missing singapore

There's nothing like good food to ignite your blogging groove (ok, I know that rhymes and sounds corny but groove's exactly what I'm going for so food has to be replaced with another word. But what's another word for food? Meal? Cuisine? Nah they all don't fit so I'm sticking with this first sentence. I'll try to do better with the next sentences =P). And good food from your favorite country is even better. I love Singapore! It's a walkable city, they have an efficient transportation system, the city's clean, the shops are great (they have IKEA and Kinokuniya!) and best of all, they have great food!

It's been 3 months since my last trip to Singapore and I miss it! While I can go to Fully Booked to bask in a Kinokuniya-like atmosphere, there aren't enough restaurants here in Manila that serves authentic Singaporean food. So when I read about a Food Republic-like place opening in Manila from the various blogs I follow, I knew I had to see it for myself. While the reviews were initially negative, I did not allow them to deter me.

The place is called Makansutra Asian Food Village. Located at the Manila Ocean Park complex, the place offers local cuisine from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, India and the Philippines.







The prices are reasonable. Just like in hawker places in Singapore, there are small stalls selling all sorts of food from roti prata to chili crabs. In true self-service style, you pay for what you order where you ordered it. There is a separate drinks station that sells kopi, teh, bandung and a Michael Jackson drink (black gulaman in white, milky liquid).



I went to Makansutra with my mother, sister and my boyfriend, who are all for trying new restaurants. I ordered hainanese chicken rice and roti prata with curry.

This was kind of dry. And the roti prata was just ok.





Probably the only meal we had that's comparable to those served in Singapore is the kwey teow.



My sister had khao kai moo (Thai stewed pork trotter in a sweet spicy sauce with rice) and she hates it! It looks appetizing in pictures that's why my sister ordered it. And when she was presented with this, she was like "What the hell is this?!".



My bf had this. It was good!



Will I go back to Makansutra? Maybe for the ambiance, not for the food.