Singapore Series: The Bottomless Pit

I discovered The Bottomless Pit in Singapore. It will probably still be there when I return. This is the second part of a series of posts. It's just a taste of the real deal and there's more to come.


Things to Eat in Singapore: Boon Tong Kee Chicken Reward!


Famished and thirsty from our nature trip in little Singapore, our gracious hosts introduced us to a restaurant known for their Hainanese Chicken (yes, my thoughts on Hainanese Chicken are no longer limited to Wee Nam Kee now).


Boon Tong Kee’s white chicken was parallel to Wee Nam Kee’s, only without the big bowl of warm soup.


The roasted chicken of Boon Tong Kee had a stronger flavor to it although Wee Nam Kee’s chicken size was fuller.


Like my first experience, I liked this better than the pale-looking one.

Things to Eat in Singapore: Have a Little Boon Tong Kee Tofu!


I don’t know what they put in the Tofu dip but it’s not Wasabi and it makes this simple appetizer light and addicting.

Things to Eat in Singapore: Boon Tong Kee’s Cereal Prawns!
I was a bit disappointed when I saw the first Singaporean cereal prawns served to us in the East Coast Village in the previous trip.


I was expecting cereal prawns to look like what I often eat here in Chinese restaurants in Manila – the one that looks so sinful with all the creamy and sweet mayonnaise coated with a fried crust or some crispy Corn Flakes. It was the ultimate disappointment – my first taste of the illusion came with a dry mix of oatmeal, shrimp heads and then some overcooked (and not-so-fresh) “ mini prawns”. Boon Tong Kee’s Cereal Prawns were really big and not dry at all.


I would say that this should be more of their specialty and people should come to Boon Tong Kee for this.

Things to Do in Singapore: Visit Jones the Grocer at Dempsey Hill
It's funny how my stomach seemed to be a bottomless pit in Singapore.


When we arrived at Dempsey Hill, we only had a name and a meeting point. It was a big relief to find Jones the Grocer and its many wonders.


There’s an assortment of chocolates,


books,


wines, pasta,


tea, spices, bread,


cooking ingredients, nougats


and a sealed room full of cheese!


Things to Eat in Singapore: Jones the Grocer for Appetizer and Dessert
There were dining tables for those who want to taste the finest ingredients from a limited menu inside Jones the Grocer.


We figured to start our restaurant hopping in Dempsey Hill here by sampling the Smoked Chicken ‘Waldorf” Salad (16.5 SGD)


and the Spinach & Goats Cheese Rotolo with Truffle Cream (15 SGD).


I headed back twice to this counter and bought x grams of nougat to take home, which I kept in my bag for emergency sugar rush and cravings throughout the trip.


Dempsey Hill is the place to be for this non-chocolate nutty treat.

Things to Eat in Singapore: Jumbo Chili Crabs
For our main course, the six of us ordered one chili crab to share at Jumbo Seafood.


The waiter had to ask us again if he heard it right. This is just one of our pit stops for the night after all. It was finger-lickin’ good.


It’s been so long since I ate and enjoyed eating crab with my bare hands. I've welcomed that long-forgotten thrill for Singapore’s famous Chili Crabs paired with Mantou. I loved the one in the East Coast Village better for the sauce and the price, this one for the meat.

Things to Eat in Singapore: Jumbo Mushrooms with Tofu
I've mentioned that six of us went out to eat, one was vegetarian and the other was allergic to seafood so we ate their share in short. This next dish was originally intended for our two friends.


Bottom line: I was glad that I still had space for this surprisingly awesome dish after eating all that hot crab and bread for the sauce.

Things to Do in Singapore: Look for the Original Rochor Beancurd
The crab was our last straw for the food trip in Dempsey Hill. We simply wanted to go back to the hotel and walk our big tummies off after. We ended up trying out the soya milk, egg tart and beancurd in Short Street near our Hotel Ibis.


Our friend highly recommended the Rochor Original Beancurd store, as it was the spot where he used to go to for midnight snacks when he was still studying in Singapore. What would you do if it just happened to be right there already in front of you and you're not always gonna be in Singapore? I still loved my first taste of fresh soya milk in Taiwan and this actually came in as a second favorite so far.


There was a long line and even high-end cars parked on the street for this affordable late-night find.

How a Bottomless Pit Thinks
I was growing accustomed to and constantly looking forward to our next meal or snack in this trip. Of course, this is only a preview. Here is a justification I had for taking in that much stuff every day of our Singapore trip: there was plenty of walking, sweating, learning, appreciating and talking anyway.  In the end, they do balance each other out. I’ll leave you with something from Boon Tong Kee: 吃是褔好口褔* (Chi Shi Fu, Hao Kou Fu, my rough and preferred translation: To eat is happiness/good fortune/a blessing, have a good meal and have your fill!)


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