The goal today is to try some signature food Singapore has to offer and then head to the Gardens by the Bay in the evening. My first stop was to visit Killiney Kopitiam again for a Kopi Coffee, which as I’ve read is a traditional Singaporean coffee.
Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice
After a caffeine fix, I make my way to the Maxwell Food Centre which is home to the famous Hainanese Chicken rice stand. This stand has been visited by celebrities like Anthony Bordain and has also received a Michelien star. Its called Tian Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice. Therefore I’ve read that there are long lines so I planned to get there right when it opens. Thankfully, when I arrived there were a few people already waiting, but the line was quick and I had my meal within minutes.
The medium dish I ordered came with a scoop of rice, some chicken gravy and a good amount of boneless chicken. I’ve been excited to compare chicken rice from Singapore and Vancouver. Happily, I’m able to report that it is much better in Singapore! The rice is fragrant and the chicken is moist and flavorful! It’s really good and I can understand the accolades this stand gets.
Haji Lane & Masjid Sultan
The next stop for me is visiting Haji Lane and the surrounding area. This area is a hip neighbourhood in Singapore where you can find cool bars, cafes and restaurants. Additionally, there are beautiful murals and art on all the walls that line the streets. Because of this, there’s an awesome hipster vibe as you walk through and there’s a lot of things that catch your attention.
In the middle of the area is a large Mosque called the Masjid Sultan. Unfortunately due to virus pandemic concerns, the mosque was closed to visitors so I could only admire it from the outside.
Tian Tian (Come Daily) Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee
After Haji Lane it was time for lunch. I spent an hour in transit to get to the hawker centre and get Prawn Hok Mee from Tian Tian Lai Fried Hokkien Prawn Mee. This is a highly rated place for this noodle dish, and I wanted to try it. I ordered their standard offering and brought it back to my hotel room. It was very tasty and It made for a great late lunch.
After lunch I spent a few hours relaxing in my hotel room before setting out again in the early evening.
Gardens by the Bay
My destination is the Supertree Grove situated in the Gardens by the Bay behind the Marina Bay Sands hotel. After briefly walking this way yesterday and catching a glimpse of the area I’m excited to see more of it this evening. My bus dropped me off in front of the hotel. And in order to get to the Gardens you need to take an elevator up a few floors where there is a walkway that goes “through” the hotel and into the gardens on the other side. From there you get a very cool elevated view of the gardens in front of you. And a great view of Singapore’s most iconic hotel behind you.
Supertree Grove in the Gardens
I walked through the Gardens until I arrived at the SuperTree Grove. This is a section of the gardens that has these huge man made tree structures that adds a very cool element to your regular run of the mill park. Through my research, it was suggested that I visit during sunset. This affords some of the best views of the gardens as well as the Singapore cityscape. While its free to walk around the base of the trees. I opted to pay an admission in order to take an elevator up one of the trees and walk along the OCBC walkway. This is an elevated track that connects between a few trees and gives you a unique view of the city, the park and the SuperTree Grove plaza below. With the sun setting some of the views from the walkway were spectacular. And I can safely say being on the walkway during this time is one of my highlights in Singapore.
 Garden Rhapsody Light Show
One of the other benefits of being on the walkway at this time of day is if you time it correctly, you’ll be able to be on the walkway when the Garden Rhapsody Light Show is on. This is a free light show that happens twice each evening at 7:45 and 8:45. Music starts to play and the Super Trees light up in theme with the music. It’s cool to see, especially if you’re on the walkway you get a great view. Because of this, I’m really happy with how the timing worked out for my visit and really enjoyed my time here.
Satay by the Bay
After the show, I decided to stroll through the park a little more. I ended up at a small food centre in the Gardens called Satay by the Bay. Having already been to two other Hawker Centres today, this one didn’t seem that impressive. But food is food and I took it upon myself to try another local item called Popiah. Its kind of like a soft shelled spring roll and was very tasty!
More Gardens and the Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes
After the quick snack, I spent some time walking around the area. Even though it was getting late, and there weren’t many people on some paths. I didn’t once feel at risk and with the cooler temperature, really enjoyed the calm and relaxed walk.
Eventually I ended up at a lake called the Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes. While the night view is already spectacular but they also had an art exhibit on the lake itself. It looked like there were these large multi coloured “eggs” scattered across the lake and they would change colours and make different sounds.
To be honest I’m not sure about what the art is supposed to represent, but I really enjoyed it. Ultimately, Its a bit different then everything else in the Gardens and It was a bit quirky and funny!
Sadly it was getting quite late, and I needed to make my way back to my hotel. On the way to my bus stop, I detoured back to the esplanade area to catch a glimpse of Singapore at night. I have to say, it truly is a beautiful city.
Tomorrow I’ll be transitioning to Changi Airport in the afternoon before flying out the day after, so it would be a full day of activity.