Of Singapore slings and hawkers.

Jun 22, 2008 at 6:24 PM
16 comments

It is obligatory for first time tourists to Singapore to visit the famous Raffles Hotel to drink a Singapore sling. So, Mrs Snowy and I booked a riverside dinner to be followed by the visit to Raffles Hotel for our Singapore Sling. The bus picked us up from our hotel, and took us on a short tour of Singapore before dropping us at the riverside restaurant near Chinatown. This is the view from the riverside restaurant.

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The dinner was OK, but unremarkable, and we later moved on to Raffles after a further tour of Singapore. Raffles covers a much bigger area than is visible from the photo below. The Google link provides some interesting items of interest in the history of the hotel, as well as a list of some famous visitors.

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So far as the Singapore Sling is concerned, I really don't know what all the fuss was about, as is evident from my pained expression below And it's not because the straw is sticking up my nose! You'll notice the peanuts on the table. It's traditional to throw the peanut shells on the floor for some reason. We used to do that in the bush pub I drank in in my youth. No nonsense about tradition there though.

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Still, it was good to soak up the history of the bar which had seen patrons from Britain's imperial days, Japanese soldiers, and millions of tourists from around the world doing as we were now.

Ninja had mentioned how he would eat hawker food, so when we noticed Lau Pa Sat Food Centre, we thought we should give it a try. From the photo it can be seen that hawker food is definitely not served in restaurant surroundings, but it is cheap.

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Whether that is enough to tempt choosy customers is another matter. Mrs Snowy didn't think so, but as I am rather partial to Indian food, I thought I should give it a try. I think this meal was S$7 or so. It was tasty enough, and there was certainly more than I could eat there, but in any case, it was also HOT, so I had to admit defeat before I got through it, which is definitely against the Snowy grain. But I'd eat there again, despite the rice being served on paper on the tray..

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16 comments

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I don't know what I would do if my food was served on paper like that but it does look yum.
Did you finish the Singapore Sling??

See, nothing like a healthy JW ;)

Yes, I finished it. Then went home and washed my mouth out with JW.

Sounds like your trip has been memorable thus far. I hope it continues to be a pleasant adventure

Snowy replied to country_cinderella’s comment:
Jun 22, 2008
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Thanks. We're home again. It was everything we wished it to be. And then some.

My father in law grew up in Sri Lanka and he can never get his curry hot enough - might be why he has lived to be 90 so far!

[this is good]

Sounds like a grand adventure, Snowy! Sling onward!

(I'd eat the rice. And probably the paper, too, knowing me...)

I would eat the hawker food! I love curry and that looks pretty good to me. I have always enjoyed eating at "funky" off the main road places. It's nice not to be surrounded by tourists even if you are one yourself! LOL.

LOL - that is certainly a pained expression! I'm not that big on cherry flavour myself.