Durian and Aunty Margaret's seafood delights

Singapore is Asia for beginners. The first stop for many visitors to the continent, it is as mellow an introduction as one could possibly wish. English is spoken, things run smoothly, public transport is great, rubbish nonexistent... At fist glance, it appears as a Western town which just happens to be in Asia. And indeed for us it was the gateway to Asia, our first stop before a pilgrimage lasting an undisclosed number of months and taking us to Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, Nepal and perhaps more. Although Singapore doesn't offer much in terms of adventure, or cultural challenge, for me it was perhaps THE city par excellence. It encompasses all features which come to mind thinking about 'city'; busy yet vibrant, modern and traditional at the same time, avant-garde, culturally stimulating and never, never boring. Oh yes, we had a great time there.

Although expensive by Asian standards Singapore is relatively cheap, and it is a foodie haven. As you could imagine, I was jumping with expectation of trying the delicious food on offer. After 4 months in South America, where with a few exceptions the food was along the lines on 'meat rice 'n beans combo', and Australia where we had a few charcol barbies and LOTS of deep-fried club fare, the prospect of luscious curries, stir-fries and satays sounded like heaven to me. The real soul of Singapore food is in the hawker centres, the open-air food-courts with seating in the middle of a circle of stalls. We had Hainanese chicken rice, which we were later to discover is Chinese version of comfort food. Steamed chicken on a bed of rice, with a small bowl of broth. Ca be found also in duck, roasted or barbecue pork versions; creative cooks will add five spice or star anise to the broth. We had several types of dim sum and noodle soups, steamed coconut sweets and dragonfruit shakes. In a market in the vicinity of Bugis Junction I had some of my beloved durian. For those of you not familiar with durian, I suggest you take a trip to Singapore, Thailand or better still to Penang, during the June-August durian season.

But then again, you'll probably hate it. My father and I are rare examples of Westerners who like durian. Most people hate it, put off by the peculiar smell of the fruit, which has been described as 'rotten pork and sour milk', 'dirty socks and rotten onions' or more simply 'poo'. I don't find the smell off-putting; it's probably a challenge to separate those who are worthy from those who are not... I enjoy durian's creamy texture, its custard-like flavour. Although I have to admit the smell is rather unique, and may not be everybody's cup of tea. Enjoying durian in Asia is better than in Europe; it's fresher, so it didn't have the chance to ferment and enhance the peculiar smell.

Singapore food originates from three main backgrounds; Chinese, Malay and Tamil. In addition, there are some Singapore specialties, manly seafood. We went to Newton food court and randomly chose to order from stall 78. That's where we met Auntie Margaret, and her delicious seafood specialties. the food was glistening fresh, crabs still alive prancing in their cage. We wanted to try what is perhaps Singapore's most popular dish, Chilli Crab. But we ended up trying many more dishes over separate occasions; black pepper crab, grilled chilli stingray, shark-fin soup and crispy squid rojak, a sweet and sour salad made with crispy squid, tamarind sauce and fruit. Digging into a plate of crab covered with chilli sauce, in a steamy Singapore evening, with an icy-cold Tiger is one of those moments we felt was just right. And indeed, that will remain with me as my memory of Singapore.