Satay, Beers, and Xiao Long Bao: When in Singapore
Seeing the world through my lens. Sharing escapades through words and snaps.
November 2019
For me, Singapore spells good comfort food.
You may have other impressions. But whenever I think about my experience there, I’d always go back to that table in one of the hawker buildings in Chinatown, with my Carlsberg beer (sometimes, Tiger beer) on a microfiber cloth as coaster, and satay as pulutan.
I had the pleasure of visiting Singapore in November 2019 for a vacation for three days, two nights.
Singapore looks like a familiar landscape. It’s ala-BGC or Makati with the skyscrapers, big parks, malls, to name a few.
Upon arrival, a stall along Orchard Road caught my attention. Aside from the fact that I was famished, there is something exciting and interesting about eating in a stall along the Orchard Road. It reminds me of hole-in-the-wall carinderias along the streets of Manila.
I had Hainanese Chicken and Rice, with Bok choy, and Tiger Beer.
The day after arrival, I ate at Hawker Chan in Chinatown. Instead of the Chicken-and-Rice Michelin-starred meal, I satisfied myself with the Chicken-Noodles-Bok Choy meal.
After that, I spent the rest of the evening ( and the evening a day after) eating satays and drinking beers in the neighborhood building in Chinatown.
The morning after, we tried the famous Xiao Long Bao in the Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao. It can be found in that same building in Chinatown.
We had to wait in line to be able to buy one. It was that popular. It was so good, I did not even stop to take a picture. It was a feast of flavors. The soup-burst when you eat one xiao long bao was a pleasant surprise.
Get Diana Ruth Arcega’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Aside from the food trip, we visited the usual touristy destinations. **You may check the pictures below.**
I understand that Singapore has so much more to offer and I am barely touching the surface. But there is something serene and relaxing about the food experience there, I could not get it off my mind.
Very unassuming. Just good comfort food. The laid-back yet mouthwateringly food trip was, I think, the perfect Singapore experience.
I look forward to future opportunities so I could feel, see, and understand Singapore better. But for now, I’ll settle with my satay, beers, and xiao long bao.
