Food @ East Coast Seafood Centre & fuel @ New Asia

Chilli Crab has put Singapore on the world's food map in a big way. Since the cosmopolitan city most famous for its booming restaurant culture offers an infinite number of eateries across the island specialising in the cuisines of Egypt, Vietnam, Creole, Hungary and everything in between, and that too through shockingly 'authentic' and unique forms, exacerbated by the fact that the city has few dishes to call its own, Chilli Crab is Singapore claim to fame!

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A hybridisation of local culture, tradition and customs from the multi-cultural Indian- Tamil, Chinese and Malay communities have contributed to the development of an eclectic local cuisine. Nonya cooking is a creation, or rather a hybrid cuisine formed with the merger of Malaysian and Chinese ingredients, styles and flair, amounting to an interesting and unique plethora of dishes. While this coming together has been given a name, other hybrid cross-cultural adaptions remain largely unclassified, unexplored territory. Char Kweo Theow, Chicken Rice and Nasi Goreng are some examples of these Singaporean favourites.

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The flesh of Singapore's world famous chili crab is incredibly sweet, solid, juicy meat. However, ironically the crabs are not local. Shockingly all the crabs consumed in Singapore are imported from the Indian Ocean. Most restaurants openly admit to their crabs coming from Sri Lanka, but having done some research it seems that only 8 per cent of total crab imports in 2007 were from the island, while Indonesia at 36 per cent and India at 25 per cent remain the highest exporters of crab to Singapore!

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The crab is cooked completely in the shell, the meat most probably steamed to relish the ultra sweet flavour in contrast to the piquant deep orange sauce that the crabs are drowned in. Sweet meets spicy in this tangy gravy that is truly mind-blasting. (Russell Peter.)

Singapore's uniquely tangy, and absolutely delicious Chilli Crab

You truly can't get enough of this sauce, so these deep-fried buns are your best friend, really coming in handy to mop up all that sweet-chilli goodness.

Another must try, especially if you are chilli aficionado is the Chilli-Pepper Crab that is just a way to over-the-top spicy for me to handle. But if spice is your thing, you just simply cannot and will not go wrong with this one! It is packed with intense bold, flavours that are complex and fulfilling to the palate.

Chilli-honey glazed frog legs

For all of you that think that frog's legs are gross and just well icky-yucky weird and should not be eaten... boy are you wrong! The most satisfying meat I have got my teeth on for a long time. The froggie I must have gotten was a plump, juicy bugger and the sticky, sweet sauce had a tinge of fruitiness, perhaps a bit of hoisin in there (plum sauce) and brown sugar that adds a touch of beautiful caramelising to the dish. Simply out-of-this-world it is a must try. Sadly, this dish is not as popular nor publicised as Chilli Crab, but I have taken it upon myself to be the new mouthpiece for Singapore's frog legs! Long live frog legs! Three cheers...

A memorable experience: Frog legs in Subtly sweet- fiery chilli sauce

The magnificent chandelier at New Asia, located on the 75th floor of the Stamford Grand Hotel.

This ultra-chic club is very exclusive and with the spectacular views of Singapore by night. The views extend over the busy city district's nightlights to the harbour and port beyond. The views paired with the high-profile guest list and absorbent prices make this a must see on your Singapore travel list for a slice of local luxe life.