Breakfast was worth mentioning today. Included with the villa was breakfast at Dava, a restaurant that would be considered first rate anywhere. Juices were fresh-squeezed. Tasty breads and muffins made our way to the table by the handful. I had an amazing salad including citrus fruit, dragonfruit, avocados, and sprinkled with some fresh mint leaves. That dish should win some kind of award. Next up, steel cut oats with palm sugar and raisins. To top it off, walnut and banana pancakes, Vermont maple syrup, and a side of apple-smoked bacon. REAL bacon, not this English rasher bacon we've been eating for the last week. Butler, please bring the wheelbarrow to get me back to the villa...
Sad to leave Bali behind, it was time to head to the airport. While Bali itself is rather inexpensive, the airport gets you coming and going. $25 entry fee. $15 exit fee. I have no idea if the U.S. charges these lovely tariffs. But that's gotta be one way to pay off this new Health Care package.
The flight was 2.5 hours on Singapore Airlines, perhaps the most comfortable and relaxing airline on planet. Cool towels on takeoff. Good food. Sizable seats. Lovely air hostesses. I'm thinking this is what air travel was like in the US 60 years ago.
Much thanks to our friend Kerensa, who got us the employee rate hookup at the Fairmont Singapore. Very nice room, right across the street from the Raffles (of Singapore Sling fame). Last time in Singapore, we were a 20 minute walk to the MRT (subway). This time, about 5 minutes from room to train. Love it!
Let me first explain Singapore. Terri's family is originally from here. While her brother and parents are in the US, her extended family (including 90 y.o. grandmother remain in Singapore). So what better reason to enjoy air-conditioned everything, world-class eats, and of course, family giving us the grand tour?
Back to hotel location. I think Terri is most excited due to the fact that a "Breadtalk" is below in the underground mall. I'd be remiss by not sharing that basically ALL of Singapore is an underground mall. You can buy just about anything at every MRT station. While I'm disgusted with Terri and her excitement for foods such as pork floss (don't ask), she's in heaven. And I'm sure we'll go over the baggage weight limit upon return. Mostly with foods illegal for entry to the USA.
With just enough time for dinner, we have a long list of places to check off. We thought we'd start with a place we saw on a recent episode of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations." While it's probably not a good idea to take dining suggestions in Singapore from a white man, it appeared he was directed to this place from locals. And he raved about it. So we showed up to the Maxwell Food Center around 6:30, and it took us a while to find the right stall. The place was a good ol' fashioned hawker center, with the most random foods going in all directions. Want some pig organ soup? Got it. Shark head curry? Got it. So our destination was Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. Chicken rice is a "Singaporean food" if there ever was one, although the place truly is a melting pot of Malay, Indonesian, Indian, SE Asian, and Chinese cuisine. So we spotted the stand, with Bourdain's blown-up picture duct taped to the sign. The affable Chinese man on the show was right in place. He immediately saw us as Bourdain fans (which is a stretch to say the least--far more fond of Andrew Zimmern). Sadly, he just gave out his last chicken rice literally 15 seconds before we arrived. It's 6:30 PM, and the place is sold out. Fantastic. I guess the place is the real deal. He was nice enough to give us a free sample of his famous rice, but we'll have to come back another day---for lunch.
Dinner ultimately was nasi lemak, a favorite of Terri's. It included a terribly dried out fish of some alien species. Terrible. But the coconut flavor rice was fantastic, as well as the sambal. I ordered a sweet potato/curry pastry, which was something I'll be tracking down again.
Back at the hotel, we decided dinner just didn't cut it. It took nothing but a glance down the street to find the nearest golden arches. You got it---Round 2 of the International McDonald's taste-test. Long story short, Singapore McDonald's cheeseburger was dead-on exact, as were the fries. They definitely had different buns than Bali, but I could see no difference than the US. Three things of note:
1. They had a Double Big Mac Sandwich. Must've been 6 inches high. No, I didn't dare.
2. A couple of Brits were there as well, doing their own version of the McDee's Challenge. Was interesting listening to them as well, as they had never in their life seen a standard Big Mac. They actually were taking photos of the menu photo.
3. Mc-Delivery. Lord, please let this stay in Asia. Both Bali and Singapore have guys on scooters that will deliver your McDonald's order to your home. Horrifying.
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