Brands or bargains! Next things to do in Nex Shopping Mall, Singapore: Food, luxury lipstick, bargain brollies and masks, bargains for the house

 We started by meeting in Food Republic.

Food Republic

Food republic has chicken rice and tofu. Last time I had chicken which was boiled. This time I chose roast chicken, which was dry. A mistake. The tofu seemed dry and overcooked as well.

Look up and you will see the hanging plants. I liked the quotation:

Flowers Feed the soul.

The back wall is glass looking out on the path outside and the grass, with buildings beyond.

Food Junction

Upstairs is another food court, Food Junction. One area has windows from up high looking down.

This is where we will meet with our toastmasters International club, Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club committee for tea and chat. 

I must admit I liked the idea of macaroons at ten dollars. And a juice bar.

After lunch we went shopping. 

Masks

I saw red paper concertina disposable masks. But I wanted fabric reusable washable masks.

I looked at masks. One mask for about two and a half (or three or three fifty). Five masks for ten dollars, which is two dollars each or one extra mask free. I chose fabric masks with tiny imitation crystals, in black and red and wine.  Another mask with small rainbow coloured stripes of sequins for an evening.

We wanted a tape measure or ruler cheaply and went upstairs to bargain store Value. My friend likes to buy cleaning materials. But I was more interested in novelties. I saw socklets in various colours.

Then umbrellas. 

Lipsticks in Sephora 

My friend had bought me a beautiful lipstick for my birthday. An elegant case. Brand Givenchy. From the shop Sephora, upstairs in Nex shopping mall.

The assistant had known it was for somebody else, for a gift, and a birthday, so she gave a coloured mesh bag. I was really pleased.

Since I had already had a purchase from there, I simply photographed the outside of the shop so I could find it again, and we hurried on looking for clothes and accessories.

Socklets

Socklets at around two dollars seemed handy for when my toe nail vanish is getting chipped. Or my strappy shoes are catching on a toe.

Umbrellas

I bought two umbrellas, green and patterned green. Another option was pink.

Useful Websites (alphabetically)

Givenchy

https://www.givenchy.com/

Japan Home

https://japanhome.com.sg/

Nex

https://www.nex.com.sg/Directory/Shop

Food Junction

Food Republic, Basement 2 (same level as the Serangoon bus interchange -  in the UK we would say bus station)

(Cold Storage supermarket is the same level) and Selfix DIY

Basement 1 has a Jollibee (Philippine), and Five Guys and Selfix DIY

Level 1 has Isetan, H & M, Bata, Cotton on, Uniqlo 

Level 2 Courts, Watsons, Giordano

Level 3 Fairprice Xtra, Pizza Hut

Level 4 Food Junction, K Shoes, Japan Home, Valu$, Popular, Shaw Theatre

Level 4R has the public library

https://www.nex.com.sg/NexRewards

Sephora

https://www.facebook.com/sephorasingapore

Valu$ (also written as ValuDollar)

https://www.radhaexports.com/

Many more locations including Clementi, Bukit Panjang Plaza, Changi City Point basement by the MRT exit, and many more.

 

Such tasty Food From The Vietnamese Restaurant in Nex and Singapore airport

Vietnamese Flag

Lovely Lemon Grass

I love lemon grass. The aroma. The flavour.

Unfortunately, I had bad experiences at Vietnamese restaurants in London, England, three times. Firstly, the food did not taste of lemongrass.

Lemongrass. Photo by Malcolm Morley in Wikicommons.

Scared of Spices

Secondly, the food was too spicy. The owners insisted that all Vietnamese food was spicy.

Ha Long Bay. Photo by Thierry B in Wikipedia.

Reversed Experience In Vietnam

However, when I visited Vietnam in early 2019 I loved the food in the capital, Hanoi. No trouble selecting from the huge menus something with chicken and lemongrass, my favourite. I soon learned to avoid any side dish with sauce in a teeny bowl with floating red bits which revealed chili. I also learned to use my husband as a food taster. As we passed a Vietnamese restaurant in Nex I thought fondly of our trip to Vietname, staying in Hanoi, taking an overnight trip Ha Long Bay.

Memories of Ha Long Bay

Our side trip to Halong Bay, cruising along the bay surrounded by peaks reflected in water, dining in a candelit ship, one of two of the world's great sights. (The other being Angkor Wat in Cambodia.)

I wish all Vietnamese restaurants would show pictures of Ha Long Bay. They should do a deal with a tourist board. But I suppose Vietnamese restaurants are more concerned with selling Vietnamese food than selling Vietnam and holidays in Vietnam. 

Nex Complex in Singapore

More recently, in Singapore in July 2019, after a meeting of my Braddell Heights Toastmasters Club at Braddell Heights Community Club, we went for dinner in the modern Nex complex beside Serangoon MRT.

Nex exterior photo by ProjectManhattan in Wikipedia.

On a Saturday night the multi-storey complex was busy and buzzing. Throngs of people packed the escalators and filled the winding corridors lined with bustling restaurants. My husband thought the low ceilings accentuated the noise of excited chatter.

Nex interior. Photo by ProjectManhattan from Wikipedia.

Vietnamese Restaurant In Singapore

We were looking for a curry place, Monster Curry. However, it was so popular that it was full. We were in a hurry to eat.

So we trekked a short circle around the upwards escalator and found the Vietnamese restaurant, So Pho, which means noodle soup. We liked the menu outside. The explanation of the restaurant name was on the wall.

So Pho Vietnamese Restaurant
Looking inside, it was full enough to appear popular. Yet it was larger than the front appeared, and we spied tables towards the back which were invitingly empty.

I preferred the tables along the sides and at the back because they had proper chairs on one side and banquettes along the wall. I hate sitting on a backless stool which I find bad for my posture. Banquettes have another advantage that you don't have to plant a handbag on the floor but can keep it handly within reach of your hand.

Guided by staff, we found a banquette at the back. Beyond was a neglected area underneath delightful backlit shelving with greenery.

The staff scurrying to and fro were wearing the colours of the Vietnamese flag. A yellow star on a plain red background. Very jolly.

Egg On Rice

We chose two chicken dishes. Both had a fried egg on white boiled rice. I am used to fried egg on toast. Fried egg with the yolk breaking over the rice was a novelty.

Chicken Dishes
We had walked past other restaurants showing chicken in batter. Battered chicken especailly deep fried is fattening and supposedly unhealthy. I had grilled chicken which was served with skin on, on the plate. The other chicken dish was served in a lidded casserole.
My chicken was great. You could taste both the chicken and the sauce.

Yes, both chicken dishes were tasty. And filling. On large plates.

Lemongrass drink at So Pho Restaurant in Nex shopping mall, Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Lemongrass Drink

Even better was my drink. A wide straw, and a strong taste of lemon grass and lime and other fruits. I could have drunk two. At the bottom were lumps of jelly. they got trapped in the wide straw, made the drink look longer than it was. However, if the food is great, you forgive and make allowances for one or two things not to your taste.

On arriving home, my first remark was, "I'm prepared to go back and eat there again!"

I later learned that you can also order food from So Pho for home delivery in Singapore. They also have other branches all over Singapore, such as Paragon, Clementi, Tampines - and at Changi Airport Terminal 3 and in Jewel, the mall along the linkway.

Vietnamese Language
Vietnamese language is not easy. The script is different with accents. But thanks to the restaurant I am not only reminded of the Vietname flag, I now know a couple of words of Vietnamese.

Braddell Heights Toastmasters Club
If you visit Singapore, be sure to visit Braddell Heights Toastmasters Club, the first Wednesday of the month, 7-9.30, and the third Saturday of the month at 2-5 pm (except national holidays). You get entertainment and instruction on public speaking and leadership. The club charges visitors S$10 and has potluck food in the break; free to people who are already members of a Toastmasters club. It costs 180 Sing dollars to join for a year, for the meetings, a mentor and online worksheets and the right to enter a speaking contest, plus about $30 to the HQ in the USA which lets you into their system connecting with clubs worldwide and sends you a monthly magazine.


Braddell Heights Toastmasters Club committee at a speech contest earlier this year. I am on the far right of the picture. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

After the Braddell Heights Toastmasters Club meeting pop along to Nex shopping mall and look at the So Pho restaurant.

Vietnamese - English
The name Ha Long (下龍 Xialong) means "descending dragon". (Wikipedia on Ha Long Bay.)
den - black
Ha - descending / lower
Long/Rong (accent over the o) - dragon
So
Pho (downard accent on the o) moodle soup
cong ty (accent over the o) means company

English - Vietnamese
Rong with an accent over the o is dragon.
black - den
descending - ha
dragon - rong / long
noodle -mì sợi
soup -Súp


Getting To Vietnam
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%E1%BA%A1_Long_Bay
Also see Tripadvisor and Wikivoyage and Wikitravel.
We travelled from Singapore to Vietnam on VietJetair
VietJetair.com


Getting To Singapore
Serangoon MRT (underground railway station on the Yellow Circle line and the purple North-East line). The bus station is also here.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serangoon_MRT_station

Useful Websites
So Pho restaurant
Booking a restaurant
https://www.hungrygowhere.com/search-results/so+pho
Ordering food for your home or office
https://www.foodpanda.sg/chain/cf1qk/so-pho
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_cuisine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Vietnamese_dishes

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Club
https://www.toastmasters.org/find-a-club
https://www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club/00009689-braddell-heights-advanced-club

Braddell Heights Community Centre
50 Serangoon Avenue 2, Singapore 556129, tel: 6288 1258.

Singapore Airlines

singaporeair.com
Regional
Silkair.com
Budget
Scoot.com (will soon become part of Silkair)

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have other posts on Singapore and the waterfall at Changi airport. Please share links to your favourite posts. You can see more about me and my books on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Danish pastries with cream cheese? Buy them In London or Singapore.

In London you can buy Danish pastries with cream cheese. Often you buy assorted Danish pastries. Some have just sultanas and an apricot jam top. Others contain nuts or almond paste (soft marzipan). My favourite are the ones with cream cheese. To buy pastries with only cream cheese usually costs extra.

The strange thing is that the so-called Danish pastries do not appear to be made in Denmark or to come from Denmark and when I went to Denmark I could not find them. At least not by that name. The Danes call them Viennese pastries.

The origin of the story of the name becomes clear on consulting Wikipedia. The Danes had a bakers' strike, years ago in the 1800s, when to supply the unfilled demand, food was baked by Austrian pastry chefs. The Danish public liked the Austrian or Viennese pastries, and adapted them, keeping the name, Viennese pastries.

London's Delicatessens
Danish pastries are to be found in London, England, sometimes in large supermarkets or party food catalogues, more often in bakeries. A good place to look is in North West London, especially continental patisseries, and the kosher delicatessens. All the way from the city centre out to the suburbs: Hampstead, Golders Green, Edgware, and so on.  If you can't spot what you want in the window, uue up and ask. You might find they are made for the weekend, .

Delicatessen is a German word, for delicate eating or delicious, delicate foods. You can see the roots of the double word, delicat, plus essen meaning to eat.

Singapore's Cream Cheese Buns
When I went to Singapore, I did not find any such item, although many British foods although fish and chips are well known. At tea time or on bakery counters, scones with jam and cream are very popular.

The packaging tells you nothing about the contents. It simply says: Assorted cakes and buns.

Imagine my surprise when I bit into a sweet bun and found it contained sweetened cream cheese! So more-ish. They were bought in a set of four, for only 2SG (two singapore dollars) and forty cents. The supplier is on the 3rd floor of the Nex shopping centre. Nex is beside Serangoon MRT which is at the junction of two MRT lines, the yellow circle line and the purple North East line.

If you are looking for a baked New York cheesecake, or a cheese Danish, you might want to phone in advance and ask if the shop has any in stock, and what time you should arrive, or if you can place an order.

I asked another friend in Singapore: 'Where can I buy buns filled with sweet cream cheese?'
He replied, 'Any bakery'.

Vegan and Kosher Cheese Worldwide
Many Asians who cannot take milk are able to eat cream cheese. However, if you have vegan friends you might be interested in vegan cream cheese from a company called Bute Island in Scotland. they have kosher cheese, too, and export around the world, Europe, and Asia.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_pastry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patisserie_Valerie
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017898-cheese-danish
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-a-cheese-danish-for-a-crowd-238398
https://www.starbucks.com/menu/food/bakery/cheese-danish
https://www.buteisland.com/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

The most luxurious - or the cheapest pull-on dresses in Singapore

I was intrigued by the name Homade Zakka. It sounds like home made. But it isn't. Mostly items made for the home, hangers and so on, but also inexpensive scarves and dresses.

Problem
Where do you buy a cheap dress in Singapore? I felt guilty after I made the impulse purchase of a 10 dollar dress from Homade Zakka. I could have spent only 5 dollars in the same shop on a satiny caftan in many prints, mainly of flowers.

Later that day I went into Robinsons Department Store on Orchard Road, Metro in the Paragon. Tangs. All had signs saying this percentage off and last chance. Lovely stuff.

But not in my price range.
I saw the pattern and had to have it. Lively reds. Soothing but vibrant royal blue.

Above all the pattern - Indian dancing girls.

I love my ten dollar dress. I wore it straight away.

The shop was Homade Zakka.

I asked, "May I try it on?"

"Cannot," she said. I wasn't sure whether she meant no fitting room or no trying because that creases the garments and you risk not wanting it if it doesn't fit. It looked like it might be too small. In which case I would have to cut the side seems and make it into a tabard with a waist level ribbon linking front and back, either pieces tying into a bow, or just fixed to make it larger, or maybe elastic.

I said, " I must try it to see if it fits" Before she had time to protest, I pulled it over my head.

"Yes, I said, "It fits. I'll buy it."

I always like to buy the item I have tried on - not another already wrapped and folded. The other one could be a different size, have a defect, or be a different pattern altogether. I once made a mistake, twice I think, and ended up with an item which was not what I wanted.

In a trice, I was out. Mission accomplished. Not a brilliant item. No cut. Not ankle length. I would need to wear it over a long underskirt. But with four colours, white red, royal blue, green, yellow and traces of black, I would be able to find something to co-ordinate.

If it did not turn out to be a firm favourite, or not nice enough to wear out, only good enough for lounging around at home, never mind, worthwhile at that price.

I thought it was good value. It even had a string-width belt with two loops to tighten it.

I happened to like the pattern which reminded me of my paintings.

The painting is religious, with the God born on a lotus flower in the middle, with his milkmaids and holy cows. 

My painting's design, I presume will cause no trouble offending any religious sensbilities, is a tree with a bird, with horses below.

You might like something else. If you arrived in Singapore and lost your luggage and needed an instant outfit, or need lots of gifts at reasonable prices, dash along here.

Cheap clothes have certain disadvantages, they may pull apart if you put them in a washing machine. The colours could run even if you wash them by hand. So hang them to drip dry over a plastic bowl or something which won't stain.

If you'd rather buy designer clothes, go into Isetan in Nex next door, and read my next post.

Zakka
Zak-ka is Japanese for miscellaneous things. Cutesy and kitch.

Homade Zakka
Ground floor
Near the bus station at Serangoon MRT beside Nex shopping mall.
I searched online for Homade and found several locations and qoo10 had other items from the same store and different dresses at budget prices from other stores.

Homade Zakka
#B2-21 Serangoon Nex
23 Serangoon Central
Singapore 556083

https://www.qoo10.sg/gmkt.inc/Search/Default.aspx?keyword=Dress
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakka

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Prata Wala, food ready signal

Problem
How do customers know when food is ready at a restaurant where customers collect their food from the counter? At some coffee bars in London, England, the server simply shouts out a number. But often you don't hear because of the noise level, or you busy yourself doing other tests while waiting. You only get your food after retuning to ask when it will be ready. This causes clutter, delay, stress, food not hot, customers cross, risk of other customers taking the wrong order which looks similar.

Answers
Queues in government offices rely on everybody watching numbers electronically overhead. The change of numbers may be accompanied by a signal.

I have seen several variations on my travels.

Stories
In the USA in the Sixties a restaurant had little flags on every table with a number. A skating server brought the food.

For restaurants in Singapore, here is the device which you as a customer carry to your table. It signals food will be ready by showing a small red or green light. However, you have to keep watching, and to know what red or green means. Is it red for not ready and green for ready?

I must confess I was looking at the device and puzzling over this when I heard somebody call out, "Masal dosai!"

I assumed that you were supposed to eat with your hands.
I forgot to collect or ask for cutlery. They didn't tell me it was the other side of the till. Another customer told me I could wash my hands and pointed to the basin.

My bill told me that I was at Prata Wala restaurant at New shopping Mall. I remembered it from a year or two ago. It is above Serangoon MRT. Open plan by an escalator and noisy but some people like a buzz.

Angela Lansbury,  travel writer and photographer.

Angela Lansbury travel writer and photographer.

This system I observed used in Prata Wala restaurant, Nex, Singapore.
It is above Serangoon MRT.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author and speaker.