Hainanese Chicken Rice & Singapore Sling

At work we experienced some Japanese culture including balloon making and lunch. I can now make a balloon dog or giraffe by the way. After work, I met M for dinner on Smith Street which is where the heart of Chinatown is. We made our way to one of the two hawker stalls that was awarded the Michelin Star. This was also our cheapest meal in Singapore - the iconic Chicken Rice. Traditionally the chicken is poached but we had heard it was better roasted so we went with that option. It was pretty delicious. We met a guy called Peter who sat at our table, an American guy who recently graduated college and was traveling alone for a Vietnamese wedding. Once we finished eating, we invited him to walk the street with us for dessert and looking in the shops. We had sweet corn traditional ice cream (who knows?) that actually was made from sweet corn. I know because there were the clear plastic-y bits of the corn that get stuck in your teeth in it. We stopped to check out another hawker centre and took the opportunity to try a durian smoothie. Durian is a fruit. Google a picture. It’s actually banned from some places because of its terrible, strong odor. It tastes nearly as weird but was a must try. Shortly after we parted way with our need friend and met one of my work mates at Long Bar, the originator of the Singapore Sling. The Singapore Sling is a gin cocktail that was created to give women something to drink prior to 1915. It was pretty tasty, but not $32 SGD worth, but I’m glad for the experience. You are allowed to throw your peanut shells on the floor and the free peanuts were bottomless which helped make up the outrageous price of the drink. I left my personal phone behind and had to go back to the bar with my fingers crossed it was still there. They made me unlock the phone in front of them to prove it was mine, I really appreciated this! Singapore is considered a “fine” country because you have to pay a fine for just about any wrong doing, including chewing gum which is illegal. Singaporeans like to play by the rules and I enjoy this.Read more