Singapore

Unbelievably, Suhail agreed to not only create a video of our sup tulang experience, he is also allowing me to post it here for all of you to see. Enjoy!

16 Feb

For our last meal in Singapore, we decided to have Indian food. We totally ran out of time to try all the local specialties, so we just gave up! We did, however, enjoy great biryani (Suhail) and masala dosa (me) at a hole in the wall place (Blue Diamond) that we just stumbled upon.

So, looks like we will have to make it back to Singapore someday, preferably at a time when our wallets are a bit fatter, because (with a larger budget) we would have had to stay 2 months to try all the things (from hawker stalls to classier joints) that tempted us!

14 Feb

Suhail had wanted to go to Singapore, specifically to eat sup tulang, ever seeing the No Reservations Singapore episode. So, we headed down to the Golden Mile hawker center and found vendor where the show was filmed. As conflicted as it makes me feel to admit something this gruesome looking was good, I must tell you that this is one of the finest dishes I have ever consumed.

Not nearly as scary as its blood red looks may seem (I think it’s actually the spices that give it its color), you really do have to get out a straw or just suck directly on the end of the bone to enjoy it to the fullest, but it is worth it! …not to mention, you don’t really feel too silly since everyone around you is tapping their bones on the table and sucking away in an effort to get every last morsel of marrow out too.

I am going to try to get Suhail to put together a video of the footage I took while we ate, but I believe he will plead the fifth and refuse to do it. I will see what I can do though, so keep checking this spot!

After our delicious dinner, we headed down to Arab Street in Kampong Glam for some mint tea and shisha. Sitting at the crowded sidewalk cafe was a great way to relax and enjoy the cooler night air (the heat of the day had finally dissipated!).

While we sat back and congratulated ourselves on a successful day of travel, we saw what may have been the raw materials for tomorrow’s sup tulang pass us by…

13 Feb

On our third day in Singapore, we really got to know our hawker center. After checking out Chinatown, we hit Maxwell Food Center, where we tried several iconic Singapore foods. We started with a serving of popiah, a sort of spring roll that was absolutely delicious. It is basically a very thin pancake stuffed with sprouts and other veggies and seafood or sausage. We never figured out exactly what ours was filled with…we started contemplating, but before we knew it, it was all gone!

After that, we moved on to chicken rice. We’d been eagerly awaiting the chance to try this typically Singaporean dish in Singapore (after eating a few renditions in Thailand). We chose what looked like the best stand in the Maxwell Road Center and it turns out, Tian Tian is fairly well known. We were not disappointed either…

12 Feb

On our second day in Singapore, we paid a visit to VivoCity, Singapore’s largest mall (and that says a lot in a city that loves malls as much as this one!) in an effort to keep cool. We by passed SuperDog and instead checked out the food court, in the hopes that, like Bangkok, Singapore would have cheap delicious eats on offer. We were not disappointed!

Initially overwhelmed by the options, we finally settled on bbq pork and beef brisket…and again we marveled at how different food courts in American malls are from their SE Asian counterparts!

Later on in the day, we checked out some local beverage options and came across another “American classic” – Kickapoo Joy Juice.

Haven’t you ever heard of it?!?! Me neither…but I must admit, I am eager to join the ranks of Lonesome Polecat and Hairless Johnson!!! I mean, if this joy juice is 1/2 as magical as the can proclaims, we really can’t go wrong. Who doesn’t want to “get that kick?”!!!

Suhail and I purchased a can to try, but have not yet brought ourselves to do it. I will update this once we do…

UPDATE – we tried the “joy juice” and it is pretty much just Mountain Dew, but I will congratulate the creators on a much better name and story for their beverage, and after a brief 4 hours of sleep on our last night in town, its extreme quantities of caffeine and sugar did the trick as we prepared to board our plane. Unfortunately, neither Lonesome Polecat nor Hairless Joe made an appearance to keep us entertained en route to Jakarta…

11 Feb

Just arrived in Singapore last night and couldn’t wait to check out the hawker centers. We hit Tekka Center in Little India. Not only was it an easy walk from our hostel, we were confident we would find Suhail’s favorite meat on offer. Just as he’d hoped, the lamb was flying, and the challenge quickly moved from where to find mutton to which vendor to choose.

Tekka Center was a great intro to the hawker culture, and we are excited to get out and explore more of this exciting city and its diverse food offerings over the next few days!