I know nothing about the KL hotel scene.That’s because every time I come to town I stay with family.This time, however, we’re traveling with friends and want to be downtown for a few days - see the Petronas Twin Towers, visit the museum, etc.After some internet searching and asking around, I booked three rooms at the Traders Hotel in KL’s City Centre. I’ve had a couple good experiences over the years at the Traders’ in Singapore, and the price for the KL branch was really reasonable.
Best.Deal.Ever.
Way cool, way cheap. Great location in the center of the city. Everything is a stone’s throw away and there’s even a little hotel-shuttle-golf-cart-thingy that runs you around the neighborhood. The staff are extremely helpful in arranging excursions, drivers, reservations, etc. Rooms are spacious and well appointed. The roof top pool and bar is ultra slick, but comfy with an expansive view of the city spreading out in all directions.This is a great city hotel.I’ll stay there again at my first opportunity.
Several people have asked us for current Singapore recommendations.In no particular order, here are some places we think are worth a stop.
Loof:Hidden in plain sight on top of an office building right across from the Raffles Hotel is the bar Loof.It’s made up in seriously contemporary style with lots of gray steel and pop culture iconography, but the crowd and staff maintain a chill vibe (the self mocking name probably helps them avoid being too solemn about their cool).The roof-top setting hovering just above the street fray makes it an oasis in the midst of the bustling Raffles City area. A great place to start or end an evening.
Loof
331 North Bridge Road #03-07
Odeon Towers Extension Rooftop
Singapore 188720
+65 6338 8035
http://www.loof.com.sg/rooftopbar/
Cookie Museum:Located right inside the ultra-modern Esplanade, this odd little shop is awash in Victorian tea-time décor.They push pricey cakes and flower-painted cups of tea in an over-the-top vision of what English ladies might have enjoyed 100 years ago while back in London from the colonies.Most of that stuff looks quite good actually, but that’s not why we stop.What draws us back is the constantly shifting menu of dozens of different dainty but full flavored cookies.Many of them are classic interpretations of fruit and nut and such.But their baking crew also has a funky side that emerges in odd-ball flavor combinations.Tins of lavender or rose or lemongrass or sardine orcurry cookies are stacked around the shop.Their tasting cart contains samples of everything in the shop, and the staff will walk you through endless permutations to find something that suits you.In our experience, the weirder the flavor sounds, the more our friends back home dig it.Our buddy AS found that the curry-almond cookies in particular made a perfect pairing with prosecco, and she demanded a resupply.Unfortunately, on this visit we found that flavor discontinued.We’re hoping the nasi lemak version makes the grade for weird-but-wonderful.
The Cookie Museum
8 Raffles Avenue,
#01-02/04 Esplanade Mall
Singapore 039802
+65 6333 1965
Din Tai Fung:When I was a kid, xiao long bao, the classic Shanghainese miniature soup-filled dumplings, were virtually impossible to find in the United States.Thus, to this day I get giddy at the prospect of digging into a steamer-full of these comforting treats.The Taiwanese dumpling chain Din Tai Fung has a number of locations in Singapore these days, but my favorite is still the one in the basement of Paragon right on Orchard Road.There’s always a line, and it’s always worth the wait.While you wait, you get to watch hordes of masked chefs on the other side of the glass kitchen walls turning out numberless tiny dumplings by hand – a pinch of meat filling, a bit of broth, a twist of wrist sealing up the thin skin, and the little bundles of goodness are on the way. Yum, yum, YUM!
Here’s LG getting his dumpling on with good form.
Din Tai Fung - Paragon Shopping Centre
290 Orchard Road
#B1-03/06 Paragon Shopping Centre
Singapore 238859
+65 6836 8336
Maxwell Food Centre:Nothing presents everything that’s right about Singapore more concisely than a good hawker center.While lots of the best tend to be out in the residential suburbs, the one in the heart of Chinatown along Maxwell Road more than holds its own (as opposed to dummed down locations like Newton Circus).Go.Browse. Order anything that looks good. Look for vendors with long lines. Ask anyone eating something yummy looking where they got it.
Maxwell Food Centre
intersection of South Bridge Road and Maxwell Roads
Crystal Jade:We tend to give Pleen’s parents some grief for their unchanging loyalty to the dim sum at Crystal Jade’s Ngee Ann City location.Whenever they’re in town, they only seem to eat here.They never branch out.You can’t swing a dead cat in Singapore without hitting a dozen dim sum joints.Who knows what they might be missing!?Well this time round, we were determined to give other options a chance.We asked several Singaporeans friends about alternatives in the Orchard Road area.Surprisingly, a consensus quickly emerged.“Try the dim sum at East Ocean Teochew Restaurant,” people said.OK. Off we went to Scotts Road with our buddies L&NG.With all due respect to our recomenders, this was a wasted meal.The execution of the classic dim sum dishes lacked refinement.The quality of ingredients was clearly lower.Even without their impressive atmosphere and service, Crystal Jade is superior and worth the cost premium on taste alone.It’s all about the food.If you’ve got limited opportunities for dim sum, don’t waste them on an inferior competitor – head over to Crystal Jade and tuck in. Mom & Dad were right!
Good news for weary travelers.If you’re passing through Singapore’s Changi Airport, Maker’s Mark bourbon is now available in the Duty Free.Although Loretto, Kansas may be 12 time zones away, now you can recover from your flight with a proper drink in the hotel room.
For a long time, Singapore has been one of our favorite places. But, as is often the case with someplace you know well, there are a lot of things we never get around to doing. This time, however, we’re traveling with some friends who have never been to the Lion City before. And thus, we’ve actually included a lot of the stuff that we might normally dismiss. And guess what - in Singapore, the touristy things don’t suck! Among our favorites: Singapore Flyer: Singapore’s answer to the London Eye, this 165 meter ferris wheel offers a grand view of the lower half of the island – the financial district, port, east coast parks, and the hodgepodge of ships laying at anchor. The tickets are pretty reasonably priced and it makes for a lovely start to an evening. We reserved our seats for sunset before heading off to dinner on our last night. Singapore Flyer 30 Raffles Avenue, #01-07 Singapore 039803 +65 6854 5200 http://www.singaporeflyer.com/en
Singapore Visitors Centre: The Singapore Tourism Board maintains several visitors’ centers around town, but we have the most experience with the one on Orchard Road. Set up right in the middle of everything where Cairnhill Road intersects Orchard, this place is much more than an information counter. While browsing the gazillion informative brochures, you can soak up the air conditioning, get cold drink of water, give your feet and calves an automated massage, use a high speed internet connection – all for free. The staff can answer questions in multiple languages and make reservations for you directly (we bought our tickets for the Singapore Flyer there). There’s even a cute café adjacent. This is an awesome resource.
Singapore Visitors Centre @ Orchard junction of Cairnhill Road and Orchard Road http://visitsingapore.com/publish/stbportal/en/home/about_singapore/singapore_visitors0/singapore_visitors.html Singapore Art Museum: We wandered into the SAM to kill a bit of time on a rainy morning and ended up having to tear ourselves away. Situated in a lovely old colonial building, the visiting exhibit of contemporary Korean art was a welcome surprise – innovative and arresting work. Someone at SAM is doing a great job of finding compelling stuff. The staff were also awesome. When we asked where we could find a cab given the rain, the response was “If you’ll just wait over there, I’d be happy to call one for you”. Singapore Art Museum 71 Bras Basah Road Singapore 189555 +65 6332 3222 http://www.singart.com/
Last night in town. Can’t leave without chili crab from Long Beach. Turns out the original location on the east coast off the airport road is gone. They’ve opened at Dempsey Road.
Crap! The food’s probably gone to hell.
We cab over to the redeveloped former barracks now studded with wine bars and galleries. I’m preparing for disappointment.
Guess again.Despite the posh surroundings (and clientele!), the meal is to-die-for.The veggies are smoky emerald goodness.The bamboo clams succulent with mounds of garlic.But let’s not kid – we’re here for the crab.We’re looking to make an impression on the two kilo Sri Lankan monsters trying to crawl out of the tanks over there.No more small talk.Bring them to us!
The first one appears resplendent in a sauce of crushed black peppercorns (crab au poivre if you like). The platter’s so laden that the server can barely control its fall onto the table. There's a cheer from our table. Chopsticks flash. The sweetness of the crab meat hits like a physical force - the accent of the black pepper almost too much to bear. Someone ’s moaning - I hope it's not me.
Another pitcher of beer appears. Conversation dulls. I’m aware of Ricky sucking the sauce off of an emptied claw. Now a second crab. Big as the first, but dowsed in the classic sweet red chili gravy. Roasted buns to sop up the sauce.
The table is fully focused.Pleen’s not speaking.
Soon enough we’re licking the bottom of the platter. More beer. Some deep breaths and perhaps a sigh. Nini’s wiping sauce from under her nails.
A few looks are exchanged.A nod.Mute agreement.Pleen’s rapid-fire Cantonese grabs the head waitress.She makes for the kitchen.Another armored carapace departs tank for wok.
Arriving at the table minutes later, this preparation is new to us.Colossal claws rising from the platter are dressed in creamy Sarawak white pepper.I’m swooning.The flight here takes 20 hours.This single crab is reason enough buy the ticket.
Drained from the taste buds down. Grinning like drunks. We stumble out of the restaurant to take a poor man’s tour of the island on the way home.The #174 bus offers an air-conditioned top deck view of the lights of Orchard Road for $1.It drops us a couple blocks from the hotel and we shamble to our rooms to sleep off the crab.We’re bound for Kuala Lumpur tomorrow!
First night in town.Cab over to Little India and grab a table at Banana Leaf Apollo.It’s a Friday night so we have to shove a little.I haven’t been here in probably a decade.Curry, crowds, cold beer - nothing's changed.Despite the lines of foreign tourists due to the “must try” status in all guide books, the food is good, the service fast, and the joint itself is full of energy.
I'm feeling a little conflicted bringing our buddies L&NG to such a touristy spot for their first dinner in town. All the talk about authentic street food and I've brought them here?
Mid rumination, a face in the crowd distracts me. The guy sitting at the table behind me looks familiar.I squint. As he gets up to leave I finally realize it’s K.F. Seetoh, creator of the Makansutra empire of dining guides, food venues, and tours. I stare at this renowned advocate of all that is the Singapore food scene.
He notices us looking and tosses a nod and a smile.A pal of Tony Bourdain’s, an ambassador of good Singaporean eats, chowing down at a tourist destination?And then it hits me. Sure he’s here.The food’s damn good! It's that simple.
Banana Leaf Apollo
54/56/58 Race Course Road
Singapore 218570
+65 6293-8682
http://www.thebananaleafapolo.com/
Makansutra - Celebrating Asian food culture and lifestyle
Since mom & dad tend to keep us on a 3 hours feeding schedule when we’re here, listing the contents of every meal would be challenging (to say nothing of tedious). Here are some examples/highlights. First night’s dinner: There was a multi-course meal waiting for us in the kitchen when we arrived at ~ 1:30am the first night, but we were too far gone to snap photos. Our first sit-down dinner together, was the next night. It was a seemingly simple meal of noodles, veggies, and fruit. But the ingredients and level of effort bear some rumination. The noodles are Cantonese smooth fried noodles with egg & seafood. The rice noodles are made by a guy down the street in the morning, the prawns are fresh from the market, the squid is dad’s catch from a recent trip. Mom then combines all this goodness with a deft hand and careful technique to concoct a dish where the gentle flavors come through, but the textures may be even more important.
The noodles are like silk with a slight firmness thanks to a fry in a seriously hot wok (note the brown caramelized streaks – yumm). The prawns and squid still retain their snap, but the flesh itself is smooth and just-cooked through. The “gravy” sheaths everything; smooth and thin – NEVER gloopy. The combined effect is airy comfort food. The chilies served alongside are fiery but flavorful – adding a zing as counterpoint to the softness of the dish. After being sliced, they are marinated in a bit of light oyster sauce and kumquat juice to introduce some fragrant sweetness alongside their bite.
The veggies are the freshest baby bok choy given the simplest of preparations: tossed in a hot wok with aromatic ginger and then just slightly steamed at the end of their cooking. Their white stalks are soft and firm like the noodles; the ends a welcome element of leafy goodness. And then there’s desert. Or, “Mango Fest” as we call it. Although not always about just mango, this part of dinner is always about a newspaper-covered table, incredibly good fruit, and dad with a REALLY sharp knife. There are three types of mango on offer tonight; all remarkably different. The yellow one on the left is Thai with ultra firm flesh and a refined flavor. The orange one next to it is a harumanis; an Indonesian strain grown in Malaysia - heady and super sweet. Finally, the monster sized one on the right is a local hybrid (we think it’s crossed with some of the huge but flavorless Australian mangos) that has a bit of mango-y flavor and a light sweetness. Just for scale, let’s note that although Pleen’s sister SC isn’t all that big, just the SEED of that monster mango is the size of her head! Breakfast of champions: This was breakfast this morning, but it’s emblematic of each morning here for us.
For Pleen, it’s a peanut pancake - a childhood favorite. A thin pancake sprinkled liberally with a crushed peanut and sugar mixture. The outside is crispy, but the very next layer is chewy-gooey & sweet. A wonderfully simple delicious treat. That's one happy eater!
For me, it’s a bowl of fresh rice noodles & mixed yong tau foo (“stuffed beancurd”) all smothered in curry sauce. The sauce offers hot and spicy flavors set against the richness of coconut milk. It enhances the earthy goodness of the fried tofu chunks studded with bits of seafood or veggie (in this case, roasted eggplant) and counterpoints the cool softness of the rice noodles. Along with a cup of kopi – local coffee roasted in an oil-filled wok, coarsely ground, filtered through a tea sock, and mixed with condensed milk – this breakfast costs about US$1.50. OUTSTANDING!!
The staging town for visiting the Angkor Wat temples, Siem Reap is becoming something of a destination in itself.We spent a few days there.Here are some of our take-aways.
Hotel:
We were REALLY pleased with Viroth’s Hotel.Tinny, stylish, and comfortable, it felt like our own little oasis tucked into a corner of the cacophony.The price was reasonable and the quality of the rooms and service was high (“Tsai” is a particularly great resource for arranging anything in town).Moreover, we really dug the location.Many of the growing number of international standard hotels are on the outskirts of town along the main road.That’s fine, but being right in town proximate to the Old Market was much more fun.The croissants they serve for breakfast on the roof top are brought over from the Blue Pumpkin bakery in town and are particularly yummy.
Honestly, if I were going to consider spending more, I’d go all out and stay at either the Hotel de la Paix (http://www.hoteldelapaixangkor.com/) or the Amansara (http://www.amansara.com/).These are both beautiful ultra-high end luxury joints in the
center of town and I’m sure they’re worth the $$.We had dinner one night at the restaurant inside Hotel de la Paix (“Meric”).It was probably equal to what we spent on every other dinner in town combined and it was absolutely lovely.The food was world class.The setting was spectacular, and the service was great.
However, high end dinning is not why we were in Siem Reap.We really enjoyed several other places.
Restaurants
Khmer Kitchen:There are several places called “Khmer Kitchen”.Not sure if they’re all under the same ownership.The one we liked was along “Pub Street Alley”/“Food Alley” which runs between the Old Market and Pub Street (northwest of the market - the side opposite the water).All the dishes were fresh and crazy cheap.We particularly liked the morning glory w/shrimp.
Angkor Palm:We had a great dinner at this joint facing the Old Market on the northeast side
(http://www.angkorpalm.com/).It’s just an air-coned version of pretty much the same Khmer food served elsewhere (with the addition of a wine list), but it was all good.The owner was engaged, hands on, and made sure we had everything we needed.It’s people like him and our guide John Teng who are going to build an economic future for Cambodia.
Aha:This place looked like exactly the kind of joint we didn’t want.At the southwest end of Pub Street Alley connected to the McDermott Gallery. Highly hip and far too slick to be much about their food.WRONG!They’re doing great fusion-ish food in their little glassed-in central kitchen.These are global “tapas” that are more than just a mishmash.Moreover, the service was impressive.Kind and easy going, but on-the-ball attentive.Found out later that they’re owned by the crew from Hotel de la Paix.
Viroth’s Restaurant:Around the corner from the hotel along Wat Bo Road, this place serves Khmer food done to a high standard in a lovely setting.After a hot & sweaty morning exploring the ruins, it feels like an oasis for lunch.(http://www.viroth-hotel.com/restaurant.php)
FCC Angkor:We never got over to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (http://www.fcccambodia.com/angkor/).We heard it was a great place for an evening cocktail and perhaps dinner.Looked really fun.
Snack: Across the street from the Old Market on the southwest side, there’s an open front store doing these palm sugar, tapioca, coconut, black sesame cookie/pancake-things.Thin pancake done on a hot griddle, then rolled into a tube.They sell them in packages, but buy one off the griddle to nibble as you walk the market.Yummy.
No-go List:
Chamkar: Veggie place in Pub Street Alley.Inconsistent, SLOW (as in 1.5 hours between order and service).We had a seriously shitty interaction with the French manager.
Cambodian BBQ:Cute spot in Pub Street Alley.The food was boring with relatively high
prices.
Must-do:
The damn temples are so beautiful that it’s hard to come up with a list of must-go places.We certainly enjoyed Les Artisans d'Angkor school (http://www.artisansdangkor.com/). It’s a French backed facility that recruits rural kids, teaches them traditional Khmer craft, and then employs them making stuff to fund the school.If you want to do some shopping, buy here; both to support the program and because of the quality and price.
I felt that the Cambodian Land Mine Museum & Relief Facility (http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org/) was extremely well done.Our guide mentioned that there was a government run “official” museum that was crappy so I’d make sure to get to the one run by Aki Ra.
Guide:
I can’t speak highly enough about the guide we hired, John Teng.He was
knowledgeable, reliable, flexible, and very reasonable.If you think you could use a guide for the temples, for transport, etc., John’s the dude.
John Teng
(+855) 12 995 977, (+855) 16 518 888
johnangkor@yahoo.com
http://www.angkorservice.com
*Note:Many of the photos here were taken by our friend Ken Girardini.As a rule, the good ones are his.If they suck they’re mine.
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