I found a couple of these pictures in my collection not too long ago.
They brought me a bit of a smile.
Because so seldom is it that I take pictures of my chap cai png that I get quite excited when I actually do.
These two plates had been had for lunch at the Tin Yeang Coffee Shop standing on the junction of Joo Chiat Road and Dunman Road.
It is a well known stall, over the years oft frequented by many people both residents of the area and visitors alike, and even though I haven't had their food for over two years now, I still remember some of the dishes, and I remember how the dishes were placed.
To be honest, this isn't just (another) chap cai png stall.
It is, in fact, a Teochew porridge stall, and if you want, can order a whole piece of steamed fish Teochew style to be your meal.
But I like my dishes, and so this afternoon I got my favorites of sweet sour pork, egg tofu with a bit of black fungus, and what I think is either spinach, or kangkong.
Sweet sour pork is a long-time favorite of mine.
When I started liking it, I don't know, but I was probably very young when I first tried it, and it has become my go-to dish whenever I have cai png. Quality varies though, sometimes you get tendons that are impossible to chew, sometimes you get pieces of fat that make you be thankful for the sauce they come with, and sometimes you get pieces of meat that are proper meat yet soft to the bite at the same time.
That, I think, is getting more and more rare though.
A safe bet, fortunately, is the tofu.
Which, by the way, although supposedly meant to be seen as a vegetable, has price wise been charged as 'plant protein' these days and whilst you're still eating a vegetable, you're paying the price for meat.
But I like my egg tofu, and I hope not to compromise.
I don't know why I took the kangkong instead of the stewed (braised? stir-fried) lettuce though.
I really ought to have.
Theirs here comes with black fungus, tang hoon, and really soft lettuce leaves that have been cooked so long they literally mush away when you bite into them.
It's not just the lettuce that I left out.
I left out the curry gravy too.
But different times call for different appetites and this was what I got this particular afternoon, delicious, tasty dishes, and rice kosong.
My friend, on the other hand, went all out on the taste.
His plate had a single serving of hot dogs and potatoes fried in tomato sauce, a serving of steamed egg, and a serving of salted egg fried chicken.
Suffice it to say I took a bit off his plate.
They're all favorites of mine too.
What's funny is that I don't usually go for the hot dogs and potatoes because whilst I like the potatoes, the hot dogs sometimes get a little too salty for me, but the ones here weren't as hard or salty as some other stalls serve, so this one was good too.
I don't think I took any steamed egg, but pretty sure I took a piece of salted egg chicken, and at least, a single spoonful of curry-laden rice.
It will be a long while before I get back to this coffee shop again for chap cai png, I think, especially since I am not the type who likes to revisit places unless there's something I want to look at, and something I want to see.
So these two pictures shall be it, and perhaps, who knows, I might get other pictures of other chap cai pngs soon.