Singapore - The dark side.....a visit to Clarke Quay

All the tourist brochures.....all the tourist maps.....they all talk about Clarke Quay as a place to eat, drink, and be merry. So being a tourist I made a trip over to check it out. My first stop....a 'micro-brewery'. How times change. A few years ago this term would have sparked anticipation into the variety and depth of beers to be sampled. Now - all it means is a couple of fake vats for show, a few strange but humorous beer names, and prices for one beer which would get you a good round of drinks in The Lamb in Leadenhall Market. Not only did the beer taste of flat Fosters but it seemed to be a mecca for businessmen from a country with which the UK hold a 'Special relationship'. At the bar to my left I had 'Special Relationship' #1 reading the Herald Tribune and to my right I had 'Special Relationship' #2 trying to blend in reading the Straits Times (but reading the NBA basketball section). Oh what joy.

I left PDQ...but things just managed to get worse, much worse. Clarke Quay is certainly full of many, many restaurants but I'm afraid it was not for me. Ten years ago I made my first visit to Clarke Quay at which it seemed to be a good place to sample a variety of cuisines in a small area. It's changed vastly and now it's just a theme park after the tourist dollar.

First up was the restaurant called 'Clinic'. Interesting name. Maybe they would use it for a play on words...'A cure for all your culinary symptoms'....'The recipe for all your hunger pains'.....or something of that ilk? Nope.....just an unique concept in furniture......wheelchairs for seats!!! Very tasteful. Next up was that good old American chain, Hooters. Once I was young...naive...stuck in Kansas City...and succumbed to peer pressure. Visiting Hooters is not my proudest moment. But here...on the main strip on Clarke Quay? Now for research purposes only...I spent a bit of time hanging around this place and after a great deal of observation and consideration I don't feel this is right for Singapore. (Luckily for the owners...with all those 'Special Relationship' guys in Clarke Quay they were doing good business!!)

So...with the caveat of not having one bite to eat there...I'm afraid I can't recommend Clarke Quay as the epitome of culinary style. It's official....after less than one month I am now a food snob. There is no food to review in this posting. This posting recognises the dark side of the Singapore culinary experience and and not the real heart of Singapore food. The search continues.