Swirls of Delight

Had fun doing little swirls with a skewer the other day. It wasn't an art piece though it had the feel of it. In reality, it was golden yellow swirls of cheese amidst dark brown swirls of chocolate. Was making my daughter's favourite comfort food cheese brownies as she was pretty stressed from studying for her exams.

Han's black forest cake

The Han's restaurant food chain reminds me a lot of an American diner . Set meals of either grilled or fried chicken chop, black pepper or minute steaks, fish and chips served with soup of the day, garlic bread, coffee or tea. I have very fond memories of the place as it was one of the cheaper options for family dining. Back in the late 80's, a black forest cake was only a staple of hotel coffee houses until Han made it accessible to the masses by introducing a cheaper version at only $1.40 per piece or $14 for a whole cake. It was the cake for many of our family birthday celebrations. Other memorable cakes in Han's selection that have not changed through the years are their peach tarts and rum balls . I haven't tasted their black forest cake in years and just had to when my friends and I drove pass one of their first restaurants at Upper Thomson. Had the black forest cake and a cup of tea and that special moment came back, even if it was for just a while. 

In appreciation of Singapore Zi Char Cuisine

Prawn noodles with bee hoon

Yong Tao Foo

Bitter goud ribs

Prawn paste chicken

Zi Char stalls are very much a part of the cuisine landscape in Singapore. Zi char means stir fry in Chinese and these stalls are commonly found in coffee shops, selling a variety of the most loved dishes in Singapore. There is no need for posh, fancy restaurants if you are on a budget as zi char stalls do serve what most Chinese restaurants do, but at cheaper prices without the air con and posh table settings. Some of Singapore's most loved zi char dishes include prawn paste chicken, Kung Pao chicken, pork ribs, steamed fish both Teochew and Cantonese style , hot plate beef, chilli and black pepper crabs, cereal prawns etc . 

Tourists coming to Singapore should try the food at the hawker centres as well as that from zi char stalls at coffee shops. Savouring authentic local food in the countries we visit is always one of the best parts of travelling. One of the better zi char places that I love to patronise is the Kok Sen Restaurant in Chinatown. The yong tao foo and the prawn noodles bee hoon are really quite exceptional !

Kok Sen Restaurant
30 Keong Saik Road,
Singapore

Ann Siang Hill

Sometimes I feel like a tourist in my own country. Things in Singapore are moving so fast that if I haven't visited a place for a year or so, chances are things may have changed quite a bit . Was at Ann Siang Hill just yesterday and shops that I remember were just here not too long ago are gone. Swanky boutique hotels have popped up in this conservation area together with cafes and bistros which are quaint and charming. Nice to know that just down the road is the contrast of the bustling Maxwell Road Market, a famous Singaporean food  place where the office crowd descends upon like a flock of seagulls during lunch.  

Most of the elegantly restored shophouses at Ann Siang Road here were built between 1903 and 1941 and were once the traditional homes of clan associations and exclusive social clubs. A nice place for a stroll and to admire the little architectural details that adorn the buildings such as some original art noveau tiles on the exterior.   

Provence

Was rummaging through the shelves of my favourite second hand book store in Bras Basah complex and a  hard cover book with a beautiful illustration caught my eye. A Table in Provence, Classic Recipes from the South of France was published in 1987 and chronicles Lesile Forbes ' culinary odyssey of Provence, in the kitchens of the people she met - gourmets, grandmothers, shop keepers and vine growers. Handwritten in manuscript and illustrated through the most charming drawings, it shows what makes southern French food so memorable - " terra cotta pots of basil and fennel, bundles of wild thyme, savory and rosemary from warm hilltops, bottles of fruity olive oil, ropes of white garlic and baskets of thumb nail-sizes clams." From truffle hunting in the Luberon to the rich variety of Provencal bread, from calissons, a famous almond and melon sweet meat to the most luscious recipes featuring aubergines, zucchinis, pumpkins and olives. All these paint a most inviting attraction to visit Provence for its beautiful countryside and to taste its rich produce. 

Is Provence as lovely as she had described ?

Agnetha and Frida

Agnetha

Frida

Love the handmade dolls I bought in Bangkok. I couldn't quite decide what to call them till someone commented on their eye shadow. Think I shall call them Agnetha and Frida after the girls from ABBA. They had the loveliest eye shadow in blue and purple as it was the rage back in the late 70's. It would not be possible to have a Beatles reunion but if ABBA were to have a get together concert one more time, it would be a blast !

Chinatown

Four areas in Chinatown were given conservation status on 7 July 1989. They are the areas of Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Bukit Pasoh and Tanjong Pagar. These consist mainly of 2 -3 storey shophouses of transitional, late and Art Deco shophouse style. Most of the buildings have been restored to its former glory but the thriving activites and way of life that I used to remember as a child have long been gone.

In September 1983, 500 street hawkers were removed from Chinatown's streets and many went into the Kreta Ayer Complex, but many other unlicensed ones disappeared from the scene.

The removal of rent control since the early 1990s has also forced many traditional businesses out of the old shophouses and in its place comes advertising agencies, marketing firms, lawyers' offices, pubs and restaurants. 

Singapore's Chinatown is uncharacteristic of many Chinatowns elsewhere in the world. Clean and organised with offices and many shops selling tourist souvenirs. I miss the Chinatown that my mum and grandma used to go. The authorities certainly did well in terms of the cleaning up but sadly, the soul and spirit of most of the traditional enterprise got cleaned out as well.