Graduate Studies Blog

Article contributed by Leo Tan, Food and Tours Club Co-Chair

It was just like any other Sunday afternoon in Singapore – hot, humid and crowded. People whisked past us quickly at Bugis station. A small group of us were gathered in front of Guardian pharmacy just outside of the station’s gantry while a few others texted me to inform that they’ll be meeting us at the destination itself.

The anticipation was infectious. This was the Food and Tours club’s third outing. Expectations were high, and they had to be met. I could just tell from the glint in their eyes. “These people came hungry and ready!” I thought. Some skipped breakfast, while others were already discussing about their eating strategies for the meal later. The atmosphere was intense to say the least.

At 12pm sharp, my trusty co-chair and I led these hungry souls to the highlight of the day – Ah Loy Thai restaurant. Not far, it was just a short 5 mins walk away from Bugis station if one were to take the underpass. A well-known restaurant among locals for their authentic Thai food, Ah Loy Thai was previously located at Shaw Towers before relocating to their current spot at 9 Tan Quee Lan Street.
We paused for a little while outside the restaurant as a few others started to arrive. The group was sizeable, but still manageable. It was time to head in.

You know for sure that you’re stepping into a Thai restaurant when what greets you is that familiar concoction of smells coming from lemongrass, Phad Thai and Tom Yam Soup. The group was super excited, and everyone quickly scurried to their seats. Our Thai classmates were over the moon as they grabbed and started speed-reading through the menu, picking out their favorite dishes as quickly as they can spot them.

Chao Yang and I were trying to get everyone settled down as quickly as possible. More people arrived, and our German classmate Katjya even brought her parents along! “We are going to do this right!” I decided with confidence and determination.

Once everyone was seated, Chao Yang and I started to take orders. We had to order the customary dishes of course. Phad Thai, Tom Yum Soup and Thai Pandan Chicken were obligatory, no questions asked. We topped up with several other dishes too such as Thai Mango Salad, Fried Calamari, Fried Kangkong, Thai Green Curry, Thai “Lemon Grass” Steamed Fish and Thai Milk Tea.

 

The orders were quickly compiled and Chao Yang headed straight to the cashier to make payment. Then we waited.

The turnout was incredible. We had a total of 25 attendees that day comprising of fellow course mates, girlfriends, wives and even parents. Everyone there was bonded by their love for food, or more specifically – Thai food. Conversations flowed and drinks were served while everybody waited patiently. The air-conditioning in the restaurant was also a good respite from the blistering Singapore heat outside.

As the Thai Mango Salad arrived, forks and spoons down the table were readied for the dig in. And then came the Pandan Chicken. And then the Fried Kangkong. And thereafter, dish after dish came to the table furiously at such incredible speeds that we needed to tell the staff to slowdown.

The table went silent. Phones were whipped out of their pockets and people were intensely focused on getting that perfect Instagram shot. Others were waiting impatiently with forks and spoons in hand for that perfect Instagram shot to be taken. “The food war is about to commence,” I thought to myself, in a light-hearted way of course.

You know you did something right when the table goes silent and everyone concentrates on the food on the table. Down the table I could see the look of satisfaction and joy on everyone’s face as they ate. Some were even borderline emotional. And that feeling, was priceless.

Within thirty minutes, the food disappeared and we had to top up. It was incredible. “Will I have enough money to feed these hungry people?” I thought. I was truly worried since the restaurant accepts only cash payment and I underestimated the insatiable appetite of my course mates. The support, though, was amazing. Even Prav, our batch’s president, stepped up to offer cash if we were really strapped. “Bro, I can chip in if there’s not enough cash. Don’t worry about it man.” Thankfully Chao Yang had some extra cash with him and we were able to prevent a crisis from happening.
The meal was rounded up with Thai Mango Sticky Rice but by then, everybody was already full (thankfully!). It was a beautiful conclusion and the consensus was that the food was good. It was another resounding success for the Food and Tours club.

We ushered everybody out of the restaurant and back under the unforgiving Singapore heat to take the customary group shot outside of the restaurant. “Thank you everybody for coming today and I really hope you enjoyed the food. Thanks for making today’s outing another wonderful success,” I said. “Let’s all look forward to the next outing together and I hope to see everyone again then!”

Like what a close friend of mine tells me all the time, there are three universal languages in this world – music, art and food. And it’s always times like these that I am grateful for getting the chance to showcase to my course mates the incredible variety of food that we have here in the heartlands.

Till the next food outing.