Bing Tang Tang Shui 冰糖糖水办公室

We have been hearing about this office theme Dessert place ever since Bing Tang Tang Shui Office had jumped onto the bandwagon of unique themed cafe in Singapore offering their retro office inspired interior with nostalgic furnishings. 

Bing Tang Tang Shui Office

Upon stepping into the 80s kind of office that we used to see in the dramas. Every corner of this quaint space has been re-created to an 80s office environment.

Office Meeting In Progress

Bing Tang Tang Shui is located just a bus ride away from Lentor MRT, deep in the estate of Thomson Hills drive.

Table & TV

If you are looking for some unique and Instagram-worthy place that gave you a nostalgic feel of the past, do check out this office. 

Boss Office

Not my typical bowl of Cheng Tng for it came with Pink Rose Infusion. Its a symphony of flavours made with sugar cane, dried candied mandarin orange, and rose jelly. 

Cheng Tng (Pink Rose Infusion) - $8.80

The subtle caramel taste in the jelly added a depth while the orange zest gave a citrusy punch allowing a unique bowl of dessert. Last but not least the tangy candied mandarin orange had given the bowl of Cheng Tng complexity in flavour. 

Ingredients from the Pink Rose Infusion Cheng Tng

What a beautiful creation with Osmanthus infusion. Soft, chewy taro balls, purple goji jelly, wild blueberries and attap seeds are hidden below the bed of crushed ice. 

Purple Goji Taro (Osmanthus Infusion) - $12.50

The dessert is drizzled with a sweet and tart purple goji berry syrup and topped with fragrant fermented rice "jiu niang" milk sauce infused with Hakka yellow wine and lemon zest, finished with a light osmanthus caramel. 

Refreshing

Its quite nice to see places like this with an uncommon theme incorporating some old-school elements to create a truly exclusive dining experience. Though the desserts may be on the steeper side and the location is quite out of place, the charm of such an eccentric environment will still draw people like me who love such traditional Chinese charm.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Bing Tang Tang Shui 冰糖糖水办公室
Location: 15 Thomson Hills Dr, Singapore 574759

Nummun Thai Kitchen

 We have cravings for Thai Cuisine from time to time and recently we came across some posting on Nummun Thai Kitchen and did a google on it. To our surprise, the rating is on the high side and we find no reason not to give it a try. 

Nummun Thai Kitchen

We went at the right hour just slightly before the peak hour when there are still ample of seats around and after settling down in no moment, the place was already full house. Phew! What a relief! The interior is spacious and the furnishings are rather simple with some Thai dishes poster up on one side of the wall.

Dining Area

While I'm expecting some sweet-tasting syrup drinks here, I was quite surprised that the drinks were in fact not sweet and on the contrary, Lemongrass is a tad on the bitter side.

Red Soda (Num Daeng Soda) & Lemongrass (Num Tak Krai) - $3 each

Their Phad Thai was flavourful and had a significant egg taste in it. Mixing it with the peanuts, chilli flakes and lime juice elevates the dish. Unlike other places, the sweetness was well-controlled here and not too greasy.

Stir-Fried Thai Rice Noodle (Phad Thai) - $8

The Steel Pot Vermicelli Prawn is flavourful with a distinctive peppery taste and mushroom fragrance. Vermicellis is springy and as a whole, the dish was better than our expectations. 

Steel pot Vermicelli Prawn (Goong Ob Woon Sen) - $20 

We came here for this! This Thai Crab Meat Omelette dish was made famous in the name after Jay Fai Bangkok got a Michelin Star on this. This dish was made up of a generous amount of fluffy egg and chunks of plump crab meat. 

Crab Meat Omelette (Kai Jiao Pu) - $28

Love this pillowy soft and smooth texture that cradles the sweet juicy and succulent meat. Once you pop them into your mouth, it disintegrates.

Chunky Crab Meat

Pandan chicken come in a plate of 4 and the tender chickens were wrapped under the leaves. The dish is pretty normal to me as the taste was kind of bland to me.

Pandan Chicken 4 pcs (Gai Hor Bai Dtoi) - $8

Moo Ping is well-marinated and the meat was tender with a slightly charred taste. 

Grilled Pork Skewers  4 pcs (Moo Ping) - $8

Dipping the savoury Grilled Pork Skewer into the sauce enhances the dish's taste.

Dipping Moo Ping

Simply love the authentic and homely Thai Food here. The pricing of the dishes was not at the high side too, in fact the pricing is pretty reasonable.  I will be back soon for other dishes. 

Rating: 4 / 5

Nummun
Location: Thomson Imperial Court, 200 Upper Thomson Rd #01-03, Singapore 574424
Nearest Station: Upper Thomson (TE8)

Xiang Taiwanese Desserts and Food 饗好吃

We have been passing by the stretch of shophouses in Upper Thomson Road but have never realise there is a shop serving Taiwanese Cuisine. I came to know about this while I was searching for Taiwanese Food online. With its high score in Google Reviews, I guess its time to give them a try.

While I trying to figure out the shop name, I think when translated from Taiwanese (Hokkien) it sounds like "Xiong Ho Jiak" which literally means “Nice to Eat".

Shop Front of Xiang Taiwanese Desserts and Food

The Interior was spacious and while the usual Taiwanese Cafe will feature places in Taiwan, Xiang Taiwanese had some B & W art illustrated on the side of the walls.

The Interior

Wall

Though it's not a big bowl, this minced braised pork was served with thick traditional aromatic noodles with shallot oil.  The dish is accompanied by a braised egg as well as pickled cucumbers. This dish is a recommended item on the menu. 

Braised Pork Noodles 葱香卤肉面 - $7.90

When it comes to Taiwanese Cafe, Mee Sua can never be missed. The Mee Sua is imported from Taiwan and cooked in a bonito broth.  It has a combination of their braised pig's intestine as well as crispy chicken.

Combo Mee Sua 综合面线 - $8.90

The Drunken Chicken Flavours were well garnished with wolfberries and chopped spring onions. Meat is tender and with a good amount of wine taste but if there is more Chinese wine flavour, it would be better for our tastebuds.

Drunken Chicken Roll 花雕醉鸡 - $8.90

The oyster sauce intestine dish was accompanied by some pickled cabbages which made the side dish appetizing. The braised intestine was well handled and tender without any gamy taste.

Oyster Sauce Intestine 蠔汁大肠 - $9.90

The Red Tea with Pearl was something ordinary however if you are ordering the Grass Jelly Milk Tea, the milk taste is on the lighter side and contains a special fragrance in it.

Red Tea with Pearl and Grass Jelly Milk Tea 珍珠红茶，仙草奶茶 - $3.50 each

The Signature dessert wrapped up the meal in Xiang Taiwanese. The bowl of dessert is made up of traditional grass jelly and beancurd topped with crunchy roasted peanuts, assorted beans, black pearls, sticky cakes, sweet potatoes balls, caramel yam and sweet potatoes.

Xiang's Signature Dessert 饗好吃招牌 - $4.90

While having it served chilled, it was a total refreshment in hot weather like this!

Ingredients in a spoon

Experience overall was pleasant, and I do not mind making another trip down for Taiwanese Cuisine.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Xiang Taiwanese Desserts and Food 饗好吃 
Location: 224 Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore 574356

Omote

If you love value for money bowls of Chirashi, you can head to Omote at level 3 of Thomson Plaza. Reservation in advance will be advisable if you want to skip the long snaky queue of being "Walk-in" customers. I tried calling in a few times to reserve but there was not much luck several times but luckily after a few tries in weeks, I manage to get myself and my friends a table.

Interior

The interior was brightly lit and spacious. With the design of concrete flooring, exposed ceiling, one may not expect that such design is from a Japanese restaurant. This setup somehow did not elaborate the Japanese culture like many Japanese eateries do.

Interior

Diner's set

With medium doneness, these slices of pinkish grilled beef steak were chewy and flavourful. It will be great to elevate your dining experience by rolling the fried garlic pieces, spring onions and wasabi between the beef and pop into your mouth. A little disappointment was that we cant fully enjoy the meal with limited garnishings and we were told they were chargeable at $4 if we were to ask for extra.

Char-Grilled Beef Steak - $32

Another dish for sharing will be the Tempura Assortment. Items like tiger prawn, seasonal vegetables were lightly battered and deep-fried.

Tempura Assortment - $21.80

Topping up the set lunch with Premium Set at an additional $8, we enjoyed 7 more items with Chawanmushi, Mentaiyaki Gyoza, salmon sashimi, Japanese salad, hot appetizer, cold appetizer and miso soup.

Besides Chirashi, you can order their rice bowls like Garlic Yakiniku Don. The dish consists of thin garlic slices, onions as well as slices of beef. The bowl by itself is already laudable. It tasted flavourful and with the slices of fried garlic that elevates the entire dish. We won't regret ordering it.

Garlic Yakiniku Don - $18.80

A signature dish and you get a good portion of diced seafood sashimi on the don with Tuna, Salmon, Tako and prawn accompanied by some sweet sauce. The sashimi is quite fresh and with the price given, its should be one of the best deal in town.

Omote Chirashi - $12.80

Unagi Kabayaki Don Top up with the premium set too at an additional $8. Unagi topped the bowl of rice was lavishly sprinkled with its rice seasoning. 

Unagi Kabayaki Don - $21.80

I was flabbergasted by the spoonful of wonder with Yakiniku when I first tried it. It is a mixture of yakiniku fatty beef, sanuki udon and special bonito dashi.  

"Signature" Yakiniku Udon - $17.80

With the extensive menu that Omote offers, it's not of any doubt that we see many diners in their reservation and walk-in queues. The Japanese items are ranging from Chirashi, raw to cook items, rice and noodles which I think such range is suitable for everyone.

Menu 

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Omote
Location: Thomson Plaza, 301 Upper Thomson Road, #03-24A, Singapore 574408

Old School Delights

Got to know Old School Delights (OSD) from a pal who has been here in Upper Thomson. While I'm still figuring out what's the reason behind its business name, everything was reviewed from my first step into the Cafe.

Old School Delights

No, this is not an exercise book from the school. Instead, its the ordering menu. Let's flip them and reminisce the old school thoughts.

Old School Delights

Orders were made by having patrons indicate the items on a portable whiteboard and then send to the counter.

Ordering White Board

 Dont worry if you can't get much from the menu. You get closer to them when you look at the walls.

Counter

It was quite an experience to get in touch with such childhood items like Old Maid Cards, 5 stones, magnetic snake & ladders, erasers with flags and even the Archie comics. Wouldn't it be nice to feel nostalgic once in a while.

Old School Stuff that We Missed

Half level up and you will get to see the busy kitchen helpers at their best preparing food to their customers. Beside the nostalgic games and books we all read in the 80's, you will get to see old electronic items like the small yet fat size TV in the screen below.

The kitchen

OSD had me at Kueh Pie Tie! This classic Nonya favourite which consist of little cups of crispy shells filled with juicy braised turnip was a total turn on! Topped with egg bits, parsley and their homemade chilli sauce, ordering this is highly recommended.

Kueh Pie Tie - $6.50

 A rich, home style meal made of mushroom based sauce was oured over their lightly blanched hor-fun. Ingredients like shredded chicken, mushroom slices and leafy greens were served with their home made sambal belachan. Note that its only available from Friday to Sunday.

Hor Fun with Mushroom Stock - $8.80

 Old School Mocha-Cinno was classified as one of their Signature Traditional Brew.  Made up of a combination of roasted black coffee with malted chocolate and thick frothy milk. It tasted a tad bitter and dont really suit a non coffee person like me.

Mocha-Cino - $4.90

Another recommendation from pal was this Bandung-Dinosauress. Giant size rose milk filled with homemade chendol and sago goodness. If you like bandung, this just wont go wrong.

Bandung Dinosauress - $4.90

 Highly raved by my close pals, these are not to be missed since I had came all over from the West Side of Singapore.  It's really an old school canteen favourite. The wings were perfectly done up at the right texture without being too oily. The slight garlic taste permeates the chicken meat, giving a special taste to the tender chicken. What I like best was the crispy light layer of golden brown skin!

Tuckshop Wings - $5.80 + $2.80

 A reinvention of the Hainanese Pork Chop. Instead of a full flavoured pork, they had it done with chicken instead. Chicken chunks were delicious and crispy, smothered with their homemade sweet-sour sauce, bringing out a tangy taste. These Hainanese Favourite was paired with a bed of garlic fried rice, a perfect match made without being too greasy.

Hainanese Chicken Cutlet - $9.80

Visiting this place had stirred the old memories in me, my childhood days back then. It feels so good once in a while to "travel back in time". Besides that, there are food in OSD worth going back for.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Old School Delights
Location: 215M Upper Thomson Road Singapore 574349
Website