Park Regis Singapore @ Merchant Road - Eat Your Way Through Singapore's Heritage With Park Regis #sginsiders Heritage Food Trail

Park Regis Singapore is an upscale brand offering quality accommodation and strategically located in the heart of the city. It is within walking distance to the happening night spots along the Singapore river. Even popular tourist attractions such as the main shopping precinct of Orchard Road and Sentosa Island are within easy access. The hotel is just a stone's throw away from Clarke Quay MRT Station, its prime position places itself within walking distances to Chinatown, Clarke Quay. Raffles City and Marina Bay as well, so that it acts as an ideal base for sightseeing activities and offers accessibility and convenience in exploring the city over the leisure weekends!

This 4-star hotel offers 202 contemporary open-concept guestrooms, with a modern feel and tropical Australian touch accentuated with timber accents, full glass panels and a palette of warm colours, creating a warm cozy vibe for guests to indulge in the luxuries of this stellar hotel. The rooms also offer either an impressive view of the hotel's swimming pool and waterfall or a spectacular view of the city's night life for guests to soak in from the comforts of their beds.

In line with the Singapore Bicentennial which celebrates the country's 700-year rich heritage, Park Regis Singapore recently launched a #sginsiders Staycation Package with prices starting from just S$218++ per night. Available from May to Oct 2019, the #sginsiders Staycation Package includes:

• Complimentary access to #sginsiders Heritage Food Trail held every Saturday morning, 9.30am - 12.30pm (valued at S$99)
• Complimentary use of e-scooter for 2 hours
• Complimentary daily buffet breakfast for up to 2pax
• Late Checkout until 3pm (subject to availability)

Park Regis's annual #sginsiders trail is back with a culinary spin to take guests back in time though a unique guided walking tour around the vibrant hoods in the vicinity, where four famous homegrown food spots are featured, each with a unique story to tell. Held every Saturday at 9.30am, enjoy unique local food experiences during the #sginsiders Heritage Food Trail just a walk away from Park Regis, where you get to relish in a variety of local delights within Park Regis's neighbourhood at Chinatown, known to be home to Singapore's diverse heritage.

The trail starts off at Hong Lim Market and Food Centre where guests get to enjoy the iconic Singapore Breakfast with the traditional Kaya Toast and a cup of Kopi/Teh.

The flaky curry puffs from Tanglin Crispy Curry Puff are freshly made every day, and generously stuffed with a variety of fillings such as chicken, sardine and otah.

Our second stop lands us at a 83-year-old Cantonese pastry shop Tong Heng, which is popular for its diamond-shaped 'Dan-Ta' (egg tarts).

With over 80 years of experience to perfect their pastries and desserts, Tong Heng is known for their egg tarts and a wide range of other confectioneries.

As we venture further into the hearts of Chinatown, we enter Mei Heong Yuen Dessert, a Singapore Chinatown Heritage Brand specialising in different varieties of traditional pastes and unique snow ice bowl.

We got to try some of their popular flavours such as the local favourite Chendol Snow Ice and the Strawberry Mango Snow Ice.

Lastly, the tour ends with a sweet and savoury delicacy at Lim Chee Guan, a stall started back 80 years in 1938 selling 'Bak Kwa' (dried barbequed meat).

Not just a popular Chinese New Year Snack, the Bak Kwa can also be enjoyed at all times throughout the year! What better way to experience it than at this 80-year-old Singapore Bak Kwa Specialist store.

"It is important for us to spotlight hawker culture in this food trail as it is a way of life for many locals across races, gender, and age, and reflects the identity of the nation. This is also our way of supporting Singapore's nomination of Hawker Culture for the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage," as shared by Jack Chua, General Manager of Park Regis Singapore. Considering Park Regis's close proximity to some of the country's most iconic food places, it is truly a great way to experience Singapore's rich multi-cultural history through food from a local perspective.

When you’re done exploring for the day, you can look forward to more relaxations and comfort back at Park Regis with their great facilities and amenities such as a 25-metre outdoor lap pool with a waterfall feature, a well-equipped gym with a Bondi Book Corner, self-service Laundromat, e-scooters for rent, as well as free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel.

The Melbourne room - a 72-sqm meeting room is also catered for corporate functions and events. This meeting space has a centrepiece view of the gorgeous cascading waterfall from the full glass windows. The meeting room also comes with built-in projector, a large screen, up-to-date visual equipments, as well as conference facilities available for hire.

Renovated in Mar 2015, the refurbished hotel saw brand new additions to the hotel's facilities and upgrades on bedding items in all four room types. The rooms are so comfortable that you might find it pretty hard to say goodbye after your weekend getaway at Park Regis Singapore!

As part of the #sginsiders Staycation Package, guests also get to enjoy a complimentary breakfast buffet for up to 2 pax, which includes a scrumptious spread of scrambled eggs, french toasts, sausages, bacon, porridge and dim sum, as well as a station where eggs of your choice are made a la minute.

Get your sightseeing on wheels covered with a complimentary 2-hours use of the e-scooter. Just hop onto one parked outside the entrance of the hotel, and go on an exhilarating ride to discover the best of Singapore.

For more information on the #sginsiders Staycation Package, visit http://www.parkregissingapore.com/specials/

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is a media invite.


Park Regis Singapore
23 Merchant Road
Singapore 058268
Tel: +65 68188888
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay (NE Line)

Directions:
1) Alight at Clarke Quay MRT station. Take Exit B. Cross the road. Turn right onto Merchant Road. Walk down Merchant Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 6 minutes. [Map]

Diamond Kitchen (钻石小厨) @ Science Park I - Exclusive Dishes To Celebrate Both Mother's Day And Father's Day

For this coming Mother's Day and Father's Day, a table of home-style dishes that are rich with comforting Malaysian-Chinese flavours may be just what we are seeking for. Diamond Kitchen at both Marine Parade and their Science Park outlets have specially crafted five new menus and four exclusive dishes for these two occasions.

Crispy Fried Potato Slices with Salted Egg Yolk 4.2/5

Riding on the salted egg yolk trend is the Crispy Fried Potato Slices with Salted Egg Yolk ($12). Tossed in the restaurant's signature homemade salted egg sauce, each deep-fried potato slice was evenly coated with flavours that set your tongue tingling. A dish for both young and the old, this will definitely whet your appetite for what's about to come.

Homemade Yam Balls with Otah 3.8/5

These Homemade Yam Balls with Otah ($16) is an interesting take on familiar flavours. It's like your traditional yam ring but broken up and fried in individual portion and at the core of each yam ball is a slab of house-made otah, made with a combination of mackerel, spice blend and the restaurant's proprietary 'Gan Xiang' blend. If you are a fan of yam ring, this is even more moreish with all sides crisp golden brown. I would have liked it, even more, should the otah be less mellow, as the heat from the spices tends to overwhelm the delicate yam flavour.

5-Step Diamond Kitchen 'Duck Rice' 4.2/5

A must-order is definitely the 5-Step Diamond Kitchen 'Duck Rice' ($24/$48). What's on your plate is a result of a 3-day preparation work which involves roasting, air-drying, steaming, deep frying and then pan-frying. What you get eventually is slices of 'pancake' - a crisp layer of glutinous rice base topped with a layer of juicy roast duck shreds. What's brilliant I thought it is the addition of the sweet chilli sauce underneath that softens the crisp glutinous rice. Hence, when you bite into it, the crunchy rice pancake is actually slightly chewy with crisp edges, and the tenderness of the duck meat stands out even more.

Sauna Prawn 4.5/5

Aside from the exclusive dishes above, you may not want to miss some of the restaurant's signatures, such as the Sauna Prawn ($24/$36/$48). Live tiger prawns are laid on hot stones in a bamboo basket before a herbal stock is poured over the prawn and steam for several minutes with the lid closed. It was really fragrant the moment the dish was served to our table, and each prawn not only had that subtle herbal taste, but it also carried a hint of smokiness which further elevated its flavours.

Diamond Gan Xiang Crab 4.5/5

You might have heard of their legendary Gan Xiang sauce, in which you can experience it in various forms such as fried rice or bee hoon, but to fully appreciate it, perhaps it would be the Diamond Gan Xiang Crab (market price). A concoction of hae bee hiam, curry powder, lemongrass, dried chilli, taucheo along with a few other ingredients, it sounded assertive, akin to what a black pepper sauce would do to my taste buds. But surprisingly, it was a lot more well rounded than I imagined, so much so that I could polish the sauce off the crab claw before diving into it. Usually, I simply would just scrap the sauce off the flesh.

Superior Stock Clam Bee Hoon 3/5

We had their Superior Stock Clam Bee Hoon ($12/$18/$24) as well. I would prefer a stock that is more sweet-savoury, with a lighter consistency to highlight the flavours of the clams.

Rounding up of evening is a Mother's Day dessert, Heart of Gold Warm Pumpkin Dessert. I love how warm and comforting it smells, with the coconut cream laced on top of the pureed pumpkin. Each bite is satiated with yam bits, sweet corn and sago. It was so yummy!

Heart of Gold Warm Pumpkin Dessert 4.5/5

The special early bird discount of 30% for the Mother's Dat set menus are over, but you could still enjoy the promotion if you pre-order the Father's Day set from 8 to 31 May 2019 via Diamond Kitchen's website.

Words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Diamond Kitchen (钻石小厨)
Science Park 1
Oasis
87 Science Park Drive
#01-01
Singapore 118260
Tel: +65  64640410
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Kent Ridge (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 230pm, 530pm - 1030pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Kent Ridge MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to bus stop opposite Kent Ridge MRT station (Stop ID 15139). Take bus number 92. Alight 5 stops later. Walk towards Technology Crescent. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]