Our (rainy) Summer last Christmas

This scorching weather reminds me of the holiday we spent in Singapore a few months back. It was December, and it was so hot there. Good thing Singapore is well equipped with good public transportation or else we would go bankrupt taking airconditioned cabs. 

We stayed at The Concorde Hotel along Orchard Road. We were with family and it was best that we stayed in a place where there were lots of food and shopping places nearby. I can see that the hotel has been operating for quite sometime due to the 70's-80's design, but it has been well kept by the management. 

Hallway

Our room had a big nice bed and other amenities. 
We booked early so I hope we got a good deal for this.
The view was pretty, we could see Orchard Road and the holiday lights.

We walked around Clark Quay before dinner to see the sights.

For dinner,  we went to this happening hawker's place called Makansutra Gluttons Bay.

The tables are scattered outdoors. It just drizzled when we arrived, so we had to wipe down the tables and chairs before use. Also, it was so crowded so it is highly advised that you don't go there when you are starving unless you don't need to sit down immediately. There was a rest room nearby. Fairly decent. 

This was my brother-in-law's friend's drink. It was just citrus with ice and  salted dates.  I got curious so I took a pic.

The Chili Crab, of which Singapore is famous for. It was good! 

I couldn't get enough of this toasted cua pao which you dip in the Chili Crab sauce. Yumyum.

We also had some rice, satay and prawns.

Now these chicken wings made an impression. So very Filipino in taste because it had some smoky,  sweet and salty flavor going on in there. These are called Huat Huat Wings, and they are a must try if you are eating at Makansutra. I wasn't able to order the Durian Kachang, and I am still regretful that I didn't order that.

The next day, before we went to Universal Studios, we had breakfast at a nearby hawker's place just beside the hotel. We had the traditional soft boiled eggs with toast and coffee. The eggs seemed fine. But the notion that everything is sanitary in Singapore was tested here. I can't say that the vendor we bought this from was THAT clean. Ugh. Oh well. I'm still alive.

We went to Universal Studios-Sentosa  the eve of New Year and it was crowded. Holidays are not the best time to got to amusement parks. It was so hot but then after sometime, it started raining so hard! My sister-in-law was all set to conquer this ride--but the rains didn't allow them to continue. It looked so dangerous!

Cereal Prawns

For dinner, we visited No Signboard again. This was going to be our second time in Singapore, and M wanted the family to try this popular restaurant. I enjoyed the Cereal Prawns immensely. The sweet cereal and the salty prawns was Asian specialty at it's best!

White Pepper Prawns

The first time we tried it, we weren't impressed. This time, it was so good! M and I figured it must have been the kind of crab used that lent an extraordinary flavor to this dish. So good!





Chili Crabs---enough said :)


I didn't have any dessert on this trip. I would have wanted to try their famous ice cream sandwich by the Clark Quay or the Durian Ice Cachang. To the next time, I guess.

Singapore is a hot city, but the food is surprisingly diverse and good. A really good reason to go back.  Until then, I have this summer heat to remind me of this fun vacation.

Keep cool, y'all!

Dampa sa Libis

This is the one place where, whenever my husband wants to indulge on some crabs, we go to eat fresh seafood. I forgot how much we spent on the food... but I think ... it's more expensive than we expected it to be..

We got our catch from the wet market, which is located just behind the restaurant. The wet market was chockful of shrimps, prawns, oysters, fishes and crabs! We buy per weight, and then there's a fee for the cooking. I wasn't able to take pics for fear I'd drop the camera on the wet floor. Hehe. Ang arte.

After paying for the crabs and the fish, we waited in the restaurant area- a large, brightly lit, airconditioned seating area, and very colorful accents. Beware though during rush hours, like 11 to 12 noon, so many people go there to eat, and waiting can seem like forever!

Chili Crab

I love the garlicky, sweetish sauce

Grilled Pampano

I wish I had it cooked some other way.

There are advertisements outside of the restaurant area suggesting different dishes. I suggest you have your food cooked the same way as the ads... I think it's their specialty. ;)

Enjoy the crabs!

Fish and More

I fell in love with the Fish& Co.'s "The Best Fish & Chips" when we first tried it at their Trinoma branch. The place was great, the service was good, and the food- the best! They serve the crispiest, most tender fish fillet.. with three kinds of dip on the side. Yummy. The bread that came with the dishes were also very very good.So, when we were out with Mark's Pa again, we knew we had to take him out to try this great restaurant.

They have a branch at the Greenbelt, and so since it was nearest to our place, we decided to take him to this branch. When we got in, we saw that the Greenbelt version was much smaller, crampy, and obviously "older." It didn't have the spick-and-span feel of the Trinoma branch. We decided to get on with the orders anyways.

Of course we had to have The Best Fish and Chips. Sadly, the fish was not as fresh as the first time we tried it.

We also tried the Filet Mignon, and this is how it came out. It had a side dish of broccoli and shrimps. The steak was cooked medium well, and turned out very well.

We also tried a seafood pizza, the name of which I forgot again. The crust was the flakiest, thinnest crust that I had ever seen. It was apparently a phyllo pastry dough spread out to a square shaped pizza to catch all the mozarella cheese and shrimps on top. It was good!

We were just so sad for the fish and chips. The bestseller turned out to be a dud on this particular day, and we had built it up so much naman. So embarrassing, and so expensive. Oh well. Guess we'll just have to go to Trinoma for The Best Fish and Chips then.

Calling All Shrimps

Bubba Gump has got to be one of the most fun restaurants of all time ( and Mark's favorite) .The interiors are awash with the movie's memorabilia. Each detail is inspired by a scene, the characters, or the lines. Even the dishes are named after the characters and the movie lines. The movie is played all night for everyone to enjoy a full Bubba Gump experience. I feel like I'm transported to New Orleans everytime we're in here. But be prepared for all the shrimps you'll be eating there. There are dishes made from other meats... but the shrimps are their specialty, and there's just so many ways that they have done with it.

By the way, they have these cool signs on each table. If you want to order or call the waiter, you flip the sign to the red plate which says Stop Forrest Stop. But if you're fine and want to continue eating, you flip the plates to this...

On this particular evening, we had . . .for appetizers, this-

This is the Run Across America Sampler-
the shrimps are done perfectly- tender and sweet.
And the fries on the side complement it perfectly.

This is Classic Caesar Salad withe Grilled Chicken-
this one was on the sweet side.
It had candied almonds and feta cheese.
It's alright- it's too much to finish for one person.

Shrimp New Orleans

Shelves of bottles of hot sauce coming from
all over the world are displayed all over the place.
This is the one nearest our table.

Now tell me, who would want to try this killer? Definitely not me!

When at Bubba Gump, expect to see a lot of Shrimps, and a trip back to Bubba Gump land :) And make sure you don't order too many shrimps at one time. Shrimps are heavy on the tummy, so you'll feel really heavy after. You might want to try their pastas and desserts- great stuff.