It’s that time of the year again. The best (and most sacred) time in the whole calendar where the entire Detrack team get to officially wind down together as a team outside an office environment. The annual buffet dinner at amazing restaurants, accompanied by a staycation at a fancy hotel, is a highlight of the year for most of us.
Same but different
Due to COVID-19, we were rightfully worried about how our yearly celebration might be affected, or even worse, cancelled altogether. Fortunately for us, our worries were short-lived as Detrack Co-Founders (you guys are saviours, seriously) assured everyone in the office our annual festivity was pandemic-proof.
They explained to everyone how the budget for the annual celebration was already set aside, and one way or another, it was going to be spent accordingly.
Always time for a friendly-ish competition
After a collective sigh of relieve, the Operations team explained how this year, the dinners would be separately organized by the different departments. Due to the universally implemented safe distancing caused by COVID-19, gatherings of not more than 5 pax were allowed.
No mass dinner, no problem. The Operations team (these guys are always on point) spiced up the annual affair by turning it into a mini competition. The department whose dinner looked the most fun (time to brush up on those selfie skills) would be rewarded.
The judge? Big boss man himself, Dason, will have the unenviable responsibility of choosing which department can organize the most enjoyable, happening outing.
You ready? Let’s go.
An evening of fantasy at Wanderlost for the Marketing team
First up, obviously the best department at Detrack (biased much haha), the Marketing team decided to organize our soiree at Wanderlost. This rooftop restaurant, located in the CBD yet away from the hustle and bustle of the area, is renowned for their meticulously concocted cocktails inspired by meaningful stories found in the pages of classic books.
Oooh, intriguing, right? Let me divulge.
The 5 of us started off by choosing our (halal) poison for the night. From Charlie and The Chocolate Factory to Hamlet to Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, each and every drink were carefully concocted, and were all beautifully presented as well.
Where The Wild Things Are, picked by Gabby, is a tart and spicy mocktail inspired by the famous children’s book by Maurice Sendak. The sparkling mocktail has the contrasting flavor of spicy chili tincture paired with the sweetness of Soursop Puree and Orange Juice as a cooling mixer creating a palatable experience. The drink was creatively presented in the form of a monster!
Daniel, secretly a Potterhead, chose the super smoky and interesting looking drink, Harry Potter, a Polyjuice Potion-inspired mocktail made with pomegranate, orange juice and pineapple. The best part? The drink is served in a glass dome, designed to like the Philosopher’s Stone. Magical.
Sizzling Wagyu for the Operations team
Next up, the Operations team was in the mood for Wagyu. Pretty straightforward, right? Not quite. This resourceful bunch organized their dinner at Hot Stones, a restaurant that features a unique dining concept that involves cooking fresh meats and seafood on serpentine volcanic stone slabs!
Volcanic? Now we’re talking.
According to the restaurant, this distinctive method of cooking seals in the natural juices of the food, providing extraordinary flavor and taste.
From Australian to Japanese Wagyu beef, the Ops team had an unforgettable dinner experience as they spent the night slowly cooking all the meat they wanted on stone slabs. Definitely not your everyday dinner.
If that wasn’t enough, they ended their night at an arcade (classic, right?). JZ gladly took the opportunity to showcase his inner Bruce Lee, as he demolished the Kung Fu Panda game to bring home prizes for the rest. Hi-yah!
A traditional Izakaya experience for the Sales & Support team
The Sales & Support team weren’t messing around when they shared their dinner venue with the rest. The restaurant where they had their dinner, The Public Izakaya by Hachi, looked like it was directly uprooted from Tokyo. From the traditional furniture to the extensive collection of Izakaya memorabilia on display, the team was definitely in for an authentic Japanese dining experience.
Besides the fresh oysters that were to die for, all of them were lauding the authentic Japanese beverages available (yummm Shojus!) that complemented the all delicious food they ordered.
Engineering team on a food rampage
After deconstructing a problem to come up with a solution like they usually do, the cheeky (and creative) Engineering boys decided, why settle for one place, when you can enjoy multiple food offerings from various restaurants? Smart.
The boys started their food frenzy night at Edo Ichi Japanese Restaurant, where they ruthlessly devoured almost every item on the menu. From the numerous Kurobuta dishes on offer to the Salmon Shioyaki and Unagi Kabayaki sets, the Engineering team got their dinner of with a bang!
While a dinner like that may be enough to make us mere mortals full, they boys quickly followed that with a trip to Genki Sushi, for a ‘lighter’ round of dishes e.g. Salmon Ikura Gunkan and Akaebi Salted Egg Aburi. Savages.
Over to you, Dason
We may not be able to enjoy our year-end team dinner together, but each and every one of us had a blast nonetheless. It was definitely a different experience, but the different departments stayed connected as we constantly updated our individual dinner photos for all to see.
After wiping the drool off his face, Judge Dason unquestionably has a difficult decision to make. Good luck, boss.
Try Detrack today
Having issues delivering food and other items for your business? Sign up for a FREE account now to enjoy the full benefits of Detrack, including the live tracking of all your deliveries, automated notifications at various milestones, and our award-winning electronic proof of deliveries (E-PODs), among many other features.
