Singapore Food Trip

Amongst other Asian countries, I would say that Singapore Cuisine has the most diverse taste since its country has three major races, the Chinese, Malays, and Indians. So, I would say Singapore cuisine is a gastronomic fusion.

During the course of my trip, I was able to sample the "must-eats" in Singapore at the famous food centers.

Maxwell Food Center (near Chinatown)

• Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice - I particularly went to Maxwell Food Center just to taste the ever-famous Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice which was featured by Anthony Bourdain in his No Reservations show. I queued for about 30 minutes and the fact that the queue is that long, I know the place is really a must. The dish looks very simple with the chicken looking bland and all but the taste is just so right and sumptuous especially when you mix it with the condiments and the rice. The price of only SGD 2.5-3.0 is also a plus!

Note: Tian Tian opens at around 11:00am but Maxwell is already open by 8:00am

• Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang - Nasi Lemak is a Malay dish meaning rice cooked in coconut milk. Along with the rice, it is served with fried dilis, sambal, and a viand of your choice. For my breakfast, I chose the uber hot Beef Rendang. The combination of crunchy dilis to rice and rendang is a nice touch to your every bite.

Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang

• Fishball Noodle - We were a bit early at Maxwell and Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice isn't open yet (we were told to be back by 11am). So I scoured Maxwell for my breakfast and found this. Typical noodles with oyster sauce or soy sauce as the base. The fishballs are good, though.

• Drinks (Fresh Sugar Cane Juice and Grass Jelly Juice) - I love Singapore juices! They are so fresh, squeezed right in front you (at least for the fruit and sugar cane). It was my first time to drink fresh Sugar Cane juice. Sugar canes went to the presser or whatever you call that, and voila, fresh juice served for SGD 1.50. Grass Jelly Juice, on the other hand, is just another name of Gulaman for us, Filipinos. I love Pinoy gulaman and so as this one!

Grass Jelly Juice

Makansutra Gluttons Bay
behind the Esplanade Mall
opens at 6pm until 3am

Makansutra is a touristy place and so are the prices of the food. Prices are about SGD 1-2 higher than hawker centers. But I just have to be here. Never mind the price. The night was packed with both tourists and locals and it was hard to find a table. Anyways, we ordered Hokkien Mie and Seafood Rice for our dinner.

Hokkien Mie

Seafood Rice

Bedok Hawker Center and other Mall Food Courts

• Laksa - Malay noodle soup with coconut milk. Not really my kind of taste, or perhaps, its just this particular stall. Hmmm, I just realized that Malays love coconut milk, don't they?

• Char Siew Rice - Barbequed pork with rice. Simple yet bursting with flavor in every bite for only SGD 2.

• Ice Kachang - Ice shaved dessert similar to Halo-Halo. It has red monggo, sweet corn, jelly, and other ingredients I don't know. But this tastes like almond jelly. Good eat at SGD 1.5.

• Char Kway Teow - Stir fried noodle dish. I was really excited to eat this, looking so yummy, but the cockles burst my bubble! Set aside the cockles, this is good, though.

What I had was just a sampler. I am yet to taste the other Singapore must eats in the future, so I'll definitely be back, Singapore! Chilli Crabs, you're next!

'Till my next Culinary Adventure! :)

Singapore, Second Time Around. (Day 2 of 4)

Day 2: April 23, 2010

Itinerary

• Bedok
• Fragrance Hotel Balestier 
• IMM Jurong East (JKS Fan Signing)

Our day started with Arlyn's set homemade breakfast for us. We weren't able to bid goodbyes to their Dad, Ryan (their other brother), and Camille (Arlyn's BFF) since they have gone to work already when we woke up. By the way, their unit is quite big and is at the top most floor, so nice view! The unit, though, is at SGD 1,700 per month (almost PhP 60k)! Whew! Arlyn said this is the cheapest O_o

Some photo ops before we leave their unit. They sent us off at Jurong MTR Station.

Inside Bernabe's Flat with Ariel.

Ariel and Arlyn

We went to the other end of Singapore, Bedok, to meet Ico and Jen (Ico's fiancé) to get our Fan Meet Tickets and poster! Yay! :) They treated us in a Hawker Center. Finally, I get to eat here. This was my major frustration last time when the Hawker Centers are close due to Chinese New Year. I want to eat the authentic Singapore food, the common Singaporeans do, and that is, in Hawker Centers. Food here is a lot cheaper as well, meals start at SGD 2.00.

Anyway, I had Laksa, a Malay noodle soup with coconut milk. Not much my type though.

Laksa

Ate had Char Siew Rice. I should've ordered this instead. It was yuuummmmmmy!

Char Siew Rice, SGD 2.

Ico and Jen had Fried Prawn Hokkien Mie. Two thumbs up as well!

For dessert, I bought Ice Kachang for SGD 1.50. It's like the SG version of Halo-Halo but with different ingredients. It has corn and tastes like almond jelly? Basta masarap din siya. :)

Ice Kachang

After eating, we went to Ico and Jen's flat, from HDB as well. This HDB condominium, however, is newer compared to Jurong, hence, the interiors are more updated and contemporary.

Ico and Jen's Kitchen.

We checked in first in our hotel, Fragrance Hotel Balestier, we got the room on sale for SGD 75 per day. The room and bathroom were actually small but it was clean and decent enough. They even have LCD for the TV. Plus, the receptionists are Filipinos. :)

We travelled back again to Jurong for the Fan Signing Event of Jang Keun Suk. This event is actually for the VIP ticket holders (They are the only ones allowed to have his signature!). Thank God, this is held in an open-space venue so we were still able to see him. Will blog this event in detail in a separate post. :)

After the event, we roamed around IMM mall to do some shopping. Apparently, we found nothing. Cotton On sale was tempting though, but nothing fits me. We ate dinner at the mall's Food Court and went back to Fragrance Hotel to rest and prepare for the long queue the next day.

Singapore, Second Time Around.

This trip was conjured in a snap. Never have I thought I'd be going back to Singapore after a year, moreover, all because of Jang Geun Suk. ♥ Not much of sight-seeing for this trip, just JGS and the food :)

Day 1: April 22, 2010
MNL - SIN via Cebu Pacific (5J803)
ETD: 2050H
ETA: 2355H

Surprisingly, we'll be riding the plane with Ariel on our way to Singapore. Takot ang bata lumipad mag-isa, kaya ayan, sumabay talaga sa amin. Haha! Anyway, we met him up at NAIA Terminal 3 at around 5:30pm. We landed in Singapore Budget Terminal 5-10 minutes earlier than our ETA.

Since we arrived this late, we would be wasting money if we will check-in a hotel. So we spent the night in Ariel's family HDB unit in Jurong West. We took a cab going here since MTR nor buses are no longer servicing this late. The fare from Changi to Jurong West was SGD 41 including the surcharges.

Arlyn met us and then we had our midnight dinner. We also met their Dad. It was really late already and Ate and I are both very shy to barge in to their house at this hour. Moreover, sleep there for the night. They were sooooo accomodating and hospitable.

After eating midnight snack (na kanin), we all called it night. Bangenge na nga si Arlyn, kakaantay sa amin. Hehe.

Side note: During my first time in SG, as far as I can remember, the taxis I saw and rode were 99% new models. Apparently, for this trip, all the taxis I rode were rather, hmmmm, old.

Taxi Station in Singapore Budget Terminal. Old and New car models.