#sembawang

A small island, situated on the equator, with temperatures averaging nearly 30°C; the last thing on most people’s minds? A hot spring. To the surprise of tourists and even locals, hidden in the northern jungles of Singapore is Sembawang Hot Spring Park. In its prime, it was known for its “mystic” powers, true or not; many flocked to use it. Despite having multiple renovations over the years, it still retains its Kampong rustic charm!

In the early 20th century, Sembawang was just a dense forest. Perfect for cultivating crops like pepper, coconut, and rubber. A Chinese merchant, Seah Eng Keong, followed in the footsteps of his famous father, Seah Eu Chin, a successful owner of plantations. Keong established a pineapple plantation. In the jungle, secretly bubbling away, he noticed steaming water emerging from the ground. He found three springs in proximity and merged them into one. Thus, in 1909, the site became the Sembawang Hot Spring. Eventually, word spread, and many flocked to see the site, as this is the first of its kind on mainland Singapore. Unfounded or not, rumours began that the spring had healing properties. The area was then named Kampong Ayer Panas — the Village of Hot Water.

As time passed, the hot spring underwent multiple acquisitions. In 1922, the popular local soft drink brand Fraser & Neave (F&N) established a bottling plant to tap the mineral water. However, once the Second World War hit Singapore, operations were temporarily ceased due to nearby aerial bombing. In 1942, sadly, enemy forces seized the region. Onsen culture forms a significant part of Japanese life, with roots stretching back to ancient times. Assimilating Singapore into one of their colonies, Japanese forces converted the bottling plant into their own onsen. Thankfully, at the end of the war, Singaporean locals returned to their hot spring. In the 1960s, it was thriving, and rumours began that you could have “good luck” baths. To cash in on this luck, gamblers would have these baths before the start of horse races. Villagers loved the hot spring so much that it became a part of Sembawang’s way of life, and even encouraged the authorities over the years to develop the area into an onsen resort. However, the idea was shelved as geologists could not locate the source of the spring. The lack of commercial interest resulted in the hot spring losing popularity.

After the airport, we will go to my father's house. We took the MRT, but you can also take the bus. Our flight to the house takes more than 2 hours. We had four stops to change trains. There are different MRT lines in Singapore, but our line is the red line, better known as the NS (North-South Line). There is a map for each station that you can see, and it says how many hours or minutes it will take you to get to your destination.

When we got off at Sembawang Station, we found many stalls, food courts, and convenience stores. and after we cross, there's a mall, so you won't get bored and hungry there. When we left the mall, we saw the bus stop, but that was only an option because you can also walk to your house if you are close. In our case, we were at the end, so we took the bus. When we got off the bus, there was a food court, better known as Hawkers, and there was also a convenience store.

I just noticed that here in the Philippines, the driver is on the left side, while in Singapore, it is on the right side. Also, the people there are really disciplined because when they actually cross, it is only on the pedestrian line, and they wait for the green light before crossing.

That's it for my first day in Singapore.

Me, I asked for the Chicken Cutlet Egg Fried Rice or simply put, boneless fried chicken with fried rice. I also scoop a little of the fried sambal anchovies chilli paste to amp up the spicy kick. The chicken is not dredged in flour and not as crispy as those offered by competitors but still offered a good value in its own way.

Got mum the spicy Arrabbiata Minced Beef & Mushroom Spaghetti (S$12+). The pasta looks good to me with the sprinkled grated cheese and herbs but mum don’t appreciate the spiciness of the chilli padi (bird's eye chilli).

To finish off the meal, a slice of local flavoured Ondeh Ondeh Cake (S$7.50+). Three slices of pandan flavoured sponge cake sandwiching two layers of desiccated coconut cooked with gula melaka (palm sugar) and more grated coconut sprinkled on top and around. Although a likeable dessert but I still missed the traditional ondeh ondeh snack.

The Duroc Pork Chop (S$18++) arrived on a bed of red coral lettuces with a side of fries. Taking a slice, the pork boasts superior marbling and increased intramuscular fat to lend itself to a naturally juicer more tender product. The meat is sweet and creamy with hints of nuttiness. The tangy balsamic vinaigrette dressing on the lettuces served to balance out the richness of this protein cut. It was a good recommendation and I enjoyed every bite to the end.

To end the meal, a slice of Tiramisu Cake (S$6.90++) to “pick me up”. A decent sweet treat minus the ladyfingers (savoiardi) dipped in coffee and the hint of alcohol.

We started off with this small (S$11++) Stir-fried Green Beans (干煸四季豆) cooked with minced pork and dried chilli. The beans are still crunchy in the centre and the chilli gave it a little heat; nothing we Singaporeans couldn’t handle.

Normally we had the pig’s stomach in soup so we ordered this S$12++ plate of Flash Fried Pig’s Maw (爆炒豬肚) for a change. Came stir-fried with plenty of vegetables such as bamboo shoots, sweet peas, black fungus, carrots and onions plus spices like ginger and garlic.

Using the lees (红糟) left over from wine fermentation, the restaurant prepared this S$15++ portion of Red Rice Vinesse Pork Belly (红糟三层肉). The lees imparted the dish its alcoholic fragrant and taste. While the pork bellies aren’t too bad, I found them on the springy side. I actually preferred their chicken version cooked in the same style.