Usher into the Lunar New Year with Pink Fish's "Pink of Health" Yu Sheng

We are ushering into the Lunar New Year in a couple of days. Pink Fish has launched their catch of the month - "Pink of Health" Yu Sheng made specially for the joyous occasion.

The star highlight of this plate is the abundance of fresh salmon cubes from Norway's Ice-cold Fjords, paired with golden salted egg fish crisps, orange peels, pickles, crackers, ginger slices, grated radish, carrots, garnished with sesame seeds and accompanied with plum sauce for a refreshing touch.

No need to fight over salmon slices, we truly enjoyed the generous serving of chunky salmon cubes, and the variety of different condiments on the plate that makes the plate so flavourful - a crunchy good time with a mix of sour and sweetness.

If you like to try out the "Pink of Health" Yu Sheng, do note that it is only available at Pink Fish from now till 9 February 2020! We had the medium portion and it is just nice for our family of four to have our prosperity toss aka lo hei (捞起)

It is also available in individual and family-sized portions and pricing is as follows:

Individual

Small - $10.90

Medium - $14.90

Large - $18.90

Family Size - $28.80

Tossing for a healthy and blessed year ahead. Huat Ah!

Our favourite salmon cubes and there is enough for all of us! 

Pink Fish offers fresh and tasteful salmon dishes and diners can pick from burgers, poke bowl, stew, salad & wrap. Add $4 to complete your meal with a soft drink and a side dish.

Here are our picks!

Juicy Texas BBQ Burger - $9.90 - Enjoyed the thick slab of Grilled Norwegian Salmon fish

More omega 3 boost with Healthy Japanese Poke (Price varies with size). We had the medium bowl at $14.90 and it is filled with goodness! Just look at those generous serving of salmon cubes seated atop the fluffy white rice, cucumber slices and edamame! 

Rich Caesar Salad with Parmesan and Croutons is our girl's favourite pick. Fresh, nutritious, refreshing and a rejuvenating bowl for everyone. We noted and applauding Pink Fish's love for the environment and serving their dishes in biodegradable bowls

You can pick a side dish and drink with a $4 top up. There are 4 sides to choose from namely soba noodles, broccoli and edamame salad, rice or quinoa. We had the soba noodles and salad.

Drink bar at the side for you to pick up your favourite drink. Hot beverage is available as well

Pink Fish is located at the basement level of Jewel Changi Airport. Seating is spacious and you get a view of the rain vortex as you dine.

Pink Fish Singapore is also the first outlet that is opened outside Norway and it is a lovely place to enjoy a value-for-money salmon delights. 

PINK FISH

Address: 78 Airport Boulevard, Jewel Changi Airport, B1-261, Singapore 819666

Website: http://www.pinkfish.sg

#FutureTogether Art Installations @ Gardens by the Bay

A beautiful start for Year 2020 as Gardens by the Bay presents #futuretogether - an immersive art exhibition featuring seven exhibits of digital art installations. Organised in support of the Singapore Bicentennial commemoration, it is jointly presented by Gardens by the Bay and GIC, with art by Japan's renowned teamLab.

The seven exhibits are span across both indoor and outdoor spaces of Bayfront Plaza which encompass three themes - Aspirations, Connectivity and Possibilities - that relate to how Singaporeans look forward to the futures as the bicentennial year comes to a close.

INDOOR EXHIBITS

(Theme: Possibilities)

Animals of Flowers, Symbiotic Lives

Located within Bayfront Pavilion, we entered into a realm of animals with flowers growing on their bodies which come and go. Touch the animals and the flower petals scatter... if you touch the animals too much, all the flowers will scatter and the animals will fade away (die).

Flowers grow and bloom on the animals' bodies and in time, the petals scatter, wither and die symbolizing the cycle of life and death.

Take a closer look and among the animals are those inhabiting Singapore - the Malayan tapir, Sambar deer, oriental pied hornbill, leopard cat, smooth-coated otter and the Malayan Sun bear which bloom with flowers including local orchids - Vanda Miss Joaquim and Arachnis Hookeriana.

Flowers Bloom in an Infinite Universe Inside a Teacup

Tea sampling and enjoyment has taken to a new level with EN TEA HOUSE. Make tea and witness the flowers bloom inside the teacup! Visitors can pick from two different flavours of tea - Hot Teh Tarik or Cold brew Green Tea with Yuzu. (Additional charge of SGD3 applies for Singapore residents and SGD7 for Standard rate)

Flowers continue to bloom as long as there are tea inside the teacup! Which is why we were so reluctant to finish our tea! Tea is a transformation liquid and the amount of tea in the cup will change the size of the tea surface which also change the size of the flower. Even if tea is spilled from the cup, flowers will also bloom in the spilt liquid!

This amazing work is rendered in real time by a computer program and not a pre-recorded video. The artwork is influenced by the viewers, where their actions causes change and transformation.

Play with your tea! 

Once you have your tea served, be mesmerized by the flowers blooming in the teacup! Lift/move your teacup away and the petals start to scatter and another flower start to bloom in the teacup! Each time, different type of flowers will bloom.

Enso - Gold Light

While waiting for my tea to be served, check out the stroke on the wall. This artwork depicts an Enso - Zen practice of drawing a circle in a single brush stroke. 

Reversible Rotation - Black in White

Spatial Calligraphy rotates in this space. 

Continuous Life and Death at the Now of Eternity II

Similar to the Animals of Flowers, as flowers bloom, in the course of time they will wither and die. The artwork becomes brighter with sunrise and darker as the sun sets. The flowers that bloom change throughout the year and hence it is not a pre-recorded image.

OUTDOOR EXHIBITS

(Theme: Aspirations)

Message Pillar - The Singapore Bicentennial

Send your well wishes for Singapore on the Message Pillar. As the messages are virtual, it can only be viewed through a smartphone app. To enjoy this unique experience, download the 'Message Pillar' app from App Store or Google Play. Direct your smartphone canera to the pole of the pillar and you will start to see message floating around the pillar. You can also enter your own messages and see it floating together with the posted messages to form a tree.

Flowers and People - Giant Lattice Mass, A Whole Year per Hour

The outdoor installations are best viewed at night. If you have time, check out this installation where flowers bloom and scatter on the giant lattice. A year of seasonal flowers will bloom over the course of an hour. Again, when people came close and move around, the flowers scatter.  When people approaced and reamin still, the flowers bloom more abundantly.

(Theme: Connectivity)

Autonomous Reasonating Life on the Water and Resonating Trees - Dragonfly Lake

Dragonfly Lake has 334 gigantic 'eggs' floating on its water. The ovoids of light shines brightly and then fade slowly, as if its breathing. The entire lake looks extremely gorgeous as we witness the changing lights.

Apart from the majority of ovoids in the waters, there are some on the boardwalk. As night falls, the ones floating in the water change colour as soon as the ovoids on the platform are pushed. So don't be shy and start pushing as the eggs won't crack!

#FUTURETOGETHER

Date: Dec 15, 2019 - Mar 15, 2020 

Address: Gardens by the Bay's Bayfront Plaza, 18 Marina Gardens Drive, Singapore

Outdoor Artworks

Hours: 19:00 - 24:00 every day, free of charge.

Indoor Artworks & EN TEA HOUSE 

Hours: 9:00 - 21:00 every day (Last Entry 20:30)

Admission

No admission charge to the indoor exhibits for Singapore residents. However, visitors must pre-book your time slow online at www.gardenbythebay.com.sg. 

If you like to try some magical tea, there is a fee of SGD$3, with all proceeds going to a good cause - the Gift of Gardens community outreach programme. It allows individuals without the means to do so to enjoy Gardens by the Bay for free.

Taiwan Trip Day 13 - Taipei (台北) | Elephant Mountain (象山)

13 December 2018

It was a rainy afternoon and our plans was to climb the Elephant Mountain (象山), well known for its panoramic spectacular view of Taipei and Taipei 101 from the top. We were a little hesitant if we should continue with our plans knowing the stairs will be slippery and we may not have a good view of Taipei 101 due to the rainy weather. Nevertheless, we decided to brave through the rain and take on the climb up.

From Xiangshan MRT Station, it is about 20 minutes walk to Elephant Mountain. Simply follow the direction signs and it will guide you to the foot of the trail.

Xiangshan is located in the Xinyi District of Taipei City and is 183 meters above sea level.

4:25pm - The start of my gruesome climb up! For someone who does not exercise (like myself), this is indeed a challenge for me. The continuous drizzling did not help too.

Though it was a steep climb up, the trail is made up of many small steps. 

Take your time and enjoy the scenery around. There are several lookout points where you can stop by and take some beautiful photos. Look out for the beautiful verse engraved on the rocks at the side of the trail and keep moving forth.

Signboards at the side with words of encouragement to keep you going. Almost reaching!! 加油!

If you are really feeling tired, take a seat on the uniquely designed 象山 bench.

I finally made it to the first viewing point of Taipei 101! Wasn't expecting the best view as it has been rainy. 

Was planning to count the number of steps to the top.. but I lost count eventually... Maybe 500 - 600 steps?

Almost there! So near yet so far....Hubby and the children have reached the top already. So I took a selfie to mark my effort for the climb. 

These gigantic rock boulders are the favourite spots for many where they will climb atop and take gorgeous selfie with Taipei 101 without any crowd to block the view. We did not attempt due to safety concerns as it was really slippery. Plus, Taipei 101 was barely in sight thanks to the thick clouds

5pm - It is my personal achievement to actually reach the viewing point in 35 minutes. The children took a much shorter time to race their way up. A good walk and we burnt some calories before our dinner.

A decent family photo with Taipei 101 (barely in sight) at the backdrop. 

Didn't have any luck that night due to the rainy and cloudy weather. Would love to attempt the climb again on better days. 

Taipei 101 continues to be 'showering' even after we made our climb down from Elephant Mountain.

Elephant Mountain (象山)

How to get there:
Take MRT (Red Line) to Xiangshan station (象山). Take Exit 2 and continue walking alongside the edge of the park. At the end of this road, take a left and follow until the entrance for Xiangshan Hiking Trail (象山登山步道). Total distance - 650 metres, which takes about 20 mins.

Entrance is Free!

Taiwan Trip Day 12 - Taipei (台北) | Chien-Yeh Hot Pot (千葉火鍋-西門店)

12 December 2018

Hotpot is definitely one of the best food you love to have in the colder months in Taipei. When we traveled to Taiwan last year, we chanced upon Chien-Yen Hot Pot at Ximending and decided to walk in and check out what it has to offer.

*Note: Only a few months after our visit, Chien-Yen Hot Pot at Zhonghua Road has closed and it has moved to a new address (Emei Street) and its located within Eslite 西門誠品 since May 2019. The photos below are taken from the old restaurant but has heard that new space has more to offer.

With the old pricing menu of NT499 (~SGD23), we got to enjoy Eat-all-you-can hotpot buffet with no time limitation. Each person has our individual hot pot and we can choose our preferred soup base from 9 different selections.

Chien-Yeh offers a wide spread of food selection at its counters. From salad, fruits, dessert, beverages, hot-fried food, cooked dishes, sushi, to all your favourite greens and meat for your shabu shabu. Honestly, even if I were to try every single dish once, my tummy will not be able to take it.

Vegetable Section

(Tomatoes, Cucumber, Beancurd sheet, Pumpkin, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Taro, Noodles and more!)

Assorted meat and seafood selection

(Assorted meatballs, Crabstick, Prawns, Duck Intestine, Octopus, Catfish, Clams, Chicken, Pork Belly, Beef and more!)

Fried dishes

Cooked food

Our individual hotpot to cook the food ingredients that we like.

Assorted pastries!

This is the first time I came across a restaurant that offers SO MANY different selection of beverages! Yes!! Unlimited supply of cakes and puddings (you can pick 2 each time and tell the staff which cake you like)

I was also dumbfounded by the choices of beverages! From juices, bottled drinks, soft drinks, canned drinks to alcoholic drinks!

They even have a lot more selection for ice-cream! From cone, cup to stick in different flavours.

After a heavy meal, fresh fruits is what we needed to settle our tummies.

Above is a video taken at Chien-Yeh (old address) back in Dec 2018. It has now moved to a new location in Ximending area with better furnishing and ambiance. Hope to visit next time we visit Taiwan.

Even if you are not in Taipei, Chien-Yeh also has many outlets across Taiwan, in Keelung, Taoyuan, Miaoli, Hsinchu, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Taitung as well.

Chien-Yeh Hot Pot (新千葉火鍋-西門店)

New Address: 7F, No. 52, Emei St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, 108 (西門誠品7F)

Website: http://chien-yen.com.tw/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cyhotpot/