The Mainland's Chap Cai Png

Okay, so this doesn't happen to me very often, but once in a while I find myself at places where I know I (very likely) will not be returning to them anymore. 

It's not because the food isn't good.

Neither is it because there's nothing of value on the menu.

Just that I like to know upfront how much I'm supposed to pay, what exactly I'm paying for, and whether or not I'm getting a great value. 

What makes this a wee bit sighy is that I had been quite excited to try this place. 

When we walked past this place the first time, we had noticed the dishes all laid out prettily and neatly on the counters. We had also noticed the posters and advertisements stating how their system worked, and how there was now a deal of 3 for the price of 2. 

It felt like a good deal, so this evening we had our dinner there. 

It was lovely seeing all the different dishes laid out on the counter. 

What exactly there were- now I can't remember- but there were local favorites- the same kind you find in a Teochew Porridge or Scissors Cut Curry Rice stall- and dishes that one would normally only be able to have in a regular Mainland restaurant. 

Some of the dishes I thought rare were like the steamed chicken feet (with some sort of sauce). There was then a dish of Sichuan-style La Zi Ji, another dish of what I call Sichuan-style Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens (Suan Cai Yu), and another smaller dish of steamed fish very much like what I would see at the Teochew Porridge stall. 

We chose what we wanted, put it on our tray and went to the cashier.

The lady rang it up, and that's when I got a bit of a surprise.

Will I say it clouded my enjoyment of the meal?

No. 

I had my fill.

I loved what I ate.

But the eye-opening price of $17 for all them six dishes had me wondering just what exactly I were paying for. 

How did all of these come to the grand total price of $17.20? 

How had the price come about? 

Were it because of the dishes we chose... but the most expensive I saw was $3.90..?

Or were it because of the beautiful, aesthetic way they had been arranged? 

I have no idea.

The brain refused to calculate. 

The mouth felt too shy to ask.

And in any case hungry me wasn't in the mood to get into a bantering mode with the cashier knowing she'd probably give me an answer the jiak kentang I would grasp. 

This evening I just wanted to eat.

I just wanted to enjoy my food. 

So no way was I going to let an answer leave me with a sour taste when right in front of me there were all them dishes I wanted to reminisce, and wanted to try. 

Looking at these pictures more carefully now, a part of me realizes I really shouldn't see the cost to be that much of an issue, especially when you consider how a main dish at any Mainland Chinese place is minimum of $15, whilst here on the table there were a sampler of six. 

Perhaps that be the only way one should see it. 

Because where else (in the world of Mainland dining places here on the island) can one get a steamed egg, a tomato egg, a sweet and sour pork, a braised eggplant, a couple pieces of La Zi Ji, and a heap of beautifully arranged Mei Cai Kou Rou for the price of one main dish? 

Where else (in the world of Mainland places here on the island) does one get to choose their own samplers and have a taste of this and that at 1/6 of what they would normally pay? 

What's more, the dishes were done good. 

I really liked the sweet sour pork, the tomato egg, the braised eggplant and the Mei Cai Kou Rou (Pork Belly with Mei Cai- I've no idea what the English name of these vegetables they are). 

The sweet sour pork was surprisingly tender, not overwhelming sweet, and chopped into bite sized pieces that I felt were easy to pick up and eat. I had worried it would be either all hard meat, or all tendon fat- both of which I don't quite fancy.

The tomato egg wasn't bad, not on any counts even if- as some say- be the most ordinary of homecooked dishes that is easy to prepare. Eating it made me wonder just how life had been that (Cantonese that I am) had never had it before.

What I appreciated very much, however, were the braised eggplant and the Mei Cai Pork Belly. 

There are places where they slice the eggplant so thin that you're literally getting eggplant chips doused in lots and lots of sauce but have no chew. 

Then there are places where the division between vegetable and pork belly is so mixed that I can eat only vegetable but not the pork belly. 

Here the pork belly was evenly divided, slice by slice, making it possible to eat it with scoops of rice.

That I liked. 

I only wish there could have been more of them pork bellies.

The steamed egg and the La Zi Ji were just as good. 

Sometimes in life you want to mush up your egg with rice, carve it separately or you want to have a bit of fried stuff for the day without too much spice. 

That's where this version of La Zi Ji comes in. 

I barely tasted the Mala. 

One thing though, given these prices, perhaps next time I should be more discerning when it comes to what I want to eat and what I want to take.

Maybe I'll still take the steamed egg and the braised eggplant and the Mei Cai, but I might just drop the sweet sour pork and go for the Suan Cai Yu instead. A sample dish of Fish with Pickled Mustard Greens gives me a whiff of flavor without me having to finish a full-sized dish.  

Maybe I'll go for some of the more unusual, more difficult to make dishes. 

That way, I'd make my moolah feel more satisfied, more worth. 

Bus Ride Sights: Parkway-Suntec

You know something funny?

For all the times that I have taken Bus 36 from Parkway down to Suntec City, Raffles City, and Orchard, I have hardly had the chance to take a picture of this particular view. 

I don't know if it is because I happen to be standing most of the time. 

Or if it because I don't have Chonkycam with me those times. 

But today I had a seat, I had Chonkycam with me, and, best of all, the light was good. 

Hence it was that this afternoon granted me some of the loveliest pictures that I have ever taken on this one bus ride.  

Bus 36 for me today began at the bus stop outside Parkway Parade.

Like always.

By right, Chonkycam should have come out there and then, but I was settling down, and so not until the bus had gone past Mountbatten Road, onto Tanjong Katong South Road, and up onto the East Coast Parkway did she come out from my bag.

If there is one thing you must know, it is that it is a very quick journey from here down to Suntec City.

How long the journey takes, I don't know, but think thirty minutes at most from this one turn of Tanjong Katong South Road, onto the ECP, and into the Downtown zone of Temasek Boulevard. 

With such short leeway overall, you can imagine that Chonkycam worked overtime. 

But I didn't mind. 

See, one of the most charming things that Bus 36 has going for her is the view of the sea. 

The view doesn't actually begin here this side of East Coast, but stretches all the way back from Changi Airport where most of the route takes you along one of the most scenic views this side of the country. 

It is somewhere around there near the airport that the sea view begins, and on it goes at pockets here and there, not stopping even after the bus enters the residential areas, because after them blocks and schools and shops and condos, out onto another part of the East Coast Parkway she goes. 

Now, it would be perfect if the sea view stayed unabated all the way, but this is Singapore- a dot of an island- and there are bound to be places where, even though you're on the highway, your view gets blocked by the sight of (forested) trees, the glass showing the reflection showing the condominium towers opposite. 

I have no idea what these condominiums are, I also don't know which part of the East Coast area they are, but certainly they are not standing amongst the forests this side of the highway, because in the midst of all them leaves and one random staircase, all of a sudden, almost immediately, another view appears.

The unmistakable hotel towers of Marina Bay Sands, the distinctive curve of the Singapore Flyer, and the glassy, glossy blue surfaces of the Marina Bay Financial District. 

From here on, the view changes pretty fast.

All you get is a couple of minutes- five, ten- as the bus climbs up a sort of slope over the Benjamin Sheares Bridge- and then you're right into the heart of Suntec City, Marina Bay, and Temasek Boulevard. 

But an inspiring, breathtaking picture this will make if your hand works fast enough to get the shot right. 

All at once there is the view of the waters beyond Singapore's shores, there are the blue waters of the Marina Barrage Reservoir shimmering beautifully under the bright light of a Singapore sun, and as the bus nears Temasek Boulevard, the Supertrees, and them two bug-eye structures from Gardens by the Bay slide into view. 

At the same time, there is the Skypark atop Marina Bay Sands that from this angle is facing toward you, there is the ArtScience Museum that to me resembles a lotus flower in bloom, there is the F1 Pit Building, and then finally there is Marina Bay herself- distinctive, sharp, recognized. 

Never mind if you're seeing it through the grainy blur of a bus window. 

Tuna @ Thomson's Sushiro

This will be a short post. 

Not because there's nothing to write or that there's no picture or that the meal wasn't good.

Just that in life there are things which are simple yet fulfilling both at the same time, and one doesn't need to write a lot to appreciate a meal.

Originally we had not planned to have a meal here, my colleague and I, but there wasn't much here in the shopping center here today that we wanted to have, so off it was to the Sushiro outlet over at one corner of the mall that we went. 

There is a fair bit of variety to be had here on the menu here at Sushiro. 

I can't say it be the same as how other Japanese chain franchises do it, but the menu here is targeted and specific, intended for diners who appreciate their seafood, and their sushi. 

There aren't many chains I know that offer items like Grilled Mackerel sushi, Ark Shell sushi, Engawa sushi and Swordfish sushi. 

Also there aren't many places that have sushi of Fresh Octopus and Young Yellowtail and Marinated Sesame Red Snapper. 

They're a bit more mass palate when it comes to their cooked food. 

There're small bites of Sweet Potato Tempura, Chicken Kaarage, and Takoyaki. There're also mains that include Tonkotsu Ramen with Egg, Beef Udon and Shrimp Tempura Udon. 

I had thought of trying the Beef Udon (I like udon) but then decided to go all the way for sushi instead.

At another time I might be adventurous with my diet and try the Ark Shell sushi or the Swordfish sushi, but today we decided to just stick with the Tuna, the Aburi Salmon Cheese, and the Medium Fatty Tuna. 

It was more than enough for me.

What made the meal feel extra special was the amount of sushi that we ordered. 

Seeing all these red plates made the meal feel extra pleasant. 

It made the meal feel so pleasant. 

You know what I'll do next time?

I'll get a few pieces of the Medium Fatty Tuna sushi, a bowl of the Beef Udon- I still think it looks lovely- and then dessert. 

In the form of a Macaron Parfait and a Hokkaido Milk Crepe. 

It's been a long time since I had Japanese desserts anyway. 

Soi 47 Toa Payoh 2026

A blessing it is to have a meal here at the Soi 47 of Toa Payoh Lorong 6. 

Don't laugh.

Soi 47 might be one of those places where authenticity sits somewhere in between, but as far as one goes when craving a plate of Pad See Ew or Moo Ping or Green Curry, this is one of the best. 

I have a love for their Pad See Ew and their Pad Thai. 

I also have a love for the Green Curry and their Tom Kha, both of which, come to think of it, I have not had in a long time.

It is a relief, and joy, really, to be back here at this outlet at the corner unit of the void deck of this block. 

I don't know if it is the familiar sight of them tables and chairs. 

Or the sight of the menu, which, by the way (in much typical Thai fashion) has looked the same and has not changed since the first time I had their meals over at Temple Street in Chinatown. 

If you think it amusing, you must know that there was a season where Soi 47- six, seven outlets and all- faced the risk of an impending closure, and indeed, for a few weeks they did, until one day when corporate management did what corporate management does, and the outlets (or at least this one) reopened again.

We could not be more glad, I tell you. 

Especially since Thai food is very close to our hearts and which is a cuisine we always want to go for whenever we can. 

You might say it's the taste, or the portion or the fact that the cuisine somehow brings back very pleasant memories. 

And it doesn't always have to be the dishes that we favor. 

Sometimes we skip the familiar favorites and go for dishes that we feel like having that day.

Like today, this evening, where instead of Green Curry or Pad Thai, we ordered a plate of fried duck Mama (instant noodles), and a big fluffy egg omelet.

I had been surprised by the order of noodles.

My friend generally prefers rice. 

As it turns out, he had made the order by mistake, but what with us being us, we just ate the noodles (happily) anyway. 

The charm of this dish lies in the ingredients- the duck, and the fried egg. 

It might surprise some just why a duck leg is so attractive. 

First of all, it is fried. 

Here on this island, roast duck, braised duck, even stewed duck, are common. Fried duck, however, is not. I don't think I have ever seen fried duck meat ever been offered in any of our hawker centers, coffee shops or even restaurants. It is not a dish on any reputable Chinese restaurant menu. It is also not a dish that you can buy for a couple of dollars at a hawker center. 

It's rare. 

What's more, the meat beneath the crispy skin is remarkably tender.

One might think that the meat be dry and hard, but no, it isn't. 

It also has a distinctive, if not slight, smoky taste only distinguishable in meats that have been fried in a wok already full of wok hei. 

Think that's what we liked the most. 

Same too for the fluffy omelet.

Nearly every Thai place I know offers the omelet. At other places I don't have the feeling to order the omelet, but not here. 

Perhaps it be that Soi 47 does it in a homely, familiar way that makes you think of the street stalls in Bangkok whilst sitting at a table in Toa Payoh. 

Might be the generous amount of eggs they use for the omelet.

Or, might be the way they do their ubiquitous omelet that has textures both soft, fluffy, crispy, and tasty, yet not very, very greasy at the same time. 

Comforting as a dish this is, we had a great time with the omelet, eating it together with the rice, feeling the crisp and crunch of the egg mix perfectly good together with the hot grains of rice. 

Pistachio Paste @ Ruxu Funan

Over a month it has been since my friend suggested we go to this place at Funan Mall for hot desserts then going viral all over the socials. 

Tell you honestly, I had been delighted with the suggestion. 

So seldom is it that we go for bowls like these that every opportunity becomes a pleasant, even special one. 

There is a fair bit of hot bowls here at Ruxu that one can choose from. 

What makes this place unique isn't just the food they have to offer, but the proof of fact that Mainland food is now no longer restricted to just giant-sized crepe pancakes called shao bing, twisted flour sticks called ma hua, or (sometimes not very aesthetic-looking) dishes of the earthy, agricultural kind.

If anything, Ruxu shows that they these days are more than happy to export their aesthetic-rich looking foods too. 

There have been several opinions about the bakes and pastries they have on offer. 

Some people find them bland. 

Others, however, find them disproportionate in size. 

I'm not sure how one interprets whether a food is good or not. 

But the bakes my friend got for us this evening were good. 

There were two- a bun, and a tart. The bun was for him, the tart for me. It wasn't because I had chosen not to have the bun, but because tarts have always been a favorite of mine, and what better than a tart of this sort that has both caramel and custard. 

Glistening beautifully under the lights, the custard, with its firm, buttery yet flaky pastry, hugged a filing that was at once rich and eggy with a distinctive milk pudding texture.  

I loved the puff pastry of the tart shell. 

Not only did it not crumble after the first bite, it made the tart very easy to hold, and to eat. 

Best of all, it wasn't as sweet as I thought it might be. 

Perhaps that be the way of some Cantonese-style, Mainland-style bakes. They can go all savory- no problem- but they hold back when it comes to the sweet. 

It was the same for his bun with the matcha cream filling.

So the cream might look a little bit dark here in the picture, but really, I can assure you, it' wasn't. More of a dark green, really, and rich with the matcha taste that combines a hint of the bitter with a faint taste of sweet. 

The way the cream got layered had it such that it felt silly to bite directly into the bun, so from both edges we picked at it with our fingers bit by bit before getting to the cream inside. 

If the bakes were good, same too can be said for the hot desserts. 

Originally I had thought we might share a bowl but my friend remembered my love for steamed milk desserts so he got one bowl of steamed milk custard, and another of the signature pistachio paste. 

The milk custard didn't bring me back strong vibes of Hong Kong (which it should have- given how I'd eaten it twice before and have never forgotten it) but the smooth white surface did make me relish what was right now in front of me- a clean, shiny, smooth white custard pudding that bounced when my spoon pressed on it, and which slid gently onto my spoon when I carved into it. 

I'm glad it wasn't one of those very sweet desserts that I sometimes get skeptical about. 

It isn't because I don't like sugar. 

If the dessert is meant to have lots of sweet- like chendol or ice kachang or iced cocktail jelly- then, of course, by all means, let's roll the sugar.

But in Cantonese-style tong shui desserts of this make, sugar masks the taste of milk, and the milk in this bowl was the very thing I wanted to have. 

So I'm glad it wasn't leaning to the sweet.

Same thing it were too, thankfully, for the pistachio paste. 

I would have been disappointed had the bowl of green paste turned out to have an artificial flavor to it masked generously with sugar. 

But it wasn't. 

The flavor of pistachio- nutty, slightly salty, with its distinctive taste- was obvious and strong. I didn't taste anything awkward on my tongue. Then the coloring too- it's lighter than what the picture shows, by the way- was natural, sitting somewhere between the pastel of green, and the depth of the real pistachio nut green. What's more, there was also the texture- thick and smooth like how a paste dessert ought to be. 

I'm pretty sure there'll be more places offering such pistachio paste desserts here and there. It is a trending flavor after all, family-friendly for all ages, even elderly whose teeth and dentures no longer work well with the crunchiness of nuts. 

But I think I might come back here to Ruxu. 

They have an ambience that is, to me, reminiscent of a tea house- but less heavy, more minimalist- and an upheld quality in their desserts and bakes, which, at moments in life, I ought to learn to love, and appreciate. 

Lucent @ Dorsett

A friend introduced me to this hotel restaurant a couple of months ago. 

As always I had begun a little skeptical- I mean, Dorsett @ Cantonment is not known for its restaurant- but now that I've eaten here a few times I have come to appreciate the structure, the menu, and the function. 

Not all buffets need to be aesthetic and elaborate.

Some just need to be present, available, and fun. 

Fun is how I would describe the buffet here at Lucent. 

It might not be the best of all worlds, but it is, at least, the best of some. 

This is the place to come if you're a lover of simplicity seafood. 

By that what it means is that you're not going to find mountains of baby lobsters, crayfish, freshly shucked oysters of two types, shiny fresh mussels, and prawns of various sizes all for the taking.

What it does mean, however, is that you will have prawns, baby lobsters, lala shellfish, mussels, the occasional scallop, and freshly shucked oysters of one kind. 

My friend makes no bones that he comes here for the oysters.

I, on the other hand, am more keen on the hotpot, and whatever ingredients I can throw into the small cute little pot in the center of the table. 

What's funny, however, is that I find myself needing to be very creative when it comes to the hotpot.

Not because they don't have enough ingredients but because theirs are all cut into small cute little pieces that I either have to take a lot of (to fill the pot) or take a lot of each and everything to make the pot look stuffed and full.

That would be good if I take everything that they have.

Except I don't. 

I won't take foods that I won't eat, so that leaves me with selections up to only three, or four. 

Of these, however, I do take a lot, so in my pot this evening there were scattering heaps of Chinese cabbage, quail eggs, black fungus- for extra nutrition, cheese tofu- for the fun, and two big prawns (that I knew I might eat, might not eat, but I chose it for the color)

I helped myself to a lot of cabbage this evening. 

I wanted the warmth of them vegetables inside my mouth. 

But I also wanted the carbs. 

So from their cooked food section I had a couple plates holding sushi, what I think is a piece of battered prawn, and a small serving of tom yum bey tai mak noodles (mice's tails) that looked too nice to not try. 

Sushi was probably my most favorite choice for today. 

You could say I was hungry.

And there's nothing better of a quick bite to have a few pieces of aburi salmon sushi, a few pieces of what looks like California roll but has salmon on top. 

So hungry I was this evening that I ate up most of the sushi rice. 

Yeah, all them pieces. 

Those that I didn't finish I dropped them into the soup to make a modified version of pao fan, and I got to say, tasted really good, especially at the end after the prawns had been boiled, and all the other ingredients had been cooked. 

This evening I also helped myself to a bit of the fish. 

Not just any normal fish, but grouper, or white bass, something, definitely one of the more expensive fishes that I wouldn't normally order when eating elsewhere. This fish came served with a little bit of cream.

Then I had a plate of sashimi- we got both salmon and tuna- dipping them in soy sauce as well as sesame oil (that we brought from home). If I'm not wrong there were two plates we took this evening, of which this is one.  

Sometimes I don't know if I prefer tuna or salmon. Tuna does have that color and brightness that cheers me up, and it goes very well with the sesame oil, soy sauce and wasabi same way that salmon does too. 

Of course I had my fair share of oysters.

My friend won't let me leave here without eating at least one. 

He probably had at least seven or eight, if not ten or twelve.

Me, I stuck to two. 

Not because they weren't fresh or too small, but (unlike him) oysters fill me up easily and I would have eaten more but I still wanted to have ingredients from my pot plus take some other of their cooked food. 

One of the things I wanted from the counter were these huge poached eggs. So my friend got a serving for me, and I ate them with more of those tom yum bey tai mak that by now I had really come to appreciate. 

I was getting full by now but there is always room for dessert when it comes to a buffet like this so we went for a cup of ice cream each- he took his usual chocolate, I had strawberry- and I got meself a plate of cakes. 

There was a gula melaka cake (with coconut flakes), a red velvet cake, and a cute little slice of carrot cake with cream cheese frosting on top. 

(Some) ChaletYums

You know, it's a little funny, but whilst sorting through my pictures, I have only just realized I have yet to write anything about the meals we have had here at home. 

Could it be because of everything that has happened that I have felt unready?

Could it even be that, despite living here from January to now (early April) I have yet to feel comfortable enough to call it a home? 

I don't know. 

What I do know is that the meals here differ greatly from the ones we have had before, and to be honest, I know not what to make of them even at this point in time. 

But life is such that you take the picture- never mind how you feel- and then- when you get the courage- look at it again. 

We have had a good number of meals here at home. 

Some, out of necessity, others, because it seemed wiser to have a meal at home with no service charge than to go outside and have to pay for this and that. 

If there weren't so many interesting places close by, we might have dined there, but since Parkway Parade and i12 have no shortage of interesting foods, not to mention the hawker center and the coffee shops opposite the road, eating tapaoed meals at home have now become a normal, pleasant thing. 

Three months now, and there have been a good menu of foods we have had here at home, all of which I am very thankful for.

Amongst some of my favorites we have had here at table are the salmons and the fast food. 

That doesn't mean I don't like the skewers or all the other foods we've eaten at this table.

It just means that it has always been my (childhood) dream to have fast food at table at home. 

That, from a long time back I had always wished to have McDonalds or KFC or Burger King at my dining table, or in my room, comfortable, being able to eat what I want and drink what I want in the environment that I am at ease in.

Except that maybe that sort of ease never got permitted, and so never came. 

Until a couple of years ago when we started having Burger King breakfasts and McDonalds breakfasts around the coffee table in Ceylon- and now here. 

To have the Filet O Fish, the Buttermilk Chicken burger, the chicken nuggets, and the curly fries all in their opened boxes has made for a very happy albeit (adulting) meal. 

I loved the quiet joy of spreading over the burger bun an additional layer of Hellmann's mayonnaise straight from the jar.

I loved the ability to dip the chicken nuggets with mustard and ketchup from packets saved over the years.

Same too it is with the salmons. 

I have missed having plastic trays of them salmon sushis and salmon sashimis at table. 

Seeing these bright orange slices brought back a memory both pleasant, and precious, where tapaoing food was the norm, and you either ate at the void deck, some park, or at the dining table in your home. 

Not to mention, eating at home means one gets the unique taste of sashimi dipped in very good sesame oil, accompanied by a little bit of soy sauce. 

Other dishes that have been just as great at table include them on big blue plates, most of it, I think, have been frozen minced chicken that got marinated with oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and then stir-fried in the pan.

Even if some aren't homecooked, we also have had roast chicken bought from the supermarket downstairs that we cut into half, eat what we want, and save the remainder for another day.  

The meat sans chicken skin actually does last quite long and whilst it might be all cut up and shredded, it still does taste very well. 

Of course, there can't be any homecooked meals without the presence of instant noodles. 

Since coming here, I haven't had them a lot- only two times.

The first time was, I think, Chinese New Year Eve, and I had somehow accidentally tore open the packet of seasoning and dunked it inside the water where my noodles were cooking. 

The second time, however, I was more conscious, and I made my noodles the way I like them- dry, without seasoning, and with the blessing of meat skewers plus quail eggs that my friend had tapaoed from Mainland Chinese place Thumbs Up on East Coast Road downstairs. 

Can I just say I have come to like this combination?

The marination from the well-marinated skewers gets all spread out over them noodles aka a more natural taste than MSG, and I get to have a bit of carbs with the meat.

I'll stop writing for now, but certainly there'll be more pictures as time goes by. 

After all I haven't written about the Lu Rou Fan, nor the Pad Thai noodles from Killiney that my friend has, more than once, bought for me. 

BKT @ Joo Chiat

I'm pretty sure I have taken pictures of this meal here at Sin Heng Claypot Bak Kut Teh before. 

But it has been a while, and it has been some time.

Still, a dish of bak kut teh from this place here at Joo Chiat Road is not something you easily forget, and so pictures like these become significant- somehow- to me. 

If you find what I say over the top, well, there's one thing you must know. 

I am not the kind of diner who will have craving for bak kut teh or will think of bak kut teh when asked what I want to eat. Neither am I the kind of person who has this dish at the top of my head, nor will I have it come to mind when someone asks me what I want to eat. 

Here's the irony: I can't say bak kut teh is my favorite dish, but I don't eschew a good bowl of hot, piping soup, be it the (Hokkien) black herbal one, or the (Teochew) white peppery one. 

I too do not eschew big pork ribs when their meat is cooked tender to the level that it falls off the bone. 

That being said, however, there are only a couple of places I am happy to go, and I like sticking to my favorite ones.

My BKT journey to date has seen me queue at a Centerpoint branch, a Chinatown branch, dash across fast-traffic Geylang Road to a shophouse at Geylang Lorong 11, cross two roads to a coffee shop at Geylang East close to Paya Lebar, walk 15 minutes, take a bus, then walk again, to this place here at Joo Chiat Road. 

Sin Heng Claypot serves their bak kut teh in the soup of the dark herbal style.

What makes it interesting is that the soup isn't as thick as most people assume black herbal soups to be. 

On the contrary, they make it such that there is the right balance of thickness with the right quantity of water, so you do get the thickness of a broth same time as you get the clear, watery texture of soup.

Two of our regular dishes we order here at the bak kut teh, and the ter ka. 

Do I like one over the other? 

No, but I do need help picking out the meat from the ter ka whose collagen-rich skin I don't know how to eat, cannot bear to see, and can't tell which is where. 

This afternoon we ordered just one dish- the bak kut teh- on its own. 

We weren't very hungry, and pork ribs are, naturally, easier to eat.

Just peel them off the bone, put them at the side of the bowl and drizzle some of the soy sauce over. 

I have never quite struggled with how pork ribs are like- I am good with the taste in and of its own- but not too long ago I discovered the joy of enhancing the tender, clean-tasting pork with bits of coriander in a spoon with rice, and that's how I had my bak this afternoon. 

One spoon holding a bit of soft, tender, boiled pork, a bit of yam rice, a single stalk of coriander and a tiny little dollop of dark soy sauce that we brought from home. 

Don't laugh, the combination actually  works very well. 

Of course, not bak kut teh meal is complete without you tiao, and this afternoon we got ourselves one bowl. 

My friend ate his crispy and plain. I dunked mine inside the soup. 

Both tasted good all the same. 

Mifenmian @ Aljunied Lane

Mifenmian, or Economic Bee Hoon, is probably one of the simplest dishes to be had on this island. 

Like Economic Rice, it is the kind of dish that every working-class person knows. 

And because each stall is different, and unique on its own, one can't really tell just what is what, and which is which, until you actually patronize the stall and eat the food there.

Good mifenmian has become increasingly difficult to find in the last couple of years. It is either that the noodles have not enough taste, too little salt, or if not, they go the opposite direction with too much salt, too much oil, and an overwhelming amount of soy sauce dunked in when they fry the noodle. 

So, rare and unique it is when you find a stall that serves up good, dry, well-fried bee hoon, smooth kuay teow fried in a nice, warm brown, and ingredients that are cut neither too big nor too small.

We were at a coffee shop somewhere close to Upper Aljunied Lane this particular evening, my friend and I. 

Now, what makes this place interesting is that, whilst I had heard of this place, and visited this place a couple of times ever since childhood, I had never not once eaten at the coffee shop here, nor gone to the row of shops at the main road. 

I don't know if Mr. Radioman ever did.

I had no inkling what, or how the public housing estate close to Jalan Mulia and Jalan Gembira looked liked. 

Until today.

And I was surprised. 

What's the relevance, you might ask. 

Actually, not so much now. 

But still, it made for a significant feeling, sitting here at the coffee shop of Upper Aljunied Lane on 3rd of March, eating a meal that was not only affordable, not only tasty, but also, familiar with me since I were young.

Those who know me will know I am a fan of kuay teow. 

No less, of course, Mr. Radioman, who used to buy mifenmian for the family from the coffee shop downstairs, and who knows I will actually make a small grumble when my packet of noodles reveals strands of mian mixed together with the kuay teow. 

Eating this plate of kuay teow with fish filet and a piece of otah had me wondering what he would say had he known I were here in his former neighborhood, at the blocks close to his former zone.

But, hey, I wasn't emo. 

Not at all. 

On the contrary, I was glad, thankful, for this plate. 

It was quietly comforting, assuring, as if telling me that life had been all right for Mr. Radioman, and it would be all right for me now.

The kuay teow was smooth, tasty, not overwhelming in oil. Also, easy to eat, the noodles picked up easily by my chopsticks. I liked the flavor, the taste, the way the noodles slid around my mouth and wrapped my tongue with its dark soy taste.

And accompanying it, were the crunch of the well-fried fish filet, coupled together with the spice of the soft, mushy, bright colored otah.