Fleetingly First Class on Cathay Pacifc

One of the perks of work is to be able to travel on business class on those frequent trips to Singapore, Tokyo and other places around Asia.  

I am always thankful that I can spend the three and a half hour plane ride in more comfortable seats and a quieter atmosphere.  

This last trip to Singapore, I decided to try a different route from my usual Manila - Singapore non stop flight via PAL.  

Much as I love our national flag carrier for patriotic reasons, however the older and smaller planes they use for their Singapore route leaves a lot to be desired.

So, I decided to take a slightly longer journey and fly to Singapore via Hong Kong, on Cathay Pacific.  Plane rides mean "quiet" time for me so in this case, the longer the flight, the more "alone" time I would enjoy.

The Manila - HK - Singapore leg was pleasant and uneventful -- Cathay Pacific's business class was definitely better than PAL's.  However, when I checked in for my flight home, I was amazed to see that for the shorter HK - Manila leg, the airline had upgraded me from business class to first!

Now I would see and experience for myself, just how different the other side of the curtain was.

There were only 8 places in first class -- while I already appreciate and enjoy the roominess and comfort of the seats and leg room in business class, first class, I discovered is truly something else!

They're not called seats in first -- they're suites!  The perfect term for this spacious and private cubicle that I would call my own -- at least for the next 90 minutes!

The seat itself is at least 50% wider than business class.  Each suite has its own storage - a mini closet which takes the place of the overhead bin.

If there are two of you traveling in first class -- you don't have to miss each other's company.  While each suite is just good for one, there is a small seat right across you, where you can have company sit while they visit!  These seats though are not to be used during take off and landing.

A small vase with fresh orchids adds a pretty touch.  The HK - Manila leg is a mere hop and a skip but a light meal is offered during this late afternoon flight.

The Filipina flight attendant takes very good care of me.  As she serves the first course, a plate of fresh fruits, she thoughtfully includes a personal, handwritten message wishing me a pleasant flight.

It's a light meal and not really dinner but a bit more than a snack.  The choice includes this delightfully vegetarian friendly pasta -- with chanterelle mushrooms, spinach and a spicy roasted red pepper sauce.

I don't usually eat dessert during a flight but I had to have the full first class experience!  This mixed berry tartlet with fresh red currants was slightly sweet and slightly tart and just right after the heat of the pasta dish.

After the meal, there was barely enough time to put my feet up and relax -- my short first class experience would soon end!

These are the lights of Makati -- feels so good to be home after being away for four days.  The first class upgrade was a wonderful surprise -- thank you Cathay Pacific!  I'm sure I will be boarding one of your flights again soon!

Out of the Way at Changi Village Hotel

I always manage to have a bit of "me" time when I am in Singapore for work.  It's usually a hurried, two hour shopping spree, a late night hawker center pig out or an early breakfast at a favorite kopi place.  But this last trip the conference I attended was set far away from the city -- a S$35 taxi ride away!

Changi Village Hotel is located east of the city. It's a ten minute ride from the airport, a few steps away from the ferry terminal that can whisk you away to the outlying islands and is also within the vicinity of Changi Air Base,  the old British military headquarters and the military hospital.
The scenery is much more lush and tree lined - it seems like you're back in pre war Singapore!
Still, it's out of the way and a 30 to 40 minute ride if you seek the commercial pleasures of Orchard Road!

The top of the hotel features a roof deck infinity pool that overlooks more trees and a view of the sea. Who says the Marina Bay Sands had the first roof top infinity pool in Singapore?  This may be just 10 stories above the ground but it's still a nice place to spend a sunny afternoon in.

Since the hotel is so close to the airport, you can sit in the pool and watch the planes fly in.   I was hoping to catch a glimpse of the A380 but had no such luck!

The hotel may have been far from  buzzy and busy Orchard Road but it had a surprise going for it -- at least for me.  The whole stretch of the street that the hotel was in contained rows and rows of buildings that housed restaurants and 24 hour kopi places -- a treasure trove of foodie delights to discover!
The blue awnings over the tables and chairs that you see belong to the Old Airfield Restaurant, that includes a good number of food stalls.

Why eat the complimentary hotel breakfast when you can eat here?  I woke up early each day and snuck out of the hotel to hobnob with the locals and eat an honest to goodness Singaporean breakfast!
Mizzy Corner served a mean nasi lemak, my favorite dish!

Whole day meetings are so boring!  I kept myself from nodding off with a tall hot glass of kopi  -- check out the condensed milk at the bottom of the glass!

Lunch break and I am back outside -- again escaping from the hotel lunch buffet. A bit further down from the old Airfield Restaurant, I find the Dynamic Dining House.  With a name like that, who could resist?

This counter showcased a whole lot of indian dishes.  It's turo turo style at Dynamic Dining, pick and choose! So inexpensive too  -- rice and 4 viands costs only S$3.50!

I ask for the vegetarian selection and I get a tray overflowing with coconut chutney, a huge crisp papadum on top of my rice, fried curried carrot sticks, sauteed bean sprouts and ampalaya or bitter melon with chili.
The fork and spoon may be mismatched but the flavors blend so wonderfully together!

Dynamic Dining is full during the lunch time rush hour.  But since you choose and pick your own dishes, there is no down time at all!

I wasn't quite so alone during this lunch break.  An army of sleek black cats kept me company while I ate.

See you next time, cat -- lunch is over.  I wish I could sit and stare into space like you.
But, time to get back to work!

Enlightened Eating at Lavender Food Square, Singapore

A trip to Singapore must always come with eating old favorites in new places -- preferably in undiscovered hawker centers.  In the Lion City last week for a business trip, my first call was to friends who knew my propensity for cheap, good local food.

Lavender Food Square is a popular hawker center that I had not visited yet.  It is very conveniently located in the city and is on Jalan Besar road and is near the Farrer Park MRT stop.

The place was pretty full when we arrived at dinnertime.  Lots of people coming from work, stopping off for a bite to eat before going home. My friend said that the wanton mee from one of the stalls was the best ever in Singapore but the long lines put him off from having it that night.

Lavender Food Square is not as large as Newton Circus or Lau Pa Sat Food Center but the stalls seemed to be a bit more differentiated and interesting.  Eminent Frog Porridge at the very entrance was intriguing, to say the least.

I remember eating frog when I was very young, my father would cook it in soup, tinola style or stewed as in adobo -- what can I say, it tasted just like chicken!

Even if I were not vegetarian, I would not try turtle soup for any reason in the world.  Even my baser foodie self balked at the thought of  killing any of these gentle creatures for food.

This Fish Noodle stall according to my friends is a popular and well known favorite.  It used to be in another location but has since relocated to this hawker center.

 These handmade fish cakes were highly recommended.  They are best eaten, thinly sliced, with an order of fish ball noodles.

Here is what we ordered -- dry fish ball noodles with fish cakes. The fish balls and fish cake came floating in broth and the egg noodles were served separately, with an overly generous dose of chili paste. Egg noodles with just chives and chili paste are deliciously vegetarian!
I also ordered my other vegetarian favorite - "white" carrot cake, without the prawns of course.

My hot and spicy noodles were complemented by a tall cold bottle of Tiger Beer.  Which I had to finish, since both of my Singaporean friends were not beer drinkers.

Yong tau foo -- made with all kinds of fried and boiled soy products like  tofu skins, tofu pockets and yes, chili stuffed with tofu rounded out all the vegetarian goodness. Singapore is really a very vegetarian friendly place!

Time to leave Lavender Food Square!  The tables outside were still full -- with regulars catching up for a late snack or dinner.

We didn't realize until we walked back to the car that we were parked very near a Tibetan Buddhist Temple, right around the corner from the hawker center.  Pictures of the Dalai Lama were on the walls and there were quite a number of people listening to a monk's lecture.

Incense urns lined the sidewalk and passers by would buy incense sticks, light them and turn towards the temple to say their prayers.

This huge Tibetan prayer wheel was on one side of the temple.  My buddhist friend encouraged me to spin it and say the mantra to myself -- to bring benevolence and blessings.  

As I spun the wheel,  I felt  I had already been blessed -- to have enjoyed an evening of conviviality and friendship, once again, in Singapore.

24 hour mini break #2 - Sonya's Bed and Breakfast

After my overnight girls-only Shangri la Mactan getaway, I discovered the priceless benefits of what 24 hours away from it all can do for one's sanity.

I have since dubbed this as my much needed and deserved "mini break". 

Something to turn to when the going gets a little too rough.

This July, I was able to do my second 24 hour mini break -- very different from the chic, colorful, sunny, snazzy and sophisticted  Shangri la experience but extremely gratifying nonetheless.

The mini break started right after lunch on a Friday afternoon.  My friend and I were off to Tagaytay, to spend a night at the much vaunted and talked about Sonya's Bed and Breakfast. Since we would be passing along the Sta. Rosa road, I made sure that we would stop for a late lunch at this restaurant that I had been wanting to try.

Cecil's Cafe is just past the strip malls of Sta. Rosa and Nuvali and is tucked away into a little two story building -- don't drive too fast or you'll miss it completely.

The interiors are warm, homey and have this "country" feel.  The walls are decorated by souvenirs from the owner's travels abroad.  Everything is done to enhance a comfortable and cozy atmosphere.
When we arrived, the chef and owner, Cecil, was busy behind the counter, but she still called out a friendly and welcoming hello.

This is the real reason why I wanted to try Cecil's Cafe.  The sign outside said that Cecil's was the new home of the (then) famous Green Patio fresh lumpia.  And true enough, the coasters are still from that now defunct restaurant.  I have many yummy memories of Green Patio, which used to be in the old Greenhills Arcade in the 1990's.  They served very good Chinese food but the killer draw was the fresh amoy lumpia.

We ordered the lumpia and it was as filling and tasty as I remembered it -- with a freshly made egg crepe wrapper and all the wonderful vegetarian filling.  Cecil came over to our table and said that her mother in law used to own Green Patio Restaurant and passed on the lumpia's secret recipe to her.  In addition to the lumpia, which is listed as a specialty of Cecil's, the cafe also serves pasta, salads, cakes and pastries.
But of course, nothing beats this fresh lumpia -- this will make me come back to Cecil's again and again!

After the late lunch, it was onward to Sonya's Bed and Breakfast.
I had been to Sonya's Garden before, but had never experienced staying overnight.
My friend warned me there would be no t.v., no air conditioning, no swimming pool --but there would be a spa, vegetarian food,  silence and solitude.  That would be more than enough for me.

As we entered the bed and breakfast area, closed off to all except those actually staying there for the night,  a riot of shrubbery, flowers and this pretty little fountain set the tone for the rest of our stay.

A sign reminds everyone that this is a place where loud laughter, boisterous talk and karaoke (all mainstays of Pinoy week-end getaways)  are anathema to all.

An overnight stay at Sonya's includes dinner and breakfast.  The meals are served in a pretty cafe, surrounded by greenery.  Starched linen tablecloths, mismatched but colorful china, polished silverware and vases artfully decorated with flowers freshly picked from the garden give mealtimes an old fashioned and genteel elegance.

Dinner consists of Sonya's famous all you can eat salad, greens grown in her gardens are garnished with fresh fruits like mangoes and jackfruit plus there are singkamas strips, eggs and my favorite, dried pop beans or patani.

I am a little too greedy and make myself a huge portion, drizzling Sonya's secret dressing on top. So good and guiltless too!

After the salad, the friendly and efficient waitstaff bring the pasta course, again it's mix what you want and eat all that you can.  There are two pasta sauces, one that is tomato based and one that they call cream of chicken.  Small saucers of mushrooms, capers, sun dried tomatoes, strips of salmon belly and a vegetable ratatouille are also on the table -- so you can mix and match the toppings with your chosen pasta sauce.

After dinner, we take a walk towards the spa where we have booked treatments for tonight.  Sonya's Garden offers so many nooks and crannies like this daybed draped with a lace canopy.  Throw pillows with colorful crocheted covers make this a comfortable and inviting place to sit, to talk or just to while away the hours.

Sonya's  has this wonderful spa that offers relaxing and stress relieving treatments.  Tucked away in a corner of the garden,  it's something that you mustn't miss.  

The signature massage is unique and different and took out all the kinks and knots in my neck and back.  

After the massage, it was time to head to the room.  As this sign says, "enter and find a world of beauty".

My friend and I stayed in a villa which had its own little garden with a stone fountain.  So quaint and so pretty!  Fairy lights lit up this path at night which made it even prettier.

We enjoyed this huge and spacious room -- with three queen beds and the most comfortable and soft pillows and mattresses.  Three beds are too much for just the two of us but we loved the abundant space.

 

The room was furnished with typical period Filipiniana furniture.  The coffee table thoughtfully came stacked with different kinds of books.  After all, with no t.v., one should go back and rediscover the pleasures of reading.

The next morning, this large basin of flowers floating in water made for a lovely start to my Saturday.

It was back to the cafe for breakfast -- this wall along one side features different types of china in various patterns and designs.

Breakfast is Filipino and home style -- there is  a talong omelet, daing na bangus, scrambled eggs, a mango chutney and chicken and pork adobo along with garlic fried rice.  As in dinner, eat as much as you want and they will refill the plates with what you like and need.

After breakfast, this 24 hour mini break was about to come to an end.  Before leaving, we made sure to stop off at Sonya's Country Store that sells organic products grown in her garden,  items like bed spreads and pillow covers made by the women in the nearby community and even the gorgeously scented soaps and lotions used in the spa.

Then it was time to drive off for the road back to Manila and to real life.  This second 24 hour mini break was vastly different from the Cebu break but both served to remind me that no matter how busy I am, there should always be time to stop,  smell and enjoy the flowers!