So a couple of weeks back, my group of foodie friends and I were fortunate enough to snag a table at the Orient Express Restaurant, a train carriage themed restaurant under the Orient Express exhibition at Gardens by the Bay.

Fortunate because by the time we agreed to go, a lot of the tables/dates were already snapped up. In fact, tables of 2 and 4 were already sold out. But on that same note, because we were a bigger group of 6, we got ourselves a pseudo-private carriage all to ourselves.

I didn't manage to get a picture of our "private" carriage but here's what a cozy table for 4 would have looked like. 

The Orient Express restaurant is basically a dining experience that's supposed to replicate what you might experience on the actual Orient Express. Lunch, brunch, high tea and dinner menu are available with options for vegetarians. Menus were curated by 3 Michelin star French chef Yannick Alléno.

Here's a screenshot taken off the website of our high tea menu. While I loved the idea that coffee or tea (and chocolate too!) is free-flow, we realised that the baristas making the drinks were not consistent. My friends got iced teas that were either too sweet or too bland, even when they ordered the same teas. I just stuck to my iced latte since its hard to go wrong with Nespresso.

Food (as seen in the menu) is a mixture of sweet and savory. My personal favourites include the Goodwich roasted mushrooms and spinach, foie gras and mimosa egg. I'm more of a savory person than sweets, so I'm less keen on the sweet items. However the au café pastry really sang to my tummy while my friends commented that they enjoyed the profiteroles.

Service was in general, decent. There was a really lovely waitress who took time to explain the items served and was really accommodating. But perhaps we were a table on our own right at the end, it was sometimes hard to get our drink orders. 

Goodwich roasted mushrooms and spinach. The cheese on this was an absolute heavenly kicker.

Overall, an interesting experience but what was truly enjoyable was having spent the afternoon with good company, having fun and laughter in a private carriage space. We've also sort of decided that once travel is back to normal (although that would seem like eons away), we wouldn't mind doing an actual Orient Express train trip.

Tourist Information

Once Upon a Time on the Orient Express exhibition and restaurant

Website: https://www.orientexpressexhibition.com/ 

Gardens by the Bay: Blossom Beats

I was out on a date with my mom this afternoon. A flower date. My mom had always loved flowers and she's been wanting to see the Sakura for quite some time. Originally we had planned to bring her to Japan for that, but we sort of missed the March deadline this year. Yeah. Lazy daughter me had procrastinated until the air tickets got too expensive.

 

Well, fortunately for lazy daughter me, Gardens by the Bay brought the Sakura to sunny Singapore! Obviously that was a chance to fulfil mom's wishes, so filial daughter me definitely had to take time to bring her! Good call. Mom's still tired from walking around but she loved the flowers.

 

The Blossom Beats Floral Display (that's their Sakura display) features a variety of blossoms including the well-known Cherry blossom (that's the Sakura), Peach and Plum blossoms. Like their counterparts overseas, the display is expected to last about 2 weeks. Yup, delicate, fleeting beauty all right.

 

Gardens by the Bay had done a deliberate display of these blossoms amidst a Japanese-themed garden setting. So while walking around the display, we saw bonsai arrangements, arch bridges, mini pagodas, and even a Torii gate.

I'll have to say this, because the displays are deliberate and within a small area, please do not expect the grandeur of sweeping, cascading blossoms that you might find on the streets/Sakura gardens of Japan/Korea. As long as you don't have that expectation, you would probably be able to enjoy the Blossom Beats display a lot more.

Another point to note, expect crowds. Especially if you're there for the photography, you'll really have to find a good time to go. Otherwise, you'll be jostling with many others for that perfect photo spot or you'll get photo-bombs or you'll get irritated with inconsiderate people who refuse to budge from where they're standing.

Another alternative mind-set (especially if you're not that into photography), just go and enjoy the blooms. Any nice photos are a bonus.

 

 

While mom and I were specifically there for the Sakura, we were also quite taken with their other displays. We took a pretty long time in the Flower Dome admiring all the work and displays.

 

 



 

There! I swear there were other flowers! Weird cactuses too! Mom and I had a good time scaring each other with stories of spiders and weird alien shows when we came across the ones in my photo below!

 

 

Since we were already there, mom and I bought tickets to both conservatories. Once we were done at the Flower Dome, we headed off to the Cloud Forest, which was only a short hop away.

 

Given how hot and humid Singapore can be, I was extremely glad that both conservatories had to be at cool temperatures of 23 to 25 degrees. What's even better was the mist created by the man-made waterfall that greeted us as we entered the Cloud Forest. I would think that if this had been your first stop coming in from the heat that is Singapore, you'll love to just stand there and soak it all up. Apparently, at 35 metres, that's the world's tallest indoor waterfall as well!

Near the entrance to the "mountain's" walkway, was a lego display of some carnivorous plants! I could recognise the Venus Fly-Trap, the Pitcher plant and the Rafflesia. Ok, the Rafflesia isn't carnivorous, but it's some sort of smelly, parasitic flowering plant native to this part of the region.

Whatever the species, it was an awesome lego display. Mom and I stood there for quite a while just admiring the artwork!

 

 

The main feature at the Cloud Forest (apart from that waterfall) is a walkway that surrounds the mountain shrouding the waterfall. Take the lift to the top of the mountain to begin your stroll along the walkway. Pretty darn cool aerial view of the canopy and the lush plants covering the mountain.

 

 

So if you're planning to visit the Blossom Beats (Sakura) Floral Display, please head to Gardens by the Bay soon! It has already been around for about a week and given how fleeting the Sakura blooms are, I don't figure you'll have much time left.

Information

Gardens by the Bay
Address: 18 Marina Gardens Drive Singapore 018953
DID: +65 6420 6848
Website: http://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/en.html
Operating hours: 9 am to 9 pm
Last ticket sale at 8 pm and last admission at 8:30 pm
Specific attractions may have different operating timings, so please do check the website before going down

Ticket rates for local residents:
1 Conservatory
Adults: $12
Senior Citizens (>60 years old): $8
Children (3-12 years old): $8

2 Conservatories
Adults: $20
Senior Citizens (>60 years old): $15
Children (3-12 years old): $12

Additional discounts can apply for Passion, NTUC or OCBC card members.

Otherwise Standard Rate for all other non-local residents are for 2 Conservatories
Adults: $28
Children (3-12 years old): $15