Singapore (again): Whirlwind food tour resumes...

I am back again in Singapore for another round of catching up with old friends and colleagues, consuming more local food whether it is new experiences or revisiting old ones. The best cure for jet-lag is greasy stodgy food. At 7am, Sunday morning we walked to Killiney Rd (from Emerald Hill where we stayed) searching for roti prata or nasi lemak. We found the Casuarina Club - the name and brand looked familiar to me - perhaps somewhere in Dempsey Rd or Holland? John ordered Roti Prata with Cheese and Onion (he has this combination with omellettes and in a sandwich too). I was feeling really piggy so I had an egg roti prata and plain thosai (or dosai as it is also known). Perhaps it was the jet-lag, but it was quite good. The thosai was particularly good for me - more subtle in flavor and of course, it is not fried in lard. It is more like a pancake with a sour yoghurt tang. I like buckwheat pancakes very much but i think thosai beats it. There is clearly room for a thosai pancake house!

So you would think this is a good enough breakfast for me. But no! I spotted a curry puff stall right next door to the Casuarina Club. I bought a couple of curry puffs to try, and vadai, which is a south indian snack always served with a green chilli. Vadai is basically a dal based batter - lots of variations on the ingredients, but i like the prawn vadai with a fresh green chilli. I used to buy them by the dozens at the stall in Siglap - this indian lady makes it fresh and hot - she is sold out by 3pm each day. She always gave me extra because I went so often. It is a simple healthy vegan snack deep fried in vegetable oil. Who can resist deep fried? The fresh chilli is a superb accompaniment. The curry puff was very good by the way - thin crispy skin with half an egg inside. It is not fat and stodgy like the Old Chang Kee. but light and leaves you wanting more. I am definitely going back to get some on Weds next week when i am back in Singapore.