April 22, 2013

A RISE & Suite Night @ Marina Bay Sands, Singapore



"Spend a night with me at MBS". When I received this invitation which was sent to me via Facebook events, I thought it sounds rather saucy lol. Well, I did accepted the invitation. Lest you think this is an indecent proposal of any sort, I shall clarify and made known to you all, of what I did at Marina Bay Sands that night.


Marina Bay Sands is a world-class luxury hotel in Singapore. With its 3 magnificence towers supporting a huge infinity pool on the 57th level, the building structure commands an iconic presence along the Marina Bay waterfront.

This glamorous integrated resort also houses a casino, a shopping mall featuring international designer brands and numerous dining options from casual and fine dining to celebrity chef restaurants. Its Grand Theater has also played host to popular musicals like Wicked and The Lion King which I've enjoyed tremendously. I can't wait for the upcoming Phantom of The Opera in July!


And my night at Marina Bay Sands was spent with the NiDJA gals!

NiDJA is the initials of (Ni)cole, (D)oris, (J)oey and (A)lena, a term coined at a sudden thought by Alena. It appeared on our whatsapp group chat one day, we love the term so much and has been using it ever since. Doris was the one who invited us, and a few other close friends over, as her birthday is approaching soon. This will be our early celebration for her :)


We gathered at our suite on level 53 first before heading for dinner at RISE. If I have to use only one word to describe the suite, it would be "S-p-a-c-i-o-u-s!!". My recent stay at Banyan Tree Bangkok and one-bedroom suite in Sydney previously was nothing compared to this. Even with so many of us in the room and kids running around, I do not feel claustrophobic at all. If only my own house is as spacious as this!


Clean minimalistic lines dominates the design of the suite which boast a living area completed with comfortable sofas for us to lounge around while watching television programs or read some magazines. The round table at one corner marks the spot for in-room dining. I feel the table size is oddly too small in proportion to the commodious space.


Further accentuating the capacious area are the high ceilings and full height windows. A balcony would have been much welcomed for us to catch some breezy air, but the windows works just as fine in bringing us panoramic views of the beautiful city lights of the Marina Bay area below.



Taking a clear shot behind the window is so difficult while trying to avoid the glass reflection. Not the best of photo quality here but you get an idea of the mesmerizing beauty of the night.


The modern and sleek design of the suite continues to flow into the separate bedroom area, which comes completed with a lounge by the window, vanity table and walk-in wardrobe.


Even the bathroom is no less roomy. But seriously, would one need such a huge bathroom? I can do all my salsa turns in it and not bump into any corners lol!


A lavish buffet treat awaits us at RISE, where we adjourned to for dinner soon after everyone arrived. Situated in the ground lobby of Marina Bay Sands, RISE offers a buffet of diverse culinary delights which is sure to have something to please everyone in our group. Doris is so thoughful to make this arrangement.

Breakfast is served here exclusively for guests staying in the hotel, but is opened up to public come lunch and dinner time. The open-concept buffet restaurant imparts a vibrant casualness which also makes it a perfect place to come with a group of friends if everyone wanna stuff themselves silly. That is, if all can overlook the slightly pricey buffet prices ($68++ per adult / $38++ per child).


I used to set out with an ambition of conquering all the different food at a buffet line to make my money spent well worth. Haha you do that too, don't you? I've since mellowed over the years and nowadays, I eat very selectively, taking only what catches my fancy. Starting off my meal lightly with a plate of Salad and cold food selection is often the norm now. If I seemed to piling up my plate here, it's only because we were tabled quite far away from the buffet line and I was lazy to walk too many trips. :p


RISE has a good selection of Antipasti including salads, cold cuts, smoked meats and various cheeses. I assembled the Parma Ham from the cold cuts selection and Rock Melon from the fruits section and mamma mia! my version of the Italian starter was born! Nothing beats the delightful contrast of the refreshing sweet and juicy rock melon with the slightly salty parma ham, a classic combination well-loved by many.


Cheese lovers, rejoice! There is a dedicated Cheese Counter which carries a good variety including the sharp and distinct tasting blue cheese. I don't seemed to see my favourite camembert though. Did I missed it?



Now now, this is something which you'd rarely see in a buffet set-up, a Honeycomb stand with fresh honey! For diners only. Bees, please stay away.


The selection at the Chilled Seafood section may not be extensive but the freshness of the produce made up for it.


The Japanese Bar was satisfactory with an assortment of sashimi, sushi as well as cold soba noodles.


Impressing us was the Bread Station with its array of selection. The freshly baked breads tasted quite good accordingly to Derek. I'm not exactly a bread person but did try a bit of the carrot bread which he shared with me. Shreds of fresh orangey carrot is pleasantly found within the soft loaf which I ate with a generous dollop of butter. I'm more of a "butter-with-bread" than "bread-with-butter"person, with the bread condimenting the butter in my case :p


Warming up the tummy with some Shrimp Gumbo next will be a good idea before moving on to the hot mains selection. There's also the Lotus Root Soup if you prefer chinese style soup.


We were also well-pleased with the Asian Hot Food section. Besides the usual Chinese stir-fried dishes like Pork Belly with Salted Fish and Chicken with Honey Bean among many others, Indian favourites such as Masala Chicken, Mango Chutney and Naan makes an appearance too. I did not take photos of all the food simply because there were too many!



The Carving Station was led by this Roasted Leg of Lamb. We thought the chef was kind of stingy with his allocation of 2 small slices per serving, until Joey came back with a full plate haha!


Live Cooking Stations are my personal favourite in any buffet line as I like my food hot and fresh.


I enjoyed the dainty serving of Tagliatelle with crab cream sauce and fish roe. Give me pasta anytime!


The Laksa came with generous toppings of quail eggs, sliced fish cakes, shelled prawns, tau pok and no beansprouts for me, all bathed in a savoury spicy gravy. The greedy piggu in me spruced it further with more prawns, mussels and clams from the seafood section. My friends asked me why my bowl of laksa looked so good. Now you know :)


Always save tummy space for desserts as it's the part of the buffet which you definitely don't want to miss. I'd let the photos do the talking.







Though the desserts may lack the wow factor, it was nevertheless decent. I personally prefer the Chocolate Buffet at The Club which is at Level 57 of Marina Bay Sands, for its more exquisite touch. (Read: The Chocolate Bar @ The Club, MBS)


Dinner finally ended with some Chocolate and Mango Ice Cream topped with berry compote and chocolate balls.



Actually, I ate very little by my standards that evening as we were busy taking photographs and enjoying each others' company. Look at Doris daughter, Ashlynn. She's the most adorable angel and is sweeter than the sweetest of desserts! I was looking at her plate of chocolate covered marshmallows and jelly beans which is quite a lot and asked her if she can finish it all. She replied, "Yes I can, but I want to keep one for you". awwwwwwwww... My heart melted faster than you can say ice cream!



Here's Ashlynn with her godfather, Derek. I didn't noticed what she fed him, but whatever it is must have filled Derek's heart with joy. Right, Derek?


Many thanks to Doris for inviting us over! and also thanks to the kind service staff who helped us took this group photo.


After dinner, it's back to the suite for some chillax time. Derek became the subject of envy with this posed picture of us giving him a massage. We were told that Derek looked like an emperor with his 4 concubines lol. The comments on facebook were hilarious!

Happy Birthday, Doris! May our good Lord bless you in abundance of all that you wish for! :D


My life is not centered around work, or food, or blogging. It is centered around the people I love and Him who loves me most.
♥ TYL ♥ for surrounding me with angels.


Marina Bay Sands
Address: 10 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore 018956
Contact: +65 66888868
Website: http://www.marinabaysands.com/

RISE
Address: Marina Bay Sands, Hotel Lobby, Tower 1
Contact: +65 66885525
Website: http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Restaurants/Casual-Dining/Rise/
Daily Dinner Buffet: 6:30pm - 10:30pm / $68++ per adult / $38++ per child

9 comments:

  1. Ash fed me with mixed peanut paste, jellybeans and chocolate I think :S Next time I redirect these treats to you. Haha!

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  2. Rek, u have to be very fast with the redirection then. Ashlynn took me completely by surprise when she suddenly stick the whole skewer of marshmaallows into my mouth lol!!

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  3. ohhh the room looked amazing!! any idea how much is the buffet rate at Rise? :)

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  4. Hi frannywanny, the dinner buffet price is stated in the blog post. Do check out MBS website for more details :)

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  5. Such a beautiful family vacation. You look very happy together! I read about Marina Bay and that was pretty good. Some of my friends want to visit Singapore. Your information was very useful for me because I saw only this description https://casinority.com/most-expensive-casino-buildings-ever/ But your photos are amazing

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  6. hi , may i know which kind of mbs suite is this?

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  7. hi , may i know which kind of mbs suite is this?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Isabel, I do not know for sure the category of the suite, so it's best to check MBS' website for options available and the most current rate :)

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