Noodle Place Restaurant

On a Friday night, Noodle Place Restaurant was packed. 

I can never resist Shrimp Wanton Noodle Soup ($8). The noodles were reminiscent of those at Mak's Noodles in Hong Kong (which I really like despite the puny portion)- Thin, eggy and springy. Only later did I found out that the executive chef was a former chef at Mak's. Prawn dumplings weren't exactly super fresh but good enough.

I actually preferred the Noodle Place Special Congee ($12.50) over the noodles, which was basically a bowl of smooth congee with a lot of ingredients- duck, cuttlefish, jellyfish, pig's liver, minced pork ball, and prawn etc. It's the kind of congee where you get some ingredient on your spoon with every scoop. Get this if you are feeling hungry.

The Roast Duck ($15) was tender and executed well.

Value for money, although service may be unable to keep up with the crowd.

Noodle Place Restaurant
277 Orchard Road
#01-17
Orchard Gateway
Tel No: 6733 3171 

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Lurline House (Blue Mountain)

Rated 5 stars on Tripadvisor. Reasonable price. Deal sealed. 

1) Location 

From Sydney, we took a train here where the journey took around 2 hours. The price of the train ticket was covered by the MyMulti3 pass. Before reaching, we informed Peter of our estimated time of arrival and met him at the taxi stand outside Katoomba station. Peter sent us to his B&B which was a 5 minutes drive away from the station.

Upon arrival, we told Peter that we hadn't really planned anything for the 1 day we were here. He swiftly took out maps and suggested what to do within that short span of time. He also helped us make a reservation at Pins at Lurline (which was a 2 minutes walk away) for dinner. 

From here to Echo Point, we took a slowly leisurely walk and reached there in around 15-20 minutes. After that, we went to Scenic World via bus, took all the rides and conveniently missed the last bus leaving Scenic World. Decided to walk back and it was surprisingly a short15-20 minutes walk back as well. 

Interesting decor all around the house.

2) Rooms 

The rooms were clean and there was free wifi. Packets of biscuits and chocolates were also left on the bed and table- a very thoughtful gesture for guests who are hungry after travelling!

A jacuzzi in the bathroom.

3) Breakfast 

The thing I really like about staying at B&Bs is how some B&Bs go all out to make sure that you have a delightful breakfast. The owners put some food outside to attract the birds, so it was quite a beautiful sight in the morning looking at the birds fly into the garden. There was also a water dispenser so you didn't need to worry about getting bottled water.

We were asked what we wanted for breakfast. I chose this combination and ate every morsel of it. It might appear quite scary to finish such a big portion for breakfast but it was really restaurant standard!

4) Service 
Both Peter and Suzanne were very helpful in suggesting things for us to do at Blue Mountain. They were also happy to let us check in early as we had reached on an earlier train. The other staff at Lurline House were also very friendly and always ready with a smile!

5) Conclusion 
Reasonable price- check. Good location- check. Good service- check.

Lurline House 
122 Lurline Street
Katoomba
New South Wales 2780, Australia 

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JC Coffee Houzz

It was Sunday evening and only one table in this cafe was occupied. Now, I've got a real issue with the word "Houzz"- it sounds too secondary school to be used as part of a cafe name! Those days where "z" was added behind every single word. However, other than that, this is a place I hope will make it somehow. 

A very cosy interior with space big enough for to host gatherings. I may be biased, but I really liked this place also for the music that was playing. Once I heard the first few songs, I declared, WHOEVER CHOSE THE SONGS HAS THE SAME MUSIC TASTE AS ME. Field of Gold, Because of You, Close to You etc. That instantly bumped up my liking for this place.

We were there after dinner so we didn't try their main courses. This cafe offers a wide variety of food- dim sum, Western food etc.

We settled for a Waffle with Double Scoop Ice Cream ($10.80). The waffle was a little too hard and was lacking the eggy fragrance of good waffles. Lychee ice cream was a tad on the sweet side but the salted caramel was fine.

There is potential for this place to grow in this sleepy neighbourhood. And I hope it makes it. Going back one day to try the main courses!

JC Coffee Houzz
149 Joo Chiat Road
Singapore 427427
Tel No: 8161 0149

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Meriton Serviced Apartments Danks Street (Sydney)

It was the post-Christmas season and all the hotels were either too expensive or were no longer available. Thank goodness we chanced upon Meriton Serviced Apartments because this place is a real gem. 

1) Location 

Located just 10-15 minutes away from the airport, this place was a good base for our activities. 5 minutes away from a supermarket (Coles) and from a bus stop where there are buses which take you to the city (in around 10-15 minutes). A 10 minutes walk brings you to the famous Bourke Street Bakery. 

2) Room
Do not be misled by the old corridors leading you to the apartment.

The 2 bedroom apartment had everything we needed. A nice spacious living room ensured that there was plenty of running space for the kid travelling with us.

The kitchen was fully equipped. All the utensils were clean, plenty of different utensils for you to choose from. Really, unless you are a restaurant chef requiring some different tools for your trade, this kitchen will serve your needs well, regardless of what you intend to cook.

The beds and pillows were comfortable as well.

3) Toilet 
Toiletries and towels provided.

Happy to say, Meriton doesn't use standard hotel bath products. They have these specially commissioned range of bath products which smell so good. And they replenish these bottles everyday!

4) Amenities 
The swimming pool is apparently located 5 minutes away from the apartment. However, we didn't venture there so I can't comment about that.

Free wifi for up to 10 devices. Wifi was good on the second level although those staying on the first floor said that wifi was spotty.

5) Service
Service was great. Polite staff who were ever so willing to recommend what to do, answer queries and assist in whatever way they can. Housekeeping team was also fantastic in keeping the place tidy.

6) Conclusion 
If you have a big group travelling together and want to stay in a reasonably-priced apartment, look no further.

If there is really a complaint that I need to make, it's that we spotted a cockroach one night. Hopefully it's a one-off incident!

Meriton Serviced Apartments Danks Street, Waterloo
30 Danks Street
Waterloo, Sydney
New South Wales 2017, Australia
Tel No: +61 9277 1128 

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Thip Samai Pad Thai (Bangkok)

If you want to know where to find the best pad thai in Bangkok, look no further. 

With a mouth full of food, I told my friend, "Wah! This pad thai really good sia." Not sure how much of it my friend actually understood or heard. Not that it matters, because all that matters is that the pad thai here is really good. 

We had a lesson in pronouncing thai words before we asked a tuk tuk driver to bring us to Pratu Phi Pad Thai. While asking someone else how to get there, it drew a blank stare and a puzzled look. Only after a while did that guy understand what we were talking about and he was obviously delighted when we finally pronounced it the correct way. 

This place works like a factory chain- each worker has their designated role and this is how they churn out plates and plates of delicious pad thai.

It was crowded and the queues just got longer through the night. As there were only two of us, we managed to secure a seat within 10 minutes.

Before entering the shop, you will see bottles of orange juice being sold outside. These were sold at market price, were sweet and an absolute thirst quencher.

The star of the show- the Superb Pad Thai (80 Baht). When served, the pad thai was sealed in the omelette. Upon slowly pulling the thin layer of eggy goodness apart, the hidden gem was revealed. Sweet and slightly moist pad thai, with the aromatic wok hei fragrance, with some big prawns. What differentiates this pad thai from other pad thai is the addition of egg and dried prawns. Do not underestimate what these ingredients can do. The dried prawns lent a slight tinge of saltiness as well as some crispness to this dish.

If there is anything you can't miss out on a trip to Bangkok, it is this.

Thip Samai Pad Thai 
313 Mahachai Road
Samranrat Phra Nakorn
Bangkok, Thailand 

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Somtam Nua (Bangkok)

This was a a restaurant that was recommended by many and indeed, it didn't disappoint. 

Although it was lunch time, it was surprising that we didn't have to wait for long before we got a seat.

We ordered the Fried Chicken (150 Baht). This is one of those deep fried chicken that if I didn't have to care about my waistline or all that news on how there's a lot of stuff being injected through the wings, I could eat baskets and baskets of these finger licking goodness. These were not greasy, had juicy meat, with fragrant deep fried garlic sprinkled over it. 

How could we have left the restaurant without ordering a som tam? We chose the Som Tam with Dry Shrimp and Peanut (75 Baht) and it was an explosion of flavours and textures- the crunchiness and sourness of the papaya, the saltiness of the fish sauce, the nutty flavour and a little spice.

Definitely worth a try!

Somtam Nua
392/14 Siam Square Soi 5
Bangkok, Thailand 

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