Bak Kut Teh

At last! I have been interested in trying out this local dish for about six months, and finally I did. Hurrah!

Bak Kut Teh 肉骨茶 means literally 'meat bone tea'. It's actually a watery soup, containing pork ribs that have been slowly simmered in a concoction of herbs and spices. The 'teh' part refers to the Chinese tea which is served as an accompanying drink. (Apparently Chinese oolong tea helps the body deal with ingested fat... must buy some for the kitchen. And my guess is that despite its watery appearance, Bak Kut Teh might not be a low-calorie meal!)

There are several types of Bak Kut Teh, originating in different regions of China. The one we had was Teochew style - a pale broth with a peppery tang. But there's also a Hokkien one, which has dark broth and a more herby flavour. There are probably more, even here in Singapore.

I actually found this dish pretty yummy. The broth was particularly nice - a strong taste that was a little salty, a little fennel-y, a little herby. It's not a 'hot spicy' dish, although like many meals in Asia, it comes with raw chilli as an optional condiment. The meat was very tender - takes a bit of handling to eat these ribs with chopsticks even so! - and had a very mild flavour. I actually added a little soy for more taste.

Five of us were eating - a Japanese, Indonesian, Korean, British combo - and luckily we had one expert who ordered side dishes too. These were salted (slightly pickled?) veg; steeped, slightly sweet, flavoursome groundnuts; braised tofu skin; and my favourite, fried bits of dough - you char kway - which you dip into the soup to absorb the flavour before eating. If you're eating Bak Kut Teh for the first time with friends, I recommend the side dishes for variety.

The tea we had was served partly using the traditional Chinese tea ceremony technique (see Nov 2012's A Chinese Tea Ceremony ) It was pretty strong stuff, actually. And the the tiny thimbles we were given to drink from were ample!

You Char Kway or 'youtiao'

You can find Teochew style Bak Kut Teh at Song Fa, 11 New Bridge Road, Singapore.

Photo credit: Yopi

Taxi taxi teksi

I've been having some most variable experiences with cabs recently. So here's a comparison of the services in three cities I have lived/worked in long enough to know!

1. London, UK
You have a couple of taxi choices here:

Black Cabs
These are the famous ones, and you flag them down in the street. If you hail a black cab you can be pretty sure that your driver will both know London geography really well (they have to take a stringent test called 'the knowledge' to get their cabbie license) and he/she will be trustworthy. They work on a meter system.

BUT black cabs in London are monumentally expensive! A 20 min ride between my office and house in London zone 2 would cost me about £20 (SGD40). Basically, unless you are really stuck - or really rich (or can claim everything back from your office!) - locals rarely take black cabs in London. Traditionally people are supposed to tip drivers of black cabs too. Locals mostly don't any more. It's too expensive! And (especially given the point below) I am not sure what the tip is really for.

Also most taxi-drivers (of all types of cab) will now refuse to help you with luggage. They won't even get out of their seat. Something about 'health and safety'. If you have a lot of suitcases, or back trouble - be warned!

Ordered mini cabs
If you know you have to go somewhere at a set time, or need to be collected at home, you can order a cab in advance. You get given the fixed, quoted fee on the phone when you order. Usually you need to wait at least 20 minutes for a minicab. These cabs are a little bit cheaper than black cabs and they aren't the famous design. They are regular cars, called minicabs. There are many reputable minicab companies - the big ones like Addison Lee are reliable. If you want a decent, local one, you SMS a police number, or use their phone app to get details of safe minicab firms in your area.

Minicab drivers usually won't help you with luggage either!

Minicabs 'off the street'
The reason there is a police text service as above, is that alongside the reputable minicab firms, there are unreputable ones, which take on drivers without checking their records. There have been many cases of rape and robbery involving these cab drivers. If you are male or female, please do not risk using minicabs which have not been recommended by the police. If you need to flag down a taxi, get a Black Cab. It might cost more, but you will be a lot safer!

Handy link: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gettingaround/taxiprivatehire/default.aspx

2. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Having worked in and visited KL on many occasions, there is one simple rule to travelling there: do not use the cabs (the local word is 'teksi'). The one exception being the pre-paid airport transfer teksi from KLIA.

Otherwise, these guys will swindle you left, right and centre. They are supposed to operate on meters, but if you are foriegn or even speak local languages with a foreign accent, they will do their best to charge you some exorbitant, made-up fee for your journey. You can ask them to turn on the meter (which they are supposed to by law) but this can lead to heated and unpleasant arguments. I simply won't go near Malaysian cabs any more for these reasons.

Two particularly bad journeys include: a hostile driver who drove me miles away from my destination / route one night (I'm fairly savvy and well-travelled, but was genuinely scared on this occasion!); and having to angrily exit a cab at a traffic light after the driver turned off his meter and told me 'for you, 50 dollars' (for a regular trip that cost RM10). It's a huge pity, as there must also be genuine cabbies in Kuala Lumpur trying to make a living. I have had one or two good, honest ones, and they will help you with suitcases etc. But sadly the dodgy ones are so common I would strongly disadvise anyone - particularly tourists - from using 'teksi'.

Luckily these days there are efficient and affordable monorail and MRT systems, which serve most of central KL. Use these.

3. Singapore
I have always been pleasantly surprised by Singapore cab services. By UK standards they are very cheap, and by Malaysian standards, they are very honest. I've even heard of passengers leaving their smart-phone in a cab and the driver making the effort to contact them and drop the phone at their office!

Taxi drivers will help you with luggage, and they don't expect a tip - even though the fares are so reasonable it is well worth giving one. Also, having worked in transport here, I know that the cab drivers often have to cover large overheads to get a license, and take home tiny salaries compared to UK cabbies. So if your Sing driver is good, do tip!

The issue here, however, is actually getting a cab. There are several well-known taxi operators here (Yellowtop, Comfort, SMRT etc) and you can either flag a cab down, or order. But at certain times (eg after 9pm, or when it's raining!) it can be next to impossible to get one from any provider. Having said this, it's certainly a lot easier now than it was eight years ago when I worked here.

Also, I have noticed that cab drivers' knowledge of Singapore streets is polarised. Hopefully you'll get a savvy one (I am guessing these are local Singaporeans). But if you get a less-savvy driver, the chances are they don't even know how to get to big, central landmarks. So it's a little pot-luck from this angle!

And if you can speak English with a heavy Singaporean accent, you will find it a lot easier to reach your destination! I've now perfected my route to work in 'Singlish'. If you can speak Mandarin, Hokkien, Teochew (or sometimes Malay) even better!

Handy link: http://www.taxisingapore.com/

Happy travelling!


Image credits: Wikimedia, singaporeshots.com

Nosh of the Day: maple pudding

Oh my! Yum. I bought this from a Japanese-does-Western eaterie. These are not strictly Japanese outlets trying to impersonate Western food, but - if you get a good one - more a Japanese take on Western food*. (For example there is a whole range of pasta dishes, which are delicious Japanese variants.. spaghetti carbonara but done with mentaiko - spicy cod roe - instead of bacon, for example.)

Anyway, I've never heard of maple pudding in the West. But I think it's time it was introduced! Very tasty indeed! Basically a kind of custard with a light maple flavour, topped with cream and fruit. Highly recommended.

*There are also a couple of places in Singapore at least, which are seemingly Japanese and trying to do Western style directly - these are generally NOT yum and worth avoiding!

Find maple pudding at: Dulcet & Studio, Liang Court, River Valley Road, Singapore.

Singapore: tiles in Chinatown

Yesterday I took myself off for a cake in my one of my favoured Chinatown cafes. And was struck by all these lovely tiles in the area.

Chinatown (yes, the region where, historically, the largest concentration of Chinese lived - it's easy to forget that Singapore was once part of Malaya.. and then ruled by the British) now seems to have three personalities:

1. Total tourist hub for foreigners, selling fun junk for souvenirs (most of which have nothing to do with Singapore)
2. An original, local-style Chinese part where people get on with their lives and don't seem to understand my English (or my Mandarin - though that seems to be universal.. poss more study required! ^^)
3. A maze of old shop-house streets, nicely converted into slightly hip/yuppie-fied restaurants, cafes and design studios.

I was in part 3.

Singapore, given its history and location, is a mish-mash of architectural styles. But the tiles here are most probably influenced by Peranakan style - which in turn took elements from colonial Portuguese and Dutch styles in the region. (See Nyonya deco shopfronts in Singapore  and The Peranakan Museum ) 

The more geometric patterns look very Western-influenced (maybe from the 1960's or 70's? There are some art-deco buildings in the area too, so perhaps these geometric patterns are from even earlier?)

Anyway, yuppie or not, it's nice that Singapore has areas like this, where old architecture is restored and put to good use. Some other countries (take note Malaysia!) went through a whole period of tearing down anything old to put up new concrete blocks. Everything has an evolution, but sometimes it's nice to retain a bit of history too!

(You can click on pix - which Blogger will no doubt have loaded in a weird way - to see them in larger format.)



 

 

Nosh of the Day: Green beans in some kind of sauce

Apparently the sauce is made from tofu and goma (sesame) among other things. You eat it cold, like a salad. Quite nice. It probably has a proper name in Japanese - I'll try to find out!

 

 

Find this dish at: Tampopo Deli, Basement at Liang Court, River Valley Road, Singapore.

Chinese New Year 2013

New Year Snake lanterns, in Chinatown, Singapore

新年快乐 (xin nian kuai le) everyone! Today is Chinese New Year. Or rather, it is the first day, and ONE of the many festival days of CNY. I think there around 14 with significance overall. In Singapore we have the weekend, then this coming Monday / Tuesday as public holidays. (And it's tipping with rain, so I am writing my blog!)

As some of you probably know, this is Lunar New Year (and also Spring Festival) as celebrated by Chinese across the globe (the Vietnamese have Tet around the same day, and there are others). It's probably the biggest festival on the calendar in East Asia. Because of the massive diversity among Chinese communities internationally, there are a trillion different variations on how CNY is celebrated, with some central themes. (A bit like Christmas in the West). So I am going to just stick to Singapore's celebrations for now!

CNY here IS like Christmas in the UK. There are decorations everywhere (usually in lucky red/gold), a big buildup, with stores pushing their wares and deals for CNY. All the big global chains cash in. There are certain traditional foods eaten over the festive period, so suddenly stores are filled with oranges and pineapple cookies; and there are ads up everywhere for abalone. (This is an edible shellfish btw - I hadn't actually clocked this before!) Sinagpore's entire retail hemisphere is encrusted with words like 'Prosperity' and 'Lucky'.

Singapore is a retail and food nirvana, and so despite public holidays, nothing much actually stops for regular New Year (1 Jan) or for Eid, Divali, or Christmas. But it does for CNY. I was rather banking on Japanese and other international outlets being open. Most are not! Last night we visited the bustling (and slightly posh) City Hall mall, to find 3/4 of it shut down. Supermarkets (local and international) are closed too. The only reliable exceptions seem to be MacDonalds, Starbucks, 7-11 and their compatriots. (Fast food dinner today then!) To be honest, just like at Christmas in the UK, I am a bit stuck to know what to do! Friends are around but it's raining heavily and the shops are shut. (Apparently Little India is still alive - we might go there. At least transport still operates in Singapore!)

As an outsider seeing ads and newspapers, CNY appears to be both an interesting ancient tradition, and a joyous time when Asian families get together in magical harmony. Asians are better at the family harmony thing, after all, right? But I am reliably informed by Singaporean colleagues that there is stressful retail pressure to buy gifts (not to mention pineapple cookies and abalone!) And that CNY is the time when families are pressured to be together and often have arguments. The Christmas family argument is almost part of our tradition in the UK now.. it seems that Asian families are no different! (And similarly, watching festive UK ads, Jamie Oliver and the like, probably doesn't give most outsiders such an accurate view of some UK Christmases!)

MacDonalds poster - the Prosperity Double Chicken Burger is a must!

Some people I know are using (or adding) the two public holidays to go on vacation for this period. And of course this is necessarily the case if parents etc live abroad. But perhaps unsurpisingly, plane tickets and accommodation mysteriously triple or quadruple in price over CNY. And, because most of East Asia celebrates it; this applies to most of East Asia! If you are not Chinese, and planning a Spring trip in Asia, check your dates first!

Most of Singapore's traditional celebrations take place in Chinatown. There will be Lion dances, acrobatics, stalls, firecrackers (these are allowed here for controlled and pre-organised displays) and the light-up of hundreds of lanterns. I suspect there might be fireworks too! Another traditional thing that still happens here is the giving of Ang Pao (lucky red envelopes of money) to friends and relatives. Traditionally they are more commonly gifts for children, but some offices offer extra money to employees as a kind of Ang Pao for the season.

 

In Singapore particularly, some Chinese families perform the 'Prosperity Toss' as part of the CNY feasting activities. What gets tossed is Lo Hei or Yusheng (depending on your dialect) - a salad made up of strips of raw fish and shredded vegetables, sprinkled with a special dressing. Locals use chopsticks to toss the salad into the air, symbolising abundance for the coming year. This is partly because the Chinese word for fish is very similar to the one for abundance - and so has come to represent this. I've been told the dish is also quite tasty. (Word-similarity / association is very common in Chinese culture - objects and numbers can bring good or bad luck accordingly.)

The Singaporean 'Prosperity Toss'

Well, the rain has stopped now, so it might be time to go out and explore. Happy New Year! (That's what the Chinese characters mean, btw.)

 

 

Above pix which Blogger wouldn't let me caption: Chinatown's roadside decorations, lanterns featuring the animals of the zodiac. This year's snake is considered difficult in terms of decoration - not cool like the Dragon, or cute like the Rabbit!

Additional pic credits: tnp.sg, Reuters.com

Shopping in Singapore Part 1: Orchard Road

OK, this series applies to tourist shopping, but also to day-to-day shopping for people who live here but are new to Singapore ways. It also summarises a couple of previous posts on the retail subject. I will start with the most obvious:

Orchard Road               

This is the main drag – the Oxford Street of Singapore.. but with Bond Street shops on it. The busiest part lies between Orchard and Somerset MRT stations. And yep, all the megabrands are here in abundance in a huge array of glittering (and a few slightly less glittering!) malls. There are nice cafes, restaurants (mostly chains, but if you dig deeper into some malls, you can find more interesting, independent ones). And you will also see some very impressive decorations here over festive seasons, as well as wild, colourful retail displays you might not find in Europe, at least. On a reflective note, Orchard Road kind of symbolises the rampant consumerist culture in Asia – so many Gucci, Prada, LV shops.. and yet they’re all seemingly profitable! It’s definitely worth a visit as a tourist or as a resident.

Reaching your retail destination

The problem with this place is it is a complete nightmare to navigate. OK, malls are their own navigation challenge, if you are not used to them (see Malled to death from Feb 2012). But this is a town-planning issue! Orchard is just one long road, but you can only cross it at a couple of controlled points. J-walking is generally not encouraged here, but on Orchard Road, they have actually put fencing up so that you can’t do it. To add to this, there are endless building works going on, meaning that half the thoroughfares are boarded up and crossings are closed. “So what? A little walking never killed anyone,” I might hear some of you pout! But actually, walking outdoors in Singapore is NO picnic – there is 60-95% humidity and the sun can be merciless.

The Orchard Road scenario often goes like this:

“Oh look, there’s the bank / shop / restaurant we want to visit… but it’s a couple of metres across  the road. Oh no, I can’t cross the road!” Cue schlepping three blocks, dripping with sweat, to the nearest crossing point, then schlepping the three blocks BACK on the other side of the road to reach your destination.  It can get frustrating!

 

 

Underground walkways and the ludicrous interchange

Right by Orchard MRT station, there is a crossroads (to other prime sites such as Shaw House, the Marriott and Hyatt hotels..) which we are not allowed to cross. (And yes, for the past 12 months at least, it has come with ample building works!)

There is a series of tunnels supposedly helping us to reach our (extremely close, but nevertheless inaccessible at street level) locations on the other sides. But this is possibly the most complex and badly signposted setup I’ve ever come across in a modern city! My first experience was trying to go to meet friends at the Shaw House cinema. Which is clearly visible and very close to the main MRT exit! But of course I could not access it there. I was 25 minutes late.. as I got stuck in this claustrophobic tunnel system.

A lot of the escalators up to desired locations are quite well-concealed, so – especially if you are new to Singapore – you can easily miss them and just go round and round in the tunnels getting vexed. Add to this the fact the tunnels are packed, and you have to contend with the slow, chaotic Singapore Shuffle, and you can see why it took 25 minutes to, effectively, ‘cross the street’.

There are also airconditioned tunnels between certain large malls (not all of which allow you to cross the street, however). Unless you know these well, they are like the crossroads system – packed, slow to walk along, and most of all, confusing with signage and exits.

Don’t visit Orchard Road on weekends or Singapore public holidays!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips for visiting Orchard Road (if you make it on a working weekday)

You have two options here as I see it!

1. Ambling

If you have time and just want to mooch around, do this. It’s by far the most pleasant option, as on Orchard, intention = frustration!

·         Stay at street level for getting from A-B

·         Take a bottle of water with you as well as sunglasses, sunblock and I’d recommend a cheap paper fan

·         Make sure you have money from a ATM in advance

·         Take frequent breaks at cafes to relax and rehydrate (it will be nice and cool in the malls anyway)

·         Maybe start at one end, go up to a crossing point of choice, then work your way back.

2. A planned trip with purpose

·         Work out in advance where your desired destinations are

·         Plan so that you can do all of those on ONE side of the street together. Then, if you have to – find a crossing point and work your way back along the destinations on the other side of the street

·         Take a map of the area

·         Don’t think ‘I’ll have a look around then, go back’ if it requires crossing

·         Stay above ground, carry the fan etc as above

·         If you have to attempt the tunnel system, allow lots of extra time and treat it as an adventure, knowing in advance that it will probably drive you nuts. Look very carefully for small signs and concealed escalators!

·         If you have just one key destination and/or have a time-limit: take a cab.

Enjoy!

Guide to pix: (blogger won't let me caption them!) The CNY fan and flower decorations at Paragon; Apple tree decorations at Orchard Central (which is not, actually, central to Orchard, btw, but at the Somerset end!); Giant ice-creams somewhere near Somerset.