Tag: Hello Kitty

Have A Furry Merry X’mas At Changi This Year As Hello Kitty And Friends Take Over Our Airport

From Disney to Pokemon, Changi Airport has always been outdoing their own Christmas themes every year. And this year is no different.

Following the opening of the Hello Kitty cafe in May 2016, the Changi Airport group has decided to go with Sanrio characters for this year’s Christmas theme!

Hello Kitty will be bringing her other famous friends to Changi Airport Terminal 3 this Christmas!

Say Hello To Hello Kitty And Friends

Starting from 17 November, be enchanted by Changi’s first ever indoor drone show which will feature up to 40 drones working in formation to produce a spectacular light show!

That’s not all, Hello Kitty and her friends will also be performing enchanting songs and dances for everyone!

If you’re looking for photo opportunities, look no further. Changi’s Mystical Garden will be lined with life-sized Sanrio characters, a gazebo, as well as a treehouse that’s topped with Hello Kitty’s signature ribbon!

But wait, there’s more! Sanrio fans and visitors can also purchase the plushies of the characters and participate in fun activities at the event area located opposite the Terminal 3 Check In Row 11!

So gather your friends and families this festive season, and head down to Changi Airport Terminal 3 for a very merry Sanrio Christmas!

Hello Kitty & Friends At Changi Airport
Venue: Changi Airport Terminal 3
Date: 17 Nov
Website

Also read It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like X’mas At Gardens By The Bay, With Its Pretty Lights And Outdoor Rink

(Header Image Source: Changi Airport)

A Look Back At 2016: 7 Food Trends That Got Singaporeans Queuing

As true blue Singaporeans, we are definitely no strangers to crazy long queues. And by crazy, we mean queues lasting for a good 2 hours and more. Year after year, we see them forming. Year after year, we joined them. Now that 2016 is coming to an end, let’s do a quick round-up on the food trends that got us voluntarily joining the queues.

1. Michelin-Starred Hawker Stalls

Earlier in July, when two hawker stalls were awarded a Michelin star each, we witnessed people of all ages chiong down in throngs to try their food.

Who wouldn’t, if it means getting to taste Michelin-approved food for less than $5?

Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle at Chinatown Food Complex dishes out its famous chicken rice at $2 per plate. Even its most expensive dish, the Pork Ribs Rice, is priced at $3.

At Crawford Lane, the other Michelin-starred Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle also saw long queues forming. Singaporeans wanted to have a go at their $5 bowl of Bak Chor Mee.

We Singaporeans know our stuff. When we see good deals like this, we flock down like birds, even if it means queuing for hours in the heat.

Also, read The Full List Of Michelin Guide Singapore 2016 – How Many Have You Tried?

2. Salted Egg Yolk Anything and Everything

Remember that period of time, when almost every other food item seemed to be infused with salted egg yolk? Even McDonald’s had hopped on the bandwagon.

Salted egg yolk croissant, salted egg yolk chips, salted egg yolk lava toast… the list goes on.

Snaking queues in eateries, bakeries and even coffee shops became a common sight when the salted egg yolk craze was at its peak. And we reckon it will still be that way in the new year ahead.

Also, read 6 Seriously Addictive Salted Egg Yolk Snacks You Must Try In SG!

3. Cheese Tarts

The cheese tart trend started when Hokkaido based BAKE opened its first store in Singapore in April.

With its signature yellow box, this is a brand most cheese lovers are familiar with. Yet eating BAKE cheese tarts do not come easy at all. It comes at the expense of having to queue for more than 2 hours for them.

In its heyday, cheese tarts were the rage. Even neighbourhood bakeries jumped on the bandwagon and hawked cheese tarts. Prominent bakeries like BreadTalk and Prima Deli created their own versions of the cheese tart too.

Perhaps there is just something about that measured sweetness of fluffy cheese atop a flavourful crust that draws in the crowd.

Also, read BAKE Cheese Tart Continues Singapore Invasion At Its Second Outlet In Westgate Mall!

4. Themed Cafés

The feverish craze for cutesy cartoon characters seemed to have translated to widespread popularity in their themed cafes as well.

When Hello Kitty Café first opened at Changi Airport in May, more than 100 people waited to enter, queuing for two hours or more just to get inside.

Sounds long? Wait till we get to Pokemon.

At Pokemon Cafe’s first opening, which was also in May, fans of Pokemon had to wait for as long as 5 hours just to enter the café.

Yet the most amazing thing is, 5 hours was not any form of deterrence at all.

The latest themed café to open its doors to customers with much fanfare is the Gudetama Café.

Queues stretched for up to 2 hours and are expected to remain this way for the upcoming few months at least.

5. Tai Cheong Bakery

Famous for its egg tarts and other pastries, Tai Cheong Bakery, a renowned Hong Kong brand, made its way onto Singapore shores in mid-November.

With a dine in-concept introduced, it has become common for customers to queue for close to 2 hours to get seats. Yet the crowd just keeps growing.

At a slightly pricey cost of $1.90 per egg tart, egg tart lovers have no qualms about waiting in line to have a taste of the buttery crust that is all the rage in Hong Kong.

6. Froyo

It all started with Llao Llao, queues were formed for a cup of frozen yogurt with toppings that cost $6.95. With that, new players entered the fray.

Kokopanda serves your regular froyo, but with a twist. It has a new product called Black Yogo Frozen Yoghurt, which is made from edible activated charcoal as well as roasted coconut husk.

This latest innovation to the frozen yoghurt family has led to long queues for froyo stores once again and it certainly does not look like it’s going to become a dying trend anytime soon.

7. Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant

Unagi may not have caught on with Singaporeans quite as well as some other items on this list, but this sweet Japanese eel looks like it has the potential to become something big.

Man Man Japanese Unagi Restaurant opened in October this year to healthy crowds and looks set to maintain its strong customer base. Perhaps it might even become a trend of 2017.

Now that we have looked back on the food trends that got us voluntarily joining long queues in 2016, perhaps it is time to take a step back for a quick reflection. Which of these queues resulted in a new experience and were worth our time?

Come 2017, a host of new food options may take our country by storm. But how many of 2016’s trends will remain? Will froyo continue to evolve in 2017 and become more popular? Will our love for cheese tarts disappear?

Whatever it is, I am sure we can all agree that Singaporeans know no boundaries when it comes to food. The amount of time and money that we are willing to spend on food trends is astounding, but at least we can be comforted that our F&B industry will continue to thrive even in a slowing economy.

Also, read Serious Foodies Only: Here Are The Best Restaurants In Singapore For 2016!

Get Your Hello Kitty Plush Dressed In SIA’s Sarong Kebaya At $39!

It’s not just the Singapore Girl that will be wearing Singapore Airlines’ signature blue sarong kebaya – oh, so classy! Our favourite cat doll – you know, the one with no mouth and a cute bow on its head – will also be sporting the chic Pierre Balmain-designed traditional Asian batik dress, as part of a collaboration between the airline and Sanrio.

However, since Hello Kitty is basically every Singaporean’s favourite feline, probably even more so than Doraemon (also a cat) and other nekos, the airline announced that the doll has been sold out, and that it will restock and make the second release available in-flight from July 1 onward.

[caption id="attachment_9341" align="aligncenter" width="428"] Screenshot taken on 13 June 2016[/caption]

It is noted that customers who have purchased the doll during the first release, which lasted a day, will not be affected and can collect their orders on their flights from 20 June onward. Additionally, each flight will only carry up to five Hello Kitty: Singapore Girl dolls, and passengers will only be allowed to collect the doll in-flight.

Alas, if you do not succeed in buying a Hello Kitty: Singapore Girl doll from Singapore Airlines, do not despair. From experience (read: McDonald’s regular Hello Kitty sales), we predict that there will be lots of these cute cats being sold on second-hand e-commerce platforms for a good price, for example Carousell.

When all else fails, you could also console yourself with a visit to the newly-opened Hello Kitty cafe at Changi Airport Terminal 3. Opened 24 hours, head there anytime for photo opportunities, good food, and great ambience.

Hello Kitty Orchid Garden
Address: Changi Airport Terminal 3 Arrival Hall #01-22, Singapore 819663 (65 Airport Boulevard)
Opening Hours: 24/7

Also read: Hello Kitty vs Pompompurin – Here’s The Low-down On Both Cafes!

Get Your Limited Edition Hello Kitty EZ Link Cards Now!

Hello Kitty fans, here’s a little something that you will love. Hello Kitty EZ Link cards! Now, you can bring your favourite cat with you, everywhere you go.

EZ-Link has just launched the Hello Kitty Rock Star Series with 5 new electrifying designs.

The 5 designs include:

The Hello Kitty Rock Star series is now available for sale on My EZ-Link at $10 each (subjected to delivery fees). It is an online exclusive and WILL NOT be available at MRT stations. These cards are limited and we heard it’s selling like hot cakes, so better head over to the web store and get yours now!

Hello Kitty Rock Star Series
Purchase here

Also read: Singapore’s Very First Hello Kitty Cafe Is Opening In Singapore And It’s 24Hrs!