Paradise cont'd

Ernest returned home from Monterey for a week. So we had a reunion of sorts. Taste Paradise was where we decided to meet. But some of us decided that we should try to catch up earlier at Oosters. Of course it helped that it was happy hour.

We tried a few of the beers but I think our favourite was the Ciney Brune (Alcohol: 7%. Character: Pours a dark, opaque brown with a long lasting head. This beer has hints of roasted malt and sweetness in both the taste and the aroma. Somewhat bittersweet and smooth in the aftertaste.)

Mosque Street wasn't that far away but we actually drove there when it came time for dinner. Obviously, we didn't need the walk to work up an appetite. Ernest showed us his long awaited green card. The first comment from everyone? "How come it's not green?"

There was a new place in Dempsey, the name of which I cannot remember, that we thought we could try after dinner. But there was an event on and the tables were all reserved. It was obviously sponsored by Bombay Sapphire. In India, that would mean that the drinks would be on the house. But here, it just meant that Bombay Sapphire was the only drink they were serving that night. Maybe that was because we weren't on their invite list. So we decided to walk over to The Wine Company instead.

The place was packed inside. We had to walk through the restaurant to get to the outdoor seating area. The tables were arranged so close that I thought it'd be hell trying to escape in an emergency.

This trip was actually the first time I'd really experienced the 'implementation' of the 'non-smoking' law in a drinking joint (also coffee shops and hawker centers) in Singapore. It was ridiculous! The places were so small and cramped that it was ludicrous to expect a smoking section to work.

I was surprised Ernest wasn't hit by jet-lag. Maybe the coffeee helped. But we still called it a nght at a very respectable time...