Places to wander
Haji Lane
Dempsey Hill/Tanglin Village
I cannot resist going to Dempsey Road with each visit, and the little Tanglin Village has really grown! I went back to good ol' Barracks, now re-branded as House. I still love their industrial-meets-vintage design. Their truffle fries are awesome, and their newest thing is the Skinny Pizza. (ok, not so new, but I haven't been there for a while). A skinny pizza for those of us who see too-doughy crusts as an impediment to more pizza.
Since it was Chinese New Year, the requisite raw fish salad (yu sheng) was called for -- and I had it about 5 times in total! For those uninitiated, it's basically carrots, radish, ummm other vegetables that I cannot identify thrown together. The idea is that each vegetable/garnish represents something lucky or desirable. For example, the wonton chips (bottom left corner of photo) represent gold. Honey, one of the dressings, represents sweetness. So as each garnish is carefully poured on top of the salad (before tossing), the garnisher recites some set phrases. In the case of the wonton chips, you say what translates to "gold strewn all over the floor". Makes more sense in Mandarin, but basically means you'll be rolling in dough. When the garnishes are in place, there is then The Great Toss, where there is a communal stirring of the salad with great aplomb. The higher you can raise your chopsticks, the more likely it is your wishes of gold or sweetness is likely to come true. Well, it makes more sense when you see it.
When I am home, I never miss an opportunity to hit the Old Airport Road Food Center. Delight is discovering the new Circle line MRT (Dakota Stop) takes your right there! And I trek all the way out for one thing in particular: Wan Ton Mee from this store. All other food I get there is peripheral. This makes me cry. And hungry.
I got a major nostalgia blast when I discovered a bakery selling my favourite childhood treats/guaranteed sugar rush! This is our equivalent of the Oreo. Do you eat it whole, do you eat the biscuit first? Do you eat the icing first? There are whole societies built around how you eat these things. . As a kid, I, um, didn't believe the cookies were anything but a staging platform for sugar, and um, discarded the useless calories/biscuits. Don't tell my grandma, please.
I stayed with a friend in the Redhill area, where there's the famous Redhill market. Tons of great food, but the one thing I could not resist was Duck Rice with the works. Yummmm. The lady who sold it to me raised an eyebrow at my American-sized appetite (extra innards, extra soy sauce egg), but I happily paid her the extravagant price of S$3.80 (about US$2.20) and sauntered off. I even got Sugarcane juice to go with it! Gasp! America, what have you done to me?
Whatever critics might say, I really enjoy being in Singapore. Maybe distance breeds fondness. I think being away helps you appreciate what you don't get everyday -- like a fantastic meal for under US$5. Ah, contentment.
Haji Lane is fast becoming one of my favorite places in Singapore. In the historic Arab Street district, old shophouses are fast filling up with little cafes, restaurants, boutiques, record stores, vintage stores and other eclecticisms. I love the pretend-laid-back-but-actually-quite-chi-chi- feel of the small alleyways, the thrill of the treasure hunt, the random things they sell, etc.
I cannot resist going to Dempsey Road with each visit, and the little Tanglin Village has really grown! I went back to good ol' Barracks, now re-branded as House. I still love their industrial-meets-vintage design. Their truffle fries are awesome, and their newest thing is the Skinny Pizza. (ok, not so new, but I haven't been there for a while). A skinny pizza for those of us who see too-doughy crusts as an impediment to more pizza.
 |
| House/Barracks interior |
 |
| Yummy Ahi-Tuna Skinny Pizza |
Resorts World Sentosa
I've been meaning to check out the Integrated Resorts/Casinos, but never had a good reason to go. Until the Valentino retrospective came to Resorts World Sentosa. Ok, I did think I'd stop into the casino some day, but after looking at the Casino area at RWS, I was not impressed. Maybe I'll try the other one.
I wasn't terribly impressed with RWS, but then again I wasn't very fair in expecting Vegas. This casino was obviously catered to a specific crowd/ethnic group and/or families. Bright colors everywhere, and a fair bit of cheese.
Still the Valentino exhibition was very cool, and I got to see some famous dresses from the Valentino archives. Major respect.
 |
| This is the back of the dress worn by Julia Roberts when she won the Oscar in 2001 |
Ok, enough stalling... Food, Glorious Food!
Since it was Chinese New Year, the requisite raw fish salad (yu sheng) was called for -- and I had it about 5 times in total! For those uninitiated, it's basically carrots, radish, ummm other vegetables that I cannot identify thrown together. The idea is that each vegetable/garnish represents something lucky or desirable. For example, the wonton chips (bottom left corner of photo) represent gold. Honey, one of the dressings, represents sweetness. So as each garnish is carefully poured on top of the salad (before tossing), the garnisher recites some set phrases. In the case of the wonton chips, you say what translates to "gold strewn all over the floor". Makes more sense in Mandarin, but basically means you'll be rolling in dough. When the garnishes are in place, there is then The Great Toss, where there is a communal stirring of the salad with great aplomb. The higher you can raise your chopsticks, the more likely it is your wishes of gold or sweetness is likely to come true. Well, it makes more sense when you see it.
 |
| Yu Sheng #1 at Soup Kitchen |
 |
| A major dose of happiness. I ate 1/2 a kg of the stuff in 3 weeks. |
Whatever critics might say, I really enjoy being in Singapore. Maybe distance breeds fondness. I think being away helps you appreciate what you don't get everyday -- like a fantastic meal for under US$5. Ah, contentment.
No comments:
Post a Comment