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Maison Kayser

 

MAISON KAYSER

'' Good bread doesn't lie, it says everything about the quality of the ingredient and the know-how of its creator. Being a good baker means making a little miracle everyday, transforming simple food, leaven, salt and flour into complex and varying flavour. That's my passion that i want to share it and introduce it to the other craftsman both in France and around the world.'' -Eric Kayser

 

 

 

The first time i read about Maison Kayser was from a magazine featuring the ramen place and Maison Kayser.. I never really had a chance to head down to try it..

 

On the first visit, it was the because of the aromatic smell of pastries that attracted me into Scotts Square which is where this bakery/cafe is located.

 

I have stayed in Copenhagen, Denmark for over a year and it was there that i ate quite alot of bread.. more bread that i would have ever eaten in Singapore..Bread are so different here in Singapore in comparison to those in Europe that i have tasted..

Its only after living in Copenhagen that i learned to appreciate good bread.. Bread with less sugar in it.. Words cannot describe.. Crispy and hard on the outside..

Soft and fluffy on the inside.. YUM!

 

Since I'm not a breakfast person.. and as a Chinese we don't eat much bread other meals of the day.. I seldom eat bread in Singapore.. Maybe occasional white bread, butter sugar toast..For others Singaporeans kaya toast is a favourite with soft boil egg.. But for me..I recently swap my some of my carbs including bread to having whole meal bread or multi grain bread most of the times..When I'm sick of slice bread i will even change my breakfast into cold pasta..

But i really miss tasty bread..(*Not slice bread i mean)

 

If you are wondering what is tasty bread... Tasty bread is bread that is so good that you can eat it without anything.. No butter/ Jam/ Ham or any condiments...

 

Recently when sweetie was here i decided to bring him for some brunch at Maison Kayser..

 

Scramble egg set+extra egg+extra bacon

($5.60+$1.89+$1.89)++

Breakfast set includes Scramble egg and a ''bread type''

Sweetie choose croissant..

Bacon and cheese can be added if you would like...

 

Baguette with breakfast set was what i choose..

 

 

I believe it was really good...

So good that sweetie had second serving..
And ordered a baguette with ham and cheese...



Jambon Fromage $7.48++

 

Pain Basket aka Bread basket $4.90++

With Jam and butter provided..

 

If you are skeptical about how good the bread is..

You can get a Pain Basket, it is a combination of different kind of bread..

Two servings is included in the price above..

 

It was soft and tasty to me that i didn't even put anything on my bread!!

 

For me this is one of the bakery that i wouldn't mind paying...

The bread can be crazily priced.. But it is totally worth from my point of view..

 

But i would say if you want a good and daily baked fresh bread...

This is the place to visit..

 

I read from other reviews that Eclairs and pastries are their forte too..

I'm not sure how good are they since i did not try it..

Some commented about their service and cleanliness...

 

My point of view..

I wouldn't say there wasn't bread crumbs lying around..Things could be better but at a bakery with fresh bread..Bread crumbs i can accept.. If we can accept hawker centre as clean.. why not some bread crumbs in a bakery? During the two occasions that i was there, i saw staffs sweeping the floors trying to maintain the cleanliness.. Might not be perfect but can be improved...

 

Staff was attentive to me during my two visits.. They might be running around doing errands or taking orders.. Show your patience especially during lunch time as it could be crowded..Staff occasionally walked around to ''promote'' their speciality..

 

I felt that many people wants very good service since they feel that they had to pay so much... But my point of view... you are paying for the bread and not the service.. The fact that you visit them is because mainly because their bread/pastries is good and not for their good service..

 

Of cause, they can definitely improve on the two above...

But for me no matter what i will visit them for their yummy bread..

No matter is it their bread with figs and walnut or tomatoes...

 

There are so many different type of bread/pastries..

I'm sure there is something you like..

Head there for some HI-Tea..

Want a taste of Europe...
This is the place...
To understand why bread is a HIT in Caucasian countries...
IF you miss bread that u tasted before overseas..
This is the place..

Visit them and let me know what you feel about this bakery...


 

 



Kam Leng Hotel

Kam Leng Hotel

''Kam Leng hotel was first established in 1927 by a mysterious owner whose identity remains unknown till today. Situated along the busy and colourful Jalan Besar road, Kam Leng was one of Singapore’s most well-loved hotels favoured by tourists all over the world.

The re-opening of Kam Leng hotel in 2012 will bring back the magic and nostalgia of yore. The contemporary hotel experience will be a refreshing take of the old dame where we dived into research of what she used to be, and recreate the mood and style by weaving new stories into the experience.

The various spaces and rooms will be brought back to life again, referencing the charm of the early 1900s in Singapore, where it was characterized by a strong Nanyang style mixed with Chinoiserie influences. Not just a mere re-creation of history, Kam Leng hotel will be reimagined and restored lovingly to its splendour.'' (Quoted from http://www.kamleng.com/index.php/the-hotel/)

 

 

Kam leng hotel will be the first hotel that i will review on.. It was a hotel that sweetie and i choose to stay in while he is here in Singapore for 7Days & 6 Nights... We only stayed there for 5Nights since we choose to stay somewhere else.

(*Quincy Hotel, which i will write about it in the upcoming post...Stay tune..)

 

If you are wondering where is Kam Leng hotel situated..Its right oppersite of Lavender food square where some of Singapore's yummiest food to be found...

 

What attracted us to book this hotel is its the retro feel i guess..something different from the hotels which we often choose to stay in...Even though we knew the room will be kinda of small  (*Sized from11-20 sqm) but the reviews were good online..

This was the view that welcome us from the main door. (*my apologies regarding the badly joined panoramic picture) I really like the whole reception area, felt so welcoming. Nicely decorated with items that reminded me of my childhood...

 Main lobby area decorated with nolgastic items like..Ratten chair...old style cabinet...Fm tune radio...

On one corner sits the reception...

On the other corner sits the cafe..

C what i discover on the ceiling

 

A cosy corner set just next to the reception which you can use to surf the net or print any documents..Its a ''Business centre'' which alot of big hotels call it...

 

The room we stayed in was 103..Its a 16sqm room which is a elderly/disabled friendly room..just a short walking distance from the reception..This is the look of our room with the Queen size bed with a simple ''dressing table'' at the side..

There wasnt much storage space due to the small room..So we can only ''Dump'' our things onto the table. There were only a small place to hang our clothes and only 4 hangers are provided thus the mess..

If you are wondering why is the picture so dark... The room was lit up by the two hanging lights and the table lamp..There were no other light source as the room we stayed in had no windows..So if you feel uncomfortable with things mention about do request for a room with windows..

 

Safe box and mini fridge is provided

 

There is no mini bar provided in this hotel but you can always stock you mini fridge!!

Two complimentary bottled water are provided everyday otherwise it is always safe to drink straight from the tap...

 

 

Bottled water, water kettle,tea cups with tea bags and coffee mix are provided...

So if you are craving for a hot cup of tea or coffee..

You can have it in the comfort of your room..

You must be wondering what is the unique packaging at the left side of the picture...

Its the amenities that you might need..E.g. Shaving cream and blade, shower hat etc..

Thats something sweetie and i really loved..The unique packaging...no matter if its the bottled water...or the box where the amenities are...

 

 

 

 

Their logo on the opaque glass which seperates the room with the toilet... 

 

Hotel Logo mirror.. As you can see from the picture..it has a handle next to the toilet.. Really helpful for people who has difficulty moving around...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

Rain shower really nice!!!

Shower gel and shampoo is provided on the dispenser on the wall.. But as you can see in the picture...there is no place for us to put our own shower amenities...So only can put it on the latch..Window can be opened out towards the outside but since we are staying on the first floor...we didnt do it..Dont really want to end up inviting peeping toms to peep at us when sweetie or i shower... *hehehhe*



 

Panoramic view of the toilet...

Very big and spacious...

Simple yet has almost everything in it...

 

Wondering what are these pictures all about...

 

Here comes the disappointing part is this...

 

Noise 

As our rooms are on the exact same wall as these cupboards..

which i found out from the staff that are used to store items which may be needed during the cleaning of the room process.. So everyday in the morning i will be waken up in shock by the closing/slaming of the doors of the cupboard..

 

On the second night, before i went to bed i informed the night staff about the problem i had which was the loud noise that occur when they close the cupboard int he morning. He took note of it and the next day i found notes pasted on all the cupboard doors that are near my room.. What i didnt know is that they actually pasted the note on other floors which had the same cupboard against the wall next to the room..

On the third day i was woken up by the same noise but softer this time round...I feedback to the second staff and he didnt understood me at first thinking i was complaining to him about the noise from the room which i could not hear at all !!

On the fourth day i still could hear it but it was so much softer and since i needed to get some bottled water from the reception i decided to find out what they were doing about the noise that have been waking me up every day without fail like an alarm clock... Spoken to the manager and i was suprise that he told me..he knows about this problem...And im not the only guest that has given such feedback...I asked if there was anything he could do.. Such as provide me with a ear plug etc.. Since i cant really get them to sound proof the wall.. He just told me no ear plugs..and even feedback to me that his ''boss'' already knew that they had such a problem for a long time yet they no actions were taken...

 

I was taken aback..Dumb founded...

The hotel is Such a beauty..with problems that can be sorted out...yet...

 So the rest of the days spend in the hotel.. i was given the unique morning ''calls'' everday without fail...

 

?Trust

As sweetie and i had everything...everywhere...we didnt wanted the room to be cleaned..So as to be understood that we do not want anyone to enter our room we usually we put on a ''Do not disturb sign'' On Day 2 we were out for breakfast and collecting the rented car..and headed back to the hotel to get GPS and other items that we needed on that day.. As we walked back into the room, the chamber maid who was cleaning the room next to us...Came out and checked with me in mandarin if i wanted to room to be cleaned...I explained to her that if she is in a rush..she can just help us to empty the dustbin and give us a change of towel..(*As i know sometimes there is a time frame when it comes to cleaning) She turned to me and told me ''Can you wait'' in mandrain with a irritated tone... I was truely annoyed with that attitude..Since she was the one who check with me if i wanted anything..She gave us cleaned towels and cleared the dustbin for us while we were there and then we left the room with the ''Do not disturb'' at the door again.. When we came back, we realised someone came into our room as the bed was made..Clean floor mat was placed in the toilet.. Even though i think we didnt lose anything but i felt unsure about the safety..If i put on a ''Do not disturb'' and someone actually came into the room..Many questions went through my head..How did she know that we left the room...? How could she just go into our room with a ''DO not disturb'' etc....

 

When i spoke to the manager about this incident..he told me that his very sure that his staff is honest..and it might be miscommunications that cause these to happen..

 

Miscommunication? I really dont know what to think..Thats for u all to judge..

But i believe that chamber maids will at least know how to reconise the signs on the door..(*To clean the room or to leave the room alone)

 

To end this post i shall share what i felt is the beauty of this hotel...

 

 

 

 

 

The spiral stairs just behind the reception..

 

 

 
The inner courtyard..
The same place where the spiral stairs are situated..
You can see other guest opening their window.. If you look at the picture clearly..U can c other guest placing their bathing amenities at the latch..So i believe its like our room where the toilet is situated..

 

 The old signage for the restaurant seen on the second floor..



Lift

 What is left from the former glory self.. If you are wondering..It says Restaurant top floor..Excellent european food... Wonder how it looked like those days...

 Chilled out area just next to the lift...Decorated with Vintage/nolgastic items just like the lobby..


 
 Sun light escaping from the window...

 

 

Cosy corner with a comfortable sofa..

Simple touch..

 
 A picture printed on the tiles..

 Stairs leading downstairs..

Instead of taking the lift..Walking down the stairs gives another feel...

 

 Cosy corner on the 3rd floor

Another picture on the tiles discovered..

 Former glory of the hotel seen...

Beautiful tiled floor.. Dont you think..

The older type of spiral stairs seen at the side of the hotel..

 





I shall end this review with one of my favourite logo bottled water...Uniquely designed..

P.s.For those who felt that in the picture, the hotel looks old and tattered...With all the paints coming off look... This hotel is recently refurbish... It was Specially kept in this way keeping this vintage/nolgastic look.. It really is a place sweetie and i felt was interesting to looked around and stayed in..Even though they had some problems which i felt if they are willing to fix..It would have been a affordable hotel..With beauty that only the beholder can see..


The hotel cost $740 for 5 Night stay.. Good value for the locations pretty near to town...Room size is ok for 2 people...Good food for 24hours just oppersite the hotel..

A meaningful poster that i wanna share....

My very first post on FoTel

Why start a blog after not being an active blogger for so long...

Niels my boyfriend/fiance/my pillar in life gave me this idea...

To document down about food and hotels...I always have a thing for food... (*my size explains all i guess) And as a nurse my working hours can be hectic and irregulars.. Thus not being able to have much time or chance to travel along with other friends. .. Especially other nurses...So i always have a liking towards staycations... (*In some hospital Nurses are known to have to Pre book their vacation slots 1 year in advance/not allowed to go on leave during special audits/cannot have long vacations etc)

Many friends and family know that i have a thing or two about...quality and taste of food and the service i get...No matter if it is at a hotel or eating place...Especially those that wants me to pay 10%... i can be a bitch sometimes...

I would like to share my views on hotels and food here... But I'm no food critic or quality assurance manager...I'm just me...myself and I...


''No pets No Angela'' - A common joke my group of friends came up with when they associate me with food and service...