Eating Singapore

The holiday is over, daily routine has reasserted itself and all we have left are photos and splendid memories...

... And some wonderful almond truffle biscuits from the Cookie Museum given to us by Lil.  One final chance to enjoy some authentic Singaporean baked loveliness, reminisce about the holiday that was and dream about the next trip, whenever that might be.

A memento of Singapore

Revenge of the cocoa bean

Okay so the day before my accident last December my greatest regret was not having that last piece of cake at Ross' office Christmas party.  Somehow the self-talk got the better of me and I passed up the pleasure of sinking my (then whole) teeth into a piece of chocolate loveliness.  Little did I know that less than 24 hours later I'd be miserable and spending the next 8 weeks on a puree diet.

So when the opportunity presented itself at high tea yesterday to reach for a final piece of cake, the self-naysayer got a stern rebuke and I reached out to grab the richest gooiest slab of chocolate cake possible. Never mind that this was on top of an already choc-heavy day and an indulgent high tea buffet.

Sorry self-talk, I will always listen to you from now on.  Having to take antacids at 1am in the morning and sit up in bed feeling awful is decidedly no fun.  

At least that puts that particular little regret to rest once and for all!

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Fortunately by morning I was feeling much better although I had to exercise considerable restraint at our final breakfast buffet.  We managed to secure a late check-out of the hotel so we navigated the City Link mall to Suntec City and did some last minute shopping before returning to our room to pack.  Having checked out and left our bags with Reception, we made one final foray across the road to my now beloved Raffles City foodhall for lunch.  We decided on a Japanese meal where we had the novel experience of placing our food order via iPad.  Ingenious really.

Mid-afternoon arrived and we bid adieu to the Raffles as our driver returned us to Changi Airport.  There was a bit of deja vu as I showed Ross the Butterfly Garden.  The last time I was here I was on my way home from Hong Kong.

Changi Airport Butterfly Garden - still a beautiful oasis

The flight home was much more enjoyable as it wasn't as packed, the air conditioning wasn't set to arctic, it was a newer plane and the entertainment system offered more choices.  And of course the crew were delightful - Singapore Girl, you really are a great way to fly.  

Garden Rhapsody

This is a very small taste of Garden Rhapsody.  It was definitely worth returning to Gardens by the Bay in the evening for what turned out to be quite a unique show.

From tea to Supertree

Emerging from the Aquarium, we only just made it back to Vivo City before the heavens opened.  Not wishing to ruin our appetites for high tea this afternoon, we only granted ourselves a light snack at lunchtime before heading back to the hotel to smarten up.

At 4pm we walked into the spectacular lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel and made our way upstairs to the Rose Veranda.  The tea menu was overwhelming with 164 different varieties to choose from but we eventually decided, and then it was time to tackle the buffet.  Although not as extensive as the teas on offer, there was still a wide selection of food from sushi to finger sandwiches, dim sum to salads, hot meals, and of course desserts.  I sampled some nonya sweets and revisited my childhood with a delicious scoop of yam ice cream.  

High tea at the Shangri-La

Bundling our bulging stomachs out of our chairs after tea, we caught a taxi to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel thinking we might kill some time by drifting around its neighbourhood shops.  The gleaming mall featured wall to wall luxury brands and big name labels of every description known to man.  It held very little interest for us though so we ascended a dizzying array of escalators to the very top of the mall and strolled across the rooftop walkway to Gardens by the Bay.  Fortunately the rain had stopped and the sky cleared to deliver a very pleasant evening.

The architecturally unique Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Back in the Supertree Grove below the OCBC Skyway

Having missed out on the Skyway a few days ago, we joined the queue to access the bridge suspended 22m above the ground.  Dusk was falling and the supertrees and city lights combined to create a surreal fantasy world.

The Supertrees turn on the lights

Cityscape viewed from the Skywalk

Atop the Skywalk

The time crept closer to 7:45pm but we were kept moving along the Skywalk and so had to return to ground level before the start of the Garden Rhapsody light show.  

Crowds gather in the Supertree Grove for the light show

And a spectacular show it was too with lights and music illuminating the Supertrees in all sorts of crazy colours.  Benign substrate for epiphytes during the day but at night, the Supertrees come alive.

Shades of Supertree

Returning to the hotel after what was a very long day, we bumped into the butler as we approached our room.  Having not seen him since our arrival, Ross set him the task of sourcing a mango for our fruit basket.  

And I guess that's the Raffles difference.  Not only was the mango quickly delivered to our room but it was all nicely diced and served up ready to eat!

The Raffles difference

Fishy zen

How wonderful to just sit in front of one of the many aquariums and get lost in the underwater world of fish and coral.  I suspect it was quieter on their side of the glass than on ours due to the continuous hum of humanity but that is where video editing can be so wonderful.

So here it is.  Sit back, relax and enjoy one glorious minute of fishy zen (with thanks to Beethoven for providing the soundtrack).

Not to be outdone, Saint-Saens composed the ever so appropriate Aquarium which is the perfect accompaniment to contemplating the Ocean Gallery.