What's next? - Freshness Burger in NEX

I am sure by now, everyone has heard about the new kid on the block - NEX Shopping Mall - yet another giant mall that has opened its doors in the heartlands. This time it is at a much anticipated location in Serangoon Central.

Residents from nearby neighbourhoods in Potong Pasir, Serangoon Central, Serangoon Gardens, Braddell, Yio Chu Kang and Hougang, finally have a shopping mall to call their own? Well, judging from the number of visitors since its soft opening a week ago, I think the entire Singapore was there. Horrendous crowd, every single day. I suspect many are just window shopping and checking out the place and not exactly buying yet.

I was there for the first time last week, had a meeting and short discussion there with an acquaintance. Among the numerous cafes and restaurants and foodcourt stalls, we decided to try the Freshness Burger fast food outlet at a hidden corner in the basement, which seemed to be empty that afternoon about 3pm, compared to the horrible crowds and queues elsewhere.

The opening of Freshness Burger in NEX marks its first opening of the brand's first store in South East Asia. Freshness Burger is a fast food restaurant from Japan which has 189 locations in Japan as well as 20 in South Korea. At first glance, it reminds one of MosBurger but perhaps with more variety in their menu. Founded in 1992, Freshness Burger sells hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, and coffee drinks. There are a few vegetarian items on the menu too. Shown here is its Classic Double Double Burger which is a must-try.

I do not take beef, so I ordered the Teriyaki Chicken Burger instead. It was indeed fresh and well prepared with chopped onions and lettuce and wonderful teriyaki sauce. At least it did not have the frozen chicken taste which I found and disliked in MosBurger's Teriyaki Chicken Burger.

The decor and atmosphere of this fast food chain is dim and cosy, with flowers and serviettes on each table, very unlike the clinical feel of the usual brightly lit fast food chains. The wooden chairs and tables and warm lighting and little vases of flowers added nice touches to the dining experience.

The burger bun was soft, with a tinge of yellow hue and tastes slightly sweet. It went well with the Teriyaki Chicken Burger. Other burgers available are: Bacon Omelette Burger, Salsa Burger, Menchi Burger, Negimisu Burger, and Teriyaki Burger. There were Hot Dog, Cheese Dog, and Chilli Beans Dog as well. There were a couple of options which were not available yet. I am waiting to try their Vegetable Tofu Burger when it is available. 

Besides burgers, they also serve a whole range of drinks from coffee to fruit juices to soft drinks to smoothies. There is a very interesting Matcha Latte as well. This is my Iced Organic Coffee, complete with milk and syrup.

This is an unique dessert from Freshness Burger, and they called it the Raisin Doughnut. It is very different from our usual circle doughnuts. It does not taste very sweet  at all, was crispy and hard on the outside but soft inside. The raisins were a lovely complement to the otherwise plain doughnut.

This is the Pop Over, another bun which came with sweet cream to apply on it. It was soft and quite delectable if you do not like overly sweet bread. This is signature of Japanese bread and bakery.

This is the logo of NEX Shopping Mall. Have you noticed that the 'X' in NEX is designed such that it looks like 3 vertical "X"s on top of each another, so much so that it looks like a "8" in the middle? Well, my guess is that the logo definitely took into serious consideration of Fengshui. The number "8" in chinese is "to prosper", and a very auspicious number, particularly for business. "X" by itself looks more negative than "8". The logo "NEX" is also cleverly done in blue, green and red, which in the cycle of 5 elements, water (blue) gives rise to wood (green) which in turn supports fire (red). All very auspicious indeed.

May the shops in NEX Shopping Mall enjoy good business. As for me, I would not be going back to the place so soon, perhaps for the next 2-3 months, till the excitement has settled and when it is not that crowded. Remember the big hooha when Vivocity was just opened?

Freshness Burger is located at 23 Serangoon Central, #B2-48/49, NEX Shopping Mall, Singapore 556083.

Cakes N Such

I realise I'm a boring person, if you see the cakes and desserts I order. Happened to sieve through my past photos and discovered, whatever cake or dessert that has 1) chocolate, or 2) liquor or 3) coffee and 4) non-fruity, I'm sold.

What: Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream

Where: N.Y.D.C Cafe

What:  Boo Boo Choc Cake(super yummy!)
Where:  N.Y.D.C Cafe

What: Big "O" Cheesecake topped with chocolate mousse on Oreo cookie base

Where: N.Y.D.C. Cafe

What: Berry Dark Mocha Elephanccino

Where: N.Y.D.C Cafe

What: Carrot Cake (this is the only deviation from the norm because it's heavenly and nutty!)

Where: Cedele Cafe

What: Cheesecake

Where: The Olives Cafe

What:  Affogato and Earl Grey Tea

Where: The Olives Cafe 

What: Blackforest Cake ( I love this because of its strong hint of liquer!)

Where: Caffe Bar

What: Chocolate Souffle

Where: Caffe Bar

What:  Miniature Cake Taster Set (I only like the Tiramisu!)

Where: Tea Cosy Ten Thousand Angels Cafe 

What: Chocolate Brownie with Ice cream and chocolate sauce

Where:  The Society Cafe

What:  Single Fondue (fresh fruits, homemade cookie, waffle cone, marshmallow, belgian choc rum & raisin ice cream)

Where: Anderson's of Denmark

What: Cheese chiffon cake, Chewy Choc chiffon cake (these are the only chiffon cakes I like)

Where: Tampopo Deli

What: Chocolate Affogatto  

Where:  TCC

What: Chocolate Truffle Cake and Chocolate Ice cream

Where: TCC

What:  Dark Devotion

Where: TCC 

What:  Devilmisu (my favourite dessert in TCC, minus all the berries)

Where: TCC

What: Kick-O-Pudding 

Where:  TCC

What: Tiramisu

Where: TCC

What: Tiramisu (the most horrible Tiramisu I ever had)

Where: Saizeriya

What: Chocolate Pie with Chocolate sauce and Vanilla Ice cream (most horribly sweet dessert)

Where: New York New York

What:  Chocolate Rosinni (rice pasta) and banana fritter with vanilla ice cream

Where: Pasta Stylo

What: Chocolatey Cookies n Cream Mudpie (another horribly sweet dessert!)

Where: Swensons 

What: Wobbly Panna Cotta with Lavender-maple glazing, served with strawberries braised in champagne.

Where: The Garden Slug

What: Double Chocolate brownie

Where: Starbucks

What: Classic Coffee Cake

Where: Starbucks

What: Double chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream

Where: Toby's The Dessert Asylum
 

What: To-by Or Not To-By Mudpie With Rum & Raisins Ice Cream and Oreos

Where: Toby's The Dessert Asylum

What: Rum & Raisin ice cream and waffles

Where: Haato Ice Cream

What: Assortment of donuts (notice most are chocolate based?)

Where: Donut Factory

What: Blueberry Cheesecake

Where:  Baked by friend

What: Muddy Mudpie (my all-time favourite)

Where: Coffee Club 

And any cake or dessert is not complete without a cafe latte.

So there, I am very much a predictable nut, ain't I?  

"When you SEE the rope, the snake vanishes."

What do you see? The circles do seem to be moving. It is just a visual illusion.  We think it is moving and turning left and right, when in actual fact, it is still and motionless. 

It brings to mind another example of how we perceive things:

"A coiled rope's speckled color and coiling are similar to those of a snake, and when the rope is perceived in a dim area, the thought arises, "This is a snake". As for the rope, at that time when it is seen to be a snake, the collection and parts of the rope are not even in the slightest way a snake. Therefore, that snake is merely set up by conceptuality."

We tend to perceive things as what we want them to be. This is misconception because all problems are created in thought; in our thoughts, in our mind. This in turn results in afflictive emotions like anger, jealousy, resentment, lust and hatred etc. Hence we suffer because of these emotions, and this is all due to ignorance. If we remove this ignorance that misconstrue phenomena to inherently exist and if we prevent the generation of afflictive emotions, only then can suffering be removed. 

We should recognise that all problems (ie. suffering) are created in thought and nowhere else. Who you really are (your presence/consciousness) is and should not be affected by thoughts. You are utterly free of thought. John Wheeler in [Awakening to the Natural State] wrote, "there is a difference between direct awareness and thought, which is just words and labels. We take the words and labels to be real. Can you drink the word 'water'?...Try to see the difference between awareness (direct knowing) and the labelling activity of the mind... You can know your real nature for certain because you know you are aware, you know you exist, even without taking a thought about it. Normally, this is overlooked because it is so simple. The mind is apt to minimize this pointing, but it is utterly profound."

If you view a rope as a snake, you keep running away from the snake, fighting it. Problems are the snake in the rope of thought. Thought (mind) is a harmless rope, and wonderfully useful; but when it is mistaken for a snake there is a lot of fear, frustration and distress. However this would not make the snake vanish. The snake only vanishes when you SEE the rope. There is no need to fight the mind or thoughts, only see clearly that they are no more than innocent vibrations in awareness. Hence the power of "seeing", the power of "awareness". It is all in the mind.

This is a lesson on emptiness and existence.

Try this exercise in identifying how objects and beings falsely appear: 

1. Observe how an item such as a watch appears in a shop when you first notice it. 

2. Then observe how its appearance changes and becomes even more concrete as you become more interested in it.

3. Finally observe how it appears after you have bought it and consider it yours.

Have a good weekend. 

Trinity ring

This is a re-post because I just captured the latest photo of this special ring which I have for a while.

This is my Trinity ring which comprises of 3 rings intertwined together, each in gold, silver and bronze. These are not real gold, however it is good enough. It is symbolic of luck from heaven, earth and mankind. I love it because each of the rings is engraved with powerful mantras. The Gold ring features the Manjushri Buddha 文珠菩萨 mantra - "Om Ah Ra Pa Cha Na Dhi". The Silver ring features the Chenrezig (Kuan Yin) 观音菩萨 mantra - "Om Mani Padme Hum" and the Bronze ring features the Amitabha 阿弥佗佛 mantra - "Om Ami Dewa Hrih".

I always wear this ring when I go out. I can also wear it as a pendant.  The rings are further empowered if I chant all the 3 mantras by blessing and blowing onto them. Om ah hum, with the blessings of the Triple Gems.

The cheaper version can be found in Ren Ting, in Fu Lu Shou. The more expensive version which is made of real gold can be found here.

Eureka, it's Cafe Eurasia!

Oh my, it's already December! A few months ago, I was at Albert Court Hotel to receive a complimentary hair treatment. After that, I thought I should take the opportunity to have lunch at Kichn. Heard so much about their spaghetti in crab sauce, chicken nuggets and the 3-in-1 oreo shake etc... and with very reasonable prices. But alas, it was closed, or not yet opened that day.

It was such a hot and sunny and I was perspiring like mad. So even if Kichn was opened that day, I think I would have given it a miss anyway, because the mini restaurant is open-air sitting in the courtyard of Albert Court Hotel. Didn't think I would eat in comfort without aircon that day.  So I took a stroll down the road towards Selegie area. Met up with a friend.

Chanced upon this little cafe, Cafe Eurasia at Wilkie Edge. They serve an eclectic mix of European and Asian cuisine, like American breakfast, salads, pastas, burgers, sandwiches and kebabs and so on... They have quite a number of options for breakfast alone; from Chipolata sausages, to Croissantwich to Omelette to Full English breakfast.

For starters, I ordered the corn soup, which was delicious, despite the blobs of cream. Sprinkled a little pepper and it was a little bowl of hearty creamy soup. 

I could not make up my mind whether I wanted the Kebab or Fish & Chips. Decided to go ahead with the safe choice of Fish & Chips.  Served with tartar sauce, little salad, lemon, and chunky chips, the pieces of Fish were crisp and burning hot and soft inside. They marinated the batter with a tinge of Indian spices, which made this Fish & Chips slightly different, but nonetheless delightful.

Completed the meal with Cappucino Caramel Ice Cream. Did not want cake because I was stuffed. Nice end to a relatively hearty meal and good company.  

You may wish to check out their other items, like this Steak Sandwich, which is sirloin steak with caramelized onions and shredded lettuce and mustard mayonnaise. Another unique dish would be the Shawarma Roll, with a Middle Eastern touch. It is a popular shawarma chicken, mixed with lettuce and onions and tortilla wrap and fries. Most of its main dishes is less than $10. 

Cafe Eurasia is at 8 Wilkie Road #01-17, Wilkie Edge, Singapore. Tel: +65 6238 8121.