Bino

A Taste of Ukraine at Grissini, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Singapore

April 23, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

It has been almost two years since my trip to Ukraine and I still have very fond memories walking down the cobblestone streets around St. Andrew’s Descent in Kyiv. While I thoroughly enjoyed the city’s burgeoning hipster scene, I had dinner at the modern Ukrainian restaurant called Kanapa during my jaunt to this historic part of town. I don’t think I could ever forget what I had that time – Black Varenyky (Ukrainian dumplings), Chicken Kiev that was actually made from pheasant and guinea fowl as well as some delicious ribs. I look back to Ukrainian food as some of the best European cuisine I’ve had east of Italy so when I found out that the Embassy of Ukraine in Singapore was bringing Yaroslav Artyukh from Kanapa to prepare a special menu in Singapore, I knew I had to attend.

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Man Fu Yuan 满福苑 (2018) at InterContinental Singapore – Refreshed Modern Concept

April 16, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Man Fu Yuan (满福苑) at InterContinental Singapore requires no introduction. The Chinese restaurant has been generally recognized as one of the best in the island for Cantonese cuisine. It is also perhaps one of the more theatrical Chinese restaurants around, with Chef Eric Neo always putting on a show with dishes surrounded by the likes of dry ice and a whole suckling pig which is the talk of the town.

It was thus a bit surprising to me that despite this winning formula, the venue underwent a makeover recently. If you visit Man Fu Yuan nowadays, you’ll notice that the tablecloth is gone and this is replaced with dark wooden tables and fine cutlery that won’t look out of place in Ash & Elm just downstairs.

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Flight Review: Qantas Airbus A380 Business Class

April 10, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

After spending a few days in Melbourne, I again flew with Qantas on my journey back to Singapore. For this particular trip, I was flying business class on the Airbus A380. Qantas has a couple of business class configurations and while they flagship business class seats are to be found in their A330s, the A380 flight had a more suitable timing for me.

If you are flying out of Australia’s airports, the benefit of business class becomes palpable as soon as you check-in. For this particular flight, it was too late for me to check-in online so I did it manually at the airport. In contrast to the economy class queue which was pretty long, I was served in no time at the business class queue. Flying business class also gives you access to the express queue at the x-ray machines and saves you time.

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Sunday Brunch Buffet at Melt Cafe (2018) Mandarin Oriental Singapore

April 9, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Melt Cafe at Mandarin Oriental Singapore has revamped its Sunday champagne brunch buffet to now feature some welcome additions such as a roving magician, enhanced Japanese section, imaginative desserts, a whole spring lamb and various healthy options to spruce up the weekend meal. The all-day dining restaurant is generally recognized to have one of the best Sunday brunches in Singapore and I was curious as to see how the weekend spread looked like over here. While I have been to this venue several times for its buffet, I had not yet tried their Sunday brunch until recently. I was invited over to check out the bountiful selection over a sunny Sunday afternoon.

healthy section during sunday brunch

If you have been to Melt Cafe before to dine in one of its popular buffets, you would notice that the new setup has caused certain food stations to be relocated. Where once, the Japanese and salad counters shared the same space; the Japanese section is now found at the far end of the buffet while the fruits and juices sections are placed together to promote a more holistic health offering. Here, you’ll find fresh orange, pineapple, cucumber juices and a special drink of the day.

CHECK OUT MY OTHER SINGAPORE SUNDAY BRUNCH REVIEWS HERE

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Weekend Brunch at Akira Back (2018 Revamp) – A Japanese Affair

April 8, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Akira Back at JW Marriott Singapore South Beach has recently revamped their weekend brunch with a new menu revolving around eight dishes that can be personalized to one’s preference. This is a slight departure from the previous weekend brunch concept at Akira Back which had four mains, two desserts and free-flow tempura. Given the venue’s Korean-inspired Japanese cuisine, Akira Back’s brunch menu deviates from your usual Japanese meal. You’ll find pizza interspersed with chirashi, spring chickens to go along with tempura – slight accents to separate it from your usual Japanese affairs.

With the revamped brunch menu and addition of two more courses, the price remains the same at S$98. Those who prefer variety would find the revamp more compelling.

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Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge at Melbourne Airport

April 4, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Melbourne has two Oneworld business class lounges in the airport, the Qantas Business Lounge and the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge. Most passengers transiting in Melbourne probably wonder which oneworld lounge to spend time in. I had this very same thought in my head so when I was flying back to Singapore on Qantas business class, I decided to check out the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge alongside the Qantas Lounge.

The lounge is located at Level 1, one floor below the gates and within the same level as the Qantas Business Lounge and other business class lounges. Designed by Foster + Partners, the decor is more in keeping with the traditional Cathay Pacific lounge look prior to the transition to the newer design in other venues such as The Pier in Hong Kong International Airport.

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Hotel Review: Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu – Superb Downtown Location

April 3, 2018 by Bino 1 Comment

The Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu is one of the most established hotels in the state capital of Sabah. Located right smack in the city center, just across the seafood and handicraft markets and just a few steps away from the nightlife district; the property is one of a handful of SPG properties in East Malaysia. During a return trip to Kota Kinabalu, I managed to check out the Le Meridien for a couple of nights.

Kota Kinabalu is not a particularly large city but the hotel lobby is more in keeping with large city hotels. It’s hip and happening, with an illuminated ceiling, furnishings decked in gold and plenty of mirrors.

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Flight Review: Qantas First Class on the Airbus A380 (2019)

April 2, 2018 by Bino 3 Comments

Qantas offers its first class product on just two aircraft, the A380 and the 747. On the 25th of March, 2018; the airline upgraded one of its daily SIN to MEL flights with the A380 and launched a SIN to LHR service. Prior to this date, first class was not available if you are flying between SIN and MEL on Qantas. On the occasion of the inaugural flights with the A380, Qantas invited me to fly to Australia to try out the first class product.

During the time of my flight, the check-in counters at Changi Airport Terminal 1 were in the midst of an upgrade. The airport was building a communal check-in area for passengers flying first or business but this was not completed yet so I opted to check-in at the Qantas premium economy counter.

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