Singapore: December 2023: Day 5: Hawker stalls

Singapore

Day 5: Chinatown

Next door to Hong Lim Hawker Centre.

Inside Hong Lim Food Centre.

Tai Wah Pork Noodle's stall here is closed for the holidays. ;_;

Some stalls here are very popular.

Hwee Kee looked good.

SLII Muffin had a good sized line, too.

Tuck Kee (Ipoh) Sah Hor Fun had a good sized line but it moved quickly. Menu.

Menu.

Gai lan. SGD $3!

Crayfish prawn hor fun.

Ji Ji Wanton Noodle Specialist lived up to their name.

ChinaTown Point Mall.

Hawker Chan.

Literally called the tourist meal. If all tourist meals are this good then I am happy to be a tourist.

Pagoda Street in Singapore's Chinatown.

Explosion Pot? Uhhhhhhhhh.

Cafe Monochrome.

That smell around the corner... turned out to be an actual durian tree.

Musang King durian.

Chinatown Street Market, aka Smith St.

Chinatown Complex Market and Food Centre.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. Inside.

Inside.

Maxwell Food Centre.

Hum Jin Pang's fried dough things had a big crowd.

Outside.

Finally a sunny day to show off the pool at the JW Marriott.

The other South Beach Tower.

Kim chi and fish cake in the noodle this time. They called it army stew. Wut.

The famous Helix Bridge with Marina Bay Sands hotel in the background.

Reverse angle of the Helix Bridge and the Ritz-Carlton.

Nightly mini-movie on the ArtScience Museum.

The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands' Christmas display.

Food court inside The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.

Still packed at 9:00pm.

Chinese BBQ.

From the Singapore Fried Noodles/Thye Hong Fried Hokkien Mee stall.

Singapore char kway teow.

Massive.

Next door stall.

Dragonfruit juice because why not on the last night here.

Back across the Helix Bridge.

Closer to water level, the classic shot of the Helix Bridge and Marina Bay Sands has a bit different flavor.

Cloud Forest and Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay.

Singapore Flyer.

In a complete 180 from the previous day, lunch and the afternoon today were spent at hawker stalls in Chinatown. Hong Lim Food Centre and Maxwell Food Centre have some amazing places, with some massive lines for the best stalls inside Hong Lim Food Centre. Tuck Mee (Ipoh) Sah Hor Fun's crayfish prawn horfun is tasty, although Ji Ji Wanton Noodle was even better. Between food centers and strolls of Chinatown, the former Michelin-star Hawker Chan does it right as well despite their adoption of air conditioning, with soy sauce chicken, char siu, and roast pork all being on-point.

Sights worthy of comment in Chinatown included Cafe Monochrome (a "2D" cafe), Explosion Pot Barbecque (uhhhhhhh), and an actual live durian tree marking a popular durian seller. Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is worth a stop as well, and Sri Mariamman Temple is just a few blocks away as well.

Took a break in the mid-afternoon back at the hotel, had some clear blue skies to check out the pool on the 18th floor, and randomly ran into some US Navy pilots enjoying a shore visit in Singapore.

Finally, as it was the last night in Singapore, wandered back over to the Helix Bridge for more pictures. Caught the light show at the ArtScience Museum on the walk over, plus detoured a bit take pictures near the Singapore Flyer (165 metter tall observation wheel) and across the river from Gardens by the Bay. Somewhere in there was an extended stop inside The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands to check out all of their high-end stores and their Christmas tree display, plus another Singaporean staple for dinner, char kway teow. The food court inside The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands was packed up until 10pm, and the char kway teow was both massive and very tasty. Felt like a very appropriate way to cap off the last night of the trip.