Easter Holiday in Singapore

Hope you all had a great Easter and a lovely break with family and friends. I sure did! If you follow me on Instagram (if you don't, I suggest you do) then you'll know that I've been in Singapore for the last week and a half with one of my girlfriend's for a break of food, shopping and relaxation. 

I've been to Singapore many times, mainly as a small stop over or a fly through, but haven't done the whole tourist thing for probably over 10 years. So this time, and also because it was my friend's first time into Singapore, we decided to spend a bit longer here so that she could see and experience the sights, sounds and flavours of Singapore. 

We didn't spend the whole time in Singapore; we broke up the trip and made a side trip to Bintan Island, Indonesia, for three days of resort living to soak in some sun, sand and massages. I wrote a separate post about our time on Bintan Island which can be read here. 

The stunning beach on Bintan Island

Singapore doesn't have a lot to do but 5 days here you can seriously pack in quite a bit and really embrace yourself into the various Asian cultures that make up Singapore. It is pretty easy to get around Singapore via their public transport system; we mainly travelled on the MRT (their train network) and the cost to get from place to place is on average 0.90 cents (totally cheap!) and if you have to get a taxi then even they are cheap here!

Cereal Prawn

There are some highlights of Singapore that is worth experiencing and my number one recommendation is experiencing the food culture that Singapore has to offer. Singapore is made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians and Eurasians and other Asians of different origins which means the variety and options are plenty. Singapore is famous for their chilli mud crab, Hainanese chicken rice, roti and my new favourite, cereal prawn.

A very good friend of mine lives in Singapore and every time I come I always will catch up with him and his beautiful girlfriend. During this visit, as always, he met up with us and took us out for dinner at Clark Quay where many restaurants, nightclubs and bars are surrounding this waterfront. We had an amazing array of food which consisted of chilli mud crab with man tao (asian bread to dip in the sauce), cereal prawns, aromatic duck (also served with asian bao) and asian greens (to be healthy).

Aromatic duck and the man tao (steamed and fried versions)

The famous Singapore chilli mud crab

To really experience Singapore's amazing food culture you have to go to their many hawker centres which is like a massive food court offering a variety of food stalls. There you'll get to tasty many different cuisines and dishes for the cost of a coffee! Many dishes there cost around $3 - $5 so you can grab a few to try. The one that we went to which serves more local food is Lau Pat Sat. 

Some tasty food that you can get at many of the Hawker Centres

Ice cream in a slice of rainbow bread that you can find on the streets

Singapore Zoo would have to be my favourite zoo as it's the one zoo that I know that doesn't have cages (at least for 98% of the animals) as they have designed it in a way that the animals cannot come out and human can't go within. We had a special Jungle Breakfast with the Orang Utans that you can organise at the zoo. It's a buffet breakfast so that is plenty of options and then they bring out the Orang Utans to join you for breakfast and the keepers provide you with a history of them and what they get up to and enjoy. The best bit is that during the breakfast is that you get to get up close and personal with the Orang Utans and get a photo with them. Amazing! 

Restaurant where the buffet breakfast is served

To have breakfast with the Orang Utans, you had to book online. I would suggest getting in early as it gets booked out. It costs $33 pp (adults) and $23 pp (children 6 - 12 years old) for the buffet breakfast with the Orang Utans and $32 pp (adults) and $21 pp (children 3 - 12 years old) entry into the zoo. After breakfast you can then spend the rest of the day at the zoo exploring all the other animals and attending some of shows; which for me I had to attend the Elephants of Asia show. Elephants are my favourites so I couldn't miss that show.

Mother and baby Orang Utan enjoying breakfast with us

Baby Orang Utan chilling out and being cute during breakfast

Elephants of Asia show

Chinatown and Little India are a couple of places worth experiencing. I found Chinatown more fun and interesting with a lot more to do and see. Little India was a great place to go to if you really want to buy a sari dress and gold. Chinatown had markets to explore and traditional foods to try.

You haven't been to Singapore if you haven't been to Raffles Hotel for a Singapore Sling; the original Singapore Sling. So of course we made a trip to Raffles Hotel, to Long Bar, where the original Singapore Sling was invented. I'm not really a cocktail girl so we ordered one for my friend and I had a whisky. The hotel is beautiful and kept in its traditional 1920's style and the service is fabulous; the bar staff are quick to attend to you and will offer to take your photos with the famous cocktail in hand.

With my whisky at Long Bar, Raffles Hotel, Singapore

Laneways or Arab St is another place you should experience while in Singapore. Not only is it the place to go get some amazing Arab food but the laneways has some unique boutiques to explore and some great street art. You can wonder through the streets and just explore the different stores and cafes. Arab St also has many fabric stores so if you're after some beautiful fabrics, I would suggest going there. 

Haji Lane (parallel to Arab St), Singapore, with many boutique stores to explore 

Colourful wall art along Haji Lane, Singapore

Marina Bay Sands is also another place to visit especially if you're a shop-a-holic and a shop-a-holic of high-end fashion brands. Here you'll find the likes of Alexander McQueen, Kate Spade, Channel and Dole & Gabbana, just to name a few. Whilst there we treated ourselves to high tea at TWG Tea, the world's finest tea. 

One of the many TWG Tea places where you can enjoy high tea or lunch

We were provided with the tea menu and no joke, there was seriously, thousands and thousands of different teas to choose from. Not being a true tea drinker, it was like stepping into a unknown planet! Feeling a little under pressure to choose a tea, I fittingly choose a tea under the heading "day time tea" assuming that you drink these tea during the day!

Preparing for our tasty high tea

Singapore's Merlion

Sentosa is a little island that is part of Singapore and is a short tram ride or cable car ride across. We took a cab to Faber Peak to get the cable car across to Sentosa. At Faber Peak you can view the city of Singapore and from there get the Superhero themed cable car to Sentosa which crosses through a building and provides a stinging 360 view of the southern precinct. There are plenty of things to do at Sentosa so it does warrant either a full or half day there. If you have kids then it would have to be the perfect place to go to as there is a movie world there with activities and a (man-made) beach there were you can enjoy and relax.

Superhero cable car from Faber Peak to Sentosa

This time round I have experienced and viewed Singapore in a different light and I would happily say that I'll be more than happy to come back and spend a few days here; mainly for some light shopping and the food.

Thank you Singapore (and Bintan Island)…until next time.

Jo x  

Where we stayed?
While in Singapore we stayed at:
Orchard Hotel Singapore
It's located on Orchard Rd and the closes MRT is Orchard MRT. I totally recommend this hotel for anyone as it was comfortable, modern, friendly staff and very central to everywhere you need to go to in Singapore. 

Hello From Bintan Island, Indonesia

As the title calls, "hello from Bintan Island", I'm writing this post from the island itself! This is our third day here and seriously my first time on the laptop to write a post in what seems to be a while. About a week ago, a friend and I travelled to Singapore for a holiday of sightseeing and to enjoy the culinary delights Singapore has to offer.

We've since taken a side trip to Bintan Island, Indonesia. It's only a simple 50 minutes ferry ride from Singapore. I'll write a separate post about the amazing Singapore trip later but for now I wanted to share my time on Bintan Island with you. 

Bintan Island is part of Indonesia and as I mentioned before, it is only a simple 50 minutes ferry ride from Singapore so it's a fabulous and easy side trip for anyone going to Singapore and wanting something a little different. This is the first time to Bintan Island for me and I only came across it because of advice from friends and to break-up the Singapore trip I had planned.

We're staying at the Bintan Lagoon Resort which is about a 30 minutes drive from the ferry terminal when you arrive. The resort is nice but personally, nothing too flash; however, it does have everything that you need. The decor is still very much in the 70's and 80's - some updating to the decor could be done but I guess that is what the charm is about this place. The staff here, however, are very friendly and are always there to assist with anything you may need or not even need. 

Our private beach - bliss!

The resort is pretty much on the other side of the island from where the ferry lands so you are a little further away from the main town/village and the downfall is that they don't provide a shuttle bus that goes from the hotel to the main village. To get there you would need to get a taxi which would cost the equivalent of approximately $50 AUS for a round trip (a little expensive). However, there are 12 restaurants, bars and cafes so you do have plenty of options to choose from including two pools, the private beach, beach activities including kayaking, gym, activities for adults and children and even a karaoke bar!

One of two pools available at the resort

It has been great being here just lounging around by the pool and beach, reading and just generally relaxing and recharging the energy. Today we treated ourselves to a 2 hour body de-stress message at the Aroma River Spa which is a 50 minutes drive from our resort. Yes, we could have had a massage at our resort but Aroma River Spa provides a better value and the cost includes lunch and transport to and from. So, it was a nice treat to get away from our resort for the day and experience another part of Bintan Island. 

The massage was amazing; starting off with choosing the salt scrub, the aroma oil for the massage and a tasty lime and masala ice tea you're instantly relaxed and prepared for the next two hours of bliss! After the amazing massage we were treated to a boat ride through the mangroves, arriving to where our tasty lunch was being served with a giant coconut water! 

Our amazing and delicious lunch

Stolling along the beautiful beach

Ahhhh, I'm feeling all relaxing and my skin is feeling soft like a baby's bottom! A delicious dinner will end this day perfectly. 

Jo x

Shine and Dine 2015 for Make-A-Wish is Set to Create More Wishes

The event of the year, Shine and Dine, is due to take place on June 5th, 2015 at the stunning Dolton House Jones Bay Wharf, Pyrmont. Shine and Dine is a spectacular black tie charity dinner that raises awareness, funds and valuable wishes for terminally ill children through Make-a-Wish Australia. In its third year, Shine and Dine has cemented themselves as the unmissable event to attend attracting many supporters and celebrities wanting to support this amazing cause. 

Sharon Melhem

Sharon Melhem is the beautiful and powerful brain-child behind the Shine and Dine annual event. Working hard to source supporters, promoters, suppliers and everything that goes into creating this event, Sharon is busily on the go to achieve enormous dreams and wishes for these children. Sharon kindly found some time from her hectic schedule to let me find out a little more about her.

WHERE DID THE IDEA OF SHINE AND DINE COME FROM?
I have always worked in marketing and event strategy and as a result of increased consulting requests I started Kouture Productions. One of my client's needed help with a charity event for their Miss World Australia pageant and realising I could utilise my skills, experiences and networks to help others was extremely rewarding. This experience influenced me onto the Shine and Dine concept!

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN A SUPPORTER OF MAKE-A-WISH AUSTRALIA? 
I've always had a soft spot for children; they are just beautiful souls. To learn about Make-A-Wish wish granting cause and how they provide hope and joy to children who are facing a life threatening illness just melted my heart. 

I had to help and make sure more of these wishes were granted more frequently. Make-A-Wish receives over 2,000 wishes from kids every year – these wishes exceeds the funding available.

WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SUPPORT FOR SHINE AND DINE?
My family. They go on the entire journey with me; from all the lows and to all the highs. I would not know where I would be without them. I am truly blessed.

WHERE DO YOU HOPE TO SEE SHINE AND DINE IN 3 YEARS TIME?
I hope for Shine and Dine to grow bigger and better year on year and that even more funds are raised for these kids. It would be a dream come true for Shine and Dine to be known as the charity gala dinner and cause that people cannot ignore and want to support.

WHAT IS YOUR ONE WISH?
To be able to work full time in developing more charitable event concepts under the Kouture Productions umbrella so my impact is greater for people in need.

Shine and Dine 2013

Shine and Dine 2014

This is one event you won't want to miss for 2015 so jump online to their website here and get yourself a ticket to this fabulous night where you'll be creating memorable wishes. With amazing supporters from the likes of House of K'dor, James Shawshank, and Merc Real Estate you'll want to be apart of this!

To Sharon - thank you for making time to catch up with me and share your thoughts and dreams. You're an amazing soul putting yourself out there to help others. I wish you all the success and an awesome Shine and Dine 2015. 

See you all at Shine and Dine!

Jo x

The Oscars in Sydney 2015

I know I've been a bit quiet of late and haven't written any post for a little while or even been very active on my Instagram account. My 9 to 5 daily job has seriously been keeping me busy and I've been interstate or working late nights and have been so tired in between; then there's time spent catching up with family and friends, attending birthdays, hens night and volunteering in between. Life can be so full on at times!

Last Monday night, Sydney time, I attended "The Oscar Challenge Academy" (OCA) 4th Annual Oscar Challenge that was superbly organised by my boot camp friend, Annette, the OCA President. Annette absolutely loves the Oscars and is excited about it premiering each year, so the OCA began 4 years ago in her lovely lounge room with her bestie, Adam, OCA Vice President, and a few of her friends.

From her small little humbling Oscar Challenge in her lounge room in Sydney's northern beaches, it has since grown and in its fourth year, it had over 35 people (friends of friends) attend and the location moved to a theatre in Fox Studios Australia at Moore Park. For my first time attending, it was an awesome location and my first time driving through Fox Studios - so cool!

Our very own Oscar Awards

The entire event was thoroughly thought through and organised perfectly. Everyone attending had to come (fancy) dressed up as any character from any of the Oscar nominations and the effort that everyone made was outstanding and serious business. I'll have to get on top of that for next years event for sure! There were awards for Best Dressed, Most Films Watched, Newcomer, and even a Quizmaster, which I failed miserably but it was fun!

The night consisted of us walking down a red carpet, being interviewed along the way, taking photos, being treated to champagne, dinner, popcorn and plenty of lollies to out-do a kids party. 

It was the first time I had ever watched the Oscars from start to finish and I would have to say it was so good and probably because it was challenge. I love a challenge! We had to complete a ballot of who we believed would win in each category and then on Monday we were all in media lock down (which included Facebook) so no-one was allowed to know who or what won so that the evening can be a surprise and fun for everyone, which it was. If you love the Oscars and love to get involved in some serious fun games, I would suggest coming to this even next year!

If you love the Oscars and think that you can take home the gold man then why don't you join in on the fun with us next year and the bonus thing is that you get to meet some amazing people and make some incredible new friends. 

The Amazing Presidents

Got to love Lego!

To the OCA team, well done on an amazing event and thank you for inviting me. I loved every minute of it and am so pumped for next year to at least walk away with one Oscar!

Jo x

Mexican Feast at Playa Takeria

Finally caught up with a lovely friend of mine last friday night and I know how much she loves Mexican so I decided to surprise her with dinner at Playa Takeria in Darlinghurst. It was a first time for me as well so it was a great excuse for us to go to catch up, she loves Mexican and I've been wanting to try Playa Takeria for a little while now. 

It's a very cute little restaurant taking residence in the old Fish Face on Darlinghurst Road. The art works and colours encapsulating the restaurant really stands out so there is seriously no way for you to miss it; even if you were walking in the pouring rain like we had. The furniture and the plates used are so colourful and pretty that it made me want to clear out all of my plates at home and re-stock with these stunning pieces. It also reminded me on being in Mexico and for a moment there I thought I was there and started to plan my next visit back!

We had a later dinner booking, 9pm, and it was still packed with people so we still had to wait a little bit while they got our table ready. It was fun to see that they gave flower headbands to the customers (females) to wear so it made it a really fun atmosphere. I'm sure they wouldn't mind the blokes wearing them too….if they dare! While we wait for our table we ordered a "Striptease" cocktail ($19) each which was a coconut margarita style and is apparently the number one drink in Playa. Seriously off the chart! I could drink this all night long so I'll definitely be back for this drink.

We were taken to our seats (outside) and ordered everything to share which included: Guacamole Playa V (Avocado, Tomato, Onion, Coriander, Lime, Salt, Mexican Love, & Corn chips - $14), Elotes de Barrio V (Grilled Mexican Style Corn - $5 each), Taco Don Paster (The F….Famous Tacos of Mexico - Adobo Marinated Pork roster on A Trompo with Pineapple - $5 each) and a Gringa Santanera (Paster marinated Pork, Mozzarella Cheese, Chipotle & Flour Tortilla - $10). 

The food here is amazing and really tasty. The salt and chilli spice on the corn chips for the Guacamole was WOW. The salt, I believe, was a lime salt as the flavour of the lime really popped in your mouth and made the whole dish. My favourite would have to be the Grina Santanera, which essentially was a quesadilla - who doesn't love these?!? I think I could have eat three plates of these just to myself; it had just the right amount of flavours that kept me wanting more and more. 

Of course no meal is complete without dessert and of course we couldn't go pass the Churros Condesa (Spiced Mexican doughnuts, cajeta caramel, strawberry mayan melted chocolate - $15) to share. It completed our Mexican meal for sure. The carmel sauce was delicious and one that I could have just drank on its own. It wasn't too sweet but yet just right and creamy; it was a nice change to having salted caramel. 

Was so excited to eat these that I forgot to get a photo before….

The atmosphere of this little cute restaurant is fun and the service is good. Also the prices were reasonable. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone wanting a Mexican feast and it's somewhere that I would come back to for sure. If you haven't tried this place, please do check it out. They also have a great list of Tequilas and Mexican beers and wines available.

Jo xo

Playa Takeria
132 Darlinghurst Rd,
Darlinghurst NSW 2010.

Emads...Lebanese Restaurant, Surry Hills

With our hectic schedules the girls and I finally found a night to catch up over some amazing Lebanese food. We met at Emads Lebanese Restaurant in Surry Hills. It was on Monday night and like most places, it was quieter than usual but that was a bonus for us, it meant that we had a lovely section of the restaurant where we could chat, laugh and be loud. 

This was the first time for me to Emads. They have been around for many years and have always had a great reputation but in the last year they have changed management. 

Seating are adorned with beautiful cushions.

Although the management has changed, the food and staff hasn't. Great news for us! The food and service was impeccable. A couple friends, who are Lebanese, commented that the food reminded them of the food that their mothers made; a honour any restaurant would want. Beautiful home cooked food just down the road for me - lucky!

Lebanese cuisine is a favorite of mine so to have one that tastes like eating at a friend's place is a bonus for me. Obviously, we ordered the banquet to share; it's the only way to eat as it means that you get to try everything. The starters came out consisted of falafel, vine leaves, stuffed cabbage rolls, various meat and vegetable pastries, babaganoush, hummus, tabouli and Lebanese bread. Oh, the hummus! One of the most amazing hummus I've had in a long time; it was smooth and delicious and I seriously couldn't get enough of it {I cheekily order another plate}. 

We are girls who can seriously eat and won't apologise for it. I would have to admit that we pretty much inhaled the starters like we hadn't eaten for a week. Then came the meat feast; grilled chicken, grilled lamb, beef kofta's, and more hummus {yes, I believe I can live off this dip for the rest of my life}. 

The food was beautifully cooked, so tender and juicy with every mouthful. We were getting full but at the same time, just couldn't stop. Everything is made from scratch and it shows through the taste; so yummy and amazing. 

Then as we undid our jeans button and belts, chatted and laugh, our coffees and dessert of baklava and Turkish delight came out to truly finish off the tasty meal. 

I totally recommend Emads if you haven't been. On Friday and Saturday nights they have the traditional belly dancers and the awesome thing is that Emads is BYO - bonus! I'll be back for sure. Thank you for the amazing food!

Jo xo 

Emads Lebanese Restaurant
298 Cleveland Street,
Surry Hills NSW 2010