Monday was the first evening we decided to risk dinner, venturing to a local French restaurant, in memory of the many fine meals we had eaten in Paris when Rach and Dom had visited us there. The fifth member of the group had one over on us of course, as he was born there, (technically therefore he’s French – difficult subject) and he quickly rediscovered his pays naturel, scoffing all the baguette, then settling down to some frites before taking a shine to his mother’s grilled lobster. With taste’s like this he’ll bankrupt me before he’s three.
While this was our first evening meal out, I do not want to create the impression we had not been eating well in our days in Singapore. It was just with the baby in tow we had tended to eat out at lunch instead of dinner, with the high point being a rather wonderful Japanese restaurant and KFC at the zoo being a slightly lower point. It would be easy to blame Matty for the latter - easy and sadly wrong - as unfortunately it was Ula who had the KFC attack (there is a good reason).
While this was our first evening meal out, I do not want to create the impression we had not been eating well in our days in Singapore. It was just with the baby in tow we had tended to eat out at lunch instead of dinner, with the high point being a rather wonderful Japanese restaurant and KFC at the zoo being a slightly lower point. It would be easy to blame Matty for the latter - easy and sadly wrong - as unfortunately it was Ula who had the KFC attack (there is a good reason).
To be honest though we had eaten like kings in the evenings as well because among his many talents (more on that later) Dom is an excellent cook. Take it from me a friend who can cook like a top chef is worth their weight in gold. Knowing my level immediately I settled in as sous chef, given the important tasks of, helping to carry the shopping, opening wine, and occasionally chopping vegetables badly. Mainly though I just topped us his glass and chatted to him in the kitchen while he cooked. Connected to the kitchen was a utility area - with a difference - and Dom showed me this on the first night (while something was gently sautéing). Within the utility area there were two small rooms, one of which was a toilet, but with a shower as well as a wash basin. These were the quarters for the “maid” and clearly had been designed in. Apparently, having a maid for cooking and cleaning is quite common in Singapore, as this built in feature showed. For the moment though Dominic assured me, they would not be taking on a maid. This was, I thought on reflection, probably for the best. Given Rachael’s standards of cleanliness and Dominic’s cooking prowess, the poor maid would probably have a nervous breakdown in about 3 hours.
Our few days in Singapore had passed quickly, but we had already got to know the place a little and liked what we had seen. There were still more to do, but that would have to wait until we stopped again in Singapore on our way home. Next stop was Australia, where we would be spending two weeks, and catching up with our friends Paul and Sue and their little two year old son Connor. Even better (perhaps unbelievably is a better word here) Rach and Dom, unfazed by their experiences with Matty, would be joining us for the first week to experience the joy of two little people! Read all about it in the next instalment, Postcard from Perth – Part 1.
Our few days in Singapore had passed quickly, but we had already got to know the place a little and liked what we had seen. There were still more to do, but that would have to wait until we stopped again in Singapore on our way home. Next stop was Australia, where we would be spending two weeks, and catching up with our friends Paul and Sue and their little two year old son Connor. Even better (perhaps unbelievably is a better word here) Rach and Dom, unfazed by their experiences with Matty, would be joining us for the first week to experience the joy of two little people! Read all about it in the next instalment, Postcard from Perth – Part 1.
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