Pizzeria Mozza in Singapore

For our last night out, we wanted to enjoy a night out with good food and a bottle of wine.  Mozza at the Marina Bay Sands was the perfect place for a girls night out because of its casual, yet classy atmosphere.  Pizzeria Mozza, opposite the more formal Osteria Mozza, has a great selection of appetizers and pizzas for the whole table to share.

The service was friendly, thanks to fellow Filipinos happy to serve with their warm hospitality.  The food comes out at a good pace to enjoy the sequence of antipastis, appetizers, pizzas, and the sweet endings.

The food quality is up to par with Batali, Bastianich, and Silverton restaurants world wide (at least those that I've tried in NYC, Vegas, LA, and Hong Kong).  And, the pizza ranks up there with some of the best texture and tasting of pie crusts and quality of toppings.

Marina Bay Sands has a great selection of restaurants from international chefs.  Mozza is definitely a place to consider for a tasty night out.

Bone marrow al forno

Din Tai Fung in Singapore

Singapore has a delicious list of local specialties.  And, they also have a growing list of imported restaurants quickly filling up the city.  One of the most notable is Din Tai Fung.  The famous Taiwanese restaurant with some of the best xiao long bao around.

Since we were hungry for a late breakfast/early lunch, we headed to the location that was already opened nearest us in Marina Bay Sands.  Compared to the endless lines when it first opened in this mall, we were now promptly seated with many vacant tables in the opening hour.

The menu had the staple dumplings, noodles, vegetables.  It also included local specialties like Chili Crab and Pork Buns.  Overall, it was as clean and tasty as Taipei and Shanghai.  And if you're craving for Taiwanese dishes in Singapore, this is the place to go.

Steamed Pork Dumplings

Weekend eats in Singapore

Back in Singapore for another weekend getaway.  This time around I was introducing the city to a couple of my closest friends.  We stayed at my friend's hotel in the Central Business District, the Westin Hotel, as she was in town for work.  It's a quieter area to stay, but like almost everything in Singapore, it's clean and safe.

CBD is walking distance to Chinatown and the Marina Bay areas.  Over the course of the weekend, we enjoyed bites all around the districts of the city - Marina Bay, Clarke Quay, Chinatown, and Orchard Road - the usual areas that first timers should check out.  We tasted a mix of local and Western dishes.  Tiger beers, chicken wings, chili crabs, and oyster omelettes for the local side; and fries, pizzas, and wine for the Western side of the plate (more on that in my next posts).  For now, here are some of the local bites and neighborhood treats from the weekend.

Friday afternoon beer

Feasting in Singapore

The sights, architecture, museums, culture, and nature.  That's a lot to take in for a short getaway to Singapore.  And the highlight of it all is the food.  You can eat cheaply or luxuriously; the choice is up to you and your wallet.  Either way you go, you're guaranteed to end the day with a happy stomach.

Hawker centers and food courts are the way to go for cheap meals.  In the better areas, the price is slightly higher because the quality and cleanliness is what you pay for.  (We actually ate satay in an outdoor hawker center which was really nice, but unfortunately food poisoning was a result.  So you should still be careful of what you eat and the handling of it even if you're in Singapore where the standards for street food are supposed to be better.)  There are so many classic dishes to choose, so it's best to go with hungry stomachs and share everything.

On the other end of the budget spectrum, there are also many choices for big splurges as well as mid-ranged meals from international celebrity chefs.  From Australia, Luke Mangan has his Salt tapas & bar which is a fun restaurant for refreshing sangrias and small plates to share.  From the states by way to France, there's also the iconic Daniel Boulud and his db Bistro Moderne.  There you can enjoy his signature burger decadently filled with short rib and foie gras.  You can have a meal from these reknown chefs from all over the world in just one small city.

In Singapore, there's so much great food for every budget and for any craving.

First stop, hawker centers
Chicken wings and carrot cake

 Nasi Lemak at 1983 Taste of Nanyang

Museums in Singapore

Whether you're a tourist or a local, museums are a great place to learn more about history and culture.  Plus, if you're visiting a city with hot or cold weather this gives you at least a couple hours of relief in some air conditioning or with a heater.

Singapore is a small city with a good number of museums.  For a basic background of the city and its history, the National Museum of Singapore is the place to start.  Aside from the history, there are also special exhibits further exploring the culture through it's textiles, photography, film industry, and food.  The food exhibit is a fun space that details the history of popular dishes still eaten today in Singapore.

Over by Marina Bay Sands, the ArtScience Museum is a fun stop with rotating exhibits featuring varying science exhibits and featured artists.  The entrance fee is on the higher side, but you get what you pay for from the extensive pieces displayed and information provided.  It's a great place for some fun knowledge and inspiration.

While you're exploring the Gardens By the Bay, the conservatories pretty fascinating and so nice to cool down in.  The Flower Dome has an impressive amount of flowers and trees from all over the world.  The dome also houses UK celebrity chef Jason Atherton's Pollen.  You can have a casual meal at the cafe, or a fine dining experience up in the formal dining room.  The Cloud Forest is trippy and so cool.  If it's unbearably hot outside, you will not want to leave this misty forest.  And when the sun goes down, the nightly light show at the SuperTree Grove is a fun place to chill out and have an Avatar-like experience.

Singapore is a city that you'll constantly be eating, so these museums are the perfect place to burn off some calories while gaining knowledge and inspiration.

Inside the National Museum of Singapore

Food Exhibit in the National Museum

More from Singapore

Back in Singapore for the second and third time!  This is a great destination for a short getaway to enjoy local eats and culture.  It's a small, small city so you really don't need to spend too much time there; but, it is truly a world class city that's clean and orderly.  And, everything is within walking distance or within an easy ride on public transportation.

On these two trips back to Singapore, I continued to explore Marina Bay Sands and its vicinity.  This is a fun place to explore both during the day and at night when the sun's scorching heat has gone down.  It's a gorgeous city that is bringing in modernity while respecting nature and the greenery.

Singapore at night

Singapore's Sentosa Island

Singapore is a destination where you don't really need too many days to explore the whole city-state.  Once you've exhausted the city, or just want a change of pace, a day trip to Sentosa Island is a great option.

Sentosa Island is known for housing Resorts World, Universal Studios, pristine man-made beaches, and golf courses.  It's so easy to get there by cable car, MRT, or just to simply walk across the Boardwalk.

Once you're there, you can walk around the island or talk the free shuttle buses going around the island making stops along the various beaches.

For a getaway and a fun day to play, Sentosa Island definitely is the place to take in the sun or hide away in the casinos.

If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Singapore Sentosa

The Singapore River

In the center of Singapore lies the Singapore river.  A canal that cuts through the central business district.  Landmarks, hotels, and restaurants are among the notable tourist attractions along the river.

Clarke Quay is a fun around long the river that's full of restaurants and bars targeted towards tourists and expats.  Further down the river there are also more tourist catches full of restaurants with hosts and waiters flagging you down to try their cuisine.

If you're willing to pay a little more to enjoy dining al fresco by the water, this is a picturesque area for a meal.

If you can't see the slide show, check out my Flickr album: Singapore River

Satay by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay would not be a Singapore destination with out having a hawker stall.  It's a cool combination of outdoor-indoor.  This is a cleaner hawker centre with a great variety of food choices.

The setting is a nice break from walking around the Gardens.  There are many tables for all sizes and for all families.  If it's not too hot out, it's great to sit along the outdoor area, with the tiny chairs for kids, and enjoy the water scenery.

Find the longest lines and that's sure to be a winner.  In particular look for the longest satay line.  Those satay sticks were some of my most memorable bites of the whole trip.   It's definitely worth the wait!

If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Singapore Satay by the Bay

Singapore's Garden by the Bay

Have you ever wanted to see what the movie Avatar looks like in real life?  Go to Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.  Seriously.  Day and night, especially at night, it's totally like you're in Avatar land.

This is a newly developed area in the city next to Marina Bay Sands.  It has greenery and water mixed in with modern art sculptures.  There are also a couple museums and outdoor education about Singapore's greenery and some of its agricultural history.

It gives you a break from the city, and give you something complete different.  Futuristic nature.  And it's a tourist destination worth checking out.

If you can't see the slide show, check out my Flickr album: Singapore Gardens

Singapore's Chinatown

Since our hotel was based by Chinatown, we started my first discovery of Singapore there.  The Chinese are a major group in Singapore, so their mark in Chinatown is distinct.

The decor, the architecture, and the culture distinguishes this district from the rest of the city.

It's festive and filled with some great little food stalls and hawker stalls that are worth stopping by when you're in the area.

If you can't see the slideshow here, check out my Flickr album: Singapore Chinatown

My first taste of Singapore

Singapore is one city I've been eagerly waiting to explore.  So when my best friend sends me a message that he's flying there for work with 2 full days in the city, of course I'm going to say "YES!" to his offer to tag along.

This city lives up to it's reputation, it's hype, and all the expectations as a food city.  Singapore itself is pretty isolated in its little bubble.  But, wow, it's a bubble bursting with great food.  And the best part, you barely break the bank when it comes to eating amazing food.  The hawker centers are the place to go for some of your most memorable meals.

There are so many iconic dishes that it's almost impossible to eat it all in one trip.  Yup, that means I'm definitely going back to eat some more!

Here's a sampling of some dishes that filled my weekend trip in Singapore.  Coming up, a look into the various tourist destinations around the city.

If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Singapore Food