Far East Plaza is a blast from the past. I remember the days when I was at Catholic Junior College, and I would skip classes and sneak off to have a prawn burger at Wendy downstairs. In my blue school uniform, I would in the fast food outlet and try to do my homework. Some things don't change as I see students in Singapore are still doing the same thing 25 years later.
Far East Plaza also has a little gem of a coffee shop called Cahaya on the 5th floor where you can get Rojak, Hokkien Prawn Mee, Mee Goreng and Curry Chicken noodles. The main attraction is William's Rojak. I have been eating rojak from this stall since I was a student. It is a husband and wife team - husband makes rojak, wife does fresh fruit and juice. I asked to take a photograph of the stall. Wife says "please don't take mine since my mother just passed away recently go ahead and take a photograph of my husband." So i did.
I remember trying William's rojak so many years ago. He makes quite a light sauce, not too much prawn paste and nice touch of lime. The special ingredient is the fragrant punchy banana flower - he has a technique for shredding - which he has done for years. The flavours are well combined - the art is in the mixing, and lots of finely crushed peanuts, mixed with mooli (mang kwang), cucumber, crispy fried you tiao and slices of green mango. A plate of fresh salad in a fragrant prawn paste sauce. Who says chinese don't do salads?
I am thinking of ordering the Hokkien prawn mee after demolishing my rojak. There are two ladies in their sixties next to me, who ordered both rojak and hokkien mee. They remind me of my mum, speaking in Teochew, sharing tit-bits about their family and commenting about the food their eating.
It is getting very busy now. So i get up to go to allow the real punters to have their lunch.
No comments:
Post a Comment