Don't ask me how I got my bosses to approve two and a half months of leave. I don't know too, but I'm super thankful they did. Yes, I could have gone backpacking again (Eastern Europe, USA, Laos and more still unexplored), but my boyfriend wasn't able to take time off work and definitely wasn't going to unleash me into the world alone.
A few searches on JobsDB, couple of emails, and a quick interview after, I secured my vacation job - service crew at The Ground Cafe & Bar, a newly opened indie cafe along Tanjong Katong Road.
My Many Firsts
The menu reached my inbox a week before my first day. I'm glad it did because I had so much to learn! The Ground has great coffee and craft beers; I drank neither and knew close to nothing about either. So I spent afternoons memorising the tasting notes, watching YouTube videos on Beer101, and Googling everything that was unfamiliar. I can't say I'm an expert now, but at least enough under my belt to sustain a conversation.
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Left: Introducing craft beer to customers
Right: I love my red gloves! |
My mommy complains all the time about how dirty my bedroom and bathroom is, so you can tell I'm not much of a cleaner. At The Ground, I swept, mopped, wiped, disinfected, washed, and more. I picked up the broom for the first time in over 20 years, I went on my knees and scrubbed the sink with bleach, and I washed more dishes and cups than in my entire life at home. But Adriel will tell you that I'm notorious for not washing them clean enough.
The Boss
Returning to Singapore after seven years of medical research and PHD studies, Adriel missed the great coffee culture he was used to in Melbourne. Armed with his passion for good coffee and beer, and a wealth of F&B and business experience from his family, he started The Ground Cafe & Bar.
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| Adriel (centre) really knows his beers |
In his early thirties, Adriel is a cool boss; level-headed and not easily stressed. He is great in art, so if you see any cool drawing or handwriting in the cafe, he is the likely culprit. He also has a love for crazily expensive watches, when you next pop by, ask him to show you his collection of catalogues.
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| Aldric The Pizza Master |
Aldric, Adriel's younger brother, rocks the kitchen which churns out all the amazing food The Ground serves. Ask Aldric to show you our super cool Electronic Darts Room on Level 2, it's perfect for parties, except for certain Thursdays when Aldric's team (The Ground Darters) uses the room for the local dart tournament.
The Food
Of course I'm biased but come and try these for yourself and judge. The menu is pretty extensive, and is regularly updated, but these classics are my absolute favourite:
- Baby Back Ribs - super tender pork ribs glazed with in-house smokey bbq sauce, I like it more than those from Tony Romas!
- Caesar Salad - crispy romaine lettuce tossed in authentic caesar dressing with generous topping of bacon bits, buttered herbs cheese croutons and egg
- French Fries - I don't know how Aldric and his crew make it so crispy. Aldric tells me it's the oil but I think they are keeping something from me.
- Pizzas - my personal favourite is Meat Lovers!
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| The Ground's Signature Baby Back Ribs |
The Drinks
The only coffee I know is Starbucks' Mocha Fruppaccino so you can guess I know nothing about coffee. But The Boyfriend can attest to the quality of The Ground's coffee, and so can many of our regulars. Two ladies come by at least once a week specially for our iced lattes. And many order a second coffee in one sitting because they love it so much.
The Ground now sells a whooping 58 types of craft beer, and Adriel is not stopping any time soon. You can imagine the most exciting bit is the tasting! I love the training sessions with Corrine, founder of The Drinking Partners, when we learn about the basics of brewing beer, origin and taste of some of the beers.
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| From one of our tasting sessions |
The Customers
Since I couldn't travel, I wanted a job in a hostel so I could still meet other travellers. I tried applying to hostels initially but none would take me for such a short stint. To my surprise, I managed to meet and befriend a good number of people at The Ground. Unlike my time at Billy Bombers (a decade ago), the cosy and slightly slower pace at The Ground gave me more opportunities to chat with customers. Just to name a few new friends:
- Uncle Patrick who is 'conquering' our beer list by trying at least four beers every time he drops by
- Kargolov, Russian bodyguard and martial arts coach, who is easily thrice my size. He spelt his name for me but I misplaced it.
- Jeremy Tordjman, French guitarist making his name at the major Asian music festivals
- Royston, Randy, Sharon and friends who we have given the honorary title of "The Tower Guys"
- Chance, the Hollywood scriptwriter and martial arts coach, who gave very generous tips
- Father and son, who are having fun in Disneyland Hong Kong this week
- Charmaine and Pear, and the entire sales and marketing team from St Regis Hotel - an absolutely fun bunch
- and many other great and friendly customers who I didn't managed to get their names
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| Adriel and Aldric with Uncle Harry, Uncle Patrick and Friends |
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| Charmaine, Pear and the Sales & Marketing Team from St Regis |
The Support
And all the love I got from my friends who came to visit - thank you!
- The Fun Gang - Jalene, Kevin, Jaso, Adele, Thomas, Siew Huey, Keith, Yvonne, Daniel, Alex, Jerrain, Jayson
- Wendy & parents
- Daniel & Roy
- Dunman High friends - Yvonne, Ninart, Osborn, WeiKai & Bernice, Vivien & Alan
- BTPC - Kengyi & Dorcas
- Friends from work - Richard, Winnie, Mike, Lisa, Timothy, Dan
- Family - Mommy, Sheh Li, Yujia, The Boyfriend, Bestie Ivy & Ben
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| Celebrating Jaso's birthday |
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| Wendy and parents |
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| Daniel, the second customer to try the BrewDogTokyo |
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| Kengyi & Dorcas |
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| Ninart and Yvonne |
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| Meeting up with Osborn after 15 years |
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| Hanging out on a Friday evening |
