Stan and I were picked up at the airport by my uncle Thomas, an "uncle" by Chinese standards but really my Dad's cousin, and someone I had never met! Within minutes it was confirmed that he had the same sarcastic and characteristically un-PC Wong humor that we all know and love, and it was as if we had known him (and his family) for years.
Our first evening Thomas took us out for Singapore's famous chicken rice at Pow Sing, one of dozens of competing establishments known as having "the best" chicken rice in town. It is essentially rice cooked in chicken stock, and served with boiled chicken on the side, along with chicken broth and a delicious ginger/thick soy sauce condiment. Probably not what I would choose as the national dish of Singapore if I were in charge of such things, but I can see how it could become a staple comfort food over the years.
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| Our first meal in Singapore complete with chicken rice |
Next we headed straight to Sentosa, a man-made island, which was hosting both its 40th anniversary and a full moon party (à la Koh Phangan in Thailand, minus the drugs). Peter, a Singapore-based friend of mine from business school, had previously given us a heads up on the festivities, and it gave us the perfect excuse to check out Singapore's resort/casino/"beach" hub. We spent a few hours at Tanjong Beach Club drinking $10 bottles of Sol beer, watching the local "it" crowd dance to somewhat dated techno music, got our caricatures drawn and generally blended in as locals.
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| Not bad for our first caricature drawings together |
The next day we dined on a wide assortment of Chinese/Indian pastries, then made the rookie mistake of exploring the city on foot in the heat of the day. As we made our way from Little India to the Thieves' Market and finally to Long Bar at Raffles Hotel for the original Singapore Sling (a $25/drink affair!), we decided our only option would be to spend the rest of the day in air-conditioned comfort on one of the hop-on/hop-off buses circulating the city. By the time we got off on Orchard Street (shoppers' paradise), where we stopped briefly for a snack of xiao long bao at the famous Din Tai Fung, we were certainly not looking our best. This made our chance run-in with Patrick, another business school friend, all the more surprising! We were walking down the sidewalk, headed back to my uncle's place, when I heard "Heather...?" Sometimes the world is a freakishly small place. Needless to say, we quickly made plans to meet up for drinks and hurried home for dinner.
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| At Long Bar where we had the original and most expensive Singapore Sling |
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| The famous Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings) - as good as advertised |
Dinner was an elaborate feast prepared by my aunt, a fellow travel lover who correctly surmised that we were in need of a home-cooked meal after being on the road for 2+ months. Pumpkin/almond soup, Malaysian fish with lime sauce, chicken wings, beef spareribs and much more. There was so much food they invited four other relatives over and we still didn't finish! We ended the meal with a small mountain of mangosteens, another of my favorite fruits which happened to be in season.
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| Auntie's dinner spread |
After that, we headed back into town, where we met Patrick for drinks at Ku De Ta, located at the top of the famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel (the floating-submarine-looking building) that defines Singapore's skyline. Then, since we couldn't afford to keep drinking there (more than $15 a drink), we headed to Clarke Quay for some people watching. Clarke Quay is actually a fascinating nightlife scene - it is essentially a covered open air bar scene, very touristy, bordering on tacky, yet offering something for everyone - including sex workers for lonely souls...
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| Singapore skyline from the swanky Ku De Ta |
A fellow traveler recently described Singapore as "Disneyland with a death penalty," and our foray into the nightlife began to confirm this. The sidewalks and streets are immaculate, the people are quiet and respectful, everything is efficient, organized, city blocks are lush and green... And yet the locals and expats we talked to always alluded to the other side of things, such as the fact that no one ever really sees a police presence until something bad happens, in which case they pop out of nowhere. Prostitution is legal, but only in certain districts (although they seem to roam all over, thinly disguised as scantily clad ladies hanging out outside of bars). Drug trafficking is punishable by death. And so on. Singapore, land of contradictions.
We took our last full day at a considerably slower pace. That morning my uncle attempted to give Stan a humorous crash course on the extensive and convoluted Wong genealogy and I learned about relatives I had never met or heard of. We then headed to a nearby hawker market with the Wongs, where we tasted some of the most popular local dishes - oyster omelet, tofu coconut curry soup, fried fish noodle soup, stir fried Hokkien noodles (char mee), carrot cake... all delicious, all leaving us wanting more. I am getting hungry just typing this!
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| Oyster pancake- delicious! |
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| A curry soup with pick your own add-ins |
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| Char mee, a flat noodle dish, tastes like chow fun! |
Despite our food coma, we then heeded my cousin Matthew's advice and headed to the Singapore Art Museum. A lovely place for anyone wanting to beat the heat and check out the latest rotating installment of contemporary Asian art. We then headed to Emerald Hill, a swanky and restored colonial street, where we met yet another b-school expat friend for drinks. What can I say? We Longhorns are everywhere.
After that, a stroll through the pristine Chinatown before our much-anticipated dinner of chilli crab and black pepper crab on the East Coast! There are no words to describe these amazing dishes other than to say you need to try them yourself. Both distinctly Singaporean, the chilli is sweet and savory and the black pepper is more of a pepper paste that coats the crab - neither is overwhelmingly spicy, which is dangerous as one is then inclined to eat more... In the end, two huge Sri Lankan crabs fed six of us.
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| The world famous Singapore chili crab. Hand for size comparison |
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| Chili crab and pepper crab with manitou (Chinese steamed bun) to soak up sauce |
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| Huge claw |
Lastly, one more round of overpriced drinks with my Full Moon Party-recommending b-school friend Peter at the picturesque marina before checking out the Gardens by the Bay, which we had heard from my aunt was more interesting at night, or at least far more comfortable. All in all, that last day was an ideal way to cap off our long-overdue visit to the SG!
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| Massive man made "trees" beautifully lit up at night |
Many thanks to our newfound family for their incredible generosity and local know-how. We only hope to one day return the favor when they visit us Stateside.
Next up, fun and sun in Indonesia...
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Xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung!!! I hit up the one in Sydney twice and went to the one in Shanghai last year. SOOOOOO GOOD!
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