In this episode of Parts Unknown, Bourdain travels to Singapore, known to some as “Disneyland with the death penalty.” He keeps coming back for the food, he says—only here does one find the singular, exquisite mix of Chinese, Indian, and Malay dubbed “indigenous fusion” by local chefs. Over several meals in homes and at hawker stalls, the conversation turns to Singapore’s government; here residents seem to have traded civil liberties for a booming economy. Bourdain asks an unavoidable question: “Is free speech overrated?”
Sabar Menanti II
Halal restaurant · Kampong Glam
Tony met with Singaporean- Malay entertainer and producer Najip Ali for Lontong (rice cake, coconut gravy, vegetables and hardboiled egg) and Mee Siam (fried rice noodles with chili paste, prawns, bean sprouts, and a spicy sweet and sour gravy, fried bean curd, and egg).
PARTS UNKNOWN / JEFF ALLEN
Lor 29 Geylang
Aljunied
Bourdain ate: fried oyster omelets, fried prawns with chili paste, bak chor mee (fish ball noodle soup), beef satay. Dinner dates: Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, author of Floating on a Malayan Breeze: Travels in Malaysia and Singapore; financial journalist Tania Angerer; and their friend Melanie Chan.
PARTS UNKNOWN / JEFF ALLEN
Singapore
6 Places
In this episode of Parts Unknown, Bourdain travels to Singapore, known to some as “Disneyland with the death penalty.” He keeps coming back for the food, he says—only here does one find the singular, exquisite mix of Chinese, Indian, and Malay dubbed “indigenous fusion” by local chefs. Over several meals in homes and at hawker stalls, the conversation turns to Singapore’s government; here residents seem to have traded civil liberties for a booming economy. Bourdain asks an unavoidable question: “Is free speech overrated?”
545 Whampoa Prawn Noodle
Hawker stall
Bourdain ate: The restaurant’s namesake, prawn noodles (虾面). Dinner date: KF Seetoh, widely hailed as the preeminent expert on Singaporean street food, photojournalist, entrepreneur, founder of Makansutra, a company that promotes Asian food culture through media and events.
Sabar Menanti II
Halal restaurant
Tony met with Singaporean- Malay entertainer and producer Najip Ali for Lontong (rice cake, coconut gravy, vegetables and hardboiled egg) and Mee Siam (fried rice noodles with chili paste, prawns, bean sprouts, and a spicy sweet and sour gravy, fried bean curd, and egg).
Lor 29 Geylang
Bourdain ate: fried oyster omelets, fried prawns with chili paste, bak chor mee (fish ball noodle soup), beef satay. Dinner dates: Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh, author of Floating on a Malayan Breeze: Travels in Malaysia and Singapore; financial journalist Tania Angerer; and their friend Melanie Chan.
Guan Hoe Soon Restaurant
Nyonya restaurant
"The oldest Peranakan restaurant in Singapore, predating independence." Bourdain had: Sour fish curry with pineapple, brazed duck with tamarind and coriander, okra sauteed with sambal, beer. Dinner date: Damian D’Silva, chef and authority on Singaporean heritage food.
Keng Eng Kee Seafood
Seafood restaurant
Tony had a meal with the family who runs this restaurant. They had pig trotters with black vinegar (and ginger, fried chilies, and asam), Hainan mixed vegetables (cabbage and glass noodles stir fried with bean curd, black mushrooms, pig skin, and shrimp).
Outram Park Fried Kway Teow Mee
Hawker stall
One of Tony's favorite things to eat in Singapore is char kway teow. "Ordinarily this is a breakfast," Tony explains. "I eat it every time I'm in Singapore." It is made of crispy lard bits, cockles, shrimp paste, and noodles.
