My four-day trip to the Republic of Singapore was the highlight of the summer. Singapore had been recommended to me by several of my friends as a unique country to visit because of its night life and the beautiful gardens (just visit https://www.nparks.gov.sg/ to see what they are up to… hint…the slogan is “Let’s Make Singapore Our Garden) of its city-state capital. 
Other high praise because of its cleanliness, friendly people, and ease of navigation (primary language is English). To lower the costs of staying in an expensive city, I decided to book an Air BnB (I crashed with some friends at an apartment complex at Roberson Quay / CBR Central) located a short walk from Clark Quay. 
Clark Quay is a very popular area for food, drinks, and general tourism. However, had I not stayed walking distance from this area, anywhere in the city is a short cab ride away. Singapore is a very small country, totaling approximately 275 square miles. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore) In comparison, the small state of New Jersey (where I grew up, NJ all day!) is around 8,750 square miles in size.
Because of the specific parts of the trip, I have decided to split the Singapore blog review into three separate posts, highlighting the food and drink, temples I visited, and the famous Gardens By the Bay. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Singapore has a lot more to offer than what is included in my writing. I would visit again in a heartbeat.
The cuisine in Singapore is very diverse. This is partly because, as a seaport, it takes significant influence from the many foreigners who have frequented the country during the last 200 years.
In addition to walking through Little India, during my trip, I picked out two Indian restaurants to visit: The Curry Culture and Banana Leaf Apolo. The Curry Culture (http://www.thecurryculture.com.sg/home.html) has three locations. 
According to TripAdvisor, it is the highest reviewed Indian restaurant in Singapore, as well as in the top 10 restaurants overall. (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294265-d3512529-Reviews-The_Curry_Culture-Singapore.html) Prices were above-average for Singapore (which is already expensive!), but the food was delicious.
We opted to sit indoors, although outside seating was available.
Banana Leaf Apolo (http://www.thebananaleafapolo.com), while although not as widely reviewed or highly rated as The Curry Culture, is a more affordable, yet still delectable, Indian restaurant. Here, they serve the food in small dishes over top a banana leaf plate. 
Unlike The Curry Culture, this restaurant was packed with locals and very busy. I would recommend both locations if Indian food is your fancy, but Banana Leaf Apolo was more traditional, served larger portion sizes, and was more affordable.
I won’t dwell on the next part too long, but I did visit the Michelin-starred Hawker Chan for some pork and noodles at the end of the trip. 
I had heard and read positive reviews and my experience did not live up to the hype. While although the food looked delicous, it was mediocre at best and the service was well below average. 
I was excited to go, but it sadly was not worth my time or money. I would only recommend eating there if you are living in Singapore and have tried everything else!
New to this area, the modern Alt Pizza was my favorite find. I happened to see it just walking around one night and decided to go there the next day for dinner. “Alt” stands for alternative, and several different types of sauces and toppings are available. The whole operation reminded me of a smaller, more personal Mellow Mushroom. 
Alt Pizza is run by a friendly, outgoing, Australian ex-pat. He made us feel at home and we all enjoyed his good selection of unique pizzas, wings, and beer.
Lastly, I wanted to post some pictures and provide a great review for the bar Smoke and Mirrors (http://www.smokeandmirrors.com.sg). With the perspective that all alcohol in Singapore is expensive, the costs at Smoke and Mirrors are typical. Any grief you feel at parting with $10 US for a beer is lost as you soak up a great view of downtown (including the iconic hotel Marina Bay Sands). 
The bar is built atop Singapore’s national art gallery, which itself is a beautifully sculptured building. The bar food was delicious and the cocktail menu impressive. 
It is definitely worth a stop, after or during sunset, when visiting Singapore.
The last few pictures are of some cool sights that I saw while walking around. There’s certainly a lot to see and do in Singapore! 
@onethingnew 