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Saturday Night in Singapore
Singapore’s tropical nature is most evident just after sunset. All the sleepy animals come up out of their lairs, sniff the air a bit, and begin to party. Especially on Saturday night.
I decided to join them, just this once.
I walked over to the nearest MRT station, Outram Park. That’s right next to the Chinatown Complex Temp Market & Food Centre, a place you can smell coming for blocks. By late in the day, the fish smell can be a bit, shall we say, jarring? Anyway, I quickly got down to the station, topped off my EZ-LinkCard, and moved on to the platforms. I was looking for the Purple Line, as I remembered it. Line 7, the sign said. I got on, then got off in three stops at Dhoby Ghaut. On top of that station is one of Singapore’s newest and glitziest malls, and its clearly the place to be for young folks on Saturday. The place was packed.
I made my way towards my favorite Indonesian bratwurst place, planning to chow down on some hot links. On the way, I took a wrong turn and found myself in front of the Carl’s Jr burger joint. And right in my face was a sign advertising a bacon double-cheeseburger with chili.
That’s right. Chili. With no ‘e’ and only one ‘l’.
How could I resist? I thought, it may not be like Texas, but it’s gotta be different. Oh, right I can be, sometimes. Besides, can YOU resist anything with bacon on it? I can’t.
They got the burger right. Flame-broiled, just brimming with scorches and juices. I could hear my arteries hardening as soon as they brought the tray over. I ordered onion rings with it, I didn’t want the fries and all their empty calories. Onions are better for you, right?
The chili was rather more different than I estimated. Okay, it was a lot different. Tasted more like an Indian curry to me, actually. Or maybe Thai. I couldn’t decide.
I didn’t leave any of it behind for later forensics, however.
With my tank refilled, I moved on out of the mall to Orchard Street. If you’ve never strolled down Orchard on a Saturday evening, I strongly suggest you do so at your earliest convenience. It’s the tamest madhouse I know of. People are polite, strolling along and talking. There’s quite a bit of laughter, and nobody seems to be in a hurry. Still, with all those people out at once, it can be difficult to maneuver. And a bit nerve-wracking to the uninitiated.
I stuck my head in at the money-changer’s booth at le Meridien, to say hi (I got to know the fellow all too well last year when my family joined me in Singapore) and see if I’d gotten a good deal on exchange at the airport. I did okay, but I’ll use my friend next time. The street hawkers were in full roar, touting everything from phone cards to trinkets to unique antiques. I moved along, looking just enough to enjoy the atmosphere, not enough to draw their attention.
The construction that was such a hindrance to foot traffic last year had relocated further along. Two new buildings, on a major condo project, were growing out of the ground. And the big shopping centers, like Takashimaya, were lit up and filling up. The restaurants were beginning to have lines as 9 PM approached. I spotted a couple of interesting places to try later in the visit. One is an Indonesian joint, right next to the House of Condoms. The other, a Sudanese place, looked to have some novel spicy stuff. I’ll be back. Some of the smells had me wishing I hadn’t eaten so early. And the weight of the chili was also making me wish I’d tried something else. Oh well; live and learn!
I did grab some snacks along the way. There are many food vendors out on Orchard at night. Some have shops-on-tricycles, especially the ice cream sandwich guys. They actually make your sandwich to order, and they’re great. But I grabbed satay and barbeque instead. Bee Cheng Hiang has great stuff, as does the Old Chang Kee booths (there’s at least two).
I got tired of strolling and gawking after a while. I found myself at the Orchard Road MRT station, but decided to just walk down Scotts Street instead of riding home. Problem is, that street changes names several times before it reaches my hotel, two miles or so away. I made it, but the details are best left for a later post…
Enjoy the Heat! (I am.)
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