Wet Day in the Orchard.

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Rainy day in Orchard Road...

On the way home - father and son walking in the rain.

It was a day when I was suppose to be draughting my short stories. The rain made it hard to focus when the dampness and howling wind turn the temperature uncomfortable. My attention then turn towards the people on the sidewalk making their way around town.

I was particularly taken by a father and son duo. The son was lively and animated, pointing things out to his dad. And for that moment while I witness the scene, the cold seem to melt away...

Cafe Sketchwalk 1.1 - L'Etoile Cafe

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Started the day meeting up with friends at L'Etoile Cafe at Owen Road. I was there for brunch and had their delicious french toast with scrambled eggs and bacon. It was a delicious fare - not too greasy nor was the maple syrup accompanying the toast too sweet. There was even a nice hint of cinnamon in the syrup. I had their flat white to wash the brunch down... it was so good, I had two - coffees that is.

However, what must be the main draw of the place is the environment. Set like a French-influenced Japanese cafe, the place has a charm and quaintness that blends itself beautifully into the quiet and comfortably appointed interiors.

This is a definite place to visit for some chill time alone or with friends.

Cafe Sketchwalk 1.2 - The Broers Cafe

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The sparse and cavernous interior of The Broers Cafe

What defines coffee? Is it a habitual cuppa to get your morning grooves, or a cup of sunshine on a cold, rainy day? At Broers, coffee is an ever changing experience depending on what you drink, how you drink it, and when you drink it.

But coffee is only one aspect when you step into the Broers Cafe. Amazing things happen here on a daily basis because we work magic with our brew. There are no rocket sciences involved. Simply start with a great cup of coffee, continue with a conversation and suddenly, you are connected by a common experience. Don’t be too surprised when you find yourself sharing this one-of-a-kind intimacy with someone else across the room. At the Broers Café, our brew is 10% caffeine and 90% soul. This explains the warm fuzziness you feel spreading in your belly and the inexorable Cheshire grin that follows afterwards.

Come down to the Broers Café today and discover more about what goes into our cup of brown nirvana. Leave your inhabitations at the door, order your java, kick back in your seat and prepare to embark on an epicurean adventure!

Broers. We make great coffee and even better company.

The above is the text from The Broers Cafe website.
However, the obverse could not be more true. My friend and I went in and experience the cold atmosphere in the cafe - both physically and emotionally. All except for one lady of the service staff greeted us. When we asked to find out more about the cafe, the owner, could not even be bothered to look at us, directed us to the website instead. And this message was conveyed to us via the service staff, who was the only warm face during our visit.
When I finally got the chance to visit the website, I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous irony that was written on it. It could well have been gibberish and gobbledy-gook, because it describe a completely different place that my friend and I encountered.
With so-so coffee and even worse service, I would neither recommend nor visit again.

Cafe Sketchwalk 1.3 - Chye Seng Huat Hardware Coffee Bar

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Up close and personal with the espresso machines and baristas.

I first learned about Chye Seng Huat Hardware (��發五金) Coffee Bar when my friend posted their visit on Facebook. I was intrigued and tickled by the very old school, traditional Chinese family business name.

However, the place is anything BUT old school. The hustling and bustling interior serves fantastic Java with beans prepared at its very own roastery just next to its dining area.

There is a comfort in watching the baristas methodically prepare the orders of coffee during peak hours. Even during peak periods, they will still patiently prepare yours with intricately designed latte art: individually, carefully, beautifully.

This is definitely a place that demands a second visit - to explore the menu, experience the space and indulge in the atmosphere.

The Corner House that became The Garden

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E.J.H. Corner House at Singapore Botanic Gardens

This is a colonial bungalow that was formerly the residence of the Assistant Directors of Singapore Botanic Gardens. It is named after E.J.H. Corner who was Assistant Director in the period 1929-1945. Corner was an expert on fungi and tropical trees and palms. He went on to become Professor of Tropical Botany at the University of Cambridge.
Edred John Henry Corner FRS (12 January 1906 – 14 September 1996) was a botanist who occupied the posts of assistant director at the Singapore Botanic Gardens (1926–1946) and Professor of Tropical Botany at the University of Cambridge (1965–1973). Corner was a Fellow of Sidney Sussex College from 1959.
His studies of seed morphology led him to formulate the Durian Theory of the origin of flowering plants. He was also a leading expert on the genus Ficus and the palm family, as well as a distinguished mycologist, having published Boletus in Malaysia in 1972.
Among his many academic prizes were the Darwin Medal (1960), the Linnaean Gold Medal (1970), and the Japanese International Prize for Biology (1985).
He was a controversial figure, viewed by some as a collaborator with the Japanese during the World War II occupation of Singapore. In fact he was only offered the chance to continue his work in the Singapore Botanic Garden at the instigation of the ousted British governor, Sir Shenton Thomas, and he was treated by the Japanese as an enemy alien, being required to wear a distinguishing red star on his clothing. His account of this time is contained in The Marquis - A Tale Of The Syonan-to (1981). He also wrote a Biographical Memoir of the Emperor Hirohito for the Royal Society.Corner has also gained some notoriety among creationist circles in recent years for a frequently circulated quotation: "...but I still think that to the unprejudiced, the fossil record of plants is in favor of special creation." Here is the full quote:

The theory of evolution is not merely the theory of the origin of species, but the only explanation of the fact that organisms can be classified into this hierarchy of natural affinity. Much evidence can be adduced in favour of the theory of evolution - from biology, bio-geography and palaeontology, but I still think that, to the unprejudiced, the fossil record of plants is in favour of special creation. If, however, another explanation could be found for this hierarchy of classification, it would be the knell of the theory of evolution. Can you imagine how an orchid, a duckweed, and a palm have come from the same ancestry, and have we any evidence for this assumption? The evolutionist must be prepared with an answer, but I think that most would break down before an inquisition. Textbooks hoodwink. A series of more and more complicated plants is introduced - the alga, the fungus, the bryophyte, and so on, and examples are added eclectically in support of one or another theory - and that is held to be a presentation of evolution. If the world of plants consisted only of these few textbook types of standard botany, the idea of evolution might never have dawned, and the backgrounds of these textbooks are the temperate countries which, at best, are poor places to study world vegetation. The point, of course, is that there are thousands and thousands of living plants, predominantly tropical, which have never entered general botany, yet they are the bricks with which the taxonomist has built his temple of evolution, and where else have we to worship?" (E.J.H. Corner 1961, from 'Evolution', p. 97, in "Contemporary Botanical Thought", Anna M. Macleod and L. S. Cobley (editors), Oliver and Boyd, for the Botanical Society of Edinburgh)

Among the many plant species named in his honour are Anisophyllea corneri, Calamus corneri, Bulbophyllum corneri, and Platyscapa corneri.

One Great orange-soy chicken thighs

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Wings are wonderful, chicken breasts have their place. But there's just not much better for a fast meal than chicken thighs.

On a recent Sunday night, I needed something simple that didn't require a trip to the store. I had a few clementine oranges rolling around the produce drawer, a package of chicken thighs in the freezer and even a bottle of mirin -- sweetened sake -- in the cupboard. Add jasmine rice cooked in coconut milk, edamame and some glazed carrots and a winter night got much nicer.

If you end up with leftover glaze, you can refrigerate it and use it later in the week on swordfish or salmon.

Orange- and Soy-Glazed Chicken Thighs

Adapted heavily from Fine Cooking magazine.

4 to 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup soy sauce (preferably low-sodium)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons mirin
Grated zest from 1 small orange, such as a clementine or tangerine
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice from a clementine or tangerine (or a regular orange)
1 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil and spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place the top rack in the top center position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides and place on the rack, skin up. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until the thighs are browning around the edges.

While the thighs are roasting, combine the soy sauce, sugar, mirin and orange zest in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Stir together the orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the saucepan. Return to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Remove the broiler pan from the oven. Brush each thigh well with the sauce, turning to coat the bottoms too. Return to the broiler pan, skin up. Return to the oven and roast 5 minutes or so, until browned but not burned.

Remove from oven and drizzle with a little more sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with hot, cooked rice. Refrigerate remaining glaze and use with fish or chicken on another night. Bring to a boil before using.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings. 

Have a drink with Mr. Rachael Ray

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In 2003,  before "E-VOO" was a catchphrase and "Yum-O" was the name of a foundation, I interviewed a young woman named Rachael Ray, the host of a very useful food-travel show called "$40 a Day." It was easy to do:  I just called her. She was a great interview -- funny, quick to share tips and very down to earth.

Next week, Ray will come through Charlotte to sign a book that's the second she's written this year and at least the 20th she's written overall. This time, setting up an interview took more than 25 emails exchanged with two members of her staff.

But when I finally got her on the line for a few minutes Tuesday morning, she was still a good interview. Funny, gracious and down to earth. Just a lot richer than she used to be.

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One of the things we talked about was our husbands: We both are married to men who like to make cocktails and who are really good at washing the dishes.

"It's like we won some weird freakish lottery of the universe," she said.

 John Cusimano is a musician and manager of Ray's now-wide media company. Recently, she caught herself fussing at him for cleaning the kitchen and then she stopped and thought, "What am I doing? Let the man clean!"

Ray's new book, "My Year in Recipes," has a design trick. When you flip it over, the back third is designed as a separate book,written by Cusimano, called "My Year in Cocktails."

As an appreciator of good cocktails and good husbands, I felt bad that my interview with Ray didn't have room to pay more attention to Cusimano's contribution. Since next Wednesday is 12,/12/12 and a lot of people are suggesting celebrating "lucky number day" with a cocktail, I thought I'd share one from Cusimano's side of the book.

Warm Skater's Toddy

From "My Year in Cocktails," by John Cusimano (Atria/Simon & Schuster, $29.99). He notes that this makes more whipped cream than you need for just 1 drink. So you'll have to share.

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 ounces dark rum
3 ounces boiling water
Pinch each of freshly grated nutmeg, ground cinnamon and ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar

Whip the cream in a cold bowl until stiff peaks form. Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a heatproof mug. Add some of the whipped cream mixture and stir until blended. Garnish with additional grated nutmeg.