Bliss Restaurant @ Punggol Park

Bliss, a waterfront restaurant & bar is located in Punggol Park. You can cloose to either sit indoor with air-con or outdoor right next to the pond. My personal view is that, if you are here for dining, it is better to sit in-door as it is more comfortable. But if you are here for drink and chit-chat with friends, it is more relaxing to sit right next to the pond.

I found the food here value for money, the taste is good and most of the western main course here cost less than S$20. On the left is lamb shrank and the right is beef steak with cheese. I had the beef steak and found that the portion is reasonably filling for me. I also like the side combination of corn cob, mushroom and onion. They simply go well with the steak.

If you are someone with sweet teeth, you can also try the dessert here. I had ordered penguin waffle with ice-cream. The taste was ok, not much surprises. But I think the kids will like it due to the penguin shape waffle. Noted they have a durian dessert, maybe will give it a try in my next visit.

Understand that the restaurant also served a wide ranges of wine and beer. For those who just want to drink with their friends, you can try their fingerfood.

Bliss website : www.blissrestaurant.com.sg

Bliss Operating Hours : Open Daily @ 3pm Till Late

One thing to note, as this place is crowded on weekend, remember to call for reservation to avoid disappointment. :)

Singapore Bontanic Gardens

The first Bontanic Gardens in Singapore was estabilshed by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1822 along the slope of Government Hill (currently known as Fort Canning Hill). He aimed to experiment cultivation of economic crops, such as cocoa and nutmeg. However, due to insufficient funding, the garden was closed in 1829, after Raffles' death.

A public effort by the Agricultural and Horticultural Society followed in 1836, which saw a seven acres of land around the foot of Fort Canning Hill being cultivated, to encourage agriculture and its development. However, the society became defunct by 1846.

The present Singapore Botanic Gardens, located in Tanglin district, was founded in 1859 by a revived Agri-Horticultural Society. At that time, 23 hectares plot was acquired to develop the area into a leisure garden and ornamental park, with roads, terraces and a bandstand. Almost the entire original layout designed 142 years ago remains today. The Gardens subsequently expanded with the acquisition of additional surrounding land. Due to financial difficulties, the management of the Botanic Gardens was handed over to the Colonial Government in 1874.

Today, the Singapore Bontanic Gardens came under the management of the National Parks Board and its spread over 52 hectares of land. The Gardens house over 2,700 species and hybrids, a collection of 650,000 specimens of dried and pressed plants and a comprehensive 22,000-volume library.

The Gardens open daily from 5am to 12midnight. Admission to the garden is free. However, if you would like to visit the National Orchid Garden within the garden, admission fee is required for adults at $5.00, senior citizen (60 years & above) & children (12 years & above) at $1.00 and children (below 12 years) is free. National Orchid Garden open daily from 8.30am to 7.00pm.

This link will bring you to the map of the Gardens http://www.sbg.org.sg/visitorinfo/mapofground.asp. There are 4 major entrances to the Gardens:

1. Visitor Centre at junction of Cluny and Nassim Road
2. Tanglin Gate at junction of Holland and Napier Road
3. Cluny Park Gate along Cluny Park Road
4. Tyerall Avnue access to the National Orchid Garden and Ginger Garden

The Gardens is a great outing place for the whole family. There are smaller theme gardens within the park to explore, like the Sun Garden, Ginger Garden, Evolution Garden, Jacob Ballas Children's Garden, etc. If you prefer to laze around, there are ample spaces in the Gardens for your family picnic. Or if you prefer the sweet humming from the birds or crickets, you may like to take a walk in the rain forest zone.

Most of the trees and plants in the Gardens are well labelled. You may plan an eductional trip with your children to cultivate their interest in plants and nature. Or you if prefer professional guidance, you can enrol your children to join the Education Tour organise by the Gardens. Check out this link for the programme and fees http://www.sbg.org.sg/education/workshopchi.asp.

For the photographers, there are also plenty corners in the Gardens for you to explore to capture some great photos. I personally like the old trees with big roots by the Symphony Lake.

The Gardens today is well established with food court, cafes, restaurants and souvenir outlets. Hence, no worries of getting hungry or looking for souvenir for your friends. If you are looking for local delights at affordable prices, you may like to take your meal at the Taman Serasi Food Garden at Botany Centre. Over at this food court, you will find roti prata, fish soup, fried carrot cakes, laksa, etc.

Getting there is either by bus, taxi or self drive. You can take bus nos. 7, 75, 77, 105, 106, 123 and 174 and alight along Napier Road. Or you can take bus nos. 48, 66, 67, 151, 153, 154, 156, 170, 171 and 186 and alight along Bukit Timah Road.