Leather Workshop by Maketh Project at Naiise

I enjoyed my experience making leather coin pouch, cardholder, key tab and bracelet earlier this year and decided to try my hands at another workshop. This time, it was to make a leather notebook and passport holder. Instead of signing up with Bynd Artisan, I chose a Naiise and Maketh Project collaboration held at the former's The Cathay branch. The instructors were late and came in with toolkits containing all the tools and materials needed. There were three shades of leather and several thread colours for us to choose. Papers with pre-punched holes were also provided for the notebook. Instead of drawing on the insides of the leather using pen and plastic templates, we drew on the outside of the leather with pencil (so the markings could be erased after) and cardboard templates. A metal ruler was used to guide the cutting with a penknife and I realised it was easier to cut the leather I chose for my notebook than the one I chose for my passport holder with card slot.

Tim Ho Wan Revisited

Have you heard the world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant has expanded its presence in Singapore? Tim Ho Wan by Chef Mak Kwai Pui opened a 2nd branch on Thursday at ERA Centre, formerly known as Toa Payoh Entertainment Centre. But until its official launch sometime next month instead of July as initially planned, it is available only to staff of Hersing Corporation and ERA agents who can bring along their family and friends. So my dining companions and I visited the one at Atrium@Orchard, next to Plaza Singapura. More than 4 months have passed since the hole-in-the-wall eatery, offering authentic made-to-order (not pre-steamed and reheated) Hong Kong style dim sum, arrived on our shores. I reached 15 minutes before it was opened for business yesterday and estimated from my position in the queue we would be within the 1st batch of seating. While waiting, order chits were distributed as staff asked for the number of people in each group.

New Kid on the Block – Tim Ho Wan

The world's cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant has landed on our shores. Tim Ho Wan by Chef Mak Kwai Pui, who hopes to offer authentic made-to-order (not pre-steamed and reheated) Hong Kong style dim sum to Singapore, opened at Atrium@Orchard yesterday. Next to Plaza Singapura, this is the hole-in-the-wall eatery's 1st overseas branch with the 2nd one in Toa Payoh opening in July and another four by year end. Recalled seeing a long queue at the original Mong Kok branch, which was awarded one Michelin star within a year of business and continued to earn the accolade every year since. With its recent move to Olympian City, the only branch with the hard-earned one star now is Sham Shui Po's though Tim Ho Wan also has presence in North Point and IFC Mall. No different from Hong Kong, seating here is on a 1st-come 1st-serve basis but customers can get a queue number and go shopping until they received a notification via SMS that their table is ready.

New Kid on the Block – Hoshino Coffee

Was looking forward to the opening of Hoshino Coffee, the more upmarket and artisanal sister café of Doutor Coffee. Both are managed by D&N Singapore, part of parent company Doutor Nichires Holdings in Japan, who also runs Japanese style spaghetti restaurant chain Yomenya Goemon and Chinese restaurant chain The Asian Kitchen. Presence of Japanese brands in the local coffee scene booming with both chains and home-grown independent joints meant caffeine junkies like me are spoilt for choice. Mild versus strong java, flat or full-bodied, from the usual American ones to recent additions such as Australian's Jamaica Blue and English's Costa Coffee with their 2nd and 3rd branches at The Star Vista and Vivocity respectively. At the revamped Atrium@Orchard next to Plaza Singapura, there is Starbucks on the 1st floor as well as Dome and Hoshino on the 3rd. Note that escalator from the 1st floor seemed to lead to the 2nd when it actually leads to the 3rd.