Wednesday 26 May 2010

Tiong Bahru Market: The Saturday Sessions


Eyes closed, bed-head firmly on and still in my pyjamas. I float past the hawker stalls at Tiong Bahru Market, each one conjuring an image in my mind: dark green pyramids gradually morph into bak chang, white spheres form fish balls, and striped half-moon shapes and yellow swirls change into a steaming bowl of Hokkien prawn mee. What to have for breakfast? How long will the queue for Pork Rib Prawn Noodle be today?

My slumber is interrupted by my fiercely growling stomach. My eyes crack open to see 09:31. Aargh! Better hurry lest Stanley be sold out of chickens! I run through the shower, pull on my best shorts and t-shirt combo and manage to motivate my bag-carrier (also known as my husband) to accompany me.

First up: shopping. We visit #01-171 - Stanley's Fresh Chicken & Duck Suppliers - and are lucky to get his last kampong chicken, which I will later convert into a fabulous kari ayam using the spices recommended by Stanley’s wife. Next up, we select our pick of the day’s fresh fish from the couple at #01-134. They recommend a bright-eyed white pomfret for steaming with ginger and spring onions and some purple-speckled squid for deep-frying with salt and pepper. We complement our protein purchases with hand-picked organic vegetables, fresh coconut milk and a variety of sauces and spices from the stalls in the outer ring.

Reward time: eating. Bag-laden, my husband clambers onto one of the escalators reminiscent of a sweeping staircase in a grand mansion. This way to food heaven. The humid air is heavy with a melting pot of fragrances: fried garlic, shallots and ginger; boiling chicken stock; and roasted meats. The clang of metal pots and the sizzle of hot woks can just be heard over the hawker’s cries of “ni yao submoke? / what do you want?”; “chilli?”; and “having here?” mixed with the excited chatter of the diners.

We chope our seats with our shopping bags and wander off as hunter-gatherers on a mission to secure the best breakfast item. By now, it’s near 11:00 so anything goes and the more chilli, the better in my book. The first decision in the process is ‘rice or noodles?’ and once that’s been established, deciding whether you’re in the mood for seafood, meat or just vegetables will help you narrow down your choice to a handful of stalls. Next, quality of chilli or chilli sauce is vital if you are partial to a bit of ‘zing’ and finally, the size of the queue relative to your hunger will determine your selection.

On this day, my husband plumps for his ‘usual’. The queue at #02-72 - Yuan Ji Fishball Noodle - is perennially long due to a mixture of popularity and the physical limitations of how fast an uncle’s hands can boil noodles and fish balls, add chilli, mix the sauce, throw in some pork scratchings, and sprinkle a few sprigs of coriander.

Meanwhile, I have joined the marginally shorter queue for my favourite dish at #02-82 - Tiong Bahru Boneless Chicken Rice. This is, in my humble opinion, the best chicken rice in the market; succulent chicken, tasty soup, and fragrant rice comes with a side of preserved vegetable. I plump for the upsized portion. It was a hard week in the office. I douse my rice with a generous helping of their divine chilli sauce to set my palate on fire and I meander back through the crowds to our table.

Ten lip-smacking minutes later, we are sipping thick dark coffee from #02-03 – Kopi Museum – and fresh velvety soya bean from #02-69 - Teck Seng Soya Bean Milk. The beasts in our bellies have ceased their growling and we are nearing the edge of a food-induced coma. We gather our bags and waddle towards the exit, stopping at #02-18 - Tiong Bahru Pau - to grab some egg custard tarts for our afternoon snack.

We pass the amusing red clog wearing uncle at #02-38 - Tiong Bahru Roasted Pig Specialist - who gives us a wave and a toothy grin as he shouts, “When you next time come buy pig?” “Soon, soon!” I reply, as I make a mental note to fix the date for our next roasted suckling pig party.

We exit the market into the hot sun and scurry for the cover of the five foot way. We glimpse the queue at Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice (57 Eng Hoon Street #01-88) and agree that we will forgo our usual market breakfast the following day for a Sunday session of sampling the curry that famously takes three days to make. Almost at home, we pass Le Le Pot (58 Seng Poh Road #01-23) and decide that we will treat our friends to a sumptuous steamboat feast next week.

We clamber up the stairs and fall effortlessly onto the sofa. From the window, we can see a seemingly endless stream of people, like ants on a foraging mission from their nest, heading towards the market. We sit back and relax into our post-breakfast glow and I slowly prepare myself for spending an afternoon in the kitchen cooking for the next instalment of the Tiong Bahru Tasting Club.

Glossary:
• Bak chang: Glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaves with a meat or bean paste filling.
• Fish balls: Balls made of fish meat that has been finely pulverized and shaped by hand.
• Prawn mee: A dish of egg noodles and rice noodles in a fragrant stock, which is made from both fresh and dried prawns.
• Kampong chicken: Free-range chicken.
• Kari ayam: Malaysian curry chicken.
• Chope: to reserve a seat, usually by placing a packet of tissue paper on it.
• Chicken rice: Steamed white chicken, cut into bite-size pieces and served on fragrant rice accompanied by a delicious garlic-chili dip.
• Steamboat: A simmering pot of stock in which a variety of fresh ingredients are cooked at the table.

Saturday 15 May 2010

Sixteenth month, hitching a ride to smugdom

This month, we have most been...


Preparing for and then hosting our WEDDING-DONG! After an engagement of 1 year, 2 months and 17 days, I finally made an honest man out of my fiancé. The last four weeks was almost entirely consumed by last-minute preparations: picking up wedding programmes from Cardblanche, writing out conversation cards, making adjustments to the seating plan and attending the final fitting of my wedding dress. Meanwhile, in London, my mother-in-law-to-be was putting the finishing touches on unique table decorations, beautiful bouquets and a sumptuous coffee and walnut cake.

Trying to be cost-conscious, we opted to fly back Qantas (saving a princely sum of S$1200). We later vowed never again to stray from the Singapore Airlines crew. Not only was it almost two hours before any drinks were served (at the same time as our meal), I overheard one hostess lean over to a passenger and say, "Are you sure you don't want a drink? We won't be coming round for another nine hours." And she wasn't lying. The entire rest of the journey, I imagined the Qantas crew to be playing a game of hide and seek. They were clearly so well-practised at the game that not one of the passengers could find them. Later, during our descent, a Ukrainian lady in the adjacent row was having difficulty understanding the landing card requirements. Helpfully, the steward advised her in a British accent fit for a chav, "Sorry love, I just don't speak what you speak" before walking away. It was left to the surrounding passengers to pick up the pieces. Appalling. Added to this, the crew looked like extras from the set of Home & Away - more interested in their bicep curls and make up than service with a smile. Qantas, if you ever want me to fly with you again, offer me a seat in First Class, in which maybe, just maybe, you might have something a little closer to Economy Class on Singapore Airlines.

The wedding day itself, in stark contrast, was truly Carlsberg Class - probably the best in the world. Bias is a wonderful thing. Tone Dale House provided the perfect setting for a quintessential English country wedding. Thirty one of our dear friends stayed with us in the House for the long weekend, pitching in to make meals together and indulging in a fair amount of merry-making. Our day went without a single hitch and all of our guests had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Job well done. Our high recommendations also go to Jon Bradley and Rentabooth, essential for excellent recording of the best day of our lives to date.

To bask in our post-wedding glow, we stayed in the Grade II listed Ostlers House and enjoyed a delightful stroll around Lacock, whose Abbey was the setting of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies. A combination of pub grub, exquisite dinners and one home-cooked meal ensued with a few glasses of bubbly along the way. Mini-moon: tick.

On our return to London, we had arranged for a meal to say one last goodbye to our friends. Shunning all of the usual offerings, we plumped for a night at The Hidden Table - a gem in the world of London's secret dining venues. Hosted by Le Patron and his two 1950s-styled Mesdames, we entered the secluded building in deepest darkest Shoreditch and were directed towards our sparkling aperitif. Moodily-lit, the space comes complete with a double-bass perched a-top a covered snooker table where we sampled cheese pastries to tickle our taste buds into submission. Next up, we were herded to the dining room, partitioned off by a large projector screen on which flickered a roaring fire. Cosy. The highlight from the multiple courses was the succulent Moroccan lamb tagine washed down by superb fine wines that our guests had provided. Far from being rushed out, our hosts joined us at the end of the meal and we stayed on drinking and chatting until after midnight. It turns out the host has wizard-like connections, so I was delighted to prolong the Harry Potter theme from earlier in the week. Five star treatment and a beautifully unique setting for an adventure in gastronomic wonderment. Book now and behold the magic.

Back at my new parents-in-law's house, I wandered into the living room to find my husband attempting to concentrate his wine-addled brain on the laptop screen in front of him. "Oops," he said as he raised his eyes to meet mine. "I just booked us business class seats back," he paused, "on Singapore Airlines." Anyone who knows me would know instantly that this act is tantamount to the Best. Gesture. Ever. What a fabulous way to end our first week as husband and wife.

Breeze into check-in, get fast-tracked through to the lounge, enjoy sipping wine and listening to soft piano music, board the plane first and select a glass of champagne to celebrate the beginning of your business class experience. It's top dollar, your wallet will scream with pain, but for a special occasion, it's 100% worth it.

Returning to Singapore refreshed after a six hour sleep and some good on-screen action accompanied by delicious snacks, we were suddenly hit with a wall of heavy air. Our hearts sank a little with thoughts of family and friends back in England but we were also glad to get back to the comfort of our own home and bed. Bring on the battle against post-wedding blues...

Next up is catching up with friends here, partying, adjusting to married life and relaxing in the sunshine... Could be worse!