Singapore - Day One

31 December 2008

Have not been to Singapore for quite a while, so we decided to say goodbye to 2008 by checking out the Christmas lights and to welcome the New Year with fireworks in Singapore. Decided to take a flight instead of driving, after all we have not been to Changi airport since its new terminals were open ! We have a friend who is working in Singapore and she has always asked us to go there so that she could bring us around for good food. It just so happens that one of our friends from KL was going to Singapore too! We decided to meet up once there !

I wanted to make sure that I got to see the famed Christmas decoration at Orchard Road and also the fireworks at the Marina. After thinking through for a very long time, we decided that we'd book a room at the Marina Mandarin so taht we could be nearer the fireworks.

We arrived Singapore at about 11.30am and proceeded to the hotel. The rooms were not available for checking in yet so they brought us to the Executive Club lounge while we waited. We were pretty hungry and luckily there was some food/snacks at the lounge. Here's what we had for brunch.

BRUNCH

When our room was ready, we were informed and then we proceeded to check in ! The fruits were courtesy of the hotel !

Well, just having snacks and fruits won't be enough to fill our really big stomachs, so we headed over to Marina Square in search for food.

LUNCH/TEA
Imperial Treasure

Our friend in Singapore had wanted to bring us to this steakhouse for quite a while and since we were in Singapore for the New Year, she made sure we wouldn't give this place a miss ! Luckily she made reservations for dinner as it was New Years' Eve (31 December 2008). Found out later that there were two sessions for dinner that night, one at 5.30pm and the next at 8.30pm. Its kind of like the reunion dinner hours at the restaurants back in KL !

DINNER

Morton's

Mandarin Oriental Singapore

Fourth Storey

5 Raffles Avenue Marina Square

Singapore 039797

Telephone number : (65) 6339-3740

Website : http://www.mortons.com/

Anyway, we met up before 5.30 and headed over to the restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. When we arrived at the restaurant, there were about 2 tables seated already. We went to our tables and were seated and then our 'server' for the day came and 'presented' us with the types of steaks, lobsters, fish and vegetables that we could have and also made some recommendations. He was really good and we found out later that he was from Ampang, Kuala Lumpur !! Well, we made our orders and then were served their 'house' bread.

He did mention also that the servings were quite large so I decided not to eat too much of the bread !

The presentation trolley !

Next up, we ordered some wine to go with our food.

Ta-da! Here it is ! Our first dish at Morton's. The Morton's Prime Ocean Platter and it consists of 4 different types of items.

1) Baked Sea Scallops Wrapped in Bacon

2) Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

3) Oysters Rockefeller

4) Colossal Shrimp Alexander

With the dish were 3 types of sauces to go with items 1, 2 and 4. We had fresh lemon to go with the oysters !

1) White Wine Butter Sauce - to go with the shrimp

2) Apricot Chutney - to go with the scallops

3) Mustard Mayo - to go with the crab cake

I particularly liked the White Wine Butter Sauce so I saved a little for my steak !! Our friend loved the crab cakes and I, the scallops! They were delicious and very fresh. Slurppp

After the starters, our main dish, I mean dishes came. We ordered 2 different types of steaks to be shared among the 3 of us, plus a side dish of asparagus ! (we need a balanced meal, no ?)

Notice the sizes of the steaks ? Luckily we did the right thing, deciding to share !

Then our 'server' came with the tray of desserts. They all look so deeeelicious but we just couldn't put so much food in anymore ! We decided on his recommendation of the Hot Chocolate Cake to be shared, of course!

It is called the Hot Chocolate Cake because there is soft, flowy, HOT chocolate inside the cake ! Once you cut it open the chocolate oozes out ! Yummy !

We all really felt like going to bed right after the meal, feeling so contented ! We made our way back to the hotel and chatted till we really couldn't stay awake anymore. Our friend left for home and I went out to do a little shopping before the year was over. Came back to the room, had a little rest and we made our way to Marina Square in time for the countdown to the New Year.