100% Fresh Wagyu Burger @ Astons Specialities

Since that unforgettable burger experience at De Burg, i have been yearning for another bite of that huge ass burger that screams of nothing but just awesome goodness!

Well, that has made me more willing to try burgers instead of steaks in western restaurants. And who can resist a poster that indicates a thick, juicy patty, a boldly worded "100% Fresh Wagyu Burger" at a promotional price of only S$9.90!

I could not resist such marketing gimmick and therefore chose this wagyu burger instead of my usual medium-done new york strip in Astons Specialities.

The top bun gave the disappointing impression that i will definitely ingest much more bread than meat for this meal! At least it gave a comforting warmness - a rarity amongst the burgers i had before.

Ahh.. this looked much better! Fresh, brightly coloured vegetables may be well liked by many but for me, they were too raw. Stir-frying them (with onions) should result in a more palatable bite that can well complement the grilled wagyu patty.

Circumference wise, it was pretty big but the bun was way too big for the patty! Bad proportion that is a food mistake right from the start!

The wagyu beef patty was indeed thicker and juicer when compared to a Macdonald's burger.

However, the taste didn't live up to my expectation! Even a whopper from Burger King contains more surprises than this. Sad reality, since i have always been impressed with Astons Specialities offerings.

I should have remained loyal to my steak.

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Location

604 Sembawang Road

Sembawang Shopping Centre

#03-14 Singapore 758459

Tel : 6753 6302

Operating Hours

11.30am -10pm

(open daily)

Sci-Fi City Zone (Battlestar Galactica) @ Universal Studios Singapore (USS)

Sci-Fi City is the place where excitement begins in Universal Studios Singapore!

Yes people, it's the very venue of the tallest dueling roller coasters in the world at 42.5 meters, named as Battlestar Galactica!

Before we start the battle, training is necessary at the Accelerator! The dizzying round and round rotation is guaranteed to induce stomach churning at some point. Well, at least for me. I suck at such rides..

Each zone has its own mascots (for example, Charlie Chaplin in New York Zone) although i have no idea what these are. Some freaky offspring between humans and machines?

At least i can identify this! An insect mutant! By the way, i would love to try out that pair of springy hooves! Not the gaudy attire though since the hot weather can effectively kill me!

Let's now begin with the battle! Firstly, a panoramic view just to give you a rough idea on the length of the roller coasters.

Next, let's focus on its height, which doesn't look that high to me. The tallest rollers coaster in the world stands at 139 meters! You wimps (for example: me) are still complaining about this shortie here at only 42.5 meters?!

Many people are not sure what duelling roller coasters mean. See the red track and the blue track? The battle of the galaxy is between two competitive groups with each one taking charge of one track.

Cylon, known as the blue track, belongs to the robots. The technological advanced race features an inverted track filled with corkscrews, cobra roll and 360 degrees turn. Human, termed as the red track, is much tamer albeit with a stronger G-force.

Starting at exactly the same time, the two tracks meet each other at quite a few intervals. Weirdly, i didn't notice the other track while screaming my lungs off along the scary blue one.

The robots' track is definitely more thrilling (with heart stopping moments) except that when you are only starting to enjoy it, the ride is over! Damn, can't they make this track a compulsory 20 minutes ride???

Safety nets are more for the protection of those walking on the grounds and not so much for retrieval of your personal belongings like coins, sandals, wallets and even handphones falling out of your pockets. To make it worse, if your mobile (for example) drops out, bounces off the net and hits a tourist, you are liable for compensation!!!

Signs showing the waiting times are really helpful for good planning. The theme park isn't very big so running is not so much a problem in order to catch a ride with a mere 5 minutes wait!

Typically, i feel that exciting rides are not as crowded (hence, a lesser waiting time) after 3pm. My friends patiently waited for more than an hour in the morning to take the duelling roller coasters!   

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For my first post (Hollywood Zone), please click HERE.

For my second post (New York Zone), please click HERE.

Meat Skewers (Yakitori) @ Tori Q

I think i mentioned before that in the arena of Japanese cuisine, teriyaki chicken was the first dish i had. However, that was during the infancy stage of Japanese food and not many economical choices for this cuisine were available then.

Until the arrival of Tori Q in year 2000, i have never known that i had been eating crappy Japanese food all the while (note: my family economic condition wasn't good back then).

The smell of barbequed meat was so irresistible and the beautiful display of meat peppered with burnt bits on skewers was absolutely more than sufficient to attract my attention.

Even though my taste buds are luckier nowadays with some experiences in more pricey Japanese outlets, i would occasionally still visit Tori Q and get their combo set.

At S$5.40, this combo set B has a stick of chicken balls, 2 sticks of chicken and 1 stick of chicken with green pepper)! It's not cheap for some of us (definitely not for me back then) but it's still a meaty galore well worthy for that price!

Teriyaki sauce drenched the pearly rice with thin pieces of cut seaweed - i would have loved to eliminate the carbohydrates and enjoy just the meat protein. This action is not adopted actively as it would spike up my cholesterol level and incur more costs (since i would have to eat another main meal)!!

Given a choice, i would have taken 4 sticks of chicken with Japanese rice. The essence rests in the moist and tender chicken meat that exudes an appetising aroma. And the layer of fatty skin was slightly burnt with a gentle crisp to them! Sinfully delicious!!

That said, it's not bad to have variety in a meal. The chicken meat balls are popular amongst ladies (no presents for the reason why) although it's my least favourite.

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Location

Look above! Many branches are available all over Singapore.

Okay, maybe not many. According to the Tori Q box, the reason is that quality comes first!!! Unlike many food kiosks, franchise is not part of their business strategy!

Total Destruction (Three Stars) for Saint Patrick's Day @ Angry Birds Seasons

The long gone addiction with Angry Birds has begun once again...

No thanks to Mrs Diane Lai who passed me her iPhone to complete a difficult level she has problem with, in the new Saint Patrick's Day of Angry Birds Seasons! Damn, i didn't even know there's an update!

Being Asian, i admit the significance of St Patrick's Day is totally lost on me! I only remember tall gentleman hats and that green is the "in" colour with the arrival of this Irish holiday on 17 March every year.

Within a day after updating the iPhone app, i have painfully completed all the levels, sacrificing much needed sleep! Technology isn't necessarily a good thing..

Well, completion of the levels is nothing to scream of.

The competitive streak within Cavin can only be satisfied with the attainment of three stars for total destruction!

The unlocking of the special level: reserved only for those who are 'diligent' enough.

For those (with reference to Ms Hannah Lim) who are satisfied with the free trial - please pay for the full version!

The US$0.99 is really worth it with updates (new festivals, new levels) every few months! Well, worth is subjective since it comes at the expense of your sleep, family time, and in my case, blogging time!

Did i mention i have just purchased Angry Birds Rio?

New York Zone @ Universal Studios Singapore (USS)

The New York area in Universal Studios Singapore is quite similar to Hollywood although the buildings are more dated and gave the impression of the pre-war mafia era.

Fake Marilyn Monroe is available for some intimate photo-taking. No lifting of skirts!!! If given a choice, i will prefer to take pictures with cartoon characters instead of real life celebrities who are supposed to be dead!

I wonder if there are actual functioning rooms behind the windows and doors. Is there a staff room or is it purely a beautiful facade with a tiny empty space behind it? Maybe i should consider working in Universal Studios to get my answers!

Vehicles like this are so common in this theme park! Driving is impossible for obvious reasons although it would be nice (and definitely more authentic) to see them moving on the road.

Any building with such architecture reminds me of Singapore's old Supreme Court. It's in fact a replica of New York Public Library and comes with the iconic stone lions. Was it the same library featured in the movie The Day After Tomorrow?

A close up of the lion.

Featuring landmarks from the Big Apple, the subway is indeed indispensable for this zone! There are even the classical but noisy iron wrought gates barring visitors from entering!

No great loss since it's just an empty space. I was expecting something more - like a 3D painting on the floor that shows cascading steps.

The restaurant that we settled our lunch at. As usual, be prepared for a food post on Loui's NY Pizza Parlour!

Don't you love the messiness in New York? Each building is connected to one another yet disorganised in terms of design and decor!

Initially i was quite lost on what to do in Universal Studios! After seeing many people scrambling into a building, we followed suit to find that it's a show named "Lights! Camera! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg"

This queue shall be made available once there are too many people queuing up to watch the show. This is good planning as no visitor would want to wait up to an hour under the hot sun.

Warning sign with a scene marker design. Appropriate indeed as this attraction features special effects in movies. By the way, this is the only attraction in New York zone at the moment. The other one "Stage 28" is still under construction.

Scene: A warehouse setting with the New York skyline right in front of you. How real can the special effects be for a scenario of a major hurricane hitting NY?

It's freaking realistic! The rise of water level, the howling wind, the lightning that struck the boat, the burning fire, the rattling windows, the explosion, the falling machinery and the grounded ship! I am god-damn impressed! Wish the show can be longer though.

There's a section within this zone that gave the impression it was not accessible. The back alley looked interesting but at the same time, there was not a single soul - even though the main street was teeming with people.

I was desperately hoping for an air-conditioned rest area that wasn't crowded. The best i can find is this ice company and it's not even in operation! Bloody...

This authentic-looking wharf section is a fantastic place to take pictures without the need to jostle with over-enthusiastic visitors that miraculously managed to appear (their hands, their hands, their bags and their legs) in every photograph.

Peacefulness aside while at the wharf, you can also catch a panoramic view that shows half of USS. I thought theme parks are supposed to be huge?!

Far Far Away Castle! I want to go there to take a picture with Puss!!!

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For my first post (Hollywood Zone), please click HERE.