Kalaa Utsavam in Singapore
There doesn’t need to be a reason to go looking for the world’s best seafood restaurant, because the quest alone sounds worthy of a long obsession, and worth the time to go searching. There are many different places on the planet, different cultures with different culinary traditions, where seafood has a particularly excellent reputation. Japan, India, and Malaysia are three countries that come to mind when thinking about the best place to eat seafood. Fortunately, these countries all have strong populations of descendants in Singapore, and there are some local traditions here that add to the mix, making it one of the best places in the world to enjoy your quest.
It’s not just the cultural traditions that live here that add to the excellence in the food, although that’s certainly the big part of it. There is also an extraordinary metropolitan and cosmopolitan feel to Singapore. The island city state seems to be always at the forefront of art and culture, and the population is very well read in terms of popular and local cultures. This love of art also finds its expression in the art of dining, and it’s a large part of the cultural display here. Of course, there are also cultural displays that are billed as cultural displays, and one of the finest in the city happens in the fall, the Kalaa Utsavam, the Indian Festival of Arts.
This coincides with the traditional holiday, Keepavali, the Festival of Lights, and began as a three-day festival and is now 10 days long. There are many different art forms presented at this exquisite festival, with music, dance, theatre, and works that fall somewhere in between all of these. Traditional and contemporary work is also featured, and again, sometimes these blend in fantastic ways. Everything happens at the Esplanade, and it’s something for visitors of all ages. One of the biggest attractions for 2009 is Swaagat Samaroh, where the Aakaar Puppet Theatre will introduce guests to traditional Rajasthani puppet theatre.