a leisurely afternoon cha

Last week, I had a day off and I met up with a dear old friend and fellow foodie, M. (She prefers to remain anonymous) We went shopping for shoes and bags (what else?) after a tim sum lunch at our neighbourhood Crystal Jade Kitchen (yes they have invaded the heartlands!)

After all the walking, my poor tired legs needed a rest, afterall they weren't accustomed to tai-tai shopping. We stopped at Central in Ngee Ann City as we both had a craving for something sweet and milky. I had the hot yin-yang (for the uninitiated it's coffee-tea with milk, hong kong style) and M had a milky hot tea. We shared a toast topped with condensed milk and peanut butter. And, woah, that certainly answered our cravings. It was lightly toasted and gooey, and the bread was crisp on the outside and really fluffy and light on the inside. I was won over I must say. I didn't expect much from a cafe-chain cha chan teng place like Central, but for that milky-peanutty toast, I'll be back, and of course only after shopping with my fellow wannabe tai-tai friends.

PS. I read that Central claims to be the original cha chan teng in Singapore. I haven't been to many others except for Xin Wang. I've tried Xin Wang at Marina Square and the yin-yang there wasn't as good as Central. The baked spaghetti with pork chop at the former was also way below expectations. Service-wise, Central is more sincere, but can be erratic and inconsistent as I found out on a repeat visit.