Instawalk: Little India, Singapore

i’ve been trying little by little to work up my street photography chops, and by chops i mean balls. i need to not only get nimbler with my shutter finger but also work up enough courage (or ease) to get up close and personal. in any case, what better place to practice than somewhere where there is such vitality at street level? most of these photos were taken along Serangoon Road, the main thoroughfare that cuts through Little India.

sidebar: the noms The Banana Leaf Apolo [56/58 Race Course Road, exit E from the Little India MRT Station and continue walking north] came recommended in my Lonely Planet book and on Foursquare, so i gave it a shot.

Communal seating; these were the people to my left.

the clientele is a mix of tourists and locals (and yes, there were indeed people of Indian descent eating there). they are most famous for their fish head curry, but the waiter told me it was quite spicy — and i’m a spice wuss — so i passed. i asked him for suggestions and he placed my order for me. i was still quite stuffed from my day out in Taipei but hadn’t eaten anything substantial in over 12 hours, so i was ready to nosh. the main downside was that it was a bit pricey for me (a little over S$30 for three small dishes + garlic naan + coke zero, including ride and sides), but the food and service were both quite good. he certainly did not steer me wrong with the girnomous prawn and (i think) two types of chicken.

protip don’t forget to bring your own napkins (purchasable at any convenience store). you get a wet wipe here, but that’s not enough, and like many Southeast Asia restaurants, it’s BYO napkins. (hat tip The Flight Deal for reminding me to mention this!) also, fair warning: you will likely use your hands for some or all of the food here, and you may end up with yellow fingertips despite your best efforts with the wet wipe…