Singapore - April 2013

On the tail end of the Bali trip, we scheduled  2 days in Singapore.  In retrospect we would have been better off staying in Bali a little longer but when you plan out the trip in 3 minutes these things can happen.  The sole reason for returning was for the food.  Go to Italy and focus on the art but in Singapore the food comes first. Be warned!  Do not read this if you are hungry.  There are too many food photos ahead and we don't want you buying plane tickets to Singapore on an empty stomach.

We had favorites from our last trip but  we ramped up our efforts to find old favorites and new treasures. We started at the Lau Pa Sat Festival Market. 

Lau Pa Sat was originally a commercial fish market and has been in this location for over a hundred years.   There are dozens of different food stalls here and deciding on where to eat is overwhelming.

These are not your typical chicken wings from your local pub.  They are grilled over a charcoal bed, carefully seasoned and cooked to perfection with meticulous attention to detail.  Yes all for simple chicken wings.

The simplest of foods like this chicken satay will blow your mind.

Orchard Road in Singapore is one of the major commercial streets and is similar to NYC's Broadway or Paris' Champs-Elysees.   On our last trip we didn't stay in this area and we regretted it because we had a long walk just to get anywhere.

The next day we headed to Sentosa Island for an official "Elliot Day" in Singapore. We stopped at a local Hawker Stand by the bus station and had some new delights.  Unlike Lau Pa Sat this hawker stand is mostly frequented by locals and commuters.    We found the busiest stall and got in line.

This is roti prata which is a type of flat bread originally from India and Pakastan.  It can be served plain for filled with sweet or savory fillings.

Each one is made to order.  We went back for seconds.

Pink Drink?  We have no idea but it was based on some type of tropical fruit, not a ground up pink panther.

Our destination was  Sentosa Island, which is a popular island resort in Singapore. There are many attractions on this self contained island  including a Universal Studios theme park, beach resorts,  Casinos, and an Aquarium.

Our first activity was the Skyline Luge which was really fun.  We took a chairlift to the top and raced each other to the bottom.

Who could resist "The most favorite cheese balls."  These were cheese filled mini hot dogs and tasted exactly how you would expect them to.  Purely junk food and not representative of true Singaporean food.

The Segway Tour was our next stop.

It was a great experience because most places require you to be much older than 9 years old to ride them.

On to the Aquarium, where they have the world's largest viewing panel.  They also have great air conditioning which was important because Singapore is HOT and we needed a break from the afternoon heat.

The main viewing area is 118 feet wide.

Fish and Crab at the Aquarium food court just seemed wrong, so we headed to another food court on the island where we were rewarded with one of the food highlights of the trip ... Heun Key Claypot Chicken Rice.

Within the Sentosa complex there is a food court called Asia Street which features famous street food vendors found in neighboring countries.  This is Heun Key Claypot Chicken Rice which is a baked rice dish from Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.  Like many food here, the simplest of ingredients make the most amazing dishes.

Baked chicken and rice cooked to perfection.

Afterwards, we headed to the famous Singapore Zoo for the afternoon and Night Safari. We remembered that the elephant show was great, so we returned for a second visit.

This guy is just too cute!  It is not a doll.

Our last day of the trip began with a visit to the Maxwell Food Center.

This is famous dish in Singapore which is Haianese Chicken Rice.  A simple dish of boiled chicken and white rice with very delicate seasoning that is carefully prepared.   It was featured on an episode of No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain and ever since then the lines have been extremely long.  We enjoyed it but we didn't think it was worth going out of the way for and definitely not worth waiting in a long line when there are so many other amazing dishes.

This is a Malaysian dish of fried noodle cakes which is very popular in Singapore.

Next up was the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

Followed by the Singapore Flyer which is the second largest Ferris Wheel in the world.  Each of the cabins is connected on the outside and rotates around to keep you horizontal.

The view from 500 feet are spectacular.  All of those ships in the background are container ships waiting to dock at the port.

Last stop was the Food Opera @ ION Orchard Road which is another food court.  Unlike the others we went to on our trip, this was a very high end version located in the basement of a shopping mall.  Even though it was more fancy and formal the prices were not expensive and the food was outstanding.

The automatic dipping machine.

Roast pork over noodles.  Simple but amazing.

We settled in for our flight home with a stopover in Frankfurt.

Singapore and Bali were fantastic, and we dream of returning one day.

Melihat anda tidal lama lagi (see you soon)

What do you crave after a week of amazing Asian food?  New Park Pizza in Queens which we all agree is probably the best New York City pizzeria.   It is also a great remedy for jet lag, conveniently located 5 minutes from JFK Airport.