Cider with rosé
Eating out in Singapore is all about choice – and there is so much of it. So how about a French restaurant with a twist? We visited Le Comptoir in Circular Road.

“I’d like a glass of cider please,” I casually said to the smiling barman.

A pig-like snort came from the friend sitting next to me: “Cider?! What are you? 16?”

I think cider has suffered from a bad reputation for too long, so I’m sticking my neck out. Yes, I admit it. I love cider. I’m a recent convert, but none-the-less I have changed my views.

Talking to friends I was surprised by how divisive the issue is. The innocent question of “what do you think of cider?” was met with the following answers:

“It’s what you drink when you can’t afford wine.”
“It’s for yobbish teenagers hanging round on street corners.”
“It’s far too sweet.”
“It’s hardly a drink of choice, is it?”

But it is a drink of choice. A whole bottle will only set you back S$24. You can even have a pretty rosé. Or a drink that smells so fresh and crisp it could easily compete with a Sauvignon Blanc. And it’s a drink that pairs nicely with meals too: pancake-based meals in fact.

A couple of days ago I visited a new bijou French restaurant called Le Comptoir. It’s a sharp-angled building thrusting into Circular Road. Forgot the red checked tablecloths and the baskets of bread; think trendy, industrial deco. This is new French with a nod to the past, and an eye to the future. 

At its heart, it’s a crêperie; many of its meals are based on pancakes (try the 79 – it’s divine). But this is no ordinary crêperie. The modern twist is its fusion of flavours. How about butter chicken with onion, garlic, turmeric, curry and coriander leaves, all wrapped in a pancake. Or if you have a sweet tooth how about chestnut spread, chocolate and Chantilly? 

Whether you're popping in for a swift after-work swig sitting at the bar, or tucking into a hearty meal, it's a little piece of something different.

Where? Le Comptoir, 79 Circular Road, Singapore. 

Fun fact: Le Comptoir serves Singapore’s first selection of traditional French Breton Cider. 

A little while ago I wrote about the meaning of the word “tiffin”.

I had originally thought it meant afternoon tea. When I asked my friends, a mix of answers came back: for some it was jam and scones. For others it was curry. Not exactly two meals you sample together.

So after a little investigation, I discovered that it meant both. The etymology of the word is difficult to trace but seems to come from an old English word, “tiffing”, meaning “to sip”. Packing the word in a steamer trunk and taking it to India, it became “tiffin”, and the description altered to mean a snack between meals. Which is exactly what afternoon tea is. According to afternoontea.co.uk, the custom was introduced in the early 19th century, possibly by Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, who complained of “having a sinking feeling” in the afternoon. The solution was a pot of tea and some sandwiches.
After Anna’s distress call, the traditional English “three'es” became a popular gentrified snack for those needing a little more sustenance from lunch to dining in the evening. It was also a class construction. The lower classes couldn't afford to eat more than a couple of basic meals. They took their meals earlier so they could sleep, in order to get up early for work, as well as avoid the hunger pangs. 

The upper classes, however, could afford the cost and time to luxuriate in several meals.

Suffering from similar signs of hunger to Anna, I took my young daughters, Madeleine and Tilda, for a princess tea in the aptly names Tiffin Room, at Singapore's Raffles Hotel.

This was no ordinary high tea. I had expected crustless cucumber sandwiches and pretty little cakes, served on a three-tiered stand, and that's exactly what we got. But it was so much more. 

In an east meets west approach, you can start with dumplings, graze on sandwiches and scones, and wind up with patisserie. Coupled with tea, coffee or bubbly, this is a meal that could take a while.

With so much choice I asked the girls for their insights, and favourite part of the meal:

Madeleine, age 7, said: “I really liked the music and it was a very grown up tea party.”

Tilda, age 5, said: “I like cake. And scones. And sandwiches. And…” The conversation went on along a similar vein for several minutes.

Whether you're looking for somewhere for a special occasion, or just fancy hiding from the heat in the colonial cool arches of this prestigious building, cossetted by history and wrapped in charm, the Raffles' afternoon tea is a relaxing experience that should be tried at least once while in Singapore.

The practical bit:
Where to find it: Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road, Singapore, 189673
Contact details: dining.singapore@raffles.com, +65 6412 1816

Random fact: A “cup of char” is a colloquial way of saying a “cup of tea”. It is similar to the Chinese word for tea - tcha. Tea was exclusively grown in China until the middle of the 19th century, when it was introduced to India.

Click here for an insight into The Raffles Hotel's curry buffet.

Accidents happen all the time. Yesterday I ran into a concrete bollard because I was too busy looking around me instead of where I was going. Embarrassing.

But what about when you travel? How do you avoid the scams? How do you avoid unwanted attention? How do you keep safe?

You’ll never be able to blend in if you have blond hair and blue eyes and you’re travelling around Africa, but it helps to understand what steps you can take to look after yourself.

Here’s our top tips:

1.     Take two wallets – Have a day to day wallet with a little cash and store your cards, majority of your cash, passport etc, somewhere safe (hotel safe, concealed money belt, your socks). You want to avoid people seeing notes falling out of your purse each time you buy a drink. You also won’t lose everything if someone steals it.

2.    Carry a phone that has a camera – not only will you be constantly snapping holiday pics, but if something goes wrong (car crash, room ransacked etc), you can take a photo of the scene before the evidence is disturbed. The photo will automatically be time and date stamped.

3.     Pack your sunglasses – Not only do they protect you from the sun, but if you have blue eyes they will help stop people starting at you if they are not used to seeing your eye colour.

4.     Pack a sarong – useful in so many way: as a scarf when it’s cold; as a beach towel; as a cover-up in air-conditioning; to wrap around your backpack to stop people having access to your pockets;

5.     Secure your stuff – if you’re travelling on a sleeper train and are sharing an open carriage, put all your valuables in your sleeping bag with you. Bring a bike lock and chain your rucksack. Tie your shoes to the bunk. Don’t just slip your passport under your pillow. That’s not enough.

6.     Online security – Use Dropbox, or cloud-based storage, so you have access to documents wherever you are. Use 1Password so you can store all you passwords, scans of your passport and credit card information securely. If your card gets stolen you need to know how to cancel it.

7.     Stay in contact – Leave your flight details with someone at home. Make sure someone knows where you are, even if your plans change.

8.     Stay safe – Get travel insurance, and ensure your vaccinations are up to date.

The more you travel, the more you’ll understand how the world ticks, and the more streetwise you become. The world isn’t a dangerous place, but you don’t want to make yourself a victim.

Do you have a tip to add? We'd love to hear from you.

Bikes, boardwalks and hungry hogs

Escaping from the hustle and bustle of city life is a necessary step towards keeping your sanity, even for the most ardent urbanites. The island of Pulau Ubin is the perfect rural counterpart.

Situated off the north-east coast of Singapore, it's accessible by bumboat, a little chugging ferry that can carry about 15 passengers. An orderly queue forms at the Changi Point Ferry Terminal in Changi Village, as boat after boat traverses the short stretch of water.

You land in the main village on the island, comprising of just a couple of streets. If you turn left from the terminal you'll find bike hire shops and a couple of restaurants. Turn right and you'll find the police station and the path to the Celestial Resort (think shanty rather than shiny).

There are two ways to enjoy island life. Plan your trip and go equipped, or turn up and absorb. It really depends in the activities you're interested in: Walking, camping or cycling.

It's a safe place to explore, as there is very little traffic. The only motorised vehicles are a couple of island shuttle taxis. This also means that many of the main roads are unmade and can get muddy in the rain.

We opted to walk and found our way out to the Chek Jawa Wetlands, which is a loop of boardwalks. At low tide you can marvel at the mountainous mounds of mud in the mangroves, created by excavating crabs. At high tide you feel like you're walking on water, looking back at the coastline from the middle of the sea. Looping back inland there is a viewing platform (the Jejawi Tower), which offers great views of the jungle.

At the start of the boardwalk is a parking plot for pedal power, which was turned into a circus on the day we visited. Wild hogs were running amok, pushing over bikes in their quest to scavenge the tastiest treats. A word of advice: take your picnic with you. These foresters can smell dinner a mile off and were not put off by the camera-clicking spectators.

Watching wildlife in its natural habitat is part of the rural idyll, and the children loved scampering after butterflies, sneaking a peek at shy crabs and cooing over the baby boars. Just make sure they keep their distance. Animals are becoming more and more used to human interaction, but they are still wild.

Hot, exhausted, tired and a little muddy, we found a shack selling cool drinks and coconuts, and revived ourselves enough to stagger back to the ferry terminal, wondering why we hadn't hired bikes. Now we've done a recce we'll be returning fully equipped.

The practical bit:

• You can't get ferry tickets in advance but even on public holidays you don't have to wait for long as the flow of bum oats is constant. The fare is cheap (S$2.50, 2014), with children paying the same as adults. You also pay extra (S$2) for bikes.
• There are plenty of places to hire bikes, and the full range is available: children's bikes, bikes with stabilisers, adult bikes with child seats, tandems. Go early for the pick of the crop, as quality can vary, or take children's bikes with you. You can also hire bike locks. There are some mountain biking tracks for the more adventurous.
• Remember your mozzie repellant.  
• There are no paper maps of the island, in a bid to be environmentally friendly. When you get off the boat remember to take a photograph with your phone of the map on the board at the end of the pier. 
• There is a cursory nod to national security as you land again in Singapore again, in the form as an x-ray machine.