Hipster Hawker Joint at Pasir Ris!

Majority of us are all into very hipster stuff, especially when it comes to food! We as Singaporeans are mad foodies, we have a myriad of food selections from the diverse pool of culture here. However, wouldn't it be awesome if local food is served in a very hipster way?

We stumbled upon a hipster hawker food court in Pasir Ris area, just minutes walk from the MRT station. There's an entire level dedicated to hipster serving food.  Hence, we decided to indulge our taste buds in some hipster food.

Can we just say, even though the setting is a hawker center set up, the place is just stunning. For overseas readers, a hawker center is a local coffee shop where it is not air-conditioned and there a variety of different food sold there. Dining there comes with a splendid view of the Pasir Ris Park.  The green foliage accentuated the entire hipster dining experience.

First up, we order a beef stew that costs about SGD8.90. Upon the first bite, it immediately teleported us to a homely feel. It feels as though it was a hug in a bowl. The beef stew was so thick with tender beef chunks as well as other ingredients like; carrots, potatoes, onions, etc. The beef stew gave such a home-cooked feel that it will definitely leave u wanting for more!

Next up we ordered something Thai. We had Thai basil rice with a vegetable side dish which costs approximately SGD 11. Here is another sumptuous dish that you can sink your teeth into! The basil rice was so closely authentic that you feel as though you are eating it in Thailand.  There was just enough spiciness where the heat just hits you in the right amount. The chicken was so well cooked and the entire dish was simply mouth-watering. The vegetable side that we ordered was just the cherry on top! The vegetables were super fresh and crunchy. The sauce was cooked beyond words. Though it may seem like a simple dish and you wouldn't expect a punch of flavor but let me tell you, it was gastronomical!

Lastly, we had beef sirloin with sides of cold slaws and fries that cost about SGD 10.90 ( not very worth in our opinion)! It was rather disappointing as the other two dishes were just amazing, hence this was a little bit of a letdown. The beef was rather small but well-cooked. The only saving grace of the dish was the fries as it was nicely fried with an appropriate amount of salt.

We ordered some drinks as well, the typical drinks like tea and coffee. It was nothing much to brag about. It was very minimalistic but the pricing was a bit hefty. Overall, the entire dining experience was splendid. We will definitely come back to try out the other food options available and will especially be back for the beef stew!

>>> Do follow us on social media if you wish to see pictures and videos that will be coming up soon. <<<




Ratings:
Beef Stew:  9/10
Thai Basil Rice: 8/10
Vegetables: 9/10
Beef Sirloin: 6/10


Overal rating: 8.5/10
Price point: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10



Social Media:
Instagram: @rejionalabs / @dearesturants
Facebook/Youtube: Rejionalabs
Email: rejionalabs@gmail.com/ info@grafiquedesigns.com


Personal social media:
Instagram: @paintdaze / @tofutarts

Authentic British Fish & Chips in Singapore

Fish & Chips! That's what comes to mind when you're asked about the most iconic food in the London.  It cannot be denied that the Fish & Chips in London is really fantastic and uniquely British, no one can make Fish & Chips as good as the one you get in London.  However, to fly all the way to the UK in order to experience the authenticity and get a taste of the mouth-watering Fish & Chips seemed a bit too far off. Hence, you may be wondering " How can one experience the authenticity of a good British Fish & Chips without having to buy a plane ticket to London?"

Well, fret not!  We have found Fish & Chips that is as authentic as the ones you get in London.  The restaurant is called " Smiths" and they serve authentic Fish & Chips. It is located at a walking distance from Newton MRT from the Downtown line (Approximately 5- 8 Mins walk).

Upon entering the restaurant, it felt as though you have stepped into a wormhole and teleported to London itself. The place is very well decorated with a myriad of wall-art and it felt as though we were eating in London.

We ordered their best-seller which is the cod Fish & Chips as well as the English sausage.  You are able to switch the chips for a healthier option which is the salad bowl.  The food is prepared on the spot upon order hence, the fish, as well as the Chips, which were served piping hot.

* They also sell other British food items as well*

The serving of the Fish is super generous and can be shared between two people.  Upon cutting into the Fish you can see the fibers of the fish which you can tell it is super fresh. The first bite of the fish, you get a very bland but the strong crunch from the batter gives a nice bite. The batter is not very oily or super thick and the ratio of fish to the batter was perfect.  However, when we sprinkle a little bit of salt over the fish, the salt elevated the natural flavors of the fish.  As for the chips, all we can say is that is was super addictive and very authentic. The kinds of chips you can when you are in London. However, I do suggest that you sprinkle salt over the chips to fully experience the best of it.

The English sausage that we ordered as well was surprisingly delicious.  The sausage was super thick and juicy,  however, it was a tad bit salty.  The English sausage came with a bowl of gravy but I suggest you to dip it into the gravy to neutralize the saltiness of the sausage.  The gravy that came along with the sausage is nothing to rave about as it tasted pretty much like packaged gravy that you can get in the supermarkets.  The salad that we replaced for the chips was super refreshing.  A very good option to have if you are feeling guilty for eating so sinful. The vegetables in the salad are very fresh. The carrots are still hard which gives a nice crunch and the other vegetables in the bowl like the cherry tomatoes and the onions were very fresh and it felt as though it was plucked fresh from the garden. The salad dressing that was doused over was very citrusy which gives a very light and refreshing palate.

All in all, it is definitely a place worth visiting if you wish to experience an authentic British Fish & Chips.  However, do note that the price point sways a bit to the pricey side, but all in all value for money based on the authenticity as well as the taste of the food.  Besides, there's free Wifi.

>>> Do follow us on social media if you wish to see pictures and videos that will be coming up soon. <<<


Ratings:

Fish & Chips:  7.25/10
English Sausage: 8/10

Overal rating: 8/10
Price point: 7/10
Ambiance: 7/10

Social Media:

Instagram: @rejionalabs / @dearesturants
Facebook/Youtube: Rejionalabs
Email: rejionalabs@gmail.com

Personal social media:

Instagram: @paintdaze / @tofutarts

Staying grey this Chinese New Year!

Hello, peeps!  Yes yes, i seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth. I have been so consumed and preoccupied with school work and also personal problems (which is a story to be told for another day).  Chinese New year has finally arrived and it is the year of the Dog! *woof*.  A new year has begun in the Chinese calendar.  The same logic applies as the 01 Jan new years, a new year means a new you and a new beginning crap.

The first few days of Chinese New Year was decent. Decent meaning, nothing interesting nor horrible happened. I had kinda slow and boring Chinese New year I  must say. The upside of it is that I have collected a lot of red packets. Collecting money from people is the best part of this festive season.

Day 1

Day 2

As you can tell I'm going for a rather grey themed this Chinese New year! I know that it is a tradition that we are told to wear more brightly coloured clothes and what not! Here I am being a rebel and wearing something of the total opposite. I am growing a liking for the colour grey a lot! It is not only plain and simple but like black and white, it matches to almost anything!

This is going to be a rather short blog- post, however, do stay tuned for the upcoming post on my photo shooting day at the national gallery!



Day 1:
Outfit:
Top: Grey formal shirt - H&M
Bottom: Pants - H&M
Shoes: Lacoste

Day 2:
Outfit:
Top: Grey sweater - Yishion
Bottom: Pants - H&M
Shoes: Adidas and shoelace from Swarovski

Social Media:
Instagram:@paintdaze
Twitter:@ralph_royall
Business email:roydonralph@gmail.com

Europe Adventures! UK, London

Hello, guys! sorry, i have disappeared for like the longest of time. I just couldn't get around to find time to blog but that aside and here I am with the continuation of my Europe trip.

After spending another 2 - 3 days in Belgium, Brussels, our next stop was to the UK, London. Can I just say I was super happy and excited to tour around London. Mainly because almost everyone there speaks English and it was so so much easier to converse there.

However, allow me to rant and complain a little about the customs at the London check point. We took an overnight bus from Belgium, Brussels to London.  Upon arriving at the Customs at the British border, we did the usual procedure and have our passports check and stamp and all. However, what shocked me the most was how different the carry their checks at the customs there. It could be how it is done in the UK or it could just have just been an unlucky day for us and the checks we received was horrendous and traumatizing.

My friend was the first to go have her passport checked and we saw and heard the questions my friends were bombarded with.  We thought it could possibly she had rotten and the officer had a bad day and wanted to make things more inconvenient. However, as each of us stepped up to each different security counter we were hit with the same amount of questions, I felt as though I was hit with an avalanche of never ending questions. There were questions I never thought played any significant part in my entry to the country.

* Disclaimer: This is not a personal vendetta against how the checks were conducted, I just wanted to highlight this part of my trip as I have never experienced such stringent checks done before on me nor has my friends experience them before. It was a very interesting but also scary experience*

However, putting that story pass my time in London was FANTASTIC! I mean my first day started out awesome and we had such a lovely breakfast and the people were so warm and lovely.

Do head to Flatiron and the Muffin Man for the most amazing food ever. the above picture of the steak I had was at Flatiron and I loved it so much I went there almost every day.

I only spent 3 days in London and how I wish I can spend a much longer time in the UK and have the opportunity to travel around the country more. The shopping and food in London were Fan- freaking- tastic.

We even saw the touristy sights like the big ben, the Palace and much more.

Outfit:
Top: Jacket(ZARA)
         Long Sleeve - TOPMAN

Bottom: Jeans - TOPMAN

Shoes: Lacoste

Social Media:
Instagram:@paintdaze
Twitter:@ralph_royall
Tumblr/Snapchat:@xiaoroooka
Business email:roydonralph@gmail.com

Europe Adventures! Belgium, Brussels (Day 4)

DAY 4: Belgium, Brussels

Belgium, Brussels. What a magnificent place to visit, I can say that it is one of my most favorite place to be in. We headed to Brussels via Ryanair from Rome and arrived in the beautiful Brussels in the late morning.

Upon arrival, we had to figure out our way to our accommodations and let me just say that we should always trust ourselves in directing the directions and not others. Seriously trusting yourself is better than others as we were kinda lost and wasted so much time in finding our hostel.

We were staying at Van Gogh Hostel and let me just say that if you ever want to find cheap accommodation and yet living in comfort that is the hostel you go to. I chose to stay in a single bedroom where I get to have the entire room to myself. Whilst my best friend whose main purpose in visiting Brussels was for her school project had her rooms selected for her. You can definitely choose to stay in a 4 bedded room or 6 bedded room for cheaper stay and coupled with the company of other fellow travelers who you can potentially befriend. Being an introvert I enjoy not talking to strangers but be my guest if you guys enjoy making friends you can thus always opt for the shared rooms.

For our first day in Brussels, my best friend did not have to head to the university to do her project. Hence, we made our way to the famous Grand Place. Not knowing what to expect we were awed by the village-ish setting. Walking aimlessly we somehow ended at the Grand Place Square. It was said to be the most beautiful square and I cannot deny the fact and it is indeed it was so captivating and beautiful.

Whilst at the square we saw someone holding an umbrella stating "Free-Tour" and being Singaporeans when we saw the word " Free" we immediately signed up for it. The tour is not part of any organization rather it is a non-funded association. Hence, the tour guides earn their income off of tips from the tours they give. I would highly recommend you guys to part take in the tour as it was super informative and gave my friend and me an overview of the Grand Place itself.  Hence, the next time we visited we simply took the tour route around Grand Place.  The tour guide also recommended which place we can go to get the iconic Belgium Waffles and the Belgium Fries. Let me say that I can totally understand why they are so iconic! I could never taste waffles and fries the same way ever again ( might have exaggerated a bit too much- but nonetheless true).

Please stay tuned for the remaining of my Brussels adventure and my London and Paris Adventure.

Outfit:
Top: Jacket(Pakar) - Thailand ( Union Mall)
        Grey Jacket - HiStyle
        Striped Long Sleeve - H&M

Bottom: Jeans - Uniqlo

Shoes: Lacoste

Social Media:
Instagram:@paintdaze
Twitter:@ralph_royall
Tumblr/Snapchat:@xiaoroooka
Business email:roydonralph@gmail.com

Europe Adventures! Rome, Italy (Day 3)

DAY 3: Rome, Italy

Third Day in Rome and I am already falling in love with it! I am captivated by each and every corner of the place as I stood out in the cold open air I felt super relaxed and serene.

Okay, that maybe a little too exaggerated but seriously Rome is beautiful. Waking up as early as we could to cease the day we headed out to our first stop. We headed to Saint Peter's Basilica. Let me just say I did not expect the queue to be mad long but it was, the queue looked like Nagini from Harry Potter! Luckily with the right company, the queue moved pretty fast, what were 2 hours felt like minutes.

When we finally entered the place I was in total awe. It was such a magnificent church with astounding decorations and architecture. Every inch of the place was carefully thought out and details of the place were flawless. It was massive and every moment in there I found new art and statues to admire. The first level of the church was where the masses are held I suppose and there was multiple alters. On the second floor, it was a tomb of the popes and photography was not allowed.

                                 

After which we headed for lunch nearby and set forth to the Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps. I had a very interesting experience at the Trevi Fountain as we saw a naked man standing right smack in the middle of the Fountain. He had a flower crown and was doing some sort of dance. It was too amazing to not look away. I do enjoy how I get to experience little gems of craziness, a different kind of craziness from Singapore.

Our day was short as we did mostly walking and shopping and we had a plane at 7 am to Brussels so we have an early night.

Though my time spent in Rome was short but I am glad I was able to experience as much of beautiful Rome enough for me to be in love with it!

Please stay tuned for Brussels adventure and I will be heading to London soon on 1 May 17 and the off to Paris and I cannot wait for what adventures are installed for me!


Outfit:
Top: Jacket(Pakar) - Thailand ( Union Mall)

       Blue Long Sleeve - Topman

Bottom: Jeans - Uniqlo

Shoes: Lacoste

Social Media:
Instagram:@paintdaze
Twitter:@ralph_royall
Tumblr/Snapchat:@xiaoroooka
Business email:roydonralph@gmail.com

Europe Adventures! Rome, Italy (Day 1 & 2)

DAY 1: Rome, Italy

Having something called loner phobia, I will have serious anxiety when I have to do tasks alone.  I have to take a plane from Singapore to Rome alone and which included a 5-hour transit in China.

Upon my arrival in Rome at around 7 odd in the evening, I took a "cab". It cannot be categories as a cab simply because, in my opinion, it seemed more like a licensed cab service as the vehicle did not look like the typical cabs where it runs on a meter. Basically, my "cab" fare came up to 240 euros. The best part was I was cheated by another 200 euros. I was basically distracted by my luggage where the driver placed it somewhere far from my reach and while I was fumbling to reach out my cash to pay him I was eyeing on my luggage as well.  I remembered clearly that I gave the driver a 200 euros note and a 100 euros note. However, he claimed that I gave a 100 euro and a 10 euro and being a lousy multi-taker I did not check; long story short, I basically paid 440 euros for a freaking cab. What a way to start my first night in Rome!

The hotel was another horror story, as I could not locate where the hotel is at. Thankfully, my God's grace I coincidentally met the neighbour and she helped me call the reception guy and brought me to my hotel. She was super friendly and allowed me to experience the caring and kind side of the people in Rome.

Day 2:

When my best friend (Jolyn) and her friend arrived on the second day to the hotel late in the morning. we had an entire itinerary planned and immediately ceased the day. We headed first to the Vatican museum and to out horrors the line was horrid and long. However, the waiting time was tolerable as we basically chatted and played some games while waiting in line.


                                                                     Vatican Museum:

Upon entering the museum, it was so overwhelming. It might be super bimbotic of me to mention and even state such facts but the museums in Rome is on a totally different level than in Singapore. I mean the buildings' architecture is so astounding. Not only does the museum look breathtaking from the outside but the details inside the museum is flawless, from the roman statues to the flooring and paintings are simply authentic and literally oozing with culture and history. We were basking ourselves for what the museum has to offer and from the start to the end we were not disappointed.

After which, our stomachs began to call for us and we heading to a nearby restaurant for some authentic Italian food! It was so delicious and I can never doubt the authenticity and the flavours of the pasta.

After a hearty lunch, we headed to the Roman colosseum, one of the 7 wonders of the world. Stepping foot into the arena that the gladiators used to fight was simply amazing. What more can I say about the colosseum other than amazing! Definitely, a place that offers multiple photoshoots though ><

We then headed to the Roman Forum where it used to be an ancient city as I was told. We did not explore much of the place as we were exhausted from the queuing and the uphill walking. So we took a very short tour of the place and then headed back to the hotel to charge our phones before getting dinner.


                                                                Roman Colosseum:

Roman Forum:

After dinner, my best friend and I went to do some shopping but did not realize shops closes so early at 8 plus in the evening. Maybe we are too used to the night shopping life of Singapore. However, our night did not pathetic. My best friend brought me to meet her Italian friend as a coffee house and we chatted for quite a while.

My first two days in Rome has been decent and definitely wonderful. Please stay tuned for my third day in Rome and my upcoming posts on my Brussels adventure!

For more daily and quicker updates of my Europe adventures, head down to my Insatagram!!!


Outfit:
Top: Jacket - Zara
       Turtle Neck - Topman

Bottom: Jeans - Uniqlo

Social Media:

Instagram:@paintdaze
Twitter:@ralph_royall
Tumblr/Snapchat:@xiaoroooka
Business email:roydonralph@gmail.com