Sentosa Island and other Singapore delights

All I remember from my first visit to Singapore was where I stayed and seeing a few sampans idling in the harbour. My second visit memory is when we walked by a store that harboured the aroma of garam masala. A man sat grinding the spice and we ended up purchasing some. Whenever a dish I cooked turned out mediocre, I added this freshly ground spice and the fragrant taste exploded. This time, it was my third visit to Singapore, and each visit, the city seemed to sparkle a little more.

a taste bud for singapore

At the end of 2018 I entered Singapore for the eighth time. One of the reasons I’d been back so many times was food. My mouth had watered at the thought of venturing into Komala Vilas again. I ate breakfast there every morning, but there was more to taste than just South Indian vegetarian food.

All that glitters is usually gold

Singapore is one of the few cities where I comfortably walk alone at night. I feel like it’s the safest city in the world to be a woman. So on my last visit, I took advantage of this nightly freedom to stroll through crowded footpaths of Little India where all that glitters is usually gold.

Return to Singapore’s Little India

Some how this area of Singapore always draws me back. The lively atmosphere at night and the colourful buildings by day are a plus, but the real reason is Komola Vilas.

Return to Little India

I expected after my eighth visit to Singapore, I’d be tired of the city, but it greeted me like an old friend. Walking through the all familiar Little India, the smells and sounds of the Rochor District were like returning home.

Singapore’s Little India

As I wove my way along Serangoon Road, I was bombarded by alternating Tamil then Hindi music from nearly every store along the route. Glittering saris and sparkling gold shops mingled with countless vegetarian restaurants.

Little India’s best restaurants

I stayed in Singapore’s Little India for one reason only; to be close to my favourite restaurant in the world – Komala Vilas! I discovered since my last visit some twenty-five years ago that instead of one restaurant, there were now another four within a kilometre radius.

Was the South Indian food still as good as I remembered?