Props to Nicolas Le Restaurant

Despite being foodies and happy to shell out for a Michelin-starred meal, we haven't really tried much fine cuisine since arriving here.  The city-state is not covered by Michelin, true, but there are sundry sources that we could have used for guidance to make our way through the long list of choices.  It has been sort of a conscious decision to sample all the local hawker foods before spending money on something we could easily get back home.

Well, my company is trimming costs and through a series of unfortunate events my desk has been relocated to the outer borough of Tampines.  This is to central Singapore as Jersey City is to Manhattan.  So, to mourn my departure from working life at the Central Business District (CBD) I invited my wife to lunch at a spot nearby that is dolling out fine food - Nicolas Le Restaurant.  I don't remember what search (google, hungrygowhere, etc) led me to a review of Nicolas but the description (small, intimate, chef-run) and the location made it an obvious choice.

The restaurant is located at the ground floor of a Chinatown heritage shophouse building, a few blocks from Connie's office and my old office building - I've moved 3 desks already since arriving a year or so back.  It's a small place with an open kitchen design.  You are either sitting at the kitchen on a bar stool, or just at the foot of it in one of a few 2- and 4-person tables.  You can see the chef, Nicolas, and his staff executing calmly but efficiently as you sip your drink and tuck in.  The ambience is muted, but not uptight.  During our lunchtime visit, there were other couples, businessmen on business lunches, and expats that seemed to have just gathered to enjoy a good meal together while catching up.

The host and waitstaff are all courteous and seem to be well-versed in the wine and food menus - not a major achievement as the food menu is not very complicated.  You have the option of a changing 3-course meal or a 5-course meal.  Either way, your choices per course are limited, which makes sense for the space and size of the kitchen.  And as I said, the sympathetic simplicity was one of the attractions.

We had the 3-course meal with an addition of foie gras.  Since it wasn't guaranteed to be on the menu I asked in advance (reservation by email, free-form) if Connie and I could have some seared for the occasion.  The reservationist replied that we could and we just reminded the waiter when we made our choices: Shrimp bisque and braised veal for Connie, half-boiled egg with smoked eel and ribeye steak for me.  For amuse bouches they gave us smallish portions of our starters reversed (I got a soup, Connie an egg), which was for me the one of two hiccups in the meal - it seemed contrived.

The other hiccup was the steak.  Not sure what's going on, but I've never had a dry ribeye in the states, and I can't seem to get a proper juicy one here.

Otherwise, the food was fantastic.  The egg on itself was simple enough, but the eel and condiment it came along with were unique and delicious and made for a perfect contrast to the egg.  I could have that again.  The bisque had a hearty ocean quality, and came with a batter-fried prawn.  I could have used more of the prawn against the soup, but the flavors and textures worked well.  The braised veal was tender and the sauce appropriately formidable and complex, layered with all sorts of goodness.  The foie gras was seared nicely, lots of fat and salt bursting from each bite.

Connie didn't get dessert - a plate of three seemingly unrelated treats: creme caramel, chocolate fondant/lava cake, and a scoop of ice cream.  They were all well-made, and for Connie's sake I could weave a story together about going from the hale, hot cocoa through the lighter creme to emerge on the other side with a spoonful of ethereal gelato.  Either way, they went well with a nice cappuccino and the check, a pretty good value considering.

Currently, this is my favorite restaurant in Singapore, and hopefully a place to go back to soon, after the necessary comparisons to Les Amis and Iggy's, of course.  The moratorium on "Western Food" has been officially lifted!

Driving to Malaysia (from Singapore) - A Newcomer's Guide

Not all new residents of Singapore opt to have a car, and of those, not everyone attempts a crossing to neighboring Malaysia.  As soon as I leased our car, I was just itching to drive over the Singapore/Johor Strait, off of tiny little Singapore and into relatively gigantic peninsular Malaysia (can't drive to Borneo).  Our first trip was a catastrophe and put us off repeating a similar venture for a long period.  But now, after a year of monthly if not weekly crossings we feel like old hacks and my wife has been pestering me to share the gained knowledge with anyone seeking such guidance on the internet.  The top hits on a simple google search are quite useless as they do not contain the most pertinent information.

One general thing to remember is that every time you cross from Singapore to Malaysia you have to cross 2 borders - first to exit Singapore, then to enter Malaysia.  And vice versa on your return.  So you need to prepare for both.

The Vehicle (Car or Motorcycle)


If you own your car, you would have your certificate of ownership and registration, as well as insurance.  I assume your insurance covers Malaysia.  If you are renting or "leasing" (really, just a long-term rental; there is no leasing, in the American sense of the term, in Singapore) make sure your insurance covers Malaysia at the time the rental company draws up your contract, as it may vary.  We have been doing a 1-year lease and our insurance covers Malaysia, but the deductible is higher if the claim is for a Malaysian incident in comparison with a Singaporean one.  The company I "lease" my car from is called Express Car  and I happily recommend it.

The day before a planned drive to Malaysia I do three things to the car:

1. Fill up gas tank - cars have to be 3/4 full at crossing time to avoid a fine.  The two governments are trying to avoid a market distortion since gas, like everything else, is about twice as expensive in Singapore.  Note also that Singaporean drivers are supposed to fill up only 8000-grade (the finest) petrol, but this is not tightly enforced as far as I can tell.  Unlike Singapore, Malaysian gas pumps are usually not fully attended and you can pretty much do whatever you want.
2. Check tire pressure - most gas stations in Singapore provide free usage of an air pump with automatic pressure gauge (set to 220 pa for standard tires).  I'm already at the gas station, so might as well.  An unnecessary breakdown in Malaysia should be avoided at all costs to avoid getting stranded - my roadside assistance number is for Singapore only...
3. Remove any unneeded valuables - I usually have things like golf clubs, tent, and other non-essentials in the trunk.  In Singapore, I don't mind leaving them in my car, unlocked.  In Malaysia I would rather not tempt anyone even with an armed theft alarm.  This is not a slight against Malaysians, but there is an economic and culture gap between the two countries.

Both Singapore and Malaysia recognize foreign driver licenses. However, if you plan on staying in either for more than a year, you will be forced to convert. The process is not too difficult provided you convert in the first 12 months of residency.

The Route

If you are driving anywhere east (Pontian, Melaka) or central (Kuala Lumpur) it is better to cross at the more relaxed Tuas/Second Link border.  Otherwise, for nearby Johor Bahru or points east (Kota Tinggi, Desaru) use Woodlands.  If this is your first drive, I recommend using Tuas and driving either to Melaka or nearby Pontian/Kukup.

Some obvious locations for driving (6 hours or less): 

• 1-hour Trips
• Pontian/Kukup - Seaside villages on the west coast , 
• Kota Tinggi Waterfalls - Small resort with nice falls/tubing/picnic areas
• I like to combine hike on Gunung Panti with Waterfalls for day trips
• 2-hour Trips
• Melaka - Good food, night market, Chinese-Malay culture, some historical sites of old empire 
• Desaru - Beaches & Eco-Tours (Fireflies boat ride, fruit farm, ostrich farm, alligator farm)
• There's a newly opened highway (E22) that can be used to get there faster now.  It crosses over the Johor River, instead of having to go up Route 3 all the way up to Kota Tinggi and then back down on 92.
• Further Afield
• Kuala Lumpur - Malay capital, Batu caves
• Mersing - go there to catch a ferry to Tioman islands (no cars)
• Cherating - Club Med beach resort and turtle sanctuary

Most GPS's available for purchase in Singapore will have Malaysia maps installed by default.  My crappy Holux brand model did, and the maps/POIs have been satisfactory, even in Borneo (East Malaysia).  

Essential Miscellany

Absolutely Need To Bring:

1. Your passport (and travel visa if you're not automatically welcome)
2. Your Employment/Dependent pass.  
3. Prepaid Singapore Cash Card (for payments at border crossings)

You should also bring some ringgits along as well (for the best rate, albeit only marginally so, we go to the last money changer in Change Alley - closest to Shenton Rd).  I would bring 100 or more depending on your stay and what you plan to do.  At a minimum you have to pay to cross (at Woodlands) or for road tolls (immediately outside Tuas). 

Malaysian White Immigration Entry Form

This is the trickiest thing about crossing to Malaysia in my opinion.  You need to have this document prepared before getting to an immigration officer booth on the Malay side, but in Woodlands there is no place to get this ahead of time.  In Tuas, if it's within business hours (~8am-8pm) you can get this at the info hut just before the immigration center, which is why I recommend Tuas for the first crossing.  If you reach a booth without this card or without this card filled, you will be admonished and then you will be asked to park your car nearby, walk to the central immigration office, pick up the forms, fill them out, and then walk up to the drive-through booth to complete the crossing.  On a busy day, this is tantamount to breaking one of the ten commandments.

Another thing, they won't give you extras for next time!  What we've been doing is we either take turns going out to the info hut at Tuas to get 4-5 forms at a time (they won't give more), or we pick some up at the Malaysian tourism office.  Since our first few road trips, we've also been flying to Malaysia for some our holidays (Borneo, Penang) and we either ask the stewardesses for extras or we look for packets at the arrival halls.  We now have enough for the next year or two ;)

We've understood that you can bribe guards to get extra forms, but on my last crossing (yesterday) I noticed a small post-it on the window of the immigration booth I drove up to at Woodlands that said "No White Entry Forms Available".

If you or one of your party are on a temporary visa in Singapore the crossings will involve a Singapore entry card as well. Make sure to bring the portion left from your last entry to Singapore. While crossing out of Singapore ask for a new one for your return trip.

When to Cross

On weekends, my general advice is to cross before 7am or late at night.  Return is hit or miss.  4-7pm seems like the rush hour back.  If it's a national holiday on either side, avoid crossing altogether or try to be extra early/late.  I have had 2 horrendous experiences with long delays at crossing:

• Hari Raya Puasa: I left home at about ~11am or so and arrived at the Tuas border at ~12pm.  The Singapore crossing was empty so I thought I was smart to avoid the early morning rush.  Shortly after the crossing I realized my mistake.  The 3-mile drive was entirely backed up and it took around 4 hours to complete the crossing.  Leaving us just enough time to get dinner and drive back home!
• Around Christmas: Driving back from Kota Tinggi in mid-December on a Sunday evening I hit a nasty jam on the Malay side and the crossing took close to 2 hours (5-7pm) if you include the traffic jam leading up to Woodlands.

First Trip 

Again, I would like to recommend that you use Tuas on your first trip.  There are several reasons:

1. The info Hut just outside the Malay border where you can get White Immigration Entry Form
2.  Easier to get a Touch N' Go Cash Card - manned booths at first toll area 
1. At Woodlands, you need to have a prepaid Touch N' Go card to enter through the Malay border - the payment is a mere ~$1 or 2 MYR, but the payment method has to be a Touch N' Go cash card.  Only one booth out of the tens there is manned with someone that can perform a cash for Touch N' Go transaction.  That's the right most window in the right most zone.  I believe it's Zone 1, Window 8.  Reminder: bring ringgits/MYR. 
2. At Tuas, there is no payment on the Malay border, but you need to pay toll immediately after crossing.  You can purchase a Touch N' Go at a couple of windows in any of the toll stations and it is les stressful.  My first crossing we didn't bring any ringgits and while we got fleeced on the exchange rate, the toll attendants were good enough to take SGD in exchange for the prepaid cash card. Ther's a money changer immediately after the toll station at the R&R rest area
3. More relaxed, open atmosphere.  Woodlands is claustrophobic and disorienting.  Tuas is open and calm by comparison.

Here's a simulation of your first Tuas crossing:

1. You drive up towards the last exit on the AYE going west.  You start seeing blue signs about filling up your gas tank to 3/4, and prepaying your cash card.  If you forgot either, get off at the one to last exit to do so.
2. You follow the signs for car/motorcycle to immigration.  You will drive towards a bank of booths and play some game (which you are bound to lose, Murphy's laws) to figure out the fastest line.  The Singapore immigration officer at the booth will ask for your passport and EP/DP.  They will want to see all the passengers and may ask you to roll down windows and drive up a bit.
3. You will insert your cash card into the machine that collects border payment and select your vehicle type.
4. After collecting your passports and EP/DPs, drive off to the bridge and enjoy the view of the Singapore/Johor Strait.  Eventually you will arrive at another immigration center on the Malaysian side.  
5. Stop off at the Information Hut just before the banks of immigration officer booths to collect some White Immigration Entry Forms.  If there are several persons in the vehicle take turns going up and asking for 4-5 cards each for your next crossings... Fill out the forms before proceeding.
6. At an immigration booth you just need to provide your passports (not EP/DPs) and the White Immigration Entry Forms, pre-filled.  Your passport will be stamped, and so will a portion of the White Immigration Entry Form, which should be kept inside the passport to provide when exiting Malaysia.
7. Once you're off with your returned documents, proceed to the E3 toll booth.  Go towards the left to lanes not marked TnG or TAG.  Pay cash toll or prepay a new Touch N' Go card (recommended). 
8. Enjoy the rest of your trip.

On the way back to Singapore:

1. Give Malaysian immigration officer your passports, along with the remaining portion of the White Immigration Entry Forms.  
2. Collect passports and proceed to Singapore border
3. Provide immigration officer with passports and EP/DPs
4. Collect and proceed to Customs Check
5. You will be asked to stop your car and open the trunk.  If it doesn't open on its own, get out of the vehicle and open it.
6. After inspection close your trunk and drive off back home.
7. Congratulations!  You drove to Malaysia and back.  You should feel a sense of accomplishment and a higher self-worth :)