food

Hotel Review: Crowne Plaza Changi Airport – Why It’s Simply One of the World’s Best Airport Hotels

August 16, 2014 by Bino 4 Comments

As an all too familiar sight whenever I visit the airport, the immense facade of the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport in Singapore has always piqued my curiosity, like a monument that greets me as I anticipate the start of a trip or savor the familiar smell of home. Despite sitting right next to Changi Airport Terminal 3, this premium hotel by the IHG Group certainly feels much more than your average transit hotel that caters to passengers with flight delays or cancellations. It has constantly ranked within the top airport hotels of the world, and for one weekend, I went to check out what all the attention was about.

Update 2016: I went back to have another staycation at this property after they opened their new wing. You can check out my review of the Business King room at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport here.

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Sampling Southeast Asian Cuisine at Delicious

March 11, 2013 by Bino Leave a Comment

Tucked away in the relatively new and upscale Scotts Square, just off Orchard Road, is an exciting, recently-opened dining option called Delicious. It offers a smorgasbord of dishes, taking its customers away on a culinary exploration of mainly Southeast Asian inspired dishes. Recently, I was fortunate to be invited to sample their offerings.

And it was a treat! The occasion was graced by Steve Allen, the very friendly Creative Chef who flew from Kuala Lumpur to join us as well as the bubbly Jasmina, from Eastern and Oriental Group (Delicious’ parent company). The culinary expedition began shortly thereafter, with Delicious’ signature Watermelon and Lychee Blast (my personal favorite!) as my drink, as well as the myriad of Southeast Asian dishes that lay before us.

Truth be told, there is no one specific cuisine that can accurately describe the offerings at Delicious. Its menu is evenly split between local dishes as well international favorites such as hamburgers, sandwiches, steaks and the like. For the occasion of our food tasting, majority of the dishes presented were Malay favorites.

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The Underrated City of Malaga

December 9, 2012 by Bino 2 Comments

Malaga, despite being one of Spain’s largest cities (it is the 2nd largest city in Andalucia) and a transport hub for those heading to the historical sites in Seville, Granada and Cordoba, is one of the most underrated destinations in Spain and often relegated to the obligatory one-night transit. I came here expecting nothing but was pleasantly surprised by the chill vibe, pleasant coastal scenery as well as the preponderance of great eating places across the city.

the city’s seaside is a great place for a paseo (or a stroll)… it’s lined by lots of bars and chic restaurants serving spanish fare focusing on seafood

The city is located in the costa del sol, near the southern tip of Spain. Geographically, it is closer to Africa than it is to Madrid. As Malaga is situated on the coast, its weather is milder and more pleasant than Granada or Seville, where it can get unbearably hot. This city is also the transport hub of Andalucia so getting here is a breeze. Tons of budget airlines fly to Malaga from all over Europe. In that sense, lots of people do make it here but few ever get to see the city. Those who do often stay just to sleep before transiting to beach getaways like Marbella or to Granada. I made my way to Malaga after Granada, and like most visitors, did not expect much aside from the customary transit stop. But as I discovered, Malaga does have its charms and deserves at least a day of exploration.

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Food Trip in Historic Malacca, Pt2

June 12, 2012 by Bino 4 Comments

After a jampacked Day 1 of “A Date With Bloggers in Malacca 2012”, our Day 2 was shaping up to be another smorgasbord of exotic dishes, cultural sights and audiences with VIPs. We had an early Sunday morning – our early morning wake-up call was due to a scheduled visit to the Cheng Ho Museum for breakfast and a short tour.

day 2 – me wearing our sponsor’s (Julie’s) shirt

Breakfast was simple, and consisted of some fruits and bee hoon (rice vermicelli). It was followed by a short tour of the museum which was a showcase of the life and times of Cheng Ho, the famed Chinese explorer who preceded the well-known Spanish and Portuguese explorers of yore. The museum consisted of four floors but I only managed to see two. Various methods are used for presentation here, including dioramas, multimedia and even interactive means. It’s a place befitting history buffs, and certainly wouldn’t disappoint those interested to know more about Southeast Asian history.

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Food Trip in Historic Malacca, Pt1

May 30, 2012 by Bino 7 Comments

I was recently invited over for a food-filled weekend in Malacca, courtesy of a bloggers event hosted by people from the Asia Food Guide.

the chinese-inspired architecture of kampung kling mosque

It was not too long ago when I last visited this UNESCO World Heritage city on a daytrip. Nevertheless, I was really looking forward to this “revisit” as Malacca is well-known as a food-lover’s paradise – especially when it comes to Nyonya cuisine – and I didn’t really get to try much during my last visit. I was staying overnight this time so I reckoned I would have more time to see and appreciate more of the nooks and crannies of this historic town.

This is probably mentioned before – the general friendliness of people in Southeast Asia never fails to be an added plus to me during my trips. My host this time around were true exemplars of the warm Malaysian hospitality, making sure that we were alright and trying their best to make the event enjoyable for all (which they succeeded in doing!). It was great to again have the chance to venture someplace much friendlier, and Malacca proves that it needn’t be far.

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Singapore’s Chinatown: A Street By Street Look

March 24, 2012 by Bino 14 Comments

At first glance, having a Chinatown in a city where the population is three quarters Chinese seems rather… redundant. In Singapore, however, unlike in other traditional Chinese enclaves, the area seems to function more as a bastion of things past, a conservation area, rather than as a living, breathing mixture of establishments and houses genuinely catering primarily to the local Chinese community.

the massive buddha tooth relic temple at night

This is the second of three entries being done on the country’s ethnic quarters (the previous one was on Kampong Glam). This time, we zoom in on the city’s Chinatown which is loosely defined as the area immediately west of the financial district. This is the area that was historically set aside during colonial times for the burgeoning Chinese population in the island, though as we now know, the Chinese eventually comprised the majority of the island’s population and settled elsewhere as well.

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Ha-Ha-Ha Long Bay

August 31, 2011 by Bino 10 Comments

The sole reason why we decided to have a 3-day Hanoi trip instead of making it a Saturday-Sunday affair was because of Ha Long Bay. The name has been entrenched so strongly in many a travelers’ minds that it’s become one of the must-visit places in Southeast Asia. With a name that literally means “Descending Dragon’s Bay,” how could one possibly pass this up?

While limestone karst formations are not peculiar in the region (Guilin in China; Krabi in Thailand and Coron in the Philippines all come to mind), what separates Ha Long Bay from the rest are the sheer number of these rising up from the sea – there’s over 3,000 of them! It makes for a very fine view, especially during sunset where the scenery can appear like a painting baked by the golden colors complementing the limestone silhouettes.

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