Singapore Day 4

This post isn’t as photobombed, sorry! (?)

Itinerary for the day 4 ; Chinatown, Telok Ayer (which we didn’t reaallly get around to), Meet dad’s friend for lunch, Night Safari.

As you  may know, buses have been our main choice of transport and one thing we learned from our bus trips was how close everything is! Or should I say how small Singapore is! Maps are misleading! – everything looked so, so far. They say Singapore is the size of Sydney, I believe that. Most of the places which tourists would visit are conveniently next to each other, it’s almost like traveling around the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. Hard to experience this on the MRT as most of it is underground

In relation to day 4, we had a strange start. We were so certain that we were on the right bus until we found ourselves in Raffles Place (CBD in SG) and we thought, oh crap where is this bus going?? So we hopped off to avoid going any further. Opened up our reliable iPhone map app (so handy!) and it shows that one of the main streets in Chinatown was just streets away! Just a 5-10min walk we found ourselves at the border of Chinatown.

First stop. Breakfast at Maxwell Food Centre.

There seemed to be a few recommended places in this hawker centre (even some that we had not read reviews about, you could tell they are popular based on the long lines!), and since we were meeting my Dad’s friend for lunch, we only had breakfast time to conquer it!

One of the well known stalls is, the best Hainan Chicken Rice stalls – Tian Tian Chicken Rice. (Stall #10, Maxwell Food Centre, Singapore)

and its Anthony Bourdain approved.

At just S$3.50 a plate it’s a bargain! (again we shared a plate for breakfast, probably one of our least hungry mornings)

Now the verdict -

What I enjoyed about Tian Tian chicken rice is that, the chicken was tender and juicy, although a bit on the oily side but I guess thats what gives it the flavour! Definitely the nicest hainan chicken I’ve tasted during the trip. As for the rice, it was OK to me; wasn’t as flavourful as I thought – which was a bit of a let down as you would hope the chicken rice itself would match up to the chicken! I preferred the Boon Tong Kee rice more as it was more flavourful.

Our appetites weren’t as big as we wanted it to be so instead of having another dish of something we went for snacks.

I felt so “heaty” inside from all the hot food we’ve been having the past few days and not hydrating enough so we wanted a cooling drink badly! Havent had sugarcane juice for 2 days to balance it out so maybe that’s why.. Other than sugarcane juice, herbal jelly tea is a great cool drink alternative so we bought one. I love how they made it convenient for people on the go with the plastic bag handles on the side! Though at times I was so scared it’ll slip out or rip! so I just hold it normally anyway!

This also reminds me of some things we did not experience such as, drinking ‘teh’ (tea) out of a plastic bag or eating hokkien mee out of brown paper package.

Pan Cake – Stall #26 Maxwell Food Centre 7am – 5pm daily, 7am – 3pm Sunday

This ‘Pan Cake’ stall doesn’t sell the type of western pancake you imagine. In Singapore, pancakes or otherwise known as Mee Chian Kueh, are generally pancakes rolled up with flavoured paste in the middle. At this stall, the difference of their pancakes is that pandan is the base flavour of their pancakes and you can choose from green bean, red bean, coconut and peanut as the filling/spread in between.

S$0.50c later…

Pandan Pancake with Redbean!

I read recommendations for the Red bean Pandan Pancake combo so that was a quick decision made! It was a little chewy and not too sweet which is good, but what I loved most is how the redbean complimented the pandan perfectly.

 

The boy could not resist the Chinese dough sticks at the Pan cake stall! Also S$0.50c!

[Break from photos begin]

Chinatown

After this short food stop, we were extremely exhausted. Tried our best to walk down the main strip of Chinatown, you’d find the Chinatown markets and several temples. It was also particularly hot that day! or only in Chinatown? We chose to find a airconditioned space to sit (and drink or something) instead of walking around and waiting for my dad’s friend. Never knew it was that hard to find one! until we came across OG department store (which by the way, the clothes they sell in there felt like it was straight from the 90s), airconditioning – tick, courtesy seats – zero. We realised Singapore isn’t big on courtesy seats There was a mini cafe inside the department store so we just bought a bottle water and sat there pretending we were planning where to go next, making sure we look like tourists so we don’t get shooed off.

We rested enough and walked around the outside of OG building, there were other shopping centres around; nothing exciting. Such as the People’s Complex (i think??) where you’ll find cheap, cheap electronics, and cheap, cheap (dodgy) looking massage and facial places. I.. wouldn’t go there.

Yum Cha in Singapore

Lunch time finally came around, my dad’s friend did not want to take us to local eateries instead to experience Yum Cha in Singapore. It turns out that it is hard to find a restaurant that does Yum Cha like its supposed to be – rolling carts around. So we should be thankful to still be able to experience that in Sydney! Anyway him and his wife took us to Yum Cha Restaurant (yep thats the name) amidst the Chinatown markets, wasn’t as crowded for Sunday lunch – most of the people there seemed like tourists. A lot of the buildings in Chinatown were old terraces revamped into shops etc. This restaurant was no different, situated upstairs you get the old chinese home feel with the wooden chinese windows etc. The servings were quite small, as in the size of a siu mai almost felt like half the size of the juicy fat siu mai’s we get in Sydney! Other than the usuals there were some interesting dishes that we’ve never had before. They were awesome of course I wish I had taken photos of them now!

Chinatown Markets

We strolled around the markets downstairs, it almost felt like an outdoor paddys markets so Chinatown is the place to go for your cheap souvenirs. A lot of the souvenir in Chinatown felt like the souvenir you would buy if you were in China e.g. chinese statues, engraved personalise stamps. Dad’s friend tells us, there really isn’t a truly Singaporean souvenir as a lot of the things are inspired by neighbouring countries (Malaysia, Indonesia etc.) As orchids are Singapore’s national flower, we did come across ornaments where the orchid is in a glass/resin casing. So pretty, but pricey! about S$20-50. We did not buy one Bought our share of Singapore magnets and got a lift back to the hotel as we were still so exhausted and wanted to rest up before the Night Safari!

Singapore Night Safari

Was raining so heavily just when we were about to leave for Night Safari! we kept our hopes up that they rain will stop later (which it did!). There were several options to get to the Night Safari, by certain bus routes or you can hop on to the Night Safari shuttle bus (costed $4.50/pp but you can purchase the entry ticket onboard and save a few dollars too, i think it was S$30, usually S$32) has several pick up points in Orchard, Little India, Marina Bay etc. Check their site for pick up points!

We chose one of the Orchard stops, sooo close to missing it, thank god the shuttle was a few minutes late! It was about a 40min-1hour ride, the longest distance we’ve travelled in Singapore! We got there a little early, just as it was starting to get dark – we allowed enough time to look at the shops, eateries, performances on site.

We watched the Creatures of the Night show –  which was awesome! It was an outdoor performance, where you watch certain animals (e.g .wolves, raccoons) come out for performances and have the chance to say.. hug a giant snake! the show is Recommended!

Next, we hopped onboard the Night Safari. At first we thought it’d be a short ride but we were mistaken! Actually went for a good 45mins. Travelled in the darkness and you’ll get to see a variety of animals, exotic ones. Which really made me wish we had time to go to the Singapore Zoo as well! It was interesting and weird that they had hyeenas on one side of the track and deers on the opposite side. You’d wonder how they keep the hyeenas from jumping across the track to get their meal..

Some shots we took, it was quite dark so it was tricky to capture! Wished we had the 70-200 f2.8 lens. .

They give you the option of hopping off half way through the ride and go on the walking trail; which we didn’t do since we were so tired (not bothered)!

Photo taken before the ride! It was probably one of the better photos we’ve had from these sorta attractions, aaand because we hardly had much photos ‘together’ during the trip, so we splurged.

That was the end of our Night Safari and it is highly recommended! I mean this is probably the closest you’ll get to a safari of some sort without going to Africa.. so why not??

We got on the shuttle again (another$4.50/pp) and was dropped off on Orchard. Its soo impossible to find food in Orchard around 10pm by the way. We gave up and took the bus back to our hotel. Then we remembered there was another recommendation of a chicken rice (yeh 2nd serving in a day) place not far from our hotel.

We got off 2 stops early just to buy a quick takeaway from Wee Nam Kee (Novena Ville , 275 Thomson Road, Singapore, 10am – 12:30am) Not a hawker stall, but a small family restaurant. What I love about Singapore, dining places open late!

S$4 Late dinner (we got one each by the way). Have not experienced eating out of a foam box in a while.

Our 3rd and final serving of Chicken Rice from the whole trip. I must say, it definitely doesn’t match up to the other 2 we had, tasted a little more MSG than; Boon Tong Kee and Tian Tian Chicken Rice. But aye, its still better than the chicken rice we find in Sydney foodcourts!

Sorrry for the long post! I realised, no photos mean have to write more! grr Hope it was a tadbit interesting/useful regardless!

Stay tuned for Day 5

Singapore Day 3

Day 3 was probably the most rewarding day in terms of food! No we didn’t manage 10 meals a day but we had probably the most awesome food that I’m still craving it back in Sydney! Let’s begin…

I’ve always been a fan of laksa; ever since my favourite laksa place in Sydney closed down 2years ago I haven’t been able to find a place that serves laksa with the right amount of sweetness, spiciness and creaminess. It is usually too spicy or too watery

So Laksa topped my priority list of things to eat in Singapore – having the best laksa would  be a bonus, and I did.

Laksa was scheduled for Breakfast on Day 3. It appears that having Laksa for breakfast is not weird at all, people do it in Singapore despite the hot weather.

328 Katong Laksa was voted best Laksa in Singapore. So we took a taxi from our hotel (since it is probably easier that way) which costed us about $12 including fees. We got there at opening time (8:30am) to find that it wasn’t opened!! We waited for 20mins or so and it still hasn’t opened, almost disappointed… luckily I called them up to ask what time they open, and they said 9AM. Ahhh… wrong info on the net! So had a quick stroll down the road, the area felt like a resort town and the water was a few streets away – therefore this part of Singapore wasn’t as humid.. perfect Laksa weather

It wasn’t opening time for a lot of the stores as you can tell.

and yeaaaaahhh it opened!! Famous 328 Katong Laksa here we come!!
51 East Coast Road, Singapore

There are variants of Laksa, and this is one of them. Katong Laksa, from the Katong region of Singapore. The difference of this laksa is, the noodles are usually cut up into small pieces so that it can be eaten with a spoon. So don’t be wondering why they only gave you a spoon. I, myself almost asked for chopsticks but then remembered in time that is what Katong Laksa is – to be eaten with spoon! Its awesome cos that way you can enjoy the noodles with the soup at the same time.

This is the $4 bowl. From memory they had $3 / $4 / $5 choice.

Does this not make your mouth water??? Lots of cockles prawns, slices of fish cake, coriander flakes, bean sprouts etc.

For the average chilli eaters you might be relieved at first that the soup doesn’t look too spicy (judging by the redness of it) but don’t be fooled. It was actually rather spicy, but the perks about this dish is that you get a sweet after taste. Which is mind blowing! Got used to it after a while.

The boyfriend ordered a fresh coconut, and we discovered how well it compliments this laksa! Especially if you scrapped off the coconut flesh and have it in between spoonfuls of laksa, it actually makes it less spicy and you can taste the flavours more. Really, really good.

Cockle!

I actually discovered 328 Katong Laksa had another branch just 10min walk from our hotel, it was located in United Square. So the very last day in Singapore we went there and got takeaway brunch back the hotel so we can have it while packing. It was interesting watching them serve up the Laksa, they had the noodles in the bowl + other condiments and when they scoop the soup into the bowl, they would pour it back into the pot, scoop the soup in again and pour it back out as if they were washing the noodles with the soup. My thoughts are, that is how they’ll get the most of the flavour of the soup and the other ingredients e.g. cockles etc. into the bowl.

We finished the bowl of course. S$12.50 for breakfast for 2, that’s well under AU$10!

We caught a bus back to Orchard rd, to commence our shopping day…. and we finally spotted one of these! ..

Ice cream sandwiches ! $1.20 each.

They are actually everywhere along orchard road, just look out for the ‘Walls’ carts (equivalent to Streets icecream here) usually manned by old uncles. Choose a flavour (right) and whether you want bread or wafer slices. The old uncle would pull out frozen blocks of ice cream and cuts out slices perfect to go in between bread/wafer. We had durian and mango, pretty awesome. I’m surprised the boyfriend has not tried imitating this back home yet *hint*

Okay, late lunch time came around. Did not know what to eat, so I turned to the ieat hawker app on my phone. Sadly there wasn’t much that came up; you can’t really find hawker stalls near orchard road so had to rely on foodcourt food.

Well actually, Li Xin Teochew Fish ball noodles came up on the app, it was located in ION foodcourt so we tried that.

Only had the Fishball soup rather than fish ball noodle soup as I was still content from breakfast This was about SG$5 from memory.

Soft, juicy fish balls.. haven’t had anything like it before! Soup wasn’t heavily msg-ed either.

The boyfriend had a rice dumpling craving, otherwise known as ‘Bak Chang’ in Singapore. This was $3ea also found in the food court. Forgot to take a photo of the ingredients inside since the boyfriend dug into it too quickly. It had salty egg yolk, chunks of pork, whole pieces of mushroom etc.

Hungry again just an hour or 2 later! We were told Takashimaya food/basement was awesome, and it was! Just like Japan department stores there were stalls that cooked up fresh food; from cakes to hot food. Takopachi aka Takoyaki with either octopus, bacon & cheese or prawn. We chose octopus and prawn, i quite liked the prawn one

Next stop, Singapore Flyer!! It was raining, but argh we had to get this over and done with because we bought a voucher before our trip online from Deal.com.sg .. I see its on there again! S$27 for Singapore flyer and River cruise deal, save $22.50! Recommended for the saving, and it was actually a pretty awesome experience. We saw Singapore (indonesia and malaysia) from hiiigh up and the Singapore river by boat (coming in a later post).

Annoying thing is when I bought the voucher, it said have to use the Singapore flyer voucher before 6PM, which wasn’t really ideal initially because we wanted to see nightlights of SG up there but I think it wasn’t so bad being able to see SG during daylight and river at night especially because we also did the Marina Bay SkyPark at night. This time round, theres no time limitations when you can use either vouchers, so buy it if you’re visiting SG soon Just gotta know you have to pick up the vouchers from a Filo travel agency in Lucky Plaza on Orchard rd!

Part of the F1 track below, and on the top right is another new attraction in developments coming soon to Singapore, the Gardens by the Bay project.

Marina Bay / Marina Bay Sands to the left, check out the floating soccer/football (??) field on the bottom right!

Gotta love how I accidentally matched my nail polish colour with my havaianas.

Oh this was before the SG Flyer, we were near Boat Quay. Spotted super colourful building which was a former Police station, so had to take photo with it, even though I don’t think I was close enough to it :/

Dinner time! Probably our most expensive dinner during our stay… but it was a must have. We were recommended to go to No Sign Board just at the Esplanade (where you’ll get a bit of river view) for Singapore Chilli Crab! Never had chilli crab ever before so it was exciting AND scary at the same time.. cos I was worried the ‘chilli’ will kill me. hah. even though reviews have said Singapore Chilli Crab isn’t as ‘chilli’ as it sounds.

First off..

Veggies; Kankung aka Water Spinach (left), and stuffed beancurd (right – prawns, mushrooms etc)

Fried Butter Oat Prawns; yumm, the oats were addictive

and then…… !

White Pepper Crab (left) and Singapore Chilli Crab (right) ! both are Sri-Lankan crabs, which apparently is the best choice of crabs for these dishes! You’re looking at about $40/kg here (probably would be cheaper depending on time of the year)

We had 2 crabs to share between the 5 of us, oh my we were so full.

Surprisingly the White pepper crab was (peppery) spicier than the chilli crab; which was actually more sweet with a tinge of spiciness. We were intending to try the Black pepper crab instead of the white, but they didn’t have it on the menu

I enjoyed the Chilli crab moree, especially the sauce! Soo good, we ordered deep friend mantou (buns) to dip into the sauce. At that time I thought, ah if only we could take away the sauce and dip it with buns for supper also! Practically the 2nd best thing I’ve had during the trip! We were so tempted to have it again, just the chilli crab between the 2, but of course it’d probably break our wallets. ah Cravings.

Cos between the 5 of us, we paid S$52ea approx AU$40. Not baaad for seafood I guess, especially we were all so full after!

Afterwards we strolled around Esplanade/Marina Bay and the boyfriend did some night photography below:

Particularly loved this side, Marina Bay Sands and next to it is the  new Art Sci Museum (lotus shaped building)

Went into Marina Bay Shopping – ah look at all the celebrity chefs in there! (guaranteed expensive!)

Some Christmas lights back of Marina Bay! So nice walking down the road, almost felt like I was in the Avatar rainforest when I look up!

That was the end of a very tummy-rewarding day! Too bad I didn’t buy much in terms of shopping!

Day 4, although will be a short one – coming soon.

x Clarissa

Singapore Day 2

Day 2 in Summary:

Little India // Mustafa // Sim Lim // Albert Hawker Centre // Bugis Junction // Kampong Glam (aka Malay Village) // Tai Hwa Eating House // Geylang

We’re already exhausted by Day 2! Especially because we were spoilt rotten on Day 1 by the availability of air conditioning wherever we went (e.g. Orchard rd shopping + Marina Bay area shopping)

Day 2, we were truly out and about; experiencing real Singapore heat.

The day started an hour little later than planned, *yay to accidentally-sleeping in!*

We took a bus from our hotel to Little India – from this trip we figured we are so not bothered walking 10mins to the nearest MRT station; our excuse is well, we get to see more of Singapore by bus, takes about the same time.. just the downside is having to figure out which bus to take! So many numbers, even I couldn’t remember off by hard which bus to take to/from hotel.

Anyhow, the bus we took conveniently stopped infront of Little India MRT station, which was also conveniently right next to Tekka Centre - a Hawker centre in Little India. This was not on the itinerary, but thanks to last min recommendations from our local friends!

We found that Tekka centre was somehow divided in two sections, there were more Indian stalls on one side, and other South East asian stalls on the other.

The India side is where we got to try our first, and only prata during our Singapore trip. It wasn’t in the suggestions but since we were buying teh tarik & ice cendol next door from AR Rahman (Blk 665 Buffalo Road, Tekka Market, Stall 247/248, 7am-10pm) we though we might as well add prata to our breakfast.

Amazing watching prata uncle make our prata!

S$1.40 for a piece of prata with curry dipping sauce. Noms.

Then you realized how ridiculously overpriced it is at Mamak. AU$7 pfft.

Bought stewed duck rice from here! Only S$3.50 ! very cheap!

AH Rahman – recommended for Teh Tarik! I regret this was our only serving of teh tarik (S$1.20) and cendol (S$1.00)

We chose sugarcane + lime juice most of the time to combat all the heaty food we’ve been eating!

So this was our breakfast, between the two of us + the prata. approx S$8, AU$6.20, that already beats McBreakfast.

Little India begins just around the corner / across the road of Tekka Centre, we walked through Little India Arcade where they sold souvenirs, little ornaments, fabric, clothing etc.

We came across this Hindu temple down the main road , it was our first time entering one so it was quite interesting to see what happens in there e.g. blessings, offerings.

Chrysanthemums hanging above the entrance into the mosque

Walking down the main street of Little India, we often came across tailors on the side of the road every few blocks

Then we got to Mustafa; the India owned and operated giant department store. Its like putting Costco / Big W / Coles / Officeworks etc. together. Can’t remember how many storeys there were, we were just overwhelemed by the amount of stuff they had inside!

People could probably survive living in Mustafa.

We were in the Bugis area by now…

Boys’ time again; here we at Sim Lim. Put my camera down for this one.

Every time we exited buildings, we found ourselves caught in Rain o-clock. Thankfully for the sheltered bridges/buildings we managed to get from one building to another, not-too-drenched. Cept I think they needed better draining in the area.. was like walking in giant pools of water.. to Albert Hawker Centre, where apparently everything is nice.

Followed recommendations of our friends again, and the length of queues.

I had Fried Hokkien Mee – S$4; it tasted like a healthier version of what we find in Sydney. Less ‘frying’.

I wish there were more ingredients/condiments though.

Boyfriend had ‘Kway Chap’ aka Pig Organ Soup – S$3.30

You could have this as a noodle soup or just as a soup. Quite liked this, and pig organs did not taste disgusting as it sounds.. I loved that the soup had a slight sourness, makes it easier/more enjoyable to consume!

And then.. we had ‘Goreng Pisang‘ or Pisang Goreng for dessert! Literally means Fried Bananas; which just meltsssss in your mouth. I can still remember the taste + texture! Only S$0.50c, again.. very cheap!

Still nice and hot!

Don’t know what these are, they looked like durians from a distance.. but aren’t.

Walked past the ‘Gotham’ building. Imagine working here, such an amazing place!

Next stop, Haji Lane, aka the Chapel street / Surry hills /Paddington of Singapore. Majority of them are small designer boutiques with shop window decor that shouted ‘Please Come In!’, i wish I had time to go through each and everyone of them! I really enjoyed this area, love how they retained the old buildings but just dressed it up with a coat of paint to give a modern feel. So so colourful! loveeee.

Arab Street! Did not go into this mosque, but decided it makes a pretty awesome backdrop, like we escaped to Arab or something.

Discovered my love for these hanging arabic lamps/latterns here! I want one hanging in my future home! (okay, hunny?)

Mood lighting ;D

Again, beautifully decorated exteriors. Simple, colourful and nice.

On the itinerary, it was recommended we visit the best rated Bak Chor Mee stall in Singapore. Coincidentally just a few minutes walk from where we were! No need to bus it!

Was a tricky find, we walked through/past public housing and finally found it.

Another hawker centre amongst public housing, so convenient (and lucky for those who live there!)

Tai Hwa Bak Chor Mee – 466 Crawford Lane, #01-12 S190486, 9:30am – 9pm

Here is our serving of Bak Chor Mee S$4.

Bak Chor Mee aka. Minced Meat Noodles.

Although with some similar ingredients, it looked and tasted different to what we are used to in Australia. The notable ingredient in dish is the not-so-light-use of vinegar. This dish can be somewhat filling, but with the vinegar it cuts through the heaviness of the noodles + mince. Apparently, sourness is also  appetizing, hah. Oh and you get an extra piece of crispy fried fish!

I liked this

A short trip via MRT we found ourselves in…

Geylang! aka the red light district of Singapore.

Apparently ‘nightlife’ begins after 10pm, we were there at 7pm so did not catch much of the crowds even for a Friday night.

Okay, we weren’t there for the nightlife but the next best thing… Food! more specifically, durians!

They sell durians from Malaysia here, best of all they were FRESH. Unlike the frozen ones in Australia which are imported from Thailand.

Sadly it wasn’t durian season.. so the durians even though were already quite nice, could be better! Awe

There are durian stalls on the  corner of streets, we were taken to the one on Geylang Lor 24.

Random ‘fun-fact’: Each parallel street in Geylang is numbered. Even-numbered streets are the streets where you’ll usually find you-know-what in this red light district. You can identify them by red lanterns hanging outside the buildings.. I think I spotted some “Social & Recreational” centres, heh.

So many durians to choose from! There were actually two types of durians available; the cheaper one and the more expensive one, and our friends suggested we tried both.

We shared one of each type between the 5 of us; we got approx 1pc each.

Not sure what this is called but the cheaper one is identified by the slimmer, longer shape of the fruit and the ‘meat’ inside.

This one tasted a little dry, less creamy, sweet, but overall O.K.

Then we tried.. the more expensive one aka ‘Mao Shan Wang” – Cat Mountain King!

This was creamier, and meatier than the first.

At first taste, it was a little bitter but the after taste hit us. It was nice and sweet! I see why they consider this ‘the king’.

Both durians tasted different to Thai durians; some prefer the first, some prefer the second. Depends on your tastebuds i suppose.

It costed us S$8/ea for the 2 durians between 5 people. Some what pricey i think?

Roasted Chestnuts

“Wan Dou Sek”(cantonese) aka 126 across the road from durian. Apparently good spot for late night dim sims.

This is apparently how dim sims are served in Singapore; order and they bring it out to you – not really into the push carts over there.

On the bus ride back to the hotel – we saw a few ‘cut curry rice’ stalls, not sure what it is! but sounds interesting!

Finished about 8pm, got back to hotel for an early night! We were too full from the day’s eating that we did not have dinner or supper =S

It was interesting to experience different cultures in Singapore including Little India, Kampong Glam (Malay Village) and Arab street, although nearby each other were rather distinct in terms of buildings, ornaments and what they sold.

Highly recommended to visit these areas as a day trip, just to see another side of Singapore!

Stay tuned for Day 3!