BatterCatch's Fish & Chips

Okay, so I have to write about this plate of fish and chips which in recent weeks I have had the chance to have whenever I am at NEX Shopping Mall.

If you're wondering what's so special about this dish, it is simply this: On the day to day there are many foods that excite me. On some days, however, there are foods which, after first try, end up delighting me more. 

One thing you must know about me is that between the battered and breaded fish of Fish & Chips, I like the battered more.

Except that there don't seem to many places offering battered fish at gorgeous prices, and even if there are, I don't know where they are, or how to find them. 

So imagine how excited I was when, whilst trying to decide what to have for a post-caregiving dinner, I came across halal-certified BatterCatch at one end of the shopping mall close to the fast food section of KFC and Burger King. 

You might wonder what it was that first attracted me. 

(Not gonna lie) The price.

And the poster. 

Someone in the Marketing Department had looked at posters here, there, everywhere, and decided that a bit of Islander, South Californian, Australian vibe on would be best to attract the eye of the hungry, hunting diner. 

Tell the truth, he or she wasn't wrong. 

Many of us are now in phases of life where there are days which we can do with some visual cheer. 

But it wasn't only the poster that sparked something up in me. 

It was also their menu.  

Amongst all the mains they offered, besides the star of Fish & Chips, there was Crab Linguine, Batter Chicken with Chips, Sirloin Steak with Saute Kenya Beans, and Salmon with Homemade Coleslaw. Smaller mains included Shepherd's Pie, BatterCatch Fish Pie, and Macaroni & Cheese in either Shellfish or Truffle. 

When we first visited, I thought I might want the Salmon with Homemade Coleslaw, but then the sight of the fish being served at the next table won me over. 

Same thing too I had thought I might consider a Macaroni & Cheese with Truffle, but I wondered if it would end up being too full a meal for me. 

Their sides were similarly attractive. 

One might have thought that in a place like this, they would only offer only coleslaw or fries, but no, there was a dish of Buttery Mashy Pea, a dish of Green Pea Mash, Toasted Baguette with Olive Oil, Saute Kenya Beans, and something called Crispy Parmesan Corn Ribs. 

I was particularly attracted by that last one. 

Maybe I'll order it to share another time. 

I don't mind sharing the sides, but the fish, I'm not really sure I'd want. 

I mean, look at it. 

Look at the size of the fish.

And the delicious batter wrapped so snugly around it. 

Three times I have come here, three times I have ordered the very same dish, and not one time has it been that the fish has never been served hot, the batter has never been crispy, the fish inside dry, nor the batter lack of flavor. 

Doesn't even matter whether I have the haddock, the halibut, the dory or the barramundi. 

The dory fish alone is already so good.

What's more, their fish comes served with brown sauce and tartar sauce. 

Which I don't actually take.

But since it would be a tremendous pity not to have the sauces, especially with them being so good, I often dip a sliver of the soft, white fish meat in them, alternating between the brown and the tartar. 

The tartar is thick and creamy, with a little bit of onion somewhere. 

The brown has a hint of vinegar, if I'm not wrong- I don't know.

But both go as well with the soft white meat of the fish same as the green pea mash goes well with the fish too. 

Fish and green pea mash eaten together taste surprisingly good. 

Maybe one day I will do a combined order of Dory Fish & Chips (all for myself), an order of Buttery Mashy Pea, an order of the Crispy Parmesan Corn Ribs, and a Lychee Lagoon Tea. 

Only thing is, will I be too full? 

Bus Ride Sights: Orchard-Sheares: 2022

This collection of Photoshopped pictures from 2022 is the last that I have from that year.

Tell the truth, it isn't easy to look at all these pictures and not think of everything has transpired between the end of 2022 to now. How a good part of my life has become so tragic, so uncomfortable, so challenged. 

When it first began in the first month of 2023, I thought it would be a temporary lifestyle change. 

Come 2026, and I can now tell you that not only has the lifestyle not changed, my entire being has changed.

Mentally, emotionally, even physically, everything has altered- indefinitely. 

Whether the being will revert one day to what it used to be, we shall have to see. As of now, it hasn't, I don't know if it can, and I don't know if it ever will.

But let's not make this recap post from end 2022 one of misery, shall we? 

I took a lot of pictures this particular afternoon. 

But here are some of the best. 

Why, exactly, I don't know.

Maybe I just wanted to capture the Christmas atmosphere of Orchard Road and the Marina-Suntec area at that time. 

What surprises me most about these pictures is the light.

I had not known how good of a light it was on that particular late evening. 

I had not realized. 

Orchard Road is not often the sunniest of places especially if you are at the section of Lido, Palais Renaissance and Orchard Towers beyond Scotts towards the Tanglin Road side. 

That's how it was this afternoon.

Maybe it was the end year season but the huge canopied trees of Orchard Road outside Orchard Towers, International Building and (the still-renovating) Shaw Lido seemed to provide more prominent a shade than at other times of the year. 

It got progressively sunnier as the bus went down past the junction of Scotts Road, Paterson Road and Orchard Road on the Tang Plaza side. 

My view of Pullman out the bus window this afternoon illuminated by the Christmas decoration on the top of the street light. 

I'm glad I took the picture of the billboard showing the advertisement for iPhone 14. 

It is iPhone 17 now. 

The bus pulled away from the Pullman junction, went past Bideford Road where The Heeren still stands, then the Somerset area, before nearing the Concorde Hotel bus stop, and the junction turning into the CTE tunnel. 

The huge tree outside the Istana beckoned next. 

I took picture of that tree. 

It isn't every day that there's traffic heavy enough for me to be able to take a perfectly framed picture of that tree. 

The approach towards Cathay Building came up right after- I think they were still renovating at that time- then after Rendezvous Building, it was the Lazada Building on Bencoolen Street and Bras Basah Road.

I don't know if the tenants of the building have changed since then.

I doubt so. 

The Carlton Hotel bordering Victoria Street close to Bras Basah Complex came up after. 

Then it was Raffles Hotel, Suntec City Convention Center, and the turn of Suntec Tower 5 where traffic would have to circle the roundabout before exiting out the other side.  

Here is where I say that the light became somewhat increasingly brighter and brighter.

If it were already bright near the Cathay Building and Lazada, it absolutely glowed here. 

Perhaps that is what makes the last few pictures of this collection so remarkable. 

From the turn underneath Sheares Bridge, around the area that still today has a bit of foliage and up onto the bridge itself, the evening sunlight absolutely glowed. 

The sky was blue, the waters were blue, the light from the sun a glorious, glowing gold. 

Mainland Food @ Toa Payoh

We have come to this place here at Toa Payoh at most only one, or two times.

It isn't because the location is inconvenient, or that the food isn't good.

It's just that my feet tend to lead me elsewhere whenever I am at Toa Payoh Central, but today was a day when we had to decide between a bowl of thick Cantonese-style porridge, or a claypot dish of braised meat with rice. 

We chose the latter. 

There are times when you want something warm and comforting, yet stimulating enough for your stomach, and today was one of them. 

Someone once told me to never underestimate a full bowl of rice.

I used to not understand.

But now, after having come to places where diners can get unlimited soup and unlimited rice, I get what they mean. 

At most places, one has to wait for the dish to be prepared and brought to your table before you can start to feed. 

Not here. 

At this place all you need to do is to place your order and you can go get your rice and soup. You don't have to wait for your dish to come. 

I like the feeling of having more than enough. 

And there is nothing more satisfying than seeing both of your dishes arrive at your table almost one after the other. 

If you're thinking that both dishes look really red, well, yes, they did. 

One of the best things about having Mainland cuisine is that you get to experience what they call the chili oil, chili, or Mala spice, to the degree that your taste buds can tahan. 

At most places you get to decide your level of spice, which, for me, is either zero, or one. 

I am not a chili person. 

But what makes these two dishes here interesting is that whilst they look really, really red, in truth they weren't really very spicy. 

You get the first spark, the first sharp intake of breath with the Mapo Tofu, but a couple of spoons in- with the help of rice- and you're good. 

The sight of these big, cube-shaped pieces of tofu bean curd bobbing about in the pot of bubbling gravy was actually delightful. 

There are places where they make the cubes of bean curd too small or too hard, none of these smooth silky stuff, so glad we were that not only were these pieces bouncy, bite-sized all of them were too. 

I loved how each piece felt so full, as if you could really taste the smooth of the bean curd mushed between your rice as it slid around your tongue.

The best part about Mapo Tofu that gives it the spark is the gravy. 

Rich with douban of fermented broad bean and chili paste, and douchi of fermented black beans, the gravy transformed what was originally a plain-tasting dish into one full of vibrance and flavor. 

This dish wasn't all vegetarian though. 

Mixed amidst all the red were bits of minced beef which I actually didn't notice but until much later and so spooned it together with my bean curd. 

I like Mapo Tofu. 

But the most memorable part of this meal (for me) however has to be the Hong Shao Rou. 

Not only was pork belly a dish that I had hardly ventured to try before, this was also a dish I had never had a chance to have. 

But the pictures here looked good. 

And I remembered the Mainland-style mukbang videos I'd seen on Facebook and Instagram. 

Hong Shao Rou is translated as Red Braised Pork Belly in English. A classic dish from China that features pieces of pork belly braised for long hours in a sauce of ginger, garlic, spices, star anise, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chili, and rice wine, it comes in many variations, with the most popular being the style hailing from Hunan. 

What exactly it is that gives the dish its signature bright red, I can't tell- it might be the spices, it might be the chilies- but I am pretty sure it were the rice wine that gave the dish a tangy burst the same way you'd have had you been drinking a glass of alcohol. 

I was absolutely charmed by the melt-in-the-mouth texture collagen of the pork belly. 

It felt exactly as how I had imagined it to be. 

Those videos always had the dish look so delicious and appetizing on camera, what with the rich red sauce, the big chonky pieces of pork belly, the hard boiled eggs, and the vegetables all soaked in a bright, cheerful red. 

This dish didn't have hard boiled chicken eggs. 

It had small, cute-looking quail eggs peeking out from the sea of gravy instead.

But I didn't mind. 

I love quail eggs however they are prepared, whether they are served savory or sweet, whether they are hard-boiled or grilled. 

And I can eat a good many of them. 

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.