T A B L E_T A L K Do lush island breezes call to you in December? Talk about off-season vacationing in the Caribbean in Table Talk's Wanderlust area R E C E N T L Y A two-wheel tour of Holland By Cynthia Gorney A vacationing family finds pleasure and peril among a nation of bicyclers (10/14/98) Waiting for Hurricane Georges By Jennifer Moses Preparing for disaster in Baton Rouge (10/13/98) Under the moon at Angkor Thom By Karin Muller An idyllic picnic is interrupted by soldiers (10/11/98) Seduced by Kenya By Don George An interview with author Francesca Marciano about Africa's attractions and contradictions (10/09/98) This week in travel Wanderlust's selective guide to travel-related news (10/09/98) Browse the Wanderlust Feature archives Wanderlust's Official Travel Book Partner S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.		BY THE SPOONFUL, A RESTAURANT IN SINGAPORE SUPPOSEDLY CURES EVERYTHING FROM SEXUAL ENNUI TO DIABETES. BY MARK JENKINS | I have a horrible feeling I know what's going to happen next. "Just a moment," says my pal Boon Hee, who lays down his chopsticks, jumps up from the table and scuttles through the packed Imperial Herbal Restaurant. I'm left nervously making small talk with Mrs. Wang Tee Eng, the restaurant owner, in-between mouthfuls of "Quick Fried Shredded Fish With Yam." My worst fears are confirmed when Boon returns waving two branchlike objects. "This one bull penis, this one deer penis!" he announces triumphantly. Curious diners watch my expression as Boon and Mrs. Wang describe the aphrodisiac properties of the two organs, and how they're boiled, dried and sliced to make into curative, or "tonic," soups and wines. Mrs. Wang is especially explicit when explaining why. The dainty Singaporean restaurateur points to the shriveled testicles and exclaims, "That's where all the hormones are!" I sit there with an aghast look on my face. I wish I were someplace where lunch companions are not in the habit of brandishing mammoth mammal members at me in public eating places. Mercifully, Boon returns the offending objects to the kitchen and we resume one of the most interesting -- albeit peculiar -- meals I've ever eaten. The Imperial Herbal Restaurant, located in the heart of "Old Singapore," is, according to Mrs. Wang, the world's only restaurant serving a full gamut of dishes expressly intended to remedy conditions ranging from arthritis to sexual ennui (that's what the bull and deer you-know-whats are for). The restaurant's runaway success in Singapore may be attributed to the Chinese conviction that you truly "are what you eat." It was inspired by southern China's "tonic soup" cafes -- eateries specializing in soups made with ingredients said to possess curative powers. Patrons of these establishments believe their yin and yang can be calibrated by consuming as many bowls as possible. Tonic soups, Boon says, are familiar to Singaporeans -- many of whom have roots in southern China -- because they are a staple of doting mothers who are thrown into a tizzy if one of their offspring looks even slightly off-color (when it comes to mollycoddling, Jewish mothers can't hold a candle to their Chinese counterparts). In contrast to the down-home ambience of the traditional tonic soup cafes in southern China, Singapore's Imperial Herbal Restaurant is decidedly upscale, replete with rosewood furniture and antique silk wall hangings. The restaurant seats 160, and the day I was there, it was crowded with tables-full of tonic wine-chugging housewives, yuppies scarfing dishes intended to reduce their stress levels, ginseng-gobbling tourists from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, and even a few bemused gweilo (white devils like me). N E X T+P A G E | Not just healthy, but tasty too