Darrenkane

Interestingly popular place despite the distance from the city. Filled with the average working crowd you would expect in town, you can find them at Chock Full of Beans during the lunch hours. Attracted by the appealing set lunch ranging from $12 to $14, for a main and a drink or a soup, is not too bad of a choice, especially if the drink is of premium coffee. An average size shop, like any other along the Changi Village shops, the owners make full utilise the space by offering al fresco dining. Quite a number will be sitting outside, for 2 reasons. Firstly because they have been in the office for too long and want to defrost, and secondly because there is no other space. We ordered the BBQ Pork Sandwich ($12) and the Salmon Penne ($14). The lunch sets come with either a soup or a drink. We took one of each, Mushroom Soup and a Café Latte. Food didn’t take very long to come despite the full house. Latte came first, then the soups and the mains, as expected.

It seems that Singaporeans are increasingly searching for a good coffee fix all day long. No longer are the Starbucks and Coffee Bean sufficient to quench the thirst of a coffee addict. Many stalls are not coming up with their own coffee drinks and adapting their marketing strategy to suit the market. Rightly so, as I paid a visit to Kiasu Espresso, a branch-off from the popular 40 Hands in Tiong Bahru. Only a few days old and already popular with the working crowd in Tanjong Pagar and in the coffee circles. The owners still making plans of adjusting the fixtures and fittings in the shop. The concept is targeted at people who do not have to time to sit and chat but want their coffee fix. Friendly staff greets potential customers at the entrance of the shop, with the espresso machine behind them. The interior is a little hard and lack the cosy warmth feeling when one says the word ‘café’, but it suits the concepts of a take-away coffee joint well. I had the  café  

I refer to the article in the Sunday Times ‘Some guys have all the luck’. It describes how 3 guys have won big prizes, a million dollars from the ‘Be a Changi Millionaire’, a new BMW X1 and a 900sq feet condominium, all through their good fortune when they participated in their respective contest. That got me thinking, is it right? The definition of right is vague, some would say yes – because they legitimately participated in the contest and were lucky enough – but on the other hand is it the case of the rich getting richer? The man, who won the million dollars from the Changi contest, is pictured as humble and pragmatic, who went for an affordable fish porridge dinner with his family after winning – nothing wrong in that, I always enjoy local fare but keep in mind that he hasn’t gotten the money yet. He doesn’t want to leave the impression (on his children) that money is easy to make – like all good parents seek to do. However, I’m skeptical if it is possible. The spirit is wil