slice of saturday

macritchie reservoir 10:00 AM. me, lizzie, laura and kathy hit the trail.  and walked and walked and talked and walked. for 3 hours!  11 kms around the reservoir.  we even took the sky bridge detour. now that is a view.  people should build houses up in the trees again.  i would kill to live in the top of one of those massive trees surrounded by lush greenery and silence.  mmmm..

and after 3 hours of walking we were hungry. i had originally suggested starbucks, but my friends were in need of a little more sustenance then coffee and cakes after our 11 km walk...   and so we hoped into a taxi to upper thomson and out in front of crust.  crust is a pizza place.  not just any pizza place but a  gourmet pizza place.. its hard to get anything close to good pizza in asia... and this place.. was pretty damn good... especially with thin crispy crusts and vegetable pizza options.. like artichoke hearts.

i ordered vegetarian supreme which was pretty good.  kathy ordered cajun chicken.  laura ordered the brushchetta and lizzie ordered the spicy pesto scallops.  and we all ate most of it.  their pizzas are quite large,  well for one person (8 slices) but we were hungry and it was delicious.

and this time.. not much talking. we had spent all our conversation on the 3 hour long hike.  what fun!
so....if you live in the upper thomson area (there's one in holland village too)... crust delivers.  not bad.  not great.  but not bad.

Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar
Upper Thomson
215R Upper Thomson Road
Tel: 6456 1555

bananas.

ok..so not a brunch post.. but for those following along... just too hilarious of an event not to post.  as you know, my relationship with graham as been gradually fading.. but he is a nice guy, and you know, if it weren't for some serious physical and mental obstacles there could be... ok fine... no, but he is a nice guy and he's fragile having just been ripped out of his family (his words).  so i haven't had the heart to make a complete break like i probably should have.  instead i chose to gradually fade.

so... graham invited me for a late sunday lunch/early dinner at the banana leaf apolo in little india.  i am mentioning it, because the food is good.  damn good.  its mostly all vegetarian... or can be if you chose.  but... you need to be warned, the decor of the restaurant is odd.  it's a massive cafeteria style room with strangely uncomfortable wooden chairs and usually very little patrons. and don't go to the washroom.  they are attached yes.... but not in a nice way.. in a connected to the rest of the mall way... in a rather grungy mall in little india.. if you get my drift... BUT... but the service is excellent and the food, did i mention?  good.  so good.  we ordered naan (of course) some red spicy vegetable dish, paneer and lime juice.  and then no plates!  just large banana leaves which we spoon our choice of food onto and dip into it with the naan.  so hearty.

speaking of heart... or lack thereof.. so... after the meal as we are sipping our lime juice, eating our second order of naan bread... yum...naan... and i am wondering how to get out of wandering around the markets to buy me yet another packet of jasmine, graham starts to tell me that he thinks it might be time if we see another people. well it went sort of like this.

"you know how first i thought i was in love with you and i wanted to get really serious?  but then you said we should slow down?"
"yeah"
"and then you said that maybe we shouldn't move in together cause it was too fast.."
"yeah"
"and then you thought that i wasn't over my divorce and you thought i needed to sow my wild oats so we decided to see other people?"
"ok.."
"well, i did that."
"ok."
"well, actually i met a really nice girl from malaysia.. and well, she doesn't want to share me."
"oh.  ok."
"you know i want to thank you.  you have helped me so much. before i met you i was in such a dark place.  and you made me smile and you showed me that i could fall in love again."

see? it all worked out.. and no one was hurt.  yeah i didn't have to make a big break up scene.  just fade to black.   ahhhh.. but... why is there always a but?......but ..here's the key girls... if you keep silent and let a man talk long enough he will eventually tell you the REAL truth..

(a few minutes later)

"so.....have you slept with this malaysian girl yet?"
"no.  that's why i wanted to tell you first.  so i could be completely honest with her."
"oh.  that's nice."
"and now i am completely confident that it will be good.  i have you to thank for that."
"really?"
"thank you.  you taught me that; just relax and don't try so hard.  kiss the upper lip and then the bottom lip. you want to know something?"
"ok, sure."
"you know the second time we were together and you asked me if i had been practicing?"
"yeah."
"well i had.  after the first time and you taught me how to kiss, i went out and slept with 5 other women to practice what you said."
"oh."
 um......WHAT THE HELL?   who does that?

............and so if you are in the mood for fantastic indian food in an uncomfortable ambiance  then the banana leaf is for you.  and cheap!  3.5 stars.

The Banana Leaf Apolo
48 Serangoon Road
01-32 Little India Arcade
Tel: 6297 1595

like a boomerang

having pretty much exhausted my choices (and my wallet) at dempsey, i went back to google to search once again for brunch. but this time i got smart. you see i think the best place i have ever had brunch (well besides the cafes in paris... oohh i love paris)  was in australia.  serious. amazing brunch/breakfast places.  with get this - fresh vegetables and fruit served on the plate!  and vegetarian options. what are they thinking?  i know!  so there was this place i remember looking awesomely cool on the riverside near clarke quay.. i had seen it during one of my midnight romantic strolls with graham.. who am i?  i know!  you are thinking that my life sounds like a movie, am i right?  well.. um.. no.. you see, sad thing is i wish graham was half as cool as he is in my dreams.  and that he wasn't still recovering from a painful divorce (him being the one kicked out of his house and wishing he could get his wife, child and life back.)  damn.  ever notice the ones you want are hard to get and only want to use and abuse you... and the ones you get.. are the ones you don't want.. the needy, overly romantic, clingy type?  sigh...

anyways. brunch. on the river.  booyah!  or.. more to the point, boomerang. what a great place! and.. wait for it... i could order directly from the menu.. completely.. again wait.. vegan choice! i was so excited.  i know it won't seem awesome to you... but to me.. so exciting.  i ordered the avocado toast.. which essentially is two thick chunks of wheat toast with slices of avocado and grilled tomatoes on the side.  and what i did was order a side of beans and hash browns. and then i put the beans over the toast, then the avocado then the tomato.... and damn!  good!  fresh!  yum!  to add, i ordered a soy cappuccino   ok the others? they ordered equally awesome - non vegan meals - buttermilk pancakes, the 'bondi' (poached eggs and spinach on toast) and 'the ashes' (big fry up, sausage, bacon, eggs, toast...yada, yada)....AND ... all the meals were served at the same time.  after AFTER the drinks.  i actually had time to chat and sip my cappuccino till it was finished and then booyah!  there arrived my meal.  perfection.  damn aussies.  they have the sun, the surf and now impeccable timing. what next?

and the chatter.. um.. well.. it flowed just as smoothly as the aussie service.  maybe because the restaurant itself is this clever inside/outside type set up with a roof but with open walls overlooking the very posh area of robertson quay.  lovely to just sit and people watch.  so gossip.. well...claire is moving to dubai. what?  she just got here. yep.. and she's pregnant again.. with girl number two. lizzie is over the moon with a german businessman we met (she dragged home) at an internations event (our first.. sadly not our last).  i was bemoaning the very gorgeous eygptian man i met (but didn't drag home) at the same said internations event who was sporadically texting me.. and i was trying my best to play coy wishing he was even as slightly as interested and head over heels in love with me as graham... and then.. there is kathy who just got propositioned to take on a HOD position at a very posh school in Singapore for 3 times her now very VERY adequate salary..... apparently education is big business in singapore.

so boomerang.  awesome.  awesome. awe.some.  and to add to its already awesome status, the bill arrived. what?  reasonable.  i walked out of my new favourite place in singapore full, refreshed and relaxed with my wallet only $25.00 lighter.  and so like a true boomerang (which coincidentally  i actually own having bought one and been taught how to correctly throw it in maroubra (near sydney) by a genuine aboriginal boomerang craftsman.  yup. no biggie) i will definitely return.  4.5 stars.  seriously, in singapore i am not sure it can get better.... but a girl can still hope.

Boomerang Bar and Bistro
Robertson Quay at the Quayside 60 Robertson Quay
Tel: 6738 1077

ps. (cafe) i love you.

and back to ps cafe. cause it was an easy choice.

and.....this time it wasn't me and the brunch ladies... it was just me and a guy; the guy i'm seeing graham. and we sat outside, but in the shade and it was fantastic. i didn't want dumb salad and fries again, so i thought i would try to do what i got so used to doing in new york. (i just came back from 2 weeks in brooklyn. holla!!) you see what i could do in new york (brooklyn) was just tell the waiter that i was vegan and that i wanted a mash of potatoes and vegetables. they were so damn good in new york (brooklyn) that they let me even list the vegetables that i wanted to add.  actually, where i stayed (in my sister's guest room) there was a true blue.. or is it green vegan restaurant s'nice (that's the name.. but it's true.. it is nice..) right down the street.  can you say heaven?  seriously fantastic.  i am dreaming right now of their soy chai lattes and vegan brownies ... oh and their awesome urban vibe.. and non humid air.......... sigh....

but this waiter surprised me. "oh, you are vegan? well we can do a portobello burger for you?  or we have a pasta with tomato sauce."

"what?" i was completely flummoxed, "but that's not on the menu."

"no, we write it on the board as vegetarian or vegan options."

"OMG! i love you!" no i didn't say that.  but i thought it.  alot.

so i ordered that; the mushroom burger and a cappuccino with soy milk......and it was fantastic! seriously.  fresh tomatoes and rocket salad with a thick slab of mushroom. yay! a party in my mouth.  i didn't eat it all, not because i didn't want to. but because i was also talking the whole time. cause when i'm happy i can't shut up. and finally in singapore at brunch i was happy.

and then my happiness doubled because this time we ordered dessert: carrot cake... and another cappuccino...
just cause it was a beautiful day sitting in the shade, chatting with a guy...

we split the bill. i know, he's supposed to pay. but he always pays. and why not? the bloody tab came to $126 and no one ordered any alcohol. what the?  but, as graham suggested, if we broke it down by hour, then we essentially paid about $20 an hour to sit there in the cool shade, surrounded by lush greenery and relax and chat and be.

ahh.. happiness. awesome today.  5 stars.....minus the cost, less would be better, but whatever, it was a splurge... ok fine 4.5 stars.  no less.

PS Cafe
28B Harding Rd  Singapore 249549
Tel: 9070 8782

salted caramel heaven.

i know its not brunch.  but its a must stop.  serious. ever since i've been vegan, well no even before that, i gave up ice cream.  i don't know why.  it just played havoc with my stomach.  about an hour after sticking a tub of haagen dazs triple brownie overload (have you ever? fack me that was good stuff) into the microwave for 30 secs to get that nice soft half melted thing going and then devouring the damn whole ooey gooey chocolate ambrosia, the sounds coming from my stomach were.. um... not nice.  did you know the  name häagen dazs was made in america. new york to be precise. its two made-up words meant to look scandinavian to americans so they think the ice cream is danish.... as danes are supposed to make the best ice cream.  huh.  so if they lie about the name.. god knows what they put in their triple brownie overload.

anyways, i was out for dinner the other night in ma hood of upper thomson dining on some fantastic indian cuisine.  see, indian food is the shit.  so many vegetarian choices. and lime juice.  and naan.. ohhh naan...  however, dessert, indian food does not have.  no. i'm not eating those weird styrofoam balls covered in watered down honey.  ok, maybe that's not what they are.. but that's what they look (and taste) like. 

and so, across the street my friend (nope not my brunch ladies.. my man friend....mwah.....ok fine. his name is graham) spotted two ice cream stalls side by side. one very busy. one not. we went in the not busy one. salted caramel. i was looking for some dumb lemon sorbet or mango sorbet.  the general default suspects.  but what.... what is this?  they have chocolate sorbet. huh... could be good... could be crap....whatever, i was in an adventurous mood. and get this... it was FANTASTIC!!   it was soo good my mouth exploded! serious. so not like the watered down cocoa that chocolate sorbet usually tastes like. this tasted like pure chocolate heaven. and not just dark chocolate, but damn, i don't even know how to explain it... it was hershey chocolate syrup out of the can, the thick stuff from the good ol' days....expect with added depth and richness and chocolate-ness. it was good man. damn good. damn fackin' good. and it was vegan. huh?  heaven!

graham got the salted caramel. meh. it was ice cream. i gave him a spoon of my chocolate heaven and then his too became ice cream heaven!
seriously.. ain't got no idea what everyone was doing at the other store.  even the name..udders... tacky!  salted caramel gets my vote.  4 stars.  ( i can't give 5 cause there really wasn't anywhere to sit because it was busy.. and i don't know if there are any other worthy flavours...yet..)

Salted Caramel
246F Upper Thomson Road
Tel: 6753 1718

la barca, la ok-ah

lizzie kept seeing la barca  on her way to work so finally we decided to try it. it was an odd one to find, tucked away in the middle of the goodman arts centre. which in itself is a weird campus.  but a gem too in my opinion.  i love all things art. and was in my glory wandering around checking out all the possible art courses and classes i could attend. if only i didn't have to work all day. oh! the things i could do.

the goodman arts centre is built on the old campus of lasalle arts college, which i think (hope) was built on the old site of an army barracks type building.  it was very 1960's institutional. lots of floors of small doors.  huh.  but la barca was in the middle, a little oasis of white curtains, white lounge chairs and green plants.  i arrived first and sat down in one of the luscious couches outside waiting for everyone else.  i could have sat there all day. but finally when everyone arrived, the waiter suggested we move to a table. we decided to sit outside, under the canopy.

so their brunch menu was pretty good. there wasn't a vegan meal but there were a ton of sides.  i asked the waiter if i could have the potato wedges, the grilled vegetables and the steamed tomatoes together on one plate.  "no, cannot." huh?  why not? i didn't understand, but whatever.  fine.  "you want them all at once?"  yes.  i tried to explain. i am vegan.  i don't eat meat or eggs, so that is what i must do to eat any thing on your menu.  i don't think he understood (or cared).

it was a lovely set up and as we sat down they brought toast for all of us in those lovely little silver triangle things.  very english for an italian restaurant.  laura ordered pancakes.  kathy ordered the full breakfast, eggs sunny side up.  but...."no, cannot. only can have eggs over easy."  huh? why not?  she didn't understand.

but it all became very clear when the food arrived.  i could not put all my sides onto one dish because each side was carefully displayed on a massive plate with drips of oil on top.. very french cafe style. yes.  there were 5 thin strips of grilled zucchini.  and 2 steamed tomatoes and a plate of 4 potato wedges laid out in the the shape of star.  it was a thing of beauty.  and took up half the table.  i subsequently took all vegetables off their gorgeously laid out plates and heaped them on top of the potato wedges.  then asked for ketchup.  (oh i'm a choice guest!)

kathy's over easy which could not be a sunny side up actually was sunny side up. so go figure.  little things.  no big deal.  it was actually, when all the logistics were sorted out, delicious. 

the bathrooms were across the amphitheater area at the bottom of the goodman arts centre. so a fair walk. but somewhat attached.  and probably the walk was good for me. i did it 3 times as i kept getting refills of hot water and we stayed and chatted all afternoon.  about to kill a mockingbird.  why does the singapore school system insist on teaching students to kill a mockingbird? how in the world does it relate to anything in singapore?  1930s, race issues, slavery, rape, and good ol southern american family values. huh.  i thought it was a hard sell to my canadian students.

so la barca. the price was reasonable.  again, i paid the most for my 3 sides as opposed to frankie's massive eggs and sausage and coffee and juice and toast set.  but whatever. who's complaining (me. just once i would like to go to a restaurant that has stuff on the menu that i can eat.  like more then one thing.  i miss vegan restaurants. i would even be happy for a vegetarian option.  i'm just asking for a bit of  love.  just a little)   whatever, it was a lovely brunch. and quiet. we were the only ones there. and the company was great.  so yeah, ok. i was going to say 4 stars. but no, it wasn't ps cafe good. but it wasn't la baci bad.  so 3.5 stars. maybe i'll go back and see if it gets better?

La Barca
90 Goodman Rd, Goodman Arts Centre Blk C
Tel: 6346 5813

psssst! ps cafe. not too bad.

we had seen ps cafe the other times we had gone to dempsey hill, hidden down a long windy path, and it looked delightful, so we were all excited to give it a go.
and we weren't disappointed. it was lovely.  lovely.  as soon as you walk in you are greeted with a row of the most delectable tantalizing cakes you can imagine.  and then massive vases of flowers.  and when i say massive like 6 feet tall.  just gorgeous.  the seating area is lovely with floor to ceiling windows looking out over grass and lush greenness that is singapore.

it was busy when we arrived at 11 and there were 6 of us minus one.  lizzie was out sleeping in and enjoying the peace and quiet after the exodus of laura's bali boy.  and they don't take reservations.  but we only waited about 10 minutes for a table.  ok, the menu was a bit meat heavy and no 'just toast' or home fries or anything.  but i was the only one with ordering issues.  its not really a brunch-y menu, but the usual suspects: pancakes, eggs benedict, eggs and bacon are all there.  i ordered ugh... the green house salad because they didn't even have like a side of veggies or anything.  and i ordered fries.  they were ok.  the green house salad i ordered had blueberries which were delicious but prehaps too many cherry tomatoes.  it was massive, served in a giant bowl.  so even though i didn't finish it, i did eat a fair bit. 

the bathrooms, although quick to get rather icky were attached!  and clever there are actually 2 women's and one men.  ha!  now that is good planning.  and they also have gorgeous floral arrangements. 

yup.  ps cafe had such a nice atmosphere, i have could sat there all day. wait....we did. our waiter was so patient with us even when there was a line up at the door to get in.  but actually, yes we were talking the whole time about stuff.. cause we are girls and we can talk .....ok.. we were also talking about frankie's wacko landlord who is threatening to evict her and keeps making her pay extra saying that she breaks things.. when she can't use the kitchen at all. can you imagine?  she has to go out and buy all her food and then eat out.  she isn't even supposed to eat in her room.  that was the latest stunt her landlord pulled.  just before brunch she knocked on frankie's door (who answered in a towel having just gotten out of the shower) and told her she was kicked out for eating in her room.  because she smelt curry.  frankie had just woken up and had a shower.  and then came for brunch.  no curry. weird.  my roommates drive me crazy at times, and i live in a grungy HBD, but damn, what the hell could it be like?

but we were actually waiting for a dessert menu.  we were dying to try the freakin' amazing desserts.  and i so wanted another cup of tea.  but our waiter never came back.  we waited for hours.  so when she finally did come back we were so tired of waiting and it was going on 3:00 we just asked for the bill.  sigh.

so ps cafe... ooohhh.. not bad.  really not bad.  unless you have to pay for the bill.  and then ouch!  it may just be a  once a month thing.  i paid $50 PLUS for salad, fries and tea.  yup.  $50 PLUS.   all in all, though, i have to say, for location (its in dempsey.. yay!) ambiance, general healthiness of food, service, not too damn bad.  4 stars.

PS Cafe
28B Harding Rd  Singapore 249549
Tel: 9070 8782