Lunch at Lau Pa Sat, Singapore
Posted by Noemi | Under Restaurant, Singapore, Travel with 1,085 views
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Friday Jul 17, 2009
I arrived safe and sound in Sunny Singapore around noon time. Am I so relieved! The airplane (Singapore Airlines) couldn’t take off for some quite time due to the heavy rains and wind of stormy Manila! The ride itself was full of air pockets that it made me want to puke but thank goodness, I didn’t have any breakfast.
After checking in at my hotel, Toon Hee (my very reliable and friendly tour guide courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board) took me off for lunch at the Lau Pa Sat (means Old Market in Hokkien), the largest remaining Victorian filigree cast-iron structure in Southeast Asia.
The ornate architecture on the posts and ceilings add to the character of this unique Singapore Hawkers Market. Toon Hee told me that it served as a fish and meat market in the past. I love old buildings and upon further research found out that
[This] gazetted national monument [is] the largest Victorian filigree cast-iron structure still standing in Southeast Asia.” Fodors.com adds that “a thriving fish market” existed on the site in 1822, and that “it was redesigned as an octagon by George Coleman in 1834 and redesigned, as we see it today, in 1894.”
The lunch crowd greeted me as I entered Lau Pa. Located in the heart of Singapore’s business district, the former wet market has been restored and is now a favorite food center of the locals working in the nearby offices.
I didn’t want to cramp my stomach with food because I am looking forward to the Singapore Food Festival Opening at the Clarke Quay later in the afternoon.
I picked the Chives and Prawns Egg Dumpling at (SG $ 4.00) while Toon Hee chose the Pork Ribs ($4.50). I prefer vegetables and fish diet and a very light lunch to prepare me to sample more dishes at the Singapore Food Festival.
I simply loved the aroma and flavors of the dumplings, something I rarely get to savor with commercially-made dumplings in fast-foods.
Having a durian dessert was next on my agenda and what better way than to combine it with a cold chendol dessert.
For $2.40, I got a huge bowl of nasty smelling Durian but …
eaten together with the sweet goodness of green bean chendol, red beans, coconut milk, the combination was just heavenly enough to cool me down in this hot weather.
It time to head off to the Singapore Flyer but that will be for another blog entry at nimrodel.net when I get back from the Pernakan Parade at Clarke Quay.
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