I thought I'd posted the picture of the skewers.
Apparently not.
I had been so enthusiastic writing about the Mapo Tofu and the Salted Egg Pumpkin here at Oriental Food the other time that I decided I'd keep the skewers for another time.
So, here we are.
I don't know if I'll be writing more and more about the same dishes that I've had at this place here in Bedok, but chances are I might.
I have been coming here for meals more often than I realized.
But this was the first time we had skewers here.
What's funny is that I don't actually remember what meat they were.
I, umm, don't pay attention.
Most of the time I am just there to eat, so whilst I do look through the menu to see if there is anything that catches my fancy, more often than not, I just stick to what's familiar, and let it be.
My guess is that they're either beef, or lamb.
It don't matter which is which; either meat I like, either meat I love.
There is no gamey feel to the skewers served here at Oriental Food. At first we had been concerned that their skewers might be too oily, too greasy, or not prepared in the way we liked.
As it turned out, they were grilled to perfection the way we liked.
Hot, warm, little bit oily, lightly spiced with the pepper and the cumin and some other spices which I don't know what they are, the skewers were the exact kind we'd eaten at elsewhere and which we loved.
There's something comforting about having beef and lamb skewers as these to go with a bowl of rice. Yes, they might not be the recommended way (you're supposed to have them with beer) but these are good as they are, and since there's this bowl of rice sitting in front of me....
It is very special how tender the meat is, especially since somehow they have managed to balance each skewer out with a mix of meat, and fat so that you get one cube of meat, one cube of fat, one cube of meat, one cube of fat, or sometimes, five cubes of meat, and one cube of fat. If it doesn't sound very healthy, well, it is just random, and you never know how much of the fat you're getting anyway.
This afternoon we ordered a plate of what we have come to describe as their signature dish.
The Salted Egg Pumpkin, or rather the Golden Fried Pumpkin with Salted Egg Sauce.
As always, it was good.
I don't know what kind of batter they use, or how they make their batter, but it is crunchy, crispy, with a hint of sweetness (maybe it comes from the sweet potato) and that distinctive flavor that one recognizes as with anything that gets coated with salted egg sauce, or seasoning, whatsoever.
This pumpkin dish has become one of our new favorites whenever we eat here at Oriental Food, by the way, and if it be the day that we decide to have vegetarian (or something light) this dish will be it.