Rachel and I had lunch at Pita Pan after a visit to the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. Pita Pan is a vegetarian restaurant serving homemade Pita Breads, Falafels, Middle Eastern Salads and other Mediterranean dishes.
The restaurant is the brainchild of chef and restauranteer, Mrs Reena Pushkarna and her son, Mr Kunal Pushkarna. Mrs Reena personally taught the all-Singaporean team of cooks the fundamentals of Middle Eastern cuisine and sent them to understudy in various kitchens in Israel. Pita Pan’s menu boasts modernized versions of all-vegetarian dishes from Mrs Reena’s personal vault of recipes.
I am not a big fan of vegetarian or extremely healthy food. Most of the time, taste is compromised and I am more of a foodie than a health nut (which explains my thick waistline).
I enjoyed my meal at Pita Pan though. The many sauces they offer were really rich and flavorful, compensating for the plain tasting pita bread and dough staples.
The restaurant’s Red Shakshuka comes highly recommended. This is the first time I am trying this tomato dish. The presentation in a sizzling hot pan looks awesome and very delicious, but I am not really a fan as it is a little too mild in taste for me.
Restaurant interiorCrispy pita sticks with three different dips – green chili, fresh tomato and a third yellow sauceTop viewSelection of fresh greens to go into the pita pocketRachel with her pita pocket, filled with ingredient of her choiceRed Shakshuka ($9.90): a rich spicy sauce of tomatoes, peppers and onions, with 2 poached eggs and served with plain pitaThe Red Shakshuka in a pan and a piece of plain pitaThe mediterranean platter ($24.90)Turning the plate to the other side
Rachel and I particularly like the crispy pita sticks and the accompanying condiments. The mediterranean platter for two works for those who wants to try a bit of everything – kind of like an introduction to middle eastern mediterranean food.
While the restaurant food is not exactly cheap, it is one of the more budget alternative if you are in the Marina Bay Sands vicinity.
If you are interested to visit Pita Pan, here are the details:
Address: 2 Bayfront Avenue, #01-87 The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Tel: +65 6688 7450
Very good crowd at the ArtScience Museum on Saturday noonTicket prices
It is the largest collection of iconic works by Andy Warhol to be on display, in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the artist’s death. The exhibition, sponsored by BNY Mellon and organized by The Andy Warhol Museum in Warhol’s home town of Pittsburgh, chronicles the breadth of Warhol’s career and demonstrates the scope of his interests.
Exhibition trailer video:
Titled after a quote from the popular artist himself, “In the future, everybody will be world famous for fifteen minutes”, Andy Warhol – 15 Minutes Eternalfeatures over 260 paintings, drawings, sculptures, film, and video of the legendary artist’s works, marking the first time such an extensive collection is exhibited in Singapore. The exhibition will also be accompanied by a wide range of associated documents, interactive timelines, photographs,and archival material.
Andrew Warhola (6 August 1928 – 22 February 1987), better known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker. He was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as Pop Art and was renowned for using mass production of popular culture such as advertising, comic books, and brand products, as the basis of his art. Andy Warhol – 15 Minutes Eternalfeatures his masterpieces including Jackie (1964), MarilynMonroe (1967), Campbell’s Soup (1961), Silver Liz (1963), Time Capsule 51 (1970’s), TheLast Supper (1986), and numerous iconic Self-Portraits.
Students and working professionals in the art, advertising and media industry should all visit this exhibition to discover more about the creative genius, Andy Warhol, whose name is synonymous with the pop art movement in the 50s.
Who knows what inspirations you may come up with after viewing.
The designer for the exhibition has taken pain and effort to come up with exhibits and activities targeted at children. This ranges from artworks displayed at children’s eye levels to specially designed Andy Warhol fun packs. Hence this is a great exhibition for families to bring children along, opening them to the world of pop art.
Andy Warhol fun pack for children
I have always been a fan of Andy Warhol‘s works. Back when I was an art student, I was intrigued by the concept of pop art and industrial art, popularized by artists like Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
I am always of the belief that good art should be accessible too. It explains why I am drawn to Warhol’s works. They are a snub in the face of uppity critics when he took simple, everyday mundane objects and convert them into fine art subjects.
I am equally comfortable admiring the illustration on the page of a comic page or manga as I am, glancing at the Mona Lisa.
Warhol draws inspirations from the news media, advertising designs and photographs, converting these otherwise transient everyday visuals into fine art for preservation.
Visitors to this exhibition will journey through four different stages of Andy Warhol’s life, starting from his early artistic years in the 1940’s to his final works in the 1980’s. The exhibition will present an extensive range of important artworks from the various phases of his artistic career.
This gallery will introduce Andy Warhol and the early influences in his art. It will showcase his drawings as a child, his first artworks as a commercial artist and the blotted line technique he created.
“Early Years” – 1940s to 1950sEarly Years galleryAndy's signature child-like, charming illustration in the early yearsFlowers and suchA very rare golden shoe, sculpted by Andy when he was working in a shoe company
“The Factory Years” – 1960s
The 1960’s marked Warhol’s transition from commercial art to business art. It was during this time that he created the iconic masterpieces of the Campbell’s Soup Can and portraits of celebrities such as Liz Taylor and Marilyn Monroe. Films by Warhol will also be presented within this gallery, showcasing his diverse talents.
A separate space will be dedicated to recreating the Silver Factory, Warhol’s studio in the 1960’s in New York which was entirely covered with foil. To provide an interesting interactive experience, the space will feature costumes for visitors to dress up and be “a star for 15 minutes”, a photo booth to capture the experience, a reproduction of the couch from the Silver Factory from which visitors can enjoy his avant garde films, and the whimsical Silver Clouds (1966) piece made of floating helium balloons.
Andy's forage into industrial art - painted cardboard boxesCampbell’s Soup (1961)Time Capsule - showcasing cardboard boxes of daily inspirational objects Andy kept for posteritySelf-Portraits“The Factory Years” – 1960sSilver Clouds (1966) piece made of floating helium balloonsReproduction of the couch from Andy's Silver Factory for visitors to enjoy his avant garde films
“Exposures” – 1970s
During the 70’s, Warhol’s celebrated use of Polaroids in photographing celebrities came toprominence. During this time, Andy Warhol focused on commissioned portraits to fund hisinterest in experimental film. This shift in focus is evident in the genre of art works on displaysuch as advertisements and silverprint photographs, which reflect Warhol’s fascination withfame and glamour. It is also during this time that he started creating time capsules whichcontained meaningful items collected from the various periods of his life. Out of the over 600time capsules Warhol created throughout his lifetime, visitors will be able to view one thatcontains over 50 magazines and books.
“Exposures” – 1970s: Andy’s celebrated use of Polaroids in photographing celebrities came to prominenceWanted criminal mug shots, hospital images and Jackie Kennedy
“The Last Supper” – 1980s
Having reached the pinnacle of success in the art world, Warhol ventured into television media with Andy Warhol’s T.V. and Andy Warhol’s Fifteen Minutes which visitors will be able to watch in this exhibition space. The diversity of his last decade of creation includes such works as the Endangered Species series, Rorschach series and Oxidation Paintings. The exhibition concludes with The Last Supper and Self Portrait, two iconic masterpieces he created at the very end of his life that are monumental in both scale and the impact they had in the art industry.
The Last Supper (1986)Love the rich colours seen in Andy's later worksChilly, last self-portrait by Andy Warhol before his death
After walking through the exhibits, it was time for some fun. We went for a silkscreen printing workshop, available to the public upon registration.
There were two print designs available – an image of the ArtScience Museum or Andy Warhol. No price for guessing which was more popular. To be fair though, the former gives a better print because of the clean cut lines.
Our workshop instructorAndy Warhol silkscreenInsert paperMe doing a print of Marina Bay SandsRachel's turnRachel taking out her print of Andy WarholRachel and I with our respective printsThe full classroom
Visiting a museum exhibition nowadays isn’t like in the past where it is just about looking at “chim” paintings hung on the wall and nothing else.
There is also a Harry Potter exhibition upcoming in June which I am sure many Singaporean are looking forward to, judging by the box office success of the Harry Potter movie franchise.
NESCAFÉ® in partnership with KRUPS®, recently unveiled an innovation for coffee-lovers – the NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ Genio™ and Circolo™ Automatic flow stop systems. These two new introductions promise to ‘transform’ and ‘personalise’ our café-style coffee experience in the comfort of our home. NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ which means “very good taste” in Italian, seek to revolutionarise coffee enjoyment by allowing consumers to calibrate our own personalised perfect cuppa.
My colleague Josh, with two lovely ladies from Mercure RoxyMe with Christine from NestleGuests checking out the various Dolce Gusto exhibitsDolce Gusto for us to try outDolce Gusto capsules of various flavours for samplingActor Bobby Tonelli (better known as Mr Joanne Peh in Singapore) was the emcee at the eventWell attended eventA few of the Andy Warhol exhibitsFish fish fish
How good are these two systems?
Well, NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™was the Winner of the 2010 Product of the Year award – this accolade is the largest consumer-voted programme in North America to recognize innovation among consumer goods. NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ was distinguished by voters for its originality, sleek design and multitude of beverage varieties, both hot and cold.
Yes, both hot and cold!
The cold option shouts out loudly when read by Singaporeans who generally prefer cold beverages due to our 24-7 hot weather. I tried the iced cappuccino at the event and it was pretty good.
Best of all, other than just coffee, tea is available too – an important option in a mostly Asian population in Singapore, equally attuned to tea appreciation as coffee.
NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ is a system that combines the expertise and heritage of coffee-making by NESCAFÉ® with the hallmarks of KRUPS® precision, engineering and technical expertise. In conjunction with the launch of these two new beverage systems, three new brews were introduced: Vanilla Latte Macchiato, Caramel Latte Macchiato and Espresso Ristretto.
NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ has a new tagline too – “Coffee Is Not Just Black”. This was tested in multiple countries in Europe and Asia with good response:
Fun with coffeeCoffee surprises
From April 2012, the NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™GenioTM and CircoloTM Automatic flow stop systems will be available in Singapore. Here are some of their key features:
Convenience:
– The new Automatic Flow Stop feature makes preparation easier and more convenient with the help of an easy to use selection wheel and lighted dosage level indicator. You can adjust the taste of your favourite beverage to your liking.
– The only system that makes both Hot and Cold beverages. The patented technology allows you to make hot beverages such as Espresso, Cappuccino, Green Tea Latte and cold options like Cappuccino Ice and Peach Tea.
– All-in-One, no need for a separate milk frother and yet personalize your beverages with the scroll wheel selector. Using milk capsules, any coffee enthusiasts can produce frothy foam on varieties like Green Tea Latte and Chai Tea Latte, all with the convenience of a single machine;
Variety:
– From classic Cappuccino to rich Espresso and satisfying Lattes, NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ has the beverage selection to satisfy your coffee desires;
– This versatile machine can also serve velvety chocolate and soothing tea varieties*;
– To date, NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ has over 25 varieties available worldwide. These will be made available over time for the Singapore market.
* Hot chocolate, more tea varieties will be made available in the Singapore market at later dates.
Quality:
– Premium coffee quality and machine precision expertise, guaranteed by NESCAFE® and KRUPS® brand names;
– Patented Thermoblock technology optimizes the extraction pressure for each variety, delivering a 15 bar pressure system that is equal or superior to coffeehouse standards;
– Energy saving feature that automatically switches the machine off after a short idle time.
Consumers can also look forward to three new highly popular varieties by the mid-year:
Three new flavours
Vanilla Latte Macchiato: Aromatic bold espresso with exceptional layers of froth and vanilla hinted milk that can be indulged anytime. Caramel Latte Macchiato: A perfect blend of caramel, deep espresso and creamy froth – it’s a delicious escape whenever you need it. Espresso Ristretto: A little shot of coffee heaven: shorter than an espresso, full bodied with a velvety crema layer.
The new systems with automatic features are now available in all electrical chain stores, selected departmental stores, selected supermarkets and hypermarkets, and authorized dealers, the suggested retail prices are as follows:
Genio™, available in three colours
– Genio™: $259
Circolo™, available in 2 colours
– Circolo™: $339
– Beverage Capsules: $10.90 (for 16 capsules per box)
The NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ multi-beverage system redefines “house blend,” offering aficionados the luxury and ease of brewing a rich variety of delicious, coffeehouse-quality coffees from the convenience of home. Recognizing that coffee cravings can change from day to day and from person to person, NESCAFÉ®, the world’s largest coffee brand, has teamed up with KRUPS®, the world leader in espresso coffee machines, to serve up a unique 15 bar pressure coffee. The NESCAFÉ® DOLCE GUSTO™ is a stylish machine that serves single-cup coffeehouse caliber coffee made of premium 100% Arabica beans. The machine has received accolades for its sleek design that brings a fun accent to all kitchen countertops. For more information: www.dolce-gusto.com.sg.
The relaunch campaign utilised recurring astronaut characters who can be seen in Carlsberg’s new TVCs, street mascots and other publicity material.
Carlsberg astronauts and models greeted usGuests enjoying the free flow of Carlsberg beer Carlsberg astronauts mingling with the crowdCheers!
If you spotted a couple of astronauts hanging around your neighbourhood, the CBD or prime Orchard shopping area the past few weeks, they are likely Carlsberg mascots acting as a teaser for their relaunch campaign.
The new Carlsberg
The relaunch marks Carlsberg’s shift to sport a novel face and voice, speaking to a much younger, adventurous and explorative market, derived via market research. With the relaunch, Carlsberg hopes to achieve its global brand ambition to double its gross band contribution (GBC) by 2015 and in Singapore, to reach out and connect to 2 million consumers.
Carlsberg senior management team in astronaut suits at the relaunch event
“This marks a new era in Carlsberg; in Singapore, the region and internationally. We have combined our legacy and rich heritage with a modern look that will connect with a more vibrant crowd of drinkers, a group that constantly looks for challenges to overcome and new possibilities to explore. Carlsberg can now be a part of their lives, a brand that speaks to them, urges them to do more and be the reward for their daily act of courage,” said Mr Soren Ravn, the Managing Director of Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia.
Is your curiosity piqued?
Check out the two new “That calls for a Carlsberg!” TVC below:
The Carlsberg Group is one of the leading brewery groups in the world, with a large portfolio of beer and other beverage brands. The flagship brand – Carlsberg – is one of the best-known beer brands in the world and the Baltika, Carlsberg, and Tuborg brands are among the six biggest brands in Europe. More than 43,000 people work for the Carlsberg Group, and its products are sold in more than 140 markets.
In Singapore, Carlsberg has been marketed for more than 30 years and is acknowledged as the Number One imported premium beer in Singapore and Number Two in the total market. Apart from the flagship brand, Carlsberg also offers a wide variety of brands that include Carlsberg Gold, Carlsberg Special Brew, Kronenbourg 1664, Kronenbourg Blanc, SKOL, Danish Royal Stout, Corona, Tetley’s and Jolly Shandy in Singapore. With a full-time staff of over 70, Carlsberg Singapore is responsible for the sales and marketing operations, and drives all promotional activities for these well-known brands in Singapore.
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