the singapore tourism board has made a valiant effort to sell singapore as a shopping paradise. as a serious shopper, i vehemently disagree -- you can find the same stores anywhere in the world, will less prohibitive prices.
in my humble opinion, the stb should harp on the food. and none of this fine dining french restaurant crap. a couple of days before i left, a slew of stb-sponsored articles about singapore came out in a few local dailies and mags. most of them talked about food that you can find (and better enjoy) elsewhere, such as french food, and were particularly enraptured by pricey "fusion" dishes at five-star hotels. oh please. how un-"uniquely singapore" can you get?
Black pepper crab (Jumbo)
yes, yes, chili crab is the crown jewel of singaporean cuisine (i seriously doubt there is such a thing by the way -- it's everyone else's best dishes slapped together). but what really does it for me is black pepper crab at jumbo seafood palace (east coast park and clark quay).
marlon and i were in a cab to jumbo barely an hour after my arrival in lah-lah land, as we had both salivated for black pepper crab weeks before my trip was confirmed. due to its legendary crab, jumbo has what must be the world's most elaborate seating system (complete with diagrams, pushpins and walkie-talkies), not to mention world's most harassed maitre'd. i tried to take a pic of her, but since it was dinnertime on a saturday night, she was barely visible past a swarm of crab lovers. the closest picture that comes to mind is the throng around the black nazarene in quiapo on good friday.
tip: eat with your hands, bring lots of tissue. and don't think for a second that the tea and spicy peanuts are free.
the lau pa sat festival market is a glorified food court near the raffles place MRT. it is home to a deadly combination: tender white stingray wrapped in banana leaves and fresh off the grill, fried seafood rice and satay. real satay, care of the dozens of genuine indonesians milling about. it's extremely hot here, even during the evening, so take a table outside and arm yourself with lots of iced water.
Chicken rice (Wee Nam Kee)
wee nam kee on thomson road in novena (a hop and skip from marlon's office) serves "the best goddamn chicken rice in the country" (i quote marlon). try questioning this statement in front of anyone who has tried wee nam kee's delights, and watch the fur (yours) fly. the present prime minister of malaysia reportedly used to take the bus from his country just to eat here, back in the days when he was still a lowly bureaucrat.
i tried it. it's quite good, although not in the league of black pepper crab and grilled stingray. by the way, "chicken rice" is actually what we pinoys know as hainanese chicken, plus rice cooked in chicken fat. so much for "uniquely singaporean."
bakerzin for dessert. this is near the durian (i.e. esplanade) and right next to the bay. i could never picture having romantic candlelight dessert at manila bay (the smell). the bailey's irish cream souffle and warm chocolate cake make up for the fact that the toilet is just a hole in the ground.
chijmes just for the atmosphere. food is just so-so considering the prices. loads of moneyed white tourists around, which should explain the prices. props to chijmes though for showing us all a better use for convents. my old high school should learn a thing or two.
boat quay for drinks, touristy atmosphere and (slightly pricey) indian food. tip: eat where all the booms are eating, and stay away from italian restos. cross the bridge to have drinks at indochine, a lounge on the patio of the asian civilizations museum. don't worry, their giant couches will hide the old white expats from view. stars are overhead, the drink list is long and creative, the cocktails are superb and the jazz singer is pinay. urban bliss.
the 70th floor at swissotel the stamford for the view (and a liberal dose of second-hand smoke). sit down in front of the windows, grab a singapore sling, and see the entire country (yes, the entire country--it's that puny) at your feet.
Yummy crabs. I should try that sometime.
ReplyDeleteWhat does stingray taste like? Do they use the entire fish for this dish?
Have you tried the scrumptious Lao Buo Bing in Chinatown? The big ones are to die for! We bought some everyday during our stay there and even bought some for home. =P
my gas, deeper! i thought you ate kitty, too! *shudder* -- rinapots ü
ReplyDeletejayme: stingray tastes like very, very, very tender crabmeat. it's served hot with some kind of spicy topping, garlic and lime. it's the entire fish (varying sizes) -- you can see the distinct shape of the stingray.
ReplyDeletenever been to chinatown. i should go on my next visit. :-)
reener deever: wilkommen! yay now i can go to your blog!
naknampotcha! naka restricted access ka pala. :-(
ReplyDeletepootsa mouthwatering :)
ReplyDeleteYes, Lau Pa Sat! I had chili mussels ("not so hot!") there, my boyfriend had stingray.
ReplyDeleteSecond most satisfying meal was a Nasi Lemak at a place called Alif near the Bukit Gombak train station.
My friends and I also had chili crabs ... baka sa Jumbo din, can't remember.
I didn't find Singapore that "unique" culturally, but I'd go back for more food tripping. :)
Hi, I disagree with your comment that fushion food is un-uniquely S'pore. Singapore is where East meets West, in our education, lifestyle and beliefs. And food is an important part of this ''rencontre'' as I, a Singaporean, married to a Frenchman and living for more than 10 years in Europe can attest to. Even the top French chefs are excited about their visits to S'pore to work and exchange ideas with their local counterparts. It is not just about serving French food in the country, it's about adapting to local conditions in both tastebuds and primary material, since the essential part of French cooking are the ingredients and how to marry them (I've been to enough Michelin-rated restaurants to understand that). My hubby for instance, insists on us eating at Club Chinois in Orchard Parade Hotel because of its fusion food, sets you thinking and educates you on how to marry so very different ingredients. And some of the local delights that you find here, they are cultural, perhaps not an original invention, but they have gained an identity of their own so much so that if you have an Indian, Indonesian or Chinese from outside S'pore tasting our food, they wouldn't really say it's like what they have at home. I can tell you that because I have to cook my own delights now not being able to find them in France, Spain or in Germany where few S'poreans dwell. And S'poreans when they leave the country, one of their main regrets would always be the food. So how could they not be unique to S'pore or cultural since you can easily find Chinese or Indian restaurants all over the world? I do not know if you cook much, but the kind of spices, the techniques you use in your cooking tell alot about the origines of your dish. A Thai, Indoniesian, Indian, Burmese, Singapore etc curry hence does not taste the same. And the franchises you find on the island, they are not franchises for nothing, they usually cost as much as their sisters in the rest of the world. But prices in S'pore are competitive because of our low taxes. Hence a Zara shirt costs as much in France as in S'pore and always cheaper in Spain. And shops are often tested in countries like S'pore and HK before being set up elsewhere with the rationale that if it doesn't work here it wouldn't work elsewhere in S.E. Asia. In any case, I am glad you enjoyed our pepper crabs, they are my favourite too. Wouldn't be able to find them anywhere else, which is why I try to fly home every year to enjoy them ;-).
ReplyDeletewelcome beau lotus!
ReplyDeleteon food: if you'll read my entry again, my criticism was actually of filipino lifestyle writers who write about french food/typical pricey hotel food when asked to write about singapore, not about french or fusion food as being un-singaporean, or being un-unique.
i do agree though that singapore is quite a melting pot when it comes to cuisines and cultures. that's precisely why it's a shame that some writers don't even bother to step out of their hotels to taste and write about the many dishes that are indeed uniquely singaporean. like black pepper crab ;-) i mean, if the stb is sponsoring their food trip, they should at least exert the effort to really explore, right?
i simply think that a writer writing about black pepper crab (or any other singaporean specialty, whether it be chinese, indian, malay or thai in origin) would give his reader a better idea of singapore than if he had written about french food.
on shopping: i am not quite sure what point you wanted to make about the franchises, but here's mine -- i enjoy the food in singapore better than the shopping. and i can shop at zara, mango or some other franchise at home, but i can't get singaporean dishes here.
(which can be very frustrating if i suddenly get a craving for black pepper crab! ;-) )
ReplyDelete