Marina Bay Towers in distance. Fullerton Bay Hotel right. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Problem
Where is central and pretty for photos, weddings and wonderful events and meeting?
Answer
Fullerton Bay Hotel, on the Marina Bay's big waterfront is easy to find and splendidly located. From the back of the building on the waterfront you look across the water with great views of the cricket stump shaped Marina Towers landmark building and the Singapore Flyer (a giant wheel like the London Eye), both illuminated at night.
You can get there easily from the nearby MRT (underground train station). The hotel gives coupons for free or discount parking for the first 20 guests (and most others will have arrived by MRT or taxi or Uber).
The MRT station map tells you which exit. The quickest way is through Change Alley. You can imagine that in the old days in previous centuries the ships stopped here and silors came ahsore, changing their money to spend on 'booze and broads'. (For anyone not familiar with the old slang lingo, that means drink and women plying their services.)
If it's raining, you will need an umbrella to get from the MRT a few steps to Change Alley. Most women carying small evening bags arrive without an umbrella. You can buy an small folding umbrella for only $4 (about £3) in the Guardian, one of the two main chains of drug stores (the other one is Watson's). (The November 2017 umbrella colours are pale blue and pink in Guardian, wine or red and other vibrant colours, just changed from plain to print in December 2017, in Watsons at Newston MRT, which has a loyalty card system operating only in Singapore.)
Pictures of old Singapore harbour are on the walls of the MRT station and scattered about Change Alley. The shopping area leads past a wine shop or two and some ladies' dress shops up over a glass walkway acros the street. Then a short run across the rain to the front of the Fullerton Bay hotel.
Photos
From the top of the staircase down from the walkway, you can stop for great views, selfies and photos across the water in front of the Fullerton By hotel to Marina Bay towers in the distance. If you are not going to the Fullerton hotel, this is a good enough outing destination for photos.
Dress Code
The Fullerton doesn't seem to have a dress code. We asked the dress code for the wedding and it was simply semi-formal, nice clothes. We wondered about colours. Our Chinese bride, as we had read of Japanese brides, changed clothes during athe evening, starting with a traditional long white wedding dress, changing into a short red dress for danging, then a short white dress.
Oddly, although ladies avoided all white or all red, to avoid confusion with the bride, or looking as if you are trying to rival and distract from her, some of the Chinese Singaporean and Italian ladies wore all black, which traditionally you would not wear to a UK wedding because it looks like a funeral.
Views Across The Water
The big diing room on the ground floor has a great view over the bay.
For weddings and events you can hire the pods, small pier rooms jutting out of the back over the water. In fact only the end wall sees the water, daytime. At night, make sure to go out onto the tiny balcony for a phto of yourself and any VIP (such as bride and groom) with the view.
If most of your family are overseas and it's a second wedding, so your numbers are nearer 20-50 than the huge 100-200 more usual for a young couple having a first wedding, this is a great venue.
Fullerton Food
What was the food like? We were expecting canapes but got none and it was all the better for it. Canapes whether you order them from a food shop or catering company are a ridiculous price. You are paying soemthing like $45-60-70 Singapore dollars or £35-70 for a plate of canapes, and you can imagine you will need a dozen or more plates to send a couple round evern ten minutes for an hour or two, with guests arriving at 6.30/7 for a ceremony starting at 8 with dinner served at 9.
Wine and Water
Wine and water (water offered iced or warm in Singapore) with a plate of peanuts is fine to keep people busy and circulating. You can do without finger food when you are shaking hands and don't want to get it on your expensive evening clothes. The Fullerton had napkins concealed in silver square boxes in the middle of the raised mushroom shape tables.
Screen For Information and Entertainment
The room had a screen for showing the bride and groom's previous lives, or karaoke (or your business presentation).
Fabulous Food, Good Enough Food and What was that?
Top marks for the smoked salmon with hot bread and butter. Top marks for the bread and butter pudding with butterscotch. And the mixture of fruits including strabewerries and blueberries.
Yes and No Food Choice
The chicken strips in two flavours were fine. The rice with shellfish was clearl marked so I was able to avoid it (allergies). So bread and rice and pasta - but no potatoes. However, I survived. The little chocolate desserts had not much taste of chocolate. I'm a chocoholic. Disapointing.
Bread Pudding
However, once I discovered the bread pudding, I was on target. I found my place. Guarding it. Guiding others to it.
To my surprise some Chinese Singaporeans did not know bread pudding. They eat an Asian diet.
The Secret Of Good Bread Pudding
Bread pudding, in case you don't know, was traditional in previous centuries to use up leftover bread. Or create a quick dessert. The most basic bread pudding in theory requires little cooking skill. However, I found it takes practise to get it right. In theory you just soak bread in milk(or water) and layer it with margarine, with maybe some sugar, and better flavour from butter (in which it is called bread and butter pudding).
Depending on cooking time and heat you either get a solid pudding, a light pudding, or a soggy mess. For more flavour you can add sultanas and lemon juice. You want to cook it so it is succulent underneath and slightly crispy and slighly browned on top.
If you add whipped egg you get a yellow colour throughout and a flavoursome pudding. More egg and milk will produce a light pudding more like a creme caramel.
The kind of bread also affects your pudding. Traditionally it is made with simple white bread.
For our toast and cake cutting we had a cake and champagne. The Champagne was an expensive brand. To me it tasted too dry. Probably by contrast with the sweet cake.
(Photos to be added later.)
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and phtographer, author and speaker. See my previous articles on Fullerton Bay Hotel, Fullerton Hotel, Marina Bay, and Singpore. Please share links to your favourite posts. My other travel blog is http://luxurytravelforless.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment