Eat to live or live to eat?

Chili Crab: Full disclosure: you know that I brought some Old Bay halfway around the world, and nothing can really compete with Maryland blue crabs, but you’ve got to give the local team a chance. East Coast Seafood Centre has four or five seafood restaurants overlooking the Straits of Singapore. There were huge ships lined up in the Straits as far as the eye could see, and we chose to eat at Jumbo’s since they had a prime table for us overlooking the water.

We’re going to have to rely on my description, since I didn’t manage to get any photos of the actual dish. The crabs were Sri Lankan, and they came partially cracked and covered in a tomato and chili based sauce. I dove in, and I was immediately covered in the sauce too – this is not a delicate meal. The crab itself was very good, but I found the sauce a bit sweeter than I would prefer. Next time, I think I’ll try Black Pepper Crab, another variation on the theme that seemed popular as well.

Singapore Sling: Should you visit Singapore without having a Singapore Sling? Of course not, and where else to go, but the place that invented it: the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel. The Raffles Hotel is a step back in time, and you’d almost expect to find Somerset Maugham still sitting in the bar. It’s all wood panels, green shaded lights, idly rotating fans, and tourists drinking slowly (these drinks are expensive!). Best part of the experience? Cracking the peanuts at the bar and dropping the shells on the ground. Next time, I think I’ll have a beer with my peanuts, but I’m glad I tried it once. So fruity and sweet that you can’t taste the gin at all. I bet Blythe would love it!

Chicken Rice: It is exactly what it sounds like, but at the same time SO much more! This was my favorite meal, and I shouldn’t have waited until our last full day to try it. Ok, so it may not sound very exciting: boiled chicken and white rice made in chicken stock, served with a thick soy sauce and a chili/garlic/ginger sauce on the side.

We went to one of the locals’ favorite places for it, Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice in Maxwell Road Food Centre. On a Saturday afternoon, the hawker center was only half full, and only half of the food stalls were open, but Tian Tian had a line that wrapped around the corner of the building and extended out into the parking lot.

The chicken was so silky and tender, and the rice was full of flavor. I doused it liberally with the chili sauce, and drizzled the soy sauce on top, but even my first few bites without the added sauces were delicious. This will be my first stop when I come back to Singapore!