Satay challenge under a clear evening sky

I thought my dining experience along Smith Street was very cool but I later found out that there is another cool place to dine at night in Singapore.

My boss initiated an evening walk after dinner after our first business day in Singapore. On our way to Marina Bay, we passed by a closed street with tables spread out and so many diners. It was a really cool sight!

"Oh, there is another street dining here! I thought they only have the one along Smith Street where I had my dinner last night!" I exclaimed.

"Ah, yeah. They close the street at night for this dining. It's for expats because it's very expensive in here," my boss answered. He is European but he stayed in Singapore for more than two years so he knows the place well.

"They close the street at night. So it is not like Smith Street that is really closed for the restaurants." I thought.

We walked along the sidewalk entering Lau Pa Sat Food Court and I noticed the grills here and there.

"That's what they serve here. Satay everywhere," he continued as if reading my mind.

^{Courtesy of Google Map}

On our last business day Thursday, he asked if I want to try the chili crab that is, again, said to be one of Singapore's specialties.

"No," was my straight answer. "I do not like spicy foods." I continued.

"Cool. I also do not like spicy foods. So where do we eat?" He asked while we were on our way back from Tuas.

"I do not know. You know this country better." I thought but did not say a word.

"Ah, I know! We go to the street. The one we passed by last time." He said as if reading my mind again when he was beside the driver and I was on the back seat.

"Nice! That is a treat!" I thought because he offered it even when he was conscious about the price.

When we arrived at the area at night, he looked around, found a vacant table and led the way. When we got seated, I wondered how we will take our order and from which stall because there are so many grilling stalls along the street.

"How is this? Will someone come to take our order?" I asked.

"Yes."

"But who? There are many stalls. Which stall's staff will come to us? They compete on who comes first?" were my continuous questions.

"Ah, no. Staff from the stall aligned to our table will come. The tables right across their stall are theirs."

"There are numbers in front of each stall. What are those?"

"Nothing really. Just identifier. Let's say you really liked the food then you will just remember the stall number if you want to come back."

We waited for few minutes for someone to come and take our order. While waiting, I started looking around and taking photos. My boss smiled.

I did not observe much during the first time we passed by here but when my boss said that the place is for expats, I was expecting busy corporate people as diners. However, I was surprised to see families around too. The group with children behind my boss was speaking something foreign. I thought it was Chinese but I am not sure. My boss speaks Chinese but I was shy to ask.

While I was looking around, my boss was saying he wants beer.

"Where is auntie?" He asked in the air. In the Philippines we call strangers as "ate" which means elder sister and "kuya" which means elder brother. In Singapore, they call strangers as auntie and uncle. He was referring to someone who goes around and offer drinks. I remember my Smith Street dining wherein there was this auntie who goes around, hunt for diners who do not yet have drinks and offer them different options.

"Why, is there also someone here who goes around and offer drinks?" I thought I knew the answer but I still asked.

"Yeah, there are. They go around so it is hard to spot them." He kept looking around for aunties. I continued looking around and observing. Indeed there are many who are obviously foreign in this country.

No stall crew came to take our order. It was just few minutes that passed but my boss wanted to go around and look for auntie for his beer.

"The staff may think that we are with them so they are not coming." I was referring to the couple occupying the table right beside ours. They have so many foods still on. There was so limited space that our tables look like touching each other so the staff may not have noticed that we are a different group from this couple.

My boss raised his hand towards the stall across us to call for attention and a guy came forward with the menu. My boss looked at it and asked me.

"We take the prawns. The other option, beef or mutton?"

"Any other option?" I have no objection for the prawn. I actually love it that it is on the list.

"Chicken."

"That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Mutton then."

He ordered for the couple set with ten sticks of prawns, five sticks of mutton, five sticks of beef, and two bottles of water. The staff took note and left. My boss took off to look for auntie.

When I was left alone, I continued taking photos. I looked at the stall across us and everyone was so busy on top of the grills. We were just three tables (table for two) away from them.

"We will smell like smoke after this," I thought.

Then I remember the price that my boss said is so expensive. I got curious about the menu so I waived at the staff. A lady came this time with the menu. I said we already placed our order but I wanted to take a further look at menu so I wonder if I can borrow one. She nodded and left the menu with me. Guess what? I do not know if it is indeed expensive or not because I do not know the price of each stick.

"Did you find auntie?" I asked my boss when he came back. He caught me taking more photos.

"Yes. She's somewhere there. I hope she will find our table." He pointed towards 7-11 store with that Boon Tat Link street sign on the third photo.

"Oh, she's far. Indeed, I hope she can find us." I answered.

"We will smell smoke after this." He switched topic.

"Just as I thought," I thought but instead said "Oh, yeah. That's the beauty of this. But this is really cool; having dinner in a very open space under the sky. They are clever to make this as business, taking the opportunity to sell experience and not just satay."

"Yeah, this is indeed cool. Like it is a different experience if you want something new."

I did not take note of how long it took for our order to be served because I did not get bored waiting for it so I thought it was fast. They take payment as they serve orders so I gave the payment. I asked for the receipt and the staff left to get one.

"Wow, this is many! Hold on, let me take photos." I was smiling wide at my shallowness.

But no, it was not just myself. My boss also motioned his phone.

"Yeah, let me also take a photo." He pointed the phone at me.

"You're taking my photo? Hold on, let me hold a stick." I held one on my right hand then;

"Wait, let me hold two!" I have one on each hand now but again;

"Ah, no! Let me have more!" I ended up with two sticks on each hand which made me regret a little when I saw the photo later. I should have held all the sticks!

He asked if it is okay for him to post my photo on our company group chat. I said yes. After that, he turned a few times and took photos.

^{Figure what's on my phone on the table?}

There were no utensils that came along with the serving so I wondered how we are supposed to peel the prawns. Before I can look around to observe other diners, my boss took a stick, remove the prawn from it and peeled it with his hands.

"Okay, we do it fully manual." I thought. "Kamayan" as we call it in the Philippines.

While we were enjoying our satay, an auntie came and offer us table napkins. We declined outright without thinking. After some time, she came back and my boss realized that we need napkin to clean our hands before we go. There is no wash area around. I don't think that I have tissue paper left in my bag that is enough for the two of us so I agreed that we buy. My boss asked for one pack but auntie put five packs on our table.

"Five dollars." She said.

"No, no. Just one." My boss waived his hand to auntie and struggled with his smelly hands to pull a dollar from his pocket. He handed it to auntie.

Auntie took the coin, left two packs on our table and left. I looked at her back as she was already few steps away, sure of her steps. That was quick.

"She left two packs." I said to my boss.

"Yeah." He also looked at the leaving auntie. It was unspoken but I think my boss had the same impression. One pack for one dollar may be so expensive and auntie got conscious of it so she left us with two. Just my instinct though, I don't know.

When the staff came back with the receipt, I noticed it is not an official one. It is like an order slip. It is better though than the post-it-like note that I got at Smith Street.

"Is this really how they do it here? They don't issue official receipt?" I asked my boss.

"Yes. So we should also consider this when approving travel expense report of our staff who go overseas in countries like this." He meant that we can approve unofficial receipts of meals on expense reports.

"That's a bit of a challenge in validating expense reports but I guess we have to trust our staff who are traveling." I thought.

The "receipt" with breakdown of charges made me realize that the prawns are indeed very expensive at two dollars each. I had prawn sticks on my own in one restaurant the other day and it was just one dollar each. The price is double here.

After a while, the auntie who was serving drinks came to the table next to us. My boss ordered for his second mug. We finished more than half of the sticks at that point. I think just a few sticks were left then he said we will order more.

"I'm fine. If you order for more, order for yourself." I said. He did order for five more sticks of chicken and five sticks of beef. I left all of those to him while I finish what's left from the first set.

When they served the second set of order, my boss told the staff to take the sauce back. Aha! I did not mention that we did not touch the sauce of the first set. We both knew that it is spicy so we got so contented with the bare satay and no sauce.

After finishing all on our table, we got ready to go. I took one last shot of the stall where we had our order. They are a bit relaxed now as more tables got vacant.

^{Notice the tables that are almost touching each other. They maximized the space on the street. If all tables in one line will be occupied, it can look like a long banquet. I can imagine how festive it will look!}

I was looking down trying to figure the pocket of my bag to put my phone into without touching much of the fabric when I noticed my boss' hand reaching out. He shoot the remaining pack of tissue into my bag. And I still have it in my bag now, in the Philippines.

"Yeah, the client asked me to come back. Who knows I will need tissue paper again here in Singapore." I thought. As I mentioned on my Smith Street experience, very few restaurants in Singapore provide tissue paper for free so it is advisable that you should always have a stock in your bag when dining out in that country.

Okay, we finally stood up to go. But guess what? The view looked so much cooler from a little elevated angle. I thought I held my breath for a second or two. That was when I realized what I was saying earlier about a really cool experience under an evening sky. I can't help taking another shot. Then I caught my boss turning here and there, taking photos too. See? I am not the only shallow one trying to take the memories with me.

I wondered if we have one like this in the Philippines. I need to know and will certainly research for it.

"Now this is the experience and ambiance that made the prices very high." I thought as we walk out of the area.

We were waiting for the red traffic light in the corner of Boon Tat Street and Robinson Road when I noticed a signage to my four o'clock. The light turned green and my boss started to cross so I did not have time to take my phone out and take a photo. The signage shows the time when the street is closed: 7:00 PM to 2:00 AM. I do not recall if there were specific days when it is closed but that was Thursday night.

"If it is closed on week nights then I guess it is more that it will be closed on weekends when many would want to unwind and dine out." I thought. The closed part is from the corner of Robinson Road to the corner of Boon Tat Link.

^{Street view courtesy of Google Maps}

Lau Pa Sat Satay Power 6
Stall # 6
Boon Tat Street between corners of Robinson Road and Boon Tat Link
Singapore 048582

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Restaurant Information

Lau Pa Sat Satay Power 6

18 Raffles Quay, Stall 6, Singapore 048582

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Satay challenge under a clear evening sky
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