In and About Punggol – PUNGGOL BABIES

Party Venues in Punggol

As the little one at home is turning 3 soon, I started looking around for ideas to hold a cosy celebration. Although we eventually settled for a staycation, here’s a list of party venues that I have found in Punggol. So if you are thinking of holding a party in Punggol, I hope this helps a little.

Splash @ Kidz Amaze, SAFRA Punggol

Location : 9 Sentul Crescent, Singapore 828654

There are 3 types of party rooms at Kidz Amaze – Under the Sea, Pirate’s Cave and Penguin’s Paradise. The kids can play to their hearts content in the water play area while the adults help themselves to the food in the party room. The rooms at Kidz Amaze can accommodate up to 20kids and 40 adults. Room rates (3hr per booking) starts from $800. For more information, you can check them out here.

Orchid Bowl

Location : 9 Sentul Crescent #05-03 Singapore 828654

Bumper bowling for kids ! If you have never been to this bowling alley, you really have to check this place out. The UV lights, upbeat music and the kiddy animated scoring system are some of the things I l like about this place. They do have party celebrations but unfortunately, I did not find much information on their website.

Whisk & Paddle

Location : 10 Tebing Lane, #01-01, Singapore 828836

I love how spacious this cafe is. It has both indoor (air conditioned) and outdoor seatings which can hold up to 200 people.

I checked with Whisk & Paddle on their birthday party package 2 years ago when I was looking for a venue to hold my son’s 1st birthday party and this is what I was quoted back then.

Minimum of 40 pax for event bookings and they can sit up to 200 pax. There is a 3 hour slots for all events. The price varies depending on which time slot you decide on. 2pm-5pm slot is the cheapest, it starts from $45 per pax. The price quoted is for the venue space, buffet food line, free flow of drinks and a dessert table.

Again, I enquired 2 years ago. So there may be changes to the price / party package. For more information, you can contact them.

Cravings

Location : 6 Tebing Lane, #01-05, Singapore 828835

If you are a fan of waffles and pastries, this is probably the place for you. They have party packages too. Information can be found on their website.

Inspirit House

Location : 3 Punggol Point Road, #01-05, The Punggol Settlement, S(828694)

Inspirit House is a kids-friendly and family oriented restaurant. They have a kids play area and an alfresco area that overlooks the sea. I have not made any enquiries here personally, but there are so many positive feedbacks on how helpful the crew is. Definitely worth checking them out.

Party Room at Waterway Point

Location : 83 Punggol Central, #02-24 (West Wing), Waterway Point, Singapore 828761

The party room can hold up to 30 people. They have sound system, television and fridge. Enjoy birthday party exclusive discounts from selected Waterway Point’s shops if you order the food or party items from selected shops in the same mall. More information here.

Starker Q

Location :Punngol Waterway Point, 85 Punggol Central #01-01, Singapore 828726

I did not notice this place until recently when I went to check out the outdoor area at Waterway Point. This Starker Q outlet is spacious and serves a range of food like pizzas, seafood, chicken wings…etc. You will get good natural lighting for photographs if your party is in the day.

The Tinker Hub

Location : 11 Northshore Drive, #01-J (by the pier), Marina Country Club. Singapore 828670

One of the things i strongly believe in is that kids learn through play. The Tinker Hub has different themed rooms equipped with interesting kits for kids to play around with. Probably more suitable if you have a small scale party with children 3 years and above.

List is consolidated up to here for now. With the number of kids living in our young estate, I certainly hope there are more party venues. If you know anywhere else that has birthday packages, feel free to comment. 🙂

Disclaimer: This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here are solely my own

Container Bistros: 7 New Places To Chill at Tebing Lane Punggol

The popular and always packed Tebing Lane at Punggol is going to be even more happening with the opening of seven new eateries housed in these hip and cool containers. There’s Korean desserts, craft beer, good fish dishes, booze and even healthy desserts.

We went to take a look at these container bistros this afternoon and here’s what we saw. It was posted on Punggol 21 Facebook page that these will be opening tomorrow, 1 Feb, but from the looks of things, not all of the 7 bistros are ready for business. Anyone planning to check them out?

DGrill

Here’s a menu we found outside DGrill. Serving pasta on hot plates, fried finger food, some desserts and drinks. Price looks reasonable. There is no indoor seating, all tables and chairs are alfresco. Huge cooler fans were spotted around the seating area outdoor.

L’Chaim Bistro

This is where you can find craft beer and probably finger food as well. Spotted a couple of tables and a bar counter with bar stools inside. Probably can house 6 to 8 pax in the air-conditioned container. Outdoor seatings available.

Seoul Good dessert and coffee

About seven tables available indoor and the decorations are quite cute too. Wonder if they’ll be selling Instagram-worthy and yummy bingsu.

Big Fish Small Fish

Indoor and outdoor seatings sighted and this is their menu :

I would say the food is reasonably priced. We waited for approximately 20mins for our food but we were served free chips while waiting. Better yet, their friendly service crew went round checking if we would like the chips to be refilled.

LeungKee Healthy Dessert

Boost @ Banks

Pump Station 1965 Bar & Bistro

One of the most elaborated setup amongst the new container bistros at Tebing Lane. The have got 3 section with very nice tables and chairs.

If anyone is going to tell us Punggol is so ulu, we’re so going to show these to them! These new container bistros are located at Tebing Lane, right next to Riveria LRT. There will also be a new open-air carpark right behind these bitros for those driving.

Opening of Compass One at Sengkang MRT

When Waterway Point opened in Punggol, we were super excited cos finally a decent mall for us to go to since the closure of Compasspoint at Sengkang. And now after almost a year, the mall is ready for shoppers and residents from the Northeast! Compass One mall opens in September 2016, that’s just a month away.

There’s a mixed feeling online on the tenants at Compass One, and some even said that it is Meh compared to Waterway Point. But we are still very excited cos no mall is too small, boring nor meh if its less than 30 minutes travel on public transport or a few minutes drive from home. Here’s the list of tenants which I’m looking forward to at Compass One mall.

Gurney Drive Signature

Think of Penang Fried Kuey Teow, Assam Laksa, Rojak, Cuttlefish Kangkong, Mee Goreng, Satay and Tze Char (Chinese Home-Style Cooking) Dishes! And its Halal!! We can’t wait to dive right into the food when it opens at Compass One.

MOS Burger

I personally miss this when Compasspoint closed for renovation. Finally I can get my corn soup and nuggets with mustard sauce and need not travel too far for them.

SKP

Because everyone needs some plastic bags, party wares and packaging.

K-ART

This is the auntie in me speaking… but woah! K-ART store at Compass One? I love their cookwares and I’ve got 3 in my kitchen already. If you haven’t heard of K-ART, you must go check their pots and pans out!

FOX Kids & Baby

Because we love their value-for-money clothes! Both our girls were dressed almost exclusively to this brand for awhile when they were still a baby.

Skechers

Just because I am planning to get new kicks for my two girls and this is just in time for our year-end trip shopping. My girls love their bling bling shoes!

LEGO store

Zara will call this the “Legoland” because she loves checking out LEGO.

Sakae Sushi

Finally I get to use more of my Sakae card when they return at Compass One.

Last but not least…

The Public Library!

I heard its twice the size as before and will be very family-friendly! I can’t wait to bring my girls to check them out! But looks like this may not be open in September. According to their website, it’s stated to reopen only in 2017!

Counting down to the reopening of Compass One!

QB Kids

Last weekend as hubs and I were out at Waterway Point (again) we came across QB House. Everyone would know by now that QB House offers a quick and more cost effective option for adults’ hair cut. But what surprised me was the signage that said QB Kids. I was totally unaware that QB kids existed. Coincidentally, earlier in the day I was just telling the hubs about how Isaac needs a hair trim soon. His hair was uneven and all over the place because the last two people who cut his hair Isaac’s daddy himself, and Isaac’s grandpa.

We checked out the price, it is $16 on weekdays and $22 on weekends. I personally felt that the price is quite reasonable, so we decided let Isaac go for a haircut since we have never done it before. Surprisingly, he was very calm and busy playing with toys throughout the cut. Oh yes, there’s even a kids corner in the shop!

kids’ corner with comics, toys and cartoon

The staff was very friendly and professional during Isaac’s haircut. She kept talking to him and hid her scissors from his view whenever he raised his head to see what’s going on. Found out from her that there is another QB kids at Vivo.

This was Isaac during the hair cut.

Isaac kept entertained by his toy and lollipop

In about 10mins, Isaac’s haircut was done! I only took a photo of him the next day because he started to get cranky since it was past bedtime.
Here’s the result of his haircut.

I really like his new hairdo and am definitely going to let the professionals cut his hair in future!

Fun Activities at Waterway Point this March School Holiday!

You know right? We Punggol Babies have been visiting Waterway Point (WWP in short ok) almost every day since it’s opening! Just because it’s so easy and near to our homes. But come the March school holidays, we are going to be there EVERY DAY (if we can) because there’s this super fun thing happening at our favourite neighbourhood mall!

playitforward-coursemap_v2

See! See! GIANT Ball pool is going to be setup at Village Square, West Wing Level 1 from 14 to 20 March 2016 at Waterway Point!

This is the new edition of Play It Forward (With a Twist!). Children will have the opportunity to prolong their Play it Forward experience with a fun five-station obstacle course before diving into the ball pool which spans 8m by 8m and is filled with 100,00 colourful balls. The obstacle course includes fun elements like Walk a Plank, Tunnel Crawl, Foam Stick Curtain Trail and Float Run. What’s more, each participant will receive a free instant-print photo as a memento of the fun at Play It Forward!

playitforward2015

A minimum donation of S$10 will entitle each person to 25 minutes of play in both the obstacle course and ball pool. All proceeds go towards five Family Service Centres. Frasers Centrepoint Malls will match all proceeds dollar-for-dollar up to S$30,000. As part of the Care & Share Movement, from now until 31 March 2016, total donations will also be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Government.

This is taking place between 12pm to 9pm from 14 to 20 March 2016 at Waterway Point (Village Square, West Wing, Level 1)!

Be prepared to queue for this super fun activity! Just look at what happened previously at Play it Forward event.

We can’t wait for the school holidays to come! WWP here we come!!

See more at: Frasers Centrepoint Malls website

First Look at Punggol Waterway Point

Today the door of Waterway Point at Punggol opens for the public at 10am and since we are so nearby, we thought we should go try our luck at redeeming some of the freebies that were given out to early birds. We arrived at exactly 10.10am and alas! The queue for free SHAW movie tickets were at least 100-meter long and the queue at the information counter on Level 2 was like a long snake going round and round the huge mall’s corridor! They had to deploy more than 3 security guards just to ensure the queue is in order.

Guess I am not kiasu enough to get there earlier nor to join the long queues.

At least I managed to snap some photos of the mall while zooming through the crazy early bird crowd at this first mega mall in Punggol! Overall I must say, I’m very happy with what I see. Very spacious corridor, huge atriums indoor and outdoor, essential stores we frequent often are there and there’s lots of food options (and quite a lot of Halal ones too) at Waterway Point.

If you’re planning to head down soon, go before the afternoon “after-school” crowd cos that’s where the place get super crowded. Best is between 10am to 1pm on weekdays for this interim opening period.

Here’s some photos to bring you through the mall.

Entrance to Waterway Point from Punggol MRT Station

Level 1 where you can enter to the West or East wing or go straight down to Basement 1 via the escalator straight up.

The crazy queue for free movie tickets, happening tomorrow and Wednesday too! First few in line started queuing around 7am (based on Instagram posting I found). OMG! 7am!

Nice Allscript store at Basement, get your indie reading fixes here.

Of cos I had to check out the toilets! Sadly all the baby/family rooms are not available today yet. So no photos for now.

Just across Breadtalk, I spy this small but awesome Halal bread selection by Swee Heng.

Other food options for all Muslim family and friends…

Serving fishball noodles, wanton noodles and I also spotted some curry rice option inside! Queue was too long so I’ll check them out another day.

Lots of outdoor alfresco dining options available, these were not in operation yet today.

Ever since we tried Creating our own burgers at McDonald’s, we’ve been wanting more. And now right next door to McD is Burger Up! More burger customising for us to try, there goes whatever dieting plans! Eat-fat-us!

One of the stores we checked out today got me super excited and I can’t wait to bring the girls! Previously we checked out their outlet at Marina Square and was impressed at the comfort and design of the place, but now this brings the impressiveness to the next level! A dedicated Times Junior section at Times Waterway Point, how cool is that?

Walk right into Times bookstore at Level 2 and you will find this times Junior section, filled with many children books and activities.

Little ones can even browse through the selection while bouncing on these ladybugs. So cute!

For the hands-on folks, there’s also a section for all your gardening, cooking and handy craft shopping needs.

And they also have lots of shelves of educational and learning resources. Somehow the way they display them makes them more friendly and less stress when shopping for these to prep for exams.

Wide selection of products available at Times Waterway Point.

Time to use more of our Times membership card!

Also spotted cute kids clothes and accessories at PRIVI Kids at Level 2.

For parents with little ones, there’s also an indoor playground at Level 2 and its FREE!

The door is cleverly designed and you’ll need to spot the shoe racks before you can spot the door to enter. It’s facing 1010 store if you’re wondering where to enter from.

There’s also a small children corner inside the foodcourt Cookhouse. However there were only chairs in there today, not very attractive for now. Hope they’ll add in more play stuff soon.

Waterway Point at Punggol MRT, lots more fun and exciting things now at Punggol! So awesome!

We will slowly uncover more gems at Punggol here at Punggol Babies! Bookmark us and come back often to check for more updates.

Punggol is Getting Better with SAFRA Clubhouse Opening 24 April 2016!

When you think that life in Punggol is finally getting way more exciting with the opening of Waterway Point this month, then you’ll be screaming for more more more when you get to finally visit SAFRA Clubhouse at Punggol come 24 April 2016!

Previously I shared about the first mega indoor water playground, Splash! @ Kids Amaze at Punggol SAFRA and got many of you excited. Now here’s what you can look out for at Punggol SAFRA.

12485959_1108758069156393_29620649435447631_o Photo source: SAFRA Facebook Page

Activities at Punggol SAFRA Clubhouse

Makan Time!

There’ll be fast food outlets, Chinese restaurant, and I’m guessing some established F&B brands too.

Sing… Sing a song, sing out loud, sing out strong!

I’m guessing Kbox or Party World will be the tenant over at SAFRA Punggol. Though I wish it was Teo Heng but they’ve already got one outlet at Ci Yuan Community Centre which is pretty nearby.

Rent a bike or rollerblade

For the first time at SAFRA, you can look at renting bicycles and rollerblades. Wonder if they’ll be bringing in those family cycle that sits four pax. What are these bikes known as, anyone know?

Bowling at Punggol!

Get your bowling balls ready for a rolling good time right within 1 minute walk from Sam Kee LRT station. Much more convenient I feel as compared to the other SAFRA clubhouses I’ve been to.

Preschool by NurtureStars and Enrichment Classes

For parents who swore by good enrichment classes for your little ones, this is the place to go check out when they open. With so many young families living around Punggol, I’m expecting classes to be filled up fast.

Biggest Gym in Punggol

Drop your kids off to class and head into the gym to get some fats burned and heart pumping. Perhaps this is the time to sign-up for their gym membership for everyone at home, all of us need some (actually a lot) of toning and trimming.

Water Sports

This is yet to be confirmed, but the folks at SAFRA is exploring it for sure. Would be nice if we can send our kids for some water sports fun when they’re older. Punggol Babies still young for these right now.

For now, we’re happy with SPLASH! @ Kids Amaze. The 3-storey high indoor water playground. Waterplay is now possible rain or shine and we don’t have to worry about getting sun burnt!

My next big question is will there be a SAFRA swimming pool in the clubhouse? With SPLASH! and the Sengkang Swimming Complex nearby, will we have a pool at SAFRA Punggol? So far I can’t find any clue from their website nor media news. Anyone know?

safrapunggol-01 Photo source: SAFRA Punggol

SAFRA Members Alert!

SAFRA Punggol will hold a special soft opening on 24 April 2016, where members can enjoy complimentary access to selected facilities and special discounts at participating merchants in the club. Yeah! We can’t wait! Finally our membership cards can come to good use soon!

Marking our calendars now to check out the all new SAFRA Clubhouse at Punggol on 24 April 2016, Sunday!

Chinese New Year and Soft Launch Promotions at Punggol Waterway Point

Chant with me… 18 Jan! 18 Jan! 18 Jan! Yes that’s the day where doors to the Waterway Point at Punggol will finally have its door open!! Expect crowd and crazy load of people. Though I strongly discourage my family and friends to go during this opening period, but we will miss all these free gifts and promotions!

Ride to Win!

Ride on Waterway Point’s LED-lit bicycles to win amazing prizes from the Fortune Tree! Simply spend $88 and head down to the Event Square, Level B2 to participate and you might bring home attractive sure-win prizes such as massage chairs and tenant vouchers worth a total of $600,000.

RideToWin740jpg

Festive Fairs

Shop for goodies, decorations and special buys at Waterway Point from 25 January to 6 February at Level 1 Village Square.

Craft Workshops at Waterway Point

On 13 (Sat) and 21 (Sun) Feb 2016:
2pm: Pineapple Paper Craft Workshop
3pm: Money Tree Making Workshop

On 14 (Sun) and 20(Sat) Feb 2016:
2pm: Monkey Money Bank Painting Workshop
3pm: Fortune Monkey Making Workshop

Meet the God of Fortune

Happening at 1pm and 6pm on 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 Feb 2016. That’s all the Fridays to Sundays over two weeks.

Freebies Galore!

Spend $10 in a single receipt and present this mailer to redeem a welcome gift pack (worth $30) that includes an exclusively designed Waterway Point Tote-brella. Available on a first-come, first-serve basis for the first 5,000 shoppers.

WWPWelcomeGiftPack

This I expect all to be wiped out on the first day loh. Need to spend $10 only wor!

fraserangbaos

Then there’s the Chinese New Year freebies – Ang Bao ($50 nett spent) and Bountiful Baskets filled with pineapple tarts and mandarine oranges (Min. $168 nett spent). More details and T&C at Fraser Centrepoint Malls website.

orangebags(3)

Can’t wait for 18 Jan to come! It’s NEXT THURSDAY Punggol people!

Good and Cheap Crab at Punggol You Must Try

This is now my go-to-place for crabs when I crave for it. Not just me, but my entire family will head to the same place too! Because the crab is cheap and oh-so-good!

Just look at this Salted Egg Crab! This is finger licking goodness, very flavourful and cooked to hit all senses. I can eat this everyday if I could. And its only $28 per pop! All their crabs are sold at the same price, no matter how big/small or how you choose to cook it. So cheap how can anyone resists?

When I was there for the first time with my family on New Year’s Eve, the crab fish tank was filled and by time we are half way done with our dinner, it was empty! Got to go early to avoid disappointment.

We also tried their Chili Crab and it was very good too. But because I’m basis with anything salted egg cooked, I rank this No. 2 on the table served that night.

That night we also feasted on their Assam Fish Head and it was not bad too. I rank this No. 3 amongst all the other food we had.

If you’re craving for some good and yummy crab, head over to the coffee shop next to Soo Teck, take the Punggol LRT West line. There I said it. And I’m so going to regret one day cos there’ll be more competitors snatching these yummy crabs from us.

Now where’s my crab?