There's Something About Mary

Besides a larger kitchen, little has changed at the new Mary's Kafe by Mary Gomes. The no-frills eatery, previously located in Queen Street at the Kum Yam Methodist Church for nine years, has moved to Bendemeer Centre and continues to dish up hearty Eurasian fare.

Ms Gomes, who is also a celebrated cookbook author, shares that diners can expect the same authentic home-style Eurasian dishes at her new space, which can seat 50. Most, if not all, of the food, is still painstakingly prepared from scratch and cooked fresh daily.

"The rempah (spice paste) is the most important thing," she emphasises. "If you don't fry it well, you get that raw taste, and it would not keep well. It takes minimally two hours to prepare, but I prefer to do things the old school way. If you don't have the passion for it, it is very difficult to sustain it."