Lunch - Orchard Road Food Court

Holy smokes, this wasn't supposed to happen! But 2 hours after breakfast, the locals want to eat again. Aiyah! How to fit? Will figure it out later. For our light lunch, we have fishball noodles, with the fishballs being handmade and light as clouds, or even marshmallows. Next is popiah which is the Singaporean spring roll filled with turnip, shrimp, crunchy peanuts and chili. Quite nice pairing the light crunch of the turnips and peanuts with the softness of the shrimp and, of course, the "must have in all situations" chili pulled it all together. Let it be known, I love otak otak! It is some unnamed white fish meat mixed with a blend of "spicy concoction", wrapped in banana leaf and then grilled over an open flame. I'm sure they serve this in heaven.

If you ask for carrot cake in Singapore, be prepared for something much more wonderful than a dumb piece of cake. How about a pan fried plate of steamed turnips with salty radish and eggs. Don't knock it 'til you try it, because this baby was the hit of the table. Sweet, savory, salty, crunchy, delectable, and nice enough to take home to mommy.

For the light dessert, we ordered cheng teng, a palate cleanser filled with a treasure chest of surprise goodies such as ginko nuts, barley, longans, and lots of other stuff, AND the savory chendol (coconut with brown sugar) made with fresh squeezed coconut juice. My favorite, though, was sea coconut with jelly. A surprisingly simple mix of smooth fresh coconut, gelatin, and lime that so fully satisfied. I asked the locals what a sea coconut was, wondering if I was about to ingest some type of seaweed. "What? It's a coconut...that floats...in the sea...right?!!! I think. Just eat it. It's good." So nice to have 3 desserts without feeling like you just gorged on a box of Ding Dongs. Oddly enough, none of them had chili added. I'm sure the locals will fix that in the near future.