SINGAPORE: Singtel Hawker Heroes v. Gordon Ramsay: A Visit to the Hawker Heroes Challenge Winners

SINGAPORE: Singtel Hawker Heroes v. Gordon Ramsay: 

A Visit to the Hawker Heroes Challenge Winners

The Singtel Hawker Heroes Challenge is an event held last July 7, 2013, sponsored by Singtel where they invited Gordon Ramsay of Hell's Kitchen and MasterChef fame (and himself a 14 Michelin-starred chef) to compete with the top Hawker Heroes of Singapore.

The top 3 Hawker Heroes chosen for this challenge were Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken for their Hainanese Chicken Rice, 328 Katong Laksa for their Laksa, and Jumbo Seafood Restaurant for their Chili Crab.

Gordon Ramsay arrived 2 days before the challenge to get tips on how to cook the 3 dishes. On the day of the challenge, about a thousand diners sampled the dishes in the 3 categories and compared the Hawker heroes recipe with Gordon Ramsay's version of the hainanese chicken rice, laksa and chili crab. They voted by SMS and the winners were Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice and 328 Katong Laksa.

In my recent trip to Singapore, I decided to visit these two hawkers to rediscover the famous and authentic taste of Laksa and Hainanese Chicken Rice. I traveled to Singapore several times but my first taste of these two dishes were usually in nearby hawker stalls. I never got to taste it from the original hawkers that made these two dishes famous.

My tip: Visit the branches of 328 Katong Laksa and Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice at Joo Chiat Road. They are within walking distance from each other. So you save time doing this food tour.

Location:

View Larger Map


 A   328 Katong Laksa

Check out my post "My Guide to Visiting 328 Katong Laksa"

 B   Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice

Check out my post My Guide to Visiting Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice Restaurant"

SINGAPORE: My Short Guide on How to Tour Gardens by the Bay

SINGAPORE: My Short Guide on How to Tour Gardens by the Bay

IF YOU HAVE ONLY 1 HOUR: YOU CAN DO THE AUDIO TRAM TOUR OF THE OUTDOOR GARDENS

Cost of this itinerary: 7 SGD (5 SGD for adult tram tour ticket + 2 SGD for the roundtrip shuttle)

WHY DO THE AUDIO TRAM TOUR:

1. The audio tram tour will introduce you to the different areas of Gardens by the Bay and pinpoint the highlights of the place.

2. It's a short 18-minute tour so if you don't have a lot of time to explore Gardens by the bay, you can see the whole layout of the place and the highlights.

HOW TO DO THIS ITINERARY:

FIRST: Use the MRT and alight at Bayfront MRT Station.

SECOND: After alighting at the Bayfront MRT Station, walk towards the exit that goes towards Gardens by the Bay. When you reach the exit, walk towards your left towards the shuttle station to enter Gardens by the Bay.

After alighting from the MRT, this is the path going towards Gardens by the Bay. Either you climb up the stairs at the end of the path and to your left or take the lift. 

The lift from the Bayfront MRT station

THIRD: Take the Shuttle. Shuttle fee is SG$ 2.00 for 2 trips. Don't get off the 1st stop, which is the Conservatories Station. Get off at the 2nd stop which is the Visitor Center Station. Buy tickets to the Audio Tram Tour.

This is the path going towards the shuttle service. You turn left to reach the shuttle service station

My tips:  

1. It's best to take the shuttle rather than walk because of the heat and humidity in Singapore. 

2. You can only use the shuttle from 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM daily so make sure to visit the park around this time to make sure that the shuttle is available. 

3. Be prepared to walk to the entrance of Gardens by the Bay when a thunderstorm occurs. They stop the shuttle service when there's a thunderstorm

FOURTH: Do the 18-minute tram tour with commentary that will go around the outdoor gardens.

My tip: You can only do this tour from 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM on weekdays, and 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM on weekends, holidays and eve of holidays. So plan your trip accordingly and find out the Holidays in Singapore.

FIFTH: When you end the tram tour, ride the shuttle in the same area where you get off the tram tour to exit Gardens by the Bay. Since your shuttle fee is for 2 trips, you can use the second ride to get out of Gardens by the Bay. Then walk towards the entrance of the Bayfront MRT station and ride the MRT to your other destination.

Shuttle service station at the Visitor Center

Route of this itinerary:

This photo is taken from the Gardens by the Bay website
The purple lines show the route of the Tram Tour
Check out Gardens by the Bay map

IF YOU HAVE AT LEAST 4 HOURS: YOU CAN DO THE AUDIO TRAM TOUR AND SEE THE OUTDOOR GARDENS, THEN VISIT THE TWO COOLED CONSERVATORIES: THE CLOUD FOREST AND THE FLOWER GARDEN. 

Cost of this itinerary: 30 SGD (28 SGD for tickets for both the flower dome and cloud forest + 2 SGD for the roundtrip shuttle)

GET GARDENS BY THE BAY DISCOUNTED TICKETS HERE

HOW TO DO THIS ITINERARY:

DO THE FIRST TO FOURTH INSTRUCTION SHOWN ABOVE, THEN DO THE FOLLOWING:

FIFTH: When you end the tram tour, get off the Conservatories Station instead of the Visitor Center Station so you can visit the cooled conservatories.

SIXTH: Buy tickets for both the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome. Visit the Cloud Forest First. We spent 1 1/2 hours exploring the Cloud Forest

Why see the Cloud Forest: You see exotic plants that only thrive in high mountains. So if you don't plan to climb a mountain in the near future, this is the only opportunity you may have to see these plants and experience the plants' natural habitat. The Cloud Forest mimics the cold weather conditions of the high mountains

The man-made mountain where most of the plants were planted.

The path that people take to go around the mountain

The height that the path reaches

The fog shows how cold the Cloud forest is

SEVENTH: Enter the Flower Dome. We spent 30 minutes at the Flower Dome.

Why see the Flower Dome: To see exotic plants all over the world. This is the "zoo" version of flowers. 

EIGHTH: After exiting the Flower Dome, you can take the shuttle at the Conservatories Station to go to the Bayfront Shuttle Station, which is short walking distance to the Bayfront MRT station.

GET GARDENS BY THE BAY DISCOUNTED TICKETS HERE

Changi Airport Transportation for a Family of 6

Changi Airport Transportation for a Family of 6

Below are transportation options from Changi Airport to the city for a family of 6 or a group of 4 or more adults. Compare each to see what suits your situation based on cost or configuration of passengers.

7-seater Large Taxi / Maxicab

Fixed Fare: 

60 SGD for 7 persons

Maximum Number of Passengers Allowed

The maximum number of passengers allowed for a standard taxi in Singapore is as follows:

7 adults

6 adults + 1 child

4 adults + 3 children

4 adult + 4 children

3 adult + 6 children

2 adult + 7 children
1 adult + 9 children

Note: children are aged under 12 years old.

Source: Comfort Transportation and Citycab website

Where to find:

Arrivals hall ground transportation desk

Website: Changi airport ground transport desk

Advantages: 
1. Fare is fixed. 

2. Seven (7) adults can ride together in one vehicle. This is useful for those with young children in their group or senior citizens, where separating the group into 2 vehicles is not feasible.

3. Available 24 hours.

Disadvantage: 

More expensive than the other transportation options.

Taxi

Fare to Bencoleen Street: 

19.25 SGD per taxi

Checkout Singapore taxi fare calculator for your destination.

Maximum Number of Passengers Allowed

The maximum number of passengers allowed for a standard taxi in Singapore is as follows:

4 adults

3 adults + 2 children

2 adults + 3 children

1 adult + 4 children

6 children

Note: children are aged under 12 years old. Three children passengers below 12 years old is equivalent to 2 adults

Source: Comfort Transportation and Citycab website

Where to find:
The taxi stand is located just outside the Arrival Hall on Level 1 in Terminal 1 and at the end of the Arrival Hall on Level 1 in Terminal 2 (South Wing).

Advantage: 

1. Cheaper than the 7-seater maxicab. If you have more than 4 adults in your group, you can take 2 taxis and the fare will still be cheaper.

2. Available 24 hours.

Disadvantage: 

You need to separate your group if you have more than 4 adults in your group or more than the maximum capacity of the taxi shown above.

MRT

Fare: 
Tana Merah to Bras Basah:

2.20 SGD per person

Checkout SMRT Interactive Map and Train Fare Calculator

Where to find:

From arrival hall level 1, turn left to take the elevator to Level 2 for the Skytrain. Take the Skytrain from terminal 1 to terminal 2. Arrive at Terminal 2, Level 2. Proceed to the city train.

Sample trip from Tana Merah to Bras Basah:

Take the train from Changi airport to Tana Merah. From Tana Merah take the train to Joo Koon, get off at Paya Lebar. From Paya Lebar, take the train to Dhoby Gaut; get off at Bras Basah at Exit D going to Rendezvous Hotel beside Strand Hotel

Advantage: 

Cheapest compared to the taxi and maxicab. A little more expensive than the bus.

Disadvantage: 

1. You have to monitor the group at each in every stop or transfer to make sure everyone is with you. This is especially difficult if you have young children or senior citizens with you. 

2. You need to buy an ezlink card first to board the train.

3. Limited hours of service: First train is at 5:26 AM (Mon-Sat)/5:54 AM (Sun and public holidays. Last train is at 11:18 PM.

Bus

Fare: 

1.86 SGD per person (ezlink card), 2.40 SGD per person cash

Where to find:

At the Changi Airport basement bus bays of Terminals 1, 2, 3

Sample trip from the airport to Strand Hotel, Bencoolen Street

Take the bus from Changi airport bus terminal at the basement. Ride bus 36 and get off at SMU. Then walk 350 m. or about 4 minutes to Strand hotel

Advantage: 

1. Cheapest (if you use an ezlink card)
2. You ride only ONE bus to your destination, compared to the MRT where you transfer at different stations. 
3. If you're in a group, this may be a cheap way you can ride together to your destination, provided the bus is not filled up.

Disadvantage: 

1. The bus take longest to arrive at your destination. You have make around 22 stops from the airport to the city

2. You need to have exact fare because they do not give change.

3. Limited hours of service: First bus arrives at 6:00 AM. Last bus departs is at 12:00 MN

My tip if you decide to take the MRT or the bus:

Find out the walking distance from the last train stop or the last bus stop to your hotel. If you have teenaged kids, a 250 meter walk from the last train stop to the hotel while you have carry-on luggage is possible while a 550 meter walk from the last bus stop to the hotel entrance is too burdensome already so we decided to use the MRT.

Where to buy Dum Biryani and Murtabak at Tekka Market in Little India, Singapore

Where to buy Dum Biryani and Murtabak 

at Tekka Market in Little India, Singapore

If you're in Singapore and would like to eat Indian food, the best place to go to are the hawker stalls at Tekka Market. I love biryani and murtabak so obviously this is what we bought at Tekka Market. The stalls we recommend for you to visit for biryani and murtabak are Hanifa Briyani Specialist and Prata Man of Prata Saga Sambal Berlada. They are beside each other so they will not be hard to find. 

WHERE TO BUY DUM BIRYANI

Hanifa's Briyani Specialist

(Stall No. 01-256)

Open: 10am-10pm

Hanifa's Briyani Specialist has been awarded
the Presidential award for Fine Culinary Skill

We ordered Chicken dum briyani at SGD 4.50

What's the difference between biryani and dum biryani? In simple terms, biryani is rice cooked with spices. Dum biryani is rice cooked with spices and meat, which may be chicken or mutton.



WHERE TO BUY MURTABAK

Prata Saga Sambal Berlada

(Stall No. 01-256)

The Prata Man who cooked the murtabak
is seen at the lower right portion of the photo

The Prata Man of Prata Saga Sambal Berlada makes such a fantastic roti prata
that the Culinary Institute of America flew him to the US to show their chefs
how to cook roti prata. 

The Prata Man showing us how he cooked the
chicken murtabak we ordered

The Chicken Murtabak at SGD 5

The refurbished Tekka Market

Checkout the video below of 
the Prata Man cooking our Chicken Murtabak

Strand Hotel: Best Budget Hotel in Singapore for a Family of 6

Strand Hotel: 
Best Budget Hotel in Singapore for a Family of 6

I always find it a great challenge to find a hotel with rooms that can accommodate a family of 6. Maximum capacity in most hotel rooms are usually 4 persons. I suppose most hotels presume that a family usually consists only of a couple with 2 kids. So most family rooms only have a maximum capacity of 4.

In my experience, it's always cheapest to get 1 family room good for 6 rather than to get 3 rooms good for 2 persons, or 2 rooms good for 3 persons, etc. So I was so happy to find Strand Hotel.

We just arrived from Singapore and this is my review of Strand Hotel.

Why I Love the Strand Hotel

Location

1. The hotel is just across Kopitiam food court and 7 eleven. 

Updated August 2015: The Kopitiam food court across Strand Hotel is already closed. There are no plans for reopening it.

Both Kopitiam and 7 eleven are open 24 hours a day so anytime you become hungry you can just walk across and buy food. At 7 eleven, you can also buy ezlink cards for use at the MRT, the bus and Sentosa express. If you have remaining load in your ezlink cards before leaving Singapore, you can use it the remaining balance to purchase products at 7 eleven. 

My tip: Make sure to make the purchase using the ezlink card after 7am. That's the only time the 7 eleven store allowed to use the ezlink card.   

2. The hotel is very near the MRT Bras Basah station and 2 bus stops


View Larger Map


Check out my post on Changi Airport Transportation Options to Strand Hotel

3. The hotel is very near the hippo tour bus stop.

If you decide to take the Hippo Tour hop-on hop-off, you can take the yellow line that stops at the bus stop along Bras Basah, beside the Rendezvous hotel. The Rendezvous hotel is beside Strand Hotel. You can buy the ticket in the bus when you hop on the yellow line bus.

My tip: Do the whole route of both the yellow and red line first. 

First Suggestion: Ride the yellow line at the bus stop beside Rendezvous hotel, get off at Suntec. Ride the hippo tour red line at Suntec and do the whole route, and get off at Suntec. Ride the hippo tour yellow line at Suntec and get off at the bus stop beside Rendezvous hotel. You're done. You have toured Singapore without effort.

Second Suggestion: go directly to Suntec City to start the tour. What you do is to walk to Bras Basah Station, take the MRT circle (yellow) line going to Harbour Front and get off at the next stop, which is Esplanade. The Esplanade station is at Tower 5 where the Hippo Tour Desk is located.

See the tour map: http://www.ducktours.com.sg/hippo.php

4. The hotel is short walking distance from the National Museum of Singapore

Take note that the big, white structure with a dome that you see when you're outside the hotel and along Bencoolen Street is the National Museum of Singapore. It's very short walking distance from the hotel. At the National Museum, we were able to see the original painting of Starry Night of Vincent Van Gogh and at least 4 Monets, 3 Cezannes, and a Renoir at the Dreams and Reality Exhibit. The paintings are on loan from the Orsay Museum, Paris. Better check out what's on at the National Museum when you arrive at Singapore.

Directions: Walk along Bencoolen Street going towards Bras Basah road, cross Bras Basah Street and continue walking along Bencoolen Street until you arrive at Fort Canning Road. Cross Fort Canning Road and walk towards the entrance of the National Museum.

See the website: http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/

5. The hotel is near three (3) Catholic Churches

When in another place and if our trip falls on a Sunday, we usually look for a Catholic Church where we can attend Mass. The ff. Catholic Churches is near the hotel (in order of proximity from the hotel):

• St Peter and Paul Church located at the back of the Singapore Art Museum: for location and mass schedule, see here
• Cathedral of the Good Shepherd: for location and mass schedules, see here
• St. Joseph's Church: for location and mass schedules, see here 

6. The hotel is walking distance from:

Orchard Road: after exiting the hotel entrance, you turn right and walk along Bencoolen Street till you reach Bras Basah road. When you reach Bras Basah Road, turn right. Walk along Bras Basah until you reach Orchard Road. See the map above.

Bugis Junction: after exiting from the hotel entrance, walk along Bencoolen Street till you reach Bras Basah road. When you reach Bras Basah road, turn left  and walk along Bras Basah Road till you reach Victoria Street. When you reach Victoria Street, turn left and walk along Victoria Street till you reach Bugis. See map above.

Arab Street: from Bugis, a little walk further and you reach Arab Street. See map above. 

Raffles Hotel: after exiting from the hotel entrance, walk along Bencoolen Street till you reach Bras Basah road. When you reach Bras Basah road, turn left  and walk along Bras Basah Road till you reach Beach Road. Turn left at Beach Road. See map above.  

Raffles City: after exiting from the hotel entrance, walk along Bencoolen Street till you reach Bras Basah road. When you reach Bras Basah road, turn left  and walk along Bras Basah Road till you reach North Bridge Road. See map above.

Suntec City: you can walk to Suntec City. But it's easier to walk to Bras Basah Station, take the yellow line to Harbour Front and get off at the next stop, which is Esplanade (if you want to get off at Tower 5, where the Hippo Tour starts) or get off at Promenade (if you want to get off at Tower 4, where Carrefour is located)

Merlion: not really walking distance from the Merlion but the bus that goes straight to the Merlion can be taken at the bus stop near Kopitiam. Bus 131 goes straight to Fullerton where you can walk to go to the Merlion.

Rates (Updated rates as of November 2014)

Single/double                           S$160 Net
Triple                                       S$200 Net
Family of 4                               S$240 Net
Big family room for 6                S$380 Net

For every additional person is S$40 Net S$50 net

Maximum capacity of the family room is 7 persons

• Note: the rate of S$240 for the family room is good for 4 persons. The family room has a maximum occupancy of 7 persons. Therefore, if 5 persons will occupy the family room, your rate will be S$240 + S$40 = S$280. If 6 persons will occupy the family room, your rate will be S$240 + S$40 + S$40 = S$320. If 7 persons will occupy the family room, your rate will be S$240 + S$40 + S$40 + S$40 = S$360

All room rates include government taxes and complimentary breakfast.

To change your room bookings or to make a cancellation, you need to inform them 2 weeks 72 hours before arrival. For cancellation less than 72 hours before arrival, they will charge you 1 day room rate.

There is no downpayment but they require a credit card guarantee to confirm the booking. You need to make a downpayment when you arrive at the hotel to check-in.

My tip: Pay for your hotel room in full upon check-in so you don't carry a lot of cash with you while sightseeing.

Room

The family room is spacious, has a high ceiling, with a lot of closet space. Even if you fill the maximum capacity of 7 people in a family room, the room has still enough space for everyone to comfortably move around.

Toilet & Bath

Toilet and bath are separate, which means they have separate doors. Even if you have 7 people in a room, they won't have problems using the toilet. One can use the toilet while another uses the bath. This is a very smart move of the hotel to separate these two.

This photo of Strand Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of Strand Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Beds


This photo of Strand Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The beds are full sized mattresses, even the roll away beds. For a family room for  6, we were given 2 queen sized beds and 2 single beds.

Complimentary Breakfast


This photo of Strand Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

You are given breakfast coupons which you claim at the reception everyday, on the day before breakfast is to be served. 

The complimentary breakfast consist of a set meal of 2 hotdogs, 2 slices of bacon, scrambled eggs/2 fried eggs. Then in addition there is a buffet spread of pancakes/french toast, noodles (pad thai or chinese pancit), cereal, toast and jam/marmalade/butter, coffee, tea, juice, water.

Amenities

The room amenities includes free wifi (with super fast connection speed), 29 inch flat screen cable TV, coffee and tea making facilities (consisting of an electric kettle, cofee and milk tea), mini ref, in room safe, telephone, free slippers, free toothbrush and toothpaste.

Service

The service at reception and housekeeping is fast and efficient. We asked for a travel adaptor, hair dryer, extra pillows, and tube ice. 

Our room was cleaned everyday with fresh linen and towels. Housekeeping was very fast in addressing a minor toilet problem when we called them.

The reception was very helpful in breaking our money into small bills.

My conclusion: We will definitely stay  at this hotel again and will highly recommend it to friends and relatives.

GET THE BEST RATES FOR STRAND HOTEL HERE