Hiking up an Appetite
On Sunday the three of us set out on two quests: hiking up the 5km trail to the top of the MacRitchie Reserve Treetop Walk, and then finding some good mexican food for dinner.
The MacRitchie Reserve is a water resivour that has been crafted into a park with kayaking and other water sports, several trails for trekking, and a unique tree top walk at the top of the highest trail. The tree top walk is a long, narrow bridge above the trees which provides great views of the forest below. The hike itself was a good 5km each way, though not too strenous as the trail was well-defined the whole way, similar to the main parts of the Shenandoah National Park trails (sorry no pictures from the hike). The best thing about MacRitchie is that its literally across the street from Nima's apartment complex, so while I'm here I plan on heading out there for a quick kayak trip or stroll through the forest.
After the hike, Nima, Anji and I were dead set on finding some good Mexican food for dinner. Before I got here, they had horrible luck with the couple places they tried, and all the ex-pats we've bumped into have lamented about the lack of good mexican in Singapore. Nima got a recommendation for Margarita's, so we decided to check it out. After taking a detour to Holland Village because Google failed me on directions, we found the restaurant on the other side of town.
We walked in right as the restaurant opened for dinner (its common for restaurants to close for the afternoon and re-open at 6:00) and were seated immediately. The decor of the restaurant was warm and contained authentic-looking art and decorations. The chips and salsa were very good, as Nima and Anji confirmed upon first bite. None of us were in the mood to drink so we all got virgin drinks. My pina colada was okay, but Nima's strawberry iced tea was fantastic. For starters, we ordered their house queso dip with chips. It was served in a bowl as melted cheese (you could tell it was real cheese, not processed) with diced onions, tomatoes, and jalepenos on top. Looked kind of funny, but after I mixed it up it looked like queso dip. I liked it very much, though it could have been served a little warmer.
For dinner Anji and Nima each ordered "The Kitchen Sink" burrito, a superstuffed burrito with everything. I had a vegetarian chimichanga. While trying to figure out what was in the burrito, an earlier discussion about refried beans came up between the three of us. Nima contends that refried beans are made of kidney beans, while Anjali and I are certain that refried beans are definitely pinto. I'm not sure where Nima gets her refried beans, but kidney beans makes no sense. If you can weigh in on this discussion, post a comment so Nima is corrected.
By the time the food came out the restaurant was filling up, mostly with Americans who, like us, were probably fiending for Mexican. After the first bite, each of us chimed in with a resounding "mmmmmmmmm" of approval. It was interesting to note that they throw broccoli into their vegetarian dishes, something I haven't seen in Mexican food before. Luckily, I love broccoli so I was A-OK with it. Anji and Nima agreed it was by far the best Mexican food they've had, and I definitely enjoyed it.
If you're in Singapore, definitely check out Margarita's if you're looking for some tasty Mexican food.
Margarita's
Clementi - 108 Faber Drive
6777-1782
East Coast - 404 East Coast Road
6440-8030
The MacRitchie Reserve is a water resivour that has been crafted into a park with kayaking and other water sports, several trails for trekking, and a unique tree top walk at the top of the highest trail. The tree top walk is a long, narrow bridge above the trees which provides great views of the forest below. The hike itself was a good 5km each way, though not too strenous as the trail was well-defined the whole way, similar to the main parts of the Shenandoah National Park trails (sorry no pictures from the hike). The best thing about MacRitchie is that its literally across the street from Nima's apartment complex, so while I'm here I plan on heading out there for a quick kayak trip or stroll through the forest.
After the hike, Nima, Anji and I were dead set on finding some good Mexican food for dinner. Before I got here, they had horrible luck with the couple places they tried, and all the ex-pats we've bumped into have lamented about the lack of good mexican in Singapore. Nima got a recommendation for Margarita's, so we decided to check it out. After taking a detour to Holland Village because Google failed me on directions, we found the restaurant on the other side of town.We walked in right as the restaurant opened for dinner (its common for restaurants to close for the afternoon and re-open at 6:00) and were seated immediately. The decor of the restaurant was warm and contained authentic-looking art and decorations. The chips and salsa were very good, as Nima and Anji confirmed upon first bite. None of us were in the mood to drink so we all got virgin drinks. My pina colada was okay, but Nima's strawberry iced tea was fantastic. For starters, we ordered their house queso dip with chips. It was served in a bowl as melted cheese (you could tell it was real cheese, not processed) with diced onions, tomatoes, and jalepenos on top. Looked kind of funny, but after I mixed it up it looked like queso dip. I liked it very much, though it could have been served a little warmer.
For dinner Anji and Nima each ordered "The Kitchen Sink" burrito, a superstuffed burrito with everything. I had a vegetarian chimichanga. While trying to figure out what was in the burrito, an earlier discussion about refried beans came up between the three of us. Nima contends that refried beans are made of kidney beans, while Anjali and I are certain that refried beans are definitely pinto. I'm not sure where Nima gets her refried beans, but kidney beans makes no sense. If you can weigh in on this discussion, post a comment so Nima is corrected.
By the time the food came out the restaurant was filling up, mostly with Americans who, like us, were probably fiending for Mexican. After the first bite, each of us chimed in with a resounding "mmmmmmmmm" of approval. It was interesting to note that they throw broccoli into their vegetarian dishes, something I haven't seen in Mexican food before. Luckily, I love broccoli so I was A-OK with it. Anji and Nima agreed it was by far the best Mexican food they've had, and I definitely enjoyed it.If you're in Singapore, definitely check out Margarita's if you're looking for some tasty Mexican food.
Margarita's
Clementi - 108 Faber Drive
6777-1782
East Coast - 404 East Coast Road
6440-8030
posted by SM at
3/01/2006 08:54:00 PM
4 Comments:
I can certainly empathize with the need for some tasty Mexican! Congratulations on finding a great spot on that side of the world.
Oh yes, and refried beans are most definitely pinto. I mean, kidney beans refried? *shudder*
Google thinks so too.
By
Michael, at 3/02/2006 09:48:00 AM
Satyan! Happy adventures! It's definitely pinto, as Michael said.
I've added you to my Links at my blog site!
By
Anonymous, at 3/02/2006 11:31:00 AM
Do you think that Mexican place accepts MasterCard?
By
Anonymous, at 3/02/2006 11:44:00 AM
My god, to think none of you can bare to break out the Tex-mex SQUARE to consider other beans might offer a better flavor. I suggues each of you try kindey as an alternative to PINTO beans. I've been eating Kidney refried beans forever and prefer them to black or pinto depending based on my experience. And to prove that it is Kidney beans are a legitimate alternative:
http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21_38&products_id=103170&osCsid=d92317383b41d188d52628908f10c5c8
By
Anonymous, at 4/13/2006 01:29:00 AM
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