Dateline: Singapore, October 2005

Needing a respite from Bangkok’s (BKK) clogged streets, choked sidewalks, and gruesome pollution, I am in Singapore (SIN) where the streets, sidewalks, air, and government are clean. Some contrast!

I come here often. If you haven’t been, you owe it to yourself. Singapore is the most dynamic city/state in Southeast Asia—it has risen from a jungle swamp in only a few decades. An ethnic melting pot as varied as New York City, you be amazed that it’s more like Zurich than Zurich. Everything—people, transport, business, tourism—work harmoniously, efficiently, and quietly.

One’s plane normally is on long final for Changi Airport upon lift-off from BKK’s Don Muang, but yesterday local squalls forced a landing from the south. As we circled to line up in what is normally the wrong direction, all of Singapore was revealed as we broke through the clouds. Two miles away, across the Straits of Johor that separates the island that is Singapore from Malaysia, the land is an endless tangle of un-cleared jungle. But under the wing, thousands of gleaming, brand-spanking, high-rise condos, and city offices scream out in wonderment, “Look at Me!” “I’m Singapore!”—living proof that one man with a vision and determination, and the wisdom and ability to balance democracy with practicality, can create, out of mayhem and babble, what is, to me, the most amazing place on earth. That man is Lee Kuan Yew. He created modern Singapore and his son is now Prime Minister. The father, now called Minister Mentor Lee, still keeps his hand very much on the rudder.

Where to stay?
There are only two places worth mentioning. The best is the Four Seasons whose GM, Christopher Norton, is caring, sophisticated, and dignified; just like your fellow guests. Here is my usual suite…

And my usual seat…

But if you don’t care about top amenities, services, and service, and prefer to save your money for shopping, wining, and dining, stay at my other favorite, the Strand Hotel, 25 Bencoolen Street, www.strandhotel.com.sg . Room, service, and tax totals $S95 (US$56). Two years ago, I used to sit on the café’s terrace wi-fi-ing my stories to my website. Since then, I have a new computer and as the hotel doesn’t broadcast the wi-fi, I needed a new connection. Can you believe that the owners, a young husband and wife team, with the aid of a friend on their cell phone, spent an hour with me and my laptop on the black granite front desk counter, setting up my new connection? Now that’s pretty amazing!

Where to eat?
Club Street is my favorite neighborhood. Converted, century-old, Chinese shop-houses have been converted into chic stores, fashionable restaurants, and the occasional seedy bar.

Da Paolo: The Da Paolo story begins in 1989 when Paolo and Judie Scarpa opened the first Trattoria Da Paolo in Tanjong Pagar.

On the menu was simple, Italian fare featuring home-made pasta, perfectly done meats, the freshest seafood, the most aromatic of herbs and delicious pastries. These were the culinary memories that Paolo had from his childhood in Italy, memories that he wanted to share with his adopted home, Singapore.
At the time, there were few Italian restaurants in Singapore and certainly none that offered the authenticity and the vibrancy that the Scarpas had in mind. Not surprisingly, from the first plate of antipasto brimming with earthy flavor to the finishing touch of a sell-out tiramisu, the Singaporean diner was won over.
Today, this winning formula has not changed. From that simple trattoria in Tanjong Pagar, Da Paolo today embraces five beautifully themed restaurants and a gourmet shop.
My favorite is at number 80, Club Street. There is room for one table on the sidewalk, and there are two or three floors of white-table-clothed rooms with touches of Italian antiquities.

A simple menu of Italian classics and good Chinese service will cost two diners US$100 with wine.

Senso: Also on Club Street, is Senso. General Manager Antonio Carisi and his cadre took over from the previous team about 4 months ago. You enter through a stylish hallway.

There is a slick bar on the right, an enchanting, open-to-the-skies courtyard with a dozen candlelit tables,

and a large room beyond with raspberry-red banquettes. (No, I don’t like the egg-shaped, free standing whatsits either.)

The menu is similar to Da Paolo, but the versions are more creative, and the service more elegant. My dinner for two last night came to US$140. 21 Club Street, +65 6224-3534

Mezza9, in the Grand Hyatt, never disappoints…

You can read my story about it at http://www.edwardcarterstravels.com/archives/000029.php . While the executive chef Lucas Glanville has recently moved to the Grand Hyatt Erawan (a 6-minute walk from my flat in BKK), the food and service are still excellent. The night before last, my dinner for two cost US$210.

On the ground floor of the Grand Hyatt, is a new restaurant called Straits Kitchen. In a knock-out styled, multi-sectioned space with ethnic cooking stations scattered about, one can eat the great dishes of Southeast Asia at only ten times the price of the same dishes at food halls or on the street all over the city. But you won’t find me eating street food anywhere—I don’t know where it came from, where it’s been, or if it has ever benefited from refrigeration. Hey kids, there is a reason Thais, Indians, Filipinos, etc. blanket their cuisine with chilies, soy sauce, and spices! Figure it out and you won’t eat it either. Of course, for those weaned on street food, innovative enzymes take care of their digestion; the rest of us suffer. So, instead of missing out on some of the most delicious recipes of the region, go to Straits Kitchen, pay for the hygiene and the ambiance, and have a wonderful time! Service is outstandingly friendly. Dinner for two with wine tops out at US$70.

Where to shop?
High Fashion – Club 21, a series of shops in the passage between the Four Seasons and the Hilton.
All Fashion – Orchard Road.
High Tech – Sim Lim Square.
All Tech – Funen, The IT Mall.

N.B. Available, cruising taxis are rare except after midnight. Plan ahead and ask your hotel/shop/restaurant to call one for you. It will arrive within minutes, and its driver will be courteous, English-speaking, and knowledgeable.

P.S. While I’m in SIN, Andrea Vaucher is just north of me exploring Malaysia. I’m expecting her report of two ravishing resorts momentarily. Check back soon.

Footnote: During my visit, one of the founding fathers of Singapore, Mr. S. Rajaratnam, died. The Straits Times: “Founding father, pioneer politician, idealist, and a staunch believer in a multiracial Singapore, Mr. S. Rajaratnam dared to dream for his new nation. Looking back on his achievements, he once said: ‘What is important is whether you consider me a good man.’”
“He had enormous courage, enormous idealism. And in my darkest moments, when we look back…it was he who would give me a lot of heart, because he would fight on regardless.” Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew on Mr. Rajaratnam, at a talk organized by the Singapore Press Club and Foreign Correspondents Association in 1996.

*********************************************************************

DID YOU FIND THIS ARTICLE INTERESTING AND/OR VALUABLE? If so, please donate to keep the website free and fund the addition of more articles like this. Any help is most appreciated - simply click below to securely send a contribution through a credit card and Paypal.   Please email me your travel tales, "postcards," and questions. I'll publish the most interesting, appropriate or outrageous in Correspondence - All the best, Ted (short for Edward)

copyright © 2006, EDWARD CARTER