The first night of my Singapore trip our hosts took us for dinner at a restaurant called Candlenut Kitchen that was located in a budget hotel in a residential area. I thought it was weird until I got the back story, met the chef and saw that all the patrons were locals not tourists. Self-trained chef Malcolm Lee is both owner and chef of the restaurant which serves Peranakan cuisine with a modern twist. Peranakan is unique to Singapore and is the result of intermarriages between the local Malays and immigrants from China and India. As a result, the culture and food of these ethnicities has come together to create a heady melting pot of cultural flavors using a blend of spices, curries and herbs.  One of the dishes he called both rat tail and snot noodle because of shape. It was delicious but I told him the chef he needs to come up with a better name. For dessert my friend Sandra, a vegetarian, had Chef Lee’s homemade sesame ice cream which tasted like peanut butter. That alone is worth a visit.

Bella conquers Roanoke County’s McAfee Knob
Bella conquers Roanoke County’s McAfee Knob
Bella with Gina of Gina’s “food with flavor”
Bella with Gina of Gina’s “food with flavor”
Salem’s Rowland Hotel
Salem’s Rowland Hotel
LOVEly spare-parts art on the Black Dog Salvage campus
LOVEly spare-parts art on the Black Dog Salvage campus

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