Verandah Contemporary Asian Bistro @ Gardens by the Bay [Singapore]

Vanilla Bar & Cafe was closed on Sundays and without wanting to travel too far, i suddenly thought of this cafe i strolled past when i last visited Gardens by the Bay! 

The Verandah Contemporary Asian Bistro is conveniently located next to the Visitor Centre and serves both Asian and Western cuisines. As a local who doesn't see the point of paying rocket pricing for Asian fare, i shall only touch on "ang moh" food in this review.

Now, let's take a look at the decor and furnishing! Often evaluated with the same level of importance as the quality of food, i thought the ambience here was similar to the white and black colonial bungalows that we can find in some heritage estates, for example Sembawang.

More pictures of the comfortable and tranquil environment for your viewing pleasure. 

We were not seated at the side which was more heavily decorated. However, near to our table was a row of clocks which i initially assumed were the respective time of major cities in the world. Only upon a closer look did i realise they were not! The above timepiece would likely result in many Singaporean men nodding their heads in agreement.  

Cream of Mushroom

Although it was generously filled with real chunks of mushroom bits, the flavour turned out to be too bland for our liking! And the funny thing was that the bistro had already run out of soup and this was served from a fresh pot! Maybe it would be better to have the soup sitting a while longer. 

Truffle Fries

The crunchiness of the fries was welcomed by all of us, especially Alex who loved the light saltiness. I, on the other hand, felt that this was a great plate of fries yet disappointing for its lack of authenticity. Splash more of that delicious truffle oil please!

Beef Bourguignon Stew 

One word; marvellous! Those beef briskets were absolutely delightful in that pool of flavourful (but not overly strong) wine sauce! We finished the beef pretty fast and the remaining yummy sauce was then used as an alternate dip for the fries! 

 

Banana Waffles with Vanilla Ice Cream

Everything about this was perfect; the deliciousness of sliced bananas, lusciousness of gelato vanilla ice cream, the caramelised sweetness of the banana sauce! Except for one thing; how can the toasted batter have such soft, almost rubbery texture!?!?!?!?

Pot of Tea

With such nice bistro's atmosphere, of course we had to order a few pots of tea to spend our Sunday afternoon in a relaxing manner. Strong recommended the Lemon Ginger Mint~!!!

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Location

18, Marina Garden Drive,

#02-04, Gardens by the Bay

Opening Hours

Sundays to Thursdays - 11.30am to 8.30pm

Fridays to Saturdays - 11.30am to 9.00pm

Price

Cream of Mushroom - S$7.00

Truffle Fries - S$9.00

Beef Bourguignon Stew - S$18.60

Banana Waffles with Vanilla Ice Cream - S$12.80

Pot of Tea - S$6.00

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Menu

As above!

Agro Delight Tour - Part 1 [Vegetable, Watercress & Cactus Farms] @ Cameron Highland [Malaysia] by Titiwangsa Tours

I was adamant that i would not be signing up for the boring countryside tour this time to Cameron Highlands, after knowing there were a lot more tours to choose from! 

Therefore, we decided to sign up for the Agro Delight Tour offered by Titiwangsa Tours. Remember, i was with my parents and the last tour we had in Cameron Highlands was a bit too strenuous for their creaky bones and weak hearts. For those who are not too sure what i am talking about, click here. 

Anyway, the mini van for agro tour reached Rosa Passadena at around 2.30pm and proceeded to Equatorial Hotel, reaching at 3.00pm, to pick up another group.

Vegetable Farm

First stop - the place where we can see using our own eyes how vegetables are grown. Actually, that's what this tour is all about; agriculture which would likely be interesting and educational for city dwellers

For a semi urban man like myself who has been through kampong life, this was not an eye-opener although it was a pleasure to immerse myself in greenery under super cool weather.

This man, Mr Jason Cheung, was a superbly jovial man who didn't stop making us laugh at his jokes yet at the same, impart the farming knowledge to laymen like us. 

Due to the terrain, many vegetables were planted on hillsides and i, despite my fear of heights, have to challenge by climbing as high as i could to take this picture.

Another side of the farm which had a small corn plantation! I would say more about the incredibly famous Cameron Highlands corns later.

The father doing the same for the spectacular view! We would have climbed up higher if not for the muddy ground ahead of us. Since i only had one pair of shoes with me, i decided not to risk having to endure relentless nagging from my parents.

Checking out the vegetables in their natural form. For one, i didn't know cauliflower comes with leaves! The ones i saw in markets were just the white portion! 

Young strawberries! 

Fresh vegetables and fruits for sale here! Unlike those sold in other places in the highlands, you are assured that most of these vegetables and fruits were freshly farmed just a few meters away.

Dad taking photographs in the flower garden attached to the shop. He has not been touching cameras for a long time and i hope he rekindles his interest in the hobby he fervently pursued when he was younger. 

Don't these flowers look like mini Chinese lanterns?!

Jason took out an ear of corn, removed the soft husks, cut it up into smaller pieces and offered everyone of us. We were skeptical as it was raw and god could only imagine how tardy it could taste! 

It was freaking delicious and so juicy!! The taste was similar to Chinese chestnuts, albeit sweeter and without that awful residue. The lady boss highlighted that many sold in the nearby markets were actually imported from Ipoh but continued to be branded as Cameron Highlands' corns. Obviously, they were not as nice! 

Even though the price was a bit steep and it was a long way back home, we bought six ears for RM 20! To be honest, i regretted not buying more!!! 

Leaving for the next item on the itinerary. For those who wanted to try the Cameron Highlands corns may keep in mind the 188 Vegetable Farm (the location was quite near to Kea Farms; you could even walk from Equatorial Hotel).

Watercress Farm

The mini van trudged for less than a hundred meters before stopping and asking us to step out. We were like "ha"? That was hardly a ride and we could have just walked!

Nevertheless, we were pampered with a breathtaking sight of layered terrace farming. 

Ever been to the rose centre as part of the countryside tours? I remember climbing all the way up to the main signboard brandishing the words "Rose Centre". Once again, you can also check out the post here.

The group proceeding down the slope for a clearer picture of the watercress farm. 

A simple altar was installed, likely to protect the area from landslides which are extremely common in Cameron Highlands, so much so that tourism is badly affected whenever there is news of yet another landslide. 

Watercress ponds; although they appeared deep, the depth of each pond was just a few inches. Notice those dark green patches? It means they were nearing to being harvested. 

Would you eat your vegetables if you see snails and worms? You should as the existence of those "pests" only serves to remind us that pesticide was not used. 

Dad absolutely loves the scenery and asked me to take quite a few pictures of him, for him! 

Cactus Farm

I am not looking forward to cactus point; not because i am afraid of those spiky plants. Instead, i have seen so many of them in my trips to Cameron Highlands that they no longer fascinated me. 

Pictures of what you can get from the cactus farm. You are free to purchase although i understand there could be restrictions from AVA on importation of plants and seedlings. 

Dad again; he is quite a cam whore!! Hahaha, no lah, i was the one who persuaded him to be my "model" as it serves as good memories in the family's photo albums.

More Cameron Highland corns!! It was cheaper at 7 ears for RM 20. The taste was as exquisite and i had to resist really badly not to buy any! :(

Does this remind you of those paper cranes we used to fold for origami!? 

As the others were marveling at cacti of various shapes, sizes, length, width, height, i chose to indulge in herbal eggs! They could seriously do with a stronger herbal brew!

Even the buttered corn was not terribly good; by the way, the Cameron Highlands corns should be eaten raw!! You can choose to cook them but the exquisiteness would not be as apparent.

Typical of Cameron Highland's weather, the sky started pouring and our dear Jason performed what a good tour guide would always do; by ensuring the customers remain dry. 

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How to Book?

You may check out Titiwangsa Tours website at http://www.titiwangsatours.com. Booking can be done online and payment would be made after the tour has ended. The reason why i chose Titiwangsa this time was because they agreed to have a Mandarin speaking guide. 

Price

RM 65 per adult. There is more to the tour and you would find them in part 2, which should be published by the end of this week! I have too much backlog to clear! 

For Part 2 of the tour, click HERE.
For the last part of the tour, click HERE.