Address: Beef Kway Teow: Geylang Lorong 9; Soya Bean Curd: Yong He Eating House (between Lorong 9 and 11)

Geylang, the most fascinating place in Singapore. Possibly the happiest place in Singapore too..what with its “gay (as in happy) land” term and the numerous acts of people getting lucky taking place here (I must qualify that a large proportion of this group of people would have paid money to facilitate their act of getting lucky).

It was brunch for us as we cut short our sunday sports day (playing basketball) due to bad weather and proceeded to Geylang.

When I was young, Geylang Lorong 9 was often quoted in our juvenile songs and teases. We kiddos had though then that Lorong 9 was the hotbed of the sex trade in Singapore. There is not much sleaze present in this lane. Rather the centre of attention is taken up by the eateries - Beef Kway Teow and the Soya Bean Curd.

We sat at the Yong He place. However, there was tacit understanding between the various eatery owners that we could order from any of the stalls along this particular lane.

The place is open 24 hours. No worries about the chinese menu, they have their food items in english too.

First, the Beef Kway Teow or Beef Hor Fun. The highlight of this dish is the tenderised beef slices. I suspect that lots of chemicals had been added to induce such a texture. Oh well..what the heck…it tastes damn good.

At Yong He, the must try is the You Tiao or Fried Dough Sticks. Some people dip in their soy bean curd/soy bean drink…some guys eat it with vinegar…some guys have it plain. Think of it as the definitive oriental doughnut. Feel chinese today…go have a you tiao.

Xiao Long Bao or dumplings. No frills, no fuss. Pockets of thin flour skin wrapped around meat fillings. Best eaten with lots of vinegar and ginger slices.

The Carrot Cake was not the typical one we get in our local markets. Slices of turnip were stuffed into the egg mix.

Red bean pastry.

The bill came up to less than $20 for the 6 of us. Geylang, the place for food and other worldly pleasures…heh heh.