Food for Thought: Old Habits

Tucked away in idyllic Telok Blangah Rise stands an old shop house filled with goodies from the past.

Owner Donovan Goh graduated as a Chemical Engineer but his love for vintage took him on a different road. On his return to Singapore, he dabbled with selling his collection at weekend flea markets.  Swayed by the cafe culture in Melbourne where he studied, he was inspired in July of 2014, to open Old Habits as a vintage boutique cum cafe, together with wife Selena.  His strategy worked and Old Habits is fast gaining popularity as the "in place" for the "in crowd".  

To me the place is 'reminiscent of a past era'.  Seated on retro furniture, sipping hot tea, I glanced around the room, admiring a whole array of collectibles ranging from antique signboards to school day toys.  Music from the 50s and 60s wafted softly through the air soothing all of our tired nerves.

You even get to play with some of the toys.

Old Habits is not just about old things.  Owner, Donovan, has put together an interesting menu proffering such fascinating new dishes as Jessy's Spicy Casserole, Simply Salmon and Coconut Kuih with Ice Cream, all with a nyonya twist.

The Spicy Casserole was inspired by Jessy (a relative) who cooks a mean curry chicken.  So the shepherd pie dish is filled with nyonya flavoured spiced chicken chunks instead of the usual stewed mutton.  Don't let this rather plain looking dish deceive you!  In fact, wifey and I enjoyed this dish so much, we have added it to our 'must try' list of food to eat.  Its taste is uniquely Singaporean. Donovan has succeeded in turning the common shepherd's pie into a fusion Peranakan specialty.

Another appetising dish with nyonya influence is Simply Salmon.  Grilled salmon tops a plate of sphagetti tossed in sambal belacan and olive oil with button white mushroom. This is of course an original creation by owner Donovan.  The sphagetti is done just right - al dente as they say in Rome. Eating this dish will bring you back to your Peranakan roots.

A most befitting end to a meal at Old Habits would be Donovan's Coconut Kuih.  This souffle-type dessert, like all the other dishes we tried, has a strong nyonya influence.   It is a delightful sweet made of desiccated coconut served with a single scoop of ice cream.  But be warned to order in advance as it is done on the spot and requires at least 20-30 minutes preparation time.

Donovan intimated to me that he is working on some new dishes including a painfully delicious dessert and I can't wait to try it when it gets on the menu.  He is also bringing in some crafted beer so drinkers, watch out.  Old Habits may well be the new drinkers' hangout.

Old Habits
Block 38 Telok Blangah Rise 
#01-315

Ambiance:  10/10
Service:         8/10
Food:             8/10
Pricing:        $$
Recommendation:  Jessy's Spicy Casserole; Simply Salmon; Coconut Kuih; Osmanthus Sencha

Food for Thought: Makko Teck Neo's Neighbourhood Nyonya Cafe

A friend recommended me Makko Teck Neo swearing that it serves the best nyonya food. Another friend said their pineapple tarts were irresistible.  After my first, and possibly last visit, I found both claims to be far from true.

On approaching the cafe, we were impressed with the lunch crowd.  All but 2 tables were occupied and this definitely raised my hopes.  We found our own way to a vacant table and the menu was unceremoniously placed on the table without any words of welcome.  There were at least 4 or 5 waiting staff but none seem too bothered about ensuring the customers' comfort or showed any interest in catering to the customers' needs.

Finally, having caught the attention of a waitress, we placed our order of pork rib curry, ngoh hiang, stir-fried mixed vegetable and bubur cha cha.  I was surprised that popular vegetable dishes like chap chye and sayur lodeh were not on the menu.  What was even more shocking came after the dishes arrived.  We requested for sambal belacan and the waiter nonchalantly told us that they did not have any.  Sambal belacan, to me, is synonymous with peranakan food.  So how authentic can this cafe be?

The first dish to arrive was the pork rib curry.  The pork was tender and the meat fell off the bone effortlessly.  The potatoes were firm and, fortunately, not over-cooked.  The gravy was thick but lacked the fragrance of the usual herbs and spices that make a good curry. Also, the after taste of ready mix curry powder was overpoweringly strong. To me, this was a miss.

Next came the ngoh hiang, and this was the only savory dish that was worth the cafe's reputation. The skin was crispy and light without having any bad after taste of residual grease.  We could taste the sweetness of the chopped prawns and minced pork blended with some bits of vegetables.  There was also definitely a heavier than normal dose of coriander.  We love herbs so this dish went down well with us but still it wasn't good enough to make us want to come back for more.

The only vegetable dish on the menu was stir-fried mixed vegetable.  Besides this, there were pineapple salad and acar but I won't really consider these as vegetable dishes.  For want of a better choice, we ordered the mixed vegetable - a decision that we grossly regretted.  The vegetables were sorely under-cooked. While I prefer my greens to be well cooked and soft, Teck Neo's version was hard, crunchy and practically tasteless!  In fact, the cabbage appeared rather green and raw.

The meal's saving grace was the bubur cha cha.  The santan was thick and full of flavour with enough sweetness - the way a good dessert should be.  The sweet potato and yam were cut to tiny bite sizes ensuring that they were properly cooked right through.  And, what pleases me most, were the colourful starch pieces floating elegantly amongst the root vegetables.  If ever I should return to Makko Teck Neo, it would be for their bubur cha cha.

As for the very popular and so-called "irresistible" pineapple tarts which I was told customers would queue for hours during the festive seasons, I found them to be over-rated.  It did not meet my expectations.

What the cafe misses out in food quality, it also failed to make up in customer service. Throughout our meal, we noticed the waiting staff going about their work as if they were working at a hawker stall. There was no friendly greeting nor smile to put customers at ease or feel welcome. And this is my first experience in a cafe where no serviettes, plain water or toothpicks are provided.

Our afternoon's journey to Telok Blangah was saved by the bell when we chanced upon a most delightful cafe just a stone's throw from Makko Teck Neo on the other side of the wet market.  I shall write about this place in a later post.


Makko Teck Neo
Blk 35 Teloh Blangah Rise 
#01-303 Singapore 090035

Ambiance:  8/10
Service:       4/10
Food:           4.5/10
Price:           $$
Recommendation:  Nyonya ngoh hiang; bubur cha cha