Located within the National Museum of Singapore, Novus Cafe is a quiet chill-out spot perfect for relaxing. 


Novus Cafe has an eye-catching display of desserts at the front, which is apt as they have a dessert promotion. SGD $12 gets you 3 different types, while $18 gets you 6 desserts. 


Quality however, is more important than low prices. The Burnt Vanilla Creme Brulee was my favourite, with a nicely caramelized top, and a pudding-like interior. 


I liked the presentation of the Panna Cotta, served in a small glass jar. It looked endearing. The Raspberry syrup gave a nice flavour, but I felt it could have been better with a bit more syrup. 


The Pistachio Meringue at Novus Cafe was a little too sweet for me, and I didn't finish it. 


I just loved the ambience, and it's a great place to just relax after wandering around the National Museum of Singapore. 


Service was acceptable, but not fantastic.


Personally, I wouldn't mind visiting again.

Novus Cafe Interior

Novus Cafe Menu

Burnt Vanilla Creme Brulee

Panna Cotta

Pistachio Meringue

3 Desserts Promotion

Latte

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Zi Char - Mouth Restaurant


22 Cross Street
#01-61 China Square Central

180 Kitchener Road
#04-15 City Square Mall 


http://www.mouth.com.sg/



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My parents have been wanting to eat at Mouth Restaurant for years, but never got the opportunity. So it was just pure serendipity when, on my mom's birthday, we chanced upon Mouth Restaurant in City Square Mall. 


Now, I had never heard of Mouth Restaurant before this, but I'm glad I do now. The food is absolutely fantastic, especially their dim sum. Any 4 dim sum items is SGD $19.80, and is just bursting with flavour. Their Har Gao Shrimp Dumplings is packed full of fresh prawns, and their Steamed Pork Ribs With Pumpkin had a depth of taste from the pumpkin slices it was steamed with. 


Mouth Restaurant had a special dish that weekend, which was Roasted Belly of Pork Special. I understand it's not a regular item on the menu, but my parents just loved it. Crispy skin, and not overly fatty or oily, it was served with a side of mustard. Dipping roast pork belly into mustard might seem weird, as the normal dipping sauce is usually savoury or sweet soy, but the mustard worked quite well. 


We also tried a Mouth Restaurant specialty, the Crispy Yam Ring With Mixed Fruits, which was filled with tropical fruits and a sweet reduced citrus sauce. Quite good, and the yam was densly packed and filling. 


Popular items on the menu do sell out fast on the weekends though.


The service is very efficient here, and they like to clear your plates quickly. 


I like the ambience, and the way they used oriental partitions to seperate out the small restaurant space. Also, note the lights at the front of the restaurant... They're made to look like dim sum steamer baskets!


Will love to visit again.

Crispy Yam Ring With Mixed Fruits

Deep-Fried Shrimp Dumplings

Fried Hong Kong Mee Sua

Har Gao Shrimp Dumplings

Roasted Belly Of Pork Special

Siew Mai Shrimp And Pork Dumplings

Steamed Cod With 3 Toppings

Steamed Pork Ribs With Pumpkin

Chilled Mango Pudding

Chilled Pamelo With Sago

Deep Fried Prawn Spring Roll

Sauteed French Beans In Special Meat Topping

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms With Home Made Bean Curd

Steamed Bean Curd Skin Roll

Steamed Cod With Minced Ginger

Stewed E-Fu Noodles

Sweet Spicy Anchovies And Peanuts

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1-Altitude Gallery & Bar
1 Raffles Place, Level 63

http://www.1-altitude.com/


Opening Hours:
Mon - Thu 6pm - 2am,
Fri - Sat & Eve Of Public Holiday 6pm - 4am,
Sun 6pm - 1am

Admission Fees (In SGD $):
Daily Before 9pm: $25 nett (incl 1 standard housepour)
Fri, Sat & Eve Of Public Holiday After 9pm: $30 nett (incl of 1 standard housepour)

Estimated Visiting Duration:
1 - 2 Hours

Minimum Age Limit:
Male: 25 Years Old
Female: 21 Years Old

List Of Star Attractions (Must See):
1-Altitude Gallery & Bar Exterior & Surroundings

List Of Main Attractions (Good To See):
Bar
Club

List Of Other Attractions (For A Complete Experience):
Triangular Staircase
Seating Area


The Best View In Singapore


(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Visited: Apr-2012


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1-Altitude Gallery & Bar has easily the best view of downtown Singapore. Situated on the 63rd floor of the OUB Centre, 1-Altitude Gallery & Bar is among the highest al-fresco rooftop bars in the world, and the highest one in Singapore.

At 282 meters, and with a unique triangular design, 1-Altitude Gallery & Bar offers a spectacular 360 degree view of Singapore at night, especially the downtown area and its landmarks.

As an open concept rooftop bar, there is absoutely no shelter, and at the slightest chance of rain, an alarm will sound, and guests will be requested to move indoors to the bar on level 61.

This actually happened just 5 minutes into my visit, where we planned to celebrate a friend's birthday, so we felt quite upset. Fortunately, staff will inform you once the skies clear up, and you can return to the roof, as it happened for us.

As a bar, there is a good range of drinks, at slightly higher than normal prices, and a DJ spinning club / dance music for atmosphere. The food offered consists only of finger food, and is quite expensive. Recommended to dine elsewhere instead.

I actually found the service to be excellent. Our group had a personal server, Jane, who assisted us in moving our drinks down to level 61 when it was about to rain, and helped us book a space at the bar. She helped us prepare the birthday cake, and even cleared up the mess after we were done.

I felt quite bad however, as she actually passed me her personal pen to fill out a contest entry, and I left it at the bar in level 61, when she helped us moved back up to the roof after the skies cleared up... Her pen went missing after that. Sorry, Jane!

The crowds start to gather around 10pm, so if you want to avoid a packed environment, it's best to visit before 9.30pm. Seats available are usually reserved, so unless you make a reservation at least 3 days in advance, you might have to sit at the bar counter, or stand at the standing areas. However, staff will allow you to sit at reserved seats, until the guest who reserved them turns up.

If you're planning a visit to 1-Altitude Gallery & Bar, do note that the required attire is smart casual, and the cover charge is $25 or $30, depending on the day of your visit. Do allocate about 1 hour to soak in the view, chill out with drinks, or just enjoy the music.


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Headed to Cafe Iguana for a friend's birthday celebration. Located beside the scenic Singapore River in Clarke Quay's Riverside Point, Cafe Iguana is a great place to relax with friends over drinks... Especially with their famous Margarita's! 


The main draw here at Cafe Iguana is their wide range of Tequila's and Margarita's, as well as their Happy Hours.


Nachos and a Salsa Dip are served as snacks, but generally, the food quality here is marginally acceptable, not fantastic. They serve Mexican and Tex-Mex Cuisine, and the portions are quite filling even for those with large appetites. 


Service is pretty good, even with large crowds. 


Stick with the drinks, and the snacks, and just sit back, shoot the breeze with friends, and enjoy the scenery!

Soft Taco Pork Carnitas

Margarita Mango

Margarita Soursop

Margarita Lime

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Attack Floor Backwards Fall


Saw this cool quote online:




"Did you just fall?" 
"No, I attacked the floor." 
"Backwards?" 
"Yes, I'm freaking talented."




Couldn't find any graphics of this, so I made my own. Just a simple one.














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Doggie Language


A cute infographic describing the behaviour of dogs. Check out Doggie Language by Lili Chin from http://www.doggiedrawings.net


















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National Museum Of Singapore
93 Stamford Road

http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/


Opening Hours:
History Gallery: Daily 10am - 6pm, Last Admission at 5.30pm
Living Galleries: Daily 10am - 8pm, Last Admission at 7.30pm

Admission Fees (In SGD $):
$10

Estimated Visiting Duration:
1 - 4 Hours

List Of Star Attractions (Must See):
Rotunda Dome
Singapore History Gallery & Glass Rotunda
In The Mood For Cheongsam: Modernity & Singapore Women

List Of Main Attractions (Good To See):
4 Singapore Living Galleries (Film & Wayang, Photography, Food, Fashion)
7 Sculptures & Visual Arts Pieces (20 Tonnes, Seeds, The Living World, Transformation, Pedas Pedas (Chilli), Contours Of A Rich Manoeuvre, The Building Remembers / Remembering The Building)
National Museum Of Singapore Exterior & Surroundings

List Of Other Attractions (For A Complete Experience):
Glass Passage & Main Colonial Staircase
The Canyon
The Concourse
Goh Seng Choo Gallery: The William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings
10 Years That Shaped A Nation


Tracing The History Of Singapore


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


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As the oldest and most well-known museum in Singapore, the National Museum Of Singapore traces the history of Singapore from its founding, till the modern age.

Several noteworthy points of interest stand out in the architectural design of the National Museum Of Singapore. The building is an amalgamation of both old and new. The old is represented by the colonial exterior at the front. Step inside, and immediately, you'll see the beauty of the Rotunda, with its restored stained glass. Climb the colonial staircase, and you'll be standing in the Glass Passage, which allows a view of the Dome.

Venture further in, and you'll come into the Concourse, which links the old section with the new. Also here is the Canyon, with its high walls and ample space.

The National Museum Of Singapore features several permanent exhibitions. The Singapore History Gallery, at the Concourse, is the main attraction here, and traces the history of Singapore. The 'tour' is interactive, as visitors are given an audio headset, which provides an audio commentary as you walk around the various displays. You can choose from 2 paths, an event path which traces well known events, and a personal path, which gives an individual perspective on history.

Stepping into the Singapore History Gallery, the first stop visitors come across is the 360 degree 'Day in the Life of Singapore'. You then descend the spiral ramp to the rest of the gallery. In order, the sections include the 14th Century (and features the Singapore Stone), the Founding of Modern Singapore (with a portrait of Sir Stamford Raffles), Straits Settlement, Crown Colony, Battle of Singapore, Japanese Occupation, Post-War Period, Self-Governance, Merger, and Road to Independence.

The other permanent exhibitions at the National Museum Of Singapore include the Living Galleries of Film & Wayang, Photography, Food, Fashion, and the Goh Seng Choo Gallery which features the William Farquhar Collection of Natural History Drawings.

Other noteworthy points of interest around include these sculptures:
20 Tonnes (Outside Front, 1st Level),
Seeds (Outside Front, 1st Level),
The Living World (Outside Front, 1st Level),
Transformation (Outside Back, 1st Level),
Pedas Pedas (Chilli) (Outside Back, 3rd Level),
Contours Of A Rich Manoeuvre (Swinging Lamps at the Concourse),
and The Building Remembers / Remembering The Building (Wall of the Concourse).

The current temporary exhibition is In the Mood for Cheongsam: Modernity & Singapore Women, at the Basement's Exhibition Gallery 1. This features the history of Cheongsams, how to make a Cheongsam, and famous Cheongsam wearers in Singapore.

If all the exploring has made you hungry, stop by the Novus Cafe at the Concourse, which offers snacks.

I loved my visit, although I did feel that the Living Galleries were underwhelming, as compared to the History Gallery. If you're planning a visit, do note that ticket prices for admission costs SGD $10, and allocate around 1 to 4 hours for a visit.


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Caught up with my university group mates over dinner, and we decided on La Braceria Pizza And Grill, known for its authentic Italian food. 


Finding the restaurant was a challenge. Located in the suburbs of Greenwood, at Greenwood Avenue, La Braceria Pizza And Grill is hidden behind a wall of plants, effectively blocking their signage and storefront. And at night, the road that runs alongside it is totally dark, making it easy to miss. I actually walked by La Braceria Pizza And Grill twice, before I finally found the entrance between two plants. 


This is definitely not a restaurant you can stumble upon easily, and so, La Braceria Pizza And Grill is relatively quiet and perfect for romantic dates or quiet dinners. 


We had 2 pizzas, the Alla Bismark, and the Alla Braceria. The pizzas were tasty, and I particularly like the poached egg in the middle of the Alla Braceria. The ingredients were fresh, although a little more of it would have been nice. 


We also tried the Ravioli Della Casa, a hand-made ravioli pasta stuffed with cheese. While I appreciate the effort to make it, the portion size was more like an appetizer than an entree, and served on a big plate, it just looked underwhelming. It did score points on taste however, and I recommend it for sharing among friends, more than as a main course. 


I tried the house wine that day, and I absolutely hated it. Tasted exactly like cheap wine... Bitter, and not aged. Should have gone with the other wines available. 


Will try their pasta and anti-pasta some other time, though I'll probably only visit this place for special occasions rather than regular dining.

Alla Bismark

Alla Braceria

Ravioli Della Casa

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