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International Service: Of Bahkuteh, Kaya Toast, Alaskan Crab Buffet, Chicken Rice, Dimsum and Spicy Lamb Pizza

By: Ann Daisy dela Torre

Singapore continually reinvents itself. Each year that we have gone to Singapore, there is something new to see and visit. There is the Skywalker, a humongous ferris wheel that allows one a bird’s eye view of Singapore and nearby, a floating stage for concerts. It was our first visit also to the Esplanade that looks like huge twin “porcupines” angled about 120 degrees beside each other. Aside from the theatre and concert hall, it houses a public library with books and materials mostly on the arts – its reading tables were filled with students. An eagerly anticipated real estate development is the Integrated Resorts, a family destination which will feature Universal Studios and several casinos at Sentosa island.

Singapore is also known for its food and it takes a local to know where to go. (Our very first trip to Singapore in the ‘80s revolved around the hawkers food stalls at Newton Circus which we enjoyed a lot.) Here is an account of all the eating we did in just one day…

How about pork ribs soup (bahkuteh) for breakfast? RC Raffles City took all of us, their sister club guests to Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House on Rangoon Road. It is obviously a favorite for breakfast as all tables were taken. Cecile, spouse of Alfred Ong took care of the mostly ladies’ table explaining the basic pork ribs soup and the side dishes of pork liver, pork kidney, pork intestines, spinach and tube-like bread for dipping in the soup. Everything was washed down with hot tea served in tiny, tiny cups. It was tasty, hearty breakfast fare and we should have stopped at that. But…IPP Johnson Tan says, let’s go for coffee. And we went. Sure, that should help settle all that food we tucked in.

So we were introduced to Ya Kun Kaya Toast coffee shop, established in 1944. Of course we had coffee (or tea) which is traditionally served hot and strong with sweet milk. But then, we are told we must try the Kaya Toast to which Alice (of PE Stephen Teng) and Cecile added freshly baked hopia-like pastries so another round of eating took place. Kaya toast involves toasting loaf bread, slicing it thinly into two while hot and then smearing butter and kaya jam in between. The result is a crunchy salty-sweet toast similar to the Philippines’ margarine with sugar except that kaya jam is made from coconut milk, egg and sugar. For a demonstration, ask Daisy; she has successfully replicated the process so we have enjoyed the kaya jam so graciously given as a gift by Alice Teng. (Incidentally, a branch of Ya Kun Kaya Toast is at the Manila Domestic Airport.)

We groan and “complain” about being so full as we all troop back to the hotel for a break but in less than 2 hours, we are picked up again for a buffet lunch at One°15 Restaurant at Sentosa. Beautiful set at the yacht club, with a view of the water and boats, One°15 had a spread that really deserved empty stomachs to do justice to all the food. There was a Japanese station for sashimi and sushi, a fresh seafood station with Alaskan crab as a main feature in addition to oysters, shrimps and clams, a wide selection of salads, a hot food station with roast beef and peking duck as carvings, and the dessert station which featured durian pudding among others. At this lunch, RCMN Pres. Klink Ang and RCRC Pres. Raj Rajaram had an exchange of gifts after a brief message from Pres. Klink.

And then there was dinner – this time we are all in formal dress for the installation of RCRC Officers and Directors for 2008-09. And the food (lamb and fish were the entrees) was just as good served elegantly. (The installation was covered in Part 1 of the Singaporean visit.)

But wait, there are three more dishes to talk about: First, the first-class dimsum at Crystal Jade at Takashimaya Department Store with PP David Ong Choon when we arrived: quick, hot and wonderfully satisfying tidbits – as light or as heavy as you prefer.

Next, the lamb pizza: PP Jimmy Daruwalla and partner Johty took us to the Cricket Club for dinner where Jimmy patiently explained the game of cricket while waiting for dinner. The highlight for me though was the lamb pizza ordered by Jothy – spicy and flavorful on very thin crust.

Then there is the Hainanese chicken rice at the famous Chatterbox at Meritus Mandarin. Mandarin Chicken Rice is supposed to have been perfected by a chef and it has since become a trademark offering of Chatterbox from 1971. PDG Ato Magadia should try this dish so he can compare it to his favorite Hainanese chicken at Mandarin Hotel in Hong Kong.

If you missed any of these while in Singapore, you have one more chance before returning to Manila…The Soup Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant on the second floor near the #1-2 check-in counters of Changi airport where PP David Ong, Aaron Tan and Alice Teng took us for lunch.

Food was definitely an integral part of each of our Singaporean visits. But what gives us the desire to come back every year is the warm friendship and welcome we experience from our friends at RC Raffles City and we wish more of RC Makati North could experience it. Food satisfied our bodies but the friendships satisfied our hearts.