One Day Singapore Food Trip
I was fortunate enough to
join an incentive trip for our company last March 4-9. After the scheduled
Southeast Asian Cruise that lasted for four days, we had an overnight stay in
Singapore before heading back home.
It was my second visit in
Singapore and made the most out of the short stay by trying out 3 new food
establishments: Crystal Jade Golden Palace, the Cookie Museum and Makansutra
Glutton’s Bay.
Crystal Jade Golden Palace
is a traditional Chinese restaurant located in Paragon Mall, one of the high-end
shopping centers along the famous Orchard Road. It has been consistently one of
the top Chinese Restaurants in the country based on customer feedback and
online ratings. Crystal Jade is an international chain of restaurants present
in 18 cities in f countries. It has successfully developed multiple themed
restaurants under one brand that caters to different markets.
Unlike other Chinese
Restaurants, Crystal Jade’s Golden Palace had very modern interiors. The
interiors looked were made up of muted dark walls and yellow lights dimming the
place in the right spots. The ambiance was almost too formal for an afternoon
lunch. All guests are assisted inside and people without reservations had to
patiently wait on the outer lobby. Each table had dedicated servers that were
very attentive to all requests.
The highlight of the whole
dining experience was the food. Crystal Jade’s Roast Pork and Eggplant with
salted duck egg batter were standouts. The Roast Pork was perfectly cooked with
a crispy layer skin. It was juicy without being too greasy. The Eggplant with
the salted duck egg batter was a novelty for me. It had very unique flavors
with the use of just simple ingredients.
In terms of pricing, a full
meal would cost you at least Php 1,000 per head. It is pricey for a Chinese
Restaurant considering that there are lots of cheaper alternatives outside.
However, the success of Crystal Jade’s Golden Palace lies on the unique dishes
it serves it customers. It gives guests a chance to enjoy both the traditional
and modern Chinese cuisine in a very sophisticated ambiance.
All in all, the Crystal
Jade Golden Palace delivers what it promises and that is an excellent fine
dining experience composed of exceptional Chinese Cuisine and top customer
service.
For a unique “pasalubong”,
we headed to Esplanade Mall and visited the Cookie Museum. Singapore is not
primarily known for its pastries however; the Cookie Museum has been making a
buzz for its distinctive take on Cookies and Tea. The Cookie Museum boasts of
being voted as the best cookies in Singapore
The innovativeness of this
restaurant comes with the variety of cookies they offer to customers. There are
more than 40 different flavors of Cookies to choose from that can only be found
in the Cookie Museum. Some of their flavors include favorites like English Lavender,
White Almond Truffle, Eves and Rosas. There are also flavors for the
adventurous like Nasi Lemak, Hainanese Chicken Rice, and Coco Panda. They also
come up with limited edition flavors like Strawberries and Champagne. The
packaging is also exquisite. The cookies are placed in beautifully designed tin
cans perfect for the delicate cookie flavors.
The interiors of the store
are Victorian inspired. It’s like being transported into an English tea room in
the Victorian Era with intricate pieces of furniture in bright colors.
Masquerade masks are placed in table tops as an added touch to the Victorian
theme. Customers can taste all the flavors with the assistance of one of the
shop keepers.
However these delicious
goodies comes with a hefty price that might turn off some customers. A can of
cookies costs SGD45 or around Php1,500. Nonetheless,
the Cookie Museum can be considered as a success and continues loyal patronage
from locals and tourists who find their product offerings unique enough to
merit that kind of price. It has now expanded to
multiple branches in
Singapore and has a potential to go global.
Outside the Esplanade Mall is a good view of
the Marina Bay Sands and the MerLion Statue. On the side of it I was also
surprised to see a hawker center where all kinds of street foods can be found.
The hawker center is called Makansutra Glutton’s Bay. It is an outdoor food
court with a long line of stalls that offers diverse Asian cuisine from Singaporean,
Chinese, Thai, Malaysian and even Filipino. One of the stalls were managed by
Gerry’s Grill. Mono bloc tables and chairs fill up the space in front of the
long line of stalls where customers can eat their food in groups.
The cost of the food was
relatively cheaper compared to the fine dining restaurants inside the mall. The
ambiance is very casual and the mood is very relaxed. It is a good place where
you can eat and drink until the wee hours of the morning. It reminds me of
local banchettos and turo turo stalls, only the main difference is Makansutra Glutton’s
Bay is part of a high end establishment complex.
This hawker center stands
out not only because of the diverse food choices but most especially because of
its good location. You can get a good view of the lights show of the Marina Bay
Sands at night and there are musical shows and performances in the central
outdoor stage of the esplanade that visitors can enjoy. This is all an added
bonus to the value for money delicacies you can find along Makansutra’s
Glutton’s Bay. It’s no wonder that it is consistently packed with locals and
tourists at night. Makansutra’s Glutton’s Bay is one place I would definitiely
visit again the next time I go to Singapore.
