California Dreamin'...

I've been walking past this not-so-well-known-as-its-neighbours cafe-ish place called CA California at Dempsey Hill several times now and have been yearning to give it a try. Especially since they have this huge-as-a-donkey banner swinging high above its entrance proclaiming to have the BDBH (Best Darn Breakfast on the Hill....or something like that).

Funnily enough, we ended up going there for dinner instead one night, when M and I were as usual undecided and un-agreed (I know it's not a word but it catches the meaning!) on where to go. And suddenly DING! I remembered that there was this new place that I had yet to set my paws on.

CA actually shares the same shop front as Ben & Jerry's, so don't be surprised to find yourself overwhelmed by rowdy families and over-hyper ADD kids when you enter on a weekend, mostly on the B&J side of the place (thankfully).

CA takes up maybe a third of the whole restaurant space, and has comfy high booth seats, a bit like old-school American diners but set with a country-side (read: wood instead of vinyl) touch. I like :)

Extensive menu on all things American (think sandwiches, burgers, pastas, pizzas), spoiled for choice.

We decided we needed some veges to detox and a fresh salad sounded like a good idea.

Ordered the California Harvest Salad ($11). Mesclun greens with tomatoes, avocado, peaches and dressed in orange vinaigrette, served with a slice of walnut toast topped with cream cheese. Sounds enticing right?? Exactly. It got me at the word "avocado".

Salad was excellent. Enough said.

M needed some meat and the menu had a special item of BBQ Baby Back Ribs ($26). Suited his fancy and the fries on the side suited mine just nicely too.

We were very pleasantly surprised at the full rack of ribs that was served, with a tangy marinade which was less sweet than, say, Tony Roma's. They even threw in a spoonful of spicy pineapple salsa on the side if you wanted more kick with your meat.

I think the critical test of any baby back ribs dish is whether the meat falls off the bone easily. CA's ribs passed the test with flying colours! The pork itself was succulent and tender and needless to say, M polished off the whole plate without much help.

I was so enthralled by the sandwich page of the menu and settled for one of their chef recommendations -- Smokin' Turkey and Mango ($12). Let me just say - the sandwich was HUGE.

Sliced turkey ham generously heaped onto a homemade tomato focaccia bun and partnered with fresh mango, rocket, tomatoes and honey mustard dressing. I think just looking at the sandwich when it arrived made me salivate....

The sandwich was good, but I thought that the honey mustard was a little too overwhelmingly tangy. Which is strange because I adore that yellow sauce and can eat it with anything usually.

CA also sells their homemade artisan breads for you to take home, which I think I will do the next time. That tomato foccacia bread in the turkey sandwich was yums....

Photos taken with Nikon D5000

A Toast To Inspiration.

I was so inspired after hanging out with my pal, Nick, that I had to write this straight away.

I love talking to Nick. Or rather, I love listening to him. When he launches into almost any topic, especially causes that he takes special interest in, I can literally hear the passion gushing out of his words. And I mean like literally. And his energy for the subject is really infectious, so much so that I can feel the osmosis of excitement as I sit on the opposite side of the table. I mean, heck, it's not even my cause but I'm already getting enthusiastic about it just listening to him gesture animatedly in his geeky glasses.

Tonight, Nick was trying to sell me his concept of an Artgig (he scribbles it on a sheet of paper, one word with a capital 'A'). Mind you, it's not an art exhibition, he says. I stare at him blankly.

An art exhibition, says Nick sagely, provides the same experience to anyone no matter what time or day the person comes to the exhibition. The set-up remains the same, the art pieces don't change.

An Artgig, on the other hand, is a performance. A person who comes it at say, 8pm, will have a totally different experience from another who comes at 10pm. Because the show is constantly changing. A good performance entertains, Nick says. But an excellent performance inspires. And that's what we're trying to achieve.

Nick wants to do an Artgig.

At this point I'm getting it. But what's driving him to do this?

Conversations. Nick says simply. We don't have conversations anymore. People correspond with one another, sure. But we do it through text messages, email, facebook...not face-to-face conversations. When was the last time you had a heartfelt conversation with another human being?

An Artgig tells a story, someone's story. It gives the audience and the artist a chance to interact with one another, talk about the art piece, hear someone else's life experiences. And we touch each other's lives in turn.

Nick's putting up some photo pieces (he's a great photographer by the way); a chef friend of his is cooking up a thematic food storm, and another friend is throwing in paintings. They're trying to find a way to send all proceeds from the gig to Pakistan to aid the flood victims.

He scribbles the theme for me on the sheet of paper where he has already drawn mind maps and bubbles and arrows all over. "It's the Simple Things". And it'd be great if you could contribute something to the gig, he continues.

Me? Wow. An art show? I mean gig. But I've never done something like this before. Nick looks surprised. Surely this must be right up your alley, he says. You'd definitely know how to appreciate something like this. And I need someone to help me organise it too.

I hesitate. I feel like this is so culturally arty-fied that it totally falls out of my realm of reality. I haven't felt so passionate about a cause in a long time, not since I left college, and spending all that time in the corporate world can make one forget about the finer things in our human existence. Listening to him made me nostalgic for that. Come on, he jokes, it's not like you're that old you know.

We drift onto other topics over our dinner food. He gives me some tips on how to manipulate my camera's capabilities to achieve different shots. I feel so enlightened that I hurriedly scribble down some notes on the napkin.

As I fiddle around with the camera experimenting with my newly acquired skills, I muse that I could do a series of photos of my mum. Although it would be amateur of course. Do it, Nick encourages, it would be cathartic for you too.

Before we part, Nick casually throws it back at me again. So how? says he, Can you help me with the gig? I need someone to back me up on the planning and marketing and getting the word out.

And just like that, I'm now part of the show. See how inspiration works?

We all need to find people who inspire us. I'm a convert.

Chapati, Chapati, Before It's Too Late

One of the best hidden gems of local cuisine is actually stowed all the way inside Malaysian territory in Singapore. Paradox? Not really.

Before the month of May this year, I suppose most Singaporeans (especially the younger generation) did not know much about the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station, much less even noticed the colonial low-rise building situated along Keppel Road. I must admit I was one of those ignorant many, even less forgiveable since I work in close enough vicinity to the area.

A legacy from British colonial days. Inside the railway station.
The mural on the right wall reads FMSR - Federated Malay States Railways

Although sitting right smack in the middle of Singapore's prime business district, the land which the railway and the station sit on actually belongs to KTM - Malaysia's national rail company.  The historical events leading to this peculiar arrangement of land sovereignty between both countries hail back to the days of British colonial occupation, when Singapore was part of Malaya before gaining independence from the Federated States in 1965.

A much disputed political (and sovereign) issue between the neighbouring countries, the railway land matter finally came to a hilt earlier in May this year, when the respective Prime Ministers agreed to move the existing railway operations to Woodlands by 1 July 2011, leaving behind the current plot of land for Singapore's proprietary development.

Little known to most people, the station actually houses several Malay and Indian hawker stalls, ranging from prata to Ramly burger, Indian rojak and my favourite....chapati.

But with the impending re-development of the heritage station building, all these food stalls will have to pack up and leave. That means only one thing - eat chapati before it's too late! 



Not unlike the more commonly seen naan and roti prata, chapati is an unleavened flat bread originating from the Indian subcontinent. Chapatis are made from wheat flour, water and ghee (the word ghee is actually dervied from Sanskrit and refers to traditional Indian clarified butter -- it instantly ups the yum-factor on any South Asian dish but...also ups the fat content by far greater proportions as well!)

My favourite chapati stall is situated all the way inside, right next to the railway tracks. Relax - you don't need your passport to eat there even though you're technically in Malaysia!

The chapati is made fresh on the spot - if you're early enough before the lunch crowd streams in, you can see them rolling the dough and laying them to cook on the tava (flat skillet).

The chapatis are always served warm, and best eaten with a host of other dishes a la nasi padang or cai peng style. I totally dig the keema -- a minced lamb stew of sorts with potatos, peas and carrots, and a slight dash of spice for that perfect kick.

Keema (right front) goes best with fresh, warm chapatis

More traditional dishes like curry chicken, sambal sotong, beef rendang etc can be found here. Just point at your dishes, tell them how many people are sharing, and they'll know how much to serve up.

Pair your meal with one of the best teh halia (milk ginger tea) around town. I like mine with ice - takes the heat off the weather and the spice in the food :)

Be warned -- although the food doesn't look like much, many small dishes make a large and plentiful meal. And don't forget, the chapatis will expand in your stomach. I'd say 2 chapatis is usually sufficient to keep you sated for a while.

Heaped mound of freshly fried "vegetable bombs"

And if you're still feeling the munchies after your chapati meal, pick up some "banana bombs" or "vegetable bombs" (as I endearingly call them) from the stall next door. These are typically fried dough balls, rolled in with either bananas or julienned vegetables. There're also curry puffs, kueh kuehs and goreng pisangs to suit your fancy. You definitely won't miss the array of fried snacks on display for your picking!

The part that really makes the meal "whole" though, is the ambience. Sitting right next to the railway tracks along the platform, at old stone and brick tables and plastic fold-outs, you'd feel like you stepped into a time machine and headed back to the 1980s (not least because the station needs a long overdue makeover).

But it adds to the old-school charm, and given that the rest of Singapore around this Malaysian enclave is growing at a speed no one can compare to, it's nice to come to a place that time seems to have forgotten...for now.

My Beef with Steak - Part 2.

My bunch of buddies like to hit up Morton's Steakhouse at Mandarin Oriental everytime one or the other is back in town for a visit. Since I've never really been a steak fan (until recently, that is) and don't believe in paying $100 and more for a slab of meat I'm not particularly interested in, I've never joined them for a meal there.

This time since I was on a steak roll, I decided, "Heck, why not give it a try once in my life?" And so I dutifully trooped down to Morton's on a weekday evening. The earliest reservation we could get was at 8pm, and I was surprised at how full the restaurant was.

Did you know that Morton's is listed on the New York Stock Exchange?? And the last stock price was somewhere around US$4.40 range. Wow. Never occurred to me that the ROI on cow was that profitable. Then again, people do pay $100 and up to eat a slab of meat. So there.

By the way, Arnie Morton, founder of Morton's, is also the father of Peter Morton, who owns the chain of Hard Rock establishments, amongst a slew of other steak restaurants. Talk about a chip off the old block.

Anyway, dinner at Morton's is an entire elaborate and somewhat wayang affair. (For the uninitiated, wayang refers to Chinese operas with very dramatic performances with exaggerated costumes, make-up and actions.)

First they serve their signature onion bread -- which really is this huge fluff of a dome that everyone plucks chunks out of ala communal bonding. Mmmm....I love my carbs and that bread was GOOOOOODDDD.....a nice crisp top with a beautiful freshly-baked sheen, and warm, fluffy and soft on the inside.

Next, we wait for the waitress to come and offer us the menu. But the waiting takes a while, think it was more than 20 minutes before she rolled a trolley around and proceeded to introduce the different cuts of beef available and the specials of the day.

Now, I know that it's not easy serving tables, and on top of that, having to memorise all the different specials available and regurgitate them with a smile. Problem was, I couldn't understand a word that the waitress was saying, and only managed to catch the occasional "Morton's" and "special" and "today". None of which were particularly illuminating descriptions of how I could have my beef and eat it too.

As the only uninitiated Morton's patron, my buddies did the ordering. We ordered one Steak and Seafood Menu set and a Porterhouse steak a la carte to share amongst 3 of us.

For our set menu (S$95), we picked a Caesar salad to start, Jumbo Lump Crabcake for the seafood dish, and Potato Skins for the side. The steak was a single cut filet mignon -- medium.

We picked the Porterhouse (S$98) for variety because it gave us both the tenderloin on one side, and the striploin on the other. Also done medium.

I'm going to digress for a while here. figure all of us could do with a basic introduction to cow parts and what gives each slab of meat its "cut". Here's Steak Cut 101 (courtesy of Wikipedia no less):

Steak cuts
(Source: Wikipedia)

The Caesar salad surprised me. Not least because I've never been a fan of Caesar (the salad, not Julius Augustus) and in most places, the lettuce comes wet and sloppy dripping with too-watery dressing. At Morton's, not an issue. The anchovy-based dressing was a perfect consistency and coated the lettuce in just the right amount. Mmmm.

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake
(Photo source: Morton's)

It took another 20-30 minutes for the main dishes to arrive. First I tried the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. I am a HUGE fan of crab cake, having enjoyed several years of US East Coast (famous) crab cakes when I was abroad. Funny though, for a country so proud of its crab dishes (Chilli Crab, Black Pepper Crab etc.), we haven't really claimed a local version of crab cake yet.  

Morton's Crab Cake lived up to its standard. Moist and chunky (real) crab meat held together in a lightly-browned patty. Ohhh. Give it to me again!! I would certainly go back for the Crab Cake, if nothing else. Nowhere in Singapore have I managed to get my hands (and mouth) on something so crabbily good.

(By the way, although the photos are from Morton's website since I didn't have the fancy camera on me, I guarantee that my food turned out exactly as they look in the photo.)

My buddy asked for English mustard to go with the Porterhouse and Filet Mignon. I took a swig of that yellow paste and the blaze shot right through my nose! Like when you eat too much wasabi with your sushi and that through-the-roof temporary numbness and dizziness overcomes you.

Oh, but when that shock tided over, the mustard made for an excellent companion with the steak. Funnily enough, although we ordered both steaks done medium, I felt they were bordering a little on the medium rare side. But the meat was tender, juicy, very tasty (considering there was no marinade or gracy) and delicious.

Porterhouse Steak - tenderloin on one side, striploin on the other
(Photo source: Morton's)

As far as cuts go though, I think I prefer the Filet Mignon. Something about that boneless slab of meat so perfectly tender and a perfect size too (well you can't get too much of it simply because the cow only has one tenderloin and the Filet Mignon is cut from the most tender part of it).

Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake
(Photo source: Morton's)

Dinner isn't complete, of course, without Morton's Legendary Hot Chocolate Cake. In essence, it is a warm lava cake, firm on the outside, oozing chocolate liquid on the inside, with a scoop of Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream. 

The first taste was melt-in-your-mouth-over-the-moon delicious....oh the combustion of warm cake, hot molten chocolate and cold ice cream was an indescribably enjoyable sensation. But of course, there's a reason why they teach you about diminishing marginal returns in Econ 101....after a few more mouthfuls, it started getting a little too sweet for my tastebuds. Good thing there was 3 of us to share - I couldn't imagine finishing a whole plate on my own!

The meal ended costing us S$255 in total, which wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. That being said, for a place so renowned for its beef, I wasn't blown away by the steak, particularly given the hefty price tags that came along with them. But I will definitely consider coming back for the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake if I'm having a craving and feeling generous with myself.

Ironic, since this is Morton's The Steakhouse (not the Crab Cake House). I think I'll head over to Admiral Bar & Grill whenever I'm in the mood for a steak. Same size, quarter of the price. It's more than enough for me.

My Beef with Steak - Part 1.

Since I watched that episode of Guy Fieri sampling a charcoal-roasted beef rib, I've been having a steak craving that I can't seem to get out of my system. Mind you, I'm not a meat-chugger, or even a huge beef lover for that matter. But this week alone, I've had beef three times already. That's more cow in a few days than I've had in the last 3 months at least!

M and I were introduced to Admiral Bar & Grill at the Singapore Flyer to celebrate a friend's birthday over the weekend. Good thing we were told that they are supposedly good at their steak (well they should be since they call themselves a Grill!) because I was totally ready to sink my teeth into some cow.

Temporarily tucked away in a little corner on the second floor (the entrance is hidden between some hoarding as their permanent storefront facing the bay on the ground floor is being done up), the place was pretty empty for a Saturday night. Then again, it was past 11pm and everywhere around the Flyer was dead quiet and closed.

Thank goodness the kitchen opens till 12 midnight, unlike most other restaurant-cum-bar establishments that chase you for your last food order by 10pm.

Ordered the ribeye, medium rare (S$23) and boy, was I surprised at the 300-gram monstrosity of perfectly grilled beef laid before my eyes. The medium rare was done just right, the centre a nice warm red and the accompanying onion-ish gravy an excellent addition to the palate. The chargrilled wok hei taste a perfect ending to the day.

Medium rare ribeye with baked potato and salad

The only beef I had with the dish were the sides. Would have been much better if the salad was a mesclun or rocket / arugula mix drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette instead of huge lettuce leaves dabbed with thousand island-type dressing.

Deep fried calamari rings

The baked potato was alright, save for the fact that the topping tasted more like mayo than sour cream. I think I barely touched the potato after that.

Also tried the calamari rings. They were pretty good -- springy squid rings with just enough oomph. The batter coated itself nicely around the squid as well so that when I bit into it, it didn't detach itself entirely from the squid. It annoys me greatly when with such circular deep fried food (onion rings included), the entire batter comes off but none of the real inside does when you take a bite.  

Pity that the calamari was served with mayo (again) and no lemon wedge. I personally think calamari is best with a squirt of lemon and a tangy salsa or creamy aioli.

Since it was our friend's birthday, the restaurant so kindly threw in a main course and a drink for the birthday boy on the house. I give them double thumbs up for service for sure. One of the owners popped by every now and then to ask us if the food was ok. That's a nice personal touch.

I'll definitely return for the steak again, good portion and good value for money. And I'm sure the entire experience would be enhanced further once Admiral moves down to their ground floor unit with a bay view. We hear that it should be ready before the F1 Night Race starts. Imagine having "front row" seats, enjoying your steak and watching Hamilton zoom by?? Mmm.

What is Tom without Jerry? More Toms.

The Koreans have done it again! First the sappy but irresistible soap drama serials, then the fantastic Korean bbqs and bibimbaps, then the stars (with strange names like Rain no less), and the addictive Wondergirls. But who would have thought....coffee??

Swung by the latest Korean fad to hit Singapore - coffee chain Tom N Toms at ICON. I was actually looking for a regular kopi-ping to provide comfort on another muggy day, but the kopi stall was full with no seats. So the next door neighbour, Tom N Toms got my patronage instead.

My first thought was that it looked like any other coffee chain (aka Starbucks / Coffee Bean / Spinelli etc.) and even the menu on the panel above the cashier seemed to feature the same types of drinks.
 Ordered a Green Mint Tomnccino (which is really just a different way of naming a frap) and my accompanying pal ordered a regular Cappuccino. First reaction: servings are huge! For the "smallest" size, it's practically equivalent to a Grande at Starbucks.

My Green Mint Tomnccino was excellent in more ways than one. You know how fraps sometimes are splotchy with ice bits still floating around and hard to sip through a straw because the barista didn't do a good job with the blender? Not a problem with this one. Blended to a perfect consistency, the coffee glided up the straw smoothly, and settled into a welcome cool but not icy texture in the mouth. And the mint was subtle, not overpowering such that you would think you swallowed a mouthful of toothpaste instead of coffee.

It was a great after-lunch treat, and a very pleasant surprise at that. Heard that the pretzels and pizzas are a specialty at Toms; I'll try those next time.

The fuss about Crust.

I succumbed. Yep. J said it best when I happily announced to her over gchat that I had posted my first EVER blog post. And she said, "lol you succumbed".

And since I'm on a roll, might as well leverage on that rush of excitement, almost akin to going on a first date, or opening the letterbox to find that long-awaited mail sitting inside. You get the idea.

Anyway. I was watching Food Network Asia last night and could not stop salivating at the food that host, Guy Fieri, got to try in Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. That punk has an awesome job (he really is a punk. His hairstyle, I mean). Heck, I want his job!

He goes around all of America, susses out the most popular family-run establishments (aka diners, drive-ins & dives) and checks himself into the kitchen with the chef (who is also usually the owner in such cases). The chef whips up one or two of his/her most popular dishes, walks through the whole preparation and cooking process and eventually invties Guy to a bite of the final product. And the expression of pure ecstasy on Guy's face is enough to send any craving pangs through the roof!

Ohh that charcoal-roasted medium rare beef rib he had yesterday had me dreaming about steak all night....

So...on that (food) note, I'm going to do a little food review myself since my mind thinks of nothing else most of the time anyway.

Read about the new Australian gourmet pizza joint, Crust, that had made its way into Holland Village and was already embroiled in a legal tussle over the use of the domain crust.com.sg with some small mom-and-pop shop inside one of the east coast condos.

I'm a pretty big fan of gourmet pizzas, and figured that this Crust place should have something to show for given its "publicity" gig so early on in the game!

The place was pretty busy for a Friday night, al fresco dining with bar-high table tops and stools along the pavement, affording unrestricted views of the night revellers starting out their evening in the laid back neighbourhood.

Mood-candle lighting, bar-tops and an attractive menu.

The pizzas come in 13" x 8" rectangles, made fresh from scratch when you order.

Fresh ingredients laid out in front of your eyes.

M and I shared the Moroccan Lamb Pizza which was topped with fragrant marinated lamb, spanish onions, baby spinach, a drizzle of mint yoghurt and finished off with a lemon wedge (S$23).

Moroccan Lamb Pizza

The lamb was done very nicely, succulent and tender almost like straight off the kebab spit, without the heavy meat smell that tends to come with lamb. Loved the mint yogurt dressing, perfect accompaniment to the whole Middle-Eastern combination. Pizza crust remained nice and crisp throughout, which really is the point of a good pizza dough -- most of the time, the crust gets soggy especially in the centre, weighed down by all the toppings. Then again, this place is called Crust. Would be ironic if their pizza dough was anything but crusty!

Service was chirpy, friendly and quick, aided no less by the enormous machine of an oven that sits directly behind the pizza bar. Pizzas go in on one side, and roll out the other in no time, perfectly browned, piping hot and ready to be served.

That being said, on an overall sensory taste experience, think it's a tad short of Skinny Pizza. Don't get me wrong; Crust is nice, but for that price, I think I'd pick other joints.

Maybe I'll give it another try since I was really drawn to the Five Spice Pork Belly and the Spicy Pesto Scallops, which we didn't get a chance to taste this round. The descriptions sound good though!

Photos taken with a Nikon D5000.