Kaya toast

The national breakfast of Singapore, minus the sweet milky coffee. Kaya toast is soft white bread toasted, then split right down the middle of the slice. Each bread half is spread thickly with butter and coconut jam (kaya) before being clapped back together. It no doubt gives Singporeans all the energy they need for a busy day of working, shopping, and more eating!

Hot sunny lazy afternoon

Calls for ice cream!

Here, a Singapore-style ice cream sandwich. When you order it, the vendor pulls out a solid block of ice cream and slices off a fat rectangle, then pats it delicately between two crisp thin wafers much smaller than the frozen sweet.

I ordered yam, and it was a delicate purple, light, icy, not overly sweet, so refreshing with the crunchy bits of wafer a textural relief. The wonder is only that I didn't order a second one.

How to order a double-double in Singapore

Just ask for coffee, or rather kopi. If you want to get tea or coffee without milk or sugar you have to specify - the default is white and very sweet.

Apparently the national breakfast of Singapore is coffee and kaya toast - hot buttered toast spread with coconut jam. My packed eating schedule didn't allow me to have it for breakfast, but I tasted it as an afternoon snack all the same. Sweet, but delicious.