THE MERCATO CENTRALE CHRONICLES DAY 3 & 4: FRIENDS AND FAMILY!

His name is "Enzo".. ENsymada & ChoriZO..

    I'm not a night person at all. I don't go out very much at night, and i'm notoriously "antukin". When the clock strikes around 10pm, I begin to yawn like crazy and start spacing out. So as you can imagine, I've never been to any of those "Super Clubs" that people seem to be crazy over nowadays. In fact, if you ask me of what my idea of "Going out at night" would be, The first thing I'd tell you is "Midnight Mercato".

     I haven't been to the night version Mercato Centrale just yet, but I intend to soon. But truth be told, I'm enjoying the morning market a little bit too much, so I don't feel the urgency to go to the midnight version just yet. 

    Rina and I try to go to Mercato Centrale at least once a month, and every time we do,we try to make it an event with friends and family.. Cuz lets face it, with the amazing choices of food, how can you NOT enjoy?

SINGAPORE DAY 3: THE GRAND FINALE AT IKEA!

THE PICKIEST EATER IN THE WORLD AND THE IKEA GRANDE FINALE from richiez168 on Vimeo.

          For our "Last Supper" in Singapore, I scheduled a visit to Ikea. Rina and Chaikka were both eager to check out the awesome furniture they had, but I could care less about their lamps, sofas, and what not. I was there for one thing, and one thing only: The Swedish Meatballs. Little did I know that, with the help of my friend Nina,  I would discover another dessert that I would add to the Best Thing Ever List!

SINGAPORE DAY 3: THE PHANTOM OF THE FOOD OPERA

Constipation is not fun. (kidding)

        After getting rained out in Sentosa, we took a Shuttle bus from the Imbiah Station to take the token trip to Orchard Road. Just like Sentosa, I honestly don't get the big deal about Orchard Road, and why it's a "must see for every tourist". Then again, it could be the bitterness of my wallet talking. I mean, it's got all these High End shops and all, but nothing anything you can't find in Greenbelt 5. (Sorry Fashionistas of the world, but I'm totally clueless about these things, so I mean no offense.)

       As you saw in my Sentosa post, i took pix with almost every statue I could find in Resorts world.. So maybe I shouldn't be one to judge when I saw people taking pictures in front of a Dolce and Gabbana or a Louis Vuitton. 

    To me however, the true awesomeness of Orchard Road is not found on the surface, but four levels below the famed street. At Basement Four of Ion Orchard Mall, is a gastronomic paradise that every food lover should not miss.. Food Opera. 

SINGAPORE DAY 3: THE DEFAULT TRIP TO SENTOSA

Whenever I take a picture with Rina, I always hold her tummy, 

just so our baby knows that he/she is included in the picture.

        When you ask someone about the places to go to in Singapore, it's very likely that he or she would tell you that a trip to the Lion City would not be complete without going to Sentosa. That was the logic of Rina and Chaikka when we set our trek there for Day Three. Considering Sentosa is dubbed as "Asia's favorite Playground", so you can imagine our excitement when I was planning the things that we could do there.

          But looking at the park map that I got from the hotel, and studying the attractions, I was starting to think that Sentosa wouldn't be as fun as I thought It would be, especially since we had just come from the awesomeness of Universal Studios.

        I did bring up that concern to the girls, but they were steadfast in their decision to go to Sentosa. They did have a valid point though.. Everyone they asked said they should go to Sentosa, and how often will they be in Singapore, so why not make the most of the chance. 

      Outnumbered, I just went along for the ride, hoping for the best. 

    Now, I've never been one to say "I told you so!", but... Rina and Chaikka?  If you both are reading this..

   I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!

SINGAPORE DAY 3: ON TOP OF THE WORLD, IN THE SINGAPORE FLYER!

THE PICKIEST EATER GOES TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD! 

from richiez168 on Vimeo.

          I'm afraid of heights. I think that's why God didn't make me tall. Wait, I take that back. I'm not afraid of heights, per se. I'm afraid of Ferris Wheels. Strange, no? So what exactly would possess me to take a ride on The Singapore Flyer, the tallest Ferris Wheel in the entire world? Well, the girls said they wanted to do it, so I had to man up or be left behind. Besides, the ticket was a package deal with our Duck Tour, so I'd be wasting money if I skipped it.

            And I'm glad I did, because the view of the city was absolutely breathtaking, that every tourist should not miss!        

SINGAPORE DAY 2: ONE NIGHT AT MAKANSUTRA GLUTTONS BAY

"Glutton's Bay" could very well have been my birthplace.

          I was so sleepy during our Duck Tour drive around the city, that I can safely say that I can't really remember a lot of the things our tour guide said. I can't recall the story of the war memorial, nor do I remember the name of the tallest hotel in Singapore. But what was clear as day, was that he said, "Food Lovers, you can't leave Singapore without going to Makansutra."


        Just like Food Republic, Makansutra was among the many recommendations that my friends suggested to me when i asked for place to eat in Singapore. According to our guide, Makansutra is a popular food center that features a collection of the best "Hawkers" in the country. He had me at "Food Center'.

       This post marks the first time I'm going to be doing a "Video Review". I'm a bit new to this sort of thing so you're going to have to forgive me if it's not any good hehe.. See the video here:

THE PICKIEST EATER VISITS MAKANSUTRA SINGAPORE! 

from richiez168 on Vimeo.

SINGAPORE DAY 2: OUR AMAZING DAY AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS SENTOSA!

             As I mentioned in my first Singapore Post, our whole point in going to Singapore was to be able to go to Universal Studios. I think we went at just the perfect time too, because had we gone a couple of months earlier, a lot of the rides would not have been opened yet. If anyone has plans on going to Universal Studios in Singapore, I strongly suggest you head off to their official website and purchase your tickets online. Also, I even more strongly suggest that you avail of the "Express Pass", which allows you a separate lane, away from the peons-err.. I mean, from the other guests of the park. Long story short, If you have an Express Pass, you go to the front of the line. 

         Buying the ticket online cost me SGD$66 + Express pass SGD$30 = SGD$96 or PHP 3,296.79 each. 

         Kinda steep for one day at a theme park, don't ya think (Times two for me cuz i treated Rina)? But the moment you get on that monorail to Sentosa Island, and you see the entrance to Resorts World, The question of "Is it worth it?" suddenly rings into your head one more time. The look of excitement on Rina's face helped answer the question for me. 

        Abso-friggin-lutely.

SINGAPORE DAY 1: MY FIRST TIME AT A VICTORIA (FOOD) COURT

Instead of "Shhhh".. the girl in their logo goes "Buurrrrpp..."

        After our Night Safari trip, we got home at around 10:30 pm. Rina, Chaikka and I were totally exhausted, but starving at the same time. In the end, our hunger prevailed (As it usually does) and we decided to shake off the fatigue and trek down the mean streets of Geylang for some thing to eat. 

     In my opinion though, the so-called "Mean Streets of Geylang", looks closer to Makati's Legazpi Village than it does to Tondo, which was my first perception of it when I was told that I would be staying in Singapore's "Red Light District". I imagine any gangs that would come our way would look more "Sharks and Jets" from "West Side Story" than they would "Blood" and "Crips", but that's just me. 

     Throughout my entire stay there, we were never even approached by a street urchin (in fact I never even saw one) or pimp or prostitute (wait, should I be insulted? Do I not look rich even for them!?). 

      Before we left the hotel, I asked our hotel receptionist for her opinion on where to eat, and she said, at this hour, our best options would to walk out the street and to pick from the places we're open. I said the only thing I wanted to be sure of, was the place was clean. She said with a smile, that should be the least of our concerns, because Singapore has a very strict health code or something, which was good to hear. 

     Practically everyone who had given me advice about Singapore before my trip, told me that you can basically choose any restaurant on the street, and expect an awesome experience. I had no doubt in my mind that the food would be good, but I'm just a bit finicky with cleanliness. I'll be honest with you - when people told me to go to the Hawker places of Singapore, images of  rat infested local carenderias entered my mind. But our Filipina receptionist even assured me, "It's cleaner than the food  courts of SM".

     So there we were, walking down the streets of Geylang, watching guys oogle middle aged women in low cut blouses, but running away the moment the girl makes eye contact with them, when I saw a sign that caught my attention. Perhaps there was an air of familiarity with the name that intrigued me.. 

        Victoria Food Court.

WILLING WILLIE & THE NOT SO WILLING JAN-JAN

          I rarely go off the topic of food and travel, but this time I just couldn't sit back and not say anything. As a soon to be father, the video of Willie Revillame and Jan-Jan, the little boy who was made to dance like a male stripper in front of the live studio audience was just too disgusting to be left alone. 

          If you don't know what I'm talking about, watch THIS VIDEO first.

             First of all, I want to go on record to say that I have never EVER thought Willie Revillame possessed any semblance of talent. Have you heard any of his songs? He can't sing for crap. Hell, I'll even go on record as to say that I sing better than him. As a comedian? He's an obnoxious boor whose humor revolves around either A) Insulting someone's physical appearance or B) involving jokes with hidden sexual innuendos. That pretty much is the extent of his comedic repertoire. Not to mention, he's an ego maniac. Every business he has, bears his name. From a production house, or a building, or a shopping mall.. everything is Wil this or something with "Wil" in it.

       But despite all that, I'm willing to put that all aside because the incident in the video had nothing to do with his (lack of) singing or comedic talents. It was Willie Revillame's lack of a single shred of human decency that has motivated me to write about him.

SINGAPORE DAY 1: JUNGLE FEVER AT THE NIGHT SAFARI SINGAPORE

The Pickiest Eater In The World At the Night Safari In Singapore 

from richiez168 on Vimeo.

         While we were waiting for our Duck Tour craft to arrive, the tour staff (comprised mostly of Filipinos by the way) suggested we check out the popular "Night Safari". Honestly, I'm really not into the whole "Zoo" thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm no animal activist or anything like that, but recently I've become more aware and more sensitive to their plight. My trip to Sun Weh was a real eye opener for me. Although I was sure that the conditions of the animals at the Night Safari were far better than the Animal Prison Camp of Sun Weh, I still thought twice about it. Of course any attempt at a protest was easily thwarted the moment my pregnant wife said, "Ah basta, I want to go!".  

      Word of advice to all you men out there- and I don't care how tough you think you are:

      Do NOT mess with a pregnant woman. 

     Please watch the video before you proceed.