Valentine's at Petals & Leaves

During my course of work, I came across a place in ulu Lim Chu Kang where there would be a Valentine's Day dinner. So curious me decided to just try it out. Besides the traveling required, both the girlfriend and I were pleasantly surprised by this place called Petals and Leaves at Gardenasia.

For Valentine's Day, a number of partners and sponsors collaborated to make this event at Petals and Leaves possible, notably Eternally Yours by Vernetta Lopez (ironically divorced from Mark Richmond) which did up the decor for the angelic theme for the night. The wait staff even put on cupid wings. The girlfriend and I liked the details of white feathers, curtains and hearts which ushered the patrons to the seat. We also liked the spaciousness between the tables unlike restaurants in more accessible areas where couples have to be crammed so close together, you can hear the other couple's secrets. Plus there was no need to rush as they were open from 7pm till 11pm for that evening. On top of that, we also got to do some "area inspection" of the venue. With plenty of greenery and tranquil quietness, it was our kind of a nice place.

The dinner we had 4 courses with the mains of either fish, chicken or lobster to choose from. We took the fish and chicken with suspicions that the portion of lobster would be minuscule.

The food served is pretty decent, with the only grouse being the temperature which was rather cold, probably due to mass production. The pace at which the courses were served was also quite thoughtful, with the attentive wait staff making their rounds to ensure the plates are cleared.

In between the courses, the girlfriend and I inspected our goodie bags and were quite pleased with sample vials of fragrances, Godiva chocolates, audio CDs, red packets (it was during Chinese New Year) tissue packs, discount vouchers and massage vouchers (which can only be redeemed from Mondays to Thursdays in Horsecity, i.e. somewhat pointless)

The live band was also a wonderful mood setter as they belted out numerous sentimental songs and jazz standards. Unfortunately, the vocalist also had a rather morbid and graphic sense of humor that can can only be better appreciated in a pub lounge setting. Though I must commend her for being able to take in ground requests and singing even without knowing the lyrics to the whole song, letting good showmanship take over.

Overall, it is a lovely little paradise to spend Valentine's Day. Just remember to plan for the transportation and bring along a bit of insect repellent.

Additional Photos available here.

The Local Countryside

I can't say I particularly enjoy walking down Orchard Road to City Hall. While it is a great walk for people watching and spotting marketing gimmicks (which usually involve PVC and/or short skirts), it gets pretty dreary once you keep going at it. So it is really nice to find somewhere less crowded and with less exhaust fumes.

Figs on a tree

A while ago the girlfriend and I took a ride on the Kranji Express to the Lim Chu Kang countryside, took a walk at Sungei Buloh, crossed paths with a 2-metre long monitor lizard and had some snacks at Poison Ivy. It simply left me pining for more of the area.

The Local Countryside - Hay Dairies Goat Farm

It was a weekday when my parents and I visited the area, so we were a little disappointed when we found out that Green Circle wasn't ready for business. We then moved off to Hay Dairies Goat Farm for a look-see and some goat's milk. We had missed the milking session, so we had to settle for the meet-the-goats session.

A hungry goat expecting to be fed.

Pregnant nanny goats

You can see some of their bellies move from the kicking kids inside. Fascinating.

The "stud" sniffing a nanny goats... Nuff said...

So a bit of reality check here: the goats don't really frolic in the vast grass patches as you see in the Flash animation on the web site. (If you sense I'm a little peeved by this, it is only because you got to watch The Meatrix)

So after the meet-the-goats session, we bought a few bottles of fresh goat's milk, chocolate and original flavours.
Advice: I prefer the original flavour to the chocolate one. So skip the chocolate, because it doesn't really taste fantastic. But of course, it is a matter of personal preference. Try at your own risk.

The Dragonfruit Farm

We then adjourned to the dragonfruit farm just next door. For the uninitiated, dragonfruit, or pitaya grows from a family of cacti that looks just the picture above. They come in 3 varieties, red skin with white flesh, red skin with red flesh and yellow skin and white flesh. The farm only sells the first two varieties along with other products that are derived from the fruit, like fruit enzymes and canned dragonfruit juice (either red or white).

Flower of the Dragonfruit plant

My parents and I definitely didn't just want to settle with buying the dragonfruits, so we toured the plantation.

Dragonfruit

Flower of the Dragonfruit plant

Flower of the Dragonfruit plant

Flower of the Dragonfruit plant

A cute little thing

Of course, it is my duty to inform readers that there are thorns, and should proceed with a level of caution. Especially when you see plants growing so close together...

Be careful of thorns

Besides the main function of growing dragonfruits, the farm also has some sidelines for variety, probably catered to pique the visitors' interest.

Aquatic plants

Wine gourds

Just before leaving, we chanced upon a koi pond. So I stepped closer to the edge and the next thing I knew, the kois swarmed towards me and surfaced as if in a feeding frenzy.

Koi

It turns out that the kois were constantly fed by visitors and apparently they expected feed the moment someone steps near the edge of the pond! Damn smart lor!

Think I will plan another trip to the local countryside soon. :)