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Japan Invades Singapore
My work day finished in good order, and I decided to treat myself by taking a “teksi” home rather than riding the SMRT. Yes, the SMRT is clean and convenient. But it was already nearly 6 PM, and if you don’t get on before 5:15 the crowd gets large. So I hailed a cab in front of the office building and jumped in.
Seems I found the only Japanese taxi driver in Singapore.
He also drove like A. J. Foi-san. I buckled up tighter. We didn’t hit anybody, and I don’t think we gained or lost paint on any fenders. I think we did scare a few years’ growth out of some pedestrians, and we did get honked at by at least two buses. I was so glad to get to the hotel safely I gave the driver a tip. Maybe that was his ploy…
My hotel is officially just off the edge of Chinatown here in Singapore. That means a short walk takes me to some interesting shopping and restaurants. Besides the more popular and glitzy areas around Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, there are many smaller eateries, bars and snack shops just off the main roads. All of these places are popular with the locals in the evening.
I began my evening with a short stop at the Quaitch Bar, also known as the Whisky Store. (Quaitch is Scottish for hip flask.) It’s my kind of place, right next to the Maserati dealer. I didn’t stay long; I can’t afford to, at their prices, but they have a great selection of Scotch whiskies and I wanted a bracer before hunting down some chile-laden grub. I chatted with a few Japanese flight attendants in the bar; they were just in from Tokyo on their Japan Airlines flight, and were finally getting to relax. They gave me some pointers on where to look for the elusive chiles; they come to Singapore a lot and have their favorites all scoped out.
I decided to go for Thai. The nearest to the Quaitch is Bangkok Jam. I headed over, a five-minute walk.
Lots of interesting stuff on their menu, including some dishes that are clearly not Thai. But they use some ingredients common to Thai cooking to give them a sense of Siam. I tried a small bowl of beef soup, I forget the name. I did try and enjoy the Gang Keaw Wan Gai, a chicken curry with vegetables. It’s supposed to have a lot of eggplant in it, but at this place they use some other stuff. This version also used a green curry base, but I know red curry often gets used. I asked to try their pineapple fried rice, but hold the shrimp. No problem. Very tasty!
When I mentioned I write about recipes and restaurants, I got lots of samples. I’m going to have to use that ploy more often! Meanwhile,
Enjoy the Heat!
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