Travel Photo: Singapore’s Sultan Mosque

Singapore is synonymous with employment opportunities, a successful economy, its fines, its food culture and its man made wonders. But, within all of this, there is a vibrant secular twist to it that you can feel when you explore its different quarters. The two more popular quarters are Chinatown and Little India, but personally, I like the Arab quarter too. The Arab street with the Sultan Mosque, the various Mediterranean restaurants, the Turkish carpets and the Sulaimani tea packs quite a punch.

 
When you step into Little India, you feel like you are stepping into a smaller version of Chennai’s Ranganathan Street. When you step in into Chinatown, you feel like you are in the Mongkok area of Hong Kong. But, the Arab quarter has a mixed feel due to a combination of cultures from everywhere in the Middle East and also from Malaysia and Indonesia. This makes it much more interesting as you can sample a potpourri of cultures in a much smaller area. Check this place out the next time you are in Singapore.

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Favorite Evening Snack of Singapore’s Arab Quarter

When anyone visualizes the Arab quarter of Singapore, they think of flowing robes, Persian/Turkish carpets, kebabs and veiled women. But, the irony is that its favorite evening snack has nothing to do with the Middle East. In fact, it is a drink originally from India (but given a Malaysian flavor) and a bite that belongs to South India.


The drink is called The Aliyah (Strong Ginger Tea with condensed milk) and Masala Vadai (Deep fried lentil pancake with spices). And this is offered at a small shop run by two very elderly Malaysia gentlemen. The place is so popular with the locals that one needs to wait in a long queue to get their evening drinks and snacks. The icing on the cake is that the snack is very cheap when compared to Singapore prices.

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