Category: Travels

Our 2016 Trip to Singapore

In January, we went to Singapore for a quick holiday. I was really looking forward to the trip as I haven’t been to Singapore for ages! We decided to drive down as we wanted to do some shopping and we needed the boot space.

Anyway, we started our journey as we do with all road trips; switched on Google Maps and let it lead the way. The journey was pleasant, smattering of rain but nothing too scary. We made a couple of stops to relieve ourselves and to stretch our legs.

My boys having a walk.

Liam was a gem! It always surprises me at how well he travels, so much so we don’t really have qualms bringing him anywhere. Anyway, back to our trip.

We started around 2pm and was expecting to reach Singapore by 7pm….but by nightfall, we found ourselves at some Ferry Terminal in Johor, a ferry terminal with all its lights switched off. What the hell?

Turned out husband forgot to untick “No ferry” and Google led us all the way to some god forsaken ferry terminal, which name I don’t even remember anymore, to take a ferry to our hotel which was located near the Singapore’s east coast. It’s technically the shortest route……if it wasn’t for the ferry that would only set sail 8am the next day (information conveyed to us by a night shift guard).

Seriously, has anyone taken a ferry to Singapore? Hahaha.

Oh man, I was hungry and Woodlands was 2 hours drive away. Gareth drove as though he’s Hamilton, hitting a pigeon dead on the way and we reached Johor Bahru in 1 hour 15 minutes. Not too bad? Bye bye birdy, rest in peace.

As soon as we were in JB, hubs drove straight to San Low where we had probably the best fried meehoon I’ve ever eaten. We also had wild boar curry (amazing) and fried baby octopuses (standard once you pop you can’t stop).

The meehoon from heaven – crispy and soft at the same time.

The best thing about San Low is that it’s only 5 minutes drive from Woodlands. It’s almost 10pm then so there wasn’t much traffic and we got into Singapore pretty quickly. From the border, it’s about 30 minute drive to our hotel – Village Hotel Changi. Checking-in was quick and pleasant and they even gave me vouchers for bowling and cycling!

I would have so used them if Liam were older. Cue hypothetical scenarios of baby being crushed by bowling ball and baby dropping off a bicycle lol.

We were just so chuffed to be finally in Singapore and in the comfort of our hotel room.

There’s even fresh fruits waiting for us. Loved it!

Chuffed Liam :)

After resting for a bit, we decided we needed more food. We walked out to the hawker centres that were only 5 minutes walk from our hotel. Another great plus point about Village Hotel Changi – FOOOD!

I had Singaporean Hokkien Mee.

And I have to say, it’s grown on me! I like the savoury shrimpiness of the broth and the ever so slightly alkaline taste of yellow noodles actually worked quite well with it. We went back to hotel happy and satiated. Had really good sleep on the king sized bed.

We all woke up happy and ready to take on the world. Just kidding, we planned on doing absolutely nothing lols.

Liam fooling around in bed. This would mean something entirely different when he is a teenager.

Having his first milk of the day before we had lunch.

Lunch was at the hotel at Saltwater Cafe as we decided to just have a day chilling at the hotel.

The spread was really good! Very varied and also delicious.

For carbo loading.

For health conscious.

For a taste of Land of Rising Sun.

Liam doing in a yaucharkway from the rojak section.

For people with sweet tooth.

Attention, meat lovers!

I was in love with all the Nyonya kuihs and French pastries.

After lunch it was swim time. The main reason we wanted to stay at this hotel is for the pool (besides proximity to beach and food)! What a beautiful, beautiful swimming pool!

I mean, just look at this! It overlooks the sea <3.

We had so much fun and we must have been in the water for hours.

My boys, my life :)

We spent another night at the hotel before checking-out. Really enjoyed our stay as it has more of a resort feel and is a great warm-up to our stay in the city.

Thanks for a wonderful stay Village Hotel Changi! Till we meet again soon!

From Changi, we moved nearer to the city and our hotel of choice was Village Hotel Katong!

Why?

Because of this. What a lovely room…I loved it so much!

The Peranakan influences are really beautiful and give the hotel such a character. Definitely not another bland, modern hotel.

I even loved the bathroom!!!

Right about then, Liam was at the peak of his telephone phase.

And Village Hotel Katong is located right above a shopping mall! And it’s basically about 10 minutes from everywhere…Orchard, Chinatown, Singapore Expo, Changi, Novena, Turf Club, Geylang etc. Ubers are in abundance here too!

Except for Orchard, we pretty much hit everywhere from our hotel in Katong.

Singapore is definitely one of my favourite places in the world to visit. There’s just so many activities you can do, so much interesting things to look at and the food! Singaporean food is simply mindblowing. If you want to learn more about visiting Singapore, I do recommend you use this amazing guide from Expedia.

Met some friends in Chinatown. Ate frog porridge in Geyland. Had a Japanese omakase in Novena. Had an afternoon feast at PasarBella in Turf Club. Had Ramen in Liang Court. Went to Baby Expo in Singapore Expo (I couldn’t resist when I found out a baby expo was going on, hehe).

My ginormous seehum in PasarBella, a London’s Borough Market style food court.

You should have seen the spread we had, we ate so much just the two of us and by the time we finished I noticed we forgot to take picture. We had steamed fresh seafood, 8 different cheeses, foie gras on toasts, truffle cheese sandwich, bacon and cheese sandwich, and pork done 3 ways.

Liam being nosey and eating a cracker from our massive cheese spread.

At the sushi bar called 510 Sake Bar in Novena.

The sushis were outstanding!

A photo posted by Kimberly Low (@kimberzilla) on

In Chinatown.

Having a craft beer at SmithStreet in Chinatown.

All in all a wonderful trip :) Can’t wait to be back, Singapore!

Directory:

Accommodation
Village Hotel Changi
1 Netheravon Road Singapore 508502 (Formerly known as Changi Village Hotel)
+65 6379 7111

Village Hotel Katong
25 Marine Parade S449536
+65 6344 2200

Food
San Low Seafood Restaurant
Jalan Merah 1, Taman Pelangi, 80400 Johor Bahru, Malaysia

PasarBella
200 Turf Club Rd, Singapore 287994

Lor 9 Frog Leg Porridge
Lor 9 Geylang, Singapore 388752

501 Sake Bar
273 Thomson Rd, #01-06 Novena Gardens, Singapore 307644

Our first long haul flight with Liam

I meant to blog about our first flight with Liam but couldn’t find time. Liam is now downstairs playing happily in his playpen so I figured, it’s time!

So, back in August, we flew to London to visit family as well as to sneak in a mini Eurotrip. We booked the tickets quite early on and we meant to take a couple of short flights before to try to gauge Liam’s flying demeanour but we ended up doing none of those.

We opted for baptism of fire, going straight for a 13 hour direct light to London with a 1 year old baby.

In hindsight, I think we were pretty crazy haha.

So how did we prepare for the flight? I brought my baby carrier, 5 packets of his favourite Meiji crackers and hmm…that’s all.

I had meant to bring some small toys but I had genuinely forgotten as we packed really late. I even forgot his jumper. #terriblemummy

One of the things that I worried about when it comes to flying with a baby was, what happened to the stroller? I wasn’t sure whether we could bring it onboard or whether we had to check it in. I certainly didn’t want to check it in as there’s risk of damage.

Waiting to board.

Anyway, my fears were unfounded. We didn’t have to check in the stroller.

In fact, all we needed to do was leave our pram at the plane door and the wonderful cabin crew would deal with it. Up until that point, I had toyed with the idea of getting a compact stroller for travelling but I no longer harbour such desires.

My boys on the way to our inaugural family holiday abroad.

We had already called MAS earlier for bassinet seats and so yay…legroom!

Take off was a breeze, didn’t even need to boob him. He didn’t seem very bothered by the change in pressure, which I was thankful for.

He was sufficiently entertained by a few empty plastic cups and biscuits.

The bassinet was heaven-sent, it’s so nice that I didn’t have to have a 8kg heatpack lying on my chest all the time hehe.

Look at what a good time he is having in the bassinet, lying down with one hand holding the cups while the other hand holding his soggy biscuit.

Our entire strategy on the flight was to keep him occupied with plastic cups, food, milk or sleep.

Whenever Liam slept, we slept too. Gareth and I also took turns to sleep whenever possible. We managed to sleep in more than half the duration of the flight. Combined hours of course, not uninterrupted sleep lol ;)

While daddy slept, I entertained the baby and vice versa.

Bringing the Bjorn onboard was also the best thing ever. Whenever he got a bit too restless, I would just strap him on and walked up and down the plane. The constant motion helped to get him to nap.

I even had mood to selfie in the lavatory and slapped on some moisturiser lol

Before long, we landed!

So our first long haul flight with Liam was pretty good, all things considered.

I have read that some parents prefer night flight cause their bubs could sleep but after experiencing night flight on the way back to KL, we are very confident that we prefer day flights as there’s no added pressure about waking anyone up haha

Our flight back to KL, which was a night flight was actually not too bad, but it surely was not as pleasant as the day flight to London. There was a minor incident that I should probably blog about it too, as it involved another couple with a similarly aged baby who sat next to us.

Anyway, Liam did very well on his first flight and we are glad that we don’t have to worry too much in subsequent flights.

13 hour was about pushing the limit and I reckon we could breeze through all the 4 hour or 8 hour type flights in the future :)

Cuca – mind blowing tapas in Jimbaran, Bali.

Before leaving for our Bali babymoon, the husband did a little bit of research on the dining scene in Bali. Two restaurants that stood out for us were Cuca and Locavore.

Once we arrived we Bali, we made a call to Locavore for a dinner reservation but was saddened that it’s been booked full for both lunches and dinners for weeks! When hubs made a call to Cuca, I was literally crossing my fingers because I really, really wanted to eat at Cuca.

Thank goodness, we got a reservation on the evening we wanted :)

Cuca serves tapas made with ingredients carefully selected and sourced exclusively from Indonesia to ensure freshness, support local farmers and showcase delicious local products.

# – Cuca.

This is the description of the chef and co-owner on Cuca’s website:

“Chef Kevin Cherkas has an enviable track record developed in some of the world’s most outstanding restaurants. In Spain, he honed his skills at Michelin three-star Arzak Restaurant in San Sebastian, Michelin three-star El Bulli in Roses, and Michelin two-star La Broche in Madrid. He also left his mark in New York City during his tenure with Daniel Boulud at his highly regarded Michelin three-star Daniel.

As testament to his culinary talent, he is the recipient of numerous awards. These include gold and silver medals at the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs national and regional competitions in 2003, a gold medal at the USA Chicago Culinary Salon Team Canada 2001, and three gold medals at the British Columbia Chefs Association Hot Culinary Competition in 2000, to name a few. Most notably, he joined the Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Contest 2001 as an apprentice representative and achieved a fifth place finish.

Most recently, Chef Kevin helmed BLU at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore and prior to that Restaurant Lafite in Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.”

Cuca’s located about 30 minutes away from Sanur via taxi. The location was quite secluded and our taxi driver had a little trouble locating it but everything was soon solved by a simple phone call to Cuca who gave our driver good directions.

# – The outdoor seating.

# – The building that houses the dining room.

The interior of Cuca was modern and comfortable, the tables set generously apart from each other with retractable blinds for privacy.

# – View of the kitchen.

We opted for the Chef Tasting Menu, which consisted of 7 tapas and 2 desserts. For drinks, I had the mocktail version of the Sun-gria (red wine) and hubs had the Moon-gria (white wine), which are their signature sangria inspired beverages.

# – Sun-gria and Moon-gria.

These are beverages that keep on giving! You drink it by pouring the main wine (or non-alcoholic wine in my case) into a glass filled with with frozen fruit juice cubes and the drink transformed as the frozen fruit cubes melted. It’s like having a new drink everytime I took a sip. Very clever!

Our meal started with the complimentary “Cotton Betutu”, inspired by the traditional Balinese dish, ayam betutu.

# – Cotton Betutu.

This fluffy clouds of savouriness was a delight to the palate. It melted on my tongue, reminding me a little of Chinese chicken floss, but without the stringiness of course.

The Chef Tasting Menu started with “Emperor Fish Ceviche” with watermelon ice, toasted pumpkin seeds and basil.

# – Emperor Fish Ceviche.

The ceviche was meaty and flavourful. The watermelon ice and basil kept everything refreshing while the pumpkin seeds lent a wonderful crunchiness to the dish.

Next, we were served “Smoked Butterfish” with beetroot yogurt, avocado, bread cracker and wild fennel.

# – Smoked Butterfish.

The savoury smokiness of the meaty butterfish was perfectly balanced by the mild beetroot yogurt and avocado. Very delicious!

After the butterfish, we were served the “Glazed Young Carrot Salad” with whipped avocado, mountain strawberry, cashew nuts and lemon balm.

# – Glazed Young Carrot Salad.

The husband loved this dish and insisted I whipped up something similar at home. He was blown away by the combination of the salad ingredients and I must say that I agreed with him. It was an extraordinary bowl of salad made with ordinary ingredients.

Next up, the “BBQ Octopus” with asian gazpacho, fresh apple, caramelised cauliflower and coriander.

# – BBQ Octopus.

Octopus was grilled to perfection, springy and tender. It went so well with the refreshing gazpacho while the apples and cauliflower contributed crunch and flavours without overpowering the main seafood.

After the octopus, we were served “Crispy Fried Chicken” with wild honey, country coleslaw, sesame dust and asian basil.

# – Crispy Fried Chicken.

Not just any fried chicken! The meat was tender and juicy with a crispy exterior. I loved the sesame dust which lent some creamy texture to the dish.

This was definitely my favourite dish of the evening – “Roasted Tiger Prawns” with sweet & sour baby zucchini, red chili, coconut broth and kaffir lime.

# – Roasted Tiger Prawns.

The roasted prawns were fresh and tender. It was delicious with the coconut broth, which was not just any common coconut broth but was perfectly cooked prawn bisque with generous drizzles of lucious coconut cream! So addictive, I wish there was more.

“Premium Beef Chica” with shaved cabbage, young zucchini and parsley followed. For me, this was probably the only dish that did not stand out.

It felt like I was eating a fairly bland beef patty on top of fancy wild rice. It was nice, just wasn’t earth shattering like our previous courses.

# – Premium Beef Chica.

By now, we should be served desserts but husband decided to add another dish that’s not on the tasting menu – “Rice Crusted Soft Shell Crab” with blended bbq tomato sauce, shaved pineapple and curry leaves. Oh what a wonderful decision!

# – Rice Crusted Soft Shell Crab.

This was possibly the best deep fried soft shell crab I have ever tasted. The crab was well-seasoned, meaty and crunchy. Although deep-fried, there was no hint of greasiness or sogginess. They were so delicious with the bbq tomato sauce and shaved grilled pineapples.

And then it was dessert time. My favourite time! Jeng jeng jeng!

First up was the intriguing “Bali Breakfast”, which was described as sweet runny mango, frozen passion fruit and whipped coconut arrived on our table.

# – Bali Breakfast.

This thing that looks like an egg yolk was actually a mango sphere, a display of molecular gastronomy technique.

# – Mango oozing…

Once popped, it flowed into the creamy whipped coconut like, beckoning you to dig in. And dig in we did.

There was another layer of surprise at the bottom – frozen crunchy passionfruit. So delicious…just mind-blowing.

And just when I thought that nothing else could top “Bali Breakfast”, Cuca came up with “Cocoa 99”, described as warm organic podchocolate, mint ice-cream and cocoa croutons.

# – Cocoa 99.

Oh my gawd…I don’t know how they do it, but they managed to combine decadences and freshness all in one bowl. What is this sorcery?

The mint ice cream was so delicious with the creamy chocolate ganache thingy and the cocoa croutons, made of dehydrated chocolate cakes. Truly life-changing.

Dinner concluded with “Cuca Brews”, house-made alcoholic brews that we enjoyed at the bar. Hubs had both the Vanilla & Berry brew and Pineapple & Rosemary brew while I had water only…

# – Obligatory I was there.

# – Hub’s I was there.

Dining at Cuca has definitely become one of our most treasured eating experiences. Every dish was special and mind-bending despite using pretty humble ingredients.

Service was of course impeccable. Every dish was named and explained by the waiting staff before being served on our table. The pricing at Cuca was also very agreeable, we have definitely paid more for far less inspiring food in KL.

We highly recommend eating at Cuca if you’re in Bali.

Cuca
Jalan Yoga Perkanthi
Jimbaran 80364
Bali, Indonesia
Opening hours: 12 pm to 12 am
Tel: +62 361 708 066
Email: family@cucaflavor.com