Toa Payoh Blk 79 Kakis

[lormee 0]

- kpo my unit is secondary.

- was thinking of showing u my neighbour's unit which is a 75sqm & offer u some advice.

- aniway, gd luck 2 u.

hey no fair! u didn't say i could see your neighbour's 75sqm unit up close!

check your pm...

[Dracula 0]

Went to try it out on Wednesday with Meowie & Babymaro... like what Congee said, so-so only. In fact, for that kind of price, not really worth it. The bill for the 3 of us came up to $37+ after a special promo 10% discount.

The Herbal BKT is $9.80 per bowl. Normal BKT is I think $6+. The meat was miserable, only scraps of meat and plenty of bone, way too much. Maybe should have requested for the ribs portion instead. The meat wasn't the kind of tender & "slide off the bone" type I was expecting. It was a tad tough and dry! Overcooked??

But the let down part was the soup base. It was simply too bland. Maybe I'm used to the more "power" type of BKT, not peppery but with kick. But it just didn't taste like a herbal BKT soup at all. More like some kind of pork bone soup with a slight wolfberry after-taste. Every time I have a good BKT meal, I will be pespiring when I'm done. You know that sweaty but shiok feeling of a good meal? No such thing here. Maybe the aircon was too powerful???

Service staff mostly PRC helped out by some family members, including some very young kids. Surprisingly, the place was almost packed that night??!

I guess it's more of a restaurant setting with restaurant prices. 10% service charge. No GST. No charges for the wet tissue, so don't need to return back to them. But frankly, with this standard of BKT, even selling it at $3.50 in a non-airconditioned kopitiam, I'd rather eat something else!

So, that will be my first and last time there. I still prefer the Herbal BKT over at Alexandra Village. That one you can really taste the "gau kee" (wolfberry) and herbs. Maybe some may find the taste to their liking. One man's bak kut teh is another man's mee siam mai hum.

Meepok, have you tried the one at balestier? Just beside Closet Design. Heard from my wife that its quite famous and nice, must always queue quite long for it ah.

[Vlanze 0]

Meepok, have you tried the one at balestier? Just beside Closet Design. Heard from my wife that its quite famous and nice, must always queue quite long for it ah.

Yep...seen long queues everynow and then we were passed by Balestier Rd. Is it that good? For me, I'm the lazy type and would rather settle for OK standard than join in long queues.

The new 1 across the road....is it nice? Thinking of trying it someday.

hi everyone!

i'm due for flat selection this coming friday and seems like only 75sqm flats are left liao... but i'm abit hesitant becos 90sqm looks small to me already much less 75sqm.

wondering if anyone can do me and my wife a favour by letting us take a look at their 75sqm flat???

i know it's alot to ask but i really can't visualise the size of the flat juz by looking at the floor plans...

of cos any kind hearted 79ner willing to show me his/her flat will get a token of appreciation!!!

75sqm is really small if you are used to the older types of HDB units. It's actually a 3-rm flat in disguise. Haha.

Depends on whether u r in urgent need for a hse now and also whether u r' fated' to get 1 here, if not, u may wanna consider waiting. 2010~2012 would be a time when most of the new projects materialised and supply should be up. Gd luck man.

[alister 0]

Erm, I've reservation in term of service and quality of the food la. The "cai bey" and "peanut" cost $2.8 per plate. The normal bak ku teh is around 6+ per bowl. 4 person makan already $33+. Consider quite expensive, but they provide aircon and TV, mayb tats y abit exp. Soup not very fantastic. Service bit slow, the staffs "hands busy, legs messy", the boss's young children even roped in to help, they properly new started up la. IMHO, been there, done tat, tat's it. Up to individual taste and standard la... Still can try out..

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Guess I will give the Blk 177 BKT a miss.

[lormee 0]

75sqm is really small if you are used to the older types of HDB units. It's actually a 3-rm flat in disguise. Haha.

ya i think so too.. actually it'll look even smaller than 3rm cos there're 3 bedrooms while taking out space from the living room which is the first place everyone sees upon stepping inside!

Depends on whether u r in urgent need for a hse now and also whether u r' fated' to get 1 here, if not, u may wanna consider waiting. 2010~2012 would be a time when most of the new projects materialised and supply should be up. Gd luck man.

2010~2012 is a little too late leh... wanna have the home first then start family next yr liao...

very sian due to the bad timing......

[jaCKY777 0]

My Seahorse 2-seater L-shape sofa, half leather half artificial leather, 2.6m length x 1.8m depth, $899.50 ->

Defects = hole ->

Edited November 18, 2008 by jaCKY777

[jaCKY777 0]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Guess I will give the Blk 177 BKT a miss.

Hey alister,

- aiya, our beluv Foodpark e 'zhichar' good enough liao, unless u wana travel 2 Balestier Rd wif ur family esp with kids, jus 2 hav 'BKT'.

- parking kinda hard. Bus 139 & 145 crowded during peak hrs, unless ur meal time is off-peak.

- Taxi?

- dis evening jus had my dinner at our Foodpark again, all e ordered 'zhichar' dishes r nice, eg. 'sweet & sour pork', 'cereal prawn' etc.

- tried e 'salad crispy beancurd', small portion $8, beli nice.

Yep...seen long queues everynow and then we were passed by Balestier Rd. Is it that good? For me, I'm the lazy type and would rather settle for OK standard than join in long queues.

The new 1 across the road....is it nice? Thinking of trying it someday.

75sqm is really small if you are used to the older types of HDB units. It's actually a 3-rm flat in disguise. Haha.

Depends on whether u r in urgent need for a hse now and also whether u r' fated' to get 1 here, if not, u may wanna consider waiting. 2010~2012 would be a time when most of the new projects materialised and supply should be up. Gd luck man.

Hey Vlanze,

- e new 'bkt' opp, so far e review on food is so-so only.

- e embience is better than those smoky kopitiam.

- e pricing is on e higher side.

- e earlier post by Mr meepok & kakis, check it out.

- on waiting til 2010-2012, i olso share e same view pt. s u.

- mayb great minds think alike. Do we?

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Btw, Mr meepok & Ms babymaro2003,

- my mum & neighbours say e 2 of u, beli e tall.

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ya i think so too.. actually it'll look even smaller than 3rm cos there're 3 bedrooms while taking out space from the living room which is the first place everyone sees upon stepping inside!

2010~2012 is a little too late leh... wanna have the home first then start family next yr liao...

very sian due to the bad timing......

Hey lormee,

- depends on individual needs & requirements & urgency.

- if i'm not wrong, u had balloted dis Toa Payoh 79 flat b4 e global economy downturn. So e purchase price i presume its on e higher side wen everybody is cash-strapped.

- if u can wait, wait 4 e DBSS at Toa Payoh Lor 1A.

- 'sources' said e developer gona release e balloting exercise nex yr, probable completion date tentatively by yr 2012.

- e pricing though higher than standard flat, e finishes is done, lesser worry abt reno, better design features olso.

- i assume fewer ppl wil b balloting due 2 e yet recover econ crisis. Better chances of getting a gd selection q. no..

- if i'm rite, ur current q. no. if gif up, it wil not affect e DBSS ex. by penalising u & place u at e bak of e q., s its 2 different type of ex..

- u'l loose only e $2000 Option To Purchase fee. Do ur calculation between e 2.

- 2 mi, it is not far away frm e madding crowd yet it is mins away frm TPY Ctr, TPY MRT Stn, lor 1 market across a quiet 2-way carriageway...

- i find its a better option s compare 2 ur current selection availablity.

- if u can wait even longer.

- 5 yrs time, i gues quite a nos. of 79ers may b selling their units.

- including my 90sqm unit, it is at 30+ lev. wif N-S-E view.

[jaCKY777 0]

Hey neighbours,

- regarding e Water Heater, anybody got any comments, esp those who'd oleady moved in & settled dn?

- i hav not instal my water heater yet.

- m thinking of installin e Rinnai Gas Instant Water Heater frm Citygas instead of Ariston Electric Storage Water Heater frm bathrm accessories shop?

- dis instant heater wil b installed at e kitchen area, supplying hot water 4 e 2 bathrms & kitchen sink.

- e usage wld b kinda minimal, less than normal usage of 3 adults.

Edited November 17, 2008 by jaCKY777

[Dracula 0]

Hey neighbours,

- regarding e Water Heater, anybody got any comments, esp those who'd oleady moved in & settled dn?

- i hav not instal my water heater yet.

- m thinking of installin e Rinnai Gas Instant Water Heater frm Citygas instead of Ariston Electric Storage Water Heater frm bathrm accessories shop?

- dis instant heater wil b installed at e kitchen area, supplying hot water 4 e 2 bathrms & kitchen sink.

- e usage wld b kinda minimal, less than normal usage of 3 adults.

I am using the Ariston Storage Heater. I gave the Gas water heater a miss because I still dun trust leaving the gas on while I am bathing as any small little leak in the pipe during expansion of the pipe in high heat would be very dangerous. So its still safer to use the conventional electricity rather then gas ah. This is just my humble opinion ah.

Dun get too big a heater if you looking at Ariston Heater, very bulky and ugly.

[stay79 0]

Hey neighbours,

- regarding e Water Heater, anybody got any comments, esp those who'd oleady moved in & settled dn?

- i hav not instal my water heater yet.

- m thinking of installin e Rinnai Gas Instant Water Heater frm Citygas instead of Ariston Electric Storage Water Heater frm bathrm accessories shop?

- dis instant heater wil b installed at e kitchen area, supplying hot water 4 e 2 bathrms & kitchen sink.

- e usage wld b kinda minimal, less than normal usage of 3 adults.

mine's the rinnai gas heater fr citygas installed in kitchen. usually takes abt 5 mins to heat up the water and it's quite noisy when the hot water is turned on cos of the ignition of gas. other than that, no other complain. jacky - roughly i know which unit no u r in except the floor , can kpo yr place when u ard? can pm me? thanks!

[alister 0]

I am using the Ariston Storage Heater. I gave the Gas water heater a miss because I still dun trust leaving the gas on while I am bathing as any small little leak in the pipe during expansion of the pipe in high heat would be very dangerous. So its still safer to use the conventional electricity rather then gas ah. This is just my humble opinion ah.

Dun get too big a heater if you looking at Ariston Heater, very bulky and ugly.

My thinking is don't get central storage heater unless you want all taps in the hse to have hot water. Not practical. As the pipes are long, the first few minutes of water that comes out from shower head will be cold water.

You also have to switch on storage heater to warm up the waters for a few minutes before using. And it is known to waste electricity.

FYI - I am using Rannai water storage tank now.

Edited November 18, 2008 by alister

[Dracula 0]

My thinking is don't get central storage heater unless you want all taps in the hse to have hot water. Not practical. As the pipes are long, the first few minutes of water that comes out from shower head will be cold water.

You also have to switch on storage heater to warm up the waters for a few minutes before using. And it is known to waste electricity.

FYI - I am using Rannai water storage tank now.

Yeah man.... I got to on it for 10-15mins in advance for it to boil and when the shower is on, it takes another 30 secs to a minute before it gets from cold to hot. Its wasting electricity and water too. But we using rain shower lah....hehe.... so need the storage tank for heavy rain dance and not drizzling dance....

[shay_d 0]

My thinking is don't get central storage heater unless you want all taps in the hse to have hot water. Not practical. As the pipes are long, the first few minutes of water that comes out from shower head will be cold water.

You also have to switch on storage heater to warm up the waters for a few minutes before using. And it is known to waste electricity.

FYI - I am using Rannai water storage tank now.

What happen to your Joven??

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Guess I will give the Blk 177 BKT a miss.

Haha! me too! but true enough that they a lot of customers till now..... dunno whether is it alot of curious ppl going there just to try out.

[jaCKY777 0]

mine's the rinnai gas heater fr citygas installed in kitchen. usually takes abt 5 mins to heat up the water and it's quite noisy when the hot water is turned on cos of the ignition of gas. other than that, no other complain. jacky - roughly i know which unit no u r in except the floor , can kpo yr place when u ard? can pm me? thanks!

Hey stay79,

- dun tel mi we r frm e same lev at different end?

- i belief my unit is e 1 & only modern chic design in e blk, beli ez 2 find 1 ->

- its stil abit dusty, incomplete firnishing etc. i'm at my unit most of e nites though hav not officially move in yet. Jus pop by anytime wen u free. i welcum anybody who wana see. Jus beware of my neighbour's dog.

- btw, u wan kopi my design? aniway, u got PM.

My thinking is don't get central storage heater unless you want all taps in the hse to have hot water. Not practical. As the pipes are long, the first few minutes of water that comes out from shower head will be cold water.

You also have to switch on storage heater to warm up the waters for a few minutes before using. And it is known to waste electricity.

FYI - I am using Rannai water storage tank now.

Hey alister,

- tot u using e Joven electric storage heater?

- e big big round round container?

Yeah man.... I got to on it for 10-15mins in advance for it to boil and when the shower is on, it takes another 30 secs to a minute before it gets from cold to hot. Its wasting electricity and water too. But we using rain shower lah....hehe.... so need the storage tank for heavy rain dance and not drizzling dance....

Hey Dracula,

- Rain Shower?

- s i havnt instal water heater yet, can i go 'look x2 see x2'?

- most importantly is wen e weather is cold, can i go 'try x2' ur 'hot x2' rain shower anot?

- mus b beli powderful hor.

What happen to your Joven??

Haha! me too! but true enough that they a lot of customers till now..... dunno whether is it alot of curious ppl going there just to try out.

Hey shay_d,

- u hav been monitoring e crowd frm ur window?

- human beli e funni 1, see wher crowded then go wher q loh. Alot ppl eat muz b gd?

- though e review on e standard of its food were not dat gd, i find their signboard appealing.

- wen standing at blk A-B, can see their pinkish/redish outstanding signboard.

- in Sg, 'packing' & 'branding' canot b neglected.

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- Btw, jus saw an unit in 79 installed wrought iron window grilles.

- canot b i'd seen wrongly lei. b.cos its impossible 2 hav flowers motif design & vertical wavy bracing on alum window grilles lei.

- can 79 flat install wrought iron window grilles???

Edited November 18, 2008 by jaCKY777

[groovygenie 0]

Hey Jacky, why not install in bathroom? It can be done! You will appreciate its location better eventually.

Hey neighbours,

- regarding e Water Heater, anybody got any comments, esp those who'd oleady moved in & settled dn?

- i hav not instal my water heater yet.

- m thinking of installin e Rinnai Gas Instant Water Heater frm Citygas instead of Ariston Electric Storage Water Heater frm bathrm accessories shop?

- dis instant heater wil b installed at e kitchen area, supplying hot water 4 e 2 bathrms & kitchen sink.

- e usage wld b kinda minimal, less than normal usage of 3 adults.

I think the wait from turning on to having hot water can be easily attributed to the distance of the pipes from the heater. Not sure if you did it in the kitchen too, Dracula, but we had ours installed in the bathroom (after having looked VERY VERY closely at Liana's installation and telling the plumber what to do) so takes a couple of seconds for the hot water to reach the bathroom taps.

Only problem i noticed is that, if you have the heater turned on and someone in kitchen is washing and accidentally turn the tap to the hot water side, you find hot water coming out and that's such a waste (the pipes from the heater to the kitchen tap is all filled with hot water accidentally) sigh..

Yeah man.... I got to on it for 10-15mins in advance for it to boil and when the shower is on, it takes another 30 secs to a minute before it gets from cold to hot. Its wasting electricity and water too. But we using rain shower lah....hehe.... so need the storage tank for heavy rain dance and not drizzling dance....