Change and Travel

First off my apologies for leaving all the blog efforts to Lush for the last few months. I came back from travelling for work to head-off overseas again for a wedding before moving interstate and jetting off on a back-to-basics Christmas 'cruise'. I am now back and cooking, so expect plenty of new recipes - hopefully without too many failures...

But where is back you may ask? For the next 6 months I will be calling Canberra home (for those who don't know it is actually Australia's capital city), but with regular (food) visits back to Melbourne. As I have been told by many people, I am here at the best time; the sun is shining, the temperatures are rising and I’ll be moving back to Melbourne before winter really sets in.

Although Lush and I always talk about Melbourne, I am beginning to get into the food scene in Canberra (as small as it is) so expect a few places to crop up over the next few weeks.




To start off my first non-Melbourne blog, I've decided to show some of the highlights of my recent trip back-to-basics trip and a stop-over in Singapore. Singapore has changed so much since I left 9 years ago. Local hawker food is still delicious, but the Western food scene has really developed. No longer the realm of upmarket, expensive restaurants and average take-aways, there is now a burgeoning cafe culture. Located in seventies apartment complexes or hidden in back streets behind the main shopping strips, there seems to be a growing demand for anything 'alternative'.

So after 2 weeks of

 

(courtesy of http://www.taophilippines.com/) the first thing I needed in Singapore was a coffee; preferably an iced latte (the kind that does not contain in ice cream). To sooth this craving we went to the trendy area of Tiong Bahru to try out forty hands.

On a tiny little street, competing with 2 other coffee shops, forty hands offers great coffee and quick service. My iced latte came tall, cold and with a side of sugar syrup - so much easier than trying to stir in granulated sugar!

Contrasting with this new addition is the staple Project Shop Cafe. With multiple outlets all around the island PS Cafe has come a long way from it's original store front (of which I still use a handbag from) in the basement of Orchard Rd. Like many places in Singapore, you are paying for what you get, but who can turn down a delicious wedge of carrot cake covered in real cream cheese icing!

Before leaving, there was one last stop. Maxwell Food Court is what I would call an institution. Located in China Town, on the edge of the CBD, this place has a fantastic range of food outlets and is always busy. We went around 3pm to beat the lunch rush - along with many other tourists who all had the same idea! It was an easy choice when it came to deciding what to get; there was only one stall with a line and the chicken rice was delicious. Don't forget to try a glass of calamansi (small limes) juice to provide some relief from Singapore's humidity.

Glutton