Singapore a la carte

From its beginnings as a humble fishing village to the bustling tiger economy it is today, Singapore has always been uniquely different. A bridge between the East and West, it has evolved today as a vibrant melting pot of peoples with different cultures, cuisines and religions, living in perfect harmony; where age-old traditions are observed hand-in-hand with cutting-edge innovations. It is a place brimming with energy and bursting with exciting events year round. Whether it’s shopping, culture, entertainment or gas-tronomy you’re after, there’s plenty to discover in this unique island paradise.

1. In ancient times, Singapore was known as Temasek, a Javanese word for sea. Prince Sang Nila Utama of the Sri Vijaya Empire rediscovered the island in the 11th century A.D. When the Prince first landed on Singapore’s shores, he sighted a mystical beast which he later learned was a lion. The Prince then decided to name the island "Singapura" which in Sanskrit means Lion (Singa) City (Pura). The Merlion, which has a lion head and a fish body resting on a crest of waves, was adapted as Singapore’s symbol. The lion head symbolizes the legend of the rediscovery of Singapura, while the fish tail the ancient city of Temasek represents Singapore’s humble beginnings as a fishing village.

2. Esplanade — Theaters on the Bay is Singapore’s premier art center located at the Marina Bay. It was designed by world-renowned acoustician Russell Johnson. Since its opening in October 2002 at a cost of S$600 million, the Esplanade has become one of the country’s architectural icons as well as a world-class performing arts center. It’s fondly called the durian by the locals due to its spiked-roof aluminum shingles.

3. Esplanade’s cutting edge design makes it truly an architectural wonder of the 21st century. Each of the thousands of triangular aluminum roof spike shingles are positioned at different angles to deflect the sunrays whole day through. This makes the interior a few degrees cooler than the outside. The concert hall is actually a structure in itself, which in turn houses under a larger structure the spiked-roof stadium. This makes for a more effective sound-proof concert hall.

4. The Martians are coming! Just kidding. It’s actually the acoustic canopy of the concert hall of the Esplanade. It is one of the features, together with reverberating chambers and acoustic curtains, which enable the hall to effortlessly adapt to different music styles and to provide optimum sound quality.

5. The Perfect Forest by Wang Ruobing is a thought-provoking art installation at the concourse steps of the Esplanade. The artist built her "perfect forest" using basic material such as wood. This "perfect ecosystem" for natural living habitat is severed from the food chain, devoid of dirt, rotten leaves, worms and insects. But ironically, is it the perfect forest after all?

6. Students from the Chung Cheng High School make a final rehearsal for a performance at the Esplanade celebrating the Chinese mid-autumn festival.

7. SingArt — A Brush with Lions features a series of unique lion statues displayed at public areas all over Singapore. They were designed by different prominent personalities from the arts, entertainment, sports, business, medicine and public service. The person was free to paint, embellish, accessorize the lion to express his own artistic vision, to make a statement or simply amuse.

8. The author shares a meal with two life-size coolie sculptures having their lunch break at the Esplanade’s courtyard.

9. Proud to be Pinoy – The Alkaff Bridge at the Quayside was painted with bright circular motif by our very own Pacita Abad during her three-month artist-in-residence grant by the Singapore Tyler Print Institute in 2001.

10. Philippine National Artist Napoleon Abueva’s magnum opus Balanghai sits magnificently at the Asean Sculpture Garden at Fort Canning Park. It was unveiled in 1982 by the late Carlos P. Romulo, then our foreign affairs secretary.

11. Bebe Seet prides herself on the impeccable craftsmanship that is the hallmark of her beaded slippers, handbags and kebayas or traditional embroidered nonya dresses.

12. Peranakan or Malayan Straits architecture developed as a distinct style of early 1900s island dwellings, with louvered windows for cross-ventilation, colored glass transoms, and Spanish decorative tiles imbedded in the columns and façade. This house on Koon Seng Road is one of many that have been preserved and are still lived in.

13. This colorful ethnic area called Little India that used to be a marshland and grazing area for cattle would make one think he’s in the heart of India. There are shops galore selling intricately woven jasmine garlands, packets of curry mixes and spices, handicrafts and bargain shopping. For the more adventurous, a vegetarian snack is a must-try or eat with your hands for a south Indian meal off a banana leaf plate.

14. This row of century-old shop houses in Chinatown is given a facelift, consistent with the government’s effort in preserving its architectural heritage. They were instituted by Stamford Raffles, the British founder of modern Singapore in 1819. Commonly a two-to three-level structure, the ground floor is reserved as a commercial shop, with a five-foot aisle set apart for pedestrians. The upper floors used to be the shop owners’ residence.

15. The old Chinese Opera House in Chinatown

16. The Goodwood Park Hotel (our home during our four-day stay) was built in 1900, fashioned after the castles on the Rhine River. It was originally built as a clubhouse for the German community residing in Singapore.

17. A Vietnam War surplus amphibious vehicle is made to good use to transport tourists on a wacky sightseeing heritage tour on land and sea called the DuckTours, the first and only one in all of Asia.

18. The massive reforestation and beautification program of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew has made Singapore what it is today – not just a bustling metropolis but an island paradise for plant and flower lovers as well.

19. The scenic glass-bottom cable ride from Mount Faber to Sentosa Island crosses the harbor, hovering above the Star Virgo and the ferry terminal in the distance.

20. Zoo zoo train ride at Singapore Zoo.

21. Orang utan (or man of the jungle in Malay) Mama Anita and three-year-old son Veera taking time out for a photo op at the Singapore zoo.

22. Snake charmer Sue with a 20-foot- long python.

23. Enter the Dragon – this rare, yellow leafy weed-like sea dragon can be viewed at the Underwater World. It is a relative of the seahorse resembling a floating seaweed and feeds on tiny shrimps.

24. Elephant bananas at the Spice Garden of the Fort Canning Park can grow to as much as 12 inches long.

25. Durian – the "king of all fruits" at Geylang Road fruit market.

26. A pre-war Chinese tea house setting is recreated at the Chinatown Heritage Center on Pagoda Street. Housed in three restored shophouses, the center showcases the lifestyles, traditions and rituals of the early Chinese immigrants in Singapore.

27. Char kway teow is a popular noodle dish originally known as a poor man’s meal made with flat rice noodles fried in lard and flavored with dark soy sauce. Over time, it has evolved into a sophisticated dish with bean sprouts, prawns, fish cake, Chinese sausage and eggs added.

28. Toward the end of the 19th century, the Chinese traders who settled in Malacca, Penang and later Singapore, intermarried with the local Malay women, leading to the creation of a new community called Straits Chinese or Peranakan. The men were known as "Babas" and the women "nonyas." Peranakan cuisine thus evolved from the harmonious blending of Chinese and Malay cooking techniques in food preparation and the deft use of coconut milk, spices and aromatic roots in the Malay and Indonesian traditions. Above was our lunch of typical Peranakan cuisine at the Blue Ginger Restaurant consisting of (clockwise from top): fried tofu nonya style, achar or pickled vegetables, Kueh pie tee (appetizer of shredded bamboo shoots, turnips and shrimps in a crispy flour cup) and beef rending (red stew).

29. Desmond shows the different spices used in making their popular ba chang or sticky rice dumplings at the Kim Choo Kueh Chang.

30. Ba Chang or sticky rice dumpling is a traditional Peranakan snack taken with tea. This nonya ba chang from the Kim Choo Kueh Chang is filled with ground lean pork, candied wintermelon and Chinese mushrooms. It is wrapped in bamboo leaves and boiled for three hours. The cigar-size otah, on the other hand, is made with mashed de-boned mackerel, coconut milk, chili, onion, lemongrass and turmeric. The paste is wrapped in coconut leaves, then grilled over charcoal, resulting in a fragrant savory treat eaten as a snack with bread, an appetizer, or with rice in a meal.

31. Hot off the tandoori oven – Chef Patil offers freshly baked nan bread at the Indian restaurant Rang Mahal.

32. Roti prata is a croissant-like fried bread from south India. The wheat flour dough is tossed and stretched repeatedly till it is paper thin, then it is folded over many times resulting in a multi-layered pancake. When fried on a hot oily griddle, it is marked with brown spots, crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. It is usually eaten with a curry gravy in a meal, or sprinkled with sugar for a sweet snack. Roti is the Malay word for bread.

33. A huge influence of the Indian community is the introduction of the different curries and flat breads, like this huge fish head curry, a must-try at the Race Course road in Little India. It is best eaten with plain rice or roti prata, with your hands, of course.

34. This famous Black Pepper Crab was created and served first at the multi-awarded Long Beach seafood restaurant.

35. Hainanese chicken rice is one of the top 10 local favorites consisting of delicately boiled chicken, rice cooked with the chicken stock, and a dipping sauce of grated ginger, chili paste and soy sauce.

36. Laksa is one of those dishes Singaporeans living overseas dream about when they miss home. It is a spicy concoction made with rice flour noodles, curry soup made with coconut milk, herbs and spices, and topped with prawns and fish cake.

37. Frog’s legs with ginger and spring onion at the Sinma Live Seafood on Geylang Road.

38. Empanada making at 1A Crispy Curry Puff at the Takashimaya food plaza.

39. Steamed bamboo shells is another one of the many seafood dishes Long Beach Seafood Restaurant is known for.

40. Ice kacang is the local version of our halo-halo and more. A mound of shaved ice is topped with a myriad of jellies, red beans, corn, and other fruits, and finally smothered with a sweet syrup. Ice chendol, on the other hand, is a coconut milk drink mixed with gula melaka (brown sugar), green tapioca strips and red beans.

41. A delightful dessert at the Terrace Restaurant of the Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa resort consisting of a coconut and lemongrass tart with a creamy chocolate ice cream.

42. Located on the western tip of Sentosa Island, Shargri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort is Singapore’s only beachfront hotel. Its general manager, Ben Bousnina, is no stranger to Filipinos, having managed Shangri-La’s Mactan Island resort in the past, and having with him as director of sales and marketing our kabayan Ogie Manuel.

43. The legendary Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel

44. Singapore Sling was invented at the Raffle Hotel’s Long Bar, where probably the only place in the whole of Singapore where littering is encouraged. Well, actually, the customer is allowed to brush off to the floor the complimentary bowl of roasted peanuts’ shells.

45. Ultra fun colors at New Asia Bar at the penthouse of the Equinox at the Swissôtel Stamford.

46. Naughty, naughty! These innocent-looking drinks at the New Asia Bar have such impish names as Pussy Boy, Silk Panties, Pussy Foot, Lacey Doc and Pain Killer. Guess which one is called the Sperm Bank?