Town Restaurant: 6 Rounds About Town

14th March 2008

"Why did you turn in here?" she asked, as I turned into the carpark.

"Because I need to park," I answered naturally. It was only moments later that she realised that she had been tricked. But the expression she wore on her face as we were making our way into the grand halls of the Fullerton was hardly that of anger or disappointment.

"I have a reservation under the name of Mr. Jeremy Kang," I told the receptionist.

"Sir, it was at 7pm," she replied in hidden exasperation.

"Well actually, the guy who took my call didn't exactly ask me for a time, so I just assumed that I could walk in at anytime." I replied not the least bit sheepishly.

"This way, please," she said in resignation as she showed us to our seats.

We made our way to a little sofa seat by the corner and took a garner at the decor to absorb the ambiance. Somewhat different from the romantic orange-yellow lighting that we had been accustomed to after the last few romantic dinners, the Town Restaurant was a brightly lit affair with most of the customer base clustered in groups more so than couples.

Peering out of the window gave us a tinted view of the Lovers' Bridge that spanned across the Singapore River, while a wall of water fountains laid the view for the window at the far end; giving the restaurant and classy yet casual and comfortable setting.

All Ready to Go

But my attention quickly shifted to the circular black-marble tables laid out nicely in the middle of the restaurant. "Let's go see what they have darling," I said, as I took her hand in mine.

Ambient and Appetizing

All waiting to greet the glamorous couple were all manner of sea creatures and all their sweet-tooth-satisfying friends. All manner of salads, side-dishes, seafood and sweets, prepared in a range of internationally different styles, wetted our appetites and more than did justice to the "Seafood Buffet" label.

Fully aware of our limited stomach-capacity versus the almost unlimited choices before us, we decided to take things systematically and make variety the order of the day, as we picked of dishes from the "Cold Dish" section to start as our appetizers.

I expectedly picked a platter full of all manner of salmon while she picked a plateful of poultry salad. It was a light affair on both sides, as we sampled the dishes off each others' platters. Of note were the Duck Salad and of course, the different variations of the smoked salmon, but of course, that is coming from an avid salmon fan, such as yours truly. The crab salad was a little bitter for my taste, but the spoonful of Salmon Tartar was a delight to the senses.

"Happy 6 months darling," I said, as I raised the Salmon Shot glass in partial jest.

"Happy 6 months," she replied. As we brought our glasses together and downed the bits of Salmon soaked in what tasted a little like Orange Juice.

Indeed, this was how we started out in our first month, a light, non-committal affair, that was meant to be light-hearted and fun, as I remember telling the captain at Al Dante, "Give me a moment while I go fetch my girlfriend," with doubts lingering in my head after uttering the very last word in that sentence...

We made our second round about the marbled-circle and took a platter full of fresh seafood off the ice bed, stacking our plates with all manner of oysters, lobsters, prawns and other shellfish.

I personally relished the shellfish served plain, such as the oysters and prawns, so that I could savour the sublime taste of freshness of each dish more apparently; whereas she, as usual, preferred the dishes drenched in the flavours of a thick sauce, especially the mussels.

"Mmmm, I love the taste of lobster, its like eating a super-sized prawn," I told her as I took the first bite after finally digging it out of its shell.

Indeed, such was the case in our second month, when we finally decided to come out of our emotional shells and commit to the more official terms of a "relationship" after 2 months of skirting around the issue. I remember asking her, "So do you wanna be my official girlfriend," moments before taking a huge bite into the smoked ribs at the Black Angus. Only to have her answer at the end of the night...

"So what are you gonna take next?" she asked.

"The hot dishes," I replied, picking off 1 portion out of almost every dish in the semi-circle that lined the central marble table.

While the Tortellini was a little too starchy for both our tastes (and a waste of space compared to all the rest of the more prized dishes), the Japanese Croquette left an impression with its nicely complimenting sour plum sauce, while the Grilled Cod tantalized with its smooth texture and piping hot temperature. But it was a good change of pace (and taste) to savour some food that warmed up the taste buds after 2 rounds of cold dishes.

Indeed, it was in the 3rd month that the Flames of Romance were lit, as I remember the look in her eyes and the smile on her face while the trio serenaded a love song at the Top of the M. And such is the warmth of memories such as these when they are recollected...

Cool and Contemplative

"You want some fried pork, Sir?" The chef at the counter asked as I peered over, trying to figure out what was being served.

"Sure, why not?" I said, as I carried on to pick off more dishes as she turned on the gas.

Round 4 was a decided change of style, as I selectively picked off a more Asian spread, consisting of Tempura Prawns, Chee Cheong Fun and of course, the said Teppanyaki Pork. Fried to a delicate texture and soaked in a brown sauce, the Pork ousted the Tempura spread to become the star of the round. Well, guess sometimes, it sure pays being late for the show, as there is just something about the dishes that are cooked and served to you on the spot that standout from the rest of the buffet fare; and in this case, the pork stayed true to this belief.

Indeed, there are times when being "late" also prove to be far more valuable that "never"; as I remember during our 4th month, we already missed the celebration date by almost a good 2 weeks, and I remember insisting on taking her out for dinner despite her repeatedly saying "it's ok, we don't have to celebrate." I'm glad we did, as even though we missed the actual date, the more important thing was that the significance of the occasion was cemented into the thresholds of time...

"You know, I'm almost full." she said, with a bloated and exasperated look on her face.

"Actually, me too." I said. "Think I'll go one more round before we go for dessert." Returning with a platter of Sashimi after having said that, while she returned with a bowl of Tom Yam Soup.

The Tom Yam Soup was suitably watered-down to cater to the less-seasoned tastebuds of the foreign patrons who might be interested to savour a bit of Thai cuisine, but yet, might not be able to fully withstand its normal potency.

Humble on Hesitant

I grabbed a piece of Salmon Sashimi with my chopsticks and put it to her mouth.

"C'mon, try it." I said, as she reluctantly opened her mouth to chew on the fresh, orange piece of Raw Salmon.

"See, its not THAT bad right?" I asked, as she continued chewing, before finally nodding slightly.

"Wanna try the rest of it?" I asked, pointing at the different manner of raw tuna, raw squid and raw yellowtail.

"No, I only dare to eat the squid. The rest of it still looks too gross to me, especially the red one." she replied with wry lips.

"You're such an idiot, not knowing how to appreciate such extravagant food," I said, stuffing a huge juicy piece of Chutoro into my mouth.

Indeed, Extravagance had always been the order in this relationship, and the single-most extravagant act had to be Valentine's dinner at Morton's of Chicago. Despite single-handedly burning an almost 6-foot-deep hole in my already too shallow pocket; after it is all said and done, I still strongly reckon that the extravagance was well-worth it, all in the name of Experience and Memories...

"I think I'm done," I said. As I finished the last piece of Sashimi.

"Let's go take the dessert," she said excitedly. She had always been this way, always looking at the desserts long before the start of the meal proper.

"Why do you always look at the desserts before even looking at the food?" I asked.

"Well, because the desserts are very pretty, and it makes them look really yummy," she replied idiotically, while I wondered about the irony of me being called "shallow."

We picked off all manner of cakes and pastry, and came back with 2 platters full of diabetes-inducing sin. The Chocolate Mousse, the Creme Brulee, the Pecan Pie, the Banana Crumble, the Mango-Chocolate Mousse, the Oreo-Chocolate Mousse and the Green Tea cake were more than enough to satisfy a month's worth of sweet-tooth callings; but it was the Cheesecake with its smooth texture and hard biscuit crust that really made the perfect finish to a night's delight to the tastebuds.

"Crap, I'm like SUPER full. I think I can't even stand up." I said.

"Me too. Feel damn full after I drank that last glass of water," she said, as she took the camera and started scrolling through the photos.

After laughing at some of the more amusing shots, she suddenly turned the camera off while we were still halfway into browsing through the pics we took.

"Why did you turn the camera off?" I asked her.

"Cos looking at the food now makes me so full that I feel like puking," she replied.

Filled to the Brim

Indeed, 6 months in and the sweetness still spills over.