e5 bakehouse

e5 bakehouse

e5 bakehouse is to be found under the railway arches of london fields station. the arch itself is cavernous but manages to maintain an air of cosiness. no doubt the ovens are what warm the space but the real charm is the yeasty smell of slowly fermented and baked bread. on my first visit i bought half a loaf of the quintessential hackney wild. it is beautifully crafted with a flour dusted rim and a light sheen on its surface.

sumac and hazelnut croccante

roasted and skinned hazelnuts

nuts suspended in a hard caramel are a popular candy. mama would buy irregular rectangles of peanut brittle from united bakery in islamabad. these little jaw-breakers had to be bitten down upon at the back of the mouth. the knowledge that they were bad for our teeth did nothing to deter us from eating them. the brittle itself was slightly cloudy and had an oily sheen that must have come from the addition of butter or cream into the caramel.

geylang serai, singapore

peranakan houses near joo chiat street

rempah udang are one of many kinds of nyonya kuih (snack). they are cylinders of glutinous rice stained orange from their filling and are wrapped in banana leaves and secured with toothpicks. the rempah filling constitutes a spice paste with protein in the form of fresh and dried shrimp and ikan bilis (dried anchovies). 

nyonya is a honorific title used to refer to peranakan women. the pernakan were chinese settlers in the straits area. they married local non-muslim women and developed their own cuisine that is a cusp of chinese and malay flavours and techniques. they say that making rempah is an art as well as an essential skill for marriageable girls. as per tradition girl children learnt the art of cooking from an early age and it is said that nyonya’s can gauge a prospective daughter-in-laws rempah making skills merely by the sound of pounding.

nyonya kuih

i unwrap the lightly greasy banana leaf and bite into the cylinder. the coconut rice has a gentle sweetness and moistness. i can detect the citrusy fragrance of the lemongrass. it is unlike anything i have tasted before. there is texture from the two types of prawns, the unmistakable salty sharpness of anchovy and a soft heat from the chilli. i was sad to have left trying these to the last day and really wish i had eaten more peranakan food in singapore.

aside from its cuisine the peranakan pride themselves for their bright textiles, intricate beadwork, china and colourful houses with woodwork. there are plenty of these to be seen around geylang. i visited rumah bebe, a heritage home that gives insight into peranakan culture.

peranakan lace textiles 

peranakan china

peranakan china

after rumah bebe, i retraced my steps to  the geylang serai, one of many large wet markets in singapore. this one has been recently refurbished and is consequently much better organised than places like tekka market in little india. the design itself is quintessentially malay echoing old kampong houses. it incorporates wooden beams and latticework. the markets are busiest in the morning when the produce is fresh. geylang serai announces its strong muslim flavour through the attire of the women shoppers many of whom wear scarves. there are plenty of bright dried red chillies and ikan bilis along with fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. i bought myself discs of gula melaka (coconut palm sugar) from one of the vendors. it is evident that the shopkeepers and shoppers have an established relationship and i am told that many have open accounts as a sign of trust and loyalty. it reminded me of the time when mama would shop in bazaari (our local market in pindi) and in rana market. up until the nineties we had an open account with our local shopkeeper. what this meant was that if we were short of money or picking up items in a hurry, the shopkeeper would note the purchase in his register and tally the payment at a later day. this tradition still persists in singapore despite the rise of  supermarket and mall culture. i do wonder how long it will survive though given singapore’s journey into hyper-modernity.

stalls at geylang serai

women shopping at geylang serai

shopkeeper at geylang serai

entrance to geylang serai

as always, there is a brisk trade in the food centre and various makkan places. i pass a number of bakeries stacked with curry puffs. these popular malay snacks are a kin to savoury patties in pakistan. flaky fried pastry stuffed with fillings like mutton or spiced potato are taken with teh (pulled tea). the sweetness of the tea exaggerates the heat of the chilli. i make a brief stop at hjh maimunah restaurant. the queue extends outward from the door. a large sign announces that you should find yourself a seat before ordering, but the warning is too late as it is near the ordering area. i get a small portion of beef rendang to go.  in singapore rendang is retailed by the piece so i get a large chunk of beef. a reduction of spiced gravy redolent with coconut clings to the surface of the meat.

geylang serai was my last outing in singapore as the next day i caught a flight back to london. i do wish i had spent more time exploring the area especially by night given that it is well known as singapore’s red light district. i also wish that the heat had not dulled my appetite so much. it was hard for me to muster the ability to eat nasi padang (spicy curries with coconut rice) and other rich dishes like laksa. i have always associated these with cooler temperatures and spent most of my trip eating dim sum, a smattering of sushi and soba and indian vegetables.

rose bakery, dover street market

rose bakery, dover street market

rose bakery looks like a polished industrial unit with its grey-silver surfaces. the tableware is grey-green and is very sturdy, as are the cast iron teapots. cakes in hues of yellow progressing to orange and chocolate are seated on the long length of counter. the carrot cake is impressive. it is shaped like an angular cup cake with a crown of frosting. the space is fragranced by a spiced crumble warming itself in the oven behind the counter.

i was introduced to rose bakery by t, the brains behind the london review cake shop. it’s hidden away on the fourth floor of dover street market, the independent and swanky outpost of tokyo based designer rei kawakubo. on my first visit there t and i had large bowls of chickpea and spinach soup. there is no other way to describe the soup than by saying it had received ‘mayfair’ treatment. rose bakery’s version of spinach and chickpea soup is sophisticated. it  had been pureed to the point that it still retained texture. it was a substantial soup with roasted flavours and was decorated with a flourish of fruity olive oil and a hint of parsley. it was exceptionally good.

date scones

o and i returned a couple of weeks later for afternoon tea. it was the week that he had become british and so we decided to go the traditional route and have scones and tea. although not the traditional kind (wholemeal and date) they were excellent because they had all the characteristics of a classic scone. endearingly irregular, they had a golden brown top and were easy to break open into half with out using a knife. most importantly they had that lingering aftertaste of soda that comes a combination of leavening agents. they were accompanied by a pat of butter and two kinds of jam. i had a yellow-orange fresh fig jam and o a blue-purple morello cherry. the jams were more fruity than sweet which was perfect. i just wish that the butter had been clotted cream. to me scones are never complete without that dense, almost yellow cream.

dover street market

come to rose bakery if you happen to be around mayfair and want a cup of tea and something sweet. you are unlikely to be disappointed. i for one am planning a return for the carrot cake.    

hummerstons, singapore

sourced from hummerstons facebook

there is something about hummerstons that is vaguely reminiscent of restaurants in scottsdale, arizona. perhaps it is the gentle whirl of ceiling fans above the balcony seating or the clean lines and eclectic décor on the inside. a narrow strip of window allows a view of the kitchen. bouk, the chef at hummerstons was the former head-chef of ps café. although japanese, he has american leanings having been adopted by an american couple and grown up on the east coast. hummerstons is his mother’s maiden name. 

o and his colleagues frequent hummerstons often. i suspect mostly because of the familiarity of the food. in fact most of them tend to gravitate towards the burgers. they are a busy assemblage of american beef, apple wood smoked bacon, oak smoked cheddar and mushrooms piled on a brioche bun. i wonder if the kitchen could have possibly included any more? for me the star of a burger is the meat and it is a real pity that such excellent quality meat is drowned out by the extensive medley of additions. i guess i am just not a fancy-pants burger person.  

our starter of grecian style squid with sautéed lemon and olive-tomato tapenade is worthy of mention. large curls of squid had been cooked till succulent. the saltiness of the olives brought out the tart sweetness of cherry tomatoes that had been cooked just to soften them slightly. the sautéed lemon had a mild caramelisation and brightened the flavours of the whole.

my entrée of grilled salmon with cold soba salad would have benefited from better execution. the flavour combinations were thoughtful and interesting. the sweetness of the mango was sharpened by the chilli vinaigrette and yet contrasted well with the fatty notes in the salmon fillet. sesame oil lent nuttiness and paired well with the soba. the soba itself was meant to be cold but was warm which is a real pity as i was looking forward to the contrasting temperatures.

the kitchen at hummerstons has a lot of potential. it has a knack for flavours but what it really needs is better execution. i feel compelled to mention that it was the one of the few places in singapore where service was efficient and the bill was correct when presented. hummerstons is definitely worth eating at provided they can get the standard of service and the execution to the food to coincide.