Whenever we visit Super market, the fruits section delights me to the core. I am a fruit lover but the variety of fruits we get in Singapore, the quality and availability all the time, increases the love all the more.
They look joyous and colourful together. My mind comes backs to blog about it, every time I see it. A lot of fruits I tried for the first time here, like the Dragon fruit!
Banana from Philippines and Mexico!
Since agriculture-wise Singapore has limited resources, it imports most of its food items - fruits, vegetables, groceries, etc. The positive side of this is that since the food item is of export quality, you will generally find Fruits of very good quality. This also keeps away potential disease that may happen due to consumption of rotten or spoiled fruits or food item in general.
The other aspect that lifts my heart when looking at those shiny fruits, is the names of the countries from which it is imported displayed next to the rate. At a single instance you can buy Green Apples imported from South Africa or Gala Apples from France, Oranges from China or India, Kiwi from New Zealand and variety of fruits from all over the world! It gives a good feeling!
China Navel Oranges.
When I thought of writing on Fruits in Singapore, I thought it would be a straight forward task of uploading photos clicked by me and writing about them. But then, it took me three days to plan and comprehend. Because only talking about fruits that we get in Super markets like Giant, Fairprice, etc will not be justice to the topic. So finally I decided to break my post in three subposts and give proper importance to other avenues too.
Variety of Kiwis!
In Singapore, we can buy Fruits and vegetables from 'Wet Market' as well. That would be a separate post. And third post on fruits would talk specifically about the special fruits we get in this part of the world. Like the Longan, Mangosteen, Dragon Fruit, Rambutans, Jambu, a different variety of Guava and off-course the national fruit of Singapore - Durian!
The pics put up here were clicked during my recent visit to Giant Super market. We get a lot many other fruits as well, may be I will update pics in this post later or create another post! Photos are taken after taking permission from one of the employee.
Seedless Watermelon, though my experience says Water melon with seeds are more sweet.
Royal Gala Apple from France.
These are all Oranges but all are different in taste and appearance. From left to right, Oranges from Taiwan, Turkey, China and Pakistan.
Right to left - Pear, NZ Avacado, China Nam Shui Pearl, China Lemon, SA Green Apple.
Its been a long time that I wrote something on the blog and made it public. It was a cautious decision.
When I write, I always want to express what it is exactly, no diplomacy or politically correct statement there. If you do that then there is no point in writing because you should be honest with what you write or feel if those are personal views.
A lot of events happened over a period of time. Cartoonist Assem Trivedi was arrested for his controversial sketches, people got jailed or arrested for putting some status message on Facebook, etc Those two three incidents struck in my mind. I am not trying to take sides or justify anybody but then as a common man when you express and are punished then it makes you take a step back. Though, I would go a step further and say that 'Freedom of Speech' has been the most used excuse these days to say any and everything.
Sometimes events make you express in certain way that may not be accepted to small section of authority who may have power or influential enough to hit you back. And these days social media trolling is a fad which can make you a star overnight before you could realize irrespective of which side of the table, right or wrong, you are. You don't want to take 'panga' with anyone. As my boss says, "Try not to make enemies!". It doesn't mean you have to do what others would like. In doing so, you will loose yourself.
Be yourself but when in public discourse, try and avoid controversies. Staying away from blogging is challenging because you want to express, you want to share, you want to leave this place with a little better shade than what it was, when you arrived. 30 years from now, reading this blog would be so much fun. Writing also helps in comprehending your thoughts, eventually it could lead to complete my half complete novels!
Second strong reason for not being here regularly was because I wanted to spend time with my kid when he was
awake and do my work when he was sleeping. That pushed Blogging to a
back seat. Now I will try to strike a good balance, hopefully!
So with that, I decided to be a bit regular. Share Colours of Singapore, through my eyes. About Parenting, with my first hand experience, some Movie Reviews and definitely a lot of Foodie recommendations to go out! And an occasional off beat item, a love story may be!
fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: Life is highly underrated! There are many hats that you can wear at the sametime and make it a much more colourful life! It feels good to put together thoughts and words and sentences to create a story around it!
Amazing ambience. (This pic is taken from restaurant website)
My brother-in-law, being foodie, always has some foodie
plans ready whenever we meet up. Yesterday, we decided to go to Rang Mahal. Located at a posh and swanky Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore, the
expectations were high. Pan Pacific has seating pods over a pool in lobby
and the concept is a delight to eyes.
Rang Mahal has a unique style of ambience with dim lights,
high ceiling and traditional-contemporary interiors. It
is welcoming for a great dining experience. Great care has been taken in making ambience perfect, working on each minute detail.
Dhoklas served with a stick.
Papad and Khakharas.
The Menu Card boasts of several awards and recognition and it was
flattering but not so true about the menu itself. Since I am vegetarian, I keep
my comments on Non-Vegetarian food reserved. After lot of flipping and flapping
pages, we settled down with Veg Sampler – a bouquet of three veg starters. We
were presented with Dhokla in a stick with some Papad and Khakhras as
complimentary starters. “Dhoklas and Khakhras...Is that a Narendra Modi effect? I refrained from
connecting such an extended dots.
Options for Vegetables in Main course is very limited. It
was as if forcing to order out of some regular choices. We did a “majority wins” and
ordered one experimental and one safe veggie.
Presentation: With TV shows like ‘MasterChef’, our
understanding about food presentation and platting has gone up significantly, not that it is new to us. I remember my mom garnishing Chhole and Dal with fine-chopped Coriander
leaves and making a design out-of cream on veggies like Panner Butter Masala or a Kofta Curry. That was Indian home-maker's definition of food platting and presentation! Sorry to say, the Jodhpuri Panner Makhani had no presentation of any kind. Starters were dressed with some vegetable leaves,
unimpressively. Two expert ladies with us were of the same views.
Taste: Lets ignore the presentation part. What about the
taste? I guess all of us
were refraining from saying negative about
food and giving enough time and chances to our taste buds. Not
everything could
go wrong. But once we started discussing, we realised that none of us
liked any of the dish that we ordered. We were trying to be appreciative
and wanted to like something, but we
ended eating plain breads and leaving almost half of the portions of
vegetables as it is. Issue was not with limited variety in Menu, issue
was with taste.
Taste-bud neutraliser served between starter and Main course was the only saving grace.
Customer service: I don’t think the staff was anywhere close
to comforting or welcoming. They were eager to take order with approaching us in
every 5 minutes. We had three little kids with us who were not attended or
asked even once if we needed anything for them. I don’t think it costs much to
smile unless they are told not to do so.
Overall, I would still say we had good outing because of the
people we met and the way we enjoyed. No marks for the food, we all left the place
full of disappointment. My brother-in-law came up with a phrase in Hindi –
Ucchi dukaan, feeke pakwan (rich shop with little to offer), which sums up the dining experience well.
Ambience: Excellent.
Price: Expensive but acceptable only if food is good.
Quality: Average.
Quantity: Average.
Taste: Lot of scope for improvement.
Service: Could be more attentive, appreciative and involved.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10, just because I don’t want to sound
harsher.
fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: I am fully aware that hospitality industry
is among the most difficult industries to work in. The customers are ever
demanding and it is difficult to please everyone with same amount of
satisfaction. Factors like our mood, our choice of dish, time we have in hand to spend,
all plays a role in overall experience. I want to sound milder anddon’t want to be discouraging. Above is my (and our) personal experience and can just act as an added
information for the diners.
A couple of weeks back Mr. Ajay Maken, Congress leader, twitted
about HRD minister not being graduate and raised concern if she is fit to
deliver. Going by that logic, Ajay Maken should have represented India in some
sports before becoming sports minister in UPA 2. And the media has created a hype as if an
undergraduate is picked straight from college and made a minister. Half of the
people raising their voice opposing Mrs. Irani might not even know what an HRD
minister is expected or empowered to do.
“I guess HRD minister
has something to do with universities, UGCs, …oh ya IIMs
come under him, remember Arjun Singh increased quota in IIMs…”, That’s what
a friend told me when I asked what do you expect from HRD minister.
The Ministry is
responsible for the development of human resources. The ministry is divided into two departments: the Department of
School Education and Literacy, which deals with primary and secondary
education, adult education and literacy, and the Department of Higher Education, which deals with university education, technical education, scholarship etc. More on HRD department can be explored here.
Now that we know what the ministry is reponsible for, lets look at how logical the criticism is. Some more by Madhu Kishwar, academician and writer:
First of all, As per Indian constitution, there is no
minimum education qualification required to contest elections. If that is the
case, anybody can stand and represent section of people from a region. If he
gets sufficient acceptance (votes), he has all the rights to sit in Parliament
and represent those people. If candidate’s Party decides, he can become PM of
the nation also without being elected by people in Lok Sabha (has to become member of Rajya Sabha in such case). So you see, even
a 4th grader can be a PM if he is capable enough.
Secondly, the point raised here is on formal education. We need to understand that there is a difference between having a qualification,
having knowledge and being literate. Smriti Irani, as per her affaidavit, is
not a graduate. So she may not be having enough qualification on papers. Does
that mean she does not have knowledge? Or can we say that she is illiterate?
Knowledge can be acquired by self-learning and need not be
restricted to four-walls of school or college for learning. It is more
important to be literate and possess knowledge rather than gather a
qualification. At a minister’s level, what is required is an understanding of
ground reality. A direction for progress, a plan to achieve it and a will to
execute that plan in timely manner. Clearly it doesn’t require an MBA or an
Engineer or a Phd holder to be an HRD minister.
Third, if we look at her political career she climbed the ladder by
working hard, starting at grass root level. In 2004 she was VP of Maharashtra
Youth Wing. In 2010 she became National Secretary of BJP and then All India
President for BJP Women’s wing. In 2011, she was sworn in as Member of
Parliament from Gujarat to the Rajya Sabha. One cannot say that she has been
favored by the appointment. She has experience in administration and command
over her thoughts. If formal education was everything then why Constitution
doesn’t prescribe that Only Phd or Professors can head HRD or only an ex-Amry
man can head Defense or only an Investment Banker can lead Finance Ministry.
That is not the criteria.
Forth, the criteria is Management skills. Are you capable of doing
analysis, putting logical blocks? Can you understand a problem? Can you take
tough but correct decisions? Can you evaluate solutions suggested by bureaucrats
under you? Can you comprehend, articulate and communicate? Can you get the job
done? Can you connect and create an impact? Are you visionary? Can you inspire?
If answer is: Yes; then you have the required skill sets for the job.
Fifth, I want to refrain from naming any politician unnecessarily
to further substantiate my point. But if you look at the Indian political
scenario, few of the state heads, present or past, are not even 10th
Pass. Then how did they manage to work? How could they understand the Economics
part of the Politics?
Sixth, as long as minister has an outlook, innovative
ideas to lead, qualification doesn’t matter. In a way it is good because such
individuals do not come with pre-conceived notions. They cannot complain that
the task is too difficult. They are only energetic to deliver.
Seventh and importantly, she is not working alone. There is a team of people
who would be guiding her. She herself would have access to information and can
consult to experts before taking decisions. And when Prime Minister Mr. Modi
says that he will submit a report card of his government in 2019, he must be
clear about what he is doing. An able captain knows whom to field where and how
to achieve targets. Let the captain take the calls and may not be necessary for
him to justify everything as he does it.
Eighth and my favorite, look at the disruptive thought it gives. You don't need to be even a graduate to lead the nation with important portfolio. As we progress, it is important for us to acquire right skill sets, something my mentor and ex-boss always told me. Skills and smartness can take you places. I am not undermining the importance of formal education, it provides good start in career, but that should not be considered as a road-block for achieving your goals.
I think media and opposition are in hurry to see results. We
have given votes and trusted them, now let us give them fair time to perform
and showcase. It is not even a month yet. Criticisms are good and help in
making democracy stronger but only healthy criticism helps in diverting energy
in positive channel.
fOoD fOr ThOuGhT:
Looking at the quality of criticism and debates on television show, I do
believe we are in urgent need of human resource development. Do watch this
thoughtful video – views expressed by Mrs. Irani at International Women’s
Conference held in Feb 2014. It will give you lot of hopes!
PS: I do not have any political affiliation or interest.
Views are my own based on logical points that I can see.
Fresh Banana leaf on plate with four amazing Chutneys!
Murugan Idli Shop is home for us when we want a break from
routine North Indian food of Tandoori Roti, Sabji, Dal, etc. It is located on the busy street of Syed Alwi Road close to Mustafa.
The restaurant is small, simple with basic seating arrangements.
It is often crowded especially on weekends when people shop at Mustafa and stop
at Murugan for lunch or Dinner.
As you occupy seat, you are presented with a piece of paper
and pencil. That paper is Menu card cum Order note. All the dishes are listed
along with prices and you are suppose to select what you want to eat and
indicate number of quantities. Unique way of taking order and I quite like it.
Menu Card cum Order Note.
By the time you make up your mind and complete the order, you are
presented plate with large fresh Green Banana leaf covering the plate and
4 different chutneys on it. This is standard serving irrespective of what you
order. In Southern parts of India, serving and eating food on Banana leaf is
a tradition. It is believed that top of the leaf is naturally coated with some
chemical. When these are consumed along with food, it makes food tasty and
makes digestion process better. Other advantage of using Banana leaf for the restaurant is that the
turn-around time is quick as they don’t have to wait for cutlery
to get washed, cleaned, dried and ready for next serving. Though it adds to the
operating cost, I deeply appreciate the restaurant for keeping the traditions alive
in foreign country where managing cost is critical.
Since the name itself has Idli, it is but natural to try
atleast one Idli, you can call it a starter. The Idlis are soft, big, generally
hot and fresh. It is a must everytime you go there. I like Vada and they serve
it really crispy. Onion Uttappam, Masala Dosa or Butter Masala Dosa, all are
good with authentic South Indian taste. A special mention
about Sambar – it is really tasty and you can ask for more servings without any
additional cost for it.
They also serve variety of rice (Lemon, Tamarind, Tomato,
Curd, Sambar) though I haven’t tried them yet so I will reserve my comments on
them. But going by my experience on other dishes, it should be good.
The way Idli is must have, coffee is also a must have at the
end of food, irrespective of you want to have it or not. It is served in
traditional half-cut steel glass, coffee filled till its brim accompanied with a
small bowl. The aroma and taste of that filter coffee will definitely revive
your energy and mood.
I always enjoy food here though it is somewhat congested
place with limited open space from baby-pram or shopping bags. You may have to
struggle for seat sometimes but when you get it, the food is always served by
heart. Options on Menu card are limited saving lot of order time and helping restaurant in keeping low items of inventory.
Murugan is part
of Indian food chain and has been able to keep its long established tradition
of quality and taste.
Ambience: Simple, small layout, basic seating arrangement
Price: Reasonable
Quality: Good.
Quantity: Average
Taste: Authentic
Service: Fast
Rating: 7 +1 for the Chutneys and Sambar
fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: It is a place for perfect brunching,
snacking when you want to eat light still be tight!
The beauty of Singapore is that though it is a small place
with limited resources but it has unlimited planning and execution will. It is
called a Tiny Red dot on the World map but if you happen to visit the place
there are plenty of ‘must-see’ locations here. One of them is the Garden’s By
The Bay.
It is built on a 100 hectare of reclaimed land to transform
Singapore from ‘Garden City’ to ‘City in a Garden’. International competition
was held back in 2006 to design the master plan. Today it boasts beautiful
themed Horticulture, two conservatories - Flower Dome and Cloud Forest and
Supertrees Groves. The place is considered as an outing place for urban social
class. Various initiatives are taken round the year to keep the entertainment and
fun quotient high for the local people. One such even is the Tulipmania started
in the year 2013.
We happen to visit it this year and it was a delight to see
so many Tulips of different colours and species under one roof flown directly
from Netherlands. Miniatures of Netherland, Tulips gardens, Windmills, houses
in Netherlands where for show and was quite a refreshing one.
It was certainly a delight for photographers for exploring
different camera modes and lenses and projections. To our surprise, there was
queue of roughly 20 minutes inside the dome to view the tulip arrangements but
it was worth the wait. If you are planning to go there next, try a weekday!
Here are some of the pics that I took during our visit:
Mouth-watering Deluxe thali served with Sewai Kheer.
If somebody visits same restaurant 5 times in 10 days, either
it is too cheap, situated in close proximity or too good. For Bikanerwala, it
is the last case.
Located in Little India, in a narrow lane, this place has
never disappointed me. I have been here with my family (twice), with friends
(thrice) and enjoyed my own company a couple of times, till now. And I am not done with it. It is always on my cards when I am hungry and want to eat good, variety and a lot!
You get what you see on the images. Food quality is high and
have been improving ever since I came first time here. Taste is awesome if you
are a North-Indian food lover. They offer wide range of cuisine from Chinese,
Quick bites, Indian Continental, etc. Various combos are also available which is
value for money. Range of sweet is wide and you would feel as if you are
standing in a sweet shop in India, though I found the sweets priced at a higher
side.
What to try: Veg Burger is good. Raj
Kachori, Samosa, Dhokla, all good. Various Chat options are there which are
worth a try atleast once.
But the best part here, for me, is the North
Indian thali that is worth the money.
For SGD 10, you get a wholesome delicious meal. I get craving to get back here
and have the platter again and again. Authentic whole wheat (aata)Tandoori
roti and Dal Makhani are worth mentioning along with other food items.
Some of pics of food I tried here:
Executive thali with amazing hot and fresh Roti, Pakoda Kadhi and other stuff.
One of the Snacks display counter. It is full of variety of Dhoklas, Samosas, Kachoris, Pani Puri, etc.
Fresh and irrestible!
Special Sweet from Executive thali.
Location: 1 Dalhousie Lane, Little
India, Singapore 209664
Ambience: Normal, nothing heavy or
extra ordinary.
Price: Reasonable considering quality
and quantity.
Quality: Good.
Quantity: Sufficient.
Taste: You will love it.
Service: Responsive to customers.
Rating: 7.5 - Good place for casual
lunch/ dinner and Snacking.
fOoD fOr ThOuGhT: Sometimes
I feel, we Indians are too much fussy about having 5 different types of breads
(rotis), 4 different types of
vegetables (Sabjis), rice, dal to complete a meal! And then I feel,
what is life for? To have good, delicious, variety of dishes, each time to eat!
