I met up with Keng Choong, Chee Ming and Eng Keong one of the nights I was in Singapore. In my secondary school days, we always hangout together after school and were serving in the Boys Brigade for many years. We were close — we sat next to each other in class too. After secondary school, we each went our way — one went to the US to study, another went to Singapore. We had only met once in the past twenty years.
We have remarked how little each of us had changed. I was really glad to catch up with them and learning how successful they had become. Needless to say, we talked about the good old times in school, and the Boys Brigade.
We met at the East Coast Lagoon Food Centre. It’s a hawker centre where there are stalls serving a host of variety of cheap food. It was really hot and humid that night. I was so thirsty. I ordered a cup of iced cendol.
The shaved ice was refreshing and cooling. The ingredients consist of white coconut milk. thin worm-like pea flour noodles and palm sugar. In addition, they added red beans and jelly.
We ordered some traditional Malay satay to share.
Keng Choong ordered the petai. The seeds have a very peculiar taste and are an acquired taste. I tried just a few but decided I did not like it. I think only Keng Choong ate this.
This dish below is the BBQ stingray in chilli sauce.
The flesh were white and stringy. It went well with the sourish chilli sauce.
It was so hot, I ordered a second drink. The freshly extracted sugar cane was delicious.
I know it’ll be sometime before I will meet up with them again. I just hope that it’s not gonna be another 10 years before we meet the next time. Although the hawker food was good, what I enjoyed most is catching up with them.
Merci, merci…for taking me back. I love the smoky look around the cup in the first photo…the drinks in Asia were so deliciously icy cold. As for the rest it’s very honorable street food and I miss it so.
I am glad you’re having a good time.
Hi Emily: You know what the “smoky” look is? It was so humid that night that the lens on my camera were misted all over. This never happens in Vancouver. Just goes to show how humid this place was.
Hi Iportion: I enjoyed myself. If only it is not so hot, it would have been perfect.
Stingray? Wow. That’s a huge plate. I hope there were a lot of you there to eat it all. =)
– CP
Thank God for the Internet. Now you and your best friends can keep in touch more easily. I don’t know if I would have eaten that stingray if I knew what it was. Looks like it has the texture of fish. Did it taste like chicken? 😉
Hi CP: The stingray was not really big. We finished it alright. Yummy!
Hi Erick: It was pretty good. The texture is like fish and tastes like, well, fish. Not like chicken at all. Try it BBQ’d and you’ll like it, I am sure.
I was joking on the tastes like chicken part. Seems like everything exotic like alligator, snake, etc. tastes like chicken according to those who have tried it. Glad you had a great time. Singapore is a nice country but after being in San Fran and Seattle, we can’t stand the humidity and heat anymore. Call us wimps 😉
Ben, I think I know why Patrick ordered white pepper crab instead of chilli crab at the no signboard. They’re famous for their white pepper crab in Singapore. Since black pepper crabs and chilli crabs are very common in Singapore (almost all seafood restaurants sell them). This no-sign board restaurant got their good reputation from this dish (people go there just to eat this dish). I don’t eat seafood but Eric ate there a couple of times and find their white pepper crab ok but not fantastic.
Those sambal with the grilled stingray, are they sambal cincaluk? Soon look like one! I am a fan of stinky food. 😉
Hi Rasa Malaysia: Duh, I don’t know if it is sambal cincaluk. It sure tastes like normal sambal to me. BTW, good going with your blog. I will have a great time checking that out.
Hi Ben, I travel a good bit around the world and Singapore is one of my favorite places on the planet to eat good food. The BBQ sting ray is delicious but I do have the cravings for Chile Crabs or Peppered Crabs when I’m in this wonderful city. Hopefully I’ll get another assignment soon to visit this metropolis of Paradise. Lately it’s been Hawaii, Guam, China, Philippines and Los Angeles…..Anyway I would be grateful if you can review the Chile Crabs or Peppered Crabs with a recipe…hehe…thanks for the post, enjoyed
Hi The Fiery Source, I do have a post on Chili Crab using Prima Taste’s seasoning; http://chowtimes.com/2007/01/20/prima-taste-singapore-chilli-crab/. As for Peppered Crab, here is a recipe from my friend, Angie, http://www.seasaltwithfood.com/2008/11/black-pepper-crab.html. Hope you’ll enjoy the recipes.