Strolling Sights: Hill In the City

It's often said that life is made out of little snippets that you must make the effort to find. 

I didn't use to believe it. 

My life had always been centered on the planned, the pre-planned, the pre-pre-planned. 

And because I'd been so used to the big dos and the efforts and the organization, it seemed like the right thing to do. 

But then one day I discovered that Life isn't only about having a Day or a Week or a Month. 

It is about the Moments within the Hours and the Minutes that exist within the Day.  

My whole perspective changed.

Surprises became rampant- more familiar- and I learnt to dwell in the Moment rather than to either have a Plan or not do it at all.

I had no idea where my feet would lead me to on this day that I went up and around Pearl's Hill. 

I hadn't even planned to go there.

All I wanted to do was to take a picture of the old State Courts from street level. (Don't ask me why- it's just one of the weird things that I sometimes do) But in the midst of finding a good vantage point I found myself on the overhead bridge spanning the entrance to the CTE Tunnel- and decided there and then that it was time I went up the hill behind the block of flats. 

I'll tell you honestly- it felt like I'd entered another world. 

No, I'm not exaggerating.

We are a small country. 

Any space we have that isn't urbanized feels like a whole new world entire. It's like you've stepped into a place of the past, yet also a place of the present, and the future. 

Because there you are- at this altitude- surrounded by all these trees and flowers and grass- yet, at any one point, at any one spot- whichever way you turn- you see elements of the city all around you.

Climbing up from the road behind Sheng Siong, you first pass by the gate of a nursing home then the road curves around the hill ahead of you. Take a left, and you'll find yourself at the foot of a long stretch of steps that seem to stretch all the way into the distance towards the summit. If you've never hiked before or if you aren't the outdoorsy type, at first sight the steps might seem daunting, but it gets better. 

The view helps. 

So is the sight of the huge concrete wall encircling the underground reservoir at the top. 

Yep, just like Fort Canning, Pearl's Hill has an underground reservoir. 

Which concrete wall you can't take picture of because no photography is allowed. 

What is allowed is a circuit around the wall- that I did- following the path- until I came to a space looking out towards Hotel Re and York Hill across the highway.

Here there was some sort of shaded picnic spot, a grove of trees, and a shelter.  A wet wipe (because I'm a girl), a bit of water, and I decided it were best I take the route opposite from where I'd come up from.

After all if you're going to hike up the hill on a hot, sunny afternoon, you might as well make the best of it. 

So down the hill on the other side I went, where- to my surprise- there was a little pond, and I found myself looking about for turtles that might be popping their heads out of the water, but there didn't seem to be any... 

I didn't make an entire round of the park to where I'd first climbed up from. Instead I took a detour, going down a steep-looking staircase to the side of the hill where the international hostel is, along Pearl's Hill Terrace where the back of what once used to be the Ministry of Interior is, and down the slope to Eu Tong Sen Street.

Maybe I should have stopped to admire the view a little more. 

But the day had been hot, the sun was setting, I'd seen Keppel in the distance, I'd seen the layout of Singapore General Hospital from her slopes on this side, and it was enough to make me wonder how the view might have been years and years ago when the prison still stood below. 

Golden Jade Restaurant

I've taken to Mainland cuisine quite recently, in particular Mala Xiang Guo, and whilst I have had the dish at a couple of places here and there around the island, there's one- at a lorong in Geylang- that somehow seems to stand out to me. 

It is a quirky place- despite being called the grandiose name of Golden Jade- so don't come expecting gleaming chandeliers, tapestry hanging on walls, wait staff in neatly pressed uniforms and luxurious seating. 

No, there is none of these. 

What you get is booth seating (thankfully quite comfortable), at parts peeling wallpapered walls, and regular, normal-looking LED light fixtures too commonplace to be of any special mention. 

The place, however, is atypical Mainland diner cozy where practicality and functionality override the planned-for aesthetics- but hey, the service is reasonable, the food comes in great portions, and most importantly it tastes good.

We had three different dishes for dinner that evening. 

The first being, of course, Mala Xiang Guo- the very reason I'd come to this restaurant for- and, having gotten full liberty to pick out the ingredients for our meal, chose two kinds of mushrooms, one portion of fried bean curd, one portion of bean curd skin, a selection of seaweed, and a selection of cabbage.

The dish, when served to our table, was delicious. 

If there's one thing I love about Mala Xiang Guo, it is that the dish is remarkably all-inclusive. Doesn't matter whether you're vegetarian or keto, doesn't matter whether you like spice or not, this is a dish that suits every palate. 

You can have a full selection of vegetables (like we did) and make your dinner a herbivore. You can have a full selection of meats and make your dinner a carnivore. Or, you can have a balance of both, which will then make your dinner an omnivore.

If you need the spice, just go for it. 

If you don't want the spice, you can have none of it as well. 

It's all very flexible. 

Me, I loved how the flavors of the oils enhanced all the ingredients I'd chosen- even the plainest of the plainest that was fried bean curd. 

And I loved how the dining experience- picking up each item with the chopsticks, nibbling it slowly (because of the mala)- forced me to slow down, letting me savor my food more. 

On hindsight, I should have ordered lettuce instead of cabbage (I don't buy from the wet market much so the Chinese characters had me confused) because I like the leaves, and I should not have underestimated the strength of their "least spicy". 

Trust me, it was very spicy!!

Good thing we had two other dishes- one of which was fried lamb- that, I soon discovered, was very effective in balancing out the spice of the Mala from your tongue.

Now, at other times I probably might have squealed at the strong, gamey taste of the meat-it really gave me barbaric carnivorous feels I'm not joking- but not that day. 

That day I learnt to appreciate the richness of its taste. 

As slowly, carefully, I worked through the plate- with hands, chopsticks and fork- piece by piece, bone by bone. 

ECP and Marina Barrage's Other Side

One of my favorite things about cycling is that I get to go to places that I normally wouldn't have a chance to go, or which I wouldn't think of going if I were not already halfway there.

Places like these be like Sarimbun, Neo Tiew Crescent, and Jalan Bahar. 

No one goes to Lim Chu Kang Road unless for a specific purpose. 

And no one goes all the way to Sarimbun unless you're heading to the Outward Bound Camp.

Lim Chu Kang is the through road I take coming from Jalan Bahar to Neo Tiew and Kranji. 

Sarimbun is another route altogether- I went halfway- saw it was too dark- and turned back.

I haven't been to these places in a long while. 

These days- what with social distancing and SAH- I tend to stick to areas nearer on the east side. 

Either Changi Village-Pasir Ris-Tampines-Bedok via the East Coast Park PCN, or Marina Barrage-Shenton Way-Keppel-Telok Blangah-Henderson-Chinatown-Kallang. 

There're several new places, however, that I do wish to go.

Like the new Jurassic Mile that opened not too long ago 

And the other side of Marina Barrage which I recently discovered. 

It was a gorgeous, sunny day when, instead of taking the Fort Road-Tanjong Rhu route to Gardens as I normally do, I decided to follow the other cyclists and take the bridge. 

The route wasn't hard- I basically followed everyone- but I did have to spin a circle when I turned out onto the road and forgot where the exact entrance of the Gardens was. 

I'm familiar with this place; I come here often, by day and by night, but not once ever- I tell you- have I made a left after crossing the bridge that spans the Marina Reservoir.

Until today.

Where I discovered, to my surprise and delight, just how quiet, and beautiful this side of the Barrage was. There were no children. There were no crowds. People drove in, parked their cars, and headed towards the Gardens. No one chose to linger by the breakwater. 

I had the space almost all to myself. 

And I fell in love with it. 

There's something very soothing about hearing the waves crash against the rocks of the breakwater. 

There's also something very hopeful about throwing your gaze over the surface of the waters to the horizon beyond- and know that the world's waiting for you out there. 

In a year like this where plans have gone to naught, where lives have been adjusted and have had to adapt, where business travel has become a process and where leisure travel is nearly impossible, views like these are the assurances we all need. 

What makes this space all the more special is that there aren't many of such spaces with the same views on our island. There's only other one I know of- near Siloso Point within the compound of Shangri La's Rasa Sentosa Resort- and which happens to be inaccessible to the general public this year.  

But I didn't stay there very long. 

One attracts a lot of (concerned) attention if you hang around at a contemplative place like this for too long a time. 

So I took a drink of water, whispered a prayer, made sure I had enough breaths of the sea salt air, and off on a familiar route to the Gardens side I went. 

Maybe it were the lack of crowds. 

Maybe it were I got emboldened by the sense of freedom that being on Daffy brings.

But here I went a little wild, pretending not to see a sign that said "no bikes" :P and sneakily slow-rode my way into a section of the Gardens that I think is sort of the back area (but open to the public), and where I managed to take a few pictures of Marina Bay Sands silhouetted amongst the leaves, and of the famous Supertrees.

Maxim's Turkish in Kampong Glam

One afternoon a couple of months back we dropped into the Kampong Glam Arab Street enclave. 

Somewhere along the way, in the midst of wandering past the indie boutiques, the ice-cream parlors and the stores selling quirky decorative knick-knacks, we decided it was a good idea to do an early dinner.

Now, the Arab Street enclave is the place to be when you want a shot at Middle Eastern food (and if don't know where to look). No worries if you're unfamiliar with the cuisine- this place offers you a myriad of introductions that the uninitiated will be able to appreciate.

There're many places here that you can choose from. Lebanese, Persian, Moroccan, Turkish etc. 

We took a walk along the paved streets, studied the menus from a couple of restaurants, and after some deliberation, decided on Maxim Grill near the Beach Road side.

Maxim Grill serves Turkish food, and with us being familiar with the cuisine of the land, it was a choice that we gravitated to. 

At first we thought we might stick with our favorites- beef wraps, kebabs and lentil soup- but a quick look at the menu made us think otherwise.  

There were very interesting dishes, and many choices. We could have hot appetizers including Halloumi and Falafel, the first of which is grilled goat's cheese, and the second of which is fried chickpea and mint fritters. We could also have  Lavas, which is Turkish balloon bread served with roasted sesame seeds, or Yaprak Sarmasi, which pickled rolled vine leaves with a rice filling. 

But a bit of discussion after- there always is one- we settled on the Pide, the Beyti Kebab, and the Babaganoush. 

I had wanted to have the Tereyagli Ekmek- homemade Turkish bread with butter) or the Lavas plus the baklava for dessert but got subtly reminded that we already had a lot of bread... 

Which, of course was true. 

Beyti Kebab is a dish of flame-grilled ground meats wrapped in a Turkish flat bread topped with homemade sauce, and Pide is the Turkish version of pizza that is really a flattened loaf of bread that we chose the toppings of lamb, and cheese. 

Also I had forgotten that the portions here weren't going to be small. 

In fact, both the chicken beyti kebab and the pide turned out to be rather large for just us two- and even the babaganoush- supposedly an appetizer of roasted eggplant, yogurt and garlic- could by itself have been a full meal.

 

It was a wonderful dinner we had. 

The beyti kebabs, warm to the fingers when they arrived at our table, were hearty and delicious, full with the juices from the grilled chicken. Sliced so carefully that it was easy to pick up with our forks, every bite had the tender of the meat mixed with the soft, melty textures of the bread.

The pide- served to us on a beautifully plated platter- was just as lovely. Decorated with parsley and onion (artistically) strewn across the boat-shaped bread, the dish arrived at our table delicately sliced, with each piece hugging tight the chopped lamb beneath a layer of richly melted cheese.

We ate mostly everything with our hands. 

I don't know whether that's good dining etiquette in Turkish culture, but sitting on a bench with colorful cushions surrounded by tall palm trees and balmy late afternoon winds, somehow, that seemed the most natural thing to do. 

Except for the babaganoush, of course, which I happily scooped up with my fork, and which in fact was a requested order of mine, because I love everything eggplant, and I love roasted eggplant better. 

hai xian lao

Once in a while I like to break the dinner routine of local eats and singular dishes for a whack-it-all buffet of barbecue, mookata and hotpot steamboat. 

Here's the funny thing: I don't plan for it, but it gets kind of hard to pass up a good deal when there's one- and so when a friend told me of this place called Hai Xian Lao that offered hotpot steamboat at a fairly reasonable price- I went. 

They have two outlets that I know of. 

One's at Shaw Lido on the third floor outside Isetan Department Store. The other's at Wilkie Edge on Selegie Road on the ground floor between Hans and Starbucks Coffee. 

I went to the outlet at Wilkie Edge. 

Because I'm familiar with the Mount Sophia area, because the decor here looked less extravagant, and because the restaurant itself seemed easier to find. 

The food was good. 

As with most hotpot steamboat buffets, there were several kinds of soup to choose from- herbal, chicken, collagen, mala and tomato. Collagen is a usual favorite of mine, but today I wanted a lighter soup, so we went for chicken, and tomato instead. 

The menu had meats, seafood, vegetables, a selection of fried finger food that you could order to fill in the moments whilst your food was getting cooked, as well as a collection of ingredients that I call hotpot balls. 

Amongst the meats we chose several selections of beef, one or two selections of chicken, and a selection of pork. From the vegetable list, we ticked off corn, carrots, lettuce, cabbage, three kinds of mushrooms and broccoli. And whilst we don't have seafood on a regular basis, the fish paste and tiger prawns seemed like good hotpot ingredients to have, so we got them as well 

First in went the corn, the broccoli and the cabbage. I wanted the corn and the broccoli soft. Half the corn went into the chicken soup, the other half into the tomato. The broccoli went into the tomato- we thought the sweetness of the soup would complement the bland tasting vegetable. And  the cabbage went into the chicken. The cabbage my friend with the tomato didn't want.

The meats, when they arrived, were nicely portioned out.

Chicken pieces and pork went right onto the ladle into the pots both sides.

The beef we ate shabu shabu style, dipping the nicely sliced beef into the pot using our chopsticks, swirling it about in the soup a little, then dipping it into our sauces combining a mixture of sesame paste and sesame oil. Most of our beef we dropped into the chicken soup- the tomato made the beef taste a little sweeter than we preferred it to be. 

The tiger prawns we dropped into the chicken- prawns and clams are a favorite ingredient of mine when it comes to hotpot soup- never mind the base- I find they make the soup have a distinctive, salt-sea taste which you would not have without. 

In between the meats and the vegetables and the fish paste, which by the way, we found quite fun squeezing it out from the tube into the soups, were the ingredients I call hotpot balls. 

From the menu list my friend ticked off a couple of my favorites, including fish balls, meat balls, cuttlefish balls, cheese tofu, pre-fried fish balls and, if I'm not wrong, siew mais. One can never go wrong with these at a hotpot steamboat. Quick to cook and fun to have, these aren't just a favorite with children, but they really do make great in-between nibbles when you are scrounging around the pots whilst waiting for your second order of meats and seafood to arrive. 

There was also a platter of finger food and small bites. 

Meant to be eaten at the start of the meal whilst waiting for the soup to boil up, here they had selections that they bring to you on a plate. Many varieties they had- I don't remember what they were- but we had little oysters, cute little spring rolls, even cuter samosas, and very good chicken wings. 

 

It was a great meal we had. 

All in all about two hours we spent there, alternating between cooking the food, eating the food, chatting, asking for more sauce, scrounging around the pots for that escapee mushroom, and slurping up bowls of soup. 

There're many places around town for hotpot steamboat these days but Hai Xian Lao has her unique D&B charm, and on the right occasion, when the mood strikes, I'll certainly head back there again. 

(Instant) Penang Har Mee

There have been a good number of instant noodle flavors introduced to the market this year, and even though this Penang Har Mee is not one of the newer, nor the more popular ones, it ranks as one of my favorites besides the flavors of Kyushu White, Maggi Shrimp, the Laksa from Koka, the Creamy Tom Yum and the Hokkaido Miso. 

It wasn't I who discovered this flavor. 

The Parents did.

Gleefully they told me that One Parent had seen this brand on the supermarket shelf and because it looked interesting, decided to buy it, and  "oh we tried already, not bad, the soup prawn taste quite strong." 

So I made a bowl for myself- rice cooker style- and yep, they were right. 

The taste of the prawn was indeed strong. 

Couldn't be compared to the real prawn noodle soup prepared by simmering fresh prawns and prawn heads in a pot for hours on end, but short of having to stand over the stove or jaga the slow cooker (also for hours on end), this was the best, most efficient alternative for a lovely, heartwarming meal.

The Parents didn't mind.

And of course, neither did I.

See, friends who know me will know that I have a special love for instant noodles. 

No secret about it. 

And even though I know that there are those who may cast a disparaging eye at instant noodles, ramyun, ramen, suan la fen, Mama, Maggi and the like, these noodles have always been a thing between The Parents and I. 

They know how meticulous (troublesome) I am when it comes to the way I like my noodles prepared. They know what my favorite ingredients used to be and right now are. And in less than 10 seconds they can tell you what my favorite seasoning was whilst growing up, and what my favorite seasoning is right now. 

These noodles aren't just a meal. 

They are a memory. 

A memory of late lunches and standing over the stove.

A memory of getting distracted by the TV and accidentally letting the pot overboil. 

A memory of rainy December afternoons, and of fairy lights twinkling prettily on our full-sized Christmas tree.

Strolling Sights: the Clarke Quay side

There was a news the other day that the country might soon be entering into Phase Three.

And along with it came other news that bars, pubs, karaoke joints and entertainment outlets might soon too be allowed to reopen (with mask-wearing, social-distancing measures in place) 

This reopening comes under a pilot scheme- so the news says- and whilst several bars and entertainment outlets puzzle over the mechanics and the execution of it - I suppose this announcement can be seen as a milestone (of sorts) that gets things slowly chugging along.

For a place like Clarke Quay, it may mean so much more. 

The district has been quiet for months. 

And whilst many of them had pivoted to F&B during those months, that sense of empty disquiet especially in the later part of a latter-week afternoon just did not sit well with anybody. 

Not even me. 

And I don't even party. 

It wasn't so much that the tourists weren't hanging around for pre-dinner drinks. Neither was it that the Robertson Quay expats weren't (yet) down for happy hour. It wasn't even that the clubs weren't doing their regular early evening dance floor setup. 

It was just something you couldn't pinpoint. 

Like, why was it that even though diners were allowed in the places, there were no one having a meal there? 

Or why was it that even though you could hang out in groups of two or three, despite happy hour, plus the slashed down prices, there weren't anybody inside, or outside having drinks? 

Could it be that the building that once used to be called Liang Court was partly boarded up and devoid of people going to and fro?

Or could it be that the bumboats were all anchored along one side and so the river looked like a very, very still-surface pond with no view happening enough to spend a drink on?

Clarke Quay continues to be dark (or somewhat dark) at night. 

At least that's what I see when my bus passes by- from a distance away.

Now, I can't be absolutely sure, but whatever it is, I hope the clubs and entertainment outlets will  work through the rules, plan out the space, vamp up their energy and reopen again really, really soon.

After all, Christmas is coming, 2020 is ending, and it would be kinda dumb to clear ourselves off from this year without a bit of a party, wouldn't it? 

Daffy at Changi V

It isn't unusual for Daffy to be at Changi Village on a Saturday afternoon.

She's a veteran; she knows her way there, and she's been there many times before. 

What is unusual, or rather, what is a big deal, is that she was there during a season when everyone was encouraged to stay at home, and not go out at all, except for work, for essentials at the supermarkets and the shops, and for exercise. 

There were to be no group activities. 

There were to be no gatherings. 

And no bench could seat two people at any one time because we were all supposed to be one meter apart. 

These rules mattered little to Daffy. 

She was a bike. 

All she needed to do was to get me from East Coast Park to Tanah Merah Coastal Road and Changi V and back. 

And this- she did perfectly well. 

On the contrary, it were her rider- me- who had to have a little bit of adjustment when she got to Changi V. Having gotten used to the routine of parking Daffy and sauntering into the hawker center, now the bike racks were sealed, and there was no where in the hawker center to sit. 

Not just that, you weren't sure whether the rules (really) allowed you to sit on the benches either.

Thankfully the stalls were still open (for takeaway), so whilst she caught her breath and watched the bikes, the cats, and the birds, into the hawker center her co-rider went, coming out a few minutes after with two plastic cups of fresh coconut water in his hand, huge slices of pre-cut coconut flesh swimming inside.

oysters and cheese (birthday)

One of the things the Bro wanted for his birthday was oysters. 

Dude loves oysters- seriously loves them- and at a buffet can easily polish down four or five plates fully stacked with freshly-shucked ones.

It would have been lovely to have a buffet for the birthday, but this was summer, the country was five days out of her two-month lockdown, and we didn't think restaurants were ready for the buffet. 

So off to this little place near Magazine Road we went instead. 

For us who wonder where Magazine Road is, it's this street right near Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay. The easiest route is to turn into Havelock Road from Eu Tong Sen Street and keep going along the Ministry of Manpower until you get to Central Mall. 

Oyster Co is in Central Mall. 

We didn't know.

In fact we went round and round within Central Square and Cumming Street until we finally hit Google Maps- and found the place promptly. 

Turns out that the entrance to Oyster Co is set inside the glass door of Central Mall, and we had actually bypassed it twice. 

Glad to say that the food was good. 

We had a platter of freshly-shucked oysters with slices of lemon served to us on a bed of ice. We had a plate of baked oysters layered with mentaiko sauce and cheese, as well as a plate of beef nachos served with guacamole, sour cream, and more cheese.  

Their fresh oysters took me quite by surprise. 

It might have been the fact that they were chilled before being arranged on the ice and so were very cold on the tongue, or it might have been that they were large and plump- plumper than many an oyster I'd previously eaten- and so were juicier too. 

The other dishes were just as wonderful. 

Unlike other places where their baked oysters were overdone, hard and dry, here their oysters were juicy and huge underneath a generous serving of mentaiko mixed with a thick layer of soft, gooey cheese.

And whilst I have been to places where their nachos turned soft, sticky and icky after a very short while, theirs- each thickly layered with bits of beef, a huge, gooey portion of melted cheese and a spread of delicious sour cream- remained warm and crunchy throughout the entire meal. 

Strolling Sights: a Quieter Raffles Place

Raffles Place has gotten much quieter these days. 

I was in the area a couple of weeks ago, and as much as it wasn't the first time since Phase Two began, I have to admit the quiet and silence were more deafening than I expected it to be. 

A Raffles Place devoid of people, especially during noontime, is not something one gets easily used to.

Especially if you're familiar with the typical office worker lunchtime crowd.

This place used to be packed with people. 

From the Robinson Road side to the Circular Road side, from the Change Alley/Clifford Centre/Hitachi Tower side to the UOB Plaza side, this place used to be filled with footfall criss-crossing all directions. Add to that the newspaper vendors, the ice-cream vendors, the roadshow people and the people giving out flyers, there was never a time (on weekdays) that this place was silent.

Office workers would come out in droves of groups in four or five armed with umbrellas and purses, sipping away at cups of boba tea they held in their hands. 

The courier guys, the delivery guys, the support staff, the visitors- they added to the mix. 

They're still out and about today- the courier guys, the delivery guys, the visitors, the support staff, and the like- but you'd be glad to find a group of two, or three heading out for their meals.

Everyone's mostly alone. 

And everyone seems to prefer a takeaway. 

I see paper bags holding plastic food containers dangling from their hands. 

I see sandwiches and wraps and those tapao paper packet meals through the thin plastic of the plastic bags they hold carefully in their hands.

Even the groups- no more do they stand around discussing where they should go for their meal. No more do they hang around at corners chatting leisurely with each other whilst waiting for a tardy colleague to arrive. Now they walk with speed and purpose to their pre-decided destination for their meal, and with the same speed and purpose, walk back.

It's all changed very much, I have to say, and a very different sight from that which I once used to see. 

There was a time I used to hang out at the Starbucks near Chulia Street, and the place was always full of people during midday. Mostly the lanyard-wearing office workers heading out for lunch or errands, but there were people out and about in Raffles Place for whatever purpose as well. 

But the Starbucks today has gotten way, way quieter than what it used to be. Those who used to come for a solo cuppa at the alfresco seating area aren't coming to the office anymore, those who used to have their meetings or do their work at the cafe aren't here anymore, and because Starbucks no longer does those 1-for-1 Venti-sized deals, the snaking queues for Frappuccinos and to-go macchiatos are also gone. 

Even the Maison Kayser next door- the one that sells healthy meals, clean foods, greens, salads, interesting breads, really huge quiches and large-sized puffs- is seeing much lesser footfall. 

Yep, the whole area's changed. 

And it is unfortunate, make no doubt about it, but as the commerce of Raffles Place and Shenton Way has seen the country through two centuries, whether it be a quiet place at midday, or a quiet place at evening peak rush hour, the finance, the trade, and the business, will still stand.