Photo *Heart* Fridays – Nostalgia

April 12, 2013 · By ·

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Behind these dusty window panes is a medical shop manned by a middle aged lady and her aged mother…

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Taking a peek through the windows of these shophouses, I see dark, dusty rooms, now abandoned. Once homes to residents living along Katong Road.

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The former Red House Bakery, once a landmark on Katong Road, used to be famous for its Swiss rolls and curry puffs. The“Red House” Bakery was the first in Singapore to bake three-tier Western-style wedding cakes in the 1920s.

It will become residential homes very soon, to be sold to affluent house buyers.

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Katong, whose history is filled with vacation homes and mansions for the wealthy in the 19th century, still retains some of its charm with its quaint cafes, eateries and glimpses of its Peranankan heritage. What other nostalgic finds will I discover in this neighborhood? Do read the upcoming posts to find out!



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Eclectic Peranakan Heritage in Joo Chiat

April 10, 2013 · By ·

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Take a walk with me down the streets of Joo Chiat, and there we will discover glimpses of a bygone era, a hybrid of Chinese, Malay traditions with a touch of Portuguese, Dutch and Indonesian influences.

A street once known as Lorong E East Coast Road, this road was named after a man, who was a wealthy 2nd generation Straits born merchant from Malacca.

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The two rows of pre-war terrace houses along Koon Seng Road are a distinct part of Joo Chiat’s identity and are one of the finest examples of Peranakan architecture in Singapore.

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The most outstanding feature of the late styled (1900-1940) houses is the narrow and intricately embellished facade of the entrance.

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The main face of the house is decorated in plaster and tiles, often, these fine ceramic tiles with floral or geometrical designs were imported from France, England and Belgium.

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The external walls of these houses are decorated with Chinese couplets of good fortune, health and happiness adorning the front windows, similar to the traditional residences in China. These motifs are derived from mystical dragons, deer and dogs, symbols of good fortune and long life.

Other motifs like flowers are bird act as accompaniments to the decoration, which reflected the wealth and status of the owners.

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With its rich architectural heritage, I can only imagine the many intriguing stories behind these homes and their old owners who used to lived there.

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I will be taking a walk down Katong Road next to discover more of the Peranankan culture in this part of Singapore, look out for my upcoming posts!

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Photo *Heart* Fridays – Laksa Lemak!

April 5, 2013 · By ·

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Laksa, a Peranankan dish of ‘chor bee hoon’ noodles swimming in a rich, spiced coconut and fish based gravy soup of ground dried prawns, fish cake, bean sprouts and cockles, topped with a garnish of Laksa leaves. Salivating yet?

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This variant of Laksa from Katong, is characteristic by the way it is eaten from the bowl; with only a spoon, without the use of chopsticks or a fork.

A random fact about Laksa in Katong – in the 90s, Laksa ‘wars’ erupted among 4 stalls on the same road, all claiming to be the best and the original Katong Laksa. Is this stall the real McCoy?

Actually it isn’t. I have been told which stall in Katong is the real Katong Laksa but have yet to try it.

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It’s going to be a huge challenge to keep my weight down, having to walk pass many of these Singapore local favorites every weekday morning!

Do you like Laksa? How do you usually like it, with ‘Hum’ or without? Do share your favorite Laksa stalls.



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