"Live" Blogging Anthony Bourdain's Layover
Here we go.
Tiong Bahru is a great little area, my sister tells me it's THE area to buy a flat now. The old school buildings are good to flip.
Chwee Kueh - There was one year when I went home and my grandmother made her awesome home made chwee kueh and I ate it constantly till I had indigestion. Doctor told me to lay off it for a while. The jellyfish food poisoning the next day helped clear things up. Anyway, here's an article about Chwee Kueh here on Not A Tourist {dot} sg.
Peanut pancake or ban jian kueh - My mom got me some the last day I was there. It's just such a good snack, easy, a little messy but the crunch of the peanuts and the fluffy cake is just awesome.
Kampung Carrot Cake - you might remember me tweeting a picture of it from this recent tweet. The one shown on the show was with sweet, dark soy sauce. I prefer the "white" kind (surprise surprise) that's saltier.`
Weather - We have seasons: Hot, hot, hotter, and rain.
That's huge that he was allowed to film in the MRT station - even photography's not allowed in there.
Oh my god YIN. We were in the same course in school. She was the girl Bourdain spoke to when eating Chicken Rice in the first No Reservations. Guess that's what they're eating again. Personally, not a fan of the ginger paste but you ginger fans will love it. Also a personal view? One of the best places for chicken rice is from Pow Sing in Serangoon Gardens but I'm biased since that's my 'hood. Ask any Singaporean when you're there and they'll tell you where to go. We Singaporeans have opinions and we're not afraid to share them especially when it comes to food.
Fishhead curry is a must-try for sure. I'm not a fan but it's something to check out.
Thieves Market - y'know? I've never been. I should, next time.
Botanic Gardens - haven't been since I was a little kid. It's a great place if you're an orchid and plant fan.
Singapore Flyer - It was fun when I went with my parents. GREAT view and if you do have $30 to spend on a 45 minute to hour long ride, I say do it. Why not.
Ku De Ta/Marina Bay Sands Sky Park - my friend Dre spins there on Thursday nights (old school hip-hop, funk and soul). Grab a drink, walk around, enjoy the view. Don't be shocked by the prices. There's also a decent restaurant as well but if you're at MBS, go to the celebrity restaurants like Cut (Wolfgang Puck) or Daniel Boulud's db Bistro Moderne.
Samy's Curry - mm. I haven't eaten Indian food off a banana leaf with my hands in a long time. It's fun. Ask someone, preferably someone Indian, who has done it before just how (only use one hand so the other one's clean and you can do other things with it).
Some Singaporeans tend to laugh at their own jokes. Just an FYI. Oh and we're also not shy about gas/poop jokes. Like you couldn't already tell dealing with me.
Claypot rice - F*** yeah. I haven't had that in forever it's fantastic, it comes out to you sizzling and be very careful not to touch the pot because you will get burned. At the end the rice is crispy lining the bottom of the pot. Fantastic.
PS: You my have heard him say SATC is censored - so was Friends back in the day. Nothing new... things get censored there a lot. No one thinks much of it unless they knew it.
Arab Street - good clubs, great middle eastern restaurants, fun shops and boutiques. The tea he's drinking, Teh Tarik, is a classic. It has a wonderful, bold tea flavor with condensed milk or sugar and evaporated milk. The pulling part (tarik) is an art.
That Travel Guide part was just pointless...
Climate joke: "Hot, hotter and shopping." That's actually the first time I've heard that, usually it's "hot, hotter and rain."
Mustafa Center - 24 hours of knock offs and provisions. Need shaving cream? Cologne? Luggage? Mustafa's got it. As you probably saw on the show. And that was just the tip of the iceberg that is Mustafa.The Husband and I had to stop there to get an extra luggage bag the year we were there to get married. It wasn't expensive at all.
Nasi Lemak - YUM. That's the one thing I totally forgot to eat when I was there. The rice is made with coconut milk and pandan so it's super fragrant.
One thing The Husband noted about food in SE Asia is that there's an egg in and on almost everything we eat. I'd never noticed before but he's right there really is.
"Don't eat until you grow too fat ok?" to which the husband quips, "Singapore is all 'eat! Eat! Eat! .. But don't get fat. Heh."
The Airport - he's in Terminal 3, the newest Terminal with the newest amenities. That giant slide is 3 stories tall (world's longest slide), the inside of that airport, once you get past security/immigration, is like a mall. Much like everything else in Singapore. Heh.
Fish spa - I have yet to try it but man it looks really gross and really fun. And it takes all the dead skin off your feet leaving them silky smooth and soft. How cool is that?
So there you have it - a haphazard blogging of The Layover in Singapore. Like Anthony Bourdain said, if you have to get stuck in any airport, you better hope it's Changi Airport in Singapore because you won't even have to leave but if you have enough time, do.
Hope you all enjoyed the episode as much as it made me feel homesick because man I'm thisclose to purchasing plane ticket home and just staying there indefinitely.
Tiong Bahru is a great little area, my sister tells me it's THE area to buy a flat now. The old school buildings are good to flip.
Chwee Kueh - There was one year when I went home and my grandmother made her awesome home made chwee kueh and I ate it constantly till I had indigestion. Doctor told me to lay off it for a while. The jellyfish food poisoning the next day helped clear things up. Anyway, here's an article about Chwee Kueh here on Not A Tourist {dot} sg.
Peanut pancake or ban jian kueh - My mom got me some the last day I was there. It's just such a good snack, easy, a little messy but the crunch of the peanuts and the fluffy cake is just awesome.
Kampung Carrot Cake - you might remember me tweeting a picture of it from this recent tweet. The one shown on the show was with sweet, dark soy sauce. I prefer the "white" kind (surprise surprise) that's saltier.`
Weather - We have seasons: Hot, hot, hotter, and rain.
That's huge that he was allowed to film in the MRT station - even photography's not allowed in there.
Oh my god YIN. We were in the same course in school. She was the girl Bourdain spoke to when eating Chicken Rice in the first No Reservations. Guess that's what they're eating again. Personally, not a fan of the ginger paste but you ginger fans will love it. Also a personal view? One of the best places for chicken rice is from Pow Sing in Serangoon Gardens but I'm biased since that's my 'hood. Ask any Singaporean when you're there and they'll tell you where to go. We Singaporeans have opinions and we're not afraid to share them especially when it comes to food.
Fishhead curry is a must-try for sure. I'm not a fan but it's something to check out.
Thieves Market - y'know? I've never been. I should, next time.
Botanic Gardens - haven't been since I was a little kid. It's a great place if you're an orchid and plant fan.
Singapore Flyer - It was fun when I went with my parents. GREAT view and if you do have $30 to spend on a 45 minute to hour long ride, I say do it. Why not.
Ku De Ta/Marina Bay Sands Sky Park - my friend Dre spins there on Thursday nights (old school hip-hop, funk and soul). Grab a drink, walk around, enjoy the view. Don't be shocked by the prices. There's also a decent restaurant as well but if you're at MBS, go to the celebrity restaurants like Cut (Wolfgang Puck) or Daniel Boulud's db Bistro Moderne.
Samy's Curry - mm. I haven't eaten Indian food off a banana leaf with my hands in a long time. It's fun. Ask someone, preferably someone Indian, who has done it before just how (only use one hand so the other one's clean and you can do other things with it).
Some Singaporeans tend to laugh at their own jokes. Just an FYI. Oh and we're also not shy about gas/poop jokes. Like you couldn't already tell dealing with me.
Claypot rice - F*** yeah. I haven't had that in forever it's fantastic, it comes out to you sizzling and be very careful not to touch the pot because you will get burned. At the end the rice is crispy lining the bottom of the pot. Fantastic.
PS: You my have heard him say SATC is censored - so was Friends back in the day. Nothing new... things get censored there a lot. No one thinks much of it unless they knew it.
Arab Street - good clubs, great middle eastern restaurants, fun shops and boutiques. The tea he's drinking, Teh Tarik, is a classic. It has a wonderful, bold tea flavor with condensed milk or sugar and evaporated milk. The pulling part (tarik) is an art.
That Travel Guide part was just pointless...
Climate joke: "Hot, hotter and shopping." That's actually the first time I've heard that, usually it's "hot, hotter and rain."
Mustafa Center - 24 hours of knock offs and provisions. Need shaving cream? Cologne? Luggage? Mustafa's got it. As you probably saw on the show. And that was just the tip of the iceberg that is Mustafa.The Husband and I had to stop there to get an extra luggage bag the year we were there to get married. It wasn't expensive at all.
Nasi Lemak - YUM. That's the one thing I totally forgot to eat when I was there. The rice is made with coconut milk and pandan so it's super fragrant.
One thing The Husband noted about food in SE Asia is that there's an egg in and on almost everything we eat. I'd never noticed before but he's right there really is.
"Don't eat until you grow too fat ok?" to which the husband quips, "Singapore is all 'eat! Eat! Eat! .. But don't get fat. Heh."
The Airport - he's in Terminal 3, the newest Terminal with the newest amenities. That giant slide is 3 stories tall (world's longest slide), the inside of that airport, once you get past security/immigration, is like a mall. Much like everything else in Singapore. Heh.
Fish spa - I have yet to try it but man it looks really gross and really fun. And it takes all the dead skin off your feet leaving them silky smooth and soft. How cool is that?
So there you have it - a haphazard blogging of The Layover in Singapore. Like Anthony Bourdain said, if you have to get stuck in any airport, you better hope it's Changi Airport in Singapore because you won't even have to leave but if you have enough time, do.
Hope you all enjoyed the episode as much as it made me feel homesick because man I'm thisclose to purchasing plane ticket home and just staying there indefinitely.
