Embassy of the Republic of Singapore

Super friendly staff and quick service. Made applying for a tourist visa feel like a visit to a spa!

A Dash of Singapore Culinary Diplomacy was an appropriate name for this event organized by the Asia Society. As it was rare for me to encounter any sorts of events that were Singapore-​related I instantly signed up for it. It was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore. The embassy was a significant piece of real estate right by Van Ness road which I paid no attention to despite having travelled through the area many times. The embassy’s architecture, resonated a Singapore sensibility contemporary design mixed with the tropical minimalistic style. The interior of the embassy resembled a 5-​star hotel, where luxury was met with function. The service was outstanding with an array of good wines, top shelf spirits and two thumbs up for the two types of sparkling water (Perrier and San Pellegrino).
We met up with Yan Yan Kong a Chinese national who performed in the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. The Erhu soloist performed a few Singapore tunes that invoked the memories of the Island-​Country. Also there was the writer of A Tiger in the Kitchen, Cheryl Tan who grew up here in the US. She gave us an insight of what inspired her to return to Singapore and her quest for inheriting recipes or cooking methods and culinary memories that had been a tradition in her family. She presented us with slideshows of the food she learned to cook that made us all salivate. After the presentation, we were invited to feast on a generous buffet of Singapore cuisine — mee siam, mee goreng, curry chicken, beef rendang, hainanese chicken rice and fried rice cakes. The Singapore-​style desserts were also very tasty!
All of a sudden I felt so grown-​up! It was a wonderful evening at the Embassy with great hospitality that Singapore was known for! Bravo!