Monday, February 3, 2020

A quick trip to Singapore

Singapore
Last year, while I was back home for my annual trip, I went to Singapore for a quick visit with my parents. It was short but I was glad to see some friends that still live there and managed to eat some food that I’ve missed since I left 7 years ago. Still couldn’t believe that I haven’t been back in 7 years!


I could probably write an essay-long of blog post about some of my favorite places to eat/do/see in Singapore but it has been years since I lived there so you guys just have to live with this fairly brief review of what I did during my 3-days trip to Singapore.

Where we stayed

Due to the purpose of this trip, which was to accompany my parents for their annual health check-up, we decided to stay somewhere close to the heart of the city so it was easier to get around. The hotel that we picked was Fairmont Hotel Singapore, which is located really close to MRT stations and it’s connected to huge shopping malls from underground.


We didn’t have time to enjoy all the amenities in the hotel like its swimming pool and spa but will definitely try it the next time we come back.

What we ate

I didn’t get to take much photos of the food that we ate during this trip as we were mostly in the hospital for my parents’ health check-up but here are a few from my camera..

Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle (Bak Chor Mee)
This humble stall is one of the most famous Bak Chor Mee stalls in Singapore and has also earned its one Michelin star in the recent year. If you’re looking to have a Michelin meal for less than $5, this is definitely the place. The downside of having an affordable Michelin meal means not only the locals would come to eat, this place has started to attract tourists as well and the usual wait time has increased from 30 mins to about an hour on average.


We were lucky that day because our friends graciously waited in the blazing heat for us an hour before its opening time so we got to enjoy the very first bowl of Bak Chor Mee that day.


The noodle has a tasty combination of vinegar, chilly, the most tender pork and liver slices, minced pork, dumplings and some fried sole fish. The entire combination was so delicious that you can’t help but finish the bowl in less than 5 minutes!

Orchard Road Ice Cream Cart
For a long time, you’ll find uncles peddling ice cream wrapped in plain wafer or white bread along the infamous Orchard Road. It’s not hard to spot one of these ‘uncles’, they’re usually on the side of the street with their significantly large colorful umbrellas and motorbike. I used to love getting these ice cream when I was still a student because it’s cheap and delicious. Coming back to eat this again gave me all the nostalgic feels and it was still as delicious as I remember.


Gudetama Cafe
Ok so this is not a local staple but we stumbled upon it and I never actually went into a Gudetama Cafe since the beginning of its hype so decided to give it a try. Nothing worth mentioning except that the whole cafe and their food presentation is super cute.



Walking around Amoy Street

One afternoon, we went to Amoy Street to meet up with some friends. This is not an area I was familiar with during my time in Singapore so seeing it as a tourist, I’d say it’s pretty impressive. The colorful shophouses resembles the ones portrayed in Crazy Rich Asian.






Love every corner of Amoy Street. So rich in history and everything is very well preserved!


Highly recommended to pay Amoy street a visit and if you’re hungry, head over to Swee Kee Fish Head Noodle House for an exceptional bowl of fish soup at moderate price.

Visited Gardens by The Bay

If you google ‘things to do in Singapore’, Gardens by the Bay probably rank among the top five as of the recent years. Located near Marina bay, Gardens by the Bay spans a total of 101 hectares of prime land that includes an indoor forest housing a giant waterfall and a flower dome. It’s almost surreal, magical, futuristic.. just out of this world. Here are some photos I took..







Leaving Singapore

After a quick 3 days trip and my parents’ health check-ups all done, we had to leave this lovely city. Before leaving, I was surprised to see a cactus garden in Changi Airport (terminal 3). Yes, even the airport is amazing!



I came back again this year (in 2020) but I still have a long backlog of posts to go through before writing it so please be patient and thanks for reading!

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