Buffet time at Botanic Gardens

We haven't been blogging of late primarily because we haven't been going on any fresh budget dates. We've been busy preparing for our wedding album photoshoot, planning for our upcoming wedding, and eating at Sumo House a lot. Ms Budget really likes the udon there.

Today Mr Budget is sitting in the photo studio, waiting for the make-up artist to finish painting... er... decorating... er... making Ms Budget more beautiful that she normally is, and since most guys don't wear make-up, there's really nothing much for Mr Budget to do except fiddle around with his phone.

For our wedding photoshoot, one of the places we are going to is the Botanic Gardens. One of the things that we, Budget Couple, like to do is the unusual. There doesn't seem like there's anything unusual about having our wedding photos taken at the Botanic Gardens, but for us, all our locations have special meaning for us.

We have spent many a Sunday afternoon visiting the Botanic Gardens to feed the animals that live in Swan Lake. The man-made lake is home to two pairs of swans that are really fun to watch. They swim round and round the lake, looking out for people who like to feed them.

One of the first times we went, Ms Budget was wearing a green dress and the swans quickly came swimming up to her. We think it's because they mistook her for a giant lettuce.

We quickly found out what the swans eat - leafy vegetables like spinach and cai xin - and what they don't eat - bread and alfafa sprouts. The fish that live in the lake, however, eat almost anything, including whatever the picky swans don't. But when hungry, the swans will eat anything that they are given. They are hungriest on weekdays, and most picky on weekends. That's because on weekends, parents like to bring their children to the Botanic Gardens to feed the swans. It's a cheap and fun activity for the whole family.

Once, while we were leaving the Gardens, we came across a father bringing his child to the Swan Lake. The child was carrying a whole loaf of bread - the kind with extra slices. We laughed ourselves silly about it, and then asked the father if they were going to feed the swans. He nodded, saying, "It's buffet time."

The water in Swan Lake is murky, not clear, so we can't really see what lives in the water. But we do know that there is at least one giant fish in there. Once, some mynahs flew over the water, and somewhere in the middle, a giant fish jumped out of the water at the poor bird. It made a huge splash but caught no bird. There are also smaller flying fish in there and some can jump about half a metre above the water surface.

Swan Lake is located towards the entrance closest to Gleneagles Hospital, where Holland Road meets Napier Road. If you're driving, you will probably need to park near the Visitors Centre, which is about 10 minutes' walk from the Swan Lake. There might be a closer one, but we're not sure because we don't drive. We normally take public transport and stop along Napier Road, just after the American Embassy.

What to bring:
If you're intending to spend an afternoon there, bring a groundsheet and pack a picnic basket to bring along. Otherwise, just bring along a bottle of water, full or empty it doesn't matter as the Gardens have water fountains for you to fill up. Alternatively, you can bring coins to purchase drinks at the vending machines. It can get really hot there in the afternoons.

Try to avoid buying your drinks from the refreshment stall near the Ginger Garden, as these are quite expensive. If you're there and are thirsty, search for the water fountain near the toilets just behind the Orchid Garden souvenir shop.

Also, if you're a shutterbug, bring along your camera. There's plenty of subjects, not to mention each other, to take photos of. We especially like to observe the huge variety of dogs that pet owners bring here for a walk. We don't have the camera at the moment though...

What to do:
The Gardens are huge. It takes 25 minutes of fast walking to get from one end to the other. Take your time to explore. The Evolution Garden, and the Ginger Garden are two places to start. Or you can just hang out at Swan Lake and people-watch.

Cheap authentic Japanese food - Wasabi Tei

If Sumo House has "the cheapest Japanese food in town", then Wasabi Tei must have the cheapest authentic Japanese food in town.

Located on the fifth floor of Far East Plaza, in a tiny shop that seats only 16 persons (and that's already a squeeze), a typical visit to this place during meal time will see a wait in a queue lasting at least half an hour. The trick, we've found, is to come outside of regular meal hours. For example, when we came at 3.30pm one Saturday, an hour before they closed for a break, we had to wait only five minutes to get a seat.

This is what the shop looks like from the outside:

You're looking at the full width of the shop. It's that tiny.

The interior setting is a U-shaped bar counter where sashimi is taken from the freezer on display (only because the shop is so small), sliced before your eyes and served in generous portions.

Manned by only one serving lady and one authentically Japanese chef, who incidentally are so confident in the quality and price of food they serve that they do not bother giving you a smile when they take your order. Not that they are stuck up or anything, but they do tend to look quite intimidating if we should dare to change our order. We didn't even dare to take a photo in their presence, so this was a quick snap of Ms Budget's salmon sashimi.

Seats are so valuable in this place that they charge you $2 just for sitting there. Of course that comes with japanese tea, a soft drink or mineral water, but you must order a dish.

A plate of salmon (or assorted) sashimi costs $15. If you're going for something more filling, such as a meal that includes rice, you can try the $10 teriyaki grilled salmon or $9 grilled mackerel. Mr Budget has tried the latter two (he's not a fan of raw food like Ms Budget is!), and he says that he kind of feels like a cow after eating the huge pile of veggies that come with it. That's not to say the fish is small or anything. He wishes he had a photo of it to show you.

Ms Budget who has had both thinks that the sashimi served at Ministry Of Food (MOF) in AMK Hub is better, but she thinks the grilled fish is fantastic!

The outlet also has pricier dishes for those with more expensive tastes, but that's not us, otherwise we wouldn't be blogging about this no GST, no service charge, budget date. Payment by cash only though, so make sure you bring enough.

Wasabi Tei is located at:

Far East Plaza, #05-70

It is easiest to find if you go up the lift that faces Scotts Road.

Opening hours:

Mon-Fri: 12.00nn-3.00pm and 5.30pm-9.30pm

Sat: 12.00nn-4.30pm and 5.30pm-9.30pm

Closed on Sundays and public holidays

Missing In Action

We haven't updated this blog because the Blogger WYSIWYG editor is missing. We are waiting for Blogger to sort out this terribly inconvenient problem.

Our next post, however, will tell you how to find cheap authentic Japanese food in Singapore. Stay tuned!

How to have a meal for two at $10 in Cafe Cartel

Cafe Cartel has always been the place that we like to go to when we want to eat in a restaurant but don't want to spend much. We go here when we're on a tight budget yet want a nice place to eat. Why? Because Cafe Cartel gives free flow of bread and water. :D

But who wants to eat just bread and water, right? There are a few dishes that Cafe Cartel is known for - pan-fried linguine, St. Louis pork ribs, and pan-fried macaroni. When we're in more of a spending mood, Mr Budget loves to go for the pan-fried linguine, but don't try the pan-fried macaroni until you note the description which says that it is fried in Cartel's secret sambal sauce. Ms Budget didn't see it the first time she ordered it, and it was a hot experience for her.

So anyway, the first time we did the Budget Cartel date, it was with the Super Chic'n Wing Zings... basically fried chicken wings. We ordered one of this ($5.80) and a soup of the day ($3.80). That brought us to $11.20 (inclusive of GST and service charge).

Two Sundays ago, we found something on the table when we arrived:


It was 8.45pm when we got seated, so we dallied around till 9.05pm (just to be safe) before making our order. It says 50% off all snackers and coffee drinks, right? But who wants to order coffee at after 9.00pm when we have work the next morning?

Here's what we ordered:

The Super Chic'n Wing Zings

(usual price $5.80, now $2.90)

and... dah-dah-dum! the Supreme Platter: a combination of breaded fish, calamari, scallops, chicken nuggets, cheddar crisp potatoes, served with Chef's special sauce and tartar sauce.

(usual price $11.50, now $5.75)

We topped up the meal with bread and water. The staff were only too eager for us to help finish the leftover bread, otherwise they'd have to throw it away, so no need to feel paiseh.

Free flow of bread, with butter

The water expands the bread in your stomach, so if you want to feel fuller, just eat more bread and drink more water.

That brought our total to $10.15 (with GST and service charge).

Our receipt for $10.15

Now you know. You can try various combinations of snackers for variety and, if you have any other after-9pm offers to share, let us know!

Where to go for cheap and good pasta

A friend of ours, Regina, recommended to us this place at Liang Court called Saizeriya. We wanted to blog about this earlier, but we couldn't find the photos till now.

First of all, where's Liang Court? It's not a place that we've visited before, so we had to find a way to get there. Fortunately, Mr Budget has a direct bus to the place, which is along River Valley Road, at Clarke Quay, just beside the Singapore River.

Our first impression of the building was a reminder of a shopping mall we visited during our holiday in Bangkok earlier this year. That shopping mall was called... The Mall. Liang Court reminded us of it, because its architecture is really old-school.

Even the building interior is old-school. We remember there is an exit to a carpark inside the building, and the walls are covered with the little brown square tiles from the 1980s. It's a nostalgic building, and our parents speak fondly of it... they probably used to go there for their dates!

Today Liang Court looks like any other shopping mall, except emptier. We're told that this place gets really crowded on weekends, especially with families. Lots of parents bring their kids here. Maybe for that nostalgic feeling. The impression we got on walking around the first level was, "Here got cheap food meh???" But yes, there is, as we are about to share with you.

Regardless of whether you're coming to Saizeriya on a weekday or a weekend, be prepared to queue. The queue is not normally that long, at least not on a weekday night, but of course the larger the group, the longer the wait.

Once inside, don't expect to have a romantic date. Save it for later, because Saizeriya is a really noisy place. Most of the time, you have to shout to make yourself heard, which is something Mr Budget really dislikes. But don't worry, the food more than makes up for that.

Saizeriya is a Japanese-Italian budget restaurant. This means that you're going to get some strange combinations. But the prices at this place are quite unlike other restaurants. Pizzas here cost somewhere between $7-9. We haven't tried these yet, so we shall not comment on it. Friends who like six escargot find the $5.58 price a steal.

Steaks (actually patties) come at $8. They come with a fried egg, a few potato wedges, and some veggies. But where else can you get a scrumptious rib-steak for $13.38? Yes, the prices are weird.

The Hamburg steak and pork, priced at $7.98 is mucho yummy too! We shared this and we shared a pasta. We don't have a photo of the Hamburg steak and pork, but we have one of the Hamburg steak:

Hamburg steak


Ms Budget ordered a seafood chowder soup ($2.98), which wasn't very nice, but the grilled spicy sausages, five of them, which came with four potato wedges (haha!) were pretty good. If you're feeling thirsty, there's a free-flow drink bar at $2.58, but we thought that was not worth it - how much were we going to drink anyway? So we had plain water which was free.

Our main course was pasta, which is usually about $10-13 at other restaurants. Saizeriya gives you pasta at about $5-7, which is about food court price. The difference is, the pasta here is absolutely yummy!

We had the spaghetii 'tarako' sauce with pollack roe, which was $5.68, and oh so yummy! Another time, Mr Budget had the spaghetti carbonara, which he frequently uses as a taste test to measure the standard of pasta at a restaurant. This dish, which cost him $7.18, passed with flying colours.

Spaghetti carbonara

Like all restaurants, there's GST and service charge, and a really great dinner for us amounted to... $19.60. The portions were just nice. Though they look small at first glance, the meals here are pretty filling, and you don't find yourself overstuffed.

As mentioned above, Liang Court is located at Clarke Quay, so a romantic walk alongside the Singapore River is in store for you when you leave the place. You'd probably have to walk it if you're heading for the NEL anyway.

Saizeriya is located at:
Liang Court, #02-22

Because it's crowded, what you can do is to call 6337 9001 for reservation. It's open from 11.00am-10.00pm daily.

Next week, we tell you how to have a meal for two at Cafe Cartel for $10.

Jumble Sale 8-14 July

It's here again! Mr Budget's favourite jumble sale!

Ever since Mr Budget chanced across this jumble sale while emerging from a World Youth Day meeting at the Catholic Archdiocesan Youth Centre (2 Lorong Low Koon) about a year ago, he's been hooked to it. This will be his 3rd jumble sale at the centre, and his 5th to 7th visits!

The jumble sale lasts for a week and all proceeds go to the centre. You can find almost anything in the entire hall reserved for this sale. Clothes will be grouped into various piles in the centre, and will probably go for about $2 an item. Most small items are priced at $2, while the larger the item, the higher the price. Still, you can pick up a luggage bag for $6, or a refrigerator for $50.

The pre-sale will be on Tuesday, 7th July. This is a good time to get best picks of items. The last day, 14th July, will be the time for great deals. Items will be sold really cheaply. The last time, Mr Budget spent 2 hours shopping in there, and came away with 3 kg of clothes (for $3) and a haversack for $2.

However, do note that the sale is on from 8.00am to 4.00pm daily during this period, so if you have to work, well, try to get to it on the weekends then. If you have old stuff to give away, you can also bring it to this jumble sale, where it will be resold next time round.

We Like Chicken Rice

Last week, we wrote about the Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice we ate in Chinatown for $2. That was on Sunday. The following day, we were both on leave because it was our monthiversary - we've been celebrating on the 15th of every month since we went steady as a couple 39 months ago.

We went for a day trip to Changi Beach. The original plan was to go there for a picnic, but Ms Budget wanted to eat the Changi Village Nasi Lemak, so we modified our plans. When we reached there, we found that the nasi lemak stall opens only at 6pm. >_<

So we decided to go someplace else. At Blk 5 - the long block of holiday flats opposite beside Changi Village Hotel - there is a row of pubs, a kopitiam, and a few cafes and food stalls. One of them is... you guess it! a branch of Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice. Again for $2!

So we had that for lunch. There are a few small differences. This one doesn't give Mentos sweets, but you can help yourself to as much free soup as you want - we had three medium-sized bowls. Basically we took the soup until we were too paiseh (embarrassed) to take more! Hee hee!

We spent the afternoon on the beach, digging in the sand, building sand hills (castles were too much of a hassle), walking along the water, looking for seashells, and people-watching. We also drew stuff in the mushy sand... or was it mushy stuff in the sand?

As it was the school holidays when we went, there were a number of teenagers there. It was actually surprising to find so many people there. We thought that people would prefer to go to East Coast Park. But then again, the sand at Changi Beach is so much nicer.

There was also the option of going for the Changi Beach Boardwalk, which is a 1.2 km coastal boardwalk with scenic views of the sea and Pulau Ubin, but we've been for this before in one of our earlier dates, so we didn't go this time.

When evening came, we headed back to Changi Village to get our nasi lemak. The yummy yummy nasi lemak. We've never tasted such delicious ikan kuning (the small crispy fish that usually comes with nasi lemak) and of course the rice and chilli. Mr Budget doesn't normally eat chilli, but he usually makes an exception for nasi lemak and fried hokkien mee.

That's all for this week. Next week, we'll tell you where to get yummy pasta for $7, and pizzas for $9.

Speaking of pizzas, we had Skinny Pizza at Suntec City last night. Not good. It's not cheap, and not worth the price. Neither is it filling. It's our first and last time there.

An afternoon in Chinatown + Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice

Recently, we have been challenged by our church community magazine to plan a date for $10 or less. Not to show off, but Ms Budget said that was too easy because we go for such dates rather frequently; we enjoy them!

Case in point: Last week we went for two such dates (and apologies for not updating this blog last week!)

On Sunday, we went to Chinatown. Now Chinatown is a fascinating place, if you haven't been there before or in a long time. Sure, Chinese New Year is a great time to visit Chinatown to soak up the atmosphere, but the place is knee-deep in culture and other oddities on any other day of the year too!

Chinatown itself is well-known for finding great bargains and cheap food. But here at our Budget Couple blog, we look for more than great savings; we also look for good deals, especially when it comes to food. A friend said that the cheapest food anywhere in Singapore is still hawker centre, but not every hawker centre with cheap food serves good food.

Over in Chinatown, we went to a place recommended by Ms Budget's colleague, and we're going to share it with you now.

Along Smith Street, off New Bridge Road, directly opposite Chinatown Complex, you will find a row of shop houses. At one of these shop houses there is a branch of the famous Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice.

The address is: 56 Smith Street.

What's so good about this? For one thing, it's only $2 per plate. Of course the shop also sells other dishes, such as oyster sauce vegetables, chicken feet, etc, but all these come at $3 or more. You want a good deal? Stick to the standard plate of chicken rice.

What's more, ordering the $2 plate of chicken rice gives you a medium-sized bowl of soup that comes free, together with a Mentos breath mint. This is to counter the smell of garlic which will inevitably emanate from you after chowing down your chicken rice with dark soya sauce and mashed garlic.

But! We don't recommend their drinks. Save it for a $3 coconut that you can both share. Unfortunately, we forgot the address of the place...

We won't tell you where else in Chinatown to go, because everywhere is great fun just walking around and seeing everything that is there. Instead, we'll show you just some of what we came across:

Here, two uncles are selling photocopies (and some originals) of personalities and photographs of Singapore in the 1950s.

Two old ladies chatting as they display their metal jewellery for sale.

A man examines a piece of jewellery... perhaps to buy for his wife?


An older uncle trying to sell a middle-aged uncle some trinkets.

Speaking of trinkets, there are tons of stuff there. What caught Mr Budget's attention were some old coins and dollar notes. There were the old S$1 coins - the silverish ones, not the gold ones we have now, and dollar notes having the same serial numbers or special numbers that people might want to buy. But why would we pay $3 for a coin marked $1, and that is no longer in use?

Hence, look around, but you don't have to buy anything. You will want to, though. What you will definitely need is a cap or sunshade, and carry around a bottle of water, because the heat these days is a real scorcher.

At the end of the afternoon, after much walking around, we recommend hopping onto the North East Line, and taking the train a couple of stops to Dhoby Ghaut for... you guessed it! A foot massage at TT Quick Massage!

Next week: Another $10 date, this time in a relatively secluded place!

Sumo House - the cheapest Japanese food in town!

When we can't decide on a place to eat, which usually happens on a weekend evening, one of the places we frequently find ourselves going to is Sumo House.

Though the Japanese food is not splendid - actually it doesn't taste like Japanese food at all - the prices are good. The franchise which is available in Ang Mo Kio, Clementi, and Bedok, sells a la carte dishes and set meals, with the cheapest set meal being the katsu don at $2.90.

That's a decent price for a medium-sized bowl of rice, egg, and chicken, and it comes with miso soup, pickles, and some fruit as well. Actually, all the set meals come with those sides. To top it off, customers get free-flow of hot green tea as well, albeit somewhat diluted.

Like we said earlier, the food's not fantastic, but the prices are. A couple of Sundays ago, we had dinner here, and our total bill for a meal for two came up to $6.20 (including GST). A friend remarked that it's even cheaper than eating at a food court. We heartily agree. Like a food court though, it's also air-conditioned, and always crowded.

Another friend tells us that if you're the last customer for the night, the staff will give you a plate of sushi on the house. We have not yet confirmed this with our own experience, so please feel free to try it out and let us know what's the best time to go.

We normally visit the Sumo House in Ang Mo Kio for dinner on Saturday or Sunday. After dinner, and filled to the brim with green tea, we often make our way to the neighbouring Cash Converter. Though we hardly buy anything from here, it's a great place to window shop; you always find the weirdest things here and, once in a while, a real gem can be found.

We've been known to find gift-worthy items at jumble sales, secondhand shops, thrift stores, and Cash Convertor.

These are the addresses of the three Sumo-House outlets in Singapore:

Ang Mo Kio Central
Blk 710A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8
#01-2633
Singapore 561710

Bedok Central
799 Upper Changi Road
#01-02
Singapore 467351

Clementi Central
Blk 451 Clementi Avenue 3
#01-309
Singapore 120451

Website: www.sumo-house.com

We haven't been to the other two, but the Ang Mo Kio branch is easiest to get to by MRT. Just cross the road at the traffic light on the side of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8, and it is located behind the bus stop. The Cash Converter is just round the corner.

Dhoby Xchange

Where to go after a nice relaxing 10-minute massage? Well, after TT Quick Massage has warmed you up and as you sit there sipping your hot cup of cooling tea, let your eyes wander to just outside the kiosk.

Located in the centre of Dhoby Xchange, is JustAcia - your destination for noodles & rice set meals from $5.90 onwards. Being the Budget Couple we are, we'll of course take the $5.90 sets. But regardless of which set meal you choose, you'll have free-flow of cappuccino, soft drinks, and ice-cream!

Although there's no service charge, GST applies. Seats and tables take a little while to find as the place is often crowded, especially on weekends. What's more, seats really do take a while to find because JustAcia is all over Dhoby Xchange! It's hard to tell where it ends and where another food outlet begins, so just follow the directions of the staff.

If free-flow average-tasting ice-cream is not to your liking for dessert, we've got another great place for you to try out. It's called P. Osh, an all black-and-white shop that specializes in brownies. Depending on the topping you choose, prices per slice range around $3.00.

Okay, so that's not cheap, but it's still a good deal because they are oh so yummy! The free samples served by the promoter just outside the kiosk are just the tip of the iceberg, or rather, the base, of the brownie, that is. But what really kicks in P. Osh brownies are really the toppings, available in 11 different flavours.

The most popular ones are the Triple Chocolate and the Marshmallow, but we are a little picky. I, Ms Budget, only like milk chocolate, so we often ask the staff to sell us a customised slice of brownie with just melted milk chocolate topping. You can choose your own, of course, and the staff are always happy to oblige.

I, Mr Budget, was initially skeptical of the brownies, but the moment Ms Budget popped one piece dripping with chocolate into my mouth, my face melted into ecstasy.

Though P. Osh is a little beyond what we usually call 'budget', it's a must-try when you're here. One slice for two people is usually enough. Too much and you tend to get gelak (italics) (sick of the rich flavour).

How to get there:
JustAcia is located at #B1-45 to 50, while P. Osh can be found at #B1-40 of Dhoby Xchange, which is located just above the exit of the North-South line of Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.

P. Osh can be found at #B1-40 of the same place.

Have fun!

Traditional Thai Massage @ Dhoby Xchange

When we went to Bangkok recently, we each got a fabulous hour-long traditional Thai massage for 250 baht, which is roughly equivalent to S$10. Where in Singapore can you find a traditional Thai massage for that kind of money?

We have one favourite place. It's called TT Quick Massage. ('TT' stands for 'Traditional Thai'.) A quick massage here costs just $10 but lasts for only for 10 minutes. It's a great place to drop by after a long day at the office hunched up in front of the computer. It's perfect if a massage is just what you're looking for without having to blow your budget or don't want to go to a sleazy one offering 'additional' services.

Speaking of services, TT Quick Massage offers the following:

- Shoulder & Back Massage
- Head Massage
- Foot Massage
- Spots Massage (which we think means massage at certain spots only)

In addition, there are some promotional packages to consider. There's the basic package which offers 5+1 massage services for $50. We happened to drop by on Mother's Day earlier this month when they were having a special 5+2 package for $50. Of course we got it.

There's more! Recommend a friend to buy a package, and you get a free massage as well. So if you're going there, and you sign up for a $50 package, drop us an email with the name you used, and we can get a free massage with the next package we get. You rub our back, and we'll keep rubbing yours by sharing with you these great budget tips!

How to get there:
TT Quick Massage is located at Dhoby Xchange, #B1-34 of Dhoby Ghaut MRT station. There's a strip of shops just above the exit of the North-South line in the station.

Next week, we'll share with you some of the other places to check out in Dhoby Xchange that will keep you coming back!

Ladies Plus Size Clothes Bazaar

We normally wait for Thursday before we blog about our latest budget date, but here's something that has caught our attention that's going on this week.

ACMI is having a Ladies Plus Size Clothes Bazaar from May 25-29. The catch is, it's open only from 10.00am-3.00pm at 11 Hillside Drive in what used to be CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent.

The tagline for the bazaar reads: Casual & office wear PLUS SIZE ladies clothings for sale at a special price of $10 for 3 pieces. Proceeds go to ACMI Migrant Welfare Fund.

ACMI stands for Archdiocesan Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People. We wonder why they don't call themselves "ACPCMIP". It's a Catholic organization. We find that religious organizations and non-profit organizations sometimes hold jumble sales and have thrift stores that are simply great for a budget date. One of our favourite is held twice a year at Lorong Low Koon. We'll let you know when it comes again.

Little Guilin

We like to go to places where there are big bodies of water. The sea, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs are all places we like to go to when we can. There's a certain calming feeling we get when we stare out over the surface of the water.

A few weeks ago, we spent a Sunday afternoon in the western area of Singapore. We took a nice long train ride from Ang Mo Kio all the way to Bukit Batok. This region used to be a place for mining granite. The name 'batok' comes from the noise made by the blasting in the granite quarry that now form the natural surroundings of Little Guilin.


We had heard of the place before, but this was our first time there. It's a nice little man-made lake in the disused quarry. Makes for nice photographs, but is actually quite unimpressive. There used to be a trail that led up the quarry so you can overlook the lake, but it is now closed because people have died from jumping or falling from there.

It's a nice place to spend a weekend morning or afternoon. Pack some sandwiches and drinks for a picnic. Makes for a nice change from all the shopping malls.

How to get there:
It's a short walk from Bukit Gombak MRT station. Head to Bukit Batok East Avenue 5, walk past the stadium and you're there. Be sure to bring a camera for those artistic and scenic photos.

Cost:
Other than your transport, it's free. Best deal for a budget couple like us. :D

Joe's Kitchen Thai Cuisine

Yo! My name is Joe,

and I work in a button factory.

The Joe in question here is the one found in Joe's Kitchen. On the recommended by Geraldine who likes the idea of this blog, we decided to pay a visit to one of her lunch-hour haunts.

This Thai food outlet is located along Alexandra Road, directly opposite Queensway Shopping Centre. The signboard, in bright orange, draws your attention, and only later am I reminded of the orange colour of its tom yam soup. The bright colour contrasts nicely with the brown wooden tables and chairs inside.


Its main attraction on the menu for the budget couple that we are is the $1.50 pineapple rice. The portion is large enough not to let you go hungry later. But it's not meant to be eaten alone.

Other items on the menu that are worth trying are the Thai prawn cake (with real prawn!) for $2.30 each (a bit expensive, but worth a try), crispy seafood tofu which are $5 for six pieces, and the home-made brewed barley (not the cordial type) for $1.20. We were kind of hungry, so we started eating before remembering to take a photo of what we ordered:


We came here on a Sunday evening, just after the evening shift (5-10pm) began, looking for an early dinner. By the time we left a short while later, it was already half full. My guess is that it's quite popular for the working crowd in the area, so the lunch shift (11am -3pm) should find the place pretty crowded.

We recommend making a trip here if you're visiting IKEA to walk around or are going to the Henderson Waves for the bridge walk. It's air-conditioned, so feel free to sit as long as you like.

The address of Joe's Kichen is:
Blk 125 Bukit Merah Lane 1, #01-182, S150125

It is on the side of the block closer to AIA building, along the main road. Not difficult to find.

It is open every day at the abovementioned times.

Did we mention that this eatery is recommended by King Of Thrift as well?


Give it a try if you're in the area. Thanks for the tip, Geraldine!

Fried Chicken Buffet @ Dallas Chicken & Ribs

One weekday when the both of us had some free time, we took the opportunity to try out something we had heard of some time ago. Over in Chinatown, there is a place called Dallas Chicken & Ribs which has a fried chicken buffet for $10 from 3.00pm-6.00pm, presumably because it's slow at this time of day.

As we stepped inside the nearly empty restaurant, we were greeted pleasantly by one of the staff. Looking around, we noticed a framed kalimah in the corner, revealing Dallas' to be owned by a Muslim. The 'kalimah' literally means 'the phrase' and is central to the belief of Muslims. 'The phrase' is: There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is Allah's Messenger. So do expect Halal food when you come here.

The menu looks like a fast-food restaurant, only much cheaper. But what we came for was the fried chicken buffet which serves chicken thigh, breast, wing, nuggets, and fries. The fries are the thick kind, not the skinny ones you find in McDonald's. Each customer also gets one free drink (use sparingly) and one rolo or burger which can contain chicken or fish. We stayed away from this because bread takes up space. Incidentally, the chicken rolo is nothing but pieces of chicken wrapped in a roti prata.

Buffet customers need to take note that you may not get what you order, because the buffet is subject to availability. Hence, we didn't get the chicken wings we ordered, but we could order anything else. We settled for 5 chicken breasts, 1 thighs, 3 drumsticks, 6 nuggets, and 2 packets of fries. Granted the fries are potato and hence not really worth the space, they're pretty yummy and we figured we needed a break from all that chicken.

If the oil is too much for you (it's deep-fried chicken after all), try going for the chicken breast as it doesn't absorb so much oil. All in all, this meal will be healthier than a KFC meal as the chicken served doesn't contain so much fat, and the portions served aren't dripping with oil. But it's only going to be as healthy as any deep-fried chicken meal.

Order as much as you want. If you have time, just sit there until 6.00pm when you can make your last order. Personally we find that we do get gelak after a while. Gelak is a Malay word meaning... er... there's no English equivalent. Nevermind, just get over to Dallas Chicken & Ribs, order a buffet, and eat fried chicken until you can't stand the thought of eating any more fried food. That's gelak.

Dallas Chicken & Ribs is located at 12 Upper Cross Street. It's at the row of shophouses diagonally across the junction from China Square Central, and directly opposite Hong Lim Complex. It's open from 11.00am to 8.00pm but the buffet is available only on weekdays from 3.00pm-6.00pm.

The best day to go on is Friday because, as my Catholic friends always like to say, "Meat tastes best on a Friday."

Closing time deals at Jasons Market Place

Last week, we were in the City Hall area at about 9pm looking for a late dinner. We decided to pop by Chippy only to find that they were closing for the night, so we wandered into Jasons Market Place in the basement of Raffles City. Jasons is a gourmet supermarket, so we weren't really looking for anything budget... which is what makes this experience such a delightful one.

As we passed the salesman in the section that was selling roasted meat, he called out to us, "50% off!" So we thought, "Why not?" We live for good deals.

We pointed to a honey-glazed chicken steak (usually $4.00) and a bratwurst sausage (usually $1.80). Instead of getting a piece each, the salesman stuff two chicken steaks into a paper bag and charged us $2.00. He did the same for the sausages, charging us 90 cents for two.

That's how a good deal turned into a great deal! $2.90 for two chicken steaks and two bratwurst sausages! Yum!

Most supermarkets that sell cooked food tend to try to sell off their stock near closing time. It's a great time to go for The Supermarket Date. Some bakeries such as Delifrance also practise this, offering deals such as 20% off, or 3 buns for $2.00. It's a great time to pick up something to eat... which also makes you think: what do other bakeries do with their food that they cannot sell off in a day? Do they sell it to you the next day?

The Supermarket Date

We just realized that we both love to go to the supermarket. For some reason or other, we find it really fun to window-shop in such an air-conditioned place. One of our favourite haunts is the NTUC hypermart at Ang Mo Kio Hub, but only about an hour or so before closing time, otherwise it's really crowded and spoils the experience.

Sometimes, when we can't decide what to eat, we walk around a supermarket and eat free samples. It's fun, it's adventurous, but most importantly, it's free. We don't do this so often, and not because we can't afford to eat, but simply because we get a barrel of laughs from it.

We can find all sorts of things in a big supermarket, ranging from food to useful items. The AMK Hub NTUC also has a variety of massage chairs, and equipment for leg massages, back massages, head massages that we like to try out just for fun. One day, when we can afford it, we're going to buy the best ones. But until then, it's free massages for us.

If you're looking to try The Supermarket Date, here's a list of supermarkets to visit for a good experience:

1. Ang Mo Kio Hub NTUC Hypermart
   located at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 (next to Ang Mo Kio MRT station)
   Basement 2
   
   
2. Carrefour @ Suntec City City Mall
   located at 3 Temasek Boulevard (walkable from City Hall MRT station)
   Level 1
   
   
3. Carrefour @ Plaza Singapura
   located along Orchard Road (linked to Dhoby Ghaut MRT station)
   Basement 1
   
   
4. Mustafa Centre (open 24 hours)
   located at 145 Syed Alwi Road (walkable from Farrer Park MRT station)
   
   
5. Vivomart @ VivoCity
   located at 1 Harbourfront Walk (linked to Harbourfront MRT station)
   
   
6. NTUC Supermarket @ Thomson Plaza
   located at 301 Upper Thomson Road
   Level 1
   

Notes:
- The Carrefour @ Suntec City makes for a better experience than the one at Plaza Singapura.
- The NTUC Supermarket @ Thomson Plaza, though small, is an interesting experience because it's not crowded and has a variety of products not usually found in the other supermarkets.

Of course there are more supermarkets than these, so feel free to email us your recommendations too. If we like it, we'll blog about it.

The Chippy Date

Located in the basement of Raffles City is a British-style fish and chips take-away stall called Chippy. You can find it directly opposite Donut Factory which was once famous for its one-hour long queues. It looks like this:

The Chippy Date is one of the first dates we went on when we started dating. We'd buy a pack of B.B.F. - beer batter fish and chips and, drinks in hand, take a walk to nearby SMU. If it is in the evening, there's a spot next to the pool of water that makes for a pleasant date.

We'd sit there munching away on our yummy fish and chips, or if the mood suits us, a fried sausage and mashed potato, with dessert being a deep fried Mars bar. Gotta give it a try! We actually went on The Chippy Date so often that we got sick of the food after a while and skipped it for several months.

Though it's located next to a busy road, it's relatively peaceful, and there's no need to shout to make yourself heard, unlike other cost-friendly places in the city.

Good for a first date, or anytime you want to talk. We'd sit there until the sky got dark or until we want to go home.

This certainly ranks quite high in our list of budget dates.

Chippy is located at Raffles City, #B1-58. There is another Chippy's outlet at the basement of Far East Plaza, but that doesn't count as The Chippy Date because it doesn't include the walk to SMU.

Menu items ranged from $4-5 each with drinks at $1.50. Normally we'd pop into the nearby Guardian pharmacy to pick up a cheaper drink before we head out. It used to be cheaper. Three years ago, the prices were $3-4. Oh well, cost of living keeps rising in the world's 5th wealthiest country. That's why we have this blog.

Here are the main items on the menu:

1. The Original Cheese Sausage with Mash Potato - $4.00

2. Crispy Calamari (15 Rings) - $4.80

3. Cheesy Curry Chicken (150 grams) with Cheese Sauce - $4.20

4. Beer Batter Style Fish (10 pieces) with Battered Fries - $4.80
(must try! with salt and vinegar)

5. Fried Mars Bar (4 pieces) with Ice Cream - $3.50

Sale at Daniel Yam outlet

Looking for a dress for your upcoming D&D? Have a friend's wedding to attend but nothing to wear? Just looking for an excuse to dress up? Now you can at this lobang that we have to share with you!

While on a window shopping trip at Tanjong Pagar Road - we were actually looking for dim sum, we came across a Daniel Yam outlet. Those with a larger budget might know of Daniel Yam's flagship stores at Suntec City, Wisma Atria, Marina Square, and the Heeren, but you might not know that there is a tiny outlet at Tanjong Pagar Road.

There's currently a sale on various kinds of dresses, including off-the-rack wedding gowns. We think the shop will be closing down soon, but while it's still operating, you might want to pay it a visit. Who knows what you will find there? Dresses, shoes, jewelled accessories...

My other half picked up a lovely purple evening gown for just $39. What will you find there?

The Daniel Yam Tanjong Pagar shop is located at 108 Tanjong Pagar Road. It is open from Mon-Sun, from 12.00nn - 8.30pm. You can get there by exiting Tanjong Pagar MRT station exit A.

KIMarie Hair Salon - Haircut for $8

Along the rather deserted Tanjong Pagar Road where sales promoters from various wedding studios eagerly pounce on unsuspecting couples venturing through the area, lies KIMarie, a hair salon and hair training centre.

Prices at the hair salon exceed our expectations as a budget couple who usually receives our haircuts for $10 and under at neighbourhood hairdressers and barbers, but we spied a good deal for a haircut at $8 in the training centre located on the second level.

Last Saturday, the two of us went on a little adventure to get our hair cut by trainees. It's the best haircut I've ever gotten, and it shaved eight years from my looks. At one point, a trainee seemed to have made a mistake, but the teacher easily rectified it. It was also the first time I've ever had two hairdressers - one teacher and one trainee - work on my hair at the same time.

Washing of hair takes place just outside the training centre - in another room, we think - and costs an additional $1.

A haircut costs $8, a perm at $35, dye at $29, and treatment (not sure what kind of treatment) at $25. There is also an all-year round 1-for-1 offer.

Don't expect excellent and prompt service; it is a training centre after all. But if you're looking for something different on a small budget, this is something to try out for a Saturday afternoon.

KIMarie is located at 95 Tanjong Pagar Road. You can get there by walking a short distance from Tanjong Pagar MRT Station Exit A on Tanjong Pagar Road. It is open on Mon, Wed, Fri from 10.00am - 9.00am; and on Tue, Thu, Sat from 10.00am - 5.00pm.