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Travel, Itineraries & Guides, Hotel Reviews

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Food Review: Smolder – NEW Seafood Grill Concept by Ah Hua Kelong

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After the success of Scaled, Wong Jing Kai (Kai) of Ah Hua Kelong is back with another farm-to-table concept. Enter Smolder, a new restaurant that captures the laid-back charm of a coastal backyard barbecue right in the heart of Singapore on Outram Road. The vibe here is relaxed and non-judgmental —a celebration of pristine, locally farmed seafood, caught and delivered the very same day, and cooked with just enough seasoning to let their natural flavors shine.

smolder

smolder restaurant dining area

Smolder opened on the 15th August 2025. The kind team had invited me over the day before to preview the new concept. These were the dishes I had:

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Market Street Hawker Centre What to Eat & Best Food

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Market Street Hawker Centre is a recently reopened food centre in Singapore’s CBD in CapitaSpring. Despite the change in name, many CBD workers still call it “Golden Shoe” – owing from its origins from 1984 up until 2017 when the hawker centre was housed in a relatively low-rise carpark building called Golden Shoe. When that original building was demolished to make way for the construction of CapitaSpring, Market Street Hawker Centre moved to a site just beside Telok Ayer MRT Station where it stood for almost 5 years as the Market Street Interim Hawker Centre.

On 5th April 2022, Market Street Hawker Centre reopened as part of the gleaming CapitaSpring skyscraper with the food centre occupying the 2nd and 3rd floor of the building – just like it did during the Golden Shoe period. The reopened hawker centre houses 56 stalls – the same number it did back then, although some establishments have changed hands.  

I have personally been visiting this particular hawker centre since its Golden Shoe days. When the interim market was set up, I had also frequented it due to its proximity to my workplace. When the food centre reopened in 2022, I was pleasantly surprised to find many of my favorite stalls intact despite the many changes over the years. 

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My Perfect Kaohsiung & Tainan Itinerary | Southern Taiwan Uncovered

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Kaohsiung and Tainan, the main cities in the southern region of Taiwan, have been getting quite a bit of attention lately thanks to government efforts to promote the region to overseas tourists. The historic heart of the island has seen plenty of chic new hotels as well as redevelopment of existing tourist infrastructure in recent years.

For as little as a 1 hour 34 minute high speed train ride from Taipei, it makes sense to spend a couple of days in the southern cities. This is after all where Taiwan’s capital used to be. Those who make the effort to come here are ultimately rewarded with a different side to Taiwanese culture. People tend to speak Minnan (Hokkien) here compared to Mandarin and the tropical climate also means plenty of sunshine as compared to the usually dreary weather up north. If you are thinking of visiting Kaohsiung and Tainan and have no idea where to go, this suggested itinerary can hopefully help you.

Tip: If you are heading to Kaohsiung / Tainan by Taiwan’s high speed rail, check out this current promotion where tickets are cheaper for Non-Taiwanese passengers. Limited time only. Book here

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Taiwan’s Most Beautiful and Enchanting Small Towns – 8 Places That Will Steal Your Heart

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Taiwan is often celebrated for its vibrant cities and stunning natural landscapes, but beyond the bustling urban centers are the less prominent but charming small towns that offer a unique glimpse into the island’s rich culture and history. These quaint locales are perfect for travelers seeking a slower pace, authentic local experiences and age-old crafts that are no longer common elsewhere. From coastal fishing villages to mountain retreats, Taiwan’s small towns each have their own distinct character and hidden gems waiting to be discovered. In this list, we’ll explore some of the most captivating small towns in Taiwan that are definitely worth venturing out of Taipei for.

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Free Apple iPad or Sony PlayStation® 5 Digital Slim or S$500 eCapitaVoucher with DBS/POSB Credit Cards

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Get an Apple iPad A16 Gen 11″ 256GB (worth S$649) or Dyson Digital Slim Submarine (worth S$699) or Ergotune Vesby Chair (worth S$899) or S$500 eCapitaVoucher or PS5 Digital Slim (worth S$669) when you apply and get approved for a DBS/POSB Credit Card as a new customer (those who are currently not holding on to a Principal DBS/POSB Credit Card and have not cancelled one in the past 12 months).  Spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval to receive the welcome gift. Apply now via this link or through DBS/POSB digibank app – remember to enter the promo code during application. The promotion ends on 31 July 2025 (11:59PM).

Don’t forget to enter the promo code for your selected gift in the promo code field of the application form.

Welcome Gift Promo Code
ErgoTune Vesby (worth S$899) SSJUL1
Sony PlayStation® 5 Digital Slim (worth S$669) SSJUL2
Dyson Digital Slim Submarine™ (worth S$699) SSJUL3
Apple iPad 11″ (A16) Wi-Fi 256GB (worth S$649) SSJUL4
S$500 eCapitaVoucher SSJUL5

 

Once your card is approved, simply spend S$500 within 30 days of card approval (multiple transactions count) to qualify for your gift. You will receive redemption instructions via email within 4 months from meeting the spend requirements. 

<APPLY HERE>

Here are the eligible DBS/POSB Credit Cards

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21 Golden Mile Food Centre Best Food Stalls & What to Eat

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Many of Singapore’s old-school hawker centers in the city area were established to resettle pioneer hawkers that used to ply the streets of the older parts of town. One such hawker centre is Golden Mile Food Centre which was built in 1975 to resettle the original hawkers lining nearby Jalan Sultan. Today, Golden Mile Food Centre, which is also sometimes known as Beach Road Army Market, is a haven for those seeking traditional hawker fare such as claypot rice, grass jelly, chee cheong fun as well as more innovative dishes catered to younger folks. Here, I aim to present some of my favorite stalls.

Do note that Golden Mile Food Centre is a standalone hawker center that is different from the Golden Mile Complex at the opposite side of the road. I have been visiting this hawker centre for a couple of years and find that after the closure of Golden Mile Complex, they are now mainly busier during weekends while the patronage is rather light during weekdays.

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My Nearly Complete Bangkok Itinerary Updated With Newer Attractions (2026 Travel Guide)

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As one of Asia’s best value and most popular destinations, Bangkok offers a plethora of things to see and do and there are various permutations that you can do for your Bangkok itinerary. Filled with many spectacular Buddhist temples and ornate buildings, the city is at once exotic and at the same time modern with all the creature comforts that one can imagine. Bangkok is also known as a shopping haven, with mass consumerism juxtaposing against a strong market culture. 

I have been to Bangkok quite a few times and always enjoy coming here for the unbeatable value, delicious Thai food and fascinating things to see in the city’s streets. Whether you’re a first-timer, a regular or even a shopaholic, here is my suggestion for your trip with a Bangkok itinerary that you can easily break down into 2-days, 3-days or 4-days depending on the length of time you are there. I’ve made the duration flexible to make the itinerary easy to execute during weekends or during longer visits. For some other ideas, you can also check out this Bangkok travel guide.

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Free Apple iPad or S$370 Cash for NEW HSBC Credit Card Applications (2025)

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HSBC Cards currently has 2 enticing promotions. For the HSBC TravelOne Card, you can receive an Apple iPad A16 11″ WiFi 128GB (worth S$499) or Dyson WashG1 Wet Floor Cleaner (worth S$999) or S$370 cash or Sony HT-AX7 Portable Theatre System (worth S$769) or Dyson Supersonic hair dryer (worth S$599). 

New HSBC credit cardholders (those who have not held an HSBC card in the past 12 months) who apply for the HSBC credit card and get approved to receive one of the abovementioned gifts (you have the option to choose which gift you want). You need to spend S$500 by the end of the next calendar month from the date of card approval. This promotion is valid if you sign up until 30th June 2025 11:59pm.

Annual fee is waived for the first year for all the cards listed below except for the HSBC Revolution Card which has its annual fee waived perpetually and for the HSBC TravelOne Card which requires payment of annual fee to receive the gift. For the other cards, HSBC usually waives the annual fee for succeeding years as long as you actively use the card but if not, you can always cancel to avoid paying the annual fee. You can even cancel the credit card after receiving the sign-up gift or cash reward if you wish.

Once your card is approved, remember to spend at least S$500 or S$1,000 (depending on the card chosen) by the end of the next calendar month following card account opening date in order to receive the gift or cash reward. You will get an email within 90 days with instructions on how to claim your gift. If you are looking for ways to spend S$500 within a month, there’s that time-honored method of buying vouchers from NTUC Fairprice and paying for it with your credit card.

Here are the HSBC cards that qualify for the promotion:

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