Expiry date of furnitures

How long would you keep a piece of furniture before discarding? When you get sick of the item and want to change a look? When you move house? Or when its already falling apart?


This cabinet has been sitting in my parents' living room for perhaps 20 years. I know the condition has been bad, but it is only after we dump it and I take a last shot that I realise how badly damaged it is. It certainly didn't end up in this state over night, over the years, it aged and wore off gradually.

Perhaps it is just like people we face everyday, gradual changes do not register in the mind until something strikes.

Coffee or Tea. 19 May 11

Brunch at Food for Thought

Brioche

Doesn't taste or look like the usual brioche, this is a bit too sweet to me.

Blueberry pancake

The pancake is nice and a bit crumbly. Unfortunately, the berries, combined with the sauce tasted too sweet for me too. Perhaps I should go for savoury food next time.

I like the flat white though...

The glass walls let in abundance of natural light and created a relaxed atmosphere.

Perhaps the only fault we could find with the interiors was the white tiles, which we feel doesn't match the overall deco. Doesn't it remind you of the old HDB kitchen and bathroom tiles?

By the time we finished our brunch, it was lunch time and full house.

Coffee or Tea. compilation

main pic: Flat white from The Plain
Left of main pic from top: latte and cappucino from Papa Palheta, piccolo latte from Joe & Dough
below main pic from left: flat white from Room with a View, Food for Thought and Robert Timms
last row from left: piccolo latte and latte from Black Cafe, cappuccino from cafe at National Museum and black coffee from Heart Bistro

Lots of nice coffee...

Coffee or Tea. 15 May 11

It was a hot afternoon and I was dozing off in front of the computer. Rather than dragging through an eventless afternoon, I decided to meet a friend for coffee. We headed for Papa Palheta, a name that I've heard many online raves but have yet to try. By the way, this is also on my to visit list.

This is not a typical cafe. Firstly, you got to enter by the back door.

view from back door entrance

Secondly, you do not pay for your coffee, you give tips instead. Techically, this is not a cafe, but a coffee beans retailer, so that probably explains why they work by tipping. (Does that mean the service staff gets all the tips rather than the boss? But perhaps the staff are the bosses.) I didn't quite know how it works till I reach there, just simply tip as you please for the coffee you have tasted.

latte vs cappuccino

Perhaps it was a crowded afternoon, it took a bit of time for the coffee to come. I ordered latte while my friend cappuccino. The coffee tasted fine, not spectacular, but satisfactory to the extent that I do crave for a second cup.

a hot but leisurely afternoon

The seats aren't really comfortable (but they do not claim to be a cafe). The vintage and retro pieces do however give the place a nice feel, certainly something unique and unpretentious.

a surprising find, an old Mac

It was only after we left that my friend said he wasn't exactly satisfied with the coffee and the service. I felt something amiss but couldn't quite place it till much later, when I was wondering what was the coffee bean used. Given that they are retailing beans, it would have been nice if the staff give us some information on the coffee bean. Perhaps it was really a very busy afternoon for them...

Crepes & Coffee. 14 May 11

Flat white @ Keen on Crepes

Average but of course, we're here for the crepes:

The portion are really big, this is only half of the crepe, the other half I shared with a friend. Taste healthy, with lots of vege, eggs, cheese and mushroom. Didn't quite taste the mushroom though.

The chocolate isn't overly sweet and I could taste the rum in the raisin. Nice...

Coffee or Tea. 12 May 11

We meant to go Joe & Dough for lunch but ended up at Black Cafe due to insufficient seatings at Joe. I've passed by Black Cafe at Somerset area many times but have not tried so far. The Raffles Place branch is much smaller compared to the one at Somerset, but we are happy to get a seat.

I ordered a Piccolo Latte and cheese and tomato sandwich while my friend a Latte and smoked salmon bagel.

The Piccolo Latte is comparable to Joe & Dough's (though I still prefer Joe & Dough's).

It is really a very small cup, as compared to a latte.

King & King Wong

Today, I finally visited King & King Wong, one of the furnishing shops I've been thinking of visiting. I like stuff that looks old, the clocks, the trays and even some of the chairs (which I think are on the ex side).

But in line with my goal to buy as little as possible for this limited space, I only bought a glass container. My good excuse, this is to reduce cluttering.

Before

After