The Malaysian Insider

FEB 14 — Each time I make a trip to KL, I am reminded of how lucky I am to have just that few handful of good pals (I am no saint, but I guess good enough to earn the friendship of those treasured few) there who are always at the ready to scurry me off away from the slick tourist traps (albeit nice) in the Bukit Bintang and Chinatown area.

Yes, after umpteen times to KL, I admit I am still a Bukit Bintang rat. I love scuttling about to sniff out that little rare shop, stall and eatery hidden just bedside the slick malls and frenzied shopping centres — like for a bowl of what I regard as still one of the best, most sincere and humblest bowl of Ipoh curry hor fun at the corner of Jalan Tong Shin in front of Corona Hotel.

JAN 31 — It escapes me why but somehow nasi Padang, resplendent with a range of drool-inducing offerings like rendang, telor dadah, ayam korma and bakar, ikan assam, babat lemak and even sambal petai, especially over a plate of simple steamed fluffy rice (with a dash of sambal belacan), is sadly hard to find in Malaysia, especially in KL. One really has to look hard. There may be some nasi Melayu or nasi kandar stalls here and there touting one or two Padang-styled dishes but there are really like an oasis in the desert.

But down south in Singapore, the obverse is obvious. Nasi Padang stalls proliferate and grow wildly in almost every hawker centre, kopitiam and food court. Rare is the nasi Melayu stall and nada for nasi kandar outlets here (someone, do something about this especially the nasi kandar part).

DEC 27 — I've always had this thing about those television clips that portray just how sinful and even wasteful it is when fishermen catch a seemingly endangered shark, trim its fins off and dump that poor creature back into the deep abyss without that in-built steering rudder. It will be left to rot, drift about aimlessly, lose its "sharkhood" and be cannibalised. So drama.

Sadly, it does make many in Asia think twice about their next bowl of sharksfin soup (I am at times guilty too). But my usual reaction is really, what about those Teochew eateries that offer steamed shark's meat (much like skate), kway teow soup in a thick milky broth made from boiling sharks bones over a low fire for what seems like forever and, most interestingly, steamed sharks head (way more interesting than eating a lucky bowl of sharksfin).

DEC 13 — Now, more than ever, must be the best time to visit Singapore with a skimpy budget. This city state is the first in Asia to buckle and recede into a recession since the Wall Street brothers at Lehman went "oops". It's been more than two consecutive quarters of negative growth here which tells you that the bottom is not yet in sight for the current observant punter.

Suddenly many service folks won't take your dollar for granted anymore. I believe many quietly genuflect in thanks as you enter their shop or eatery when you surf the mall. They will wipe an already-cleaned table, and even the chair, of your choice and pour you a cup of tea as you ponder over the menu which comes with new and freshly inked pages of "Downtime Specials”.

But there are culinary communities, corners and avenues in Singapore that never budge nor buckle whether the economy is rosy or wonky. They sell good food for a fair dollar, feed the fat and happy masses, and they are the shiny saviours of the budget-conscious. So, if you make that, now cheaper, trip down south, what with crude prices languishing at about US$40 as I write, check out this little makan avenue less-travelled by the average explorer.

NOV 29 - If you are one of the fortunate souls who often trot across the Causeway straight into the arms of local old buddies, friends and family on this little island once called Temasek, then the rendezvous, you know by now, very often involves some form of frenzied feeding, local heartlander style.

But if you are a victim of slick tourism marketing and savvy destination packaging, then no one can blame you for drawing sad conclusions about Singapore after a half-day free tour to the polished Orchard Road, Boat Quay, Little India and cheesy corners of Chinatown tourist ghettos.

All this while, your "counterparts" will be masticating masterful iconic dishes with beer or kopi-o at some of the truly Singapore makan hotspots like Katong, Jalan Besar, Balestier, Beach Road and even in the deliciously bright red Geylang, where the dark forces of Kamasutra meets Makansutra.