Cavalock and The Lazy Hazy Crazy Herons

Well, I'm finally back to exploring the area around my apartment again or rather checking out the new food joints in the neighborhood. Heard about this new cafe for sometime now and got to drop by Jewel Cafe and Bar along Rangoon Road for dessert last Friday nite. Now I wish I had the opportunity to savor their interesting menu but we already had a most satisfying fish steamboat dinner right across the road.

Since it was a Friday nite, the place was naturally quite packed when we arrived so we had a table outside. Had my caffeine fix of choice, a big foaming cuppa flat white. That's one of the differences between a flat white and a latte, it's gotta come in a big cup! It definitely helped complement towards a perfect end to the evening. Very, very well roasted with a rich aroma and I like how there's just the right amount of milk that it doesn't overpower the whole drink and turn it into a latte.

Now the haze certainly seems to have petered out quite a bit since the last week. But back during the week when it was at its peak (around PSI 300+), my 79-year-old Dad was still out snapping wildlife pix all over the island, without a mask. Yah, I was pretty concerned but that wasn't much I can do if that's what he wants.  As you can see, not his best shots but still quite interesting I guess, nests of herons at Pasir Ris all getting ready to start new families. I believe the above sunbird is probably the best close-up of that hazy week.

Cavalock and The Heston Menu Banishment

Something I saw or rather read earlier this week reminded me of my little trip to the U.K. back in 2009. Back then we were driving from London to Edinburgh and we made a pit stop at one of the popular highway Little Chef restaurants. Now this was just after the famous British chef Heston has revamped their menu to save the then ailing chain. And we were all pretty excited to have lunch there, and you can see the post and pix here. So you can imagine how surprised we were when we saw this article online. Seems like the locals didn't like Heston's revamped menu as much as we did! But I don't really blame them. I mean if some famous chef were to 'update' our local hawker fare, I think I wouldn't take too kindly to it either.

Screencap from Daily Mail

Another celebrity chef that I can't seem to stop reading about is Paula Deen whose use of the 'N'-word (years ago) has come back to haunt her. The ongoing saga is all here and I really like them late night jokes. Which reminded me of this post of mine a few weeks ago. It also got me reminiscing bout how we used the other less offensive 'N'-word frequently in my family back when I was a kid decades ago. I was taught by my aunts and uncles that the black guy on TV was called a Negro. And that's how it was whenever we talked about the black actors on TV cos living in this part of the world that's the only place we get to see any blacks, so I only used the word at home. It was much later in life when I started working that being politically-correct became a big deal. 

Cavalock and The Post-Haze Post

Whoa! Looks like the notorious haze is away for today at least and I figured it's good time for a little shout out to my friend's ice-cream parlor Creamier at Toa Payoh. Since they started couple years ago, the shop has really come a long in a such a short time. Lotsa cool reviews and even the opportunity to create a special ice-cream dessert for one of the world's top 10 restaurants (Zagat guide), Lolla. Had a lovely affogato while I was there last month and listened to some rather amusing customer stories.

Time for this month's supermarket sightings. Spotted this rather expensive but supposedly healthier cheese slices at Market Place Paragon. Was actually looking for non trans fat butter and cheese but not much luck there I'm afraid. At Meidi-ya supermarket, there's Tony Roma's frozen ribs for sale! Not a big fan but here's one less reason to hang out near Orchard Towers if you know what I mean. Also when (and not if) the haze hits again and you got a craving for ribs, you know what to do. ;)

Cavalock and The National Geographic Society Disclosure

*Whew* Been pretty busy over the last couple weeks and picking though the old family home has been one of the 'chores' that had me sweating buckets almost everyday. I really liked these retro Old-Fashioned glasses from Martell. It's from the 1970s, has a nice solid heavy feel, and that crystal blue is just so damn cool. You can almost imagine Don Draper with one in his hand.

Old-Fashioned glass: This glass is a classic for serving spirits neat (without ice) or cocktails poured over ice (on the rocks). The glass is named after the Old-Fashioned cocktail, which is whiskey or Bourbon served over ice with a lemon twist.

Among the other 1970s retro stuff I dug up that's worth mentioning included a (still working) Casio VL-Tone, more fine bone china, a Little League baseball cap that's never been worn and still has the Macy's price tag, and a plaque belonging to my late uncle who spent most of the 1960s to 80s working in the US. Part of me is actually hoping that the National Geographic Society is a cover-up for some crazy freemason society.

So I brought some of the stuff to a flea market a couple Sundays ago along Tanjong Pagar Road. Didn't really managed to sell a lot but it was kinda fun (locals bargain, tourists don't) manning my little table. I definitely have tons to more to sell and I don't mind doing it again once things settle down a bit.

Shout out to my friend Audrey, a local designer who did some really cool cheongsams with the reams and reams of materials and fabrics I found in the old family home. Below are the latest ones using some of my old fabrics and you can check out the rest in my previous post. Her website The Girl's Kaksh is full of gorgeous cheongsams and other dresses. 

Cavalock and The Lobster Roll Affair(s)

Seen it on TV, drooled over it online and in magazines but never really had one till last week. My first lobster roll and although it wasn't a full-fledged sandwich roll, it was definitely good enough. It was a lobster slider starter at Luke's and it was everything I expected it to be. The lobster was fresh, the bread was nicely buttered and toasted, my only gripe was it's just one little roll even though it said 'sliders' plural in the menu. I sure wouldn't mind a whole roll.

What else can I say bout this fancy joint? We ordered lotsa stuff and almost everything was good. I actually much preferred the starters and snacks than their main course chops. Look, you already got an amazing oyster bar selection, great salads like the tomato salad, delicious crab cakes and after all that I really didn't have much room left for the kurubuta pork chops that came with a huge order of old style hash browns. A really memorable dinner and did I mention bout the couple next to us who I swear is having an illicit affair. Dimly lit romantic dinner where she's married and he's not. Huh? Wattdaya mean 'real' food bloggers don't talk bout stuff like that?!? Damn it, maybe that's why I still don't get any food invites! ;)

Well, my 79-year-old Dad has been stacking out a certain Sunbird's nest since last week and I believe one of the nestlings has already flown the coop. It's the same nest from my last post and you can kinda track how big they have grown. I think they look pretty cute. By the way, I'm thinking doing a little photo book thing with my Dad's photos and I was wondering if anyone out there point me in the right direction, like a good publisher? I sure would appreciate it!

Cavalock and The Mona Lisa Affinity

So 10 years ago, I made the smartest decision of my life and to celebrate that rare moment in time when my brain and heart actually worked together for the greater good of mankind, I booked a table at Bistecca Tuscan Steakhouse last week. Now I have always wanted to check this joint out since I heard about it cos I was really hoping to recapture bit of that Italian Florentine steak experience. First up, sorry bout the dark shots, mood was a little too cozy to ruin by using the flash. Anyway I gotta say the steak done medium was just right for me. I thought the Wagyu beef was even a little juicer than the one I had in Florence. Everything else was pretty close to perfect too. The burrata starter and lemon dessert were perfect tasty bookends to a very memorable meal. And our sommelier ever had an interesting story for us too. Seems like our chianti came from the Mona Lisa's family vineyard. Yah, the lady who posed in the painting, apparently that's from her family's estate. How neat is that?

Signature Sharing Steaks

Costata (1-1.2kg bone-in rib eye)

Burrata intera con melanzane fritte e pomodori biologici 
Whole creamy burrata with grilled eggplant and heirloom tomatoes.

Tartlette di frolla riempito con zabaione al limone e crema al mascarpone

Tartlette of shortcrust filled with lemon sabayon

Vignamaggio Chianti Classico

2009 Sangiovese (Tuscany, Italy)

LEGO Jekyll and Hyde not included. ;)

Here's something you don't see everyday, well, at least according to my 79-year-old Dad. The black and white bird with the long tail feathers is apparently not a native bird from around here. He said it's from South Africa and it's probably someone's pet bird that got away? He also managed to snap a whole buncha close-ups of this little sunbird nest. If you like the pix, leave a tick in the box below! Thanks!

Looks like my little flea market thing this Sunday 2nd June at Tanjong Pagar Road is coming together just fine. Got at least 20 vintage/retro items for sale. Some of them I have already posted here before. I'm trying not to bring the big or fragile stuff unless there's a request for it. I'll probably be twitting any updates bout it too. Wish me luck! <^;^>

Cavalock and The Accidental Mee Rubus Power Up

Talk about your accidental foodie encounter. This is one of those times when I wasn't out looking for good food but just stumbled onto one by accident. So on some Sundays me and the guys would meet up for boardgames in Ang Mo Kio, and for the first couple of afternoons I would head to Block 721 for lunch. Always noticed there was an incredibly long queue at Rahim Muslim Food stall, so I never tried it until last week when for some weird reason there wasn't a line.

Finally had a chance to read all them reviews they had pasted up at the stall. Decided to try their signature Power Mee Rebus (not a big fan of mee rebus but my late Mom luved it so why not?) with chicken and satay sauce. And damn, it was as good as them reviews said it would be. I was at first rather wary of the generous serving of satay sauce as I was afraid it would be too spicy. But the satay sauce was really the "Power" that gave the dish the extra flavor and texture. The little crunchy peanuts and the satay spice made the difference. Plus the whole pieces of chicken (not shreds like some other places) that really made a most satisfying meal and all for less than S$4.

Spotted at Meidi-Ya earlier this week were these two very interesting beer flavors from Japan. I wouldn't mind trying the Red Miso Lager. Not at all crazy about chocolate in general so I'll stay away from the Imperial Chocolate Weizen.

Oh, one more thing! Keeping my fingers crossed, if all goes well I'll be selling some of my vintage retro stuff from the old family home at a flea market next Sunday. ;)

Cavalock and The Mushroom and Beer Batter DIY Kits

Geez, at this rate of not visiting any new eating joints, my dream of becoming a full-fledged, free-meal-guzzling food blogger is falling apart faster than a cheap Happy Meal toy. ;) But I did managed to drop by the new Cold Storage at Plaza Sing, same floor space that used to house the old Carrefour supermarket, and it still kinda does, judging from the number of French groceries that are still sitting on the shelves. Hmmm... I dare say this is probably the largest Cold Storage around, right? Glad to see that they do have some stuff that I have yet to see elsewhere locally. So I'm guessing these mushrooms are sold like that so you can go grow them at home?

Now if you like your fish all beer battered and fried, here's something you can try. Not really my kinda thing but it's not something I have spotted anywhere else. The ol' 'Just-add-beer' is a cooking method you just can't go wrong with and I can definitely see the fun in trying out all kinds of beer.

My 79-year-old Dad has discovered a new nature stomping ground for more bird pix. These bird nest pix were all taken at Hort Park. I asked him if he had seen any of the infamous monkeys around but he didn't. Remember the bird nest in this post? Well, my Dad said that it's gone now cos a bunch of photographers ruined it when they were jostling around for a better shot and started breaking branches and stuff. He also told me that he's getting old and all that camera equipment that he lugs around EVERYDAY is just too heavy now. Might have to sell them off one day as he looks for a lighter alternative.

Cavalock and The Retro Ramblings Recollection

A little warning first, this is gonna be one of those weird posts where I just ramble on bout a bunch of non-food stuff sometimes not making any sense at all cos I just ain't got the time to try any place new these last few weeks.

So it's Mother's Day weekend and it got me thinking bout how my late Mom would always tell me not to celebrate Mother's Day and that everyday should be Mother's Day if you really love your mom. She did so much for me and my Dad and wasn't into celebrating stuff like Mother's Day or birthdays. It got me thinking bout young moms today who I feel spend less time with their kids but expect more from them, as in big Mother's Day meals etc. Moms from the old days sacrificed much more for their kids and expected almost nothing in return but it's like the opposite today. Something's not right I think.

Reading bout the death of Ray Harryhausen also had me reminiscing bout my childhood. I had a wonderful, carefree childhood. I dare say much less stressful than lots of today's primary school kids. Afternoons after school were spent watching TV with my aunt. It would start with the soaps like General Hospital and Peyton Place, followed by comedies, sci-fi series or monster movies like the ones by Ray Harryhausen. Whether it's cowboys fighting dinosaurs or Sinbad's newest adventure, damn, we all know that without him there would never had been a Star Wars or Lord of The Rings movie. Where or how are kids today gonna see them classics like Jason and The Argonauts or It Came From Beneath The Sea now?

Right now when I look back on all those hours watching TV with my aunts and uncles, I'm also thinking bout "political correctness". Here's the connection. Alright so I finally watched Django Unchained last week and that kinda led me remembering how my family would use the word "negro" all the time. I mean, whenever we talked bout black actors on TV or in the news, we would always use that milder "N' word. Back then, and especially here in this part of the world, no one batted an eyelid when I used the word. Nowadays I wouldn't dare utter it, I'll just say "black". I guess what I'm trying to say is time sure messes up one's vocabulary. Hah!

Well, speaking of my old family home, here are two more retro or vintage nuggets belonging to my late uncle that I'm actually trying to sell on my Facebook. These are United Nations guided tour pins from the 1970s. When you went on a tour of the UN building back then, they'll give one of these little pins. And next to them is a blue UN coin purse.

I'm guessing this little Solvil Titus keychain ball watch is from the 1960s. It looks pretty cool and you sure won't find anything like this anymore. It's not working but it ought to be fixable. Not really sure how much anything like this is worth. Hey, I bet it'll look great in steampunk cosplay with the gears and all!

Cavalock and The Asparagus Aspiration

It's asparagus season! Well, at least that's what the magazines and blogs are telling me this month or was it last month since May just started? So I went and bought some US asparagus from NTUC, hoping to try a couple of the online recipes.

Anyway, after getting them I'm suddenly reminded of the aftermath of cleaning up the kitchen if I were to saute them. Meaning the whole place is gonna get greasy and I gotta mop the floor after that. Decided to steam them instead. Here, everything's steamed including the pork. It's really fast, easy and I guess healthier too plus you can drizzle them with some olive oil, herbs and feta cheese after that.

It taste so good, I had it two ways. First with a bowl of rice and then mixing them up with pasta the next day. Fast to prepare and best of all, no messy cleanups at the end. If you haven't tried steaming them, you should give it a shot.

So yesterday was May 4 and it's Free Comic Book Day and Star Wars Day all-in-one and all over the world. And that means it's time to reaffirm my geek-cred by criss-crossing Orchard and Bugis for several geeky events. Started at 10am at Kinokuniya Orchard, then it's off to GnB at Bugis then back to Orchard for the free Boba Fett figure from Hasbro. Check this out, the one on the left is the new remake of the original vintage action figure (on the right) that yours truly got when he was a kid. Yikes, showing my age again!

Earlier in the morning, the cool folks at Kinokuniya were nice enough to include this year's free Wizkids Heroclix figure with their bag of comics. Following their theme of making figures based on that's year's big super-hero movie, Wizkids's latest free figure is Iron Man in his new armor!

If I'm correct it started four years ago with the free War Machine Heroclix figure (with unique dials and tourny legal) during the release of Iron Man 2 movie. Then it was the DC's Green Lantern one in time for the Green Lantern movie a year later and last year it was back to Marvel's Thor.