Island Cafe @ Tangs & Glutton Bay @ Esplanade - 4 March 2006

Went out with Celest yesterday, and Davis too. I met Davis earlier at Sunny Bookstore at Far East Plaza and we had lunch at Island Cafe inside Tangs (this is my fave hideout place for days when I am tired and want to have a peaceful meal without jostling for tables at food courts or other places).

Island Cafe is now bustling with actitivies and customers after the revamped. I have been dining there regularly since 2001 (though I think I have been there before in the late 90s too when I first came back) and have seen their several revamps, from the dishes to the layout to the crockery and prices. It has always been well-known for their laksa and chicken rice, and now their soft shelled crab tung hoon.

I ordered the Crayfish hor fun, chocolate milkshake and banana chocolate cake while Davis just had the chicken rice and barley. This is the first time I tried the crayfish hor fun and it is absolutely yummy! The whole crayfish was spilt into half, and the dish is chockful of seafood ingredients (fish cake slices, fish, squids and prawns, beside the crayfish). Very generous. The gravy is tasty with a slight "wok hei" flavor to it.

The banana chocolate cake is not bad, at least the chocolate is made of good chocolate, and not the cheap type where it is more cocoa butter rather than cocoa itself. The chocolate milkshake is a disappointment (reason for me to order the cake as I wanted something chocolatey). The chocolate tasted like the chocolate ice cream you get from the uncle outside takashimaya for $1. Maybe I am spoiled, but I prefer fine chocolates, especially valrhona chocolate.

(Think I shall make a post all about chocolate some day soon)

Contact:
Island Cafe
Tangs 4th Level

Glutton Bay @ Esplanade

We met Celest at Coffee Club outside California Fitness, and watched her had her lunch. Celest and I were to watch "Mrs Henderson Presents" after that while Davis went off for her other appointments. We ended up having dinner at GluttonBay as we were sidetracked outside Heeren by a Hippo Bus which has been commandeered for the Music Festival. It was pretty amazing. Loud music blared from the bus, with some people on the upper deck making whopping noises. We decided to stay below and just enjoy the cool air. Brochures, phamplets etc decorated the bus, with information on the various performances available at the Esplanade. And it is a free ride to the Esplanade :p

Glutton Bay, operated by Makansutra, is an outdoor hawker center with a row of stalls selling local food. It is an attempt to bring back the old days of outdoor eating, before al fresco was popularized by Western restaurants, where hawkers will sell their food anywhere along the streets. In the '70s, the government felt it was not hygenic to serve food without proper sanitation, and hence built centers to house these hawkers. The centers are commonly known as hawker centers or food centers.

In mid 2004, the carpark next to Specialist Shopping Center along Orchard Road was revitalized and morphed into a temporary outdoor hawker center to recreate "Glutton Square" as part of the Singapore Food Festival. IIRC, that was to showcase what it was like in the old days, where hawkers will park their mobile carts at the lot in the evening and start selling food. It proved to be so popular that it was extended till after Chinese New Year in 2005. As people still longed for a place for good local food during the wee hours, Glutton Bay was conceived. The opening hours tend to be from 6pm (could be slightly earlier) till 3am (but if it is raining, the stall operators will close around 2am or earlier - I experienced that before).

While Glutton Bay is not huge, there are pretty decent local delights to please the palate. From the famous Fried Prawn Noodles with long lines all the time and Oyster Omelette to chicken wings, seafood stall, minced meat noodles, satays, dim sum, chicken rice, etc.

We shared the Hokkien Mee (Fried Prawn Noodles), oyster omelette, satays and ended with teh tarik. I realized I tend to order the usual stuff at certain places. The noodles was good as usual, with enough gravy but was not too wet. The prawns were not that fresh though but they were ok. The oyster omelette was wonderfully crispy and was not overly thick with the tapioca flour and the oysters were plump and fresh, served with the tangy chili sauce.

The satays (chicken) were very nice too, first time I had that there. I am never a big fan of satays as I am not a really a meat person, but they are yummy. Very tender meat, and well-marinated with the herbs and spices. Definitely much better than the one served at Straits Kitchen at the Hyatt. I love the peanut gravy, it was full of chopped peanuts and not too spicy with a tinge of sweetness.

Another stall which I want to try is the Kaya stall. It actually has a kaya fondue where toasted bread are sliced into fingers. One day...