It was a Sunday afternoon when my friend decided he wanted to have chicken rice for lunch.
Not just any chicken rice from any random stall, but from one that he particularly favored, remembered, and wanted to have.
The coffee shop where this particular stall wasn't too far from where we were- at Tanjong Katong Road- so we walked there from East Coast Road.
I don't know the name of the coffee shop.
I only know that it sits at the corner of a row of shophouses, and that it looks out directly onto the Caltex Petrol Station a small lane across.
The chicken rice stall has been around here for ages.
It is one of the most popular stalls this stretch of East Coast, and has its own fan club of customers on both weekdays and weekends. I am always surprised by the weekday lunch crowd.
Many a time it consists of office workers who seem to have made a special bus ride down here just for the chicken rice but there are also those who look like they have just come from site and want a quick meal. Also, there are also customers like us who come here just for the chicken rice and the roasted meats.
This afternoon we took a table outside the main area of the coffee shop, seating ourselves close to the back. My friend went to queue, and not long after, the stall owner came to our table bearing a tray holding a plate of roast chicken rice and a plate of roast pork.
My friend said he missed these two dishes the most.
After the first bite of chicken, together with the rice, I had to agree.
It isn't that I don't know how this chicken and this roast pork tastes like. It's just that- after so long- I've somewhat forgotten.
But first bite of the chicken reminded me why.
Tender and smooth, with a softness that isn't always present in roast chicken, the meat had been skillfully marinated such that you tasted a bit of saltiness, a bit of the burnt roast, and the warmth from the meat all at the same time.
You know how one gets a bit of a rounded taste when a piece of meat is roasted good?
That's how this one tasted like.
It wasn't hot, by the way. Roast chicken isn't served hot. But despite its gentle cold and slight chill, the meat still possessed a warmth once you bite into it.
I had slices of the chicken with the rice, which, whilst I don't have a picture, consisted of smooth rice grains, and every spoonful held the natural flavors from the meat's oils.
What's more, it wasn't very oily either.
Only a hint.
A little bit.
The roast pork was good too.
Frankly I am not really sure how to appreciate a good roast pork. Some people tell me that size matters. Others tell me that the pork must have that layer of fat in between before it can be considered a worthy piece of roast pork. Still, others say that the pork crackling is the most important part. According to them, a soggy crackling will get the roast pork nowhere.
One thing about the pieces here were how equally they were sliced.
Whoever it was who worked the knife certainly had very good cutting skills, plus very good presentation. All the pieces were arranged so prettily in a way that whetted your appetite immediately.
I did find the pieces a little harder than I thought they would be though.
Like, the meat was a little on the tough side to chew, but that was the only thing I had to get used to. The crackling was good. The meat was clean-tasting on the palate and it really felt like I was having lots of the meat rather than just seven nicely chopped pieces of it.
I liked both platters of what I was eating this afternoon.
It felt special, as if I were enjoying a meal which was unique to this road on this part of town.
Maybe I'll take some of the dark sweet soy sauce to go with the roast pork next time.
Or dip the crackling into it.
I think it should taste even better this way.