Breakfast with friends

Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day. I make a point to take breakfast everyday not matter how simple it may be.

To celebrate the birthdays of two of my good friends, J and T, I had proposed that the three of us meet for breakfast at the Hong Kong Tea House. The place came to my mind when J was asking for suggestions for a place for breakfast. Thanks to the recommendations of Eastcoastlife, Hong Kong Tea House came to my mind. Furthermore, I figured that J may like dim-sum for breakfast. T may like the novelty of having breakfast in the East part of Singapore. So it was set that we would have breakfast last Saturday at Hong Kong Tea House.

Come to think of it, having breakfast at Hong Kong Tea House was a refreshing break away from the usual eating places that J, T and myself would dine at when we meet. Most of the time, we would meet in the central town area of Singapore. I suppose it has to do with the fact that the three of us generally hang out in the Northern and Central parts of Singapore most of the time.

Prior to our breakfast meet-up, it took me a while to figure out how to get to the Hong Kong Tea House. T was nice to give me a lift there on the car. Thank goodness that the three of us managed to get there in time. I heard that J's father drove her there. I must say that her father is one of the most wonderful dads around.




When I stepped in the Hong Kong Tea House, I have a feeling that I would enjoy my breakfast there. I have a liking for places with high ceilings, and the ceilings of the Hong Kong Tea House happen to be high, creating a sense of spaciousness. The Hong Kong Tea House is located in a building that used to be the former Joo Chiat Police Station (now Katong Village). According to the Uniquely Signapore Katong/ Joo Chiat Walking Guide, the architecture of the former Joo Chiat Police Station is similar to many government buildings built in that time.

The next thing we could do after entering the Tea House was to find a seat, look at the menu, and order our breakfast.

Eastcoastlife came by to meet me for a brief moment that morning to kindly pass me pieces of sandpaper. If you wonder why on earth I would need sandpaper, you could read my post dated 28 Jan 2007. The more thoughtful thing that Eastcoastlife did was that she gave me a copy of the Uniquely Signapore Katong/ Joo Chiat Walking Guide so that I could have a walking guide to guide me in my walk around the Katong area after I was done with breakfast. Thanks a lot Eastcoastlife.

So what did J, T and myself order?

Just look below, and if the name of an order isn't mentioned as the caption, it is most likely that I had not remember its name.

Dan Dan Mian. J said it was different from the same dish available from Crystal Jade in that it has minced meat.

T said the Bread with peanut butter tasted nice, so I tried it. It had a nice, unique taste indeed.

I can't remember the name of this dish except that I know it has to do with beef brisket. I like its unique taste.

I think these were called lotus root patties This is a nice dish.

T said from this angle, the food would resemble a face with large eyes and moustache. J however said that when rotated 180 degrees, the food would resemble a butterfly . What do you think?




Whatever it is, I enjoyed my breakfast at Hong Kong Tea House. J and T are good friends and company. We got to know each other as we were from the same Junior College's (JC) orientation group. They were there to give moral support or simply their quiet company during a few of the darker moments of my life.

The fact that we went through the entire routine of the JC orientation together also means that we have shared memories to reminiscence about. I actually did not like the games and activities that I have been made to play during my JC orientation. Whatever it is, those moments are still flash in my mind from time to time. Before I know it, a decade (slightly more than that though) has passed, just like that. Cheers to a decade of friendship with J and T. They are the kind of friends who make life more bearable and interesting.

With a mood for nostalgia, it seemed most apt to have our breakfast gathering at Hong Kong Tea House. Its architecture just gave me a fairly nostalgic feel.

For those who would like to check out the Hong Kong Tea House, please read below for the address:

Hong Kong Tea House
86 East Coast Road Block A
Katong Village (formerly the site of the Joo Chiat Police Station)
Singapore 428788
Tel: 6345 1932
Opens 24 hours