Breakfast at Baba Chews Bar and Eatery @ Hotel Indigo Katong

Was doing a staycation at Hotel Indigo and the weekend getaway package came with daily breakfast at Baba Chews, which is just downstairs.

let's get some breakfast

So let's see what's for breakfast then!

interior

cafe latte

Was greeted by friendly Merry, and upon seated, she offered to get me a cup of coffee. A latte it is and thanks Christian (barista) for the lovely latte art!

Breakfast was a self-service semi-buffet kind of affair, so I started off with a mini bowl of teochew porridge to warm the tummy.

self-service porridge station

my mini congee bowl

DIY orange juice bar

It was interesting to see a DIY orange juice counter, but if you're not into making your own juice, fret not as there is a fridge with ready-to-drink juices such as mango and apple.

 mango juice

As the place wasn't that busy yet as I was down for a early breakfast at around 7.40am, Christian came over to ask if I would like to have a bowl of Singapore laksa as that's one of the specialty for that day. He also recommended the eggs royale from the regular breakfast menu. Yes, of course I'd try if he promise that the laksa would be a small bowl. Hahaha, can't eat too much as I was meeting Hence, Tracy, Ivan and Kris later for lunch.

Baba Chews Singapore Laksa

Do note that different days will have different items for the breakfast hot food menu. Laksa was available for Saturday.

sweetish, savoury laksa

The laksa was of milder flavours and there was plenty of ingredients in that small bowl. Quails egg, fishcake, taupok (beancurd puff) and small shrimps.

Eggs Royale

The Eggs Royale was very likeable. The yolk was runny, the hollandaise sauce had hints of truffle, plenty of smoked salmon (if not enough, the semi buffet section still has more!) laid ontop of the muffin. Tasty stuffs!

let it flow

I like the minimalistic cheese section, so took a little bit to try. There's cut fruits and the watermelon was nicely sweet. Good to see there's jambu air (rose apple).

small platter of fruits, cheeses and dried fruit and nuts

orange pineapple shot

Christian gave a delightful service to guests as he went around offering juice shots. Thank you!

For dessert, I had the mini egg tarts which was also a special for that day.

mini egg tarts

I enjoyed breakfast as well as the service from the staff at Baba Chews.

Baba Chews Bar and Eatery

Website: https://babachews.com.sg/

Address:  86 E Coast Rd, Katong Square, Singapore 428788

Contact: 6723 2025

Business Hours:

Daily: 6:30 am–10:30 pm

Staycation @ Hotel Indigo Katong Singapore

Been saying it for a while and finally, decided to book a 3 days 2 nights stay at Indigo Katong. This was my journey to the East. 

exterior

entrance

Arrived at the hotel and check-in was a breeze, thanks to Kelly. Guest was offered a complimentary welcome drink of tea/coffee. Guess what I chose.

reception area

welcome drink - iced latte

My room was up at Level 8, after enjoying the cold latte, Kelly walked with me for a short distance to the lift lobby. Loved the decor at the hotel with Peranakan motifs.

King Bed Standard Room 30sqm

spacious room

Room was of a comfortable good sized and was looking forward to explore the nearby areas. I thought I could play carrom while I was there but, that's just a table that looked like a carrom board... hahaha.

view from the other side

bathrobe

bathroom

retro seat and washbasin for the tired feet

'sole' purpose

The toilet is near the room door while the bath area is way at the back of the room. No complaints, as both areas have their own sink.

Thanks to housekeeping for keeping the room clean and tidy! Bumped into her at the corridor too, friendly and cheerful lady.

glass bottle

view from 8th floor

lovely tiles

shower area

The shower area is rather spacious and shower strength was good and easy to adjust between the rainfall and the handheld.

is it visible to the outside? 

The room is equipped with a coffee machine and a kettle. Minibar is empty saved for milk shots in lieu of creamer for the coffee. Not an issue as there is NTUC Finest just a few minutes walk away to stock up on any drinks of your liking.

so cute the cups

sweets

illy, I like

time to stock up

room decor points elevated

With all the trinkets/decor in the room, it's probably challenging to maintain but glad to see everything's pretty well kept at Indigo Katong. Kudos to the team!

lovely cushion covers

Went to check out the swimming pool at Level 11 and bumped into an exercise class being held at the pool. Cool!

let's go up

let's visit the rooftop pool

basking in the sun

can dine at the rooftop when it is cooler in the evenings

view from rooftop

Hotel was rather sweet to arrange a delivery of a slice of ondeh ondeh cake for the birthday girl.

for the birthday girl

thanks for the lovely cake~

Will post more on the hotel breakfast, as well as other things to do in this area. See ya soon!

Hotel Indigo Katong

Address: 86 E Coast Rd, Singapore 428788

Website: https://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/us/en/singapore/sinki/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-IN-_-SG-_-SINKI

Contact: 6723 7001

Parent's Day Menu 2023 @ Goldleaf Restaurant 金葉餐廳

Parent's Day is observed in South Korea on 8 May while United States of America has theirs on the fourth Sunday of July. Nevertheless, Goldleaf Restaurant has a Parent's Day menu to cater to your celebration needs, for the immediate upcoming celebration of Parent's Day and Mother's Day (14 May 2023).

For a family meal, the Parent's Day menu caters to 4 to 5 pax and priced at $268++, with a dishes that comprises of prawns, fish, and poultry. Hehe, my ah ma always said that for a special occasions, must have those chicken, pork, fish and prawns.

Emperor Chicken with Herbs 皇帝鸡

ready for the reveal

Emperor Chicken with Herbs

tender and flavourful

I suppose the "Emperor Chicken" was named as such due to it, being one of the many dishes that the Emperor of China had partake upon? This dish is said to boost immunity, aiding digestion, combating fatigue, repairing worn-out tissue, strengthening liver function, and alleviating bodily weakness. Sounds like the energy booster that most of us needs as well!

Am a noob in Chinese herbs, but typically this dish usually would have dang gui (当归), dang shen (党参) and obviously, I can see there's wolfberries (枸杞子) in there as well. Broth was lightly seasoned but packed with lovely herbal flavours. Chicken was tasty and most parts were fork tender, except for some bits. Loved the soft chicken skin that almost dissolves in your mouth upon contact.

Handmade Jade Steamed Egg 翡翠碧绿蛋

Handmade Jade Steamed Egg

This dish got us talking. Is it steamed egg, or is it egg tofu? It looked very much like beancurd to majority of us but when you taste it, it tasted rather eggy and of a firm texture. Hmmm, interesting!

Steamed Seabass with Chye Poh and Garlic 双宝金目鲈

Steamed Seabass with Chye Poh and Garlic

The steamed fish that night was exceptionally good. Texture and seasoning, just right. This was the favourite dish amongst the majority of us. Only thing missing, was a bowl of white rice.

thank you Alvin for helping us to portion out the fish

Wok-Fried Tiger Prawns with Premium Tea Leave 茶香老虎虾

Wok-fried Tiger Prawns in Premium Tea Leaves

The prawn dish appeared to be without any sauce, and hence that got me thinking about how this would taste like. Most of the prawns dishes unless it was a cold dish in a buffet, usually come with plenty of sauce for its taste. 

The fragrance of the tea leaves were rather mild, but I enjoyed the bouncy texture of the prawn that was cooked to the perfect texture. Cooked through but not overly.

Flower Clams with Seasonal Vegetables in Superior Broth 上汤时蔬花啦啦

Flower Clams with Seasonal Vegetables in Superior Broth

For a balanced diet, this dish has soup, seafood and vegetables! Simple combinations and my dining companion commented that, for him, the allure of this dish was the right consistency of the broth. 

Classic Noodles with Minced Braised Pork 中式扣肉碎面

what's in the pot?

The noodles dish was nicely presented in a lovely claypot, accompanied with a tokkuri (徳利) and a side dish of mei cai  梅菜 (preserved vegetables).

Classic Noodles with Minced Braised Pork

The braised pork certainly didn't look minced to me but after the sauce and the mei cai was mixed in, the meat had broken down further into smaller meats. Aha... that was what it meant!

after mixing

knive cut noodles

The knive cut noodles (刀削面) was QQ and springy, so it was pretty nice to chew on. Noodles itself had a clean taste, and it had never occurred to me that preserved vegetables can be a topping for noodles. First experience at Goldleaf!

Aloe Vera with Wheatgrass Juice 芦荟小麦草

dessert

I still remembered once upon a time, when wheatgrass became hugely popular. That was way way many years back. Am not a fan, because it smells like freshly cut grass. Hahaa!

But of course, I tried the Aloe Vera with Wheatgrass Juice dessert. The aloe vera was rather juicy and the wheatgrass juice was more like a syrup. A refreshing dessert for the hot and humid weather.

juicy aloe

menu

Overall, the set menu offers good value and has something for everyone. The dishes are familiar tasting, and that's comforting in a way. 

Thank you Kris for the invite and Karen, Goldleaf Singapore for hosting the tasting.

Goldleaf Restaurant 金葉餐廳

Address: 83/85 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389200

Website: https://goldleaf.com.sg/

Contact: 6346 1088

Business Hours:

Daily: 12–10pm