Breakfast as it should be

Toastbox breakfast: Pork floss thick toast, soft boiled eggs, strong java


Yakun breakfast: Kaya butter toast, soft boiled eggs, strong java too

I miss breakfast in Singapore.

We used to live fairly close to Killiney Kopitiam (the original, the one on Killiney Rd), and that was my first introduction to kaya toast and the classic Singaporean breakfast combo. Then we moved last year, and Toastbox just happens to be literally across the street. I only discovered Yakun during this last trip - I felt like a traitor to Toastbox. The eggs and coffee are superb at both, and I guess it depends on whether I'm in the mood for buttery thick toast or buttery pieces of kaya toast.

Oh, eggs and coffee, how I love thee. Soft boiled eggs, half boiled eggs, runny eggs... In Pittsburgh, it's called 'dippy eggs'. I don't know what they do with the coffee, but nobody makes it quite the same.


At Yakun

How does the sock do it?

Sigh. Let's not even go into all the wonderful hawker fare (yes, for breakfast!) - chwee kway, hot rice porridge, yong tau fu, nasi lemak... Now I'm back to Cheerios and 1% milk, and spoiling myself with granola and plain yogurt on weekends.

Can't wait to go home again...

V-Day in Singapore

Back from Singapore! Spent the last 2.5 weeks at home celebrating Chinese New Year with the folks and regressing to my teenage years again. Hubs saw the Real Deal - lion dance performances, street markets, fresh flowers galore, the mad swapping of mandarin oranges, red and gold banners and decorations everywhere...

Lots of pictures, but first, a quick recap of Valentine's Day. (Yes, I know it's a manufactured holiday and a piss-poor reason to get sappy and cutesy for one day, but it was the first time ever that I had a Valentine in Singapore. Tells ya something, dunnit?)

On V-Day eve, hubs came home from the 'gym' with a bunch of flowers in one hand, and dou hua (soy beancurd) in the other. Love! I had spent the last few days nursing a horrid cold, but felt much better by then. On the 14th, he took me out to a fancy Indian dinner at Rang Mahal in the Pan Pacific. (Alright, I found the place, but he bought dinner.) We splurged on the V-day menu (inspired by the Kama Sutra - wooo!); it was a 10-course meal, each plated elaborately and creatively, and came with a glass of rosé sparkling wine. The foodie was thrilled. Here it is:

Welcome drink - Passionfruit Kiss

Amuse Bouche
Enigmatic Masala Puri

Soup: Pumpkin and Pine Nut Shorba Ecstasy
Clove and basil spiced pumpkin broth with roasted pine nuts

Sensuous Casanova Oyster
Juicy tawa seared oyster caressed with light cashew gravy, crowned with precious saffron and a dash of nutmeg

Sorbet: Adam & Eve Sorbet
A refreshing lime sorbet on betel leaf with luscious honey drizzle

Main Course: Desirous Nahari Gosht
Tender lamb shanks slow simmered in a rich stock of Indian spices including fennel, clove, cinnamon, mace and black cardamom to ignite the senses - Royal Nawabi way
Fragrant pulao of juicy green peas and pomegranate jewels
Kukuri rosemary carrot

Accompanied with Sesame Chili Olive Naan (from the bread bar, made fresh)
Boorani raita - Garlic and cumin flavored yoghurt
Dal meloni - Combination of urad, channa & moong lentils

Dessert: Gulkand rasmalai
A romantic pairing of homemade cottage cheese dumplings in reduced flavored milk and Indian rose marmalade

Tea
Kashmiri kahwa with fragrant saffron & almonds

Petit Four
Date & chocolate kulfi lollipop in ice igloo

Everything tasted divine. (The ice igloo was rad.) Some of the descriptions were over-the-top and gave you goosebumps(!); we were even seated in a private booth with rose petals around a candle centerpiece. Towards the end of the meal, we got a gift from the restaurant - a list of aphrodisiacs, most of them found in our dinner, and a little bottle of 'liquid love' (body chocolate). Everything was very well done, I'd love to go back some time.





More later...