Midweek lunch break @ Swensens

It's always a joy to meet up with a dear friend. 

And her lil daughter.

Perfectly innocent, pure unadulterated joy in her own kiddy bubble. 

We settled in for lunch break but we never got round to making our orders till a long while later.

Just too much to talk about. Too much to catch up on.

We met at 1pm at Swensens in Northpoint.

Smack in the middle of the timeslot for their weekday lunch treats. 

Monday-Fridays from 11am -2pm.

And apparently we could've chosen from a free side, sundae or free drink. 

Apparently.

That's because right after our order of mains, she enquired what we would like for a free side. There was no mention of a sundae or drink choice. :(

I would've really loved a sundae today.

Sore throats really don't go well with fried anything.

Still,

these were perfectly battered and tasting divine piping hot.

Deep fried mushrooms

Juicy mushrooms encased in a perfectly crisp batter.

Even when it's no longer piping hot.

Spice 'N' Chic

A first time for me.

It was served as promised, plump and tender chicken strips full on flavour.

Just a little on the salty side.

My friend had a Healthier choice Pesto Salmon.

Nicely grilled with flaky salmon pieces that her daughter loved.

While I went for the works on their signature Mega Burger.

And boy was it massive.

The burger patty was a little too well done but it was still juicy and delish.

And their sunny side up egg with chicken ham and turkey bacon made it feel like I was having a double meal of breakfast and lunch altogether at once.

My only reservation was that the burger bun at its base was a little soaked over with oil.

It was all too much but I loved every bit of it.

If pregnancy was bliss,

I definitely felt it at lunch. :)

All photos were taken with no filter applied.

The counter seats at Swensens here in Northpoint were right next to the window and the lighting there for photos was just perfect.

It was a good midweek break.

A delicious catch up session with my favourite mama.

Happy belated birthday my dear friend!

Hana Hana is?

Really just Teppei.

The newer, cleaner, brighter extension of Teppei.

And the strange thing is that there is so much talk of Hanare,

the restaurant just a 5 minute walk away which is managed by Teppei's wife.

But little that I've found written online about Hana Hana,

the restaurant in the next unit to Teppei.

Which is really probably why the queues over here are a lot more manageable.

To be honest,

I am reluctant to share this piece of information.

But as a fellow foodie,

there's nothing really to be selfish about sharing good food.

So there we go.

Hana Hana really is just the mirror image of Teppei, 

expanding the 21-seater restaurant to a 40-seater.

And Chef Teppei runs both kitchens simultaneously.

The people in the picture are just his assistants.

But this bowl of Bara Chirashi below, 

Chef Teppei himself served to us within a span of minutes from the time when we placed our orders before he went over to the kitchen next door.

A generous serving of salmon, tuna, swordfish, baby scallops and salmon roe lightly marinated in a sesame soy dressing atop a bed of deliciously fragrant Koshihikari rice from Toyoma, Japan.

$17.60 per serving.

 Of some of the best things in life.

 Which includes complimentary top-ups of iced tea served in beer mugs, miso soup, three kinds of sides which change regularly and pretty good service.

And as I was eating, 

I couldn't help but wonder about those 'die-hard' fans who are still sadly in ridiculous queues next door outside Teppei.

As a disclaimer, this is not to say that the queues here are non-existent.

It was peak lunch hour and we only got our seats at 1225pm after about half an hour.

So the people queueing here, are just the more initiated.

So queue less,

And still eat just as well.

Over here at Hana Hana.

Hana Hana

Orchid Hotel

1, Tras Link

#01-17

S (078867)