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.