Don [Your Personal Pie Club] That Also Serves Claypot Crab Bee Hoon @ Cross Street [along China Street], China Square Central

Soft bread with savoury filling is a preferable option over crusty pies.

Therefore, i could not understand the affection my younger sister has for pies, to the extent of ordering one or even two full "cakes" [from Don Pie] every time we have a mini gathering amongst our family members.

Taste has always been subjective; one's medicine could be another one's poison. Well, the saying doesn't work this way but i guess you know what i mean.

And for such a straightforward product, it kind of caught me by surprise that despite having a pretty modest shopfront that looks like a takeaway counter, this pie company has a huge central kitchen!

Of course, it has its supporters (like my sister) and fantastic reviews from the media - there's one article proudly proclaiming that it's one chicken pie with the desirable oomph!

My motivation for taking the trouble to patronise the shop on a weekend is definitely not the pies.

Weirdly, it was mainly for the claypot crab bee hoon [soup and dry black pepper] which is gaining quite a following with the office crowd in Singapore's central business district.

Chicken Pie

This is the pie that plays a significant role in the history of the company; the owner, by the name of Don (surprise, surprise), brought it to Hong Leong Finance and a secured a loan to set up his first shop!

Fragrant, flaky crust, meaty chunky chicken, mixed delish vegetables and a supposedly unique blend of spices.

And half a hardboiled egg in every slice! Having said that, I still prefer my pork floss bread from BreadTalk. Frankly, i am just not a pie person and would likely crave for local food when i am in countries where such food thrives.

Chicken Shepherd Pie

Before i could even whip out my camera, someone had already taken a scoopful! And i could fully understand the reason why.

As compared to the chicken pie, i enjoyed the shepherd (the pie, not the person) better. The plain and soft mashed potatoes complemented the pepperish chicken perfectly! *Note: for friends (Karen Au etc) who don't take spicy food, you can actually request for non-spicy*

Claypot Crab Bee Hoon

(Soup)

Served in a claypot to lock-in the heat and flavour, this was said to be created by the owner himself although i prefer to use the word "innovated" or even "revised".

Create means something new and for many Singaporeans, claypot crab bee hoon is definitely not new to the local food scene.

In comparison to my recent one at Balestier, the milky crab bee hoon was more flavourful with a saccharine kick and hinted of traditional Chinese herbs! For unknown reason, pieces of yam were added to the soup.

Taking into consideration a typical crab bee hoon, i would say this is not the best. However, it did help to curb my recent craving for claypot bee hoon soup!

Claypot Black Pepper Crab Bee Hoon

(Dry)

Privately, this is more delicious!

Not only was the beehoon infused with the robust crab essence but even the peppery gravy was fully absorbed into the heart of the fresh crab, creating an optimal taste balance.

This was all-round yummy dish! Put it this way - i almost had to lick clean my plate.

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Location

20 Cross Street, #01-34/35/36,

China Square Central (along China Street)

Map

Red Star. In between Chinatown and Raffles Place MRT stations

Website

http://www.donpieclub.com.sg/

Price

Chicken Pie - S$18.40

Chicken Shepherd Pie - S$20.40

Claypot Crab Bee Hoon - S$19.00

Claypot Black Pepper Crab Bee Hoon - S$19.00

Subject to GST. No Service Charge.

Additional Information

Walking a few meters into the shop might give you the false impression that the seating area is very limited.

Ample seats are available at the back, in an air-conditioned courtyard!

Plan B - Clean Out The Room!

It's bloody time for an update on the resettlement process for my messy bedroom that has been delayed for way too long! The last post was almost nine months ago!

After the decision was made to reclaim my birthright territory, i threw away a lot of books to make space.

Great memories were kept in many of them - the polytechnic textbooks with my handwritten notes and underlined statements, the many notes photocopied from hardworking classmates like Jessica, Kimberly, Jane and Peiping, the comic books and novels that provided me with much laughter and comfort in times of stress and unhappiness.

The clutter was finally cleared and for the very first time since i moved to this 4-room flat in year 1986, i could literally hear echoes whenever someone spoke in the room!

Clearing the room is only for one purpose; repainting the yellowish walls.

Painting is a backbreaking chore and i swear never to attempt it again! I would rather pay someone to do it for me. Eventually (after 6 painful hours), i gave up and left a section untouched - it shall be blocked by the wardrobe anyway [typical man's thinking, i heard].

Now's IKEA time!

Delivery was required as my intention was to have a 2.5 meters long wardrobe! And there's no way i am going to assemble the 2.4 meters tall wardrobe myself.

Let's leave it to the professionals for a sum of S$50 for delivery and 0.6% of the total retail price (for the item or items you ask to assemble).

Don't assume it would be a speedy business for the guys to assemble the furniture. Mine took almost six hours, until 11pm at night! And i had to clean up the dusty room! Sighs...

To save costs, i visited IKEA (its humongous Tampines store with free parking) the following week to buy study / computer tables. Like most men, i do enjoy assembling products so long it does not take up too much time.

The last task on installing the curtain rod was thought to be the easiest.

It turned out to be another tiresome job resulting in shirts soaked with sweat!

Should have paid for a professional.

=_= but thanks to Johnny for helping!

BERGS Gourmet Burgers [The BFB & Alamack] @ Far East Square

When i was raving about the burgers from De Burg a few months ago, both my sisters suggested i give this burger joint near their offices in the business district a try.

As expected, i deliberated for quite a while! It is a hard decision to make with Singapore having far too many eateries. At times, the dilemma was frustrating enough for me to decide to stay at home and eat cup noodles.

Coming back - given Bergs location in the central business district where 5-day working week is the norm, the eatery was almost devoid of any customers on a Saturday afternoon. *hint - go on Saturdays*

Ordering was a breeze (thanks to the lack of customers) and since everything is freshly made upon your order, please give around 10-15 minutes before your burger is sent to your table.

Delivered in a brown paper bag! This type of delivery reminded me of the mystery bags i used to buy from the mamak stall at the void decks! Damn, it was so exciting to see what surprises lie within!

Chips (Fries)

My younger sister absolutely loved the chips in Bergs! For fries fanatics who prefer fat and crunchy fries, like those from MOS Burger, this is definitely the place for you.

However, the serving was incredibly generous and it was a carbohydrate overdose after the burgers. Recommended to share with a buddy! Or you can ask my sister to help you.

Onion Rings

Failed - sogginess aside, oiliness aside, what i could not stand is the use of onion mix when perfectly round slices of pure onions are so much more delicious!

Alamack Burger (Berg Size)

Basically, this is a fish burger; albeit a pretty big one known as berg size.

Everything was fresh and quite palatable except for the patty. It was too solid for my liking, resulting in a dry texture that was a bit off. Oh, it can also do with more tartar sauce or maybe a spoonful of mayonnaise.

The BFB Burger (Berg Size)

Gigantic! And from Kon's analysis, this BFB (i have no idea what it stands for) burger was even larger than the epic De Burg Decadence! It may look smaller at the first glance but this BFB was compactly packed with all the goodness!

What i expect from a gourmet burger is simple; a true burger must be juicy, meaty and preferably with an egg. Although BFB satisfied all the criteria, it lacked a special enticing flavour to differentiate it from the others.

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Location

137 Amoy Street,

#01-01, Far East Square

Price

Onion Rings - S$4.50

Alamack (Berg Size) - S$14.50

The BFB (Berg Size) - S$18.00

Top Up Burger with Chips and Drinks -S$4.00

[No Service Charge. No GST]

Website

http://www.bergsburgers.com/

Additional Information

Outside seating available!

You can request for complimentary water!

And there is free wifi (request from the counter)!

Chinese Calligraphy (中国書法) in the Uncultured Eyes of Cavin

I am not known to have an "officially correct" artistic eye and could not really understand the deep yet symbolic meaning for most art pieces.

Chinese calligraphy is undeniably one arts segment i have major difficulties in grasping. To me, a Chinese character is purely a Chinese word and i could at most differentiate between a nice handwriting and an ugly one.

Anyway, this post touches on the calligraphy the Great Kon bought in Raffles City a few weeks back! Just for clarification, it was not taken off the rack and in fact, required the strokes of a calligraphy master from China.

Paper is one of the four treasures of a typical study room in ancient China. In the present, the colour of the paper and patterns of the border are equally important for decorative purposes.

Ink is no longer the traditionally black form; in view of the charcoal black paper base, gold ink (signifying wealth and prosperity) is definitely the most suitable.

The name of the Master (张永红) came next. It marvels me to see someone writing with such a thin ink brush! Such delicate action is beyond me.. Trust me, i tried before and what appeared at the end were not words but blots of ink.

Starting on his skillful stroke, the master began. Anyone has watched the Curse of the Golden Flower (滿城盡帶黃金甲). The scene where Chow Yun Fatt apparently wrote the following four words; 忠孝礼义, is actually the words of this master.

Anyone can guess what is Kon's surname? By this time, it should be pretty clear.

His surname is Guan 官, which is actually the same character used for officials or official businesses! In case you are wondering, the word is currently upside down.

Finishing touch for a completed work of calligraphy; the seal of the master that is given the same status as a signature in the modern world. Such seals are still used in Japan for official documents though.

The Master and his work. Kon was too shy to take a picture with him! Given my limited artistic flair, my appreciation is only limited to one word: nice!

For a pretty good explanation on what makes a good piece of calligraphy work, please refer to Wikipedia here, under "Evaluation and Appreciation".

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Location

Event Hall, Level 3

Raffles City Shopping Centre

Note: The event (promoting Chinese culture) has already ended but from my understanding, such events are quite common and you may be able to find something similar in time to come.