Category: Newly Opened

Ramen Your Way To Gastronomic Heaven – Japan’s Best Ramen Store Opens In Singapore!

With 40 stores in Japan, Menya Takeichi is a proven ramen success. Ever since it was featured on Japanese food TV shows in 2012, the queues have not stopped.

Often lauded as Tokyo’s best ramen chain, Menya Takeichi has just opened its first outlet in Singapore at Suntec City’s Eat@7. This is the fifth offering at Suntec City’s Japanese concept dining enclave, Sky Garden. With the new outlet, you can now eat to your heart’s content and enjoy the views of the civic and cultural district, and Fountain of Wealth from the Sky Garden.

Menya Takeichi’s signature dish is the famous Chicken Paitan Broth Ramen, consisting of long chewy noodles and chicken meat topped with secret sauce under a wholesome pool of collagen-rich soup made by simmering fresh chicken. Here’s how the popular ramen looks like:

At S$15.50 for a generous bowl, customers can add a side dish at S$3.50 to complement their ramen.

To sweeten the deal, customers can also adjust the taste and thickness of their soup by adding complimentary clear soup made of bonito flakes. At prices like these for the proclaimed best ramen in Tokyo, Japan, it’s worth the visit.

As for us, we’ll definitely be heading down to grab bowls for ourselves, so hopefully you will catch us there!

Be prepared for a queue!

Kranji Marshes Opens With Free Guided Walks To Restricted Areas, Perfect For Nature Lovers!

Bird watchers and nature lovers rejoice! The largest freshwater marshland, Kranji Marshes, has finally opened its doors to the public. For those unfamiliar with Kranji Marches, the 56.8-hectare freshwater marshland is home to unique biodiversity.

Here’s what you need to know for a trip to Kranji Marshes.

1. Public Area vs Core Conservation Area

Kranji Marshes is actually split into two main areas – the public area that is open to all members of the public, and the restricted core conservation area that is deemed to be ecologically sensitive. You can enter the core conservation area if you sign up for a guided tour.

2. Free Guided Walks

If you’d like to access the conservation areas, do sign up for a guided walk. NParks offers a 3km walk (2 hours) of the marshes once every month, bringing visitors through the different habitats of marsh, grass, and woodland.

Nature Society (Singapore) also organises guided walks that take visitors on a boardwalk exploration of the marsh.The walk takes about 3 hours and include opportunities for birdwatching.

While both tours are free, members of the public must register online beforehand. Visitors who turn up without registering will not be able to join the tours. Find out more here.

3. Home To Rich Biodiversity

According to NParks, Kranji Marshes is home to more than 170 species of birds, 54 species of butterflies, and 33 species of dragonflies! Alongside Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve, Kranji Marshes plays an important role in providing a habitat for the conservation of wildlife in the Kranji area.

4. Plenty of Shelter

A visit to Kranji Marshes will give you that breather you need! Have a moment at Moorhen Blind or Swamphen Hide and enjoy the therapeutic sounds of birdsong. Both stations have wooden seats that overlook marsh landscapes, are great places for birdwatching and taking in the sights of nature.

5. An Instaworthy Location

Are you always on keen lookout for instaworthy locations? Well, here’s one more to add to your list! Apart from making a good picture, the 10.65m Raptor Tower offers you a panoramic view of the surrounding marshes in the conservation area. There are also boards that help you identify the different species of birds you may catch glimpses of.

6. Look Up & Down!

While at Kranji Gate, look up and down! The glass roof has decals of birds in flight and when sun rays hit the roof, their shadows get projected on the ground.

7. Bird Watching Stations & Information Boards

If you’re worried about not being able to differentiate one bird from the next, fret not! Information boards are set up at every bird watching station to help you with the identification process. There are even fact files about some birds, and other little nuggets of information. Talk about bringing learning out of the classroom!

8. Other Park Information

The park is open from 7am-7pm daily. Do note that there is no lighting in the evenings! The park is also wheelchair- and pram-friendly, with the exception of the Raptor Tower. You may also refer to NParks’ website on Kranji Marshes for more information.

9. Getting there

Planning a visit to Kranji Marshes soon? Here’s how to get there.

From Kranji MRT Station, hop onto the Kranji Express Bus which operates daily from 8.30am-5.45pm. It will take you to Kranji Gate. Fares cost $3.00 for adults, $1.00 for children under 12 years old, and $1.00 for senior citizens 60 years old and above.

If you’re driving there, the address is 11 Neo Tiew Lane 2, and there is a car park with 20 parking lots, 10 motorcycle lots, and 30 bicycle lots at Kranji Gate.

Caring And Loving The Nature – Spending Valentine’s Day On Coney Island!

On 14 February 2016, when the Sun had yet to rise, we woke up at 6am for a special Valentine’s Day out. It was our honour to be invited to join National Youth Council (NYC) and Outward Bound Singapore (OBS) for a guided tour of the newly opened Coney Island. The tour was conducted by cheery NParks volunteers.

Trading our heels for a pair of practical sports shoes, we gathered at the meeting point (Punggol Jetty) at 7:30am. We were warmly welcomed by friendly staff from NYC, OBS, and a sea of OBS Alumni members. Enthusiasm shone in everyone’s faces as we could not wait to start the trial. Most of us were visiting Coney Island Park for the first time.

Parliamentary Secretary for Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Mr Baey Yam Keng, was also there. He joined us in the trail and encouraged us to contribute ideas to existing environmental education efforts.

We were encouraged to think of how we could expand OBS’ existing efforts to reach out to more youths in its outdoor adventure education programme. Charismatic and passionate, he reached out to every one of us and listened to our opinions on increasing environmental awareness and preservation in Singapore.

“I am pleased to see many young nature-lovers spending the morning of Valentine’s Day here at Coney Island. Youths are always looking for something fresh to interest them and today’s activity is one of such engagements. As youths are the future leaders who would see Singapore through SG100, it is important for them to be aware and proactive in conserving the environment,” enthused Mr Baey.

We started the trial from the West Entrance (enter from Punggol Promenade Nature Walk towards Punggol Point Park). There’s a bicycle bay, shelter, and Casuarina Exploratory upon entering Coney Island.

An NParks volunteer kindly explained to us how Coney Island came to be. The history of the island, also known as Pulau Serangoon, dates back to the 1930s. At that time, it was bought over by the famous Haw Par brothers – Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, who built a beach villa there. The villa fell into shambles after World War II and the island remained uninhabited until 1950, when Indian businessman Ghulam Mahmood took over the island with the intention to turn it into a resort.

Fortunately for us, his plan did not materialise and the island was transformed into a rustic nature park complete with a boardwalk and bird observation points in late 2015.

Lush greenery greeted us the moment we stepped into the park. Varieties of trees stood tall on both sides of the pathway, reminding us of how blessed we are to reside in this tropical region of the world.

An escape to Coney Island is a respite from the hustle and bustle of city life in Singapore. For those who intend to cycle, do note that the park’s pathway can be a little rocky at times. For those intending to walk, do bring along or wear a pair of comfortable shoes.

As we walked deeper, we were told that there are 80 species of birds within this park. Bird watchers are able to catch them early in the morning before the sun rises and at dusk when the birds return to their homes in the park.

Other than bird watching, visitors can also indulge in nature photography, have a picnic, or take a nature walk in Coney Island.

Sheltered by the tall trees of Coney Island and enjoying the gentle breeze by the sea, we participated in the SGfuture session hosted by the organisers. An SGfuture session gives Singaporeans the opportunity to share and co-shape our future.

Exciting ideas such as a dedicated ecological literacy programme, and flora-fauna treasure hunt competition were mooted by participants. The goal was to encourage more youths to celebrate the rich bio-diversity in Singapore.

We ended our journey on the beach (Beach Area C) which is situated past the mangrove forest. A family of monkeys caught sight of us and followed us to the beach while waiting for the opportunity to seize our food and drinks. The monkeys are harmless, and were just scouring for food as it is their nature to do so.

A tip for visitors at Coney Island – hide your food and water bottles unless you wish to start a war with the monkeys. They can be very persistent when it comes to food.

That day, we saw Singapore differently. Coney Island’s beauty and rustic appeal has humbled and inspired us to do our part for Singapore. OBS wishes to educate everyone to do their part to protect nature.

Do not leave our rubbish behind in the park, minimise our impact on nature by keeping ourselves to the designated main trek and live in harmony with the flora and fauna.

In fact, at OBS’ recent Project IsLand-A-Hand, championed by volunteers and staff, they built flotsams on the beaches of Coney Island to prevent rubbish from being washed up onto the island.

Thanks to OBS, NYC and NParks, this is the best Valentine’s Day we ever had. We have learnt more about our country and how we can play a part to be more environmentally-friendly. Do pay Coney Island a visit and remember while you admire the beauty of the park, show your love by reducing the impact on our environment.

Tips for visiting Coney Island Park

• The terrain is rugged at parts and may be unsuitable for young children.
• As there is no lighting in the evenings, the park is only open from 7am to 7pm for safety reasons.
• There is no electricity or piped water on the island. Please bring sufficient water with you when you visit the park.
• Please wear long pants and covered shoes for protection from insects such as sandflies.
• There is a free-roaming Brahman cow that has made the island its home. Please avoid approaching, disturbing, or trying to take close-up photographs of the animal.
• Do keep to the designated trails and appreciate any animals you may see from afar. If you encounter Long-tailed Macaques (a.k.a. monkeys), keep a safe distance and do not feed them.
• Do avoid visiting the park during a storm, or seek shelter immediately if it rains while you are within the park.
• Please remember to take only what you have brought in, and leave nothing behind but footprints.

A few extra tips from DiscoverSG:

1. Protect yourself with ample insect repellant
2. Phone reception can be quite poor in the park, and you may not get Internet connection all the time. Do plan your trip in advance.

We hope that you will be able to fully immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of Coney Island and make memories that will last a lifetime.