We thoroughly enjoyed our trip around Singapore with Teng.
Communication was excellent before the tour, and he was not only keen to find out what we would like to do, but he was also very happy to customise the trip according to our wishes - both in advance and on the way.
We learnt a huge amount about the history of Singapore and the influences of Malay, Chinese, Indian and British culture on the city, the economy, and - of course - the food. We certainly got the impression that we were heading ‘off the beaten track’ and the first (Malay) restaurant that he took us to was filled with locals. We tried the Murtabak and the Biryiani - both of which were stunningly delicious and unusual to our palates. We were able to watch the chef prepare the Murtabak with incredible skill and adeptness.
We then moved on to Little India and loved walking around the stalls, listening to the sounds and the bustle, smelling the incense and the spices and being transported to a different continent in the space of a couple of stops on the MRT (Metro). The queue outside the Komala Vilas vegetarian restaurant was insane following a recent visit from Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. A huge plate of Dosai arrived very quickly once we’d worked our way along the queue: delicious, but very filling!
Another couple of stops along the MRT and we moved country again, reaching China Town. We had a quick diversion to try the legendary and smelly Durian fruit at a stall (we loved it!) before hitting one of the authentic hawker markets with an incredible array of Chinese dishes. Teng recommended a spring roll, which I initially thought was a rather dull choice - even though we were incredibly full by this stage. However, it was worth persevering as the home made roll was unlike any I had ever tried before: delicious,, crunchy and full of flavour and texture.
Just as we were heading home, we found an amazing Chinese herbal medicine shop and spent a long time learning about all sorts of incredible natural remedies and a different way of treating ailments to challenge the pharmaceutical industry. We then bumped into the owner of (one of?) the only Michelin Starred Hawker restaurants, who Teng introduced us to. The tour overran by almost 2 hours, but this was never mentioned by Teng who remained the perfect host throughout.
Throughout the trip, Teng was a font of knowledge and good humour, and it was a delight to gain so much cultural exposure and experience through interaction with locals. By the end of the trip, we had tasted some amazing food - but the real plus was learning so much about Singapore in one day and making a new friend. We would thoroughly recommend this tour to others.
