Sights and Eats: Singapore Day 4

Woke up rather early on our fourth day in Singapore with another destination in mind. After a hasty breakfast we headed out. I never knew I will grow tired of looking at food but seeing too much of it every morning slowly dampens my appetite . Too much of good things ruins appreciation, I guess. Well, that's just in the morning, appetite regains its valor after few hours of walking. (^_^)

After 30 minuntes MRT ride to Boon Lay station and a short bus ride from the terminal there (which happens to be more organized than the grocery lanes at Wallmart), we finally arrived here: The Jurong Bird Park.

This 50  achers of sprawling complex houses around 9000 birds from 600 spicies. So there's enough fyling, hopping, walking, waddling birds that could bring delight to kids and kids at heart alike.

The entire bird park is divided into different areas and stations. One could buy a Panorail ticket which would bring visitors to the Main Station, Lory Station and Waterfall station. There are also few interesting Exibits at some given times which provide good entertainments to visitors. It is also a good chance for guests to interact with the birds.

Just in time for the  Birds and Buddies Show at the Pool's Amphitheater. Lories, hornbills, parrots, flamingos and many more performed well practiced tricks. One of these amazing stunts, is having a bird fly through this loop. Later that afternoon this amphitheater was used for another show, Birds of Prey which we regretfully missed.

Meet Amigo, an amazing multilinguist Parrot that has better vocabulary than I do and  could and sing much better than FF! Ok, everybody/everything that could talk,mum, hum,  squeak ang quak could sing better than FF...

 Pink Flamingos, hornbill and a tree that looks cunningly like me from afar.

Flock of salmon colored Flamingos that needs no Facebook to socialize

Self esteem issue? Appently not only female homo-sapiens could spend hours looking at their reflections.
 



I wish I have that do!

  

 

We were halfway finished with the trail when pangs of hunger gave in. I guess seeing birds continuously peck food here and there is a good reminder. Just at the entrance of Jurong Bird Park is a fast food restaurant, the Bongo Burgers.  It is artfully decorated in african safari theme and even service crew are dressed up for the  part. The food was delicous and portions were big!. Look how huge their patties and stuffings are. They taste way better than the picture looks. Half an hour and quarter pound heavier later, we went back to the Park to discover the rest of it.

 

 After lunch we went to the noisy  Lory Loft and bought ourselves a cup of bird feeds.The Loft covers 3000 meters area and is about 9 storey high.It is the world's largest walk in aviary for Lories and Lorikeets. I guess those colorful birds know exactly what's coming because the moment we stepped into the place, a good number of them zoomed in like rockets  and started digging it.

Competition is high so most often. beaks clash or share a cup. Only the strongest or at least the most energetic remains flapping. Basing on the number of empty cups I saw, not a day comes by that these lucky birds ever get hungry. Nevertheless, it doesn't stop them from showing their enthusiasm!

After another hour, we said our goodbyes to the magnificient and beautiful birds of Jurong Park and headed to the next destination:

The Singapore Flyer.

Constructed between 2005-2008 with a towering height of 165 meters ( the tallest in the world and believed to be 30 meters higher than the London Eye), this giant ferris wheel of Singapore offers spectators ang visitors a magnificent panoramic view of the whole city and beyond. It is said that by clear skies and excellent weather conditions, some islands of Indonesia ( Bintan and Batam in particular) as well as Johor Bahru of Malaysia could be seen. Since my eyesights is as  bad  as that of a bat, I could not see anything beyond the buildings.

The 150 meter in diameter wheel, contains 28 fully air conditioned capsules, each could accomodate and hold up to 28 passengers. The entire rotation last more than half an hour. Once the wheel starts turning, it doesn't stop! Passengers have to alertly go on/off  board as the capsule opens as it reaches the bottom! Tip: Visit the restroom before climbling aboard. The 37 minute ride could be like an eternity when one's bladder isn't empty. At the base of the Flyer is a terminus that houses shops and restaurants.

After the Singapore fyler ride, FF and I decided to walk along the Marina Bay and visit the Marina Bay Sands. The trendiest and newest  ( most expensvive in the wordl) complex that houses a hotel with 2,561 rooms, a casino with 500 tables, two theaters, art and museum, convention-exibition centers, two floating pavillions,Indoor canal offering  gondola rides,  fleets of celebrity chef restuarants and a shopping mall that even Paris Hilton could never say no. The entire complex is filled with curious visitors, gamers and shoppers.

One of the reason why people kept on pouring in, is the famous 340 meter long boat shaped  ''Sky Park'' perched atop the three towers of  Marina Bay Sands. Unfortunately, the queue going up to this sky park when we visit, was almost as long as the great wall of China,  so we walked out. Afterall, I guess the view upstairs was exactly the same we  saw at  the SG Flyer ride.

The building that resembels a claw (?), broken egg(?) or a lutos flowerl (?) is underconstruction beside the Marina Bay sands. We've asked several locals what it was but nobody was able to give us real answer. They kept on saying, we have to come back in few years so we will find it out. Clever Singaporeans!

 Time is a blur when one is having so much fun, before we knew it, the sun's down  and we're starting to get famished. We headed back to Marina Square to look around for a place to eat . That day, luck was on my side.

 I saw a Filipino Restaurant! The 7,107 Flavours. And oh boy what feast we had! The place was packed, almost all patrons were kababayans. To my surprise the entire place seemed busy and preparing for something/somebody. We took a seat outside since each table inside the restaurant was occupied . Service was rather slow, after giving us some drinks and taking our orders, I did not see any service crew coming againl After one hour of waiting  our orders started coming. By then my diet coke and FF's SMB already traveled its way into our big intestines.We asked for more drinks, they wrote it down but nobody came back again. :-(

I have to stand up and find a waiter to give us something to drink. Anyway, the food was good! After seeing what's on the menu, I went completely beserk. Ang sarap nga mga ulam! I wished I had 3 mouths, fangs and 4 stomachs. I wanted to order everything! Despite of having non of those, we still ordered enough to feed a family of 6. The smiling (at us?) waiter barely contained his amusement as we placed our order for two. I wonder what's so funny?! For dinner we simply  had:

Kalderetang Baka. The tomato based stew was flavourful with a tiniest hint of sharpness. The meat was tender and moist while the carrots and potatoes still have a bite to it and far from mushy.

Crispy Bingagoongan Baboy. Binagoongan just the way I like it. The pork liempo is fried to a crisp .Each bite crackles and ozzes with  the glorious shrimp paste goodness. When animal skin is fried and crispy, it is indeed difficult to stop putting it into your waiting and salivating mouth . It's like dipping chicharon into bagoong. Who in his/her right mind would say no to that!

Inihaw na Manok, Yes we ordered the entire animal kindom. Or at least the kind that we don't have qualms eating, Sorry PETA! The charcoal grilled chicken is very flavourful and well marinated. It tasted strongly of calamansi and soy sauce, just like the inasals back home. The accompaniments ,  chili vinegar added a spicky kick into the dish,while the Achara's subtle sourness makes me want to keep on digging in.

Okey we don't want to fill our table with nothing but meat so I ordered Ensaladang Talong. FF hates eggplants so its all mine! Miiiiiiiiiiiiine! The grilled aubergine has a devine vinaigrette.It is subline and not overspowering, just enough sour  to give the eggplant's lack of flavor a boost.I was scooping this vege like an ice cream. I honestly hope, Filipino cuisine will be  represented throughout the globe. Such a shame that it remained foreign to a lot of culture and places.

After half an hour we were profusely sweating and full from neck down.I don't know if we were supposed to be thankful since the cook cleary forgot our ''appetizer ''.  I ordered Sisig. I would have loved to feed FF with  animal parts he would never dare put in his mounth.I intend to let him  enjoy and savor  it and tell him all about the chopped anatomical parts used in it afterwards. Looks like his  invisible guardian perceived my evil plan and did something to stop it. By the time we were finished with the mains , we have to take a deep breath and loosen our belts. We were busted and happily so. Although I was all bloated and grinning contentedly , I still wanted to try their dessert. Filipino dessert, I'm dying to have some halo halo!  Apparently, we could simply walk out sated without paying since nobody in the restuarant checks on their costumers! So I stood up and find another service crew and told him we wanted to order dessert, he said he will come to our table and bring us the dessert menu. He never did. So I stood up again, FF's said I could relate more to the people in the restaurant since they came from my ''hometown'', I wanted to argue and say I am Ilonggo and they are Tagalog but I am starting to get as annoyed as my overworked stomach. I searched for a service crew ( for the last time that night!) and told him we are leaving and I wanted to pay. To prevent him for letting us wait again, I simply walked with him to the counter and payed. They even want to ripped us off by charging us for the  Sisig that never came! How disappointing.

I will blame you Edu, for all the confusions, chaos  and the reason why we and the rest of the people outside were forgottten! But since you smiled at us and say ''hellow'' as you passed by , I forgive you.hehehehe. FF asked me who he was and what was the fuss all about, I said he is like the George Clooney of the Philippines. Only to remember Richard Gomez few minutes  after. Dang!

Blueberry Muffin for the weary souls

Things don't always go as plan but sometimes, instead of confronting negative vibes and disappointments head on, it is much wiser to calm down, take a breather ,shut up and yes have a muffin.  Somehow it is comforting to sink one's teeth into this  moist and delicious treat rather than to get completely lost at the complexity of what ought to be simple things. No, I don't have marital issues, thanks God! So when mornings' starting to get you down  then take a seat , make some coffee and eat a muffin. Things turn surprisingly better few minutes after. Life do offer simple comforts.

Heavenly light and fluffy Blueberry muffin Recipe

Sprinkle 250 g of blueberries with 1 tbsp of flour and swirl the mixing bowl gently to coat each berry with flour. I used frozen blueberry without thawing it.

In a big mixing bowl, sift 260 g of all purpose flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1/4 tsp. baking soda, a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder. Add in 150 g of white sugar and using a whisk, mix everything thoroughly. Set aside.

In a another mixing bowl, beat one large egg. Whisk in 250 ml of buttermilk, lemon zest from 1 lemon ( you can skip that one out and add in few drops of vanilla instead), and add in 5 tbp. of vegetable oil ( you can also use melted butter).

Now, pour buttermilk mixture into the powders. Do not use electric mixer or whisk to combine these ingredients . When overbeat, airbubbles are incorporated into the batter making it hard once baked. The best way is to use a spatula and drawing the flour mixture gently into the liquid. Batter don't have to be smooth.Add drops of buttermilk if batter is too dry.

Fold in the berries and mix it gently making sure it is evenly distributed. Try not to overmix as the batter could turn purple. Now you could devide this batter into individual muffin holder. Butter the molder well if you are not using pape cups. Fill only 2/3 of the muffin holder.  

Although muffin could be baked at this point, a crumble topping could be added for extra flavor and texture. Simply blend 140 g flour, 80 g white sugar, 40 g brown sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp. powdered cinnamon in a processor. Add in 6 tsbp. of chilled butter, after few on/off turns, mixture must resemble wet sand. You can also use pastry blender instead.

Sprinkle crumble toppings  on each  muffin. Place it in a preheated oven (180°C) and bake muffins for 30-35 minutes or until  toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Let it cool for a while before serving.

Don't you feel better already? Now if this won't perk your morning blues up , I don't know what else will. Enjoy!

Purely experimental: Binagoongan Shrimp Omelette

Contrary to what others might think, I don't spend hours and hours cooking at home. Don't get me wrong, I love to cook and I make sure I spend enough time with my pots and pan when  work and responsibilities spare me some much-appreciated days off. However, working 3 shifts also makes me a sporadic cooker . It also means eating breakfast at two in the morning, lunch at three in the afternoon and sometime completely skipping dinner. It also means filling our fridge with  frozen pizzas,  pantry full of canned foods and terrine noodles, microvawe meals and eggs, lots and lots of eggs.  It is indeed a  pleasure  to search for a recipe and pour enough attention into the  dish and anticipating its outcome. But if I come back home sleep-deprived in the morning , spend the rest of the day in bed and  wake up in the evening only  go back to work again, concocting some french Coq au Vin would be the last thing on my mind. So frozen pizza is like a life saver since sometimes, 20 minutes is all that I could spare. However , despite of the stress and hectic pace, I also longed for something hearty and home-cooked, something frozen pizza , though in its own quite filling , sadly  lack.

And so most of the time, when time is on my side I   instintively  threw what ever I have at hand in a pot or in the pan and see how it would turn out. Some ended up far from delicious, some edible but not good but also there are also  instances that things turn out better than I expected. Here is one of those experiments .

Binagoongang Shrimp Omelette

Heat a tbsp. of vegetable oil in a non-stick pan. Throw in a handful of shrimp and toss for a minute or two until shrimps turn light pink.

Add in 1 garlic clove, crushed. To put crushed garlic too early might ruin the whole dish since it tend to burn  easily. When garlic starts to render its aroma ( takes about a minute) add in 1 tsp of guinisang bagoong ( could be bought at any asian shops), toss for a minute until shirmps are well coated.

Add in two beaten eggs but don't stir it immediately otherwise things will get mushy. Let the beaten eggs set for a minute without stirring ,then using a kitchen shovel, carefully turn omelette upside down to cook through. When egg  firms up but still springy, toss it gently with the shrimps.Season with a bit of salt and some pepper.

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And tadaah!

Meal in 5 minutes! Serve it over steamy rice and you are good to go!