Sweet Endings - Lickers

After our meal at Saturday House, we drove to Lickers, a new ice cream palour that opened up in the Hougang area, right next to Ciel Patisserie. I had learnt about the place from the 8 Day Eat App earlier in the week.

Lickers

The place is decked out in bright pops of colour, with cute hipster-chic framed posters on the walls. Stenciled on the concrete ground at the entrance of the cafe is the welcoming statement "Step in for licking good times".

Hipster Decor

There were interesting ice cream flavours on display, and the most interesting flavour had to be Yakult Oreo. I tried some of it and thought it was not too bad, but I did not get a full scoop of it. Instead, I picked Maple Latte (without trying), Mum got Mango Coconut and the little imp got Rockmelon Sorbet.

(From left) Maple Latte, Mango Coconut, Rockmelon Sorbet

I thought the consistency of the ice cream was smooth, but I found it to be a tad too sweet. For the Maple Latte, I would have preferred a stronger coffee flavour. Of the 3 flavours, I thought the Mango Coconut was the tastiest, with the sweet mango complemented by the fragrant coconut milk, much like a mango pudding. I am guessing the use of fresh Thai mangoes (which is in season now) is the reason why this is so tasty. The rockmelon sorbet is refreshing and also good, but again, I would have preferred it to be less sweet. A lighter hand with the sugar would have made this one even more palatable. 

The friendly owners handed us coupons which entitled us to 50cents off for our next visit (as pictured above). Considering a scoop of ice cream here costs $3.20, this is slightly more than 15% off your next scoop of icy treat.

I would be keen to return again to check out what other innovative flavours the owners introduce. Hopefully by my next visit, they would have tweaked their recipes and made their ice cream less sweet.

Lickers

Address: Blk 124 Hougang Avenue 1 #01-1446 Singapore 530124

Phone: 6284 7200

Dining Out - Saturday House

We picked up the younger one from school and went for lunch at Saturday House. The cheeky imp remarked that we should have visited tomorrow instead so we would be at the place on a Saturday. -_-

Saturday House

Us adults got the Chicken Chop with BBQ Sauce and the Sambal Fish to share, while the little imp got the kiddie Bolognese Pasta set, which came with a cup of apple juice and a scoop of ice cream.

Sambal Fish

The sambal fish was tasty, primarily because of the spicy and flavourful sambal chilli that was slathered generously on top of the fillet. The accompanying butter rice complemented the fish, but it was a tad dry and would have been tastier if it had been more moist and warm.

Chicken Chop With BBQ Sauce

You can choose 2 sides to go with the chicken chop from a list that includes salad, mashed potato, coleslaw, french fries and potato wedges. We picked wedges and fries for the benefit of the little one. The chicken chop was juicy and tender, served hot off the grill. As for the accompanying fries and wedges, they were crispy and warm, which is all one can ask for when it comes to these sort of sides.

I thought this statement decorating the wall of the restaurant aptly describes how I feel most of the time.

Saturday House

Address: 339 Upper Paya Lebar Road Singapore 534953

Phone: 6280 0338

Show Time - SINGAPORE STRIPPED! A Comedy Roast of The Lion City

This was a shitty show. For lack of a better word. Really terrible.

Singapore Stripped!

HC and I could not believe we paid $31 each for the tickets to the show. There were other patrons of the bar who sat further at the back, but were subjected to the same bad jokes for free. We were mentally kicking ourselves when we realised we could have done that and saved ourselves some money. But then again, this is not a show that I would have watched even if it was free.

The jokes are tired and cliched, and the topics are unoriginal. If you are a Singaporean, you probably would have encountered the same jokes many times already. Most of the jokes just relied on Hokkien vulgarities and mean attacks on other nationalities that are not even funny. The entire show felt low-class and dated. While they did try to update the show with material regarding recent events, some of the slideshow materials and jokes have probably been in use since the early 90s.

The sole saving grace is that the show is presented in a bar, so we could at least drink alcohol to try to remove the bad taste the show was leaving. But the show was so bad that even though we downed 2 pints of beer each, it did not make it any funnier or our night any more enjoyable.

I can honestly say this is one of the worst performances I have ever had the misfortune of enduring. I told HC I blame her for suggesting we watch this show. If you are reading this, know that you owe me an hour of my life I'll never get back.


Singapore Stripped! A Comedy Roast of The Lion City
Event Date: Wed, 1 Apr - Sat, 25 July 2015, 8.30pm (Wed & Sat only)
Venue: Paulaner Clarke Quay

Snack Review - Meiji Matcha Azuki Choc

After dinner at Yayoiken, we went to browse at MEIDI-YA supermarket so I could check out what's new in the snacks scene. I found this small box of Meiji chocolates which contains sweet dried red beans enveloped by matcha-flavoured chocolate.

Meiji Matcha Azuki Chocolate

Matcha (Green Tea) & Azuki (Red Bean) has always been a brilliant pairing, so this box of chocolates did not disappoint. The matcha chocolate was not overly sweet and the dried red bean centre makes the snack feel somewhat healthy, so it was easy for me to pop the chocolates one after another into my greedy oral orifice. 

I finished the box in less than 10 minutes and it satisfied my sweet tooth sufficiently.

Dining Out - Yayoiken

Before going for the comedy show, HC and I went to Yayoiken at Liang Court for dinner. This Japanese restaurant chain is popular and well-reviewed because they serve tasty Japanese set meals at prices that do not break the bank.

I got the Saba Shio set which costs only $9.90, which is a steal compared to other Japanese restaurants. HC got the Nasu Miso & Hokke Teishouku ($15.90), which has a portion of grilled hokke fish and a stir-fry of egg plant, green peppers and thin pork slices in miso sauce.

Saba Shio Set

I enjoyed my Saba Shio set. The mackerel was cooked perfectly, with the skin crisp and the flesh juicy and tender. The accompanying miso soup was not too salty and easy to drink. I stole a few bites from HC's selection and found her choice to be tasty too.

This is a great place to grab a healthy Japanese meal without burning a hole in the wallet. I can predict I will become a regular patron of this chain of restaurants.

Yayoiken (Liang Court)

Address: #B1-50, Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road Singapore 179030

Phone: 6338 7170

Cafe Hopping - Stateland Cafe

After lunch at The Hangar, we went to nearby Stateland Cafe for dessert, which is popular because of its waffles.

To share, we got the Blackforest Waffle, which is topped with Belgian chocolate ice cream, cherry compote and chocolate flakes.

Blackforest Waffle

The waffle itself was decent and the Belgian chocolate ice cream was rich and decadent. You will enjoy this if you are a chocolate lover. Even though I only ate half, I found it to be a little too much. But to be fair, lunch was finished less than 30 minutes ago when we started on the waffle, so perhaps that was why I felt this way.

Coffee was not available when I was there, which is disappointing for a place that has the word Cafe in its name. There surly waitress did not explain the reason why, but I am guessing it was either the machine broke down or she had no idea how to operate it.

Stateland Cafe
Address: 30 Bali Lane Singapore 189866
Phone: 9296 4997

Cafe Hopping - The Hangar

After Mum's health screening appointment at Raffles Hospital, we decided to go to a nearby cafe for brunch. After seeing positive reviews for The Hangar on my food apps, I chose this cafe over the numerous other cafe options in the area.

From the Lunch menu, Mum picked the Kurobuta Ham Sandwich and I got the Lemongrass Steak Sandwich.

Kurobuta Ham Sandwich & Lemongrass Steak Sandwich

I didn't get to try Mum's sandwich but I did enjoy my own. Lemongrass grass fed steak, caramelised onions, shimeji mushrooms are sandwiched between two toasted slices of bread with homemade steak sauce. It was a tasty combination. I did not bother with the fork and knife given, but ate with my hands, biting into my sandwich with gusto.

I also ordered a special iced coffee concoction, a new invention by the cafe owners. It was their specialty drip coffee shaken with orange juice. The taste was...interesting. Not particularly tasty, but I would not say it was bad either. It was a good thirst quencher.

The friendly barista asked me for feedback on the orange coffee when I was paying and I could only offer a polite "interesting". The drinks menu also listed a couple of other unusual coffee inventions. Clearly the owners are passionate about experimenting with coffee.


The Hangar
Address: 25 Arab Street Singapore 199724
Phone: 6291 0127