A Birthday Pizza for Hedgehog

One of the new birthday foods we had for Hedgehog this year was at this place near NEX at Serangoon.

What the name is, I have to check. 

If I'm not wrong, it's called Gusta Sourdough Pizza Co, and you find it at the void deck of Blk 326 Serangoon Avenue 3. 

It's easier to walk from the Serangoon Central Bus Interchange than from the main road of Serangoon Central- which is what we did. 

What you do is to head towards Serangoon Avenue 2 from the bus interchange, turn right and then keep walking until you come to the junction of Serangoon Avenue 2 and Serangoon Avenue 3. The Braddell Heights Community Club is the landmark you look out for. Blk 326 is in the section diagonally opposite, so you cross Serangoon Avenue 2 first, then Serangoon Avenue 3, and make a left until you come to Blk 326. 

It's pretty straightforward. 

You know, there was a time when people wondered if food from the HDB heartlands could be any good, but experiences, and social media, are showing more and more that not only can the food be good, the nature of it being a HDB means that one can play around with as much aesthetics and mood and everything without having to be overly concerned about this, or that. 

It's probably easier to have it set up too. 

I was a little surprised by the decor of the place. 

No, I don't mean that it was unpleasant to the eye, no, nothing like that.

On the contrary, there was a very simple, clean aesthetic to the overall theme (very much like their pizza, as I later found out) and had such a casual, easy vibe that you felt comfortable either way regardless whether you came dressed for a date, or came downstairs in T-shirt, slippers and shorts. 

There was a bit of wait, I must mention, and whilst that did get me a little on the gwumps side (I was hungry), thankfully the wait was not too long and we got directed to a small, cute little table right at the back. 

When I say at the back, I literally do mean, at the back, right under the huge wall-mounted mirror, and next to the alcove under the shop's stairs near to where they stored their cartons, some pots, pans, and their dry ingredients. 

We placed our order, trying to decide between their Classic Pizzas or their Modern Pizzas. 

I quite liked the Classic Pizzas, but have to admit, the Modern ones seemed a bit more interesting. 

How often is it that one gets a Potato & Cheese Pizza complete with baked potato, garlic, cream, paprika, black pepper and parsley? 

Or a Pesto Pizza that I (quietly) had wanted to try?

I mean, someone might say that it's 'just' pesto, but I like pesto, and this one had mozzarella, kale and parmesan. 

I was quite tempted to order the Parma Ham & Peach pizza. 

Also for the same reason that I like parma ham, I like peach, and I like the sweet and salty combination. 

It wasn't just the Modern Pizza we found interesting. 

The Classics were just as good too. 

You had the Hawaiian Pizza- tomato sauce, cooked ham, mozzarella, pineapple and EVOO. 

You also had the Italian Sausage Pizza which, besides tomato sauce, parsley, EVOO and mozzarella, you had Italian fennel sausage. 

The Five Cheeses Pizza was something we looked at, too. 

Very tempting to try out new cheeses that I've never had before (and can't pronounce). This particular cheeses pizza had Mozzarella, Asiago, Grana Padano, Provolone, and Pecorino.

I wonder what they are.

I also wonder what they taste like. 

Maybe next time I go I should give it a try.

I should also try the Smoked Salmon Pizza.

So it might seem normal, but besides the smoked salmon and the mozzarella, they had sour cream and dill and lemon juice and something called mizuna leaves. 

I wonder what those are. 

This afternoon we chose to have one pizza, and one side. 

For the pizza, we deliberated between this pizza called The Sunset, and Ham & Mushroom. 

The Sunset had Mozzarella, tomato sauce, Parma ham, grated parmesan, ground black pepper, chives and one raw egg yolk. 

My friend was charmed by the Parma ham, the grated parmesan and the egg yolk, so we had that. 

This picture might not look like much, but let me tell you, it was pretty good. 

If Parma ham isn't already a meat good on its own, way better it is with warm, mushy, melted cheese and a crust of soft sourdough. It's not just the perfect salt taste of the ham, it's the way the thin, slightly hard texture complements so well the soft of the cheese and wraps it all inside your mouth. 

I'm not sure what the raw egg does- my friend had had it all mixed it up with the cheese- but there's that bit of wetness that clings to each slice, and makes each bite feel smoother, more delicious. 

We also ordered a side of chicken wings, specifically, baked chicken wings marinated with yogurt, paprika powder and herbs including garlic, marjoram, sage and rosemary. 

On the surface these chicken wings might look unassuming, like any other ordinary chicken wing you find anywhere else, but first bite brought me straight to the oil-drenched, lime-squeezed BBQ chicken wings of Fengshan and East Coast Lagoon. 

The taste was exactly the same. 

Literally. 

From the faint sheen of oil on the lips to the tender meat of the chicken underneath the perfectly browned crisp, the taste, texture and palate was down to a perfect T. 

I don't know if it were the paprika that made the wings taste the same as the BBQ ones did. 

I also don't know if the garlic or sage had anything to do with it. 

What was it that gave the chicken the taste of burnt? 

What was it that gave the lime lime taste of sour? 

It might have been the yogurt. 

The probiotics. 

But where did the milky part of the yogurt go? 

It couldn't have possibly disappeared somewhere. 

Maybe it might be the fact that I'm no cook and I'm terrible at estimation, so I don't know what's what and I don't know what's where. 

I just eat. 

So how all the sage and rosemary and garlic translated into the Fengshan, East Coast Lagoon BBQ chicken wing, I don't know. 

But oy, rare is it to find something this good, this healthy, this delicious, this familiar. 

I'll be quite keen to try the pasta next time. 

Especially the Traditional Carbonara and the Basil Pesto & Broccoli. 

I like carbonara. 

Though I can't have it very often because I can't do a lot of cream, so when there's a place that serves up something as healthy as pasta with the cheeses of grana padano and pecorino with pasteurized egg yolk and bacon bits, I got to try. 

Same way too how I like pesto, and if there's something that's got pesto worth my tummy to try, I do. 

I'd love to know how charred broccoli in basil pesto, and cheese, tastes like too. 

Shopping @ Velocity

It is very, very seldom that I take pictures when I'm in Novena's Velocity. 

Not because there's nothing to shop, nothing to look at, or nothing worthy to see, but because my hands are normally occupied pushing the wheelchair of an elderly lady heading for a late breakfast or an early lunch, and god forbid I stop the chair midway to snap a picture of the shops or booths in the shopping mall. 

But someone had taken over the chair this afternoon.

And so there're these. 

It is a rare time that I get a chance to really look at the booths, and can I say it was a very pleasant surprise? 

I had thought, that what with Velocity being literally next door to the public hospital, the booths would have stuff like health supplements, holistic healthcare treatments, health related services, hand-held self care equipment- the kind so favored by the elderly, or even orthopedic shoes, insurance sales and so on. 

But one thing i had forgotten.

Outpatients making their way out of the hospital clinics to the shopping mall for lunch or to the MRT downstairs don't want more health related stuff shoved in their face the moment they step through the doors. 

On the other hand, what they need is something to make this d*** hospital trip worthwhile. 

What they need is something to cheer themselves up with, that (after forking out precious money for medication- after subsidy) they can buy and look forward to have, either right away, or when they get back home.

So, no tins of oats or probiotics or goat milk or fish oil or any kind of supplements there were on the makeshift shelves of these booths.  

Instead there were chilled fruit juice drinks, and there were these small little bites ranging from muffins to Nyonya kuehs to round pandan chiffon cakes all neatly arranged on display. 

The muffins weren't from a random non-descript brand. 

They were from well known muffin stall SL Muffins, which, although have been popping up here and there in shopping malls, has their main stall at Hong Lim Complex Hawker Center, and which, during lunch time in particular, sees long queues from office workers who buy them back to the office for afternoon tea, or boxes, for meeting boosts. 

I'm not sure what flavors they have, but those here included (I think) chocolate, chocolate chip, banana, blueberry, and a host of other flavors that are just as appetizing and good.

I was intrigued by the cakes and the kueh on display. 

So many varieties, all so colorful! 

What they were, exactly, I'm afraid it has been a long time now and I don't quite remember, but definitely amongst the chiffon cakes there was pandan, and if I'm not wrong, possibly coffee, and orange too. 

So round and soft and appetizing they seemed that I might just have bought one. 

I like the skin of the cake.

The kuehs were just as lovely too.

You'd think they'd have just the nine-layer rice cake in the red theme, but no, they had blues and greens too. They might be same flavor as the red ones, but it might also be that the blues were of butterfly pea and the greens from pandan. 

Very colorful when placed on the dining table, if you ask me! 

What's lovely about the chiffon cakes and kuehs is just how senior-friendly they were. There's hardly an elderly who will say no to chiffon cake right after visiting the doctor. There's also hardly an elderly who will refuse traditional glutinous rice kuehs when making a doctor's visit at the hospital. 

It's a youngish feeling.

One that makes them feel like their years and time are worth living too. 

The surprise for me, however, was the presence of savory snacks, and dim sum.

Deep fried.

Now I wouldn't be surprised if there had been hot steamed paus for sale- always for a good snack they make- but here there were what looked like fried char siew puffs (char siew sous), chewy sesame balls with sweet sesame filling inside, some sort of little pies, then, I think, deep fried prawn puffs, and finally, those traditional savory baked piahs that have either salted mung bean, sweet mung bean, red bean or other fillings inside. 

Pretty on the dining table they would be too, I say, and perfect for just about anyone- caregiver included- to buy, munch, or keep, and bring back home. 

Green Curry @ The Library

I've come here before.

I've also written about this before.

But life is such that moments be treasured as much as first-time experience, so here I am, writing about a meal at BKK Bistro that I had, not too long ago.

It was one of those days where we were in between places.

Like ought we go to Bugis or ought we go to Suntec, and so because we're one of those types who like convenience as much as we like our food, to the middle of everything and everywhere we decided to go.

There aren't many Thai places in the area, save for maybe one or two across North Bridge Road, so, yes, it was, and is, always a delight to be able to come here. 

The relatively new space of BKK Bistro sits on the ground floor of the National Library Building at Bras Basah-Stamford Road. 

It is an open air sort of space where you don't get air-conditioning, but no worries, you get strategically placed blowers, and lots of pillar-mounted fans that blow natural breezy air right into your face as you dine there.

To me this place stands out for its family-friendly approach to Mookata. 

But I'm usually not one who has Mookatas on weekday afternoons (unless there's a good deal, and I wish to) and so today lunch we ordered two bowls of Boat Noodles for me, and for my friend, a plate of Green Curry Beef. 

First up, don't laugh at the Boat Noodles. 

They might seem small, and simple, but the soup's full of flavor, and they make for a great appetizer to open your palate if you're still trying to decide what you want to eat. 

I was quite content with just the noodles this afternoon so I got two different soups- one a red tom yum, the other a herb soup. The wonderful part about these boat noodles is that they're affordable, small in portion, and yet just enough to make very, very small, very, very light meal. It's interesting how one's appetite is at times. On some days I might feel ready to have a full meal, other days however, like this one, I can do with just two bowls. 

Which do I like better, I cannot say, both definitely have their charm, where the red tom yum gives that distinctive spice kick whilst the herb has that earthy earthy type of feel. 

What makes these noodles special are the toppings. 

This afternoon I went for the beef ball. 

At other times I might have the pork slice or the pork liver or the prawn. 

Perhaps too I might go for the full plate meal same way my friend did this afternoon, and can I say his plate was one of the most aesthetically beautiful plates of Green Curry Beef I'd seen in a long while? 

The sunny side up egg was perfect (just look at the yolk!), the curry was a smooth intense shade of green and best of all, it was so pretty, served with a sprig of basil sticking out of the curry just like how in the fields rice sprouts out from the soil, rising above the water.

Needless to say the beef slices were big, and tender. 

But I may not go for the same dish. 

They've got lots of snacks, all of which look so appetizing, like the Grilled Pork Collar with Homemade Sauce, the Thai Crispy Chicken Skin with Salted Egg, and Moo Ping.

Then again I might want to try the Crispy Pork Belly rice. 

Maybe I'll try the Tom Yum Fried Rice too. 

Chocolates of New Zealand

A relative of mine dropped off a plastic bag containing this, plus four booklets, at the gate of Mr. Radioman's house one particular afternoon.

I hadn't known. 

I mean, I had seen the bag, but because the one inside the house wasn't interested in the contents, plus it wouldn't do me good to take it inside, so there the bag hung for over a week before winds blew it down to the ground and to the side. 

Strange as it sounds, that was a blessing. 

I wouldn't have been able to see the 'something.com.au' printed on the outside of the bag otherwise. 

Somehow I managed to sneak the bag off the first instance I was able to, and opened it up at the void deck table after I got downstairs.

It was a pleasant surprise.

Better yet, it was a complete delight1

I was so, so happy, I tell you. 

See, there's nothing better than to receive a box of very sweet milk chocolates- with all kinds of varieties- to boost one's spirits after an afternoon of (unnecessary) household chores and (unnecessary) conversation that you don't want to do and don't want to have. 

So through the candy chocolate bars I ruffled, trying to decide between the Twirl (which I hadn't eaten for a long time), the Boost (which I probably had had once but forgotten the taste), the Turkish (which I hadn't had before), the Caramilk, the regular milk chocolate, the Picnic and the Crumble. 

Not an easy decision to make.

I wanted the Twirl, but I also wanted the Caramilk, the Crumble and the regular milk chocolate. 

In the end I placed everything back into the bag save for one- the milk chocolate- and finished it. 

Was it melted? 

Yes. 

Was it good?

Absolutely. 

In fact I thought it a miracle that it hadn't gone bad. 

Guess hot sun, heat, even humidity all of it ain't defeating Cadbury! 

Cai Fans of Dunman Road

I found a couple of these pictures in my collection not too long ago. 

They brought me a bit of a smile. 

Because so seldom is it that I take pictures of my chap cai png that I get quite excited when I actually do. 

These two plates had been had for lunch at the Tin Yeang Coffee Shop standing on the junction of Joo Chiat Road and Dunman Road. 

It is a well known stall, over the years oft frequented by many people both residents of the area and visitors alike, and even though I haven't had their food for over two years now, I still remember some of the dishes, and I remember how the dishes were placed. 

To be honest, this isn't just (another) chap cai png stall.

It is, in fact, a Teochew porridge stall, and if you want, can order a whole piece of steamed fish Teochew style to be your meal. 

But I like my dishes, and so this afternoon I got my favorites of sweet sour pork, egg tofu with a bit of black fungus, and what I think is either spinach, or kangkong. 

Sweet sour pork is a long-time favorite of mine. 

When I started liking it, I don't know, but I was probably very young when I first tried it, and it has become my go-to dish whenever I have cai png. Quality varies though, sometimes you get tendons that are impossible to chew, sometimes you get pieces of fat that make you be thankful for the sauce they come with, and sometimes you get pieces of meat that are proper meat yet soft to the bite at the same time. 

That, I think, is getting more and more rare though. 

A safe bet, fortunately, is the tofu.

Which, by the way, although supposedly meant to be seen as a vegetable, has price wise been charged as 'plant protein' these days and whilst you're still eating a vegetable, you're paying the price for meat. 

But I like my egg tofu, and I hope not to compromise. 

I don't know why I took the kangkong instead of the stewed (braised? stir-fried) lettuce though.

I really ought to have. 

Theirs here comes with black fungus, tang hoon, and really soft lettuce leaves that have been cooked so long they literally mush away when you bite into them. 

It's not just the lettuce that I left out.

I left out the curry gravy too. 

But different times call for different appetites and this was what I got this particular afternoon, delicious, tasty dishes, and rice kosong. 

My friend, on the other hand, went all out on the taste. 

His plate had a single serving of hot dogs and potatoes fried in tomato sauce, a serving of steamed egg, and a serving of salted egg fried chicken. 

Suffice it to say I took a bit off his plate. 

They're all favorites of mine too. 

What's funny is that I don't usually go for the hot dogs and potatoes because whilst I like the potatoes, the hot dogs sometimes get a little too salty for me, but the ones here weren't as hard or salty as some other stalls serve, so this one was good too. 

I don't think I took any steamed egg, but pretty sure I took a piece of salted egg chicken, and at least, a single spoonful of curry-laden rice. 

It will be a long while before I get back to this coffee shop again for chap cai png, I think, especially since I am not the type who likes to revisit places unless there's something I want to look at, and something I want to see. 

So these two pictures shall be it, and perhaps, who knows, I might get other pictures of other chap cai pngs soon. 

Bus Ride Sights: Kallang-Sims Avenue

It was a fairly short bus ride I took today.

But I didn't mind. 

Seldom it is that at this hour I get to sit this side of the bus, and better yet, happen to have Chonkycam with me on a semi-filled bus where I can comfortably take pictures in. 

I got up the bus somewhere around Lavender MRT, right outside V Hotel, and so the first sight that greeted me after the traffic light was the building I call the Tai Pei Buddhist Center. I don't know if that's the right name, or if I'm getting it correct, but an iconic building it is, situated at the junction of Lavender Street, Crawford Street, and Kallang Road, overlooking what on one side the ICA Building and on the other side, the area of Jellicoe Road, Horne Road and King George's Avenue. 

From here the bus went on Kallang Road, passing by this edge of the Kallang Industrial Estate that has the PICO Building, the Mitutoya Building, and several others of light industry nature. There's a Storhub here somewhere, and it's somewhat interesting- this side of Kallang- because although one doesn't really think about it much- it really is quite a large area- stretching from this side all the way up towards Bendeemer and Jalan Besar on the other side. 

The MRT track running parallel to Kallang Road came right after that, and then it was the scenic wet-weather view of Kallang River with the train track running across the water and the (new) blocks of housing estate Upper Boon Keng right behind. 

The sight of Kallang MRT station on Sims Avenue comes up next, followed by the very crowded, often jammed intersection of Sims Avenue, and the KPE. 

It looks quiet now, but come evening, after dark, and this junction will see a string of red tail lights as vehicles make their way from Downtown into the KPE out towards Paya Lebar and Tampines beyond. 

Into this side of Geylang the bus then trundles, first passing the Yi Xiu Factory Building with her bright, distinctive facade of red paint, then the Shi Cheng Temple, then budget hotel Ibis- with its bright yellow wall- right next door. 

A row of shop houses follows immediately after, then there's the Harvest Care Center on Lorong 19. 

Special mention must be made of the little house that comes right after that because whilst you might have just passed by a couple of durian spots, there's only one place called the Fujiwara Tofu Shop in Singapore, and it's here, in this little house that has been done up so prettily that close-up might just make you feel like you're somewhere in Japan. 

What makes this place interesting isn't just the food but the Initial D theme concept that, I'm sure, has attracted many a fan. 

Those who've read the manga, watched the anime and played the game will know the significance of the Tofu Shop in the series. 

Those who don't, well, they'll now know. 

This shop has become quite a chill spot, not just the ACG community, but also the street style hip hop community whom, if I'm not wrong, on occasion hold special events there. 

I don't know anything about the food, but besides tofu, I think they've got yakitori as well. 

From here the bus goes down, passing by a building that I thought seemed unique in design and structure. 

Okay, maybe an oblong rectangular building painted teal might not be that unusual, but what charmed me was this narrowish zinc roof hanging over what looked like a front porch, and there seemed to be a series of rooms corresponding to the neat windows, all of which had an even cuter awning on top of it. 

It was into the area of Aljunied MRT station that the bus went down afterward, first the junction of Aljunied Road, then a car park, then after that, a couple of shop houses, in particular one which used to be a well-known dim sum spot but has since changed hands to become a coffee shop offering a variety of dishes altogether. 

Doesn't mean that they've lost customers though- they seem even more crowded- and because the cai fan stall is right along the road, every time the bus passes by I see trays after trays neatly lined up holding mountains of colorful delicious-looking food inside. 

The Kim San Leng coffee shop comes up not long after. 

It is a landmark I always try hard not to miss.

Especially since my stop comes up not too long after, but before that, there's the Geylang East Central housing estate- behind a row of shop houses that look quiet but do seem occupied- and then there's the condo I think is Sims Ville, a short ride away from PLQ and the Paya Lebar Road side. 

Taiwan Oyster Mee Sua

In recent months it has become a norm for me that I crave hot, soupy, broth-like meals after forcing myself to do household chores for a person I don't wish to see and I don't want to do. 

Some people go for beer.

Others go for coffee or ice cream or snacks or have huge satisfying meals that curb down the sour and warm up the belly. 

Me, I just want soup.

Doesn't have to be thick, only has to be hot. 

A while ago I used to have soup noodles from this Indonesian cafe-diner at the other side of the shopping mall, but in recent days I discovered a new Taiwanese-style cafe closer to the bus interchange which also offered meals that I needed, and liked.

You know what's funny?

I never thought of myself as an oyster mee sua person. 

I mean, it isn't one of the foods that I go straight for when I'm in Taiwan. (I prefer the sweet potato fries with plum powder or the soybean curd dessert with taro balls). 

But more than once these days I find myself seated at the table in this place at NEX shopping mall slurping up the bowl of hot broth and mee sua the server has placed in front of me. 

The most attractive thing about this bowl is the broth. 

How to describe it, honestly, I don't know. 

But there's the distinct taste of the soy sauce, there's what I think is vinegar, and then there's the thick, gooey, broth-like texture that reminds me very much of sharks' fin soup I used to have at Chinese restaurants every year. 

The first spoon of the broth always goes down beautiful.

Heartwarming, comforting and oddly enough, stimulating and revitalizing at the same time, it never fails to ease my senses and calm my soul. 

Maybe it's the sharp taste of the vinegar. 

Maybe it's the blend of salty, vinegary, savory and the tart all together. 

So good is it that I am happy enough to just have the soup, but by that time, I am tired and hungry, and there's this huge heap of mee sua swimming about inside the bowl, soft, mushy and tasty, so, yes, of course all the mee sua I will finish. 

As well as the chicken.

I don't usually eat up all the oysters by myself though.

My friend likes them. 

So I share. 

Sometimes I give him three, sometimes I give him one.