SINGAPORE'S CLARKE QUAY

Danny Boy is having one month elective posting in Singapore (2 weeks in Tan Tock Seng's hospital and 2 weeks in National University Hospital) So for the past week he gotta depend on David or David's friend to take him across the causeway & then return to JB by public transport.

But he prefers to use his own car....very very convenient...was the excuse...so Daddy and mumsie made a special effort to take him accross on Saturday to make an 'Autopass' card for his car and also do some' trial runs' ..(to make sure that he knows his way) Any way after the trial run we met up with David and Chen Li...in Clarke Quay

With its recent revamp, Clarke Quay today is one of the biggest entertainment zones of Singapore.. It is taking centrestage with many new operators with funky styles, to transform it into a world-class destination. It has a vibrant nightlife and acclaimed acts and clubs including Crazy Horse cabaret from Paris, UK dance club Ministry of Sound (though dunno why both has closed down within a year of opening) Anyway
here we are exploring around Clarke Quay
And it co-incide with the Mid-Autumn Festival...
The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake. Henceforth the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated with moon cakes. And this festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the eight month...
(this year it falls on 25th September)
And here in Singapore, and elsewhere in the world where there is a Chinese population, we celebrate the Mooncake Festival.. It is also celebrated by the Chinese to signify the end of the harvest season. As it is associated with paper laterns Clarke Quay was lighted up with 'more than paper laterns ' as you can see..(mumsie's photos) To celebrate this sighting of the moon, red plastic laterns are prepared for the occasion. When Celine was 'teeny' mumsie invited a few of her chinese nurses home on that night to accompany her to play with her lanterns...The laterns are made in traditional shapes -rabbits, goldfish, carps, butterflies, lobsters and star-shapes. However, in modern days you will also see lantern int eh shape of missiles, airplaines, rockets, ships and tanks.
At night these guys were lighted up

Earlier on they were not lighted up yet...

Before dark

It got lighted up in the night. Never mind the scientific and astronomical and astrological stuff, for come the 15th day of the Eight Lunar Month in the Chinese calendar, children (our opposite new neighbour's adults) still come out to play with lanterns and mooncakes are devoured and exchanged. Much of the cultural significance has disappeared but it is still a day to be remembered.

Then we go searching for a nice restaurant for our dinner

The toy shop

Chinese Food ?????

Dunno what they serve here in the Forbidden City must be Chinese....

There were stalls selling 'pasar malam' things

Look at these wheel-chairs!! Yep this restaurant's

name is 'CLINIC' so for its decor they use wheel chairs...real ones for dinning chairs!!

SEE????

They even put up blood transfusion set...wonder if we are supposed to suck our drinks through them?????
Above their bar counter..are the operating lights

If you don't like to sit on wheel chairs for your dinner you can choose to sit in these cubicles that look like hospital beds...Wonder if one's appetite will be put off by these surroundings....????

What about this one?

OR this one??

Or this colourful one??

There are many many more restaurants to choose from

Turkish ice cream any one??

Open air bar

Cruise by the River..Another highlight of Clark Quay is the Singapore River Cruise.

In front of this Restaurant is this Decor..forgot its name...with some fresh sea-food on display

We are still looking for our restaurant...

Should we 'toss' a coin??? Chinese food, or Western?????
This restaurant serves its food on a Boat

Most of the 'Ang Mo' or 'orang puteh' likes to sit outside the restaurant..by the river

Or Indonesion food???

Then we arrived at BREWERKZ (recommended by David) Checking on the Menu...

Finally the decision is made! Dinner shall be in Brewerkz, the restaurant and brewery..(An AMERICAN JOINT)

The Brewerkz Restaurant concept is modeled after similar concepts in the U.S.A.

Brewerkz has managed to create a definitive suburban hangout.

The interior of the restaurant is dimly lit, spacious and ?family friendly...It has outside seating areas...offering a scenic view of the Singapore River.

But mumsie prefers the 'air-cond interior'..and so does most of the Asians...whilst the outside are filled with 'Ang Mo'

See all Asians...It also includes a shop that sells sweat shirts, t-shirts, beer mugs and cigars at the entrace area (Doesn't it reminds your of HARD Rock Cafe???)

It also boast of a billiard table....pool any one??

Dadda ordered some brewerkz beer for sampling and here is the recommended 7 types. Brewerkz recently won a gold medal at Association of Brewers...(saw them boasting about this on one of the posters just above our dining table)

Yum Sing!

See it only took us a few minutes to nearly empty this few glasses....

Got all the names of the different types of beer...

The mainly western menu include this appetizers of grilled pork wrapped in some vegi and some special homemade sause...not bad

And buffallo wings

For main course there are several tasty choices:

Danny Boy has this barbequed pork ribs with garlic chips

David had this steak

Cheng Li had this salmon supposed to be 'Beer Braised Salmon' served with roasted...garlic

Mumsie's grilled pork (In Malaysia not much restaurants especially the hotel restaurants serve pork) with grilled mushrooms...not bad

Dadda had sea-food spagetti

Their desert selection is temptingly sweet we shared this bread pudding with ice-cream...(will taste much better if only they serve it with warm custard)

Apple crumble with ice-cream...Mumsie would like this with warm custard

Then we went for a stroll--trying to get rid of the amount that we just put in our bodies

Happy happy happy mumsie with her 'boys'

This place is huge

On such a historic night, what were we thinking of? Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon? Or the woodcutter? Or perhaps Chang'e.. May be some were thinking of a Wereworlf in London..

On top of this big lanter is Chang'e

And there are other lanterns

REVERSE bungee jumping debuts in Singapore. The 3 tall funny looking things here is for bungee jumping !

Yep ! Singapore attempts to boost its image as a fun city took a step forward with launching this high-adrenaline reverse 'bungee jumping' ride in Clarke Quay! The last time we came here DannyBoy was keen to give it a try...(BUT this time mumsie keeps on reminding everybody that it can cause retina detachment!!!) so hopefully mumsie has put everybody off from trying this ride...on top of that not with our dinner still in our tummy...

Maybe Singapore is trying to encourage a 'risk-taking culture' among Singaporeans...or increase the income of their Opthalmalogists!!!!