Tai Cheong Bakery

Have wanted to try Tai Cheong Bakery's first cha chan teng since it opened in Singapore 2 years ago but only managed to finally get round to it recently. This is the Hong Kong brand's first foray into dine-in concept since its first bakery at Lyndhurst Terrace more than 60 years ago. Was in the area on a weekday when we decided to have an early dinner. Located at Holland Village, it has both indoor air-conditioned and outdoor dining area. There are a few tables in the former and we were fortunate to be seated inside. One of my dining companions ordered beef brisket curry rice while another had scrambled egg with chicken chop, choosing po lo bao over toast. Was surprised when the latter arrived as the portion was huge, definitely not a simple breakfast. The omelette was silky smooth, soft and moist while the po lo bao was fluffy like a pillow. And the chicken chop was crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside.

I had instant noodles in chicken (you can choose tomato too) soup with three eggs and ham. Loved the sunny side up though three yolks are too much even for an egg-lover like me, and could neither rave about the fried strips of luncheon meat nor fault the fork-tender beef brisket that had supposedly been braised for a good six hours. We also shared a cup of yuan yang – a good balance between coffee, tea and milk. However, it was not to my liking as I prefer mine to have a tad more coffee and less milk. Though the bakery is well-known for its egg tarts, we did not order it this time since we have tried the ones from this branch and Hong Kong (check out my post on What and Where to Eat in Hong Kong) before. Overall, it was a pleasant meal that was not too salty.

Bynd Artisan Leather Workshop

Chanced upon Bynd Artisan, which builds on its founding company's legacy of making and designing books by hand, when I was shopping at Tangs Orchard. As the customised notebooks are bound by twin-wire, chose to buy its book jacket and fitted a journal in instead. Made of natural-grained cowhide leather with suede inner lining and linen thread stitching, the book holder came with a leather bookmarker. With name embossed on the inside of the book jacket so the customisation was subtle, it was prettily packaged – placed in a leather box with black paper, and made an elegant gift. When I knew Bynd Artisan also shares its book-binding and leather-making expertise with hobbyists and aspiring craftsmen, I have been keeping a lookout for its workshops. There were a few times that I could make it but was too slow in booking so the timeslot was no longer available. Finally, the stars were aligned last month for me to sign up for its Leather Qudro Workshop this month. Attended the workshop opposite Holland Village, along Jalan Merah Saga at Chip Bee Gardens where The Daily Scoop was, to learn the fundamental techniques of working with leather.

The Daily Scoop

Having tried The Daily Scoop at Sunset Way many years ago, I was delighted to see the ice-cream parlour at Chip Bee Gardens. A few minutes' walk from Holland Village MRT Station, this is one of the more conveniently-located branches if you do not own a pair of wheels or two. It can also be found at Sembawang Cottage, and School of the Arts or SOTA. Every batch of ice cream is hand-churned, unlike commercial brands like Ben & Jerry's and Häagen Dazs. Not too different from I Scream, Island Creamery and Udders. Cartooned drawings stood out against white panelled and bricked walls in the brightly-lit café with glass frontage and lots of wood – chairs with back rests (there are a few orange metallic stools too), floor, round and square tables. Flavours here include Cha Earl Grey, Lychee Martini and Salted Mr Brown among others. I settled for Latte Chocomallow on a chocolate-coated cone. Loved the strong taste of coffee in the creamy smooth ice-cream with chocolate-covered marshmallow.