There are many kinds of experience that people look out for when choosing a hotel for staycation. For the shoppers who cannot do without their retail therapy, hotels along Orchard Road and the Marina Bay area are your best bets. But for a staycation in a relaxing and quiet environment, yet still not too far away from the city, the new PARKROYAL on Pickering Street provides an impeccable experience that leaves you feeling rejuvenated.
Located at the Northern tip of the city, Gyeongbokgung is probably the most famous royal palace in Seoul. For first-timers to the city, a visit to the magnificent Gyeongbokgung is one of the things that you must do in Seoul. Here are some postcards from Gyeongbokgung Palace to give you a pictorial tour.
Being a third culture kid and having lived in several different countries, Jakarta is still always home to me. The vibrancy of the city itself with an increasing myriad of up-scale restaurants, cafes and polished bars just make Jakarta that much better place to live in. I have included a diverse list of some of my favorite places in the city that have the best cuisines, ambience and views to hang out at.
Here is our guide on Where to eat in Jakarta.
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Updated on 27 Apr 2014: LÈ Restaurant is no longer in operations.
Regulars will know that I am a huge fan of Paradise Group. It is really inspiring to see how a small Chinese seafood restaurant at Defu Lane has evolved and expanded to a restaurant empire within such a short span of time.
LÈ Restaurant & Bar at Suntec City is Paradise Group’s latest venture – and its biggest project till date, spanning over 10,000 square feet – consisting of a trendy bar, contemporary restaurant which faces the open kitchen, and eight classy private dining rooms. LÈ offers a complete dining experience where you can indulge in pre-dinner cocktails and tapas, before having a delectable dinner at the restaurant. After the meal, relax at the lounge over post-dinner digestifs till late.
If I were to sum up LÈ Restaurant & Bar in a paragraph, it would be this: polished and well-furnished interior decorations; attentive and genuine service from the eloquent and smartly-dressed staff; unconventional and ingeniously concocted cocktails at the swanky bar and lounge; tantalising modern and refined Chinese cuisine; stylish and sensuous music and lighting – LÈ takes pride in delivering even the tiniest details for an immaculate experience. It is very sexy and it makes you feel alive.
Here are some of the highlights of some of the signature dishes at LÈ Restaurant & Bar.
Seoul is a very fascinating city with many things to do. In the day, you can go sight-seeing at palaces, visit one of the many museums, drop by N Seoul Tower for a glimpse of the city, or cafe-hop at hip areas like Garosu-gil, and Samcheong-dong. And at night, Hongdae – an area near the Hongik University known for its urban arts and indie music culture, clubs and entertainment – comes alive.
Other places like Itaewon and Gangnam have plenty of bars and clubs where party-goers can drink and dance and merry-make like there is no tomorrow. And of course, the midnight shopping at Dongdaenum Market. Seoul is truly a city that never sleeps. Here are 10 Things to do in Seoul.
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As the annual RWS Food Affair is nearing (14 to 22 September 2013), the excitement builds up and everyone is looking forward to a week of feasting. Last weekend, a group of 25 readers and friends joined me at Resorts World Sentosa for a preview of some of the exclusive menus by the celebrity chefs, and it was a fulfilling day spent over good food and company at the dining destination of Singapore – Resorts World Sentosa.
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen a few posts of the tantalising dishes we had. Check out the hash tag #rwsfoodaffair and you will see everyone else’s posts too. For more details about the RWS Food Affair, log on to www.rwsentosa.com/rwsfoodaffair.
We started off with a 3-course lunch at Tangerine; a cosy spa cafe nestled in the tranquil ESPA. Helmed by Chef Sam Leong, Tangerine boasts a healthy menu that emphasises a lot on eating whole foods with maximum nutrition without compromising on flavours and aesthetics. We had the honour to have had Chef Sam Leong himself and Chef Forest Leong – his wife and Consultant Chef at Tangerine – introduce the menu of the day to us all. With Chef Forest Leong being a Thai, we learned more about her choices of inculcating Thai flavours to the dishes at Tangerine. And with that, everyone was filled with anticipation for a great lunch ahead.
Also, read more to find out about the 5-course dinner menu – a combination of Forest, Osia, and Executive Pastry Chef Kenny Kong’s RWS Food Affair menus served during the 9 days - that we had at Forest.
Menya Musashi is one of the most popular ramen shops in Japan, and when they first opened in Singapore, there was a lot of hype and the wait during meal times was easily at least an hour. Nowadays, the queue is not as crazy as before, and it is also partly because Menya Musashi has five outlets around the island.
After a hard day of work, sometimes what you really need is not a round of drinks at a noisy pub. Instead, you would be craving for a home-style dinner with your favourite comfort food. For those of you living in the Bukit Timah area, it is time to check out Ga Ya Geum, a Korean family restaurant tucked away in the basement of Bukit Timah Shopping Centre.