Garam Masala: A review

Yesterday was my best friend's last day of a two-week visit. We wanted to take her somewhere nice for her last dinner here in Singapore. We had planned a trip to Lau Pasat, but a heavy rain forced us to change our plans at the last minute. Since we were already headed into the City, we thought we'd check out a stretch of restaurants at Boat Quay. We've walked by them several times and admired the beautiful view of the city lights reflected on the peaceful water of the Singapore River. We finally settled on a nice looking Indian restaurant toward the end of the strip.

Unfortunately, the river view was the ONLY thing Garam Masala had going for it. We ordered Butter Chicken and Naan, our favorite Northern Indian dish. What we got were a few chunks of chicken smothered in what seemed to be a cross between tomato soup and ketchup and a stack of dry, thin bread discs. And, all for about 4 times as much as we pay at the Indian restaurant down the road from our house.

The madness didn't end there. . . we also ordered Chicken Fried Rice for the kids and a bowl of Hot and Sour Soup (they had a Chinese menu as well as an Indian). For $18, we got a small plate of absolutely flavorless fried rice swimming in oil. The peas were hard little pellets and the chicken was so fatty I couldn't find any decent pieces to give the kids. The soup was equally horrible. . . so much so that we sent it back and refused to pay for it.

If you're ever in Singapore, I'd encourage you to enjoy a nice evening overlooking the City skyline and sparkling river at Boat Quay. Just don't plan on eating!

An Evening at Clark Quay: Water Meets Skyline

An Evening at Clark Quay: Child's Play

Camping -- Singapore Style

I am still working on a post about the medical care here in Singapore, but in the mean time. . .


I thought you'd enjoy this picture of the campsites at East Coast Park. Notice the expressway in the background, as well as the high-rise apartment building. IF I were going to camp (which won't be any time soon), I think I'd at least want to camp somewhere where I wasn't listening to the drone of cars all night long. I guess the upside of camping Singapore style is that McDonalds, home of the S$.60 ice cream cone, is only a 3 minute walk from your tent's front door =)

A Cheap Way to Spend a Summer Day

(. . .or a Winter Day since there are no seasons in Singapore)

Where: Sentosa Island
Cost: $3/adult (kids free)
What: Pack a picnic lunch and hang out on the beach, enjoying the only significant breeze in Singapore. Hike the Jungle Trail. Play in the cool water feature near Siloso Beach.

On a hot day. . .

For $6 (adults), you can not only enjoy the air conditioned environment of the Singapore Science Center, but you can learn quite a bit of interesting information about science and math and everything else that's cool. And, the best part is, you can actually have a lot of fun doing so.

If you're a tourist and only in Singapore for a few days, I would say there are a lot of other cool things to do (unless you are 1) a huge science fan or 2) don't live anywhere near another hands-on science center). But, if you have more than a week or if you live here, I think you couldn't find a better way to spend a hot afternoon.

The whole center is hands-on, but there is a huge section devoted to little hands. Even Caleb found plenty to do and was enthralled with all the buttons, bells and lights. I had planned for us to stay two hours, but we ended up staying four. . . and we still didn't see half of what there was to see! We will definitely be going back.

Maybe we will see you there.