House - Barracks at Dempsey

Physical Address: Blk 8D, Dempsey Road, Dempsey Hill
Web Address: http://www.dempseyhill.com/tenants_house.htm

We dropped by the Barracks restaurant at Dempsey Hill on a lazy Saturday afternoon for coffee and cakes. If you are in Dempsey hill area, you may like to check out this restaurant. The utensils and cakes are served in army-style mess tins. There are a few private rooms which you can reserve for a cosier gathering of friends. Oh, see if you can guess the ladies and gents toilets (cat or rooster?) without looking for the answer on the map. :-)

We had the Cappucino Pudding, Strawberry Shortcake and 2 premium coffees for S$34.72 (inclusive of 7% GST and 10% service charge)

Bistro Petit Salut

Physical address: 44 Jalan Merah Saga (opposite Holland Village), #01-54
Web address: http://www.aupetitsalut.com/content/view/78/79/index.html

French dining needs not be expensive! We tried the set lunch (available daily, including Saturdays) which costed only S$22 per set. We upgraded the coffee to café latté (S$2 top up per person) and the total (S$24 x 2 = S$48++) was S$56.50 for 2 sets, inclusive of 7% GST and 10% service charge.

We had escargot, organic egg with salad, "Forty Garlic" chicken leg, Catch of the Day, créme brulée and chocolate ganache with whipped cream.

静思书轩. Jing-Si Books & Café

Physical address: 25 Trengganu Street, #01-12
Chinese web-site: http://www.tzuchi.org.sg/culture/intro1.html
English web-site: http://www.tzuchi.org.sg/en/Humanity/index1.html

Amidst the hustle and bustle of Chinatown, Jing Si (meaning "Still thoughts") Books & Café offers a quiet and meditative place for you to rest your feet and soul. You can read a good book, browse their publications or have a quiet chat with friends, while sipping hot beverages. They do not serve food.

Do check out the above website for more information.

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Miss Clarity Café

Physical Address: 5 Purvis Street (opposite the National Library)

If you have not been to this place, do check out its website at http://missclaritycafé.com. We did say these are "exotic" dining spots in Singapore. :-)

Well, the food is not bad and affordable. The Purvis Street café (closed on Sundays) IS popular on Fri and Sat evenings, so be prepared to queue for a table.

IL LIDO (Italian Dining + Lounge bar)

IL LIDO (http://www.il-lido.com/) is located at Sentosa Golf Club. There are indoor(air-con) as well as outdoor (sunset-view) seatings.

We took a credit card's "1-for-1 promotion set dinner" in May 2006, so it will not be accurate to list our spendings for that night here. I am quite sure we had the Duck Breast, Atlantic Cod and Molten Lava Dark Chocolate Cake. The last dessert item could be Tiramisu, which is no longer in the menu.

You can check out the menu at the website. Phone reservation is highly recommended.

My Secret Garden

Shhh... My Secret Garden website is at: http://www.mysg.com.sg/

The physical address is: 161, Middle Road

Another Garden.. Singapore is, after all, a Garden City. :-) We went in Jul 2005. We did not have much appetite that day and only ordered 2 pasta dishes totalling $34. After 10% Service Charge, 5% GST and 1% CESS, the total bill was $39.60

Halia Restaurant @ Botanic Gardens

The Halia Restaurant

(scroll down the F&B outlet page to the bottom at http://www.sbg.org.sg/visitorinfo/fnbgiftsoutlets.asp)

is located in the Ginger Garden at Singapore Botanic Gardens (1 Cluny Road). It serves local and Western fares in the day and offers Continental dining in the night. It is opened for breakfast on weekends. It is a pleasant walk from the entrance of the Botanic Gardens to the restaurant.

To eat among the greenery in daylight, we went for the afternoon hi-tea. We ordered the English Tea Sets and stayed from 3 pm to 5.30 pm. We went in Jul 2006. The price then was $18 per tea set. After 5% GST, 1% cess and 10% Service Charge, the bill for 2 sets came up to $41.96.

Do watch out for the occasional ant/insect that may land on your table. :-)

WHATEVER Café, Bookstore, etc

Physical Address: 20, 29A & 31 Keong Saik Road Chinatown.
Web Address: http://www.whatever.com.sg/

It is a bookstore, vegetarian café, lounge and offers yoga classes. From the website: "The common Aussie colloquial of 'Whatever' puts in a nutshell the 'can do' attitude of relaxed flexibility (Think 'No Worries Mate!')." Do check out this place !!

Flutes at the Fort

This place (website: http://www.flutes.com.sg/) is located behind the Central Fire Station (formerly Hill Street Fire Station) and was the former residence of the old Fire Chiefs. It is in a nice building up a hill. Service is excellent (6-star quality). For 2 persons who ordered 2 appetisers, 2 main courses, 2 desserts and 2 coffees for dinner, the cost was S$165 (total bill was $194.21, after including 10% service charge and 7% GST).

For appetisers, we ordered "Terrine of Foie Gras" and "Carpaccio of Scallops". For main course, we ordered "Roasted Black Cod" and "Grilled Kangaroo Loin". For dessert, we ordered "Chocolate Fondant" and a refreshing "Pineapple Ice Parfait". For coffee, the restuarant offered to make any type of coffee we want. :-)

Advance reservation by phone is highly recommended !!