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Published: April 5th 2008
Bone Soup
Chris and I pose for the mandatory post Sup Tulang (Bone Soup) photograph. Covered in delicious spicy tomato sauce and marrow is all we had left to show our total content. How many times have you ever arrived at the airport to a sign that reads "Your Name". Well not exactly "your name" but something more like, in my case, Mr. Filly. For me, my arrival in Singapore was the first. This is what you get when you have great friends like Chris Streeter. For those unfamiliar with this world traveling computer programmer, he was my roommate at UC Berkeley for 2 years, and my close friend ever since. What was he doing in Singapore, waiting for me with a sign at the airport. No he didn't fly all the way accross the Pacific just to welcome me to this foreign land. In fact he was there on business, the kind of business that puts you up in a nice fancy hotel and pays for things like food, laundry, transport, etc.... I was just fortunate to be crossing paths with him and as a result getting the opportunity to indulge a little in some comforts that will most certainly not be following me through the rest of Asia.
With only three days in Singapore together, I didn't want to waste a minute. After my recent culinary adventures in Hong Kong I
Welcome to Singapore Mr Filly
This was no lie my friends. Look at the sign. It was hand written. I have not seen a hand written sign at the airport ever. How unique does that make me? was thrilled to be going to Singapore. Anthony Bourdain has this to say about Singapore in a blog entry about a recent trip he took there. "There is fever-dream quality to Singapore, particularly if you are a foodie." He has written so much about Singapore, done an episode of No Reservations here, and has mapped out for me about 12 or more must try eateries. Furthermore he has introduced his audience to K.F. Seetoh, the editor and founder of Makansutra. Makansutra is a food guide to Singapore. You don't get sucked in by fancy restaurants here in Singapore. Rather you get your best eats from Hawkers, or street vendors. You can find massive collections of these vendors at places called Kopitams, Coffee Shops and Food Centers. They are a foodies dream come true where you can sample Chinese, Malay, Indian, Peranakan (Chinese/Malay) and other Asian delites. The Makansutra is a guide to all the best Hawkers in Singapore. Cheep food that comes fast and leaves you in a state of pure bliss. So Chris and I are using Tony Bourdain and the Makansutra as a guide to this food wonderland. They will be the template to our journey and everything
Old school Malay buildings
Our new friend Greg Tucker-Kellog was kind enough to show us around a bit after our delicious Laksa. He pointed out this great buildings and said that he almost bought one. The steep stairs, however, he felt would not be safe for his 3 year old. Too bad. that happens on the way will be a bonus.
Our first order of business is to get some food since all I've had that day is some crappy airplane food. Our first stop is for Laksa, a spicy curry noodle dish that has some meat, veggies, and egg in it. TB says this is the perfect breakfast dish. It will be my first meal of the day so I'll call it breakfast even though it's almost noon. We are on our way to try and find one of the recommended places for Laksa when a man in front of us named Greg Tucker-Kellogg overhears our converstation. He, like many Singaporeans, offers up some unsolicited advice about food. Here in Singapore everyone is an expert on food, where to get the best, and how to best enjoy eat bite. He engages us in a short discussion on where to go for great Laksa and I jump at this opportunity. "Hey Greg, if you're not too busy why don't you come and join us for Laksa?" He gladly accepts, saying that he has wanted to take people like myself who are visiting Singapore for some real authentic food. Greg has been
Fast Food International
It is fascinating to see how other countries have adopted American fast food. In a place like Singapore where the average time it took a meal to be prepared for me was under 5 minutes, I cannot understand the draw to American fast food. It isn't that fast in comparison. With so much delicious variety in local food why would you ever eat at Carl's Jr. Anyway, thought this was funny. contracted out by an American company based in Singapore. He is from Boston and lives here with is wife and two daughters. He spends the next few hours with us showing us some sights, eating laksa and another bean curd dish that he recommended, and telling us a bit of his story. As we wandered the streets with Greg he bought us some Otak, a fish cake wrapped and grilled in a banana leaf. It was increadible.
We eventually say goodbye to Greg and exchange contact information. Chris plans to contact him after I leave as he will be here another week working. Like any city, the best way to see Singapore is to walk around, take some public transportation, and just get lost. This we did. We visited Malay village, Suntec City, the worlds Largest Fountain, and saw some kids playing in the underpass. We also toured the Arab Quarter of the city which was easy enough to find with the colorful streets, loud music, and appropriately named streets (i.e. Bhagdad Stree).
I'll slow down a little bit for a description of our next meal, Sup Tulang. This was going to be my first Tony B. stop
Let them play
Many large street intersections in Singapore have moved through crosswalks underground. These underpasses often have access to the train system (MRT) or have shopping malls. This one however had just a big open space with large signs saying "NO SKATEBOARDING". I assume this was meant to include biking, however, local skateboarders, BMX bikers, and breakdancers did not let the sign stop them from enjoying a holiday Friday. in Singapore. Sup Tulang is a bone soup. About 8 femur bones with some meat on the ends cracked in half and covered in a spicy red tomato sauce that stains your skin. You are supposed to enjoy this meal by slurping out the bone marrow inside. Tony B. raved about it and has said that Bone Marrow would be his death row meal. Never having had bone marrow I was eager to try. We arrived at the Golden Mile Food Center and I took the exact same seat the Tony B. sat in on the TV show. We saw the guy that I had seen on TV who sells this obscure dish. I was already excited. The dish arrived and was as impressive as I had imagined it would be. The sauce for me was the highlight. I did enjoy the marrow when I was able to mix it with the sauce. But when I went straight for it with the straw that was giving to me I really wished I hadn't. Sucking bone marrow out of a bone through a straw was hard to do without feeling sick. Partly taste, but I think most of all it was
Not exactly like Rome
When I think of amazing fountains I am transported immediately to Rome. The marble depictions of gods, the millenia of history, and the romantic atmosphere are all you could ask for in a fountain. But here in Singapore they have the "World's Biggest Fountain". It is just that, BIG!! We pose of a tourist shot here. just the thought of what I was doing. It was an extremely barbarak meal, but ultimately satisfying and provided us with great memories and pictures.
After dinner we crossed the street and visited the Golden Mile Center. The GMC is like little Thailand. We had a few drinks, met some interesting characters, and had a very nice evening before catching a cab back to the hotel. I'll take a minute to tell you that the Hotel we are staying at, the Marriot Singapore, is increadibly posh. I'm really soaking in all the luxuries it has to offer. The private gym that is fully equipped with everything I could want in a fitness center. The pool, spa with steam room and sauna, free apples every morning, free mentos on the bed at night, the nicest shower I've ever used and countless other comforst.
On day two we pick right back up on the Tony B. train and have chicken rice at the Maxwell Food Center. Tony says that any trip to Singapore should start here at this particular hawker eating chicken rice. It wasn't my first meal but I can see why he would say that. It was a
Arab Quarter
A quick stroll down Bhagdad St. on our way to dinner. balanced breakfast of chicken, rice, and chili sauce that sent us on our way for a long day of wet adventures. We strolled through Chinatown on our way to catching the MRT (train) to Changi Village. This is where we were to catch a ferry to Ubin Island to go explore some nature, get our exercise on some bikes, and ultimately get stuck in a the wild rain storm. The Island was nice and a great detour from the city. Chris had a bike malfunction on the island that left his bike unrideable. I had to tow him all the way back to the village on my bike while he held on to my arm. It was a cute sight. The two Americans holding hands on their bikes. At some point later that day on our ride we found ourselves getting rained on. When rain starts over here in Southeast Asia it is almost certainly going to get a lot worse. Your best bet is to find shelter ASAP. We did and were dry. Just as the rain let up a bit we decided to make a run for it back to the village and in momments found ourselves without
My Thai friend in Singapore
This is the gentleman that we met after our bone soup dinner. The Golden Mile Complex was a Thai hideout. Full of Thai Disco, Thai Bars, Thai Food, and Thai people, we got to know this one over a few beers. shelter and experiencing the worst of it. We were soaked and had attempted to take shelter under a tree, only to find ourselves in a river of mud within seconds. The next 3 hours were spent under a roof at the local seafood restaurant. Saving ourselves for our much anticipated meal later that night we enjoyed a few Tiger Beers and met some really nice people. A group of 8 behind us, all coworkers from all over the world, got to talking with us. Two of the girls were from the Bay Area and at the end of the storm we had befriended all of them and had ourselves a party to go to that night.
We got back to the main Island and into the city. I was very cold and very hungry. Chris was feeling about the same. So we did our best to try and find our most anticipated meal of the weekend that Tony B had visited on No Reservations. The dish we were after was Sharks Head. We told the cab driver where we needed to go, only to be told the place did not exist anymore. Devistated doesn't describe the feeling I had.
Chris makes a new friend
So I pose of a picture with the crazy drunk Thai guy while Chris gets chatted up by this girl. Who do you think got the better end of the deal? But a quick reminder to myself about having no expectations on this trip got me out of the funk and soon we were seeking out the Singapore specialty, Pepper Crab, from No Signboard Seafood. The trip to the restaurant took longer than we anticipated and the service was the slowest I have had yet on this trip. But when the food arrived it was well worth the wait. A pepper spiced crab from Sri Lanka arrived on a plate just for me and I attacking it with the precision of a guy who had just sat in the cold rain for hours and hadn't eaten a think for the last 9 hours.
We didn't linger around the crab shells long. We had a date. So we showered, put on the nicest thing I left home with (not that nice), and headed down to the river to have a few drinks with Halley and Mo before we went out for an evening of dancing at Clarke Quay. The night ended for us at 4:30am and was the most fun I've ever had dancing. The club was outrageous and the music, a mix of trance and house, mixed by a great
Chicken Rice
This is the name of the Hawker we got our Chikcen Rice from. Chicken rice is very simple. Tony Bourdain says that any trip to Singapore should start with Chicken Rice, and in his opinion it should start with Chicken Rice from this particular place. I couldn't agree more. DJ was right up my alley. Plus the company was great. Out 5 new friends, Robert, Cesare, Mo, Halley, and Janard. We partied like rockstars.
The best part of it all was that it didn't take it out of us too much. The next morning we slept in a bit and woke up refreshed. We exercised and spent some time updating our journals. I took a few minutes to research what had happened this famous Sharks Head restaurant the Tony B had raved about. Turns out they had been closed down because the city had reposesed the building that they were located at. In January of 2008 they had reopened on the other side of Singapore. My prayer was answered, they were open for business, open for lunch, and were happy to have us as guests. We arrived and were seated at a quiet table on the waterfront. The temperature could not have been better. Warm air with a gently breeze. Chris and I were served a Tiger Beer that we drank with ice cubes, not because it was warm beer, but because that is how poeple do it here. We ordered the requisit Sharks head and a vegetable/cuttlefish
Day trip to another Island
Singapore is more than just a city. The buildings are nice and the food speaks for itself, but we were ready to get out and see some more. Palau Ubin offers a quick getaway. side dish. The restaurant lived up to it's reputation. Thanks Tony B. We had a chance to talk with the owner who told us some stories about Tony B and all the publicity that they have received since the show. He told us about a trip they made out to New York where they were featured at food show. It was a great meal with the perfect atmosphere and an increadibly polite owner.
We spent the rest of the day exploring little India where I had a pulled tea. Pulled tea is a rich indian tea that is sweetened with condensed milk and then poured back and forth from beakers to make it frothy. I then found a woman on the street who was selling pictures of different Hindu God's and Saints. I found a photograph of Sai Baba amongst the pile and bought it without hesitaiton. The woman was so respectful of he business. She respectd the fact that she was taking money for pictures of the divine. With an exchange of money, a bow of respect, Chris and I were on our way. We indulged in some Durian fruit later that day. A stinky, spiky fruit that
Bike Tour
We hop off our bikes to capture a little bit of the island in the background. has little custurd covered pits inside that you slurp up. It really smells awfull. The smell and aftertaste are about equally bad but the actually fruit was pretty good. It was a must try and I'm glad we did it. I'm also glad we didn't get fined by the police for bringing it on the train and into the hotel, both of which we found out later were illegal.
Our last culinary adventure in Singapore was to go to Gluttons Bay. This is a collection of some of the finest Hawkers in all of Singapore that the Makansutra has hand picked to come and have their food showcased at his Gluttons Bay. The goal of creating this foodies paradise was to bring the best street food that Singapore had to offer, help dress up some of these Hawkers, and thereby appeal to the tourists who were otherwise too scared to venture in to the local Kopitam to get their fixing of things like chicken rice, sup tulang, or sharks head.
Our plan was to get about three to four dishes and share, this way we sample many different flavors. We had Char Kway Teow, Fried Black Carrot Cake,
Shark's Head
After I watched Tony Bourdain eat Singapore I was most excited to try this dish. He ate a Sharks Head from this particular restaurant. Since he shot his episode in 2006 the restaurant was torn down and relocated. We had a hard time finding it but it was so worth it in the end. Oyster Omlet, and some Tiger Beer. The Char Kway Teow was like a Malay versious of Pad Thai and it got served with the most delicious chili paste I've ever had. In fact I went back just to get another bowl of it to eat straight. The Fried Carrot Cake was actually a mixture of radishes, rice flour cakes, fried eggs, pickled radishes and a black sweet-savory soy sauce. It got served with a chili-ginger sauce. The last item, the Oyster Omlet, was exactly what it sounds like. Fried oysters in an egg omlet. Sounds simple and it was, simply divine. The best of the three dishes. All that food and beer for around 10 bucks. That was for both of us. A nice cap to our long weekend together.
We headed back to the hotel after dinner. Chris to work the next morning, me on my way to Malaysia alone. It was an increadible weekend. I am certain that my experience of Singapore would have not felt nearly as complete had I not been with Chris. Traveling the world alone affords you many opportunties that having a companion does not. I am absolutely certain that coming to Asia
Familiar Look of Satisfaction
If you asked me how many time I was in pure joy while in Singapore I could start by just counting the meals I had because after each one I looked like this. Following our Shark Head/Cuttlefish extravaganza. alone was the right decision for me. However, to have the opportunity to share part of this with Chris, and very soon with my friend Joe and Chris in Thailand, is something I will never forget. There is an underlying comfort and ease about being some place foreign with a loved one. You can let down your guard a little bit more quickly, ease in to the experience, and reflect out loud with you mate. I am grateful to you Chris for giving me this opportunity and sharing Singapore with me. It was a beautiful example of how the combined efforts of two people can far exceed the sum total of what they have done.
While I look forward to my travels through Asia by myself I'll take this opportunity to extend a warm invitation to all of you. I invite you to journey across an ocean or a land mass or both to meet me for a few days, a week, or whatever and share with me on this episode of my life.
I love you all and have you in my thoughts and heart right now.
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Greg Tucker-Kellogg
non-member comment
good times
It looks like the rest of your adventure was as good as the time in Singapore. I was sorry I wasn't able to see Chris when he swang back through, but there's always next time. Hope you're enjoying med school.