5D4N Trip to Bangkok - Day 3

Brought Mom to ROAST at Thong Lo for some Brunch.
Ang Mo food. Not bad. I had rosti and it was good!
Mom had ROAST breakfast and it was good and filling.
I suggest just getting one dish here and share as there's lots to eat in BKK.
Then again, it's really hard to choose just one so make more trips to BKK then! Ha ha...

After a big meal at ROAST, we went to Audrey's which is just a short walk from ROAST.
We had their Milo Crepe Cake and it was light and lovely. I downed it all with Fruit Punch.
Mommy didn't take any as she was still full from brunch. This woman has limited capacity and a small one at that!
The deco was nice but somehow, I preferred the one in a shopping mall. Was it Siam Paragon?

From Audrey, we took a cab down to Terminal 21.
Late lunch was at Tim Ho Wan.
Thereafter, back to the hotel we go! Mom was still tired from the effects of her medicine.
This woman has been sick since Day 1!
She bought some pineapple after her smoke break near our hotel.
Again, pale looking but oh-so-sweet.

Night was uneventful since Mommy slept through the night.
My tummy started to rumble at 7 plus, local time.
I went to Nuer Koo at Siam Paragon, level 4 and had some yummylicious Kobe beef noodles!
The Cha Yen sucks here. Not as thick as the one at the magazine lane.

There was a charity going on and I bought a leather coin purse along with a Pink Amethyst ring.

I ended the day with Honey Shibuya Toast at After You.

Dreamy C

5D4N Trip to Bangkok - Day 2

We had breakfast near the magazine lane which I talked about in Day 1.
I had really good pork rice and Cha Yen here.

After that, we went to Siam Paragon and Siam Center.
Tried cheese tart at Pablo which was really delicious! Preferred the original to their Matcha.

Late Lunch at Siam Paragon where we had Mango Sticky Rice and really delicious Beef Noodles!
Remember to buy a card at the counter before you go and order your food at the food court of Siam Paragon.

Went to Chatuchak Night Market where Mommy went crazy with shopping again.
We had some yummy Coconut Ice Cream, Banana Prata which Mom finds it overly sweet but good for me (I have a sweet tooth) and Moo Ping.

Ended the day at Ban Khun Mae where we had some really lovely Papaya Salad, Lime fish (huge fish!), Tom Yum Goong (boy was this yummy!) and not fantastic tapioca and water chestnut as dessert.

During the day, we went to Lek Massage where we had 2 hours body massage with oil.
Good in my opinion. In The Dowager's opinion was so-so.
So good, I gave 400 Baht to the lady attending to me.

Dreamy C

5D4N Trip to Bangkok - Day 1

When in Bangkok, Shop and Eat!

I went with a Pacsafe Carry On Bag and a foldable bag from Timberland.
I also brought along another Pacsafe sling bag which I've grown to LOVE after this trip.
Mommy went with a huge luggage and a foldable bag.

Bought air tickets from Jetstar Asia and the Hotel that we're going to stay is Novotel Siam Square because of its convenient location. It's conveniently located near Siam BTS.
From Siam BTS, you want to exit at the one opposite Siam Paragon.
There's Siam Center, Siam Paragon and Siam Square nearby.
Walk for about 10 - 15 mins, you'll get to Central World, Platinum Mall, Big C.
Lek Massage, Chang Massage & Smile are just across the hotel's side entrance.
Exit from the side entrance, turn left and walk straight and you'll reach Siam BTS.
Along the way, you'll see a little shop selling magazines and newspapers.
Inside that stretch holds quite a number of food and drink stalls. I shall call this the magazine lane going forward.
I had really good pork rice (better than the one at Soi 9 with that 'famous' wanton noodles) and Cha Yen. Photos can be found on my Instagram.

From Suvarnabhumi Airport, you can take the Airport Transfer to Phaya Thai Station where you can switch to BTS. I didn't take that as it's really inconvenient travelling with Mom's HUGE luggage.
We ended up taking the cab. Right outside, you can stop the taxi queue. One must get a taxi ticket from the many automated machines and they'll just tell you which lane to go.

Having reached at an odd hour in the afternoon, we went to Som Tam Nua to grab some grub.
We were slightly disappointed to know that a few of their salads were no longer available.
We also ordered their noodles which weren't delicious and their fried chicken. Now for the chicken, where it lacks in crispiness, the flavour of it makes up for it. So flavourful, I ate more than 1/2!

We walked around for a bit and bought some fruits back to the hotel.
I've come to realise that their fruits though pale looking, were in fact sweet and yummy!

Later that night, we took a boat ride to Asiatique where we shopped more.
I really enjoyed Asiatique as it's where I bought 2 lovely pairs of leather flats!

We ended the day with an hour foot reflexology at Chang Massage which turned out to be a really BAD idea. We left with bruises come the next morning.
Bad experience! NEVER going back there EVER!

Dreamy C

Domvs by Gabriel Fratini

I heard from J about how great Gabriel Fratini used to be.

Gabriel also said that he's the FIRST to introduce Tiramisu to Singapore. Hmmm...

We brought our customer there for lunch since he's staying there.

It was only towards the last course of our meal that we found out that it's THE Gabriel Fratini who took over... Ha ha... Never TOO late!

Let's begin...

My Antipasto - Scallop with Chantilly Cheese, Beef Cheek with 'I've forgotten what' topping and Prawn with some puree.

LOVE the scallop with Chantilly cheese.

Beef Cheek was good enough. I would have liked it to be slightly more tender.

My Primo

Ravioli - Didn't really like this one.

I would gladly take a 2nd serving of our Appetizer in place of this.

My Secondo - Fish

I like the sauce, the fish was fresh, I like the little pcs of veggie at the side.

It's nicely decorated.

When I saw Brussel Sprouts, I wanted to run away but surprisingly, it was tolerable.

My Dolce - Tiramisu with Chocolate Mousse

Tiramisu was indeed pleasant. Light and nice.

Chocolate Mousse also wasn't overpowering which is good as I wouldn't get sick of having more than a bite.

Overall, J who complained throughout the meal and made his displeasure known for the lack of a menu was full of praise at the end of the meal. I would say Gabriel Fratini himself did the trick!

If you'd asked me, I like this idea of lack of menu and simply let the chef decide.

In Japan, it's called Omakase. In Italy? I'm not sure...

What I'm sure is that J might probably skip going to Mezza9 for special occasions and pop in here instead. This man has expensive taste. Ha ha...

Dreamy C

3D2N I Love Jakarta Trip

Whoo hoo...!!! Jakarta baby... I'm coming for ya!

This time round with J and I won't be spending my b'day in Singapore!

Double win!

Turned out I didn't venture to places I would like to as it was pouring on the 2nd day.
An experience in itself and I wouldn't trade it for anything even though I ended up with a slight cold.
Something positive out of it is the surroundings, people and food in Café Batavia.
I had really delicious Sop Buntut there.
Being a Car Free Sunday, the atmosphere is also great!
Spirits of Jakartans weren't dampened at all by the rain!
While all of us were seeking shelter, a small group of local young adults played and sang some music on their guitars. This is what I call - enjoyment while caught in the rain.
A lady fell from her bicycle when it was raining and a few men went to help her. Great attitude!
I applaud them! I'm not sure if Singaporeans would do the same...
Yes, such 'hope' I have for my local people. Years of residence here has gotten me a bit sceptical.

Want to look at photos? Check them out on my Instagram account!

Till next time... it has been fun in Jakarta and I'm definitely going to make lots more trips there!!!

Dreamy C

Holiday Update 2 for Year 2016!

Previously, I mentioned that I'm going to visit Jakarta during the Christmas period.

Alas! This is not to be since I'm going to travel with J and he's not one to celebrate Christmas away from his kiddos. So, I've to compromise. Well, it IS a holiday after all...

We will be flying with Air Asia and the hotel will be the same i.e. Mercure Sabang.

This time round however, I'm going to book a room which overlooks the city, hopefully Monas.

I'll put a request in.

If I were travelling solo, I would skip the breakfasts in the hotel but since J's tagging along this time, I'll have to include breakfasts in the hotel. He's not one who would look around the surrounding for food. He's also very particular with food.

I don't blame him... He's travelled to many places and hence, might have turned more sceptical whereas I'm not a well travelled person so I'm open to adventures and disappointments. That's when the magic takes place isn't it? Solo travel - I love and would seize all opportunities to do it!

Well, stay tuned! It's going to be a busy, busy December for me.

A sweet ending to Year 2016!

Dreamy C

Holiday Update

Remember me saying I don't know when my 3rd trip to BKK will be?
Well fellas, 3rd trip is due to happen next month!
Air tickets? Booked!
Hotel? Booked!
Boy am I excited. Even more so since me gonna bring my Ma Ma along!
We are going to have so much fun I'm sure of it!!!
5D4N, BKK, my Ma Ma and I are coming for ya!

Stay tuned...!!!

Dreamy C