Saturday, April 14, 2007

At Rochester Park

The Rochester Park area has become one of the latest dining hubs in Singapore, and I can’t think of a better setting for fine cuisine – with classy restaurants set in old colonial-era Black and Whites, away from town and in a leafy district. I had wanted to try out Graze, but it was already fully booked.

So it was down to a choice between One Rochester – ostensibly a wine bar, but with food offerings as well – and North Border next door, which serves hearty Tex-Mex cuisine. My lovely companion for the evening made the final decision, and so we walked into the lush grounds of North Border just as the heavens started pouring.

Safely ensconced in an upstairs corner table, we surveyed the menu, which came with all the usual mouth-watering Southwestern fare, such as chicken and shrimps, with lots of chilis and peppers. And the wine and beverage list was impressively long as well, although I was appalled when I saw that a bottle of Havana Club rum was going for $190.

I don’t know whether they were serving the three, five, or seven year old rum, but it didn’t really matter, for after having seen in person how much bottles of Havana Club actually cost – widely sold as they are throughout Cuba – the mark-up was truly criminal.

Still, I shelled out readily for a glass of Canyon Road Sauvignon Blanc, the price which I’m sure must have been jacked up as well, while she settled for a Citrus Passion.

For the starters, we decided on the Sante Fe crabcake platter, which came with a luscious harbanero tartar dip, and also an interesting concoction called Mostly Mushroom – comprising different strands of mushrooms – white button, Portobello, shimeji and more – mixed together and served with garlic bread. I liked the crabcakes tremendously – different from the altogether more bland types you’d get up along the US Atlantic and New England coast, for this dish at North Border came spiced with hints of pepper.

I then tackled my shrimp linguine pasta, while she beheld her chicken and bean stew, which came in a large bowl, covered with a giant crust, looking decidedly like an English pie. I think we just sat there, amazed at the appearance, and laughed for a full minute. Taste-wise, I don’t know about her stew, but my pasta was among the best I had, with the shrimps very well prepared – meaty and yet crusty, with generous portions to boot.

To end, we ordered the Classic Chocolate Cake, and decided to try out the interesting habanero chili ice cream as well. Ice cream made from chili? Well, if things like green tea or durian could be made into ice cream successfully, why not? Curry ice cream? Wasabe ice cream?

When it came, the little glob looked distinctly innocuous, coloured almost like peach ice cream. We each took a bite, and were confronted first with a mild, sweet taste, before the burning chili sensation hit us at the back of the throat. It’s difficult to describe this successfully in words, except to say – Go try it yourself!

In short, North Border was a real delight, with good food, a nice setting and discrete service. Of course, the company I had was charming, and perhaps that made the difference.

Things were different earlier in the afternoon. Before one proceeds to sin, one goes for some self-flagellation. And it was with this in mind that I thought I might embark upon a nice long run in the afternoon. But I had forgotten how different conditions in Singapore were. The humidity was absolutely appalling, like a sickly over-powering blanket that suffocates your every move. Those fantastic timings that I attained in London? Those hour long runs that I sustained? Entirely illusory. They are fake. They exist no longer.

For back here, within 10 minutes, I was already drenched in heavy sweat and ready to throw in the towel. It’s really amazing how much the weather matters when it comes to running. There’s a huge difference between being out there when it’s 15 degrees and 50 percent humidity, and when it’s 30 degrees and a 100 percent.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hot, sweaty evening huh ... :) Cool nights here ... :) DH

10:59 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wah HOT DATE AH!!! :) SSG

8:10 PM  

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