Arrived on a rainy Friday afternoon and had my first Singapore meal at Tiong Bahru Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice and Curry Rice (whew!) across Central Mall in Clarke Quay. Red and I ordered the Pork Chop Set A which had fried pork strips with curry, fried egg, and cabbage side dish. Gelo and Rina, on the other hand, got the Steamed Chicken Rice. All dishes come with free soup, extra cup of steamed coconut rice is priced at S$0.60. This restaurant was a great place to kick-off our 4-day [food] trip.
Tiong Bahru across Central Mall
Side dish menu
Drinks Menu
Singapore White Chicken Rice S$3.80
My Pork Curry Set S$3.80
Chocolate Ice Cream S$1
Other flavors I'm yet to try
Singaporean Ice Cream Vendor
The weather was better during our 2nd day so we arranged a meet up with our college friend Miko who works in a local PR firm.
As food in Singapore are best experienced outdoors, we asked Miko to recommend a nice hawker centre in Chinatown.
Miko and Gelo
As food in Singapore are best experienced outdoors, we asked Miko to recommend a nice hawker centre in Chinatown.
Lunch with Miko
Chinatown Hawker Centre along Smith Street
Hawker Center Menu
White Carrot Cake with Prawns S$8
Seafood Fried Rice (small) S$5
Lunch done. Time to visit an adult shop!!!!1!!111!one!
Stay classy
On Sunday, we followed Anthony Bourdain's steps by visiting Golden Mile Food Centre to try the famous *gulp* Soup Tulang at Haji Kadir.
The Original Soup Tulang S$6 (4 pcs)
Haji Kadir Food Chains Pte Ltd
Makansutra recommended Soup Tulang
Soup Tulang is a beef/mutton bone soup stewed in spicy tomato sauce. S$6 will get four pieces of the gruesome looking bones on a thick blood-red gravy. Transparent straws are provided for sucking the marrow. Add an additional dollar, the mamak (Indian hawker) will give you a plate of white bread to pair with the gravy.
Verdict: SOUP TULANG IS NOT FOR ME. Sipped the bone marrow and I found the taste too rich. The color of the gravy doesn't help either. It was too red, the whole dish makes me think of a scene in a zombie movie. Good thing Gelo and Rina enjoyed it else our long train ride would deem futile.
I did it for the lulz
Take a sip!!!
We also got seafood fried rice, black carrot cake, beef noodles, and fresh sugar cane juice to complete our hearty (and very late) lunch.
Black Carrot Cake with Prawns S$3
Fresh Sugarcane Juice S$1.20
Our last SG lunch was at BK Eating House at Upper Circular Road corner South Bridge Road, a short walking distance from Rucksack Inn. Gelo ordered Basil Chicken Rice and Beef Noodles from Muay Thai Food. The stall serves authentic Thai dishes at Singaporean-kind-of-cheap prices.
BK Eating House is frequented by locals
Authentic Thai Food in Singapore
Basil Chicken Rice S$4
Thai Beef Noodles S$3
I was supposed to order from Muay Thai until a certain stall got my attention. The place was serving economic mixed vegetables and it *surprisingly* had a long queue. Read somewhere that Singaporeans only line-up for things that are really really good so I thought of trying what the stall had to offer.
WTH is Economic Mixed Vegetable Rice?!
Choose from different vegetables and meat...
...then tell the auntie which ones you like
The meal I ordered had generous servings of meat (chili squid and pork something) and vegetables (bean sprouts stir fry). It tasted good but there was nothing *really* special about it. Decent but not WOW.
My choice: 2 meat 1 vegetable S$3.20
Of all the hawker centres we tried, I think Golden Mile Food Centre was the best. I love how it's not very "touristy" and how the prices are cheaper compared to other popular places like Newton, Chinatown, or Makansutra Glutton Bay. It's a must-visit if you want delicious Singapore hawker food.The place itself may not be the most attractive, but the food is definitely worth the long train ride.
Take the train to Lavender station to get to Golden Mile Food Centre
My next post would be about drinking in Singapore. To plsz read? Chup chup mwah mwah!
Related entries:
1. Rucksack Inn: Singapore's Best Backpacker Hostel
2. Afternoon Tea at Erawan Tea Room Bangkok
3. Excited for Baybeats 2010!!!
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