A perennial favourite amongst the residents who live around the area and the folks who frequent the Lower Pierce Reservoir Park, Sin Hoe Huat Cafe at Sembawang Hills Food Centre has been serving simple yet consistently delicious traditional breakfast of kaya toasts and kopi since 1968!

The most popular item on the menu here has to be Set 5 – the Emperor Bun Set (S$3.00 – S$3.20) that comes with 2 soft boiled eggs and a drink of your choice.

Toasted to be slightly crispy on the outside and still soft and fluffy on the inside, the Emperor Buns are generously slapped with butter and Sin Hoe Huat Cafe’s own kaya that is not overly sweet. This is definitely best savoured as soon as it is served.

The two huge and perfectly cooked half-boiled eggs are best enjoyed warm and with Sin Hoe Huat Cafe’s own concoction of dark soy sauce and a dash of pepper. To ensure the freshness of the eggs, Sin Hoe Huat Cafe receives its shipments of eggs almost every day so quantities are limited – a recent visit saw eggs running out by 11am!

And, of course, the star of the show is the kopi – brewed using Sin Hoe Huat Cafe’s own signature kopi blend, every cup of kopi is strong, balanced, and always consistent. Whether you like it iced, with condensed milk, or evaporated milk, one can be assured of getting a good cuppa every single time.

The Emperor Bun Set usually sells out by 11am, especially on weekends, so be sure to swing by early!

Also a favourite are the Set 2, the Peanut Butter Thick Toast Set, slathered with Sin Hoe Huat’s unique peanut butter, and the Set 7, the French Loaf Set

Sin Hoe Huat Cafe
590 Upper Thomson Rd, #01-01
Singapore 574419
Tue – Sun: 6am – 1pm

Read our guide to the best kaya toasts in Singapore.

We all love hopping onto a plane and going for holidays. I’ve never seen a word as overused as ‘wanderlust’. And getting on a plane is just the start to the adventures we all so crave for.

But the main point of getting on an aircraft is to disembark on the other end safely. And that is our main job and priority as cabin crews onboard your flight.

Contrary to popular belief and misconception, your crew are there for your safety and not so much tea about bringing you nuts, coffee and chicken. What you might not know, is that we are all professionally trained in Aircraft Safety, and in times of emergencies and evacuations, we are the ones who will sacrifice our lives to save yours.

Aircraft Safety is for the betterment of yourself and everyone onboard, and here are the things you might love to find out so as to have a peace of mind for every flight:

THE CABIN CREW ARE HERE FOR YOUR SAFETY

We are not responsible for bringing food and drinks to you only; we are mainly here to help maintain Aircraft Safety.

As a cabin crew myself, may I say that we all are hired to ensure you can evacuate quickly and safely should there ever be a need to. We have spent the majority of our training course learning and practicing the safety and evacuation procedures should there be an emergency, though we do not ever wish to display our knowledge that way. Should there be a medical incident inflight, we are also trained in first aid. And what you might be keen to find out, is that we go for refresher courses every year to keep ourselves updated, trained and legal to work.

There are multiple tests – theoretical and practical – that we have to pass before we are allowed to start work. In fact, our job begins even before you board, with safety procedures and protocols to follow before anyone is allowed to embark. And more of such procedures after you’ve disembarked.

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It doesn’t matter which airline you’re flying with or which cabin you’re travelling in. Because when it comes to Aircraft Safety, there is absolutely no cutting corners. And always remember this – your crew have got loved ones, family and friends waiting for them at home too. We are here for your safety and we would love for your cooperation in ensuring that we get from one place to another, because we would like to get home, as soon as possible and in one piece, as much as you do.

BUCKLE UP, SIR

Keep those seat belts on for the entire flight, please. From the moment you board the aircraft and after you’ve put away your entire lifetime of shopping in those gigantic overhead lockers, until the seatbelt signs go off when your aircraft has landed and parked on stand at the other end.

You might insist they are uncomfortable, but as cabin crews and fellow travellers ourselves, we would like to think that nothing is more uncomfortable than knowing our lives might be endangered because of something so (seemingly) trival. Well, if you really need to know, you really only need them fastened during takeoff, landing, and when the seatbelt sign comes on inflight. Buckle up, loosen the straps slightly and you’ll forget that they are even there after a while.

And please observe the seatbelt sign when it comes on inflight. It is definitely not the time to ask for a hot drink, open the overhead compartment, or swing by the lavatory – even if it doesn’t feel bumpy at all. If we were to hit a big bump while you’re in the midst of your multimillion business on our glorious golden throne… Yup. You’ve been warned. And no, the airlines will not be responsible.

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If you are going into slumber or simply don’t want to be disturbed, here’s a tip – have them buckled over your fluffy comfy blankets or jackets, and ensure that they are visible to the crew. If and when the seatbelt signs come on inflight, the crew will have to do a visual inspection in the cabins to ensure that everyone’s buckled up.

And if we can’t see them, we will have to wake you up from dreamland or interrupt that movie of the year that you’re watching. You wouldn’t like that, and know that we hate doing so as well.

AIRPLANE MODE, PLEASE

And the pilots mean business here when they tell you to switch your phone to airplane mode during takeoff and landing. Do you know that a single cell phone can affect the entire transmission and navigation, and that is very disastrous?

Portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, iPads and other tablets, as well as remote-controlled toys emit powerful electromagnetic radiation that have the potential to mess with the aircraft’s navigation and communication systems. Needless to say, this means everyone’s safety is compromised.

And it can be extremely detrimental in the event that of any interference during takeoff and landing. The next time you think nobody would find out if you surf Facebook or send a tweet during crucial times of taking off and landing, think again, and spare a thought for everyone else onboard.

YOUR BAGS HAVE TO GO UNDER THE SEAT

And you may wonder why. Because, safety.

We hear your cries about putting your expensive bags on the ground, but you have to, darling. In times of evacuation, your bag might be the biggest hindrance. Foot rest to be up too, please.

If you don’t want to trip over your strap, or have your foot stuck, please oblige. It is as simple as that.

DELAYS AND CANCELLATIONS

We know the frustrations of having a flight delayed or cancelled and the possibility of missing connecting flights and/or transport arrangements. Or missing important appointments or meetings or events. But more often than not, delays and cancellations are due to safety reasons. If the ground engineer or the pilots think that it is not safe to fly, we will not take off. And this is only for everyone’s safety.

Please don’t come screaming at us cabin crew in the event of such delays and cancellations; none of us wished for it. We would love as much, if not more than you to reach our destination promptly so that we can see to our commitments and plans; we would very much love to reach home safely in one piece.

If you must know, airlines certainly do not like to cancel or have flights delayed either. It costs a fortune to rebook customers on other flights, and every minute that the aircraft is parked at the airport costs a lot, sometimes even up to tens of thousands! What about hotel accommodations for customers and crew, and compensations for customers such as meals and transportation? Then, there are ground staff, engineers, baggage staff and catering staff to pay too.

A flight cancellation can cost an airline hundreds of thousands of dollars. A delay can induce a ripple effect of inconveniences and affects people across board. But all these are nothing as compared to losing an entire aircraft of crew and customers.

Better late than never, and know that it is all in the name of Aircraft Safety.

About the writer:
Clement G. is a cabin crew, and he flies with one of the most recognized international carriers. With a wealth of experience and many stories in the skies to share, Clement is ever keen on traveling. But to him, the greatest comfort is knowing that he is flying with a team who focuses on safety.