TGIF & I'm back from KL once again! Been travelling there quite frequently recently, with another trip to be scheduled next week. Exactly 3 weeks ago, Leecher added another birthday candle to his cake. This birthday boy didn't want to think of where/how to celebrate his birthday, took a long time to look through the list of places that I've proposed, machiam like a boss! Finally, he picked the places where he was more interested in and off we went for a day of feasting :)
Birthday boy slept till late morning ~ normally I would have dragged him out of bed, but on his special day, he is the King, haha! He even left all the dishes in the sink (from last night) and told me to wash it, since it was his birthday. What to do, birthday boy is the biggest on the day.
Sunny afternoon in a quiet (private) housing estate. In fact, I had to google for the exact location to turn into the right car park for there was a lot of construction around the area for the downtown line. Didn't know that there were other eateries around the area as well ~ will definitely be back for more food adventures!
While Leecher was dressed in dull colours, I wore bright colours since it was a sunny & no-work day, haha!
Walking & taking pictures have now become a part of our lives, lol.
1st stop of the day ~ Brunch @ NOOK pancakes, where you get to D.I.Y your own pancakes :) Unleash your creativity and take part in the Pancake Art Competition on their faceook page & stand to win prizes every month.
Create your D.I.Y pancakes in 4 simple steps :) The place was rather crowded on a weekday afternoon, much to my surprise. I was half expecting to see an almost empty cafe. Mostly youngsters studying from the schools nearby, I suppose.
Plastic flowers at every table to brighten up the place with its cheery colours.
Birthday boy with the menu & ordered the DIY set ($25) which comes with 1-flavoured pancakes with 3 choices of toppings. 2-flavoured pancakes with 3 choices of toppings is also available at $28. If I recall correctly, the flavours for pancakes includes original, strawberry, pandan, dark chocolate & banana. Each DIY set is enough for 2 pax.
Felt slightly cheated by this Power Berries drink @ $3.90. This drink was under the category of "Fresh Fruit Juice" so I ordered it thinking that it will be freshly squeezed or blended with the different berries. However, this was straight out from Marigold Peel Fresh Powerberries. Skip all drinks under their "Fresh Fruit Juice" category and go for their smoothies instead.
A griddle is placed on every table for you to enjoy the flip-the-pancake experience.
Preparation works in progress ....
Leecher's choice of 3 toppings ~ peanut butter pecans, chedder cheese and rainbow cornflakes. Maple syrup & butter come with the set.
We also ordered 3 additional sides ~ hashbrown, sauteed mushrooms and smoked salmon. Highly recommend the smoked salmon for it goes really well with the pancakes!
Birthday boy ready to unleash his creativity!
Let's see what he came up with
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Erm, not v creative, haha! He was famished (as we didnt had any food and it was way past 2pm when we arrived), so he just wanted to eat his pancakes to curb his hunger pangs, lol!
At least I did a doggy paw for him, since he was born in the year of the dog.
Birthday greetings for the birthday boy.
He claimed the heart was dull, so he went on to add rainbow cornflakes to add some colours. this is what we called "花心"
Forced smile ~ why like that? Not nice meh? (>.<)
Leecher's failed creation of boy + girl. Where got the girl larger than guy?
My secret wish, lol! Wanted to do (h) for happiness, but I think he may not get the hint.
Can you guess what this is?
Haha, someone's hands v itchy!
Ended the day with a birthday message that I've posted on FB :) Overall, it was a fun experience DIY-ing your own pancakes, will be back for more of their sides as well!
NOOK Pancakes
21 Lorong Kilat, Bukit Timah
#01-03 Singapore 598123
Tel: 6466 1811
Closed on Mondays
Dinner @ Da Paolo, located in Chip Bee Gardens. Took this pic after we finished our meal.
The initial dinner place that we decided was Tamon Izakaya, but after reading several reviews, we decided to change location. It was a battle b/w Da Paolo (Leecher's choice) versus Alkaff Mansion (my choice). Needless to say, we went for Leecher's choice. So, I called days earlier to reserve a table for 2 at 7pm, for a birthday celebration. When I asked if they do any cakes, they suggested Tiramisu instead and I was told that they will reserve a piece for me, with wordings Happy Birthday.
We arrived bright & early at 6.45pm. The restaurant was rather empty. We got a table for 2 just outside the toilet. Not that I'm complaining, but I would expect a more decent seat since the place was empty.
Somewhere here would be nice. And, during the course of our dinner, only 2 tables were filled up.
Birthday boy with the menu, once again. We ordered 1 appetizer to share & 2 mains, with a glass of wine. The waiter took our orders (memorising since he didn't use pen/paper), only to check with us 10 seconds later on our appetizer again.
Wicker feature wall ~ felt just like dining in a resort.
Bread that could easily topped my worst-list.
While waiting for our food.
Prosciutto di Parma e Melone ~ Parma ham with rock melon. Generous serving of rock melon, which complemented the saltiness of parma ham perfectly.
Our mains of Risotto di Spinaci e Aragosta (Carnaroli Rice, Baby Spinach, Slipper Lobster, Lobster Bisque) & Arrosto Galletto di Patate Miste (Spring Chicken, Black Truffles, Roasted Root Vegetables). Till now, Leecher's wine still hasn't arrived and we had to remind them on this. Not to mention that it was kinda difficult to catch their attention even though there were 4 of them, serving around 5 tables (at most).
Great disappointment on the food. Leecher's risotto was too bland while the chicken dish was too salty. The only saving grace was the smell of truffles, which made the dish smelt delicious. The wine finally appeared on the table, thank god!
Leecher wanted to head off to somewhere else for desserts, but since I already had something planned for him, I ordered a tiramisu (thinking that it will hint to them on the tiramisu that I had reserved). The order came, without any birthday greetings. In fact, the plating looked as if the tiramisu was thrown haphazardly onto the plate and coated with coco-powder. To add things worse, we were charged with 2 glasses of wine when they conveniently forgot our order. We got them to adjust the bill and I doubt I'll be going back, never again.
Da Paolo Ristorante
44 Jalan Merah Saga, Chip Bee Gardens
#01-56 Holland Village
Singapore
Tel: 6476 1332
I was craving for Katong Laksa, so we headed back to the East.
Comfort food at its best ~ a piping hot bowl of laksa (and Leecher added bean sprouts for me, arg!) with otah.
328 Katong Laksa
53 East Coast Road
Singapore 428771
Ended our food-ful day with a bloated stomach & several inches to Leecher's expanding waistline :)
