Boey Chong Kee, People's Park

As kids, our parents brought us to this unassuming little restaurant practically almost weekend. We haven't been back for close to two decades and recently, it came up in a conversation and it was decided then that we would go back for the dishes we remembered fondly.

The place looked exactly the same, with the background of People's Park flats blinking and bustling against twilight. The tables were filling up, even though it was barely 7PM and we spied familiar dishes being carried out and served. We placed our orders and waited. It must be a busy, tiny kitchen because they seemed only to be able to handle one table's orders at a time.

Flat dwellers going about their evening activity above the restaurant

Papa Chow and Mama Chow take a break from making fun of each other to stare into space.

Fried fish head with leek. Not a personal favourite.

Ginger duck. Practically a staple here at Boey Chong Kee. I spied an elderly gentleman dining alone with just rice and this duck dish.

Stir fried kai lan. Greens are great, aren't they?

Pork ribs in black bean paste. Absolutely lovely.

Now we were pretty much done with four dishes and rice among the four of us but then we spied a group of elderly diners next to us who kept ordering plate after plate of Char Hor Fun, on top of a pretty huge meal. Of course we had to have some, sans beef. And we understood. Silky hor fun, coated and sealed with the juices of slices of pork, pork liver and prawns, fried to near perfection. We polished this too-small serving in a matter of minutes.

It was a lovely trip down memory lane for all of us. And especially heartening is the fact that while we keep fighting to stay on course with the harsh realities of living and growing old, some things remain gratifyingly, tastefully unchanged.