Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: East meets West in A Tropical Garden City
September 21, 2008 – 2:59 am by wiffyI’m writing this blog post for Foodbuzz’s “24 Meals, 24 Cities, 24 Blog Posts” event, a first ever real-time, global “live blogging” event featuring 24 food bloggers (including me!) who will all be blogging on the same day about their meal experiences the day before. I was totally surprised, and happy, when I found out that Foodbuzz has counted me in to be part of the 24. Thank you, Foodbuzz! This is a photo essay on my gastronomic adventures in the Singapore Botanic Gardens Vicinity.
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The last time I went to the Botanic Gardens was years ago… I have always wanted to go there for a picnic, but B and I always managed to find some excuse at the last minute. Our idea of regular exercise and nature = playing golf or tennis … on Wii! =P We need to do something about our unhealthy, sedentary lifestyle! So after pulling the life support from the computers & TV and hiding all the game consoles, we considered seriously, for the first time, about getting a real life … i.e. real fresh air and sunlight (sans the handheld game consoles and laptops) and of course, we won’t forget the good food - alfresco style (no eating sloppy meals in front of computer screens or tv).
First stop: Japanese Food at Greenwood Avenue
I’m not rich but hey, I’m eating in a rich neighbourhood today! (cheap thrill =p) Btw, the car parked outside Raku is not mine. =P
First stop of our food-trip-cum-Botanic-Gardens-Romantic-Escapade, Raku Japanese Restaurant located at Greenwood Avenue. I have heard raves about the place and I have always wanted to try the food. The restaurant is situated in a posh, quiet district, and as we approach our destination, one can’t help but be taken in by the calming charm of the neighbourhood.
We ordered the ala carte buffet and we weren’t disappointed with the quality and authenticity of the food! We stuffed ourselves silly with the food. For the sake of art and food porn, we sacrificed our waistlines by ordering a vast array of food in small portions. Lookie at some of the food we ate!
Glorious Japanese food at Raku (L to R) - Unlimited sashimi, fried oysters, fish porridge, cod fish with spicy roe.
More Japanese goodness (L to R): Grilled mackerel, assorted sushi, tempura, Japanese clear soup, chawanmushi, salad, soft shell crabs and ebi fry with wasabi mayo.
Salmon skin with fresh salmon maki
Best agedashi tofu I have eaten!
Soft Shell Crabby
Second Stop: French affair at Bukit Timah Road
Wait… where’s the picnic? Don’t worry, the full feast of Japanese food we just had was just the entrée, now we are heading to buy some food for the picnic! (my waistlineeeeeee :P) Just a mere 5 minutes drive from Raku, we popped by Choupinette (means ‘sweetie pie’ in French), a French bakery-deli located next to Coronation Plaza.
French pastries from Choupinette - Food for our picnic
(food photos taken at Botanic Garden)
We bought macarons (all flavours of it!), a loaf of olive bread with herbs, strawberry chou-chou and some brownies. Complete with Perrier water, no less.
Why did we choose French pastries? Besides the fact that they taste oh so good, they are so small, so cute, so colourful and so photogenic too, don’t you think? They are great practice targets for outdoor food photography, for nothing beats natural light from Mother Nature.
Don’t they look lovely? Now that we got our picnic food, we are ready to move on to Botanic Gardens, also another 5 minutes away.
Third Stop: Botanic Gardens (yes, finally!)
The picnic food that went into our bottomless, elastic tummies =P
Macarons love 
What’s a picnic without a walk in the park? We weren’t the only one enjoying the park. Dogs, swans, kiddos, families, dating couples, joggers, tourists, budding photographers and the elderly were all taking in the fresh air, vast spaces and lush greenery. It was a day when everyone is relaxing and having a good time.
I seldom do outdoor photography so this was a chance for some practice! =P
Little boy pushes a pram
Some sights at the Botanic Gardens
Dreamy girl on hammock
So that concludes my adventures at the Botanic Gardens vicinity. I really enjoyed the good food, fresh air and the sun! Now that I have eaten my fill, I have to work out (real sports, not wii) to burn off the extra calories I consumed today =P
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I realised from looking at all the other 23 participating bloggers, that I was the only one from South East Asia. So perhaps you wish to know a little bit more about Singapore:
- Singapore is tiny: It’s just a red dot on the world map. It takes about an hour to drive from one end of Singapore to the other.
- Singapore is a city-state: And because we are so small, we have to fill out travel immigration forms as “Singapore, Singapore” for the field “State, Country”.
- Singapore is a tropical country: Due to our proximity to the equator, we do not have the 4 seasons. Yes, we get the sun 365 days a year. Our weather range from hot & humid, to unbearably warm, to warm with occasional rain, to hothothot! =P
Since we have to live with this type of weather for the rest of our lives, we might as well make the best of it, by basking in the sun more often (with glorious food) … right? 
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(Update)
Foodbuzz’s 24 Meals, 24 Hours, 24 Blogs Round Up
Related Blog Post:
- Food Review: Raku Japanese Restaurant
Share the good food
Tags: 24, foodbuzz, french, japanese food, macarons, pastries, photography, picnic, sashimi, singapore botanic gardens, sushi
Posted in Blog Events, Foodbuzz 24
51 Responses to “Foodbuzz 24, 24, 24: East meets West in A Tropical Garden City”
This was such an interesting post to read about all your day’s events, and your photography is outstanding.
Your food photos are always taken so nicely, but I most enjoyed seeing your picnic and outdoor photography, for a change. And you didn’t disappoint in that genre either!
It’s been truly a pleasure to watch your portfolio expand and to see your capabilities as a photographer (and cook!) continue to grow and improve each day.
By HoppingHammy on Sep 21, 2008
Really, your photos are stunning! And the garden city is such a beautiful place! I wish I could have some of those yummy treats!
By Marija on Sep 21, 2008
Congrats on being 1 of the 24 and the food is outstanding!
By Peter on Sep 21, 2008
congratulation on 24 foodbuzz!! oh!! I love Japanese food!! your pix make drooling!
By beachloverkitchen on Sep 21, 2008
This is a great post. Congrats on being selected as one of the 24!! Clapping hands.
By Rasa Malaysia on Sep 21, 2008
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By kristina on Sep 21, 2008
Great job Noob! The soft shell crab and salmon maki look delicious!
By Christie@fig&cherry on Sep 21, 2008
Sounds like a great outing for you and B. Jap food, macarons and so much more, makes me drool. Just wondering how much does it costs for per pax for the ala carte buffet?
I particularly like the boy pushing pram shot.
Once again, congrats!
By didally on Sep 21, 2008
Congratulations on your post! That sushi looks fantastic and so does the soft shell crab! I had no idea that Singapore was sunny all year round - how wonderful!
By Helen on Sep 21, 2008
I love Japanese food! The sushi and the soft shell crabs made me drool!
The garden shots are pretty too! Especially the boy with the pram - that was sooo cute! Congratulations again! 
By Ning on Sep 21, 2008
Congratulations on a wonderful collage!
By Laurie on Sep 21, 2008
Sounds like a lovely day. Besides, the healthy Japanese food balances out the French food so you’re good.
I liked the statues of the mom tossing her baby and the girl asleep in the hammock. Very cool.
By Wandering Chopsticks on Sep 22, 2008
Hi, Congratulations on being selected as 1 of the 24 in this Foodbuzz’s event! The food in the Raku Restaurant looks so tempting! Your outdoor pictures are excellent especially the one showing a little boy pushing the pram.
By lk on Sep 22, 2008
Great post and yummy food! Congrats on being on the Foodbuzz 24.
By Little Corner of Mine on Sep 22, 2008
what a lovely day you had. I love the pictures particularly the age tofu.
By maybelles mom (feeding maybelle) on Sep 22, 2008
Thanks for the little mini tour! Now I know where to eat when I visit Singapore:-) Also looks a lot more relaxing that I decided to do for my 24,24,24 submission.
By Marc @ NoRecipes on Sep 22, 2008
Congrats congrats…24 hours foodbuzz!:D
That’s a whole lot of food…and the Jap food are oh…so nice!!!!:D
By Christy on Sep 22, 2008
What an excellent day you had! Congratulation on the buzz. You surely deserved it.
By Andie Summerkiss on Sep 22, 2008
What a beautiful day you’ve had; am glad you sacrificed the waistline & developed a bottomless elatic tummy!! That’s a wonderful walk through of fantastic food! Great window on Singapore too; have been there thrice, & love it to bits! Congrats on being part of the 24!! Well done!
By Deeba on Sep 22, 2008
hopping, thank you so much for your encouragement. You are a super friend
Marija, thank you! I love your write up!
Peter, thank you very much!
beachlover, thank you!! I can never get enough of Japanese food too, even at a buffet ;p
RM, thank youuu!
Christie, thank you!
didally, thanks girl! <3 buffet is S$59 or $99 per pax, depending on which menu you take. I'll have a blog post coming up with more photos & info about raku ;p
helen, thanks! hehe yes the sun is wonderful though it can get unbearably hot at times
Ning, hehe … thank you so much for your kind words!
Laurie, thank you!!
WC, thank you
Yes I had the perfect day! 
lk, thank you!! I’m blushing
LCOM, thank you!
mm, thank you!
I love your 24 post! 
Marc, thanks! Your 24 post rocks!
Christy, thank you!! Yes that’s quite a lot of food for a day isn’t it?
Andie, thank you very much!
Deeba, thank you! I really love all the 24 lovely dishes you whipped up for fb 24!
By wiffy on Sep 22, 2008
Wonderful and nice idea, all dishes looks delicious and the botanic garden is stunning
Very well done !!!
By Sylvia on Sep 22, 2008
OMG! Where do I start?
1) congratulations on being chosen
2) Great photos - hope to see more outdoor shots from you cos these turned out great
3) thank you for sacrificing your waistline for our benefit
4) very funny post!
5) i want those macarons. and the agedashi tofu. make that the entire japanese meal you had.
By Dee on Sep 22, 2008
What a great way to spend a day in Singapore. The food looks fantastic! I miss the walk (and the jogging) in the Botanical Garden. I used to live in Singapore. Will have to visit Raku when I return.
By Kian on Sep 22, 2008
Congratulation!!! And you take such beautiful photos. We actually got the chance to eat at Raku when we visited Singapore in June. We just kept stuffing ourselves!!
By Cecil on Sep 22, 2008
I love it! Great photographs - esp since they were taken at restaurants!
By jaden on Sep 22, 2008
Great pictures! Singapore really is an amazing food destination.
I love the look of that agedashi tofu
By Giff from Constables Larder on Sep 22, 2008
Wonderful pics Noob
That Japanese food looks really good. I had a sushi overdose awhile ago, but your pictures make me want to eat sushi again. Looks like you had a lovely day.
By judyfoodie on Sep 22, 2008
This was a wonderful journey for a girl from jersey. Thank you for the glorious pictures. Congratulations on being selected by Foodbuzz. I look forward to some more wonderful pictures and posts.
By Deborah Smith on Sep 23, 2008
Beautiful pictures and so interesting too, thank you!
By Jo on Sep 23, 2008
This was a special treat, and a day that I’d certainly enjoy spending! Amazing food in an amazing place. Congrats on being one of the 24!
By kellypea on Sep 23, 2008
An excellent culinary travelogue, Wiffy! When my husband recalls his year of leisure world travel, he always talks up the food in Singapore. I can see why.
By Susan on Sep 23, 2008
What a great day! You’d never know that you are not a regular at outdoor photography…your photos are gorgeous.
By Katie on Sep 23, 2008
Wow, your photos look soooooo good!
By _ts of [eatingclub] vancouver on Sep 23, 2008
Congrats! What an excellent post!
I think I want to follow the ‘trail’ you had. Especially to Choupinette, to see what’s there!
Yummy!
By keropokman on Sep 23, 2008
Slyvia, thank you! Love your feature on Agentine cuisine as well
Dee, welcome back! Hope u had fun in Bangkok. Thank you for your kind words, my face is as red as a tomato now
Kian, thanks! I love your banquet
Woah, so you must be quite familiar with S’pore … Yesss… you must check out Raku when you return 
Cecil, thank you! Wow you visited Singapore before… that’s great to hear! Yup as you can tell we stuffed ourselves silly too
jaden, thank youuuuu!
GFCL, yes … we are a foodie paradise hehe
judyfoodie, hehe you are so funny!
Same here, I’m craving for Japanese food right now too (after my huge feast on Saturday) 
Deborah Smith, thanks for your kind words… I love your tomato theme for 24
Jo, thanks for your kind words, and welcome!
kellypea, thank you! Glad you can visit my blog
Susan, hope you get a chance to visit Singapore one day
Thank you for your kind words! 
Katie, awww… thank you! hehe…
ts, thank you!
keropokman, thanks & welcome!
Don’t do Raku and Choupinette on the same day like I did … you will be so stuffed… heheh 
By wiffy on Sep 23, 2008
oh my ! i havent seen japanese food this gorgeous!!! and of course your photos are fabulous!!
By dhanggit on Sep 23, 2008
Wiffy, Congrats! I wanted to do it too but I was just too lazy so i scrapped the idea. lol.
Wah! Eat. Eat. And walk in the park. Sounds like a super wonderful day.
By Farina on Sep 24, 2008
What a great day! I’d love to visit Singapore some day. The food you chose looks delicious.
By lisa on Sep 24, 2008
Hi Wiffy
Nice pictures. It’s really neat that Singapore is placed among the 24, 24,24. Being far away from home for a while now, I would have loved to see more ethnic Singaporean fare like hainanese chicken rice, laksa, nasi lemak, satays, chai tow kway or even Indian rojak! Nonetheless, I love your pictures and that agedashi tofu certainly looks delicious!
By Bentoist on Sep 24, 2008
Your photos make everything look tasty. Sounds like a great day with all of the happenings.
By Lando on Sep 24, 2008
dhanggit, hehe thank you
Farina, hehe I’m sure there will be more opportunities in future
yes it’s definitely a super day … especially the eating part, hee
lisa, I hope u get a chance to visit too
Bentoist, thanks & welcome! =) hehe yeah showcasing local food is a nice idea, I will feature it more on my blog in future ;p but at least this also shows that one can find nice Japanese and French cuisine (among other international foods) in sunny Singapore hehe ;D
Lando, thanks for your nice comment
By wiffy on Sep 24, 2008
It hurts to look at your photo of salmon maki…it’s so tempting!
The way the soft shell crab is presented, it reminds me a bit of an origami swan!
By Hugging the Coast on Sep 25, 2008
Oh sweetie! CONGRATULATIONS on being selected and what a great job you did on this!! I felt the SG spirit!! Love those photos as well!!!
By daphne on Sep 25, 2008
thanks for sharing this AMAZING feast and trip! your great photographs make me feel like I’m right there eating and traveling with you!
By White On Rice Couple on Sep 29, 2008
Hello, congrats on being chosen as one of the 24, and being the representative from Singapore, so proud of you! : )
I heard about choupinette, how much’s their macarons? they got cakes too? nv get any?
and the pictures from bontanic gardens are so beautiful which make me feel that is it really bontanic garden. lol!
kudos to the brief write-up about Singapore, let more people know about our country!
Cheers
Brad
By ladyironchef on Sep 29, 2008
hugging the coast, thank you! Ooo an origami swan… I’m not the only one seeing images in food too, hee
daphne, haha thank you girl, you are sooo sweet ;p
WORC, thank you … love you guys ;D
Brad, thank you for your kind words and welcome to my humble online eatery =P Their macarons are $1.80 a piece. No cakes from them, I was quite stuffed, hee. I will be doing a post about choupinette (and raku) in the coming weeks ;p
By wiffy on Sep 29, 2008
Great post. Congrats on being selected in 24 foodbuzz. Oh I love Japanese food and you have a great pictures here. Keep up the great job!
By SueSue on Oct 2, 2008