Friday, March 25, 2022

Singapore - To Eat 25March22 (Apollo Coffee Bar)

Singapore - To Stay
Singapore - To Eat
Singapore - To Do
Apollo Coffee Bar
(at Serangoon Gardens)
*Cool airconditioned seating at the back of the place*
Ordered On
25March22
Cappuccino SGD5.4 Regular (7oz)

 *Nice cuppa. Am surprised at the level of customization it had. From the milk, to the blend with simple description for the uninitiated. Nice experience and would definitely recommend for a great coffee catch up.*
Breakfast Burger
Cheddar scrambled eggs, spicy aioli, caramalised onions, back bacon, brioche bun, mini hash SGD17.70

*Very nice blend of flavors. The hash was fried beautifully and the star was the very fluffy, perfectly executed eggs. Light, very slightly runny and mixed in with cheese. Great flavors and textures. I'd say it'd give recently tried Eggslut (Click here for full review) a run for their money.*
Fed1 but met with party of three.
Food 4/5
Service na
Value 3.5/5
Ambience 3.5/5
*Though the ambience was nice, especially with the outdoor cum indoor seating, the chairs at the back were a little on the uncomfortable side.*
Will return for their other offerings and the coffee for sure to explore the other blends. A nice, long time, addition to the Serangoon Garden area. Some of the other interesting options that are popular; the Pancakes, Breakfast Burger & Pork and Pear Tartine. From the Brunch menu, Salmon Soba Bowl. Tiger Burger and the Chorizo & Squid Risotto.
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Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Singapore - To Do 20-22March2022 Shangri-La Staycation Playcation Package

Singapore - To Stay
Singapore - To Eat
Singapore - To Do
Shangri-La Playcation Package
Hotel's Standard check-in time is 15:00hrs
and check-out time is 12:00hrs

T&C of Playcation package
Fun Family Playcation | Rate is inclusive of breakfast for 2 adults and
2 children below 12 years old
Dining credit of SGD100 per night (not applicable for in-room dining)
Complimentary one session playtime at buds by Shangri-La per night
Complimentary one session playtime at Splash per night
Extra bed for 1 child below 12 years old (subject to availability)
Children welcome amenities
Complimentary parking (unlimited entry and exit with coupon)
Total SGD983.96 for two nights

The Two Main Attractions at Shangri-La Orange Grove Road
Buds By Shangri-La timing
Sessions start from 9am-6pm
*Feel free to pain whatever and wherever!*
*Cool ball shooting area*
A great area where kids of a certain age maybe dropped off so that the parents can have their private time. Good spread of activities and obstacles for the kids to roam free, express their musical and art talent as well as get some movement in. SGD18/child for only residents and guests if not part of the package.

Splash at Shangri-la
Sessions starts from 9am-6pm
A relatively small area with a 1.5m section that's definitely not for non-water safe kids. The great thing is that the place provides lockers, a small changing room as well as life vests for the kids. The place is a nice add-on and somewhat similar to the water park at the Singapore Zoo.

Shangrila Hotel - To Eat
(Some of the restaurnats we managed to try)
The Line
Complementary Breakfast Timing
0630am-1115am
The Line breakfast pretty much covered the international array of cuisine.
Simple breakfast fair from each nation.
Enjoyable and delectable to kick start the day.

Lobby Lounge

We ordered:
Katong Laksa SGS22
Rendition is adapted from The Original Katong Laksa (Click here for Katong Laksa and Peranakan Houses in Katong.)
*Really well executed and with *sea hum* (cockles) its a pass. The fried crispies prawn paste side dish just Atas the dish up for me. Surprisingly very filling and hugely satisfactory.
Beef Rendang SGD28

Cooked by Rumah Makan Minang a specialist of Indonesian Minangkabau cuisine.
*Solid rendition. The condiments were spot on and true to the delivery of the dish. Though couldn't beat the pleasant surprise in Melbourne Chin Chin most likely due to the quality of beef products available in Australia.*
Fishsoup SGD28

Adaptation of Whampoa Keng Fish Head Stemboat
*Really good soup stock and the layers of flavors did not let the original down at all.*
Total Fed 4 SGD97
Price point aside, its really amazing to see how to *ATAS (sophisticated or elegant) it up. The last place from memory to be able to do that was at the now defunct, CreatureS, then top 100 new restaurant in Singapore.

Waterfall Ristorante Italiano
*Great Italian fair and I can understand why the dining slots tend to be booked out quite quickly*

20-22March22 Play-cation Stay-cation Itinerary

Day 1
Singapore Maritime Gallery (Click for full review)
Lunch at Newton Hawker Center which was made more famous in international circuits with Crazy Rich Asians

Swim in the Pool
Exploring the grounds
Dinner at Lobby Lounge

Day 2
Buds Followed by Splash
Lunch at Egg Slut (Click for full review)
Dinner at Waterfall Ristorante Italiano

Day 3
Buds followed by Splash
Followed by checkout
Lunch at Great World City Food Court
The play-cation package to me was a pretty good deal. After taking into consideration the complementary breakfasts at The Line, 'free' entry into both attractions as well as the SGD100 dining credits per night, it works out almost similar to cost of booking the room alone.
Shangri-la is a little dated, but the room size and service were impeccable. By way of pools, it wasn't very interesting but the heated Jacuzzi was a huge welcome.

Overall a great experience and one for the memory books. The only frustration but understandably so due to Covid, were the constant need to book for slots for dining, or activities to be done for the hotel to monitor capacity. Thankfully guest services were very obliging and assisted it to the best of their ability and in most cases, walk ins were not an issue.

You maybe interested in some of these other stay-cation ideas.
- Marina Bay Sands One Night
- Oasia Hotel, two nights
- Changi Cove, two nights
Click here for ABBA location of Shangri-la
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Singapore - To Eat 21March22 (Eggslut)

Singapore - To Stay
Singapore - To Eat
Singapore - To Do
Egg Slut


A sandwich restaurant chain from the states have found its way to the sunny shores of Singapore. Finally got a chance to try some of their offerings of the place, located at the full length glass walls of Scotts Square, to see and be seen.
Ordered On:
21March22
Cheeseburger Double SGD17.50
additional Truffle Hash SGD5.50

*Good burger made rich with the very well executed sides. The caramelized onions were spot on, as were the pickles and the yolk just enriches the whole serving. The beef patty itself maybe a little dry on its own, but packaged in totality, amazing.
Slut SGD11
*Simple food executed to perfection. The smooth puree, fresh chives and hint of salt with the runny eggs were fantastic with the baguette. It would have fared better with at least two more slices.
Food 3.5/5
Service na
Ambience 4/5
*Nice high ceilings and huge panels to watch the world go by*
Value 2.5/5
Great for that one time try so that you're one of the cool kids. Perhaps it was the wrong order, but the ingredients are simple but executed well. Perhaps with a few more slices of bread and a cheaper charge point, it fair better on the value score.

Taste as how you'd expect perfectly poached eggs with a runny center to be and enjoyed in a trendy setting. Good but not over the top for the concept. Maybe if one were in the mood for eggs this would be it. The place vaguely reminds me of the concept shop in London, Creal Killer which serves nothing but Creals.
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Singapore - To Do 20March22 (Singapore Maritime Gallery)

Singapore - To Stay
Singapore - To Eat
Singapore - To Do
Singapore Maritime Gallery
*We strongly encourage access by public transportation due to limited parking facilities at Marina South Pier. Alternative parking is available at Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore. Take bus 402 from there to get to the Gallery or take a 10-12 minute walk along the sheltered linkway.* - signage seen from their website.
Marina South Pier MRT Station
*Some last minute shopping for island picnic adventures*
Unbenounced to myself, the South Pier was the launching port for round trip boat tickets to Lazarus Island, St John's Island as well as Kusu Island whose ticket prices start form SGD15/adults SGD12 for kids. The limited parking space in front of the Pier does get filled up quickly.
ABBATIP:
- Best to park anywhere along the Red Line for a easy direct access.
- Parking at the popular pier is limited so be aware.
Singapore Maritime Gallery
 In short, its a great, by-the-way place for island hoppers awaiting their ship departure, to pop-in to have a look at the gallery.
The main highlights here would be the very cool interactive simulator and the view of the harbor from the second floor. 
 
The children's interactive room was a nice touch with a simplified video game, origami and coloring materials to keep them entertained. 
 
The history of the maritime is deep in Singapore's history and would require another, less distracting visit to truly appreciate and learn more about in future.

A good, short 30-45min stop whilst waiting for transport.
Click here for ABBA location of Maritime Gallery 31 Marina Coastal Dr, Level 2, Singapore 018988
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