The day started awfully as we checked out of The Fullerton. You know that song "I left my heart in San Francisco"? ... well I leave a little part of me everywhere I stay and a slightly larger part was left with the lovely friends that run that hotel.
Tim came up with the "tv wife" moniker and today the poor victim is Marina from CrocMedia - a PR company over here. She eats & drinks luxury and is therefore the perfect person to show me around town.
First up - Host. On Clarke Quay, this is a private dining room that hosts wine lunches & dinners. The "host" today was David Coleman who set up this excellent event where we tasted wines from New Zealand, Italy, Hungary and one with grapes from Japan. He says that you can't change the taste of the wine in the bottle BUT you can change the taste of the food that you serve it with so he has Claudia the chef on hand to prepare excellent dishes that complement the wine perfectly. She was last at Rockpool (Neil Perry) in Sydney so she knows her stuff. We drank, ate and laughed a lot ... I even tried a whisky from Tasmania that is "the best whisky outside Scotland" .. I am very sad to report that my sleep-deprived mind has completely forgotten the brand ... hopefully I will remember ... hmmmmm. David runs a company that imports wines from all over the world. There is no "cheap" wine here as there is an SG$8 tax on every bottle of alcohol ... BUT the charge is the same for a bottle of Cava as it is for a vintage Dom Perignon ...
We then checked into our next hotel - the world famous Raffles. We were greeted by a huge turbaned doorman dressed in full uniform. Its been a while since I have been here ... and you know, nothing seems to have changed. It smells the same (wonderful)AND looks the same (unique). My Suite - Sarkies - is enormous. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, dining room, lounge, kitchen and huge outdoor verandah. Staying here is like stepping into another era - the Raj. It's a culture shock ... but not a bad one. More on the hotel on Monday when I review it fully.
Anyway, next up, Marina led us to the Singapore Flyer! This is currently the world's tallest Wheel - 165 metres tall - 30 more than the London Eye. Each revolution takes 30 minutes and of course gives you spectacular views of the city. It's also rather romantic - completely wasted on me then! haha!
Finally, we ended up at The Prime Society. It's in an area on Dempsey Road that is filled with restaurants, bars & clubs. Prime Society is the brainchild of entrepreneur Ingrid Prasatya - aka Prime Princess. PS serves THE best steak in Singapore (so I am told ... I don't eat beef!). The actual restaurant is built in former army barracks and has enormously high ceilings. I had baby pork ribs and french fries (with ketchup). The fries I have had in Singapore have not been good BUT this all changed here. Truly scrumptious!
The big suprise of the night was my dear friend Carolyn turning up with husband - Stu - to say "hello". The MOST wonderful thing about my job is seeing friends all over the world and spending time with Carolyn in Singapore will make me smile for the rest of the trip!
The hospitality at PS is just perfect. The Princess treated us like royalty ... which is what she is trying to achieve and why she has her name!! It's a kind of wierd concept BUT it works -- excellently.
Anyway, "Saturday TV wife" and I are now "divorced" ... I wonder who it will be tomorrow! Ha!
Song of the Day: Still got the Blues - Gary Moore
Weather: hot hot hot!
tim fiddling with my "saturday tv wife"
my dear friend carolyn
the princess (& the beast!)
a drink problem
