Old School Delights

My good friend's mother was telling me that she liked this cafe along Thomson - Old School Delights because it was fun. Since it got her stamp of approval, we headed down. 

I think the main draw here is that they provide games (from our era) for families to bond over.

Back in those days when there was no iPhone, no iPad, no internet on phones, my mum used to buy random games for us to play- Uno, Game of Life, Monopoly, Snake & Ladders, Bingo, Scrabble, Donkey etc. And of course, not forgetting Old Maid. At this cafe, they bring you back to those good old days. Up till this day, my mum still owns us at playing five stones, nothing has changed in 20 years!

Even their menu is in the form of a school notebook.

The Lil' Drumlets ($5.50), not surprisingly, were a hit. Deep fried to a crisp and very juicy within.

I ordered the Hor Fun with Mushroom Stock ($8.80). The question is why should I be paying so much for something that I can buy for much cheaper in a hawker centre? Aside from the fact that the price point is fine considering that you enjoy the comforts of air con and can play games, they try to value add to the dish. For example, the portion here is certainly bigger than what you get at a hawker centre and the mushrooms are certainly bigger as well. My only gripe with this was that it was a little too salty.

While i didn't try the Nasi Lemak Besar ($6.90), I tried the jumbo otak which was pretty decent.

We ended the meal with a Lemony Cake ($4.50). Without any embellishment, this was a homely and simple cake that was buttery and lemony without being too sweet.

A nostalgic place with decent food at affordable prices.

Old School Delights 
215M Upper Thomson Road
Tel No: 6458 4518 

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Pizzeria Rustika (Slovenia)

We stayed 2 minutes away from Pizzeria Rustika and it came highly recommended by our local host- she said it was cheap and good! This pizzeria was a rarity in Europe. In Europe,  restaurants often told us that their kitchens were closed at 2 p.m. Here, they are opened between 12 a.m. to 11 p.m. and even offer home delivery!

After all that huge European portions we were eating, we decided to share a salad (it doesn't hurt to pretend to be healthy) and a main. We got a Rustika Salad (8.90 Euros). We were a little taken aback when we saw the large portion of the salad. It was a simple salad with lettuce, rocket, tomato, corn, ham, cheese and olives. It offered a much needed respite when we were getting too full with the pizza.

We shared a Morska Pizza (8.90 Euros) which consisted of tomato, garlic, mussels and squid. They were so generous with the mussels, it's as though mussels here were free. I had to constantly remind my husband not to finish all the mussels or the souvenir he would be bringing back from the holidays is cholesterol! This was definitely more than enough for two to share although we marvelled at how a girl at another table ate the entire pizza on her own. The pizza was decent for the price we paid.

To round off the meal, we got a Marlenka (3 Euros). The presentation is pretty bad but tasted pretty good. It is a honey cake, layered with chocolate sponge and there was a good kind of gooey in between. It might border on being a little too sweet for some though.

The waitress was very pleasant and friendly. Value for money, certainly worth a visit!

Pizzeria Rustika 
Riklejeva cesta 13
Bled, Slovenia
Tel No: +386 4 576 8900 

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Haus Anastasia (Bad Ischl)

Haus Anastasia is one of those places that might not look like much initially but turned out to be one of our favourite places for the trip. 

1) Location 

Haus Anastasia is located around a leisurely 15 minutes walk to town. The hosts would gladly tell you which route to take to reach town. The roads can be a little narrow to drive so if you don't mind walking to town, walk. It is a convenient base to nearby places such as Hallstat and many lakes. 

2) Apartment 

No footwear permitted within the apartment but we are perfectly fine with this because it just means that the hosts really value cleanliness, and that's what we got! 

Aside from the host's own living space, there are three apartments housed within the same compound. Despite that, the apartment we were in was spacious and had everything we needed. For the tall ones, do take note not to bump into the ceiling when walking up the stairs. 

There was a living room which was equipped with a TV and a shelf outside the apartment full of DVDs. There were also guides on what you could do as well as a thoughtfully curated list of restaurants that the hosts recommended. We in fact bumped into the hosts at a restaurant which was recommended in the list.

The kitchen was fully equipped and you had everything you needed to prepare a meal.

The beds were a total luxury. It was the first time during our trip that everything about the bed was right- for once, we had proper beds and pillows which were neither too hard nor too soft. We woke up feeling well-rested. The only minor thing was that we were wondering why there were two separate mattresses instead of one, but it was not an issue at all.

3) Toilet 

The toilet was warm (something that was not a given in all the places that we have been to) and provided bathing products.

4) Hosts 

The hosts, Elaine and Russ, were hospitable and were ready to make recommendations if you required any.

An enjoyable stay - it offers the comfort of your own home!

Haus Anastasia 
Traxleckerweg 30
Bad Ischl
Austria 

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