I thought it would be a good idea this week, to lead curious readers into the deep abyss of some non-tourism-gazetted areas for a food on foot safari. Fact is - some of us are just like tourist in our won city, point A to B everyday and not much in between. Get on your feet, hop off the bus or train and see a Singapore you don’t normally do if you drive or just commute from one spot to another for that daily regiment of work and go-home routine. Burn some walking shoe rubber and calories, and exercise the curiosity (of course, all these routines require some caloric top up, which we zealously help you out with!).

Beach Road
This 3-4 km stretch of road has magical appeal that allows travel from one world into another. Begin at the “heartland” Ah Pek and auntie end at Golden Mile Complex and its three room public flats environs and end at the plush bar and billiard halls of Somerset Maugham’s celebrated Raffles Hotel. At the foot of Blk 2 along Beach Road is a very traditional Chinese pastry and cake shop (Sze Thye Cake Shop). This is an antithesis to the seductive albeit unimaginative and omnipresent slick cake and bread chains flooding our breathing space today. They tout old Chinese festival goodies like huat kway, tau sar piah (bean pastry), pink fortune buns and sesame balls. A ten minute browse in there is like a 50 year trip back in time. Their stuff go well with a nice hot cup of ginger teh tarek further down off the main road at 21 Baghdad St (a sarabat stall). Of late I particularly enjoy sticking my head into a children’s museum just outside the national mosque along the pedestrian only walkway at Bussorah St (just beside Baghdad St). They show and tout toys and goodies from an era when bell bottoms, center parting and beehive hair-dos were trendy. Funny, but I relate to them. Soon, I was told by the owners, you can sit out in their cozy backyard for some fresh brewed coffee and play kuti-kuti.

A nice hot cup of ginger teh tarek

I also recently discovered a hauntingly familiar sounding shop name that touts the famous Shanghai xiao long baos (steamed soup dumplings). This Shanghai Nan Xiang Xiao Loong Pao eatery bears no relation to the famous century old Nan Xiang in Shanghai (which has a chain outlet at Bugis Parco). Confusion aside, this little namesake touts one of the soupiest xiao long baos I have ever had. The skin was thin enough and was water tight. Even the fried guotie versions was shooting soup with every bite. But the minced meat stuffing, alas, was bordering on the slack department. Beach Road may be known for spicy hotpot buffets tucked around Liang Seah St but that’s quite pedestrian compared to a Korean style hotpot buffet (Szechuan mala soup included) that comes with a separate Kobe style convex griller pan (Da Chang Jin at 249 Beach Rd). Crabs, beef, mutton, pork, fish, chicken, offals, prawns…the works, including cooked dishes like spicy beef capsicums and tofu with century egg salad. I just love sliding the sukiyaki thin beef or pork slices over the pan with just a hint of oil.

There’s one thing a tourist here can connect to that we, strangely, cannot. But that’s because we shrug the cheesy experience of downing a Singapore Sling, (notice how you can’t get this at your regular watering hole), our national poison, with monkey nuts at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel. Here’s my trick- replace the cough syrup tasting Sling with a good old beer and flood the system with free flow shelled monkey nuts. Release the pressure of being an abiding society conformist and just throw the shells on the floor (encouraged here).

Upper Thomson
Much has been spoken about this turning into another Holland Village-esque lifestyle quarter. Nah, in my opinion, this once childhood playground of mine will remain as it is- functional, for the local mid class residents around. The lack of the laid back foreign community buzzing about for cheap beer, free music and sandwiches gives this stretch of Upper Thomson (around the Jalan Todak) area, the space to be themselves. Three of the better roti prata joints are holed out here with The Roti Prata House, (246M Upp Thomson Rd - very crispy but has a cloyingly sweet sensation) and the Causarina Prata (136 Casuarina Rd - famous for their uber thin and crispy roti tissue) topping the pop prata chart here. The Sin Ming Roti Prata Faizal and Aziz Curry at Blk 24 Sin Ming Road specialises in the new fangled small “coin” pratas. I think one should not miss out on a chance to walk off the ghee in the pratas at the very soothing and calming Peirce Reservoir. The place has been as it was since the 70s (not much change). The view of the forest in stunning and the air is crisp and fresh, and yet, it’s only 500 metres off the main road.

When done, top up with a nice banana chocolate cake at the zen-like design Awfully Chocolate (4 Jalan Kuras) over kopi-o at the little Semabawang Hills Food Center just in front.

(Geylang and Kitchener Rd area held for next week)