Sakura International Buffet

Sakura International Buffet
10 Penang Road
12pm-2.30pm

Dhoby Ghaut Green... Just where is this place?
I found Sakura as a treat for a lunch buffet with my parents (the restaurant offers senior citizen rate for those above 55). The address on the web was puzzling to me and I couldn't find it on Google map. I found that it was close to Park Mall, but hmm...
We drove down to this place and got directions from nearby shops, and there it is. Right in the middle between Plaza Singapura and Park Mall.
An unique architecture, the central space holds an amphitheatre which is hard to miss. It serves as a showpiece to create and encourage public awareness to Art, Culture and Performances.

And part of this place is where Sakura is situated.

Picture from mnd.gov.sg

With all the greenery and being away from the shopping malls surrounding it, this place is appealing to those who like the distance.

Before you are ushered to your seat, payment has to be made at the entrance. We saw many senior people who were just as early as we came (12pm) and knew this place must have some sort of Senior privilege. And it did. $26+/ adult. Senior Citizen were priced at $20+. Pretty good.

I went straight to the food stations for some good pictures and was surprised when the waiter told me no photo-taking was allowed. Strange, why so? Their sushi looked just like sushi, hot station had the usual hot dishes, desserts had fruits we already knew. Anyway, too late. I took quite a few pictures already. Hee... I must commend Sakura, their food variety is exhaustive. Just looking at the stations and all the food made me salivate, literally...

Teppanyaki Station

Sushi and Salad Station

Hot Items Station

Desserts Station

Chocolates!!

These little round balls are actually white chocolates! Interesting!

Surprisingly, photos taken from the table were ok with them.

So I went ahead to take a few. Very nice lobster salad, lots and lots of sushi, tempura, Sakura did fare well with its Japanese dishes. The hot station served the usual international fare, including pizzas and dim sums. Besides that, the steaks station served well marinated beef, lamb chops, shishamos, dory fillets, chicken chops, and more. The drinks station offered many types of drinks - ice milo, grape juice, lemon juice, coffee, tea, etc. Children loved this station. And of course, the dessert station. Ice creams, chocolates, jellies, fruits, cakes, mochi...

You will definitely feel full after visiting this place.

Soup and Salad

Part of the Japanese eating culture, ya, people eat such things whole!

I couldn't... But I heard it tasted good.

Baked Oyster

Fresh Salmon

Crabs - Although they were small, but they were tasty

Some of our desserts...

For the price that I paid per pax, this place was worth the try, if not more.

Prawn Fishing @Sin Ming Avenue

Hai Bin U Enterprise

Prawn Fishing in Bishan Singapore
603, Sin Ming Avenue
Singapore 575735
Operating hours: 24/7

A place to find Kampung feel and a chance to catch your own food, prawns in particular.
This place must have been around for ages, having heard from my brother of his friends' midnight gathering and spotting the neon lights whenever I drove past the junction on my way home. However, it never came across my mind as a place I would want to visit.

We recce-d the place and all we could see were either drinking and smoking group of people chatting away or enthusiasts focusing on their rods cast into the ponds filled with prawns.
How much fun would that be, I thought?
$10/hr
$25/2 hrs
$30/ 3 hrs
Whatsmore, with a price like this, $30 seems worth it (as we assumed us first timers are not likely to catch anything in an hour since we'll probably be finding a good spot - it was vvvv crowded at 8.30pm, learning how to hook worms onto hooks, or even how to haul a prawn up!)

Wen got a 3hrs package and off we went to search for our spot. It was tough since I never liked being a victim of second hand smoking. A place for gatherings is fine, but not a place I would recommend to bring babies or kids to at such late timings (which I saw many parents did).
Nevertheless, we found a good corner where a young couple just left with a huge net of prawns they've caught. Some of the 'prawnermen' (think fishermen) must be the regulars here, they brought with them their own fishing rods and even a kit (probably own hooks, baits, etc.). The place gave complimentary cockles as baits but Wen bought earthworms as that might give us a better catch.

I was not too keen to hook the baits, so he was in charge of that while I tossed the rod and waited for something to happen. This place offers a BBQ pit for you and your friends to cook your catch on the spot too. Not to fret if you think they might not be enough prawns in the later hours as the owners top up the prawns every now and then. Also not to fret if you are hungry and do not really fancy prawns, you will find sellers walking around the fishing ponds touting. (They know you must be hungry while waiting for the prawns to get to your hook.) "BBQ chicken wings, satays, otahs...!" you will frequently hear.

Believe it or not, time passed real quickly when you were fishing. Our first catch came within minutes but subsequently took a longer time. We had to re-hook the bait, focus on our hook to feel the tugging. And 3 hours went by without me feeling sleepy and before we knew it, it was 11.30pm! Our catch for the night was embarrassingly few compared to the regulars who managed to lure the prawn at a consistent rate. But it was a great achievement that we even caught those few and an overall fun experience!


The prawns we caught looked huge but we then realised their heads were much bigger than the flesh they had on their bodies!
Well... we made a good instant noodle meal with them nonetheless.

Guinea Pigs & Porcupines vs Hedgehogs

I was being asked.

Asked by a fellow Chinese, I stood dumbfounded.
"哇，这好可爱哦！是什么呀？“
(This is cute, what is this?)

I looked down at my guinea pigs and imagined big question marks hovering above me.
Should I say they are little pigs (猪) or mice （鼠）? Before, I could answer, parents gave either answers to their children.
I felt guilty as I knew they are not!

Asked by bright 6-year-olds, I muttered.
"So, this is a hedgehog. This is the same as a porcupine, isn't it?
They have spikes too, just smaller in size. Ya?"

Determined not to repeat such embarrassment, I made findings on these incredibly cute creatures. The questions asked were food for thought. And I was thankful.

Guinea Pigs are called 天竺鼠 (Tian Zhu Shu).
Although it is a species of rodent, unlike a rat who has a long tail, guinea pig doesn't have one.
Guinea pigs have 4 toes on each front foot, but only 3 toes on each hind foot!
Check them out!
Hmm. guess the missing toe doesn't really affect them much... from the way they run away when I try to catch them or when they come running to me for carrots!
Interesting Fact:
Like rabbits, guinea pigs do not sweat as they do not have the functional sweat glands.
Their ears help to regulate their body temperature.

Porcupine - 箭猪
Part of the rodent family, this animal is spiky!
These spiky spines are called Quills are easily released, when they shake, or move.
They are modified hairs coated with thick plates of keratin.
And please, ignore those old sayings. Porcupine doesn't shoot their quills out at attackers and their quills are not poisonous!! They may cause infection if they are not removed.
Porcupines are herbivores and nocturnal animals.

Hedgehog - 刺猬
Hedgehog is not part of the rodent family.
They are in the order of insectivore and are nocturnal, just like porcupines.
Their spines are the same as porcupines, but much shorter and are not easily removed.

Hope this page helps to give a little more insight to these cute animals!