It was an exploration trip to Singapore a few weeks back. Guided by a map, we walked from one place to another, under hot sunny weather and heavy rain as well. And as usual, the trip will not be complete without some food experiences.
While waiting to board Aeroline, we jump-started the calm morning with complimentary coffee/tea in Nikko Hotel. We were provided Subway Sandwiches onboard. It has been a long time since I had Subway. I still remember having the half-foot long sandwich for lunch, back in the days of Alstom and how my boss liked his sandwich as I often got the task to buy it for him.
5 hours later, after a fruit and snack rest in Pagoh, we reached Harbour Front. Even though hungry for lunch, we proceeded to check into New 7th Storey hotel before submitting to a hearty lunch. Near to Bugis Junction, we had lunch at Yu Kee, famous for duck rice, as recommended by the hotel staff. We ordered Kway Chap, Duck Rice and porridge as well. The rice is very different as it was cooked with a type of sauce till dark-brownish. Kway chap consisted of pig's internal organs. I am not sure if it's because we were hungry but it was delicious.
As it was raining heavy by then, we ran across to Bugis junction and then to the Petaling Street-look-a-like bazaar. Fruit juice there is so cheap we can't resist buying some. Then, we tried the black pepper chicken bun. Smells really nice with sesame seed oil. I bet it tastes nicer if it is eaten hot and not after going through the rain, as we had it after we ran back to the hotel in the rain.
After a rest, we walked from Bugis to Raffles Place to Marina Bay and to the Esplanade....It was drizzling now and then. We were searching for the famous Makansutra@Glutton's Bay. Nearly gave up when we finally found it. We ordered fried kuey teow, chicken wings and another dish similar to fried 'carrot cake' we have here. Well, food there is expensive and the taste is nothing compared to local food here. It's just a hyped-up tourist attraction, just like Gurney Drive in Penang. We proceeded to Orchard after that. Tempted by the ice cream stalls all along Orchard Road, we decided to try. It was nice, ice cream in between crunchy and fresh crackers. The night ended after visiting Clarke Quay. It's really a happening place. Clubs, bars and lots of beautiful girls, the place is a must visit for night crawlers.
The next morning started with a visit to Chinatown. We had porridge. Mixed pig organ porridge and 'pei tan' porridge. Nothing to shout about except their bottle of soy sauce is LARGE. We walked along Chinatown and bought this cute cheese dried meat. Tasted really good. We visited a temple, lots of photos taken here because of the unique architecture. Almost lunch, we decided to go to the famous Lau Pa Sat. We had popiah, cendol and I tried this 'Sweet Potato and Coffee shake'. One sip of it, it tasted awful. Hmmm....sweet potato and coffee with milk is a big NO NO. They DO NOT blend with one another.
Then, we were off to Little India. That's where I got myself a souvenir. Bird poop....Yup....Anyway, we decided to go to the food court. Saw a lot of people queuing for this particular nasi briyani stall and we wanted to try. After the long wait, it was well worth it. The briyani rice was nicely cooked with large portion of curry chicken. We had roti prata also, which is actually roti canai.
Dinner was at Crystal Jade cafe near our hotel. Serving Hong Kong and Macau style dishes, it is almost the same as Wong Kok Char Chan Teng and Kim Gary. But food here is nicer. We had the set meal that comes with a nice broth, a main course and a dessert. I had rice. Need the energy for Jacky's concert after that. :P The night ended with McD supper at Bugis junction after the concert.
The last day, we decided to have something more expensive. We landed ourselves in Hog's Breath Cafe in Vivo City. Overlooking Sentosa from a distance, it was one of the best western meals I've had. Portion is just nice, and the taste is delicious. The beautifully decorated dish made it even more tempting. And the dessert is so sinfully delicious. We ate everything till it's last piece. Definitely a great way to end our trip. We boarded Aeroline and had the lounge to ourselves and even got the privilege to choose the movies to watch. And before reaching KL, we were provided with packed rice.
After lots of walking and eating, it was an experience well worth it. And Jacky's concert rocks.
Year 2007 ended with a blast and year 2008 started with a bang.
