Singapore - Videos of my country that I made

Check out my latest video - Newton Food Center.

I visited the place during lunch time. It would be more busy at night. There was a useful sign recommending the 10 dishes that you should not miss. It is very easy to get here, a short walk from Newton MRT station. Newton MRT station is just one stop from Orchard MRT station on the North-South line.

Or you could just take a taxi.

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I take a walk from Orchard ION (Orchard MRT) to Royal Plaza on Scotts. It is quite near and easy to do.

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Ice-skating in Singapore. This was a public performance in a mall. The ice-skating ring was rather small, but the performers (non-local) were good!

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The Lunar New Year is around the corner. A public drum performance in a mall. They called this some prosperity drum performance.

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Thanks for great information and videos.

I appreciate the tip on agreeing to a price for eating chili crab (my favorite) and other seafood. I did not know this. What price should one normally pay for this?

For food safety, are foods at these markets generally safe? Do Singaporeans drink bottled waters? How safe is the water for drinking?

Thank you.

BTW, I get the same questions from some of my Japanese friends visiting US. They ask about the safety of drinking water first and eating in general.

For food safety, are foods at these markets generally safe? Do Singaporeans drink bottled waters? How safe is the water for drinking?

 

Thank you.

 

BTW, I get the same questions from some of my Japanese friends visiting US. They ask about the safety of drinking water first and eating in general.

Hello, thanks for your questions.

Yes, food at these hawker centers and markets are safe to eat. The hygiene standards are high. Tap water is safe to drink, though we usually don't drink directly from tap. When at such food centers, we would get drinks, e.g. tea, coffee, soda, bottle water etc.

Thanks for great information and videos.

 

I appreciate the tip on agreeing to a price for eating chili crab (my favorite) and other seafood. I did not know this. What price should one normally pay for this?

Yes, always agree on a price before confirming the order. This is especially important for seafood, because the eateries (including high end restaurants) will charge by weight, e.g. $XX/100 g or $XX/kg.

Chilli crab and other seafood is usually also charged by weight. Be prepared to pay more than $50 per crab. Even at Jumbo Seafood (which is a household name), Chilli crabs usually cost about $60 to $70 per crab. Personally, we find these prices very steep.

If you are just looking to get a taste of crabs, I would recommend the Harvest of the Sea Buffet dinner at Concorde Hotel, which is halfway between Somerset and Dhoby Ghaut station.

We dined there last year. The key attraction of this buffet spread that you can get one serving of a half lobster AND unlimited servings of crabs, cooked in five different ways. Their buffet spread is also decent in quality. See the video I made.

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The review by this food blogger is also very good.

http://www.misstamchiak.com/harvest-of-the-sea-buffet-dinner-at-concorde-hotel/

The cost of this dinner buffet is $52++ on weekdays and $56++ on weekends, per pax. (correct at time of writing) Given that you can eat as much crab as you want (and also the price of crabs at restaurants), it is well worth the trip if you want to feast on chilli crab.

This is the website of the Spices Cafe - http://singapore.concordehotelsresorts.com/dining_spices_cafe.php

Another real story - a patron was once billed $1,200 for a fish at an upmarket restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa. They ordered a 1.8kg fish without clarifying the price and it came up to this exorbitant amount. It was some fancy fish, and the price was $68 per 100 grams. The patron (a Singaporean) ordered the fish without clarifying the price and was duly shocked when the bill arrived.

Second part of the video on Newton Food Center. In this video, I tried some food here. They are, Satay, Char Kway Teow, Chendol and a small Coconut. Prices all included in the video.

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On this morning, I have breakfast with my dear wife at a local food center. We had Kway Chap and Won-Ton noodles. I think the latter should be familiar to many people, or at least you have heard of Won-ton noodles (from Hong Kong).

But what in the world is Kway Chap?

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From wiki:

"a Teochew dish of flat, broad rice sheets in a soup made with dark soy sauce, served with pig offal, braised duck meat, various kinds of beancurd, preserved salted vegetables, and braised hard-boiled eggs"

Personally, I do not like the pig offal. So I will tell the store owner that I do not want any pig offal and insides, choosing instead to have the various types of beancurd, egg, even meat.

2015 is a very special year for Singapore.

In 1965, we gained independence. This year, we celebrate 50 years as an independent nation. In short, we call it SG50.

Thanks for visiting Singapore.

From the Icons of SG50 website:

"We’re the little red dot. And our size always belied our aspirations. We dream big and have grown far beyond our size and resources. The SG50 logo represents that Singapore spirit of resilience, and our collective sense of identity. It’s the same spirit that lives in the things we do, and behind how we do it, day after day. Like all our Icons of Singapore, this is what makes us Singaporean. So to kick off the lead-up to Singapore’s 50th, let’s wear our reds and celebrate us as the ones who make the little red dot, big!"

This is the new Singapore Visitor Center, opposite Somerset MRT station.

The Singapore Visitor Centers are run by the Singapore Tourism Board. The newest addition is the center just opposite Somerset MRT station. There is free Wi-Fi available for tourists, just ask the friendly staff.

I checked out this new center to see what help they can offer tourists. This video shows you where the Center is located, what features it has as well as how to get there from Somerset MRT. I also show you a glimpse of the various Malls nearby.

The interactive displays are helpful, especially if you were not familiar with Singapore. The friendly tourism ambassadors can help you with your queries and print out maps with a suggested itinerary. Great place to go for the independent traveller.

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Icons of SG50. We celebrate our 50th year as an independent nation this year, in 2015.

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The Lunar New Year is around the corner. A public drum performance in a mall. They called this some prosperity drum performance.

 

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Thank you Iluvcruising2 for all your tips we are arriving in Singapore on Thursday going to Chinatown that evening, we are staying at the Regis Park Hotel in Merchant Road apparently 10 min walk to Chinatown, we have already done the zoo sentosa island, just looking for breakfast places, thinking bum boat ride Friday night and going to River Huong for China new year, then go on ship Saturday morning, any ideas greatly appreciated. Thanks Pauline

Thank you Iluvcruising2 for all your tips we are arriving in Singapore on Thursday going to Chinatown that evening, we are staying at the Regis Park Hotel in Merchant Road apparently 10 min walk to Chinatown, we have already done the zoo sentosa island, just looking for breakfast places, thinking bum boat ride Friday night and going to River Huong for China new year, then go on ship Saturday morning, any ideas greatly appreciated. Thanks Pauline

Welcome to Singapore!

Yes, it is about 10 to 15 minute walk to Chinatown, flat roads, very easy. Your hotel is also very near the Clark Quay area (Clark Quay MRT), so you could explore that area as well.

Breakfast - the mall next to Clark Quay MRT (which is a 3-5 minute walk from your hotel) should have some eating options in the morning, like cafes.

Yes, since you are in town, catch the River Hongbao 2015. The event runs till Feb 28, admission is free.

You could check out Arab street too, near Bugis MRT station.

Welcome to Singapore!

 

Yes, it is about 10 to 15 minute walk to Chinatown, flat roads, very easy. Your hotel is also very near the Clark Quay area (Clark Quay MRT), so you could explore that area as well.

 

Breakfast - the mall next to Clark Quay MRT (which is a 3-5 minute walk from your hotel) should have some eating options in the morning, like cafes.

 

Yes, since you are in town, catch the River Hongbao 2015. The event runs till Feb 28, admission is free.

 

You could check out Arab street too, near Bugis MRT station.

Thank you we will check it all out:D

Thank you we will check it all out:D

Have a great time in Singapore!

West Coast Plaza is a suburban mall, located on the western side of Singapore.

Not a tourist place, pretty much local.

Just to give you a glimpse of how the (small) mall looks like.

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Toa Payoh MRT station and interchange. This place is just 3 stops north of Orchard MRT station. If you have some time and want to see some place a bit more local, head out to Toa Payoh for a meal.

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In this video, I show you the lobby of Pan pacific Hotel. Then I take a walk to the Esplanade MRT station. Takes about 15 minutes.

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Hi. Loving your videos... So usefull. We are sailing into Singapore in June on RCI Quantum of the seas and are using the Singapore cruise centre.

Do you have any videos of how to get the MRT into the city, as you did with the Marina bay cruise terminal?

Do you know how much it will be by train vs taxi?

Thanks in advance

Hi. Loving your videos... So usefull. We are sailing into Singapore in June on RCI Quantum of the seas and are using the Singapore cruise centre.

 

Do you have any videos of how to get the MRT into the city, as you did with the Marina bay cruise terminal?

 

Do you know how much it will be by train vs taxi?

 

Thanks in advance

Hello, thanks for your note and welcome to Singapore!

The Quantum of the Seas will call at the Marina Bay Cruise center and not the Harbourfront Cruise Terminal (also called the Singapore Cruise Center).

Are you ending your cruise in Singapore?

As for train and bus fares, this is a useful calculator.

http://www.mytransport.sg/content/mytransport/home/commuting/busservices.html#Fare_Calculator

A single trip from Marina South Pier to Orchard MRT - $1.08.

Further info on standard tickets on the MRT system.

http://www.lta.gov.sg/content/ltaweb/en/public-transport/mrt-and-lrt-trains/train-fares-and-travel-cards.html

Some food videos.

Hans cafe and bakery is a local cafe (Hainanese) selling asian and western food. In this video, I tried their signature hainanese pork chop.

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In this video, I had a set lunch, of pasta.

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This is at a Japanese chain restaurant called Itacho Sushi, they have outlets all over Singapore. The sushi here is good and they do have some very inexpensive sushi pieces. In this video, we sit at the bar counter. I also included some portions of the menu so that you see what the prices are like, all in Singapore dollars.

We had fun watching the chef use a mobile blow torch on the sushi.

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I am reviving this thread that started last January by Iluvcruising2. Found so much information for our upcoming cruise in February. Thanks again, Iluvcruising2, for the time and effort putting this thread together! Those videos on 'Singlish' were funny!

I am reviving this thread that started last January by Iluvcruising2. Found so much information for our upcoming cruise in February. Thanks again, Iluvcruising2, for the time and effort putting this thread together! Those videos on 'Singlish' were funny!

Thanks very much for your encouragement! Glad you found the videos useful. In fact, I had forgotten that I had started this thread. Now that it has been revived, let me put more content, which I hope will continue to be useful for visitors. Cheers!