Singapore is the perfect place to stop over en route to the UK. With a flight time of only 11 ish hours it’s far enough to feel you’re already far away, but not so long that you’ve gone stir crazy in the plane. Plus it’s always warm – at this time of year – temperatures were in the 30’s – and it’s very easy to get around. I’ve transited through Singapore many times, and spent a weekend there once and really liked it. This time I will be connecting with my dear friend Shirley Lee who I met through work. Shirley is the loveliest cheeky person, someone who just makes you feel good, and I’m really looking forward to hanging out.
Shirley is catching a bus to meet me at my hotel and has promised lots of walking and food. I love it when you see a friend after a long time and it’s just like you saw them a moment ago. It’s so nice to see her and we are all smiles. The plan is to eat local and we promptly head to the hawker food centre in Hong Lim for “the best chicken curry noodles in Singapore”. It is soooo good. As is the fresh squeezed sugarcane juice we have with it. All the food stalls look and smell amazing in this hawker centre. We have an awesome day hopping on and off buses and sight-seeing. There’s more amazing food too – steamed chicken and rice and sticky black rice with vanilla ice cream in Chinatown; and when Shirley’s husband Mike picks us up later there’s salted egg prawns, steamed chilli sambal stingray, chicken and pork satay and more sugarcane juice at one of their favorite hawker markets. I am in food heaven.
The next day Shirley and Mike collect me early in the morning for breakfast. We drive to a hawker centre in East Jurong for steamed parrotfish (incredible, so juicy!), fried watercress, sambal, fish cakes and noodle soup. Oh my word. I love it. My friends are so generous and won’t let me contribute money to the meal, “it’s for my education”. I feel full with gratitude for this experience, to be here in this place, and to share it with such wonderful people. We drive to the botanical gardens to walk amongst the orchids, to Arab Street for ice cream and tea, and that night I’m taken for a seafood feast with the family. Chilli Crab with fried buns! Prawn soup, whole steamed fish, steamed razor clams with garlic. I’m glad I put the paper apron on because I have sauce everywhere ha ha, unlike my companions who are spotless. There’s something wonderful about sharing food with friends. After dinner Shirley and I go for a walk in town – it’s the Singapore Night Festival and the city has been lit up and EVERYONE is out to see it. Within maybe 5 minutes by pure chance we bump into Shirley’s close friends, and we follow them along the streets oohing and aaahing at all the light displays. It’s such a good feeling to be out amongst it all.
Day 3 and it’s time to check out of my hotel, and being Sunday we are going to dim sum. If I could choose one last meal on this earth it would be dim sum, I just love it. Shirley and Mike are VIP customers at Asia Grand in Bugis so that is where we go. We’re ushered into a room and Shirley makes quick work of ordering “just a few” things. Shu mai, peking duck, chicken feet, steamed buns…..it is the best dim sum I have tasted in my life.
My wonderful friends made sure my short stay in their country was full of love and laughs. I am the luckiest person to have been welcomed so warmly into their family, and for the generosity of their time. Shirley and Mike, thank you for showing me your Singapore and for taking such good care of me, you are amazing xxx.
Day 1 breakfast is chicken curry noodles, gorgeous rich flavours and perfect way to start the day along with a glass of fresh sugarcane juice 
Heng Kee Curry Chicken Bee Hoon Mee stall on level 2 in the Hong Lim hawker food centre is the recommended place for chicken curry noodles. Grab a table and order your meal, choose which part of the chicken you want and your level of spice. Amazing. 
Adventures are more fun when you share them with friends. I’m so grateful to Shirley Lee and her husband Mike for taking me under their wing and showing me their Singapore. 
Day 2 is all about fish, and we’ve traveled to Jurong East to the Zai Shun curry fish head stall for their famous steamed fish 
And here it is….steamed parrotfish breakfast is michelin good 
I had so much fun with Shirley and Mike, they are the most wonderful people 
Chilli crab! at Long Beach seafood restaurant on Stevens Road….we had the set menu for 5-6 people and couldn’t eat it all, so so good. And so so messy ha ha. Stretchy pants needed