Light Lunch at Audemars Piguet (AP) Café + National Day Parade Preview at National Stadium

We visited the Audemars Piguet (AP) Café, as they partnered with our homegrown botanical gelato specialist Birds of Paradise for a Summer Gelato Pop-up. 

 

The AP Café is located within the premises of the Raffles Hotel, and I love the arched ceilings and elegant interior.  

There is also an outdoor sheltered seating which overlooks the iconic blue water fountain of the Raffles Hotel Singapore.

We picked up a gelato with a nostalgic local twist - Pandan Coconut Caramel as an after-meal dessert.

We chose a main which was a Singaporean fusion of a sandwich and a classic dish ; The Chicken Rice Club Sandwich, which featured tender roasted chicken breast along with ginger.

The house made chilli dressing instantly reminded me of our local chicken rice flavor

We also ordered the Short Rib Raclette Pie, which featured slow cooked smoked beef, simmered in a bed of potatoes, bacon, pickled onions and more, then baked into a cheesy puff pastry.

We smashed the puff pastry and gave it a mix. It tasted fabulous!

We also really loved the Hazelnut Crunch with well-balanced sweetness. 

This is a nice spot for drinks and light bites although the prices are leaning towards the higher side! 

This was RKM's very first time attending the National Day Preview LIVE on site! We were so happy that we had successfully balloted 2 tickets each for this year's NDP

I was lucky enough to catch the NDP 2026 Preview. Singapore turns 61 this year, and the National Day Parade was back at the National Stadium, ten years after the last time it was held at this venue.

The theme for NDP 2026 is "Majulah Singapura, Go Beyond!", and the event was divided into six chapters, from "Go Beyond Self" to "Go Beyond, Together"

The main event with filled with performances, military displays, and fireworks.

I especially loved the first-ever Indoor Drone Light Show – It was the largest indoor drone show in our parade's history.

I loved the fireworks displays, and this year, the fireworks were launched from a floating platform in the Kallang Basin.

While the event was good, unfortunately I hated the aftermath, as throngs of people were all heading back to the train station. This resulted in a massive human traffic jam, and it took us at least 20mins just to enter the train station. Oh well, I suppose this is the only downside for watching the parade ‘LIVE’ at the venue.

Apart from the aftermath thingy, everything was so great! Happy Birthday Singapore! I’m proud being a Singaporean!