When one is ill and feverish in Singapore it helps to have free bottles of oxygenated water. As opposed to the usual water without the oxygen that is.

It also helps if said water is called "Dr Who". If you read their description here, perhaps that will help aid comprehension.

If one is a there-is-no-way-I-am-paying-for-room-service person, then nothing short of imminent collapse will stop one from lurching out to find something nearby in the nature of takeaway comfort food....

Char Siew Wonton Noodles (S$5)

Guan Chee HK Roast, ION Orchard Food Hall

......though it is somewhat disappointing when one expected soup noodles and found out that one was left with dry.

If one becomes even more sick, but feels as though one has to try to eat something, one finds oneself eventually having to order room service, though it costs the going rate for a kidney.

Chatterbox Chicken Rice (price unmentionable)

It was bad enough to have to order overpriced food, however renowned, but I simply couldn't finish it.....

[AP]

Waterloo St
Singapore


During the day of my Pineapple Tart discovery, my continued ramble lead me to Waterloo St and two temples.

The first of these was the Sri Krishna Temple.

Also called Sri Krishna Bagawan Temple, Sri Krishna Bhagawan Temple, Sri Krishna Bhagwan Temple, Sri Krishna Temple, Krishna Temple or Krishnan Temple, the only South Indian Hindu temple in Singapore was established in 1870 by one Hanuman Beem Singh, who set up an idol of Sri Krishna under a banyan tree on Waterloo Street. For more details on its history, see here.

Next door to the Sri Krishnan Temple is the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, built in 1895 though existing in this location since 1894. I didn't go in, largely because of the huge numbers of people who were thronging in constantly. It was quite incredible to see the numbers of worshippers who entered, it was almost as though they required a traffic warden just to shepherd them in.

In the pedestrianised area in front of the two temples there were about a dozen fortune tellers plying their wares.

Sellers of flowers etc for temple offerings.

Plus all manner of paraphenalia such as reading glasses.



A little further down I came across some "Raising buns"

And finally two photos of fruit being sold at the end of the street in honour of my friend who was allergic to fruit.

[AP]

Le Cafe Confectionery & Pastry
264 Middle Road
Singapore 188990

Sometimes the best discoveries are the ones that you make when you're just wandering around. Even if it is 30 degrees and too humid to be out for a 5km stroll....This was one of them, a place called Le Cafe, next to a Hainanese Chicken joint. What drew me to it was the sheer amount of PR paraphenalia at the front. It was mesmerising.

WE'RE FAMOUS!! It screamed. THEY LOVE US!!! No shy and retiring pastry shop was this. In fact it looked less like a retail outlet than a wholesale outlet. My new friend L, with whom I had lunch the next day, thought it fitting that I had bumped into this place, his favourite source for Pineapple Tarts.

These tasty little suckers came in a minimum order of a box of 10, for S$7.30.

Don't let their appearance fool you. They are buttery, flaky and rich. The "pineapple" aspect is the innards of sticky pineapple jam. The tarts also contain "No pork, no lard", as the label helpfully points out. Lard I can understand but pork?? I'm clearly out of some loop here, it never occurred to me to watch out for pork in a Pineapple Tart.

The pineapple jam is chewy, not so much jam as fruit jellies, and not strong in pineapple taste but with the buttery rich pastry, deeply moreish.

Would I recommend these? Absolutely, even if you don't have a sweet tooth. They are probably best eaten sparingly, I fear that eating too many of these in one sitting leads to a certain feeling of overindulgence.

Heritage Taste

Takashimaya Food Hall
Takashimaya
391 Orchard Road
Singapore 238873

Pandan Muah chee/ Mua chee/ Mua chi (S$2.50)

(called "Mar Chee" at Heritage Taste)

Muah Chee is a mochi like snack of boiled glutinous rice flour coated in toasted peanuts. Its origins seem to be a battle between Southern China and Penang, though variants of it appear in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Taiwan. The rice is boiled to a chewy consistency (in this case with Pandan) after which it is minced into small uneven pieces and rolled into ground peanuts and sugar. This particular specimen also appeared to have a coconut taste, most likely from the use of coconut milk in the boiling process.

I have a liking for chewy desserts such as the glutinous rice balls Tong Yuen and hadn't had this for over a decade so it was nice to rediscover it. This serving was my afternoon snack and, as glutinous rice is wont to be, rather filling.....!

Automated Yakitori Machine
Takashimaya Food Hall
Takashimaya
391 Orchard Road
Singapore 238873

ION Orchard Food Hall
Orchard Road
Singapore

Small Oyster Omelette (S$8)

Fatty Heng Fried Oyster
Basement 4 Food Hall

(Eggs still soft and slightly runny, cooking on the hot plate, oysters fresh and plump. Best with some of the chilli & extra shallots)

Dan Dan Noodles (S$4.50)

Mandarin Noodle Kitchen
Basement 4 Food Hall

(Yet another iteration of this dish. Dry with small bowl of broth which I poured in. Not chilli)

Good Luck BBQ Chicken Wings

ION Orchard Food Hall
Basement 4
Orchard Road
Singapore

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