Around The Roxy

One thing I have come to understand about life is that whilst you think you might know a place, sometimes- as you dive deep- you find yourself not quite knowing as much as you thought you did, at all. 

That's how it was for me with this side of East Coast Road.

I thought I knew this place. 

East Coast Road is, after all, not new to me, having come by here many times before where I used to cycle along Ceylon Road to this stretch, or take the pedestrian pathway from Dunman Road to the back of Katong Shopping Center close to Haig Road. 

Yet, today, a slower, more scenic walk peeled back everything I thought I remembered, and I found myself seeing things in a light which I had previously not seen before. 

Could it be that I was coming from this side of the road? 

That, instead of the east-bound side where all the shop houses are, I was on the opposite side where Roxy Square is, where The Flow is, where the taller buildings stand. 

How is it that everything looks the same, yet looks so different? 

How is it that you can be standing at a spot that you used to walk past, and yet, feel something completely different from what you used to feel before? 

I thought I would feel a bit of nostalgia. 

But, I didn't. 

I didn't know what I was looking at.

I also didn't know what I was looking for. 

Yet, here I was, standing at the junction of Brooke Road and East Coast Road, looking across to the row of shop houses across the traffic barrier of green, with no plan, no idea where I wanted to go, no idea even where I was going to begin.

See, you must know that East Coast Road is a long road. 

It is also an old road, beginning from the junction where Amber Road and Haig Road meet, all the way, until you get to Siglap Road- after which it becomes Upper East Coast Road. 

How the whole road used to be- last time- I don't know- but it begins from where the landmark of Katong Shopping Center is today. 

I didn't take a picture of the shopping center this afternoon. 

What I did take, however, is of the building right beside it- Odeon Katong.

To be honest I don't know if her official name is Odeon Katong. 

What I do know is that she's not the newest building on the block, and she's called such because she used to be the Odeon cinema, and the place where the theater used to be is (likely) now Cornerstone Community Church, whose sign you will see on the exterior when standing on East Coast Road. 

By the way, I wasn't standing anywhere near Odeon Katong when I took the picture.

On the contrary, I was opposite, on the other side, at the car park outside the building called Katong V, that today has a hotel on the upper floors, eateries on the second floor, and a supermarket on the first floor.

I have no idea what this Katong V building used to be. 

But like many a building on this road, pretty sure she has a heritage story of her own.

East Coast Road gets progressively more vintage as one heads eastward.

That is, to the very least, until you hit the enclave of Joo Chiat and Joo Chiat Road, which is where this row of shophouses leads straight to.

The pictures of these shop houses are not very close, nor very clear.

My focus had been on the overhead bridge. 

That doesn't mean I'm not interested in the shop houses.

It just means that one day I shall do a more intimate walk-through of this entire stretch hosting a variety of eateries that fit nearly every palate and every appetite, that it doesn't matter if you're craving for a bowl of Katong Laksa rich with coconut milk, wanting a plate of pasta, a piece of tenderloin steak, a bowl of butter chicken, a bowl of palak paneer, a good, butter-rich strawberry muffin, or a slice of banana pie.

If there's one thing I've noticed, however, it is that there're plenty of snacks to be sold from these shop houses here.

To the left of this bridge there is a bakery that offers pastries, muffins and pies, to the right of this bridge, further on, there's Kim Choo with their Nyonya kuehs, Dona Manis with their banana pies and chocolate pies, and right as you descend, an ice cream parlor so known for their buttery waffle cones that there're long queues whenever I walk past anytime. 

What makes this section a cool place is that as much as there is to see on the east-bound side, the west-bound side doesn't lose out too.

No doubt there isn't much of a shop house here- the properties have moved in, revamped once, twice even- but there is heritage in the form of the Joo Chiat Police Station where Starbucks has now conquered and taken over. 

It is a little difficult to see just how the interior of the police station once used to be- we can only use our imagination- but with the Hotel Indigo and the Holiday Inn Express located just behind, one can say, I guess, that this structure will not be going away anywhere anytime. 

Same too, I should say, for the rest of the buildings this side of the road.

It don't matter whether the building has been recently revamped aka i12 Katong, or if the building hosts a group of tuition centers and enrichment centers. 

It also don't matter if the building has been there since the 90s and serves the community clientele with their plethora of nail salons, hairdressing salons, TCM clinics, health foods, and specialized services. 

All of these ain't going anywhere. 

You know, it was no coincidence that I happened to be at the walkway bordering between Roxy Square, and the Starbucks of Old Joo Chiat Police Station. 

It was also no coincidence, I too say, that the light from the setting sun hit the staircase just at the right time, illuminating the tiles that, on close discovery, shone with holographic, iridescent colors giving off glamorous, glossy, funky unicorn vibes. 

Bus Ride Sights: Parkway-Suntec

You know something funny?

For all the times that I have taken Bus 36 from Parkway down to Suntec City, Raffles City, and Orchard, I have hardly had the chance to take a picture of this particular view. 

I don't know if it is because I happen to be standing most of the time. 

Or if it because I don't have Chonkycam with me those times. 

But today I had a seat, I had Chonkycam with me, and, best of all, the light was good. 

Hence it was that this afternoon granted me some of the loveliest pictures that I have ever taken on this one bus ride.  

Bus 36 for me today began at the bus stop outside Parkway Parade.

Like always.

By right, Chonkycam should have come out there and then, but I was settling down, and so not until the bus had gone past Mountbatten Road, onto Tanjong Katong South Road, and up onto the East Coast Parkway did she come out from my bag.

If there is one thing you must know, it is that it is a very quick journey from here down to Suntec City.

How long the journey takes, I don't know, but think thirty minutes at most from this one turn of Tanjong Katong South Road, onto the ECP, and into the Downtown zone of Temasek Boulevard. 

With such short leeway overall, you can imagine that Chonkycam worked overtime. 

But I didn't mind. 

See, one of the most charming things that Bus 36 has going for her is the view of the sea. 

The view doesn't actually begin here this side of East Coast, but stretches all the way back from Changi Airport where most of the route takes you along one of the most scenic views this side of the country. 

It is somewhere around there near the airport that the sea view begins, and on it goes at pockets here and there, not stopping even after the bus enters the residential areas, because after them blocks and schools and shops and condos, out onto another part of the East Coast Parkway she goes. 

Now, it would be perfect if the sea view stayed unabated all the way, but this is Singapore- a dot of an island- and there are bound to be places where, even though you're on the highway, your view gets blocked by the sight of (forested) trees, the glass showing the reflection showing the condominium towers opposite. 

I have no idea what these condominiums are, I also don't know which part of the East Coast area they are, but certainly they are not standing amongst the forests this side of the highway, because in the midst of all them leaves and one random staircase, all of a sudden, almost immediately, another view appears.

The unmistakable hotel towers of Marina Bay Sands, the distinctive curve of the Singapore Flyer, and the glassy, glossy blue surfaces of the Marina Bay Financial District. 

From here on, the view changes pretty fast.

All you get is a couple of minutes- five, ten- as the bus climbs up a sort of slope over the Benjamin Sheares Bridge- and then you're right into the heart of Suntec City, Marina Bay, and Temasek Boulevard. 

But an inspiring, breathtaking picture this will make if your hand works fast enough to get the shot right. 

All at once there is the view of the waters beyond Singapore's shores, there are the blue waters of the Marina Barrage Reservoir shimmering beautifully under the bright light of a Singapore sun, and as the bus nears Temasek Boulevard, the Supertrees, and them two bug-eye structures from Gardens by the Bay slide into view. 

At the same time, there is the Skypark atop Marina Bay Sands that from this angle is facing toward you, there is the ArtScience Museum that to me resembles a lotus flower in bloom, there is the F1 Pit Building, and then finally there is Marina Bay herself- distinctive, sharp, recognized. 

Never mind if you're seeing it through the grainy blur of a bus window. 

Selfies of Early 2026

This was one of those times where I strove to take as many selfies as possible.

Was it because I felt vain?

No.

Was it because I was vain?

Also no.

But it was one of those times where you take the selfie when you're feeling it, or when you've worn the armor to make yourself feel it. 

It's just as well that I'm seeing these pictures now, because, well, I haven't been feeling it for a while. I shan't go into details but let's just say it isn't every day that I feel like I've got everything anchored, moving in direction, confident, and knowing just well I'm going to go. 

Truth be told, I haven't felt it for a long time. 

But one must keep moving forward. 

Because there is no future, there is nothing, if one does not (at least) attempt to go forward. No one extends a hand to someone who is not attempting their best to go ahead and move forward. No one bothers with someone who has not (at least) made a baby attempt to keep moving on. 

Which is where these pictures come in. 

One does not know the future.

One does not know whether or not one will be able to move forward, stagnate, or (I hope not) be held back. 

But to the very least- even as depressing as it sounds- I know I did not miss a moment, nor did I deliberately let the moment pass me by.

These pictures had been taken on different occasions over the course of a single month. 

The first one, if I'm not wrong, had been taken whilst waiting at the seats outside Orchard Central's DDD for my friend who had crossed over to Centerpoint for a tub of Greek style yogurt. 

Second one, very likely, was at some restaurant, maybe in Capitol Theater where we were having a dinner of mala dumplings. 

The next two I know I took at Capitol Theater, at the Punggol Nasi Lemak place whilst waiting for a friend who had gone to one of the salons for a haircut. 

These two pictures I particularly remember- I had gotten tired of looking mature- and dug out the glittery eyeshadow palette NAREE that i had bought from Thailand maybe two years ago from Eve & Boy and still hadn't yet finished. Glittery peach eyeshadow matures me. Glittery white eyeshadow makes me look younger (I think).

And I had decided that day I wasn't going to be mature. 

i seemed to have overdone it though. 

Then, of course, there's the selfie of me on the bus. Can't remember what bus it was, can't remember where I was going, but the hair was fine, the light was good, and I took the picture.

There're a lot more selfies after this one. 

All from the weekend just before Chinese New Year. 

To be honest I had not expected I would take so many. 

But I was feeling (somewhat) pretty on Valentine's Day Saturday- with sea winds tossing my hair- whilst at an event in a rooftop bar 20 floors up an office building down at Shenton Way. 

And I felt prettier when on the eve of Chinese New Year we were at Suntec City for a K-BBQ meal and the natural light up at the Liho near Golden Village was so good. 

Best of all, the hair was great that day. 

As it was for the day after when we headed to Bugis for a lunch at the recently discovered Bugis outlet of Mainland Chinese place Oriental Food. 

Seeing these pictures now, it dawns on me that it is indeed true that accessories and layering can define a look. 

Whether it be a hoodie jacket that you put on (because it's raining), whether it be hoop earrings you decide to wear because it is Chinese New Year Eve and you don't want to be wearing the same flower stud earrings that you put on your ear day on day, or whether it be your eye makeup that for some reason you decide to bounce back to peach glitter instead of the white glitter that you know jolly well makes you look brighter.

Somehow, I wish I always looked this way. 

But that's life. 

You don't always look your best.

You don't always have the space and the opportunity to always look as pulled together as you should to. 

But we try.

We try very hard. 

Even if it be a layer of BB cream, a small square of bronze shaded shimmer makeup, a comb, and a stick of color-changing lip balm. 

Loving Cheetos!

A quick post here just to introduce my new favorite snack.

Cheetos.

Cheetos Crunchy. 

Honestly, never thought I would fall in love with this cheese-flavored snack as much as I do now, but it has now become such that it be the one snack I will now look out for when I am at the supermarket, and it be the one snack that I will want to buy, more so irresistibly when the price falls below the RRP of $5.35. 

Actually, come to think of it, new also not so new. 

At least three, four months already. 

First time I actually paid special attention to this snack was when I was at the shops in Kembangan looking for something to buy for myself. At that time I was trying to decide between the Lays Salted Egg or the Super Ring or the Ruffles. 

But then I spotted this at $4.70.

So pragmatic me bought it.

And guess what...? 

Fell in love at first bite.

Have not changed my mind since. 

Cheetos Crunchy is dangerously addictive. 

Why, exactly, I don't know. 

They might have the puffs, the Hot Cheetos, even the Jalapeno Cheetos, but to date I seem to favor only this one. 

It might be the cheese, the coloring, the additives, the cheese powder, the firmness of the corn crunch- just something that makes it exactly what it is- junk. 

But then so are potato chips, and to be honest, whilst I do appreciate a good flavor of potato chip now and then, I have since bought myself some Lays and some Ruffles and some other brands of potato chips, but I find myself drifting back to Cheetos Crunchy. 

The Salted Egg Chicken Downstairs

It is so very seldom, I tell you, that I'm not able to find the name of the cafe or diner that I have patronized.

Most of the time I manage to put the name to the place.

But with this place, I don't, and that, despite looking about on Google Maps and on Google itself.

Maybe I should try Grab, but really, there's no need to, not when I know where the place is, I know how to get there and I know roughly where to find it. 

We've been coming to this place a couple of times, and for almost all times the food has been good. 

Now, I'm not a good judge of Mainland Chinese food. 

As in, I don't quite know what's good and what's not. 

But this place- located somewhere between Marshall Road and Ceylon Road- sitting somewhere between the spaces of Cheeky Bee Hoon and Steak & Pho- has thus far served up dishes that are suited for my Singaporean palate at a quantity and quality happy to the purse. 

One of the first few dishes we had from this place was the Mapo Tofu. 

I don't have a picture. but it was one of those dishes that came served as really huge cube shaped pieces of tofu. When I say they were huge, I mean that they were of the size that you could cut with your spoon. Firm also were they in terms of texture, not the soft mushy kind that I've grown accustomed to. 

Did we like it?

Well, yes, and no. 

We liked the spice. 

But I think I'm more used to the mushy type that I can crush into my rice and eat it as a whole spoonful. 

Of course that's just one of the dishes that we have had thus far and it isn't the same as some of the others we've had. 

Like the Salted Egg Chicken which to date remains one of our most memorable dishes and one which we'll definitely order if we've got a craving for something sweet and salty there. 

The main thing that surprised us about this dish was the texture and the way it had been done. 

We had expected it to come served like how zichar places make theirs- huge chicken pieces slathered (drowned) with a thick gravy of salted egg covering the entire plate. 

But no, this plate was dry, no gravy, not one bit at all. 

What's funny is that we had begun eating immediately when the plate arrived at the table, and so it took us a while to realize that this were literally the non-spicy, for-kids version of the ubiquitous spicy La Zi Ji so common in Mainland Chinese cuisine.  

And right away we fell in love. 

So it might be that we haven't ordered it since the last time we had it here but it's not because we don't like the dish anymore. 

We just happened to have found new love for other dishes. 

Like their skewers, which we order about 8-10 every time we come, mostly alternating between lamb and beef but the other day my friend ordered for me a quail egg stick. 

I love quail eggs. 

I also love the way they grill their meat, with thick chonks of meat balanced with a single piece of fat (in the lamb)

Their skewers are ordinary enough for the taste that we prefer, but if there be something unique about this place, it is the vibe. 

This is not the kind of place where I will want to have three or four big dishes and sit for 3 hours. Instead this is the kind of place where I want to have 15 skewer sticks, one or two bottles of Wang Lao Ji drink, and if they have, some sort of dessert to close off the meal. 

Fingers crossed I'll get to have it soon. 

Tomorrow, maybe. 

Maybe I might even take beer. 

Oyster Mee Sua @ NEX

So, I am generally not the kind of person who has cravings for food of this or that. I eat as it is. Sometimes I go for a particular cuisine. Other times I just eat whatever comes to mind. 

But there are certain days, however, that I find myself needing warm, soupy stuff more than any others, especially after caregiving hours, and that's where the choice of meal becomes more ngiao than usual. 

It don't matter if it is a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

It don't matter if it is fried fish noodle soup etc. 

Just so long as it is warm and comforting and calming, that's enough for me.

We had not thought to come to Taiwanese eatery Eat Three Bowls at first. 

In fact it had not been on the plan at all, but then the queue at the Malaysian style eatery next door was too long, I was hungry, and tired, and didn't want to wait, so to Eat Three Bowls we came. 

I'll be candid.

It was an eyeopener. 

You can call me suaku, okay, but up till now I had not known just how popular this eatery was. 

For starters, I had thought this eatery was new. 

But no, they had actually been around for a while, beginning first with a stall at a hawker center opposite Vivocity, and now, with outlets at various parts of the island, including NEX, where this evening we were.

My meal today was the Oyster Shredded Chicken Mee Sua- with no intestines. I'm the kind of person who can take oysters and liver and spleen but I cannot take intestines. 

Never mind how they're cooked- stewed, boiled or fried. 

Doesn't matter. 

I just can't. 

I loved my bowl. 

I loved how the mee sua was soft and slippery and how every mouthful filled with noodle and rich, flavorful broth brought me a pleasant sense of warmth. 

I loved how the huge heap of shredded chicken soaked up the broth- it had hints of vinegar- and didn't taste nor feel dry at all. 

Better yet, there were the oysters, big, fat and juicy.

I shared them oysters with my friend who loves them in the orh luak style but can also eat them any style. 

He had the Braised Pork Rice, by the way, which he said had an appetizing gravy full of flavor with the finely chopped pork served up in a mix of fat and meat. 

Easy to scoop up the meat with the rice too.

But I will say this.

Had I not been needing something warm and soupy and hot and comforting, I might have gone for another dish else. 

There is (surprisingly) quite a lot to be had here at this place. 

Popular dishes here include the Braised Beef Noodles, the Pork Chop Egg Fried Rice and the Shredded Chicken Rice. 

So the last one might seem very very healthy, which it is, but maybe I might go for the first two instead. 

They seem more... fun?

Like this evening, I was actually keen on the Braised Beef Noodles. The broth, a soy-spiced concoction, apparently, seemed stimulating yet comforting and warm at the same time.

And then I did take a look at the Taiwanese Sesame Oil Chicken Soup, and the Huadiao Wine Chicken Soup where the first one had ginger and for the second, I've always wondered how Huadiao wine is like. 

This evening, as much as I hoped to, it would have been lovely had I been able to have the Pork Chop Egg Fried Rice and the Taiwanese Tomato Omelette. Taiwanese, after all, have a reputation for their skill in making fluffy, soft, fragrant, moist fried rice and a reputation for well-marinated, perfectly battered, perfectly fried pork chop fillets, which, had it not been for the need for a calm-me-down dish, I would have wanted to try. 

Perhaps another time. 

You know, I'd like to try their fried items then. 

Especially their night market faves of Fried Tempura, Plum Sweet Potato Fries, Fried Oyster Mushrooms, and Salted Crispy Chicken.

Would be a bit of waste not to. :)

K-BBQ Downstairs @ 1987

You know something?

I didn't think I would write about this lunch of a Korean BBQ this soon.

But life be such that you don't always write things in sequence, and so whilst I might have written this some time in end March or even afterward, I decided this a good time to write now.

It had been one of those afternoons where we didn't feel like going out far yet 

We had discovered this place quite by accident.

It happened to be one of those afternoons where we didn't feel like going out too far but yet didn't want one of them casual bites from Starbucks, so it was that we went to the mall Katong Square next door. 

Now, Katong Square is one of those malls that gives a strong go-downstairs, in-between vibe. It is one of those malls that you pass by, consider whether to enter or not, and enter it anyway. 

I won't say that there isn't anything interesting in the mall.

There is a pop-up type of booth offering lots of vintage stuff- beer bottles, soft drink bottles, entertainment pamphlets, postcards, the like of collectors. 

But there are also the cafes and restaurants, which, to one we headed today.

Some time back my friend had seen the offer of a K-BBQ buffet at restaurant 1987 Korean BBQ, so we decided to try. 

I don't know the history of this place; like how it started or what the story is, why it's called 1987, or who the place is meant to cater to, but there's a rich sense of tradition when one dines here.

You know how there are many different types of K-BBQ places that have different vibes? 

This one leans towards the cultural.

It is the kind of place that you must go if you want to experience the culture of having a K-BBQ, table setting, cutlery, all, without the casual riot of the street-side style. 

You could say that it be the presence of all the banchan that comes together when you order a main. 

You could also say it is in the tradition that steeps itself deep in the way they do their BBQ.

I'm familiar with the places that have their grill locked in right in the center of the table. 

I am, however, not familiar with the places that bring the grill to your table, with charcoal pot underneath, and a little curve of a smoke exhaust affixed to the grill's side. 

To be honest, it looked really cute. 

And it worked just as well as those that have their smoke exhausts hanging from the ceiling. 

What made this grill unique was that it was raised, and because the charcoal seemed to be better distributed, the meat cooked slower without the worry of an overburn. It also meant that diners had to pay closer attention to the grill even as they worked through their orders of meat.

This afternoon our orders were mostly on the beef and pork side. 

What's funny, however, is that out of all the meats we had, I have only one picture. 

I didn't take picture of the others. 

I don't know why.

What I did take, instead, are of all the banchan. 

Which, to my embarrassment, I can't even remember the names of all it is I had. 

One of the first few things they brought to the table was the pink radish and the bean sprouts. 

Yes, radish and bean sprouts are ordinary vegetables, not stuff you'll find big of a deal, but there's this thing called palate, and both vegetables effectively filled it close. The radish, soaked in vinegar with a satisfying crunch, made for a refreshing palate cleanser, and the bean sprouts, whilst a bit smaller than those I'd seen in Korea, had a nice, savory crunch. 

There was then a couple of dishes- the bean curd strips, kimchi, quail eggs and what I think is the smaller version of burdock root. 

The dish that surprised me most were the quail eggs. 

I had thought they be savory. 

Instead they turned out to be sweet- almost like a dessert- and after finishing my four, I sat there wondering if I would be able to have more.

But I didn't ask. 

It felt awkward to, so I just ate my kimchi and my bean curd skins and worked my way around the meats. 

But I did ask for another order of kimchi though. 

Kimchi is one of the best things to have when you're having a meal like K-BBQ. Not only does it help with the digestives (so you can eat more lol), the sourish vinegar adds an additional texture, creates additional crunch, yet softens the meat at the same time.

I am always surprised by how the juice bursts out of my mouth every time I roll a piece of kimchi inside the meat and take a bite. 

It really does make for a very refreshing eat, I tell you. 

And I imagine the meat itself digesting away so much better after. 

Was there a banchan that I liked the most?

No. 

I mean, they each had their own merits, and there was not a dish of banchan that I didn't take, nor didn't like. Maybe I might not fancy the bean curd skins as much as, say, the quail eggs or the kimchi or the small burdock root, but they make for a perfect bite all the same.

Come to think of it, I actually did like the burdock root. 

At least that's what I think it is. 

I was too embarrassed to ask. 

Maybe I'll ask next time. 

One of the best foods I managed to have this afternoon at 1987 K-BBQ was the ramyun. 

I know it's not that big a deal, like what, it's just ramyun, we're in 2026 and ramyun is everywhere, but I've never had the chance to have ramyun in one of them bronzy pots, so glad I was to have it here this time. 

It's actually quite fun.

Best part of using the bronzy pot is that the noodles actually do simmer in the retained heat without a stove, so, yes, it was perfect to have a pot of ramyun on the table whilst we worked through our meats. 

My friend and I could share the soup.

I could have the noodles bit by bit as we went along. 

I could concoct my own bowl of noodles with the grilled meats and the vegetables and the tofu and even the banchan. 

Which I did. 

But the other best food that we both liked?

The tofu stew.

My friend doesn't mind a good tofu- soft, silky, wobbly those big chonks of bean curd were- and neither do I.

I love tofu when it doesn't taste like tofu, and what better way to get my share of vegan protein when it is all bobbing about in a stew slightly thick, very spicy, and full of flavor (think gochujang) that doesn't make the tofu feel like plain, boring tofu at all?