Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Yummy 'adobo' at breakfast! After a good night's sleep at Savoy Hotel Manila (4*), I was more than ready to kickstart the day with a hearty breakfast, The breakfast buffet featured an extensive selection of dishes, ranging from Filipino favourites to a variety of international options. Alas, dining alone meant I couldn't sample as many items as I couldn't share them with anyone.

Those juicy  sautéed mushrooms put me in a 'fungi' good mood! Located right in the heart of the Central Business District, President Hotel Auckland (3*) was my hotel of choice for my inaugural trip to the city, and New Zealand as a whole. The breakfast spread offered at the hotel might be very limited, but having a selection of hot items to start the day certainly made the stay feel worthwhile.

Grab some barista-made coffee before flying off! Given the number of posts I've shared over the past few weeks, you could probably tell that it was a short first trip ever to Melbourne, Australia. Before flying out, my travel buddy and I had a quick breakfast at Air New Zealand Lounge, a sanctuary tucked away downstairs after passing through the duty-free area.

A chance to try Vegemite again... Located just a short walk from Southern Cross railway station in the Central Business District of Melbourne, Ibis Styles Kingsgate (3*) makes for a convenient base for exploring the city. The room that my travel buddy and I booked came with continental buffet breakfast to start each day of our short adventure in the state of Victoria.

More than 20 different cocktails on offer! Stepping into the flagship lounge of Philippine Airlines at Terminal 1 of Ninoy Aquino International Airport was a pleasant surprise. More than just a comfortable place to wait for my next flight, it offers a wide range of cocktails. The thought of having arroz caldo (Filipino chicken porridge) had me looking forward to a good time ahead.

Affordable Korean BBQ buffet with a good spread! Located at School of the Arts near Dhoby Ghaut, Bencoolen and Bras Basah MRT stations, I'm Kim Korean BBQ has been a popular go-to spot for affordable Korean BBQ buffet since its establishment in 2014. Don't forget to grab at least one friend as the restaurant requires a minimum of two paying diners.

Free-flowing Vietnamese sticky rice, anyone? Without having done any prior research, I couldn’t help but find it amusing that the hotel I stayed at happened to share a similar name with the lounge I visited at Tan Son Nhat International Airport before flying back to Singapore. With such a tasteful ambience, I was curious to see if the food and beverages would be just as delightful.

Vietnamese sticky rice for breakfast! I had a quick stopover in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam before flying home with Singapore Airlines the next day. For the night, I stayed at Le Saigon Hotel (3*), which is located not too far from Tan Son Nhat International Airport. The stay came with a buffet breakfast that offered quite a good spread for a simple hotel.

How much do you like ANA's signature curry? I arrived at Narita International Airport early before my flight to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, giving myself enough time to stop by one of ANA's bigger flagship lounges for Business Class passengers. Besides the buffet spread, guests can also enjoy freshly prepared dishes from the noodle bar.

Sweet and sour chicken with a confused identity... Back in Nagoya, I stayed at Nagoyaeki Access Hotel (3*) that's located just 300 m from Nagoya station. While the hotel doesn't offer buffet breakfast, guests who book a room with the breakfast plan get to choose from a small selection of set dishes. Rice, soup and drinks are available free-flow at the self-service corner to complement the meal.

Free-flowing 'unagi' for breakfast! Nagoya is the largest producer of  unagi  (Japanese freshwater eel) in Japan. For two mornings at the cozy Smile Hotel Nagoya Shinkansenguchi (3*), my BFF and I enjoyed unlimited servings of unagi . When else could we enjoy such an indulgent experience without burning a hole in our pockets?

Hearty pumpkin soup, but no Colombian food... My BFF and I'd be flying back to Singapore via Istanbul, Turkey with Turkish Airlines. As the first leg of our journey would be in Business Class, we enjoyed access to the flagship lounge of Avianca, the flag carrier of Colombia, at the principal international gateway of Bogota. Who could resist a glass of Baileys before a flight?

Little did I know that Austrians eat stuffed bell peppers with rice! It was my first time transiting at Vienna International Airport in Austria. Playing the miles game allowed my BFF and I to fly in the Business Class cabin of Austrian Airlines for the first time. As we arrived from Istanbul, Turkey and we'd be flying to Bangkok, Thailand, we had access to the lounge in the non-Schengen area of the airport.

Blown away by the delicious local and international food! Thanks to airline miles, my BFF and I'd be flying in style with Turkish Airlines, though not directly to Singapore. Because of that, we also had the opportunity to visit Turkish Airlines Lounge at the new Istanbul Airport in the Arnavutkoy region, trying all sorts of dishes and beverages offered inside the massive lounge.

Free-flow strawberries to sweeten your day! Given my short leisure trip to Baku, Azerbaijan, my BFF and I only stayed at one hotel that's just a stone's throw from the old city area known as Icherisheher. Center City Hotel Baku (3*) is an affordable hotel that offers pretty basic, but delectable enough buffet breakfast similar to that can be found in equivalent hotels in Turkey. 

Make your own 'laksa' before flying off! When was the last time I posted on an airline lounge? Today's post shall kickstart the short series on post-COVID-19 pandemic travel to Azerbaijan, a country in the Caucasus that was formerly part of the Soviet Union. I could finally make use of my Priority Pass membership once again to have dinner before flying off from our beloved Changi Airport.

Free-flow soft-boiled eggs, anyone? From Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), we shall move on to look back (that sounds funny, I know) at Phase 3 (Heightened Alert) when dine-in was allowed once again. How happy I was to be able to have a la carte buffet breakfast again during my staycation at M Social Singapore (4*), which is located at Robertson Quay.

How's the Express Start ™  Breakfast? I'm not sure about you, but I'm starting to miss self-service buffet breakfast at hotels. I wonder when we can have it again. In today's post, let's take a look at what were offered by Holiday Inn Express Singapore Katong (3*), which is located next to I12 Katong, before COVID-19 came to our shores.

Just ask for more chocolate danish! Hilton Singapore (5*) is the hotel in which I had my last staycation during Singapore's Phase 2 of Reopening. I have to say straight away that even though the hotel seems to be quite proud of its so-called Hilton Breakfast, it was nothing fanciful and could certainly be much better in quality and perhaps quantity too.

Poke bowl for breakfast - that's a first! My second last staycation during Singapore's Phase 2 of Reopening was at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove (5*). In November 2020, a la carte buffet breakfast was served in a temporary space dedicated to The Kitchen Table as the restaurant was undergoing renovation. I wonder which other hotel dishes out healthy Hawaiian poke bowls for breakfast.