10-Euro Foodtrip Singapore 2015

It's amazing what 5 years could do to a growing metropolis such as Singapore. Compare to the sleepy and stagnant   town where I'm living for almost 10 years in Germany , Singapore's progress  and development  is just astonishing . Everything  looks  familiar yet new . We spent almost a week here in 2015 and although our favourite spots  still linger,  new  and upscale establishments now stand along with it .

The towering buildings in the commercial district could now rival Hong Kong,

Revamped attractions such as the Garden by the Bay offers scenic stroll by day .

 And with its jaw dropping and extravagant light shows, it  attracts tourists and locals like moth to  flame at night .

Locals and visitors alike still flock in Sentosa . The gondola ride offers a birds eye view of the island. It's like a riot of all things green and growing , silently tussling  for space and attention.The island mirrors the rest of the spruced up city .


The changes is not only visible, it's also palpable especially to our wallet. The hotel where we stayed at five years ago, now cost almost twice as much! Since my mother and aunt will be joining us this time , we settled for a more reasonably priced  lodging near Clarke Quay, still my favorite hangout at night in SG.

One thing that we did not manage to visit five years ago were the hawker centres. The only thing that seems unchanged and unfazed by the glitz of modern world. Like an old tradition that stubbornly clings to every Singaporean soul . It also warmly welcomes any outsider.

The Old Airport Hawker centre in your typical local eatery. It's open aired and sultry, thanks to SG all year round hot weather, buzzing with people  and activity. The smell and sight of all things cooked and eaten gives an impression of  orderly chaos. This is the place to be. The old Singapore.

Masters at work, most doing exactly the same stuff for years if not decades, perfecting whatever recipe they discovered or handed down by older generation. This is one tough business to venture, with thousands of stalls out there, each competing  for attention and loyal patrons, only the good one stays and the  best of the best flourish.

I took 10 euros with me, that's about 15 Singapore dollar, which could get you 1 simple dish in a restaurant  or a mere appetiser in more opulent places in the city.

So what can you actually buy with 15 SG Bucks/ 10 Euro /500 Phil. Pesos  in this hawker centre? Surprisingly, enough!

These babies are about the size of my fist, freshly baked, it almost burned my tongue! The filling is abundant , meaty and spicy. Not bad.

First stop: Curry Puff :SG$: 1,60  /1 EUR / 53 Phil. Pesos. 

 I found a treasure! Wang Wang Crispy Curry Puff Stall in my favourite so far. I came back for dinner after tasting ONE curry puff and I should have stayed longer and eat my way through all those flavoured puffs! They got tradition curry , sardine, black pepper chicken and yam.

I ordered black pepper chicken puff and it was sensational! The shelled puff is buttery and flaky, it literally crumbles in my mouth. The filling is juicy and generous with huge chunks of well seasoned meat. It's highly addictive.

Second stop: Black Pepper Puff SG$1,60/ 1 EUR/  53 Phil. Pesos

FF's been craving for satay so we ordered some from an  Indonesian stall for 50 cent a piece. I tasted better ones in Bali but I'm not complaining.

3rd stop : 10 pcs. Beef and Chicken Satay with peanut sauce

 5 SG$ / 3,30 EUR /166 PhP

Bought 2  Paus, each the size of a baby's fist and cost about 50 cents a piece. There's variety of filling to choose from.

4th stop: 2 Mini Pau for 1 SG$ / 0,66 EUR/ 33 PhP

Considered as Singapore's national dish. This is Hainanese chicken rice. There's a loooong list of hawker stalls and restaurant to choose from and an equally long discussion of which is the best . There are few joints recommended and praised by big named TV hosts such as Bourdain and Zimmerman. While many locals readily approve of  their choices, others disagree  thrusting another unheard hole- in- the -wall eatery in the spotlight. I don't want to be in the middle of this debate since I'm no expert and there's a lot more to consider in this simple dish than meets the eye. Way lot more before one can actually proclaim it as good, bad or average. There's the chicken skin, the texture, the flavour,  the chili sauce , the rice, the condiments and more. Tackling these issues is as complicated as my Algebra subject in college and I hate math! It also shows how obsessed and how serious Singaporeans are when it comes to their food.

Among many stalls in the old airport, this place sells one of the cheapest  chicken rice. For 2.50 dollars, I got a serving of steamed chicken, a bowl of steamy soup, fragrant rice and the usual condiments of chili, sweet soy  and ginger sauce. FF wiped the whole thing off in minutes, came back for dinner and ordered it again. That's from somebody who do not like steamed chicken!

5th stop: Hainanese Chicken Rice for 2.50 SG $/1,66 EUR/ 83 PhP

One can not be in Singapore and not eat Durian! Many foreigners , including FF shy away from this fruit because of its pungent smell and less than appetising sticky consistency. Fortunately, Singaporeans are rather creative in masking both and in making this exotic fruit more pleasant to the eyes and palate. My family is crazy about Durian along with probably 80  percents of the Phil. population. I  convinced FF to give it a try. He did, and still did not like it. Oh well.

6th stop: Durian Monchi 2 pcs for 3.80 SG$/ 2.50 EUR/ 26 PhP

That's 6 different nibbles and gnaws for 15.5 SG dollars, 10,33  Euro or 515 Phil. Peso.  If you want to eat cheap and eat good, look for the nearest hawker centre when you are and Singapore and be prepared for a one of a kind gustatory adventure !

1. Old Airport Road Food Centre
   

   Directions
2. 4.420 Google reviews
   
3. Food Stall
6. Address: 19 Old Airport Rd, Singapore 390019

   
   

   
   

Just a reminder: Other hawker places sells  more expensive stuff. 

Sights and Eats: Singapore Day 6

Before coming to Singapore, I already heard a lot of things about the country. Clean , safe, multikulti and  small. Somebody even told me that I could see and explore the city in 1 day! Well, after 6 days in Singapore, we've discovered that things that were told to us were indeed true. The city is impeccably clean, safe(  haven't heard a police serin at all),  socially and culturally rich and small yes, but not small enough to be explored in one day. We've been here for almost a week but, I have the inclination that we are still missing a lot of things.  Today, we went back to Sentosa to visit Universal studio.

Nobody's too old for an amusement park.

Just to you give a clue what to see inside. Universal Studio SG is not big but they certainly use every square meter of the area wisely. The place is compact without giving the impression of being cramped.

First stop: Hollywood!

A Star for a star and Lights! Camera! Action!

 Explored  Madagascar. Snack bars and  restaurants are all over the place so no chance for hypoglycemic state.

Ok I was riding this merry go round and looked ridiculously happy  in many pictures. LOL. The gentle speed of this ride is all what my clogged heart could muster. 

Shrek's Shack. It's funny seeing a group of adults pushing and daring each other to take a peek inside. Seems like some people still do believe in fairy tales. (^_^)

Of course a must in every amusement park. The crown jewel. Here is Shrek's ( or his in-law's?)  castle which happens to be just a few minutes walk away from his humble shack.

The Lost World

Left: Artificial Eco system but nice nevertheless. Right: Baby Dino eyeing its first meal of the day.

If it's action you want ( from a seat that doesn't twist and turn) , be sure not to miss this place.

The show is packed with lots of combat stunts, battles, diving and falling and of course, explosions. The whole place was on fire and smoking during the play. It's like being in a movie set. Just a clue though, if you don't want to get wet or end up having  singed eyelashes, try not to sit too close in front.

The revenge of the Mummy.

Too chicken to try the ride. LOL

The  Sci Fi City which was not quite finished when we visited

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The Transformer themed area. Where's Bumble Bee?

The Battlestar Galactica. I dare you!

Lunch! With 10 S$ consumable coupon per person, we barely spend anything in this meal. It was filling but a far cry from the Bongo Burgers of  Jurong Bird Park.

A show we saw through the window of  Mel's Diner. It must be pretty boring to dance to the same tune and lypsing to the same song 3 times a day and seven days a week.

Starting from Hollywood, going to Madagascar, got magically swift to Far Far Away Kingdom only to end up facing ginormous but thankfully frozen dinosaurs in the Lost World, hang around with  bare chested mummies and their abs, missed Bubble Bee in the Sci City, we finally end our journey here. New York! New York!

Shops on the right and shops on the left.

It not surprising that despite of its small sized area, we spent the entire day in this  park. After getting ourselves some souvenir items which are very abundant in this place. We decided to call it a day.

A trip to Universal Singapore is not complete without visiting the shop, Hersheys!

Chocolate bars, syrup, powder,cups,  candy . Chocolates,chocolates and mooooore  chocolates!

That pretty much sums up our day trip in Universal Studio. It was late in the afternoon when we say ''bye! bye!'' to the place. We were drenched in sweat but happy.

Since it's our last night in Singapore, we tried to make it memorable. We booked a table at  the Equinox Restaurant in Swissotel the Stamford. The place was perched on the 70th floor of the hotel. With its high celling and wide windows, it offers an unparalleled view of the metropolis. Having a window seat in the restaurant means paying something extra. Since it's our last night, we gave in for the sake of a better view.

Birds eye view of Singapore'.

Amuse Bouche.  Plates were big, servings were small, very very small but hey, It's on the house and it was yummy so we were happy. Sorry, can't remember what it was though, looks like my brain could only hold dim sum names. He he

FF and I decided to order the same thing. Here's our first course, Salmon in lobster bisque served with edible ashes. It actually has fancier name, a french one but I totally forgot it.

I'm not a big fan of lambs, unless its caldereta ( lamb o goat ba yon?!), but since I've read a few raves about the dish, I ordered it. There was still a hint of gameness to it or maybe it's just me, not being a lamb-meat lover. I guess I still like my lamb grazing on the meadow than being served on my plate chopped and swimming in a foamy mushroom gravy.

By the time dessert was served, the view outside got more prominent. To give particular emphasis on city's beautiful  backdrop, lights in the restaurant was dim almost to the point of  darkness. I could barely see our last course. It also did not help that dessert was so tiny! Sayang, yummy pa naman. The view is indeed spectacular, unfortunately despite of the restaurant's opulence, our dinner did not quite impress me.

Lesson learned: A man does not need to dig deeper into  his pocket to be satisfied.

 I have a feeling, I would be much happier and more sated if we've gone back to Clarke Quay . I don't mean to sound too spoilt! I guess after a week of stay in Singapore, I'm used to good  but inexpensive foods. Kuripot ako eh! Well more reason to go back and visit Singapore then! (^_^)