Shops and other sorts of magic

This morning we repaired to the Tiffin Room for breakfast (as you do) where Ross thoroughly enjoyed the attention lavished upon him by the staff: 

'How are you today Mr Man? We are saying your name correctly aren't we?  Have you had enough coffee Mr Man?  How did you like your breakfast Mr Man? Would you like anything else?'  

I must admit I felt a little invisible by comparison.  Oh well.  I got to indulge in some bircher muesli and the world's nicest papaya so I was happy.  Walking back to our room, we  passed the enigmatic 'Courtyard Man' (as he affectionately became known) - a fellow guest who seemed to spend a disproportionate amount of time sitting outside his room.  And why not really when it meant enjoying the warm humid air, listening to the birds and the sound of raindrops pitter pattering on the surrounding leaves.

Outside the Tiffin Room - posing in the Raffles lobby

The walkway to our room overlooking the lush green courtyard - funnily enough one of the rare occasions where Courtyard Man was not present

As we walked to the nearest MRT station, we glanced back at the grand old facade.

The Raffles Hotel

Orchard Road was our goal today and even at our leisurely pace we arrived there just as shops were opening.  Ross did his best to act enthused but even at the best of times, shops are a chore for him.  With the vestiges of a cold, browsing just became a herculean task.   So we only managed to visit the Ion and Paragon shopping centres and the basement of Ngee Ann City before calling it a day. 

Proof that we did make it to Orchard Road even if it was only a brief visit!

I timed our visit to the Takashimaya basement just as Ross was getting hungry.  Perfect!  There's nothing quite like the soft doughy treasure trove of an asian bakery and in Singapore, there seems to be one around every corner:

Shelf upon shelf of baked loveliness

For me though, there was a special reason for coming here and I'd spent ages daydreaming about it. Thank you Mr Obanyaki for making the WORLD'S BEST taiyaki.  Piping hot and filled to bursting with the tastiest red bean filling.

My kind of heaven - the world's best taiyaki

We sat in the rather unglamorous surroundings of the basement near a fountain to have our food.  For all I cared it could have been a Michelin starred restaurant - I had my long sought after red bean pancake and all was right with the world!

We headed back to the colonial oasis of the Raffles with no other plans for the day beyond resting. However a knock on our door in the mid-afternoon saw us score a couple of free tickets to a magic show scheduled this evening at the hotel.  Before the show I managed to convince Ross to walk the short distance to the Raffles City shopping centre across the road for dinner at another institution: the Din Tai Fung dumpling house where we enjoyed some of their famous xiao long bau.  While delectable, a mix up meant we didn't receive our full order.  Rather than going hungry I make a panicked dash to the ever reliable Watsons for some emergency chocolate.  Always good in times of need.

The show at the Raffles' Jubilee Theatre introduced us to the kooky world of Joe Labero.  With crazy eyes and a loud, bombastic style, he ran through a series of illusions ranging from card tricks to levitation to daring escapes.  The theatre was only half full when we arrived so we were encouraged to move closer to the stage.  I refused to sit anywhere closer than the third row despite Ross egging me on.  For his sins, the magician duly picked on him during the act (HA!) and he became the 'key' person (key-holder really) for the duration of the show.  Nothing too embarrassing but just enough to keep him on his toes.