So,
another Singapore. When was the last time I was here?? Sorry...dont
remember, but I enjoyed every bit of it. Bowls of Laksa, the weather and
the Merlion. But this time...??
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| Laksa |
Once
checked in the hotel,I needed two things--food and sleep! And to eat,
the wonderful room service menu had Laksa as one of the local fare.
Bingo and in twenty minutes, a humongous bowl of piping hot Laksa-loaded
with shrimps, fish cakes, bean curd puffs and scallops. You must be
knowing, that I got a taste of it when I was in Chennai and love this
irresistible curry soup. For a rookie in asian tastes, Laksa is a curry
noodle-soup (Not that same Indian curry as you think, you "Indian food
haters"!), traditionally with rice vermicelli or noodles in a curry
based broth of coconut milk, chilli, turmeric, shrimp paste, lemongrass,
shallot, garlic etc etc. And "laksha herb", which is nothing but dried,
powdered coriander leaves. And voila! Just slurp till you get to the
lick the bowl in privacy.... ;)
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| Chijmes |
After
a sound sleep for 3-4 hours, time to get out of the hotel and explore
the city a bit. Err..sorry, time to eat. Alongwith fellow crew, we
headed to Chijmes. Located off Victoria Street, Chijmes is a one of the
historic buildings(and complex) in Singapore--the erstwhile gothic
chapel is now turned into a hall, an art gallery and plenty of places to
eat and drink! Sorry, forgot to say--it is a touristy place to eat ;)
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| Eat...Eat...People's Park Centre |
A
glass of diet coke/Coke light with Ice-lemon and some drinks for the
rest of the crew, time to eat. To many members dismay, we headed to
People's Park Center, located in the heart of Chinatown. Local food,
cooked afresh and there you go. To eat here, you dont need break your
bank SGD20.00 and I promise you can eat your stomach full--to sit you
choose--outside or inside. Plenty of options to choose from--Malay,
Thai, Singaporean, Korean, Japanese, Cantonese, Seafood, only
beverages--plenty of options to choose from. But my friend, if you fancy
European or those german style road corner food stall- a sausage inside
a bun, you'll be disappointed.
After
a quick scanning, I opted for Chicken cutlet (almost like a Chicken
Katsu or hainanese chicken) on a bed of flat noodles, followed by
steamed pork dimsums. Saving the noodles (you know, I am reducing my
carb intake), it was a delicious treat. I dont remember, when was the
last time, I had some tasty dimsums. That was not enough. I wanted more.
Some black pepper crab perhaps?? But it was too late, as many of the
stalls started calling it a day. Stayed happy with some unagi(barbecued
eel), sans rice.
Back to the hotel and well, it is time to sleep!
***
Being
troubled by a jet lag (Singapore Time is 4 hours ahead of GST or
+8GMT), I could leave the bed at 1200 local time (come on..thats like
8AM in Abu Dhabi). A quick snack and shower, I just prepared for an old
school gastronomic delight--the very old fashioned Chicken Rice
institution, "Chin Chin Eating house".
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| Hainanese Roast Chicken |
Located
behind Raffles amidst some restaurants serving haute and modern french
or some turkish classics, Chin Chin Eating House has been catering the
Singaporeans some classics like Hainanese Pork Chop, Steamed/Roasted
Chicken, Hokkien Mee noodles and the like. I stepped in to order, "One
Hainanese Pork Chop for SGD 5.00, One small chicken roasted for SGD4.00,
One Hokkien Mee for SGD4.00 and One Hainanese Prawn Roll for
SGD10.00...and no rice please". After a wait for about 10 minutes,
plates started coming in. And you pay, just SGD24.00(including a pack of
tissues). Wasn't it filling?? Yes..it was.
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| Hokkien Mee |
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| Hainanese Pork Chop |
I was craving for some fruits or some sweets later, but my stomach didn't allow me to do so.
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| Hainanese Prawn Roll |
Off
to Suntec City Mall...bought a duck, to cook it back in Abu Dhabi, in
leisure and back to the hotel to come back to Abu Dhabi.
P.S. Carry a pack a tissue always..you wont be given in food courts or hawker stalls (unless, you are fascinated by McDonalds).
