Another visit to S.E.A Aquarium - Includes an Unsatisfactory View of the Dolphin Island @ Resort World Sentosa [Singapore]

It has only been four months and i am back once again to S.E.A aquarium! This time round, it's a family excursion including the female brat; Jovyn (brought her along simply because her entry is free). 

Oh! Before i forget, please note that this post would not talk much about the attractions (except for Dolphin Island) as much details have already been covered four months ago in this blog. For S.E.A aquarium, kindly click here. For Maritime Experiential Museum, click here. 

Bringing a toddler has its benefits. The adults have the appropriate excuse to monkey around like a kid as such childish antics would most likely be overlooked by the general public! 

And it's Jovyn we are talking about; she seldom has any problem melting the heart of strangers, so long she doesn't throw her loud, screaming tantrums. 

In order not to disturb other visitors in the Typhoon theatre, which would have resulted in her screaming throughout the twenty-minute show, i had to sacrifice myself by luring Jovyn away from her grandparents and my sister so that they can enjoy the extraordinary experience.

Dad loving the shipwreck aquarium upon exiting the typhoon theatre! 

Both my parents actually thought the shipwreck was real and i had to explain that it's not the case. In a REAL ocean, a shipwreck would typically take ten years to evolve into a thriving marine habitat. 

Jovyn was intrigued with the underwater world, as most kids are. 

Entering the S.E.A aquarium proper - for those who are still confused at the moment, entry to the Maritime Experiential Museum is included in the ticket price for S.E.A Aquarium. 

A clean-up was conducted on that day/time we were there. I am not very sure what that blue tube is although it did seem like a suction tube that operates in the way a vacuum cleaner does.

The parents weren't too interested in the cleaning exercise; they were in fact discussing among themselves which fish in the aquarium can be eaten. =_=!!!

Oops! I have to turn off the flash on my camera?!? Even though it can be an inconvenience, i am glad to know that signs have been put in place to remind photographers to turn off the flash. However, the notice was placed on some tanks and missing on others; so, is the rule across the board or not? 

A snapshot of Jovyn; no, i have no idea why she had such a shocked expression! 

Doubt she was captivated by the beauty of the tank; it may be a fish that bears some facial resemblance to a person she knows.

Cuttlefish! Man, i love dried cuttlefish; how can they be so delicious?! Oh dear, i am behaving just like my parents! Anyway, i always have a great craving for seafood after a visit to an aquarium.

Want to guess why there were so many people crowding the two viewing panels in the photograph?

Dolphin island exhibit with the highly controversial purchase of indo-pacific bottlenose dolphins! 

Many visitors were scrambling to catch the sight of those adorable dolphins but there were no such luck as the tanks housing the twenty four dolphins were said to be expansive.

Honestly, the view was quite disappointing despite the hype of them as a major exhibit. Nonetheless, it is already cruel to imprison wild dolphins for the purpose of this aquarium and to deny them the space would be inhumane!   

At this point, Jovyn was no longer running around. It was already past her nap time and in addition, there was something growling in her body.

The hunger monster! 

I would love to have this octopus for dinner! It would be good to have it as fresh sashimi but i would be as agreeable to have it grilled, deep fried or steamed. Given the size, it is possible to have it cooked using all the aforementioned methods in one go. 

Enchanting jellyfishes that never fail to take my breath away. 

After her full bottle of milk, energy level was up for Jovyn. I didn't have to do much chasing as there were two capable ladies around; my mom and my sister!

To serve as a reminder, S.E.A aquarium currently holds two titles of the world's largest - aquarium and the viewing panel in the above picture.

I absolutely love these grumpy looking fishes! They hardly moved and all of them weirdly faced the same direction; i can draw the reference to a highly disciplined army of soldiers! 

Another employee cleaning the tank. I should quickly take my PADI certificate and maybe work part time in S.E.A aquarium for that extra cash! 

Last exhibit - the Shark Seas.

Sadly, there is no Great White. I would love to take more pictures here but Jovyn was getting cranky; apparently, a full bottle of milk was insufficient!

Ending the post abruptly with the Shark Seas viewing panel right outside the aquarium! 

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A basic map of S.E.A aquarium. For a more detailed map (and more information on the world's largest aquarium), please visit my original post here. 

Instagram - Jumping on the bandwagon!

For the longest time, i have been resisting the clamouring from others to join alternative social media platforms other than the grandmaster of all; Facebook. 

The lack of time is always cited as the main reason and i am super uncomfortable about real-time updates, which can be peppered with emotions, moods that are not thoroughly thought through (this explains why i am not excited over Twitter).

Instagram, however, is different! A picture can say a thousand words and everyone is free to interpret it the way they want to, for better or for worse. I am not banking on having more food pictures (check out this blog if that's what you want); likely, you would see more snippets of my personal life via Instagram. 

So, follow me at http://instagram.com/cavinteo! 

Din Tai Fung [鼎泰豐] @ Resort World Sentosa [Singapore]

It wasn't until i downloaded the pictures from my camera that i realised that something was amiss with the Din Tai Fung outlet at Resort World Sentosa; has anyone actually noticed the smaller word 'baits' beside "din tai fung"?

I did an online search and the mystery is solved; baits was a concept that allowed diners to order across participating restaurants for a bigger variety of food selection. Sadly for the consumers, it failed to take off.

Whatever the case, it didn't bother me since my family was already very focused in their decision (a rare occasion) to patronise 'Din Tai Fung' that day for their badly missed signature xiaolongbao(s).

Oriental Salad

小菜

As always, we began the xiaolongbao meal with this traditional appetiser from Northern China that did a great job in exciting our senses and yet was only lightly flavoured with a special type of vinegar dressing.

Fried Rice with Eggs

蛋炒饭

Mom claimed she can whip a better plate of fried rice; a boastful remark i beg to differ! Having eaten mom's version countless times, i can confirm there hasn't been a single time when every single grain of her fried rice is deliciously and luxuriously coated with eggs, as in the case in Din Tai Fung!

Special Marinated Pork Chop

炸排骨

In the past, this would be highly sought after. However, recent entrants to Singapore food industry include many reputable ones hailing from Taiwan (where Din Tai Fung originates); bringing with them deep fried items using similar marination.

Despite using a tougher meat we know as pork, it was still a notch higher for its lighter batter and a cut that remained juicy without being overly oil-soaked. 

Steamed Chilli Crab & Pork Buns

螃蟹鲜肉包

That mouth watering thought of hot chilli crabs and warm mantou compelled me to order this. Not sure if pork would be a perfect companion but i am so willing to try this out. 

One word: okay. Nothing fanciful about them and i thought it would be best to leave chilli crabs and pork separately when it comes to buns. They just didn't taste exceptional when mixed together.

Steamed Yam Dumplings

芋泥小笼包

When it comes to dessert dumplings, my favourite has to be those with red bean fillings. Point is, my dad was with us that day and i am absolutely certain popping a red bean xiaolongbao in his mouth would trigger off his nagging mode. Hence, i went with the chef recommended yam based xiaolongbao! 

I was expecting something along the line of sinful Teochew yam paste, which is still considered a lesser evil compared to the sweeter red bean. Frankly, the yam flavour was too subtle for my taste buds and i thought i might have enjoyed the thin-skinned dumplings better if they were oilier.

Steamed Pork Dumplings

小笼包

Now the stars with their 18 intricate folds! 

Once again, i felt short-changed; milder seasoning (even for the meat broth), less oily and an overall reduction in satisfaction! The taste seemed to deviate a lot since the last time i had Din Tai Fung xiaolongbao. Either the former or that my taste buds had been bought over by the damn fantastic ones at Dragon-i at Kuala Lumpur. 

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Location

26 Sentosa Gateway, #01-217,

The Forum, Resort World Sentosa

Price

Oriental Salad - S$3.80

Fried Rice with Eggs - S$7.00

Special Marinated Pork Chop - S$8.00

Steamed Chilli Crab & Pork Buns (3s) - S$4.50

Steamed Yam Dumplings (10s) - S$8.80

Steamed Pork Dumplings (10s) - S$9.80

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Menu

Bet many of you are waiting for this! Click and save for a zoom-in view. 

Additional Information

My sister adored the lime lemongrass juice (香茅汁) whereas I, on the other hand, felt that the lime has contributed to a heavy dilution of the fragrant lemongrass. 

The same thing, two different opinions. You may try it at S$4.20 and let me know what you think. :) 

Discovery Touch Pool @ S.E.A Aquarium [Resort World Sentosa], Singapore

I visited S.E.A Aquarium again last Friday and this time, i am adamant i must have my way with the discovery touch pool; that's exactly how childish i can be at times although i always attribute it to a youngish heart.

Expectedly, it was crowded with loads of tourists and i waited for approximately ten minutes before reaching my turn to abuse fondle show my tender loving care for the absolutely loveable sea creatures. 

I wonder sometimes on the necessity to install an interactive touch pool for visitors; yes, it definitely has an educational value to it and i am sure the staff members on duty are doing their best to relay the information. However, humans are able to inflict considerable injury unknowingly when they are enthusiastic.

Public signs could only do so much! I feel so sorry for those poor animals in the water which would have to suffer much more in the hands of the homo sapiens, including mine. Hail the hypocrisy.

Enough of this animal activist's talk! The tiny pool contained only a limited number of sea creatures; unsurprising news given the space constraint.

Besides the giant knobbly sea stars, which weren't as gigantic as they should be, i was most taken in by the spongy pillow starfish.

Anyone can tell me what these are? Shark eggs! Readers who have read my post on the Underwater World in Sentosa might remember this piece of information. Next question, can anyone guess what species they belong to? 

Answer: bamboo sharks! By the way, bet you would notice the rock like creature next to the pup; not sure if i remember correctly but i thought it was called handshy crab, for obvious reasons. 

No, i didn't dare touch it (not the ray too). 

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Located within SEA Aquarium. For a more informative post on other zones within the world's largest aquarium, please click here. 

Fried Hokkien Mee @ Kopitiam in Northpoint [Yishun]

My younger sister apparently has a thing for hokkien mee and this is something i found out only recently when i offered to "ta bao" (as in takeaway) the famous bedok hokkien prawn mee!

Her preference lies in the above fried prawn mee stall located in a shopping centre very near our apartment; the Kopitiam in Northpoint which would take us less than ten minutes to walk to. 

I had the chance to try it out one weekday afternoon; At S$4.50 for the minimum serving, it was a huge portion even though i would be happier to see more beehoon or thick beehoon making up most of the carbohydrates.

Ingredients wise, the chef was definitely not stingy and i had the fortune of securing oily strips of pork belly in many, if not every, scoops! He was also very generous with the yummy eggs! However, the taste fell short of my expectation for an authentic plate of hokkien prawn mee; yes, it was flavourful yet that delicious savouriness came mainly from meat stock, not prawns! 

Whatever the case, the lack of authenticity didn't stop me from cleaning up the plate. Burrrrp.....

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Location

930, Yishun Avenue 2,

#B2-10, Northpoint (within Kopitiam)

Price 

Minimum S$4.50 a plate. 

Holders of the kopitiam card can get a further 10% discount which means we pay a pretty neat price for the hokkien mee in an air conditioned food court setting!