New Chinese Restaurant in Ahmedabad

Yes! Finally some closer-to-authentic Chinese food in Ahmedabad! They even serve pork which is usually not on the menus here (I’m guessing due to the Muslim community). This restaurant, Nanjing, is situated in CG Square Mall, was recently opened here by the same people who own Ling Restaurant in Mumbai. I’m just so happy that they decided to venture to this part of India. I would think that some locals may find the food blend, and that’s because the dishes are not tweaked to suit local tastes. This also means that this is by far the most authentic Chinese food you will find in Ahmedabad.

I didn’t managed to try a lot of the dishes as I was only there for the first time on Sunday, but I’ll definitely be back to sample the rest of the menu.

Winter melon soup | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Har gao | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Minced pork with salted fish | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Fuyong omelette | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

The verdict?

Winter melon soup with pork was awesome! Pork was tender and broth was flavourful. I look forward to having another bowl, or trying another soup, knowing they will do it right.

The har gao (shrimp dumpling) was the right taste, but its skin was a little too thick and chewy. Will do to satisfy a dimsum craving.

Minced pork with salted fish – to be honest I hardly eat minced pork back at home, but I was drawn to this dish cos of the salted fish (which I love). It was the best dish we ordered that day. I know that picture doesn’t look like much – it’s not easy for minced meat to look photogenic. The meat was marinated well and steamed right. Plus I love salted fish and haven’t had it for some time now. I’m already craving it.

For the record, fuyong omelette isn’t supposed to look like that. I don’t know enough about cooking to recognise what was done for the omelette to end up looking like that. Instead, the egg supposed to be just poured into the pan, cooked on one side, and then flipped. So the resulting look should look less like a patty and more like a continuous piece of egg. That being said, the taste was right. As in, it tasted like what fuyong omelette should taste like, aside from the texture. Don’t think I’ll order this again though.

My Tangled Moment in India

Have you seen the animated movie, Tangled? If you have, you definitely remember this spectacular scene of floating lanterns filling the sky:

I’ve always wanted to visit Pingxi, Taiwan for their Sky Lantern Festival, but alas I have not set foot on Taiwan yet. (It is not often that you find a Singaporean Chinese has not visited Taiwan.) People write wishes on the lanterns and let them go all together. It looks beautiful!

Last week, though, Gujarat celebrated its annual International Kite Festival (Uttarayan). While a large part of the festival is dedicated to kite-flying and kite-fighting (cutting other people’s kite strings with one’s glass-laced kite strings), the releasing of sky lanterns at night was introduced a few years ago.

Needless to say, I was looking forward to my very own ‘Tangled moment’, although, I wasn’t expecting much because a drawn up spectacular scene in an animation can easily beat a real-life, un-staged, and uncoordinated moment in terms of awe.

We bought the paper lanterns and brought them up to the roof of our apartment building after the sun went down. The paper lanterns were (surprise, surprise!) made in China. The view that greeted us when we got to the roof was indeed spectacular! The kind of amazing that cannot be captured by my amateur photography skills.

It was rather windy, so we had a bit of trouble getting the fuel for the lantern to stay lit and difficulty preventing the paper from catching fire. One of the 3 lanterns we let off that night got slightly burned on one side because the wind blew the side into the flames in the middle. But despite the small hole that resulted, it still managed to accumulate enough hot air to fly away nicely.

Fighting for the lantern with the wind | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Here I was trying to get a grip on to lantern while the wind was blowing it sideways and away. The fire, at this point, was substantial too, so I was trying to avoid getting burnt as well. This one got blown off the edge before I could get a good grip. The one that got away. (Side note: look at all the lanterns coming our way in the night sky!)

And that’s ours right there, floating along with the wind to join its other lantern friends. Truly an amazing and unforgettable experience!

Bye lantern! | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Joy in the Ordinary

Simplicity at its best is snuggling up in my crochet slip-ons, indulging in Ahmedabad’s best strawberry ice cream (straight from the tub, no less), and reading the latest issue of Travel + Leisure.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

P.S the leftie is not as pretty as its right counterpart because it was part of my learning process.

Pampering my extremities

I gave myself a treat (or rather, the hubs gave it to me) as we rung in the new year. I went for my first mani/pedi in India… and wondered why I didn’t do it sooner!

Firstly, manicures, pedicure, gelish, nail art, the whole works, is way cheaper in India than it is in Singapore. For what Singaporeans refer to as express manicure (shaping and painting your fingernails), it only cost S$4 (and S$8 for gel polish). And it’s the same price for your toenails (pedicures usually cost slightly more, don’t they?)!

What I was eager to try though, was the paraffin wax manicure and pedicure. I also opted for gel polish for both my fingers and toes. I’ve never tried paraffin wax treatment. They basically do the usually mani/pedi things like tidying your cuticles, moisturising, etc, and then dip your hands/feet into warm wax before wrapping it in cling wrap and towel for about 5-10 mins.

Once… the layer has hardened, it can be pulled off in one solid piece. Because the wax is soft and contains oil, it does not become very stiff and does not adhere to the skin… the skin is left slick and soft. People who experience seasonal dry skin often find paraffin wax treatments to be a helpful and relaxing preventative measure. Paraffin wax treatment also increases the blood circulation in the body which further contributes in lending a nourished and healthy exterior to the skin.

The above description of its benefits is from the website of the nail spa I went to. My skin has been very dry of late due to winter, and I’m pleased to say that my hands and feet are looking much more alive now, after the treatment. I think my calves would like some of the action too!

The girls at the spa were sweet and attentive. They conducted the services well and shaped my nails very nicely too. However, I felt that their application of the gel polish could be better. After I left, I found uneven colour and two dried polish bubbles, although it could be because they were painting my nails in a hurry as my session had passed closing time.

My nails go well with the yarn colour of the hubs’ not-yet-made socks. (7 days post-mani) | Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Nevertheless, I look forward to going to the nail spa again, perhaps just before we return to Singapore for Chinese New Year!

December: Month of Crocheted Gifts

Contrary to common perception with regards to India’s scorching weather (which is true for most of the year), December in Ahmedabad has been chilly – the same dry, cool weather I came to know when I first stepped foot into this city a year ago.

There is no heating indoors because it doesn’t get that cold, but obviously it means we keep the fans and air-conditioning off. Hopefully this makes up for the relatively large carbon footprint we left through the summer. In its entirety though (cool to cold weather plus snuggly winter/xmas images), December is kind of a sleepy month. In the workplace, it’s usually a lull period because everyone is off on vacation, so at home, wrapped up in my blanket or jacket, thing have gradually slowed into a lull. (I strongly suspect that this is the reason why people feel so motivated to set new year resolutions – because they’ve slacked off too much in December)

I’ve been curled up, not wanting to move, and crocheting gifts for people this December. That way, I get to stay glued to my seat, catch up on my TV shows, and yet feel like I’m doing something productive.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

I made this pouch for my sister and mailed it to her, for it’s her birthday today! (She hasn’t gotten it yet though.. Hmmm.) It was a rather easy project so I might be making more of these.

And of course, the notebooks for my December-baby friends that I shared previously. (Click here if you missed it)

I also made myself a pair of crochet shoes so that I can walk around the house without my feet touching the cold floor tiles. Still in the process of making a pair of snuggly socks for the hubs.

Hope you guys had a great holiday season as well. If you didn’t, the holiday’s not over yet! Another excuse to party and celebrate coming up this Thursday!

Bonafide Macaron Addict

Remember when I told you that I missed macarons?

Right after we treated out taste buds and tummies to the scrumptious meal at Burger & Lobster, we went to Covent Garden and had tea at Laduree. Laduree is ridiculously expensive in Singapore by the way.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

Itch scratched, craving satisfied!

On top of that, the hubs found a small macaron place near his office and surprised me with a little treat the other day (:

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

I know it doesn’t look like much and it kinda hits and misses a bit. But it’s definitely good enough for me! (I think the shop is called Violette, if any of you are in Ahmedabad and itching for some macarons.)

Our First Monsoon Season in India

The monsoon season is finally here! I’m pretty glad it is because it’s no longer scorching hot and the air isn’t as dry either. For some time we were worried that the rain wouldn’t come, and that it would affect the growth of crops and the water supply.

But anyway, the rains are here, and the roads have been happily flooded for a while now. The cars are not as happy, I would presume, because they risk stalling in the flood waters, and sinking in the muddy dirt roads.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

And so that’s how the monsoon season has been for us so far.

I’m rather thankful for the watery gifts from above, and also thankful that the rains have been ‘calm’ so far, unlike the freak storm we experienced a few months back when the rain was blown into the gaps of our windows by the strong winds. The next morning, trees were found to have been blown over by the strong winds. It was quite an unnerving experience for us back then because the winds were blowing so hard that our windows and doors were shaking violently in the wind. I remember picturing the glass sliding doors to our balcony getting blown off its rails like in an explosion in the movies. We’re not used to such weather because we usually experience mild weather in Singapore, and we were worried that the monsoon season would bring more of that.

While we’re blessed with mild weather, this also means that many Singaporeans, such as myself, are sorely inadequate when it comes to being prepared or having the know-how to deal with such situations. So if anyone has advice, I’ll be happy to take some useful tips.

Living in Ahmedabad: 7-Month Update

We have officially moved and settled in Ahmedabad for 7 months now. Which probably means we have more or less settled to a comfortable routine. The ‘comfortable routine’ was what I was looking forward to when we first arrived, because hopefully that would mean that you no longer feel so lost in the place you now a resident of. As we pass the half-year mark and reflect on the journey we’ve taken, I realised that I’m not sure whether I have really learnt to live here.

(A) Safety was always an issue even before we decided to move here, especially for women. Women are still largely viewed as the inferior sex, although there is increased talk about how this should change. To date, I have not gone out in Ahmedabad alone. I have taken walks alone in Mumbai and Calcutta though. Mumbai was okay. Calcutta was a little scarier. Overall, a slightly stressful walk because I was trying hard to be constantly guarded and alert, making sure I was as aware of my environment as possible. I have not been to New Delhi. Generally, Ahmedabad feels safer simply because it is not as crowded, but I’m not sure if that’s a rational reason to feel safe in a place.

(B) The traffic here is not as crazy as that of the bigger cities. It would follow that crossing the road is overall easier as well. A larger percentage of the traffic lights here do not work though, so that might be a trade-off in terms of road safety. The easy trick is to just follow a local across the road, because the locals know best. We once followed a man on crutches across a busy junction. If he could do it with his compromised speed, I’m pretty sure he would take us safely to the other side. I haven’t had much practice crossing the streets, so I’m still following the locals.

(C) Sadly, I still do not know how to take the buses here. In my defence, we never had to learn how because we were provided with a company car and driver as part of the work package. And even without the car, we would probably take the auto-rickshaws which are cheap and convenient, save the small problem of communicating your destination effectively. Upon identifying this lack of knowledge, I googled the public transportation in Ahmedabad and found that the bus routes on the official transport website were written in Gujarati. There is a newer bus system that has a comprehensive website in English that will probably be useful for foreigners. There is no metro/subway-equivalent here.

(D) The Indian food here is awesome. One good thing about having grown up in Singapore is that our palates are used to a variety of cuisines. We cook a lot too. Buying ingredients, however, is somewhat frustrating. Supermarkets only sell vegetarian products. Basic items like rice, salt, sugar, bread, etc can be found easily. We buy meat weekly from a Muslim stall selling fresh chicken and mutton.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

We know it’s fresh because they kill the chickens in a separate area behind the stall front. There is blood everywhere. We buy frozen prawns from a small shop selling imported food products. Haven’t bought pork or fish or beef or squid or any kind of shellfish so far. The variety of leafy vegetables is minimal, we mainly have cabbage, spinach (when it looks good), and broccoli (it’s not leafy, I know). Oh and the occasional bak choy when it gets stocked up in the imported section! I’m not sure whether we will ever get used to the lack of variety.

(E) Tap water is not clean, but we’ve gotten used to remembering not to put it in our mouths. Checked!

In many ways, I think I’ve learnt to live according to how Ahmedabad works. I haven’t understood it fully though, and I don’t think I can say that I have learnt to live in a place when I haven’t learnt to go out on my own. We still rely a lot on our driver to help us contact the relevant people for getting things done, or to take us to telcom shops or hardware stores. And we need him as a translator in many of these situations as well.

Back to Everyday Life

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

That was my last view of Singapore as the plane flew 4,149 kilometres to Ahmedabad. 5 hours later, I’m typing this before I go to bed. I’m thankful to have had such safe travels so far. And thankful to have the few weeks back at home. Now, I’m also thankful that I will be falling back to the everyday routine I created for myself in Ahmedabad. I look forward to having a productive week ahead (:

Good night everyone!

Adalaj Stepwell of Gujarat

Of the approximately 120 stepwells in Gujarat, this well at Adalaj is said to be the most popular. It is five stories in depth, and once provided the basic water needs for the people in the area. 

To be honest, the gates to the stepwell, where we were dropped off, didn’t look like much. But once we walked across the courtyard such that the stepwell came into view, we were instantly blown off our feet by the intricately carved patterns on its sandstone structure.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

From where we entered, we saw multiple levels of platforms held up by pillars, everything perfectly symmetrical, with the well itself all the way to the end. I did find it a little peculiar that there weren’t proper corridors or walkways linking the platforms. Instead, the only way seemed to be if you walked along the narrow ledges along the walls. Regardless, I don’t think tourists are encouraged (or allowed?) to find their way to the other platforms.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

The lowest levels of the stepwell allows visitors to walk straight through to the end where the well is, where we got an up-close look at the well. If you look closely, you will notice steps leading to the bottom of the well. They’re a unique feature of the stepwell.

Photo credit: Juxxtapose

The white specks in my picture above are coins. I don’t think there’s a coin-throwing-relating myth here (correct me if I’m wrong), but people seem to like throwing coins into bodies of water. Probably because of how the media has romanticised throwing coins into places like Trevi Fountain and other ‘wishing wells’.

All in all, it was the first time I’ve seen a place like Adalaj Stepwell. And it was definitely a fascinating visit for me.