RaRa and Reddy Goes To Pasar Malam, Malaysian Style

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit a Ramadan (makan) bazaar during the fasting month earlier this year in June. Nothing beats a visit to a local market, especially if it's a food market! The sights, and sounds, and smells.. teased the tastebuds with every step we took. A typical Ramadan bazaar comes alive about a few hours before break fast time. Everything happens at a frenzied pace, everything must go, no leftovers. Well it's food, so you kinda get the idea. So here you go folks, this was what we experienced..
Promise not to drool :)

 

RaRa and Reddy Goes To Negeri Jelapang Padi

One of the very unlikely places in our neighbouring country to pay a visit to, Kedah Darul Aman. Where is Kedah you may ask. Well, think Langkawi, somewhere southeast across the sea to the mainland, that's Kedah. Kedah is also has very close proximity to Penang and Thailand, both places are accessible within a an hour to two hours drive. The only thing I've ever known about Kedah (from my school days) is that it is known for being the rice bowl of Malaysia. This northwestern state of Malaysia is the main producer of rice and and produces about one third of the country's rice supply. The capital of the state is the small town of Alor Setar, which is the main gateway (by air) into the state. You can get here via Kuala Lumpur, flight options are pretty decent with options of Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia, Malindo and Firefly to choose from. Come join us as we recap our trip there.
First stop : Menara Alor Setar

Iphone does make a pretty decent camera, look at the clarity! No filter needed!

RaRa and Reddy's Treat Time @ Churn Creamery, Tanjong Pagar ***Reopen at Tg Pagar Plaza @ Sep 2017**

Opened only quite recently in May 2015, Churn Creamery sits along the stretch of pretty old shophouses of the Tanjong Pagar stretch heavily dotted with Korean BBQ joints. Occupying a small space with bare minimum decor, they are known for churning out (noticed the pun? hahaha) quality homemade artisanal ice cream. And the one little thing that set them apart from the rest? Chocolate sauce. Yes. Simple but oh-so-divine! Anything chocolate in liquid form is pure gold. Ask for your ice cream in their signature chocolate filled cone and be prepared to drool as you watch your cone slowly filling up with sinfully delicious oozy chocolate sauce. Churn Creamery has this "magic" tap that dispenses the sauce like how water would be from a tap. Wish we could have drank straight from the tap, just like a water fountain! Price is a bit steep but that chocolate made it all seem worthwhile :)

A Slice Of History Over Lunch - Chong Wen Ge Cafe

I love everything old. There is just something "more" about old stuff - more character, history, charm. Many a time, I would stand and literally stare, at the intricacies of old buildings. How things were put together, how every piece of tile was painstakingly handpainted, how every piece of carving tells a story, how the walls are adorned with meticulous artwork made possible only by the hands of a skilled artisan. Which brings me to one of my favorite lunch joints in the CBD - Chong Wen Ge Cafe.

Intricately decorated pavilion now play host to an outdoor seating area

RaRa And Reddy Goes To Movie In Park

There is just something about the great outdoors. Being outside, amongst the greens, clean fresh air. coupled with beautiful weather, add in some food and drinks, a picnic blanket, some pillows, a movie and a gorgeous sunset... and we've got a winner! Singapore Botanic Gardens was given the honor of being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site after being inscribed in Germany on 4th July 2015. How exciting is that, to have our very own gem of a park being one the only three Botanic Gardens listed as a heritage site (the other 2 being Kew Gardens in England and Padua Gardens in Italy). Our Botanic Gardens plays host to an array of events and activities all year round, ranging from free concerts, movie screenings, tours, walks.. There is always something for almost everyone. And lucky us, we managed to catch a movie screening during the March holiday this year,  Our very first movie in the park! Yay!

Perfect setting!

RaRa and Reddy's Adventures in Lion City - Old School Fun @ Mainland Tropical Fish Farm

Once upon a time in a time not too distant ago, longkang fishing was one of life's simple pleasures in our then more-green-less-concrete-jungle home in Lion City. Not one of the cleanest leisure activity definitely, but certainly one that ranks a full score of 10 on the fun scale. These days, with the all the rapid development and fast disappearing natural landscapes, we are left with not too many places to enjoy those good old kampung days. Well luckily for us, an enterprising few has come up with a kampung setup within their premises to bring us back to those beautiful days. And if you happen to live around the East Side, there is just the place for you (actually there are other options too, but we have yet to venture further.. one day soon we will!)

Heritage Trail - Boat Quay to Singapore National Museum

Am a poor sucker for long walks, especially after a gruelling day at the "Earn-A-Living-Place". It was a beautiful evening, sun's not too harsh and soft blowing wind set the mood for a nice long walk. Started off from the outer fringe of CBD, zigzagged past the massive after-office-hour crowd and finally broke "free" into Boat Quay through Raffles Place underpass. You may notice some "Anookis" on the facade of the National Museum in the picture below, yea, this is a long overdue post from a walking session sometime in 2015 during the Singapore Night Festival period in August. If you are an avid history buff with a keen interest in all things historical, then feel to read on :)
Do let us know if you have some interesting facts you would like to share along with ours! We'll be more than happy to hear from ya!

Soothing shades of pastels, perfect as a backdrop for the Anooki facade show beamed upon our iconic National Museum building.

RaRa and Reddy's Adventure with Creatures Of The Deep @ ArtScience Museum MBS

"We know more about the surface of the Moon and about Mars than we do about [the deep sea floor], despite the fact that we have yet to extract a gram of food, a breath of oxygen or a drop of water from those bodies."

— Paul Snelgrove, Oceanographer

And with that thought, RaRa and Reddy ventured neath the wild blue yonder. Actually, we were here after visiting the Dreamworks exhibition which was just next door. Hehe. "The Deep" is an exhibition about the life and it's mysteries in the depths of the largest body of life on Earth - the Ocean. There are numerous displays of deep sea creatures (alien looking lifeforms!) to keep the curious minds engaged. The specimens are exhibited in preserved forms as they are unable to survive the different pressure, salinity, temperature and oxygen levels between the deep and shallow waters. They are preserved in formalin (yes, embalming fluid) to ensure that they appear as close to what they would have looked like in real life. The exhibition is set in pitch black environment, to give you the sensation of being submerged in the depths of the deep blue sea. Well, not to mention the super cold air-conditioning effect to make it just a wee bit more realistic :)

In many animals of the deep sea, bioluminescence is used as a form of camouflage

Mad About Sucre - Reddy On Sucre High

Pastries have always been Reddy's Achilles Heel. Being in a pastry shop is akin to a child being in a candy store - eyes are all wide with curious bewilderment, the mind soaks in the multi sensory treat, and the taste buds tingles with excitement on the thought of devouring each and every piece of those painstakingly handcrafted works of art. Enter Mad About Sucre, one of the newest pattiserie in town with pastry chef Lena Chan at it's helm, armed with a prestigious Le Cordon Bleu qualification, and her brother fashionable brother Eric who is in charge of marketing and daily operations. Their small cakes menu change seasonally, the menu is not extensive, you get only a few flavours for each season, but there will be a few signature ones which are usually on the menu on a daily basis - the chocolate dome dessert of "Black San Domingue" and their Hummingbird cake. The service is impeccable - not the stuffy fine dining kind of impeccable, but more that with feel-good warmth and genuine enthusiasm.

RaRa and Reddy's Happy Treat @ Bunny and Pony

Changi Village is awakening from it's many years of being a sleepy little fishing village. There is a plethora of culinary delights tucked in almost every corner of this laidback rustic little seaside town. Aside from the gastronomic smorgasbord of local hawker fare at the infamous Changi Village Hawker Center, you can now find the likes of mouthwatering homemade cakes, artisanal ice cream, handmade pizza, good quality coffee that packs a punch, just to name a few. Well, we paid this ice cream joint a visit (after drooling over those Instagrammed shots of cotton candy and ice cream), and that definitely will not be our last visit!

Have we caught your attention yet?

Geylang Beef Hor Fun - Reddy's Favourite Comfort Food

The first time I tasted this infamous dish was more than fifteen years ago. There is just something specifically unmistakable about the taste of this humble zhi char dish that you can only find here at Geylang Lorong 9. I have never forgotten how the first mouthful of their Beef Kway Teow carved an indelible mark of gastronomic satisfaction in my mind and I could never quite find anything close to what my mind vividly recalls. Fast forward a decade-ish later.. I still find myself hankering over THAT plate of Beef Kway Teow. And, they are still as good as they were then.

Every slice of beef is tender, flavourful and almost, just almost melts in your mouth. 

And the gravy? Gratifying.

2015 Singapore Night Festival - RaRa and Reddy's Maiden Visit

Yes, yes, this is 2 months overdue, so here goes....
The annual Singapore Night Festival sees itself into it's 8th year running for the year of 2015. Organized by the National Museum of Singapore, this yearly event offers the public a smorgasbord of artistic extravaganza in a night-time setting. Our LittleRedDot have been wowed by visual displays of lights and colours and music and street performances throughout the years, but for RaRa and Reddy, this was our first experience and judging from what we saw? This will definitely not be our last! Well.. the crowd WAS a bit overwhelming, but that only goes to show how successful the event was :) Here's to our first, and more to come!

Prelude.....

Mooncake Frenzy

The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival has come and gone, and it was that time of the year again where hoteliers and pastry chefs and old school mooncake shops try to outdo one another with all time favourites and yearly new (sometimes audacious) flavours. While the traditional baked mooncakes remain generally the same combination year after year (lotus paste, red bean paste, five kernel - consists of 5 types of nuts and seeds with the occasional Jin Hua ham). Over time, creativity and the quest for new ways to excite the palate diversified the once humble delicacy. Modern interpretations have run the gamut with flavours such as green bean paste, custard filling, durian paste, chocolate ganache, champagne ganache, bird's nest and even truffle! Here's a recap of what went down this year's season.....

Ritz Carlton's snowskin range has been a personal favourite for many years, with the Green Tea with Salted Egg Yolk being the Numero Uno. Unfortunately, in the heat of the rush and the throngs of crowd, I blindly ordered without realising that I have successfully ordered all plain ones! Sigh. 

Box of 8 minis (this combination) @ $65.30

Pink = Lychee Martine, White = Lotus Paste, Green = Green Tea

RaRa and Reddy's Movie Time - Ultimate Treat @ Platinum Suites Cathay

When RaRa's been a good lion, he gets a treat. What better than to the movie, to be pampered on plush leather RECLINING and extending leg rest seats (aka First Class airline seats), with fluffy duvet to cover those legs from the cold, with food and drinks just a press of a button away, to dine on fine bone china (or ceramic, most probably ceramic, haha) with ACTUAL cutleries (instead of disposable plastic ones). At $28.00 per pop, it better be THAT good.

Looks more like a club than an actual cinema

RaRa and Reddy's Day At The Museum - Dreamworks Exhibition @ ArtScience Museum MBS

The clock is fast ticking towards the end of this exhibition. Currently ongoing till 27th September 2015 at the ArtScience Museum of our iconic Marina Bay Sands. Let's just be honest, who has not seen any of Dreamworks' work? I am sure there will be at least ONE movie from Dreamworks you can relate to, say Kung Fu Panda? Or Madagascar? Or Shrek? These stories all have sequels to the name, which goes on to prove how wildly popular they can make animation to be. On exhibit, those who has an inclination to art and the intricates of drawing, will be pleased to find many raw sketches of famous characters, stills, interactive stations (which the kiddos will love! Anything "touchscreen" will attract the attention of the younger ones). Lug the kids, hurry on down, pack a jacket or two for the kiddos (it gets a bit chilly) there is about a few more days left to enjoy this exhibit!

Photobombed!

RaRa and Reddy's Sensory Treat - SG50 Light Show

This is the year our Lady Singapore turn 50. We were not able to catch any fireworks though... but managed to catch this light show spectacle smack right in front of our seats (on a wooden patio in front of Marina Bay Shoppes). The light show is actually a nightly affair at MBS, but just for this year's Jubilee celebration, Fullerton Hotel concurrently doubled up as a backdrop for projected images to tell a story along with the light show. We couldn't have picked a better seat, the water fountains were sprouting right in front of us (it was a 3D sensory extravagance as well haha, we could feel the sprinkles of water as the show went full swing!), flames swooshed majestically and the lights danced along with the melodious tunes.

Very Bellagio!

RaRa and Reddy's Adventure Walk - Marina South Pier

"Come Mommy, let's go to Marina South Pier for a look, there is very nice scenery there". And that was what The Kid said to The Mommy. Never have The Mommy heard of such from me. She thinks that maybe I am growing up a little bit too fast, that scenery and kids don't make an equation ever. We took the trusty old MRT to the end of the line - Marina South Pier. One of the most deserted MRT station ever, not a soul in sight, except an for a few families and couples headed to the seaside or cruise terminal, and a security Uncle whom is possibly ever-so-lonely. Everything here is built on reclaimed land, not too long ago this would all been just the sea.

This was the view that greeted us once we made our way out of the underground MRT enclave. The Kid is right. This is very scenic.

RaRa and Reddy's Day At The Museum - National Museum

Ahh, The National Museum. What colourful history this building hold. It used to be known as Raffles Library and Museum (1887-1942) and was used as a space to hold educational resources. Over the years as these resources grew, works were done to the interiors and exteriors, facilities such as fans, telephones and electric lights were installed. 

As described by EResources of our National Library Board archives, "The exterior walls were repainted from a dull yellow to a combination of white and cream, and then a dado of dark brown and with a thick black line for contrast. Concrete and Italian tiles were used to replace its worn floors made of timber." 

Done in typical European influenced colonial architecture, built in fashion of that time such as the Palladian, Renaissance, or Neoclassical styles during the era of the British colony.

Heritage Trail - Clifford Pier to Boay Quay

On a very lazy Sunday afternoon, just after an scrumptious Local Afternoon Tea at Clifford Pier,
RaRa set off on a walk around the Fullerton Heritage area and eventually where those little feet can afford to meander to. It was a beautiful day, very clear blue skies with almost no clouds, there was a draft of sea breeze accompanying each step of the walk. Perfect setting. Almost. Too perfect.