The Ship Restaurant (NEX)

My family, dear, and I went to The Ship at NEX to celebrate Mom's advanced birthday today.

The Ship Restaurant (NEX)

Address: 23 Serangoon Central, #01-61/62 NEX Mall, Singapore
Tel: +65 6834 3733

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about The Ship because they don't have a website, which makes it really hard to see what kind of food they serve. Furthermore, The Ship doesn't sound as prestigious as Jack's Place, Pu Tien, or even Swensen's. In short, I have no idea what they had to offer, what kind of ambience they have, and how good they are.

Regardless, I decided to give The Ship a try after reading several reviews by various foodies, who most of which gave two thumbs up for their Escargots, and mentioned that their other food items were as tasty and delicious as well.

Arriving outside The Ship, I was a little apprehensive if I had made the wrong decision. After all, the exterior looks dull, dark and confusing. I mean, who puts Chinese looking chairs outside an English Restaurant? One wouldn't know if it's a Chinese Restaurant or an English Restaurant when they pass by.

I guess they could improve their exterior by making it more in lined with their nautical theme.

Stepping into The Ship and being seated thereafter, I quickly take back my words. Unlike its exterior, The Ship's interior had a very nautical and maritime theme, with decorations such as life buoys, anchors, port windows etc.

Having appreciated The Ship's cute and interesting decor, we proceeded to order our food.

For starters, we had 1/2 a dozen Escargots. Since I've not tried Escargots before, I can't tell if it taste good or not. All I can say is that the texture taste a bit like Bamboo Clams, and the fried garlic sauce was a nice complement to it.

All of us ordered their combo set which includes a Soup of The Day, Main Course, Coffee / Tea, and Dessert.

So next up, we were served with their Soup of The Day which we could choose from either Cream of Mushroom or Sweet Corn.

For my Main Course, I ordered their Grilled SeaBass with vegetables, potatoes and chicken kebabs.

Frankly, I was little disappointed with the Grilled SeaBass. Though it's soft and juicy, but it's pretty tasteless inside.

Dear had the Lobster with Sirloin Steak which looks much more tantalizing than my Grilled SeaBass. Too bad I didn't get to try any of it.

Once we were down with our Main Course, we were served with our Dessert of the Day which was Strawberry Mousse Cake. Apart from its small portion, I didn't quite like how average it tasted. More accurately, it tasted like normal butter cake with strawberry cream on top.

However, this Strawberry Mousse Cake still taste much better in comparison with the Strawberry Cheese Cake I had at District 10.

Here's a family shot of us before we left The Ship. See, all smiles mean good times isn't it?

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The 2-in-1 Birthday Bash

14th and 17th September are 2 joyous occasions in the boyfriend's household; the former being his dad's birthday, and the latter being his sister's birthday.

And to celebrate both birthdays, we had dinner at Long Beach Seafood Restaurant, located at IMM Shopping Centre.

Long Beach IMM Seafood Restaurant 
Tel: 6566 9933
Jurong East St 21, Level 3, IMM Building, Next to Rooftop Garden
Daily: 11am - 3pm / 5.45pm - 11pm
Sat, Sun & PH: 11am - 3pm / 5pm -11pm

Ordering their Set Menu that's catered for 5 to 6 people, we had a sumptuous meal, replete with the following:

A ginormous plate of Chili Crab(s). 

Fried Mantou (Chinese meaning of Buns)

Crayfish.

Hor Fun.

Almond Longan.

If you had to ask, my favorite would be the Steamed Fish, which is by far the softest fish I've ever had. The sweet and sour sauce tantalized my taste-buds, causing the unconscious nodding of head and pursing of lips. Mmmmm...

The Hor Fun is another dish worthy of applause. Soft and slippery, these glassy noodles can literally slide down your throat without chewing. I love how the gravy has the "Wok Hei" taste, and complements the soft noodles completely. 

Apart from that, the boyfriend and I thought that the timing of the food that was served could have been better managed. Imagine savoring one dish while the rest of the dishes start turning cold.. that's just a plain turn off.

In addition, I couldn't help but frown when I learnt that they do not provide serviettes or napkins. 

Putting these little nitpicks aside, I truly enjoyed the company and the dinner. 

And in the words of Elsa Schiaparelli:

“Eating is not merely a material pleasure. Eating well gives a spectacular joy to life and contributes immensely to goodwill and happy companionship. It is of great importance to the morale.” 

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The Perfect Family Moment

If I could describe the perfect family moment, it would be..

.. A gathering over delicious delicacies and decadent desserts ..

.. While having heartwarming conversations with the people I love. That includes the BF, who was the photographer of this very lovely family portrait.

I don't know about you, but days like these don't come by often for us. Which is why moments like these form the sweetest and most lasting memories.


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The Eleventh Chore

Just four days ago, my folks left for church camp, leaving me in an empty house.

And knowing me, I wouldn't be inclined to clean up any part of the house except for the places that I spend most of my time in: my room.

But hours before my folks came back, I decided to be a good daughter, and clean up the house so that mom wouldn't need to do any housework when she comes back.

So I started making the beds, sweeping the floor, washing the floor towels, and at the end of it all, I sat in my chair with perspiration dripping down my forehead, feeling proud of myself for doing something good, something thoughtful.

Hmm.. perhaps I should do this more often!

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Lee Fan Nam Kee

One thing I love about my new job is how adventurous my colleagues are with food. Tell them that there's a famous chicken rice stall in the vicinity and that would be our next lunch venue.

So about a week or two ago, we heard that there is a well-known chicken rice stall - Lee Fan Nam Kee - a few lorongs (another language for alleys / lanes) away.

Excited and hungry, we ventured to #01-04 of Blk 94 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh in anticipation.

Lee Fan Nam Kee

Blk 94 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh #01-04

Tel: +65 6255 0891

I must say that I finally know why this place if famous for their chicken. The deliciously soya-sauced chicken really invokes your taste-buds and make you go "uuummmm....."

The chicken meat is also very tender and soft, which makes that very braces-friendly.

We also ordered the beansprouts, which was not bad. I guess our our taste-buds were used to the sweet yummilious sauce from the chicken that the beansprouts paled in comparison.

We also ordered the Roast Pork Belly and the Char Siew Meat, which I thought tasted good as well. I rarely choose to eat Char Siew or Roast Pork (because I don't like the fatty texture) but this time, I thought that I should be a little more courageous with my appetite, and I'm so glad I did!

That said, I'm definitely going to come back here some time again to have my delicious, juicy, and tender chicken. In fact, I'm going to bring my folks or dear here one day.

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The Infirmity

The past week has been tough.

It all began when the BF texted me on 3rd July, at 3:13PM, telling me that his grandfather had a stroke and is now in hospital.

When you get a text like that, you freeze and gape, and all that you can think of is "oh shit oh shit.. x10".

So after work, the BF and I rushed to the hospital. To our relief, he was doing fine. Grandpa was able to communicate and move his limbs except for his left arm, which was the stroke infected area.

Thinking that all is well and that he was on the road to recovery, we didn't visit him for the next few days.

However on Saturday, the BF's dad told us that Grandpa's condition took a dip from Tuesday to Thursday. Elaborating further, he mentioned that Grandpa was lost and confused, and he looked as though he couldn't recognize anyone.

Worried and anxious, we visited Grandpa on Saturday evening, and that was the first time I caught a glimpse of a doting grandson.

Despite knowing the BF for 10 years, I didn't know that he was so fond of his Grandpa. Looking at how the BF stood by his Grandpa's side and attending to his Grandpa's needs, I couldn't help but feel a mixture of sorrow and love. I teared.

That night, the BF shared with a heavy heart the interactions he had with his Grandpa when he was a little boy. Though it was an emotional night, it showed me how much love he had for his Grandpa. I teared again.

..

It has been a week since he last admitted to hospital and we thank God for his Grandpa's recovery. As of today, he is able to prop himself up, react to conversations, use hand gestures, and move his limbs much more.

As we look to God in this time of Grandpa's infirmity, we pray that he will be able to recover and / or at least get back his speech so that he can communicate his thoughts and frustrations to us. Meanwhile, if you are a believer, please keep him in prayer. Thank you.


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Birthday Dinner Cruise

As posted previously, I've always had the jitters when it comes to celebrating someone's birthday, especially for dear. However this year, I not only had the jitters, I was as anxious as he was because though I made the arrangements, I really had no idea what to expect and whether he would like it or not.

Anyway, the big 'surprise' that I planned for him was - dinner cruise on Imperial Cheng Ho. Basically, buffet dinner on a Chinese Junk.

Well, it was the only affordable 'dinner on the sea' compared to those dinner served on private chartered boats which costs between $800 to a thousand. At least for Imperial Cheng Ho, there was a pick up for us at Pan Pacific Hotel to Marina South Pier where Imperial Cheng Ho Vessel berthed.

Because it was meant to be a 'surprise', dear kept probing me questions like an inquisitive child and I had such a hard time giving general answers without letting myself away! In the end, I kept giggling because there were so many moments where he asked it in a subtle manner and I had to think really hard to find out if there were any hidden questions and motives behind it!

"So where are we going?" "Who will pick us up?" "How long does it take?" etc.. you get my drift!

Finally when we arrived, he went "... Oh!" and I went.. "... Yes!" Well, at least we had a chance to visit Marina South Pier for the first time.

We had to wait for about half an hour before we could board the ship. So having had a long day, we took a rest at the open ended top floor of Marina South Pier.
We also walked around, enjoyed the little breeze and looked across the horizon at the sea and the little boats that were berthed.
Oh I really love this picture! You could say that we were stalked by some stalked who was prowling on the grass, or just simply a bad auto focus with my camera on timer mode.

On this balcony, you can overlook the sea and the port. Quite surreal I would say. Then again, it would really be better if you could watch the sunset or sunrise here as well.

At 6:20 pm, we boarded the Imperial Cheng Ho Vessel. Decks ahoy! Actually on closer look, it isn't really an authentic Chinese Junk. Just a normal vessel painted to look like one.

Here we are in the inside. You can't miss the Chinese feel especially with the Chinese tiles and the furniture. Oh and if you are wondering if it is air conditioned, yes it is and it's quite cold in fact! Thank goodness we brought our jackets along!
Cheers to the birthday boy.. who seems to be all smiley today! Probably like what most people say, it is the experience and the company that makes it special.. aside from the crappy food and rowdy passengers.
When the boat left, we when outside the restaurant for a little tour on the vessel! With bright colored paint and what seems to be chinese decor, I really thought that I was in China! He he!

While enjoying the sea view, we spotted another Chinese Junk! Probably another Imperial Cheng Ho Vessel? No idea, really.

Here's the birthday boy, enjoying the sea breeze and the view.. with his Chinese Gargoyle. Well, that of course, was a substitute because I was behind the camera snapping away!
At the top deck, you can actually see the city line of the southern part of Singapore. Then again with howling winds, I had to hold on tight to the pole in case I flew off! Pardon the messy messy hair!

Soon, it was sunset. Really gorgeous to see the orange red ball of light descending across the horizon.

As the sun slowly faded and the moon taking its place, we took more pictures before dinner commenced.
Ahhh.. Dinner, finally! Frankly if you ask me for a food review, I would give 1/5 star. Not so tasty after all. But like what dear said, heck the crappy food because it is all about the EXPERIENCE!

After dinner, we headed out for a breather as well as a little stroll for some healthy digestion. Surprise surprise, there were actually an array of fire works and a beautiful fountain show on this very special day! What a way to celebrate his birthday!

Having a little bit of fun with a Chinese Gargoyle.. totally harmless right? Or maybe, signs of violence inclination? He he!

After exactly 2 hours and 15 minutes, the dinner cruise came to an end and we took the mini vans back to Pan Pacific Hotel. Well, that wasn't the end of the day especially when the night is so young.

.. to be continued.

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