Enjoy local dishes on free Ion Orchard tour
ION Orchard extends tour of mall to locals
The New Paper is not the only good thing you can get for free.
At Ion Orchard, you can enjoy food, history and the arts for free too.
Plus, if you are a tourist, you can get a $5 voucher to use at the food and beverage outlets.
The mall - one of the busiest in Singapore since it opened in 2009 - has been quietly offering tourists walking tours. Now, it has opened this up to locals too.
You will be taken around the mall and fed tasting portions of local dishes.
The guide will also highlight some artwork within the mall - look out for the Nutmeg & Mace, and the Digital Waterfall.
The tour ends with a visit to Ion Sky for a bird's-eye view of the country. It is a nice way to spend an hour and a half.
The food provided should not be new to locals. We would have eaten this at one time or another. But the tour is a worthy adventure, for both locals and tourist.
Ya Kun Kaya Toast (#B4-71/72) is one of the stops on the tour. It is my go-to breakfast place as the toast is good.
You will be spending most of the time at Food Opera, where you
will do a food tasting from five stalls. I recommend the chendol from the Ice Shop.
Another Food Opera stop is Thye Hong Fried Prawn Noodles. Since it opened at Koek Road in 1970, its prawn noodles have always been a hit. The best part is the rich stock the noodles are fried in.
The chicken briyani from Prata King is a good introduction for those new to Indian cuisine. Locals may prefer bolder flavours.
Everyone has their favourite bak kut teh stall, but Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh remains a popular choice
. It is the peppery kind, made with a recipe dating back to 1973.
BITES
KFC has jumped into the cheese tart craze with its Cheese Tarts ($1.90), baked daily and made with cream cheese.
Get this for your next festive party because for now, buy five and you'll get one free.
This promotion is not available at outlets at Block 381, Toa Payoh Lorong 1, Block 501, Jurong West Street 51, Sentosa, Nanyang Technological University, KidZania and Singapore Zoo.
JAPANESE DELICACIES
Japan Food Town (Wisma Atria Shopping Centre) is holding the Mie Prefecture Fair till Dec 7, with menus featuring signature produce such as Matsusaka wagyu, Ise-ebi lobster and oysters.
Participating restaurants include Bonta Bonta with its Ise-ebi Premium Gozen ($130 for two) and Shabu Shabu Tajimaya, which will serve the beef in its buffet (from $50.90).
TEA TIME
Here's an excuse to have alcohol in the afternoon - the Festive Afternoon Tea ($50 a person) at Anti:Dote (Fairmont Singapore).
You'll get Christmas-inspired cakes and pastries, including Eggnog Mini Log Cake, and Gingerbread Vanilla Snowman.
FOUR CHOCOLATE BALLS
How can one resist rum balls?
Just for Christmas, Old Seng Choong's Jolly Rum Balls ($12 for four) is a box of four balls made from chocolate sponge cake, buttercream, melted chocolate and Myers's Rum. Each ball has a different coating: Chocolate rice, rainbow sprinkles, crushed almonds and sugar Christmas trees.
Order via www.oldsengchoong.com
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