A walk around Adam Road foodcourt (lunch included!)

I 've been thinking whether to start this post with a phrase like "foodcourts are where you find the soul of Singapore", or something similar. I opted for this opening instead. Well, foodcourts are found in all neighbourhoods, sometimes below these high blocks of flats, others close to the MRT station or by a busy road. Quite often, all three criteria are fulfilled :D

During the weekdays, many old men seem to be hanging out in foodcourts, similarly to the greek 'cafeneion'. Foodcourts are also the place to gather to watch english football-men here are as obsessed with it as everywhere in the world. Everyone eats at the foodcourts, though. They consist of many eateries offering, among other things 'western food'- reminds me of the way we say 'let's go for chinese!' In the middle, there are many tables, which the eateries share; they use plastic cuttlery of different colours, most notably orange. Drinks, you have to pick up at a different booth, or wait til their waiter comes to ask you. Some of them make delicious fresh juices, even better if you ask to have one with no ice (but it will be more expensive :) )

We recently went ot the Adam Rd foodcourt, famous for its Nasi Lemak- meaning creamy rice (coconut cream, that is!). This means that Singaporeans will queue in front of three specific booths. Better follow their example:

The rice is very delicious and is usually served with anchovies (which are, I undertand, fried-to-the-bone), nuts, an egg, cucumber and some times a weird sausage which I have not tried sofar. You can also add fish or chicken to it. Obviously, there is also a very spicy sauce! Here is mine (got the one with the chicken):

the thingy on the left is indonesian : otak-otak! It is fish paste wrapped in banana leaf (the one I had in Bali, where I misunderstood it for a kind of pie, and tried to eat the envelope as well -big mistake- was awesome. Cannot say the same for this one!)

Afterwards, we walked a bit in the area. What initially seemed a dried-up river (really, in Singapore?) was actually a safety valve so that the nice houses of the area do not get flooded.

We reached Cluny Ct, where we found a very nice italian deli (get your eqq/squid ink/sun dried tomato pasta here!). Some expat families were having coffee or lunch on the small terrace. It was nice! Right across the corner, a singaporean junk collector is tidying up his stuff.

And the most interesting : a man brooming the leaves out of the grass!!! No wonder everything is so clean here.