Singapore – Supertree Grove

After our satay snack went back to the main area of the park to check out the two supertree groves. They’re pretty impressive to look at but I was looking to coming back at night to see them lighted up…

…and I wasn’t disappointed.

Singapore – Satay & Coconut Club

After leaving the domes we made the short walk to the hawker center in the park for some satay. They were good but didn’t really come with any accompaniments which was probably a good thing since it was a snack before dinner. Got a selection of mutton, beef, pork and chicken and had with a cane sugar and lemon beverage.

We went back to the same area as Operation Dagger for some Malaysian food, specifically nasi lemak. We shared two and got some side dishes of fried fish, spicy clams and sauteed long beans. While some people might mix everything together I prefer to keep separate so can pick and choose which flavors want in each bite.

Nasi Lemak – Coconut Rice, Chicken Leg, Ikan Bilis, Peanuts, Cucumber, Fried Egg and Sambal

Singapore – Flower and Cloud Domes

Gardens by the Bay is one of the top tourist destinations and for good reason. There are two domes showcasing plants from around the world and the super tree groves are tall metal trees covered in various plants. The flowers were beautiful, I’m not sure I had seen many of them before. What was weird was when leaving the cloud dome there was an exhibit about climate change and depletion of resources, quite a downer after seeing such beautiful plants and flowers.

Singapore – Tian Tian

Met up with a friend from SF for some amazing chicken rice and cold (at least for five minutes) beer. He’s lived here for almost four years and still isn’t used to the heat. The line at Tian Tian, regarded by some as the best chicken rice, moved quickly and before we knew it we were happily eating. The rice was the best part, it was perfectly cooked and had a great chicken flavor. Had there been more of us I would’ve liked to order a whole chicken to get some dark meat which I prefer. Completed a meal with an oyster cake and then a cream bun.

Singapore – Beach Road Prawn Noodle House

So breakfast here in Singapore is pretty damn good compared to the US. All of SE Asia is like this, Anthony Bourdain loves having pho first thing in the morning when in Vietnam. While this prawn noodle house isn’t on Beach Rd anymore they kept the name. Thankfully on a weekday it wasn’t that crowded, my friend said Sundays are crazy and they might run out of what you want before you get to the register. She went crazy and ordered three different bowls for the two of us so I could try each of them, granted the only difference was the presence of the soup base or pork ribs. The dry one did has some chili paste in it to give some nice heat. I was in heaven even the soup and the heat made me sweat a ton. The broth is pork based and has a lot of flavor without being too fatty while the shrimp were cooked perfectly and very tender. I could eat this quite often.

Singapore – Blue Ginger

Peranakan cuisine is a from descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia inter-marrying with local Malays and combines Chinese, Malay and other influences.

I was recommend Blue Ginger by a friend’s buddy who lives here and knows a lot about food. The juhu kangkong was so good the friends I’m staying with ordered a 2nd one, and while I really liked it too the ayam pangang was my favorite. The flavors definitely tasted more Malaysian to me than Chinese and I was in heaven with the fresh lemongrass flavors and seafood.

Juhu Kangkong – kangkong with cuttlefish and sambal

Sambal Udang – Prawns spicy chili paste

Ayam Panggang – grilled chicken with spices and coconut milk

Ikan Masak Assam Gulai – mackerel simmered in spicy tamarind gravy flavored with lemongrass

Singapore – Operation Dagger

Before dinner we went bar hopping and our first stop was the most interesting. In the basement and not much signage on the door. The drinks are more alchemy than your standard drink, mine was finished by mixing everything with a bunch of thyme leaves while my friend’s drink involved liquid nitrogen.

Rikyu (L) and Roelofs

Snow

Singapore – Hawker Food

I haven’t been to Singapore in 20-25 years and am eager to eat as much as possible in the next five days. Singapore is rightly famous for their food culture and the hawker center is perhaps what they’re best known for. Think of them as an outdoor food court on the sun, yes it’s bloody hot and humid here. Each stall specializes in one type of food or even maybe just one dish. Thankfully I have a number of friends here who each have their favorite place to go so I’ll be able to try a bunch of different things, including Singapore’s national dish – chicken rice.

The first hawker center we went to was on Old Airport Rd, the parking lot was packed with everything from delivery vans to supercars, proof that Singaporeans of all types love these centers. My friend and hit up five stalls to share, I’m glad my friends can be as glutinous as I am when I’m visiting and willing to pack on a few pounds in the name of good food. I had rojak for the first time and my mind is still trying to come to terms with it. I’m pretty sure I liked it but the mixture of salty, sweet, and umami is hard to come to terms with. My friend added 1000 year egg which wasn’t as pungent as I’m used to, the cuttlefish on top was very good and the sweet sauce somehow ties everything together.

Kway Teow – literally “stir-fried ricecake strips”

Noodles and fish

Crayfish and clams

Rojak – fruit and vegetable salad dish

36,000′ – Eva Air

I flew Eva Air for the first time on my next adventure and cashed in bunch of points to go for business class. On a 12 hour flight definitely nice to be able to lie down to get a few hours of sleep. Eva allows to pre-book meals and the selection is a lot larger than what you’d find on the plane. I got the duck breast and while it was overcooked and not much seasoning it was still acceptable since duck fat makes anything taste better. Started with a crab and avocado salad. I thought the linens were beautiful, much better than the standard white ones you see.

After a brief stop in Taipei was onto the second leg on Eva. I wish I had time to leave the airport to add Taiwan to my list of countries I’ve been to but couldn’t make it work out.

Obligatory Hello Kitty store in the airport. Little did I know…

My next plane looked normal inside but Hello Kitty on the inside. I had the Din Tai Fung beef noodle soup, the flights attendant was a bit judgy when I asked for a beer to go with it since it was 8am but my excuse it was afternoon back home. It was very good, I normally avoid DTF back home since the wait is usually preposterous and very expensive.

Seattle Art Museum – Infinity Mirrors

I braved the line on Friday to finally go see Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrors exhibit before it left, more importantly before I leave for an epic trip.