3 Days 2 Nights Staycation @ Parkroyal Collection Pickering + What to Eat Around Chinatown, Boat Quay Area

"Shall we do a staycation?" Gotta love the impromptu suggestion and the quick reflexes of the foodie gang. Within the next few days, it became a reality and bookings were made (non-refundable somemore!) and we waited for the appointed weekend. 

First staycay in our new norm era.

Day 1 - Check In, Lunch @ Hong Lim Market and Dinner @ Clarke Quay

Parkroyal Collection Pickering

lobby

The room was not ready and the staff said he would come look for me when it is. "How would you know where I'd be?" I asked. He simply smiled.

waiting for room and for fellow staycationers

Okay lah, I didn't roam very far and was guai guai seated at the lobby area so it was rather easy for the staff to find me afterwards. The wait was about 15 minutes for the room to be ready.

feeling excited

Urban Room 28 m²/301 ft²

bed

water

Eco bottle @ $20

care pack

I really liked that the hotel that cares enough about their guests to provide care packs in the room.

coffee or tea?

make coffee with this

brewed coffee

bathroom

amenities

this smells really good btw

A coffee press was provided in the room to make coffee. But I find that the clean-up after that was a hassle! Would have preferred Nespresso machine.

I thought the room was pretty cool till a small roach was spotted on its carpet, crawling. Okie.... Called the hotel frontdesk and informed them of the situation, with the now dead roach inside the bin. She was rather flustered and asked if I would like to change room but likely have to wait since they are expecting a high turn-out that weekend. Thought about it for a second and informed her it is fine so she advised that I should call the frontdesk again to get housekeeping to clean the room thoroughly. 

Left the room for lunch and it was not possible to get hold of the front desk via phone. Went down to the lobby and saw long queues awaiting check-in. Spoke to one of the staff and informed him of the roach incident and requested for housekeeping. He said he will assist.

When I went back to the room, discovered that the only area that had been re-cleaned was the window area (as the pillows at the ledge have shifted) and outside the bathroom area as the tissue holder had been moved and they forgot to put back the tissue box. Other than that, nothing seemed to have been cleaned any further. Understandably, it was peak hours for housekeeping. Thankfully, no other incident happened thereafter.

It was raining on Day 1 of our staycay but we still braved the rain to have lunch at Hong Lim Market which is just like next door.

Read more about our Hong Lim Market food hunt here. After which, we rested for a few hours before our appointed dinner meet up.

lazing in bed on a rainy day

Later that evening, the rain stopped with an overcast and we took the chances to walk towards Boat Quay to try the newly opened Hand in Hand Shandong Restaurant. As Georgetown Tze Char was nearby, we went over to have after dinner drinks and snacks.

alfresco dining view

Asahi Black @$12 per pint

Penang Thai Style Squid @$15

Rendang Crab @$15 per crab (promo price, UP $28)

Black Pepper Crab @$15 per crab (promo price, UP $28)

Sambal BBQ Stingray @15

Really liked the food from George Town Tze Char and hence the revisit to enjoy the favourites as well as dishes that we did not try on the previous visit. My top 3 favourites now would be the Penang Thai Style Squid, Black Pepper Crab and Beef Rendang. 

night view from the hotel

Day 2 - Breakfast @ Chinatown Complex Food Centre, Teabreak with Donki Haul and Dinner @ Lime Restaurant

Luckily, the next morning it wasn't raining but the ground was a tad wet.

good morning

view from the 12th floor

We enjoyed the leisurely morning stroll to the brunch destination and here are some photo of the sights.

Read about what we ate at Chinatown Complex Food Centre here. With the leftover soya sauce chicken in one hand, we went to 100 AM to take a break. Hmmm, I meant...a break from eating. Haha!

Strolled for a short while and decided we were thirsty. Stopped by Happy Cup to have some iced tea.

store front

Sun Moon Lake Tea from Happy Cup

And, we dabao'ed food from Donki to have it as snack later on. 

aburi salmon from Donki

swordfish sashimi from Donki

bonding over food and drinks

Here is the link to our dinner experience at Lime Restaurant, the onsite restaurant of the hotel.

Not surprising, I was so so full after the buffet. Thanks to fellow foodies, I got to taste a bit of everything.

good night

I liked that hotels like Parkroyal has wine glasses in the room. So useful.

Day 3 - Breakfast (In-room Dining) and Check-Out

Decided for Free & Easy on our last day at the hotel.

brewed coffee

in-room menu

Tried their in-room dining service and ordered breakfast. Pretty efficient and the food arrived in about 20-25 minutes.

guess what I ordered?

Two-eggs - the way you want it @$22++

Was your guess correct? Yeah, I like to have eggs in the morning for breakfast and scrambled is my usual way I'd like it. The hash brown though tiny was adequate and it was nicely crisp on its outer. The bacon, was unfortunately not crispy but its saltiness and greasiness complements the wholesome unseasoned milky eggs. Chipolata for the proteins. Baked beans I loved them on the bread. Tomato as the customary quota for vege? Hahaha.

Check-out process was fast as there weren't many guests checking in on a Monday as compared to the days before.

Overall, Parkroyal Collection Pickering has a good on-site restaurant; Lime Restaurant of which I enjoyed the buffet there. Sleep quality was good and the Urban room was spacious. The toiletries provided was really nice too. 

Parkroyal Collection Pickering

Address: 3 Upper Pickering St, Singapore 058289

Contact: 6809 8888

Website: https://www.panpacific.com/en/hotels-and-resorts/pr-pickering.html

Exploring Chinatown Eats Part 2 @ Chinatown Complex Food Centre

"Let's go eat Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken!" and that was how we ended unanimously with our brunch location. It was a 15 minutes walk from Parkroyal Collection Pickering. As it was raining the day before, we were glad to have better weather on the day we want to walkabout.

Chinatown Point

thank you for your hard work

lets explore Chinatown

Ann Chin Popiah

Duo Ji

We visited on a Sunday morning, smack right during breakfast time and popular stalls like The 1950s Coffee were having crazily long queues. Our table were at a far corner, and observed that most elderly seated there had this coffee with the same logo so we decided to get the same.

coffee from Tou Shou Di 

our morning fuel

Thank you Ivan for getting the chee cheong fun and the roasted meats. Thank you Hence for getting the soy sauce chicken, and thank you Tracy for getting the traditional wa kuih and drinks.

Roasted Pork Belly and Char Siew (mixture of lean and half-half ratio meat) from Fatty Ox

The char siew from Fatty Ox even when fatty, had a rather firm mouthfeel. I loved the caramelised bits on the char siew and the crackling from the pork belly.

Ann Chin Popiah @$1.60 per roll

Ann Chin Popiah was listed in 2019 Singapore Michelin Guide and has been around for ages. Packed with ingredients and tasted healthy. Inexpensive as I have encountered neighbourhood popiah stall in coffeeshops with a $2 price tag.

kopi from Tou Shou Di

The coffee from Tou Shou Di stall was likeable. Traditional coffee and 'gao' enough (and warm enough) but I think can reduce on the sweetness slightly.

It is extremely rare to come across a stall selling 碗粿, so we bought one to try. Soft, gelatinous with slightly sweetish savoury sauce that's still mild. Best eaten when still warm and with chili.

碗粿 (wa kuih)

chee cheong fun from Duo Ji

yam cake from Duo Ji

Am not sure if there are others like us who eats roasted meat and soy sauce chicken in the mornings...but I'm a fan of Maria's Signature Soy Sauce Chicken. It is so tender so good! Tried it twice and twice it delivered consistently good quality. I thought the HK Styled version was drier hence, strongly recommend the signature soy sauce chicken. The braised beancurd is pretty well done and the choice of water tofu is good with all the savoury lovely sauce.

Ma Li Ya Signature Soy Sauce Chicken @$10 for half chicken

  

Hong Kong Style Soy Sauce Chicken @$7 for half chicken

Signature Braised Beancurd @$1 per piece 

We saved the HK Style Soya Sauce chicken for teabreak, with wine. The adventure continues in next article. Watch out for the next blog post!

Fatty Ox HK Kitchen

Address: 335 Smith St, Chinatown Complex Food Centre, #02-84, Singapore 050335

 安珍 Ann Chin Popiah

Address: 335 Smith St, Chinatown Complex Food Centre, #02-112, Singapore 050335

头手弟 (Tou Shou Di)

Address: 335 Smith St, Chinatown Complex Food Centre, #02-114, Singapore 050335

阿公碗粿 (Ah Kong Wa Kuih)

Address: 335 Smith St, Chinatown Complex Food Centre, #02-116, Singapore 050335

玛俐亚处女鸡 (Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken)

Address: 335 Smith St, Chinatown Complex Food Centre, #02-176, Singapore 050335

多记 (Duo Ji)

Address: 335 Smith St, Chinatown Complex Food Centre, #02-216, Singapore 050335

Exploring Chinatown Eats @ Hong Lim Market & Food Centre

As our hotel was just next door to Hong Lim Market, we braved the rain and went about looking for food. Bustling as always, the famous stalls like Ah Heng Curry Chicken, Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sar Hor Fun, Tai Wah Pork Noodle all sported long queues.

Lucky us managed to find a seat and excited, we went on our way to scout for food.

The Old Stall Hokkien Street Famous Hokkien Prawn Mee

Decided to try the prawn noodles and the queue looked manageable. The uncle was really friendly.

Hokkien Prawn Mee with Pig Tail @$7

halved prawns

Unfortunately, am more used to the stronger broth of prawn noodles. This version tasted too mild for me. The pig's tail was nicely collageny but porky.

There are interesting eats as well and Tracy introduced us to the world of pork trotter jelly. The one with shark meat was not available hence, we had the normal one. Interesting and the accompanying dips were mild as well.

Tracy's pick - Hwee Kee's Pork Trotter Jelly 

Then, Ivan came back with fishball noodles.

Hong Xing Handmade Fishball / Meatball Noodles

mixed fishballs and meatballs

Oooh, I do like the fishballs and meatballs. It was nice and comforting on rainy days. And for finale, we had the Tuck Kee Ipoh Sar Hor Fun.

Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Hor Fun

crayfish prawns hor fun @$10

Pacific clam prawns hor fun @$6

Wow, the hor fun are still as good. Smooth, slippery tasty goodness. The prawns, crayfish everything was cooked perfectly. Thank you to all the uncles and aunties at the hawker centre who are still making these good food for us!

coffee break

kopi

The coffee from Coffee Break was nice. Old school in a new school packaging.

Thank you Tracy, Hence and Ivan for all the queuings and spending!

Hong Xing Handmade Fishballs/Meatball Noddles 鸿兴

Address: 531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, #02-30, Singapore 051531

Hwee Kee 辉记

Address: 531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, #02-33, Singapore 051531

Coffee Break

Address: 531A Upper Cross St, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, #02-41, Singapore 051531

Tuck Kee Ipoh Sah Ho Fun 德记怡保沙河粉

Address: 531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, #02-40, Singapore 051531

The Old Stall Hokkien Street Famous Hokkien Prawn Mee (老檔著名福建街虾面) 

Address: 531A Upper Cross Street, Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, #02-67, Singapore 051531

Hanashizuku Japanese Cuisine 花しずく @ Cuppage Plaza

Wanted to try at least once a Japanese restaurant located at Cuppage Plaza and Google search led to Hanashizuku. Menu seemed alright with izakaya food like hot/cold appetisers, fried food, sashimi, grilled food and carbs. 

A quick check with a friend and she's available for the date and hence, reservation was secured a week ahead. Booking was relatively easy via Chope. But note that there are two seatings for the dinner with the earlier one at 530pm and the next one is 8pm. Decided to have early dinner and to complete the reservation, will need to input the credit card details with $50 deducted to secure the reservation. This 'deposit' is refundable a few days after you have completed the reservation. 

There will be a confirmation SMS once they have received it and once again a reminder on the day of the reservation itself (about 2 hours before). 

We were there at 530pm but the signage was not turned on yet. There was a group of Japanese guests waiting outside as well.

shopfront

After checking our reservation, the staff ushered us in and brought us to the counter seats.

counter seat view

ready to eat

menu

For drinks, she's having green tea while I started with calpis sour.

hot green tea @$4++

Calpis Sour @$8++

Yes, we were served the mandatory otoshi. At least it was tasty.

otoshi @$4++ per pax

My friend loves oyster, so we ordered from the Today's Special menu, The Fresh Oysters with Ikura.

Fresh Oysters with Ikura  @$20++

spicy but nice

closer view

The oysters were plump and firm. A dash of spicy yuzu sauce gave the oysters a bit of a kick.

I thought that we ought to have some vegetables in our meal, hence ordered the kaisen sarada or otherwise known as seafood salad. We were both happy with this as there were adequate pieces of sashimi on it and the dressing was lovely too. There were maguro, sake and hamachi slices on the plate. Yums!

Kaisen Sarada @$18++

yakitori of momo (@$3.50++) and liver + hatsu @$3++ per skewer

The yakitori while I liked them, its price was rather steep so we stopped at 2. Hahaa! What's dining at an izakaya without fried food? Guess what I ordered?

Tori Karaage @$12++

My next drink was the Peach Sparkling Sake which came right out of the can. Hmm, that's the downside when seated at the counter. I can see how the drinks are prepared.

Peach Sparkling Sake @$12++

For the finale, we had Mentaiko Pasta to seal the deal (or in other words, to make sure we leave the restaurant feeling full!).

Mentaiko Pasta @$19++

To our surprise, it was a rather creamy (creamiest, even!) version of mentaiko pasta. As we ate, it tasted more and more like carbonara (Japanese version, of course) and thus, it remained a mystery as the mentaiko pasta that I've had at other places doesn't look nor taste like this. But the bill stated that it was mentaiko pasta.

Overall, it was a nice experience at Hanashizuku right from reservation to the actual dinner. Although we were seated at the counter, Chef didn't interact with us. However, he smiled when we told him that the seafood salad was nice. 

Hanashizuku Japanese Cuisine 花しずく

Address: 5 Koek Road #02-01 Cuppage Plaza Singapore 228796

Website: http://www.hanashizukurestaurant.com/

Contact: +65 6733 7498

Business Hours:

Mon-Fri: 11:45am–2:30pm, 5:30–10:30pm

Sat - Sun: 5:30–10:30pm