Serangoon Gardens is one of my regular chill out places in the North East. It's convenient, homey, quiet and it also has a lot of food establishments. In my younger days, Chomp Chomp was the regular supper venue for the the brothers and i. The famous RK house is also around the corner- it never occurred to us to pull such a terrible joke on the servers, that's just mean. Ice Cube was our dessert spot till Frolick popped up and then Udders. Before myVillage opened, we studied at the old Coffee Bean and ate at Cafe Cartel and now there are so many more options. Gardens is pretty much the Holland V of the North East, just less noisy and more chill.

I'm usually not very adventurous when i head to Gardens for food. I associate it with comfort food and tat usually meant Sushi Tei for me. Each time i head there, i'd pass by Arbite, which is just next to ST on the 2nd storey. I never went in because it always look empty (typical Singaporean) until Bernie suggested having dinner there one night. I tried it and i kinda fell in love and the rest was history.

I recently headed there for a farewell lunch for a colleague and we noticed that they have converted the sitting area to accommodate more tables. Guess more people have discovered this gem! The interior feels pretty much like a dining room at Ikea. Simple furnishing and decor. Natural light is very important to me and this place is lit up nicely. 

The selection of drinks is not very extensive but it suffices. Milkshakes for $6 (not very thick. Strawberry one is somewhat fizzy? The colour is extremely artificial as well.). I love the Iced Lemon Tea ($3) which is made fresh. It's about as yummy as Toast's. There are some ales and ciders which are priced reasonably ($10). 

These were what we ordered for lunch. 

Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwich- Grilled eggplant, zucchini, capsicum, pickled onions, roasted cherry tomatoes, rocket leaves and crumbled blue cheese on a sun dried tomato focaccia ($13.90). The veg were fresh and juicy. Love the vibrant colours on the plate. I was eyeing the sundried tomato focaccia, it looks really tasty (didn't try it because Piglet was obviously greedy!).

Papardelle with mushroom and parma ham, spinach in a cream sauce drizzled with truffle oil ($19.90). The papardelle and tagliatelle are made to order and served fresh daily. I love this dish but it may be too cloying after a while. I liken the papardelle to our Chinese mee hoon kway but this has more bite to it. Not really al dente but it's just right for the huge sheet of pasta. I wished they gave more of the parma ham because the cream sauce could be a little bland. Highly recommended anyway. Order it to share and get another savory dish. :)

Japanese Curry Pulled Pork Wrap- Shredded pork collar, caramelized apples, leeks and a Japanese curry sauce wrapped in a tortilla skin ($13.90). This is another great dish. The pulled pork simply melts (probably due to the fats), and caramelized apples go so well with the slightly sweet Japanese curry. The sweetness is nicely harmonized by the salted wedges and that is always an important factor for me (read about it here).

Pork Schnitzel- Breaded pork loin deep fried till golden brown, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables served with blue cheese apple butter and gravy ($17.90). This is huge. Boss devoured it before i could take a closer look at it. I suppose it must be really tasty? The description of the sauce sounds really yums. I will probably try it someday, after i run like 10km maybe.

Squid Ink Tagliatelle with crab and tiger prawn. Jumbo lump swimmer crab with tiger prawns, asparagus and leeks in a Rose Sauce ($23.90). I had this for lunch when i was there. Tagliatelle is like meepok and sadly this was a little overcooked. I didn't taste any of the squid ink in the pasta, which is a shame. But when it comes to squid ink pasta in a creamy tomato sauce, Valentino is my go to place. The asparagus taste is also quite overpowering, so if you don't like that, get them to remove it from the dish. Fresh seafood and general servings of the shelled crab. Succulent and sweet+savory prawns as well. Average dish perhaps but maybe i'm just fussy.

The portions are more than sufficient and i always do not have space for desserts after. Shall make a conscious effort to eat lesser next time. OH! Did i mention that there's All-day-breakfast too? YAY!

Arbite
66A Serangoon Garden Way
Tel: +65 6287 0430
Tue – Fri: 11.30 am – 3.00 pm, 6.00pm - 10.30 pm
Sat – Sun: 11.00 am – 10.30 pm
Last Order at 2.30 pm & 9.45 pm
Closed on Mondays

Some time back, i wrote about how i eat certain food because of the emotions i associate with them and also how i crave for certain textures and thus i pick certain dishes (read about it here). Here is another of my eating quirks and it's all about balance; a balance of sweet and savory flavors in a meal. 

Apple steamed pudding with vanilla ice cream and truffle fries

This is a girl who eats desserts before her mains, as mains and after mains. "Life is uncertain. Eat desserts first." pretty much sums up my philosophy on food. I honestly believe that i do have a separate stomach for desserts. And no, it's not my hips. However, my favorite way of eating desserts is to have it with something savory. If you think it's weird, think again. Have you eaten MacDonald's fries with the ice cream before? Do you like salted caramel ice cream/cheesecake? What popcorn flavor do you get when you are at the cinema or from Garrett's? The Chicago mix is obviously my preferred choice. Do you take prata with sugar? I don't but that's besides the point. Anyway, i think you get my drift.

I think most people subconsciously perform this balancing of taste. Me? It's second nature. While i like desserts, it gets pretty gelat (for the lack of a better word). The first few mouthfuls are always very satisfying but the marginal utility diminishes really quickly. To counter that effect, i found that having some salty food helps to fool the tummy into thinking that it hasn't in fact already finished a slice of cake or half a tub of ice cream. Ok i exaggerate, my stomach space is pretty teeny but yea it does help. It breaks the monotony of the sweetness which can be cloying.

It's a good strategy for buffet! When you start to feel full from all the savory food, have a little bit of sweet stuff. I swear you can go for your third, fourth or nth helping after that.

Anyway, one of my favorite combination of sweet+savory food is from PS Cafe and the photograph that greeted you is what i would typically order.

The food at PS is not fantastic though the portions are huge. I like the crab tart (which is only served at Palais). Their quiche (varies from day to day) is a hit and miss-  dry tart and the tart to filling ratio isn't perfect (too much of the former). Their brunch menu is also rather forgettable.

Of all the outlets that have sprouted over the island (all central in fact), my favorite is still the one at Palais Renaissance. It's the perfect place to hang out after a day of shopping and it's quiet (Harding is really noisy) and airy (unlike the claustrophobic Paragon and A.S.H outlets). There's a choice of outdoor seating which is a good option if the weather is not overly humid.

So why do i keep going back? For the desserts of course! Their cakes are quite consistent and so far they haven't failed me when i have a sweet craving. I love the steamed apple pudding with butterscotch sauce and real vanilla ice cream. Tender juicy caramelized apple chunks on top of a warm brown sponge that soaks up that butterscotch sauce and neutralized with a fragrant vanilla ice cream- it's an explosion of taste and texture. This is only available at Palais as well (another reason to go there!). I don't like their sticky date pudding at Harding, too much of the date skin which really scratches the throat. Dates are also too sweet for my liking.

This is best eaten with the truffle shoestring fries. If you see the mountain of fries you would understand the need for desserts. The same could be said for the size of the pudding as well. It may look small but i can never finish 1 by myself. So the said combination is best shared with friends. Share the calories and share the love. :))

If you are a chocolate fan, go for the Blackout chocolate cake. Let me warn you first, it's a huge slab of cake. I once had this with A, D and L (we had another ginger cheesecake and truffle fries) and we couldn't finish the chocolate cake! S believed that he could finish a slice on his own (as lunch) and i think he only managed 55% of it. I call this the Blackout challenge. Let me know if you can finish this alone, I'll put your picture up!

In short, PS is a nice chill out place. Good for desserts and small snacks. Not so much for mains. It's also kinda overpriced too for the food they serve but it's alright if you share it with friends.

PS Cafe
A.S.H Park
Harding
Palais
Paragon

Check out their website for individual outlet's opening hours and menu.

I was just lamenting to my mum about our ridiculous CNY visiting because we go to every relative's place to bai4 nian2 even if we meet them again and again at another person's place. The most ridiculous thing is that everyone would show up at my place for lunch on the second day. To me, it's simply a waste of time and effort- visiting can be so tiring and all that eating really sucks. Ang bao collection would be so much more efficient if we all just stop at 1 person's place. So why do we do this year in year out? Well, according to my mum, it's TRADITION. 

So what is tradition? Typically, it's a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices, a handing down of customs/actions from generation to generation. It's funny how Mummy calls it tradition because it's kinda something that she and my uncles and aunties came up with and obviously my sis and i are not gonna continue it. So she said, "Wait till you guys grow older, you can make your own traditions." 

I must say i'm not really a tradition kinda person (not in the traditional cultural sense) though i do have some running thing going on with S and with my friends. S and i have been celebrating our Christmases abroad for the past 5 years (this year was an exception because of national duty). The brothers (and 2 sisters) have been meeting up for silly CNY eve activities for quite a number of years as well. The squeezing with a million others at chinatown and buying cheap cny goods (on a rainy day) checked. Prata supper checked. KTV checked. Drinking ourselves silly checked. Poker checked. This year it was a night out at a thai disco club. It just gets more and more interesting each year. Stupidgirl and i have our birthday celebrations. L and i have our quite defunct monthly indulgences (we are going to start it again with the inclusion of A & D). But yeah.. we make our own 'traditions' i guess. And to me it's a way of maintaining relationships and bonding with loved ones. 

I suppose it's the same thing for my mum and her siblings. Amidst our hectic lives and crazy schedules and countless commitments, it's hard to make time for family and CNY is practically the only time in the year where everyone gets together. I'm not saying that that should change, i just feel we should not just stick to what's done in the past but make improvements to it. I believe that applies to many situations in different fields e.g. politics (i shall not go there since this post is meant to be more social). 

That said, i do enjoy these yearly gatherings. I used to hate it as a kid because there isn't much to talk to the elders about but that has changed as we grow older. The best part about tradition is the food (of course!). Homemade popiah is undoubtedly one of our favorites. Simple heartwarming dish that is prepared with lotsa love and sweat. All that grating of the radish and carrots, the sautéing of sliced chinese mushrooms, stir fried chopped up pieces of bean curd and broiled prawns and not to forget the home made chili paste. All these were prepared by my wonderful mama who is turning 70 this year. What do we do without her. This wasn't the only thing she prepared for lunch this year. She's really a superwoman. I love her to bits!

Showcasing my awesome popiah wrapping skills. This is not my usual popiah- mine wouldn't have any of that bean sprouts (URGH!). 

Another one of the CNY must haves- Cheng Teng! The pot is always full of longan and gingko nuts. We sometimes add in white fungus as well. I believe i can easily cook this. How hard is it right? My uncle was just teasing me today about my cooking prowess because none of them has tried my cooking before. Stupid S actually sniggered at me when he can't even cook maggie mee properly. Hur.

Seriously what is gonna happen to all these food when our parents' generation pass on? What traditions will we pass on to our kids? What traditional foods will we be able to cook? That thought alone is scary enough to send me straight into the kitchen to take up an apprenticeship with my mama. I need to learn how to make ngoh hiang (minced pork rolls), curry chicken, otah, steamed yam cake, tang yuan, rice dumplings... Too many things, too little time. I don't want to miss out on these in the future. 

What traditions would you carry on? What would you change? What would you MAKE? 

Happy Chinese New Year people! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Didn't managed to get the pics up on the Eve so i didn't make it in time to wish everybody. New Year Eve has always been a mad rush to finish preparing for the big event- lotsa last minute food shopping (how can i resist the snacks..), picking up the reunion dinner (we have been getting our reunion dinner from restaurants from the past 3 years) and other last minute stuff. 

This year i managed to squeeze in some yoga workout just so i won't feel guilty for overeating. 2h of yoga didn't help much though because the eating was insane and incessant. It started off with our reunion dinner from Soup Restaurant. We had this last year as well and they tweaked the menu a little. We love their signature Samsui Chicken in ginger sauce. This is the closest i get to eating chicken rice. I generally don't eat chicken rice because it's so unhealthy (neither do i eat char kway teow or laksa. i'm weird that way). The samsui platter came with prawns and marinated jellyfish just like those in Chinese cold dishes.

Some screw-up with the yu sheng because they forgot to give us the sauce and we only realized it when we were about to start eating. A call to the restaurant and they sent it over to our place. Additional salmon sashimi was purchased from the nearby Jap restaurant as well. Yummy.  

I had to drop by Dian Xiao Er (read more about their food here) to get some non pork dishes because the mama doesn't eat pork. 

I love Pen Cai because it's full of yummy goodies like abalone, scallops, chinese mushrooms braised in a thick starchy rich broth. I usually ignore the pork belly, sea cucumber and other stuff that's in it. Anyway this dish tastes the best overnight because the food would have soaked up all that goodness. We usually do leftovers the next day because we never ever finish the food. It's a cny tradition for us. :))

The eating continued the next morning. Lunch part 1 at my place, part 2 at S's yeye's place. Then off to my relatives' where i had bak kwa, tarts, kueh lapis.. and the list goes on. Dinner part 1 at my relative's and then part 2 at S's grandma's place. I don't think my mouth stopped moving at any one time. :( 

Coincidentally, the choice of bags for CNY was Miu Miu this year. We didn't plan this at all. M's Vitello Lux in Brown, S's mum's pink coffer-ish looking bag (no idea what's that) and my Matelasse Clutch in Cammeo. Perfect clutch for all my ang bows! :) What was your chinese new year bag? Hope it didn't get rained on. I had to use my dress to shelter my clutch, thankfully i brought the small one out. 

To make ourselves feel less guilty, we went for a run after all that eating. It was a crazy run (yes run/sprinting not jogging) no thanks to the bf who is fitter than me now (then again i was wearing my Vibram which didn't provide any ankle support). A short 6km run which probably only burnt our dinner calories and now we are inflicted with weird aches. Today i'm gonna stay away from the food table. Kinda hard because everyone is gonna be over and when you entertain, you eat. 

Happy CNY once again! Hope it's a bountiful year. Eat now, work out later. Life is too short for us to be counting calories. 

XOXO,

C. 

The boy and i are true Easties and these days we spend most of our weekends closer to home. I'm always in town these days because of Yoga and i get sick of hanging out in town. It is especially bad on weekends especially these couple of weekends due to the festivities. To keep me occupied, S has been keeping track of new dining establishments in the area, so he does the finding and me the eating. :)

The Coastal Settlement is a 2 month old dining space hidden behind Hendon Camp and just opposite the old Changi Hospital. We have run down this road several times before and it's a really quiet place. Nice to see some new developments in the area. Suppose the rent is really cheap because a space like that at Dempsey or Town would cost a bomb. I like that it has lotsa outdoor space for chilling out. Pretty much like Skyve but more old fashioned. 

The alfresco seating at the back and around the restaurant as shown in the picture below. TCS really need to do something about the mosquitoes though. Just walking from the nearby carpark down this path and to the entrance, i was planted with 4 big kisses and they kept me occupied the entire evening. The 50cent sized bites are still swollen now. Slap on the repellant and enjoy the nature outdoors, it's quite relaxing when you are not scratching like a monkey.

The space is really interesting. I was overwhelmed by the different sights and contrasting textures- Steel columns, shelves and bars against exposed brick walls. The somewhat industrial look is softened by plush cushions on wooden frames and one feels comfortable whiling the day away. And it's perfectly fine because there is simply so much space!

The first thing that caught my eye was the main display of an eclectic mix of old furniture, memorabilia from the old days, flipping blocks, metal pots and potties..

There are also 4 Vespas sitting on the shelves! 

TCS is a great place for hanging out with friends and you can tell that by their table arrangements. How so? Most of the tables are huge with chairs for groups of at least 4 and more. There are bar seats, dining seats, round tables, rectangle tables, stools seating, sofa seating and so on. No matter the size of the group and regardless of your seating preference, you'll find something that fits here.

I 

I love how they section the restaurant into different areas. This feels more like a pub with bar stools. A live band was playing when i was there during the weekend. Old melodies and soulful singing by a group of uncles. They are not fantastic but somehow it's very atmospheric. 

My favorite space in the restaurant. Cosy and relaxing. I love how there's plenty of natural light filtering in through the floor to ceiling glass panels.

The bar is also pretty cool. They have this blue Eiffel Beer Tower for their beers. Not sure if you can purchase it for home use though. Would love to have one even though i don't drink beer. I suppose Sangria could work fine too. Hmm.. Sangria Tower.. Yums.

Now onto the food. For starters we had the Portobello fries (S$14). It's a bread crumbled Portobello slices served with a truffle mayonnaise. Sounds good? It tastes even better than truffle fries because of the added moisture from the mushroom. Add a little of that homemade chili and the dish is even more perfect.

There's a selection of Chinese main courses like Beef Horfun, Char Kway Teow, Nasi Lemak and Crayfish Laksa? That was alongside English dishes such as Rib eye with Rosti, Roasted Chicken and Fish and Chips. If i wanted Chinese i would have gone to Changi Village. Anyways.. we ordered the Char grilled Wagyu Beef and Mushroom pizza (S$23).

Nicely grilled juicy chunks of beef slices with sweet caramelized onion, sauteed mushrooms on a white wine reduction cream sauce and baked with Mozzarella and Cheddar cheese. Each mouthful was an explosion of tastes. The sweetness of the onion, smokiness of the beef and saltiness from the cheese give the dish a multitude of sensations. 

Even though it's a thin crust, it's not the same as the crispy Skinny pizza cracker sort. This has more bite to it and you would have to chew a bit. This is really heavenly!

A meal is never complete without desserts and the waffles blew our minds (S$14). The presentation is really pretty and once again it delighted our tastebuds. Light, crispy and salty waffles (yes salty. Very nice though!), fresh creme with sweet banana and raspberries (they ran out of strawberries) and maple syrup with a side of bitter sweet dark chocolate ice cream with a thinly sliced biscotti, cookie crumbs and dark chocolate. I was just grinning and nodding my head the whole time.

This is definitely my new favorite Eastie hangout apart from Lots. No more traveling to PS cafe for desserts anymore (unless i'm in town). I hope they don't close shop anytime soon because it is indeed quite out of the way. Please support them because the food is really good and i wanna continue hanging out here! :)) They have All Day Breakfast too! I'm so going back! Comes highly recommended by me (if that means something. haha.)

The Coastal Settlement
200 Netheravon Road
Tel: +65 6475 0200
Daily: 10.30am - 12am (Last food order at 10pm)

Another weekend, another brunch. It's like i overcompensate for the lack of nice food during the week (not entirely true as well because the friends and i like to go for nice lunches as well). Anyway, to make up for forgetting about my birthday (and i gave him hell for that), my childhood friend Bernie treated me to brunch as part of his apology package (shall remind him of part 2 soon). He wanted somewhere with no queue and suggested Epicurious at the Quayside. 

I have passed by Epicurious many a times when i head over to Robertson Quay for brunch/tea/dinner. Still my favorite weekend hangout spot! Anyway Epicurious always seems pretty crowded to me but i have never given a thought about trying their food (heard that it's not fantastic). Still, it draws a regular crowd on weekends and weekdays alike so i guess there's something about it that keeps it going? 

What works

The food wasn't too bad. I had the Breakfast burrito ($14.90) which came with home fried fries and salsa. The salsa was tangy and refreshing but it was a really small portion. I took little bites of the tomato bits.   

The inside was a moist and running scrambled egg centre with diced tomatoes and tiny morsels of chorizo and well mixed with melted cheese. I really like the wetness of the dish. Nice blend of textures- the creaminess of the egg, slight pull from the cheese and chewiness from the chorizo. The amount of chorizo is pathetic though. Everything was held nicely together in the flour tortilla which didn't break despite the moisture from the eggs. I think this dish isn't too badly executed and i sure wouldn't mind having it again, this time with an extra side of sausages (i'm such a carnivore).

What's average

Bernie had the baked eggs with ham, oven baked with cheese on top. My first reaction to the eggs was that it was really oily! I could see a layer of oil on the top and in the dish as well. That said, the cheese was a savory complement to the plain eggs. I think Pamplemousse at Dempsey does a better baked eggs (that has foie gras and truffle oil in it). Really small portion again but somehow we were both pretty satisfied (amount-wise) after brunch.

What's bad

The coffee. We had the iced mocha which IMO is the worst mocha i've had in a while. The chocolate didn't melt and was separated from the milk coffee. It was like drinking floated bits of waxy chocolate after a while. That was $6 for a hot mocha and another additional buck for the ice. I've paid less for better at Lots. What's worse was that it gave me a terrible caffeine headache with the lousy beans. With so many good coffee places around the area e.g. Kith, Toby's, Dimbulah and Smitten, Epicurious should really up their game. Or at least cater better coffee from their neighbors. 

I may give it another shot, for the food if not the coffee. Afterall it's a nice place to chill out on good weather days. The indoor seating kinda smells of food and outdoor is kinda warm. Nevertheless, Epicurious is a good spot for people watching and chilling. The food is well.. something to keep you occupied while you catch up with friends.

Epicurious
60 Robertson Quay #01-02, The Quayside
Tel: +65 6734 7720
Tue-Fri: 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5.30pm - 9.30pm
Weekends: 9am - 9.30pm (breakfast till 5pm)

Finally done with my birthday week posts and i should finish up my Vietnam posts. Shall skip to the Pray part since there obviously has been too much eating these couple of weeks.

Pray is about Yoga, just like in the book. I started doing yoga more regularly in December after signing up with Real Yoga. I've tried a few popular yoga places such as Pure and True but they do not challenge me at all. Bikram was a whole ballgame altogether, the heat was unbelievaby unbearable. Real gave me the best workout and had me aching for days after the first few sessions. I'm a sucker for punishment so Real suits me perfectly. It's a boot camp there i swear.

I started yoga because i wanted a more toned and stronger body. Running 6km a couple of times a week and playing hockey now and then weren't enough somehow. Besides, i was feeling the impact from these high intensive cardio workouts, i didn't want knee replacements too soon. I never thought much about yoga, i never considered it exercise (i still don't really). I thought that people who replace exercise with yoga completely are idiots and people who use yoga for weight loss are morons (i still believe in the latter). Some of my opinions changed (some were reinforced) after i tried some classes at Real. While i was flexible enough, some of my muscles were absolutely trembling in certain poses because i haven't used them at all in years. My thin arms (even though i have biceps) were useless when it comes to doing push ups. The day after my first yoga class, i woke up feeling like a train wreck/ road kill. I was aching every inch of my body but i felt really good. That was when i decided to give Yoga a shot, to make myself stronger physically.

The 15 days before my Vietnam trip was spent mostly at Real. I did 1 to 2 sessions a day. The boy set a goal for me- to get a better bod for my beach trip. If you are wondering "what better bod?", let me tell you a fact, no girl is happy with her body. I may look skinny but really the fat parts are all well hidden (simply because i know how to dress well to hide my flaws). Friends know that i'm not happy with my hips and thighs. I inherited that from my mum (darn!). S knows better. It's something that i struggle with and running long d didn't help either. And guess what? Yoga helped. I swear my legs are a significant bit slimmer and firmer than before. Yay! The agony from staying in the various chair and balancing poses have paid off.

Yoga wasn't just good for my body, i feel that it has helped me calm my mind a lot. I left all my troubles and worries behind as i enter the studio each time. I feel happier and more positive and stronger in facing any challenges. The world is bigger than the little lives we live, our problems insignificant compared to many so why sweat the little things? I'm not sure if my friends understood when i say "Yoga makes me happy", i'm not sure if i really understand why either. It may not be Yoga, it may be something else. I think we all need to find the thing that makes us happy and that is yoga for me right now. What is the thing that make you happy? Go figure.

Anyway, i was so hooked on yoga i decided to just bring my yoga gear and maybe do some yoga in Saigon while i'm holidaying. Yes i'm a nut case. Saigon Yoga was recommended by Lonely Planet but it is quite out of the way (i live in district 1) so i kinda gave up on that. It was by pure coincidence that i found Soham Yoga. I guess it's all part of a greater plan that i ended up there and met the people i did.

Perhaps everything is based on fate and destiny. The things we experience, the people we meet, the challenges we face. I suppose everything has a purpose, be it a good or bad experience. From every exchange we take something away from it, we learn, we grow, we see things differently, we mature.

Life is full of possibilities. Expand yours to the fullest. That's the only way it should be. Otherwise, you'll shrink to nothingness.