a thousand tales

Amongst the flurry of construction and shop refurbishments along Haji Lane, I came across this yet to be open cafe (presumably), occupying one of the shophouses. Called A Thousand Tales, name is possibly a reference to 1001 Arabian Nights, given its location is right smack in the heart of the Arab district, but that's just a guess. Looking through the window, the room is filled with an assortment of mid century modern chairs scattered within a palette of bare concrete, white plaster and exposed brick. An open riser staircase is set to one side of the space. The single stringer leads the eye to the lightwell at the back, which allows natural light to filter through casting the space with a diffused glow and soft shadows. I can't remember what used to be here. Many of the shops that came (and gone) after the pioneers at Haji Lane after the street's rapid rise into Singapore's urban consciousness, lack charm and quirkiness. Perhaps it is not a lack but the quirkiness degenerating into a homogeneous mass of popular culture, a low brow Haji Lane feel (if i may make a casual stereotyping). This new cafe seems to mark a slight shift from the current Haji Lane mould. And as a sucker for mid century modern furniture and a supporter of indie cafes, I hope this place will turn out to be a credible cafe with great coffee and friendly people, not just a trendy passer-by.

restaurant ember

Walking into Restaurant Ember is like visiting the house of a close aunt who dishes out really nice food everytime you go. Situated at the ground floor of Hotel 1929, it serves what I can only describe as modern european cuisine with an asian twist. Introduced by a friend several years ago and it has become one of those places that I've been so many times that I almost can decide what I want to order even before I sit down. The menu hardly changes though not never. New menus are often minors tweaks than major revamp, why change sucessful dishes, right? On my last visit for dinner, my dinner party (all of whom are fans of the restaurant), got a little surprise with the addition of many new items on the menu. The perennial favorite, the pan fried Chilean seabass with yuzu butter sauce and mushroom ragout, along with other signature items were still there, but my favorite crab cake was no longer available, it has been on the menu for as long as I had known the place. channelling a sense of adventure and the slight disappointing, I decided to try items that I have never ordered before.

I started with foie gras with mango sauce, passionfruit and shrimp crisps, which was fairly good. Hard to mess up foie gras paired with a sweet/fruity sauce but I found the sauce to be a tad too sweet and the crisps, while adding a nice contrast to the buttery soft foie gras, somewhat distracting. It was quite good on the whole, just that frivolous parts can be trimmed off, foie gras is usually good enough to stand on its own and do not require boosts of flavour or great contrasts from the other components on the plate. Another version of foie gras at Ember paired with shoyu and mirin, which I have had on previous occasions, I find to be excellent, with the relatively subtle sweetness of the mirin and the aroma of the shoyu going very well with the foie gras.

For my main, I ordered a brand new item on the menu, the Chilean seabass encrusted with mentaiko with bottarga hollandiase sauce. The mentaiko crust added a nice dimension to the dish, contrasting with the silky texture of the fish. The bottarga hollandaise, presented (somewhat hilariously) like a muddy shoeprint, added yet another dimension to the dish, adding a luscious creaminess to the ensemble. The use of bottarga ties in very well with the rest of the components, creating a light fishy basenote that runs consistently thoughout.

There was less of a shuffle in the dessert menu. I had my usual banana tart with basil oil and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The tart consists of a flaky and buttery base topped with fanned slices of banana baked into a golden disc. Not mindblowing or paradigm changing (especially when it's the 10th time you are eating) but the flavours are harmonious, familiar and comforting. This perhaps goes for most of the dishes that I like Ember for, easy and familair but always with an extra something to make the meal special. I hope I can find something to replace the crabcake soon.



Restaurant Ember
Hotel 1929
50 Keong Saik Road

alexander mcqueen no more

"British fashion designer Alexander McQueen has been found dead after taking his own life.

The 40-year-old committed suicide just days after the death of his beloved mother, Joyce, last Tuesday.

It is also just three years since his close friend, Isabella Blow - who plucked him from obscurity and helped him become a star - killed herself.

McQueen, who was christened Lee but used his middle name for his label, was found at his luxury flat in Mayfair, central London. It is believed he hanged himself." dailymail

Revisiting some of my favorite moments of Alexander Mcqueen.

SS99


SS01


SS03, especially, 9:01 onwards and more in part 2


and the wonderful he-outdid-himself-again SS10 collection

derelict orchard

A gaping hole within the grove of malls and hotels lining the 2 sides of Orchard road, devoid of activity. The remnants of what once stood there lay behind a clean hoarding, sterile and unmarked, and unseen by the passers-by. There will be action on site in due time, but the doctor has yet to decide what to do, the carcass of the mostly demolished building lays silently waiting for a new body to be grafted on, and the bolt of lightning to bring it back to life. The adjacent buildings bear scars from the forceful removal their neighbour, a relationship as close as siamese twins, but as cold as runners running next to each other in a 100m race. More haunting is the imprint of what once stood there even before the now demolished building had existed. A phantasmagoric spectre hangs over the apathetic city dweller. What once stood there was deemed to have no value. Neither does it have a price.