The Public Eight, National Gallery Singapore - Fancy Cocktails for Date Nights!

Lady M and I used to have this checklist of bars to go to. Before we got married, we are checking this list almost every week. Perhaps we were still young and going strong. Things slowed down when we had Olivia. Maybe once every two to three months. When Emmanuel came along, this checklist came to a halt. We were and are still going out for our date nights once every week or two, but sipping on alcohol didn't cross our minds nowadays.

There was once Lady M mentioned that she wanted to visit a bar with fancy and magical drinks. I was too slow to get the hint (probably forgotten about it), so on my birthday this year, she finally get to visit The Public Eight.

Nestled within Singapore's National Gallery, we have walked past this place quite a few times after our museum visit - a free and relaxing place (and air-conditioned!) to visit with our children.

After our dinner, we took a leisure stroll and reached there at our reserved timing at around 8pm. We were the only guests there and I joked that Lady M booked the entire place for ourselves. The bar itself is an extension of a Japanese restaurant called "Hachi," which is fitting as "hachi" translates to the number eight. It exuded a cozy atmosphere, adorned with wooden furniture, and featured a central bar area like many other bars. The door even has the figure "8" on it!

As the only guests in the entire bar, we basically had the bartender to ourselves - a lovely lady named Irene who was extremely hospitable and lovely. With her fancy hairstyle and captivating showmanship, I reckon she is an attraction within the bar.

Source

Looking at the menu, Lady M immediately spotted their famous cocktail - "Confession" (S$40). If you were to search "The Public Eight", I bet you ten grands that this is the first drink that pops up - A fancy red wine with a floating iced rose - or as the menu described "Kenzo Estate Rindo 2016, Calvados, Pomegranate, Rose". What made it truly captivating was the bartender's theatrical touch. With a torchlight in hand and a spritz of glitter spray, she created a mesmerizing spectacle, enveloping the drink in a shimmering aura. If there's something that is IG-worthy, it is this drink.

Top Staycation Hotels at Singapore (updated October 2021)

Since the holiday seasons are coming shortly, what's better than to take a short getaway. Although the VTLs are slowly opening up, you sure you want to risk? Okay perhaps with the cases still hitting the threes, that might seem like a safer option. BUT ANYWAY. We are talking about the lovely staycations of our lovely and blessed island. Since the beginning of this pandemic (or endemic or whatever) or rather when the measures had slightly laxed after circuit breaker, we have been to a number of staycations for birthdays and our recent babymoon.

We have compiled our top 5 so you know where to go, just to spend the day with your loved ones.

Disclaimer: This list is purely based on my views on my experience. Most of the staycations are partially sponsored with complimentary upgrade and food credits, etc. The prices are indicative of the pricing you would expect.

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Nomsaurus Rates is based on the following criteria for each category:

Food: Hotel dining options, which includes breakfast and high-tea (if any)

Room: Decor, amenities, and "wow" factor

Service: From checking in to out, room service (how long it takes to respond and deliver, etc.)

Value: Based on the market price, whether we consider it a good deal.

If it's beyond the rating scale, I will even reward it with additional limbeh's Nom-chelin star(s) ★

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Ready? LET'S GO!

5. W Singapore

Located at the luxurious Sentosa Cove area, it has all you need to be secluded. The only nearby attraction at Quayside Isle, which is filled with restaurants, bars, and even a supermarket. However, it's just perfect for a 2D1N staycation, especially with a toddler.

Our room: Spectacular Room

Price range: $450+/night

Nomsaurus rates:

Food: ★★★★☆

Room: ★★★☆☆

Service: ★★★☆☆

Value: ★★★☆☆

What we love: Superb food quality and awesome pool.

Read more here.

Teatime at Glasshouse @ CHJIMES, Singapore

It has been a while since I posted something, just related to food. As parents of a 2YO girl, you could imagine planning our schedule and weekend trips just to cater for her. Hence, before we head to an animal exhibition (Human X Nature, National Library, now till 21 Sep 2021), we decided to stop by Glasshouse at Chjimes, a casual 5-min walk away from the library.

Glasshouse is just like its name suggests, a contemporary coffee and bar toast. Yes, inside a glass box house. Expect to walk into a chic-Scandinavian setting - a design I would love for my house. It didn't have baby chairs, but some seating are low enough for our girl to climb up with ease.

Its menu weren't extensive, with a limited selection of toast and sides. However, just perfect for us as we were just grabbing some drinks and a small bite before heading to the museum (and trust me, as a parent, your selection is gonna revolve around your child). I'm either a coffee or a matcha person, so if I'm not holding my favourite black coffee, chances are, it's a matcha. And, theirs hit my sweet spot - thick, strong and a tinge of bitterness. Lady M on the other side, loves tea.

Staycation at MBS + Infinity Pool

Apparently we can't travel overseas until God knows when, so Singaporeans are turning to staycations more often than ever either to take a break or to utilize their Singapore ReDiscover vouchers. So when CNY comes, we thought why not take another short break during the long weekend, this time at the iconic Marina Bay Sands.

Lunch buffet at Rise

The check-in was pretty smooth and took slightly more than 20 minutes, afterwhich we went to Rise for a nice international buffet, where we got to enjoy free flow oysters, sashimi, abalone, and king crabs.

It was the CNY period, so they even had a God of Fortune mascot walking around greeting everyone. Olivia was so excited that she kept doing the "gong xi" hand gestures to him.

The Room

We got the Deluxe Room with a garden view, which is pretty superb as we get to see the majestic super trees with a backdrop of the vast Singapore straits (the other side is facing the Singapore river and floating stadium). 

The toilet is huge and spacious, which could easily hold 10 persons (for any needs).

Shortly after lunch, we went for a quick nap. Thank God for the blackout curtains.

Birthday Staycation at Andaz Singapore

For Olivia's big two in November, we decided that it's time we take her for a little staycay. We actually searched high and low, considered a lot, including availability, kid-friendly amenities, budget and distance. We contemplated between Shangri-la and Andaz, because the former has a huge built-in kids playground in the hotel (that's the things you look for when you have kids). 

Unfortunately, it wasn't available so Andaz was the hotel to go.

We headed onto Klook and got a really good deal for Andaz Singapore. For just $280, we got a Deluxe City View Room, and that comes with:

Set Breakfast for Two Adults + One Child

SGD$100 Dining Credits

Free Mini-bar Amenities 

(including beer! Sorry got to add this in)

Our residence is pretty close to Andaz, so there were several occasions that we bought little Olivia for a walk there. She absolutely love the fountains by the way. Now that we are inside Andaz, she "wow"-ed even more.

孟想陈真 - BuddingRoots: Flowers with a Cause

As the old adage goes, flowers are a girl's best friend - no matter the age (besides diamonds and a whole lot of other stuff). While sourcing for wedding bouquets for our dear parents, we came across one of my friend's recent start-up, BuddingRoots, and the founder, Gail was kind enough to do up three really beautiful bouquets for us. Okay, if you are still wondering, why three? The three includes the groom's parents, the bride's parents, and our spiritual parents - they are our cell leaders at church and we also invited them to the tea ceremony as well. 

Long story short, they absolutely adore the flowers. Two months later, the flowers - now dried, but no less beautiful - are still displayed in the house.

I mean, what's there not to love? The flowers were of a perfect gradient, the side-kicks (aka fillers) were as gorgeous as the main flowers, and the whole arrangement was just stunning and pleasing to the eyes. Look, I am no flowers expert, but I know beautiful things when I see one. Like my wife.

I got in touch with BuddingRoots' founder, Gail to find out more.

Wedding Food Tasting at Fullerton Hotel

As the wedding bells are soon to ring, we are trying to check off as many to-dos' on our list, one of them which is to get our banquet food tasted. Most banquet venues offer food tasting as part of the package. This process is more important than you think, don't think of it as a free meal for 6-10 people. Think of it as a responsibility as guests will be eating the food on the actual day, so it is one of your duties to make sure that the food is up to standard. After all, Singaporeans love to eat, and after all, you don't want to serve subpar food.

Here are some general tips for your food tasting session: Take photos of the presentation. Evaluate the food. Take notes. Feedback to the chef/coordinator. Ask questions. Finalise. 

It's not the first time our family met each other, and we really thank God that everyone got along pretty well and had a great time chatting over dinner. Although the actual venue was at the main ballroom at Fullerton Hotel, the food tasting was hosted at Jade Restaurant - a really exquisite and cosy Cantonese restaurant which has been operating at Fullerton for almost a decade. It is helmed by the hotel's executive chef, Chef Leong Chee Yeng, who is also the in-charge for our wedding menu.

Walking the Psychology Path in Private University

"Can you tell me what I am thinking right now" is perhaps the most irritable question you would face if you happened to be in the shoes of a psychology student. 

Image source: thedailytouch

I mean, come on, doing psychology doesn't make me psychic, I still need my crystal ball and tarot cards. If you do not know me personally, I am a research assistant in National Institute of Education (NIE) at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) for more than a year. For those who are interested to know more about the life of a research assistant, read on:

#RememberingLKY

As the nation comes together to mourn for our late Mr. Lee Kwan Yew, we would like to encourage our readers to remember this great man. 

With his foresight and his team of political leaders (not to mention the fellow Singaporeans), Singapore rose from a third-world kampong village to a first-world global trade-hub within 50 years. No doubt that it is a good 91 years fully spent, I wouldn't even dare to think that I would achieve half of what he did within my lifetime. Implementing the HDB plans to house the nation, developing the transport systems and urban landscape, while maintaining the infrastructure for both greenery and recreation, and on top of that, with the power to affect 5-million lives, were not simple tasks. 

Understanding that Singaporeans have this stereotype that we love to complain (especially the rising cost of living and MRT breakdowns), we should take another viewpoint instead. Will you rather live in a third-world country, where people do not even have the basic necessities, such as a roof over their heads and food to fill their bellies? Learn to give thanks people. Ultimately, whether you are supportive of LKY or not, there's one thing for sure - the Singapore we have today will not be the same without him.

"I have spent my life, so much of it, building up this country. There's nothing more that I need to do. At the end of the day, what have I got? A successful Singapore. What have I given up? My life."

Thank you for your contribution, Mr. Lee. 

Your legacy will be passed onto many generations.