposedly relocated from Punggol, and they specialize in seafood, specifically, crabs and crayfish.

Owned by a family friend from church, Old Punggol End Seafood is a relatively small restaurant, with only 4 small tables and 2 large tables indoors, although they have another 12 tables outdoors. Do book in advance if you wish to sit indoors.

On this visit, we decided to order their non-seafood items, just to see how it matches up.

The star dish that we tried at Old Punggol End Seafood would definitely have to be the Red Wine Pork Ribs... They were savoury with the reduced red wine sauce, and very addictive!

The Crispy Duck With Hand Made Popiah Skin gets a mention, as the meat was cooked till it came off the bone easily. Similar to American Pulled Pork, it's served by pulling and shredding the meat. Although the meat was dry, the skin was super crispy and delicious.

The Yam Paste was good as well, and the portion is quite filling.

Service is relatively quick, we waited less than 10 minutes before the first dish arrived.

Old Punggol End Seafood prices are very affordable, their rice and noodle dishes like Mee Goreng are priced between $3 and $5, meat dishes are between $8 and $15, and seafood costs between $18 and $25.

Crispy Duck With Hand Made Popiah Skin 01

Crispy Duck With Hand Made Popiah Skin 02

Mee Goreng

Nai Bai

Ngo Hiang

Oyster Omelette

Red Wine Pork Ribs

Yam Paste

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The Outernet

The Outernet

Before the Internet, there was... The Outernet!

Source: https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/543562_292521530815968_119135854821204_673647_329471475_n.jpg

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Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant

Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant
1 HarbourFront Walk
#01-149 VivoCity

252 North Bridge Road
#01-17 Raffles City

313 Orchard Road
#01-27 313@Somerset

126 East Coast Road

1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-17 The Star Vista

3 Gateway Drive
#01-04 Westgate

http://www.brotzeit.co/

Good, But Pricey German Food

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 8
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $30 per person.

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Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant is among the few restaurants in Singapore that serve authentic German / Bavarian food.

'Brotzeit' means 'Bread Time' in German, and is a fitting cultural reference as bread is a big part of German cuisine. Curiously, for an outlet named after bread, Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant actually has very few dishes related to bread. What they do have, is good southern Bavarian cuisine, which has an emphasis on meat, dumplings, sausages, and beer!

Pork Knuckles is often associated with German food, and Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant's version of the pork knuckle is a huge meaty chunk of pork, with crispy crackling skin, served with a traditional sour shredded cabbage salad (Sauerkraut) and pickles. It is still juicy within, and the meat comes off the bone easily.

Their Sausage Platter is a good sampler of the various types of German sausages. There are 5 different varieties; a spicy chicken sausage (Huhnerwurst), a cheese pork sausage (Kasekrainer), a garlic pork sausage (Knoblauchwurst), a mix veal and pork sausage (Weisswurst), and a traditional pork bratwurst sausage (Nurnberger).

Portion sizes at Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant tend to be quite large, and are suitable for sharing, or for those with large appetites. Another hallmark of German cuisine is their Beer / Lager, and Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant has a good variety of beers on tap.

Ambience is relatively nice, although with an outdoor setting, the atmosphere is subject to temperature and weather. Also, noise from the passing crowds can be disturbing, so if you're looking for a quiet meal, ask to be seated upstairs.

I found the service to be acceptable, but not fantastic or memorable.

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Pork Knuckle With Sauerkraut And Potato Salad Schweinshaxn 01

Pork Knuckle With Sauerkraut And Potato Salad Schweinshaxn 02

Veal Goulash With Buttered Spatzle Kalbsrahmgulasch 01

Veal Goulash With Buttered Spatzle Kalbsrahmgulasch 02

Sausage Platter Wurstelplatte

Latte

Beer Paulaner Hefe Weissbier

Goulash Soup Gulaschsuppe

Veal Escalope With Potato Salad And Cranberry Sauce Wiener Schnitzel Kartoffelsalat

Veal Escalope With Cranberry Sauce Wiener Schnitzel

Potato Salad Kartoffelsalat

Beer Paulaner Original Munchner Lager

Braised White German Cabbage Sauerkraut

Buttered Spatzle

Brotzeit Platter

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Update Apr-2016: It's been a good 4 years since I last visited Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant, and I'm glad that they've been more or less consistent in the quality of their ambience, service, and food. Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant is still doing well, having opened several more outlets across Singapore, but while prices have increased due to inflation, their standard portion sizes have also increased!

The Beer Paulaner Original Munchner Dunkel Lager (SGD $14.50), also called Lowenbrau, is a Munich style dark lager ale, with a deep ruby brown colour, active carbonation, aroma of rye bread, toffee, and grain, with a taste of sweet caramel, malts, and biscuit. Body is medium-thin, creamy, and smooth, with a slightly sharp, dry finish.

Beer Paulaner Original Munchner Dunkel Lager (SGD $14.50)

The Honey Bavarian Ribs (SGD $34) is a large platter of honey and beer marinated pork ribs, served with fluffy potato wedges and a traditional sour shredded cabbage salad (Sauerkraut) on a cutting board. The marinade on the meaty, savoury sweet pork ribs is thick, sticky, and tastes like a sweet sambal, increadibly good! What let this dish down is the tough to cut texture of the pork ribs, requiring great effort... my arms got tired after awhile.

Honey Bavarian Ribs (SGD $34)

Honey Bavarian Ribs

Honey Bavarian Ribs

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Update Dec-2016: Held a festive celebration at Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant for Christmas 2016, and another celebration for the completion of a major assignment for my professional / vocational Diploma.

The Beer Brotzeit 10th Anniversary Kellerbier (SGD $9 / $13.50) was specially brewed for Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant for their 10th anniversary in October 2016. Super easy drinking!

Beer Brotzeit 10th Anniversary Kellerbier (SGD $9 / $13.50)

The Warm Mulled Red Wine / Heisser Gluehwein (SGD $12) is a traditional German beverage often drunk throughout winter, especially near the Christmas season. Made from a blend of red wine, cloves, cinnamon, orange juice, and white sugar. Warming and comforting, the alcohol goes to the head really fast. The lovely, warm, sweet spice notes and light zest of citrus complement each other so well. Really good. Highly recommended!

Warm Mulled Red Wine / Heisser Gluehwein (SGD $12)

Warm Mulled Red Wine / Heisser Gluehwein

The Braised Veal Shank With Truffle Mash / Geschmorte Kalbshaxe (SGD $36) features a slow braised veal shank, marinated in a light spice rub, which gives it a savoury spice flavour. The meat is so tender it comes easily off the bone. Served with a fragrant earthy, truffle mashed potatoes, that is smooth in texture and so addictive, over a bed of red wine infused cabbage. Good!

Braised Veal Shank With Truffle Mash / Geschmorte Kalbshaxe (SGD $36)

Braised Veal Shank With Truffle Mash / Geschmorte Kalbshaxe

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Update Feb-2022: A lot has happened over the last few years, and this return visit to Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant marks the first visit since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulting safe distancing measures. Brotzeit still certainly seems to be very popular, with a full house and queues at the entrance.

Ambience at Brotzeit retains it's gastropub feel, with warm lighting and large sturdy wooden tables flanked by cushioned benches. Service is friendly and attentive, with staff making the effort to engage diners, and they also display good product knowledge as well as proactiveness in clearing finished plates. Food at Brotzeit spans the range of German Bavarian cuisine, with quality remaining as good as ever, while portion sizes are still huge and satisfying. Prices are reflective of a gastropub as well, having increased over the years, budget about SGD $40 per person for a meal here. I plan to return to Brotzeit German Bier Bar & Restaurant for more!

The Pretzel / Brezn (SGD $4.50) is well baked, with a firm dense texture to the pretzel bread. Studded in one area with sea salt crystals, this has lovely bready grainy sweet sour salty flavour. Served with luscious creamy butter, and a grainy thick honey mustard dip with sharp tangy sweet sour spice flavour. Highly recommended!

Pretzel / Brezn (SGD $4.50)

Pretzel / Brezn

Loved the satisfying Spicy Chicken Sausage Hot Dog / Scharfer Hühnerwurst (SGD $15). I like the unique use of rye bread for the hot dog bun, chewy and airy with a bready sour sweet flavour. The chicken sausage is filled with herbs and spices, having a snappy juicy crunch to texture that releases robust meaty savoury salty spice flavour when bit. A juicy vegetal sweet sour garnish of pickled gherkin relish, along with creamy mayonnaise with milky sweet flavour, rounds out the base of this delicious hot dog. Finished with crisp battered fried white onion bits with crisp vegetal earthy salty sweet spice flavour, and crunchy chopped red chili for a mild spicy kick. Highly recommended!

Spicy Chicken Sausage Hot Dog / Scharfer Hühnerwurst (SGD $15)

Spicy Chicken Sausage Hot Dog / Scharfer Hühnerwurst

Spicy Chicken Sausage Hot Dog / Scharfer Hühnerwurst

The Original Berlin Curry Sausage / Berliner Currywurst (SGD $16) features a juicy snappy chicken sausage, dressed with a generous dose of rich tomato ketchup and sprinkling of curry powder. This results in a bold meaty sweet savoury spice flavour in each mouthful of the sausage, addictive enough to make you crave more. It's served with a base of fresh crisp iceburg lettuce with vegetal sweet flavour, and fluffy crisp shoestring potato fries with salty starchy sweet flavour. Good!