Haw Par Villa - To Hell and back

Haw Par Villa. The name brings up childhood memories of a sunny hot place with scary statues and of Hell itself. A boat ride into a dragon where the different levels of Hell are portrayed, is found somewhere among those memories as well.

Being curious about the current state of Haw Par Villa, we decided to re-visit this theme park that is hidden away in the south western part of this urban forest we call Singapore. Thanks to the Circle Line (aka Yellow Line) which went into service not long ago, Haw Par Villa is now conveniently located beside CC25 - Haw Par Villa station. 

Seeing this place after at least a decade gave me goosebumps. Haw Par Villa was a popular tourist attraction back then but it is now a shadow of its former glory. The glorious dragon that was seen in the postcard above was no longer there and the pathway was almost deserted except for the occasional tourist.

We headed straight for the locality map to get an idea of how the place was laid out. The first attraction that caught our attention was the "Ten Courts of Hell" as it was most likely the same place which gave us the memories of hell when we were younger. 

Highlight - The 10 Courts of Hell

Since Hell was closest attraction, we decided to head straight for it. Each step brought us closer to the gates of hell guarded by the mythical pair 牛头马面 (Bull-head and Horse-face guard). The Chinese characters at the top reads "Ten Courts of Hell" and the 3 characters reads (from right to left) "Ghost gate".

The place exudes an aura of creepiness as you wander through the tunnels depicting the 10 courts of hell. I thought there were supposed to be 18 levels of hell (十八层地狱) because of the all the stories adults tell us. Anyway, it starts with the souls going onto different bridges depending on how "good" they have performed while they were alive. Those who were virtuous gets to traverse the Golden bridge to paradise. Those who did more good deeds than bad deeds gets to traverse the Silver bridge to paradise. Evil doers will get to behold the mirror of retribution to show them the bad deeds they have done before going through the 10 courts of torture. Yikes! 

We went in front of the mirror of retribution to look at our "evil deeds" and we got a little shock from it! I'm pondering at this point if I should spoil the fun by posting the picture of what I saw in it (apart from the reflection). 

The 2 mirrors of retribution. Mortals, beware when looking into the mirror.

The 10 different courts along the tunnel depict the different kinds of torture in detail one will receive for the evil deeds they have done. The little figures used to depict the scenes were so gruesome yet so fascinating to look at. From what I can remember (not that I committed them):

 - Money lending with exorbitant interest rates results in being thrown onto a hill of spikes

 - Rumour mongering results in your tongue getting pulled out

Eventually, the soul will reach the tenth court where it will enter the Wheel of Reincarnation (Samsara) after drinking the infamous Meng Po Tea/Soup (孟婆汤) to erase the memories of the past life.

Wandering around

After returning from our enlightening experience in Hell, we went to tour around the rest of the place. Apparently, Haw Par Villa was the result of the Haw Par Brothers (founders of Tiger Balm) desire to contribute back to society. 

Memorial statue for the Haw Par Brothers

Memorial statue for the parents of the Haw Par Brothers

A mansion was to be built which is surrounded by statues depicting Chinese fables inculcating moral values such as filial piety. Famous stories such as "Journey to the West" and "Madam White Snake" also have their place in Haw Par Villa. It is unfortunate that the mansion is no longer there. Despite the evidence of erosion from both time and weather, the statues and descriptions remain standing to remind us of the rich history of ancient Chinese culture. 

Description of the Horse - 6th Animal Sign of the Chinese Zodiac

The old Fujifilm logo remains - reminding us how long it has been here

The Goddess of Mercy surely has seen better times.. and water

福禄寿 (Fu Lu Shou) - Personified deities representing Good Fortune, Prosperity and Longevity

Bottom right sign says: Guests wishing for Prosperity, Wealth and Longevity, Please strike once

The Pond of Legacy

A large pond with pavilions and bridges built over it. Oh and a statue that appears to be out of place? Unfortunately, I was not able to find any explanation of why the statue below is found there and thus the mystery remains..

The Statue of Liberty at the Pond of Legacy?!?

The pond was filled with terrapins of different sizes. We did not know there were so many initially. Leaning over to them sort of attracts more of its friends to you. It was a rather intriguing sight to see so many terrapins swimming around. 

Attracting the first few to come

More and more came to our surprise

TERRAPIN PARTY

Is that an island of terrapins??

YES IT IS!

Okay, got a little bit distracted with the countless terrapins swimming around. Right in the middle of the pond of legacy was a pavilion where Shakamuni (better known as Siddharta Gautama to us) sits on a lotus. We studied Social Studies in secondary school that Siddharta Gautama was the founder of Buddhism and hence, this statue of Shakamuni (his birth name) is an important one to behold for he is afterall, THE Lord Buddha. Perhaps that is where the name, Pond of Legacy comes from, Buddhism for which most Chinese fables are based on, is the legacy left behind by Siddharta Gautama. 

Overview

Haw Par Villa is a museum and tourist attraction in its own right, exhibiting the legacy left behind by two noble brothers.Most of the statues still stand, along with the inscribed descriptions to tell the stories of ancient Chinese folklore without the use of projectors and iPads. It was a refreshing experience to be away from all the technological gadgets for a change. Take a trip down to Haw Par Villa to escape from the noisy, squeezy urban city and experience a simple, quiet and humble journey into one of Singapore's oldest tourist attractions, while it still stands.

Date visited: 18 Jan 2014

Time: ~12 PM

Admission: FREE

Opening hours: 9am to 7pm daily

Photos taken with HTC Sensation XE

A trip to London @ Boat Quay

Neko no niwa (Translated: Cat Cafe) has recently opened at Boat Quay. Being the cat lovers we are, we decided to hop down to Boat Quay area to check out the cafe (from the outside). Boat Quay is lined up with shophouses offering a variety of nightlife activities and food, making it hard or me to decide on a location for dinner. After some googling, I came up with a list of feasible dining options in the Boat Quay area. Perhaps we will visit these locations and have them blogged in subsequent posts :)

From my list of dining options, London @ Boat Quay caught my eye because of its guarantee of a great British food experience and no hidden charges! Their website (not very well designed in our opinion) provided sufficient details on the price and description of the food they have on their menu. There were little reviews to be found about the place, however, comments from their Facebook page as well as from random food review websites were mostly positive. One of the negative comments about the place was that serving timing is slow. We decided that we have time, so we can afford that risk and thus decide to head down to London for dinner!

First Impressions
Because there are so many shops along Boat Quay, it will be easy to miss London (and Neko no niwa). Fortunately, my little research online provided me a useful tip for locating the outlet - To lookout for the shop's sign synonymous to London - The London Underground (aka The Tube).

The London Underground (Source: Wikipedia)

Coming from The Central at Clarke Quay, the location was just a few shops right after crossing the underpass. The shop's signage was also pretty obvious (due to its colors and familiarity) and we were thus able to find the shop in no time! The cat cafe is conveniently located beside London! The place has a casual atmosphere with the crew dressed in T-shirt uniforms. There were probably around 8 tables inside the little shop with an additional few tables outside, along the walkway of Boat Quay. Most tables were already filled and we were fortunate to get a seat in the shop, right beside the bar counter. London is furnished with things symbolic to London - pictures of Big Ben, road signs of London's streets..

From the table where we were sitting

Check out the calendar featuring a player from one of London's football clubs - Tottenham Hotspurs!

Speaking of football, London screens LIVE football matches as and when the clubs are playing. Two of their TVs were kept on Singtel mioTV's football channel. Coupling with the variety of beer (draught beer, cider and even traditional British ale) that are offered in the menu, London will be a great place to watch soccer matches with a group of friends!

The food menu with the shop's logo

Anyway, back to pondering over the menu. The dinner menu had quite a number of choices, however, we were not familiar with British-styled food so we just ordered whatever that appealed to our palates. The one thing that I was definitely going to order was the "Cod, chips and mushy peas". There were some feedback that it was good! And for the second dish, we decided to go with "Bangers and Mash". Their description of the onion gravy that comes along with the dish is oh-so-irresistible! We placed our order with a waiter who took our orders enthusiastically and had plain water served to us in a short moment. Food was served in approximately 15 minutes time, not what I would call a long wait, still reasonably acceptable by my standards.

Reflection off the mirror beside us (TV was showing random MVs)

Traditional Cod, Chips and Mushy Peas

Beer battered Cod alongside our famous chips accompanied with our authentic 'mushy' peas with Tartare sauce on the side - $20

E: Cod that was fried in batter that was not too thick. Despite being coated with beer batter, there was almost no hint of beer, no worries about getting drunk over this dish! The cod had a strong taste to it and appeals to my taste buds. However, I will not recommend this dish for people who dislikes the "fishy smell". The chips were thick and satisfying! My favourite potatoes. The segmented tray that came along with the dish contains Heinz Tomato Sauce, Tartar sauce as well as a pickled onion. Eating that first sort of whets up your appetite because of its sour taste. The mushy peas were ordinary mashed peas, nothing particular to rave about.

A: The 'fish and chips' was unlike any that I have seen, being served in several pieces rather than a whole fillet. I am usually very particular about fish, rejecting those with a 'muddy or fishy' smell. While this fish has some of the 'fishy' taste, it was still tolerable for me. The cod had a rough texture and was tough in the sense that it does not break apart easily. Fries were large and long. I don't know why but it was fun to eat it! As for the peas, I think that they were ordinary. It would have been better if there was some kind of special sauce to go along with it! Despite the pickled onion being hard and very sour, it served to be a good appetizer.

Bangers and mash

2 authentic bangers on a bed of real mash potato in the best onion gravy you are going to taste anywhere! - $16

Menu description from the London menu

'Bangers and Mash' is a traditional British dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages

E: The sausages were sufficiently large but I don't think that the price justifies it. It was slightly salty but bearable. The mashed potatoes (MY FAVOURITE) were GREAT, especially with the onion gravy! The taste blends well together and leaves me craving for more! Well, it may seem that I may be overrating the mashed potatoes because I love potatoes cooked in almost any way. Drey thinks that the mashed potatoes were pretty good too! Check out her review of it below!

A: I think the sausages were below average. The onion gravy, on the other hand, was certainly delicious! I love the mashed potatoes and it's smooth texture!

Chocolate Volcano

Premium Belgian chocolate melts with vanilla cream and berries - $11

Chocolate lava that looked capable of flowing

E: This was the highlight of the entire time spent at London's. Expecting the chocolate lava to flow out, we captured a video while cutting the chocolate cake in half. To our disappointment, the chocolate did not flow much because it was too thick.

E: Nevertheless, the thick chocolate was warm, smooth, sweet and rich in flavour. I would say it slid down my throat with utmost satisfaction! Accompanying the chocolate lava and cake was a scoop (probably 2) of vanilla ice cream. The combination of warm belgian chocolate lava with cold ice cream is sure to make you crave for more!
A: I really looked forward to seeing the chocolate lava flow, like all the ones from TV. What a disappointment it was! However, the chocolate lava was damn awesome! The chocolate was really thick and filled the entirety of the cake. The ice cream that came along felt like sorbet... but it was not sorbet.

Thick Belgian chocolate!

Overall
Dinner for 2 pax - $47
Visited on 10 Jan 2013 @ ~715 PM

E: The main courses were simple and generally satisfactory while the dessert exceeded expectations. The price you see on the menu is exactly what you will pay (No extra service charge whatsoever). Staff were friendly, however they do not actively pay attention to your needs unless prompted. Perhaps it was due to it being the peak period and everyone is busy attending to everyone's orders. At least no one was standing by idly!
A: I think that the timing taken to serve the dishes was too kind of long. Slower than that of a restaurant. Fortunately there were TVs to help pass the waiting time!

London @ Boat Quay is a great a place to hang out/relax (or watch football matches) with friends for simple food and drinks (alcoholic) with British decor. Even if you are not into alcohol (like us), London is still a nice place to pass the evening, especially if you can get the seats by the riverside. If you are on a low budget of less than $15, London is not the place to go. One last note before concluding this post, London has a weekly Sunday event offering traditional British Sunday Roasts serving "Beef, Chicken and Pork roasted to perfection served with the best Roast potatoes in South East Asia" (reservations recommended). I have not personally tried this yet but it sure does sound good!

Date: 10 Jan 2013
Time: ~ 715 PM 
Dinner available from 5.30 - 10 PM (Bar food and snacks available until closing)

Location
London
55 Boat Quay Singapore
Nearest MRT: NE5 - Clarke Quay (Exit E)
*I came out from Exit C and walked along the river because it looked more convenient*

Photos taken with HTC Sensation XE and LG Optimus G

Two Blur Guys - A cafe that's not really blur

2 more days till the New Year and I have off for these 2 days! It was perfect for me to meet up with drey for lunch at Tanjong Pagar on a weekday. Having come across previous mentions of cafes and bistros (Ref: ladyironchef) tucked away in the heartlands, I did a quick search for a convenient lunch target and found... Two Blur Guys! Fearing that the cafe will be crowded due to the positive reviews I've read, the backup plan was to settle for a cheap meal at the nearby Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market right opposite Orchid Hotel.

We met up at Amara Hotel and reached the cafe located at the first level of Orchid Hotel at around 1215. Orchid Hotel is right outside Exit A of Tanjong Pagar MRT, definitely a convenient location for lunch! One thing to note:

*Tanjong Pagar Plaza Market is closed for renovations for a year! To be reopened from 1 Jan 2014*

Should the cafe be crowded, there would have been no backup plan!

First Impressions

Fortunately for us, the cafe had only a couple of customers at that point of time. A waitress greeted us at the entrance warmly and led us to our seats. The cafe was nicely furnished, simple but comfortable, small but cosy. Despite having only 8 items (of which 3 were the same burgers with different toppings) on the menu, I think we took at least 5 minutes to decide on what to eat. With our depleting budget as the end of the month approaches, I decided upon a Duck Rillette. Gosh, the word savory whets up my appetite. 

Duck Rillette - Savory duck meat shredded, fresh tomato, mozzarella cheese ($12.00)

"Rillettes are meat cubed or chopped, salted heavily and cooked slowly in fat until it is tender enough to be shredded." - Source, 2013

Drey decided to go with Smoked Salmon after pondering between duck and salmon. 

Smoked Salmon - Selected Salmon fillet top w fresh Avocade Salsa ($11.20)

(Menu descriptions from Two Blur Guys)

There was an option to make our order a set meal by completing it with a home-made Iced Lemon Tea and a dessert for $5.50, so that's an additional $2.25 for each dessert/drink. No point having identical drinks, so we got one set meal and an additional IBC Root Beer. After a few moments of hearing the sizzling of oil on a hot surface, our orders came! Props to efficient service!

The Duck Rillette

E: The Duck Rillette filled my mouth with flavour, albeit a bit salty. The texture and initial taste of the burger was reminiscent of canned tuna in oil instead of duck. The rillette itself did taste like duck when I sampled it without the bread. The rillette was quite oily, I can feel oil oozing out with each bite into it. The oil was also apparent on the wooden platter after cutting the burger in two. Well, rillettes are afterall, cooked in fat. (Didn't know that while we were eating). Despite using healthy wholemeal buns for the duck rillette, those who are health conscious might want to avoid ordering this burger.

A: I think the rillette was too oily, not suitable for girls on diet. It felt like the oil was staying in the mouth and it gives a sick feeling to it as you carry on eating. Whilst the rillette was made from duck, I was able to barely taste the duck despite sampling the rillette by itself. 

The Smoked Salmon

E: I don't usually eat avocado of any sort but for the sake of being able to comment on the dish, I tried drey's smoked salmon burger with avocado salsa. The familiar taste of smoked salmon assaulted my taste buds on the first bite. I can barely taste the avocado salsa in the burger (there was a generous portion of the salsa by the way) but I can discern its soft creamy texture from the rough texture of the smoked salmon.

A: The salmon was really good and healthy because of the avocado salsa, excellent for people who are on diet. However, I was not able to taste the avocado. What I love most about my burger is the generous serving of smoked salmon! If i were to describe this burger, I will say it is "simple yet delicious!".

The Dessert

We had a choice of a brownie or a lemon lamington for dessert and went for the latter. The server was the guy who cooked our burgers and he considerately provided 2 dessert forks for us! The dessert was ordinary, nothing remarkable to comment about it.

A lamington is a dessert of Australian origin, consisting of a square spongecake coated traditionally in chocolate icing and subsequently, dessicated coconut. - Wikipedia, 2013

Overall
Lunch for 2 pax - $35.50
Visited on 30 Dec @ ~1230

I am pleased with the delicious dishes as well as the efficient quality service that was provided. Not only did the burger satisfied my cravings for a savory lunch, the garden greens and the potato salad side dish in particular was great as well! Unlike some potato salad which have onions and egg in the mix, the side dish consisted of only potatoes. The greens had some sort of vinaigrette dressing on it, adding to the otherwise tasteless greens. The serving however, may not be enough for those with big appetites.


Location
Two Blur Guys
Orchid Hotel
1 Tras Link #01-13
Nearest MRT: EW15 - Tanjong Pagar (Exit A)

Photos taken with HTC Sensation XE and LG Optimus G