Yes, you should book a restaurant table

Stories
Shanghai, CHINA
My worst disaster was in Shanghai. My friend assured me she knew a wonderful restaurant and no need to phone because they did not take bookings. Our taxi drove round and round and both my friend and the driver were unable to find it. Eventually, she located the name and address on satnav. We got out and walked to the number. The place was boarded up. They had gone out of business.

Usually the opposite happens. You arrive on what you think is an off season midweek night, What could go wrong. The place is humming and full. There's a wedding, a conference, or it has just opened and advertised a free drink in the local paper.

Or it is tiny. Only six tables. All full.

I have often arrived at a place where I want to eat and met the guard on the door who demands, "Do you have a booking?"
I recently learned by chance what to do.

SINGAPORE
I went to IO, Italian restaurant in Singapore, on a dark wet night, the Friday before our last weekend, and found the place packed.
The man on the welcome desk said welcomingly, "Do you have a booking?"
"No. But could we see the menu in case we want to book for another day? Ooh, it looks lovely. We'll definitely make a booking."

We retreated out of the way and phoned. "Hi. Can we have a booking for tomorrow? You're fully booked? The next day? No. You can do it when? The day after - no, we're going overseas. We're outside the restaurant now - if you get a cancellation. Please note our phone number. You have a cancellation! Forty five minutes? Fine!"

By the time we'd checked out two other rival restaurants, looked into the wine shop window, and been to the toilet, and got back to reception, it's thirty minutes. Five minutes to get to the front of the queue. Twenty-five minutes.
I said, "We have a booking. We're a bit early."
"Would you like to sit and wait at the bar, and order a drink?"
I said, "While we're waiting, may I look at the cabinet of desserts?"

I photographed the entrance. I'd only been by the large dessert display two or three minutes when the head waiter appeared and whisked us in:
"Your table's vacant, Madam. If you don't mind an unmade table, you can sit and read the menu, while we lay the table and fix it up for you."

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Please share your favourite posts.

More On IO Italian Osteria Restaurant and Etna

What's Osteria? Hostelry, same word.


Etna - what's mount Etna? A Volcano. A friend tells me: "Sicily wouldn't exist without Etna. It's a volcano island." That explain a lot.

Service
Everybody rushes around. A bit confusing as two people may try to take your order and you want to be careful not to order twice. Another confusion was that we wanted a quarter bottle and one glass, not two glasses of wine but one empty glasses, and one glass of white wine.

Anna Borrasi a jolly lady, is Partner / Chief Operations Officer.
IO
#02-01-hillV2
Hillview Rise
website: io-osteria.com
IO Osteria@Hillview
Phone: 671071050
Two other restaurants on one of their business cards:
Etnaitalianrestaurant.com

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Glamorous Entertaining In Singapore: top ten from free to a fling

Glamorous Entertaining
If you are looking for somewhere to entertain a visitor to Singapore - or entertain yourself, these would be my Secret Seven suggestions, in alphabetical order:
Secret Seven Hotels and Restaurants - oops, now it's eight - I'll make that ten.

Clarke Quay where you can sit and admire the view.

Clarke Quay - boats, boat trips, flowers, fountains, riverside restaurants.
Gardens By The Bay - a day out. Expensive restaurants - or simple outdoor eating at a hawker centre is expensive but then it's back to the waterfalls and trees and flowers. Plus souvenirs of clothes or pot plants.
IO - Italian in Hillv2 - go for lunch or a take away or catering or just for the desserts
Marina Bay Sands (Very pricey top to the tower restaurants and bars and must book. We stayed in Singapore with a friend for a fortnight and took him there on our last night.  He was so impressed that when his teenage children visited him from overseas he took them there for one night in the bedroom to enjoy the rooftop infinity swimming pool with views over the city.
Night Safari (on site evening buffet can be booked) see the animals having their supper at twilight.

Colourful Clarke Quay.

Walking around Clarke Quay.

Park Royal Hotel - (Limes Restaurant) (Coffee is $7++ - total about $10 just for the coffee.)
Raffles Hotel - history, shops, restaurants at all prices and delis, Singapore Sling in the bar or just walk around, or stay at the expensive hotel
Sheraton Towers Hotel (dine by the indoor waterfall)
Table at 7 restaurant for dinner (Degustation or tasting menu about $88.) Does outside catering for grand affairs such dinners for ministers - not religious ones I presume but the government(s).
Tippling Club restaurant, where neither the plates nor the foods are names, colours or shapes you have seen before.

Park Royal hotel outside.

Even a glass of water at Table at 7 restaurant is served in style in a fine-lipped glass subtly advertising Aquapanna bottled water

TABLE AT 7 RESTAURANT. Fine flavours.

Tippling Restaurant. Unusual food. Quirky surroundings. Expensive gourmet.

(See my previous posts.)
Can't afford it? You can walk through the Sheraton Towers Hotel and the Park Royal Hotel. Just put on your smartest, prettiest clothes so you can pose for photos and look the part. Walk around and  budget $20 for a coffee or cake in elegant surroundings.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, speaker and author.

TripAdvisor helps Singapore visitors to Live Like A Local | News | Breaking Travel News

TripAdvisor helps Singapore visitors to Live Like A Local | News | Breaking Travel News
Now that the MRT has expanded the underground and overground and the light railway loops to outlying areas of Singapore, there's lots more to see and do out in the suburbs.Speciality food shops and restaurants, budget and bargain corners, more malls with coloured lights for Christmas and Chinese New Year which brightens up January or February.

Seasonal lights in Orchard Road in the centre of Singapore.

New year lanterns and foods in a suburban market.

Lion dance for Chinese new year.

As a Singapore resident, I am looking forward to the opening of the new Cashew Road MRT station. With a pre-paid MRT card which operates on buses and trains, you will be able to travel all over the island much faster.

See my previous posts on:
My favourite restaurants for food
Italian Osteria - try the Cassata Siciliana, with marzipan on top of the cake.

Fratini Restaurant - the chef makes up surprise dishes.
My favourite sky bar overlooking city, restaurant, rooftop infinity swimming pool and hotel bedrooms on top of three linked skyscrapers:
Marina Bay Sands.

My favourite visitor attraction:
Gardens By The Bay. Two huge multi-storey greenhouses with walkways, one with flowers and forests of the world, the other containing a three-storey waterfall.

My favourite 'traditional' hotel"
Raffles Hotel.

My hot travel tip: when it is raining, explore Tangs in the centre of the city, cross the road underground to the central EON multilevel mall, from basement level at Orchard Road MRT walk underground along the shops under orchard road until you reach the third great shopping department area, Ngee Ann City.

Ride the latest MRT line which opens Dec 27th 2015. Preview free opening this Saturday Dec 5th.
http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/ride-play-and-eat

classic things to do:
By day the zoo and by night the Night Safari.
I liked the Mint Museum.
I have not yet visited the Old Ford factory museum but that's on my list.
http://www.nas.gov.sg/moff/
Another new to do: Newly redesigned National Gallery of Art opened this year. (see my previous post.)

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.