Wildlife Reserves Singapore Food Trail 2012

Thanks to the wonderful folks from Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), my family was invited to their Wildlife Reserves Singapore Food Trail 2012 event with Executive Chef Kelvin Low, the man behind award-winning dining experiences that include Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife at Singapore Zoo, Lunch with Parrots at Jurong Bird Park and Gourmet Safari Express at Night Safari.

Wildlife Reserves Food Trail 2012 is organised in conjunction with the Singapore Food Festival.

Rachel and I brought our baby son Asher along and he thoroughly enjoyed the full day excursion touring the Singapore Zoo, the Jurong Bird Park and the Night Safari. We were hosted for all three meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner at each venue respectively. Here is the full program:

Time	Activity	Venue
9.00am to 10.30am	Jungle Breakfast with Wildlife	Singapore Zoo
10.30am to 12.00pm	Fragile Forest behind-the-scenes
12.00pm to 12.30pm	Journey to Jurong Bird Park	Bus
12.30pm to 2.00pm	Lunch with Parrots	Jurong Bird Park
2.00pm to 5.15pm	Birds n Buddies and Kings of the Skies showsBreeding & Research Centre behind-the-scenes
5.15pm to 6.00pm	Journey to Night Safari	Bus
6.00pm to 6.30pm	Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant kitchen tour	Night Safari

First stop was the Singapore Zoo.

Rachel and I were late (sorry!) and missed most of the breakfast as Asher had a little diaper mishap (details not suitable for a blog post on food). You can read check out Christine and Grace‘s blog posts for more details.

Nonetheless, we were still able to grab some buns, croissants and fresh fruit juices before heading to the Fragile Forest for a guided tour, including an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour where we got to play with insects.

Recreated in the form of a 20,000 cubic metre flight area, the Fragile Forest showcases a mix of insects, animals, birds and plants found in rainforest. None of the inhabitants are caged or locked up, hence visitors get to observe them up close.

Asher was really tickled when we witnessed a fierce bird flapped its wings to prevent a ring-tailed lemur from crossing it’s path. He was crackling throughout the episode!

Kids would love this place:

During the behind-the-scenes tour, Asher had fun stroking caterpillars and the Madagascan hissing cockroaches among other insects. Not a big fan of creepy crawlers, I passed, preferring to keep the distance and just take photographs.

Some other animal exhibits that we saw along the way at the zoo on foot and while on a tram ride:

We ended our zoo trip with a boat ride. I think many visitors, including Singaporeans do not know this is available as an alternative way to cruise the park. Now you know.

We then moved on to our next destination, the Jurong Bird Park via a chartered bus provided by WRS.

At the Bird Park, our first stop was at the Songbird Terrace for the Lunch with Parrots. The lunch was buffet-style which works well for Rachel and I, famished after a long morning in the sun.

The buffet spread was Asian cuisines. I like the laksa and had three servings:

While eating, diners are entertained by a birds show featuring a painting Cockatoo, an acrobatic Scarlet Macaw and more:

After lunch, we caught two bird shows – the Birds n Buddies and Kings of the Skies shows.

The Birds n Buddies show (daily, 11am and 3pm) is a visual fiesta that brings together a collection of birds and colourful costumed characters. It is considered the only bird show in the world with the most number of birds in a live performance. Asher loved the bright, vibrant spectacle; I believe most kids would too:

The King of the Skies show (daily, 10am and 4pm) on the other hand, features ferocious flying predators – eagles, hawks, falcons, vultures and owls showcasing their hunting mights:

After the shows, we visited the Breeding & Research Centre and went for a behind-the-scenes tour, witnessing how baby birds are fed with syringes:

By now, we were quite tired and sticky after a long day. Thank goodness for the air-conditioned bus to the Night Safari, our last stop for the day!

At the Night Safari, we were greeted by the friendly executive chef, Kelvin Low and he brought us behind-the-scenes for a kitchen tour at Night Safari’s Ulu Ulu Safari Restaurant:

Professionally trained at Le Cordon Bleu, Chef Low has whipped up exquisite fare for local and international dignitaries, celebrities and royalty. These include Singapore’s former president S.R. Nathan, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, magician David Copperfield and even the Prince of Wales.

The kitchen tour was followed by an exquisite dinner which Chef Low had specially arranged for us:

After dinner, Rachel and I decided to head back home as Asher was finally getting tired. We were proud of him for not kicking a fuss throughout the entire day. He must have enjoyed himself tremendously. Too excited to sleep, he only had an hour afternoon nap compared to the usual two to three hours.

Animals always appeal to children.

Learning more about flora, fauna and the natural environment teaches children to respect the Earth and its other co-inhabitats. Asher just had one of his first such lesson in life. 🙂