singapore biennale 2013

One of the things I like best about Singapore-- besides the food, the public transport system and the fact that everyone walks in an orderly fashion-- is the vibrant art scene. So happy that I was in Singapore during Biennale!

The whole city is dotted with fantastic sculptures. I saw Ana Tsarev's red flower in front of ArtScience Museum.

And this panda is just chillin' outside ION Orchard.

gardens by the bay + artscience museum

Our first view of Gardens by the Bay at 9:30AM on 26 October 2013.

Flower Dome and Cloud Forest off in the distance. So much long walk. Such humidity. Wow.

After what seemed like an epic journey, we paid SGD28 each and entered the climate-controlled paradise known as "Flower Dome".

where i stayed: singapore 2013

Whenever people ask me "Is this hotel OK?" I never know what to answer. My standards are admittedly not very high. Number one criterion is location. You'd probably say that location is paramount for everyone, but not the way it is for me. I would forego cleanliness for a really good location, haha.

Second, the bathroom has to be decent. By that I mean spacious, and with bone-crushing water pressure, both in the shower and the toilet. Hot water is a bonus, not essential.

Third, I must have free wifi. Those three things are all I really need, and because I don't expect a lot I am quite easy to please.

For my first three nights in Singapore, I chose Bliss Hotel. You can see it as soon as you step out of the Chinatown NE4 MRT station, and that was enough to make me fall in love with it. It was pricey and the room was quite small-- hey, it's Singapore-- but the king-sized mattress and fluffy pillows were surprisingly luxurious. The floor area of my room on the top floor was not enough for a closet (See the clothes hangers on either side of the window? That's the closet.) but there was space for a flat screen TV, a mini ref, a desk/dresser, a luggage rack and a coffee/tea station-- thank you, Bliss Hotel, for introducing me to Super Coffee. There was even a personal safe.

The bathroom sink was situated outside the T&B, which I think is genius and a time-saver if you're sharing the room. Toiletries, towels and slippers were provided.

Rain shower, check. Complimentary shampoo, body wash and lotion, check. Thick and soft toilet paper, check. Bidet, check. Water tended to escape from the shower stall and get on everything whenever I took a bath, but the exhaust fan dried the floor in a jiffy.

Bliss Hotel appealed to my obsessive-compulsiveness. Everything in the room was neatly and efficiently arranged, even these:

other stuff we ate: singapore

At ION Food Opera, my favorite food court in Singapore, a bowl of laksa for SGD5.20. With cockles, of course. Absolutely delectable. Grrr, I just made myself hungry.

ARGHHH!

Also at ION, a stir-fried beef set for SGD7. Nice, but the beef dish at Chinatown Seafood Restaurant was nicer. It was more than twice the price of this one, though.

lunch at bayfront, dinner at esplanade

The last time I was in Singapore, Gardens by the Bay was still under construction. For this trip, I set aside one whole day, 26 October 2013, to check it out. Naturally, I already planned where to eat.

Lunch was at Marina Bay Sands. I recently discovered that Din Tai Fung has a branch at The Shoppes.

I'm always impressed whenever I see this building.

No trip to Singapore is complete without a meal at DTF, and no meal at DTF is complete without xiao long bao.

Steamed pork dumplings (XLB), 6 pieces for SGD7.30++

Still the best, the best, the best!

chinatown walking tour

We arrived in Singapore at night on 25 October 2013. After checking in at Bliss Hotel, we ventured out to look for something to eat. On the second floor of Chinatown Complex at 335 Smith Street, there's a huge food centre with over a hundred stalls. We ended up at a tze char place called Home Town Cuisine.

Honestly, the food was not that great, and SGD15 (US$12) for a "braised chicken salted fish bean curd in claypot", a small order of stir-fried Chinese broccoli, some rice and a bottle of Tiger beer was not exactly cheap. But it was almost 10PM and most of the stalls were closed.

After dinner we walked around the neighborhood, but only for a little while since we had to get up early the next day to beat the crowds at Gardens by the Bay. More about that in my next post.

the search for the best kopitiam

If I were to live in Singapore, I probably wouldn't last very long. Sooner or later-- most likely sooner-- I would keel over and die, albeit with a smile on my face. Because I would be having this for breakfast every day:

1. Hot, strong and sweet kopi. You know, the one that's served with a generous dollop of condensed milk. None of that kopi-C (coffee with evaporated milk) or kopi-O (black) nonsense.

2. Two soft-boiled eggs drizzled with dark soy and sprinkled with lots of white pepper. The whole runny mess is best eaten with a teaspoon, or scooped up with pieces of kaya toast. The remains are then slurped by bringing plate directly to mouth.

3. Kaya toast. That's white bread (not high fiber, not whole wheat) slathered with kaya jam and grilled. With chunks of butter in between, don't forget.

What's kaya? It's a jam made with eggs, coconut milk and sugar, with a dash of pandan for flavor. Yez, this meal is not for the weak-hearted or insulin-challenged.

These are the three components of the kaya toast set breakfast, SGD4.20 (about US$3.40) at Ya Kun Kaya Toast on China Street. Cheap, delicious, filling. So good and so, so bad.

eat tian tian chicken rice every day

In the heart of Singapore's Chinatown, there is a magical wonderland known as Maxwell Food Centre.

Near the entrance, there's a guide for lost souls.

Inside, the ravenous multitude stake their claims.

As for me, I have come to Maxwell Road for one reason, and one reason only-- Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. At 2PM, the queue is still astonishingly long, but I will accept no substitutes.

shopping in singapore

A wiseacre (or was it a wise man?) once said, "There are only three seasons in Singapore: hot, hotter, and shopping." For most people who visit SG, this is true. But as my friends and family know, I'm not much of a shopper, preferring to spend my moolah on stuffing my face. There are some things, however, that I consider must-buys in Singapore because these items just aren't available here in the Third World.

To those of you who have wandered onto this page, all excited because of the keyword "shopping", let me apologize to you right away. This is probably not what you had in mind.

My usual first stop is Watsons. Yez, we have Watsons stores here, but we don't have Panadol. Why is that? Panadol is the most useful and effective pharmaceutical product in the universe.

Hoarding different types of Panadol. Extend (SGD 5.25), extra strength (SGD 5.20) and cough+cold (SGD 7.80).

Steph (silent H) introduced me to this variant of Halls. Better than Valda or Fisherman's Friend. Haven't pitted it against Altoids yet, though.

Halls extra strong candy (SGD 0.80). Make sure it's the black one.

When I was in high school, everyone used Biore to wash his or her face. And then suddenly it disappeared from the Philippine market, leaving a generation of pubescent acne-riddled youth despondent and desperate.

Biore facial foam (SGD 7.10), Biore marshmallow whip facial wash refill pack (SGD 10.90), and Eric Favre Beauty Hair color creme (SGD 34.90).

I bought the hair color because the salesman was so convincing, or maybe I'm just a sucker. I'm planning to try it out in a couple of weeks. I hope it doesn't make me go bald.

bengawan solo pineapple tarts

It was almost 10PM on 29 October 2013, my last night in Singapore. At the basement of Takashimaya on Orchard Road, there was a plethora of munchies on display. What to get?

I had read somewhere that one of the things that you must buy in Singapore is Bengawan Solo pineapple tarts. Honestly, they didn't sound very appealing to me. I like tarts. I like pineapple. Together, though, not so much.

But I had some cash burning a hole in my pocket, a huge check-in baggage allowance that I'd already paid for, and a niggling sense that I would regret getting on the plane without purchasing some type of local pastry.

The smallest box cost SGD18.80 (about US$15) and contained 38 thumb-sized pieces.

Ingredients: butter, eggs, milk, flour, sugar and pineapple filling.

chili crab @ chinatown seafood

Six days and five nights in Singapore, one of my favoritest places in the whole wide world. So much to eat, so little time. At the top of my list, the dish that I missed the most, the national dish, the often-imitated-never-equalled-outside-the-country dish: chili crab.

This was my fifth time in Singapore, but I'd only had chili crab three times because there are just too many delicious (and unhealthy) things to eat in that tiny country. During my trip last week, I knew that I would never forgive myself if I passed on it again.

So, where? I already tried No Signboard and Jumbo. I heard that Tung Lok Seafood Restaurant on Orchard Road was good. Also recommended were Roland Restaurant and Red House Seafood at Robertson Quay. But I was already in Chinatown and I figured that there should be decent chili crab in the neighborhood.

A quick Google search for "best chili crab chinatown" produced Chinatown Seafood Restaurant, just two blocks from my hotel.

In the daylight, it looked very nondescript and generic. Perhaps not a restaurant I would normally patronise, but I could not resist the chili crab's siren call any longer.

At night, the place was jumping. The dining area was huge and filled with a promising mix of Asians and ang mo.

thai food festival @centralworld

By this time next week, I shall be eating myself into a coma in Korea. Seoul apparently has a vibrant street food culture and I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into something I've never tried before. Live octopus, maybe?

In the meantime, I'll have to be content with reminiscing about the street food fair that I visited in Bangkok last month.

This is what a food festival should look like!

Actually, we found it by accident. We were supposed to have dinner at Zense that evening. While waiting for my friends, we did a bit of window shopping at the incredibly ginormous CentralWorld, the sixth largest shopping complex in the world. After half an hour, we were overwhelmed and had to go outdoors to get our bearings. And there it was.

The Thai Food Festival: Easy Tasty Street Food, held from 13 to 16 June 2013, is literally all the Thai dishes you can think of under one roof.

The som tam (papaya salad) lady. Check out the pickled crabs in the jars. 

The ubiquitous pork leg stew. The anise perfumed the air around the stall.

bittersweet bangkok

Bangkok has always been one of my favorite cities, and I feel so fortunate that I have friends living there-- gives me an excuse to visit.

Hello, baby!

On 15 June 2013, my last night in Thailand, we had dinner at Zense Gourmet Deck & Lounge Panorama which is on the 17th floor of the Zen Lifestyle Trend Megastore. The view, advertised as "downtown's most encompassing panoramic view", was truly dramatic and the jazz singer was surprisingly good. As for the food, we agreed that it was satisfactory but not spectacular.

Isalata Caprese with fresh burrata. 4/5

Squid ink pasta with seafood. 4.25/5

last day in chiang mai 2013

Our last day, 14 June 2013, started late. We were at The Riverside Bar until the wee hours and couldn't get moving until it was time to check out of our guesthouse at 11AM. After a quick breakfast and visit to the money changer, we said goodbye to the old city of Chiang Mai and went to the Holiday Inn to wake Hot Tuna up.

It took ages for us to decide where to go for lunch; everyone was still feeling the effects of the Sambuca. In the end, CentralPlaza Chiang Mai Airport Mall, more popularly known as Central Airport Plaza, seemed to require the least effort. Shopping malls always have food courts, and faced with a myriad of choices, it should be easy to find something to eat. In theory.

Here was the problem: There were too many choices. Our solution: Get everything.

A platter of deep-fried things with the best shrimp paste I've ever tasted. Should've brought some home. 

Braised pork leg. I've noticed that Thais are crazy for this dish.

My first mango sticky rice of the week. The mangoes were super sweet, as all Thai mangoes seem to be.

first day in chiang mai 2013

We arrived in Bangkok at noon on 10 June 2013 and took the bus to Chiang Mai in the evening. In 2012, we took the train (read about it here) and although I wouldn't say that it was not enjoyable, I didn't feel like doing it again. The VIP bus cost the same as the train, 836 baht per person one-way, but unlike the train it was on time. Our bus pulled out of Mo Chit Bus Terminal at exactly 9PM and nine hours later, as promised, we were in Chiang Mai!

We couldn't check in at our guesthouse at 6AM yet, so we just dropped off our bags and had breakfast at Funky Dog Café. Afterwards, we went exploring on foot. Last year, we were in Chiang Mai for only two nights and spent most of the time outside the city, so I was pretty excited to finally see what was inside the old city walls.

Our starting point was Tha Phae Gate and while walking down the main thoroughfare, Rachadamnoen Road, we saw a beautiful old house which turned out to be the office of the Lanna Architecture Center. The building itself is called Khum Chao Burirat ("khum" means royal residence) and it is wonderfully preserved and restored. It reminds me of our Philippine "bahay na bato"-- concrete first floor, wooden second floor, high ceilings and a wrap-around veranda for whiling away warm tropical afternoons.

i love the (chiang mai) nightlife

Whenever I travel, I'm really not much of a shopper. I'm always too shy to haggle and I tend to treat foreign currency like Monopoly money. Before a trip, I do my research and prepare a short list, and then I try to buy everything all in one go to save time and energy, often with complete disregard for pricing. On 13 June 2013 in Chiang Mai, I felt like getting my shopping out of the way.

Since it was a weekday, we couldn't go to the Sunday Walking Market. We'd been to Warorot Market before, and the infamously overcrowded and kitschy Night Bazaar didn't sound too appealing. So I suggested Anusan (or Anusarn) Night Market instead. The stalls were still being set up when we arrived at 7PM, so we decided to grab a bite first.

I had a hankering for seafood-- incongruous, I know, since Chiang Mai is in the mountains and nowhere near the ocean-- but sometimes I just gotta eat what I wanna eat. The restaurants in the middle of the market all looked quite similar, so we employed the scientific method: When in doubt, choose the one with the most number of customers. Plus the sign that said "Anusarn Seafood Market Center: Good Food Good Taste Good Quality" seemed promising.

I hadn't eaten crab in what seemed like ages, so after a quick consultation with our highly efficient and effective waiter, I decided to get two male crabs, each weighing about half a kilo: One for steaming and the other, stir-fried with curry powder. They cost about 1,200 baht in total. They definitely weren't cheap, but when I inspected the crabs, they passed the standards that my father taught me-- lively, didn't smell like piss, and felt heavy for their size.

muay thai in chiang mai

When I was in Thailand last year, I planned to watch Muay Thai at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, but the tickets were just too danged expensive. We ended up at a pingpong show on Patpong Road instead. That was a very interesting experience and one that I don't regret, but this June I knew that I couldn't forgive myself if I skipped Muay Thai again.

The owners of our guesthouse, Funky Monkey, told me that the big Thai boxing matches were scheduled on weekends. The event that I was thinking of attending at Thaphae Boxing Stadium was fixed for betting and not "real" Muay Thai. We were leaving Chiang Mai on Friday, though, so this was my best chance.

I decided to visit the venue to get more information. The "stadium" was small, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. At least we were sure to be up close and personal with the action. The guy I talked to said, "Start nine o'clock, seven matches! Finish eleven, eleven thirty!" And then he reserved a table for us under the electric fan, very close to the ring. Sold!

nomming @ café de nimman

Earlier this month, Hot Tuna was feeling sentimental and asked me, "Why are we such good friends?" I replied, pretty sure that he was too inebriated to remember anyway, "Because you're crazy."

But really, as Ricky Gervais says, relationships stand the test of time because of "things in common, a sense of humor and mutual respect." And in our case, one of our common interests is food.

Case in point: On 12 June 2013, we were discussing where to have dinner and Hot Tuna suggested Café de Nimman in the posh section of Chiang Mai. I had never heard of it and I didn't even know know that there was a posh part of town, but since he'd been there a couple of times before and liked it, I knew that I would like it.

A quick look at the online reviews before we set off resulted in our ordering the liver, boiled eggs and squid.

Stir-fried pork liver with garlic and pepper, 120 baht.

Soft-boiled egg with mushroom fish sauce, 95 baht.

Stir-fried squid with salted egg, 140 baht.