Niven Road: 2022

I had completely forgotten about this short little walk on Niven Road that I took way back in 2022 until a few weeks ago when I looked back at this folder and realized there were some pictures I hadn't properly edited with Photoshop. 

So here they are. 

Rain really does make everything look refreshed and beautiful, so much so that even gazing upon these pictures now evokes a quiet nudge in me even though I haven't been back to the area for a good many years. 

Will I say that I had nothing to do with this area?

No. 

The area has had, after all, a significant place in my life in more ways than one, never mind that it is more of the (now demolished) Peace Center rather than the Niven Road area where I was strolling along this rainy afternoon. 

What makes this area unique is her proximity to the MICE, financial, shopping and cultural districts of the country. 

It is not obvious at first thought, but you actually have access to most major business, leisure, and cultural services around you. 

On one side where the main road is, you have Selegie Road that connects the Little India of Serangoon Road to the YMCA at the foot of Fort Canning Hill. On the other side there is MacKenzie Road, and then further on, there is Middle Road. 

I can't say that Niven Road is a central sort of place but it is, I can say, like a gathering point along a trunk road kind of thoroughfare bringing people from one end of the country to another. 

From this one district alone you can get to the shopping belt of Orchard Road that is- technically- over the hill of Mount Sophia. You can also get to the cultural enclave of Little India via Selegie Road, and the cultural enclave of Bugis and Kampong Glam via Middle Road.

Not too far from here is Suntec City and City Hall on the south whereas the north leads you to Newton, Stevens, Dunearn Road, and the trunk road of Upper Bukit Timah all the way up to Woodlands and the Causeway. 

What's interesting is that she is somehow quiet, quaint and serene despite all the proximity. 

Taking a walk here gives you a sense of timelessness. 

Not in the way that time has stopped, but in the way that time manages to give you a glimpse of the past even as she moves on in the present. 

It is not difficult to imagine how this area felt like when the corner building at Sophia Road was still occupied by prominent Jewish family the Benjamins. It is also not difficult to imagine how the rest of Niven Road might have been, back in the 50s or 60s. 

The well-painted, well-maintained shop houses seem to look like they were from that era, and the well planted foliage outside the shop houses add to the whimsy and coziness that make up this entire space. 

My walk this afternoon I remember it to be a very serene one. 

For much of the time I was alone- no cars, no motorcycles, no pedestrians, no one walking their dogs. 

I held no preconceived expectations and just went along where my feet went and what my eyes saw. 

Perhaps there was the effect of a post afternoon rain, but I felt the serenity, nostalgia and the wee bit of longing that comes with places that have sought to retain their sense of time. 

They didn't want you to forget. 

And I suppose they never will. 

I haven't been back to the area since 2022.

I don't know if Niven Road has changed.

But I think she will stay, the same way Mount Emily stays. 

I know very little about Mount Emily or Mount Emily Park, save for the fact that there used to be a swimming pool. What kind of a pool it was, I too don't know, but my guess is that it might be of training pool size. 

The one thing about Mount Emily Park is that this is one spot of green that often seems forgotten, yet after all these years, there she still is, tucked above Niven Road, her slopes overlooking the flats of Tekka Center a short distance away. 

Being here in Singapore, it is impossible for us to assume that there will never be change, but honestly I hope they will continue to retain this park, and this historic spot of city green, for a long time to come. 

(More) ChaletYums

So this is a little difficult to believe, but out of the eight months I have been here, I've only written about the food we eat at home twice. 

Two times.

That's it.

Two times in the course of almost eight months is all I have written. 

How is it possible? 

How is it possible that there has been so meagre I have written? 

Is it because I find some of it difficult to look at?

Is it because during the past few months my heart has not been ready to look at these plain but beautiful plates without feeling a bit of a pang in heart? 

But the time has come that one must, and has to be, thankful.  

It is not because of an obligation.

It is because every single plate here is a reminder that there is a Being who loves me, who provides me with enough manna, who reminds me to live day by day and not worry, who provides me with the help from kind souls when I do need, and who is Faithful according to His Word and His heart.

So here they are.

You know, one thing that I am very glad for is that every plate looks, and feels, different from each other.

Yes, it does take a bit of creativity from time to time, but that is what makes each plate unique, and special on its own.

There are plates here that hold roast chicken bought from the Cold Storage downstairs. Different times, different chicken, but what we do is to split the full sized roast chicken into two, and then, after we've eaten our fill (usually the thighs and wings) keep the breast meat into a box, and cook it a day or so after. 

The chef gets creative when it comes to cooking the breast meat of the chicken. Sometimes there's an egg. Sometimes there's a bit of frozen spinach. Sometimes there's rice with a cupful of chopped onions on the top. But the breast meat always holds the combination of oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and the like. 

Some plates here hold frozen minced chicken. 

Again the chef gets creative. 

Most of the minced chicken comes with rice, but sometimes there are mushrooms, and I like to add a smattering of mixed herbs that I feel make the plate look happier, and nicer. 

We have had a meal of wagyu beef patty with some leftover vegetables from another meal at the side. What meal that was, I now don't remember, but there was a bit of chicken filet, a single cherry tomato, and some steamed broccoli. The star of this plate was the wagyu beef patty and the homemade truffle mayo sauce that we stirred to eat together with the meat. 

One doesn't think much about it, but having a shallow-fried beef patty all soft and melty and easy to eat really does make for a wonderful, satisfying dinner and an extra memorable meal. 

It isn't all about the blue plates, however.

Past few months too has seen me have a lot of bowls. 

A lot of instant noodle bowls.

Seldom has there been a season in my life where I have that many noodle bowls all at a go. 

Not even when I had bigger packets of Nissin Ramen or Korean Ramyun in the house. 

So this makes for a bit of a season to look back on, and be thankful. 

Instant noodles are, after all, one of the best go-to meals for just about anyone who wants, and needs, to have something solid in their tummies at any time of the day. I don't know how it is with everyone- different people have different preferences- but noodles fill me with a sense of warmth, make me feel like I have eaten something, and leave me feeling more full than before. 

All of my noodles this season are either Myojo or Indomie. 

I eat them dry most of the time, save for one bowl which the chef made specially for me on an evening when I was particularly hungry. 

It is a memorable bowl, one made with soup- I think there was fish sauce and oyster sauce and sesame oil, and he also threw into the pot minced chicken from the freezer. 

My dry noodles are made much simpler. 

What I do is to throw in as much of the packet oil (chili oil etc) as possible, add a little bit of sesame oil, and then stir in as much of mixed herbs as I want to. The herbs don't do a lot, but because I don't put in the MSG seasoning, there is just that extra green taste which does not overwhelm the entire bowl or spoil the light spicy taste of the chili oil. 

Donburi Bowls @ Bras Basah

My friend recommended this place to me a couple of months ago. 

He was very excited when talking about it, which, at first, made me wonder, but it did not take me long to discover just why a couple of Japanese donburi bowls could get a person thrilled enough to keep sharing about the meal. 

I don't know the name of this donburi stall, but you'll find it snug between two Mainland Chinese stalls in this recently renovated coffee shop at the edge of Bras Basah Complex. It is a competitive spot, this place. Opposite this stall there is a chap cai png stall, a Teochew fishball noodles stall, a Thai food stall, a Japanese ramen stall and right at the corner, a zichar stall. 

Perhaps that is why the stall owners are deliberate about the food they serve. 

Everything here is carefully calibrated, carefully planned.

Having a meal from this stall isn't just about the size of the donburi bowl, or the price you pay for it. 

There is a lot more. 

We had two different donburi bowls when my friend and I came here for dinner one evening.

First one we took was a Salmon Sashimi Donburi bowl. 

The other was a Katsudon bowl. 

Something I have to admit- I am not very good with names of Japanese dishes- more often than I not I go by sight more than name, so I don't really know what the name of this bowl is up above. 

What I can tell you, however, is that above the huge heap of rice inside the bowl, on one side there is a substantial portion of salmon sashimi nicely cut into cubes. Next to it, there is a bit of shredded seaweed followed by a generous dollop of Mentaiko sauce, and then finally a small serving of radish pickles. 

In the middle of it all is a perfectly poached egg. 

We were sharing this bowl, my friend and I, so we got ourselves two empty sharing plates to divide the food up. First, the pickles came over to my side (my friend doesn't take pickles). The cubes of salmon sashimi we separated into portions of two. And finally it were the rice.

The pickles were wonderful.

They opened the palate, they went well with the rice, and even the seaweed, which although did get a little bit soggy, made for a little hint of taste as well. 

The sashimi, no need to say, was good. 

Fresh and cold with a firm chew, the cubes were actually still a little chilled when I ate them with a tiny dip of the Mentaiko sauce. I had some of the cubes with the sauce. I had some of the cubes plain, no sauce whatsoever, just the fish on its own. 

When it came to the Katsu Donburi bowl, my friend and I did the same thing as well. 

The pieces of katsu from the top of the bowl we put onto our respective plates, the rice, we kept in the bowl.

There might be some people who find the katsu underwhelming. 

To them it looks like nothing more than a piece of pork filet covered with batter and deep fried. 

But I find it good. 

Many places tend to make the batter either too thick or too thin. 

Not so here. 

Here there was no piece that was difficult to chew.

Neither was there a piece with a batter so thin it slid off the meat when you picked it up with your chopsticks. 

It was quite clear that the stall people didn't compromise on the thickness of batter, the crunch of the little crumbs, or the taste of it. 

The pork, together with the Mentaiko sauce (very generous, too, by the way) made the meal feel like a very substantial one.

One that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

I loved the crunch of the batter.

I loved the slight but gentle chew of the pork. 

Both of them went together so well. 

There were a lot of tiny little batter pieces scattered all over my plate after I finished the meat. But they didn't go to waste. I scooped them up with my spoon and added them to a spoonful of rice. 

They made for additional, crunchy texture. 

Fried Chicken Wings

A recent craze for fried chicken- fried chicken wings, actually- has made me realize I really ought to write a little about it. 

We all know fried chicken.

It is one of those universal dishes that anyone and everyone can eat. 

That is, unless you're a vegetarian or a vegan or can't, or won't eat meat. 

Other than that, be it you are kosher or halal, on a diet or not, fried chicken is one of those dishes that appeals to people of all ages and there is no letting up about it. 

Different cultures do their chicken differently. 

Some like it plain and simple, no batter, nothing, just drop into oil and let it fry. 

Others, however, will have varying styles of batter, some of which will be thick as others will be peel-off thin. 

Not to mention, there is also the marination and seasoning to consider. 

I know of people who love chicken in its own flavor without too much of seasoning. But I also know of people who prefer flavors when it comes to having fried chicken, and they love it when their chicken comes heavily seasoned with paprika, rosemary, cajun or even red pepper. 

I don't have that many pictures of fried chicken for this year, actually. 

I just have four- and all are pictures of fried chicken wings. 

The first one on top comes from the stall in the coffee shop at 80 Marine Parade. 

It's not one of the best but it does have a nice crunch to the batter and the dry style reminds me of the spring chicken meals I used to have at the Western food stalls in the hawker centers and coffee shops elsewhere. 

If you're counting calories, this stall of chicken wings at Marine Parade, I'd say you might consider.

But, I can't say the same of the chicken wings from this stall at Blk 75 Lorong 5 Toa Payoh Food Center. 

These are so good. 

How we discovered Da Ji, I don't know. 

I think we just got drawn in by the long queue one particular evening and, in typical fashion of how a Singaporean makes food choices, decided to go try.

One thing I can say about these chicken wings on their white-pink plate is that they will make you understand what it means when food connoisseurs say that the batter has to have the right thickness, the marination has to be balanced, and the wings have to be fresh from the wok newly fried. 

All three factors make a whole load of difference, I tell you.

It would be nice if I could describe with expert knowledge how the stall owners prepare their wings, but I don't. 

I only know how to eat.

And I only know that the batter, sealed so perfectly over the chicken skin, gives you that crisp and crunch every time you take a bite out of it. 

Not only that, the meat of the chicken is tender, easy to eat, and falls right off the bone. There are no odd parts at the corners that you have to pull off with your teeth. The meat drops off the bone clean. 

The best part of this chicken wing has to be the marinade. 

What it is, I don't know- GPT didn't hint on it, or maybe I didn't prompt- but one thing for sure, theirs is an old-school marinade, one that reminds you of those chicken wings sold at the canteen of your primary school, one that keeps customers coming back day after day in the evening waiting patiently in the queue for their turn to order. 

It is a big deal that the chicken is served hot, by the way.

They're best when eaten fresh and they don't feel greasy or oily either. 

I like that the oil doesn't linger on your hands or your lips but simply disappears, along with the batter and the skin and the meat. 

We've come to Da Ji here at Lorong 5 Toa Payoh a couple of times just for these wings (with rice), but honestly, two pieces are never enough. 

Perhaps one day I should just go ballistic and do it the Korean way. 

Grab a bottle of Coke, tabao five of them in their paper bag, find a table at the nearby void deck, and just binge. 

East Coast Road

There aren't many pictures in this collection that I have of East Coast Road.

It isn't because there wasn't anything worth taking, but it was one of those seasons where I thought it better to have Chonkycam with me whatever the day might turn out to be. 

Random these pictures thus turned out to be. 

There are some of East Coast Road seen from the Roxy side. 

To someone these scenes might be familiar, non-descript, a mundane daily sight, but a moment is a moment, and there is a charm seeing how the row of shop houses holding Red House Bakery, Kim Choo Kueh Chang and Stirling Steaks looks like from this side of the road. 

Not merely that, there is also a charm seeing these blue bicycles from the shared bike scheme parked so neatly under this particular tree outside present day Starbucks in the former Joo Chiat Police Station. 

Down the stairs on the opposite side of the road one comes very close to the shop houses that lead towards Joo Chiat Road. It makes for very great sightseeing, honestly, especially with the colors and decor and variety that each unit of these shop houses hold. 

On this side of the road, you get to see how the Chagee looks like, how the Birds of Paradise ice cream parlor looks like, how Stirling Steaks looks like, and you get to see up close the bright, distinctive colors of Kim Choo Kueh Chang.

For some reason though on this afternoon, I didn't just look forward.

Instead I turned around on impulse. 

Why, I don't know. Maybe I was curious to know how this row of shop houses would look like if I were seeing them from this angle, and this light. 

Let's just say I was surprised. 

It is not every day that the distinct green walls of Monks Brew Club throw such a soothing, contemplative shade at me. 

It wasn't peculiar, I must emphasize. 

Just, beautifully unusual, as if the color theme of this coffee and drinks club had been inspired by the distinctive blues, greens and pink of a peacock. 

What made the scene even more interesting was the contrast of color that came up not too far away. Separated by a nail salon, a game store, and ice cream store Birds of Paradise, the side alley of Red House Bakery came up right after. 

Up till now I had never noticed how the side of the bakery looked from the alley. 

I had not known that there were two stories running on the side of the shop house. I had not even known that there was a kind of corridor up on the second floor. 

It reminded me of some of the older heritage school buildings that I had seen downtown. 

Except that I can't place the location where. 

It isn't only pf East Coast Road that I have pictures in this collection.

There are two that I took whilst standing at the junction of Joo Chiat Road and East Coast Road on the i12 Katong side. 

It was one of those random pictures that I decided to take simply because I happened to be at the shopping mall and I didn't want to waste an opportunity since Chonkycam was in hand.

Hence, these two.

At first glance, they might not mean a lot but it is always good to see things from a different point of view. 

Life is such that you can never know for sure, but perhaps the picture of this dustbin placed on the grass patch outside the mall at this iconic junction might mean something one day. 

Same goes for the charming, and some say nostalgic, walk-up apartment on Joo Chiat Road. 

The Road To Duku's Murtabak

This was one of those afternoons where we weren't going far, but at the same time, I didn't want to feel like I wasn't doing anything special, not going anywhere. 

It's funny how a person can be in the middle of what is a very popular heritage enclave and feel impoverished, unexcited, even nonchalant, about the surroundings you have there. 

That was how I felt.

And I didn't want to feel that way.

So for lunch this afternoon I brought out Chonkycam. 

A small picture is better than no picture at all. 

Sometimes I wonder if it has meaning taking the same shot of the same place over and over again, but then again I remind myself that nothing is stagnant- even when you don't feel it- and I can only wait till a more suitable time to do a compare and contrast and see what's changed. 

Trying not to get over philosophical here, so... 

The light here at East Coast Road this afternoon was lovely. 

From Roxy Square I crossed the overhead bridge, first taking picture of the road looking towards the former Odeon and Katong Shopping Center, then the other side of the bridge looking towards Joo Chiat Police Station, i12 Katong, and that very big heritage tree. On the opposite of the road stood the Red House Bakery, and the host of shop houses that included a nail salon, a board game store, and an ice cream parlor known for their interesting flavors and buttery waffles.

Down the stairs of the overhead bridge I went, but not before taking another picture of the blue rental bikes, the Joo Chiat Police Station itself, and the facade of Hotel Indigo right behind. 

The pedestrian path between The Flow and Roxy Square too caught my eye. 

It is not often that I get this particular angle of this pedestrian path right in the middle. 

Seeing it from this angle does make me wonder what this path once used to be, considering that the pale brown semicircle of Roxy I might not be the newest structure in recent years, that the red facade of Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy might once have been the seashore, and that the pale blue of Parkway Center in the distance was once the sea. 

It's interesting how this area has undergone so much development, yet, at the same time, there are buildings, and heritage which remain- more or less- the same. 

I should like to know how Joo Chiat Road was like during those days before this whole enclave got redeveloped. 

Or, like Kim Choo Kueh Chang, if they had always been here, at this shop house that today also serves as an icon of Peranakan heritage. 

I didn't manage to enter the bright, vibrant-looking Singapore Visitor Center. 

But, like a tourist, I did manage to take a picture of all the pretty kueh kuehs in their boxes, and the warm, cozy vibes of the dumpling chang hanging from the structure there. 

From the foot of the overhead bridge we headed towards Joo Chiat Road, walking under the five-foot way of the shop houses now housing a steak place, a Chagee, a gelato place, a Japanese izakaya, a taekwondo school, and an eatery called Alibaba that offers delicious fried Hokkien mee, dim sum and Mediterranean food. 

At the junction we turned left.

Somewhere close to here we crossed the road. 

I can't say for sure at which shop house we made our way across, but it might either have been the Italian restaurant, or if not, Sinpopo. Across the road from here stood Katong Point with the Little Farms grocery store on the ground floor. 

I didn't get a picture. 

What I did get a picture of was of the Joo Chiat Community Center. This center feels like it has been there a good season of time. Not that I have gone in a lot- there hasn't been much of a need to- but I have walked past it a fair bit on my way here, and there. 

Duku Road comes up not far from this community center on the same side. I'm not sure how to describe what lies between this pink colored building and the coffee shop. If I'm not wrong, it is a bit of an arts space and a wedding event space. Maybe it is also a private condominium- I don't actually know- private spaces are a place that I don't look at very much whenever I walk past. 

Perhaps I tend to be more keen on getting to my destination, wherever that may be, and in this case- the coffee shop on Duku Road with the distinctive yellow tables and bright lights illuminating the Indian rojak counter.