Makan Session

Wow, I was uploading pics from my camera today and realized that I totally forgot to post about a very unique Singaporean experience Andy and I had a couple of weeks ago.

SMRT, the MRT (subway) company in Singapore, was running a drawing, or "lucky draw" as they call it here, to promote the grand opening of the new Circle Line MRT line.  The prize: Makan Sessions with famous local food bloggers at eateries nearby various stations on the Circle Line.  Makan means "to eat" in Malay and is used regularly in Singlish vocabulary.  You know I'm interested in all things regarding food so I entered and won a spot at the Makan Session near Buona Vista station (which is only two stops away from our station) with Dr. Leslie Tay from ieatishootipost.  It's a great blog that reviews Hawker food and other local cuisine establishments.  I was so excited because I had actually heard of Dr. Tay before - I'd seen a TV segment about him and his blog when I first got to Singapore.  And, what's even more awesome is that I was able to get a spot for Andy as well!

The location of the Makan Session was kept secret until we arrived at the MRT station.  Dr. Tay brought us to Spice Peranakan, which specialized in....you guessed it, Peranakan food.  Peranakans were the native Singaporeans and were the elite of Singapore back in colonial times.

Chatting with Dr. Tay before we line up for some food

The spread

The line, or as they say here, the "queue"

While eating, we got to listen to a little info session on the origin of Peranakan food

Here's what we feasted on:

Papaya Titek - green papaya and dried shrimp soup

Ikan Tamban - fried sardines

Chap Chye - mixed vegetables

Ayam Goreng - fried chicken

Satay Ayam - chicken curry

Fish curry

Kueh Salat - coconut glutinous rice cake (my favorite item in this meal!)

My delicious plate

Afterwards, Dr. Tay held a little photo shoot session where he gave us tips on food photography.

Dr. Tay giving away free codes for his iPhone app - too bad Andy and I have Android phones

SMRT also hosted a little contest to win some prizes.  We were each passed a quiz with about 10 trivia questions about the Circle Line.  A combination of speed and accuracy determined the winners.  Among the prizes were a few copies of Dr. Tay's book, The End of Char Kway Teoy and Other Hawker Mysteries.  Andy won first place!  I was so excited because I expected he would win a copy of the book for us.  Here he is with Dr. Tay and his prize....

which turned out to be Churp Churp the mascot of the company that was sponsoring the event with SMRT.  As you can see, Andy was thrilled.  Every grown man needs a stuffed animal called Churp Churp.

But, the excitement wasn't over yet.  Coming into 5th place was....yours truly!  The 5th place prize was...

The book! I'm actually excited, unlike Andy who was probably thinking what you are thinking....1st place gets a stuffed animal and 5th place gets an autographed book?  Well the great thing about being married is that when one wins, both win.  So we got our book, and one of Andy's coworkers got a cute stuffed animal for his baby.

Another great Singaporean experience for us.  We'll definitely be back to Spice Peranakan in the future to try out the rest of their menu.  Bonus that it's so close by too!