My office for the day. Park City Utah.

Eating my Favorites in Singapore

Hello everyone. Greetings from Singapore. It has been nearly two years since I was last here - the longest in over ten years to have been away from my Asia home. It has been great to be back. As usual, there is always that odd feeling of belonging - yet knowing it isn't home anymore.

I have been here for a conference where I was a speaker, as well as meeting with a new coaching client. But during the down moments, I am quickly working my way around to my favorite restaurants and foods in the city.

When I first visited in 1999 for my "look and see" - my soon to be first Asia boss took myself with the HR team to a restaurant that has been a top 3 favorite since that very day. No trip will go by without a visit to Thanying for some of my absolute favorite Thai food in all of Southeast Asia - in or our of Thailand.

As many of you know, I am an adventurous person. And so, I like to try new things. But not at Than Ying. I have literally been eating the very same things at that resturant for the last 12 years. I think these items are literally the first things I ever ate there. In some ways, it represents my first taste of Asia. Everything else is comparable to these items - and they remain some of my absolute favorite items from Thailand and Asia.

The meal has to start with pomelo salad. Pomela is a sweeter and juicer version of an Asian grapefruit. The membranes of the grapefruit is mixed with coconut, dried shrimp and spice to make a wonderful salad. I have come close to replicating that salad, but have never been able to make it as good at that of Than Ying.

I always have to have the stuffed chicken wings. The first time I had them, I was amazed at what they did with them. The complete debone a chicken wing - mix the minced meat with a tasty combination of vegatables and spices, and then restuff them into the skin of the wing and deep fry them. Add to it a very spice chilli sauce and a sweet chilli sauce - and wow. It is just amazing.

And below is something that I can only get at Than Ying. It is a deep fried crispy fish. It comes as a sort of condiment - salty - fish - and oh so addictive. When I first started going to that restaurant - they were so strong - nearly amonia like in taste. I am sure the preservatives can't be good for you. But over time, I am so addicted to them that I ask for more. Always!

By this time in the meal, I am already stuffed. I can't eat it all. And of course in Asia, no appetizer is really menat for one person - let alone the two that I have ordered.

And of course, I always have to have the chicken green curry - chock full of both regular and Japanese eggplant. It is creamy from the coconut millk. And served over fragrant jasmine rice, it is so delicious.

And do I stop with the food, being so stuffed I can hardly move. Heck no. I am not walking away from the table without first having as many bites of the mango sticky rice as I can do.

It is simply one of my favorite desserts now in the whole world - all because of the first dishes of it that I ate at Than Ying!

I just love this restaurant.

Each time I come to Singapore - so many things change. I walked by the apartment building I first lived here when I arrived to Singapore 11 years ago. It was a high rise 20 story building just off the main road in Singapore, right downtown. It was about 25 years old. I always make a pilgrimage to walking by it when I come "home.."

This time - there was no building. The blew it up, and instead, will replace it with a building twice the height.

It is good that Than  Ying is still there - waiting for me each and everytime I come back to Singapore with my favorite foods!

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