Cafe Colbar - A Journey Back In Time to the Colonial Bar @ 9A Whitchurch Road [Next to the Upcoming Mediapolis]

Straying from the recent explosion of cafes in Singapore, i found myself standing in front of one that could only be described as the illustrious elder of cafes in Singapore; Cafe Colbar.

Everything about it reminded me of the days when i was still living in the Nee Soon Village; where wooden planks were used for walls and partitions, concrete flooring was all we needed and fans were the only way to cool us down on a bloody hot day!

Even the cafe's interior screamed of rustic character; from the wooden study tables to the old fashioned cupboards cluttered with rusting trophies, photo frames and numerous memorabilia sourced on overseas trips.

There's even a retro weighing machine in the premise! Now, that's a pretty weird equipment to have in a food establishment. Put it this way, there are two likely scenarios; first, i weighed myself, i was aghast with the spot that the needle pointed to and i decided to have only salad (loss of a higher value sale). 

Two, i ate a full lunch, i weighed myself, i almost fainted when i checked out the actual weight and swore never to dine there again (loss of repeated sale). 

To play safe, i did neither. 

Some historical bites of Colbar - opened for business in 1953 as a canteen for the old British Army Barracks, the land it stood on had to make way for construction of an access way to Queensway from Ayer Rajah Expressway. However, the historical house with the 'Colbar' name had a strong presence in the area; resulting in intense calls for preservation. 

It was eventually decided that the building be taken apart and rebuilt in a nearby plot of land. What you see above was four sections (out of quite a number known collectively as the heritage wall) of the original timber boards salvaged from the old building. 

Hungry?

Fried Rice

That intense wok hei fragrance hit me as soon as the waiter placed it on the table! 

It was similar in taste to those offered by better tze char stalls except that the chef in Colbar was much more generous with the prawns and chicken meat. I am uncertain if i would come back specially for this as the asking price was definitely not of the economical tze-char standard. 

Pork Cutlet Chips and Mushrooms

At S$13, this didn't come cheap although there were two humongous chunks of pork cutlets that took me quite a while to finish! Nothing impressive from the chips (hate wedges by the way) and mushrooms. 

Foodies who dislike thick crusts that are full of flour would like this thinner version! The meat was compact and not as oily as others in the market. The flavour was a bit weak which i attributed to meat which could do with a bit more juice! Comparatively, i thought the pork cutlet from Ang Mo Kio S11 was better. 

Chicken Merry Land

With such a chirpy name, my NUS colleague found it to be too irresistible! Once again, i am neutral to the sides except for the fried banana which had a nice batter and sweet gooey insides, and the strips of bacon which tasted horrible! 

Saving grace (besides the banana), was the deep fried chicken patty. I could not say it was the best i ever have but in comparison to my pork cutlet, the chicken was much juicier.

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Location

9A Whitchurch Road, Wessex Estate 

[Next to the upcoming Mediapolis]

Map

As above

Price

Fried Rice - S$6.50

Pork Cutlet Chips & Mushrooms - S$13.00

Chicken Merry Land - S$16.50

[NETT!]

Menu

As above

Additional Information

With so much greenery, do expect mosquitoes. 

Dad's Birthday 2013!

September is a bad month for my finance. Just on birthdays alone, i have three immediate family members who were born in the month of September and two of them happened to be the 'supplier' for my existence!

Whining aside, they are also the main provider of unlimited love and enduring care, raising me up from a three-kilogram baby to the short yet heavy chap i am today. And for that, i am deeply grateful....

Anyway, yesterday's was Dad's 61st birthday!

Last year on the exact same date, I was at the city of Chengde, where the Qing emperors escaped from the hot summer in Beijing, with my parents as a birthday treat from the three of us. There was no celebration as we didn't inform the rest of our tour mates and i could not find a place that sells birthday cakes! 

This year was vastly different; he had the company of his talkative children and noisy grandchild (Jerald was in his maternal grandparents' place) right at home with takeaways from the nearby tze char stall and a delicious ice cream cake from Marble Slab Creamery! 

Talking about ice cream cake - there was once we bought an expensive Haagen Dazs ice cream cake for mom's birthday. Knowing he would nag non-stop if he knew the price tag, we were unanimous in our decision that he be informed that the cake only cost us S$20. Thankfully, he bought our bullshit! 

Despite the many complaints i have of him, we must always remember that most parents would not shy away from their responsibilities and would always demand the best for their children. This "best" can take forms in many ways which may, or may not be explicitly expressed.

My dad belongs to the latter and quieter type. Weirdly, he is as equally adept in switching to a nagging persona which consists of irritating mumbles that could stretch for hours! 

BUT.

No matter what, i still love him as my dad. 

=(^_^)=

Taang Shifu (汤师父) - A Healthy Restaurant @ KSL Mall [Johor Bahru]

I am not one who will go to great lengths just to have healthy food. To put it simply, sinfully unhealthy food with the capability to clog up my blood vessels often taste the best!

Therefore, when i heard that Taang Shifu (literally translated as Soup Master) was famed for its nourishing cuisine built on a solid background of traditional Chinese herbs and medicine, i was hesitant to step in.

Unfortunately, it happened to be mom's birthday and as the mommy's boy, i have no choice but to defer to the mom's decision. Despite the unwillingness, I have to say I was very impressed with the sleek modernistic decor blended with subtle elements of Oriental Chinese.

Guava with Orange Peel

Thinking back then in the restaurant, it had been quite a while since the family last took the chopper to make this detoxifying treat!

The one at Taang Shifu was a big disappointment; the slices of guava were obviously left too long in the fridge, resulting in a soggy texture that was also also infused with an overwhelming preserved orange peel flavour. 

Want to know how to make the 'right' version? 

Click here for the details!

Nourishing Dumplings Soup

Look here - the soup (maybe even the wooden container too) was the star. The dumplings, though considerably sized, were almost tasteless! I customarily took a bite, and secretly placed it on my sister's plate.

Dang Gui Stewed Pork

Served with brown rice, the main reason i ordered this (for myself) was because i figured this would likely be the lesser healthy amongst others.

Damn was i wrong!!!!! It was stewed pork alright but instead of getting the pork belly cut, all i got was a bowl of stewed lean pork! Thankfully, the sauce was pretty light and palatable with hints of dang gui (a Chinese herb). The fattening version would be totally preferred although I could still accept this much healthier adaptation occasionally.

Black Sesame Buns

Warm to the touch, i could not resist taking one bite right after taking the above photograph; the incredibly soft bun was saturated with the delicious nice aroma of black sesame seeds!

Sadly, the savoury filling that you are supposed to scoop into the cup-shaped bun kind of spoiled the whole thing! Even if the ingredients are beneficial for our body, it would be less tortuous to have a sweet filling like red bean paste instead.

Sliced Pork with "Di Huang"

At this point, you might have thought that i would totally swear off Taang Shifu for the rest of my life! I would have, if not for the existence of this dish.

Technically, this was our typical kong ba pau presented in a more health conscious manner; lettuce to replace carbohydrate-rich buns! I was so blown away by their deliciousness that i ate more than half!

The fresh lettuce provided a refreshing crunch that perfectly complemented the slice of super fattening pork belly, sweet pickles and the herbal sauce (likely a concoction that included Di Huang). Note: the porky taste got a bit overbearing by the time i had my third slice, so do eat with moderation.

Nourishing Jelly Ice

Everyone knows i am a huge fan of the cheng tng from bedok corner. Guess i managed to find its long lost brother right across the causeway in Malaysia, in jelly form.

Honestly, the jelly's subtle flavour was totally overpowered by the richer, stronger-tasting ingredients (i am not complaining). A soupier presentation would have made this a hit and i could magically make it happen by waiting for the ice to melt.

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Location

Lot G26, 27 & 28 Ground Floor,

KSL City No 33, Jalan Seladang,

Taman Abad, Johor Bahru.

Price

Guava with Orange Peel - RM 3.90

Nourishing Dumplings Soup - RM 11.90

Dang Gui Stewed Pork - RM 8.90

Black Sesame Buns - RM 15.90

Sliced Pork with "Di Huang" - RM 18.90

Nourishing Jelly Ice - RM 6.90

[Subject to Govt Tax and Service Charge]

Additional Information

Want to purchase some of the traditional Chinese herbs used in the dishes and use them at home for your meals? Fret not, there was a retail counter conveniently located within the restaurant where you can freely make your purchases! 

Full Moon - Finally In View Using the Camera!

Even though i have held on to a DSLR for quite a number of years, my photography skills were limited to using the programme function and letting the AI decide the best shutter and aperture for me. 

So, for quite a number of years, i can never quite get why friends are able to take and post clear pictures of a beautiful full moon when the best i can get was the above; a ball of bright light and that's it! 

Laziness aside, i never did attempt to check out with those friends, until recently during the mid-autumn festival when the moon would appear to be the brightest, roundest and fullest for the year! 

My first few attempts failed. 

The last few were somewhat successfully. 

There was a slight problem though.

I still don't know how i manage to get it right.

Time for an intensive googling session! 

WaffleTown - Clucky Lucky Fried Chicken & Plain Waffle @ Balmoral Plaza [near Newton MRT station]

A harmless comment from a colleague sparked an unstoppable craving to visit the Waffletown, the old school cafe that used to be located in Bukit Timah Plaza near Ngee Ann Polytechnic, yesterday. 

This wasn't my virgin patronage although i agreed the standard had deteriorated the last time i was there (which was at least quite a few years ago). 

So what exactly was my colleague's comment? We were having Texas Chicken for lunch when Ms Kelly Lau recalled the fried chicken from Waffletown! On second thoughts, my failing memory recollected that the chicken was better than the waffles. 

Clucky Lucky Fried Chicken 

So, i ordered the three-piece meal and was ecstatic to find that my carbohydrates intake would be minimal since i don't take mashed potatoes (Alex gobbled it up by the way)! p.s. trying to lose weight! 

They screamed of plain old fashioned perfectness. Served piping hot, it didn't leave that disgusting greasiness in your mouth and the chicken meat was so tender and juicy; it could have just been slaughtered that very morning! Flavour wise, it lacked the herbs and spices signature of KFC and would not be well taken by those who dislike Arnolds Chicken.

I like Arnold Chicken. One of the key highlights in Arnolds was its crispy yet oily chicken skin. It wasn't the same crispiness in Waffletown but i would go for this flakier, lighter version simply because it appeared less oily! 

Plain Belgian Waffle

Unlike two decades ago, waffles are now commonly found in many places, especially with the recent explosion of ice cream parlours. Back then, Waffletown was obviously famous for its waffles. 

With the change in times, there are many who argued that the waffles didn't appear to be as good as before. In order not to be judgmental when it comes to toppings like creamy ice-cream, i purposely chose a plain waffle for this review.

This was way better than the soggy one i had a few years ago! It came thankfully hot with crusty sides and contained that natural buttery fluffiness well-liked by many in the past. To me, it was a nostalgic trip of travelling back in time; having waffle with good old SCS butter and Heinz breakfast maple syrup. 

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Location

271 Bukit Timah Road,

#01-08, Balmoral Plaza

[near Newton MRT station]

Opening Hours 

11am to 10pm daily.

Website 

http://waffletown.com.sg/

Price

3-Piece Fried Chicken Meal - S$9.90 nett

Plain Waffle - S$2.90 nett

Menu 

As above

Block 3D [1973-1983] @ Choa Chu Kang Chinese Cemetery

Many friends have commented right across my face that i am morbid; all because i like to check out the land of the dead in my free time. Till now, i could not fathom what's wrong with THEM!? =P

I agree it is an unusual "hobby", maybe even weird but the serenity and quietness of cemeteries can be so... therapeutic. Gosh, i think i have inadvertently made matters worse! 

Whatever the case, i am dead set on exploring the different blocks of Choa Chu Kang Chinese cemetery in my free time and the first one was Block 3D where the tombs of the four tragic Geylang Bahru children stood. 

Housing the remains of those buried between 1973 and 1983, the challenges to navigating this small block were the uneven terrain, potholes, unclear pathways and cluttered display of tombstones. 

The good thing about it was that the tombstones came in numerous shape and design; lacking the tidy uniformity we commonly see in the newer blocks. 

One was simply a slab of stone with barely readable Chinese characters. 

Another had basically a washed out look with zero information of the deceased. I am not sure if it was an act of vandalism or that the descendants had relocated the remains to a crematorium.

Relocation sounded like a more probable reason as the official ruling for land burial in Singapore stated a limitation of at most fifteen years for those with religion that permits cremation. It was not strictly enforced although some of the surrounding burial plots have already been cleared of graves. 

There were a few unique features to this block; one of which was the high concentration of children tombs! 

Unlike the crypt-like tombs popularly used nowadays, it's easy to spot a child tomb in this 30-year old block. The mound behind the headstone would be much smaller as compared to an adult tomb. 

Okay, i admit i felt a bit uneasy when i chanced upon this picture of the baby girl on the headstone. Don't think there's anything paranormal as the tomb was openly exposed to the harsh elements of nature.

This taller-than-usual headstone was the first tomb that caught my attention; belonging to a clan association (三合会馆 which is now known as 广西暨高州会馆 Guangxi and Gaozhou Association), i initially thought the name sounded more like a secret society in Singapore's colonial days! 

Similar to Ying Fui Fo Kun, this was a collective tomb housing likely the exhumed remains of members of the association. Once again, i could hardly make out the Chinese characters!!!

Lastly, the simple yet delicate rose tomb of an eighteen year-old lady by the name of Yeo Siew Choo who passed away on 19 June 1973. 

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Location Map

As above [Block 3D had a blue border]