A Tour for the Palate

Left with nothing to do on a weekend, I asked Dang to go out with me. She decided to meet at Galleria so we met at 6PM. Work has been eating out our weekends for the past 2 weeks so it is but high time that we had our dose of retail therapy. I had the guns to splurge on food, but she's armed and ready with her CC for other stuff.

So off we went to the mall to search for places to burn hard earned moolah. First stop was our dinner. I was thinking of going to Bon Chon, but I just had them yesterday, so we looked for other places instead. One place aroused my curiosity. Nasi Lemak was the name of the joint where they offer Singaporean cuisine especially those found in local hawker stalls. Ever since I watched shows in AFC about the stalls, I wanted to go and try them. Too bad I've never been to Singapura. So I have to settle with the next best thing and hopefully the taste is authentic. Dang has been to Singapore before and she has tasted the local cuisine so she'd be my benchmark for this.

A Singaporean dinner wouldn't be complete without the Hainanese chicken. It was served with three (3) dips: shredded ginger, a spicy sweet and sour dip, and plum sauce. Dang was happy with the chicken since she found it very fatty. I wouldn't know the difference. Bleh.

Next would be the Hakaw which is also found here in Chinese restos. I liked how moist the dumpling was and how juicy the shrimps were. Not bad for a side dish.

Last we had the Char Kway Teow which is stir fried Hofan Noodles with scrambled egg, bean sprouts and oyster sauce. This I had to taste since I always see this featured in the shows in AFC. The flavor was a bit nutty thanks to the bean sprouts and it wasn't sweet even if there is oyster sauce. I'm happy that is pleased my palate, but I hope it tastes authentic.

After dinner, we had our usual window shopping. Dang had the urge to splurge so we had the rounds with her usual stores. After safely treading the stores (she hasn't bought anything yet) we had dessert at La Creperie. We ate here a few months back and she was smitten with the crepes.

Ever since I ordered them, I always go for the savory kind, but after having a hearty dinner, I ordered something sweet to offset the heartiness. I ordered a do-it-yourself Hazelnut Crepe with Strawberry ice cream on top, while Dang had her Mango Hazelnut Crepe with Vanilla ice cream on top. Apparently she was craving for it since early afternoon. Good thing she had what she wanted in the end.

In between desserts we talked about writing. She had been writing fan fiction after college and had created a few stories in recent months. We visited Fan Fiction Net and she showed me her written stuff. I remembered that I submitted one a few years back and I was surprised when I saw it in the archives. In the middle of eating the sinful desserts I cringed while reading my submitted story for Gatekeepers. I had good reviews but I find my writing too simple. 

We had a discussion on how we used to have time for our hobbies back then. Now it seems like work has been eating up every aspect of our lives. It's just bittersweet to see the sacrifices we make just to earn a living, but moments like these make the hardships worthwile.