islandhippy

[Penang-style char kuay teow, Hokkien mee and curry mee]

After wasting S$100 on a very disappointing quick bite (note to readers: BYO salt and be prepared to assist the very friendly but forgetful Filipino staff) on Friday night at Pietrasanta, the Italian restaurant on Portsdown Road, we decided to head to Jason Penang Cuisine for lunch today, where we dined on the best Penang streetfood available in Singapore for all of S$12.

Jason Penang Cuisine is located at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre on Jalan Bukit Merah, behind IKEA. Jason, the proprietor, and his wife are from Penang and have been preparing near-as-dammit authentic Penang dishes at various locations in Singapore for years. Regular dishes on the menu include Penang char kuay teow, Penang asam laksa and Penang hokkien mee (prawn noodle soup), while daily specials include curry mee and kuey teow th'ng. Sandy, a Penangite, plans to return on Thursday for the daily special of chicken feet lor mee, her favourite.

[A storm brews over Sentosa Cove]

After lunch, we drove onto Sentosa island to check out the new Sentosa Cove development. Admittedly the views from the high-rise condos are going to be spectacular but the whole place reminds me of something out of JG Ballard's dystopian novel Cocaine Nights: an exclusive Spanish coastal resort-style enclave of dirty money, crime and drugs ... perhaps there's a book here.

[Keisia, Olive and Don]

Turning up our noses at Senosta Cove - jealous we can't afford a plot of land here - we headed down the coast and downmarket to ECP, where we met Don and Keisia for drinks at The Beach Hut.

[Keisia drawing Olive's portrait]