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Sumptuous Singapore
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Go on a taste tour of Singaporean cuisine at the Golden Dragon
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"WATCH AND learn" ought to be the corporate motto of our tourism authorities. Whom should they watch? The Singapore Tourism Board. Why? 3,75,600 Indians visited the country in 2002. Compare that with the number of Singaporeans who came this way the same year, a mere 42,800. I rest my case.
"Makan Delights", a beautiful guide to Singapore food came with the invitation to the ongoing `Taste Singapore' fest at the Golden Dragon, Taj Coromandel. The pictures of glistening noodles and rice topped with all kinds of seafood and gorgeous vegetables have me all primed even before I reach the restaurant. Is that marketing or what? Our tabletop tour of the country begins with Rojak, a salad of fruits and vegetables with a shrimp paste and peanut dressing. Quite a nice start for a taste tour. There is a slight problem though, the fermented shrimp paste. Its pungent smell needs some getting used to. If you are one of those who don't appreciate the food making a strong statement, then stay away from this one or go for the veg version.
While on the subject of statements, Otak otak too makes one, a lilting one. Oh yeah, the fragrance of the banana leaf and the mackerel hits you the minute the dish reaches the table. Sometimes table manners can be a drag. This is one such occasion. I could easily fall on the plate, literally, just for that heavenly smell. The taste matches the aroma, as expected. With every morsel, you smell the sea, feel the breeze and hear the waves.
Gado gado, an assortment of vegetables tossed in a tamarind-garlic-peanut sauce is pleasant, but without personality. The moist Satay, chicken, could make you forget all about the avian flu and dream of chicken breasts dripping peanut sauce at night.
No two dishes can better illustrate how skilfully the Singaporeans make a virtue of a necessity as Laksa and Mee Siam. When there is nothing original to offer make a tradition of adoption and adaptation. Nobody does it better than the Australians and the Singaporeans. Both the dishes are made of rice noodles. As the name suggests, Mee Siam has a Thai accent that comes from dry shrimp and tamarind. In Laksa, the vermicelli gets thicker and is given the famed Peranakan or Strait Chinese touch of coconut milk. Which is better? It is hard to say. So why waste time? Have both if you can.
The desserts, black glutinous rice with coconut ice cream and coconut pancake with coconut sauce, are too mild for the Indian palate cultivated on rich halwas and syrupy jalebis. The coconut ice cream is quite nice. The festival is on till February 29.
MARIEN MATHEW
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