Arabian Nights in Kampong Glam

View down Arab Street
in Kampong Glam

My hopes are high for our planned excursion to Kampong Glam, which is the Muslim neighborhood near Little India. I have been doing lots of reading on Arab Street and the surrounding streets and Louis and I are eagerly awaiting fresh hummus, toubouli, lamb kabobs, maybe even kibbe, and other Middle Eastern favorites.



Sultan Mosque at dusk



We arrive via bus right in front of the beautiful Sultan Mosque at dusk. We proceed down the streets of conserved shophouses and pop into various shops, ambling toward the restaurant. This is the place for rugs, fabrics, Arabic trinkets and Muslim religious objects. Louis, who is quite the charmer, chats up the owner of a nice rug shop and tells him we'll be back at a future time to buy a nice rug for our new Singapore apartment. They exchange cards. We also stop at a Turkish shop that sells beautiful colored-glass and copper lamps, hand-painted tea sets, gilded mirrors and other crafts. Louis -- never losing his charming smile -- engages in some gentle negotiations with the attendant over the beautiful tea set but our appetites win over so we keep moving.

There is a different vibe in this area which we find reassuring. It's relaxed, the streets lined with tables of people (mostly locals, it seems) smoking hookah and drinking beers. It's not as clean as other parts of Singapore, which gives it a more authentic air. One could see why it's a popular spot for backpackers or people on a budget. We stand out and get some curious looks, but no one minds.

The expected highlight of our excursion was to be the food. We walk into Cafe Le Caire, which has received good write-ups on a few Web sites and in guide books. It bills itself as "the heart and soul of Arab Street and Kampong Glam" and the menu found online looks broad and promising. It's a bit dingy inside, which some may argue gives it charm. I would argue they should re-allocate a bit of funding from their impressive Web site into a quick scrubbing and paint job.

Our starters are quite tasty: chickpeas with chili, tomatoes and Arabic spices; Arabic salad, with greens, red peppers, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and pine nuts; foul mesdammes, which is the national breakfast dish of Egypt and is made of slow-cooked fava beans, spices, olive oil and a fried egg atop it; and paper thin Arabic bread.

It goes downhill quickly. Feeling adventurous, we order harissa, a traditional Yemeni dish made from wheat and lamb -- like kibbe -- but boiled down until "smooth" -- not like kibbe.  When it arrives, it looks like raw creamy meat ... not very appetizing. But, heck, I've eaten kibbe nyee for years so surely I can take this...! Um, no. It smells tempting -- of hot oil, cumin, pepper, a bit of cinnamon perhaps wafting from it. But the "smooth" texture is hard to stomach for us. We feel badly, as there is nothing wrong with the preparation but we just can't do it. We move it aside.

At that moment, I'm hit with a headache and mild waves of nausea so we take the rest of our order to go and hastily depart. (NOT food poisoning, don't worry ... just unfond memories of that icky texture). Things don't get better once we arrive home. The lamb kebabs are well-done (my BIGGEST pet peeve about living in Singapore ... everyone seems to well cook red meat, no matter how many times you ask for medium rare) and not that flavorful.

We're cheered by the bagalawa (a collection of Middle Eastern pastries, similar to baklava) and settle in for "Pirates of the Caribbean".

Bottom line -- the neighborhood is great for shopping and sightseeing, but we'll look elsewhere for food.