HPB Voices Reloaded

Desa Kartika Pte Ltd

By Mohamed Razil Mohamed Ali, HIC

Favourite makan place huh? That’s not that difficult. Good makan places near HPB. Err… Now, that’s a tough one. Woko, anyone? Nah… that’s a little too err… near, I think.

Well, mine is Desa Kartika at Ngee Ann City. A little travelling to pamper my ever so small stomach wouldn’t hurt much, would it? At most, it burns holes in my wallet, but that’s not the point.

Among the many things that I like about Desa Kartika is their pretty waitresses. Okay no, just kidding. Desa Kartika is an Indonesian restaurant that serves exquisite Indonesian cuisines, and mouth watering dishes. The thought of their Ikan Desa Istimewa, Ice Chendol, Tahu Telur, Rojak Petis and Satay, makes me salivate.

And there’s free flow of rice too. Seriously, you should try the Ikan Desa Istimewa. It is grilled seabass topped with sweet and sour sauce. You can have it fried too! The seafood dishes ranges from $9.95 to $25.00 per plate. It can be a little pricey over there, but you can always have the free flow of rice. Hehe =P.

If you are dining in a group of 10 or more, there are varieties of packages that you can choose from. Packages start from $20 per person to $40 per person depending on the number of dishes in a package. In a package, you’ll have appetisers, main dishes and desserts. All packages come with free flow of orange squash. So how’s that? Free flow of rice and orange squash! Free food always tastes nicer, don’t you think?

Want healthy food? You can always request for healthier alternative to their original recipe. They’ll do it for you. In fact, their dishes are mostly healthy ones. So you don’t have to worry about being the next Santa, alright. You won’t. At least, I don’t. =D

Location wise, it is in the heart of Orchard Road. It is also near to Orchard MRT station. If you intend to drive there though, you might want to drive after office hour instead.

The atmosphere is superb, accompanied by traditional songs. You’ll sway while munching! You may even hum along with the songs. Get the drinks ready though, just in case. It’s a nice place to chill with friends, talk about anything under the sun while enjoying the tasty food. Once in awhile, why not skip that starbuck or coffeebean, ey?

At Desa Kartika, you are in Indonesia in Singapore. Get the drift? You got to try it.

Oh, and did I mention the pretty waitresses?

Don’t ask me about the waiters. Don’t know and don’t care. =P

Cheers!!!

A Coffee shop in Sixth Avenue

By Dr Veronica Tay

The corner coffee shop at Sixth Avenue opposite Guthrie House is also one of the eating places I go to (my hubby who is hoping to strike it big, likes to buy Toto and 4-D around there), while I have my lunch at the coffee shop during some of the weekends. It is just a few shops away from Bukit Timah Post Office.

This coffee shop has quite a number of stalls; a zhi zha, fishball noodle, claypot food, chicken rice, economy rice, rojak, a malay stall and this Indian ‘nasi briyani specialist’.

The Chicken Briyani Rice is a steal for $3.50.

The other stall is the rojak which is also a steal for only $2 and it come with ‘ju her’ or dried squid.