Fish Head Curry in Singapore's Little India

We had heard good things about the fish head curry before we arrived in Singapore, so we made it our mission to seek it out. We were staying in Little India so it wasn't too hard to find, most of the bigger restaurant offered a version, so we opted for the restaurant who apparently pioneered the dish, the Banana Leaf Apolo.

The dish is of South Indian inspiration, and bears a close resembelance to Kerelan currys but with an classicaly Singaporean twist. As with many of the dishes of the Malay peninsula this dish is a product of the fusion of different ethnic groups brought together by the massive trading hub of the east British Empire. Here a classic south indian dish is altered to appeal to the Chinese, who view the fish head as a delicacy.




The Banana Leaf Apolo has a very authentic Indian resturant atmosphere, in that although nicely decorated it still can't quite shake off the canteen feel. Meals were served in large bowl with a strip of banan leaf as a plate. As with all the places we ate in Little India the lassis were fantastic, and a good substitue for the exorbrantly priced alcohol.

The first thing that hit us when the dish arrived was the fantasticly rich curry smell, the second was the sheer size of the dish. A huge bowl  contained a single red snapper head bathed in a rich curry sauce, and this was a 'medium' portion. The snapper must have been a monster in life as it was one of the biggest heads I have ever seen. Around the neck and cheeks there was plenty of tender flesh to be had, and the rich and well spiced sauce was one of the best I have tasted. Having grown up in Birmingham and made several trips to India, this is a huge commendation.


Predictably with Asian cooking we couldn't finish our medium serving between two. We probably ate far too much as it was so tasty. Without a doubt it was one of the meals we wil remember most of our trip.


Tom

Roti Canai

Malaysian cuisine has influences from China, India, Indonesia and Europe, making it one of the most varied cuisines that we have come across. My favourite dish that we discovered is Roti Canai, which is traditionally eaten for breakfast or as a snack.

It consists of a round Indian flat bread, less dense than naan and fluffier than chapati, served alongside a small portion of curry or more frequently sambal. The bread is made by spinning dough into a thin sheet, and then folding it over in itself before lightly frying it. This method gives lots of little pockets of air to the bread, making it light and fluffy. You eat it by tearing bits off and dipping it into the sambal. It's a perfect size meal for breakfast, and completely delicious.

Kate

Brunch at Bill's Sydney

Brunch is one of the 'must do' things when visiting Sydney, and we chose to have ours at one of the three Bill's restaurants.

After inevitably drinking too much Australian wine the night before, we had a leisurely brunch at around 11am. The restaurant itself is bright and airy, with piles of fresh fruit lining the shelves and tables both inside and out. The menu is varied, with traditional brunch options alongside more unusual dishes. There is a long drinks list of coffees, teas, and Bloody Mary, Bucks Fizz and champagne if you really can't shake off your hangover.

I chose ricotta hotcakes with banana and maple syrup. The two hotcakes were huge, deep and fluffy, with large chunks of banana scattered over the top. I was given a little jug of syrup to pour over. They were light, delicious and very very moorish.

Tom had crab and chorizo fried rice with kimchi. This dish is a western variation on the classic South-East Asian breakfast and the flavours worked beautifully. 

The coffee (flat white and Americano) was of course delicious, and both dishes were beautifully presented. It is easy to see why Bill's has become a Sydney institution.

Kate

The Last Pisco Sour

Our last stop in South America was Santiago, and we had done so much coming and going from this lovely city that it was starting to feel like home. The day we left Santiago for Sydney was a bank holiday, and our plans for stockpiling Pisco were thwarted by closed duty free shops at the airport. The bars were open thank goodness, and it seemed appropriate that our final drinks in South America should be Pisco Sours, in the
aptly named bar, 'The Last Pisco Sour.'

Chorrillana

Chilean food isn't great. Aside from the excellent sea food (which you'd expect with one of the largest coastlines in the world) Chilean food mainly consists of meat unimaginatively paired with some kind of carbohydrate, usually bread, corn or potato. Even the Chileans tacitly acknowledge that Peruvian cuisine is better by the plethora of Peruvian restaurants that line the streets of Santiago.

The mixture of meat and stodge does come into its own when it comes to drinking and hangover food. The king in this genre is undoubtedly the Valparaiso specialty of chorrillana. Chorrillana is essentially a plate of chips (or fries if we have any North American readers) with a huge pile of fried steak, chorizo sausage, onions and egg dumped on top. This is not finesse food. It is however bloody amazing.

It's usually shared between at least two,  and as far as I can see it is always accompanied by a beer (one area that Chile does have Peru beaten hands down). Our first chorrillana we ate fittingly in Valparaiso. Having not seen one before we weren't sure what to expect.  Should we have ordered two? When it arrived all fears of leaving hungry were put firmly to bed. We had another one in Santiago on our second to last night in South America.

The picture below doesn't make it look very appealing. It was taken in poor light on a compact, but even with the best light in the world it's still just going to look like a pile of grease. The taste however more than makes up for its looks.

Tom