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Published: June 17th 2009
VIP Treatment
On the VIP bus to Singapore - TV, video games, no smoking bus driver. Travel to Singapore - VIP Style
While waiting for our Indian visa to be cleared we had at least four nights to kill in Malaysia. On our last full day in KL, we planned to head to Melaka, about two hours south of KL, the following day. Through the joy of Facebook, though, we learned that my friend Laura was in Singapore visiting her sister and helping with the birth of her first niece. We immediately told her that if she had time to see us, we would be on a bus the following day to Singapore. So, away we went. Similar to our last minute decision to travel from Thailand to Malaysia, our decision to head to Singapore was just as sudden. So, in the morning we made our way to one of the smaller bus stations to board an executive VIP bus to Singapore. We actually tried to get something cheap, but could not find anything last minute along the time frame we wanted. The bus station was really close to our hotel, but we tried to take a taxi to the bus station to avoid showing up for the bus sweating profusely. Our hotel loaded
Raffles
The founder of Singapore - Sir Raffles us into an “executive taxi” which is code for “three times as much as a regular taxi.” The usual flag pull is around 2RM, and this taxi was 6RM. We thought the whole ride would cost less than 5RM. When asked why it was 6RM, we were told he was an executive taxi, so we immediately left the taxi. When we tried to get a regular taxi no one wanted to take us because it was so close. So, we sweat our way through the neighborhood to the bus station, purchased our tickets, and sat in the waiting area until our bus was called. We also had one last serap drink, this time in a bag before boarding. The bus was actually pretty nice considering we only paid around $20 for the trip. We had individual TV screens (I watched that John Cusack film “1408”) and there were only seven of us on the entire bus. Within five hours we had cleared customs in Singapore and we zooming across the island to the downtown area.
I have a general knack for travel planning. It comes easily to me to figure out how to get some place, where to stay,
Boat Quay
Restaurant District what to do, what to eat, and how to get around. Eric has been helping a good amount during the trip, but I asked him to take over Singapore. It was Singapore by Eric. He was helped in some respect by two friends we met in town, but otherwise it was all him. When we arrived at the bus station we walked to the Muslim neighborhood to stay at a place listed in Lonely Planet. When we arrived in Kampong Glam it was an adorable neighborhood. I imagined that if Disney put together a display of a cute Asian neighborhood, this would be it. Cafés and restaurants spilled out into pedestrian friendly streets that were lined with art galleries and shops. The guesthouse offered us a room at the equivalent of USD $60, which was out of our general budget. I was willing to splurge, recognizing that Singapore was going to be more expensive than other areas we have visited. But, this guesthouse would not let us see the room before booking, which was highly unusual. They said it was because the room was next to the dorm room and for security they could not let us view the room.
Merlion
The half lion, half fish, welcoming people to Singapore. Totally strange and I was not willing to pay the most we have for a room in months without seeing it. We hyper analyzed it saying that it makes no sense for them to not allow us to see the room while we were accompanied by them, for fear we would steal, but once we accepted a room key, we would have access to the entire place with no one watching us. Weird. And, of course, there were no other guest houses anywhere in the area. Instead, we found an internet café and booked two nights at the Sheraton for some points plus $60. Eric admitted it was not a cop-out because he did not want to find another place to stay. I would rather pay $60 for a place with air conditioning, a nice bed, a pool, free breakfast and free happy hour. So, we hoped the metro to the Sheraton and checked in.
Asia 101
Singapore is the best way to experience Asia for the first time. Of all cities in Asia, it could best be described as “Asia Lite.” There is not much traditional culture in Singapore. The city is filled, however, with
manufactured tourist attractions - a Ferris wheel, zoo, water park, etc. They are in the process of building a huge casino complex to compete with Macau. Our purpose in Singapore was not seek out culture, but was twofold - to see Laura and to eat, in no particular order of importance.
While in town we walked through Chinatown. We hit a great Chinese Buddhist temple that was one of the most impressive temples we have seen to date. The outside was amazing. The temple was four stories of dark red wood alternating with bright white paint, all open to the public. The rooftop had wall to wall Buddha statues, all tiny, but amazingly set in a beautiful rooftop serene garden. In the center of the garden was a large prayer wheel. I felt as though we were intruding on peacefulness when we followed a Buddhist up the elevator who walked around the prayer wheel several times to make an offering. I could understand her serenity and her belief in the religion considering the surroundings. It was a beautiful and pristine sight and could easily instill calmness on any soul. On the fourth floor was a small golden statute that
Tastiest Soup Dumplings Ever
Being made fresh before our eyes. apparently contained a tooth relic from the Buddha - supposedly an actual tooth. The downstairs was an amazing conglomeration of bright red and gold with every different Buddha you could imagine. There were one hundred different Buddhas. Behind the main Buddha display was an intricate embroidered display of golden dragons. Along the walls were smaller, mounted Buddhas, obtained by practitioners who purchased the Buddha as an offering. I made an offering and received a lit candle to place in the temple. The offering was intended to promise a “smooth and safe journey.” I figured that was appropriate.
In addition to our tour through Chinatown, we perused the Central Business District, wandering along the Singapore River. There were several entertainment districts that attract both tourists and stressed out businessmen looking to blow off steam after work by downing ridiculously overpriced beer. The river meandered into the sea passing the enormous Singapore Flyer Ferris wheel, a theater district, the Mandarin Oriental, and other stops. It is all a bit too new and too manufactured for me to appreciate as a traveler through the city; would I live in the city, though? Hell yeah.
A Fine City
The
city itself is pristine. Huge multinational corporations are all over the island and it is a business mecca. I was told Singapore is a “Fine City.” It is clean and “fine” but that cleanliness and good order comes at a price. I knew beforehand that you can be fined for spitting. You also can be fined for littering, jaywalking, drinking on the metro, etc. While taking the immaculate and pristine metro, we heard an announcement that there is no drinking allowed on in the rail system. Then, the voice of God came over the loudspeaker in the station “You, over there, stop drinking.” Talk about “Big Brother is Watching.” There is no freedom of speech and the government is pretty harsh about certain things. I was told that every male must spend two years in the military starting around age 18. Life is very regulated. But, does it seem like it is worth it? The standard of living in Singapore is higher than anywhere else in Southeast Asia. The roads are well paved, the sidewalks are ordered, the cars are new, the population is educated, and the high rise buildings are better than any I have seen so far. And,
Eric in Food Heaven
Mall food courts in Singapore - heaven the food is amazing.
Singapore Eats
Like Malaysia, Singapore is a melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Indian, and Western food. We sampled all of it while there. Between our tour with Laura through numerous food courts at fancy malls up and down Orchard Road and our visit to the Old Market with our friend YS and his son, Han Yang, we experienced the best Singapore has to offer. We were in more malls in 48 hours (plus all of the malls we hit in KL) than we had been to in the last five years living in Chicago. We also hit several “hawker centers” - traditional outdoor food stalls, but way cleaner than anything we had seen to date in Asia. During our three nights and two days in the city we ate the following:
• Black Pepper Chicken Rice at Maxwell Road Food Center in Chinatown - roasted chicken breast served on rice cooked in chicken broth.
• Carrot Cake (Black) - Had no idea what this was but we ordered it because it looked tasty. Also at Maxwell Road. We think it was white carrots, or also referred to as white radish,
Durian Ice Cream
He actually likes the king of fruits sautéed with soy sauce and seasoning and served with spicy chili sauce. So yummy.
• Pork Rib Soup - with noodles also at Maxwell Road - Eric’s third dinner dish.
• Peanut ABC Special - Similar to the ABC Special in Malaysia but with lots of peanuts, and the usual sweet corn and kidney beans. This was my dessert at Maxwell Road, while Eric ate his pork soup.
• Din Tai Fung - We met Laura at her favorite dumpling shop. In her email she asked if we liked dumplings, which I thought was one of the stupidest questions ever. Who doesn’t like dumplings? This restaurant, in the basement of the Paragon shopping mall is a chain with locations throughout Singapore, Asia, and even in LA. I will be running to LA when I am back in the States because these were some of the best dumplings I ever had. You put your name on the list for a table and received a clip board to place your order before sitting down. You could peruse the menu while watching the dumpling geniuses hard at work through the glass windows at the front of the shop. We ordered
Donut Factory
Thank you Laura! Some of the best donuts ever! two large baskets of pork soup dumplings. DTF promised that each dumpling had at least 18 folds within the pastry. I did not count, but I was totally pleased with the fresh, savory pork rolled inside the impossibly fresh pastry. And, inside each dumpling was a bit of pork soup broth. It takes some practice to eat without making a mess and losing your soup. You pick up the dumpling with chopsticks and hold it over an Asian soup spoon. You can poke the dumpling with your teeth to suck out the soup, or you can pop the whole thing in your mouth and hope the soup is not too hot. I poked the wall of the dumpling, sucked out most of the soup. The soup spoon underneath catches any soup that spills so that it does not go to waste. We soaked the dumplings in a soy, chili, and ginger dip. Heavenly. I have been thinking about them since walking out of the restaurant. We also had some pork fried rice, spinach with garlic, and some pork wontons in a spicy chili vinegar sauce. It was amazing. Breathtaking. Words cannot describe the nature of these dumplings. I love Laura
Sticky Fingers
Fudgy fingers in the lobby of the Fairmont. for introducing us to pure perfection. Thank you Laura.
• Octopus Balls - After DTF, we hopped from one mall food court to another. We stopped for some fried octopus balls, which we hoped to eat in Osaka until we postponed our visit. These were okay, but I did not like the moist consistency inside. I will try them again though.
• Pork Floss Bun - Laura bought us a little fresh sweet bun covered with pork floss. I can’t describe pork floss. The texture was air like - almost nothingness. It tasted like bacon. It was unique.
• Durian Ice Cream - Eric was thrilled to try durian ice cream. After my intoxicated Thai durian experience, I had a few bites, but left Eric to finish the rest.
• Donut Factory - another of Laura’s favorites. We hoped the efficient metro train from Orchard Road to Raffles City to have donuts. Seems like a long way to travel for donuts, but was totally worth it. For just the three of us we ordered a box of six donuts including Rocky Road, Jasmine Tea, Raspberry Chocolate, Chocolate Mocha, Peanut Butter Glaze, and Cookies n Cream. To
Laura and Me
In front of the Raffles Hotel fully enjoy the donuts, we needed to have the right setting. Laura suggested the lobby of one of the nice hotels in the area, so we high-tailed it to the Fairmont Hotel lobby. I have used the toilet in some of the nicest hotels in the world, but never thought about taking take away food into the lobby. She figured it would not be a problem because she was with some white people, which apparently gave us free entry. We found a comfy black leather sofa and started to Chow down on our donuts. Not only were the donuts themselves fluffier than any donuts I have eaten before, but the base of the donuts tasted like we were ingesting sweet air. The toppings were delectable. The chocolate on the chocolate raspberry was like high end fudge - dark, creamy, and not too sweet. The peanut butter was some of the creamiest I have ever eaten. The entire experience was like a long food orgasm I never wanted to end.
• Satay - We met my friend YS and his son outside of the metro entrance near Raffles Place. He took us to the Old Market, one of the oldest
food markets. It was originally the wet produce market in Singapore, and now is a food centre. YS found us a nice table outside and ordered the largest platter of tender beef and chicken satay I have ever seen. When it arrived, his son, Han Yang, said it was just a snack. It was a platter that could have fed a family of five.
• Laksa - I told YS we had no problem with spicy food and that Eric had not tried Laksa yet, so he sought a few bowls of Laksa. Laksa is a spicy fish based soup with noodles, shrimp, tofu, fish balls, and chili. It was totally tasty, although a bit too fishy for Eric and me, although this one was much better than the last I had.
• Sugar Cane Juice - We also had our first sugar cane juice - they use a machine to press the liquid out of the sugar cane and serve it over ice. Very refreshing. YS ordered a round of juice for the table.
• Tien Tien Chicken Rice - Our fist night at Maxwell Road we intended to stop at a particular stall recommended by
Anthony Bourdain for chicken rice, a Singaporean specialty. They were closing down when we arrived so we had to return during daylight hours. We could see the stall from a mile away, distinguished by its long line of loyal customers. It was a weekday lunch hour and the entire food court was hopping. It took me awhile to find a table, which we shared with several other people. It took Eric even longer to actually obtain two plates of the desired chicken rice. I would say it was worth the wait. The chicken breast was boiled in chicken broth, as was the rice. It was served with some sweet and spicy chili sauce, a thick and sweet soy sauce, and some sliced cucumber. I would not say it was the best dish I have had, but there is a wonderful simplicity to the dish that speaks volumes.
• Tulang - Another Anthony Bourdain “delicacy” - some sort of cow or mutton femur in an alarmingly red sauce. The highlight is sucking all the bone marrow out of the center. Eric liked it although his hands were bright red and sticky by the end. I tried the red sauce and
Line at Tien Tien Chicken Rice
Lunch time crowds - That's Eric at the end - you can tell it is him because he is the tallest. was not thrilled.
• BBQ Sting Ray - A first for us. We went to Newton Circus Food Centre near our hotel our last night and had some great seafood. Stringray grilled with a tangy bbq sauce. It was so tender and buttery.
• Chili Clams - Baby clams in a spicy chili sauce.
• Spicy Prawns - At least a dozen prawns that we asked to be super spicy, but Eric wanted to complain that they were not spicy enough. I think our taste buds are so used to the spiciness that it is hard to set our mouths ablaze anymore.
We will be returning to Singapore in July to meet my sister. We will definitely return to Donut Factory and for soup dumplings at DTF. It was an amazing culinary adventure. Singapore is a Fine City, and it was great seeing Laura and YS!!
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