Northstar

www.travelweekly-asia.com 6 | ITB ASIA Official Dailies destination: singapore By Ian Jarrett Sure, check out the icons, says STB. By all means have that Singapore Sling in the Long Bar in the Raffles Hotel. Pose for a picture next to the Merlion. Go for a spin on the Singapore Flyer, stroll the Gardens by the Bay and spend a few dollars or more in the ultra-smart shops in Orchard Road. But where is the real Singapore? And how do you find it? A good starting point surely is the beginning: the statue of Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, founder of Singapore in 1918. Leaving Raffles on his plinth in Empress Place, old and new Singapore is seen in a walk across the Padang, the green rectangle that separates, at one end, the venerable Singapore Cricket Club, and at the other end, the Singapore Recreation Club. The walk across the Padang runs alongside the imposing former Supreme Court and City Hall, which is being transformed into Singapore's National Art Gallery. When it opens in 2015, it will focus on Southeast Asian art. It's a few minutes' walk from the Singapore Cricket Club to the City Hall MRT underground station, a good place to begin the search for the real Singapore because MRT lines stretch from here to distant parts of the island. A quick glance at the route map and I choose Farrer Park station as my first tentative Get Lost step. There are several exits at Farrer Park. I take potluck by choosing Racecourse Road. I'm scratching my head and wondering where to go next when a friendly local points me in the direction of Mustafa's, a huge 24- hour emporium that is something of an institution in Little India. What it lacks in style and presentation, Mustafa's makes up for with bargain prices. Everything is here, from gold to watches to gadgets to travel gear. You'll have no trouble getting lost on the four floors of sprawling merchandise. From Mustafa's, Little India beckons and it's difficult not to get lost walking up and down small streets where cottage industry Tamil traders are busy behind old computers, shopkeepers sell fruit, vegetables and sweetly-scented coloured garlands, and staff at neighbourhood restaurants scuttle about preparing pratas, roti murtabak and ginger tea. Avoid the heat of the day if you can because Little India comes to life, noisily and most colourfully, after dark when Tamil families come out to shop and saunter the busy streets. I go from Baboo Lane to Hindoo Road, and then Veerasamoy Road, all the time trying to return to Serangoon Road, the main thoroughfare leading to the Little India MRT station. Every time I begin to feel I'm lost I spy the comfort of crowded Serangoon Road again. There are, of course, plenty of places to get lost in Singapore – try also Chinatown, or the area around Arab Street, but in reality no-one is ever too far from an MRT station and an easy ride back to base. And when you're peckish, a hawker food market, a Singapore institution, is never far away. Ageing hawkers present their secret recipes handed down from one generation to the next. At Toa Payoh Lorong, one stall run by a couple in their mid-60s, sells old- style Teochew fish ball noodle soup, each fish ball handmade from fresh yellowtail paste. That's just one of the hawker foods that offer great value and quality. So it's not easy to get lost in Singapore. But it's great fun trying. China Town SIngapore. GETTING LOST IN THE CITY A recent Singapore Tourism Board marketing campaign encouraged visitors to go beyond the familiar, to "Get Lost and Find the Real Singapore". don't forget the street food Reputed to be the best-read food blog in asia, i eat, i shoot, i post, (www.ieatishootipost.sg) is written by singapore gP leslie Tay, a man with a passion for hawker food. Dr Tay also has an app called ieathawker - which can be downloaded from iTunes - that allows you to search for specific dishes by name as well as by location. it also provides a helpful explanation of each dish. Dr Tay's website lists Top Ten Things to eat in singapore hawker and among his recommendations are these: old airport Road Food Centre is a convenient place to go on a culinary odyssey as the massive food centre houses many famous hawker stalls in singapore. nam sing hokkien Mee is the recommended dish. a great stall nearer to town is outram Park Char kway Teow, located at hong lim Food Centre, which is within walking distance of Chinatown MRT. "hong lim Food Centre is yet another veritable treasure trove of famous hawker stalls," says Dr Tay. a modern singapore version of chicken rice can be found at Tian Tian Chicken Rice at Maxwell Road Food Centre and is among Dr Tan's top picks for a dish that originated in hainan and has several (all delicious) versions. and if your doctor has given you the good news that your cholesterol levels are wonderfully low, then don't leave singapore without a plate of chilli crab. Dr Tay suggests you head for Chin huat live seafood at sunset way (20mins from town). Choose between chilli crabs, black pepper crabs, crab bee hoon and salted egg crabs and most especially the giant sri lankan crab in golden sauce. happy hawking!

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