Souvlaki For The Soul

Continuing on from yesterday, I wanted to make this post about the food in Singapore. While there are numerous establishments serving everything from local to “mod” interpretations (you know those places…everything has some kind of “foam” in the dish) I’m going to let you in on where I eat when I’m staying in Singapore.

Singapore truly has a huge selection of eateries. Too many. (Not that that’s a bad thing of course…we love food choices here…trust me!). There are Italian restaurants, American steak houses, Japanese sushi houses and even a themed restaurant serving food in a hospital environment, complete with wheelchairs as seats!!! (cue creepy music…). Walk down to Serangoon Rd and you find yourself transported to India. Otherwise known as “little India” to the locals. The smell of cardamon and turmeric permeate the atmosphere. Chicken Biryani and vindaloos compete for space with Indian sweets made from chick pea flour. Its mind blowing and paradoxically numbing at the same time.

Due to the huge Malaysian influence of the region there are also a lot of places serving “halal” food. Restaurants clearly state this on their windows and display this on their menus. Interestingly, the Malaysian influence is also found in “nonya” cuisine. Nonya is the word used to refer to the women of the Malacca region who married the Chinese men who were sent on trading missions in the 1400’s. A cultural and of course, culinary union was formed with the signature dish being laksa. And who doesn’t love laksa. Rich broth swimming in coconut milk, garnished with seafood, fried tofu and a squeeze of lime. Lets not forget the soft, roti breads, the fierce spicy chilli pastes, and the aromatic pungent curries flavoured with ginger and turmeric. And who could forget the satays? I can go on forever and as you can see I have eaten well over the years here!

And finally lets not forget the Chinese food. Lots of regions are represented from China, namely from the Hainan region. Order Hainanese Chicken rice and you will experience comfort food like no other. Moist, succulent chicken cooked in a broth of ginger and spring onions and lightly bathed in sesame oil. Presented with rice cooked in the same broth, this dish has the ability to soothe the soul. And we love “soul” foods on this website! Spring rolls, deep fried carrot “cake”, flat noodles, thin noodles and fish balls. Again, the list is endless.

My recent eating adventure included me indulging in my favourite eating place. Maggies. A non descript restaurant located near the Raffles complex, Maggies does have a huge expat following but people usually go back because of the consistency. Fantastic food, good service and big cold beers offering relief from the stifling heat and humidity.

Beer…a favourite with Chinese food

I order the Chicken with black pepper sauce.The chicken is cooked with cracked black peppercorns and peppers. It has a hint of spice but with out it being over the top. The flavour is addictive. I keep on wanting more but I remember I have greedily ordered about another 5 items!

Chicken with black pepper sauce

The squid arrives next. This is reffered to as “butter squid” on the menu. Crunchy batter surrounds squid pieces cooked to buttery perfection. It truly is a cholesterol counters nightmare and you can’t stop at one. Spicy chilli sauce and rich, creamy mayonaise accompany the dish.

Butter squid

Mayo and chilli

And finally to be really good I order some vegies. Gai lan stir fried with oyster sauce and garnished with fried eschallots. Its a fantastic balance of bitter and sweet flavours. You really cant go wrong and the menu is extensive with a few adventurous choices on offer.

Stir fried Gai Lan

So there you have it in a nutshell. A quick guide to food in Singapore. Well, my experience of it. Look out for more write ups on my culinary adventures in Singapore.

Pete

If you really enjoyed that post you might also like to check out one of the following:

• Quick Visit…Narita, Tokyo
• Singapore…Another perspective