Amara Singapore Hotel near Tanjong Pagar MRT Station @ Singapore

We have not been offered free stays at Marina Bay Sands for quite a few months and the staycation bug bites deep and hard, especially when it's still not as easy to travel, compared to pre-pandemic times.

Hence, when a friend shared an incredibly good deal for Amara Singapore; it didn't take me long to book a room for mid January 2021. Price was key to my decision although I wouldn't discount the hotel's location which was near to Tanjong Pagar MRT station and close to many dining establishments, including hawker centres and restaurants.

100 AM was literally next door! For those unaware about this shopping centre, it has quite a wide range of Japanese eateries and hosted a pretty big branch of the popular Don Don Donki! 

Lobby of the hotel. Kind of reminded me of grand hotels in the past, where high ceilings, spacious lobbies and wooden themes were in. From outside, there was even a pair of Chinese stone lions! 

Section of modernity, with plush sofa chairs and even a baby grand piano.

Got our keycards! Check in timing should be at 3pm but as I have always recommended, it's good to arrive earlier and pray that a room is available. If not, you can always leave your luggage with the reception and go out for lunch before returning to check in.

Brightly lit corridor with a wide passage! 

Room

1314 - this deluxe room is the cheapest accommodation within the 5-star hotel but at 32 square meters, it's huge for Singapore's standard and definitely way more inviting than my last staycation at Hotel NuVe Urbane.

For me, I have always looked at hotel rooms as a place for me to sleep and I am honestly not picky so long it's moderately clean, and comes with air-conditioning and an attached toilet with shower facility. This room was fine for me but Alex took issue with the wooden smell and the generally dated furnishing. Oh well. 

Basic hotel amenities with mini fridge, in-room safe with iron, electric kettle etc. Nothing that particularly caught my attention as being interesting / out of the norm.

Maybe because I am too practical; things like chaise lounger don't really appeal to me. However, the same couldn't be said when it comes to Alex; he loves to relax in such chair, eats his snacks while watching the programs on television.

Window view - facing the public housing at Tanjong Pagar, including the Pinnacle＠Duxton, said to be the "world's tallest public residential buildings" at 156-meter tall. 

Wait, there's indeed something interesting about the room; the entrance to the attached bathroom which was slanted at about 45 degrees! Now, I am not too sure about the reasons but my suspicion told me it's likely feng shui related.

There was a bathtub! 

I can finally use my bath bombs! 

Toiletries with the hand soap coming from Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa. So much for exclusivity but why not for sharing of resources to reduce the carbon footprint. 

Separate shower! Personally, I dislike it whenever hotels do not separate bath and shower. Each serves different purpose and showering while standing in a bathtub is dangerous! Give me an option between bath and shower and I would gladly choose the latter. 

View of the swimming pool on the 6th floor.

Gym

The fitness center on the 6th floor was closed for maintenance on the days of our stay. From the above photo, it appeared spacious with sufficient equipment for my exercises. 

Garden

Outdoor pavilion before the swimming pool.

Cascading water features; it's all about the visuals for a relaxing stay but ask a true blue Singaporean, relaxation is likely to be in air-conditioned arenas on this hot and humid island. 

See the red arrow? That access was so inconspicuous that many would just ignore its existence and think it's just a access point reserved for hotel staff.

Wrong; it's an accessible path for hotel guests too!

Bordering the perimeter of the hotel, my curiosity was piqued and it's obvious I would check it out in case there are nice, little surprises along the way.

Pinnacle＠Duxton again! 

Given the apparent lack of utilization, the path was almost litter free although wooden railing would benefit from a new coat of paint. 

A small garden as we turned a corner. 

First thing that greeted us, however, was the towering, phallic shaped Oasia Hotel Downtown. It's a hotel in my list for potential staycations but with Singapore slowly opening up the country for tourists, I think prices would not be competitive enough to attract me to make a booking.

Random photo of a flower.

There was an exit sign but it was blocked by a chair and table, which could have infringed Singapore's fire code. I used the word "could" because by its strictest sense, it shouldn't be blocked for safety reason although table / chair could be easily moved away by able individuals. 

Decided to proceed along the path in case it was a loop.

Dead end. Those people working in the nearby buildings would likely be amused by ignorant hotel guests who stood there, not knowing if there's another way back. Guests like us.

Well, walking back was the only official option.

Swimming Pool

Here at the 1.25-meter deep pool; surrounded by palm trees, it gave a very nice, resort, oasis vibe. Bookings are supposedly required but I didn't have anyone checking if I have a booking when I was there. 

There's a benefit to making a booking; you get a pool towel from the hotel lobby. Once you are done, just deposit at the rattan basket at the unused pool bar. 

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In summary, I am quite satisfied with the hotel, especially when I just paid slightly less than S$100 for one night. Alex is pickier and was unhappy with two issues he faced. One, for a five-starred hotel, it should be the norm for a staff to be on standby to open the doors for the guests, which was almost non-existent at Amara Singapore.

Another incident happened when I was out for a jog. The tea room as above was supposedly open and Alex stood at the entrance for 10 minutes, waiting to be brought to a table. No one came. I was surprised actually because the tea room was next to the hotel reception and the last the hotel staff could do is to check with the dining establishment. That should be the basic level of customer service practiced by a five-star hotel.  

Address 

165 Tanjong Pagar Road, 

Singapore 088539

Map

As above.

Pricing

Deluxe Room - S$96.90

(promo price via trip.com)

Dopa Dopa Creamery - Artisanal Gelato along South Bridge Road (Near Boat Quay) [Singapore]

We decided to stroll back to our staycation hotel after a heavy yet satisfying meal at Aburiya as we figured the 1.6-kilometer walk would aid us to digest our dinner faster. Well, wrong decision for our stomach.

Fate brought us to Dopa Dopa Creamery. It just seemed so appropriate to have ice cream for dessert when our dinner was so rich in meat; problem was our bursting tummies! Compromise was made; no waffle, no cones, only ice cream! 

Thankfully, the creamery didn't have waffle, although croissant was offered as the carbohydrate companion for the ice cream. I was secretly pleased as croissant has a much lower appeal compared to waffles. 

Small premises with just four to five tables that can accommodate maybe about 24 customers. Quite easy to spot the creamery along South Bridge Road at night since the color theme was a noticeable bright yellow! 

Given the space, do note a  max 30-minute dine in during peak periods.

And please keep in mind payment would be cashless. 

With just eight flavors to choose from, I guess the operator is confident on what it has. For me, the reduced flavors also made it easier for us to make a decision! We got the double scoop, butter crumble and mandarin orange sorbet; a decision we absolutely didn't regret. 

Since we had so much meat earlier for dinner, the appetizing mandarin orange sorbet did a wonderful job in giving us an alternate sour sweetness punched with refreshing tanginess! Butter crumble might look like your plain, old vanilla ice cream, but it's more than that.

To the extent we ordered another scoop to go, with a biscuit cone! *faint* Anyway, butter crumble had speckles of the vanilla seeds and aside from a delicious, buttery flavor, it had cookie crumble mixed in for that extra yummy texture! Can't wait to return to try out the rest of the flavors! 

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Address 

29 South Bridge Rd, 

#01-01, Singapore 058665

Map

As above.

Operating Hours

Sundays to Thursdays - 12.00 pm to 10.00 pm

Fridays and Saturdays - 12.00 pm to 10.30 pm

Website

https://www.dopadopacreamery.com/

Pricing

Double Scoop - S$8.00

(Nett)

Aburiya - Japanese Wagyu Yakiniku @ Boat Quay [Singapore]

Alex isn't a beef person and generally isn't keen to join me whenever I am craving for steak. However, he did remember patronizing a yakiniku place once at Boat Quay and declared that in Singapore; that would be the only place where you can get him to eat beef. 

We found it; Aburiya! Interestingly, the signboard didn't appear to have changed even though his last visit was more than three years ago! Oh well, I am not complaining since he was more than willing to give me a treat, and we know how expensive steak can be.

The interior; typical Japanese style although I was glad I didn't have to sit cross legged on tatami mats. I did that once a long time ago and it was torturing after I stood up! 

Scan to order; don't bother scanning the QR code as it's specific to each dine-in group. Fret not if you would like to check out the menu before visiting; visit the website here.

Standard package with order of the yakiniku! Complimentary water, free wet wipes etc. The mug of beer was chargeable; S$5.00 only since it's still happy hour (6-9pm from Mondays to Thursdays).

This came free too; no idea what it was but tasted like a beef jerky. One that wasn't as tough yet full of juicy beefy flavor; great to have with my Asahi Super Dry beer! 

Charcoal grill was ready for the meat! You know how people always complain that their clothes smell after a BBQ meal? I have had my fair share of experience and among the many restaurants; Aburiya has easily the best smoke absorber! Shall share more soon. 

Wagyu Jo Karubi - I recalled having this at Yakiniku Go and decided to order one. To be honest, I am not that well versed in the different parts of beef but when it comes to grilling; my philosophy has always been the fattier / the more marbling the beef is, the more delicious it would be.

At S$16.00, each slice was worth S$4.00! Hence, I need to ensure it wasn't overcooked. As you can see from the second photograph, the vents surrounding the grille would suck up the smoke before it can escape! That's even better than the UFO smoke absorbers we see in mostly Korean bbq restaurants.

Lip smacking delicious! 

Wagyu Chunk Sirloin - at 200 grams, I was wondering how long this would take me to cook, and I bet there would be a much higher risk for me to burnt it. That would have been disastrous since this cost S$54.

Sauce dip consisting of soya sauce, yuzu kosho and wasabi. There were also a timer, steak fork and knife. I think the server did mention something about how many minutes per side but given I just had some beer; my hearing was severely compromised.

Nevertheless, let's attempt.

A waste of good meat; outside was a tad charred and inside was a bit too raw for Alex's liking. Still not too bad but it's a lesson learnt. 

Much better to slice up the second chunk first before throwing into the hot grille! Second attempt resulted in a way more even doneness that's medium well although karubi was still a notch higher on the taste ladder.

Kazoku Mori - the platter set that included wagyu short rib, wagyu loin, outside skirt, pork belly, pork cheek and sausage; a mix of beef and pork. 

Frankly, I kind of regretted ordering the platter. It may seem like a wonderful deal but there were just too much meat and with variety came preference; beef was definitely more preferable to pork and sausage just didn't impress.

 

Meal was still satisfactory and I bet we would be back to Aburiya, although our second time would likely focus on just their wagyu cuts, for which the restaurant is famous for. 

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Address

79 Boat Quay, 

Singapore 049867

Map

As above.

Website

https://www.aburiya.com.sg/aburiyaboatquay

Pricing

Wagyu Jo Karubi - S$16.00

Wagyu Chunk Sirloin - S$54.00

Kazoku Mori - S$50.00

Asahi Super Dry Beer - S$5.00 

(Subject to Service Charge and GST)

Shi Xiang Satay (适香沙爹) @ Chinatown Complex Food Centre [Singapore] #chinatowncomplexhawkercentre

I love eating food that was grilled over fire despite numerous claims of them being carcinogenic, and one of my favorites would be satay! 

Shi Xiang Satay is located at Chinatown Complex hawker centre but at a hidden corner that most diners wouldn't have walked to. Even for me, I checked out the section only because of some craft beer stalls, and chanced upon the satay stall which appeared popular with a tray of satay sticks on most tables! 

Ordered five of chicken, five of mutton and ten of pork! Noticing that I was shooting away with my DSLR when I made the order; the stall owner informed me that he purposely displayed the sticks as above for ease of segregation, and likely for a different 'picture".

Satay gravy was the thick kind with pineapple puree in it! Those who love this version swore that the added fruitiness brought the peanut based sauce to a higher level and made it seemed less guilty too for the people indulging in this local skewered meat. 

Chicken Satay - sorry, didn't have an closeup shot as the photographs I took turned out blurry.  Anyway, the meat was tender and full of smoked spices that set it apart from its competitors.

Mutton Satay - the meat's hard texture should have rendered this as a failure but with every chew in my mouth; the juicy flavor of its delicious, marinated meat would seep out and it was irresistible! 

Pork Satay - I was looking forward to this and while I did enjoy; it was more meat than fats and I have always preferred a higher fat / meat ratio, like the kind from Xu Zhong Xing at Chong Pang. I did check out with the boss and he said it's more to cater for an increasing customer base that is getting more health conscious. 

Twenty sticks, gone! To be honest, I think the marination was different from other satay competitors; it seemed like more spices were added to set their satay apart from their competitors. By the way, Alex declared this as the best satay stall! 

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Address

335 Smith Street, #02-079, 

Chinatown Complex Food Centre

Singapore 050335

Map 

As above.

Menu

As above.

Pricing

Chicken Satay - S$0.70 each

Mutton Satay - S$0.70 each

Pork Satay - S$0.70 each