My Favorite Must-Try Singapore Food

Food Paradise on This Red Dot (Singapore): Which Are the Must-Try Food in Singapore for Both Tourist & Locals?

While Singapore, also known as the Little Red Dot is a tiny country, it is a mighty boiling pot of cuisines that incorporate a rich heritage of food dishes that consist of Indian, Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese influences.

If you are a local Singaporean, chances are you have seen these dishes in hawker centers, food courts, shopping malls, quaint shop-houses that have served Singaporeans for decades or even below your void deck. There is an amazing dicing choice at every turn in Singapore.
Whether you are a Singaporean or a tourist, here are the top 3 must-try dishes in Singapore, and where to get them:

1. Chili crab and black pepper crab.

Crab is a big deal in Singapore; It is no wonder that Singaporeans take their crab and sauce selection seriously. Singaporean chili crab is exceptionally popular for its sweet and savory flavor.

It can be found in almost any Singaporean corner and is popular across the board from hawker street food stalls, takeaway counters to high-end restaurant menus. Singapore’s chili crab, one of world’s 50 best foods featured by CNN, is an award-winning dish that is also part of their richly flavored culinary history. Despite its name, it is rich and not overly spicy.

Chili crab consists of a large, succulent piece of crab meat that is stir-fried and coated with a hint of sweet, spicy and savory tomato-based sauce. This sauce is delicately prepared so that it brings a nice balance that does not overpower the natural flavor of the freshly cooked crab. Chili crab is a must try food if you are looking to complete your culinary exploring journey of Singapore.

Along the chili crab, is the black pepper crab version which is also a Singaporean staple. The black pepper crab has been described by many as simply divine. This dish is first deep-fried and then smothered in a thick, rich oyster sauce that is spiced with loads of chilies, ginger, and peppercorns. It is traditionally eaten with bare hands to allow you to truly savor the juicy and spicy crab meat and its sweet and spicy chili sauce.

My favourite place to get it: 

• Jumbo Seafood Restaurant
  The Jumbo Seafood restaurant is located on the East Coast, overlooking the magnificent Singapore river, which helps create a refined ambiance. This restaurant is renowned for preparing classic chili crabs. The one thing that defines the taste and style of chili crab is the chili sauce. Jumbo Seafood Restaurant lives up to this reputation. It prepares a classic version of chili crab that includes a thick, sweet and slightly spicy sauce. Its spiciness level is one of the lowest compared with its counterparts and is especially great for Western palates.

• No Signboard Restaurant
  No Signboard Restaurant’s chili crab is loved for its varying levels of spiciness. At this restaurant, you will be served with chili crab that is tailored to meet your preferred level of spiciness. What’s more, it keeps its prices reasonable so that everyone can have a taste of the restaurant’s culinary skills.

2. Hainanese Chicken Rice

This is another iconic Singaporean dish with Chinese origin that makes for a quick and deeply fulfilling lunch. It is loved for being extra succulent (practically melts in your mouth) and simple. While it may seem simple, it is one dish that you’d cross continents to eat. The Hainanese chicken rice is a dish that contains juicy steamed chicken, cut into long thin pieces. The chicken is served with aromatic rice, light soy sauce and topped with sesame oil and cilantro, which is accompanied by a garlic-chili sauce. The rice is boiled in the chicken broth with pandan leaves and ginger which gives it its unique fragrance.

My favourite place to get it: 

• Tian Tian
  This is a 30-year-old food stall that is renowned for its Hainanese chicken rice. Due to its fame, expect to find long queues at their flagship outlet located at Maxwell Food Centre almost all day every day. Both locals and tourists love Tian Tian’s Hainanese chicken rice for its firm chicken slices, fragrant rice, and delicious sides.

• Chin Chin Eating House
  This eatery has been around for more than 80 years and serves up some truly authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice. Although it can sometimes get crowded, it is certainly worth the wait.

3. Satay

Satay is wonderfully skewered iced meat that will have you gnawing on it all day. It is a ubiquitous snack found in most street food stalls in Singapore and loved for its convenience and tastiness. Originally from Java Indonesia, Satay is an adaptation of Indian Kebabs, only now, it is leaner and with fewer fillings, which have made it find its way into the hearts of Singaporeans. Although there have been several renditions of the dish since it crossed borders, the Singapore Satay dish includes skewers of grilled meat, sliced onions, sliced cucumbers, and pressed rice cakes. It is served with a heavy sweet, spicy, peanut sauce and is usually accompanied by rice dumplings (ketupat) and onions.

My favourite place to get it: 

• Haron Satay
  Haron Satay is located on the East Coast Lagoon Food Village and has been in business for close to 4 decades. It is surrounded by a long sandy beach and greenery trees that provide diners a pleasurable and serene ambiance. It is one of the favorite destinations to enjoy Muslim-style Satay. Its Satay is always grilled to perfection, making its meat very tender and succulent. All their sauce and rice cakes are homemade.

• Kwong Satay
  Kwong Satay is a gem of a stall. It offers, by far, the juiciest and spiciest Satay in Singapore. Each of its Satay sticks is smoky, with charred edges and dripping with savory juices. Kwong Satay marinades its meat using saffron, which makes it more aromatic than the skewers you will get elsewhere.

Singapore is, without a doubt, a multi-ethnic culture and heritage that presents itself in a multitude of colorful cuisines, each with its own distinct flavor. We are truly blessed to be living in Singapore.

While there are still dozens of dishes in Singapore that are true to our heritage, these three dishes are definitely must-tries.

Where You Can Go For Plastic Surgery in Singapore

The ability to look great is a shared desire by people across the world. That is why where diet and exercise cannot sculpt the body in the ways that are considered aesthetically pleasing, most people turn to aesthetic and plastic surgery. This trend has seen an increase in the number of specialised clinics and hospitals on a global scale, more especially in Singapore.

Singapore boasts of experienced and highly qualified doctors and surgeons. Still, it is crucial that you locate the best Singapore plastic surgery clinic that specialises in these procedures. Here is a review of some the top clinics you may consider:

WC Ong Plastic Surgery

WC Ong Plastic Reconstructive Surgery was established and has been providing patients with personalized cosmetic surgery as well as reconstructive surgery. With decades of experience, Dr. Ong who is a MOH accredited female plastic surgeon will take her time to get to know you & understand your goals to ensure every aspect of your desires and needs would be heard and be respected.

This clinic offers an extensive range of cosmetic plastic surgery services specializing in body contouring, breast enhancement and reconstructive procedures. Under the competent and experienced hands of Dr. Ong Wei Chen who is one of the best female plastic surgeon in Singapore, you can be assured of quality care and treatment.

 

EHA Clinic

This is an aesthetic clinic dedicated to helping its patients achieve the look they desire. It conducts a wide array of cosmetics treatments, including aqua-dermabrasion, hydra-dermabrasion, fractional lasers and hair transplant among others. EHA Clinic is committed to providing its patients with the highest possible standard of minimally invasive aesthetic treatments. It is headed by Dr Elias Tam, who has over 18 years’ experience in the plastic surgery industry. Dr Elias specialises in lip augmentation, fillers, Botox, hair transplant, IPL laser and face lifting.

All other doctors in the clinic have a proven track record of best practice standards in their respective fields.

EHA Clinic offers advanced cosmetic equipment, some of which are exclusive within the Asia Pacific Region only. Their ongoing commitment to the highest level of patient care makes them the most sought-after aestheticians in Singapore. They are distinguished by the quality of personal services provided by their doctors and skilled medical staff who strive to offer unrivalled standards in patient care before, during and after the aesthetic treatments.

 

Privé Clinic

Privé Clinic boasts of an impressive range of ultramodern technology and an exclusive product range. Located in the heart of Orchard Road, this clinic is a one-stop medical aesthetic centre that offers expert solutions for your skin, body and even hair needs. Privé Clinic aims to help its patients look their best from head to toe through the use of advanced, clinically-proven technology and medical-grade products that are not only effective but also safe for human consumption.

Dr Karen Soh leads this clinic. Her expertise, and ability to satisfy her patient’s needs have helped her build a solid reputation for her business. The clinic’s staff are also professionally trained to provide high-quality care and expertise.

 

W Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

W Aesthetic Plastic surgery is a boutique clinic that is specially designed to provide personalised care to its patients in a comfortable and private setting. It boasts of a dedicated team of doctors headed by Dr Wong Chin Ho, who is an accredited Plastic Surgeon in Singapore.

Dr Wong is known for his meticulous attention to detail and eye for aesthetics. He continually strives to provide the best quality care to meet the needs of his patients. W Aesthetic Plastic Surgery offers customised treatment plans thanks to their specialized skin analysis that identifies potential areas of improvement of each patient. Located at the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in Singapore, the clinic is equipped with its own procedure rooms where minor surgical procedures and laser treatments can be performed.

 

Allure Plastic Surgery

Just like its name implies, Allure Plastic Surgery is dedicated to making you look like a million bucks. This clinic is known for its signature scarless eye bag removal, Korean-style double eyelid creation, tummy tucks, rhinoplasty and breast augmentation. Allure Plastic Surgery is led by Dr Samuel Ho, a reputable plastic surgeon in Singapore.

Dr Samuel Ho’s work embraces and enhances natural beauty. He aims to help his patients look more beautiful, radiant and rejuvenated, but other people are unsure if you’ve really had surgery. His vast experience in the field enables him to create a natural, harmonious look.

This clinic offers a comprehensive concierge service for both local and international patients like post-surgical care support.

 

Shens Clinic

With over 19 years’ experience and more than 2,000 cases done, Dr. Shens – a Korean-trained doctor, is one of the most sought-after plastic surgeons in Singapore that specialise in eyes, face and body cosmetics treatments. Dr. Shens provides a wide array of comprehensive treatments, including scarless eye bag removal, buccal fat removal, skin booster, rhinoplasty among others.

Before going into just any aesthetic and plastic surgery clinic, we highly recommend that you take your time to do your research. This way, you will be in a better position to pick the authentic plastic surgery facility that will suit your needs.

Plastic Surgery: Safe Or Risky? How To Find The Right Surgeon

Choosing to undergo plastic surgery is one of the most important decisions you can make in your life. If you are looking to get your dream body, have more confidence and higher self-esteem, you may be considering if plastic surgery could be the solution.

However, there are some risks involved in this procedure, and that’s why it is important to be wary. One of the factors that you should consider before undergoing plastic surgery in Singapore is the kind of surgeon that is going to work on you. Singapore has a lot of qualified plastic surgeons, but not all of them can yield the results you are looking for.

 

Singapore or Korea: Where to go for plastic surgery

With more and more Singaporeans opting to go under the knife and refurbish their looks, there has been a bit of speculation on where to get the best services: Singapore or Korea? While there is not a definite answer to this debate, there are a few considerations to keep mind when deciding which country offers the best cosmetic surgery.

When it comes to quality and effectiveness, both countries seem to be on par. However, some reports seem to suggest that Singaporeans prefer Korea to Singapore itself when it comes to plastic surgery (http://www.asiaone.com/health/bangkok-or-korea-where-singaporeans-go-plastic-surgery-and-why).

Although it is relatively challenging to gauge which of the two countries offers the best cosmetic surgery, there is one factor that stands out clearly; price.

And this is where Korea has a distinct advantage over Singapore. A lot of people who have had their plastic surgery in Korea confidently admit that their prices are more than 50% lower than what is charged in Singapore, without sacrificing the quality.

For instance, a nose job could cost you as much as $7,500 in Singapore while the same procedure is done for as little as $2,500 in Korea. Additionally, getting a boob job in Singapore is twice as much as expensive as it is in Korea. To have a facelift in Singapore you would need around $20,000 and only $1,500 in Korea.

Plastic surgery is a life-changing experience. It is, therefore, important that you find the right person to do it. Remember that this is a decision that can either build or destroy your life. A slight mistake could lead to tremendous effects.

 

Here are some tips to help you choose the right plastic surgeon in Singapore.

There are very many plastic surgeons in Singapore, but not all of them can provide the kind of quality services that will make you realise your dream body. It is imperative that you choose only reputable, well-trusted and select only top plastic surgeon in Singapore to work with.

Ask your trusted friends and family

Friends and family are the most trusted sources of recommendations for the best plastic surgeon. These are people that care for you and would only recommend the best of surgeons. If you have friends or family members who have undergone plastic surgery before, talk to them and let them tell you about their experiences and who they think would be perfect for the job.

Check out the plastic surgeon’s record

An ideal surgeon has a high reputation, and that means their work and experiences with clients are publicly available. This presents an opportunity for you to check out the surgeon’s past work. You will be able to determine how many successful surgeries they have had and whether they are the kind you want. You can also check to see if the surgeon is licensed to practice medicine in Singapore and whether they have been involved in any medical malpractices.

Ask enough questions

When you go for a consultation, make sure that you ask all the right questions and get answered satisfactorily before agreeing to undergo surgery. If you feel like the surgeon has no idea of what you want, feel free to walk away.

Do not risk going into surgery when you still have unanswered questions in your head. Ask anything about the surgery and the surgeon even those questions that you think are unnecessary or insignificant. Do not let the plastic surgeon or anybody else rush you into the operation.

Battle Between Lazada & Zalora, An Honest Review

A Honest Look At Lazada & Zalora

As highlighted in my previous earlier post, online shopping is a growing trend in Singapore. This is majorly due to the convenience, selection, and the value that comes with online stores not forgetting lower prices. All you need to shop online is a stable internet connection, and your items can be delivered right to your doorstep within 24 hours.

If you are a local in Singapore and are looking for the best online stores, then you most likely have heard and heard about Lazada or Zalora. These two have taken shopping to the next level where the service they offer conveniently complements perfectly with fashion tastes, product quality and a wide range of fashion collections.

They are loved for their funky fashion collections, beauty and cosmetics, top-branded and beyond.

Here’s My Personal Review About Shopping On Lazada

Lazada SG site

Lazada, without a doubt, is the Amazon of Southeast Asia. Whether you are looking for top-trending fashion, the latest tech releases or just stocking up on health and beauty products, Lazada has all you are looking for and more.

This online shopping store verifies all brands before putting their items on sale, meaning that you will not have to worry about authenticity when doing your shopping.

It has a great user interface with the categories and sub-categories clearly shown for easy browsing. They also have numerous deals and offers, which is an added perk for bargain-loving Singaporeans.

Features of Lazada’s site:

• One stop shopping solution: Lazada features hundreds of brands to cater for all your shopping needs.
• Secure shopping: It offers 100% protection to buyers and guarantees the sale of genuine products.
• A variety of payment methods: Users can pay either by cash, bank transfers, credit cards, or PayPal.
• Lazada smartphone app: Lazada provides its users with a smartphone app, which allows them to get everything at the tip of their fingers.

Pros of shopping on Lazada:

• Easy return/exchange policy
• Price advantage
• It has an App for daily use
• Customers can pay on delivery
• Free returns
• Tracking mechanism
• Great customer support

Cons of shopping on Lazada:

• Some purchased items like undergarments are not refundable
• It is not the cheapest online store in Singapore

Here’s My Personal Review About Shopping On Zalora

Zalora site

Zalora is one of the best online fashion stores in Singapore. A wide range of fashion products. Zalora offers an extensive fashion collection, including menswear, womenswear, beachwear, sportswear, footwear, accessories, bags and a variety of beauty products. Whether you are looking for elegant casual wear or trendy formal dresses, Zalora has everything you need.

It boasts of a user-friendly website with a simple checkout process that makes it easy for shoppers to browse and place orders. This site is undoubtedly recommended for those looking to spice up their wardrobe.

Features of Zalora’s site:

Great return policy:  Zalora allows customers to return whatever they have purchased within 30 days of receipt without giving reasons or explanations. What’s more, the customer can get a full refund should they change their mind about buying. Additionally, you will not have to worry about the cost of return shipping as Zalora provides pre-paid shipping labels on all their orders. Customers can use these labels to return any parcel at SingPost offices at their convenience.

Shipping: It offers free local shipping for orders above s$40. A charge of $3.90 applies to shop orders below s$40. The best bit is that customers can enjoy their items just 24 hours of making a payment.

Payment mode: Users can pay either by Credit/debit card, pay on delivery, eNETS or PayPal.

Pros About Zalora:

• An array of promotions and discounts
• A wide range of products
• 30-day free return policy
• Great categorization of products
• Mobile app for added convenience
• Easy to use interface

It boasts of a user-friendly website with a simple checkout process that makes it easy for shoppers to browse and place orders. This site is undoubtedly recommended for those looking to spice up their wardrobe.

Cons About Zalora:

• They do not provide enough pictures for some products
• Long delivery times

Comparison Between Lazada & Zalora:

Customer service
While both websites offer excellent customer service, Zalora is considered superior as their representatives are highly technical compared to Lazada’s who do not always provide appropriate calls. Also, Zalora makes sure to attend to client calls attentively.

Return policy
This is one area that always bothers consumers across the globe. In this case, Zalora’s return policy is superior as it offers you a return from within the delivery right at the time of delivery in case you are not satisfied with the product. Lazada, on the other hand, does not provide any return form and you have to print one after filing a return online from their site.

Delivery
When it comes to delivery, both sites tie.

Payment
Both sites accept cash on delivery, PayPal, Amex, Debit/credit card payments.

As you can see, both Zalora and Lazada have both pros and cons. Hence, the choice ultimately comes down to you. However, whether you are shopping through Zalora or Lazada, it is important that you do your research to help you decide where is the best to shop based on your preference.

Buying Clothes Online – Should You Do It?

In this post, let’s talk about what most Singaporeans LOVE doing in our free time – shopping online! 🙂

Thanks to the internet, we no longer have to worry about leaving the house, changing out of our office or waiting in long boutique queues to get those chic jeans. For many people, shopping is now our favourite pastime, besides watching K-drama.

Other than the convenience, shopping online gives you access to things that are not available locally as well as access to a variety of options to choose from.

If you still haven’t started shopping online, here is why you should consider it.

• Lower prices
  Most online stores sell their clothes cheaper than retail shops. They also run multiple flash sales that offer clothes at a significantly discounted price.
• Better display capabilities
  Unlike online stores, in-stores have a limited space that only allows for a few clothes to be displayed. Hence, you will be forced to go into the shop to search for clothes hidden in the rack. As for online stores, each item is put on display, eliminating the need for you spending hours searching through piles of clothes.
• Convenience
  When you shop online, you can get your entire wardrobe delivered to your front door without leaving your home.

 

Tips On How To Buy Clothes Online

 

Know your measurements
By now, you probably know that sizes vary from brand to brand and sometimes even the batch the product was made in. Unlike when making in-store purchases, you don’t have the luxury of popping into the dressing room when buying online.

Hence, you need to make the old tape measure your friend. Take note of your bust, waist and hips. If you don’t know how to go about these measurements, watch the video below which is a easy guide to show you teach you how to take your own measurement when you need to shop online.

 

Keep a note of these measurements on your computer or phone so that you always have a reference at hand.

Another useful guide on how to get your body measurement, visit https://www.dummies.com/health/how-to-get-your-body-measurements/

 

Compare it to the size chart
Just because you are a size ten at one retail doesn’t mean you are the same size at another. Always make sure to compare the size of your bust, hips, and waist against each store’s chart size. This will save you the trouble and agony of receiving a wrong sized cloth.

 

Read reviews
A good online store should set aside an area for customer reviews. This is where you are likely to get information on how the garment feels. However, just like with any online feedback, always take it with a grain of salt.

 

Scrutinize the return policies
Sometimes, even after following all the right steps to purchasing online, there might still be some disappointments. Hence, make sure you are 100% familiar with the company’s return policies BEFORE ordering. Some important things to look at in the return policy include:

o How long you have to send the product back
o Whether the returns can be made in-store if you are buying from a local retailer
o Whether you can make an exchange
o If there is a restocking fee

 

What To Look Out For In An Online Store

While most online clothing stores are honest, it only takes one unscrupulous one to put your credit details at risk. Hence, for security purposes, it is crucial that you check out and scrutinize an online store before buying.

For instance, check to see if the site is encrypted. Sites that have a gold padlock on the right-hand corner of your browser and those that start with https:// use encryption and are safe to buy from.

Also, make sure the store has a privacy statement, physical address, secure online checkout, and excellent customer service.

A good online store should also offer its customers a variety of payment options, including credit card, debit card, PayPal among others. Finally, always buy from reputable companies that you know and trust.

 

Which Are the Top Online Clothing Stores Among Singaporeans?

 

Zalora

Zalora is one of the fastest growing online fashion retailers, not only in Singapore but Asia. This store stocks affordable, yet trendy clothes for both men and women. It includes a variety of well-known brands in addition to local Asian labels. Its attractive style edits make it easy for both seasoned shoppers and rookies to keep up with the latest trends.

ASOS

Although it is a UK-based company, ASOS is a high street retailer that is super popular amongst Singaporean, especially office workers and university students. One reason for its popularity is its decent quality clothing that comes at affordable prices to suit any budget. The best bit is that hitting the minimum spending is easy, and it qualifies you for free shipping.

 

Pomelo

Pomelo is an online high-end fashion store that boasts of a wide range of trendy clothing collections to suit any taste. Whether you are looking for an elegant evening dress or some stylish casual wear, Pomelo has them all. What’s more, if you are in Singapore, you no longer have to worry about exorbitant shipping rates as they will deliver your goodies fast and at no cost at all.

 

Lazada

 

Lazada is also another favourite online shopping site that offers a full range of products including fashion like clothing, shoes, bags and many more. Look for discounts and coupon codes as you could get up to 65% on different items posted for sale.

Hope you find the above useful and helpful in your online shopping spree. Leave me your comment or feedback if you enjoy the content.

Let The Lion Roar & The Fans Go Wild…

Hello everyone, Thanks for joining me!

I am super excited to start this Singapore-based lifestyle blog site created to share insights & reviews on favourite catch-up topics among local Singaporeans in Starbucks, Toast Box, Coffee Bean etc. Topics like food, fashion, home, health, beauty & other general lifestyle talks.

This is a place where all Lion City Fans can gather to share insights, leave positive helpful comments and feedback and chit-chat.  There will not be ADVERTISEMENT in my blog as I am really turned off by sponsored articles in so many blogger sites nowadays. Most of the stuff these bloggers recommended on their blog sites are highly biased and  “fake” as they are “paid” in a form or another in giving their “review”.

Trust me, I have seen so many of these “sponsored” articles that now I am truly a “PRO” or “Expert” in detecting those “paid sponsored” content.

So be assured, you WILL NOT be spammed here with any sponsors’ content. You could read in peace, knowing that the content here are authentic and not biased or skewed towards “pro-selling” for any company.

Therefore, I hope you are as excited as me, in this journey!

Do share with me any other topics you are keen to know more, and I could add to the blog.

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton