Gabi and my birthdays were both in late October so we decided to do a couples' night to celebrate both birthdays. Nicola and James joined us too. When we were deciding where to dine, we came up with a wonderful idea - going out for a casual dinner on Arab Street.
This was the very first time I visited the area. I had no idea this fascinating place existed. The area is called Kampong Glam. As you know Kampong means village and Glam apparently is a particular kind of tree that at one time grew abundantly in this area.
I read more about this area and found out that in the early days, it was set aside primarily for Sultan Hussein and his family and for Malay and Arab people who were mainly merchants and traders.
The area was filled with fabric shops and some funky looking cafes and restaurants. There are some basketry(!) and handicraft shops. I already had my eyes on some of the beautiful looking lamps when we walked passed the other day. Hmmm... I think a shopping/lunch trip with my Japanese friends will be happening very soon.
Nicola and I standing in front of The Majid Sultan Mosque. This mosque has more of the Arabic Muslim influences compared to the ones in Chinatown, whose styles originated from India.
I couldn't believe the number of restaurants there were. Luckily Gabi got some recommendations from her friend and booked us a table at Alaturka Restaurant. We found the place slightly warm i.e. the air-conditioning was only on mild but other than that, the food was amazing and the service was very good. Definitely going back!
Unfortunately James had an early start the next day so Nicola and James went home after dinner. The rest of us went to this popular cafe/bar called "BluJaz Cafe" I've heard good things about this place and was hoping to hear some live music but... the live music comes on from Wednesdays onwards (we were there on Tuesday night). Oh well at least we did enjoy our drinks and each others company :) There were lots of people who were having shisha too.
We didn't end up staying long but it was a fun night, thank you Gabi for organising it!
We shall explore more dining destinations, Matthew and I both love Arabic food :)
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