Buffet at Rise Restaurant Review

Rise Restaurant which is located at Marina Bay Sands is situated in an odd place, because it's smack bang in the middle the very busy lobby. It has quite an open concept, so people passing by can easily take a peek at what's on offer on the buffet table.

Priced at $80++ on Friday and Saturday night, it's pretty much at the top end of the buffets around town. For this price, I would be expecting a huge array of seafood and other foods (emphasis on seafood because I love seafood). So did it meet my expectation? Hmmm....not exactly. Yes the Oysters were beautiful, plump and sweet and oh so fresh (really you can't get better than that) and the sashimi was also delish, but I really had expected a bit more luxurious seafood. For one, the king crab legs were cut up into small pieces, which doesn't make for a nice decadent looking presentation. And the same for the mini lobsters. They had been cut up into small pieces till I didn't even realise they were lobsters. The prawns were also on the small side. There were also scallops, clams and mussels in the shell, but they didn't look too appealing so I didn't try them. But seriously, the oysters were extremely fresh, none of that metallic taste.

Sushi and some Japanese Sides

Every Saturday night is Singapore Themed Night. So there were local foods on offer, such as dry Curry Prawns which was quite tasty, Chilli Crab which wasn't that fantastic and the crab meat was on the soft and mushy side, the chilli gravy itself lacked that oomph that you get from other well known seafood restaurants in Singapore. But on the upside, all these premium foods were topped up quite efficiently when ever they were running low.

There is also a whole section dedicated to Indian food, including Briyani rice as well as Indian Rojak. You can also get your fix of Roast Pork Belly Chinese style, as well as Oyster Omelettes, Hokkien Mee, Satay, Yong Tau Foo.

You can also make your own drinks at the Soda bar. Get a mason jar, fill it with shaved ice, pour over whatever syrup flavour floats your boat and top with soda water. This is a nice change to the usual soda fountain.

For all you bread lovers, there is a whole island of bread! Yumm, but really though, realistically, who eats a ton of bread at a buffet?

Last but not least, there is a large selection of desserts, ranging from all sorts of candy and waffles and ice cream, to some Nyonya cakes as it's Singaporean Night. And the highlight of the dessert table is the awesome two tone chocolate fountain. Such a beautiful feature.

So there you go, that's my review of the buffet at Rise Restaurant at Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I would recommend it to all buffet lovers. Check the website for what promotions they have, when we went there was a 20% discount with Citibank cards.

Jakarta Aquarium, Indonesia

Jakarta malls are notoriously big. And the new mall called Neo SoHo, is so big that it even houses an aquarium! On two floors some more!

The price of a Standard ticket is Rp.175,000, which is about SG$17.50, it's a little steep for Indonesian standards, and there's also no child price. Do check out their website before you go, as there as different pricing for different timings and packages.

The place itself is quite spacious and it's unlikely that you'll be elbow to elbow with other visitors. There's plenty of room on the day we visited on a Sunday, then again it is still new, so there's not many people visiting it yet.

The first thing that you are greeted with when you enter is not an aquarium, but rather, a fake aquarium. Yes that's right, I said fake. It's actually an LED screen with fish swimming around on the screen. Why do they have to do that? It's so weird. Perhaps costs too much to have too many aquariums.

You can spend a good 1 - 1.5 hours there depending on how long you spend on each exhibit and whether you have kids, etc. There are enough things there that you won't really be bored, and it is educational for the kids.

One of the best exhibits there was this glass flooring that you can walk on top and underneath is the big aquarium with the big fishes like stingray, giant grouper, shark, etc. It's like those glass bridges that you can see straight down to the ground. I got all excited because I hadn't seen that elsewhere.

was super difficult to get a good picture on the glass flooring

Overall, I would give this attraction 3/5. If you go Jakarta and are staying nearby the Neo SoHo Mall, go check it out!

Jakarta Aquarium Address:

Neo SOHO Floor LG 101 - LGM 101, Jl. Letjen S. Parman Kav. 28.
Jakarta Barat, 11470

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Review of Facial at Heart Springs Spa (Hougang Branch)

I signed up a package at Heart Springs Spa for a facial when I did my Eyebrow Embroidery there. I can't remember the exact numbers, but after deducting the Eyebrow Embroidery, I had calculated that each of the 10 facial sessions would only cost me $88. This is the first time ever in my life that I have signed up for a facial package. I usually steer away from signing up any beauty packages. To be honest, I can't remember what made me decide to sign up. A smart person probably would've tested out the facial first before signing up. I did however get a mini facial for free when I did the eyebrows, and at that time it was acceptable to me and thought that the normal facials would be not bad too.

The Pros:

• The place is in a convenient location since it's situated in Hougang Mall, so it's easy to get to.
• The place is clean and not dodgy looking.

The Cons:

• They will always try to upsell you add ons etc. So be prepared to keep telling them no.
• The beauticians (I've had 2 different ones do my facials thus far), don't have very gentle hands. They just seem to be in a hurry to get it over and done with and it's all very methodical. And there are parts where they slap on the whatever creams or mud mask with a heavy hand.
• One of the biggest annoyance is when they put the full face mask on your face, it can get very claustrophobic and I think it's important that the beauticians do this gently and especially pay attention to the areas around the mouth and nostrils so that the customer doesn't get freaked out (like I did).

Yesterday when I had my facial, it was a different lady who did it. Let's just say she wasn't a local. I appreciated the fact that she didn't bother with small chat with me, she probably realised I couldn't speak Chinese much. But anyway, there was one part where they put this netted cloth thing over your face which also covers your mouth and nose. The cloth material had big enough holes in it that you're still able to breathe through it. They cover your eyes with cotton and proceed to slather a very cold mud/clay mask over your entire face except for the nose and mouth. The previous beautician cut out the nose and mouth area but this lady didn't and I started to feel like I was getting buried alive or something. I was starting to feel really freaked out and almost felt like I was going to get a panic attack. It definitely would have been better if she took the time.

I have 5 sessions left and it's very unlikely that I will sign up for any other packages. I would rather try other places.

Private Dog Training Experience in Singapore

When we brought Bella home at 3 months old, we really had no idea what we were in for.

We had issues with toilet training but that was minor, because she was smart and picked up toilet training quite fast, play biting, biting our wall corners and the most annoying habit of all was barking at us when we closed our room door and she was outside in her playpen. At that time Bella was too young to be allowed to run around the house unsupervised.

So we decided that we needed the help of a dog trainer. I had looked around the Internet and asked for recommendations from friends. It wasn't an easy decisions because it's pretty expensive. I then narrowed down my choice to Waggies and Happy Dog Training. Waggies got my attention because they had videos of the classes and the price was more pocket friendly. At that time it was about $650 for 10 group lessons. The videos showed how well the dogs responded to the obedience training, And it seemed pretty fun, until the part I saw where at the end of the training session, you had to perform all the tricks in front of the whole class, I guess like an exam to show that you passed the class. We're not much on being the centre of attention kind of people. Lame, I know. The other reason we were leaning towards Waggies was because, well, he was friends with the Dog Whisperer himself, Cesar Milan!

But in the end, we went with Happy Dog Training because the price for 1 on 1 training was much cheaper than Waggies and a friend of a friend had gone through it and said it helped. Since our issues were related to things at home, I felt that 1 on 1 training would be more beneficial. But on hindsight I really wished we had done the group lesson so that Bella could've gotten more dog socialisation. But for group lessons pricing, Waggies is still cheaper as they were 10 sessions of 1.5 hours each, whereas Happy Dog Training's lessons are only 1 hour each for 7 sessions at $500.

Before the first lesson started we were really excited, but my initial impression wasn't that great because the trainer was late at almost half an hour and never bothered to contact me. Our area is a little hard to find because it's a new place, so I would have understood if you got a bit lost. Another thing that I felt would have been good is if he didn't take up the first lesson to find out what are the issues we wanted to work on, instead would be good if he perhaps asked us to message him what our issues were so he could prepare lessons accordingly. So for the first lesson, perhaps due to our excitement, we sat excitedly hanging on to his every word, expanding our puppy knowledge. Nodding at everything he said and some things were real eye openers.

We have now finished all our 6 lessons. I can say the best thing about this trainer is his flexibility in lesson timings, if you need to postpone a lesson to another week or something he is okay with it. However, here is the less than pleasing things I found with this trainer: I didn't feel like he connected with our dog very well, I'm not even sure if he remembered her name...called her Buddy at one stage. Secondly, I was a little annoyed when one lesson, after we had missed and reshuffled some lessons, he said to us, where were we? Have I taught you this? To me, I felt like it was a little unprofessional and disorganised, shouldn't he take notes after each lesson and review each stage before he comes? I guess perhaps it's such a casual atmosphere for the 1 on 1 lessons that a lesson plan wasn't necessary as each lesson is to work on the problems we have at home. We spent a great deal each lesson talking and sometimes felt like one lesson only managed to deal with one issue.

Third thing I wasn't that happy about was that at times, we felt like he talked down on us and made us feel bad for not being a better pup parent. Perhaps trainers forget that normal people have a life and other things to do and can't spend hours on end training their dogs. Progress may be slower. It also felt like we didn't get to do some of the things that was listed on the website such as come to you when called off the leash, walk nice on leash without pulling, how to socialise your dog nicely, etc. Some things were only briefly touched on. Maybe 6 lessons just wasn't enough. On the last lesson, we went to his house where he also does Dog Boarding, so the pups in training are able to go there and socialise with the other dogs there. I was quite excited because we don't get to meet so many other dogs in one go. It was a n interesting experience to watch how Bella reacted to other dogs while off the leash. He had a big grassy backyard where the dogs can roam around freely anytime, but be warned because we got attacked by lots of bugs on our legs so we were itching like crazy. My only annoyance for this lesson was I felt like we pay $100 for this lesson and all we did was stand around for an hour watching Bella sniff other dogs, and other dogs sniff Bella. The purpose for the lesson was to watch the dog's body language....and I guess that's it?? Basically we're supposed to just go out and socialise Bella much much more (which is harder to do than it sounds) and put her in time out in her pen whenever she does something we don't like. That in itself is exhausting.

Though he has no doubt helped us on some issues, I don't think I can say that this was entirely worth the $600. First lesson yes, subsequently, no. And the more it dragged on the more I felt like I couldn't wait for the whole six sessions to be over. Maybe we just didn't have a connection, maybe others have, but this is just our experience and how we feel. I'm sure he's rehabilitated many many dogs and he's had many happy customers, but for me personally I think it was lacking great customer service, message replies are not very prompt or warm, eventhough there's a lifetime support, I'm doubtful that we'll get much support if we asked him questions now and I think it's important that he build a relationship with the dog and their owners. Just watch dog trainer Zak George on Youtube and you'll know what I mean https://www.youtube.com/user/zakgeorge21.

So if you're looking for a dog trainer, please think long and hard on what your needs are and what you are also looking for in the trainer themselves. Unfortunately we won't know what it's like until you've attended the first class but by that time it would be too late if you don't gel since you've already paid for all the lessons in full.

I would still love to sign Bella up for lessons at Waggies, but wish it was more affordable since we've already spent so much on her with the other trainer.

Rollie Olie Poke Bowl

A few weeks ago I went with my friend to Pasar Bella at Suntec for lunch and she had ordered a Poke Bowl from a stall named Rollie Olie. If you don't know, a Poke Bowl is a Hawaiian raw fish salad that's often served over seasoned sushi rice. It's basically like a Chirashi Don from Japan, where you have raw fish ie. Sashimi on top of seasoned sushi rice. As far as I can tell the difference in Poke Bowl and Chirashi Don is that Poke Bowl is more of a salad with more leaves and other ingredients instead of just raw fish. Really my type of food. It's so refreshing and appetising. On that day my friend had ordered the Yuzu Bliss Bowl.

Source: http://www.rollieolie.com/images/pdf%20files/RollieOlie_PasarBellaSuntec.pdf

She had ordered the Poke Bowl with Tea Infused Rice and I tell ya it was da bomb!! It was sooooo good. The tea infused rice is unlike anything I've ever had, it didn't give you a big hit of tea. On the first bite you taste the sushi rice vinegar seasoning, then the end note you get a subtle taste of tea (Early Grey I think?) and so you just want to keep going back to it. The Yuzu sauce was also on point. It was so fragrant and refreshing.

So today, I finally had the chance to go back to Pasar Bella and straight away I wanted to order a Poke Bowl for myself. I decided I should try a different flavour and chose the Seoul Surfer for $13.95. It had Salmon & Tuna, Lettuce, Carrots, Radish, Cucumber, Flying Fish Roe, Seaweed, Sesame Seeds & Spicy Korean Sauce.

Picture Perfect! 

You can see the flecks of tea on the rice.

This was such a yummy lunch!! And I would gladly come back and order another Poke Bowl again. In comparison to the Yuzu Bliss, I think I prefer the Yuzu Bliss because although I love spicy food, in this instance the Yuzu was just so fragrant and refreshing and just paired really well with the contents of the Poke Bowl. Two thumbs up!

Rollie Olie at Pasar Bella
3 Temasek Boulevard
Suntec City Mall, North Wing
PasarBella Suntec, #01-K42
Singapore 038983

The Bark Cafe

On one evening after bike riding at Pasir Ris park, we decided to have dinner at Changi Village. It was Sunday. Changi Village was packed. I was pretty disappointed because I had my heart set on eating some bbqed seafood like Gong Gong (sea snails) and Sambal Stingray 😢 In Singapore, where ever there is good food it will often mean no parking. So we drove around and around trying to figure out where to eat and hubby remembered a place his colleague had brought him to but he had no idea of the name, he just knew it was around the same area. So after driving around for a while, he pulls into a small little carpark just in front of the Changi Chapel & Museum. And right beside it was a little restaurant called The Bark Cafe. The carpark was quite full so I guessed the food must be good and they must have their own regulars because the cafe is kind of situated in the middle of no where.

I didn't take photos of the interior, you can google it and you'll find pictures. It is a casual cafe with choices of Western and Asian food. The cafe has a nice ambience, good music, and is semi al fresco, where you feel like you're sitting in someone's backyard having dinner. It is covered from rain and elements, but there are no walls, so everything is pretty airy and outdoorsy. But it wasn't hot either as there were lots of ceiling fans.

On the menu there were typical Western choices of fries, fried chicken wings, pizza, pasta and grills. On the Asian choices, there were things like mee goreng, hor fan, etc. On inspecting the menu, I was a little shocked at how pricey things were. Most mains on the menu averaged out between $17-$19 with the most expensive dishes at about $27 for ribs or steak! I'm more used to cafes that price their items at around $14-$15 for things like pasta and fish and chips.

So we decided to order the below food:

Fish and Chips $18.90, because Caelyn had a craving for it. It's probably one of the most expensive fish and chips we've ever had. But thankfully it was a big portion of fish, and it was tasty. The fish was huge and tasted fresh with no fishy smell and it was so moist. The batter was also light and non greasy and wasn't too thick, just nice. So thumbs up for that. The chips were delicious, I was surprised there were hints of truffles in the chips. I wasn't sure if it was meant to be truffle chips, or did they just put the chips in a container that had been used to prepare truffle fries which they have on their menu. The side salad was also a pleaser as it was nicely dressed in a Japanese sesame dressing. 

See how big the portion is compared to Caelyn? The chips didn't look much but was hidden underneath the fish.

We also ordered the Cheesy Hamburger with a homemade beef patty, topped with fried egg and bacon, $18.90. Again, it was a pretty big burger. Hubby couldn't fit the whole thing in his mouth so he ended up cutting it up with a knife and fork. I thought the burger tasted pretty good. The bread was nicely toasted, giving it a lovely crunchy contrast to the meat patty which I thought was quite juicy and flavoursome. The bacon was also nice and cruncy. However, can you see that cheese in my picture? It would've been good if the cheese had been melted over the patty rather than just simply an added topping to the burger. I've watched enough Food Network and AFC channels to know what constitutes a good burger. I'm not saying it was bad, but could be improved. It was nice that they also gave a side salad (dressing was same as the fish and chips one).

The next dish we ordered was the Black Pepper Smoked Duck $18.90 which came with mashed potato and side salad (same dressing as above). At first look, I really liked the presentation. The duck was sliced like an accordian and you can see the fat had been rendered. The skin wasn't exactly crispy but had a nice glaze to it. There was some kind of sweet sauce on the plate which made the duck taste better when you smeared the sauce on it. The mashed potatoes was nice, but a little stingy. A bit more and the plate would've looked fuller. The duck itself was okay. Hubby thought it was a little chewy, but I thought it was fine and how smoked duck was probably supposed to be. However I thought it had this slight funny taste, maybe slightly gamey. Usually when I eat duck cooked in Chinese way it doesn't taste gamey, so maybe it's the method of cooking or maybe I'm completely wrong and the funny taste was the glaze or something. The taste lingered so much that as soon as I got home I had to eat some ice cream to wash away the taste. Overall this dish was okay, but I wouldn't order it again. 

We also ordered a Diet Coke and a pint of Heineken and brace yourself, the bill came to $83.10 after tax and service charge! That to me is one expensive cafe dinner. Would I go back again....maybe...if someone asked me to go with them, but we as a family probably wouldn't intentionally just go there again to have dinner. Service was okay, not much warmth but they were quick to accommodate our needs.

What I disliked though is how the food came out all at different times. Fish and Chips came out first, then only about 10-15 minutes after the fish and chips did the burger come out, followed by the duck at another 10 minutes after that. If you are dining with family, I'd say it's ok to eat at different times, but if you were dining with friends, it's a little awkward if you had to eat first while your friend is waiting for their food. You could wait, but then your food would end up being cold and unpleasant.

The Bark Cafe
Address: 1000 Upper Changi Rd N, Singapore 507707

*this is an unsponsored review