Well, The Rock* said it best when he came.
Interviewer: “So, how did you think of Singapore?”
The Rock: (Looking at his PR advisor off camera) “I had a great time. Oh, and the food was great.”
Interviewer: (Now very excited as even ‘The Rock’ realized the culinary dynamo that is S’pore) “Oh really?!! So, what did you eat?”
The Rock: “Um. Right. Oh! I remember! (See how good and memorable it was) The Chicken Rice.” (Yup, tricky on the prounciation, but he got it.)
Not being crass. But really, food is not central, it’s pivotal to the country of Singapore. If you don’t appreciate the food, you might as well not appreciate the people. And I have to admit it, as a westerner w. a western palette on her first ever trip to Asia, it’s a little daunting to go it alone. So some of the food I’ve had was great, and some wasn’t (and I’m still not sure I can tell you which is which, mostly because when I order, I just point at the pictures on the menu).
Tonight however was different. Tonight I was invited to join a big group of coworkers for the dinner I’ve been waiting for. We went to a tiny little place in a strip mall about 15 miles from the office. It was a going-away party of sorts for someone leaving IBM. Really, it was a nice excuse to dine out together. No spouses were invited and kids were left at home. Dinner for 14 started at 7. And by the time we got there someone had already ordered for the table (yay, no menu!… but I’m still not exactly sure what we got!).
Restaurant was Thai and the food was great. Among the dishes were …
- Lettuce Wraps — hello PF Changs! Ok, some kind of rice straw with veg & shrimps. The shrimps were VERY small and you ate them shell and all. I tried it reluctantly, but they were right, the whole thing was so crunchy you couldn’t tell. And really, after you tell your brain to calm down, it was so much easier than trying to peel the little guys. This dish was BEYOND spicy.
- Cooled that down with a tall glass of lychee juice. Mmmm.
- Next to that were some triangular banana leaves. Mamita eat your heart out .. these things were folds on folds. Pretty neat look, no twine. Inside was chicken — just chicken. Dark meat I think but it was stained yellow by the spices. Pretty bland taste (although after the spicy wraps I’m not sure I was tasting much).
- “Olive Rice” – pink in color, salty … they called it a fried rice but it wasn’t as oily or eggy or as vegetabley as what we think of.
- Then came a bowl of what looked like soup – yellow, oily. Wrong, you spoon it over the rice — it was a curry. And it was GOOD. Floating in this yellow goodness were chicken pieces and some green circular things small and round. The small ones were about the size of a large pea and had a nutty crunch to them. The big ones were like the size of large cherry tomatoes and were halved. They were a type of eggplant and were tasty. The whole dish was so good.
- And then (I know, and there’s more) they brought out these burners and trays and cooked 3 whole fishes at the table in a spicy broth. The broth was actually sour. I have no idea what it comes from, but it was very nice. There was just a pile of bones left at the end of this dish. (I’m not sure, but someone may have eaten the head
- Finally, we ended with dessert. There were at least 3 to try at the table:
- Red Ruby - Water chestnuts in tapioca starch died red that make little “jewels” in the bottom of a glass dish. That’s then topped with coconut milk and shaved ice. Mmmm. Very good — especially after spicy food.
- Sliced mango and glutinous rice. This whole rice for dessert thing throws me, but though it’s rice, it’s very very sticky and sweet. Very nice.
- Durian rice. Ok. Durian. I need to take a minute on this one. Feeding tourists Durian is a national past-time here. It is the equivalent of feeding a baby new to solid foods the most sour grapefruit you can find and video tapping it for the family reunion. Durian is a strong, fragrant fruit. Not like anything you’ve ever heard of. It is not allowed (whole, uncut) on planes or it hotel rooms. It smells. Bad. Like gas fumes. Any local will proudly tell you it’s an ‘acquired taste’ – they will either be dead serious or have that devilish glint in their eyes. Anyway, it’s a must try so I tried it. It is a mushy yet solid fruit. And … well, I guess I haven’t acquired the taste yet. But they make it into ice cream, dried fruit chips, cookies .. you name it. So odds are good I may get the chance to acquire it.
If you’re ever in Singapore, the place is on Upper East Coast Road in a part of town called Siglap. It’s called A-Roy Thai and it gets a Reyes two-thumbs up!
* If you’re not in the know, “The Rock” is actor Dwayne Johnson. This University of Miami alum made is name in WWF wrestling and is now making it big on the silver screen. He was recently in Singapore to promote his new film, Game Plan.
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