Old World Charm

Being abroad for a span of 6-9months at each stretch, I am constantly amazed by the rapid changes in the city landscape. Yet, if you've read earlier posts, you'll know my fascination with everything old Singapore. Those old world peranakan shophouses that house everything from funky new retail shops/bistros/boutique cake shop along Ann Siang street, to art galleries and media/PR companies along the Amoy Street stretch are but one facet of the intrigue. What truly excites me is when I see a shophouse that has kept its original facade - grills, signboard and all.

Where people see backward, ugly, rusty or just plain ol' old, I see tradition, heritage and volumes of history. I see old world charm. S and I decided that we had to do the Chinatown - Kampong Glam heritage tour again, just because it felt right. Chinatown has become commercialised, but tell me which tourist destination hasn't? It is when you take the routes untaken and walk down new alleyways that you'll stumble upon something new. Wandering into mosques, walking past Chinese Medical Shops which could have definitely passed off as the Witches go-to supermarket (what with all the lizards, strange insectile thingies (?!) and all those nasties you put in boiling cauldrons) combines for the truly special Chinatown experience.

We chanced upon 大同饼家 or Tai Thong Cake Shop this time round. Having been around for half a century (now that's what I call real street cred), it is relatively impossible to not have heard of it or eaten their cakes. I have heard of their very famous Chinese New Year and Wedding pastries, but had no idea where their shop was located.

Call me ignorant if you must, but the stars must have decreed that I would have to find the place on my own, sans googlemap. And find it we did.

Tai Thong Cake Shop
#35, Mosque Street, Singapore

Mr Supermarché

Everything about supermarkets make me happy. From looking at the fully-stocked, neatly arranged shelves, to the huge stock variety in their open freezers just makes me happy. Wandering around a very strange and unfamiliar London 3 years earlier made me scared/frantic/overwhelmed.

And then I met Waitrose.

Waitrose in the UK is kinda like the equivalent of the Cold Storage supermarkets we have here in Singapore. The variety of mushrooms, meat, fish, and more importantly cereals and yoghurt they stocked were mindboggling fantastic. At the very second I stepped in, all (and I truly mean all) my anxiety melted away. And throughout the three years there, no amount of stress could fight against my new Hero.

Hanging out with friends that feel the same way about Mr Supermarche inevitably entails that no matter what we plan our day to look like, we'd just end up wandering into supermarkets. S and I got reaquainted to Sara Lee Pound Cakes yesterday, when our healthy hiking plans got derailed by the tempermental weather. Imagine my delight when I saw those delicious frozen pound cakes that I renamed 'ice cream cake' (before the wave of real ice cream cakes infiltrated the market) as a little kid :):)

Yes, I know I'm sad.

I miss

Really Good Vegetarian Food (Don't judge.)/Seductive aromatics of freshly ground beans toying with your olfactories//Perfect Lattes to end great meals/Almond Croissants/Communal brunch setting/The Large Oak Table/Truffles.

Because simplicity is key for the frazzled. And because sometimes, a whiff of comfort can make everything better.

Food for Thought - 31 Neal Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9PR
Monmouth Coffee Company - The Borough, 2 Park Street, London SE1 9AB; 27 Monmouth Street, London WC2H 9EU

The Place

I found my favourite coffee-place today. And I wonder what took me so long. ♥

Hello Routine!

The one thing I missed most about Singapore when I was abroad was the weekly prata breakfast we had at the coffeeshop near our place. My mom swears by the tea, without which she says she cannot function. My dad just likes the prata, which, unlike most places, is freshly pulled, slapped on the metal worktop and fried (with a whole load of unhealthy-thou-shalt-pretend-does-not-exist-substances) on your order.

The closest substitutes we had back in London were frozen pratas from Chinatown and A1/Jap curry packs that the boys bought in abundance. And after countless of suppers with the flatmates and ingenious methods, the four of us have unanimously declared that the combination of grilled frozen pratas with A1 curry triumphs everything else. Yes, we grill our pratas and they turn out wonderfully crispy/fluffy/everything you want your prata to be.

So, whether I clubbed till 3am or stayed home the night before, my parents would always make sure that we were there at half 7 for our weekly prata breakfast. And although it's not so much 'Hello Routine' when the former happens (more like a 'Go Away Now, Routine') the year without the real deal has left me pining for my long-lost friend.

It is possibly the only place you'll find me at my worst- read: hair flyaways, half-opened eyes and in my fbts (running shorts, for the uninitiated). But it is also the place that I feel the most comfortable in. Almost like breakfast at home, if you like.

Oh, on a side note, I have been banned from my beloved kitchen by my sister (which explains my lack of experiments). She has officially issued the decree that till the Big Exams are over, I am not allowed to do any noisy whisking, mixing or baking. No, she does not study in my kitchen (As J wondered in amazement). It is just that she has taken over the entire dining room, situated conveniently right next to the kitchen.

But of course, the withdrawal symptoms are too much to take and I have been not-so-secretly studying her schedule so I can fully utilise the pockets of time when she's in school to bake.

하나,둘,셋!

we hate peas-carrots-corn club/baking powder pore cleansing foam (?!)/really good shaved ice at fareast//Yummeh Ginseng Chicken Soup at Crystal Jade

Hallowe'en

It is one of those days where nothing really goes your way. My one-year-ago-flashback was spent in bed nursing a terrible hangover, hearing the boys talking about a friend who threw up on our neighbour's front door, cleaning up vomit in the sink (graciously left behind by a random guest) and just living the life of a normal student. Fastforward a year later and everything's gone wrecked.

Of course, there really isn't any point sitting around and moping over some of the very bad decisions I have made in life. And besides, didn't they say when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade? I had chocolate. A lot of chocolate. And I was in great need of a sugar high. But, precision weighing and baking isn't really for a grumpy/why-her-life-is-so-messed-up girl.

So out goes the digital weighing scale (oh, the travesty of it!) and in comes the measuring cups. Put everything in a deep pan, mix it all up and then add a handful of chocolate. Or maybe two. Or three. Anything to administer a life-can-be-good shot.

Just for the fun of it (and a bolt of inspiration from allrecipes.com), I attempted to make 'mummified' faces on my cupcakes. But of course, when nothing goes your way, nothing will go your way. Far from looking like some potential scary treat, my version turned out looking.. oddly, mouthlessly strange. Almost like a white version of mouthless Mr Messy.

Shoot me now.