Revisiting Universal Studios With More Rides

About two weeks back we went for our 2nd visit to Universal Studios Singapore (USS) which is located in Resort World Sentosa. And since during our first visit (read more here) we missed out quite a few rides especially the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure (under renovation) and TRANSFORMERS The Ride (not ready in operation) we decided to head back again this December holiday to complete all the rides as well as to see the "snowfalls" event specially prepared for Christmas and festive season.

As usual, first we queue for the Madagascar A Crate Adventure which is a water ride located in the Madagascar zone where you could enjoy the ride watching the adventures of the Madagascar characters like Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria and etc. This ride is first attraction on your left at the end of Hollywood zone.

Inside view of the Madagascar A Crate Adventure boat ride.

Next we head down to Far Far Away castle which showcases lifestyles of the rich and fairy tales and you could also enjoy the Shred 4-D Adventure ride to see, hear and FEEL the action right from your seat such as water, hairy spiders, wind and etc.

Preview of the dungeon entrance where park attendance briefing us on the storyline and ride details.

Waiting for our tun to take the Magic Potion Spin ride which is just outside the exit of the Shrek 4D theater. It was kind of a slow kiddy ride which allows about 2 - 3 person in one carriage.

This Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure is one of the ride that we missed out during our first visit to Universal Studios last year (read more here) due to the renovation and maintenance of this attraction. The queuing time was quite bearable (45 minutes) during that day and we really hope to take this ride since we missed it out last round. And for those who did not bring along any "raincoat" like us, you could actually purchase it with S$3.00 (a bit pricey for a piece of plastic over you) at their vending machines.

However half way through the queuing it started to rain and the ride was suspended due to safety reason. But despite of the rain most of the people still stay put in the queue hoping that the rain would clear up within 30 minutes or so.  Luckily after 30 minutes of observation since there was no thunder or lighting, they decided to open the ride and we get to ride on it even though it was raining. So that was indeed a super fun experience for us to ride this "water ride" on a raining day! Too bad we didn't managed to get a second ride after our WaterWorld show around 8.15pm due to ride maintenance.

The second attractions that we missed out last year was this Transformers ride which was located at the SCI-FI CITY zone that was opened in December 2011.

Due to the raining weather that day, we managed to get our 1st ride in about 30 minutes of queuing time whereas second ride at 5 minutes. The queuing area are well-design which provided guests with background information Transformers and some safety precautions of the ride.

Basically it is a motion rides with turnings, lighting, 3D effects and excitement which you won't want to miss out. And on peak season, you might have to queue up to at least 120 minutes just for the 5 minutes ride.

Transformers Design :- Bumble Bee and Optimus Prime Water Containers

With "Big Bird's Emporium" completed and in operation, Sesame Street fans can now shop for their desire sesame street related items from water bottles, wallet, soft toys, stationery and etc. 

There is also a pushcart outside Loui's NY Pizza Parlor selling Sesame Street related items too!

Soon maybe in 1st quarter of 2013, this Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase ride would be full operation too! Till then most of us are wondering what kind of ride this attraction will provided as it seems quite interesting and full of excitement from some of the Google search.

For this year they have relocated the Christmas tree and stage to NEW YORK zone instead of the usual place which was near the fountain area at Hollywood Zone.  And also for this year they included a daily special snowfalls event which happens on specific timing.

As you could see the snowfalls look wonderful at NEW YORK zone which makes it feel real and more magical as compared to the other zones. Everyone from young to old were so excited when the "snows (foams)" started to fall from the top during the specify timing.

Each snowfalls last about 5 minutes from the varies timing from 1.00pm; 3.00pm; 5.00pm and around 6.45pm daily from November 2012 - 06 January 2013. Just in case of any chances, do check out the timing with the park attendance to avoid disappointment.

A view of Ancient Egypt Zone and Battlestar Galactica (Cylon - Blue Track and Human - Red Track)

Since the park opened till 9.00pm (extension of operating hours due to festive season) during our last visit, we managed to catch the last WaterWorld showtime (7.30pm) before heading to our second Transformers Ride.

Although the weather was not very good (rain and drizzle) during the second half of that day but we did had an enjoyable day completing some of the rides in the rain (with raincoat on) and also the queuing time was shorten by big jump due to the gloomy weather and etc. And since the park opens till 9.00pm that day we really had a great time enjoying at least twice on each rides. Would definitely be back when the new attraction(s) are ready in another year or so.

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The Boxing Crab Seafood Restaurant At Sentosa, Underwater World

A week ago, together with couple of friends we visited The Boxing Crab Seafood Restaurant which is launched by Food Junction.  Nestled in the beautifully quaint stretch of Sentosa, the 250 seater (with both indoor and alfresco) restaurant overlooks the panoramic sea where patrons would be exhilarated by the sights of traversing cruise liners and ferries while dinning. On top of it, there are two VIP rooms which can accommodate up to 20 persons per room for Birthday or office functions too.

If you are looking for dining experience which is away from the hustle and bustle city life, perhaps the eclectic menu  (comes with mud crabs, swimmer crabs, flower crabs, prawns, garoupa, scallop and etc) from Boxing Crab plus affordable prices and variety of culinary styles (Chinese, Balinese or Western) would be a great consideration.

Pastry And Cake Counter plus Open Concept Kitchen View

Other than serving seafood or ala carte dishes, The Boxing Crab also cater Quick Lunch Set features dishes such as Roasted Sirloin, Lamb Korma, Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Scramble Egg Croissant and etc.

Pastry and Cake which display over at the dessert counter

During teatime, the restaurant also offers Afternoon Tea Menu such as: Waffles, Pancakes and Crepes with toppings of fresh fruits and single scoop of ice cream of your choice. Or you could make your choice from the Ala Carte afternoon snacks like pies, tarts, sandwiches, cakes and etc to go with a cup of premium coffee or tea.

Stimulator (back) and Detox(front)

The restaurant also has a FULL page of Beverage choices ranging from Smoothie, Fruit Juice, Soft Drinks, Coffee/Tea to Beer, Champagne, Wine and etc. For something different, we tried some of their smoothies which are:-

~ Energy Enhancer : Consists of juices from Orange, Pineapple, Lemon, Kiwifruit, Passionfruit together with Yogurt, Ginseng and Honey

~ Stimulator : Consists of juices from Orange, Pineapple, Lemon, Kiwifruit, together with Ginger and Honey

~ Detox : Consists of juices from Apple, Celery, Beetroot and Ginseng.

My choice was Stimulator which blends well with the choice of fruits used leaving you with a cross between sweet and sour after taste. And when sipping the you could also taste bits of ginger which spicy up the taste too. All smoothies are at S$7.00 per serving.

For appetizer, we had Otah Otah Cigar (S$12.00) which was crispy on the outside and piping hot with otah filling inside. The otah within is not too spicy or dry and overall the "spring-roll" like finger food was also not too oily to taste.

{Must Try}The Steamed Bamboo Clam with Minced Garlic (market price) was steamed to perfection with the flavor of the meat being locked in with a small serving of vermicelli in dark soy sauce. Furthermore the bamboo clam meat is well-cooked and tender with some amount of fragrant minced garlic on it leaving you asking for more.

For the main courses we started with the Charcoal Grilled Snapper (S$28.00) which accompany with 3 different types of dipping chilli sauce .  The fish used is very fresh and it is slightly charred on the outer skin with chunks of white meats underneath but the only setback was certain parts of it tends to be a bit dry and tough. Other than fish, you could also choose from their seafood range such as Prawn, Squid or Clam. 

{Must Try} I have tried Salted Egg Crab With Pumpkin from other seafood restaurants before but this Braised Claypot Crab with Superior Broth and Pumpkin (market price) from Boxing Crab was indeed a hit and something special that you should try.  The unique flavor of mixing superior broth with pumpkin gives it a rich flavour with thick golden sauce that compliments well with the fresh steamed crab. Almost all of us love the pumpkin sauce which we can't stop sipping on it.

{Must Try} We also tried Caramelized Spicy Crab (market price) which is a good choice for those who prefer something non-spicy as compared to the usual Black Pepper Crab but yet filled with similar wok-hei flavour and flavourable caramelized taste.  The first taste of the dish reminds me of another hawker food that is the "Black Fried Carrot Cake" because both of these two dishes have similar after taste.

For tables with "Crab" orders, there would be a set of "surgery tools" (shown above) which consists of Gloves and Utensils to make picking the crab meat easier. If you want to keep clean while eating those crabs, there are also Aprons available for your used.

Overall their crabs are indeed very fresh with firm, thick  and juicy flesh which is naturally sweet and flavoursome with the choices of cooking methods.

Seafood Mee Goreng (S$25.00, medium) was delicious with the right amount of spiciness and flavour together with the combination of fresh seafood which is heavenly enough to whet everyone's appetites.

DESSERT

After the meal, if you still have room for dessert you could pick a choice from their dessert column where they served both Asian and Western desserts such as cakes, waffles, ice-cream, yam paste with gingko nuts, warm almond cream and even pan-fried water chestnut cakes and etc.

Below are a few dessert items that we have tried and most of us prefer the Tropic Pineapple Sorbet which is an interesting dessert that combined both sight and taste satisfaction. Whereas if you have sweet tooth, go for either Meringue with Chantilly Cream or Catalana Cream with Caramelized Sugar.

Meringue with Chantilly Cream (S$8.90)

Traditional Sicillian Cannoli with Sweetened Ricotta (S$11.90)

Tropic Pineapple Sorbet (S$11.90)

Yam Paste with Gingo Nuts (S$5.00)

If you intend to try out their yummy "Crabs" with over 10 different cooking selection, here is a Good Deal for you to enjoy the 1-For-1 Crabs promotion which ends 30 November 2012.

(1) 'Like' Boxing Crab facebook page HERE.
(2) 'Share' the 1-for-1 crabs promotion with your friends
(3) Print out the coupon and show them your facebook that you've liked them
(4) Enjoy your crabs

For more information, you cal call The Boxing Crab at (65)6274 7760 or visit their Facebook page HERE for more details.

THE BOXING CRAB
80 Siloso Road
(Sentosa Island, behind Underwater World)
Singapore 098969
Reservation: (65)6274 7760

Opening Hours
11:00am to 11:00pm (Daily)

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Angry Birds Halloween Party @ Port Of Lost Wonder

Last Saturday, our family went for our very first Halloween Party at Port Of Lost Wonder where it was transformed into an Angry Birds themed Halloween playground featuring the iconic characters from one of the world’s most popular mobile games. And the most exciting highlight of the event was the bashing of the Green Pig Pinata.

The Angry Birds Halloween Party ticket comes with a complimentary Cable Car ride where the kid gets to ride on their favourite Angry Birds themed Cable Cars too. Between these Angry Birds design cable cars would be available until December 2012. (read more here)  

Upon reaching the Port of Lost Wonder which was about 5 minutes walk from Beach Station. We saw the Secret Entrance to the Angry Birds Halloween Party at Port of Lost Wonder. Love the spooky feel on the door entrance. 

The Port of Lost Wonder is open daily from 10.00am to 6.30pm, and the last Admission is at 4.30pm whereas the Water Play Area closes at 6.00pm. Just a note, the Water Play Area and other activities are recommended for children aged 3 – 10.

Further into the entrance, everyone was excited when the crews unwrapped the Gaint Green Pig Pinata and this was also one of the reason why we were there for the Halloween Party!

Interesting Angry Birds food kisok where you could see red and green flavour beverages known as "red or green oil".

Sample of the game card which required the kids to complete all the 5 game stations (shown below) before they could exchanged the limited edition goodies in the Angry Birds Party Pack.

Setting up one of the game station known as "Shoot Em Pumpkins".

Pumpkin Bowling required the kids to "hit" at least 3 bottles before receiving a "stamp" on their game cards. Overall most of the parents find that this is the hardest game as it was pretty hard to hit the plastic bottle with plastic balls. 

At "Spooky Friends" station, kids were asked to design and decorate their ghostly balloons base on either Angry Birds or Halloween theme in order to receive a "stamp" on their game card.

Despite of the long queue at each stations, all the parents and kids are still very cooperative and patience in queuing.

Look at the kids with their Angry Birds outfit and Halloween Costumes.

Waiting for our turn at the Shoot Em Pumpkins Station.

Some of the participants for the "Halloween Costume Contest" and most of the kids really look impressive with their makeover and costumes. 

At around 8.30pm, most all the kids were queuing up for the last event and waiting patiently for their turn to hit the Giant Green Pig "Pinata" which is the Grand Finale of the Halloween Party.

The Green Pig Pinata was very strong with no sign of damage or crack even after 15 minutes of bashing from the kids. In the end, the crews had to approach the Angry Bird Mascots and even some parents to help bashing the pinata in order to crack it so that the children would be able to grab the falling sweets and goodies from it.

At the event, every family enjoys a fun and laughter night and you could even see parents and kids bonding time at the game stations as well as their effort in preparing the Halloween Costumes Contest.

Lastly, I would like to thank ICON International Communications, Mount Faber Leisure Group and Port Of Lost Wonder for the media invite. Indeed our family, especially my boy who is an Angry Birds fan have a great time at his first Halloween Party.

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