Xin Wang Hongkong Cafe @ Plaza Singapura

ABBEY : I think I already dined on this restaurant, once or twice. But only when I "dated" Kar Yin (Wilma's officemate), I tried their dessert. 

For dinner, I got Western one; fried chicken cutlet with sauce and fries and baked beans. Then came the dessert; red bean ice kachang. 
It was served in a large bowl. The ice shavings was formed like a tower or should I say a tall mound. I enjoyed eating it by carefully scraping the ice not to topple the scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. The volume of ice is enough to wash out the sweetness of the beans. My "date" have the mango one.

The diner also offer local and chinese food; ranging from dumplings, spring rolls up to laksa and noodles.

WILL: It is our first date with Karyin and I decided to date her at Xin Wang Hongkong Cafe at Plaza Singapura. There is a lot of dining options at that mall but this place always have a queue. We arrived early and we were served as soon as we set our foot in front of the restaurant. 

Not more than 15 minutes our food is in front of us. I miss the crispy noodles of Chowking back in the Philippines and I am here to check out their version. 

Crispy Prawn Noodle ($12.90) made me feel that I am home. It met my expectation but the quantity is enormous. But do not worry, I finished it all. Without giving any part of it to Karyin or Abbey. Haha! 

Then I am craving for red bean ice kacang, we ordered the XW Special Red Bean Snow Ice ($6.90). I am very full but I still managed to ate half of it. 

This my second time dining here in this food chain. The first is at Changi Airport Terminal 3 with my in-laws. It never fail to fill up my tummy wonderfully. Till our next visit Xin Wang Hongkong Cafe.

Gelato World Tour - Singapore

ABBEY: After a long walk in Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, we rewarded ourselves gelato. Not one but sixteen flavors. 

Marina Bay Sands held the first leg of Gelato World Tour. The tour will be coming to Rimini, Berlin, Austin, Dubai, Melbourne, Valencia and Roma.

Sixteen top artisan gelato chefs competed last March 20-22 wherein they showcased their own and unique flavors. Not that I'm biased but I rooted for my own country. The flavor is mango with ube (purple yam) and called Mango Ube Symphony. It was created by Zara Manikan under the flagship of Bono Artisanal Gelato. They won People's choice. The grand winner for Asia Pacific Finals is Sharon Tay of Momolato.

Other flavors I like were Kopi-Fah Sung Thong and  Croccante alla Fragola.

WILL: After our ecotour at pronounced ASEAN park, we decided to continue our day-off at Marina Bay Sands to check out the Gelato World Tour. 

Singapore is the first leg of the gelato artists to compete their works against each other. Singapore known to its hot weather submitted 5 entries, while Philippines have one. We arrived earlier than we expect and lucky to witness the presentation of each chefs to the panelist their gelatos. Its a great experience to see first hand the faces and gestures of the judges while their tasting the samples. :) 

The ticketing open and for only $12 you can get an 8 small tub of different flavors. I tasted it all except the Beer with Ciambella. I am not fond of the smell and taste of it so I do not dare to get some of it. 

What flavors that caught my attention? The Mango Ube Symphony. Maybe because of my native tongue. Congratulations Ms Zara Zaragoza-Manikan for winning the Peoples' Choice Award. She deserves it, the queue is non-stop to her booth. The Croccante alla Fragola also is tasty. We have different preferences so maybe what I like will be not appealing for you. :) 

Well, we will continue to checkout the final judgement on your last tour stop. Hope for you to visit Singapore again.  

Singapore's Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

ABBEY: We're not able to go inside Bukit Timah Nature Park as renovation is going on. So we decided to go to Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve. 

Some of its parts are also undergoing renovations but the sanctuary for migratory birds is open. Still the same rules apply; don't litter, no fishing, and don't destroy the property. As this is for bird-lovers, taking snaps is no easy feat. Thus the rule be quiet should be observed. Hides and screens are installed within the wetlands for fowl enthusiasts. Kingfishers, herons, and sandpipers were among the birds that can be seen there. 

Beware of crocodiles as well. Back away if you meet some and always be on the guest paths. This is a very relaxing and serene place.

WILL: We are scheduled to hike the Bukit Timah and we found it close for renovation. So, not to waste time, we decided to go to Sungei Buloh Wetland. 

I am not ready to go there. Why? I read a lot of blogs that monitor lizards and snakes were freely roaming the area. I am so afraid of those reptiles that I can't stand to see them even in photos or videos. But Abbey and I need to accomplish a thing without further hesitations we hailed a taxi to roll up there. 

My heart pounding to the site of welcome signage fixated in front of the park. As usual my husband make me feel so secured and make my brain stop to imagine things. 

So we walk, observe the migratory birds, take photos of big spiders hanging on their webs and carefully looking out for stray crocodiles or monitor lizards or snakes on our path. 

Whew! I survived the challenged when we pass the main bridge. That's what I know. Haha! Everybody screamed and ran and to Abbey's delight he saw a huge monitor lizard gleefully swims at the pond. 

Ok. That's it! I will never go back to Sungei Buloh! Haha! Thanks to National Parks for this great experience.