Singapore really is the doorway to the East. At least it was for us, as first time travelers to Asia this past August.
The tiny island is only about half the size of Los Angeles, has a fantastic (and clean!) public transit system, and is ridiculously humid all the time. Since it's about a six hour flight to pretty much anywhere in Asia, it's become a major layover spot, but one worth spending a little more time exploring. Why? Food, shopping, and an amazing mix of cultures that seems to live together in harmony. But honestly, the food.
To understand why I fell in love with this country, one must understand a little history. Singapore has only been its own country for the past 51 years. It's young and has completely shifted from colonialism under British rule with quite a bit of communism influence from China to (kind of) a democracy and definitely capitalism as an independent nation. Most inhabitants are of Chinese descent with a large mix of Indian, Malay, Japanese and Thai. If you love Asian food, you can find any authentic meal and more in Singapore.
Some of our favorite meals were Peranakan cuisine. Peranakan is an ancient mix of Malay and Chinese flavors. It was different than anything I've ever experienced. Candlenut is a Michelin star-rated Peranakan restaurant. (Did I mention that Singapore was recently visited by Michelin and was awarded 29 stars?) I had the Blue Swimmer Crab Curry with Turmeric and Galangal Kaffir Lime Leaf and my partner had Braised Beef with a Black Nut Sambal. For dessert we had Chandol Cream, which is like a coconut custard with Pandan Jelly and Gula Melaka. It looked strange, but was so delicious. We savored every bite of that meal and it was reasonably priced for lunch. Definitely recommended. Peranakan cuisine should not be missed and it's one thing we really haven't been able to find since returning to the states.
Other notable meals included dim sum at Crystal Jade Golden Palace, another Michelin-rated spot. I was expecting a Din Tai Fung experience, but this was over the top in decor and menu. The hawker centers were fantastic for cheap meals on the go and could be found in every neighborhood. Our favorite was the Maxwell Road Hawker Center in Chinatown. Completely redeemed my opinion of the national dish, Chicken Rice at a stall called Ah Tai Chicken Rice only two stalls down from the famous Tian Tian Chicken Rice. Famous because it's been lauded by high-caliber chefs like Gordon Ramsey and Anthony Bourdain. The story goes that the man who started Ah Tai used to work at Tian Tian and knows their methods of cooking. I can only guess at the drama created by opening his own shop two stalls down. Although Chicken Rice should be experienced at least once, it is not my ideal meal in Singapore.
There are other national dishes that we experienced at Long Beach Seafood that were incredibly savory: Chili Crab (which is served almost everywhere but we were told Long Beach has the best) and Black Pepper Crab. Good grief, so much deliciousness. They were served with fried bread called Mantou, soft and a little sweet, which was perfect for dipping in the spicy sauces of both crab dishes. A must-have if you're in Singapore.
We stayed in the Little India neighborhood which made it easy to get everywhere we needed to go using the subway system. We had many meals there as well since it was close to "home." If you love Indian cuisine, I would recommend Mustard. It is a fantastic spot as they serve authentic Bengali and Punjab dishes. AND, they serve curry in an actual coconut.
One more thing about food... only because I have a sweet tooth. Kuih Kosui is amazing. It's made with pandan, gula melaka and tapioca usually. The texture is almost like jello, but creamy, not fruity, and not as sweet. Sometimes coated with coconut. It's too bad I only discovered these on our last day. I kind of fell in love.
We experienced so much kindness as well on our trip. Most people speak English and it was easy to get around the island. They have Uber (unlike Austin, TX), and regular cab services as well. All of our drivers were open with us when we asked questions about Singapore or her people. One of our drivers was first generation Singaporean, from Chinese descent. It seemed important to note descent as that is still a factor in this relatively new country. Another driver asked how long we were there for and we replied 10 days for a wedding and some sightseeing. He was astonished. "Too long!" To his credit, we did manage to see quite a lot of the country and its museums, aquariums, gardens and rapidly developing downtown skyline.
One unique building in the skyline is Marina Bay Sands, a combined mall, casino, hotel and many bars and restaurants, which brings Las Vegas to mind in the form of a surf board atop three gigantic towers. We got lost a couple of times. But the view from the top is wonderful.
Gardens by the Bay is another attraction I'd highly recommend. Some of it is outdoors (read: extremely hot), but the highlight was Cloud Forest which is an indoor rainforest, complete with an elevator to the Lost World (unfortunately no relation to the Jurassic Park series, but feels quite like it.) Absolutely beautiful and a welcome respite from the heat.
Although I cannot detail all our adventures in a single post, you will find some more photos below. I would encourage you, if you're interested in Singapore and her culture and cuisine to learn more about it. I only scraped the surface, but man, it's amazing.
