Jul 21, 2010

Any ideas where to hangout in between appointments?

For the past few weeks, I have been busy with gatherings and errands as I prepare for my adventure as a JET. Thanks, everyone, for taking time off to meet up before I fly. :)

Usually I will pack 2 appointments in a day, for instance, lunch and dinner. For such occasions, there will be an interval of a few hours in between appointments which then set me roaming around for a nice, quiet venue to sit down, relax or study Japanese. Based on those experiences, here are the top 4 places I would like to recommend to you, if you need a spot to R&R in between your appointments in town.

If you don't mind spending a teeny bit more...

Tea Bone Zen Mind

Located at 38A Seah Street, Tea Bone Zen Mind specialises in tea, and offers a great variety of Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, flower, etc tea options.

I love the quiet and elegant ambience at the cafe.





Some tea options available:


Japanese Green Tea


Eight Treasure Tea


Rose Bud Tea


Iced Lychee Tea

Remember to try the Tea Egg. It's a must-try for me! The eggs resemble ramen eggs. They are soft on the itside. :)


Tea Egg

How to get there:


Kki Cafe

Run by a couple, the cafe is located at 7 Ann Siang Hill. I loved the cakes, freshly baked by the Japanese owner (husband). There are not many seats in the cafe though, about 4 tables in the cafe and 2 outside, as the original concept was a cake counter for customers to buy takeaway cakes.


Sorry I forgot the name, but it's a sinfully chocolaty cake. Yums.


Mont Blanc

The cafe is co-located with The Little Drom Store, which sells knicks and knacks from our childhood. It's a pretty retro shop with lots of little surprises, and is worth exploring after the tea break.

How to get there:



If you are full and prefer to find places you do not need to order F&B...

National Library

The "gallery" area in front of the National Library at 100 Victoria Street, is a great place to hangout for free. it is recommended for girls to wear long comfy dress/ skirts/ jeans/ pants though, as you are likely to be seating cross-legged.

The spot is covered, windy and spacious, if there are not many groups around. This spot tends to be quite popular with students, hence when it's too crowded, it may get a bit noisy. Keep your iPod/ mp3 player handy.

How to get there:


School of The Arts (SOTA)

More affectionately known as SOTA, there is a grandstand built around the old tree in front of SOTA. SOTA is located at 1 Zubir Said Drive.

The spot is pretty new, hence it's not as popular as the one outside the National Library yet. When you're bored with reading, you can people-watch too, as the location is very near 2 busy traffic junctions along Dhoby Ghaut area.

Though it's windy, it tends to get a bit hotter as most parts are not covered. Hence prepare an umbrella if necessary. In addition, as it's a grandstand, there are steps, hence you are not restricted to sit in cross-legged style only.

How to get there:


Have a great hangout!

P.S: Do drop me a comment if you have other locations to share :)