Apom with sugar
A big bowl of Lontong for only $2.50
A tall cooling glass of Cendol
I’m actually giggling by myself (I know ridiculous right?), I had typed Breakfast at Tiffany’s 
before realising that I had meant Tekka Temporary Market. Anyways, this morning after driving Adik to uni, we went to Little India to have breakfast. You have to understand something about me, I refuse to go to wet markets because I usually end up smelling like ‘em afterwards. Daddy was so adamant about having breakfast there, that we (i.e uda, me and mummy) had to go there with him. He wanted to have chapati, unleavened bread, with keema and dhal from Sabariah’s which I’ve tried before which was really great chappati, soft and warm. Whilst the keema was minty, which was rather unique compared to other stalls I’ve tried where its just minced meat and curry powder and cumin cooked into a dry curry and nothing special. Sabariah’s were made by a really old man, I guess with decades worth of experience making yummy food. I wanted idli, these small round rice flour cakes which you either eat with curry or dhal, but Anna (brothers) Thosai Stall right across from Sabariah’s didn’t make any this morning, so dissapointing. Mummy got me apoms instead, it’s made from a similar mixture like the idlis, but it looks like a thosai with a soft puffed up centre and crispy outer ring best eaten with red sugar. Mummy ordered Lontong from Dewi Nasi Padang which she exclaimed when she tasted it that it tasted like the ones from Medan in Sumatra. We agreed that the coconut milk used in the sauce wasn’t overkill like the ones from Geylang Serai Market. And that their serunding, or fried dessicated coconut with sugar was delicious. Their rice cakes, or lontong wasn’t hard, but soft and delicate with every bite. The bowl was rich with vegetables like carrots and cabbage and it came with a bergedel, a fried potato patty. My family’s verdict over the Lontong form Dewi Nasi Pandang were all thumbs up. Right beside Dewi Nasi Padang was Mubarak Ali Drink Stall, which sold a mean mug of teh tarik (literal translation pulled tea) and Cendol which was just $1. The cendol was good, the coconut milk and the gula melaka was of the right balance and the price a steal. I guess we’re going back to Tekka again next week. And yes I smelled like the market when I went to work afterwards. Note to self, to bring a change of clothing the next time we go here.
Now, it has been preserved as a national heritage site and transformed into a pretty cool place to chill and hang out at night. It is situated right in the middle of city, a few minutes walk away from Raffles City and City Hall MRT station. CHIJMES is a pretty cool place to dine al fresco, and enjoy the cool, evening Singapore nights. Sitting on the street level of CHIJMES, surrounded by the gothic architecture is a pretty rare ambience to experience in singapore. In the sunken courtyard, a myriad of bars, restaurants and clubs comes a buzz with activity especially after dark. If you’re there in the daytime, there are quite a number of retail shops that offer a wide range of ethnic and cultural products, but if shopping there doesn’t tickle your fancy, you could just cross the road to Raffles City.
