Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free,
Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam,
Survey our empire, and behold our home!
-- Lord Byron, from The Corsair
Memories are not merely novel neural connections that we form upon encountering new experiences. Often, memories are awash with nostalgia, tainted with bias, and pregnant with emotion.
Walking through the newly-restored Clifford Pier, one may be reminded of days past during which the pier was abuzz with seafaring vessels and passengers. Indeed, the arched trusses are redolent of colonial times and harkens back to the 1930s when the pier was constructed. While the pier has now been long defunct, it has definitely not fallen into desuetude, for the interior space has been transformed into a cafe owned by the Fullerton Bay hotel. The high ceiling, cushioned furniture and shades of gold and beige are reminiscent of classic English opulence. To top it off, the relaxed atmosphere coupled with soft jazz music played by the live band makes it a suitable meet-up place for a little tete-a-tete.
A place where you can relax
As we were there for supper, we decided to go light on the food and ordered a Teh Tarik (traditional milk tea drink) ice cream and a Pandan ice cream, complementing the sweet treats with two pots of tea (one of which was mysteriously named "Sacred Water" and the other being a jasmine-based tea).
While "Sacred Water" had a strong whiff of spice similar to that of Chai tea, the jasmine tea was light yet fragrant and would probably cater to more universal tastes. As for the dessert, the teh tarik ice cream was well-balanced and not overly sweet, a commendable effort on the part of the restaurant for previous renditions which I have tried tended to err on the saccharine side. In addition, the caramel crisps and chocolate biscuit rolls acted as a good counterbalance to the ice cream in terms of texture. Most of all, kudos to the restaurant for the generous serving of ice cream, though it would have been nice if more care was invested in presenting the dish well.
Teh Tarik Ice Cream
With regard to the pandan ice cream, while it was rather innovative of the chef to have sandwiched the ice cream between two thin layers of pandan cake, the cake was overly dense for my liking and should have been more airy. In addition, unlike the former, the pandan ice cream lacked nuance and could have been more layered taste-wise.
Pandan Cake
Lastly, the restaurant would do itself good if it expanded its menu, for its current selection is very limited, with only four cakes and three types of ice cream. While the establishment may have noble ambitions to preserve Singapore's Asian food heritage, it would likely be more practical to include all-time favourites instead of being overly obstinate in keeping to its limited selection. To be brutally honest, why would I pay triple the price for desserts like nyonya kueh if I could find better-tasting (and probably more authentic) ones elsewhere? Should the establishment wish to persist in championing Asian delicacies, perhaps, it should up the ante and present such dishes with an original twist.
At the end of the day, dining at Clifford Pier may be a cathartic experience that enables one to immerse himself in a vale of nostalgia, though it is unclear as to whether the same can be said about its food.
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