Sun, 09 Feb 2003

Romantic dine-out along Singapore's riverside

Kenny Santana, Contributor, Singapore

The idea of a romantic evening could draw many suggestions but nobody would disagree that having dinner on the banks of a river is one of them. Too bad there's no such place in Jakarta. So if money is not a problem, Singapore could be your desired destination in this month full of romance.

The Jakarta Post had the chance to peruse eating-places along the riverside in this lion city and makes the following recommendations on where to eat, propose to your partner or spot sexy bar staff.

One of Singapore's newest eating-places with river views is the Esplanade, a theater on the bay known to many locals as the durian because of its spiky architectural design. More than a dozen restaurants are located here, but the one worth mentioning is Colours by the Bay.

The best thing about Colours by the Bay is its uniqueness. Diners can choose from seven places (I repeat, seven!) to eat and can cross-order from the others. To make ordering possible every waiter is equipped by an iPaq aka a compact PC.

This futuristic experience would mean nothing if the food doesn't impress you. No worries, here you'll be awed by the wide choice on offer, from Japanese Food (Shima Aji), Chinese (Tien Yuan), Thai (Thai Express), Italian (Al Dente) to Local Food (Local Bite). There are two more, one is the Embassy (no connection at all with the Jakarta's hippest club) the place to go for dancing and to imbibe.

And there's also The Garlic Restaurant, which seemed to be a the right spot to pick, just because the menu is unique.

The Garlic Restaurant adds more garlic than usual to its portions in most of their dishes, hence the restaurant's name. The restaurant's walls are emblazoned with messages promoting the healthy benefits of eating garlic. So if your mom hasn't told you that garlic is very healthy, I assure you that the owner seemed to care a lot about it.

While you're here don't miss their Thai Chicken Rice, crispy boneless chicken breast served with tasty sour, sweet and spicy Thai sauce, soup and the satisfying garlic rice. I also tried to cross order the deep-fried spring roll for an appetizer from Tien Yuan. Though it tasted great, it came late during the main course.

Some other good choices are two-sided Jumbo Garlic Toast for starters and Chili Crab Noodles for those who can't resist eating Singapore's own, all-time favorite Chili Crab. And just when you thought they couldn't go too far with their menu, they serve garlic ice cream! The one and only in Singapore that tastes like ... well, garlic.

If garlic is not really your craze and you prefer to get the best view in Colours by the Bay, try to eat at Al Dente, which was voted as one of Singapore's Best Restaurants of 2002. It's a chic Italian restaurant decorated with beautiful sketches inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci and Botticeli.

On the food side, they serve wood-fired pizzas. Order the most popular one, the Hawaiian pizza with big chunks of pineapple and bacon and bacon for the topping. The pastas and desserts are flavoursome too.

To have a quiet, lovely dinner outdoors with candlelight and the views of the Singapore River one will have to go upstairs. In this beautiful setting, this place is so charmingly romantic that you even dare to think about proposing to your loved one right away.

Then after finishing the dinner in the Esplanade, you might like to walk for a little bit and see the country's symbol, the Merlion statue just behind the building.

Besides the Esplanade, Singapore's hippest place to be lately is at One Fullerton Road, opposite the stunning Fullerton Hotel. You will find some franchise joints such as Gloria Jean's Coffee to have a cuppa good coffee and cakes, Prima Taste that has wonderful choices of desserts and local food, and Stuart Anderson's Black Angus, which claims to be the best steakhouse in the States.

Besides those places, there is also Embargo, a cozy lounge with dim relaxing lights that is one of local's favorite place to hang out. Then there's Centro, a super hip, classy club. Almost every young trendy beautiful Singaporean has been to Centro at least once in their life. You can tell it by seeing the long queues on Wednesday night. So if you want to have real fun, just get dressed well and get to Centro quickly. And don't forget your wallet too. It may cost you.

In addition to the Esplanade or One Fullerton, Singapore also has Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, which are relatively older. They may not as hip as before, but somehow they still remain popular among Singaporeans and foreigners.

The nice thing about Boat Quay is you just have to walk straight and the places are right beside you all the way, making this a perfect venue to walk hand in hand under the starry night sky.

It's true that the atmosphere is a bit chaotic compared to the venues mentioned earlier, but that's because mostly pubs and bars are located here. They play loud music to attract club hoppers to venture inside. Nevertheless, there are not only bars, there are also some good eateries to find in Boat Quay. And no, it's not Coffee Bean at the beginning of the road I'm talking about.

If memories of a hometown were in mind, there are some good Indonesian foods located here. Go to Java Restaurant, which gained several honorable mentions from Singapore's Wine and Dine and Tatler magazines.

Try their famous Ikan Bakar (roasted fish) or Udang Saos Kacang Bumbu Bali (shrimp with Balinese peanut sauce). Besides Java Restaurant, House of Sundanese also serves good authentic Indonesian food. It is too bad the portions are rather small.

Other places that worth visiting in Boat Quay is the Curry House. With the tagline "Restaurant for Curryholics", you know exactly what you're going to have in here. Just prepare yourself to go to Curryholics Anonymous right after you step out the place.

A smaller and quieter version of Boat Quay is Clarke Quay, which doesn't have views as good as Boat Quay and the others but has its own character. It is not just a place to eat, you'll also find factory outlets, souvenir shops, a reflexology clinic, Singapore's only haunted house and the famous Sunday flea market.

Clarke Quay's trademark is its satay stall that offers choices of satay, fried rice and some Indian and Malay food that won't burn a hole in your pocket.

Also don't forget to see the Turkish ice cream stall that attracts people mainly because of the seller's acrobatic attraction than the taste of ice cream itself. But if you like ice cream that much, you might like to visit Bella Vista simply because they have 22 different flavors of home made Italian ice creams.

For R&B fans, there's Crazy Elephant that features jam sessions every Sunday. And oh, Hooters complete with minimally dressed waitresses is here too. Just remember to spend the money on food and drinks and not on the sexy waitresses.

Whether you'd like to have a big banquet with friends, candle light dinner with your spouse, or just walk hand in hand along the river, these places have it all. With good food, great company and wonderful river views, romantic moments last forever. Isn't life so grand?