It can be very hard to explain to a non-Singaporean the concept of Kway Chap – after all, how do you describe what is essentially a Singaporean version of haggis, except that it’s all chopped up and not stuffed into a sheep’s stomach.
Well, I’m sure going to try, because this local delicacy is not only worth the explanation, it’s worth the effort.
Thank goodness for girlfriends.
I was super excited when my friend Yina said that she was visiting me from Singapore – we’ve known each other since we were 13, been through all the awkward teenage years and it’s been awhile since I’ve moved to Australia. So when she suggested a trip together to Devon Cafe in scenic Surry Hills, I knew that it was going to be an afternoon of food and laughter, just like the old times.
Couple that with truffles? We were ready for some winter bling!
Fried chicken. Just saying the words conjure up images juicy chicken meat encased in a fragile shell of batter or crumb; every bite threatening to shatter like glass with every bite.
And how better to pass a dreary winter day than to pick up a massive piece of fried chicken, served in a paper bag like a boss!
Every year, the Refugee Council of Australia organises Refugee Week, a period where awareness is spread about the journey of refugees, and when we celebrate their positive contributions. This year, Refugee Week falls between 15th to 21st June, and to commemorate it, the I Ate My Way Through Meetup group went on a food crawl to explore these cultures the best way we know how: through food.
You can say all you want about our hunter-gatherer-forager instincts, but the truth of the matter is that as the day gets shorter, and the nights get colder, we just sometimes want to curl up on the couch under the covers and have our food brought to us, Cleopatra-style.
And that’s where our phones get whipped out, and apps like EatNow come in.
Eastwood really seems to be buzzing these days. Eateries and shops are popping up like daisies in spring, and I – for one – am NOT complaining.
So today it’s off to Hong Kong Recipe, located underneath Aldi, for a quick dinner.
Dumplings and noodles – two of the foods that we can never get enough of in my house. To me, they are deeply comforting, and have the ability to take away all the tension from the day.
So when you open a dumpling and noodle shop right outside Aldi (my usual hangout), it’s like the heavens have opened and smiled down upon me, enabling me to get my noodle fix, anytime.
I’ve been called – some would say accused of being – a hippie. No no, I thoroughly enjoy my creature comforts and only venture outdoors in limited amounts, but I do believe in eating seasonally, and locally wherever possible. After all, it’s not just the philosophy of it all, but I do find that the deliciousness of your produce greatly increases when you follow those few guidelines.
So when I heard that Stanley Street Merchants was going to open, I just had to make a booking.
There are meals, and then there are meals. And just like the hobbits had second breakfast, I think there’s plenty of room for more meals in the day.
Which is why, after a somewhat unsatisfying dinner the other night, we stopped by an old favourite for a drive-by meal: Doughbox diner in Enmore.
After months of being tempted by countless Instagram photos of mouthwatering foods coming out of the kitchens at Drink and Dine’s (the same people who brought you The Oxford Tavern, the House of Crabs and others) latest offering – Chica Linda – I finally got the chance to taste some of this goodness myself.
After all, when a restaurant menu says “Latino specialities”, I imagine someone’s abuela puttering about behind a stove, loading up plates full of fragrant, punchy food.