Eating our way through the city

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As we start our wanderings the sun almost manages to make an appearance through the broken clouds. We take the MRT to Little India where we have arranged to meet with Jason. This is also where we meet up with the rain. It doesn't seem to be that bad at first. We continue to wander the streets around the main Serangoon Road not really minding the little drips that keep falling. I immediately take a strong liking to this part of the city. The roads are crowded with taxis shuttling people around and the crowds in the pavement huddle under building archways where merchants display foodstuffs, magazines, incense and wonderfully smelling dried flowers. And each time we pass near an eatery the inviting smells of Indian cooking fills the air. I imagine Indian veterans will shrug it off as plastic but for a quick taste of the Indian experience without the hassle of begging, touting and getting ripped off you could certainly do worse. As the rain increases in strength we seek shelter in the Khansama Tandoori Restaurant which soon proves to be a good idea. As I flick through the thick menu binder I don't know where to begin, I have never seen so many variations on Indian food and I wonder what to try. In the end we settle for the legendary Chicken Tikka Masala (so sue me!), some Kurma vegetables and a few different kinds of Naan, including a Kashmiri variant with raisins, almonds and cashew. This is the first time I've ever tried the Masala tea, a divine mixture including cloves, cardamum, cinnamoum and fennel. Fantastic! Kay's Halia tea with milk, sugar and fresh ginger is just as good.

While we gorge ourselves on food and blazing Bollywood videos on a large TV on the wall the rain is getting really nasty outside (We would later learn that about 75 mm had fallen within a couple of hours, causing flash floods in some parts of town) and any plans to visit the zoo are swept away. As the rain finally subsides a little we are back in the streets walking around the crowded shops. Kay is hunting for incense, and I am hunting for masala tea. We bump into a fortune teller on Serangoon Road, an old lady with a parrot. I decide to let our feathered friend give me a peek into my future, and by picking one of a number of cards it promises me that I am about to see an economic upswing in the near future. Well that's kind of him, isn't it? And as fate would have it, the very day I went back at the office after the trip my boss informed me that I am getting a raise... Needless to say, the next time I encounter a parrot I will get that greedy look in my eyes.

We continue our stroll through the narrow side streets making our way to the Abdul Gaffoor mosque, a colourful slightly over the top building painted yellow and green. Continuing on foot towards Kampung Glam district we pass by the major IT Mall over at Sim Lim Square where I go to work enquiring about camera filters. The first few sellers look at me as if I am stupid and explain that nobody carries such products anymore, and then I discover a place that has it all. It is not particularily cheap, still a much better deal than what it would be back home (provided I could find someone who actually sells antique accessories for analogue cameras...) so I stock up on some weird filters before we continue. Next stop is at Bencoolen street where we run into one of many eateries where we can try another of the Singapore specials, the Laksa. It looks a bit like noodles in tom yam soup, it is quite spicy and quite delicious. Just past the corner is Waterloo street which houses two neighbouring temples. The Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho buddhist temple is crowded with people lighting up incense and offering prayers, and next to it the pattern is repeated at the hindu Sri Krishnan temple. Apparently some revelers play it safe and make a visit two both places, never hurts to be prepared you know?

Next up is the market madness on Bugis street, a pickpocket haven where merchants and buyers crowd together into a slowly trickling stream. It is complete with multistory maze-like shopping arcades with countless shops offering the same kinds of trinkets and clothes over and over. I am glad to finally get out on the other side to see some skylight again. We move on along Rochor Road in the shadows of some impressive buildings and turn left on North Bridge road, moving towards Kampung Glam and the largest of the mosques in Singapore, the Sultan Mosque. We find the street behind it, Bussorah, to be a very peaceful and atmospheric place with its colonial style buildings lining up on both sides. We spend some time here relaxing before moving on towards Beach road and finally grabbing a taxi heading to Jason's flat in Braddell. As the evening descends on the city we are getting hungry again, and Jason takes us to the food court just above the Toa Payoh MRT station. Here I find and check another of the recommended Singapore dishes, the fried carrot cake. Tastes good but it won't revolutionize our culture any time soon. Kay and Jason also dig up some chili chicken and satay noodles and a very strange cooler for desert. It is kind of a mixture of ice, jelly beans, corn and some kind of milk, reminding me about a similar thing Vanessa intoduced me to in Jakarta last year. The taste is decidedly strange, but not all that bad.

After dinner we head down to Orchard Road and Jason points me to the three story HMV music store. I do manage to find a few gems but overall the price level is shocking, even more expensive then back home in Europe. We also manage to find some time sitting down at a typical expat frequented bar before grabbing the last train back to the hotel.

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Photos

Dunlop Street
Can you say crow-ded?