STOP AND REWIND: SINGAPORE TRAVEL DIARY

"My favourite thing to do is to go where I've never been."

                                                                                       - Diane Arbus

SINGAPORE DIARY – Part I

- July 2011 -



My very first time to Singapore in 2011. Didn’t need to spend on hotel as it was only me and bestie Yen. We were enough to accommodate Shen Ai’s rented room. So the first thing I tried was their Local Cendol. It was served in a cup instead of a bowl served in Malaysia. As for the taste, it tastes a bit sweet due to the gula Melaka (brown sugar). My preference still sticks to my hometown Penang Cendol @Penang Road. Got to ride the LRT for the first time out of Malaysia. The vast difference is that it is so clean and fast! You are not allowed to chew gum here too. For first timers, you got to try the Old Chang Kee at mostly everywhere in Singapore. Their Curry Puff is good and spicy. Yum! For Ice Cream, my no. 1 place is Ben & Jerry’s @Vivo City! I love my desserts. I practically have a second stomach for it. Hahaha. I fell in love with the Negitoro Don @Sushi Tei Japanese Restaurant. It’s just so heavenly! Negitoro Don is a dish which has chopped raw tuna belly served in a bowl of Japanese white rice and topped with a soft boiled egg! I was so addicted that I tried to research which Japanese restaurant serves this in Penang, since at the time Sushi Tei was not operated in Penang yet. But now, Sushi Tei has franchised to Penang! Yay! Now, I do have frequent visits for my favourite dish.

Another place to try is the Escargot @Ma Maison. This place is a French restaurant. Their escargots are really, really good. Best I’ve tried so far. The branch I went to was in Clarke Quay, which is a suitable place to hangout for drinks. There is no recommendation from me on which places to drink at Clarke Quay as most bars are almost the same price and a slight difference on the bar themes. I did my shopping at Bugis Street (There are more of those blog clothes, phone casings, accessories and souveniers sold here.) and at random shopping malls. Whenever there are Sales, that’s my go to place. Hahaha. The other places I've eaten was at MOS Burger @Vivo City for their Yakiniku Burger and Ayam Penyet Ria @Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road for their Ayam Penyet. The Yakiniku Burger was unique because instead of the burger bun, they use rice as the burger bun. The Ayam Penyet is super good! Especially the sambal (pounded chili to sauce). But I must warn you, the chili is spicy. Do try their Avocado Juice, LOVE IT! I like Singapore for its cleanliness and their cafes. But lately in Penang, there are more and more cafes starting up which I love as I indeed love my coffee.

SINGAPORE DIARY – Part II
- October & November 2013 -

 

In year 2013, I have travelled a lot for work. Mainly is in Singapore.There was a hotel in Singapore I stayed at called Dorsett Hotel @New Bridge Lane  that I found really cute. Each and every room door had a camera with their respective room numbers labelled on it. To ring the doorbell, just click snap! In my first trip, I went to try Wild Honey @Mandarin Gallery for their famous brunches. So far I went there twice and I ordered the same thing both times which was called Norweigan (Avocado, grilled asparagus spears, two perfectly poached eggs wrapped with imported Norweigan smoked salmon, served with Hollandaise, salmon pearls and bread). I also managed to try Jumbo Seafood Restaurant @Riverside Point, opposite Clarke Quay. They have really fresh and good seafood! A bit pricey though. I tried their famous Black Pepper Crabs and Drunken Prawns. Superb! I tried Sake for the first time at a Japanese restaurant. I can’t remember the restaurant name though, but I did not know how to appreciate the sake. Urghh. My boss took me to try Hairy Crabs somewhere in Chinatown. And OMG it tastes so good!! The crab was so juicy including its eggs! Yum!

Finally I tried the Geylang Frog Porridge. The frog porridge was quite delicious, especially when the dish is spicy. I met up with Felicia in during one of my trips. She took me to Keisuke Tonkotsu King @Tanjong Pagar  for Ramen. It was so friggin’ good! The best ramen soup I have ever tasted! You get to choose whether you want your soup mild, normal, or super tasty. And of course, I chose SUPER TASTY. It cost me SGD25 for the ramen. After convert to Malaysian Ringgit, RM62 give or take. Wow. When you travel to places with higher exchange rates, sometimes you really cannot convert to see if it is worth the money. If not, you would not be able to enjoy your trip. I guess you can see that apart from my business trip to Singapore, I practically just eat, work and sleep.

(Photos taken from my Instagram @deborahkanggg)

 

SINGAPORE DIARY – Part III

- December 2013 -

 

After a year packed with work and travelling to Bangkok, Langkawi, KL. Me and Becca decided to go for ZoukOut 2013 @Sentosa Island, Singapore. I always wanted to go but never got the chance to. So we went to Singapore a two days earlier. We only went for ZoukOut on the 2^nd day. As both days, were quite out of my budget. So on the first day we went to Universal Studios instead. You should try their turkey leg. It’s huge and good! As usual, I went for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The next day was ZoukOut Day 2. The line-up was good as the DJs I liked were ZEDD and Armin Van Buuren. It was so fun that we wanted to go Tomorrowland the following year, which I did not go in the end. Sigh. I dream too big. 

As for this year’s upcoming ZoukOut 2014, I was really planning to go but will not be able to make it due to work peak period. Sigh.  

 

SINGAPORE DIARY – Part IV

- August 2014 -
 

 

Just recently went to Singapore again to visit Shen Ai. Did not do much shopping and did more of eating. There is this really great dessert in Bugis Junstion called Tai Parfait. It sells Taiyaki sweets just like the ones you see in Japan. Their Taiyaki sweets is in a form of a fish and it tastes wonderful. Its chewy on the inside with different custard fillings (eg. green tea custard, red bean paste etc.) and ice cream. SO GOOD! Another discovery for me is the Marigold Peel Fresh YUZU Juice Drink. Best fruit juice drink of Marigold's creation! And they only sell this in Singapore. WHYYY. There is a new place I went to this trip. Its called PasarBella @The Grandstand. I find it very unique as it looks like a market where you can buy fresh groceries like fruits, vegetables, seafood etc. You can also buy cooked food off the market stands and eat at any nearby tables. Very westernized, just like in the movies. I tried their Seafood Paella and Chocolate Nutella Crepe. I love it!

 

In this trip, I didn't have my usual Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream. Instead, I went to try Udders Ice Cream. If you like really sweet desserts, this is the place for you. I didn't really like the waffle though as it was the hard and dry type. I like the soft and fluffy kind. I finally got the chance to try Hai Di Lao Hotpot @313 Somerset. Their Mala and Herbal Soup is really good and addictive (Sorry, I did not take any photos of this restaurant and food). But I must warn you, those with weak stomach for spicy don't drink too much of the Mala soup. Your stomach will feel uneasy later on. For me who really loves spicy, I had the effect in my stomach from the spices they used. Everything is ala carte when ordering, When you order their handmade noodles, the waiters will perform a noodle show with your noodles before serving it to you for cooking. I forgot to mention in my previous trip for ZoukOut that I tried Truffle fries @PS Café. I went back there again in this trip!. A MUST to try!. The perfect place to chill with drinks and a live band is Timbre @The Arts House. It was my second time there and I have always loved to watch all the cover songs performed by The Goodfellas. They are a really talented local band. Do try Timbre's Roasted Duck Pizza with Hoisin sauce. Its good and its not the usual pizzas you see around.

 

 

♥deborahk.