i Light Marina Bay 2012

Running it's second year, i Light Marina Bay is Asia's first and only sustainable light art festival.

The theme for this year is "Light Meets Asia", the sophomore features more than 30 innovative and environmentally sustainable light art installations, with a strong focus on works from Asia. It's not just all about lights, visitors can also enjoy a full array of complementary programmes and activities – including a night carnivals, outdoor performances, guided tours, educational talks and workshops.

A key objective of i Light Marina Bay 2012 is to advocate environmentally-responsible behaviour for a sustainable future, and promote the Bay as a culturally vibrant and sustainable urban waterfront precinct. From encouraging artists to use recyclable materials as well as adopt energy-efficient lighting technology and renewable energy sources in the creation of their light art installations, to working with event and programme partners to manage resources and minimise waste, sustainability is promoted through all aspects of the festival.

The following pictures are some of my favourites:

Coral Garden - Olivia d'Aboville, Philippines/France

AfterLight - Storybox, New Zealnad

5QU1D - Ryf Zain,Singapore

 

Light of the Merlion - OCUBO, Portugal

 

The next installation (below) was one of the most popular ones. Entitled "The Gate", the small beams of low intensity laser light drew me closer to the doorway, curious as to know what was on the other side.

The Gate - Li Hu, China

The art projection on the outside of the ArtScience Museum (below) is an ambitious projection, incorporating a variety of light and sound effects to tell a story about environmental sustainability and highlight the beauty of the natural world. The projectors make no impact on the surface of the Art Science Museum but create a spectacular effect visible from several vantage points throughout Marina Bay, one being from the Helix Bridge.

 

Skyve Elementary Bistro and Bar

I have handed the reins over to my husband for this blog post.

Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar is tucked away in a quiet evening area close to Bukit Timah Rd. It can be easily missed so keep any eye out for the signage showing you where to go.

The establishment’s interior has a modern chic about it incorporating darker colours and mood lighting to create a calm atmosphere. One could easily feel chilled out here. There is a separation in dining areas. The first area is laid back with lounge like chairs and dining at a coffee table. The second area houses the traditional tables and chairs that we’re usually accustomed to. Overall it is quite tastefully furnished and some music is piped throughout to create some ambient noise.

The staff are dressed well, nothing formal but a smart casual look. I like this as it isn’t too “stuffy” and formal. They’re soft spoken and not much for conversation but are on hand to provide service. Empty plates are cleared away quickly.

Bread rolls came out first. They smelt so good! First time at a restaurant where it was bread with bacon pieces weaved into the dough; this was the secret behind the great smelling bread. This was served with butter. Rolls were lovely and warm of course and went down well.

For starters we had the cured ham salad and a poached egg dish. Doesn’t sound fancy but the test is in the taste.

The salad looked fresh and had a mix of greens, radish and watermelon. This was topped with generous slices of the fancy ham. Tasted pretty good and the ham wasn’t too salty.

The fancy poached egg was served with grilled asparagus, mushrooms and a fried bread stick for dipping. Great sauce on top, egg poached well (runny on the inside) and it was simple but very tasty.

IBERICO HAM
Compressed watermelon, sliced Iberico ham, arugula salad, balsamic vinaigrette

SOUS VIDE EGG
Soft poached egg, wild mushroom in truffle jus, grilled asparagus, toasted brioche

Onto the mains; Barramundi and Beef Medallions.

The Barramundi was pan fried and served with grilled veges and potato gratin. The fish was well seasoned and cooked well so that it retained moisture and wasn’t dry at all. It was just cooked which was perfect. Tasted fresh as well. The skin was crispy and was a lovely golden colour. The veges and gratin were fine. Nice touch with the drizzling of olive oil as well to provide an additional subtle hint of flavour. 

The Beef was requested medium rare. Came out perfect, not dry but tender and had that nice grilled taste. The sauce was also good, a nice rich red/brown colour that went well with the Beef. Veges and gratin were fine once again. Overall a nice tasting dish.

HERB CRUSTED BARRAMUNDI FILLET
with Herb fondue

GRILLED BEEF MEDALLION
with red wine and veal jus reduction

For dessert it was cheesecake. Tasted fine, nothing to rave about. It was served with a dollop of poached berries and a green chocolate filled mini Macaroon on top.

CHEF'S DESSERT CREATION OF THE DAY

We finished off with some coffee. It was standard as well, nice but nothing to rave about

Had a glass of wine each as well with the meal; a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand.

Overall, nice food and a clean chill out place to relax. Saw some other dishes come out of the kitchen and they looked great so would definitely like to go back and try them out. We both enjoyed Skyve and won’t hesitate to go back for a second round to really test it out.  

The above was in conjunction with Singapore Restaurant week. Held in March of every year, since 2008. The cost for dinner is $35++, food and beverages outside this menu were at an additional charge.

Skyve Elementary Bistro & Bar is located at:

No.10 Winstedt Road
Block E, #01-17

Singapore 227977

Telephone: +(65) 6225 6690

The Moluccas Room

The Moluccas Room has a very clean and pure interior design with dark colours that give it a warm inviting atmosphere. It also adds a touch of intimacy with the seductive lighting on the ceilings and pillars. The staff were attentive, great smiles and were quick to grant any requests.

The food was a party for the taste buds and each bite tantalising. The chicken satay was well seasoned and the marinade/sauce was a real treat. The prawns for the main tasted fresh and seasoned just right to not detract from the nice texture. The sauce was again amazing and the presentation nice. The beef was cooked perfectly and the spicy kick of the sauce gave it an extra wow factor. The beans were crispy and obviously fresh.

Dessert was sorbets and it rounded off the meal nicely, cooling the effects of the spices with a hint of sugary goodness.

PERKEDEL JAMUR TRUFFLE
Creamy crispy potato truffle fritters

SATE AYAM MADURA
An Eastern Java delicacy - grilled chicken tenders

UDANG BLADO PADANG
Pan-fried prawn topped with an aromatic Western Sumatra sauteed chilli sambal

WAROENG GULAI STEAK
Angus beef steak grilled to perfection and blanched in a flavourful gulai sauce

Guava sorbet served with a gula melaka macaroon

Mango sorbet served with a gula melaka macaroon

We will go back to The Moluccas Room again to experience other dishes. This is a great place that leaves you wanting more. Flavours were all deliberate and well thought through for the right balance. 

The above was in conjunction with Singapore Restaurant week. Held in March of every year, since 2008. The cost for dinner is $35++, food and beverages outside this menu were at an additional charge.

The Moluccas Room is located at:

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands

2 Bayfront Ave, #01-81

Singapore 018972
Telephone: +(65) 6688 7367

Little Ice Cream Kafe (LICK)

This "Little Ice Cream Kafe" specialises in premium homemade ice-cream, which is made daily and is hand churned from the freshest ingredients. The have over 30 flavours, ranging from the good ole classics, zesty fruity ones and local delights.

Check out the wallpaper!

I had a single scoop of Honeydew, and Hubby had a scoop of Sea Salt Caramel and Maple Walnut.

They have two locations, which are listed on their website.

TRANSFORMERS Cybertron Con 2012

We have been hanging out for this event since it was announced a while ago.  This is the second ever Cybertron Con, and the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

We hardly wake up early Sunday mornings, but we made the effort as were were both excited to see what Cybertron Con 2012 had in store for us.

We arrived in time for the opening ceremony (9am):

 At 11am, the door to the Resorts World Convention Centre were open, and we headed on in.

Whose side are you on?

A selection of toys and figurines that were on display:

. . . and finally, the 22-foot tall, life sized Optimus Prime

Trung Nguyên Coffee

Trung Nguyên Coffee offers a café concept featuring a lot of great eastern elements that differentiates it from western cafés. Its traditional drip coffee is considered one of the best coffees in the world by many coffee experts. 

When I came across this branch (located in the basement) at I12 Katong the other day, I thought to myself "I've gotta try this!" They weren't yet open, but gave me a free "drip coffee" to sample. I was so impressed by the flavour that I went back the next day.

The deep flavor of Vietnamese coffee (cà phê) is achieved by using condensed milk as a creamer and sweetener, and a single-cup brewing process, which is a beloved ritual in Vietnam.

Ground coffee is put in a special metal filter, which is put atop a cup filled with a generous amount of condensed milk. Boiling water is poured into the metal filter and allowed to slowly drip through and into the cup. The coffee and condensed milk are then carefully blended with a spoon, resulting in an incredibly rich, smooth, and wonderfully sweet concoction.

Waiting for the liquid to drip through into the cup

All the liquid is gone . . .

 . . .time to sit back and enjoy!

You would be surprised to know that the coffee is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus Hermaphroditus) and other related civets, then passed through its digestive tract. A civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, keeping their shape. After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness. This coffee is widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world.

HOWEVER, PLEASE DON'T LET THE ABOVE PUT YOU OFF TRYING THE COFFEE!!!
 

The main "coffee" attractions available are:

 

CREATIVE 1: THOUGHTS - Elegant aroma and bitter sweet

 

CREATIVE 2: DISCOVER - Light and flavourful

 

CREATIVE 3: IDEA - Strong aroma and refined acidity

 

CREATIVE 4: CREATION - Rich flavour and lasting aroma

 

CREATIVE 5: SUCCESS - Bright and flavourful

 

PASSIONA (Low Caffeine) - Elegant aroma with a hint of tamarind and chocolat

 

LEGENDEE - uses the best coffee beans that undergo a patented methodology emulating the digestion process of weasel to give the ultimate premium quality coffee with a rich, exotic taste and texture.

 

Vietnamese coffee is not for the faint of heart though, and usually much stronger than Western style coffee. With that being said, Trung Nguyên Coffee does offer other beverages, such as instant coffee, espresso based coffee, ice-blended beverages and smoothies.

 

Below is a youtube clip showing how to make this traditional Vietnamese (drip) coffee:

According to their website, they have branches at Liang Court, Marina Square and The Heeren.