Hidden Gems - Haji Lane & Prince Coffee House

Haji Lane is one of Singapore's hidden gems, located in the Kampong Glam area or also known as the Arab district. Haji Lane is a narrow strip of shophouses which housed small trendy shops and boutiques stocked with offbeat labels that you won’t find in the major malls in Singapore as well as cool cafes and eateries.
Haji Lane reminds me of the laneways and alleys in Melbourne. :) I didn't have the chance to wander into the shops and boutiques as I was there in the evening for dinner, actually. I will need a whole afternoon to explore all the shops and boutiques! :P

Attention grabbing murals

Quirky, unique and trendy shops/ boutiques

Haji Lane

Interesting decor

Amusing signs

Sultan Mosque

I enjoyed walking along Haji Lane with all its colours, liveliness, quirkiness, and charms. :)

The other hidden gem is Prince Coffee House, along Beach Road (near to Haji Lane). Prince Coffee House, a 70s Hainanese Western food restaurant, used to be located within Coronation Plaza, Bukit Timah Road. It was a favourite student hangout by students from National Junior College, Hwa Chong JC, Nanyang Girls' High, Chinese High. :) I used to frequent it when I was a student at NJC for its $6 student meal set! :P I was upset about two years ago when I found out that Prince Coffee House has moved out from Coronation Plaza. I am really glad to have found it again. :) The flavours are still the same as that from my memory. The roast pork, the Hainanese pork chop with rice, the yam cake, the apple pie - all DELICIOUS!
I will definitely go back to Prince Coffee House for its food as well as for a trip down memory lane of my school days lol. :) 

Set with soup and garlic bread

Roast Pork

Hainanese Pork Chop with rice

Lunch @ Dean & Deluca Singapore, OC

I was invited to attend Speech Day at one school as well as the lunch reception. However, when I saw the huge crowd of VIPs, guests, parents and teachers moving towards the reception area, I decided that I would not fight with the crowd. I set off instead with a friend I met at the school (a really pleasant surprise!) to get our own lunch at Dean and Deluca, the latest hip and trendy eatery in town. :)

It was crowded when we got there close to 1pm. We were very lucky to get a table within 5 minutes of arrival. We ordered a Sauteed Brioche French Toast with Salted Caramelised Bananas & Fresh Berries and an American Country Breakfast to share. The sweet came before the savoury but we weren't going to complain lol.   

Sauteed Brioche French Toast with Salted Caramelised Bananas & Fresh Berries

American Country Breakfast

The salted caramelised bananas were to die for! The bananas were soft but not mushy and the sweetness of the bananas blended very well with the salted caramel sauce!! I could just eat them alone. Of course, they went great with the vanilla ice cream and the crusty toasted brioche french toast. :) If my friend didn't stop me, I would be licking up the caramel sauce from the plate! It was that good! By having this dish, I have blown my blood sugar level sky high, never mind that I shared it with my friend lol.

The savoury dish was just as good. The pork sausage was juicy with a good texture, flavoursome and not too greasy. The scrambled eggs were of the right creamy consistency, the  grilled tomato was juicy, the bacon was crispy and greasy (the best way to have bacon lol), the mashed potato had texture and flavour. I just loved everything on that plate too.

I had the iced organic ginger peach tea to wash down my lunch. I thought the taste of ginger was overpowering and I couldn't taste the peach in the tea. :( Guess I will try something else next time. Oh YES, I will definitely be back again. 

See you soon, Dean & Deluca. :)