I was a little surprised, I have to admit, when my friend suggested we try out this place at Bedok Interchange.
I'd known- for a while- his newfound interest in trying out the tastebud-stimulating dishes of Mala and Suan Cai.
But I had thought his interest lay in some of the more well-known Mainland Chinese restaurants- like those we see in the Chinatown or Tiong Bahru area.
To my surprise he wanted to try this one, and said it didn't matter where the restaurant was just so long as the food tasted good.
As it turned out, there were many surprises to be had this one particular afternoon.
Oriental Food is a Mainland Chinese restaurant located just outside Bedok Mall right next to the KFC. I don't know how long it's been there, but it seems a comfortable enough spot that it's snuggled in, and from the looks of it, seems to have been there a fair good while.
What's interesting is that I've walked past this place a couple of times but never considered the menu- until this afternoon when we decided to eat there.
I had thought we'd be having skewers- a regular favorite of my friend and I when we dine at places as these- but today's lunch went on a completely different tangent, and instead of the meat dishes that we usually have, it were the vegetarian plant-based ones we ordered instead.
The first dish was Mapo Tofu.
Which was a surprise.
I hadn't known my friend liked Mapo Tofu.
Of course, me being me who had been having a funny tummy and all at that time, had been a tad worried I wouldn't be able to take the spice.
But I had forgotten that Mapo is not Mala, and so the dish wasn't one bit spicy at all.
The tofu, all cut so cutely into perfect cubes, was soft and bouncy. There were little bits of minced meat inside the dish.
And the taste of the sauce- Wikipedia tells me it's based on fermented broad bean and chili paste, as well as fermented black beans- but not very spicy despite the little pieces of chopped chili- was just as lovely.
The redder than red color brightened up my mood tremendously well.
I had forgotten how good this simple but appetizing dish went with rice, so, yes, it was pleasant mushing up spoonfuls of tofu with the rice in my bowl whilst adding on as much sauce as I could without fearing I'd stir up rumbly sensations in my tummy.
It wasn't just this prosperity-looking dish that brought me dining pleasure.
The other dish that my friend ordered too brought me great joy.
In terms of cuisine, this dish is as simple as a vegetarian, vegan dish one can be.
But I love pumpkin.
I love the color.
I love the texture.
I love the taste.
Doesn't matter how it's prepared- steamed, stewed, fried, but better yet, deep fried with a bit of a batter coated all over.
The dish reminded me very much of sweet potato fries, lightly salted, slightly sweet, crisp on the outside, soft, comforting on the inside, incredibly fun to eat.
It's the kind of dish that will make you become peckish even though you're not, and it's the kind of dish that will make you reach out for piece after piece with your chopsticks, wondering the entire time if you can have more.