What comes to mind when you hear Hainanese Chicken Rice? Singapore. And that’s where I am, as I write this.This is my very first time to travel out of the country after over two years. Of course, I am so excited. Plus, it is to a food paradise.With all the hawker places all over, I’ve been so looking forward to this trip. My first encounter was with the hotel pickup. The driver talked about a delicious fish ball noodle soup I soon started craving for. After dropping my suitcase at the hotel, I took off walking and looking for that fishball noodle soup. I found one but not what he recommended. I was so happy and hungry.After the meal, I wanted to look for the driver and strangle him. It was the most horrible meal I have ever had in Singapore. But I am a fighter. I was told that a great version of Din Tai Fung was near my hotel, so my sights were set on that for lunch. Even so, I’ve decided since I’ll be here a few more days that I should control and order only what I can finish. Earlier, I found Din Tai Fung at the basement of the Paragon mall, but it was too early and it was still closed. So, I went back to the hotel. My hotel breakfast was pretty good. I purposely arrived late so there was no crowd to fight with. I just ordered the bestsellers—the most popular salad appetizer, the most popular stir-fried vegetable, and the well-known pork chops. I wanted so bad to have the shio long bao and the fried chicken wings but I decided to save those for another day. Right then, I chose healthy. Or at least I tried. Over the past three weeks, since there had been no shows to do, I’d been eating only saltwater fish and vegetables only. I’ve been trying to go healthy. Although I would give in to occasion binges, I generally ate no carbs, no sugar, no meat. In short, boring food, but I was beginning to enjoy it. In the beginning, I felt a bit weak but as soon as my body adjusted, I started to feel great. I was moving better in badminton and I was sleeping better.But well, now I’m in Singapore.Back to Din Tai Fung. I ordered an Oriental salad. This is made up of cubed tofu, bean sprouts, sweetish and slimy seaweeds, with a mild soy vinegar dressing. Delicious! Then came my vegetable. I was told it was the most popular veggie dish. It’s called stir-fried Dou Miao. It has dark green short veggies with a light garlic broth. Also so delicious! And then I had simple fried pork chops. I thought it would be crispy and breaded. It was lean, simply fried. The doneness was perfect and it went well with veggies. So, I’ve strayed from my new healthy diet on my first day in Singapore, but then there is still tomorrow and the days after that. While waiting for my order at Din Tai Fung, I went over the menu twice, imaging my order tomorrow.Tomorrow, I want to try the sliced duck in crispy spring onion pastry, Oriental wantons with black vinegar and chili oil and something else. Wala na. What diet? I have found my justification for breaking my resolve. How many times naman am I in Singapore? I am told not all branches of this brand taste the same. I’ll be finding out when I get back home. Oh well. I’ll share the experience of the other dishes if my plans push through.Happy eating!
