East Coast Road - Zaffron Kitchen

Chris sampling Indian wine.....

Sunday night, Chris and I went to East Coast Road, to do a little shopping and to grab some dinner.  This is a main East-West, yet still two-lane, artery in the East Coast area, and yet retains a local feel with many shops, markets, restaurants and other neighborhood businesses.  Restored tiled and shuttered shops from old Singapore show the history of the place, and, at the same time, it is slowly being updated and transformed into a hip area to hang out.  And it is very convenient, as it is a 5-minute bus ride from where we live.  We picked up a few inexpensive items and then had an awesome dinner at Zaffron Kitchen, a 3-month old Indian restaurant on East Coast Road.  We sampled a dry white wine from Bangalore, India, and was pleasantly surprised - hadn't a clue they even made wine in India!  Chris had a wonderful fish dish, and I had Palak Paneer, spinach and Indian cheese with curry, followed by Kheer for dessert, a hot rice pudding flavored with spices.  Note the waitress's apron that reads, "the devil wears prata".....(prata is a fried flour-based pancake that is cooked over a flat grill. It is usually served with a vegetable or meat based curry and is sold all over Singapore.)  We will be going back to this place!

Tanjong Beach at Sentosa

Buddies

Chris mimics the bikini model behind him

Yesterday, we had a great morning at Tanjong Beach on Sentosa, an island right off the South coast of Singapore with our good friends, Rob and Louise, and Ralph, and Doogie, a visiting dog in tow.  On Saturday mornings, Tanjong Beach belongs to dogs and their humans, and, indeed from about 9:00am and a few hours after, there were hardly any folks there.  Chris took the video below of primarily Lucy, of course, but Lucy's pals were captured as well, all having a dog fest in the waves.  The weather was gorgeous and the temperature of the water was delightful - I could have stayed in there for hours.  We've quickly gotten the Sentosa run down to a routine:  hanging in the water as long as possible, followed by dog shampoos (yes, there is a dog-washing station) and showers, followed by a cocktail or two at the Tanjong Beach Club.  Great way to spend a Saturday!

Hi again from Flat Lucy!!!  Here I am on top of a building in the Wan Chai district on Hong Kong island!  That's the Hong Kong Peak right up there over my head.  What a nice hike!  Think of an urban version of Spruce Creek or the Barr Trail to the Incline station.  and, it's especially easy on Flat Lucy since I get carried up!!!  on the far right is the "mid levels" district in Hong Kong where all the richer folks live.  I almost ended up in Hong Kong (no quarantine requirements from the USA), but I'm pretty sure I'm happier in Singapore. 



Tiong Bahru Market

Incense

This is another local market, kind of in the middle of town, with a floor of local shops and a Food Centre, or hawker stand.  I'm posting a few pictures of this place, because I was fascinated by a few shops selling a variety of paper products:  paper cell phones, typewriters, housewares, printers, toys, just about anything.  Apparently, the Chinese have a custom where on special occasions, paper items are bought and then burned so that the remains will go to their ancestors.  Many of the items have designer names printed on them, to ensure that their ancestors are being provided the best merchandise.  I think I heard that some of the brand-name companies are suing the manufacturers of these paper products for copyright infringement.....  makes sense, I guess, but silly.  After, wandering around for a bit, my friend, Joanne, and I had another incredible meal at a hawker stand selling Thai food, for $4.00 a piece!