Pride In A Peranakan Kitchen

Mum's Kitchen

Growing up in a Peranakan family offered my brother and I the privilege of witnessing the older generation  putting in a lot of effort to uphold our  traditional Peranakan values through certain traits and formalities they have nurtured over the years.  While Jerome and I appreciated our Peranakan heritage, and often recounted memories of our childhood within a Peranakan household, the truth was that we were slowly but surely losing our hold on our culture.  What seemed to help my brother and I cling on to the last vestiges of what was truly Peranakan in our family were old, fading photographs that were yellow at the edges, my aunt's stories about my grand parents when they were residing in Geylang, my Mum and her awesome Peranakan culinary skills.

Here are some examples of Mum's timeless treasures:

Nonya Mee Siam

Nonya Popiah

Chap Chye

Nonya Mee

Mum's Peranakan cooking became so famous that she even had a couple of her recipes appear in the local newspapers!

Mum whipped up even more wonderful dishes during special occasions like the Lunar New Year.  Particular favourites of mine like Ayam Buah Keluak,  Iteh Sio, Hee Peow Tng or Fish Maw soup and Dad's favourite Salted Vegetable Duck soup were reserved for such special occasions.  Jerome and I swore to curate all Mum's recipes one day, and compile them into a little book which could hopefully be passed down to the next generation and the generation after.  

Jerome and my verdict on Mum's cooking? Hello...it's Mum's food cooked with love. Of course it is Belly brilliant! Most authentic, Mum!

Violet Oon's Kitchen

When Mum was busy at the mahjong table, doing her nails, "setting" her hair or at some ladies' luncheon, at a time when Jerome and I had a craving for Peranakan food, there were other alternatives which I must qualify here, really could not come close to Mum's home-cooked, food-coma-inducing cooking.  However, the closest Jerome thought could warrant a visit from the most finicky Peranakan food lover was Violet Oon's.

Violet Oon needs little introduction in Singapore. Widely regarded as Singapore's food ambassador and a culinary connoisseur herself, Violet has been quite a kitchen celebrity for decades.  Her passion for the epicurean arts was translated on the menu offerings at her very own cosy bistro named after her.

Jerome kicked off his meal there with an appetiser of Kueh Pie Tee. This was a filling of julienned bamboo shoots and turnips poached in a prawn bisque,  stuffed into a pastry basket and topped with prawns, and a slight drizzle of homemade chilli sauce.

Kueh Pie Tee

He then went on to the mains and would not hesitate to order the Ayam Buah Keluak.  Yes Mum, we apologise for the disloyalty but we need not have to wait for a special occasion! Violet's Ayam Buah Keluak was one of her signature dishes.  An ubiquitous Nonya favourite, this classic dish comprised of a tangy chicken stew cooked with a black nut that was purportedly found only in Indonesia. The dish was infused with the rich flavours of an array of exotic Asian herbs and spices such as galangal and turmeric.  This had to be one of the few restaurants left where the contents of the nut were left as it was and any Peranakan food aficionado would appreciate this because many other restaurants claiming to serve authentic Peranakan food, would extract the contents of the nut, mixed it together with minced chicken or pork then re-fill it back into the nut. That, to Jerome and I, was near sacrilegious. 

Ayam Buah Keluak

Another dish worth trying at Violet Oon's was the Beef Rendang.  It was not a particular favourite of mine simply because I could not see it as a uniquely Peranakan dish.  At Violet Oon's the dish was made from tender pieces of beef shin braised in a moreish spice combination which had gotten added kick from the bay and kafir lime leaves and a velvety coconut cream sauce.

Beef Rendang

If you liked seafood, be sure to try the Fish Tempra.  This was a fried sea bass fillet with a drizzle of sweet and spicy sauce of onions, chillies, sweet soy sauce and a dash of calamondin.

Fish Tempra

These rich flavours of Violet Oon's dishes were accompanied by yellow rice or Nasi Kuning. Violet's version was made from glutinous jasmine rice infused with turmeric and steamed with coconut milk, which made the meal even richer and worthy of another couple of extra boxing training sessions booked in.

Nasi Kuning

It was about time Violet Oon opened her own establishment and offered good Peranakan fare. Jerome was not disappointed and hoped that the quality of her food would remain consistently good in the years to come.  Of course, it could not compare with home-cooked goodness at Mum's. However, I would know who to visit for a good meal should Mum need a break from the kitchen to spend more time at the mahjong table.

Jerome's verdict on Violet Oon?  Belly good and near-authentic enough.

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking.  

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.

Chill Out Grub For Lazy Weekends

We do love our long weekends, don't we?  Some might take off on a short trip to a neighbouring island, others might be at the beach, Jerome and I would be eating,  We would either be cafe-hopping, brunch-grazing, trying out new restaurants or rekindling our memories with old ones.

Long weekends are meant for chilling out.  You could spend your chill out time having an intellectual debate about the recent  bimbotic choice of a cover in Rolling Stones magazine, watch a mindless B-grade remake of a movie  about dinosaurs, or pay $70 at Universal Studios to queue for 4 hours for that 1 mega ride and spend  another 1 hour to locate the washroom after so that we could throw up our lunch.  Jerome and I however, are more practical people. We just want to eat our way through the long weekend.

Chill out weekends call for "Chill Out Grub" and this should definitely include some light but not-too-light bites and a fair measure of alcohol.

Jerome's choice of restaurants for chill out grub were the tried and tested, know-what-you-would-get-when-you-ordered-it type because while he used half his brain on weekdays for decision-making at work, he was not one to use what was left of his brain for decision-making over the long weekend. 

So he headed for Smokey's BBQ American Smokehouse & Grill where he ordered a smoked beef chilli nachos. The portion that arrived was huge. It was prepared with deep fried flour tortillas served with salsa, and topped with American cheese, sour cream and home made chilli con carne. Jerome loved the passion that the Smokehouse team had been putting into their culinary vision. They used a  blend of mesquite and hickory wood chips imported from the U.S. to recreate the smokiness of an  American Barbecue. So if you intend to get beyond the chill out grub, do try also their  U.S. Prime Beef Brisket marinated in Gordon Biersch Maibock, a beer from San Jose, California.  The meat was smoked and slow-roasted for 20 hours and smothered with barbecue sauce.

Smoked Beef Chilli Nachos At Smokey's BBQ American Smokehouse & Grill

Jerome's verdict on Smokey's Smoked Beef Chilli Nachos? - Belly Fantastic

Another restaurant well known for its chill out grub that had remained consistent in the variety and quality of its offerings is Chili's  Bar and Grill.  Among its Tex Mex favourites, Jerome swore by its Santa Fe Quesadillas as a chill out dish.  This comprised of flour tortillas filled with seared shrimp, corn and black bean salsa, American Monterey Jack cheese and a spiced Santa Zfe sauce. This was served with house-made pico de gallo and sour cream with citrus-chile rice and black beans.

Chilli Bar and Grill's Santa Fe Quesadillas

When Jerome decided that he wanted to sweeten his chill out time with some exotic cocktails, the safe bet for him was to head to the lobby lounge at Intercontinental Hotel.  There, he picked his cocktails by colour.  He loved his "girly drinks" like that.  He had the Basil Grande, created by Intercontinental Hong Kong, which was a heady concoction made from  vodka, grand marnier, maraschino liquer, cranberry juice and strawberry syrup.  He also had the Blue Devil, created by Intercontinenal Seoul, which was a lovely potion made from gin, tequila, rum, vodka, grand marnier, blue curaçao and pineapple juice.

Jerome's verdict on Chili's Santa Fe Quesadillas? - Belly OK.

Cocktails At Intercontinenal Hotel's Lobby Lounge

Jerome's verdict on Intercontinenal Hotel's cocktails? - Belly Expensive But Ok Lah

While Jerome determined his choice of chill out grub by what he had remembered ordering week after week, I was a little different.  For my choice of chill out grub, I tended to get off the beaten track and would pick more unique offerings.  

One of my top picks was El Mero Mero at CHIJMES. Even if you were not in the mood for food, their cocktails are enough to make you put on your dancing shoes and show off your salsa moves. There were no words suitable enough to describe the cocktails here apart from the word SEX.  We were mesmerized by the Latin Lover which was made from dark rum, a variety of fruits and aromatic bitters.  We flirted with the Habanero Mango Martini, which was made from habanero tequila and mango purée. We swooned over the Maracuya, a margarita made from fresh passion fruit.

Cocktails At El Mero Mero

When we were finally ready to line our tummies to salve the headiness caused  by the cocktails, the unique Mexican cuisine created under the culinary direction of executive chef Remy Lefebvre, did not disappoint.  We had the Street Food Corn Sampler that came beautifully served with organic baby corn served in a Mexican sugar skull (the representation of the Mexican festival known as Dia de Los Muertos or Day of the Dead)  and smoked corn mushroom huitlacoche donuts with cotija-mayo dipping sauce that came in a tube.   We were particularly enamoured by their tacos.  You know how you would go to some Mexican restaurants and you felt that in spite of the variety of tacos served, they all tasted the same?  We did not feel the same at El Mero Mero. The tacos served here  were absolutely delicious. They were quite light, more refined and the ingredients were so fresh that we could taste each ingredient within a single taco.   We had the Wild Fish Tacos which consisted of fresh red snapper fillet, tempura shishito and onion rings with chipotle-mayo sauce on flour tortilla.  We also had the Duck Carnitas Tostadas which were duck carnitas on a flat crunchy tortilla with salsa verde and braised onion.

Tacos And Tostadas At El Mero Mero

My verdict on El Mero Mero's cocktails and chill out fare? - Belly Incredible.

When I wanted to go on a little adventure by visiting a place that was way off my radar for chill out grub, I would pay Le Park a visit.  This place was situated in the heart of Chinatown, on the rooftop of People's Park Complex, which was an old and  grubby building you would never think of visiting unless your elderly mother intended to visit a travel agency to book a tour to China for elderly folks, or buy a gallon of Chinese medicinal herbs to cure your "heaty" disposition.  

Le Park was accessible only after meandering through a rabbit warren of old-fashioned clothing stores and climbing up a few flights of backroom stairs that reeked of pee.  When you came to the entrance of Le Park, you would even be wondering if you had taken  the wrong turn and ended up at a dingy KTV pub.  Once you had overcome the prejudice of first appearances and stepped through Le Park's door, you would be transported to a different world of a fantastic variety of unique beers, and Asian-inspired tapas.  There was no menu for the drinks, although the variety was extensive. The different types of beers, ciders  and sodas on offer were lined up at the till.  All you needed to do was to walk up to the till, point to the bottle you might like and pay for it.   The food menu was quite limited but the portions were big enough to  fill you up as a main course for one.    

Not A Place You Would Expect A Chill Out Bar

For drinks, we had the Fucking Hell beer, so named because it came from a place called Fucking in Austria.  I might migrate there.  We also had the Woodchuck Hard Cider because it was made from Granny Smith apples and I needed a serving of fruit that day.

Wide Variety Of Beers And Ciders At Le Park

There were a few unique Asian-inspired Tapas on the menu like Thai Basil Pork With Stuffed Tau Pok,  Pepper Salt Crispy Chicken Skin and Otah Bomb,  we decided to veer on the safe side, no doubt influenced by Jerome, and ordered the Chicken Wings with Thai Chilli Sauce and Chunky Spam Fries With Truffle Mayo.  However, when we ordered the Nachos with Peri Peri Chicken which were not quite Asian-Inspired, that truly knocked our socks off.  The spiciness of that tangy Peri Peri chicken was a winner when combined with nachos, and got us to order yet another round of drinks. 

Ordinary And Less Ordinary Fare At Le Park

My verdict on Le Park's drinks and chill out grub? - Belly OK

We loved chill out grub on a lazy weekend afternoon.  It offered us a choice to go heavy on our order and turned it into a full meal or we might just want to order a few light bites, then wait and see where our day was about to take  us.  Jerome and I liked choices without the pressure. Ultimately that was what chilling out meant right?

Post Script:

When Jerome read this blogpost, he protested  about my unfair judgement of his safe options for chill out grub. He alerted me to a visit he had made to Suprette, a restaurant located at the historic Kam Leng Hotel which now looked a little like "Hotel Hot Sheets".  The location of Suprette was also pretty much off the beaten track and the food was purportedly quite unique as well. Jerome enjoyed its Five Spiced Chicken Wings which was fried to a perfect crisp and served with Kecap Manis.  He also had the Suprette Burger which was sandwiched between toasted sesame seed buns and filled with Grueye cheese and balsamic onion relish.   He also pointed me to the fact that Suprette too served Fucking Hell beer.  Bravo Jerome, for walking on the wild side from time to time. Woo Hoo....

Suprette's Nondescript Location

Suprette's Five Spiced Chicken Wings And Burger

Jerome's verdict on Suprette's Chicken Wings and Burger? - Belly Awesome

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking.  

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.

Brunch Hopping Around Singapore

Today is a complete rest day free from boxing or Muay Thai training, weight training, writing assignments, photo shoot assignments, work and client appointments.  So I had the time to turn my Saturday morning into an "egg-straordinary" gastronomic adventure by "brunch-hopping" across the island.  

Brunch to me, is a late breakfast that is filling enough to allow me to skip lunch yet light enough for me to pretend it is healthy.  Jerome would not even know how to spell the word brunch let alone understand what it means. When I explained the concept of having a late breakfast, he came to the conclusion that  any dish that  included some element of breakfast items like sausages, bacon or eggs must be a brunch-type dish. While brunch for me should be light enough of a meal yet filling enough to last throughout the day till I enjoyed a robust dinner several hours later, Jerome's idea of brunch was that it had to be filling enough to span across 2 days of meals. A pint of beer might even accidentally creep into his brunch fare. 

This was Jerome's idea of brunch, which was currywurst served with potato salad  and a side of spatzle at Brotzeit German bier and restaurant. This would have sat in my stomach for days.  

Jerome's take on the currywurst pretending to be brunch? - Belly Superb.

My first brunch stop this morning was Tolido's Expresso Nook.  The space was indeed a little nook but the menu was extensive.  Even at 10.45am when I thought most of Singapore would be sleeping in at the start of the weekend, this restaurant was chock a block full of people. All the tables were taken up both in and outside the restaurant apart from a wee one which  thankfully was not reserved. It had my name on it.

I wanted to add a touch of class to my breakfast by ordering the truffle scrambled eggs. It came served with a side of rocket and breakfast potatoes. I thought that drizzle of truffle oil had enriched the eggs enough. There was no need to scramble the eggs with cheese. The dish was way too rich for me and I ended up not being able to finish it.  I made a mental note to request that cheese not be added to my scrambled eggs the next time I paid Tolido's a visit.

My take on the truffle scrambled eggs? - Belly "Jelak" (a Singlish term for any food that is nauseatingly rich).

The hubby ordered a rosti with smoked bratwurst.  This was served with a sunny side egg and according to him, it was delicious.  The rosti was crispy although we looked at the thick slab of rosti initially with some reservations. If it was thick, it could not possibly be crispy but it surprisingly was.  This dish would be  worth ordering again at our next visit. 

The huge size of the servings here at Tolido's made our brunch one that was definitely value for money too.

The hubby's take on the rosti with smoked bratwurst? - Belly Good.

Another noteworthy brunch venue is also a tiny little nook called One Man Coffee, located at MyVillage at Serangoon Gardens.  These guys were so accommodative which was really nice to see. When they realised that I was  fairly conscious about my diet, they  customised my Big Brekkie by adding more greens and removed the toast. In the end, my dish was artistically served in a riot of colours and looked like it leapt out of the pages of a glossy food magazine. My Big Brekkie was served with 2 x 6-minute eggs, button mushrooms, roasted cherry tomatoes, honey ham and heaps of baby spinach. This cafe did  not have many tables because of the small space and its menu was not extensive. However they made up for all that with great attitude,  a lot of pride in the way they made the effort to plate their food attractively, customer-centricity and simple yet delicious fare.

My take on the Big Brekkie? - Belly Beautiful Yet Tasty.

Then if you are in a "know what you want and want what you get" kind of mood, hop over to Cedele's across the road from MyVillage at Serangoon Gardens. 

The hubby ordered an eggs benedict without even looking at the menu just because Cedele always served a good plate of eggs benedict. Like I mentioned, if you liked eggs benedict, and do not want to agonise over substantial menu choices, and you would just know what you wanted and would want what you get, then Cedele's eggs benedict would be your breakfast of choice.  Cedele's eggs benedict came served on brioche and with a side of salad and cherry tomatoes. 

The hubby's take on Cedele's eggs benedict? - Belly OK lah.

While still on that egg-straordinary adventure with brunch fare, the one brunch venue not to be missed would be Wild Honey located either at Mandarin Gallery or Scotts Square. The Scotts Square branch is usually not as crowded as the original branch at Mandarin Gallery on weekends. I would recommend their Aussie breakfast of 120gm of Australian sirloin steak grain-fed for 120 days, served with red and yellow onion confit, fried egg sunny side up, breakfast potatoes, home-made baked beans, sautéed mushrooms, spicy tomato chutney and grilled ciabatta.  The dish would always be cooked to perfection.  I had often been disappointed by the traditional steak and eggs because either the steak would be over-cooked and the egg would be under-done or vice versa.  The one at Wild Honey was always perfectly cooked and was worth every cent of SGD30 which was the cost of the Aussie breakfast.

My take on Wild Honey's Aussie breakfast? - Belly Awesome.

However, the best breakfast yet would still be our traditional Singaporean fare of 2 soft-boiled eggs served with a spot of dark soy sauce and a dash of pepper.  I had mine at my favourite local cafe, Dong Po Colonial Cafe at Kandahar Street. 

The hubby ordered the famous Bostock at Dong Po's. Although it was not a traditional Singaporean breakfast, the Bostock at Dong Po was a best seller at the cafe.  If you are not familiar, Bostock is a buttered toast with a sprinkle of almonds and sugar. I must admit that Dong Po's Bostock tasted really super.

I also had discovered that Dong Po sold their home-made jams at their cafe too. When I spotted them, a wave of nostalgia hit me. I loved this cafe even much more now.

My take on Dong Po's traditional Singaporean breakfast fare? - Belly Heartwarming.

The hubby's take on Dong Po's "Angmo" fare? - Belly Awesome.

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking.  

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.

Turn Up The Heat On That Fried Chicken

On my “cheat days” when I allow myself some leeway in my strict diet regime by indulging in food that had been struck off the personal trainer’s approved list, I might pick a spicy fried chicken dish.  

So this was a conversation I had with myself on one of my cheat days at a restaurant that served spicy chicken,  “Chicken is protein isn’t it?  Spice comes from chillies which do have a lot of nutritional goodness right?  One order of spicy chicken please.” 

Jerome loved spicy food too. He does not have a “cheat day”.  Every day is a “diet fail” day for him.  This would be the conversation that he might have in his head about 4 hours before lunchtime, “Today is a pretty awesome day. It is breezy and cool. This calls for something spicy. Perhaps I would have my favourite Korean spicy chicken for lunch.  How about 2 orders of that.  And if it isn’t spicy enough, I should head for that Szechuan restaurant down the road and order another spicy chicken dish for dessert.”

Jerome and I have eaten our way through a few restaurants that served up some outstanding spicy chicken.  The only common conclusion we came up with was that whether or not a spicy chicken dish was cooked in the Western way or Asian way, we loved them all the same. We would like to recommend a sampling of some of these restaurants that served up spicy chicken that could turn the heat on for you on a cool day.  Just remember that scheduling meetings after a spicy chicken lunch might be a bad mistake.

 

Chir Chir

A local chapter of a highly popular fried chicken chain in Korea, Chir Chir is a relatively new entry into the food scene here and have already cooked up quite a storm at their restaurant, located at 313 Somerset.  A variety of chicken cuts in various delectable spicy and non-spicy marinades are available and Jerome had opted for the spicy fried chicken.  This was marinated for 6 hours in a piquant mixture of spices, fried to a beautiful crisp and sprinkled with almond flakes for the added crunch. 

According to Jerome, this had certainly got to be the Korean version of the American buffalo wings.

Brewerkz

Just to be sure that he could be more objective about comparing Korean spicy chicken to American buffalo wings, he had decided to pay American restaurant,  Brewerkz a visit, and  consequently ordered a plate of their famous buffalo wings.  While the wings were a main course for me, they were an appetizer for him.  The wings were marinated in a mix of spicy and zesty flavours that got him ordering more pints of beer each time he had polished a couple of wings. A very clever strategy on the part of Brewerkz I must say. 

However that appetizer wasn't enough to tickle his belly so he ordered a Southern fried chicken which was served with a side of white barbecue sauce and coleslaw.   Jerome swore that this dish was a "must-try" although he went off the brief and ignored my request that he had to order only fried chicken that was spicy.

 

Oven and Fried Chicken

During my visit to Oven and Fried Chicken at Telok Ayer Street, the team had decided to pander to my dietary requirements by ordering a mixture of spicy and non-spicy fried chicken as well as the oven-baked ones.  I much preferred the non-spicy fried chicken as the spicy option was way too spicy for me.  I thought initially that the unhealthier fried version would be tastier than the oven baked option but I was wrong.  The marinade could be tasted with every bite of the oven-baked chicken and the best thing about it was that it was a guilt-free option for me.

 

Chengdu Sichuan Restaurant

Not to be outsmarted by me, Jerome decided that this blog post was not about the choice of having my chicken fried or oven baked, spicy or non-spicy.  He said, “Stay focused, woman! It’s all about locating the most delicious and spiciest chicken in Singapore!”  I disagreed but Jerome tends to veer to extremes.

So he visited the Chengdu Sichuan Restaurant and ordered for himself, a plate of Szechuan Fried Chicken which comprised of bite-sized nibbles of crisp fried chicken with copious amounts of fiery dried chillies.  The light touch of saltiness brought about by a coat of marinade on the chicken provided for a good balance with the heat of this dish.  Together with a slight sweetness from a handful of roasted peanuts tossed in, it is little wonder why this is one of the signature creations at the restaurant.

Jerome’s take on the buffalo wings at Brewerkz? -  BELLY OK

Jerome’s take on the spicy fried chicken at Chir Chir ? – BELLY GOOD

Jerome’s take on the Szechuan fried chicken at Chengdu Sichuan Restaurant? – Belly Sure He’s Going To Be Shi**ing Broken Glass The Next Day

My take on the spicy fried chicken at Oven and Fried Chicken? – Belly Awesome

 

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking.  

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.

Different Perspectives

I often wondered how come the Ong household had siblings who were brought up and loved in the same way, but were so different.  The only reason I could pin it down to was that my brother was accidentally dropped on his head when he was born. 

I picked out a few photographs to illustrate my point:

My brother's idea of hobnobbing with celebrities was to spend his afternoons staking out celebrity chefs like Gordon Ramsay or prowling around Martin Yan for a shameless wefie.

My idea of hobnobbing with celebrities was to interview football pundit Ossie Ardilles or jump Tottenham Hotspur's superstar striker Harry Kane for an autograph.

This would be my brother's idea of fitness.

This would be my idea of fitness.

I thought my brother was quirky when he shaped his eyebrows regularly.

My brother thought I was quirky when I read Tarot and Numerology for clients most evenings.

My brother's idea of having a light Japanese meal would be this.

My idea of a light Japanese meal would be this. 

My brother always found a reason to celebrate. One such occasion was National Strawberry Sundae Day.

I too often found a reason to celebrate, like the National Eat Your Vegetables Day.

But in the end, differences notwithstanding, I loved my only brother for being my court jester who would always watch my back.

About The Writer:

This blog post was co-written by my brother Jerome and I. Although we are siblings who grew up 11 years apart, shaped by differing experiences to see the world from different perspectives, we do share a common obsession – FOOD.  We celebrate our passion for life with food.  However, our attitudes to food are quite different and the way we celebrate our love for food are also quite different.  Jerome lives to eat and hoovers everything edible that crosses his path.  As he shovels food into his mouth with that fork in his right hand, he takes photographs of what he eats, and posts pictures and notes up on Facebook with his left.  Often, his beautifully written prose about what he had eaten would be 7 paragraphs in length and would not have any punctuations in between because he had been too busy multi-tasking.  

I, on the other hand, eat to live. It is not just about my attempts to eat healthily. As I am a “cam-whore” and “social media hussy”, I spend about half an hour styling my food, taking photographs, writing notes and posting them across my social media platforms before eating them, right after the hubby has paid for the bill and is about to head out of the restaurant.  I enjoy reading all my posts about what I had eaten because I know that I had lived fully in spite of watching what I eat.  Welcome to the foodie world of the quirky Ong siblings.