Foodie Heaven - Singapore

I close my note book. My flight lands. 
Without a second look, I await my destination. So I walk towards the conveyor belt, grab my luggage and head towards the doors into - food heaven - Singapore!

This was my motto for the food trail !

As I step outside the airport enclosure a lovely Singapore morning greets me. I was jet, set and ready to go on a mini food trail in Singapore - in 24 hours. I had noted down the dishes I just had to try in my notebook. 

10.00 am
I am told by the cab driver to not miss sampling the breakfast that powers Singaporeans daily - Kaya toast with soft-boiled eggs and a piping hot kopi (coffee) or teh (tea). The Kopi and Kaya Toast culture originated from the Hainanese cooks who used to work for the British as cookboys. This was where they learnt to make coffee and toast. Listening to the way kopi and teh is pronounced reminds me of how it's pronounced in a similar fashion for kaapi and chai back home too! 

(Image source: http://www.hungrygowhere.com/gallery/52-dishes-you-must-eat-in-singapore-*gid-8e493101/e3e40100)

I reach Raffles City Shopping Centre, 252 Northbridge Road to have my breakfast at 

Toast Box. And glancing around the restaurant at others 'breaking their kaya toast' I emulated. I dip my toast into the soft cooked eggs drizzled with soy sauce and a sprinkling of white pepper and devoured it. I wash this down with the syrupy Nanyang-style kopi.

12.45 pm
Some sightseeing and shopping later, it was almost lunch time and the next stop on the food trail was grabbing Singapore's unofficial National dish - Chicken Rice. It is much more than just another tasty dish, chicken rice to Singaporeans is akin to 'soul food'. 

(Source: http://discover.stayfareast.com/post/114023443948/everything-you-need-to-know-about-chicken-rice-to)

I walk to Tian Tian at Maxwell Food Centre and grab a seat and wasting no more time, I order 'Chicken Rice'. I am told that Anthony Bourdain, Gordon Ramsay and Dr. Leslie Tay have graced this restaurant and I cannot wait to sample it. I get a generous serving of chicken chunks with sweet dark soy sauce to accompany steaming Haianese rice. I indulge as any typical Singaporean would - drizzle a generous amount of sweet dark sauce onto the steaming rice, “dress” a chunk of chicken in the chilli sauce, and then heap a dollop of minced ginger on top of it. The condiments balance all the flavours of the rice, chicken and the sauce and give me a wholesome experience.

2.00 pm
'You cannot leave Singapore without tasting our Crabs' my dad had said. How can I miss out on the de facto National dish of Singapore? With that thought I get all nostalgic and remember home. And home food reminds me of my fondness for seafood. 

(Image source: http://ieatishootipost.sg/top-ten-things-to-eat-in-singapore-the-hawker-edition/)

I head to Roland Restaurant and I am greeted with the aroma and the bright sight of Chilli Crab. I bite into the succulent fleshy crab and take my time to grab all the beautiful flavours! Lip Smacking !

4.00 pm
Satiated with my extravagant lunch, I then take a cab to hop over to a popular stretch of eateries along Upper Thomson Road and over to Sing Ming Roti Prata for my next food destination in my trail - Prata. 

(Image source: http://www.hungrygowhere.com/dining-guide/hawker/sin-ming-roti-prata-*aid-04773f00/)

Flaky buttery goodness with chewy insides and a dough that is a fresh mix of flour, eggs, sugar, salt and water is what maketh a good prata. It might sound familiar like the home made paratha and I am told that it is loved by many in the South East Asian subcontinent. I love the fact that the prata is like the south east asian cousin of the Indian parantha -Simply adore the confluence of cultures in food !

6.00pm
After a short break, I continue on and I remember from the geography class back in school of Singapore's famous fruit and local produce - Durian. I cannot miss this opportunity to sample this one-of-a-kind fruit so I head to the market to find it. I notice that the Singaporeans have certainly found ways to include this pungent fruit in many desserts and sweet concoctions and one of them is: chee cheong fun (steamed rice rolls). 

(Image source: http://www.hungrygowhere.com/gallery/52-dishes-you-must-eat-in-singapore-*gid-8e493101/2e1e0200)

I head to 89 Killiney Road and over to Rice Roll & Porridge shop to get my durian fix. I waste no time as soon as I get my order and I bite into the chilled roll that is stuffed with durian flesh and topped with a mixture of ground peanuts and sugar- YUM ! With that yummy treat and ended my delicious supper. 

9.30 pm
Only a couple of hours before I was to leave for home. How I wish this trip wouldn't end !

11.30 pm
Heading to the airport I was still savouring the amazing flavours the culminance of cultures I had experienced in the last couple of hours. I bought a souvenir for myself to remember this culinary journey and mainly Singapore.

When I reached back home, my souvenir sang to life:

Singapura, oh, Singapura, 

Sunny island sets in the sea. 

Singapura, oh, Singapura,

Pretty flowers bloom for you and me. 

Come along join the song in merry singing,

Blend our voices, 

Join in the chorus. 

Singapura, oh Singapura, 

Pretty flowers bloom for you and me.

(Source: http://mamalisa.com/?t=es&p=765&c=112 )

My thoughts exactly! 

My trip was really memorable all thanks to all the information I got through http://discover.stayfareast.com/ to made my culinary trip to Singapore truly unforgettable !
It's a matter of taste after all.


PS. This is a my fictional account of a foodie trip to Singapore. 

I #ChooseToStart a new memorable journey

Back in the 11th standard I was gifted my first phone. Before you get all 'what-is-so-great-about-that', let me tell you it was 2004. Thats like 11 years ago and not everyone had a mobile phone. Not even GSM or colour display ones. Forget touchscreen, smartphones even! 

So much so those privileged owners would like to flaunt its presence by playing those electronic default ringtones out loud and would enable the key press sounds, that would make a loud * beep * every time a key was pressed. And I would notice the onlookers watch them in awe whilst traveling in buses and trains them fingering their prized possessions.

(Image source: http://www.mobileextras.com.au/Portals/0//ProductImages/motC131.jpg)

So I had my first phone ever-'The Motorola C131'. This simple phone had a black and white display. It was a CDMA phone with the same key press beep and the electronic ring tones. It was a phone with limited means with all the basic features of messaging, making voice calls, calculator and stopwatch. Plus it had games like BlackJack and Snake, which I used to adore. Back then playing Snake ad BlackJack was equivalent to playing today's CandyCrush and Temple Run - Super Addictive !

Then a year later, still with my C131, I saw a new flood of bright colour display phones coming in to the market. I couldn't afford one then but aspired to get one.

Years later, as I write today, I am remembered about my first phone. Some may say, not to get attach to things; and attach with memories. I would differ a bit here. 

These 'things' do give us the memories for a last time. 

I remember receiving congratulatory SMSes and calls when I got my 12th Standard results.

I remember talking to my mom while jumping with joy when I got the seat in the college I wanted.

And I still remember receiving my dad's call when he could finally get network when the Mumbai 2006 floods had hit.


One phone and so many wonderful memories associated with it.

This was my back story of my first ever phone.

Now, owning a new smartphone for anyone is not only affordable but is a choice for everyone. And if I have to start my smartphone journey, I would start with the latest entrant to the market -  Moto E 2nd Gen.

With the new Moto E, I would love to capture thousands of memories with it's 5 MP camera with auto focus. I would love to easy launch my camera JUST by twisting my wrists! Not all moments can be remembered and capturing them makes them immemorial.

The new Moto E will help me experience for the first time the buttery smooth, flawless touchscreen and it's scratch resistant and water resistant corning gorilla glass will prevent any scratches or water spills that I may "accidentally" drop.

I will have the liberty to access the internet at break neck speeds with the 4G LTE and 3G model versions and high performance Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram will stream in a heartbeat. Not to forget, publishing my blog! This is a must have when living in 2015 socially connected generation.

MotoAssist will help me seamlessly get all my data from my old phone to my new Moto E phone - in minutes.

I even have the freedom to personalize my phone with colourful grip shells that fit with ease - like my phone is making a style statement.

So let's start all over again. Let me make more memories. After all, it's always a good time to #ChooseToStart