Travelling has been nearly impossible for the last two years.

And despite Vaccinated Travel Lanes opening up between Singapore and Germany, it's tough getting away with peace of mind — especially when you're travelling with older folks (aka my parents).

We've been travelling annually as a family since my childhood days. From food escapades in Seoul and Hong Kong, to road trips around Melbourne and Taiwan, we're always on the lookout for new adventures.

Our latest 'getaway' after two years? Exploring a whole new world — Great World — for a gastronomical adventure.

Follow our journey as we 'travelled' around the world — sans passport, of course.

Do note that this trip to Great World was in mid-September, prior the tightening of Covid-19 regulations in Singapore.

10am: New Zealand

All great adventures start with a good cup of coffee, and that's what we got for our first meal of the day.

Mavrx (pronounced Mavericks) Coffee Bar, a kiosk nestled in the corner of the Great World office lobby, is the perfect first stop with its wide array of coffee-based concoctions, aromatic teas, special lattes, and pastries.

Using a coffee blend roasted by artisanal roastery Allpress that started in New Zealand, the medium roasted coffee blend shines through even in our latte ($5.50).

With top flavours of cocoa and a crisp apple acidity finish, the latte paired beautifully with our croissant.

A fan of cold brew? You'd be glad to know that they've got you covered with a black ($5) and white ($6.50) version as well.

MAVRX Coffee Bar is located at #01-129.

12pm: America

With Collin's great grills all laid out on its menu, it's no wonder that we thought we had landed in Texas.

If you're only ordering one dish, make it Collin's Charcoal-grilled Pork Ribs ($32). The meat is fork-tender, well-marinated, and pairs perfectly with its potato au gratin and grilled asparagus sides.

Want a variety of meats to choose from? Go for the Premium Mixed Grill ($24) which features grilled chicken, pork, lamb, Summer Kabana pork sausage, potato au gratin and seasonal vegetables.

It's a platter great for sharing, especially if you want to try a little of everything — and that's something we do so often while travelling!

Collin's is located at #B1-106.

3pm: Hong Kong

Ah, how we miss the streets of Hong Kong with their freshly baked pastries and breakfast spots offering the best milk teas we've ever had.

Thankfully, we can still 'teleport' to a cha chaan teng (local tea restaurant) for all that good food.

At Great World, Crystal Jade Hong Kong Kitchen is a great choice for tea.

Missing the taste of Hong Kong, we downed the authentic-tasting Hong Kong milk tea ($3.50) till its very last drop, making sure not to waste any.

Paired with our milk tea are steamed salted egg yolk custard buns ($5.80 for three pieces) and an interesting-sounding live prawn claypot congee with salted egg ($23.80, good to share between two to three people). And I'm glad to report that the congee was just as tasty.

Crystal Jade Hong Kong Kitchen is located at #03-127.

6pm: Japan, or specifically, Okinawa

Okinawa was my planned travel destination back in 2019, but here we are instead, at Okinawan Diner Nirai-Kanai.

Known for their centenarians, I had wanted to visit Okinawa to learn their secrets to health and longevity.

Thanks to this Okinawan diner — the only outlet in Singapore — I got a taste of what the city is known for: bittergourd and seaweed.

While we can't be sure those are the only foods that bring about health and longevity, we did enjoy the stir-fried bittergourd with pork, Okinawan bean curd and Okinawan egg ($9.50), and the Aosa-seaweed tempura ($13).

Another must-try combination is their Tacos rice ($15.80), which features spicy minced beef, lettuce, salsa, cheese and rice, along with simmered pork belly ($14.80) — it almost feels like a home-cooked meal you'd get in an Okinawan home.

Okinawan Diner Nirai-Kanai is located at #01-107.

9pm: Spain

Nightcap at The Gong by Drinks&Co. was supposed to be just sangria, but we couldn't resist their wide array of tapas to go along with it.

From its Spanish Iberico pork, to parma ham, and chorizo filled menu, we got the Tataki Spanish Iberico Pork ($20) with grilled pork slices, pickles, and arugula, a slightly spicy Prawns and Chorizo ($20), and the Prosciutto Al-Fungi ($28) with mushroom, parma ham, arugula, Grana Padano cheese, and mozzarella.

The red and white sangrias' ($18 each) fruity sweetness and the savoury tapas were a match made in Spanish heaven.

Not a fan of cocktails? Head over to their 'shelves' of wine, whiskey, tequila and more to pick your own bottle to savour — they've got something for everyone.

Need some palate cleanser? Try their Chinese herbal infusion tea — they're perfect to prepare your taste buds for yet another gastronomical adventure!

The Gong by Drinks&Co. is located at #01-128.

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This article is brought to you in partnership with Great World.

lynette@asiaone.com

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