So I have been heading up towards Thomson Plaza a wee bit more frequently in recent days, and because all the meetings have been in the afternoon, it's always the dinner hour by the time we finish.
People say there's a lot to be had at Upper Thomson Road, that there are a lot of eateries which appeal to the working young adult crowd and the residents around the area.
I do not disagree.
Except that there are just so many to explore that I don't know what I ought to choose.
Let's not talk about the side of the road where Longhouse used to be.
Let's also not talk about the side of the road that's nearest to Thomson Plaza and where a fair number of eateries are.
I haven't explored there.
The only places I've explored are the eateries diagonally opposite Thomson Plaza near an MRT Station exit on the opposite side of the road.
This stretch is impossible to miss.
A gym first greets you as you step out of the escalator. Turn the corner and you immediately come upon well known prata place The Roti Prata House that serves a lovely variety of prata, a lovely selection of dishes like nasi goreng and mee goreng, and of course, the powerful Milo Dino.
Several coffee cafes follow, all of which I haven't yet visited, then there is what I think a fish soup place, a roasted meat place, well-known Heng Long Teochew Porridge place, an ice cream cafe, and then finally there's Soi 19 Thai Food.
Google tells me they have a huge variety of Thai food.
That's true.
But their most popular signature dish- Thai Wanton Noodles- that, surprisingly, I have not yet tried.
It's not because I don't like wanton noodles.
I don't mind them- they have so much variety.
But it's precisely because they have so much variety that it's hard to decide.
Should I go for the Black Sauce Wanton Noodle, the Thai Original Wanton Noodle, or the Thai Wanton Noodle Soup?
What about the Curry Wanton Noodle?
I don't know what exactly it is that goes into the bowl, presumably there's a huge heap of noodles, a couple of crunchy wantons, chopped spring onions, perhaps a piece or two of tau pok, and perhaps even some pork lard.
It all sounded so good.
My friend, on the other hand, seemed to have a much easier time making up his mind.
He knew he wasn't going to go for the wantons, so it was between Pig Trotter, Thai Fried Pork, Thai BBQ Pork, Minced Pork Basil Style, or Chicken Cutlet.
Given me, I might have chosen the Chicken Cutlet or the Thai BBQ Pork, but he decided on Minced Pork Basil Style this evening with a serving of rice on the side.
Don't be fooled by how clean it looks.
The minced pork was a lovely huge portion, incredibly tasty, and it had been stir fried with just enough oil to make the meat feel moist without making you feel jerlak after eating a spoonful.
I wish I could define what the taste was, but I'm not good like that.
Maybe there was soy sauce.
Maybe there was fish oil.
I liked the touch of basil leaves that they had mixed into the meat.
Also the tiny bits of onion, which, although small, actually added a fair bit of crunch and that hint of flavor.
By this time, of course, my choice of dinner had also arrived.
This evening, I'd chosen the Curry Pao Fan.
It wasn't because I didn't want the wantons or the noodles (I'm a fan of noodles) but because I hadn't had pao fan for a very long time and I really wanted to have some.
Also, I was tired, and hungry enough, to want curry.
The best thing about this pao fan was that it came served piping hot in a claypot.
That stoneware made all the difference.
One might not feel it so much when you're hungrily digging in, but the heat, the warmth, and the flavors do come out much more when the curry's still bubbling away with all the ingredients of potatoes, wantons, tau poks and other stuff inside.
Don't mind me if I say I can't recall just what it was inside this pot that evening.
I was too busy working the chopsticks and the spoon.
A hungry person is not very mindful.
So I know I had spoonfuls of rice with the curry gravy.
I also know I handed over a fair portion of the tau poks to my friend.
There were vegetables, I think, lettuce, maybe simmering inside the claypot.
And there was a lot of pork lard buried somewhere amongst the rice grains.
I know I ate almost all the vegetables.
I also ate a lot of the lard.
The good thing about this dish was that it came with wantons.
There were probably two, or three very huge, very stuffed, deep fried wantons inside the pot that had got a little soggy by the time I came to them, but I don't think it affected the flavor. What's more, they were stuffed with minced meat, chives, and some other fillings which I now cannot remember.
This curry pao fan was a fun, heartwarming dish that would most certainly fill you up if you didn't share.
What I liked most was actually the curry.
Some might say it gave a bit of an assam feel.
That, however, I'm not sure- I'm not certain how assam tastes like- and maybe it might not have been as thick as some other claypot curries are, nor have the same depth of coconut cream that good laksa gravies have.
But the sweetness was sufficient, the spice level was just pleasant (not too frightening) and the texture- more like liquid gravy than typical curry- gave me soupy vibes that on this evening felt so good.