Friday, August 9, 2019

Singapore To Do 07Aug2019 (Marina Bay Sands Staycation)

Singapore - To Stay
Singapore - To Eat
Singapore - To Do
Singapore - To Stay
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Marina Bay Sands (MBS) Staycation 
BayFront MRT Station
Click here for MBS Singapore
An engineering marvel and skyline icon of the Singapore skyline. Marina Bay Sands Singapore. A one night staycation at SGD260+/night.
There’s a huge counter to manage the influx of check-ins. Its really welcoming especially  with complimentary refreshments whilst waiting in line. 
The rooms were beautifully furnished and finished. Some nice touches like the automatically drawn black out curtains and night lights for that soft relaxing feel. Also the full glass windows are on a very slight incline which allows for that immersive view all the way down. What a way to be greeted with the view of the city, day or night.
The main attraction of the hotel is of course the 150m long pool with a view. It felt crowded all the time, but its a pool like no other and one can always spot the Instagramers getting that perfect shot.

The pool’s beautiful and always filled with people. It does fill a little crowded but there are loads of lounging spaces and nice fluffy towels with pool side eats to maximize your stay on the 57th floor.
*A shot of gardens by the bay and flower dome at night*
Easy access to enjoy some local attractions around MBS
Spectra Nightly water and light show for 15mins.
8pm,9pm. Located at the waterfront.
 
The light show could be viewed from the comfort of one's room. In fact from a distance away, one could make out what the projections were. Honestly a missed opportunity as they could do so much more with the water screen and fountains. The display pales in comparison to Vegas's Bellagio fountain and Disney's world of Color. 

Dinner at Satay By The Bay
located in Gardens by the bay
*Nice environment to enjoy some local fare.*
Click here for Satay by The Bay

Art Science Museum
SGD16/Singapore Resident per Exhibit
Alice in Wonderland Exhibit
 
Pros:
- Beautiful skyline of Singapore offering a panoramic view.
- Located right above Bayfront MRT station.
- Great especially if catching a play or show at MBS
Cons:
For those who drive:
- Parking is a little far from the hotel itself. One needs to walk past the casino and a barrage of high end shopping before getting to the access elevators/escalators at the car park.
- Parking is only partially subsidized.
All in all it was an overall positive staycation expereince. Located right above Bayfront MRT station, MBS gives access to both the Circle and Downtown line which grants one excess to a loads of attraction in and around Singapore.
All in all it one of the better stay-cation experiences in Singapore and will probably try for another one in future especially if catching a play or show in MBS.
Click here for MBS Singapore
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Singapore - To Eat 07Aug2019 (Yardbird - Southern Table and Bar)

Singapore - To Stay
Singapore - To Eat
Singapore - To Do
Singapore - To Eat
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Yardbird - Southern Table and Bar
Voted as one of the best American Southern Brunches.
Click here for Yardbird - Southern Table and Bar
Ordered On:
07Aug2019
Signature chicken and waffles SGD40
*Their brandy maple syrup and mild hot sauce which was great with the chicken wings!*
*Beautiful presentation. Its nice they gave a variety of cuts of chicken to cater to all tastes and preferences. The breast meat is however a little on the dry side. The waffle a little dense but their x-factors were the brandy maple syrup (can’t really taste the brandy thou but a good idea) and pickled watermelons.*
The Great American Burger SGD28
*A strong contender for a well balanced burger. The hand cut fries though nice could do better with a crispier finish. The patties were juicy and it was a nice touch with the pickled onions to help cut through the richness*
Total fed3 SGD80
Ambience 3.5/5
Food 3.5/5
Service 3.5/5
Value 3/5
*Their signature dish was a little on the pricey side.*
*The lunch time crowd rush*
Have yet to try the rest of their menu to make a fair judgment on full on southern cuisine. The place is on the pricey side especially so with a similar pricing could get you a meal at Bread Street by Gordon Ramsay just down the stretch. Good but failed on certain aspects as expectation rise linearly with the price point.
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Thursday, July 25, 2019

Perth - To Eat 25July2019(Tiisch)

Perth - To Stay
Perth - To Do
Perth - To Eat
 Perth - To Eat
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Tiisch

Click here for Tiisch CafeResearched as one of THE go to cafes in Perth. Located at the other end of the main walking street is this nice, well-lit open space cafe serving up a good selection of hearty and light eats. Didn’t try their coffees this time around.
Ordered On:
25July2019
Beef Cheek Gnocchi 28AUD 
Beef cheek and tomato ragu, spinach, parsley, reggiano cheese veloute.
*The rich ragu with the spinach, really hit the spot with a heart warming meal on a winters day. The beef cheeks are amazing. Tender and falling apart with ease. Too bad there’s not enough of it. More Gnocchi than anything else.*
Ambience 3.5/5
Value 3/5
Service na
Food 3/5
*Would have done better if there was more beef cheeks.*
The salmon nicoise salad and Fremantle swordfish also came recommended by counter staff.

The place was nearly filled up at 1215hrs. Perhaps its more of a coffee/pastry place than having something heavier. Nice ambience but for what was ordered that day, over priced.
Click here for Tiisch Cafe
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Tuesday, July 16, 2019

NewZealand - Auckland July2019 Auckland Holiday (Auckland Fish Market,Silo Park,Sabato,Catalina Bay Farmers Market)

Auckland - To Stay
Auckland - To Do
Auckland - To Eat
Auckland - To Do
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Arrival SQ285
Auckland Ben's Wedding 2019
08July2019 Day 1 (Mon)
 A quick lunch at
BBQ Noodle House

 Ambience 3/5
Food 4/5
*Their roast were really good. You can taste the dry rubs on the duck and that fat distribution on the pork was to a T.*
Value 4/5
Service 3/5
Really good roast here. I'd say even better than some places in Hong Kong. The duck's rub got so many layers of flavor to it, and that roast has the beautiful marbled pork. The Ee-fu noodles here were really good and a huge serving. In fact it was ordered for the post church wedding meal.
Dinner at
Crab Shack
Mussel madness got loss in translation.
The crabs from memory were a disappointment the last time, so we tried out the mussel and clam mix. Two thumbs up. The soup/sauce was exquisite and we lapped it all up!

Day2 (Tue)
09July2019
Auckland Fish Market
 
They did revamp the place but the Auckland Fish market really consisted of like 4 stalls and the rest were mainly different eateries. Nothing much to see by way of seafood like Sydney fish market or an even worse comparison to Tsuikiji fish market. However the selection of eats are quite interesting for a simple lunch and afternoon meetup.
*They rebate parking if parked at the Auckland fish market if you dine within the premises.*
 Sadly the most exciting thing at the area was the dredging that was going on.

 
Silo Park
As advertised. More of a play ground really rather than a park. Not worth the detour just for this. The revamped Auckland fish market and eateries does rejuvenate the place a little bit and is probably more bustling at night.

 Sabato
(Foodie market place to Masterchef contestants)
What's nice is that you get to try all the cheeses there. The place mostly stocks up preserves, oils and vinegar.
Sabato

Day 3 (Wed)
10July2019
Catalina Bay Farmer's Market
*Only go on weekends.*
Its quite sad when you enter the markets and you can see all the 4 shops maybe? This was the only weekend market which was open from Wednesday onward but wow was it a waste of time. The wait staff there were saying it'll be bustling on the weekend, but I doubt how big an event it maybe.
From a failed farmers market outing to a nice walk along the water inlet and breakfast at Kittyhawk Cafe. There's a little creature's brewery attached.
 Nice after walk breakfast/lunch place.
Dinner at
Bushman's Grill
 *Excellent Kid friendly toy area with an X-box Kinetic section even*
 Ordered On:
10July2019
 *Nice but a little pricey. Done better than Outback though.*
The 600g chuck special on Wed. NZD38
 Ambience 3.5/5
Food 4/5
*Really good dry rub and they got the medium rare down perfectly.*
Value 4/5
*Especially so if you go for the specials*
Service 3.5/5
Will return for their specials. Even though its a chuck cut, its got good char, perfect doneness and excellent flavor to it. 

11July2019 (Thur)
Fogged out day French Festival
Renault French Festival by the Bay
10NZD per entry

 *A difference of 2hours. From fogged out to clear visibility*
 *They've got a nice spread of free sampling. Loads of pattee sampling and macrons!*
 *Just a couple of shops offering on-site purchase eats. Okay at best.*
Dinner at
Andiamo Eatery


Ordered On:
11July2019 (Thur)

 Ambience 3.5/5
Food 3/5
*Strangely a lot of the meatball dishes were more Indian influenced with fennel and cumin. Half the dishes like the risotto, squid ink and appetizers were hits, while the rest were strange misses with the other cultural flavor profile influences. Even the pasta was more half cooked Udon than pasta.* 
Value 3.5/5
Service 3/5
A nice romantic location for a sit down meal, but the wait between dishes was way too long. About 20mins from order to starters and another 30mins or so for the mains to arrive. About half ordered were hits, while the other half were more Indian/Asiatic flavors. Strange!
Andiamo Eatery

12July2019 (Friday)
Brunch at
Fact Tree
 
 Ordered On:
12July2019
All day Breakfast
 French Toast Brioche
 *Very interesting with the candy floss top. A nice twist to the already very tasty dish.*

 Ambience 3.5/5
Food 4/5
Value 4/5
*Especially for Zomato Gold members. You get a 1-4-1 for the most expensive item.*
Service 3/5

Dinner at
Starcafe Seafood Restaurant

 Ordered On:
12July2019
 
 
 
  Ambience 3/5
Food 2.5/5
*Not that good A lot of dishes were overly salty and the meats especially were over tenderized with baking soda. It left a horrible after taste.*
Value 2.5/5
*Especially so if you go for the specials*
Service 3/5

13July2019 (Saturday)
Ben's Wedding
Morning Church Service
Evening Wedding Dinner at
Kemeu Valley Estate
 
Really beautiful setting and estate. Unfortunately the food couldn't match it. Apart from the appetizers and dessert, the mains of chicken and beef were totally dried out.
Kumeu Valley Estate

14July2019 (Sunday)
Clevedon Bay Sunday Farmer's Market 
Open Sun 8300-1300
 
 *Authentic Japanese as you can tell. haha*
Quaint farmer's market with a decent variety of shopping and eats. A nice stop over before heading down to Clevedon Coast Oyster farm.
Clevedon Farmers Market
Clevedon Coast Oysters
 
I wouldn't say the oysters are that cheap. They go for NZD2 a piece and the jumbo ones slightly more. The jumbo oysters though more impressive, not as sweet as their large counterparts. There's only outdoor seating available and one can buy to take away.
Barilla Bay Oysters in Tasmania, 1AUD a piece!

Lunch from
Manuka Fish and Chips
  Ambience na
Food 3.5/5
*Nice fry on the fish and chips. The sausages were a little over processed but other than that, fairly decent fish and chips especially for the asking price.*
Value 3.5/5
*Especially so if you go for the specials*
Service na


Wedding part 2 Dinner at
North Shore 100 Seafood
A massive 10course meal. The food just keeps coming!
 
 

Ambience 3/5
Food 3.5/5
*Most of their dishes were pretty good. The noodles here however lost out to BBQ Noodle House listed above.*
Value n/a
Service 3/5

post wedding part deux dessert
Federal Delicatessen
 Ordering almost the same thing as last time. Epic pies and great sandwiches. After wedding treats.
Click here for Full review.

15July2019
SQ286 1410hrs departure Home
Lunch at
Dairy Flat Bakery
 (Award winning pies)
A must when going up north for a pit stop pick up!

Ordered On:
15July2019
Their award winning pies did not fail to disappoint.
Filling were very generous and the crust was super flaky and light. There's a large variety to choose from and each packed with loads of flavor.
Value 4.5/5
Service n/a
Ambience n/a
Food 4/5
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