Since after leaving my previous job working for a software company, I had always missed the neighborhood around Arab Street and Beach Road. Chanced upon this "Choo Choo" chicken on another guy's blog, it seems the Koren culture has invaded our taste buds too. This Korean Fried Chicken joint is new, just opened for around 2 months after I left my previous company. It is time to re-visit my "playground", where beer, coffee, great food are in abundance.
Decided to bring my trusty little partner along, my red Brompton, which has brought me places all over Singapore to discover the nooks and crannies, searching for "kopi" and "makan" places.
Of course, this is best carried out with some great cycling company, and we have a few friends with the same passion of riding, enjoying coffee over chats and just simply discussing the topics of interests for the day while the world goes by.
We had a good ride down from North of Singapore, and if you know, we are a bunch of middle aged guys who do not fancy getting on the roads of Singapore as much as possible, where the cycling culture is still much at its infancy. The city ride can very much be accomplished along the Park Connectors or (PCN)s. My favorite route can be seen below, from Yishun to Lentor Avenue, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan park , Bishan-Kallang PCN and finally reaching Lavender and Nicoll Highway.
Get the route on Map my ride imported or view on the browser:http://mapmyride.com/workout/
Till the next Food.Ride adventure....
62990980
Opening: 11.30am-11pm
Of course, this is best carried out with some great cycling company, and we have a few friends with the same passion of riding, enjoying coffee over chats and just simply discussing the topics of interests for the day while the world goes by.
We had a good ride down from North of Singapore, and if you know, we are a bunch of middle aged guys who do not fancy getting on the roads of Singapore as much as possible, where the cycling culture is still much at its infancy. The city ride can very much be accomplished along the Park Connectors or (PCN)s. My favorite route can be seen below, from Yishun to Lentor Avenue, Ang Mo Kio, Bishan park , Bishan-Kallang PCN and finally reaching Lavender and Nicoll Highway.
Get the route on Map my ride imported or view on the browser:http://mapmyride.com/workout/
All in all, it is less than 20km and on a leisurely pace, to smell the flowers along the way. We were early for lunch, and the morning ride had deprived us of a coffee. Sat down in one of this recently very popular old style "Nanyang" cafe, called Dong Po Colonial Cafe. Eugene, the budding photographer in our group, started taking some very tasteful photos of this place, really suitable "feel" for this retro place. They have a pretty good collection of items of yester-year, and even the reliable old Flying Pigeon bicycle. So it was an East Meets West for our bicycles, as my Brommie gets acquainted with the Pigeon. We were amazed at the different apps and gadgets Eugene deployed for taking his shots, which really gave fresh new insights as the "new age" mobile photographer. The portable camera he used which is similar to Go Pro, is the I-Saw Extreme. I am impressed at the very well taken wide angled shots, but of course credits must be given to the man behind the shutter. The "processing" of these photos were also very much enhanced with the applications available via mobile now such as "Aviary" and "Photogrid". We had a good lesson on photography that morning.
See below for what has been achieved with a combination of technology and an artist's vision.
Photos Credit of Eugene Wee
And my own dabble of "Aviary" app.
Time flies and after exploring the lanes of Arab Street for more photographic inspiration, we are all whipped up with good appetite for some Korean fried chicken.
We got onto the next lane, Bali Lane, where Choo Choo Chicken is located. We happened to be the first customers of the day, and things got more rowdy as other cycling kakis reached the same check point for food. There were 4 main kinds of Fried chicken flavors, the Original, Spicy Crispy, Soy (presumably with Soy sauce) and another which I had not tried yet. The Spicy one got my vote for being not overly spicy and with a sweetness from the sauce. The batter had been nicely fried, and wrapping the very juicy chicken meat. The Soy version which I traded a few pieces with a pal tasted good too. Overall, they are not your usual KFC style fried chicken, and leaves you wanting more. My side, a salad, with the chicken was not filling enough for me (it was supposed to be rice), but for some reason was not available on the set menu for that day.
Feeling somewhat happy with my food hunt accomplished, and knowing I will be back for more. Arab street and Beach Road area will remain very much as my foodie choice locations, not just for the food, but the old world charm and feeling away from the maddening crowds.
Till the next Food.Ride adventure....
Food locations:
Choo Choo Chicken
33 Bali LaneArab Street62990980
Opening: 11.30am-11pm
Dong Po Colonial Cafe
56 Kandahar Street
Singapore 198904
Phone number6298 1318
*PS- This is my first attempt at a blog, I guess I just need some mindful balance and attaining "peace" from the vagaries of life. I am never good with diaries, and somewhat surprised reaching 40 made me interested in this.
May 4th 2014
