Eat with locals

Withlocals.com was launched 3 months ago. Their aim is to connect locals directly with travellers through food & experiences. They would love travellers to experience the real local tradition & not only the touristic ones, & give local people the possibility to earn money with things they are good at! Their main vertical Eat with locals is about travellers eating at a local families home, to taste the real culture & really connect with the local family. It is through this way that tourist can truly experience the real culture &  lifestyle.

 

I am honoured to be offered a local meal by Withlocals. Being a Thai food lover, I chose to have 'Thai cuisine in Singapore' by host Nadya over the weekend.

To be honest, it was not without apprehension when the day arrived for the lunch, what are we going to talk about, will there be the dreaded awkward silence throughout the meal...

Well all I can say is that all my worries were for nothing. Nadya is a very hospitable host and we had a great time at her place, talking about everything under the sun. She also had a friend, Yolanda who accompanied us for the lunch. And to my surprise, we are both nurses. Nadya was an Indonesian who has been living in Singapore for more than a decade, so she can really give us an overview of how foreigners view Singapore and of course how Singaporeans view the world, making it an interesting conversation. And the food, where to start, only one word to describe, it was fantastic!

We started off the meal with a classic street food as appetiser, Tod Mon Pla (Thai fishcake) where she added chopped long beans inside the fishcake. It pairs very well with her homemade sweet sauce. Yummy. 

We were served a second appetiser, tahu isi (deep fried tau pok with stuffed vegetables). This was another winner. From the first look, we thought it was simply deep fried bean curd. When biting into it, the crunchiness and lightness of the bean sprouts burst into my mouth. Simply can't stop digging into this.

 There was also this crunchy salad, with cucumber, carrot, tomato and onion with a light sour sauce. Great way to whip up the appetite.

Next up was the main course, Tom Kai Gai (Chicken curry) served with white rice. It does resembles the taste of tom yum soup due to the ingredients added. This curry is not spicy, best for folks who cannot take spicy food. (if you do like spicy food, do let Nadya know in advance so she can pack it with a punch).

 

And lastly for dessert, we have the Khao Niaow Ma Muang (sticky mango rice). Pairing the mangos with the sweet sticky rice and savoury coconut milk yummm.... Perfect match!

It was a perfect homely lunch with great company. Nadya, Yolanda, great knowing both of you today.

And to the rest reading this, we highly recommend to visit Nadya. Whether it is your first time to get to know Thai food or to have a great time discussing and understanding Singapore with Nadya.