Upper Thomson Awfully Chocolate

I finally discovered the location of Upper Thomson Awfully Chocolate !

Wondering what to eat for dinner last night, we decided to drive along Upper Thomson Road. In the car, I said "Let's go to the Springleaf Prata Place". But as we drove past Sembawang Hills Estate, we noticed a hawker centre there and decided to visit it (even though only few stalls looked open at 8+pm).

As we drove to the public carpark (Free after 5pm), I noticed an 'Awfully Chocolate' Shop...

Oh my gosh! This is the Upper Thomson Awfully Chocolate Shop I have been wondering about ever since I realized there was one in the Upper Thomson Area! 

Originally, I thought the shop might be around the Sembawang Shopping Center area. But I now realize my folly. Sembawang Hills Estate Awfully Chocolate is NOT in Sembawang. It is cosily nestled between my beloved Thomson Plaza area and the Springleaf Estate! 

What awesome news! I am definitely inviting a friend to hang out at Upper Thomson Awfully Chocolate since it's a cafe. A cafe is great because at least there's a place for friends to sit down, relax and enjoy our delicious, rich, super unforgettable chocolate cake! This is so much better than travelling all the way to the 'stall' in (crowded) Orchard ION - the first Awfully Chocolate outlet I was introduced to by Godma. I still remember having to find a bench near the food court to sit - before we could enjoy our Awfully Chocolate cupcakes. Memorable but not exactly ideal...

An Awfully Chocolate Cafe in Upper Thomson, just a 10 minute bus-ride from my home is So Much Better!!!

^_^ Happy!

Love,

Rachellimshuling

Awfully Chocolate Sembawang Hills
4 Jalan Kuras Sembawang Hills Estate Singapore 577723
T: (+65) 6451 7104 F: (+65) 6451 7103
 Open 10am - 10pm daily
Welcome to our first Awfully Chocolate dessert café!
http://www.awfullychocolate.com/singapore/storelocations.php

Upper Thomson Ampang Yong Tau Foo

Saturday Lunch @ Upper Thomson Ampang Yong Tau Foo

[ Click here to locate and get directions to this Upper Thomson Yong Tau Foo on Google Maps ]

This afternoon, Mum, Sis and I drove to Upper Thomson Road (Springleaf Area) to eat Ampang Yong Tau Foo. Quite frequently, my mum will crave for Ampang Yong Tau Foo and will request that we come here to eat on weekends.

We have been eating at Ngee Fou (Hakka) Yong Tau Foo for years (even before we moved to Upper Thomson Road), but recently, my dad complains that the food there is expensive. Ever since then, we have been coming here less often.

However, since my dad has a 1pm golf game today, Mum grabs the opportunity to suggest we eat 'Ampang Yong Tau Foo' for lunch! Being good children, Sis and I agree to oblige her. ^_^

To be honest, I do not recall ever eating the original Ampang Yong Tau Foo from Malaysia, so I cannot comment on how authentic the flavour from Ngee Fou is. But my mum has eaten the Ampang YongTauFoo in Malaysia before and still really likes to eat the Ampang Yong Tau Foo here at Upper Thomson Road (Springleaf area, Ngee Fou (Hakka) Yong Tau Foo, 928 Upper Thomson Road). Hence, if you are looking for some yummy Ampang Yong Tau Foo, I would still recommend you give this shop a taste.

Here are my Top 3 Compelling Reasons Why You Should Eat @ Upper Thomson Ampang Yong Tau Foo...

1. Even though my dad complains it is expensive, Mum still insists on driving there to eat. 
2. When we first started coming to Ngee Fou to eat, they only occupied one shop unit. Now, they have expanded to occupy two shop units, plus the additional open-space that corner coffeeshops use. Since the cost of renting a shop in Singapore is so high, it is logical to assume that only shops serving 'good food' can expand their business premises.
3. FREE Parking !  

There are actually two reasons why we eat at Ngee Fou instead of the neighbouring shop. Once, when Ngee Fou had no seats, we went next door to eat. However, Mum said the food at Ngee Fou is still better. Also, something unusual happened when we ate at the neighbouring shop. A customer lost his temper (probably because he was so hungry) and shouted VERY LOUDLY at the shop workers for not serving him. As a result, we didn't enjoy our first experience at the new shop. Hence, our family decided to stick to eating at Ngee Fou Yong Tau Foo.

Secret Tip on Where To Park When Eating At Upper Thomson Ampang Yong Tau Foo...

Being a landed property liver, I hesitate to share my 'secret parking area' for when I drive to eat at Upper Thomson Ampang Yong Tau Foo with the world. However, since I am committed to sharing my 'Upper Thomson Road Singapore Living' insider tips with my readers, here it is...

When I can't find parking in front of the shophouses, I will turn left into Thong Soon Green and park within the landed property area. I have always found space to park along the road there. I choose to park there because I prefer to walk a little instead of waiting for a parking lot in front of the shophouses. (Don't you find it stressful to hold up the traffic while other cars are waiting behind you too?) In addition, since I love viewing landed properties, parking within Thong Soon Green also gives me an opportunity to check out the houses there. Just today, I noticed that number 14 has an interesting porch design. While I wouldn't design my porch that way, it is just fascinating to see how other people choose to construct their dream homes. ^_^

{ P.S. To see more photos and read what another blogger, Bern, Hungry Bunny says about the Ampang Yong Tau Foo at Upper Thomson, visit : http://thehungrybunnie.blogspot.sg/2012/05/ngee-fou-restaurant-hakka-ampang-yong.html <- She has a great description of what makes a yongtaufoo an "Ampang" yong tau foo... }

Was surfing the net and came across this interesting pdf "released" by Straits Times. It shows more details about where the New Thomson Line MRT stations will be located.

This is an interesting time for real estate in Upper Thomson Road, Singapore. Exciting stuff.

Click on the link below to view the pdf :

New Thomson Line MRT Stations Map

http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/ST_20120831_THOMSON_NEW_3279162.pdf

Old Upper Thomson Road Location

Old Upper Thomson Road Location Map

Part of Old Upper Thomson Road is located at Lower Pierce Reservoir Park. The bus services to Lower Pierce Reservoir Park (Yio Chu Kang) are :

• 167
• 169
• 855
• 980
• 163

The entrances to Old Upper Thomson Road (from Upper Thomson Road) are at :

• Ang Mo Kio Ave 1
• Upper Thomson Road (in between Caltex and Esso)
• Yio Chu Kang Road
• Near Seletar Range

Here is some of what you can expect when you visit Old Upper Thomson Road :

Fauna and Flora Along Old Upper Thomson Road : http://peacockroyal.blogspot.sg/2011/05/along-old-upper-thomson-road-part-1.html

Sembawang Road

Sembawang Road is another long road with numerous eateries as well as interesting landmarks along the way...

An interesting thing about Sembawang Road is that it runs all the way to the boundary of Singapore (sea) !

See how Sembawang Jetty is near the Sembawang Road Park from the Map below?

How To Drive/Ride/Jog/Walk To Sembawang Road Park From Upper Thomson Road :

Step 1. Follow Upper Thomson Road (drive/ride/jog/walk AWAY from Macritchie).

Step 2. Notice that the two roads meet at the Springleaf area (where you can find Hans, Ngee Fou Ampang Yong Tau Foo, The Prata Place and Yuzuya Japanese Restaurant).

Step 3. By continuing to follow up Sembawang road, you will eventually reach Sembawang Shopping Center.

Step 4. Look out for a sign to turn right onto Sembawang Road. (Note : if you don't turn right and keep driving/riding/jogging/walking straight, you will find yourself on Canberra Road instead).


Step 5. Keep following the road and you will eventually reach Sembawang Road Park. Don't worry that you'll miss it because it's right at the end where the sea is ! 

Upper Thomson Road Map

How To Make Sense of This Upper Thomson Road Google Map...

View Larger Map

How To Make Sense of This Upper Thomson Road Streetdirectory.com.sg Map

There are two ends on the Upper Thomson Road Maps : 

At the top end of both maps is Sembawang Road (Upper Thomson Road Ampang Yong Tau Foo - Ngee Fou / Springleaf area)	View Larger Map
At the bottom end of both maps is Lornie Road (Macritchie Reservoir)	View Larger Map

• To visit the rest of Upper Thomson Road, click on Lornie Road, then drag/pull your mouse DOWNWARDS.
• All the Upper Thomson Road Food Eateries lie between Sembawang Road and Lornie Road. 
• Zoom into the top-most map to see where the Bus Stops are located.
• The buses that run all the way from Lornie Road to Sembawang Road are 167 and 980. Click here for the bus route details of SMRT 167 and SMRT 980. 

(Personally, I still like referring to www.streedirectory.com because it shows smaller roads and landmarks more clearly.)
  

Popular Upper Thomson Prata Shops

Since Upper Thomson Road is a long road, there are quite a number of popular prata shops that can be known as 'The Prata Shop At Upper Thomson' ! To avoid going to the wrong place, make sure you get the NAME of the prata shop. Otherwise, you will find yourself quite far away from where you think you should be ! To be more precise, all the 3 prata shops below are NOT within 10 minutes walking distance from each other. You will have to catch a bus/taxi if you are not driving. Luckily, 980 and 855 are straight buses that can get you to all 3 shops.

1. The Roti Prata House
2. The Prata Place
3. Upper Thomson Road Casuarina Prata

Roti Prata Expedition Along Upper Thomson Road!

A good idea for a weekend, budget, family outing in Singapore could be a  'Roti Prata Expedition Along Upper Thomson Road'. Since each Upper Thomson Prata Shop serves distinctly different types of pratas, it could be an eye-opener for everyone. I say this because before moving near to 'The Roti Prata House', my entire family was unaware such 'crispy prata' existed! (Our past experiences with roti prata were only those from hawker centres - e.g. ABC Brickworks food centre ^_^.) As a result, we used to go to 'The Roti Prata House' VERY often... just because it was such a yummy novelty to our tastebuds!

I urge you to come give it a taste, even if you have eaten crispy prata at Jalan Kayu - it's very different! In fact, I know many people will travel all the way from Jurong just to meet their friends for prata at The Roti Prata House at 246M Upper Thomson Road *wink*.

Even if you don't drive, you can catch buses that connect all 3 Upper Thomson Prata Shops...

• 980 or 167 from Novena MRT, 
• 980 or 167 from Sembawang MRT/Bus Interchange for a relaxing, green scenic route,
• 855 from Yishun MRT/Bus Interchange or Opposite Khatib MRT Station (this one can feel rather long) 
• 855 from Farrer Road MRT Station

If you drive, there is FREE parking to be found at The Roti Prata House and The Prata Place. You may have to wait for awhile, but look out for my post 'Super Secret Tips On Where To Park When You Want To Eat Upper Thomson Prata' so you can easily get a FREE parking lot! ^_^ 

I am so excited to hear from others who appreciate The Roti Prata House at 246 Upper Thomson Road. If you are a fan of the joint, do leave a comment !

Why I Created Upper Thomson Road Singapore Blog

It's 2012 and I've lived here in Singapore, Upper Thomson for about 16 years now. When my family moved here, I was a teenager (14). In a flash, I have grown to be 30 years young, a young adult. Having spent more than half my life here, I am so grateful to this paradise in Singapore for supporting and nurturing me through the challenging years of my adolescence.

Now, as I embark on my journey towards being a continuously successful real estate salesperson, I have more reason to share what I love about my 'hometown' - to position myself as an expert in this area, as well as a way to give back to the area that has truly so much to offer growing families with children as well as older folk. I have so much to share, but here's a short, rough summary of what's to come...

Living In Upper Thomson Is Great! Reasons include : 

• Famous, Good, Yummy Upper Thomson Food - e.g. Popular Upper Thomson Prata Shops, Long House Duck Rice, Prawn Noodle and Chicken Rice, Old School Delights, Rocher Beancurd, Scoopz, Udders, 24 hour Ba Chor Mee, Salted Caramel, etc...
• Our Convenient Location - Less than half and hour to Orchard Road by three regular bus services 167, 162, 132; Walking distance to Marymount MRT Circle Line; 20 minute bus rides to other MRT Stations like Ang Mo Kio MRT, Bishan MRT, Novena MRT, Farrer Road MRT (choose which MRT station to travel to depending on your destination); Easily available cabs because the NTUC Taxi Petrol Top-Up Station is just nearby at Sin Ming Road; etc...
• Quick Access to Supermarkets - NTUC, Shop and Save and now Sheng Shiong + ShunFu Market,
• Macritchie Reservoir - where I've enjoyed so memorable morning, afternoon and evening walks with my friends and family,
• Gardening Supplies at Far East Flora area (where we sometimes just pop by to browse through their beautiful flowering plants !)
• Relaxing Shopping Centers - Thomson Plaza and Junction 8
• and Much, Much More... ! 

Living in Upper Thomson Singapore has provided me a safe and convenient sanctuary so I can explore the rest of the world. By sharing my love, knowledge and experiences about 'my territory', I hope it gives others a better idea of where to eat, live and play when you are new to this area. Even if you don't live here, I am sure you can grow to love this place I call heaven too !