Congratulations to B – my dear little cousin/neighbour on his wedding yesterday! It is interesting that the youngest amongst us got hitched first!
Z (The lovely bride) put together a candy bar at the hotel lounge. Simple treats like cakes, marshmallows, Pocky biscuit sticks, fruity cereal rings, M&Ms and an assortment of sweets were placed on a grass patch, coupled with fresh daisies. I love the choice of colours here!
Is candy bar now the new cupcake/macaroon tower in weddings?
You CANNOT miss martini night at Morton’s bar! You get excellent value for your buck daily (Monday – Friday) from 5-7pm. That is also when the bar is at its fullest – every corner will be occupied.
You get a choice of 5 different martini @ $12.95++ each and complimentary filet mignon sandwiches! The latter is definitely the star attraction of martini night.
If you have to pick only 1 drink – go for the chocolate martini. You can taste the smooth mix of vodka, dark chocolate syrup and chocolate shavings in every sip – Classic twice as delicious! This is the perfect alcoholic beverage for people with a sweet tooth (P – you will so love this!)
Cosmopolitan and Lychee martini were competently done too. One, two, three…MANY more pleaseee!
[Left] FILET MIGNON SANDWICH – I’m not surprised that customers flock back to the bar because of the sandwich. Imagine a thick stab of medium rare fillet sandwiched between buttery soft buns with a thin tangy mustard spread- Yumsss! You will get 4-5 servings of this in martini night.
[RIGHT] CHICKEN GOUJONETTES with mustard mayonnaise – The crispy fried chicken strips were tender and tasty!
Overall, Morton’s has NEVER disappoint and Martini night is probably one of the best way to combat Monday blues!
P.S. We will definitely review the restaurant soon – So miss the onion loaf, crab cake and steak!
The Bar at Morton’s
Tel:+65 6339 3740
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday 5pm – 11pm, Sunday 5pm – 10pm
Add: Mandarin Oriental Singapore, 5 Raffles Avenue Marina Square
Spend: $48 Per Pax ($12.95++ per martini)
Hyang To Gol is an established Korean restaurant located on the 2F of Amara hotel in Tanjong Pagar. It is a place that even the Koreans rave about!
The spacious restaurant was fully occupied by patrons (many Koreans) when we visited late one evening.
Banchan was served first which is typical in any Korean restaurant. The Korean staple – Kim chi was well marinated. The other side dish which we refilled several times (yes, side dishes are refillable at no extra charges) was the potato mash – The colourful block of potato mash has an interesting texture to the bite – The chef used an ingenious mix of potatoes with carrot/purple lettuce/spring onions/cucumber/boiled eggs. The end result was an aesthetically pleasing and delicious mix.
MIXED BARBECUE PLATTER (Beef ribs, prawns, pork slices, beef slices, eel and chicken slices) & FRESH VEGETABLES (Lettuce, carrot, cucumber and mint leaves) – Mixed platter is a good option for the indecisive…or the hungry. The staff will help with the cooking but I like to get my hands dirty as it’s always more fun to bbq the food yourself!
Add a slice of meat with a tinge of sauce to your favorite vegetables and you are all ready to eat! Mint leave is an interesting alternative to the usual lettuce. Do note that the greens were chargeable which is not typical in Korean restaurants.
KIMCHI HOTPOT- A generous serving of kimchi, onion, mushrooms, tofu, pork slices, pork dumplings and rice cake in a thick spicy broth. The soup was very concentrated and it tasted like a stew. It was quite spicy and we started perspiring – The weak air-con certainly did not help.
MANGO ICE CREAM – Something different for dessert other than the usual uninspiring slices of watermelon.
Overall, I am slightly disappointed with Hyang To Gol – The food was reasonably tasty but nowhere near the league of Togi or Manbok (My favorite Korean restaurants) in my opinion. Well… at least now, I can say I have been there done that!
Hyang To Gol
Tel: +65 6220 7160
Opening Hours: Lunch 11.30am -3.00pm, Dinner 6.00pm – 1.00am
Add: 165 Tanjong Pagar Road, 2F The Amara, Singapore 088539
Spend: $40 Per Pax
During lunch one day, my colleague and I drove down all the way to South Bouna Vista in order to satisfy my craving for duck rice. We went to the famous Lim Seng Lee Duck Rice – a stall I frequented during my NUS days.
It was a nostalgic feeling to be back there again after 3 years 🙂
RICE with thick sauce that is rich in angelica/herbal taste – my favorite combination (I always ask for an extra bowl of sauce so I can drench my rice with the rich and flavorful topping!)
BONELESS DUCK – Thinly sliced and topped with the same thick sauce – I find the meat quite tender and herbal-flavorful. I also liked how each piece of meat was sliced to consistent thickness – it makes the dish look as neat and beautiful as it tasted.
TOFU – This dish contains tau pok, soft tofu and eggs in a starchy gravy – nothing impressive…will not order it the next time round.
SAMBAL KANG KONG – Not the best one around but I quite liked it . This dish is a good choice if you would like to fulfill your daily intake of greens and enjoy it too.
Although the place is always filled during lunch time, the service is good and prompt – you will surely notice the “Maitre’D” of that place – a not-very-tall uncle who is constantly zooming around taking orders/collecting money/ delegating work to his reportees in a joyful and bubbly attitude…I suspect he is a major stakeholder of the business (can someone confirm my suspicion?).
This recent experience lived up to my memory of how it used to be during those days – it validated my conviction that this place is where I should run to for my dose of duck rice. The only problem is finding parking space (suggest to park at the adjacent housing estate).
Lim Seng Lee Duck Rice
Tel: +65 6475 9908
Add: 38 South Buona Vista Road
Opening Hours: Daily, 10am – 8.30pm (Closed on Sundays)
Spend: $12 Per Pax (Includes: Duck, Rice, 2 Sides, 1 Drink for each pax)
Abaca is such a magical place.
The boutique resort is very exclusive with only 6 suites and 3 villas. My friends and I were fortunate enough to secure the garden pool villa despite making our reservations quite late. It came highly recommended by P and ranked #1 hotel in Lapu Lapu by Trip Advisor.
The airport pickup was a good start. We met one of the butlers who whisked the 4 of us quickly into a van – ice cold water and towels were served immediately.
The resort is a short distance away from the airport (<15 mins). The villa we stayed in is actually bigger than a typical 4 room hdb flat, standing at 110 square meters. It can be split broadly to 5 areas below:
1. Outdoor area with private pool and sofa lounge. 2) Study area complete with a Mac Computer – wireless internet access is complimentary but the connection in our villa was really bad.
3. Sleeping area. There’s a LCD TV in front of the double bed.
4. Sofa/Entertainment area – Second LCD TV with DVD player. We had to add 2 more single beds for our group (Max capacity for the villa is 4).
5. Toilet – Bathtub, 2 sinks & shower. Loved the Laura Ashley towels provided.
The entire villa is decorated with many interesting ornaments made of abaca. I read that abaca is one of the strongest natural fiber in the world and originated from Philippines. It is a significant export goods of Philippines and many communities in the country depends on abaca for their livelihood.
Our welcome drink – Calamansi juice. Very thirst quenching and refreshing. It also came with the local snack which tasted like love letters.
The infinity pool was where we spent most of our time in (when we were not in the spa or sunbathing in one of the cabanas). The pool overlooks the clear sea & fluffy marshmallow white clouds – we could spend the whole day there.
The butlers work like magical silent workers in movies. They set up the cabana/tanning chairs quickly when you are in the pool. Fresh towels/ice cold water appeared when you come up for tanning. A butler appears in front of you with poolside refreshment when you are taking a rest from swimming! The refreshment changes every time we swim (Read: mixed fruits sorbet, mango popsicle, coconut ice cream). When you are done with the icy treat, the butler will appear miraculously again to pick up the bowl so you can resume swimming. This is HEAVEN!
The gourmet breakfast is mouthwatering. There is a good variety and you can choose to dine in the restaurant, your villa or even the cabana at the pool.
From top left, clockwise – SCRAMBLED EGGS with sausages and potatoes, OMELETTE with bacon, mushroom and cheddar, CINNAMON TOAST, EGGS BENEDICT with potatoes – All competently executed but nothing really WOW-ed me. The eggs benedict would be my top choice for a re-run. The portions were very generous which is commendable.
I love the bread basket – Different variety everyday and always came warm and toasted. They threw in a large fruit platter daily. Interestingly, in the land of mangoes, the mangoes were very sour.
Complimentary cocktails every evening. They can be ordered anywhere – spot my long island in the restaurant. Evening snacks like brownies or banana cakes were also provided in the villa.
We HAD to try the abaca restaurant for dinner which came strongly recommended by P as well. One of our Cebu friends told us that abaca first started off as a restaurant then branched out to the resort – We definitely had to try it!
The restaurant was dimly lighted- very suitable for a romantic date. It accepts outside guests as well and that evening, the place was nicely filled.
WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN with sautéed asparagus, dirty mash, olive oil, fresh lemon – The chicken was tender and tasty . I actually liked it but my Filippino dining companion felt that it was too bland by local standards – and it’s true that all the local food we ate had very heavy flavorings.
[Left] THE ABACA ORIGINAL FLATBREAD PIZZA (Marinara seafood with gremolato) – Thin crust pizza with fresh toppings is always a winner.
[Right] MACARONI & CHEESE – Well executed but nothing too special.
Overall, Abaca struck me as a place that takes great pride in quality AND service. Sure, you pay more but the service is 6-star. We ordered fast food delivery (Jolibee) for lunch – when the delivery was here, the butlers actually unpacked the food and assembled them onto proper plates with the appropriate cutleries before bringing it into our villa. P’s previous experience is even more amazing – She asked for a weighing machine and because they do not have a bathroom scale…
They brought in the huge weighing machine from the gym and placed it in their bathroom for the entire duration of their stay!
If I were to go back to Cebu again – it’s because of Abaca. Now I know why people say ABACA-DEBRA.
Abaca Boutique Resort
Tel: +63 32 495 3461/ +63 32 236 0311
Opening Hours: Restaurant is open to the public for lunch and dinner.
Add: Punta Engano Road, Mactan Island, Lapu Lapu City 6015 Philippines
Spend: Villa – P28700++ per night, Restaurant – P2110++
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