Satay Today?

I had some coworkers in from the US for a couple of days this week, including Mark who was key on getting me relocated to Singapore.  They were only here for two nights.  The first night they ate at the hotel restaurant and I felt they might be game for soaking up a little local Singapore culture and food the next night.

One of my things about Singapore is not just the wide variety of regional (and other)foods, but the fact that it is all inspected from a health standpoint so is no more risky that eating in the US (I’m looking at you Chipotle!). 

So we went to the nearby hawker center, Lau Pa Sat.  .  They close the nearby street at 7pm to put out satay grills and tables, but the structure itself is very cool.  Some of its ornate iron work date back to the mid-19^th century.

And did we ever feast—chili crab, barbequed stingray, chicken fried rice, and WAY too much chicken and beef satay.  Oh, and lots of beer. 

Unlike the other hawker centers I have visited, this one had servers that took your order and placed it at the appropriate stall.  Then when the food (or beer) arrived you paid up in cash.  So be prepared.  As best I can tell we spend about S$300, or a little over $200USD for 5 people.