Roasted Delights @ Foong Kee Coffeeshop


Foong Kee Coffeeshop
6 Keong Saik Rd, Singapore 089114

Contact: 9181 1451
Opening hours: 11am to 7pm
Nearest MRT: Outram

3 varieties of roasted meat (roast duck, crispy roast pork, char siew) with 2 plates of white rice,
and a bowl of wanton soup

Rating: 2.7/5

My two cents:

Amidst all the cafes on Keong Saik Road, you will find a coffeeshop with only one stall in it, selling various types of roasted meats and wanton noodles/soup. The distinct fragrance of the roasted meats can be smelled from afar and in visual terms, a steady crowd of customers were going in and out of the coffeeshop all the time — both were what drew me to have my lunch there.

I don't expect much decor from a coffeeshop but I do expect a decent standard of cleanliness. On the table where I sat, there were the remaining plates and bowls from the previous TWO rounds of customers who sat there (ie. I was the third round). Only after a second request then did a staff finally clear all the insightful cutleries away.

As for the service received... I guess it made sense to not receive a top notch service since there was no service charge paid. However an amiable attitude would have been nice so as to leave a good impression and to convince their customers that this stall is worth coming back to. There was also no need to brutally shove a customer aside, bang hard against the customer's shoulder without an apology and to rudely ignore a polite request for some braised sauce to go with the roasted meat.

To be fair to the food, the char siew was good and is the only thing that I would recommend to order. The roasted meat was a disappointment as it lacked in crisp and flavour. The duck meat was tasty but dry, and that made it hard to chew, swallow and appreciate. The wantons in the wanton soup were filled with more water chestnut than meat; I suppose the purpose of it was to give a crunchy texture to the dumplings — if you are a fan of crunchy wantons, this would be the perfect place for you.

Now for the price of all the food you see above, I paid $20 in total (inclusive of the drinks). Here is a breakdown of the cost as explained to me by the staff:
  • 3-varieties roasted meat for two pax: $14
  • Wanton soup: $3
  • Rice: $0.50 per bowl ($1 paid)
  • Drinks: $1 per can ($2 paid)

If I had enjoyed my food, I wouldn't have mind paying 14 bucks for it. However I didn't and thus I do mind.

Staycation review: Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa

Note: This is not a sponsored advertorial. All expenses were fully paid by me.

Some time during the later part of June, I had a 2D1N staycation with the amazing 5* hotel...

Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa!


Lobby of Amara Sanctuary Resort

Tip to get to the hotel:
Skip the monorail and save money on the taxis because Amara offers their own private shuttle bus that ferries their guests straight to the lobby of the hotel! Yay!

I got out from exit D of Harbourfront MRT station and waited patiently at the taxi stand opposite of Vivocity. The bus comes every 15-20 minutes.

Look out for the shuttle bus carrying Amara's logo!!! The place is a common pick-up point for most of the major Sentosa hotels so on't take the wrong bus (eg. W hotel's shuttle bus)!!

Some light refreshments available for guests of the hotel

It was a smart move made by Amara to offer their guests some light refreshments because it helped to ease the tension of either waiting for rooms to be ready or for the shuttle bus to arrive.

The options available were some old school kacang putih*, lemon-flavoured iced water and Amara's own fabulous tea concoction!

*What is 'Kacang Putih': A traditional Indian snack wrapped in a paper cone and it comprises of nuts, peas or strips of deep fried Indian-spiced flour called Murukku

Rates of the various rooms available at Amara Sentosa

Tip: Book online via their website and make use of the available promotions. Your bank account will thank you for it!

Graceful peacocks grazing the hotel grounds freely.

I woke up in the morning to flocks of peacocks on the stone pavements before my suite! Left, right, in front, behind... peacocks everywhere!!!! It was quite a sight.

If you're afraid of these majestic creatures, be warned!!!

They don't peck unless harassed, so just steer clear and admire their graceful strides.

Perfect venue for a small wedding reception or birthday parties.

On the day that I left the hotel, there was a couple who was going to hold their wedding there.

Their friends were helping out in the decoration, and the place was strewn with pink papers and flowers. I can imagine the great photos taken thanks to the au naturel lighting.

I'm bookmarking this place as a potential wedding venue for myself. Hehe!

Oh yeah, I recently came up with a new virtual space to help support my latest hobby — wedding planning! To read more of the crazy wedding ideas that has been going on in my head, go to my wedding blog!

Room of Courtyard Suite

Doesn't the 4-poster bed look magnificent? And the fluffy pillows... and the white drapes all around the posters. It gives off such a dreamy vibe!!!!

Bedside table

Reading area within the room

This room did justice to the hotel's theme "sanctuary".

I really felt like I was in a whole other world, safe and peaceful. There were many tiny details paid to the room, such as the main use of material was wood and the choice of pictures used to decor the place. Just look at that lotus flower wall-print, doesn't it make you feel relaxed already?

It was so different from the usual urban city vibe that you get all around Singapore! I love love love my room, and wait there's more!!

Make your own Espresso in the morning!

Tadah!!!! Your very own instant coffee making machine. Brew your own cappuccino/espresso/latte/(name your coffee concoction) as and when you like!

For the tea lovers, fret not! They have a variety of Twinings tea bags for your selection - from the usual English Breakfast tea, to a warming Lemon and Ginger tea or a calming Camomile tea, and many more! Take your pick!!

(Psst... I did a very Singaporean thing. I brought ALL the tea bags home!!! LOL. So now, whenever and wherever I drink a Twinings tea, I think of Amara resort!)

Bathroom

Isn't. The. Toilet. Huge???????

When I pulled open the double wooden sliding doors that revealed the toilet/changing area, I was stunned at its size and decor. It was simple and modern, but neat and clean too!

I wasn't able to capture the connecting changing area, so the actual area is a lot larger than what you see in the photo above.

Jacuzzi/Dip pool

This was the reason why I chose this room out of all the available options .

My very own relaxing dip pool within my room. Privacy ensured! I can skinny dip if I want, and not get arrested or be on Stomp!

FYI: En route to the suite, the hotel staff made it very clear to us that no bath bombs(!!!) or essential oils or in fact, anything at all, should be added into the dip pool! She shared that some funny joker threw a couple of bath bombs in and all hell broke loose because the jacuzzi system got clogged and went mad... they took forever to clear up the mess.


Birthday cake

When I made the reservation online, I added in a note requesting for the assistance of the hotel staff to help celebrate H's birthday.

Because I did not receive any reply back from them, I assumed that nothing was gonna happen.

But!!!! To my surprise, they actually prepared a slice of cheesecake for him and decorated it so beautifully! Awwww.. Super touched! <3 Needless to say, H was shocked and stood still like a statue, staring at me and the cake with a gaping mouth expression for a full 5 seconds. Thank you for your help, Amara Sentosa!

Breakfast buffet

A smashing good breakfast buffet is key to the start of any good day and to the end of a good stay with any hotel. Amara Sentosa scores full marks in this category with its delightful spread of all-you-can-eat breakfast — international style!

Pastries

Smoked salmon, pastrami, salami and etc.


Egg station!!!!
With the chef behind the stove, ready to cook your eggs the way you like it!

French toast, pancakes, waffles, some sausages and a warm cup of lemon tea

Some simple congee to warm the tummy

Roasted potatoes, more french toast and sausage, bacon and egg omelette, with a glass of cold juice.

Mini bites of apple pie, blueberry muffin, butter croissant, har gau, chives dumpling and lo mai gai



Rating: 4.5/5

My two cents:

I love this place and I would definitely go back there again!

I like the prompt and excellent service provided. I like the relaxing atmosphere of the place.

I docked off 0.5 points because of how long they took to prepare my room. The check-in time was 3pm and I arrived at the lobby at 2.30pm. By 3.20pm, they were still unable to hand me the keys of my room as "it wasn't ready yet". I only got the green light to head to my room at about 3.30pm.

I take it as a privilege if I am able to get into my room before the actual check-in time, but I take it as a MUST to be able to get into my room by the check-in time. It is a promise made by the hotel, hence it is only right that they uphold to their word.

It seems to me that this is a long-standing problem for Amara when it comes to being punctual with their check-in time. I have read several of such complaints on various websites (eg. hotel.com, expedia.com, agoda.com), and I highly agree with all the other reviewers that something seriously needs to be done, after all.. this IS a five star hotel!

Nonetheless kudos to Amara for my wonderful stay in their Courtyard Suite, their assistance in celebrating H's birthday and the delicious international breakfast buffet!

I am ready to check out the other rooms available at Amara Sentosa and am looking forward to my next stay already! Hopefully they would already have sorted out their managing system for check-in(s) by then.

Flock Café

Note: This is not a sponsored advertorial. All food items were fully paid by me.


Flock Café
78 Moh Guan Terrace, #01-25 Singapore 162078

Contact: 6536 3938
Website: www.flock.sg
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru


Scrambled eggs & croissant with crispy bacon ($17)
"Creamy scrambled eggs, butter croissant with a choice of smoked salmon or cripsy bacon"


Big Breakfast ($20)
"Two poached eggs, baked beans, sausage, crispy bacon, roasted potatoes and sourdough"


Ratings: 4/5

My two cents:

Situated at Moh Guan Terrace, a short 10 minutes walk away from the famous Tiong Bahru market that is home to many great street food.

I visited this cafe at about 10.30am on a Sunday morning and it was already packed with people. It is not the place that you be at if you wish for a quiet and peaceful morning, but if you are looking for the contrary then this place would a brilliant fit!

One foot into the place and the aromatic scent of freshly brewed coffee filled my nose, and happy chatters from the staff and guests rang in my ears.

The waiting staff was friendly, sincere and full of smiles. The food was albeit priced at a slightly higher end, but was clearly cooked with lots of love.

I enjoyed my brightly lit platter of scrambled eggs with crispy bacon sandwiched in between a buttery croissant. The big breakfast was a close competitor except for one of the poached eggs that could have been taken out 5 seconds earlier and my preference for the sourdough to be a tad softer.

Breakfast at the Flock Café was lovely and I would definitely pay it another visit!