After a month long European odyssey, coupled with daily wallet-friendly meals of kebabs, homemade sandwiches and cheeseburgers, I finally satisfied my craving for good, tasty local food last night. It came in a slightly different fashion. My mum wanted to give my dad and brother a treat. She had suffered a fractured wrist a few months back while playing tennis and both my dad and brother took turns to help her with her work (keying in financial figures into the computer) while I was away in hostel. It was a really sweet gesture on her part and I was more than happy to be featured in her plans. Chicken rice, was my all time favourite local food.
We decided on the Chatterbox Restaurant at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel for their amazing chicken rice and arrived at the hotel later than expected, thanks (no thanks) to the crazy, snarling traffic along Singapore’s hottest stretch of shopping malls. The Hotel was also in the midst of a revamp and things looked a tad unfamiliar for me, after being too used to the wide, open spaces so common in European Piazzas. Looking slightly flustered and disorientated at the lobby, the familiar and amazing Meritus Mandarin service came extremely useful as we were urshered to the express elevators. For as long as I could remember, the Chatterbox was at the ground-floor. The last time I had chicken rice there was when I was a fresh-faced kid out of college, able to tuck in for a chicken rice brunch simply because I had my JC prom at the Hotel the night before. This time, the restaurant has relocated to the 39th floor, right where the famous Mandarin Hotel revolving restaurant was years back.
We had the most spectacular view of the city at night. Well of course, not as breathtaking as the views from the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris, but at least from where we sat, we had the most amazing view of the entire Orchard Road, right up to Marina Bay and the future integrated resorts. We were lucky too! Rehearsals were on for NDP09 and we managed to catch the fireworks display. To reach the restaurant, we had to take a flight of stairs from the 38th floor, where the observation lounge was. A jazz band was playing and yuppies were lounging by the huge windows, taking in the cityscape from above. A pretty cool hangout for after dinner drinks, with an amazing ambience.
The Chicken Rice was satisfying. Many would beg to differ because paying $24 for a set of chicken rice was never going to be worth the money anyway. However the sauces provided were spot on, the portions huge and the rice was fragrant. Fragrant rice. Something that I have learnt to appreciate when I was in Europe. Something that I have craved for so badly. Often, we had bland tasting pastas and baguettes for dinner, especially on nights where we have exceeded the day’s budget. Maybe the chicken rice from this restaurant had reached its legendary and iconic status years back that today, most chicken rice connoisseurs would dismiss it as overrated and overpriced. I would admit that the saving grace for the dish would be the rice, the sauces and its generous portion given the exorbitant prices. But hey. You are in one of the top hotels in the world and you have got the best view anyone could have asked for. Service is discreet and prompt. And, the dessert was splendid. Coconut icecream, topped with coconut shavings, walnuts and chocolate. I have learnt to appreciate desserts more since Europe. And this ice cream is truly special. A joy to savour.
Perhaps all these small touches overshadowed and took away the attention from the chicken rice. There is certainly joy tucking into Tian Tian Chicken Rice in Maxwell Hawker Centre. The heady mix of oil, grease and sweaty bodies certainly offers another dimension to dining. Not to mention the sense of satisfaction driven from overcoming a long queue of the lunchtime crowd to sink your teeth into the tender and succulent chicken. But at the end of the night, we had our bill halved because of the American Express card promotion that was going on in the restaurant. Furthermore, I have learnt to appreciate the finer things in life after the European odyssey – ambience, a good conversation with my folks and not forgetting that breathtaking view. Europeans have always been willing to pay for the entire dining experience, while Singaporeans(in general) are more keen to have a hurried meal and move on to… their next agenda, whatever that may be. We have got to understand, dining comes in a whole package guys.
A balance must be struck and I will still enjoy my daily meals and suppers at the local kopitiams. But with the American Express deal that halved the bill for that legendary chicken rice. Who’s complaining?
