Supper (Post Drinks) Food!

Nutritionists worldwide have warned against eating after 9pm or too soon before bedtime. 

But in a "City that doesn't sleep", Supper is as essential to the common Singaporean as Breakfast is to everyone else.And where there are "night owls" like myself, this warning falls on deaf ears on those whom require supper to ease off the buzz from one too many drinks... 

Let's take a look at a few categories and some of my favourite eats:

Oily Fried Food

Carrot Cake. Easy on the stomach, not too filling, fairly neutral is the pan fried carrot cake. And this one in particular, from Chomp Chomp. A simply turnip paste cake, pan fried with eggs is so versatile - it can be sweet (with Black Swwet Sauce), spicy (with Sambal Chilli), savoury (with Shrimps), or with preserved turnips. 

Also from Chomp Chomp, you can find BBQ Chicken Wings. Usually ordered as a side dish, these slightly charred, golden brown coal-smoked wings are so tender and tasty, with each bite oozing with flavours and juices!

Carbo and Grease

You will be able to find an Indian Muslim stall at most "corners" on this island. And what is the most important is that they will always be opened 24 hours! The Roti Prata is the most common late night snacks for Singaporeans. And it does well to soak up the alcohol with the flour-based carbohydrate source and perks you up with a good Chicken or Fish Curry!

Otherwise, the other outlet(s) that are opened 24 hours, and/or most importantly, offers drive thrus meaning that I do not have to leave the car, especially when it is raining, is McDonalds! The carbo and grease from the fries and the spice from my favourite burger - the McSpicy, simply does the trick.

Freshly made pizzas are the Western version of suppers or what they would call TV dinners. But my friend Zach does it the best with "Slices"! A small corner in the mess of Orchard Towers, he had created one of the tastiest Pizza with a Wicked Chilli Oil. By right, this should do well to nurse one too many beers, but in this joint, Zach offers on his menu some ice cold bottles of beers to go with your Pizza. Unfortunately Zach has put up his Aprons to focus on his passion for Music and Muay Thai, but what I heard is that someone has taken "Slices" up and continued the legacy. 

Warmth - Porridge

This is another of my loves. Opens till late, housed in one of the dirtiest areas in town... our well-known Red Light district - Geylang (Though its main branch is in Eminent Plaza. Hence its name: Eminent Frog Porridge). Tasty, Sweet yet potently Spicy - a "Gong Bao" Sauce. A dish that truly warms you up from the inside.

And if you are in a larger group of friends, I would suggest to head down to one of these late night Teochew Porridge Shops. The dialect group - Teochews - are known to have their porridge grainy and watery, and with a large variety of side dishes (usually salty or spicy) to go with this bland porridge. 

Warmth - Soup

That "Heartwarming" feeling is the best after a heavy night of drinks, or even during a wet weather season. 

Bak Kut Teh is one of those dishes. A clear and often peppery soup cooked in Prime Pork Ribs for an extended period of time, at least till the meat can slide off the bone...

Another variant of a peppery meat soup is the Indian Muslim Mutton Soup. They can be found at some specialty stalls in various hawker centres. However, these days, with the advent of the abovementioned 24 hours Prata shops, Mutton Soup and Mee Goreng are standard items on their menu.

This is one of those heartbreaking moments. For years I have frequented this stall at the now-defunct KTM station everytime I was drinking in the CBD area. And there I would either have the Mee Rubus or this Mee Soto. A Chicken broth thick and Rich in flavour, complemented with a Fried Potato Ball with a whole Chicken Thigh, topped off with loads of Chilli of course!

Some Heat!

Chilli, Spice, Heat, is for me by far the best post drinks and morning after cure! Be it the Shock or Blister you get when chow on some serious spice, or the "Vitamin" in Chillis itself. 

You can refer to my "Mee Goreng Wars" where you will see a comparison of all the tried and tasted best variants in Singapore. This shot is taken of course from the Best - at Shah Alam along Circular Road. 

One of the most iconic dishes of local hawker fare, known by all incoming tourists, is the famous BBQ Sambal Stingray. Very difficult to master the "fire" of this grill as the slab of meat is thin, and one needs to char its skin and be careful not to overcook its flesh - to give a soft tender and juicy meat.

Lesser known to tourism though would be the "TuLang" or bone in Malay. Not for the faint-hearted or the conservative who is afraid of a mess. This red dyed dish is the Bone Marrow of a cow, stewed for hours in its own stock. Afterwhich, quick stir fry with a reddish sweet sauce. To get the prize, one needs to knock the thick bone against the table to "coax" the marrow out of its shell. Some have improvised using a straw to suck it out, but Traditionalists believe the ol' way is still the best. 

Or the one that never fails is the age old "Maggie Curry" reduced in its flavouring to bring out a more tasty and spicy taste. Add pepper for heat. Youngsters have also turned to Korean Spicy Kimchi flavours too. 

 But my favourite is still the Noodles!

Situated in the corner of popular drinking stretch, Boat Quay and Circular Road, is BK Eating House. There you will find a stall selling Fishball Noodles. What is different from every other variant is in its Fishballs - Handmade fishballs, fat and juicy and bouncy. In addition, it is very rare to find hawkers to use "Mee Sua" and rice flour variant of Vermicelli that has characteristics that are not forgiving to the untrained hands. 

When this craving hits, rarely anything can stop me. You will find more on this dish (Hokkien Mee @ Fried Prawn Noodles) and where to find the Best stall. This one and my favourite one, is from Swee Guan at Lor 29 Geylang. 

Not forgetting the Evergreen Dim Sum...