An ESTATE Dinner

This was our first ESTATE dinner of the year. 

What occasion it was, I don't remember, but like always, there was a lot of variety, and we took as many a plate of oysters as we could. 

I was quite determined to do strategic eating with my meal today. 

After all, gone are the days when I could have plate after plate of salmon sashimi, or plate after plate of cooked selections with room enough still for dessert. 

Those appetites are no longer mine anymore.

Sometimes I wish I could fill up on more of the good stuff (and make my money's worth) instead of feeling full after eating three chilled prawns.

But since that be the case, I get selective, and so today for the chilled seafood I went for a plate of scallops, and plates of oysters.

You probably thought I ate up this entire plate of oysters.

I didn't. 

They were shared.  

Like some of the other food we had at the table. 

I didn't share the scallops though.

They were all mine. 

Maybe because I've grown to fancy the texture of scallops over the texture of mussels, prawns, little lobsters and even crayfish from the chilled seafood station, these open shells are what I go straight for. 

I like them fresh, plump and juicy. 

I like them with Thousand Island and mayonnaise too.

Yes, I know, some might balk at the thought of dipping scallops in mayonnaise or salad dressing, but really, it's quite good. 

Then again, there have been times where I've overdone the dipping and end up tasting the dip more than I taste the scallop... but I don't care.

The creamy, salty taste of the mayonnaise blends with the chew of the scallop, and that makes the dish a very worthwhile one to have. 

I skipped out on the prawns this time.

Instead I went for the cooked food, taking first the truffle roast duck, which, by the way, when you come to ESTATE at Hilton for their buffet, you live live die die must have. 

It's their signature.

I don't know where else in this country you might be able to find a truffle roast duck as similar as this, but this is as good a roast duck (Chinese style) anywhere else might have. 

My friend likes to have just the skin. 

Me, on the other hand, I like both the skin and the meat, so I take over the plates, finish whatever's on them, and then go for the fried soy thing that comes with every serving. 

I'm usually a little full by then- roast duck meat does fill one up, but I won't come to this place without trying some of the other foods. 

Like the salmon belly sashimi, which you get from the sushi and sashimi station but then have to ask the lady there to slice it specially for you because they sometimes keep it in the chiller and busy themselves preparing the regular salmon sashimi instead. 

Today I took two plates, or maybe three. 

I can't remember. 

What I do remember taking, however, were the lamb skewers. 

Tasty, well grilled, juicy, and tender, my friend had recommended them to me. 

I had initially though I'd take just one, but it looked so lonely on my plate that I went for another, and then got a small heap of Romaine lettuce, a small serving of corn and a couple cherry tomatoes from the salad bar. 

The skewers were pretty fun to eat. 

After that, I made sure I took some other cooked food too, like noodles, which I oft take at buffets never mind how plain and simple they look.

I like noodles.

But because they didn't make the plate look filled, I decided on a single piece of fried chicken wing (the crisp looked so good), a single piece of what I think is spring roll, and then on another plate, I took several pieces of pappadum to go with the gravy of butter chicken. 

In the midst of all this, I didn't give up on my salmon belly sashimi either. :)

I think I was feeling rather full after the pappadums, but one cannot leave a buffet as good as this without having dessert, so off I went to the dessert station, taking back with me a small slice of Hilton's signature cheesecake, some cheese for the nibbles, and a hazelnut cake thing. 

Then I got some bread and butter, for no other reason besides the fact that I felt like having some. 

One thing I did miss out this time round were the jars of desserts that ESTATE currently has. 

Honestly, I feel like I shouldn't have.

They're unique to the buffet here, and whilst it's one thing to miss out on chocolate ice cream or even cheesecake, it's another thing to skip out entirely on a jar containing a strong, tart-tasting citrus lemon with meringue, or a jar that's got Tiramisu, or a jar that combines chocolate cake with some sort of red wine.

(Bound Books) @ Hotel Jen Tanglin

I'm glad to be able to (finally) have the spirit to write this.

Because up till a couple of days ago it was so hard. 

You know how it is when you decide to go for a weekend breather but then somehow work catches up and you find yourself not having very much of a breather at all? 

Yeah, that's how it (basically) was for me this time round at Hotel Jen Tanglin.

So much so that the next time I come here I'm not going to be burdened by big heavy books bound in red, but I'm going to go Botanic Gardens or go shopping at Orchard Road or somewhere.

No way (I hope) to be shtuck in the room with papers and pens and frenetic referencing to and fro in the hope that you can turn to the d*** page without any highlighter or marker or Post It or sort. 

Was it a pleasant stay?

Well... had it not been for those d*** books, it would've been.  

Nothing to do on the part of Hotel Jen Tanglin though.

This place is, and continues to be, one of the warmest, coziest- and affordable- places to be if, and when, you want to have a stay in Singapore. 

Sure, it's on the far side of Orchard, bot oy, it's one of the most comfortable spaces to be this side of the road, and then there's Holland Road and Tanglin Road and Botanic Gardens and Dempsey a mere ten minute walk away, 

Very little to complain about, especially what with the new range of cafes and restaurants downstairs at Tanglin Mall, plus two supermarkets that serve up fresh groceries and all those organic, keto, vegan, gluten-free kind of food. 

One thing about Hotel Jen Tanglin which always charms me is her color.

Gone are the dark reds and dark browns of Trader's yesteryear. 

Instead now we've got lots of orange, black, and, umm, a slightly paler brown... 

Hotel Jen Tanglin is a nice place to work in if you're doing stuff you enjoy. 

Then again, even if you don't, you at least feel more cocooned than if you were at, say, another place else.

One thing I like about their hotel is the bathroom, the desk, and the sofa. 

You might be amused when I say bathroom (because aren't most bathrooms the same?)

Not necessarily, especially when you have one that is as compact as this, and when you have toiletries now done pump style high up on the wall.

It's a little weird, considering that I didn't use to value sofas very much.

But now I do. 

I spent a lot of time on the sofa this time round, I tell you. 

It was a place where I could spread out all the stuff I needed to read, and I could chuck it down whenever I wanted. 

Being next to the window with a little ledge it was also a place where I could put my phone, my mug of coffee and whatever else I wanted to place there without having to put it on the floor. 

There were cushions on the sofa- and I used them well- doubling up as a table and a back rest as I leaned against the wall to look out the window. 

Now that I think about it, I'd like to spend time on the sofa reading the books that I want the next time round. 

I also don't wish to do phone calls on the sofa any longer. 

Or write stuff that I don't want to write about. 

Perhaps in the future I might even spend some time at the pool- something which, ironically, I don't think I've ever done before. 

There was much else I wish I could have done this time.

Pity it wasn't as much of a breather I'd hoped it to be.

That being said, it wasn't totally unentertaining. 

We did have a great time with our Little Black Grill where in the late afternoon we went to the CS downstairs and bought up several meat patties and sausages together with shiitake mushrooms that we threw onto the grill and covered it whilst the meat sizzled in its own juices. 

For meals like these, olive oil, salt, and pepper make it all good.

You don't find yourself compromising on cafe standards in any way.

And even if one feels like it's not enough, well, there's the restaurant downstairs at the lobby anyway.

We don't do room service very much here at Hotel Jen Tanglin, but we do take a fancy to their buffet breakfasts, and I love it whenever our deal comes with one.

This hotel does not stinge on their offerings. 

What with the mix of guests and differing palates that they have in their rooms upstairs, there is pretty much variety-wise that one can find here. 

There is salad, of course, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, kidney beans, corn, and next to it you find a platter of cheeses and a platter of cold cuts that one can help yourself with.

Next to it is the fruit, where more often than not, it goes local with its offerings of papaya, watermelon, dragonfruit, pineapple, banana, plums, apples, oranges and pears. On occasion one finds peaches (that look like they've come out from a can)

Then there're the variations of cereals, of course, as well as the variations of yogurt and milk at one end of the buffet counter. 

There was a time where I'd take- besides other foods- a solid portion of Greek yogurt, and honey. 

These days I moderate my meal a little where instead of taking everything that I want to have, I space them out to the tune of a bit here and a bit there. 

It's all very mood based.

Like how this time I felt like having waffles instead of toast and so off I went to the tray, but then over there I saw that they had pancakes the size of hotcakes so I decided to get some of those on my plate as well.

It was a little difficult trying to decide between scrambled eggs or omelet, but I went for the scrambled egg in the end, and topped it off with wedges of fresh papaya and dragonfruit, which, if you've ever tried such a combination, make for savory and sweet so good. 

Next day I decided to go for something different- something more Asian.

Because they had fried noodles.

And I'm one who finds it very, very difficult to resist noodles for breakfast whenever I see some. 

So I took those, plus a huge scoop of mushroom ragout, and then because I thought I might as well have some vegetables, I got lettuce, smoked salmon, and pesto sauce. 

Then after that, because I still felt like I hadn't eaten everything I wanted, another serving of noodles and mushroom ragout I went to have, followed by some steamed gyozas, and more dragonfruit, which in recent years I've found I really begun to like. 

Yes, very weird an Asian-Western fusion type of meal, hot and cold, cooked, smoked and raw all on a single plate, but it didn't taste too bad, actually, and I fancied it very much. 

One of the things to have when you're having breakfast here at Hotel Jen Tanglin is their laksa. 

Never mind whatever diet you have. 

Just go for the egg and the gravy if you have to.

It's SO, SO good. 

Jane Deer Desserts

Anyone who has ever watched a mainland-produced mukbang video will know just how seriously they take their sweets, their cakes, their desserts, their flavors and their colors.

Sometimes it's about the looks.

Sometimes it's about the taste

And sometimes it's about both the looks and the taste. 

I (as usual) was a little apprehensive when told about this new dessert place at the junction of North Bridge Road and Liang Seah Street. 

Not that I'm unwilling to try new things, but the place was new, and I'm not always trusting of the reviews that I read online.

Still, the craving for dessert was strong, so we went. 

I wasn't disappointed. 

Any fears I had about the dessert looking good tasting bad were thrown our the door when the bowl of peach gum arrived at our table. 

Because even though peach gum has, due to its collagen, has grown in popularity the last couple of years, it's not always that I get to have it with white fungus, and better yet, with a serving of cold, fresh coconut milk, and a handful of goji berries.

I guess Jane Deer is very determined to balance out the traditional with the contemporary.

You can tell from their menu.

This is a place that has bowls of sweet potato and yam dessert offered together with white fungus dessert and balls of carefully-scooped out cantaloupe atop a variety of other ingredients in a hollowed out coconut.

Not just that, they even have a signature dessert- a hotpot one. 

Now, I don't know how that's like but one of the nearby tables was having it the day we were there and I think it's got lots of fruits and other ingredients, with some sort of sweet liquid that you pour over in the pot and let it 'sizzle'

Maybe one day I'll give it a try. 

But not today.

Today there was this bowl of peach gum- goji berry, white fungus, coconut milk, all, and there was also an additional order of a watermelon coconut dessert served in the husk of a hollowed Thai coconut. 

This one surprised me. 

Not so much of the way it was served (I've seen desserts served in watermelon shells before), but more of what there was inside.

Every layer was a surprise.

Like, at the bottom was the fresh, cold coconut milk and the nicely sliced coconut flesh, right above that were the little balls of scooped-out fresh watermelon, and above that still were the little balls of glutinous rice we call shiratama dango.

As if that wasn't enough, nestled amongst all these balls were little red and white translucent balls that popped out flavors of something which I cannot remember, and lychee.

I know there was lychee.

Because I love anything lychee infused and these cute little babies gave me quite a delight.

I was especially taken by the shiratama dango too.

They made for a great chew, and they reminded me of matcha ice cream sundaes done Japanese style.

It was a memorable, refreshing time we had here at Jane Deer. 

Perhaps some might find the place a little too OTT or even overwhelming (like why is it so pink?), but it's a comfortable, pretty place for dates and to chill.

Best part, you get what your dollar's worth, no need to compromise whatsoever at all.

Lunch at Zenso

One reason why I think me and my friend have taken a fancy to Zenso (at Sunshine Plaza) is perhaps, because of the hours they're open, and the variety of food they have over there.

Going there for a meal I don't have to worry that I have to order full sized plates which I might not be able to finish, or have good food which I unfortunately have to finish within a certain period of time. 

Sometimes we go for the big, sometimes we go for the small.

Like today, where we went for the small. 

So, instead of the Mookata platters that we (did) frequent last year, we went for the lighter dishes of pork cutlet, Moo Ping, Pad Thai and spring rolls. 

It was good. 

Some of us might not find the fried spring rolls or the pork cutlet any distinctive, but Zenso does theirs really well, so much so that satisfaction fills you the moment you take the first bite of the spring roll, and likewise you find yourself reaching (automatically) for piece after piece of the cutlet you earlier thought you didn't want to have. 

I like how the flavors of the spring roll pop up in my mouth, I like the crisp of the skin, and I like that they don't fry it with too much of oil. 

It's the same for the Moo Ping.

There're many places that offer (keto-friendly) skewers of this well loved street food, but unlike others that are hard and overly soaked in oil, here theirs are tender, chewy, and not dry, where I get just the right amount of sweetness all over the pork, a characteristic that pretty much defines the cuisine of the Thais. 

I'm pretty glad that their Pad Thai and pork cutlet are delicious too. 

Especially since I've had plates of Pad Thai that, whilst looking pretty, turned out to be either too wet, too oily or neither here nor there in terms of taste. 

And I've had cutlets which are so miserably small that both the meat and the battered skin fall off at first bite. 

Sure, the pork cutlet might not be the chonky, huge ones that we see in other cuisines, but seeing the picture now reminds me a little of the Carona lemon chicken cutlet I used to have in school, and whilst this one doesn't come with lemon sauce, there's Thai chili sauce, and I think that's pretty good too. 

On the ECP

You know, it's not a very frequent thing that I get to take so many pictures whilst traveling on the ECP.

But then today I was going to Changi International Airport from Marine Parade, and I didn't want to stone the journey, so out came Chonkycam, and I happily clicked away.

The ECP, or East Coast Parkway as we call it, has to be one of the prettiest expressways in our country. 

Yes, you won't get much of a city view, but in place of skyscrapers and concrete structures, you get rewarded with glimpses of a gorgeous coastal view, and what seems like an endless stretch of beautifully pruned trees. 

I'm nor kidding.

It's as if the urban planners intended first-time visitors to see the beauty of a Garden City as soon as they touched down, whilst (at the same time) reminding us locals flying out never to forget the green charms of our homeland either. 

I'd say it's been rather successful. 

Visitors have told us what an amazing thing it is that Singapore has a garden in ta city. 

And locals, well, we're rather proud of our majestic Angsana trees and pretty bougainvillea shrubs anyway.

One thing you'll notice about these trees is that no two of them look exactly the same. It doesn't matter if they're the same kind- as the bus trundles on, you'll realize that they don't look alike in any way. 

I found myself particularly charmed by the sight of these palm trees that I think were near the golf course. 

Don't ask me why, but for some reason they made me think of... Port Dickson. 

Or some route that runs by the coast somewhere in the tropics. 

The row of palm trees didn't last long, however.

No sooner that the bus went past we were back to the canopies of Angsana trees again.

It's strange how the sight of these trees can genuinely affect your mood. 

I don't know if they're supposed to make you feel contemplative, thankful, thoughtful, or hopeful. 

I also don't know if they're meant to drift you off into some kind of stupor as you travel towards the airport.

But today on Bus 36, I felt contemplative. 

Because there was something at Changi Airport that I wanted to see. 

And whilst I wasn't sure whether I felt as hopeful as I once used to, I had a hint that, perhaps, I might be happier seeing them bi-directional going forth and coming back, not so much, however, of them being continuously all around me.

Chili Padi Nyonya

There's only one picture of this meal that we had this afternoon at Chili Padi Nyonya Restaurant somewhere around Joo Chiat Road. 

But it is a good enough picture. 

Because not only was this our very first time at the restaurant for the year of 2023, we had also deviated from our usual course of orders and decided on curry chicken instead. 

It was so good, I tell you.

Yes, yes, I know that taste is subjective, and what one likes might not be what another fancies, but oy, compared to the other (horrible, skinny-ass) curry chicken that I'd once had at another place further down the road, this was gold. 

Maybe it has something to do with the claypot. 

Claypots work wonders in keeping their contents bubbling, stewing hot, and anything that's like a thick soup will somehow- by the end of it- become like a brew. 

I wouldn't go so far as to say this was a brew, but it was certainly thick, and tasty, and when we finished all the chicken, it felt like such a waste to let the gravy go. 

Still, even as much as we wanted to, we couldn't take it back.

Storing it for a week in the fridge wouldn't do much for the taste by the time next Saturday rolled around.

So we let it go.

Comfort lay, however, in the fact that we had satisfied our lunch with the huge drumstick and huge piece of breast meat (or was it a thigh) 

And that we could always come back here for the same dish another time. 

Today it wasn't just the curry chicken (and rice) that we had. 

There was another stewed dish too.

Unfortunately I can't quite seem to remember what it was.

Maybe it was babi pongteh.

Maybe it was another pork dish. 

I guess I'll have to wait till I go back there next time to figure it out. 

Maybe this time we'll make it so we can have the chicken curry, and get to take the leftover curry home for bread or rice another day.

McDonalds Bras Basah

It's gotten very hard to write this piece.

I don't know why. 

Especially since this doesn't usually happen to me. 

And really, why should it be so hard? 

What can be so difficult writing about a McDonalds in the building that once used to stand at this site but is now demolished? 

What can be so confusing that my thoughts not be able to flow when all I want is to talk about this McDonalds and all the times I've been there?

Maybe I haven't had the space to give myself room.

Or maybe I haven't had the space to give myself room to look at all that has been a part of my life and is now no longer there. 

It's not with a sense of regret that I write about this place.

It's with a smile.

Because I've been coming here ever since I was a little girl and those times, even though so long ago now, I can still recall. 

No doubt, I don't remember every single time. 

But enough that I can remember the hamburgers that I used to have here. 

And enough that I can remember the row of tables that we used to sit at whenever we had those hamburgers here on Sundays after church. 

I don't know why it was always the hamburger. 

But I never got bored. 

I didn't ask for anything else, or anything more either.

It was enough for me- the juice of the meat, the taste of the pickle, the bounce of the bun. 

That being said, however, hamburgers aren't the only thing I remember of this place. 

There are apple pies and hash browns, bought by the Sunday School  teacher for the entire class.

There are also Hotcakes and Big Breakfast meals, bought by my friend and I as a treat for ourselves on those days when class ended early and we came here from church located across Victoria Street on the other side. 

I don't think it likely that I'll soon forget about the chicken nuggets and the box of sweet sour sauce that I liked dipping them in. 

Neither will I forget about the hot fudge ice cream sundae, the strawberry ice cream sundae, and the cup of sweet corn mixed generously with margarine/butter. 

Yes, this McDonalds here holds precious memories for me. 

It's a little sad knowing she's now gone. 

But (who knows) maybe one day she'll come back- to this area where she once was, to the space where everyone at one time remembered and knew. 

Crowne Plaza, Finally

I got pretty excited when told we'd be at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport over the weekend.

Not just because I like hanging out at the airport, but also because it had been some time since I'd gone to that side of town for a weekend breather. 

Like all journeys are, the trip didn't begin at the lobby waiting to check in. 

It began earlier- on the bus that trundled down the scenic East Coast Parkway towards PTB T3.

Shall I say that the route felt a little more contemplative this time? 

After all it isn't every day that my eyes see beyond what is, really, just a line of very tall palm trees. 

Over at Crowne, I was glad to see that, Covid or not Covid, the hotel still looked the same. 

By that I mean that the ballrooms were still there, the lifts were all operational and the pool, with her towering palm trees, comfortable deck chairs and lounge seats, still looked the same as I last remembered it, except that they didn't have the small cup of Haagen Dazc ice cream on sale for $5 this time. 

The room, too, hadn't changed. 

At least I presume it hadn't, because I don't think I've ever stayed in Crowne's new wing before. 

It's not all that different, I would say.

There's the work desk to your right as soon as you enter the room.

In front of the work desk, complete with desk lamp, landline phone and everything, is the bed, and behind the desk chair you'll see the two-door wardrobe, housing slippers, bathrobe and other paraphernalia inside. 

Next to the bed is the bedside table, then a sofa, and a rather large coffee table. 

I don't really know what this size of a coffee table is meant for, but it's large enough to hold a big pizza box, some bottles of beer, a birthday cake, and a box of fried chicken even.

Not just that, it's possible to have a box of fried noodles, a box of cai fan rice, and maybe even a paper packet of chye tow kuay bought from the food court or from the (not so secret) staff canteens in the airport terminals below. 

Further on, next to the sofa, is the bathroom, which, if I guess correctly, can be said to be one of the larger ones within this hotel category. 

There's the bidet, the shower stall, the sinks, and best of all, the tub, which view- for this room- grants you the panoramic sight of Changi Airport's Terminal 4, and Crowne's first wing. 

Admittedly I was at first a little flustered by the view, or what I thought was a lack thereof, but then night fell, and I changed my mind. 

Because shining continuously through the wide glass window were the headlights of cars coming into Changi Airport Terminal 3, and the faint traffic sounds made me think of the time I stayed in Emeryville's ESA. 

Is it any wonder that even in the deep of the night I had the spirit to think of Los Angeles, San Francisco and ESA? 

After all by that time I was already showered.

And I'd already had a delicious meal of ramen, donburi, beef and salmon carpaccio,  finishing it off with a dessert of mini cream puffs bought from JEWEL's DDD.  

It didn't matter whether or not I slept sufficient. 

Next morning's breakfast buffet for good motivation to wake up and smell the coffee. 

There was a lot to be had in terms of Continental, Asian and American, but strategic eating on my part meant that instead of toast, I had two little apple pastries (because they were warm and I felt them fun) 

I didn't forgo my omelet of cheese, onion and tomato though. 

Nor the slices of smoked salmon (which my eagle-eyed friend managed to find) and niblets of corn . 

I can't quite recall how we spent the rest of the day though.

Maybe I headed into town to run a (rather unexpected) errand. 

Maybe I went to T1, T2 and T3 to look at the Flight Information Board and put into faith the destinations I wanted to go. 

But dinner this second night included a huge bowl of warm, comforting soup, smooth silky wanton dumplings inside, a plate of spicy mala chicken, and a basketful of xiao long bao which I could actually have had portions of two. 

I'm going to want to go back to Crowne Plaza again. 

There're places in JEWEL that I want to go. 

There're places in T3 and 2 that I want to see. 

But this time I hope I won't have to rush out ridiculous errands, I hope I won't have to break through my morning meal, and I hope I won't have to dedicate an entire hour during prime time to do a task that stresses me out and keeps me hoppity for hours afterward.