Shopping – Page 3 – Bradley's Old Fashioned Weblog

Buddy Hoagies at Downtown East

August 12, 2009 Bradley Farless4 Comments

The first time my wife and I saw this place we kinda scoffed at the name. It sounds pretty lame right? So, we didn’t bother trying it out. We didn’t even bother looking it up online.

I was really in the mood to try something new, though, so when a Friday night rolled around and we couldn’t decide where we wanted to go, I said, “Well, how about that Buddy Hoagies at Downtown East?” My wife couldn’t think of anything she’d rather have, so that’s where we went.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The first thing I noticed was that the place has a nice ambiance.

Buddy Hoagies at Pasir Ris White Sands / E-Hub

The place is really relaxed. The lighting isn’t too bright either, though it seems that way in the second photo. That’s just a bad shot! I think it helped that there weren’t too many other people in the place at the time. It gave the whole dining experience a relaxed feel and was conducive to conversation.

The place also has a fun look to it, with nifty little pictures up on the wall, a cafeteria style bar, and (though you can’t see them in the photo) a section of seating with nice, cushioned seats that help you relax.

The service was pretty good. I got the impression that our waitress wasn’t having a good day, but she still forced a smile and was passably polite, if a little brusque.

The food itself was another surprise. For what we paid I wasn’t expecting a miracle, but you definitely get a lot of value for your money. I was so happy with our food in fact that at the time I snapped these photos on my phone and put them out on Twitter. Some of my Twitter followers were quite jealous of my meal that night!

The Sirloin Steak

The veggies were crunchy, the meat was well cooked, and I was actually kinda shocked to see baked potatoes. I think this was the first time I’d had one in over a year. Too bad there was no sour cream, chives, and bacon bits to go on it, but hey, can’t have everything right?

Overall, Buddy Hoagies was a great dining experience. The food was fantastic and the value for the food was great too. We’ll definitely be going back.

Banana Caramel Crème Crêpes

July 13, 2009 Bradley Farless4 Comments

Not much to say here. I just wanted to share the photos and make you drool!

On Saturday night (yes, that was a busy day for us!) our last stop before heading home was Plaza Singapura (another mall). On the bottom floor there was a small Japanese Food Fair set up. Well, that’s what the signs called it, but in reality it was just two stalls. One was selling sushi and one was selling crêpes.

After eating the sushi (which came with free green tea by the way) I had an urge for something sweet and we tried out one of the Banana Caramel Crème Crêpes. I took some photos while it was being prepared:

What’s missing from these photos is that the batter was first poored onto a flat black metal pan. I call it a pan but it had no sides. Perhaps a reader can give a name for it? After the ingredients were added it was rolled up into a paper and handed to me like an ice cream cone.

The flavor wasn’t overpowering. I mean, the crème wasn’t exceptionally sweet. The flavors all augmented each other well and the final product was delicious! I could’ve eaten another one by myself after the one we shared!

Orchard Central Mall in Singapore

July 13, 2009 Bradley Farless7 Comments

Saturday evening my wife and I were wandering down Orchard Road. We didn’t have any real goal in mind. We just wanted to be out of the house for a while and take in the sights. Orchard Road is usually pretty interesting. I’ve seen everything from centurions to acrobats to musicians there.

While walking down the road we saw a building that we didn’t recognize. It looked like a recently renovated, recently opened shopping center. We decided to check it out. Sure enough, it was a new mall called Orchard Central. As we passed through the doors we were handed a brochure. We were also handed a fairly basic looking map that proved to be rather useless later.

Rather than make our way upstairs inside the building, we used the long escalators that were mounted to the front face of the building. It was a really neat experience. Two of the escalators we went up traversed at least four floors nonstop. Also, there was a plexi-glass shield beside the escalator that came about as high as my head and not much else so we got a great view as we went up. Adding to the atmosphere there are several observation decks outside the building. The escalator leading to the roof area was closed. I suppose it’s not finished yet but I’m interested to go back when it is, if just for the view.

Here are two shots I took from the highest observation deck I could get to:

A view of Orchard Road from a deck at Orchard Central Mall

After reaching the top and taking in the view for a while we moved inside. The interior of the mall is not at all what I expected. First off, most of it is still closed and under construction. I would even say that there are more closed than open stores there. That’s not a bad thing, I suppose, but it just seems odd. The second thing that was weird about the mall is that the interior didn’t look like a mall. My wife was the first to point it out and after she mentioned it, it was pretty obvious to me too. It looks like the building used to be an office building and the interior was renovated to turn it into mall space. The hallways were just too oddly placed for it to have been intentional.

The other thing we discovered about the mall is that it’s incredibly hard to get around in. That’s why I mentioned that the map we got at the front door on the 1st floor was practically useless. If you start from the top down it’s like trying to work your way through a maze full of dead ends and trick passages. There are places were it feels like there should be a way through and there’s just a blank wall. There are other spots where you would think there’s a way to the stairwell, but in front of you is a huge open area that looks 3 floors down. Oh, or a fake rock climbing wall that spans four stories and causes you to have to backtrack. We could have taken the elevators all the way down to the first floor, but that wouldn’t have been much fun. Instead, we went around, by trial and error, until we got tired. Then we found an elevator and took them to another floor that had escalators, which we then took down to the first floor. Sounds complicated right?

Besides its crazy interior, there wasn’t much interesting about the mall. It had a pretty standard selection of stores when we went through it. There were a few names I didn’t recognize, but they were on all of the shuttered, still under construction stores. When we go back to get a look off the roof, hopefully they’ll be open too.

A final thought: I wish there were a First Person Shooter with a stage modeled after this mall’s floorplan. I mean, look at it. It even looks like something from an FPS:

Shopping in Singapore

July 1, 2009 Bradley Farless1 Comment

One of the things you might often here myself or my wife saying as we walk along the aisles in a store or supermarket is “It costs how much?!” One of the hardest things for me to get used to is the difference in the value of the currency. So, costs initially seem high to me on first glance. Often, after I take the time to pull out my phone and check the conversion rate, it’s not as bad as I had thought. Sometimes it’s still priced higher than what I’m used to, but you also have to consider import fees. On top of that, there’s a 7% GST (goods and services tax).

Sometimes though, I just can’t figure out where the difference in cost is going. Sometimes I think it’s just a matter of merchants overcharging because they can. It’s as if anything that even hints of luxury here, whether it be a pair of Asics (225 SGD?) or a pair of jeans (120 SGD?), gets a hefty price tag put on it.

One way to get around this is to keep an eye out for sales. This is also one way I’ve determined that ‘normal’ prices are often too high. The sales will often price items at 50% or more below the normal price. Now, you know that even if there is a sale, the company still wants to make a profit, and if they can make a profit at 50 – 60% off, then the ‘normal’ price is a bit steep. That’s fine. That’s just how it is here. It just teaches you something, and that’s to keep an eye on flyers and make sure you know when there’s going to be a sale on an item you’ve had your eye on.

So, when you’re walking around in Singapore, don’t go nuts when you see the prices. Remember the conversion rates, remember the import fees, and remember to wait for the sales.

Despite knowing all that, sometimes I’m still shocked, like when I saw these cereal prices:

And it’s not just the Cheerios. Have a look at some of the other items along the shelves in this photo:

As much as I love them, I’m not going to pay over 10 bucks for a box of plain Cheerios. I mean, they weren’t even Honey Nut Cheerios. Don’t these go for about 3.50 or 4 dollars a box in the US? I decided to be reasonable and I got the 5 dollar box of Capt’n Crunch instead. That’s a decent price, and the stuff is good!

Kipling Bags

June 27, 2009 Bradley Farless14 Comments

While my wife and I were out today, we had to pass through Vivocity Mall. The monorail going to Sentosa Island departs from there. Since we were there anyway, we decided to stop by the Kipling store to have a look at the bags. My wife has been talking about wanting a new Kipling bag for almost a year. The last one she had was ruined when battery acid got on it.

So, we took a look inside, and, thankfully, almost everything was on sale. It’s the Great Singapore Sale right now! So, she found a bag she liked and while she was posing in the mirror I went ahead and browsed around a bit myself. I saw the one on the right and liked it and decided I should get one as well.

In the end, my wife wound up paying for both of the bags, as a gift, since I was covering the costs of our outing to Sentosa.

If you’re not familiar with Kipling, they’re a really good brand. Also, each bag comes with a monkey attached to it, like you can see in the photo. Each monkey has a tag on it with a name. My wife’s bag, on the left, has a monkey named Lorena (scary right?). My bag has a monkey named Clotilde on it. Sounds like some sort of heavily muscled Norse woman to me.

Regardless, the bags are nice. They’re made of a good quality and should last us for quite a few years. I want more!

Counterfeit Goods in Singapore

June 18, 2009 Bradley Farless2 Comments

Prior to just a few weeks ago, I had no idea there was a counterfeit goods market in Singapore at all. During my trip to Kuala Lumpur I saw plenty of counterfeit goods that looked great. When I used to think of counterfeit, or “bootleg” items, I always thought of cheap quality, or of something that didn’t look quite right. The things we saw in Kuala Lumpur were near matches though. You wouldn’t be able to tell they were fake at all. The same could be said of most of the counterfeit items I saw in the Philippines.

Shortly after returning from Kuala Lumpur I stumbled across an article on a blog that was talking about how large the counterfeit goods market is in Singapore. I can’t remember the link for it anymore, though I did find another site called “Havocscope: Global Illicit Markets Indexes” that had the value of the counterfeit market in Singapore pegged at $136.2 million dollars. Who knew?

According to the article I’d originally read, the Singapore government does its best to keep counterfeit items out of stores that are in the downtown, touristy areas. It stated that most counterfeit items are found in the outlying areas.

Now, I’m not entirely sure that what this guy is selling is counterfeit, but the slim, plastic packaging wrapping those DVDs looks very familiar. I’ve seen a lot of counterfeit DVD stalls in Kuala Lumpur and especially in the Philippines. I wasn’t really surprised that he had them, or that he was selling them. What shocked me was that this guy was selling them by the Citibank at Tampines MRT station, along a crowded area where people transferring from the bus to the train pass through. That seems a little dangerous for him.

What do you think?

3 Days in Kuala Lumpur: Part 8: Jalan Petaling’s Night Time Street Fair

June 6, 2009April 9, 2023 Bradley Farless1 Comment

During the day, Jalan Petaling is already a busy place. It’s packed with tourists and locals as well as people trying to make sales on everything from PS3s to bootleg DVDs. As you walk down the street, you’ll hear “hey sir!” and “hey boss!” and “cheap deal here!” coming at you from every angle. At night, when the street is filled with portable, makeshift stalls, that madness is doubled.

As you can see from the picture, it’s a really big change. Almost every inch of space along the short stretch of Jalan Petaling is packed tight with street stalls. At these stalls, you can find all sorts of souvenirs, clothes, jewelry and toys. As you walk down the narrow paths the people running each shop will call out to you, making offers, and trying to pull you in.

The whole thing is loud, exciting, and fun, and if you know how to haggle you might be able to get a good deal. Before going, a friend of mine who’s been there before warned us that the initial prices being offered are meant to be a starting point. You can argue the price down a bit, and then if you’re not satisfied you can start to walk away from the stall and they will call out lower prices to you, hoping you’ll turn back and make a purchase. It happened exactly the way he said it would. The one time we stopped to look at something and asked how much it was, the guy’s opening price was 180 ringgit. We never intended to buy it and only asked out of curiosity, but as we smiled and walked away he called out “170! 150! Ok! 130, good deal for you!” Of course we kept going since we never intended to buy it in the first place, but it really illustrated my friend’s point perfectly. According to him, if you can get a price down to about 50-60% of the original asking price, you’re paying a reasonable price, or getting a good deal. If you’re not interested in making any purchases at all, the only thing I can say is look quick, keep moving, double back to look again if you have to, but don’t stop, and don’t make eye contact. Don’t Make Eye Contact! As soon as you do they come rushing towards you with offers, asking you what you want, asking if you’re interested in half a dozen things. That can be very tiresome.

These stalls get set up around 6 pm and then get taken down around 11 pm, and I really recommend that anyone stopping by check it out at least once.

Downtown East Mall, Pasir Ris

May 10, 2009 Bradley Farless1 Comment

[Edit: I found out later that the part of the mall that these photos is from is actually called E-Hub. Though I think it is part of Downtown East, there is half again as much mall as this that I completely missed. When I make an updated post I’ll leave a link here to it.]

My wife and decided to stop by the Downtown East mall on our walk around Pasir Ris. It was sort of on the way, and we hadn’t been there yet, so, why not?

It looks like a great place. As we came through the door we noticed a girl handing out free samples for premium yogurt. I didn’t catch the name of the place, but the yogurt was nice. It had toppings added onto it too that went along with the flavor. It looked a bit pricey, but one of these days when I have money to burn I’ll probably get a cup to share with my wife.

The mall as a whole seems to be tailored to young kids and teenagers. I guess you could say it has a theme, including the types of stores in the mall. It’s really not that big a place, as far as how many stores are inside it, but it does have quite a few restaurants and drink shops, plus an arcade, a type of paid playground for kids, an indoor Ferris wheel, some anime shops, and a movie theater.

I suppose the best part of it all is that the mall is only a 15 minute walk from where we live.

National Geographic Store in Singapore

April 18, 2009 Bradley Farless1 Comment

Last night my wife and I were at Vivocity mall at Harbourfront and we noticed that there was a new store, a National Geographic Store. In Singapore, there seems to be a specialty store for everything. I guess National Geographic is no exception.

We went ahead and went inside to check it out and we wound up having a lot of fun! Looking through the store was like looking through a museum where everything is for sale. I took photos of a few of the more interesting attractions/products:

This thing greets you as you first come into the store. It’s pretty visible and is actually what caught our eye in the first place. When I saw it, the first thing that went through my head is stuff about pale horses and death. It’s a horse made of pieces of some type of old wood. I didn’t check the details on it but my wife said it’s selling for the low low price of only 9k SGD. I think I could build one myself for cheaper than that, but maybe it has some historical value?

Next up was this bookcase that was apparently made in Sweden in the 1880s. I thought it was particularly interesting because one of the blogs I follow is written by a Swedish girl in China, Jonna Wibelius. Besides, I love books, and it would be nice to have a fancy bookcase to put them on. I don’t think I’d go this far though. The bookcase is selling for about 25k SGD.

Next I saw this really neat jewelry case. It’s 7k SGD. How’s that for a high end Valentine’s gift?

Though not the most expensive, this one was probably the oldest. It was the oldest one I saw anyways. The tag says it was made in the 900s in England, and it was selling for 21k SGD.

What I want to know is how anyone can afford to buy any of these things, especially with the current financial troubles. Maybe these items are just there for show, and are meant to amuse and attract customers more than anything. The store also carried framed prints and a large selection of wearable clothing (as opposed to costume type clothing as pictured below) and bags as well. Plus, there were some interesting notepads. I should’ve checked the price tags on the clothes and bags, but I’m sure it was all very expensive. I did look at the price of a little 3×5 inch “Expedition Notebook” and was disappointed to see it was 17.50 SGD. I would’ve bought it if it had been 6 to 7 dollars, but I can’t see paying more for an empty notepad than I would pay for an actual novel.

Also, the store of course had issues of National Geographic set up on displays everywhere. I used to have a huge collection of those magazines. They were old ones that my dad had in storage. I don’t even remember what happened to them now. I should’ve kept a closer eye on them. They might have been worth money some day.

Besides old furniture and clothes the store also featured two other unusual and interesting attractions. One was so interesting that I don’t even remember what was on the stands around it. An area of the floor was lit up by a projected image of sand. It had some sort of motion sensing technology built in that would display footprints when you walked across it. Also, seeminly at random, scorpions would pop up out of the sand, or out of your footprints, and skitter around. My wife and I weren’t the only ones that found it incredibly amusing. There was a little girl, maybe 6 or 7, that was going nuts trying to squash the scorpions. I recorded some of it. Sadly, I turned off the camera just before the little girl screamed, “Nasty! Nasty! These things are so nasty! GRRRRR!” It was hilarious!

The other attraction is a “cold chamber.” It wasn’t open when we went into the store, but for 1 SGD you can stand inside the chamber and experience -25 C (about -13 F) temperatures. The chamber has glass windows so everyone can watch, and, if you want to pay 5 SGD and submit a valid e-mail address, you can have your picture taken and sent to you as well. For some people in Singapore this might be a thrill because they’ve never experienced temperatures anywhere near that cold before. This is a tropical climate after all. For me, it would be a welcome relief to finally feel some real cold air. Even in the malls here the temperature is average, rather than the cool I’m used to. -13 F is a little extreme, but it would still be great!

So, even though we didn’t buy anything, we still got to have a lot of fun just browsing the store. Even if you don’t have 25k extra to spend on old furniture, I still recommend you at least poke your head in to look around.