Singapore is a country I’ve grown to love. I’ve been there 4 times over the past 5 years and I’m planning to go there again next summer. The adage according to which “there are only 2 things to do in Singapore: shopping and eating” is rather true. And so, in Singapore I do as the Singaporeans do: I eat and in between I go shopping -for more food sometimes! Needless to say, you need more than one trip to Singapore to fully grasp the extent of its food culture. Singaporean people's interest in all things food-related is astonishing. The greatest food is to be had on a crowded and noisy food court, where the cooks have been preparing the same dish for decades. This is one of the few places where you can have exquisite cheap fast-food, which actually taste better than in most restaurants. Boon Tong Kee is a perfect example of an excellent, successful street food place. I just love their chicken rice (4.50 SGD ie 2.30 euros), which is known to be one of Singapore’s specialties. It looks dull to foreigners, “Chicken on rice, what’s so special about it?” as I’ve happened to hear many times. You’d have to taste it, and to ask the cook how he makes it to fully appreciate it. You’d recognize subtle flavors of chicken bouillon and garlic in your white rice. And you’d be blown away by the tenderness of the chicken. In Boon Tong Kee, it’s all about the dish. You’d have it served promptly, and you’d be provided with condiments to make it your own. Little effort is made on the service or the interior, and the customers turn-over is quite astonishing: you go there, eat your chicken rice and leave. And that’s what I did, many, many times.
Upper Bukit Timah Road
Singapore
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