Christmas Village @ Ngee Ann City Singapore

From the previous Pastamania blog, I have shared the Christmas event that is going to happen in Orchard Road. And we have made it becomes real by paying a visit to Orchard Road again, specially for the Christmas event! It is the first ever European-theme Christmas village in Orchard Road Singapore and thus draws a lot visitors on weekend over there for fun.

The Christmas village is located at Ngee Ann City's Civic Plaza from 25 November 2017 to 25 December 2017. For this one month, you able to spend some free time hanging around there at night, and what can you get? Stalls that are lighted up the night, serving you hot foods and drinks such as Toast Box, Starbucks, Fish & Co's, Kebab etc. Apart from this, there is a performance stage to keep you entertained when you are having your dinner here. When we went that time, there were many students from different primary schools dressed up and sang Christmas choirs on the stage. And most importantly, there is one house that has long queue be it children or adults, and inside the house is our childhood favourite character- Santa Claus! (*Santa Claus is coming to town, and sitting in house waiting for wefie together~~ 😍). We even get ourselves free instax photo from the in-house-crew there! 1st instax checked!

Christmas village is just outside of Ngee Ann City's Civic Plaza and that also explains why the plaza also quite crowded inside. Especially one hot spot is the Tiffany&Co christmas tree. At here, you can queue and take photos together with the christmas tree backdrop. The crew will send the photos to your email address and you can download it and then upload to your instagram! Once shared in your instagram, just drop by Tiffany&Co shop to claim a free instax photo as well! 2nd instax checked!

When you walk along the Orchard Road, you will reach Ion Orchard at the end. Ion Orchard has pretty decoration in this year and is certainly eye-catching, especially the so called "Polar Express" train that will bring you to North Pole to find Santa Claus. Here, it is called the Ion Orchard Express and it is just 5 minutes away from Christmas village which houses Santa Claus, so is a little bit similar, haha.😂😁

Smile! Because it is December 😀

The instax with Santa Claus! 😃

Toast Box stall

Starbucks stall

Fish&Co's stall

Great Christmas Village @ Ngee Ann City

Tiffany&Co christmas tree

Decoration along Orchard Road

I am dreaming of a white Christmas~~

Decoration along Orchard Road

Ion Orchard decoration

Famous Pandora's Christmas Tree, shimmering in gold

All I want for Christmas is You~~

Well lit 'Polar Express" train

Ion Orchard Express to North Pole

A Litte Info. on Christmas Village
Official Website: Christmas Village Orchard Road
Additional Online Webpage: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/orchard-road-christmas-light-up-2017-5-things-to-know-9356822
Location: Ngee Ann City




💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian/ Adrian Yeoh Aun Hong
💗 Date of Visit: 25 November 2017

Share

South East Asia (S.E.A) Aquarium @ Singapore

It was a usual Saturday for us and we have bought S.E.A Aquarium vouchers few months ago and figured out that it would be the time to use the voucher before they are expired.😄 So it became the 1st time for us to visit Sentosa island as well. For those that not realize it, S.E.A Aquarium is situated inside the Sentosa Island which houses few tourists attractions such as the famous Universal Studio Singapore, Madame Tussauds Singapore, Adventure Cove Waterpark, Trick Eye Museum Singapore and the list goes on. You may refer here (Sentosa Attractions) for the complete attractions in Sentosa Island. You can filter the attractions according to your individual preference, be it nature, thrilling adventure, leisure day, and family outing. 

Our 1st attraction that we paid a visit in Sentosa Island was S.E.A Aquarium. It is known as one of the world’s largest aquariums and has a fancy ocean dining restaurant inside. There is even a luxury hotel connected to the aquarium also and you can find yourself sleeping in a room with thousands of marine life. Refer here (Sea Aquarium) for the interesting facts that you would like to know about S.E.A Aquarium. 

Before heading to the aquarium, we have done some research on the showtime (Show Schedule) and have a glance on the map as below. Then, we just went ahead to plan arrival time and route to walk around the aquarium.

We arrived the aquarium before 2pm for the Shipwreck show. It is located just at the entrance of the aquarium. There are divers who swim into the tank filled with fishes and manta rays for the feeding show. The divers show us how to feed the manta rays and schools of fishes and it lasts about 15-20 minutes. All of us expressed Wow when we saw the manta rays ate the dead fish foods provided by the divers. Certainly the manta rays grabbed most of viewers' attention. And, shy to mention that, certainly this particular manta ray loves me..

The Manta Ray that loves me 😍. Thanks for loving me..
However, i am attached already, not sure how about you?
I know you are cute and innocent looking, but your sharp tail is scary thou..

As you walk through the aquarium, you get to immerse into different marine life world. Some marine life are really unique to be seen. It is knowledgeable tour to bring kids around and spend few hours inside to have some fun family time.

Seems like fake sharks portraying inside the aquarium tank.. But they are real and watching you..

Corals, sea cucumbers, fishes in the tank

Orange and white zebra stripe fish?

I am sea star! Star of the water world.. You get to touch real sea star in an area called Touch Pool,
somewhere at the corner of aquarium.

Mushroom like jelly fishes. Colorful and dreamy..

Puffer fish with big eyes..

Sea dragon somewhere can be found in Australia. Captured many people attention.
Looks like seahorse but has wing on the body, which makes it sea dragon! Wonder if they can fly.. 

Leopard skin fish?

There are a lot more things to explore inside the S.E.A aquarium. You can also pay to have live interaction with dolphin as well. Overall I think is a nice weekend place to go to. However, I have been to Langkawi aquarium at Malaysia and personally feel that aquarium is larger in scale. However, good things about S.E.A aquarium is it is adjacent to Universal Studio Singapore and other famous attractions in Sentosa Island. Just outside S.E.A aquarium is cruise ship available for you to enjoy. You can sit their sunset cruise which includes dinner as well to end your day with your loves one. When you walk further abit, you will reach Adventure Cove waterpark already. 

Cruise ship outside

A Little Info. on S.E.A Aquarium
Official Website: S.E.A Aquarium (Check for any promotion from time to time)
Facebook Webpage: https://www.facebook.com/RWSSEAA/
Admission Fees/ Purchase Ticket Link: Admission Fees 
(TIPS: Good news out there, just found out that there is an upcoming 30% off promotion at S.E.A Aquarium on December 2017 month in conjuction with Christmas and New Year event!)
Location/ How to Go: Transportation Mode




💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian/ Adrian Yeoh Aun Hong
👉 Date of Visit: 11 November 2017

Share

No. 3 Crab Delicacy @ Tiong Bahru Singapore

Time to taste the famous crab in Singapore! We always hear that Singapore is famous for chilli crab and we have done some research on the crab shops in Singapore. Crab, crab, we are coming! We found No. 3 Crab Delicacy over website to be one of the restaurant that offers nice crab dishes and comes with a charge which is not sky high. There are a number of chinese seafood restaurants nearby when we alighted from the bus, and all of them are quite occupied as well.

Our aim was to eat chilli crab initially, but when we flipped the menu, we were truly spoilt for choice. There are a few crab dishes such as curry crab, chill crab, black pepper crab, butter crab, salted egg crab, steamed crab, crab with beehun etcetera. Not only that, there are prawns, chickens, fishes, and lots more, just like typical chinese restaurant but with more choices on how they prepare and cook the crab for connoisseurs.

We ordered curry crab at last as we not very fond of salty dishes and was informed by the owner of the restaurant that the recommended crab dish would be curry crab. On top of that, he mentioned that the curry crab served in the restaurant is well known to be the No.1 in Singapore! Not No.3 as the name of the shop 😂. You can order fried small bun (called "mantou" in chinese") for you to dip into the curry or chilli crab sauce and tug in. It was very delicious as the bun is getting soaked with the curry soup and when you bite it, it will start with a crunchy texture outside and followed by curry soup which "explodes" inside your mouth 😋.

The curry crab was served inside a claypot bowl. It is sufficient for 2 of us to eat, and the crab meat is succulent and juicy. It weighted nearly 1kg and the crab alone already priced at $63. They quoted the price based on the weight of the crab, with 100g at $6.50. It is truly not cheap, however just a reward to ourselves for working hard 😄. The claypot came with vegetables such as lady fingers and eggplants. The curry soup was very alike with curry fish soup. We felt like we were eating curry fish claypot, except fish was substituted by crab. The coconut milk smell inside the curry soup is quite strong as well. The curry soup is not at the truly spicy side, so I guess is quite suitable for everyone. Personally I feel the curry crab dish is generally nice, but the price is a bit at the high side. We ordered fried kangkung vegetables also as a side dish for us.

The No.1 curry crab in Singapore @ No.3 Crab Delicacy restaurant! 

Fried kangkung vegetables

Bring home the taste of No.3 Crab Delicacy! Those who fond of the paste can opt to buy their curry paste, sambal belacan and black pepper for cooking at home. The restaurant is full house on the weekend and there are even large group of parties dining inside the restaurant. If you don't want to miss out the chance to taste the crab dishes in this restaurant, remember to call them for booking! The restaurant is located inside a hotel called Link Hotel, and thus can see many groups of foreigners have their dinner over there.

Our total bill came at a cost of ~$95 for two of us. It is certainly an expensive dinner, however it would be a treat for us once in a blue moon. From the receipt below, you can see they striked through towel row, as we were aware that they charged for the towel and we already returned the towel to them before starting of our meals. Can't save us much, only $1 but every penny counts right. Well, spent $95 already but commented on $1 towel, haha 😒

The restaurant was crowded and full house that day. It was located inside Link Hotel and well air-conditioned.

Exterior look of restaurant

A Little Info. on No. 3 Crab Delicacy
Official Website: No. 3 Crab
Facebook Webpage: https://www.facebook.com/3crabdelicacy/
Transportation: Alight at Tiong Bahru/ Outram Park MRT station, transfer for bus to reach Blk 55, and cross to opposite road.

Personal Rating: 
Taste ➪ 6.5/10 (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)
Price➪  3/10 (1-3: Expensive, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Budget-friendly)
Ambiance ➪ 7/10  (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)


💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian/ Adrian Yeoh Aun Hong
👉 Date of Visit: 21 October 2017

Share

Tendon Ginza Itsuki (Japanese Dining) @ Tanjong Pagar

Crave for Japanese tempura prawns? I have been craving on Japanese foods for quite some time, especially for tempura lover like me. Recently I paid a visit to a Tanjung Pagar, purposely to satisfy my hunger on a bowl of tempura rice set. Tendon Ginza Itsuki is the first tendon restaurant in Singapore and it a collaboration with the highly acclaimed Ginza Itsuki Sushi restaurant in Tokyo, Japan. There are one row of seating available beside the restaurant and that's where your queue starts. The restaurant is friendly to the visitors as they have prepared iced barley tea near the seating area for you to quench your thirst while waiting for your turn. They have food menu hung on the wall and they will take your food order when is almost your turn. Do you always have an issue of difficulty in making food choices? Fret not, for this restaurant, there are only two options from food menu which are Special Tendon (tempura rice set) and Vegetable Tendon (vegetable tempura rice set). Go for Special Tendon if you are a meat lover as you can get yourself big tempura prawns and big chickens as well as half boiled egg inside the huge bowl. On the other hand, go for Vegetable Tendon if you are vegetarian! Easy right?

Exterior building of Tendon Ginza Itsuki

Food menu which only 2 sets available

The moment you step into the restaurant, you will be transferred to Japan for awhile, as there are Japanese musics playing constantly as the background while you enjoy your food. The smell of tendon is quite strong in the restaurant. The chef fries meat and vegetable by using different pans. And by controlling different ingredients at different frying temperature, they get the best tendon meat and vegetables on plates for your dining pleasure.

Here's my Special Tendon set for the day. It even comes with miso soup and chawanmushi. This chawanmushi is specially soft compared to outside one that I have ever tasted, I guess that's the power of egg yolk. After miso soup and chawanmushi as entree meal, here comes the Special Tendon rice bowl. It is very generous in portion. You get to eat 2 tempura prawns, 2 big chickens, one half boiled egg yolk hidden beneath the dishes, and a variety choices of vegetables. Since the food is tendon, hence is very soft and elastic compared to outside restaurants. I have not realized I was actually eating chicken, until I have been told by my bf. I thought it was fish all the while. The texture is really that soft.

Chawanmushi

Special Tendon Set!

Special mention on the rice as well, it is actually imported from Japan and guaranteed to be Japan rice, as they get the certification of using genuine Japan rice when I glanced through the certification that has been hung on the wall of the restaurant. So you can know that the rice here is actually fragrance and pearl shape like. The porcelain bowl used here also will help to retain the heat of your foods and you get enjoy the foods better even at a longer time. However, since there is always queue outside, so once we finished our foods, we will not be able to stay and spend longer time there. And, there is one thing to point out, the smell of tendon will "stuck" inside your clothes and it has been there for whole day! Guess that's the sacrifice for good foods. 

So, head over to this restaurant and try out the dish yourself! There are a number of Japanese restaurant here and there is even Sapporo beer cafe. For beer lover, you can end your night with a glass of beer after the dinner.

A Little Info. on Tendon Ginza Itsuki

Homepage: http://www.tendon-itsuki.sg/

Facebook: Ginza-Tendon-Itsuki 

Opening Hours: Lunch (11.30am-2.30pm) & Dinner (5.30pm-10.00pm)

Location: 101, Tanjong Pagar Road, 088522 Singapore.

Personal Rating: 
Taste ➪ 7.5/10 (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)
Price➪  6.5/10 (1-3: Expensive, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Budget-friendly)
Ambiance ➪ 6/10  (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)



💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian/ Adrian Yeoh Aun Hong
👉 Date of Visit: 7 October 2017

Share

Pastamania @ Far East Plaza Singapore

On a weekend date in Orchard Singapore, we paid a visit to Pastamania for Italian cuisine as our dinner. As we were still full with Godiva ice cream as teatime a moment ago, thus we went to have some light pasta meals in Pastamania. It was quite surprising to find out that the pasta is very tasty given the relatively cheap price in Singapore. Pastamania has many branches spreading all over the whole Singapore. Not sure whether you are near to Pastamania restaurant for your meal? See all the branches locations here! Must be one of them just nearby you.

Pastamania restaurant is a typical Italian restaurant specializing in serving pastas and pizzas. However, the varieties of pastas selection and the way of cooking make you spoilt for choice. There are several choices for pasta types such as Spaghetti, Linguine, Penne and Fuisilli. The way of cooking includes seafood, prawn, chicken, beef and come with flavours such as cheesy, spicy, Mediterranean, tomato, mushroom, aglio olio sauce. Do have a look at the extensive menu here! You can directly place orders for delivery to your house as well using the menu link. Is quick and easy right. Look out for promotion for Pastamania restaurant as well across the internet (TIPS: We secured the deal at 40% off by using Eatigo apps! What a deal!). The pasta priced from $6.90 to $12.90 and is certainly worth the value. The 7-inch pizza priced from $8 to $10.90 which is affordable as well! Since we tried only pasta, we can't comment on how's their pizza taste. So, is up to you to give it a try and rate it.

Pastamania at Far East Plaza is a kiosk-like restaurant with few dining tables outside for you to enjoy your meal. So it is an outdoor dining without air-conditioning. However, there are a lot more branches which are directly inside shopping mall. Head over those if you would like to enjoy your meal in an air-conditioned restaurant. On the other hand, if you want to feel the night outdoor atmosphere of Orchard vicinity, you may consider this kiosk-like Phatamania.

Creamy Chicken & Prawn Oglio Spaghetti

We ordered creamy chicken and prawn oglio spaghetti, together with honey lemon drink for sharing. You can see that every table comes with pepper, cheese, and chilli flakes grinder for your extra flavours onto the spaghetti. It is especially nice after we added the cheese flakes onto our pastas. As we not really favour salty foods, so these pastas are to our liking. Lastly, enjoyed the iced honey lemon drink to end our dinner. All of these for just ~$15 as we get 40% off deal by using Eatigo apps! We used this apps once in a blue moon when we are out of ideas where to eat and would like to enjoy nice foods inside restaurants with a cheaper price tag! Definitely recommended for diners out there! You won't go wrong! 😍

After the fulfilling dinner, we went out for a short stroll around Orchard before heading back. See the Christmas tree below and yeah, Christmas and New Year are around the corner! Just checked on the Orchard road for any Christmas event and they are having this Christmas light up event, ongoing from November till December! Can't control the excitement and for sure will pay another visit to Orchard road again for the light up event and specially the European-theme Christmas village. So, Godiva ice cream, Pastamania meal and strolling on Orchard road concluded our weekend date. Check out the Christmas light event here. We will be back soon, Orchard road 💖

Us with Christmas tree behind

Sophisticated night view of Orchard road

Night view with many people sitting on the staircase,
enjoying the night breeze or watching street performance

A Litte Info. on Pastamania
Official Website: Pastamania
Facebook Webpage: https://www.facebook.com/PastaManiaSingapore/
Location:14 Scotts Road, Kiosk 14A, Far East Plaza, Singapore 228213 


Personal Rating: 
Taste ➪ 6.5/10 (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)
Price➪  8/10 (1-3: Expensive, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Budget-friendly)
Ambiance ➪ 6/10  (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)

💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian/ Adrian Yeoh Aun Hong
💗 Date of Visit: 17 September 2017

Share

TeddyVille Museum @ Double Hilton Hotel Penang

Hello world, it has been quite some time since my last posting. Here I am back again on a new post! Well, I gotta share this new blog out as it is my favourite place in Penang. I have been revisited here once every year! It is TeddyVille Musuem! Located inside Double Hilton Hotel, it was opened since 2016 at Batu Ferringhi (famous tourist attraction at Penang). I personally enjoy outing day in Batu Ferringhi because it is like a little gem in Penang to hide away from hustle and bustle of city life. You will be able to see beaches, beautiful sunset with lots of water activities, hotels for you to roaming around during evening, and quite a number of romantic restaurants to end your day! 

TeddyVille Museum in Penang is mainly a museum fulls of teddy bears, starts your journey with teddy bear history, followed by many sections that introduce Malaysia culture and festivals, famous tourist attractions in Penang, and tasty foods that you have to try when you are in Penang! You get to know more about Penang attractions and Malaysia festivals when you visit here. It is a place that not only kids can enjoy, adults can have lots of fun too! It is Beary Good and Cute till Bear Tahan (i.e. too adorable till can't hold it)!

Let's see, it is mainly segregated into the following sections. Let's have a map directory below to have a quick glance of what we have in TeddyVille Museum Penang. I have breakdown the museum into 4 main areas according to the color as highlighted below so it will be easier to see.

1. Gallery

Welcome to the Gallery of Teddy Bear where it houses the history of how teddy bear is made in this world and where the name Teddy came from? You can see how the "old time" teddy bear looks like in this area.

Old time teddy

Sheep face teddy?

Definitely know you did not steal sister's toys. You little innocent looking teddy..

Koala face teddy? Ears so big and fluffy

2. Penang Attractions & Culture

Main area of TeddyVille Musuem where you get to see various tourist attractions in Penang and introduce to your foreigner friends on Malaysia culture and festivals celebration. 

Fort Cornwallis with Captain Francis Light bear (a.k.a founder of Penang) 

Deepavali festival and coconut breaking ceremony. You can see a lot of coconuts on the floor and the ceremony symbolizes submitting oneself completely to the almighty. 

P.Ramlee home. Former home to the iconic Malaysia actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer and movie producer.

Famous Kek Lok Si Temple attracting thousands of visitors all year round. It is the biggest Buddhist temple in Malaysia with scenic view.

Chinese New Year celebration with Chinese God of Wealth in the middle (a.k.a Caishen or 财神 in chinese). Blessed with wealth and good luck all year round!

Famous food you must eat in Penang - Char Kuey Teow 

Gurney Drive in Penang where you get to taste a lot of local delights here. Now even bears also take photo before eat and they are using Iphone apple branded phone! 😝

Batu Ferringhi beach packed with tourists and you can find jet ski and parasailing too. Don't forget lounge for you to relax, beach bar and shopping frenzy! One cute bear wearing bikini spotted 😂

Sun lounge for you to relax facing the beach

Famous Penang attraction - Bukit Bendera (a.k.a Penang Hill) where you can have cable car to the top of the mountain and enjoy a breathtaking view of Penang bridge with coastline. Escape yourself to here for cold breeze as well as the place is covered with flora and faunas as shades.

Famous mode of transportation during the old time in Penang - Trishaw (a.k.a beca in Malay language). Tourists can have a ride touring Georgetown too.

Famous murals in Penang. You can find it in Georgetown Penang as well! Just that the face is small little boy and not bear

Batik making in progress. A handicraft which has been a tradition in Malaysia since long time ago.

3. Bear Fun Zone

Fun interaction area where you can take photos as below. Is the last part of bear musuem before proceeding to souvenirs hunting.

He is having his fun time to bully me 😢

Beary Shiok!

Bear Foosball Table?

4. Beary Good Shop

Souvenir shop full of teddy bears! Kids gotta love here so much. Many items which made of bears are available here.

Bear hairband.. for us to act cute

Typical photo of me with Teddy Bear!

Catch me if you can and bring me home 😄

For teddy lovers out there, do drop by TeddyVille Museum when you are in Penang! Experience Penang culture and interact with teddy bears with your own way! Keep an eyes on the opening hours and promotional package in the official website below. Definitely a great place to visit with family and friends! Recommended when you come for holidays in Penang island! 💗

A Little Info. on TeddyVille Museum

Official Website: TeddyVille Museum

Facebook Webpage: https://www.facebook.com/teddyvillemuseum/

Admission Fees: Adult (RM36/ RM27 with MyKad), Children (RM25/ RM15 with MyKad)

Student (RM29) and Kids below 3 years old (F.O.C)

Location: Ground Floor of Double Hilton Hotel - 56, Jalan Low Yat, 11100 Batu Ferringhi, Penang, Malaysia.

💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian
👉 Date of Visit: 2 September 2017

Share