“Oh nice top!” Says Tiffy.
“Thanks,” I reply.
She pauses for a while, then asks, “so is it your mum’s?”
I stare at her, then gradually my stare turns into a glare, which ends in both of us bursting into laughter.
After being best friends for nearly seven years, having countless stayovers (she even leaves a toothbrush at my place), and seeing one another through the different seasons, Tiffy is one girl who knows the inside-out and upside-down of my family life. She even knows that I wear most of my mum’s fashionable clothing. Over the many years, she has become so much a part of my family, and we have become a deep part of each other’s life.
Of course, there’s Jasmine too (but i’ll save that for another time), and together we are called the Jiffles. We were 16, and into merging names. Looking back, I have no idea why it stuck.
So today Tiffy and I had an adventure around Tanjong Pagar. First, we visited Group Therapy for lunch and coffee.
I would recommend this cozy cafe at 49 Duxton Road. Tiffy described its ambience as “feels like a garden-y outdoors, but indoors instead.” Profound description, right there.
I would describe it as having earthy tones with a save-the-planet feel. Well, not much better, huh. But bottomline is, we both liked it so much we hung out there for nearly 2 hours for lunch.
She had Poached Eggs with thick toast, smoked salmon, gruyere, hollandaise and I had Baked Chilli Crab Pie Chunks of crab claw meat cooked in chilli crab sauce and baked in a shortcrust butter pastry. Long names… but very very delicious. The chilli crab tasted surprisingly good – the biscuit-y pastry and fused well with the chilli crab.
Next, she had Roasted Almond Coffee, while I had my usual Flat White. Tiffy is not much of her coffee drinker, but she varied between, “It is really good” and “This is really awesome”, about four times in half an hour. The Flat White was not bad, but I should have ordered Roasted Almond Coffee.
It was really a nice space – away from the daily grind indeed.
After that we took a walk down Duxton Road and found a bookstore and the shop Restore. The shop that redeems, and re-upholsters old, vintage furniture. Took a peep in, and mentally noted it down for a cafe-hopping trip some time soon.
Thankful for times like these with friends I love. Nothing builds a friendship like a little exploration, right?
Set Forth 