Singapore and brief excursion to Thailand food blog

[KennethT]

huiray, thanks for the extra detail... fantastic! I can't say that I had many different versions of kaya, but the Killiney's version is a brownish/yellowish/faint greenish color and is pretty thick.

I didn't take a picture of the inside, but the 'pat' of butter was about 3/16" thick (maybe 4mm?) and was definitely cold. We saw most people having their bread toast with the soft-boiled eggs, as you mention, but we enjoyed it without it.

Killiney's also made a french toast where they dipped their bread slices in egg mixture (I don't know if they just used beated egg or a true custard), then grilled, and served with butter and kaya on the side so you can add as much as you'd like. We didn't get to try that option either.

[dcarch]

I have read sometime ago that Singapore is into urban roof top farming to supply local restaurants. I don't remember details.

 

http://www.inuag.org/singapore%E2%80%99s-first-rooftop-farm-aims-supply-produce-food-beverage-outlets

 

http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/pview.php?id=565

 

http://m.todayonline.com/worldcup/singapore/spores-1st-rooftop-farm-aims-supply-produce-fb-outlets

 

dcarch 

[Beebs]

KennethT, have you been able to find the right bread in NY for kaya toast?  The closest I've come is the thick squishy white bread from Chinese bakeries, but it's not quite the same, too dense.  

 

DH calls it "ninja toast" - because it takes some mad skillz to "ninja" the toast - splitting the toasted bread cross-wise.  We had ninja toast, eggs, coffee every morning there. 

[KennethT]

There are tons of rooftop gardens, plantings, etc... check out: according to this: https://www.skyrisegreenery.com/index.php  - the gov't funds up to 50% of the cost of installation of green roofs in an effort to get more buildings to participate.

 

Here is a photo of one of my favorite buildings (from the ground) - it's right near the Hong Lim Food Centre:

 

 

Regarding the bread - I haven't actually began a search yet - last weekend, I cheated and put kaya and butter on an english muffin... terrible, I know, but I had no bread in the house at all, so I guess it was better than nothing....

 

I imagine any fresh, relatively closed crumb, soft white bread would work - just make sure it's sliced thickly... I think the toasting would be the most difficult part - rotuts, I think the CSB would be up to the task.....

 

ETA link

 

ETAA I actually remember this building being built when I was there 3 years ago!  The construction made it a bit difficult to findthe Hong Lim Center at the time....

Edited July 23, 2015 by KennethT (log)

[KennethT]

So, for lunch the next day, we were going to go to the Hill Street Tai Hua Pork Noodle shop, which is a little bit outside the center of the city, near the Lavender MRT station.  This place supposedly has the best Bak Chor Mee in Singapore... we were there 3 years ago, and it was awesome - but we had nothing to compare it to... but, as a measure of quality, the line to get it was over an hour long!  Meanwhile, the stalls next to it had no lines at all.

 

So, since the last time was so good, we were all set to go out there and wait in line again... but they were closed!!!!  I had even checked online beforehand which days they were closed, and specifically went on other days... there was a handwritten sign in the window, but it was written in Chinese, so I had no idea what it said... and I was so disappointed, I didn't think to take a picture of it.

 

So, what to do when the best laid plans go haywire?  Well, first I went on the internet looking for other well known Bak Chor Mee places, but nothing really came up except for articles talking about Hill St...  But I remembered there was a Bak Chor Mee stall in the Hong Lim Centre - not far from the Outram Park Char Kway Teow stall.... so back there we went...

 

 

You can see the minced pork, the springy meatballs, wontons, etc., but really, I thought it was a poor facsimile to my memory of the Hill St. version.  Yes, memory (especially after 3 years) is not very accurate, but I do remember that the Hill St. one was definitely worth waiting for on such a long line, and I told myself then that if we were ever back in S'pore that we had to go again...  I would not go back for this version, and I didn't have to wait in line at all.  Then again, maybe it was my fault.  When I ordered, the lady asked if I wanted the noodles dry or in soup.  I couldnt' for the life of me remember how the HIll St. version was, so I ordered it in soup... I wonder how different the flavors would be dry.  In hindsight, since it's so cheap, I really should have gone back and ordered another one dry, just to see the difference....  oh well, a good excuse for another trip!

[KennethT]

Dinner was at our favorite Hainanese Chicken Rice place - Wee Nam Kee.   We had been there 3 years ago, back when they were in a storefront restaurant - but the area they were in was closed and torn down, so they moved to the United Sqare Mall (very close to the Novena MRT)...  Now, it's even better because it's air conditiioned!!!  Usually we'd reserve chicken rice for lunch, but we needed to have an early dinner since we had to wake up ridiculously early to check out and get to the airport to make our 8AM flight to Koh Samui, Thailand, so we wanted to go somewhere close by and that wouldn't have a long line.

 

 

One of the things I like so much about WNK is their chili sauce.  It has a great chili flavor, but doesn't blow your head off.  Plus, there is a big jar of it on every table.  Right next to the jar of chili sauce, is a big jar of grated ginger so you can add however much you like, and a squeeze bottle with sweet soy sauce...

 

When you order their chicken rice (SGD4.60 btw), they first serve their extremely chicken-y consomme:

 

 

Then, the main event comes:

 

 

Stir fried baby kailan:

 

 

And, we tried it since it was on their menu, stir fried lettuce:

 

 

It tastes exactly as it sounds....

 

Next stop, Thailand!!!!!

[Smithy]

This is all a wonderful view into another world, and I thank you for it.

Have you noticed a tendency to charge more because you're foreigners? I spotted that a few times in Egypt where the price was clearly marked in Arabic but they'd (try to, at least) charge more when an obvious foreigner was buying.

[KennethT]

Not at all. Prices in Singapore are fixed, as far as I could tell. Prices are displayed on signs out front in English, or, like at Wee Nam Kee, on the menu.

Not only that, but it seemed like many people didn't really know we were tourists. Many people asked how long we had been living there and were surprised when we told them we were tourists and (unfortunately) only there for a week.

I think the figure was 3% of the population was 'other', many of which are western expats (mostly Australian), so it's not entirely unlikely that we could have been residents - especially given the places we went to which do not see very many tourists.

One thing that happens (but they do this to everyone, so I'm told by our S'porean friend) is that some restaurants put out a dish of peanuts and 'wet naps'.. you don't realize they charge for them until you get the bill... not that they charge much - SGD0.40 or something like that.

One comment on your Egypt experience. I don't know about there, but many countries have a culture of bargaining. Prices are just not fixed. Thailand is this way - it is basically expected that you are to haggle for most things, other than restaurants. If you're a tourist, you just have to come to grips with the idea that you won't be able to negotiate down like a local would. So maybe you can get 15% off, not 30%... all in all, usually things are still pretty good deals.

Edited July 23, 2015 by KennethT (log)

[huiray]

I would have been surprised if KennethT had reported that he had been charged more for his meals - my understanding was as he reported.  Perhaps in, uh, more shadowy businesses or stuff like that (where such things still exist and if one actually looks for them)...?  However, as a foreigner he *would* have had to pay more for use of certain PUBLIC facilities such as public sports facilities, if he had cared to use them.  See here, as one example.  Or if he wanted to buy a flat, say, to use on his next visit or as an investment - see this, for example.  But those things would be official policy – posted info and not "hidden" & etc.  

 

The extra charges for peanuts and wet wipes is done in a similar manner in many countries, too, I believe - in varying ways...see here and here as just two examples.  In other places there are bottles of soda or other drinks already placed on the table (or even bread rolls) - and if you don't want to be charged for them then DON'T touch them (bread) or open them (drinks).

 

(FWIW Singapore is ranked 7th globally out of 175 nations in the 2014 Corruption Perception Index (just behind Switzerland); while Egypt is ranked 94th.    Of course, these are with regards to the public/governmental sectors)

[KennethT]

Exactly. There are many attractions that charge more for tourists than residents, such as Gardens by the Bay, Night Safari, etc... but, this is clearly and fully disclosed on the big sign displaying the prices. I was under the impression that Smithy was asking about more nefarious or covert over-charging of tourists - which does not happen in S'pore (there are many gov't fines for getting caught doing so), but is widely done in Thailand. Many prices there are not fixed - other than restaurants and hotels, most prices in Thailand are subject to 'negotiation'... but you just know that as a tourist you won't be able to negotiate as far as a local would.

[KennethT]

Koh Samui, Thailand.......

 

We woke up ridiculously early to make our 8AM flight to Koh Samui on Silk Air.  Even though the flight was only 1.5 hours, we were still fed a full meal (hainanese chicken rice with bok choi or a spanish omlette).

 

We were only going to be spending 2 days on the island, and we had been there 2 years ago (part of a trip to Bangkok), so we really just wanted to take this time to relax and enjoy the beautiful resort.  So, there is no local food on this portion of the trip.  The thai food at the resort is very good - they use super fresh ingredients, prepared perfectly - and the spicing was actually very good - but I don't know if that's how they always did it, or because I liked to practice speaking/butchering the little bit of Thai I learned 2 years ago with the staff.  They always got a kick out of it and told me I spoke like a local.... I smiled and thanked them, but I knew the truth!!! 

 

So I photographed the 2 meals (lunch and dinner) the first day... I didn't bring my phone with me to shoot the second day...

 

Lunch:

 

Feast overview

 

 

Fried fish with sweet chili sauce and sawtooth coriander - many times in Thailand, sawtooth coriander is served with fried fish.  You typically eat bites of it in between bites of the fish.

 

 

Tom Kha Talay - coconut soup with seafood.  This was an excellent version of a tom kha... in the soup were chunks of fresh turmeric and galangal, and the seafood was all perfectly cooked.

 

 

Green mango salad with soft shell crab.  One of the reasons I love green mango salad in thailand is that you never see it here in NY.  Green papaya salad is everywhere, but I've never seen a green mango version, although they're very common in Thailand.  I find the green mango to be a little more tannic and bitter than the green papaya, but still nice and crunchy.  The dressing matched it perfectly, and the soft shell crab was cooked just right.

 

Dinner:

 

 

Amuse: puffed rice cakes with peanut/chile relish.  The relish was great... the puffed rice cakes were ok, but a little hard in the center.  The second night, the amuse was much better - raw wing beans, and other assorted raw/blanched veggies with funky fish dip... sorry, no pics from the second night though...

 

 

Sour soup with pork knuckle.  This was great - a really nice sourness to the soup coming from some kind of leaf - it was sour, but not acidic like from lime juice.  I had a similar soup in Bangkok a few years ago and couldn't wait to have it again when I saw it on the menu.

 

 

Steamed fish with garlic, lime and chiles.  Fish was steamed perfectly - I love the simplicity of this dish.  You can't tell by the photo, but the fish was actually deboned from the inside... the only bones left were in the head!

 

 

Sorry for the poor picture quality... this is a fish paste mixed with curry paste, wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled.  It was very similar (although the spicing was a little different) to a Peranakan dish called Otak (which we had at the Peranakan restaurant, photos still to come (hopefully soon)).

 

 

Phak Boong - stir fried morning glory with garlic.  This was done in the traditional style with oyster sauce, thin soy sauce and a little sugar.  Fried garlic on top.

 

 

Mango with sticky rice, and a side of coconut ice cream.  To me, mango with sticky rice is the quintessential thai dessert and one of my favorites in the whole world.  Especially during mango season... especially with these crazy good thai mangoes.  These mangoes are very different from the Tommy Atkins mango in the US. They are not fibrous at all - you can put a piece in your mouth, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth and it just.. squishes..  and it's sweet!  The sticky rice is steamed naked and then mixed with coconut cream, some palm sugar and salt  - so it is a little sweet, and a little salty.  To me, the ice cream was superfluous - I actually would have preferred no ice cream and extra mango and sticky rice!

 

Tomorrow, back to Singapore....

[KennethT]

I just saw this video on Bloomberg - and while you can't dispute the data, I think the reporter is not giving the place a fair shake.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2015-07-23/singapore-s-tourism-woes-why-isn-t-anyone-going-

The short version is that they say Singapore is boring, and that there is nothing to do there but eat and shop. I whole heartedly disagree... Granted, there are not lots of natural wonders like in Indonesia, parts of Thailand, etc., but there is definitely plenty of things to do for several days - like the Gardens by the Bay, the Botanical Gardens, the excellent Night Safari (which is basically a zoo of nocturnal creatures that's only open at night - really unique), taking a boat ride through the river and marina area which discusses the history of S'pore, nature hikes through rain forest areas, not to mention Sentosa which basically a huge resort area accessible by MRT (subway) - which we still haven't made it to because we've been so busy doing other things! PLUS, there's the eating and the shopping!

Arrgghhh.......

[rotuts]

can't buy gum ?

 

 

I know, gum's a pretty slippery slope  .....

 

 

[Smithy]

Exactly. There are many attractions that charge more for tourists than residents, such as Gardens by the Bay, Night Safari, etc... but, this is clearly and fully disclosed on the big sign displaying the prices. I was under the impression that Smithy was asking about more nefarious or covert over-charging of tourists - which does not happen in S'pore (there are many gov't fines for getting caught doing so), but is widely done in Thailand. Many prices there are not fixed - other than restaurants and hotels, most prices in Thailand are subject to 'negotiation'... but you just know that as a tourist you won't be able to negotiate as far as a local would.

 

I was specifically referring to having prices posted but being charged extra as a tourist, either because they don't think we can read the (Arabic) signs or because they claim it's 'last year's price'. I've only had a couple of attempts at that sort of rip-off, but it's annoying.  Bargaining, on the other hand - I don't expect to do as well as the locals, but if we all go away happy and have had a good time, that's good enough.

 

The food from the resort on Koh Samui looks so fresh and tempting!  That looks like a great way to relax.  

 

Is there a flavor difference between sawtooth coriander and the cilantro we normally see here?  (I think I spotted some of that cilantro in the steamed fish photo.)  What does morning glory taste like?  I've always thought of it as a farmer's nemesis.  Never occurred to me to eat it.

[KennethT]

The last time we were in S'pore, I had a long conversation with a taxi driver about the whole 'no gum' thing. Nowadays, it is something that practically every American gripes about when they talk about the place... "oh, they're so strict there, you're not even allowed to chew gum!"

But it's more complex than that - they're not just fanatical about rules and regulations.

The story goes that many years ago, gum chewing was allowed, but people would put their used gum on benches or under tables at hawker stalls, etc. The government put out information asking people to throw out the gum rather than sticking it to something, because it's disgusting to have to deal with someone else's gum... but people didn't listen and continued to do it anyway... so then the gov't decided to start fining people who stuck their gum on things... but still, it didn't solve the problem, so they finally banned it. You are not allowed to sell it, and it would be confiscated if you are caught trying to smuggle it in. This whole process took years, and several rounds of raising fines, penalties for not throwing it away - it was not just a snap decision to ban gum because somebody felt like it...

Personally, I actually agree, and wish we could ban it in NY also - how many times I have stepped in gum on the sidewalk and then it's impossible to get off your shoe... disgusting!

Edit for clarity

Edited July 24, 2015 by KennethT (log)

[KennethT]

Sawtooth coriander definitely has a different flavor from regular coriander, but I find it hard to describe... it's supposed to taste similar to cilantro, but stronger, but I don't necessarily feel that way.

It is possible you've had it before - it is also called Culantro, or Mexican Coriander in the US.

[huiray]

Some comments from a few Singaporeans/Malaysians...

 

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/864408?commentId=7543237#7543237

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/971826?commentId=8869284#8869284

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/875809?commentId=7683988#7683988

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/859880?commentId=7478742#7478742

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/592577?commentId=4391736#4391736

 

One of a number of threads over there which have talked about S'pore importing a great deal of its food, but this one also mentions a few brands of commercially-available kaya incld a couple available in the USA:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/931278?commentId=8686577#8686577

 

As for S'pore being well-regulated, there is a price to be paid...here's one facet.  A couple other odds and ends...there are others.

[huiray]

Is there a flavor difference between sawtooth coriander and the cilantro we normally see here?  (I think I spotted some of that cilantro in the steamed fish photo.)  What does morning glory taste like?  I've always thought of it as a farmer's nemesis.  Never occurred to me to eat it.

 

Sawtooth coriander definitely has a different flavor from regular coriander, but I find it hard to describe... it's supposed to taste similar to cilantro, but stronger, but I don't necessarily feel that way.

It is possible you've had it before - it is also called Culantro, or Mexican Coriander in the US.

 

Sawtooth coriander/culantro is available from many Vietnamese/Chinese/Asian-International groceries or supermarkets in the USA and, yes, from Mexican & similar groceries.  It is easy for me to buy here in Indy too, so long as I go to the right places.  The taste is stronger than cilantro/normal coriander and with a sort-of slight resinous nature to it.  It is a sign of "authenticity" (a slippery word, yes) if a Vietnamese restaurant served you a bowl of phở with some of the herb (ngò gai in Vietnamese) on the plate of fixings/herbs rather than cilantro, even if it was introduced to SE Asia by Spanish folks many many years ago - but it was absorbed into the cuisine, just as the charred onion used in making phở stock is thought to have been adapted from French cuisine when they were the colonial power in Indochina.

 

KennethT, the pic of the underlying leafy stuff you show in your pic and which you call sawtooth coriander does look much more "frond-y" and jagged than what is normally found as the herb by that name in Vietnamese stores, for example...?

 

The "morning glory" that KennethT has been describing is NOT the climbing plant known by the same name here in the USA. The plant in question is Ipomoea aquatica, a.k.a. kangkong, ong choy, etc etc.  It is one of the most common vegetables eaten in SE Asia. (I've posted some dishes of it - such as kangkong belacan - here on eG also)  It *is* an invasive plant, thriving in warm climates, and is banned by the USDA in some of the warm US states with exceptions granted for "ethnic farmers" (Vietnamese/Cambodians, especially) to grow it -- there was an almighty hue-and-cry when cultivation was proposed to be banned even back in the 80's, I believe it was, because it was such a staple vegetable for such communities of SE Asian and S Chinese origin. It was banned even for sale in northern US states for a while, but the authorities seem to have backed off --- as one of the Chinese grocers complained to me, it made no sense in cold climates to ban it because even if it "escaped" into the fields/streams they would all be killed outright by the cold weather in winter.  It is now available with fair regularity during the normal growing season from the appropriate stores around these parts.

Edited July 25, 2015 by huiray (log)

[TicTac]

Great thread.

 

Really like the idea of the saw tooth coriander and the fried fish, I am going to steal that and do a riff on it.

[KennethT]

So our flight from Thailand returned around 4:30PM, and we were checked back into our hotel by 5:30 or so... what to do for our last dinner (and actually last non-hotel meal)?

 

We had a lot of discussion in the cab on the way back... we discussed taking a taxi out to the east coast seafood centre, but the idea of getting back into a cab for another 15-20minutes after being on the plane and taxi from the airport didn't seem so appealing - plus, it was Friday evening, and if there is ever traffic in S'pore, it's Friday evening!  Still isn't terrible, but a 20 minute trip can become 27 minutes... As a NYer, this so called traffic is almost laughable...

 

So, in the end, we decided for our last dinner to go back to Wee Nam Kee for chicken rice.  It was just as good as a few days before, but I didn't take any pics because they would have looked the same as the last set... we did not order the stir fried lettuce though, just the baby kailan.

 

So, before I wrap up, let's go back in time a few days to the family style Peranakan restaurant we went to in the Joo Chiat neighborhood.  Let me preface this by saying that on our last trip to S'pore, we went to the Peranakan place that is recommended in every tourist guide book, Blue Ginger.  I thought it was pretty good, but my wife wasn't a huge fan of it, so I was a little nervous when her friend recommended for us to go to a Peranakan restaurant.  He is a major foodie (and teaches at a culinary institute there) so I figured that I'd trust his judgement.

 

He took us here:

 

 

Unfortunately, he's been really busy and hasn't been able to get me a writeup of the details of what we had, so I'll just have to rely on my memory... maybe if others reading this have comments, that could be helpful!

 

 

Overview of most of the savory dishes...

 

 

Otak - a classic Peranakan preparation - it is a paste made from fish and aromatics (like a curry paste) then wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled.

 

 

Pork belly - I don't remember the details of this dish, but I remember it was quite tasty (come on, it's pork belly!)

 

 

Chicken in a slightly spicy sauce.  This was my favorite dish of the night.  It had an amazing depth of flavor.  The black things are the shells of some kind of nut - I never got confirmation of it, but I believe they're candlenuts.  He did discuss that the preparation of the nuts is extremely lengthy otherwise they are toxic - they must be soaked for a week, and then cooked in a particular way.  Typically, they remove the nut from the shell, grind it and mix it with minced pork before returning it to the shell for cooking in the sauce.

 

 

Pickles - reminded me of kim chi a bit.  I thought they were slightly spicy - but they were too spicy for my wife.  I liked them - it was really good to cleanse the palate in between all the savory foods.

 

 

Stir fried vegetables - mostly cabbage.  Tasty, but it's no baby kailan!!! haha....

 

 

After those dishes, but before dessert, we had a clear soup (which I understand to be the traditional Chinese sequence)

 

 

Coconut soup with taro, yam and some kind of red fruit that I don't remember.

 

 

Coconut with grass jelly

 

 

Crushed ice with longan syrup??  Not sure about this...

 

All in all, everything was really good, and we found it much better than the place we went to a few years ago.  The flavors were deeper, and more complex... then again, maybe it was the dishes we selected since we didn't have a Peranakan person with us helping us order???  This restaurant is definitely less tourist friendly than the Blue Ginger though - BG is very pretty, with beautiful presentations... this place is a much more down home kind of restaurant.

Edited July 26, 2015 by KennethT (log)

[KennethT]

Closing thoughts....

 

As you can probably tell, my wife and I love travelling to S'pore.  There are very few places we have taken the time to return to - since there are so many places we want to see and experience, and so little time to do so.  For those considering travelling to Asia, Singapore is a great place to start.  Contrary to what you may hear or read, there is tons to do there - aside from what I have already mentioned, there are tons of cultural things to see as well - Chinese Buddhist temples, Hindu temples, Arabic Mosques, etc.  S'pore is nothing if not diverse - that's one of things that makes it great.  In a few days, you can experience Chinese, Malay, Indian and Arabic cultures, and have some really great food while you do it.  All in a beautiful setting with tons of flowering, tropical plants everywhere.  It is ridiculously safe, clean and convenient with great (and cheap) transportation options, and English is spoken practically by all - and with a very friendly population.  I can't tell you how many times random people struck up conversations with us - very nice and friendly.

 

I'll leave you with a few shots of the Singapore airport - which is a great place to kill time between flights.  There are free leg massaging machines all over the place, a free movie theatre, and probably most unique:

 

 

 

 

[rotuts]

thank you for sharing all this with us.

[Anna N]

KennethT,

Loved your food photos and descriptions but more than anything else it was your joie de vivre that shone through every word. In a world with too much skepticism, too much pessimism you and your wife are the sort of travelling companions I would want to show me around any where. Thank you.

[KennethT]

Wow, Anna.... Thank you so much....  that really meant a lot ot us.....

Ken

[Kerry Beal]

Glad we could come along!