Bino

Weekend Brunch at Keyaki in Pan Pacific Singapore

October 21, 2014 by Bino Leave a Comment

In a world where brunch menus typically consist of poached eggs and pancakes, Japanese restaurant Keyaki at Pan Pacific Singapore offers an alternative kaiseki brunch concept. As a fan of Japanese food, I found this to be a refreshing change to the typical weekend meal. The kaiseki brunch here is served okonomi or “as you like it” style, giving diners the option to choose each and every dish in this eight course meal.

During my staycation at Pan Pacific Singapore, I was invited to a tasting of this most unique brunch concept at Keyaki. The restaurant is located at the 4th floor of the hotel, away from other iconic restaurants such as Edge and Hai Tien Lo, and set amidst lush gardens. Walking towards it, I felt like I was somewhere in Kyoto with the overall Zen ambiance. Upon entering, the waitress took my order for my eight course meal. This is what I had:

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An Unbelievable Staycation at Pan Pacific Singapore

October 13, 2014 by Bino 6 Comments

For over 27 years, the Pan Pacific Singapore has managed to achieve a somewhat rare feat for a hotel in this ever-changing country – it’s kept itself constantly relevant and popular. One would be hard-pressed to find another hotel in the city state that has been around for this long and continues to receive award after award and be equally popular among guests. Thanks to an $80 million renovation in 2012, the hotel has managed to stay fresh and most importantly, interesting throughout all these years.

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Hallstatt & Perast: My Quest For the Most Picture Perfect Village in Europe

October 5, 2014 by Bino Leave a Comment

Europe is pretty much known for having picture-perfect small towns, the type that contain no more than a thousand or two people, and whose residents seem to be sanitized to the idea of the town’s population multiplying by 5 during the day when hordes of daytrippers make way to their local squares, churches and cafes.

my snapshot of the town of hallstatt in austria

Of the small towns of Europe that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting, none have impressed me as much as the villages of Hallstatt in Austria and Perast in Montenegro. Despite being several hundred miles apart and having vastly different origins, I couldn’t help but associate both towns together. Hallstatt may trace its identity to other alpine villages across Austria and Switzerland while Perast has this undeniable Venetian look with its monochromatic stone houses but there is something uncannily similar about the overall appearance of both towns. For one, there is the stunning lakeside location and mountains in the horizon. There’s also the ubiquitous pointy church spire that dominates the skyline of both towns that perhaps drive the similarities home.

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My First Time on a Yacht With Blue Star Yachting

September 29, 2014 by Bino Leave a Comment

Despite the growing popularity of yachting as a leisure activity in Singapore, I had never been on one before – at least not until last week. A press invitation care of Blue Star Yachting changed all that.

Setting sail from the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club, I came aboard a luxury catamaran that could accommodate as many as 37 people. It’s just the sort of boat that people hire for corporate activities, to entertain clients or simply to chill with friends. For that evening, however, I counted folks from the media as my fellow passengers as we cruised around the southern part of the Singapore coast.

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Of Cornflakes & Oversized Buchi – My Chinese Dinner at Summer Palace in EDSA Shangri-la

September 26, 2014 by Bino Leave a Comment

A fine Chinese restaurant is one of the hallmarks of Shangri-la Hotels around the world, aside from the impeccable rooms and trademark hospitality. It is no surprise then that in its properties around Asia, these restaurants really bring in the crowds. For the case of EDSA Shangri-la, the Summer Palace has emerged as one of the default options that locals turn to when they seek for a high-end Chinese restaurant in Manila, with its creatively designed oriental dishes and constantly evolving food menu that few others in the city are able to emulate.

the fancy interiors of summer palace

This particular restaurant is no stranger to the local culinary scene. Frequently cited as one of the best in serving Chinese cuisine in the city, Summer Palace has served lauriat after lauriat, with business lunches and dimsum brunches in between. I had the pleasure of sampling their signature creations during my stay there. And what a dinner it was! On to the food.

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Weekend Staycation at EDSA Shangri-la Manila – All You Need to Know

September 21, 2014 by Bino 10 Comments

For over twenty years, the EDSA Shangri-la Manila has been a formidable force among Manila’s luxury hotels. Since it opened its doors in 1992 as the first Shangri-la hotel in the Philippines, this property has become an institution, and has often been cited by respected travel publications as one of Manila’s best hotels. In fact, Edsa Shangri-la traces its origins to the rise of Ortigas Center as an alternative to the Makati CBD. SM Megamall and Shangri-la Plaza had both opened for just about a year when the Ortigas Center’s first luxury hotel was completed. Personally, this hotel was my introduction to the Shangri-la brand. It was the first Shangri-la property that I stepped foot in when I was a kid attending wedding parties!

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Sampling the New Oktoberfest Buffet at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport’s Azur

September 15, 2014 by Bino Leave a Comment

With my trips to Germany and Austria still fresh in my mind, the kind folks at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport incidentally offered me a sneak peek at their upcoming German menu over at their all-day dining restaurant, Azur. Having gotten used to schnitzel and hearty pork knuckles in my recent trips to Europe (it’s a staple in many European countries), I reckoned it would be a capital idea to see how Crowne Plaza Changi Airport’s offerings fared in the authenticity scale.

Azur is already well-known for having great sashimi and a wonderful assortment of Singaporean dishes in its buffets, and this Bavarian addition is meant to be the centerpiece of the spread from 19th September to 5th October – just in time for Oktoberfest! On to the food:

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The Most Unusual Things You Never Knew You Could Do in Singapore

September 7, 2014 by Bino 6 Comments

Branching out from my previous entry on free things to do in Singapore, I thought I’d steer from mainstream activities and attractions and focus instead on some offbeat ideas. As a tiny and highly urbanized city state, people have a certain notion of what Singapore is and what it should be that seemingly mundane things elsewhere are considered highly unusual here. But aside from this, the city state is not as predictable and sterile as most people think – you might get thrown off by the city’s state quirkier side, especially if you’re not from here! To prove my point that not everything is what it seems in this city, here is a short list of unusual things you can do the next time you find yourself in this part of the world and which you can include in your Singapore itinerary:

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