denise tan blogs

Giving the camera attitude – looking relieved (and very dirty) after our final show on Saturday night!

With Dan Jenkins who played Farmer Jones, Pilkington & Alfred Simmons Horse Slaughterer.

This is the legendary Ashley Lim, who is almost single-handledly responsible for all the amazing hair designs you see at the theatre!
Lunchbox Lab
I realise the irony of playing a duck (amongst others) in Animal Farm AND eating duck for lunch, but oh boy, the food at this Newton Hawker centre stall is POWER!!!

Kwee Heng
#01-13
Newton Circus Food Centre
This is a famous stall is just facing the carpark so you can’t miss it. I can’t believe I’ve never  heard of it or tried the food from there before. This stall has everything from duck rice, duck noodles, to kway chap. I must mention the Crispy Boneless Duck (tastes like braised duck, but it deep fried) and all their braised meat, which is very tender, comes with stewed egg, taupok (beancurd) and is smothered in a tasty, silky sauce.
The broth that comes with the rice & noodles is also heavenly – very herbal, very thick and very delicious.
But my favourite from Kwee Heng comes highly recommended, thanks to my theatre friend, actress Pam Oei who pointed out this dish to me – their dry duck macaroni! It’s pure comfort food, each little piece of macaroni has little grooves to which the silky sauce clings, so it’s especially flavourful, with a deep, ducky essence, enhanced by the vinegary sauce & spicy kick from the chili. Topped with shredded braised duck meat and beansprouts for crunchy texture. Perfect for a quick lunch, my portion was gone in 60 seconds!
Bonus: this stall is next to another popular one – Bee Heng Poh Piah, which while pricier than most other places, is delicious and leaves you wanting more. $1.80 each, minimum order of 2 rolls.

Here’s the video I mentioned about the Better Marriage Blanket!

Click to read more about what Mothers are actually worth if they were paid for the many jobs they juggle as moms:

Lunchbox Lab

The Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge – Perfect for Lunch, Tea and tête-à-têtes! I stopped by this acclaimed restaurant for the first time last week for a late lunch with a friend and was very pleasantly surprised! Here are some of the goodies we devoured off their new menu:

Foreground: The hamburger sandwich described below. Background: Salmon fishcakes!

As you can see, the menu photo was not misleading in any way! The real thing looks just as scrumptious.

Close-up of the hamburger patty, chock-a-block full of onions, capers and other tasty morsels.

In-house version of achar! Pickled cauliflower, peppers and onions provide a contrasting tang to the savoury meat.

The salmon fishcakes also didn’t disappoint – they were very soft, tender, light and fluffy.

The danish curry remoulade went great with the fishcakes, giving them a spicy lift.

Just one of the MANY indulgent cakes chosen from their display at the entrance – they get you right when you walk in!

Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge

This is a casual little dining room that offers great views of Orchard Road from it’s floor-to-ceiling windows! Tucked away in a corner of Takashimaya, the food here is a mix of Scandinavian and Asian, all served on the elegant Royal Copenhagen china.  When you hold one of their finished cups or plates your hand, it has already passed through up to thirty other pairs of hands which have taken the porcelain clay through molding, painting, firing, glazing & packing.

At $24.90++ and $28.90++, their three and four-course set lunches are pretty reasonable prices for Orchard Road and delicious too!

Other dishes I’d recommend are:

ASSORTED HERRING OF THE HOUSE  $19.90
Spiced, curried and rollmop herrings served with apple puree and chip, rye breads and seasonal salad mix with house dressing.

SMÖRGÅSBORD “SAMPLES OF SCANDINAVIA” $39.90
A wonderful shared platter for 2, featuring all their popular dishes – Herrings,  Cold water shrimps, Smoked salmon wrapped with fluffy scrambled egg,  Warm cheese and Corned beef. A variety of breads, fresh fruits and dips complete the dish.

RC SIGNATURE CURRY CHICKEN  $16.90
Their signature homemade curry with rice, papadum, mango chutney and pickles tastes authentic but is actually healthier and lighter because they don’t use coconut milk or milk!

They also have a wide selection of teas, coffees, cold drinks and the alcoholic Akvavit, which goes really well with their traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches.

The Royal Copenhagen Tea Lounge
2/F, Takashimaya Departmental Store, Ngee Ann City, 391 Orchard Rd, 6735-6833.

Click for reviews of Animal Farm!