Fat Bird in Bugis, Singapore

"The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." Lucille Ball

"Meet me at the Bugis MRT station around 7:00 p.m.," said the text. It came from a very good friend of mine, Darren Ng. He is one of Singapore's native sons and an acclaimed travel blogger at SAFRA and Explore Life Lah!  It was my first Saturday night in the Lion City. When I travel I like to go where the locals go, and Darren promised not to disappoint.

The hawker stands and shophouse restaurants were packed that night. Arriving just the day before, I was still negotiating between time zones on both sides of the International Date Line. I put myself in Darren's hands as he led me from the cavernous and quite-crowded MRT station to the busy, noisy streets above.

We ended up here:

 

Fat Bird is located off Liang Seah Street in the Bugis section of Singapore. It turns out that Bugis has a very, very colorful history. From the 1950s to the 1980s it was renowned as a haven for transexuals. 

The original 'Bugis' people were seafarers from South Sulawesi province in Indonesia. For a time in the 20th century it was the party-hardy place to go in the Lion City. 

Those days have since gone by as redevelopment was ushered in change. Go to this link for a YouTube clip that tells a bit about the history of this colorful neighborhood (English subtitles included).  

The atmosphere was Asian style bohemian, casual and free-spirited at its best. I loved it. I could get used to this! This is a great place to meet your friends for dinner that is unpretentious and reasonably priced. 

Sure, the tables were excruciating close together. But it took little time and effort to befriend our neighbors and join in the evening's culinary festivities. 

The interior of Fat Bird is light and airy. It's a great place to meet your friends for free-flowing conversation for hours. We never felt rushed to leave. Note that each of the tables has a gas burner that cooks your dinner and keeps it warm for you. I suppose I've had a sheltered life since I never encountered anything like this until I relocated to Honolulu. 

Darren and I took a table on the sidewalk -actually within inches of passing traffic. Singularly offbeat and exquisitely appetizing, I learned that this was home to one of the best braised kampong chicken hot pot establishments around. The picture shows Darren doing what Singaporeans do best. I dared not interfere. You think I'd fly eighteen hours from Hawaii to do so anyway? Of course not! 

Yummorama! The soup itself was creamy and smooth. "Oh so onolicious! ("Ono" means 'good' in Hawaii) 

Patrons can personalize the essence and hotness of the broth from mild to hot-hot-hot. I love my heat turned up high! I thought it might help deal with the jet-lag. Darren asked, and I did not decline. Good thing we drank generous amounts of Tiger beer and water! 

This was marvelous -simply marvelous. The chicken, veggies and rice made for a delightful symphony of flavors and textures. I loved the extra kick the spiciness provided. It went well with the total Bugis festive atmosphere surrounding us. I was so satisfied I offered (some might say threatened) to move in. Ha ha ha ha! 

Would I go back for more? You better believe it. Perhaps I'll see you there! I sure hope so!