Address: 69 Seng Poh Lane, Near Tiong Bahru Market, Singapore
Date of visit: 12 May 2008

A few quips on MSN messenger, a quick string of email replies and a phone call later, dinner plans was made for a bunch of old friends to gather over some local zi char food at Por Kee Eating House in Tiong Bahru.

The reason for the gathering was mainly to indulge with local fare with a good friend who had just returned from Beijing for a little R&R back home in Singapore. Por Kee was a reasonable choice. Situated just next to a carpark and with a open air dining area, it was supposed to be an institution with regards to good Cantonese dishes.

We had not had many chances to have a proper sit-down dinner. Work commitments, married life, not being in the same country were just some of the reasons. But no matter. This group of friends go way back. Ties were established in Primary school, reinforced in Secondary school and Junior College and kept strong in our adult years. When the gang arrived, it was as if we were back in our youth. There was no break in our conversation as we updated each other on our lives and reverted back to form in teasing each other (more often than not using crude and vulgar terms). This was what friendship was all about - being totally comfortable and at ease in each other’s company. This was something that was precious and could not be acquired for any amount of money (erm…ok…I would probably be best pals with anyone who would be willing to splurge huge amounts of cash on me spending my time in his/her company…).

The banter was broken when the first dish arrived. Sambal Kang Kong. A perennial local favorite that was not commonly found outside of South East Asia. It suited our taste buds just fine with the hot spicy sambal overpowering the taste of vegetables. Just the way I like it.

The Chef’s Special Toufu/Beancurd Dish is a specialty here. It got the thumbs up from our dining party. I agree wholeheartedly to the assessment.

The Crispy Chicken was ok. It came with the decoration of flower that was made from flour. That is something that is not commonly seen nowadays. It probably signifies the era this restaurant belongs to. A good thing in this age where there is so much emphasis on development and progress. The popularity of this restaurant could be representative of the longing for simpler and older times perhaps.

Another signature dish came along - the Campaign Pork Ribs. They were huge and extremely succulent. We were all presented with fork and knives to handle our huge portion of meat. I stripped all the meat from the bone and left a very pristine piece of rib behind. Yum.

Well…it was then that the conversation reverted to one of our friend’s probable departure to a country in the Middle East for work. It started out well with genuine concern over how our friend would adapt to the new environment and culture and questions on the scope of his new work. That lasted for about five minutes before we degenerated into a discourse on how the lack of pork and their by-products (we assumed that a ban exists) and internet porn (similarly, our impression of the place includes the total absence of such access) would bode badly for our friend. Various suggestions were thrown up for him to fulfill his needs while there - it mainly involved him smuggling huge quantities of DVD and Bah Kwa through courier services at the risk of him getting stoned in public or having his hands chopped off.

Our night winded down with the restaurant’s recommendation of their Seafood Udon Noodles and a few bottles of Tiger Beer. Total cost of the dinner for seven was S$150.

It was only on my way back home that I got myself into a melancholic mood. There will be less chances to meet with these dear friends of mine. More of them were venturing overseas for work. It is with some selfishness that I wished that things would remain as they are. That they would only be an SMS away in the same time zone (and with no freaking additional IDD chances involved in making that connection). That I could call them for supper or for kopi at a moment’s notice. That we could continue to bitch about the going ons in this country…