Florian Italian Restaurant & Bar @ Naumi Hotel

Was staying at Naumi over the weekend, hence decided to try out Florian, located on the first floor of Naumi Hotel. How convenient! Plus, hotel guests enjoy 10% off the total bill.

Loved the space at Florian. Its alfresco seats looked so comfy but I'd still prefer dining indoors, with airconditioning.

indoor

outdoor

menu

online menu

Most of their food items are on its online menu except for the full wine list. For dinner, I opted for '60 days dry-aged ribeye' steak, medium rare with a glass of Baby Amarone. Not often, does one get to see amarone option with per glass option.

Montresor Urban Park Rosso(Baby Amarone), 2018 and 60-day Dry Aged Ribeye (200g)

Montresor Urban Park Rosso(Baby Amarone), 2018 @$18++

Loved the taste of the baby amarone. Less sweet than its sibling, but just as appealing with ripe red fruit taste.

60-day Dry Aged Ribeye (200g) @$29++

The ribeye were more of a medium than medium rare, and served without sauce. Loved the asparagus and baby potatoes. Natural tasting and enjoyable with the wine. Portion was alright and that left some room for dessert.

The pasta here is also quite good. I tried their signature Collatura di Alici which is essentially, pasta aglio olio style with essence of anchovies, parsley and lemon.

Collatura di Alici @$22++

The two staff that I met at Florian; PY and Shermaine, recommended the King Prawn pasta. I spied other guests having it, and it looked good. Perhaps, next time.

Traditional Tiramisu @$15++

sweet finale

Loved the plating of the tiramisu and its portion. Sweetness was just nice. There were only 3 items to choose from for dessert, and naturally, it was just between tiramisu and panna cotta. Hmm, I don't think I'll order lava cake from a restaurant if I could help it. Just not my thing.

The cocktails were delicious too. Managed to try Verdant and Grey's Orchard. 

Verdant @$19++

Verdant, is my kind of drink. Made of gin, elderflower liquer, lime, honey and cucumber. Can't go wrong with gin and elderflower. But the taste that intrigued me was the saltiness in the cup. I was wondering if salt was added but was later informed that the saltiness came from the cucumber.

Verdant, side view

Grey's Orchard has orange juice in it, hence it reminded me of brunch. The earl grey flavour was too mild to be detected. 

Grey's Orchard @$21++

Grey's Orchard - bourbon, earl grey, orange

Thanks to PY, I found out that there are seasonal appetisers and one could enquire for it. For example, the amberjack carpaccio.

Amberjack Carpaccio @$28++

Wow, after having a plate of this, I'd be returning for more. For sashimi and truffle lovers.

There is a rooftop bar at Level 10 of Naumi Hotel and staff at Florian does a good job recommending it to guests.

Unwind with a couple more drinks, pool view and our cityscape's night lights.

Peach Bellini

night view

It was fun checking out the place, and nice getting to know Shermaine, PY and friendly Chef (sorry, didn't get your name though).

Florian Italian Restaurant & Bar

Address: Naumi Hotel, 41 Seah Street, 188396

Website: https://www.florian.sg/

Contact: 9863 6361

YY Kafei Dian @ 37 Beach Road

Was staying at Naumi Hotel and YY Kafei Dian is nearby. Like just a few minutes walk. Plus, I heard about YY Kafei Dian from Fiona. I remembered something she was sharing with me about their bread which is of the old school bun type. Hence, I trudged the next morning of my staycay 

YY Kafei Dian

One orders the breakfast set directly from the cashier of the drinks counter inside the shop. She will ask you for your table number. So don't be like the noob me whom luckily, still managed to point to an empty table during her visits.

waiting to be buzzed to collect

While waiting, one could observe the other patrons having their breakfast here. There was one uncle whom I saw on my two visits in the morning, so I reckoned he probably is a retiree who likes to have breakfast at the same shop most of the days. Back in my hometown, my dad used to do that as well but he hasn't been able to do so for the past one and a half years due to the pandemic. And yes, am checking out retired persons activities for future references.

traditional breakfast set of kopi and kaya toast

Actually, the only thing that I needed to pick-up from the counter, was the bread. The rest of the stuffs were brought to the table by the staff.

am ready

slurp worthy

I liked the size of the soft-boiled eggs here and how perfectly it was boiled. Both eggs had perfect liquid yolk. Do you break the eggs and mashed it up then dip the bread in? For me, I don't like breaking them up. Straight up slurp them in! Happiness!

kaya and butter

It has been a while since I had a toasted bun. They did it pretty good at YY Kafei Dian with its outer part crisp while the inside of the bun was still soft and pillowy. Kaya tasted of caramel and coconut.

Loved the kopi here for its balance of bitter-smokiness plus the milk taste not too strong. Good!

Their breakfast noodles are popular. Come on a weekend after 9am and one could see the long line outside the shop.

all these for just $4.80

bee hoon mee combi

A packet of noodles with 4 extra added ingredients costs less than $5, hence its priced reasonably. So one could add their favourites like luncheon meat, chicken drumlets, ngoh hiang, vegetable, egg etc. 

ngoh hiang

When you're adding the fried egg, can let the staff know if you prefer more cooked or more runny yolk and she will try to accommodate. I think shops that allow you to choose to this extent, are pretty nice. I added egg (with softer yolk), vegetables (turned out to be tasty chap chye, and it was yummy!), ngoh hiang and a longish looking fish cake. The ngoh hiang here is smaller than others but still packs a nice taste. The sambal chili was towards the sweeter side with some spice.

Came back during lunch and tried their Hainanese Pork chop. It was cooked upon order and served with chunky fries. The wait was about 10 minutes and it came piping hot. No extra sauce was served.

Hainanese Pork Chop @$10

The tomato sauce underneath the pork chop though watery, it was slightly tangy sweet. Soothing taste. The pork chop meat was tender, not too thin and its batter was crisp and well fried.

closer view of the meat

I spied other tables and most officer workers ordered claypot noodles , or chicken rice during lunch time. I felt like a tourist with the pork chop. Hahaaa!

Overall, YY Kafei Dian is a popular place for breakfast and lunch, with a nostalgic vibe.

YY Kafei Dian 

Address: 37 Beach Rd, #01-01, Singapore 189678

Website: https://www.facebook.com/yykafeidian/

Contact:  6336 8813

Business Hours:

Mon - Fri: 7:30am–7pm

Sat - Sun: 8am–7pm

[Staycation] One Night Experience - KēSa House, The Unlimited Collection by Oakwood | Dinner from Olivia Restaurant and Lounge | Breakfast from Tong Ah

KēSa House, The Unlimited Collection by Oakwood

I must admit that the stay was on a last minute whim. In Oct 2021, AMEX had a promotion where a maximum of $50 will be credited back for spending of $200 or above at participanting Oakwood properties.

Made a last minute booking the day before of the stay for their last Standard room for which I paid above $200 and hence, eligible for the rebate. Standard room rates starts from $168 if you booked in advance.

I love the colour of KēSa House, and this would be my first time staying in a heritage building.

KēSa House

The frontdesk officer on duty that afternoon, was Salina. She regretfully informed that my room wasn't ready as I was early. The standard check-in time is 3pm. No problem, I said. But it will be good if it can be ready before 2.30pm as I needed to go elsewhere by then. She said she will try.

Took a walk outside for about one hour, and returned at about 2pm. The room was still being prepared. If the lobby is occupied, there's another corner at its side where there are more seats. Just that, guests will pass by this area everytime one leaves the hotel or going back to their room.

lobby

Level 1 - more seats near the lift

stairs to Level 2

Was just hanging around at Level 1 as the lounge at Level 2 was occupied. Saw a couple moving in with lots of barang barang, so am guessing they'd be here for longer stay. Saw on the hotel website that they used to have an offer called "RENO-CATION: THE MONTH-LONG ESCAPE".

decor at Level 2

Level 2 comfy Lounge (evening view)

At about 2.10pm, I was informed that the room is ready. It'll be at Level 3 (same floor as the laundrette). There is one lift in the building, hence could use that if required.

lift

Laundrette

The Standard room is actually not the smallest room at 13  m2. Bed is standard Queen sized. No window for the room that I got, unless you count the tiny one next to the floor near the bed.

Standard Room

bathroom

The bed is comfortable, the room space is efficient and there is a pull-out table beside the bed (where the blue stool is) for vanity or to eat da bao'ed food.

The bathroom space is good for one pax.

well stocked amenities

toiletries

The room is clean enough for visible places. Had discovered that the bathroom sliding door (the one that is between the bathroom and the room) was pretty dusty. Probably no one slides this out? Hmmm, perhaps I'm the only one feeling insecure because if the room door is opened, the person who walks-in, can see whatever state you're in, in the bathroom.

the view when lying down on the comfy bed

There are glass bottles in the room for guest to fill with sparkling or cold water from the kitchen in Level 2.

water bottles

How'd you like your water? Room temperature, cold or sparkling?

sparkling~

Sparkling water was refreshing! But I learnt that sparkling doesn't taste that good, the next day. =P

There is a kettle in the room but no mugs for hot coffee/tea. Disposable cups, instant coffee/tea are found in the kitchen. There is no bedroom slippers so you gotta bring your own, if you need any. I brought mine because I don't like to use my outside shoes in the room.

night view at Keong Saik

Olivia Restaurant and Lounge

turn to the back for takeaway menu from Olivia Restaurant and Lounge

One could order takeaway from Olivia Restaurant which is just downstairs of the hotel and turn left. The menu can be located in the room and guest could order using the Waitrr app. Only needed 15 minutes to prepare my food on a busy Saturday evening. Pretty efficient. 

Bikini, Barcelona @$16

Iberico Ham, mozzarela cheese and truffle sandwich

Ok, granted mine wasn't hot food. The sandwich was really tasty and I think it'd be good with a glass of wine. Pretty yums.

But the highlight, is of course, their cheesecake. One must eat the original cheesecake from Olivia.

Olivia's Homemade Cheesecake (slice) @$14

But, I forgot to ask them to pack me a fork/spoon. How am I gonna eat this melty cheesecake? Well, I found a pair of disposable chopsticks in my bag, so used that instead. Too lazy to head back downstairs.

flavourful

Wow, I didn't expect blue cheese to taste this good! Am impressed and yes, the next time I'm eating this, I won't be sharing. All mine!

Tong Ah Eating House

No hotel breakfast? Not an issue. Just head out for local breakfast at Tong Ah (but finding seats are very challenging on a Sunday morning) so, I packed my breakfast back to the hotel.

iconic Tong Ah

kopi, kaya toast and soft-boiled egg set

local breakfast, 'unboxed'

kaya toast

soft-boiled eggs with soy sauce and dash of pepper

I liked the gray kaya used in the toast bread. I remembered my nanny used to make this version. The eggs were nicely big and runny but the coffee I didn't like due to the stronger milk taste. Am not a milk person, sorry.

The stay at KēSa House was pleasant but the walls are thin. Any loud noise from the corridor can be heard clearly in the room. Hence, am thankful for the night that stayed, was only disturbed for a short 10 minutes after midnight. The airconditioning was alright, and the mini-fridge kept things cold. There's a 7-eleven nearby too. Plenty of restaurants nearby so no issue with food and drinks.

Check-out process was fast and no extension, typically due to the high demand for their rooms.

KēSa House, The Unlimited Collection by Oakwood

Address: 55 Keong Saik Rd., Singapore 089158

Website: https://www.oakwood.com/the-unlimited-collection/singapore/singapore/kesa-house

Contact: 6958 1588

Olivia Restaurant & Lounge

Address: 55 Keong Saik Rd., Singapore 089158

Website: https://www.olivia.com.sg/

Contact: 6221 0522

Tong Ah Eating House

Address: 35 Keong Saik Rd., Singapore 089142

Website: https://tong-ah-eating-house.business.site/?m=true

Contact: 6223 5083