My Love affair with Seafood is far from over. In fact, it has just started; only this time around it's in a new land. From occasional visits to street hasheries locally acclaimed for serving delish eats, I braved the area of Chinatown for the same objective - a hunt to a mouthwatering smorgasboard of seafood dishes. Prior to my dining experience, must I give Chinatown a pleasing nod to its well maintained dining area. Truly astonished and pleased I was with how clean the food place was kept. Without trying to be mean or offending, it's my first time to dine in a Chinatown less the stinky smell nor the unwanted flies or insects which are sometimes common in an open-air dining set up. I was truly amused to find that fundamental trademark of Singapore even in Chinatown. (Should you think otherwise, I was speaking from what was before me the day I went and it's actually commendable.)

Olde Cuban (BA DAO GUAN) in No. 2 Trengganu St., was our host for lunch in a fine yet very warm afternoon. With the heat enrobing us, we want nothing but good food. Fortunately, our instinct didn't fail us. We stumbled upon sumptuous fare and every morsel we had is a joy to the palate.

Steamed Hongkong Style Sea Bass - so fresh and succulent that your mouth will just keep on asking for more, the sauce is mildy soured by plum and lightly spiced with ginger

Crunchy Oat-Fried Prawns - the crunchiness is just right that the shell can also be eaten, creamy and really tasty, the taste of the curry leaf blends well with the oats

Apart from Seafood, Vegetables are equally abundant around the island. Going green and healthy diet wise, is no difficult to adapt. Some of my colleagues at work introduced me to a few of the most common and favorite local vegetable dishes. My interest was caught by the popular Dou Miao or Snow Pea Shoots. I had my first taste of this flavorful veggie in Long Beach Seafood Restaurant. It goes very well with a lot of minced garlic. If cooked just right, the crunchy texture of the shoots provides a good mouthfeel. Indeed, it's a delicacy in its own right. I tried to cook it at home and was pleased with the outcome.

I keep on coming back to this XO Seafood restaurant in Clementi West for a number of times now. If there's one type of resto that I would be more than willing to visit, it's that kind which offers any seafood cuisine. This is precisely one of the major things I'm loving in Singapore. The abundance of seafood dishes is heaven to embrace. Apart from the famous East Cost Seafood Centre that houses a long strip of seafood restaurants, there are hawkers centers or open-air cafes (normally situated on the ground level of HDB buildings) that equally boast of quality seafood treats. Bao Gong XO Fish Head Bee Hoon is considered among the most popular in this category. In terms of ambiance, this is certainly what you see is what you get. But that doesn't necessarily translates to the quality of foods in-store. This is more of getting the value of your money's worth beyond expectation.

The weather has been gloomy lately. In Singapore, a downpour comes almost in daily servings. And in times like this, comforting soups and dishes are typically a longing. Pork Nilaga (the Filipino version of Pork Rib Soup) is a very fitting choice. This can also be called Boiled Pork with Vegetables based on the manner of cooking. Pork Nilaga is one of the staples in Philippine Cuisine. This is by far, the easiest popular Filipino dish to make. The ingredients and spices are very basic so as the method of preparation. Perhaps, the only key if ever there is, is the choice of meat cut to use and the time the meat is allowed to cook.
One of my favorite cuts is pork ribs (country style or spare ribs). The meat and bones make up a very rich and tasty soup.

How to make: Boil 3/4 kg of pork ribs in water. Discard water upon boiling. Replace with new ones just enough to cover the meat. Add in 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns and 1 med sized onion (quartered). Allow to boil in medium heat and cook until meat becomes tender (1 - 1 1/2 hrs). Season with salt and 2 - 3 tbsp fish sauce. Add in potatoes (quartered) and cook until tender. Add in remaining vegetables (round cabbage and chinese cabbage) and adjust water and salt level when necessary before serving.

From the quintessential meal Nasi Lemak, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Roasted Pork Rice, Satay and Bak Kut Teh to the steaming hot noodle dishes such as Laksa, Char Kway Teow and Fish Head Bee Hoon to the tasty side dishes like Carrot Cake and Oyster Omelette and to the luscious desserts Ice Kachang and Bo Bo Cha Cha all these and more are what await adventurous foodies in Singapore's famous Hawker Centers. Foods in these unpretentious gastronomic haven gave Singapore one of it's world recognized past times - eating. In the many occasions that I've visited a few Hawker Centers in the country, I never wondered why this was so. How can you resist enticing aromas and appealing food choices oozing with delectable flavors right before your very eyes? That's why the popular local cliche goes "die-die must try". It isn't a surprise really why so many people be it locals or tourists preferred to flock in this area. Talk about food innovation and gastronomic creativity, there's no better place to discover them but here.

For the avid fans of Singapore's Hawker Centers, something great awaits you! Are you a certified Hawker Food Lover? Then you must be who inSing.com is waiting for. Singapore's prime local search and lifestyle guide is running an 8-week online contest to look for the country's Ultimate Hawker Food Lover. He or she will recommend the best Hawker Stalls in the island and will write recommendations on the best found Hawker food fare through inSing.com's Food & Drink section. Aside from the regular column, the lucky Hawker Food Lover will receive S$1000 a month for 6 months and a DSLR camera to use as tool in capturing the discovered delicious dishes. Isn't this exciting?! What are you waiting for? Go visit http://www.ilovehawkerfood.com.sg/ for further details. Let's all look forward to what other food treasures the island city-state has. For all we know, they are just waiting to be discovered.