Pot Luck Restaurant, Singapore

 

 

 

 

 

‘Potluck’ is a meal or party to which each of the guests contributes a dish. We went to IMM (International Merchandise Mart) Mall in Jurong East to see this new factory outlets mall then we wanted to find a restaurant to have lunch. In the spirit of trying a different dining concept, we chose to have our lunch in “Pot Luck” restaurant.

Don’t worry…you don’t have to contribute any dish when you come to this restaurant. It’s just their name. They offer you unlimited rice and drinks and expect you to share the meals with your group. The concept of potluck can be understood that the guests in a table are expected to share their meal with one another.

As I came with my husband and our two children, we had to pay for 4 rice and 4 drinks. Then each of us can take the rice and drinks as much as we want. As for the drinks, they offer hot drinks: black coffee, cappuccino, latte, mocha, teh tarik, white coffee and cold drinks: Pepsi, Pepsi light, Mirinda orange, root beer, Mountain Dew and ice lemon tea. Excellent choice, isn’t it? This arrangement is very suitable for my son, Maxi who likes to eat rice and drink a lot.

Now about the food….. Their specialty is claypot meals. Cooking meal in a claypot will help enhance the flavour and keep the food warm for longer time. They have fish, chicken, beef, seafood, vegetable, tofu and egg menu. Moreover, they also have some popular side dishes such as fried chicken wings (Maxi’s favourite), sotong balls, fish ball, chicken popcorn (Devani’s favourite) and so on. In my opinion, the side dishes are very suitable for kids and teens who may not like the claypot meals.

As you can see in more details from the photos, the prices are very affordable.  The portion is quite big because they expect you to share the meals with your family/friends.

Chicken, Beef and Noodle Menu

Seafood Menu

Vegetable Menu

Tofu and Egg Menu

Side Dishes

The prices for the free flow drinks are SGD 2.8 (for adults) and SGD 1.8 (for kids between 4 to 12 years old). Rice for adults is SGS 1.5 while for kids is SGD 1. Kids under 3 years old can drinks and eat rice for free. As the prices are very reasonable, they expect each customer to pay for one rice and one drink. Sharing rice and drink is not allowed. I think this policy is very understandable considering the prices they offer.

Claypot Ee Mee

Claypot Tom Yum

Fried Chicken Wings (actually 4 pieces)

Chicken Popcorn

What we ordered? Claypot Ee Mee for me; Claypot Tom Yum for my husband; Chicken Wings for Maxi; Chicken Popcorn for Devani.

The restaurant is not big and quite crowded at lunchtime. As the name suggested, guests come in group as they want to share the meals.

Entrance of Pot Luck

Pay first before eating

Back corner

Self service Drinks Station

How to order

Don’t share rice and drinks

Lunch Combo

Overall, we are happy with this restaurant…the food, the service and the price!

 

 

 

 

Mainan yang sedang “Hits” di Toys R Us Singapore

Devani dan Maxi sudah terlalu “tua” untuk “Toys R Us” tetapi setiap kali kami ke Singapore, kami selalu mampir ke setidaknya satu outlet “Toys R Us”  untuk “cuci mata’.  Waktu mereka kecil, toko ini adalah salah satu tempat belanja favorit mereka karena koleksi mainannya lengkap, mengikuti ‘trend’ dan (menurut saya) harganya masuk akal. Toko ini pernah ada di Jakarta, tetapi saat ini entah mengapa, sudah tak ada lagi.

Pada liburan kali ini, kami mampir ke “Toys R Us” yang berlokasi di “Centrepoint”, Orchard Road. Koleksi mainan di sana luar biasa banyaknya, tetapi yang akan saya tampilkan hanya contoh seri “Minecraft”, “Big Hero 6”, “Star Wars” , “Transformers” dan tentu saja…”Frozen”.

Semoga berguna bagi Anda yang sedang mencari mainan untuk anak-anak Anda.

Minecraft Survival Pack SGD 33.90

Minecraft character SGD 19.90

Big Hero characters – harga sekitar SGD 20

Big Hero Mini Soft Toys – SGD 19.95

Macam-macam mainan dari Star Wars

Star Wars

Transformers sekitar SGD 40

For the girls!

Boneka Olaf-nya lucu banget! SGD 59.90

 

Untuk informasi lebih lengkap, silakan kunjungi http://www.toysrus.com.sg

 

Universal Studio Singapore: Hollywood Dreams Parade

I like to visit a theme park such as “Disneyland” and “Universal Studios” mostly to see the parade and shows (I’m not that brave to ride on the challenging rides!). When I went to the “Universal Studios Singapore” (USS) recently with my family, we intentionally chose to go there on Sunday because the parade is only scheduled on the weekends (Saturday and Sunday).

As per the schedule, the parade will start on 3 PM from “WaterWorld” and end in “New York” area. We were already tired after lunchtime so we quickly tried to find a good spot to sit and take a rest while waiting for the parade to start. USS was crowded that day; it’s Sunday and it’s the holiday season so it was a good decision to find our spot early. Finally, my children and I sat near the “New York” area while my husband was near the “Transformer” ride (because he wanted to ride the Transformer while the crowds were busy watching the parade).

The parade is called “Hollywood Dreams Parade”. The parade is divided into six segments which are the Opening, Madagascar, Shrek, Jurassic Park, Revenge of the Mummy and the Closing.

Let’s enjoy the “Hollywood Dreams Parade”!

The Opening was started by the Sesame Street Characters who walked in the front of the first parade car.

Woody Woodpecker as the Director

Elmo started the parade

Opening Dancers

The Hollywood Dreams Parade

The second segment was my favourite…here comes the Madagascar! I remember Devani and Maxi used to like the movie so much.

The Penguins

Opening Dancers

Melman – The Giraffe

The Lemurs

Gloria – The Hippo

Alex – The Lion

Shrek and his friends were in the next sequence. I was a little bit disappointed because “Puss in Boots” was not included in the parade.

Pinocchio

Here comes Shrek

Opening Dancers

The Dragon and the Donkey

After meeting the Shrek, we were invited to come to the Jurassic Park. This was also Maxi’s childhood favourite. He used to watch the movie everyday! In my opinion, the dinosaurs in the USS are well-made. The colours, the size, the movement, the sound are all nicely presented.

I’m not a fans of the “Mummy” but yeah…here they come! The Cleopatra was actually not that bad! She acted well!

Revenge of the Mummy

Opening Dancer

The Cleopatra

To be frank, I think the parade was too short (compared to the waiting time we had prior to it).  The parade was ended with another Hollywood scene…Marilyn Monroe, champagne, cabaret dancers.

Right after the parade ended, it started to rain! Many people including us quickly walked to the nearest restaurant so we can avoid the rain and grab some snacks!

 

Jollibee: Ayam Goreng Tepung dari Filipina

Setiap kali kami berlibur, suami dan saya selalu mengarahkan kedua anak kami, Devani dan Maxi untuk mencoba makanan yang berbeda dari yang biasa mereka makan sehari-hari. Jika makan makanan cepat saji, sedapat mungkin kami mencoba resto yang tidak ada di kota kami, Jakarta. Salah satu resto cepat saji yang kami kunjungi ketika berlibur ke Singapore minggu lalu adalah “Jollibee”.

“Jollibee” adalah ‘chain restaurant’ yang sangat terkenal dari Filipina. Lebih dari sepuluh tahun yang lalu, “Jollibee” pernah masuk ke Indonesia namun sayangnya, tak bertahan lama. Saya dan suami sempat menjadi pelanggan “Jollibee” saat itu karena ayam goreng tepungnya berbeda dari KFC, McDonalds atau AW. Maskot “Jollibee” adalah lebah yang tersenyum lebar dengan kemasan yang didominasi warna merah. Saat ini, rangkaian resto “Jollibee” sudah tersebar di sembilan negara dengan jumlah outlet lebih dari delapan ratus.

Dengan banyaknya warga Filipina yang tinggal dan bekerja di Singapore, tak heran jika “Jollibee” akhirnya masuk ke Singapore di tahun 2013. Lokasi yang dipilih untuk restonya sangat populer di kalangan warga Filipina di Singapore, yaitu di “Lucky Plaza”, Orchard Road. Ada dua outlet “Jollibee” di Lucky Plaza, yaitu di Lantai 6 (berupa restaurant) dan di Basement (di dalam area foodcourt).

Kami mengunjungi resto “Jollibee” yang berada di Lantai 6 Lucky Plaza. Jika menggunakan lift, resto “Jollibee” tepat berada di depan lift. Kami tiba sekitar pukul 10 pagi dan “Jollibee” sebenarnya masih menawarkan menu makan pagi tetapi mereka cukup fleksibel dan memperbolehkan pengunjung untuk memesan menu lainnya. Tentu pesanan kami adalah ayam goreng tepung “Jollibee” yang dikenal dengan sebutan “Chickenjoy”. Suami dan Maxi memesan paket yang terdiri dari dua potong ayam dan nasi, sementara Devani dan saya memesan satu potong ayam dan nasi. Beginilah penampakan pesanan kami…

Saos ‘gravy’-nya di dalam wadah plastik putih. Perhatikan kulit ayam yang sedikit disayat terbuka.

Box besar isi 2 potong ayam + nasi: SGD 6.60. Box kecil isi 1 potong ayam + nasi: SGD 4. Menu paket termasuk minuman.

Jika di kebanyakan resto cepat saji lainnya kita makan ayam goreng tepung dengan saos tomat atau saos sambal, di “Jollibee” mereka memberikan saos “gravy” sebagai ‘cocolan’ ayam gorengnya. Suami dan Maxi sama sekali tidak menyentuh ‘gravy’ mereka, sehingga Devani dan saya mendapatkan ‘gravy’ ekstra dari mereka. Saos tomat dan saos sambal juga disediakan jika Anda memerlukannya.

Kulit ayam goreng tepung “Jollibee” selalu disayat sehingga sedikit terbuka. Tampaknya teknik penyajian ini membuat kulit ayam semakin garing dan bumbunya meresap ke dalam bagian daging ayam. Selain menu andalan ayam goreng tepung, Anda juga bisa memesan burger, burger steak, noodles, spaghetti.

Harga makanan-minuman di “Jollibee” kurang lebih setara dengan harga-harga di resto siap saji atau foodcourt lainnya di Singapore. Resto “Jollibee” telah mendapatkan sertifikasi halal dari pemerintah Singapura.

Kebanyakan pengunjung “Jollibee” tentu saja adalah warga Filipina, semua pelayan di sana tampaknya orang Filipina sehingga mereka bisa akrab bercakap-cakap dengan pengunjung dalam bahasa mereka.  “Lucky Plaza” ini tampaknya adalah pusat ‘gaul’ warga Filipina. Di sana banyak toko yang menjual barang keperluan sehari-hari dari merk lokal Filipina, juga tersedia makanan khas Filipina, jasa pengiriman barang dengan tujuan utama Filipina, penukaran mata uang dan segala jenis jasa terkait lainnya yang ditujukan utamanya untuk para expat Filipina di Singapore.

Jika Anda ingin mencoba resto cepat saji yang berbeda dari yang ada di Jakarta, mampirlah ke “Jollibee” ini. Resto buka dari pukul 9 pagi sampai 9 malam. Menu sarapan tersedia sampai pukul 11 pagi.

Menu Sarapan Jollibee

 

 

 

Discover the Wonders of Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay – view from inside the Cloud Forest

If you think that visiting gardens is only suitable for the senior citizens and young children, you are wrong. Our teens, Devani and Maxi enjoyed their visit to Gardens by The Bay in Marina area, Singapore.

We went to the Gardens by MRT Downtown Line, alight at Bayfront MRT Station. We took Exit B and followed the sign to the Gardens. Along the way, we passed Malay Garden, Chinese Garden and Indian Garden before we arrived at the Ticketing Centre.

I regret that I didn’t buy the tickets in advance via online or travel agent in Jakarta. My husband had to queue for the tickets quite long because we visited the gardens on the peak season. The cost of a standard ticket for adult is SGD 28 per person. This ticket can be used to visit the two main domes which are the “Cloud Forest” and “Flower Dome”.

Long Queue at the Ticketing Office

A Standard Adult Ticket for Cloud Forest & Flower Dome: SGD 28

The Gardens were in full Christmas decorations when we visited. Red and white were the main colours of the decoration. They put fake snow in some areas to make the display more dramatic.

The Cloud Forest

We started with the Cloud Forest as recommended by Maxi. The first impression was so grand! We were welcomed by “The Falls” which is a 35-metre (man-made) waterfall. We could really feel the fresh air in the this area that made us wanting to stay for a while…to take photos and deep breaths. The temperature of the whole dome is kept to be cool to maintain the freshness of the plants.

Enjoy the fresh air!

The 35-metre man-made waterfall

The collection of plants in the Cloud Forest dome is very beautiful. You should allocate plenty of time to really enjoy the beauty of the collection. Here are some of our favourites:

And of course, we can see the famous pitcher plant:

You better follow the suggested steps to enjoy the “Cloud Forest” so you do not miss any interesting features of the garden.

My most memorable experience from the “Cloud Forest” is to pass the “Cloud Walk”. However, if you have fear of heights,  you better skip the “Cloud Walk’.

Cloud Walk – viewed from above

Cloud Walk – viewed from the ground level

 

Lunch at “Satay by the Bay”

It was lunchtime when we finished exploring the “Cloud Forest”. There are many dining options around the Gardens, from the local delights to the Western food. We chose to have our lunch at “Satay by the Bay’ which is an open foodcourt with the view to the waterfront. Satay is not the only type of food which is offered there. My husband and I ate the satay but Devani had a Turkish cheese bread from one of the stall.

Satay by the Bay

Satay by the Bay foodcourt

Turkish Cheese Bread

Satay

Non-satay stalls

The Flower Dome

After lunch, we returned to the domes area to visit the “Flower Dome”. The main Christmas display was set inside the “Flower Dome”. A lot of visitors took their time to take photos near the display.

Christmas Display

Cute snowman from flowers

The ‘snow”

The main Christmas Display

Devani and I love the succulent garden the most. I tried several times to keep succulent plants alive at home but they did not survive long.  Therefore I was amazed with the beauty of the succulent plants collection at the “Flower Dome”. I don’t know the individual name of each type of the succulent plants but they all look amazing!

The Souvenir Shop

A day in the Gardens is not complete without visiting the souvenir shop. You can find the “mainstream” souvenirs such as t-shirts, caps, key chain, fridge magnet and mugs as well as the unique ones like the “Wabi Kusu” and “Bio Dome”.

What We Missed from the Gardens

We missed to see the “Supertrees” at night. The lights and the sound show were scheduled at 7.45 pm and 8.45 pm but we returned to our hotel in the afternoon because we were tired.

The Supertrees and OCBC Skyway

For more information about the Gardens, please visit http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg

 

Merry Christmas 2014

This is just a quick post to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

My family went to Singapore for 5 days: 19th to 24th of December 2014 and here is the sneak peek from our holiday photos. All about Christmas in the tropics Singapore 2014:

The Shoppes, MBS

Ion

Gardens by the Bay

Cute snowman @ Gardens by the Bay

Winter Scene Display @ Gardens by the Bay

Santa’s Display @ Gardens by the Bay

Festive Wreath @ The Chijmes

Gardens by the Bay

Centrepoint

Other posts will come soon…will try my best to write during this holiday season!

May the joy, peace and love of Christmas remain with you throughout the year!

Menyantap Hidangan ala India di Curry Gardenn

Ketika suami dan saya mengunjungi PasarBella di The Grandstand (www.thegrandstand.com.sg), kami memilih untuk makan siang di luar PasarBella. Ada beberapa pilihan tempat makanan di The Grandstand, mulai dari masakan Chinese, Thai, Korea, Japanese dan India. Setelah sebelumnya kami makan ala local Singapore dan Western, siang itu kami sedang ingin makan ala India!

Mampirlah kami ke “Curry Gardenn” yang berada di South Grandstand. Tulisan “garden” di nama restaurant ini memang dengan dua huruf ‘N’. Tampaknya restaurant ini cukup populer di kalangan warga keturunan India karena pada Hari Sabtu siang itu, restaurant tampak penuh dan banyak warga keturunan India yang makan di sana. Asumsi saya, rasanya pasti authentic India. Suami dan saya terkadang memang kangen dengan rasa kari yang mantap dan hal ini biasanya bisa kami peroleh di resto makanan India.

Tampak Depan Curry Gardenn

Curry Gardenn menyajikan hidangan India Utara dan Selatan. Bagi yang paham masakan India, memang ada perbedaan gaya memasak antara berbagai bagian di India…karena wilayah negaranya luas. Miriplah seperti ‘dapur Nusantara’ yang juga bervariasi tergantung wilayahnya.

Pesanan kami di Curry Gardenn:

Prawn Chilli: SGD 9.50, Naan Set Meal: SGD 6, Plain Prata: SGD 2 (maksudnya untuk dimakan dengan Prawn Chilli) dan Papadam: SGD 1 (Papadam adalah krupuk ala India).

Untuk minumnya, kami memesan Tea Limo Ice: SGD 2 dan Teh O Ice: SGD 1.

Totalnya SGD 23 ditambah Service Charge 10%, jadi SGD 25.30 untuk kami berdua.

Prawn Chilli: SGD 9.50

Naan Set Meal Chicken: SGD 6

Prata: SGD 2 dan Papadam: SGD 1

Menu Minuman

Menu Chicken Items

Selain dari makanan yang ada di menu, tampaknya anda juga bisa memilih langsung dari makanan jadi yang ada di display mereka.

Pilihan makanan jadi

Penghargaan dan publikasi mengenai restaurant ini dipajang di depan pintu masuk sehingga pengunjung “awam” seperti kami bisa mendapat gambaran tentang popularitas restaurant ini.

Publikasi di “The Sunday Times”

Penghargaan Best Food Awards 2013/14

Suasana restaurant cukup penuh tetapi tidak padat. Gayanya casual, santai dan cocok untuk makan bersama keluarga (jika semuanya suka dengan masakan India).

Suasana Curry Gardenn

 

Alamat Curry Gardenn:

200 Turf Club Road, #01-06

Singapore 287994

http://www.currygardenn.com