Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/68789
I LINE UP WITH A CROWD THE NEXT DAY AS planned, to order a couple of Malay favou- rites, lontong and gado-gado. Gado-gado is a local classic, typically vegetables and boiled egg covered in a warm peanut sauce. As for lontong, the name can refer to what I have before me – a dish containing cabbage, bean curd, sliced egg and green beans, topped with a dollop of chili paste and swimming in coconut milk curry. But more specifically, lontong refers to the main ingredient, a sort of rice cake that's been cooked for fi ve or six hours, then cut into cubes or slices. Seated at a table beside locals, I'm told that lontong has a special role in Malay Muslim culture. "Traditionally, this is a New Year's dish," explains my dining com- panion, a trim, 50-ish Malay man in a blue short-sleeved shirt. "But these days, people eat lontong all the time." Lontong dishes have also become an integral part of Chinese New Year festivities, the kind of cultural crossover that makes Singapore what it is. Singapore's most famous cultural hybrid is the Malay-Chinese blend known as Peranaken. In the local legends, it's a little unclear whether Peranaken culture resulted from Chinese immigrants absorbing Malay infl uence, or whether it represents a more literal crossbreeding. But it's now a distinct local tradition that fi nds its fullest expres- sion in food. One example is laksa, a coconut milk curry with short rice noodles. A number of laksa shops in Joo Chiat, on the east side of the city, claim to have been the fi rst to serve this dish. But 328 Katong Laksa (yet another small, basic, open-front diner) seems to be winning the current retail war. Walking down Still Road from the Eunos MRT station on my second-to-last day in the city, I real- ize to my dismay that I'm down to only 6 Singapore dollars. But it's enough. A bowl of savoury, slightly sweet, slightly spicy laksa sets me back 4. I'm forced to skip the side of fi sh paste everybody else is ordering – I need train fare back to my hotel. SINGAPORE IS A GREAT PLACE TO FIND Japanese snacks, as long as you're not a purist. Stopping by Wow Tako! in the basement of the four-storey Bugis Junction shopping cen- tre (near City Hall downtown) could be a shock for a Tokyo tourist. The little stand sells tako-yaki, the Japanese national snack, which is typically a chunk of octopus in a ball of fried batter (yaki means fried and tako is octopus). It certainly doesn't mean pineapple 36 WESTWORLD >> JUNE 2012 Shawnda Beaudoin AMA Travel Specialist, Singapore I've visited Singapore twice and my favourite place to stay is the fi ve-star Grand Hyatt hotel. Its location on Beach Road puts you within walking distance of the 350-some shops and eater- ies on Orchard Road, Singapore's main com- mercial and shopping district • The best ways to get around Singapore are the hop-on-hop- off buses and the MRT (subway) system. A jaunt down Scotts Road will take you to one of the many hawker centres in Singapore: Newton Food Centre. Here hundreds of stands serve up fresh seafood and satay dishes (prices range from around $10 to $30), cafeteria-style. This is where I would go to get my favourite daily lunch of nasi goring, or fried rice seasoned with sweet soy sauce, shallot, garlic, tamarind and chilies. At the Bussorah Street and Arab Street markets, the heavy fragrance of spices will fi ll your nostrils and a and cheese, or mushroom and cheese, or beef and cheese, or scallop – which are all proudly served here. Japanese desserts such as daifuku and tai-yaki (respectively, rice-paste dumplings filled with sweet red beans and waffl e cookies shaped like cutesy fi sh) are also on the menu – some with durian fi lling. Durian is a fact of culinary life around here. The spiky fruit is a Chinese staple that has never caught on in the West, and frankly is unlikely ever to do so. The reason can be deduced from local hotel elevators. Frequently there's a little sign beside the door picturing a durian overlaid with a red circle and a slash. In terms of etiquette, cracking open a fresh durian in an elevator is the equivalent of lighting up a Cuban cigar. The stuff stinks. There are a few differ- ent varieties ranging from sweet to bitter, but they're all an acquired taste. My attempt to acquire it in Singapore's Chinatown a few days ago – with a durian crêpe – proved a miserable failure. The musky, acrid taste stayed with me for blocks. Nor do I have much success with my fi nal big Singapore meal. I fi rst spot the sign while wandering through the Burseh Food Centre on the edge of Little India – a big pic- torial menu offering both stewed turtle and braised crocodile. I have nothing against turtles. But my youthful attempts to keep them as pets mean I have enough turtle rainbow of brightly coloured scarves and purses will tempt you to pull out your wallet. Another must-do: quaffi ng a Singapore Sling at Raffl es Hotel, where the famous cocktail was created. • In the evening, be sure to check out the Night Safari Tram Ride. The world's fi rst wildlife night park, Night Safari harbours around 1,000 nocturnal animals, which you can glimpse on the 40-minute trip. • At the end of my journey, I paid a visit to Sentosa Island, a tiny piece of land that's half a kilometre off the southern coast of the main island and home to Universal Studios Singapore. You can get there on foot via the Sentosa Boardwalk or ride the Singapore Cable Car, which departs from Mount Faber. I opted for the latter and was captivated by 360-degree views of south- ern Singapore from a transparent enclosure. Need help planning a trip to Singapore? Contact Shawnda at 1-888-989-8423 or WWTravelSpecialist@ama.ab.ca. blood on my hands. Crocodile it is. Braised crocodile doesn't look any more appetizing than you'd expect. It's served to me in a hot stone bowl, with a tangy broth to distract from the pale pebbled skin and single white claw emerging from the mix. Once I'm past the bone and gristle, the old cliché proves itself again – the meat does indeed taste like that mild-mannered bird that made a fortune for Colonel Sanders. Overall it's not bad. But at 18 Singapore dol- lars (45 for a whole paw) it's the most expen- sive hawker meal I've ever had, and certainly not the tastiest. The next day I get the rest of the bill. Crocodiles, I discover, can also attack from within. Next time I'll try to remember my place on the food chain. AMA MEMBERS SAVE MORE Before you go: Spend three or four days in Singapore, including airport transfers, accommodation, daily breakfast and a sightseeing tour from $319 per person, land only. 1-866-667-4777; AMATravel.ca While you're there: Don't forget your CAA MasterCard when you travel. Accepted worldwide, MasterCard is a safe and reliable way to pay. AMARewards.ca/ MasterCard