Quirky alternatives for that Valentine’s Day meal

SINGAPORE — Long after your 50 first dates, when you’ve seen each other in the best and the worst of times, the romance and allure of Valentine’s Day may seem a little, well, contrived — not to mention expensive. The question some ask is why fork out three times the regular price for a meal and flowers just to prove to your special someone, on one very specific day of the year, that he or she is the only one for you? Why indeed? If you ask us skints, Valentine’s Day is best spent doing what couples should do best together, without burning a hole in your pockets. In our books, that means having a messy old time eating our favourite grub at establishments where the prices know no hike despite commercial Cupid’s best efforts. Here are some of our favourites:

SUP TULANG. Few dishes create as fierce a mess as sup tulang. One simply cannot be coy or bashful when it comes to getting the precious, buttery marrow out of those thick mutton bones that have been stewed in a spicy, tomato-infused mutton stock. There will be knocking and digging, lots of splatter, and at the very worst, some sucking through a straw. Fingers will be stained red and shirts sprayed dotty with radioactive-hued meat juice, but true love understands that the joys of tulang must be shared with someone who still thinks you’re alluring when you flash them a red-toothed grin while gnawing gristle off a bone.

Where to get it: Haji Kadir & M Baharudeen Sup Tulang (#B1-13/15 Golden Mile Food Centre, 505 Beach Road; Tel: 6294 0750) has a uniquely thick rich broth; while M.A. Deen Biasa (35/37 Jalan Sultan #01-01; tel: 6392 2712), is a great late night choice (it opens from 2.30pm to 4am).

CHILLI CRAB. There are folks who stay clear of this dish in order to avoid picking through a crab - and a surly bunch they must be because there is nothing quite like diving into a steaming platter of chilli crabs, with mantou (Chinese bun) in hand to mop up the thick, piquant, tomato-based sauce laced with delicate tendrils of egg. Picking the meat off the crabs for your beloved while he or she fiddles with their mobile device is no way to share this meal. Rather, you should both roll up your sleeves, crack apart those shells and risk chilli stains on your shirts. When you are spent, fingers aching from prying sharp shards of crab shells to get to the meat, gaze at one another with familiar affection and know that your love transcends that lingering smell of crabs on your hands.

Where to get it: Hua Yu Wee (462 Upper East Coast Road; Tel: 6442 9313) has a nice balanced sauce that’s thick and flavourful with just the right balance of sweet and savoury; whereas Blue Lotus Chinese Eating House (#01-13 Quayside Isle, 31 Ocean Way, Sentosa; Tel: 6339 0880) has a unique take on the chilli crab with pomelo — very spicy and delicious to boot.

SOTONG MASAK HITAM. Why sit down to an overpriced four-course meal that will invariably involve salmon and chocolate when you can feast on a table laden with spicy dishes at your favourite nasi padang shop for a fraction of the cost? While you’re pointing to the sayur lodeh (vegetables in a coconut gravy) and beef rendang, don’t forget to order your portion of sotong masak hitam or spicy squid cooked in its own ink. When you know you’re in for the long haul with your beloved, what’s a bit of black squid ink lingering on your lips and teeth?

Where to get it: If you want a dish that is extremely punchy with loads of spice, then Rumah Makan Minang (18 Kandahar Street; Tel: 6294 4805) is where you want to be. For an Indonesia spread that is always dependable with friendly service, Garuda Padang Singapore (220 East Coast Road, Tel: 6441 0220) ticks all the right boxes for us.

DRUNKEN COLD COCKLES. You know you were meant for one another when you can breathe the fire of raw garlic onto each other’s faces and not run in the opposite direction. To that end, drunken cold cockles are just the things to slurp when you know that your love is bigger than bad breath and potential indigestion. Drunken cockles are typically served raw or very lightly cooked, doused in a sauce spiked with rice wine, raw garlic, spring onions and flaming chilli padi. You’ll feel the residual heat of these inebriated molluscs long after they’ve slid down your tum.

Where to get it: A meal at Two Chefs Eating Place (116 Commonwealth Crescent #01-129; Tel: 6472 5361) is a very affordable treat; while over at Putien (127 Kitchener Road, Tel: 6295 6358) you should order the slippery sweet potatoes noodles - they’re the best thing to have with the cockles.

THE BANANA LEAF APOLO. While dizzier couples fork out a premium for a dining room that tinkles with the civilised clinking of cutlery, embrace the din that envelops The Banana Leaf Apolo and tuck into your very own banana leaf laden with rice and curry. There is something immensely thrilling about struggling to order from the middle-aged Indian servers who talk a mile a minute. Next thing you know, there is fish head curry, chicken masala and mutton biryani on top of the curried vegetables, rice and poppadum already on your leaf. If all that fiery spice leaves you feeling a little too distended for romance, slurp up that metal bowl of soothing, sour rasam (spiced tamarind water) that is meant to calm your bellies. And you can’t get the friendly down-home dining experience anywhere else. The Banana Leaf Apolo is at 56 Race Course Road; Tel: 6293 8682.

SEAFOOD BOIL. A pail, a plastic bag, a paper-lined table and a bib — these accoutrements of a seafood boil say everything about what a gleeful mess your meal would be. No one needs an excuse to get down and dirty with the sweet crustaceans but certainly Valentine’s Day provides an extra good reason to strap on that bib and work your way through the finger-licking-good pile.

Where to get it: If you score yourself a table at The Cajun Kings (15 Jalan Riang; Tel: 6284 4426), be sure to order the southern fried chicken as well (they have really good side fried dishes too). The chooks are first cooked sous vide to ensure succulent tenderness, then deep-fried to a crisp. Use your hands - you’re going to get your hands dirty anyway. Over at Crab In Da Bag (902 East Coast Parkway; Tel: 6440 0083) the seafood boil comes in the curry sauce - offering a lovely local take on the dish.

DURIANS. For lovers of the king of fruit, what could be more romantic than sitting on rickety stools under the stars and digging your sticky fingers into a bitter-sweet cat mountain king? The best part of this feast is that the perfume and flavour of the durians linger long after the fruit is gone. That’s amore.

Where to get it: Some of the finest mao shan wang (cat mountain king durians) can be found at Leong Tee Fruit Trader (264 Tanjong Katong Road; Tel: 6346 6683), where owner Lim Leong Tee boasts a regular batch of the specimens gleaned from a single over-20-year-old tree. These “one-tree” durians cost a little more, but they are worth the splurge. Not only are his durians heavenly, Leong Tee is good natured and always treats his customers like friends. Ah Hung Company (204 Geylang Road, Tel: 6743 3509) on the other hand, is great for those hankering for durian in the middle of the night. It’s open 24 hours, and due to its location, there’s a lot to see in the vicinity.