Singapore: Round 7

Here are snippets of my seventh and latest trip to Singapore:

Ippudo

Shigemi Kawahara, the Ramen King, has elevated the level of ramen to the realm of art through his famous restaurant, Ippudo. His very first restaurant opened in 1985 in Fukuoka, Japan with a seating capacity for 10 people only. Through the years, it has expanded in the U.S., Hongkong, South Korea, Taipei, Australia and Singapore, satisfying the tastebuds of 20,000 people everyday.

My sister and I had dinner at Ippudo located at Singapore's Mandarin Gallery Mall last week. We were very intrigued by the restaurant especially since there were so many people queuing patiently outside.

I love their cute and classy interiors. 

It was so sulit to wait in line for all these! Everything was oishi!

After our sumptuous meal, there were still so many people waiting in line outside! Grabe!

Jones The Grocer

Imagine a store with its own walk-in cheese room. Wow!!! Jones The Grocer, a renowned producer of gourmet food, has one in its flagship store in Sydney, Australia. According to their website, it has set the benchmark for premium Australian gourmet food store since it was launched in 1996. I am so glad that they have opened a branch in sunny Singapore! 

My sister and I had brunch at Jones The Grocer's Mandarin Gallery outlet last week. I love its sleek and contemporary design! 

They didn't have a walk-in cheese room, but they still had so much cheese on display!

We had to wait for a few minutes before we were ushered to our seats. I saw a bunch of foreigners and some local Singaporeans.

Food was delectable!

Shiraz Singapore

My sister and I went shopping in Orchard last week. After a very long day, we had an unplanned dinner at Shiraz located at the side of the road near Takashimaya. It does not look like the usual carinderia in the Philippines because it's very clean and langaw-free for a sidewalk eatery!

Annie The Musical

Annie is a Broadway musical about a cute little orphan who popularized the songs, "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard-Knock Life". I purposely went to Singapore last week to watch this musical together with my sister. Annie is significant to me because my former class did a musical about this way back in high school and we won! I was cast as one of the maids. Haha! In Singapore, Annie the Musical was staged at Marina Bay Sands Theater. 

British musical veteran David McAlister played Daddy Warbucks. 

We were not allowed to take photos inside the theater, but I managed 

to sneak a photo before the show..

..and when the entire cast made their final bow. Haha stubborn girl!

Flying all the way to Singapore was worth it!

Dean & Deluca

Giorgio DeLuca, a school teacher turned cheese merchant, and Joel Dean, a business manager, dreamed of creating a place that would offer customers a sumptuous celebration of food and a venue to experience all of the pleasures that cooking and eating can bring. The original Dean & Deluca opened for business in September 1977 in SoHo at the corner of Prince and Greene Streets. <taken from Dean & Deluca website>

Today, aside from the United States, Dean & Deluca has expanded to several international locations such as Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea, The Middle East and just very recently, Singapore! It is located at the Level 4 of Orchard Central Mall.

According to their website, the Dean & Deluca brand represents a lifestyle with a focus on food—not just a retail brand. Everything was pricey but it was worth it!

Last July 21st, my sister and I had brunch here before we watched the famous broadway musical, Annie. Dining here made me want to visit New York all the more! I love the refreshing ambiance!

Feast your eyes! It was the perfect brunch!

Twelve Cupcakes: Handmade with Love

I was leisurely strolling in Bugis a couple of days ago until I saw the cute little stall of Twelve Cupcakes at the basement of Bugis Junction.

I couldn't stop staring at these beautiful cupcakes. To buy or not to buy?

They were quite pricey at 3 SGD each. But who could say no to these?

Chatterbox

Chatterbox has been making a name in Singapore since it opened way back in 1971. My sister was able to buy discounted online vouchers for this restaurant located at the 5th level of Mandarin Orchard Hotel, hence we were able to dine here two days ago. The lobby of the hotel is simply gorgeous.

The menu.

We feasted on their legendary Mandarin Chicken Rice and their signature Asian dish Mandarin Lobster Laksa.

Five-Star Dining at Pizzeria Mozza

I had a belated birthday celebration with my siblings at Pizzeria Mozza located at #2 Bayfront Avenue, #B1-42/46 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. This famous celebrity restaurant was founded by Chef Nancy Silverton, TV personality Mario Batali and restaurateur Joe Bastianich.

The dark interiors added to its elegant appeal.

I love the open kitchen concept.

Pizzeria Mozza also has branches in Newport Beach and Los Angeles.

We ordered a lot that night! Pricey, but really good food.

Nando's

My sister and I had a lot of errands to do today. Before we kicked off our busy day, we first had lunch at Nando's located at Tampines Mall. Upon entering the restaurant, my eyes were immediately drawn to the white brick wall, where Nando's promise to its valued customers was proudly written.

Each order of their 1/4 chicken meal came with two choices of sidelines. My sister ordered Mild Chicken with Peri Corn and Peri Chips while I got the Lemon & Herb Chicken with Mediterranean Rice and Peri Potato Salad. 

Wild Honey

My sister and I met up for dinner tonight. She took me to a restaurant called Wild Honey located at Scott's Square in Orchard Road. The warm lighting and wooden flooring in the restaurant made the ambiance very cozy. Since I was still full from my hefty lunch at Nihon Mura, I merely ordered the Sweet Morning, a French toast stuffed with sweet peach and drizzled with maple syrup. As for my famished sister, she ordered the English Breakfast. It was such a good meal lah. Highly recommended!

Nihon Mura

I met up with my high school friends, Johnson and Roxanne, for lunch today. As suggested by Johnson, we had a mind-numbing lunch buffet at Nihon Mura. It was my first time to try eating in a Japanese restaurant with a rotating conveyor belt.

Apart from the sushis and makis on the conveyor belt, the ala carte dishes were also included in the buffet. We also tried their yummy Japanese ice cream. After our hefty meal, we gathered all our plates and realized, whoa we ate too much!

Xin Wang Hongkong Cafe

Before our flight to Dubai, my sister and I ate at Xin Wang Hongkong Cafe located at the Level 4 of Changi International Airport's Terminal 3. The Peach Lemon Iced Tea and Baked Cheese Rice were heavenly!

Singapore: Round 5

Here are snippets of my fifth and latest trip to Singapore.

Singapore: Round 4

Singapore has been my second home ever since my sister started working here three years ago. I've visited this sunny little city quite a lot of times. My first time was back in January 2009 during Chinese New Year together with my siblings. Meanwhile, I was alone the second time I came back in November 2009 after my trip to Kuala Lumpur. My third time back in March 2010 was totally unexpected because the trip was our prize for winning the business case study competition during Singapore's Global Entrepreneurship Week. 

A couple of days ago, I was back in the Lion City for the fourth time because my sister and I had a scheduled trip to Hanoi, Vietnam via Singapore. It's been 19 months since I was last here and I am so surprised that the entire Marina Bay has been fully developed. It was still under construction back in 2010. The Marina Bay Sands is a world-class luxury casino and hotel in Singapore capped by Sands Skypark.

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands is a luxury shopping mall offering a wide variety of international brands and emerging labels.

Of course every trip to Singapore would not be complete without the food! I went back to my favorite restaurant, Wee Nam Kee and also tried several others.