Long Beach: Chilli crab and geoduck

Chilli crab and black pepper crab are must do’s in Singapore. They’re like the pyramids in Egypt or Macchu Picchu in Peru. Only you can eat them. Long Beach (http://www.longbeachseafood.com.sg/outlets.php , it doesn’t really matter which outlet) does pretty good renditions of both of them, especially the curry crab. Just don an apron, and use your hands to get stuck in.

But don’t forget some of the less well-known options. Prawns stir fried with salted egg and curry leaves are rich and incredibly moreish. My favourite however, was geoduck, sashimi style. A bit pricey, but well worth it. So you might be asking, what actually is a geoduck? To put it simply, it’s like a giant white clam. It’s flesh, however, is smooth, silky and sublimely sweet, and when dipped in the peppery heat of wasabi-infused soy sauce, alas you have a formidable partnership.

Sambal Stingray and more...

East Coast Lagoon Food Village (1220 East Coast Parkway) is symbolises what is great about Singaporean Hawker dining: alfresco (by the beach), reasonably priced, full of seafood and most importantly, highly delicious.

It’s a shame that I can’t remember which stall I ate at, but it’s hard to go wrong with sambal stingray. Spicy, zingy sambal sauce; tender, almost creamy stingray wing; a winning combination in my eyes. Barbequed crayfish with garlic butter is another safe bet; the sweet flesh of the strange looking ocean dweller marries perfectly with the smokey, earthy garlic butter which I’d highly recommend you ask them to smother it with.

Izakaya Style

Pub food in Japan is at least a notch if not two notches above your average Western pub grub (except for gastropubs, but they don’t count as pubs in my eyes). Singapore, like Vancouver, is pretty big on Japanese food, hence the plethora of izakayas. One of my favourites is Shunjuu Izakaya (http://www.shunjuu.com ) in Robertson Quay.

It’s a combo that’s hard to beat: refreshing, crisp Japanese beers, alfresco dining and inventive skewers char-grilled to perfection. Highlights included melt in your mouth ox tongue, surprisingly flavoursome chicken with basil, tender iberico pork neck and wagyu beef steak. Vegetarians don’t despair; the veggie options were delicious too – particularly the stuffed mushrooms.