Savour the Goodness

"50mins waiting time, can you wait?"
That's the usual reply whenever a customer gives his/her order.

If you had popped over from my other blog, you knew that we went in Chinatown today. Allan knew too well that whenever I'm there, there is only one thing I look forward to ~ Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice.

The ever famous claypot rice which has been awarded with so many awards, been featured on so many food variety shows. The posters on the stall need no extra explanation.

We are lucky today, only 50mins. Patrons who came about 30mins later than us were given a new 'warning' before their orders were taken, "1hour to 1hour and 15mins of waiting time, are you willing to wait?"

The sentence may sound quite offensive, but the tone was simple, a little begging for forgiveness too. But many were too hungry to wait and gave it a pass. But deep down we know they regretted turning their back. You can see the disappointment on the faces, its obvious.

Why does a simple claypot rice need such a long time to cook? They are the ORIGINAL, they do it the traditional way. Raw rice grains with raw meat were placed in the claypot at respective timing decided by the experienced lady boss; cooked under fiery fire burning from charcoal.

Dark soy sauce and oil is at your disposal. Some (like us) prefer our claypot rice to look darker, we simply put more, others who prefer their rice to be 'healthier' put lesser. Whichever way you like, you are definitely in for a treat.

The taste is extremely unforgettable and it leaves you with that lingering feeling of "I want to come back here again". The wait is definitely worth it, if you are not rushing off to anywhere.

In fact, if you are lucky, the wait can be pretty fun too, if you could get a seat right infront of the stall. Seeing 8 people working in the 2-in-1 stall, each busy with his/her own task, yet at the same time, is completely aware what the others are doing. At times when one needs to go to the loo, anyone could just take over that person's job without any hiccups! Amazing!

I call this telepathy, cooperation to the ultimate level and extreme passion. They are a family. Its obvious, their features tells it all.

Being a hawker myself in the past, this is a wonderful sight to see. Taking orders non-stop, be it from phone or in person, no matter how tired the body is, the mind doesn't get the signal and at the end of the day, one can sleep really well in a bed full of cash.... *wink*