Shannon and I went down to Little India, which, if you haven't deduced by now, is Singapore's hub of Indian (Tamil) culture, food, and shops. Originally, Little India was the section of old colonial Singapore where Indian immigrants were allowed to live, under British colonists' segregation laws. But nowadays, it's a thriving community with ornate Hindu temples, preserved and colorful colonial architecture, and a really impressive market and food centre.
Huge displays of fresh southeast Asian produce, dudes chopping up and packaging segments of giant jackfruit, and tons of fresh fish and butchered meat. Shan and I did a full lap around the upper level, and I swear we unlocked an achievement like on XBox because a random Tamil vendor with purple hair greeted us with a big smile and a thumbs up, as if to say "You've made it!"
To celebrate our achievement, we enjoyed some Teh Tarik (Malaysian "pulled" milk tea), and some roti paratha (Indian savory grilled flatbread). And then we wandered through Little India and into Arab Street.
Adjacent to Little India is Kampong Glam, Arab Street. It's similar to Tiong Bahru and Little India in that it's full of old colonial shophouses, but what sets it apart is the small, hip restaurants and cafes. Also, the Masjid Sultan Mosque. Shan and I were a little hesitant to go in, because we didn't know if we met the dress code.
We explored a couple of vintage clothing stores and t-shirt design shops, checked out the fragrance shop, discovered the Malay Cultural Center, and waited out a thunderstorm with some wine at a nice cafe/lounge before getting to our goal at an Arab St hawker centre.
Sup Tulang
Sup Tulang. As seen on the Singapore episode of No Reservations. It's a messy, deep red dish of slow-cooked mutton bones in a spicy tomato-based sauce. There's a little meat on the bones, but the real draw is the marrow inside them. Some people get to the marrow with a straw. Shan and I said F that, and we attacked the bone head-on.
So far, Singapore was still blowing my mind with the sights, smells, and outstanding food. On Day 3, Shan and I head to the red light district to follow our noses for some Durian, and we go ballin' out of control at Clarke Quay over some chili crab.
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