A For Alex

Simply put, I thank God for today.

I went to Wuchang Church this morning… I was 15 minutes early but the church was already packed and it seemed like worship was already underway. As a first-timer, I was ushered upstairs to the first row in front of the preacher and it was then that I realised that the worship leader was teaching the congregation how to sing the hymns that were lined up for worship. It was cute because it started with him singing the melody in doh-re-mi, with the entire congregation enthusiastically echoing and he would give pointers as to the meaning behind the song and the corresponding singing style that would best suit the hymn. After the tutorial, worship started proper and then the pastor preached a sermon about God’s grace and knowledge. I can’t really understand a lot of what he’s saying because I don’t really have much Chinese religious vocabulary… but I like the enthusiasm of the church and the cosiness of being in a small church!

After service was over, I spoke to the pastor that I met online and while talking to him, got to know a local girl who is around my age. We quickly exchanged phone numbers and a while later, she called to ask if I’d like to go and walk around with her, since I didn’t have any company. It was a great morning spent with her, walking to this little street called hu bu xiang that has many little street stalls that serve up to 30 types of xiao chi. She treated me to a very varied and substantial meal, including fish soup noodles, fries, salty dao hui, glutinous rice with dou pi and meat and sticky muah chee texture balls. Yum! She really was so warm and friendly and hospitable! She said that many of her friends aren’t Christians and there aren’t many young people in Wuchang Church, so she really believes that it is God’s arrangement that we met. (Zing, I’m not sure if you’re reading this, but she used the phrase "zhu de an pai", exactly like your (my?) brother!) We met her friend as well and walked a bit more around the area. It’s always nice to meet new people who are as happy to meet you as you are to meet them.

During a friendly ping pong match with my Italian friend Daniela, this African guy was standing by the side watching us. I asked him if he’d like to have a go, and through that small step, I met Narisu, who’s from Nigeria and is getting a Masters/Phd in law in Wuhan Uni. I really like his attitude about learning Chinese - he’s so willing to absorb and learn, and there is an excitement to him that is really contagious. So often speaking and learning Chinese, we just think of the phrases, but don’t stop to appreciate how computer is electric brain, how pictorial the chinese language is, and pointing out those subtleties to him reminded me that Chinese is beautiful. Anyway, Narisu seems pretty like-minded and we had a good time tonight eating more street food, this time barbecued lamb and man tous, and walking back to hostel together. Who’d have thought that I’d get to know a Nigerian in China.

I’m glad that God brought these people my way… and I think He’s answering my prayer for friends in a different way. Maybe if I were hanging out with the Europeans all the time, I would be only speaking English and may end up compromising on my own preferences just to fit in. Instead, I’m meeting local students and local people and international people who may not have been the first choice in my mind, but may turn out being better in the end. So I thank Him… for these people, and for enabling me to be at my friendliest.

I love the spontaneity of deciding at lunch that dinner will be at one of the more celebrated restaurants in Singapore, calling the restaurant up and trying my luck, and getting there (with my favourite company in tow) and blowing some serious cash on a scrumptious dinner.

I’ve always wanted to eat at Restaurant Ember, after reading rave reviews about its chef, Sebastian Ng in magazines and food blogs. And while saving a treat for a special occasion is nice, W and me really preferred to just relax and enjoy each other’s company on our 3rd anni, rather than have to dress up and act properly in a restaurant. So with my internship pay, I’ve been intending to bring him there, and finally got to do it last night.

Restaurant Ember is found within Hotel 1929, located at Keong Saik Road, in what used to be the red light district of Singapore, until the Govt swooped in to sanitize the CBD area, shifting all the grime to somewhere that starts with a G and ends with an -eylang. The mental picture of social undesirability remains in older people’s minds however, making Auntie Em rather alarmed that I would want to go there for dinner.

The restaurant itself is a very cosy size, seating approximately 30 people in all, which lends itself to the feeling that the food you’re indulging in isn’t something that everyone else gets to share. And the food, is really really enjoyable.

I had the set dinner which started our evening with an appetizer of pan seared scallops in breadcrumbs in spicy coriander and champagne sauce, while W had a half dozen fried oysters with 6 different dips. It was fun getting to try the different sauces with each bite of the juicy oyster, encased within  golden brown batter.

I had a serving of saffron risotto with roasted tiger prawns, which I really enjoyed because of the fullness of flavour in the risotto, the bite of the risotto rice grains and the firmness of the fresh prawns. I appreciate the risotto all the more because of my one previous experience making it with W. Similar to how pasta should be done al dente to retain a bit of bite in the noodle, risotto, I realise, should also have that bite, and not be on the softer, mushier side.

Mains for us were Chilean seabass belly with lobster roe sauce and beef tenderloin (need to fill in the correct name later). Both were really good. The fat in the seabass belly made it taste more like cod, and the lobster roe sauce was very rich.

Dessert was warm Valrohna chocolate cake and vanilla bean ice cream, along with baked mango tart with grand marnier ice cream. I really liked the chocolate cake because unlike other self-saucing chocolate puddings, this one was made with quality dark chocolate, and the bitterness and intensity of the cocoa flavour really paired well with the light vanilla ice cream. It was quite funny cos W dug his spoon into the middle of the cake, which promptly opened up on both sides of the cut symmetrically, rather much like a mechanised box unfolding. W said, "Transformers."

It was a really happy meal, and I liked Ember very much. The drinks at Breeze at Scarlet Hotel were another story all together but nothing could upset my satisfied tummy.

I just came back from Hong Kong, which was lots of fun cos of all the walking, talking, hiking and EATING that we did. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

Hong Kong Photo Slideshow (do not view if feeling hungry)

There’s a new restaurant open in town called PS Cafe, an extension of the cafe attached to project shop blood brothers at Paragon… Various food blogs and the papers have been saying good things about it, and so Wen and I took advantage of our recent liberation from exam drudgery to have a look see.

The cafe is situated at Harding Road, which is off Holland Road, near Gleneagles and Tanglin Mall.  We were just commenting how the location is rather similar to that of Colbar, in that it’s surrounded by greenery and rather a drive in. We got a little "temporarily disoriented" as Wen would put it (I just call it lost) but it gave us the opportunity to suss out what else was in the neighbourhood. It was mainly a lot of antique shops and vacant army like buildings.

Well, anyway, about PS Cafe itself… It’s a very pretty place, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows that let you dine in aircon comfort, while taking in the greenery around. The place is done up in a rather chic yet homely style, with simple flowers at each table and chairs done up in different types of tweed. In addition to the dining area, they have a sofa chill out area done up in a similar style.

I enjoyed the meal, not only because of the great ambience, but also because of the food. PS Cafe has a pretty small menu, but everything has something special about it, justifying the higher prices (about $20 per item) by offering a meal that you couldn’t easily find somewhere else. It was interesting because I hadn’t previously had such a unique Western breakfast, beyond the straightforward continental breakfast or bacon and eggs.

I had the poached egg portobello stack, with grilled bacon, wilted spinach and baked creamy potatoes with smoked cheese. Mmm! I really liked the variety within that one plate, each item offering a different taste, coming together as a really satisfying breakfast.

Wen had the pork loaf with roasted fennel, green tatsoi, feta and pesto filled pepper dews in a prune and garlic dressing. It was good too… I especially liked the pepper dews, which looked like cherry tomatoes… They were filled with a creamy feta and pesto stuffing, which filled your mouth after you bit into the pepper. Really interesting.

The portions weren’t that big so we ordered a serving of PS fries, which I had heard people rave about… The fries which were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, came with 2 sauces, and the one worth mentioning is the kaffir aioli sauce which is a garlic mayonnaise with some spices in it. There’s a tang to the sauce that reminds you of lemongrass.

In all, it was a wonderful brunch at PS Cafe, because of the unique and interesting food, the view, the friendly staff and the laid back ambience. I guess we were lucky that it wasn’t crowded when we went at 11am on Sat, I definitely would brave the crowds and come and see how different it is at nights for dinner.