the garden slug

This time of the year, I always start to reminisce.

About how we were crazy enough to set up a 60-seater restaurant on a shoestring budget…

… and how we decided on the name “The Garden Slug” in August 2006…

but we couldn’t afford to hire a graphic designer. So in our usual stubborn, rebellious, bootstrapping spirit… decided to just do it all ourselves.

I marvel at how we survived on a manpower of 4, sometimes 3½.

It didn’t deter us that we weren’t in the heart of Orchard Road, or somewhere more “happening” with heavier foot traffic.
 

We couldn’t afford it anyway.

And I reminisce about our series of firsts.

Our first catering event, ever.

Our first celebrity-endorsed catering event, ever.

Our first namecards with map at the back… which was horribly wrong!

And a year and a half after opening, we installed our first credit card terminal.

For all our struggles, the Powers That Be awarded us with a big, fat “A“.

We could never afford advertising. Not even a quarter page of any publication.

Somehow, we were entrusted with doing bigger and more “artsy” events each time…

Maybe it helped that we were so incredibly charming, witty and irresistibly good-looking…!

We thought we’d be millionaires after two years. We were grossly mistaken, of course. Good looks can only get you so far.
So what have we now, after residing in the quietest corner of the world for two years?

We have you! …and you, and you, and you, … and you!

We have smiles and warmth and laughter and celebrations and furry friends…

…and a bunch of diligent, passionate young Slugs.. who travel all the way from Bukit Panjang and Ang Mo Kio to work with us.

We wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world!

OK maybe for a million dollars we’d trade you off in a heartbeat, without blinking too.

Just kidding

We’d do it all over again. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

But we couldn’t have done it without you. And you, and you. And you.

I’ve been meaning to post these pictures for the longest time. (I know. An 8-month delay is unforgivable. You may shoot me.)

This is really what happened on our 1st Slug Anniversary! It was the end of what Joe would call an “all in a day’s work” kind of day, we were just about to close shop, when suddenly Chris Slug comes with a lovely cake. (don’t know where Sophia Slug got this cake from, this one here’s the real deal!) Thank you Chris, for remembering and for bringing cheer to this special day (which we almost forgot, absent-minded geezers that we are..)
Thanks for the photos, Amanda & May Ling!

L-R: Michael, Sophia, Sharon, Chris, Joseph, Deepa. 8 Dec 2007

Yes, our little slugs are very cute. And no, we still won’t give you their phone numbers. We’re very protective. Now stop perving.

Ye Olde Slugs

As for these three here, their phone numbers are displayed everywhere. But nobody wants (except for the occasional catering enquiry or two). Sad.

Our Totally Addictive Hand-crafted Pineapple Tarts are back by popular demand! And they are still lovingly handmade by my sister, Judy.

Elaine Slug enjoyed last year’s post about our pineapple tarts so much that.. we’re just gonna be lazy little sh indulge in her and just re-post here!

(A bit of background: I got a scolding from Judy for taking such crummy pictures of our pineapple tarts. Hence, the Pineapple Tart Artist took things into her own hands and sent us a pictorial lecture on how the tarts are lovingly handcrafted, from beginning to end.)

And now, we share with you Judy’s step-by-step on the entire painstaking process. Pictures by Judy, the Master Baker. Captions by Sharon Slug, the baking buffoon.

Step 1: Mould the base into petal shapes with a twig and a sharpened stone. I’m guessing it looks yellowish ‘cos of the flour, eggs and butter of some snooty Danish/Belgian variety.

Step 2: Schlepp on generous amounts of gooey pineapple mush. Don’t forget the itsy bits of, um, extra pastry on top. Just to make it look a li’l more festive.

Step 3: Take a break. Step back and admire your work thus far. Take plenty of pictures.

Step 4: Chuck ‘em in the oven. Make sure the oven light is on so you can occasionally check to see if they’re behaving.

Step 5: IMPORTANT! Shut the grubby oven door, else they won’t bake!

Step 6: Beam like a proud parent. Take plenty of close-up shots… from all possible angles…

Step 7: Ready to rock ‘n’ roll in your mouth like candy

Time for shameless advertising now.

$26 for a 30-piece tub, and $38 for a 45-piece tub.

Place your orders by phone, come collect two days after. Some helpful numbers: 6346 0504 (the shop), 8138 7539 (Sophia Slug), 9006 4163 (Joe Slug), 9225 7913 (Sharon Slug).

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Note: Our web server’s been acting a little funny lately, and we’ve yet to figure out why. So we’ve taken away the online ordering bit. We apologise sincerely for the inconvenience caused, if any.

• Cheddar and fresh tomatoes on garlic Ciabatta topped with fresh basil
• Grilled Chicken buttermilk chicken breast on warm Panini with Cranberry relish and pan-seared zucchini
• Tuna Lite on warm buttered ciabatta topped with smokey capsicum
• Roast beef with multigrain mustard and sliced mushrooms on panini

Thanks to Dan of My Massage Place ( HP 97524740) for making the arrangements. Dan has an incredible massage deal for a steal I heard.. Massage + Pedicure + a meal at the slug… $98 for a weekday treat and $118 for weekends. Do give Dan a buzz if if you’re interested, he’s a great guy to talk to!

Not-So-Sweet Mango Mousse cake topped with ripe, glazed strawberries. Perfect for 2 lovebirds.

Call to order /enquire

These kids were so organised, they actually queued up for the food line in BATCHES. They politely informed us whenever anything was running low. Gave us no trouble at all. How sweet is that!
And they were all an average age of 19!

Joe Slug spent a good part of the evening endlessly slicing peaches. The hungry dragon-boaters gobbled up more than 600 of these babies!

Guess which was the first to go…

Anything with high-carb content of course. Potato wedges were the first to finish… then the Shepherd’s Pie… And of course, which hungry young person can resist Wasuga Wings…

Stove-top tomatoes. Didn’t rank too high on the popularity scale. Lesson learned. Just make more potato wedges next time! haha

Lovingly layered: Yukon Mash, Chicken Bolognese, Penne Rigate, Chicken Bolognese again, Yukon Mash again, finally smother generously with Mozzarella.

At the end of the evening, Adrian (tall, dark, muscular, very handsome!) and the organising team came up to us, shook our hands, thanked us for our hard work and apologised if they were a little rowdy. To which we replied, No worries, we do this all the time!

Ngee Ann Poly Dragon Boat Team. We really enjoyed having you at The Garden Slug, all 74 of you. We hope you enjoyed your celebratory dinner, too. You’re the sweetest bunch of students we’ve come across, ever!

All the best for your future endeavours, and we hope to see you again soon.

To all my invited friends

Come join me in celebrating my 1st Birthday on the 2nd June.

Venue: The Garden Slug

Timing : as notified in the earlier emails/sms

Dress code : Creepy Crawlies (best dressed baby/toddler gets a prize !!) (and because I’m the birthday girl, I’ll be dressed in a Princess outfit – oh, and my cousin Shann too, cuz she’s a princess !!)

We’re proud to be hosting the post baptism reception for baby Bono Gabriel Lim and his family. For invited guests of baby Bono’s reception – pls click here for directions to The Garden Slug (map provided by Miyam).

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