Alexandra's Park (hotel)

First time visitors to the country staying at this hotel would probably not know that the hotel sits on the very site where SAFRA Bukit Merah used to be, and what is now a seventeen-storey hotel used to be merely five or six storeys with a common corridor stretching out along the entire property, and with two lifelike models of soldiers rappelling down from the roof.

 

I know.

 

My place of work used to be down the road, and more often than not, me and my colleague would walk down Bukit Merah to this area for lunch at Anchorpoint, IKEA and sometimes, Queensway. IKEA's meatballs were a favorite then, as were the lunch sets at Jack's Place and Secret Recipe in Anchorpoint.

 

Jack's Place is still there, but Secret Recipe has gone and is now replaced with Ma Maison. Anchorpoint doesn't seem to have changed much in the last decade, I'd say. The outlet shops are still there. KFC is still there. Xin Wang and Cold Storage are also there. The bookstore downstairs has disappeared, but the food court is there at its corner. The Watsons is still at its usual place, Bengawan Solo hasn't moved, there's still the pet store, and right next to it now there's a Valu$ store.  

Really, this neighbourhood has seen a bit of change.

 

And the most dominant one, perhaps would probably be the Park Hotel Alexandra that sits at the junction of Queensway, Alexandra and Bukit Merah.

 

It is in a strategic location, no doubt, with Queensway Shopping Center (McDonalds!) at one side, Alexandra Village on the other, IKEA behind and Anchorpoint directly opposite.

 

There is not much for the luxury shopper, the party-goer, or the one who wants to see the glittering, glimmering cityscape of Singapore.

 

But this area is great for the quirky explorer who wants to walk around the neighbourhood, and they would find themselves having much to see, whether it be the factory buildings, the industrial estates, the public housing board flats, the condominiums, the sprawling IKEA building, the luxury car showrooms, the stretch of greenery along Queensway, the quaint bakeries in the Alexandra Village area, or the street-style shops in Queensway Shopping Center.

This area would be great too for the nature lover, where two bus stops away would lead them to the entrance of Hort Park and thereafter the forested foliage of the Southern Ridges Nature Reserve.  

 

And if they were the in-and-out tourist who preferred making time for the Singapore Zoo, Orchard Road and Universal Studios, there would be the flowers by the lift to welcome them back, whilst up in their rooms, a most wonderful view for them to see.

 

 

 

Of course, brighter than what you see here all this would be on a sunny day- through the dark glass, this was all my camera would grant me- and warmer than this view it would be in the room behind.

 

 

That's how they have designed the space to be; a place filled with warmth, complete with the offerings of huge, cheerful cushions, nice linen, a great shower area, work desk, peppermint scented toiletries, business magazines (I finally got to read Forbes after the longest time!), a mini fridge, and most importantly, big mugs for coffee or tea.

 

 

Park Hotel Alexandra would not be one I call spectacular, but it is a place good enough to "stone", even if you're local, just for a little while. It is a place that gives you a different perspective of what you know, or what you think you know. It is a place that is comfortable, quiet, with just the right presence of cheer, and yet, leaving you with whatever space you need.

 

In short, it is a place where you can be just you.

 

And breakfast at the restaurant downstairs next to the pool does make the whole experience better. After all, you can go all Continental and have pastries and toast with butter and jam. You can go American and have pancakes with eggs, baked beans, bacon and ham. You can go Asian with porridge, dim sum and warm soymilk. Or you can do as I did, go chapalang, eat whatever you want, and have a combination of lor mai kai, pancakes, scrambled eggs, siew mai, Koko Krunch, cherry tomatoes and hash browns.

the Caveman BBQ skewers

It was one of those days that we felt like having a little beef for dinner but not an entire steak with potatoes and the like. So we googled around and decided on this place at Orchard Central.

The vibe at Caveman BBQ is, in one word, atmospheric.

Stepping through its doors is akin to stepping into a cave where the walls are dark, the overall lighting is dim, and the individual grilling stations at the tables are reminiscent of cosy little fires.

It is a place where the menus are laminated and you are given a marker to write down what you want, how much you want and because it is so easily erased, invites you to order, order and order some more.

Most of their meats are presented in skewers, so what you do is to fit them into the slots on the grilling stations and watch as the electric flame does all the work. Vegetables- really large portions- are served on platters and which you arrange on a grill raised high above the flame.

We decided on beef chunks, chicken pieces, and salmon cubes. Second from left, suspended over the glowing flame are the salmon cubes. It is a test of one's skill, honestly, because timing is important here. It is a delicate business. A little too slow and you get uncooked meat. A little too long and your meat becomes overcooked.

Good thing we got the timing right. The salmon was tender, the beef was juicy with its own jus and the chicken was tasty, but for me, what made the meats really special was the seasoning.

See, many a BBQ place offers you a standard array of sauces but there's none of that here. What they offer you at your own table are jars of dry seasonings- crushed peanut (with a bit of sugar mixed inside) and chili powder- that you can take as much as you want. 

Moreover, your dining plates are specially designed for you to place the seasonings within each section. Diehards with discipline for structure and order will love being able to place the peanut in one row, and the chili in the other. It would make for a pretty sight, but I skipped the chili powder, so all you see is a heap of brown.

I liked the peanut with the tender, slightly salty, melt-in-your-mouth salmon. :)
 

Most of the extensive menu here consists of the grilled stuff. There's beef, lamb, chicken, pork, vegetables, noodles, and even dessert where I'm sure I will try the grilled bananas one day.  But there're other main dishes too, like this lovely huge bowl of egg and tomato soup that came served to us smooth, thick, and with chewy sago inside.  

beef bits @ Pizza Express

 

This might sound a little strange, but if there is one thing about this Hamburger Al Formaggio thin crust pizza that I like, it is the rocket lettuce that they scatter so generously on top of the pizza.

See, many people would heap praises on the béchamel, the crispy, crunchy beef bits, the beef ragu, the thick, gooey mozzarella cheese and the fresh, lovely cherry tomatoes, and I do, too, but what I really, really do love about this whole pizza are its leafy greens. 

To me, the rocket makes all the difference.

Faintly bitter, it pops up at the back of your tongue and is a surprising complement with each bite of the pizza. No more does your pizza taste merely salty, chewy, crunchy, crispy, or even juicy,  now there's the rocket which adds a bit of raw texture and throws that hint of bitter. 

I like it.

Beats eating the leaves alone as a salad with vinaigrette, and it was rather fun trying to prevent the lettuce from falling off the pizza,..

The menu at Pizza Express looks to be a carefully curated one. It is one where you don't get the usual Hawaiian (ham, pineapple and cheese) but it offers you a variety of classic pizzas, Romana pizzas and even localized ones- there was a Laksa one, I saw. And they have salads and starters and desserts.

We haven't tried their salads or desserts, but we did have one of their starters. They call it Doppio, and essentially it is a dish of cute little bread balls served with three dips of garlic butter, spiced tomato and pesto.

a birthday in July

I'm four months late writing this.

I should have written this months ago, but with everything placed on the backbencher...… let's just say that I'm glad for the understanding of the birthday dude the same way I'm glad for the fact that this year I could finally get a gift without needing to ponder, plan and consider.

The gift of a watch was presented during the birthday dinner at the Crossroads Café in Marriott Tang Plaza. We've had a few celebrations here over the years ranging from high teas to lunches and dinners. We chose dinner this time.

Particularly because we have our favorites amongst their offerings. The birthday dude loves the freshly shucked oysters, the salmon sashimi and the slices of roast beef. Me, I have my love for their dessert range.

Between us we shared plates of oysters and thick-cut salmon sashimi. The dude had a portion of noodles (the joys of being Chinese), a bit of double boiled soup, a bit of roast duck, a bit of roast chicken, a bit of dim sum, and slices of roast beef with a leg of lamb along with sauces and oils. Why anyone would choose to attempt a slice of roast beef with avocado oil I don't know, but hey, one's palate, one's choice. 

Let's just say that much of the dude's dinner was dedicated to the five plates heaped with oysters and two plates of sashimi.

I chose a more varied platter. Let's see, I had a bit of pearl barley, a bit of gnocchi, a bit of steamed fish slices, a small portion of noodles, one crystal dumpling with chives inside, a bit of char kuay teow and a bit of the roast beef which I tried with some sort of jam. There were finger sandwiches that I took for the fun of it, and then I decided on a plate of lettuce salad which I added some cheese, some olives and a liberal smattering of couscous.

Of course thereafter came dessert, which, as cliché as it sounds, with the spread that they have here at Marriott, it is really true that you just have to leave space for.  

I had a couple of sponge cakes, a couple of matcha cheesecakes and two scoops of ice cream. The dude decided on chocolate everything- little cups of dark chocolate mousse, a whole plate of cute chocolate fudge cakes and a single scoop of milk chocolate ice cream. 

It was a great dinner, really lovely, really fun, really delicious, but the celebrations didn't end there.

 

Not that the dude expected it, but a few days later, there was more ice cream- one whole block of Viennetta chocolate ice cream with clean cut swirly patterns specially chosen because it was a childhood favorite, and a boxful of cupcakes topped with some sort of sprinkles and rich buttercream. 

 

 

 

a Tuk Tuk Cha meal

This place has become more than just a dessert hangout to me.

At one time, I thought that would be all Tuk Tuk Cha was- but after having more of their meals, I have come to realize that this place is indeed more than just a spot for toast cubes with dip, thick toast, ice cream waffles and milk tea.

It is a place for spicy tom yum boat noodles.

It is a place for beef soup noodles.

And it is a place for beef rendang.

We've gone to a couple of outlets- my Co Diner and I- and it's funny how each time we tend to eat the same thing that we did the last time, the last, last time, and the last, last, last, time.

I guess that's what happens when you have your favorite dish at the café..

I like the beef soup noodles. Not only are the thin flat rice noodles prepped in such a way that they stick together when they're first served, which is exactly how I like them, they've got plenty of beef too. Three different kinds, don't ask me which is which, I don't know, but I like the ones that look like they're beef strips and are really soft, slightly fatty and super tender.

But it is the broth that draws me in the most. See, where beef soups done Chinese style tend to be clear (and sometimes tasteless), this broth here has a lovely brown color, a nice smooth texture, and a rich rounded taste. 

The Co-Diner has a special love for the beef rendang. The rich vermillion color, the distinct sweet taste, the floury potatoes and the chunks of beef make for a great dish that goes well with the soft, perfectly fluffy steamed rice.

It might seem amusing, but I find the steamed rice here particularly appealing. You don't get the hard rice grains that sometimes come served with mixed economical rice, and neither do you get the moi quality of Teochew porridge. Here the rice is steamed such that you can see the grains, you can count them even, but scooping out each spoonful is like eating a warm rice cake, moist, warm, fluffy, full of warmth, and full of soul.

her Stable chair

If one must know, this is the chair that Miss Brown was required to sit on after her stroke. 

 

No more was she allowed to just sit about anywhere as she was wont to do. No more was she allowed to sit on the flimsy, cheap black foldable chairs as she often preferred to do. And no more was she allowed to hang things on the chair she was going to sit on.

 

This chair, and its sisters, became the main pillars of support throughout the house. One was placed in her bedroom near the door where she could hold to the back as she swung herself out of bed. One was placed at the dining table where she could sit and have her meals. Then another was placed near the wall so that she could sit on it on her way to the kitchen.

 

The one in her room eventually doubled up as a hanger and shelf which she would toss her clothes over the back, hang her sling bag at the corner and place some of her belongings on the seat.

 

But the rest, especially the one at the dining table, they remained as they were. 

therapy Post Stroke

She was back in the hospital yesterday afternoon to see the lady doctor.

And she was d*** hungry, having had no breakfast because of some stupid blood test she was taking. After drawing her blood, she had one small cup of hot Milo, and then she went out  with her caregivers to the nearby mall for lunch.

She remembers this mall.

They used to come here for meals in between her morning and afternoon therapy sessions. There was some Chinese cafe on the third floor. Today they went for porridge and dough fritters and soya bean drink. They used to eat salmon and rice back then during the early post-stroke days. A lot of salmon and rice- and she always felt guilty eating such good and expensive meals.

The funny thing is, if anyone had told her that three years had passed since her very first session, Miss Brown would not have believed it. It felt just like yesterday when she was pushed into her first session seated on a wheelchair.

The first few weeks she was in her wheelchair, a very cranky one that was stiff and made a lot of noise. Subsequently, she slowly made her way in, using the technique that her rehab therapist had taught her on the very first lesson.

They were fast; these therapists. Second lesson only, and he had her out on the escalator going up and down and up and down, practicing until she got it right. Every time she came, he revised with her how she ought to walk. He made her practice walking along the long corridor. He showed her how to climb stairs and then made her do it step by step by step. 

But he wasn't here today.

The other therapist who'd played the computer game with her wasn't here either. He used to teach her how to play this game in the room where she'd move her arm with this machine and pick up apples and put them in the basket. She wondered if they still had the game.

Only the lead therapist was there. She recognized him when he came over, but she didn't want to tell him how she was and she worried that he would ask more questions, so she didn't say anything in response to his greeting, merely nodding her head a little.

Miss Brown wondered if he'd noticed her gesture.

He probably didn't.

She didn't make those big, dramatic gestures that she used to. She didn't speak as much as she used to. And where there was once she cried here and told everyone here that she wanted to die because of all the family stresses and family problems, today she wasn't able to shed a tear at all.

Everything had changed.

The place was really, really busy now. There were people everywhere. They didn't rehab one by one anymore. They were in groups now, and it was all very noisy and lively. So different from when she got the fullest attention from the therapists.

And then there were so many people on the other side of the room now. It used to be so quiet!  

And then, how she looked... what she wore... all different now.

No more the blue backpack she used to carry. No more the blouse over her t-shirt. No more her water bottle and her hat. No more her big white comb or all her tissue papers or her biscuit. Then she used to have her bus pass on a lanyard over her neck or stuffed inside her bag.  Then she used to have her phone in her pocket or in her bag's pocket. Then she used to walk her way in.

Now her hair was cropped short and neat, she didn't know where her dentures were, she didn't wear her spectacles, she had no more phone, she had no more bag, she had no more tissues with her, she didn't have any belongings with her, she was dressed in the pale green uniform of the nursing home she lived in, and she was sitting on another wheelchair with little wheels by the side.

No, it wasn't the same anymore.

Nothing was the same anymore.