Pagoda Street, Chinatown, Singapore
I took advantage of a three-day weekend to take a quick trip to Singapore. This was my last chance to travel in Asia before my return to the USA at the end of the month. Two days is much too short to take advantage of the stunning variety of food for which Singapore is famous, but I tried my best, fitting in four to five meals each day.
My base for three nights was the One Orchard YMCA Hotel, centrally located and next to the MRT station, which felt like my second home as I shuttled between historic districts and food hawker centers. The trip was sometimes relaxing – a back and foot massage in a cool, dark massage therapy center was a highlight – and sometimes rushed, as I did as much walking as I could in the heat and humidity, burning off calories before my next meal.
Here are some highlights from my whirlwind trip.
Hawker Chan Hong Kong soya sauce chicken rice – the only hawker stall with one Michelin star
serving the next customer in line, Hawker Chan stall
Big prawn noodles, Chinatown Complex Food Centre
Sri Mariamman Temple, Chinatown
chicken masala meal on banana leaf, Tekka Centre, Little India
Maxwell Food Centre – one of the “hawker centres” where former street food sellers were relocated, and the places to get the cheapest and best food in Singapore
the famous Tian Tian Hainanese chicken rice, with a side of bean sprouts with cuttlefish
beef rendang, Kampong Glam district