A Romantic Spot » garden

Halia – A Splendid Date With Nature

Joey Rosario — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:33:58 +0000

Nothing I enjoy more than an outdoor dining in the nature and Halia is no exception. Surrounded by trees and flowers (it is located inside the Singapore Botanic Garden,) Halia provides the calm and soothing ambience for a romantic dining experience. The indoor sitting is comfortable. The floor to ceiling glass window provides a view of the garden from the dining area. I personally prefer the outdoor deck sitting. Nothing says romance more than being out in the open.

To set the mood for the evening, I would recommend taking a walk in the garden before arriving for dinner. It’s a pre-date date. It allows you to get closer to your partner and it helps set the tone for the entire evening.

The service is excellent. The Asian-influenced fusion menu provides variety of options to diners. According to the wait staff, the Crisp Black Pepper Soft-Shell Crab is a local favorite. Since I don’t eat seafood, I can’t attest to that statement.

Every second Sunday of the month, you can enjoy a mellow tune of the past and contemporary love songs performed by the Retro Trio. And on last Sunday of the month, you will be entertained by Caravan Jazz Quartet who livens up the evening with cool renditions of jazz favorites and toe-tapping bossa nova hits.

For an evening you and your date will not forget, you can’t go wrong with an outdoor dining at Halia. Reservation is highly recommended.

Contact:
Halia, 1 Cluny Road, Ginger Garden, Singapore Botanic Garden, Singapore
+65 6476 6711

Halia during the day

Halia in the evening

Pond around Halia

Entrance to Halia

Japanese Tea Garden – A Magical Landscape

Joey Rosario — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 01:13:58 +0000

Japanese Tea Garden is located inside Golden Gate Park next to de Young museum, just east of Stow Lake. As you entered through the main gate, you find by a small pond with a bridge built over it that leads to the tea house. When you walk pass the tea house, you will find a Buddha statue on your left. You will pass a gate that will take you to an incredibly beautiful garden.

As you trace your path through the Sunken Garden, you will find Maple Lane, a gravel-like path, that leads you to Zen Garden. It’s a nice spot in the garden to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the simplistic of the Japanese Garden. It’s normally pretty quiet because it is located at the corner end from where the entrance is.

Located next to the Zen Garden is the Pagoda. Walk to the bottom of the garden near the main pond to appreciate the landscape with the Pagoda on the top of the garden. Once your circle through the main pond, you will find the famous Drum Bridge, the highly-arch-half-circle bridge. You can climb through it but please proceed with caution. You can end the visit by sipping a hot tea with light snacks at the tea house.

Free admission is offered on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 am – 10 am. It’s an ideal place for a wedding photo shoot.

Contact:
Japanese Tea Garden, 7 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA
+1 (415) 752-1171

Sunken Garden

Maple Lane

Pagoda

Fish in the pond

The Drum Bridge

Small stream

Russian Hill – Garden of Eden

Joey Rosario — Sat, 24 May 2008 22:42:09 +0000

This little garden on top of Russian Hill is my secret hideout. The garden sits on top of Russian Hill, stretches half way through Jones and Taylor at the very top to Taylor at the bottom. It’s accessible from Taylor through the steps that leads you to the walk across the garden. It’s accessible through car from Jones although I wouldn’t recommend driving a car there because Russian Hill is notorious for parking; and during weekdays you can only park for 2 hours before the Parking Nazi come around and give you a ticket.

On a nice day, it is a perfect picnic spot in the city; offering the view of the bay to the north and Telegraph Hill to the east. It can be a bit windy but on a nice San Francisco day, you should be able to enjoy the weather as much as the view itself. This could be a good spot to catch the fireworks. However, it’s always windy on both 4th of July or New Year’s Eve, so extra layer of clothes is highly recommended.

Secret Garden

View towards North Beach