Tucked away in Haji Lane is Pitch Black, a small café seated comfortably among the role of shophouses. It is not the kind of café that will grab your attention with loud colors, and that is perfectly why I find it cosy. It’s not a big place to speak of, with little space available. However small, I was compensated with a lazy couch to enjoy my drink.
A few steps up the narrow staircase, is their screening room. My first impression was a messy little place, with uncoordinated sofa and seats. Yet, this small screening room is capable of holding up to 30 persons. A very basic setup of a projector and the sound-room hidden in the rear is the source of every screening. Perhaps, it stops only as far as that. If only the place was kept cleaner, and with proper seat arrangement.
If you’re thinking of attending a live show, you will be disappointed. The sound quality is good, but don’t expect the best. The projection is better than our TV, but don’t expect HD quality. The screening room is simply not fitted with equipments to cater to that. But for a minimum food expenditure of SGD$5 to attend a screening free, it’s quite a bargain. For that, don’t demand sound-proof walls like those in theatres.
Pitch Black’s two young staffs are probably the only people you will see behind the counter. Being such a cosy arts café, they are easy to talk to and they will serve your drinks and food right up to your seat while you enjoy your screening. You don’t need to pay big bucks to enjoy that service. Coming to that, I realized I didn’t have a proper place in the screening room to relieve myself from holding on to my drinks and food throughout the entire show.
And yea, only one washroom to cater to the entire place. Be prepared with Queue Singapore.
My verdict? There’s a lot more to do to sufficiently call it an Arts Café.
Was quite confused with the ordering process at my first visit. First I was given a number card with my table number. Then the guy at the entrance will place a matching table number at an available table for the number of guest. Then we placed our order, collected our drinks and had to sit at the table given to us. (You cannot choose to sit at another table as it'll all be numbered.)
Food came and we had to cook our own food. Pour in the sauces and start cooking your meat on the hot stone. All the sizzling and cooking created a strong smell that filled the entire place. I personally wouldn't like sitting there for too long after my meal. Kinda stink the clothes.
Had my second visit at Pepper Lunch yesterday. My friends were there before me and were about to finish when I arrived. I queued to order my food and from my previous experience, I requested for a number card. The guy asked where I sit and I told him my table number was removed as the food already delivered. He doesn't seem to understand me as he kept asking for a table number! I repeated myself again this time slower and pointing to my table. Then finally he understood. But he seemed rather lost not knowing what to do. Later he told me to inform the cashier when placing my order. So I did. And the cashier gave me a confused look again! I'm totally lost. What's so difficult about giving me a new table number? Later he checked with the guy again and then he told her to give me a table number from her sets of numbers. Walking back to my table to join my friend, I asked myself, what's the difference from the guy at the entrance giving me a number and the cashier giving me a number? Aren't they the same?
The food was alright. Its the concept of cooking it yourself and the special sauce they have that makes it a novelty for customers. Other than that, I don't see what's so good about it, considering the smell and price and service, I'll rather not have my meal there.
Quick review: Was there yesterday for Secret. Show time was 7.45pm. But we were not allowed to enter earlier as the theatre wasn't ready. Wanted to buy popcorns at the counter inside and go to the ladies before the show. But we couldn't.
The cinemas was packed and the queue was long at the ticketing counter. As we bought our tickets earlier, we had to requeue to get popcorns. They should have created an express lane for those who just want popcorns instead of putting the ticketing n popcorn counter together. Yes its easier for those who buy ticket the last minute/ before the show and get their popcorns at the same time. But what about people like us? The most irritating thing is when those buying tickets infront of you can't decide which seats to pick! They held up the queue and we ended up late for the show. When we finally got to our theatre, the show already started!
Later we found out that they do delivery service to our seats for food orders. I feel that this is a good gesture for people who bought tickets first so they can order their food and get it delivered. But think again, wouldn't these delivery disturb the others in the theatre? Especially if the delivery is for someone sitting right in the center of the row?
I still feel that a seperate counter is better for those who just want popcorn.
I'm also a starhub maxonline user. Personally, I feel that maxonline is faster and better as compared to other bb provider. Have been asking around others too when I have to recontract my subscriptions. And usually a higher percentage of ppl I talk to recommended me to stick to starhub. At least you don't have to worry about your home line plans? Another reason why I'm on starhub is also cos I do not have a home line since everyone at home has a mobile phone. And with the free incoming, what's the point of a home line?
If you find that the plan you subscribe to is too high, you can downgrade to a lower plan. The speed shouldn't be reduced too much. If you're comfortable with the wireless@sg speed while surfing outdoor, then go lower plan for home cable I would say.
Pretty handmade crochet charms and embellishments make her accessories one-of-a-kind. Her lovely collection of accessories is very pretty and womanly. Her use of colors is simply magical.
Love all the designs! If only I can have them all!
Maria is also a very friendly lady who moved to Singapore with her family as her husband is deployed to work here. Very nice lady to chat with. She makes everyone feel so welcome at her shop (when she's goes MAAD at red dot museum.)
Go take a look at her blogstore. Buy one for yourself, or if you're a guy, buy for your gf/wife/mother.
Jalan Kayu used to be my dinner place after work couple years back. It was near my work place and near my home. Although there are quite a number of food places along Jalan Kayu, Cafeela is the one that we frequent often. So often that the uncle working there recognises us.
They've recently expanded and now has an air-con dining area too. Price and food still the same. Just that the menu in the air-con place is newer and has more seafood stuff as compared to their normal menu. This dining area is also a good place to host mini dinner party.
My usual orders at Cafeela includes their Pataya Fried Rice (Rate 4/5), Salted Fish Fried Rice (Rate 3/5), Curry Fish Head (Rate 3.5/5), Fried Beef Kuay Teow (4/5), Pratas (Rate 3.5/5, I prefer this as compared to the one down the road.) and Chicken Wings with Sambal (Rate 4.5/5). The wings aren't those crispy kind, but I like the marinating and the sambal just makes it more yummy! And now they serve satays too! Quite nice also. Can try. But you got to wait for quite a while during dinner time.
Overall, the food is not bad. Staff are mostly friendly, but do expect to wait for the food (sometimes even the drinks) during weekends dinner hours.
Nice place to chill too after midnight. If you like chilling with Tek Terik and Milo Dinosaur. =)
There were couple of shops selling Tau Sar Piah along Balestier Road. When we drove past these shops, the was no queue at these stalls. So I didn't expect to see a queue when I'm at my destination. But to my surprise, the queue was pretty long at 603 Tau Sar Piah. It seems to be very popular among the young and old.
While queuing I was always peeping to see if there's still Tau Sar Piah left for me when it's my turn. And true enough, by the time I reach the counter, there were only 2 salted ones left. (So sad. I love salted ones.)
The Tau Sar Piah is soft and fluffy. It was still warm when I bought them. (Fresh from the oven!) I couldn't resist so I had them in the car. Took couple of photos too. Uploaded here for everyone to see. As you can see, the fillings is packed full and the skin is thin and yummy!
603 Tau Sar Piah is worth a try! I was told weekday queue is shorter and more variety will be available at any one time. They're open till 6.30pm. Go try lah!
If you've not visited GV Vivo, then you better go give it a try. But let me warn you first, after visiting GV Vivo, you might not want to watch movie anywhere else!
Ever since I stepped foot at GV Vivo and caught a movie in the largest theater, GV Max, I'm so in love with the place that I insists on going to GV Vivo for all my movies! (But of course, I still will give the new cinemas a try.)
The seats are comfortable and leg room is so much more spacious than the other GVs. I think GV should start renovating the other cinemas too and make it as good as the Vivo one.
But then again, once GV Vivo is old, and if GV doesn't maintain the cinemas regularly, it'll one day become smelly and worn out too. So go try the cinema out if you've not already done so. Before it starts wearing out... tsk tsk.
Love fishballs? Love liver? Love lean pork? This fishball noodle stall is one that you cannot miss when you're around Toa Payoh area! Located opposite the JTC factor, this stall operates from morning 7am to noon 2pm only. (Sometimes they close as early as 1pm when they're sold out!)
Its hard to find $2.50 fishball noodles these days. But they stay true to their loyal customers who have been with them for many years. You can also upsize your order to $3 or more if you want more noodles and fishball.
Their fishballs are bouncy and tender. The noodles is cooked to the right tenderness that'll make you want more. Their self-created chilli is one that I cannot resists! You can ask for more if you think you can take it extra spicy.
Their other famous dish is the Fried Kway Teow. Appeared once on the chinese newspaper. This created quite a havoc for this stall as people travelled all the way from the West just to give this Fried Kway Teow a try.
As the name suggest, Relax Room is the place to let out all the tension from a day of hard work. Their experience masseurs are skillful and tactful. They seem to know exactly where you need more TLC and attention.
A visit to the Relax Room is where everyone should end their day at. (at least once a week)
1=SGD 0.0587
Arts Café, that’s what they call themselves.
Tucked away in Haji Lane is Pitch Black, a small café seated comfortably among the role of shophouses. It is not the kind of café that will grab your attention with loud colors, and that is perfectly why I find it cosy. It’s not a big place to speak of, with little space available. However small, I was compensated with a lazy couch to enjoy my drink.
A few steps up the narrow staircase, is their screening room. My first impression was a messy little place, with uncoordinated sofa and seats. Yet, this small screening room is capable of holding up to 30 persons. A very basic setup of a projector and the sound-room hidden in the rear is the source of every screening. Perhaps, it stops only as far as that. If only the place was kept cleaner, and with proper seat arrangement.
If you’re thinking of attending a live show, you will be disappointed. The sound quality is good, but don’t expect the best. The projection is better than our TV, but don’t expect HD quality. The screening room is simply not fitted with equipments to cater to that. But for a minimum food expenditure of SGD$5 to attend a screening free, it’s quite a bargain. For that, don’t demand sound-proof walls like those in theatres.
Pitch Black’s two young staffs are probably the only people you will see behind the counter. Being such a cosy arts café, they are easy to talk to and they will serve your drinks and food right up to your seat while you enjoy your screening. You don’t need to pay big bucks to enjoy that service. Coming to that, I realized I didn’t have a proper place in the screening room to relieve myself from holding on to my drinks and food throughout the entire show.
And yea, only one washroom to cater to the entire place. Be prepared with Queue Singapore.
My verdict? There’s a lot more to do to sufficiently call it an Arts Café.
Rating given:
Was quite confused with the ordering process at my first visit. First I was given a number card with my table number. Then the guy at the entrance will place a matching table number at an available table for the number of guest. Then we placed our order, collected our drinks and had to sit at the table given to us. (You cannot choose to sit at another table as it'll all be numbered.)
Food came and we had to cook our own food. Pour in the sauces and start cooking your meat on the hot stone. All the sizzling and cooking created a strong smell that filled the entire place. I personally wouldn't like sitting there for too long after my meal. Kinda stink the clothes.
Had my second visit at Pepper Lunch yesterday. My friends were there before me and were about to finish when I arrived. I queued to order my food and from my previous experience, I requested for a number card. The guy asked where I sit and I told him my table number was removed as the food already delivered. He doesn't seem to understand me as he kept asking for a table number! I repeated myself again this time slower and pointing to my table. Then finally he understood. But he seemed rather lost not knowing what to do. Later he told me to inform the cashier when placing my order. So I did. And the cashier gave me a confused look again! I'm totally lost. What's so difficult about giving me a new table number? Later he checked with the guy again and then he told her to give me a table number from her sets of numbers. Walking back to my table to join my friend, I asked myself, what's the difference from the guy at the entrance giving me a number and the cashier giving me a number? Aren't they the same?
The food was alright. Its the concept of cooking it yourself and the special sauce they have that makes it a novelty for customers. Other than that, I don't see what's so good about it, considering the smell and price and service, I'll rather not have my meal there.
Rating given:
Quick review: Was there yesterday for Secret. Show time was 7.45pm. But we were not allowed to enter earlier as the theatre wasn't ready. Wanted to buy popcorns at the counter inside and go to the ladies before the show. But we couldn't.
The cinemas was packed and the queue was long at the ticketing counter. As we bought our tickets earlier, we had to requeue to get popcorns. They should have created an express lane for those who just want popcorns instead of putting the ticketing n popcorn counter together. Yes its easier for those who buy ticket the last minute/ before the show and get their popcorns at the same time. But what about people like us? The most irritating thing is when those buying tickets infront of you can't decide which seats to pick! They held up the queue and we ended up late for the show. When we finally got to our theatre, the show already started!
Later we found out that they do delivery service to our seats for food orders. I feel that this is a good gesture for people who bought tickets first so they can order their food and get it delivered. But think again, wouldn't these delivery disturb the others in the theatre? Especially if the delivery is for someone sitting right in the center of the row?
I still feel that a seperate counter is better for those who just want popcorn.
Rating given:
I'm also a starhub maxonline user. Personally, I feel that maxonline is faster and better as compared to other bb provider. Have been asking around others too when I have to recontract my subscriptions. And usually a higher percentage of ppl I talk to recommended me to stick to starhub. At least you don't have to worry about your home line plans? Another reason why I'm on starhub is also cos I do not have a home line since everyone at home has a mobile phone. And with the free incoming, what's the point of a home line?
If you find that the plan you subscribe to is too high, you can downgrade to a lower plan. The speed shouldn't be reduced too much. If you're comfortable with the wireless@sg speed while surfing outdoor, then go lower plan for home cable I would say.
Rating given:
Pretty handmade crochet charms and embellishments make her accessories one-of-a-kind. Her lovely collection of accessories is very pretty and womanly. Her use of colors is simply magical.
Love all the designs! If only I can have them all!
Maria is also a very friendly lady who moved to Singapore with her family as her husband is deployed to work here. Very nice lady to chat with. She makes everyone feel so welcome at her shop (when she's goes MAAD at red dot museum.)
Go take a look at her blogstore. Buy one for yourself, or if you're a guy, buy for your gf/wife/mother.
Rating given:
Jalan Kayu used to be my dinner place after work couple years back. It was near my work place and near my home. Although there are quite a number of food places along Jalan Kayu, Cafeela is the one that we frequent often. So often that the uncle working there recognises us.
They've recently expanded and now has an air-con dining area too. Price and food still the same. Just that the menu in the air-con place is newer and has more seafood stuff as compared to their normal menu. This dining area is also a good place to host mini dinner party.
My usual orders at Cafeela includes their Pataya Fried Rice (Rate 4/5), Salted Fish Fried Rice (Rate 3/5), Curry Fish Head (Rate 3.5/5), Fried Beef Kuay Teow (4/5), Pratas (Rate 3.5/5, I prefer this as compared to the one down the road.) and Chicken Wings with Sambal (Rate 4.5/5). The wings aren't those crispy kind, but I like the marinating and the sambal just makes it more yummy! And now they serve satays too! Quite nice also. Can try. But you got to wait for quite a while during dinner time.
Overall, the food is not bad. Staff are mostly friendly, but do expect to wait for the food (sometimes even the drinks) during weekends dinner hours.
Nice place to chill too after midnight. If you like chilling with Tek Terik and Milo Dinosaur. =)
Rating given:
There were couple of shops selling Tau Sar Piah along Balestier Road. When we drove past these shops, the was no queue at these stalls. So I didn't expect to see a queue when I'm at my destination. But to my surprise, the queue was pretty long at 603 Tau Sar Piah. It seems to be very popular among the young and old.
While queuing I was always peeping to see if there's still Tau Sar Piah left for me when it's my turn. And true enough, by the time I reach the counter, there were only 2 salted ones left. (So sad. I love salted ones.)
The Tau Sar Piah is soft and fluffy. It was still warm when I bought them. (Fresh from the oven!) I couldn't resist so I had them in the car. Took couple of photos too. Uploaded here for everyone to see. As you can see, the fillings is packed full and the skin is thin and yummy!
603 Tau Sar Piah is worth a try! I was told weekday queue is shorter and more variety will be available at any one time. They're open till 6.30pm. Go try lah!
Rating given:
If you've not visited GV Vivo, then you better go give it a try. But let me warn you first, after visiting GV Vivo, you might not want to watch movie anywhere else!
Ever since I stepped foot at GV Vivo and caught a movie in the largest theater, GV Max, I'm so in love with the place that I insists on going to GV Vivo for all my movies! (But of course, I still will give the new cinemas a try.)
The seats are comfortable and leg room is so much more spacious than the other GVs. I think GV should start renovating the other cinemas too and make it as good as the Vivo one.
But then again, once GV Vivo is old, and if GV doesn't maintain the cinemas regularly, it'll one day become smelly and worn out too. So go try the cinema out if you've not already done so. Before it starts wearing out... tsk tsk.
Rating given:
Love fishballs? Love liver? Love lean pork? This fishball noodle stall is one that you cannot miss when you're around Toa Payoh area! Located opposite the JTC factor, this stall operates from morning 7am to noon 2pm only. (Sometimes they close as early as 1pm when they're sold out!)
Its hard to find $2.50 fishball noodles these days. But they stay true to their loyal customers who have been with them for many years. You can also upsize your order to $3 or more if you want more noodles and fishball.
Their fishballs are bouncy and tender. The noodles is cooked to the right tenderness that'll make you want more. Their self-created chilli is one that I cannot resists! You can ask for more if you think you can take it extra spicy.
Their other famous dish is the Fried Kway Teow. Appeared once on the chinese newspaper. This created quite a havoc for this stall as people travelled all the way from the West just to give this Fried Kway Teow a try.
This stall is sure one that you have to try!
Rating given:
As the name suggest, Relax Room is the place to let out all the tension from a day of hard work. Their experience masseurs are skillful and tactful. They seem to know exactly where you need more TLC and attention.
A visit to the Relax Room is where everyone should end their day at. (at least once a week)
Rating given: