Early Morning Singapore Walk

I'm back in Singapore for the year end budget meeting. While I was lobbying to have it in Tokyo, my plans were thwarted, alas. But, Singapore is also good to come back to and I made sure to squeeze in some personal time in between meetings.

The day of the budget meeting was coincidentally, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation. My first waking thought was to get to a church and hear mass. Thankfully Swissotel is a hop and skip away from the Church of the Good Shepherd along Victoria Road. It was still dark when I set out at 6:40 to make it in time for 7 am services.

After mass, I decided to take a walk and see where my footsteps would lead me to breakfast. Early morning along Victoria Road makes for a comfortable walk, a respite before the heat sets in.

I pass by St. Joseph's, another Catholic church just a couple of blocks away. The early morning mass has ended and church goers have all gone on to work.

I was hoping to have a bite at Bugis Hawker center but it was still closed. And Burger King was definitely not on my short list of breakfast places!

I crossed the road to cut across the still empty and shuttered Bugis Shopping Mall, all decked out for a Gaga Christmas!

Now on Beach Road and on the way back to the hotel, I saw the familiar local eating places along Beach Road. Nasi lemak would be the perfect meal to start this busy day!

What a feast! Nasi lemak with ikan bilis and sambal chili on the side, with a perfectly fried, slightly runny egg, otah and fish balls! This otah was better than usual, quite a thick and generous portion from the usual thin sliver. Shiok, lah! And I had a hot glass of kopi C to wash everything down.

I took a table on the sidewalk, the better to people watch. Right across Tong Seng Coffee shop was the Yu Kee Food House. Hmm, worth a try on my next visit to Singapore!

After that truly filling breakfast, the walk back to the hotel probably burned 10 calories! The huge Christmas tree at the corner of Stamford and Beach Road adds a Christmas feel to this December day in Singapore.