02 The Holiday Inn Express, Orchard Road, Singapore

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18 Aug 2022 – 23 Aug 2022, 5 nights
04 Sep 2022 – 06 Sep  2022, 2 nights

This is a budget hotel but its location is just a five minute walk to Orchard Road, main drag for shopping in Singapore where most of the high end malls, restaurants and hotels are located.  Unless one is here for shopping and eating spree, there is nothing much to do in Singapore.  Three nights are more than enough for any tourist.  I was here because this was my hometown and I had to come back for some unfinished business to be taken care of.

I am impressed that they offer complimentary breakfast for all guests.  Even though the food can be a hit or miss, beggars can't be choosers.  Because of its location, it free breakfast, its friendly staff and the ease on my pocket, I did came back to stay for another two nights after coming back from Bangkok later in the month.

The modest main entrance as one leaves the hotel.

Behind the check in counter is the dining area for the complimentary breakfast.  I am impressed that they offer such a service to all guests.

The room is spacious enough for my needs. The mattress is firm and pillows are soft.  It is a quiet room.

I have to thank for ever present drapes to hide these monstrosity of these ugliness.

At least the bathroom is not some kind of an eyesore.  Much more modern looking than any North American hotel bathroom.

I like the use of glass paneling to separate the bathroom and the bed.  The design on the glass is gentle to the eyes, unlike the outside scenery.

The shower is hot and the jets powerful.  I have no complaint except for the fact that one has to be aware of the slippery floor.  When the shower door is swung out, the floor towel will be also swept away. 

At least the dinning view is not a monstrosity.

Despite the scrambled eggs looking dry, I was surprised that they tasted creamy and soft but not to the point of being soggy.  Even after being out for a long time, the steam from the warming pans did not overcook them.  I wonder what the secret is.

The chicken curry tasted great.

How can these go wrong?

The local Chinese style fried rice is excellent but I dare not have too much carbs.  I did pick most of the delicious slices of fish cake.

Looks good and tasty too!

The dahl was not shabby either.

This tastes terrible!  The meat was too finely ground and overcooked by the continuous steam from the warming pan.  A word of caution, never to even sample any delicate dim sum at a buffet.  This will be a perpetual problem.  Save your stomach for something else!

Supposedly cream of mushroom soup.  Not only it looks watery, it tastes like water!

Yesterday, it was Chinese styled fried rice, today, it is Malay/Indian style.

The chicken is good.

Shorter links today.  The only reason I ate them was because of their saltiness to go with the unsalted scrambled eggs.

This is so-so.  Nothing to write home about.

After yesterday's debacle of the cream of mushroom soup, I have no stomach to try their soups.

One thing about the local potatoes, they may not look as beautiful as the N. American ones, they sure pack plenty of punches in flavor.  Even with my eyes closed, I can detect their aroma.

I am sure these baked beans came from giant cans.  Save my stomach for local flavors.

My first plate...

My second plate.  I am still amazed at how they did their creamy scrambled eggs!

Bismati rice but they weren't flavorful at all.  Judging from the rice and noodle dishes they offer, I am sure most of their guests are from South East Asia, China and the Subcontinent of Asia.

Give me a good reason that I should be eating this! LOL

I thought I would be roti prata heaven.  However, they turned out to be fool's gold.  They tasted like solid cardboard! No amount of curry or sauce will make them tasty. Even if they were free, which they were, I will not let my tongue, my taste buds and my stomach suffer.

Again the chicken tastes good.  No complaint from me.

Again, the looks triumphs over taste.  I am now wondering if the hotel is providing health conscious food so that their guest will live long and patronize the hotel more often.

Finally some breaded fried chicken.  Not great but beggars can't be choosers!  At least had my deep fry fix.

The spaghetti looks great and colorful but I am not optimistic about the taste.  As expected, it was bland.

I was very lucky in that they had just came out of the kitchen and so they were crispy.  I am sure they will become limp as time goes by.

I did not have high hopes on the porridge.  I am expected it to be plain and not done in the Cantonese style of throwing the meats, etc. into it while it is being cooked.  Even so, with good condiments mixed into it, even plain porridge will be become very tasty.

As one can see from the photos, there was no condiment for the porridge and since I didn't want to waste food, I drink it like it was Chinese medicine.  Poor me!

I had to cleanse my palate with more fried chicken and use the saltiness of the sausage link to eat with the tasteless spaghetti and the unsalted scrambled eggs.  By now, the hash browns had become limp because by picking one up with the tongs, one can feel the tensile  crispiness.

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