天信

more than any other kind of cuisine, japanese food seems to have entrenched itself in the singapore foodscape; from the proliferation of kaiten-zushi bars to the big names like akane and shiro, there is no doubt that this wonderous cuisine is here to stay.

that said, more than a few japanese restaurants in singapore serve up not-so-pleasant japanese food. in addition, there seems to be a few types of japanese food that restaurants here don't seem to do well. one is soba; another, tempura. since 天ざる is one of my favourite foods when i was holidaying in japan, i'm always a bit bummed that i can't really get decent versions of either in singapore.

thus, when i saw the review on tenshin on umami's blog, i promised myself that i'd go there sometime; and finally i did, with my sister for lunch, taking advantage of the lunch sets that would not burn too big a hole in my pocket. i made sure that i got counter seating in order to witness the theatrics of the frying process.

both of us ended up ordering the tempura set lunch, with an additional serving of uni each. dishes included a vegetable with katsuo shavings amuse-bouche, a small salad with tart sesame dressing, and an assortment of tempura: ebi, asparagus, kabocha, uni, maitake and kisu (sillago), followed by a lemon shebert.

tbc

fantasy menu no. 1

courtesy of j

monday kaiseki
¥10,000

sandalwood-smoked cucumber strips with yamamomo jelly
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clear potato soup with pureed kelp and tomato dumpling
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sashimi selection: stingray tail, luohan forehead, tuna-safe dolphin
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grilled chicken liver flavoured with chrysanthemum petals; ume-shiso and mustard dip
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a pair of deep-fried watershield sprouts, buried in beancurd waste
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squid-ink and cod-roe rice ball; grilled ostrich with almond flakes
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the scent of the yuzu

la bûche de noël

gorgeous (and wickedly clever!) log cake from starck + lenôtre.



more french delights at outnext.

notable eats (1st - 14th october)

1. at home

巨峰の葡萄 - ever wonder why grape sweets from japan taste the way they do; i.e. not quite "normal" grape-ish? one bite of kyoho grapes and you'll know why. these ultra-expensive grapes (bought with my first proper paycheck - $16 for twenty-five to thirty globes of pure heaven) taste extremely sweet, albeit with a faint kick of sourness. very, very juicy. the skins are much thicker than other varieties, and rather unpleasant to eat - no wonder japanese almost always peel their grapes before serving them!

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2. the soup spoon - with j / with jo

tangy tomato soup with basil - one of my favourite soups at soup spoon, creamy (though not thick-creamy) and resplendent with the taste of roasted tomato. slightly spicy (though i can never quite identify the mesclun of spices used).

naan mezze plate - consisting of a few pieces of plain naan and falafel with basil pesto, sundried tomato cream cheese, and mint dips. the naans were rather dry, and the falafel disappointing - obvious reheating in a microwave resulting in a rather soggy texture. also not spiced enough. it doesn't help that one of my first encounters with falafel is an excellent one from l'as du fallafel in paris =p

the dips were quite good; though the mint dip was strangely un-minty - which i thought was quite wierd since mint is such an assertive herb.

velvety mushroom stroganoff - another favourite from soup spoon. creamy-creamy, and chock full of mushroom chunks. nothing like the dainty mushroom cappuccinos one encounters in restaurants, this is hearty and almost peasant-like.

spicy herby cheesy wedges - a popular side, judging from the fact that they always seem to come piping hot from the fryer. nicely browned and crisp, with a liberal dusting of paprika. comes with a yummy tomato-cream cheese dip, similar to the naan mezze plate one, though more liquid.

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3. 厨 raffles city - with j and d

刺身盛り合わせ： 鮭の腹、縞鰺、いくら - salmon belly, white trevally and salmon roe. the salmon and jack were very good; their sweetness enhanced by the optimal temperature at which they were served. excellent texture too; clean and firm, with just the slightest bite. the salmon roe was not so good - instead of firm, jewel-like sacs, these were rather limp appearance-wise, and didn't quite have the pop that marks a good いくら.

鴨ロース煮 - very eh. duck was okay, i guess. the brown gloopy cornstarch-y sauce was not.

鮨盛り合わせ：鮃、魬の腹、甘海老、海胆、とろ、穴子 - flounder, young yellowtail belly, raw pink shrimp, sea urchin, tuna belly (possibly 中とろ) and conger eel. what delightful morsels of vinegared rice and ocean produce! i've not eaten sushi rice as good as this for a while - just the right temperature (i.e. not too cold), and firm; none of the mushy stuff that often gets passed off as しゃりhere. taste was exquisite - a touch of sweetness and sourness playing an assertive fiddle to the ねた.

started with the flounder, which had a clean taste, and excellent bite. least assertive of the six different types of sushi, it nevertheless had a good fishiness to it - a sign of things to come. the yellowtail belly was similar in taste, but with a touch of oiliness, and added smoothness due to the cut. topped with a thin slice of lime, which provided the faintest touch of sourness.

the pink shrimp, or sweet shrimp was, again, excellent. firm and very slightly "milky" texture. the natural sweetness of the flesh was a wonderful contrast to the sea urchin, which was literally an explosion of the sea in my mouth. together with its firm, and yet slightly slimy texture, this was quite divine.

then came the fatty tuna - very good, even if it's not quite 大とろ. what more needs to be said of とろ, really?

and the finale - the conger eel - a whole piece of lightly barbecued eel literally wrapped around the rice, glistening with a sweet shoyu-based sauce. texture was markedly different from freshwater eel - more creamy than the latter. a perfect marriage of rice and fish.



for a not-so-glowing review of 厨 see here

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4. 利苑酒家 - with mum and sis

my first treat for the family, with my first proper paycheck.

皮蛋瘦肉粥 - not bad. i'm starting to like century egg more and more; it's really quite divine in hk-style porridge. texture of the porridge was good, even though it could be a bit more creamy (i like the texture of my porridge to be "吃不到米粒").

蟹肉金丝卷 - the miniscule amount of crabmeat was completely overwhelmed by the cheesy sauce. encased by deep-fried bee-hoon-like cocoons that provided an interesting texture.

芝梨果虾筒 - this was very good; one of the nicer fried dim sum items i've eaten - the skin was not the common thin golden yellow type used for spring rolls, but the thicker and somewhat more substantial milky white type, which really suited the strong prawn and avocado filling. texture was lovely - the creamy avocado contrasted well with the fresh-crunchy prawn and fried-crunchy skin. excellent taste too; the skin was rather neutral, albeit with a touch of oiliness, which accentuated the flavours of the contents - a buttery burst of the sea.

虾饺 - quite good (i.e. skin was thin, and did not break, prawns were fresh). still, a bit too small; i'd prefer if the prawn-to-skin ratio to be a bit higher, and the only way that'd be is for the 虾饺 to be bigger, since there is a limit to how thin the skin can be. i really miss the ones in hk.

烧卖 - very good and fresh-tasting; these were not overly-porky, but a good balance between lean pork, shiitake and prawn. the filling was wrapped in a thin dumpling skin which retained its texture (i.e. not soggy).

虾肠粉 - not very good - the 肠粉 did not taste very fresh, and was way too thick. both texture and taste were upsetted as a result: the whole dish was way too chewy, and the soy-based sauce, which would be perfect for a good 肠粉, was too weak, resulting in a flat taste.

直火叉烧 - i don't particularly care for hk-style 叉烧, since i like the charred bits of a good singapore-style 叉烧 (the roasted type, not the dye-job type). this was hk-style, and very fatty - i prefer my 叉烧 to be 半肥瘦. not my favourite.

京川饺子 - excellent. the vinegar-based sauce had a touch of fresh chotness, which really livens the whole dish. together with the chopped fresh spring onion, it was the perfect accompaniment for the little dumplings of minced meat and vegetables.



杏仁茶 - good; not overly thin like powdered almond milk, yet not scarily thick, this was just the right consistency. taste was very almond-y - right up my alley.

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5. ラーメン・ケン - with d and yq

冷やしラーメン - quite nice. i'm not the greatest fan of ramen, being much more partial to soba. but there are few other places in singapore where ramen is decent. the cold ramen comes with a peanut-based sauce (my achilles' heel) - yum yum, and a slight touch of yellow horseradish.

and no one should leave ken's without trying their hard-boiled egg, which is more three-quarters-boiled. a sticky-runny yolk, with a small portion of the white also runny still. tea bone zen mind may do hard-boiled eggs slightly better, but i'll take this one gladly, since it's available any day, unlike at tbzm, where availability really depends on one's luck.

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6. bakerzin - with d and yq

desire - everything but. the inner mousses (milk and white chocolate) rather characterless, the outer sponge-like cake casing drier than the sahara desert. and the chocolate roses were sweating like crazy. full marks for presentation, zero for substance. seems that j is correct, at least for the paragon branch. avoid like the plague, unless you feel lucky, or happen to like stale desserts.

what a pity - it would have made for such a pretty picture.

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7. 憩 - with j, d, yq, g

one of the more famous japanese buffets around in singapore; many have commented to me on its value-for-money. quite true, i guess, from a purely economic viewpoint; however, since i always overeat at buffets, negative utility inevitably sets in. and the sashimi, though very decent, just lacks the magical burst of brillance.

枝豆, broad bean - normal

鮭ポン酢 - very good; one of the better dishes that night; ponzu is such a wonderful accompaniment to raw fish.

刺身：鮭、鮪、めかじき、たこ、いか、かんぱち - fresher than i'd imagine it'd be. the salmon and yellowtail was pretty good; the squid had the requisite "milky" texture, which j hated though, heh.

seafood tea - interesting; a light, yet flavourful "tea" which tastes of produce from the sea. imagine seafood soup, but with a dry feel, like tea (i.e., without the "oiliness" of soups)

天ぷら：いか、椎茸、茄子、海老、おくら - pedestrian but acceptable. i'm still amazed that everywhere in singapore does better tempura than inagiku, one-off-bad-lunch-menu-choice that might have been. the shiitake came with the stalks, something that i've never seen done; anyway, the stalk itself was too tough to chew, and we only ate the caps.

茶碗蒸し - not bad, until i hit the surimi. oh well, i guess something has to give at a mid-priced buffet. the texture was perfectly acceptable, though; not the best, but quite silky.

鯖塩焼き - nice and oily; i think it's difficult to screw this up.

鳥から揚げ - very good. crispy, without being too oily, the chicken pieces were nicely browned, yet still retaining their tenderness.

揚げ出し豆腐, 冷奴 - normal.

鯖押し寿司 - quite bad. the sushi rice is unacceptable: too warm, not vinegary enough, too soft - all the hallmarks of amateurish しゃり. the mackerel たね was the thinnest slice of fish one can imagine, resulting in a bottom-heavy sushi. seems to me a devious trick to cheaply fill up diners' stomachs.

とんかつ - quite bad too; the pork was unacceptably tough, and very flat taste-wise.

notable eats (17th to 30th september)

1. pasta brava - with j, dw, jo, yv, ck, dk

fried calamari - suitably crunchy yet lightly battered skin, and chewy yet not tough insides. nicely spiced with herbs and pepper,with a dash of fresh lemon juice. pretty good. with a sad-looking lettuce leaf (presentation, guys!)

caprese salad - the classic combination of morzarella, tomato, basil and olive oil, has become quite a firm favourite; exquisite when tomatoes are freshly at their peak. not bad; tomatoes could be sweeter (though i'd never really had outstanding tomatoes in singapore). personally, the caprese in paris at le reminet remains the one to beat.

parpadelle with duck in red-wine tomato sauce - not bad (i.e. pasta al dente, not over or under-sauced, duck was not tough), but no sparks for me, unlike pastas i've had at da paolo. maybe a cream or oil-based pasta would do the trick - i think i have no affinity for tomato bases.

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2. 翡翠澳门茶餐厅 - with j

法国土司 - what is it with a simple piece of fried toast, a thick slab of butter and maple syrup that is so magical? a sinful delight.



fried calamari - quite good; very asian-y, since it came topped with chopped spring onion, onion, fresh chilli. there could be a hint of white pepper - memory lapse.

鲕梨果奶希 - a bit too thick, and too cold for optimum taste. still, it was very creamy, and not at all icy. could work if i didn't also have the french toast.

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3. kazu - with j, d, e, dl,

枝豆 - good, though not the freshest. found out later that there was a 新枝豆 version available. should have gone with that.

えいひれ - dried stingray. tastes like dried cuttlefish, but with an additional smoky flavour (since the stingray was probably dried by way of smoking). interesting texture: chewy and not rubbery.

鮟肝ポン酢 - angler fish liver in vinegar sauce. good, but not at its peak; the liver was not as firm and creamy as if one had it during the winter months. still, there was good balance of the fishy liver, sharp vinegar and slightly spicy roe (tobiko?). yummy.

鳥刺身 - chicken sashimi. this was a trio of items: two different cut of chicken meat, and liver. can't remember the difference between the two cuts of meat; but both were good - texture like raw fish but tastes like chicken (duh!). the liver was surprisingly not as liver-y as expected - a sign of freshness, perhaps? only d and i dare eat this dish - more for us.



変わり豆腐 - daily special tofu. this was a pumpkin tofu topped with barbecued uni and wasabi leaves (?). texture was more like a firm pudding than tofu; don't quite care for pumpkin. uni was nice though; and i got a good serving of it since the rest, save for d, couldn't quite stomach the taste of uni.

and from the grill:

和牛 - excellent, as usual. the fatty meat literally melted in the mouth, its flavour enhanced by the grill and a sprinkling of black pepper.

アスパラ豚巻 - another must-have, though asparagus is definitely out-of-season; not as fresh and juicy as if one has it during the spring / summer months.

foie gras - nice and oily. mmmm.

鮭白子 - salmon milt. aka salmon sperm. heh. texture is akin to raw liver: i.e. creamy. and it kinda tastes like the sea, in a clean way. in comparison, much as assertive than uni. with a ponzu sauce, and topped with tobiko. quite delightful.

銀鱈 - not my favourite way of preparation for cod; my preference is for it to be pan-seared a la ember, or done みそずけ. the texture was fine, though.

帆立貝 - ok i guess, the scallops were certainly fresh enough. just that it was a bit plain. after all the wonderfully oily stuff, it's a bit of an anticlimax.

黒豚 - not as good as before, the meat was tending on the dry side. pales in comparison to the wagyu.

there was a funny little piece of cutlery which we determined was used to push the grilled items off the stick. it was a fork that was kinda shaped like a fox - the two tines formed the ears. and there was a 5mm hole which served the aforementioned purpose - this was the tail part of the fox.

could have missed out one or two items - really had a lot of sticks that night.

notable eats (3rd - 16th september)

1. cedele by bakery depot - with j

chocolate truffle cake - one of the best chocolate cakes i've eaten, this cake brought me back to my four months in beijing, where a group of us singaporeans found this really nice korean bakery called cafe bros, where they served a mean slice of chocolate cake. the chocolate truffle cake at cedele was very similar to that of cafe bros', with the cake comprising of a thick slab of firm yet creamy chocolate "mousse" sitting on one of the most delightful cake bases ever. not overly hard, the crumbly, saltish base was quite perfect with the cake itself.

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2. at home

焖冬菇 - mom made three batches, the first two being trial runs for the third, which she brought to her choir party. simply marvellous, especially the very first batch; the 烧肉 and 蚝干 were cooked until they literally dissolved into the thick broth; enhancing the flavour and texture. found myself sneaking into the kitchen and eating the mushrooms straight out of the pot on more than one occasion.



mooncakes - tis the season for the delightful baked morsels of 莲蓉! mom's version is not too sweet, which is perfect for me, since i find most commercial mooncakes too cloyingly sweet. and don't even get me started on 四黄月饼 - those idiots who buy them deserve to get their money cheated if they don't even realise how cheap salted eggs are compared to expensive 莲蓉.

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3. jaggi's - with sis

assorted chicken tikka - the cardamom pieces were a bit too dry today, and the cardamom taste not pronounced enough. the mint ones were more minty than usual; these were good. the garlic and masala ones were absolutely delicious too. in any case, spotted the exact same flavours in frozen packs at mustafa's. bought the cardamom one; will see if the taste is similar.

mutton curry - not spicy enough, and rather watery (though not as watery as the typical south-indian curry); seemed to remember this being thicker. the mutton pieces were a bit tough as well.

chicken moghal - very good; a nice balance between sweet, spicy and chot. usually i don't order any chicken curries at jaggi's so as to provide variery to the dishes (as chicken tikka is a must), but i'm glad i did. will try the normal chicken masala next time.

palak paneer - more bitter than usual, and not much paneer in the mix. quite disappointing.

butter naan - i really love the butter naans here (i find the garlic ones too dry in comparison). the naan came to the table all nicely tandoored, and glistening with melted butter. neither too doughy nor too crispy. sheer heaven.

vadai in yoghurt - the sour yoghurt was good; the mix of spices gave it just the right amount of kick. the vadai itself was okay, but not particularly memorable.

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4. 丝绸之路 - with j, d, yq

麻辣花生豆干 - quite good; quite sichuan-y (read: 麻辣), but not numbingly so. i'm not a fan of boiled peanuts usually, but this was not bad to me, as the peanuts weren't too mushy. the 豆干 was very nice with the sauce.

架子白肉 - this was not very good that night; the meat was quite tasteless, as compared to when we had it two weeks ago. somewhat saved by the armoatic, garlicky sweet chilli sauce. and folding foods is always fun, i guess =)

回锅肉 - very nice. the meat had just the right touch of wok hei, and was not too salty even without rice.

木耳炒丝瓜 - quite good; the crunchy jew's ears contrasting nicely with the slightly slimy luffa. the lightness of the dish was well-appreciated with all the other heavily-sauced dishes.

沈阳冰花煎饺 - one of the best 饺子 i've eaten. the dumplings are joined by a piece of light, crispy and extremely thin "waffle skin" that is laid on top, like how a floor slab connects columns; this provides an interesting texture to an already very good dumpling, with a most juicy filling. vinegar completes this dish absolutely.

四川担担拉面 - i think this 担担面 has slightly overtaken cj's version as my favourite chinese noodle dish in singapore. the 麻-ness is akin to "authentic" sichuan versions albeit much watered-down (not that that's a bad thing). and it doesn't swim in a bowl of scary red chilli oil (another feature of the real deal); instead, the oil just about nicely coats the strands of noodles, without much leftover in the bowl (like how a good pasta dish is).

桂圆羹 - longan-perfumed coconut milk (?) with watermelon. memory of this quite hazy. all i can remember is that it provided quite a refreshing end to the meal.

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5. 味之楼 - with j and wy

味之楼, or taste paradise in english, serves very good modern chinese food, sort of like club chinois without its hefty price tag (not that this was very cheap either =p )

unagi in a fruity sauce - amuse-bousche. okay; not very memorable; though the pineapple did somewhat serve its purpose to prime the palate for the dishes to come.

青芥末鱼子虾球 - prawns dressed in wasabi with fish roe. this was one of the best versions of wasabi prawns i've eaten. unlike many other chinese restaurants that completely got rid of the nose-numbing quality of wasabi when used in making the sauce for wasabi prawns, rendering the sauce to be nothing more than sweet neon-green gloop, tp's version retained a subtle yet noticable hint of that. in addition, the dish came with chilli macademias: the nuts coated with a dark, smoky blend of chilli powder and various other spices. of course, prawns were very fresh. excellent!

鱼子西京鳕鱼 - chef's recipe baked cod. my favourite dish of the night. a hair's breadth of unsitting ember's chilean sea-bass as my favourite cooked fish dish ever. topped with tobiko and ebiko, which provided an added layer of texture, the fish was nicely oily, covered with a delightful honey sauce which was nicely browned (i assumed it was pan-frying). absolutely heavenly.



蜜汁焗鳕鱼 - baked cod in honey sauce. kinda like the former, but less intense. still very good though, just that the former totally shadows it. chopped mango provided a sweet tartness to the dish.

蜜香排骨 - honey pepper pork ribs. melt-in-your mouth good, the texture of the ribs was in a league of its own. the redness of the fruity sauce was a bit scary at first, but you forget all that after one taste.



经典萝卜糕 - fried carrot-cake in xo sauce. marvellous! the texture of the carrot-cake was superb - very creamy, yet holding its shape well-enough to be easily picked up by chopsticks. apparently, lap cheong was used to flavour the oil that the carrot-cake was fried in, rendering an excellent taste.

四川担担面 - sichuan dan dan mian. the low note, not that it was bad. it's just that if i wanted 炸酱面, i would have ordered 炸酱面. the texture of the noodles was not bad; and it did come with cucumber strips. in a way, it was a pretty good bowl of 炸酱面, though not in the same league as 天津馆's, which is, in my opinion, probably the best 炸酱面 you can get in singapore.

生磨杏汁木瓜盅 - almond cream in stewed whole papaya. people who don't like normal almond creams and/or papaya should try this version. the combination reduces the sickly sweetness of the papaya, and the hard medicinal taste of almond cream; amalgating them into a bowl of pure ambriosa. the papaya bowl also helped keep the cream warm right down to the last drop. very good!

notable eats (20th august - 2nd september)

finally decided to do something about the lack of postings on the blog after a few months of relative (to say the least!) inactivity. i have taken a cue from umami's "what i ate last month" series; hopefully, this point-form style will be more effective in getting me to post. not to say that i have given up on the more rambling posts; i guess i will do those as and when i feel like it.

anyway, here's my report card for the past two weeks of eating:

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1. sabai - with j and jo.

the first "sunday times' top-50 restaurant" visited. originally wanted to go to da paolo's bistro bar, but they don't open on tuesdays.

khao tang naa tang (crispy rice crackers served with minced chicken and prawn simmered in coconut cream) - excellent: the dip was a small pot of pure coconut heaven; all fragrant and creamy, and the little bits of chicken and prawn enhanced the texture. i just wished that they could have been more generous with the portion; it was a really, really small pot...

yam som oo (spicy pomelo saladwith prawns, chicken, roasted coconut, ground peanuts, chili jam and sweet sauce) - not bad too, just sour and spicy enough to whet the appitite for the next dishes.

peek gai sod sai (deep-fried stuffed chicken wings) - not as nice as yhingthai's, which were chock-a-bloc full of juicy mushrooms and other chopped veggies, in addition to the re-stuffed meat. the filling for the ones at sabai was more of the "paste" variety, which i feel is a bit like eating a chicken patty stuffed into a chicken wing. still, it was quite good; definitely better than plain old chicken patties.

pahd tua pluu (stir-fried wing bean in oyster sauce with sliced chilies) - not much impression. think it was okay.

gang daeng warn bpet yang pollamai ("sabai" red roast duck curry with coconut cream, sweet basil leaves, lychee, longan and pineapple) - another winner. i love thai curries; i prefer them to the malay-style ones due to the added creaminess, and the indian-style ones due to the sweet and sour notes (rare of me to like so many flavours in one concoction!) a bite of the lychee with the curry left me gushing with compliments; i wouldn't have thought that fruits and curry were such a winning combination.

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2. the daily scoop

lychee martini and macadamia ice creams - pretty creamy, though with the occasional ice crystal; the flavours though were quite fabulous; the lychee martini was more delicate than the lychee ice-cream which used to be available at haagan-daaz, which i always thought was nice if not a bit too strong. the macadamia, though, was my favourite; the base being nougat-flavoured rather than the usual plain vanilla. if only they open a second branch in town...

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3. 翡翠拉面小笼包 - with j and wy

(names of the dishes are not per menu; will update after i revisit)

萝卜酥 - my newest discovery, and current favourite dish at cj, tying with 担担面. it is a marvel of a pastry; the light-as-air flaky pastry skin encasing a most juicy radish filling that is delicately flavourful. the contrast of the two is simply sublime; akin to le bistrot's lemon tart version 1.0. none of that miakiness (the word that my sister and i use to describe the state of a gooey mess being "miaky", pronounced "mia-key") that defines the normal 酥 at most dim-sum places. excellent on it's own, or with the chili provided at cj.

红烧狮子头 - quite good; i loved the yolks that were encased in the ginormous meat-balls. the sauce was also not overly-starchy, if memory serves me right.

炸鳝鱼 - rather disappointing this time round; about half of the pieces of eel were way too hard. not sure if it were due to the eel itself, or the cooking time.

清炒虾仁 and 南京盐水鸭 - usual standards (i.e. very good).

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4. canele - with j, jo and wy.

home-made ice-creams on fridays only.

earl grey ice-cream - what a glorious scoop of ice-cream! the most creamy texture i've ever tasted for an ice-cream (if not wrong, even better than berthillon), and an intense earl-grey flavour, nicely contrasted with the slightly tart raspberries. and the ice-cream melted very slowly; probably the result of a good recipe as much as the cold glass it was served in.

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5. aerin's - with j, sh and wh.

for all the hype in the recent reviews, this one fell short. perhaps it's the lunch-menu curse, though there is really no excuse for over-cooked pasta (i mean, if i, the cooking dummy can get it right...)

cream of white bean - okay, not mind-blowing. could be more creamy and intense i guess.

spaghetti with beef bolognaise, arugula salad and pecorino cheese - as i have mentioned, the pasta was too soft (granted, nowhere near pasta mania's standards; still, for a restaurant that had just received quite a few nods, this was quite unacceptable), partially saved by the rockets, and the chunky beef sauce.

red wine poached pear with vanilla ice-cream - the dessert was quite lovely (plus i really loved the presentation), though the pear was rather difficult to cut. they took away the knife, which had been sitting on the table unused for the previous two courses, and which would have really aided in eating this dish. still, the pear was sweet and juicy, and the ice cream adequate in providing a counterpoint to the pear.

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6. ember - with sis, yl, c, sm, wx

the first time eating at ember and not having the chilean sea-bass or the rack of lamb; decided to go with the set-dinner instead. didn't think the set was as good; next time, must not waver in my decision =p

deep-fried soft shell crab with black pepper sauce - quite good, if a bit mushy. the sauce was not particularly interesting.

seasonal vegetable tart with feta cheese - the best dish of the night from the set menu. the tart was more of a 生煎包-shaped pastry, filled with fleshy-type cubed vegetables (think aubergine rather than rocket) sitting on a ring of spinach leaves. to a certain degree, this had the un-miaky quality of cj's 萝卜酥. the pastry was also just right: neither too oily nor too dry.

poached snapper stuffed with maine lobster, shimeji mushroom and foie gras sauce - the low point for me. the sauce was too watery for my liking, almost like a chinese soya sauce, and way too light on foie gras, which i thought would have given an extra oomph. the fish itself was also rather dry, and the lobster did not really contribute much to the whole dish, its taste pretty much buried by the rest of the ingredients.

homemade green tea ice cream with green tea shortbread and red bean confit - the red bean confit was a fancy name for anko (which i dislike, unlike tau sah); the ice-cream itself and the shortbread was okay, if not particularly memorable.

tart tatin - a few bites of my sister's apple tart reaffirmed my confidence in the restaurant; for like the chilean sea-bass, ember's good dishes were truly excellent. the caramelised apple with the sweet, flaky tart and a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream was a match made in heaven. no questions on what i'd order for dessert the next time i return.

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7. lei garden - with j, g, yq, jt and his gf

(names not as per menu)

烧鸭 - normal, not particularly fantastic.

黄金虾 - the best dish of the evening. the prawns were nicely coated with a layer of salted egg-yolk dip, then deep-fried, resulting in a (good) oily, salty, crunchy skin. the prawns themselves were also fresh enough. though i would have love for them to be deshelled, so that the egg-yolk would go directly onto the flesh of the prawns themselves; though that would mean that one doesn't get to suck on the heads of the prawns.

蒜炒芥兰 - not good; the vegetables tasted old and hard, hardly any sweetness, and the garlic simply not strong enough.

清蒸笋壳 - normal (though good normal).

日式牛柳 - the beef was in thick cubes (that should have set off some alarms), and true enough, it was over-tenderized, giving it an almost artificial, metallic taste. the sauce was very fragrant though, and it went very well with the onions which were added to the stir-fry.

杨汁甘露 - again, normal. starting to get over the mango-sago-pomelo phase though. think i can revert back to 龟零膏 and 杏仁露 from now on.

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okay, so it wasn't as short a post as i'd have imagined... =p

le bistrot

i'm a firm believer of restaurants not able to serve up perfect or near-perfect dishes all the time for everyone, and oftentimes one can't really blame the chef; after all, one man's meat is another's poison. thus, it is a rather pleasant surprise to visit a restaurant thrice, each time ordering different dishes, and not be disappointed by any dish.

the miracle of a restaurant: a little place known as le bistrot, tucked away in a sleepy corner along joo chiat road. the smallish prix-fixe menu lists about five entrees, mains and desserts, with another one to two specials. a three-course dinner sets one back by about forty dollars; awfully good value, considering that dinner at the likes of ember and da paolo would easily cost upwards of sixty dollars.

in fact, i found it so good that i went twice in the week prior to my china trip, and have been wanting to revisit it when i was in beijing; my interest piqued at the time due to a fellow singaporean-on-exchange, hd, being platoon-mates with the chef, who apparently studied cooking in france for two years before returing to singapore to open his restaurant. i finally found an occasion to dine at the restaurant after being back in singapore for a month-and-a-half: to celebrate the end of the first interim crit with j and hk.



for dinner that night:

foie gras terrine with candied orange (half portion)
landaise salad: warm salad of duck gizzard confit, sauteed potatoes and mesclun greens (half portion)
côte de boeuf
lemon tart with honey mascarpone

i, being a sucker for all things foie gras, enjoyed the terrine very much; unlike pan-seared foie gras, where the foie gras is oily (in a good way heh, though always leaving me feeling guilty), terrine is creamy and smooth, and somehow less "exquisite tasting". to me, terrines seem more robust and earthy, sort of an "everyday" food than a gourmet-food-to-be-enjoyed-in-restaurants (though i certainly wouldn't say no to having pan-sear foie gras everyday too!). this terrine is also quite heavily spiced, something that i liked but didn't quite work for j. the candied orange (orange peel?) added a nice sweetness to the dish, though i thought it to be too firm to complement the creamy terrine; it was rather difficult to blend the two textures together. perhaps in a sauce form? terrine and marmalade... hmmm i want this for my breakfast!

the landaise salad is possibly j's favourite dish at bistrot; the gizzards chewy but not tough, sitting on nicely browned potato discs. the letdown was the salad i suppose: the standard mesclun of greens that comes with every entree/main seemed too brutish for this delicate dish. i kind of envision sprouts with generous amounts of rockets. a minor quibble though; the gizzards themselves were quite tasty, and not at all overcooked (and thus tough).

the côte de boeuf (as was the terrine) was a special of the day, and was only prepared medium-rare (to prevent the cuts of beef from turning into worthless charcoal by the well-done-ers no doubt =p). very beefy, and more rare than medium-rare, resulting in the meat being a bit too chewy and bloody for easy eating. i kinda liked the "primitiveness" though; it's my first time having beef so rare. also it was a very, very big portion too (12 ounces? can't recall the effing imperial units), and while good-value-for-money, the dish got a bit too cold towards the end.

however, the highlight of the day was, without a doubt, the lemon tart with honey mascarpone. for the number of restaurants and eateries in singapore, it is surprisingly difficult to find a place that does consistently wonderful desserts. how good is the lemon tart at bistrot? let's just say that if the restaurant were located not in joo-chiat but orchard, i'd make a detour on my way back home every other day. the crumbly base infused with the strong yet not sharp lemon flavour, with a dollop of creamy-firm mascarpone suitably perfumed with sweet honey; the taste and textures of the two items combined into a harmonious whole. very, very, very good indeed. they must never take this off the menu.

a real keeper, this restaurant; we'll be back soon.

opia

[in progress]



the tasting menu included:

japanese-inspired oyster shooter with mirin, wasabi, tamari and seaweed, cha-soba roll
black fig with whipped goat's cheese, balsamic reduction, rockmelon and crispy proscuitto
steamed scallop tortellini with verjuice and citrus butter sauce, yarra valley salmon eggs, crispy leek and herb salad
crisph fried pork hock with chilli caramel, thai basil and marinated beanshoots
roasted snapper with smashed green mango salad, chilli jam, coconut cream and crispy shallots
honeycrunch ice-cream with toasted gingerbread, cinnamon oil and sugar swirls

tea bone zen mind

it is incredibly difficult to find a place with enough panache for a spot of afternoon tea in singapore, and not having to break an arm or leg to afford it. there are of course the chinese tea-houses that dot chinatown, and the restaurants in various hotels that offer high-teas (which incidentally should be correctly termed low-teas; high-teas were historically for the working, and not the aristocratic class), though i always find them somewhat lacking in personality. and let's not even stop at the starbucks-coffeebean chains okay?

thus, thank goodness for umami's posts on tea bone zen mind, which led the-one-formerly-known-as-j and i to explore this little gem of a place along seah street; we surely would not have given the place a second thought, if only based on the (ahem) rather interesting name =p. together with d, who arrived after the both of us, we had tea before meeting another two of our friends for dinner that night.

the dining space of tea bone zen mind was at once sophisticated and whimsical; located on the second level of a typical singapore shophouse, it was naturally imbued with a sense of nostalgia, effectively juxtaposed by the moddish furniture which provided splashes of reds, creams and browns. lace curtains covered the french windows, which allowed muted streams of light into the room, warming the stained wood floorboards; on them floated leaves, delicately dropped from a tree, which stood serenely in a large cement pot in the middle of the entire space.

the lady owner and her helper were extremely friendly; profusely apologising for the state of "mess" the place was in (apparently they just hosted a japanese tai-tai tea session), and generally making sure that we were comfortably seated. while looking at the menu, small cups of water, with the barest hint of lemon, were served up in most exquisite blue crystal glasses - things were definitely looking up. i finally decided on the matcha, which came with seasonal japanese sweets. in fact, all the teas came with some sort of sweet or snack to complement them.



the sweets that came were a green-bean daifuku from minamoto-kitchoan, and crystal "jellies" from shira-ya. the latter were brought back all the way from kyoto, from the owner's last visit there. the daifuku was not too bad; the crystal jellies excellent - shaped and sized like sugar cubes, they had smooth, matt and hard surfaces, and gelatinous insides (in the crunchy agar-agar way, not the soft turtle-jelly way). the owner was consciencious in mentioning that one should eat the sweets before drinking the matcha, all the time not sounding condescending. extra points!

the matcha was lovely indeed; the whipped frothiness providing "texture" to the tea, and the bitterness of the matcha was slightly alleviated by the sweets eaten earlier. definitely no less than the teas served during traditional tea ceremonies, plus i don't have to contort my legs into a most unbearable position.

unlike myself, both the-one-formerly-known-as-j and d chose to drink different teas - 八宝茶 and bancha respectively; and herein lay a problem: their teas allowed for lingering sips, whereas the matcha practically demanded for a quick finish - which might have resulted in me having to wait without a drink while the two of them slowly drank their teas. however, this was not the case, for the ever-thoughtful owner provided an after-tea drink - salted water with sakura petals (and perhaps a hint of plum - i'm rather hazy on this point) to tide over the wait. best of all, the water complemented the tea very well, the slight saltiness and flowery fragrance an effective counterpoint to the bitter tea. definitely better than if normal water was served, for the sharp taste of tap, or even mineral water would have smothered the lingering sensations of the matcha.

total happiness in a quiant package - now how many places in singapore can boast of this? tea bone zen mind's a definite keeper.

ember

i once read in 8 days a rather shocking tidbit: jason hahn, the resident food connoisseur of the magazine (and one of the better food journalists in singapore with actual comments that are not a result of regurgitating endorsement lines), commented that he goes to nooch noodle bar for "comfort food". frankly speaking, i'm shocked that nooch has managed to survive the restaurant scene in singapore, given that they serve up rather sub-standard food (at least when i last tried it a few years ago - cold noodles anyone? and i don't mean the correct-to-serve-cold-type either, if that's what anyone's thinking), let alone for anyone to proclaim it as somewhere to go for "confort food" - i mean, there must be like a bajillion other places in singapore that do noodles better than nooch.

on the other hand, that's the funny thing comfort food, isn't it? it transcends mere qualification; it conjures up an almost primal emotion that satisfies the deep bowels within. i see comfort food as being associated with the foods that one grew up with; one regularly sees on japanese tv food shows that talk about foods which have the "mother's taste" (as much as whatever gross implications that may accompany such a saying), or how someone always craves for their hometown dish whenever they are abroad.

thus, i consider it rather surprising that i hardly ever miss singapore food, even when i'm abroad. i don't even get cravings for most singapore food, save for the occasional plate of old airport road hawker centre's 南星炒虾面 (which i must not have had, due to my family's "misforture", for the last 6-7 years). rather, i get constant cravings for pasta. and sushi. and ember's pan-seared chilean sea bass with mushroom and smoked bacon ragout and yuzu-butter sauce. very atas, no?

ember is located in hotel 1929, a boutique hotel located at keong saik road, the old bordello district of singapore's historical chinatown area. it attracts a mean crowd for both lunch and dinner, especially after it introduced its super-duper value deal of a set lunch, where one pays forty dollars to choose a entree, main and dessert from the ala carte menu (except for the foie gras, where one has to pay the difference in price, which is still a good deal, considering one has to pay about twenty dollars more if ordering the same dishes the ala carte way).

this time round (yes there has been many times before this), i went for lunch with the-one-formerly-known-as-j and hk; the last meal there before leaving for beijing. ordering was a piece of cake - basically, i just had to worry what to have for dessert; the rest of it was fixed - i alternate the foie gras and the mushroom soup for the entree; for the main, it's two times chilean seabass, one time rack of lamb. extremely simple and efficient =)



what i had for lunch:

pan-seared foie gras on a bed of raisins and cinnamoned diced apples, with a sprinkling of sea salt
pan-seared chilean sea bass with mushroom and smoked bacon ragout and yuzu-butter sauce
wine jelly with assorted berries

i'm a big, big fan of foie gras, though i don't think i can distinguish the different grades of it (yet), since: 1. my first time eating it was only five years ago; 2. i don't eat it regularly (i'm not made of money); 3. i've only had it at a few places - and only in singapore. however, ember's version tasted pretty good to me; a very generous piece of liver, all oily and fatty, firm, yet yielding to the slightest maneuver of the knife, contrasting the subtly sharp, yet sweet cinnamoned apple cubes and raisins. sudden, intense bursts from the salt increased the oomph factor between bites.

actually, i believe that this is (at least) the third incarnation of this dish; i seem to recall it being served on toast, then with prune and armagnac in previous renditions. or is it the other way? no matter; the taste was just as good then, as it is now. in fact, i think i like the current version most (though i'm pretty sure it being the most recent has coloured my perception somewhat). the one on toast was easier to eat, though =P

unlike the foie gras, the chilean sea bass has remained unchanged for as long as i have patronised the restaurant. in fact, it was this very dish which led the-one-previously-known-as-j to introduce me to this restaurant, claiming it to be one of the best (cooked) fish dishes he has ever had. and i must say that i agree with his comment - in fact, this is currently the cooked fish dish which i measure all other fish dishes to (raw fish is a totally different category to me; it's like comparing pork and chicken). it uses all my favourite ingredients - chilean sea bass (yum!), mushrooms (yum!!), bacon (yum!!!), butter (oh my gawd!!!), combined into a simply delectable dish.

from the ingredients, one may deduce that this is an "oily" dish; and it is (in fact, more than one food blog has noted this - and their reservations for it). however, i feel that the "oiliness" is precisely what is so fundamental about the dish; for me, it is what prompts the gutteral sighs of approval - hence one of my "comfort foods". moreover, the "oiliness" is not the kfc type of oiliness, where it gets to you in the middle of the meal and you feel all disgusted and icky; this dish, though "oily", is not greasy, for while the fish is oily, its other qualities more than complement it: firm flesh which flakes off in nice sheets (unlike most other fish which comes off in "strands" or bits), and a clean fish taste devoid of any muddiness (unlike freshwater fish).

the sauce is equally inspiring. the buttery, creamy sauce, with the wafting aroma of the salty bits of mushrooms and bacon, provides competent contrast to the strong, distinctive taste of the fish (though i could never detect the yuzu!). every time i eat this dish, i always wished i could eat it in the privacy of my own home, for then i would be able to lick the plate clean of the sauce; it's that good =)

dessert, in contrast, is regrettably rather hit-or-miss at ember. their chocolate cake is quite good; however, it was a hot day, and i wanted something more cooling, so i went with the wine jelly, which was a new item on the menu. not a good move. the jelly was served flat in a shallow dish, making it hell to eat; it was also not cold enough, and the texture was not "crisp", but more rubbery, and quite hard. the garnish was also not particularly inspired: a mixture of strawberry slices, blackcurrants, the lone physalis (which incidentally is called 菇娘 in china - so cute hor?) and cranberries - it's as if it was designed for the customer to pick and choose his favourite fruits and not eat the rest; resulting in a rather wishy-washy feel. i wished the chef could just have selected one or two types of fruits instead, for that would provide much clarity to the whole ensemble.

still, the entree and main more than made up for the rather lacklustre dessert; a highly dependable, comforting meal indeed. if only they had the sticky date pudding and vanilla ice cream from marmalade pantry, that would have been one hell of an ultimate meal for me =)

kazu

i always find it difficult to decide on a place for a meal when i'm in the orchard road area. for its size, orchard road has a surprising dearth of decent mid-range restaurants; most of the time i'll end up at 翡翠拉 面小笼包 ordering my 担担面 and/or 清炒虾仁. or maybe 鼎泰丰. or toast for a quick bite. forget about any french, or even italian place that serves a decent meal for a decent price. the situation is slightly better for japanese, with kuriya at shaw house, and to a lesser extent, akashi.

however, when craving hits, it's off to kazu, a tiny, wonderfully cozy sumiyaki place located on the fourth floor of cuppage centre. extremely popular, it enjoys the patronage of both japanese and locals alike; never has there been a time that i was there when it wasn't full. the-one-formerly-known-as-j chanced upon it on a website (nookie i believe) about two years ago, and i've been patronising it ever since.

kazu is also my sister's favourite restaurant; this was her third time there. not wanting to spend too much money this time round, we skipped the big-ticket items, (thus no grilled fish, plus she doesn't really care for fish(!)), and decided to stick with what both of us liked - sticks and sticks of aromatic grilled meats and vegetables.



we ordered the pork kimchi, white asparagus tofu with tomato puree and ikura, wasabi leaves and wakame, warm-style edamame, and a selection of yakitori sticks: kurobuta, wagyuyaki, fatty pork with apple, sanzoku (free-range chicken) with salt, asparagus rolled with bacon, shimeji rolled with bacon, and tako okonomiyaki.

the pork kimchi is a staple when i come with my sister; it was her favourite dish the previous times (yes, even beating the yakitori). however, the kimchi this time is rather letdown-ish; overly watery, resulting in much of the spices not remaining on the cabbage when the kimchi was picked up, rendering the dish weak-tasting. definitely not one of the better dishes that night. the white asparagus tofu was better; a firm yet creamy block of tofu with a hint of asparagus, and perhaps a little cream cheese. it went very well with the ikura, the saltiness of the ikura lending contrast to the sweet tofu. and the edamame, of course, was nicely buttery, though i must say that i prefer the cold version of this dish.

what really shone that night, though, were the yakitori sticks, in particular the kurobuta and wagyuyaki. the kurobuta was very juicy, due to the good proportionment of the fatty and lean parts, and totally held its own without any superfluous sauces (unlike our local version, known as satay, where the meat becomes a receptacle for the peanut sauce most of the time). the grilling imparted a subtle smoky flavour which augmented the flavour of the pork. similarly, the wagyuyaki was excellently oily, with again a good mix of fatty and lean parts, and only the honest taste of beef, complemented with the smokiness of the grill. i particularly liked that it was neither hard nor stringy, but melt-in-the-mouth tender.

the sticks rolled with bacon were also quite good. the asparagus was firm and sweet; the shimeji nicely "crunchy" like how fresh mushrooms should be. and the bacon provided the aromatic oiliness which really completed the dishes. the fatty pork with apple was also not bad, though outclassed by the kurobuta. still, the sweetness of the apple was quite refreshing when matched with the meat.

what were disappointing were the sanzoku and the tako okonomiyaki. the sanzoku, though not too bad actually, paled in comparison to the previous version a few months ago; this time round, the chicken was a bit dry. but it was still better than the okonomiyaki, which was too hard and dry; definitely much worse than previous times.

still, i must say that my sister and i highly enjoyed ourselves (as was the case the previous times), and if standards remain, it will continue to be one of my favourite restaurants in singapore.

jaan

the restaurant industry in singapore is a highly competitive one; restaurants come and go at astonishing speeds. furthermore, quality does not mandate success, as may be seen from the demise of marmalade and duo; two places i sadly had no chance to try out. many restaurants, in an attempt to attract more customers to stay in the game, introduce highly irresistable deals such as set lunchs and dinners, often prix fixe, which may be as cheap as half the a la carte menu.

however, the fear i always have when i order a set meal, especially during lunch, is that "something's gotta give": one example being the inagiku set lunch i had a while ago, where the raw fish cuts were rather dissapointing, not to mention the abysmal tempura, which nus canteens' four-dollar versions beat flat. and since i've had a wonderful a la carte dinner there before, i'm wont to think that the poor quality stems from, at least partly, the need to cut costs due to a reduced-price menu

thus, it was with slightly bated breath that the-one-formerly-known-as-j and i made a reservation for lunch at jaan, where the three-course set lunch is one quarter the cost of a three-course a la carte dinner (though judging from the number of people that used the raffles discount card the last times i dined there, it's probably more accurate to say that lunch costs half of dinner =p). the online reviews (mostly good) helped to ease the fear somewhat, though.

we were allowed to choose one of three entrees, mains and desserts. for starters, i had the seasonal mushroom cappuccino perfumed with truffle essence; mains was the roasted duck breast, with cepe polenta and garlic gastrique jus; and for dessert, orange creme brulee with bailey's irish cream ice-cream



the mushroom cappuccino was aromatic; expected since truffle essence was used. it also contained chunks of mushrooms, which i supposed added, in some way, a crunch to the broth. of course, the froth that makes the soup a "cappuccino" was there too; giving it a somewhat "creamy" texture. the serving bowl was rather strange, though; a silver futuristic ceramic-like bowl which turned out to be plastic, and which cast a faint bluish tinge to the soup. wierd.

the main did not fare so well, at least part of it. not that the duck was particularly bad; it was just quite "eh"; even though it was juicy enough, i suppose (and it really was; the juices oozed out with every cut i made on the meat), it was strangely rather weak on the tastebuds. i couldn't really taste the "roastedness", or any hint of use of herbs, or even the duck fat that i assumed should have been aromatic enough to assert itself. in fact, the duck lacked a certain gaminess that makes it duck, i suppose. the brown sauce also did not help to enhance the duck much.

i did like the polenta though; which is:

"a staple of northern italy;(...) a mush made from cornmeal, (and) can be eaten hot with a little butter or cooled until firm, cut into squares and fried. for added flavor, polenta is sometimes mixed with cheese such as parmesan or gorgonzola. it can be served as a first course or side dish and makes hearty breakfast fare."

- definition of polenta, epicurious.com

the polenta's texture is not unfamiliar; akin to mashed potatoes. as for the taste, besides the obvious taste of garlic and mushrooms, there's another taste that i presumed come from the polenta itself - definitely not something i've come across. perhaps polenta (or cornmeal?) just taste like this? like a basic taste - i mean, how do you start to describe the basic taste of chicken, or pork? whatever the case, i liked it quite a bit.

dessert was my favourite dish of the day; the creme brulee, though not really torched like a normal creme brulee, was nicely creamy. the bailey's irish cream ice-cream complements the creme brulee quite wonderfully; the firm texture a nice contrast to the soft creme brulee. also, the ice cream also had a faint bitter liquor taste set against the sweet, yet light, orange taste of the creme brulee.

at thirty five dollars after all the extras, i must say that the meal was quite enjoyable: a classy setting (though i do think the light fixture is very, very out of place), good views of the marina and city areas, and definitely not substandard food ala inagiku's set lunch; what's more, the place is excellent for taking photographs of the dishes - due to the restaurant's seventieth storey location and full-height windows, the subjects are bathed in natural light, which makes for beautiful photographs, as may be witnessed from delicious:days, whom i think takes some of the best food photos i've seen.

华乐酒家

点心，是粤菜的精髓之一；更可算是中国给予全世界的饮食贡献。由于早期南下的华人通常来自中国东南部沿海地区，而后期移民于欧美国家的华人又多半来自香港，这使到粤菜在国际舞台上成为了中国菜的代名词，也巩固了点心的国际知名度。海外的唐人街多半是香港人的聚集地，也是酒家、茶馆的所在地。

新加坡虽然也有自己的唐人街（别名牛车水），但因为华族是现代新加坡的大多数族群，所以牛车水有别与世界上其他的唐人街；身为大多数族群，新加坡的华人已不须保持属于自己的一片小天空，这渐渐使到新加坡的牛车水失去了它原有的气息；加上旅游促进局的干涉，当今的牛车水已成为了新加坡的另一“旅游景点”。与其说牛车水是华人的天空，不如说它是旅客的天下。

因此，新加坡的牛车水内也就找不到真正能媲美外国唐人街内的酒家和茶馆。反之，新加坡的名中餐馆多半开设在购物商场和酒店内。卡尔登酒店内的华乐酒家就是一个例子。趁暑假之季，我和之前又称为 j 的他，g 和 r 约好了一起到 d 所推荐的华乐酒家饮茶。



当天因为是国庆庆典的彩排日，政府广场附近的车道大改道，使到 g 和 r 耽误了时间。我和之前又称为 j 的他于是先点了两三道开胃菜。首先上桌的是虾角，以及滷鸭舌及猪大肠拼盘。虾角的虾肉鲜甜爽口，皮薄而不烂，简直是人间的一大享受。如有挑剔之处，就是它稍微小了点；当然，它的小，也说的上是一种形体美，让食客更能体会到点心的精致。滷鸭舌及猪大肠拼盘也十分的美味：鸭舌胶中带脆，大肠油而不腻，是一流的开胃菜。

接着上桌的是叉烧波萝包。虽然我本身喜爱叉烧，但我总觉得多数点心内的叉烧馅过甜，加上一般叉烧为馅的点心（例如叉烧波萝包，叉烧酥等）的外皮通常都以松酥为特点（叉烧包为例外)，当人咀嚼时，叉烧的蜜汁和粉粉的酥皮便粘成糊状，少了普通叉烧包的叉烧及包皮的层次感。这里的叉烧波萝包也不例外；虽然叉烧和波萝包口味都不错，但吃起来却过于粘口，有一种腻腻的感觉。

当 g 和 r 抵达之后，我们也多加了几道菜，分别有 xo 酱炒萝菠糕，虾仁肠粉，叉烧酥，蛋挞，烧卖和明虾角；当中为烧卖最为美味，猪、虾肉和冬菇的比例恰到好处，而且没有猪腥味，加上薄薄的外皮碱水味不过重，吃起来劲味十足。而明虾角却大跌水准，厚厚的一层碱味过重的炸皮盖过了虾肉的味道。其他的东西虽属中规，但都能算是有达到一定的水准。

话说回来，提到一流的点心，绕了个大圈后，还是得回到原点。新加坡的点心，终究胜不过香港的精。去年在中环名都酒楼的点心午餐，想必是我毕生中享用过最棒的点心。一笼笼的点心，皮薄馅满，肉质新鲜过人，吃后有一种在新所感觉不到的满足感；这或许是香港的海产比较新鲜、便宜，又或许就是香港厨师对于食物各方面的执拙吧。

wild hibiscus

a new gourmet ice cream bar has popped up in town; named wild hibiscus, it is actually an outfit of polar puffs and cakes. i first came across it while wandering around the underground shopping street of raffles city mrt station a while ago (idiotically named raffles xchange - can someone please pay $400,000 to hire a hitman to off the marketing team responsible for that awful-awful name?). however, it was sevenish then, and the shop had closed. i recalled thinking that some of the flavours seemed interesting, though i don't think i remembered any of them then.

it was only during the last days of july when i formally acquainted myself with wild hibiscus. seeking ice cream after our meal at kaisan and seah street deli, and not in the mood for dulce de leche, the-one-formerly-known-as-j (until further notice) suggested trying out the ice cream at polar cafe at the end of citylink mall, claiming a divine chocolate and lemongrass concoction.



besides the staple vanilla, cookies-and-cream and fruit sorbets, and "usual unusual" flavours (think kurogoma), the two unique flavours that caught my eye were chocolate and lemongrass, and lavender and orange. worried that the lavender ice-cream might taste like soap, i cautiously requested for a tasting spoon. my fear was unfounded, though, for the addition of the subtle orange taste brilliantly complemented the lavender. the texture was also wonderful: creamy instead of icy, and not melting too fast. little bits of lavender and orange zest were also blended into the ice-cream, which i thought added to the character, though the-one-formerly-known-as-j thought that the lavender bits were too bitter and did not quite complement the ice cream. the chocolate and lemongrass ice cream, which the-one-formerly-known-as-j and hk had, also tasted wonderful, the lemongrass smell a welcome counterpoint to the chocolate taste (though i must say i still prefer the texture of the chocolate gelato at gelare when it comes to chocolate ice-creams).

i'm glad that another quality ice cream place has opened up, particularly since i'm not too enamored with bravissimo, which frankly i feel people lap up due to its style rather than substance (a conclusion reached based on a taste of their vanilla gelato, which is truly a pathetic excuse for the real deal, what with the taste of milk powder rather than vanilla bean, and a much too icy texture even for gelato; and another of their watermelon gelato, which was again too milky-in-a-milk-powder-way, jarring with the watermelon flavour). venezia is better; though sometimes one just can't satisfy one's craving for creamy ice cream with grainy gelato, no matter how low in fat content the latter is. and with wild hibiscus's price being almost half that of häagen-dazs's, it really boils down to a good promotional effort and scouting for choice locations for the former to gain a foothold in the market.

kaisan

it is difficult for someone living in tropical singapore to understand the concept, and by extension, the consequences of the seasons: a small island surrounded by the sea, and close to the equator, the weather in singapore ranges from warm and humid, to hot and humid. nor can one note the passing of seasons via life itself: winter clothes are confined to mannequins in shopping centres; the durian, once a seasonal fruit, is now sold throughout the year.

unlike the japanese, who pride themselves (or at least are portrayed in the media as such) as the arbiters of all things seasonal, the average singaporean, dare i say, is hopelessly out of touch when it comes to matching produce to the corresponding seasons.

j and i had a first hand experience of this phenomenon of foods affected by the seasons during our recent dinner at kaisan. our prior experience there last february was an extremely satisfying one; the food, while simple, was bursting with intense flavour: the ankimo was firm and creamy, the unspoilt rawness of the sea literally melting in our mouths; the sashimi sweet and redolent, as though the fish were only killed mere moments ago; and the saba-shioyaki was simply the best i've ever had, all oily and firm, yet yielding easily at the slightest pressure, and the texture of the meat, coupled with the slightly charred skin with a hint of hei, simply divine.

however, it is now july, and a posting by umami warned that "june is not the best time of the year for fish from japan". nevertheless, i simply could not bear leaving singapore without a taste of that intense, concentrated flavour that i'd enjoyed so much, and thus, with a nagging thought of the possibility of a disappointing dinner, made a reservation at kaisan last saturday.



we decided on an order of the shima-aji and tako sashimi, saba-shioyaki, gindara-ni, and an additional uni-temaki for myself.

the amuse-bouche consisted of two parts: a serving of julienned vegetables with a miso paste, and a small salad with thousand-island topped with tobiko. the cold julienned vegetables were highly refreshing, providing relief to the terrible humidity outside. the salad was good, if a tad plebian, though the tobiko did add a nice crunch to the mix.

the sashimi was next. both the cuts were fresh, evidenced by the excellent texture, all firm and with bite. the temperature at which the sashimi was served was perfect too. but alas, the taste was somewhat lacking, the most likely explaination being my earlier rant about seasonality, seeing that the freshness of the fish was not compromised. in particular, the sweetness of the shima-aji was overpowered by a strong grassy, muddy freshwater fish taste (though there's a silver lining here: i've finally recognised the particular taste of shima-aji, having experienced this specific incident that juxtaposed the sweet taste with the jarring bitterness - after all, definitions, including matters of taste (in both senses), are relative). also, i thought the tako could do with a more sweetish and slightly thicker sauce, rather than the table shoyu.

the saba-shioyaki was also not as inspiring as the previous version; it was wetter this time, less oily (in a bad way), and lacked a proper yaki touch (or what the cantonese would term wok-hei) which monumentally defined the one we had then. the rice that was served was a tad too gummy, and i found myself sprinkling furikake onto it; something i hardly do when eating rice at proper japanese restaurants.

the gindara-ni was slightly better in the sense that it could be fixed by ourselves at the table: a touch of shoyu transformed the "tasteless" cod, to quote j. i've realised, though, that i don't quite care for simmered seabass; give me steamed or pan-seared ones (ember's version comes to mind) any day.

the sparkle of the day was the uni-temaki: something i merely liked the first time, i found myself appreciating the taste much more this time round. the combination of the sweet, slimy uni with rice is something i believe i will enjoy the more i have it; i'd definitely have to test this theory the next time i go to japan =)

hk joined us at the end of the meal, at which point we proceeded to seah street deli for what was supposed to be dessert (for j and i), but turned out to be a large serving of fries.

would i still go back to kaisan? definitely, but i'd wait for the "winter months", when the seafood from japan is considered at its peak (not that i'd be able to go earlier, seeing that i won't be in singapore); i still havn't tried the ikura that umami waxed lyrical about; and that, in particular, is probably something worth waiting for.

tok panjang at the soul kitchen

sometimes, a cliché, clichéd it may be (heh heh), best captures the spirit of things. as the old adage goes, "the more you know, the more you realise how much you don't know." i'm constantly finding myself agreeing with this statement; it amazes me sometimes how insulated i am from things not within my comfort zone.

food is one major case-in-point. living in (granted, pseudo-)cosmopolitan singapore, reputed to be a melting pot of different cultures, i'm nevertheless stumped when it comes to knowledge of non-singaporean-chinese diets. gross generalisations aside (north indian spicy-creamy versus south indian *chot-watery, or malay food equals fried, spicy, and fried again etc.), i simply have very little knowledge of the fine details of the different cuisines available here, partly attributable to my mum's less-than-adventurous taste-buds.

my (ongoing) education in food really started in university, with a bit more moolah to burn, and where i "re-discovered" j; together, we'd gallivant the hills of restaurants, searching out good food, going to places that the old me would never have thought of entering. since then, i've discovered some really great places for food, and am able to qualify my likes for certain foods other than the prosaic "nice" and "interesting".

that said, there are some places that j simply refuses to go to; garibaldi (though j's more lenient with the sister-bistros) comes to mind, together with **the soul kitchen, with the seabass-not-cod fiasco. seeing that these places have been consistently getting good reviews, i've been waiting for a chance to try out their food.

one such opportunity came recently, with the singapore history museum organising a "peranakan tok panjang", or a long table feast, in conjunction with the singapore food festival. held at the soul kitchen, it also allowed me to finally try out a representative peranakan food repertoire, prior understanding being limited to bengawan solo kuehs and a single sample of ayam buah keluak at a friend's birthday party.

the event was held in the second storey private dining room of the soul kitchen, above the main restaurant space. d and i sat near one end on the long table, together with an adorable teochew couple and two friends who graduated from the university of canberra.



the menu for the night was, in order served:

sambal buah keluak with minced pork
babi assam (pork in tamarind sauce)
sambal belimbling with prawns
hati babi bungkus (pork liver balls)
nonya chap chye
garam assam fish fillet
curry kapitan (curry chicken penang style)
her peow soup
sambal udang (sambal prawns)
itek sioh (braised duck)
durian pengat (warm durian paste)
kueh bengkah

out of the twelve dishes, i greatly enjoyed the first four, as well as the soup, and the last dish. the rest were rather delicious too; nothing too mediocre about them.

the sambal buah keluak with minced pork (pictured) was served unusually, for buah keluak is usually served still in shell. this was one dish that went really well with rice; the latter acting as a canvas for the grainy, nutty, spicy-chot paste. furthermore, it was the kind of spicy-chot that does not singe you immediately, but builds up gradually, thus allowing the flavours to come through before the tongue goes slightly numb; somewhat akin to dried chilies.

the babi assam (fatty pork with a tamarind sauce) was another sumptious dish, the slight hint of sourness undercutting the fattiness of the 三层肉.

like the kuah beluak, the sambal belimbing with prawns was served in a small pot. belimbing is the name of a small, sourish fruit; the result was a sourish-sweet, creamy paste, studded with shrimp and (if my memory serves me correctly) thin onion strands. again, this went really well with the rice.

the hati babi bungkus, or pork liver balls, was my favourite dish that night. firm and chewy, the texture was clearly due to the presence of actual liver and pork, and not (as i feared) a pounded, or even worse, machine-mixed meat paste a-la-commercial-[insert meat name]balls. flavour too was good: nicely savoury, balanced with the side of pickled vegetables.

the her peow soup was something i did not expect to really find interesting, although i do like fish maw and cabbage soup in general. this version, though, besides the sweetness from the cabbage and the lightly-infused fish maw taste, had an undertone of pig's intestines, providing a base which somehow anchored the soup really well, and which really shone through the more one drinks the soup. the pieces of intestine in the soup were also not rubbery or hard from overcooking.

the lash dish, kueh bengkah, was simply, a revelation. after the richness of the previous dishes (taste-wise as well as visually), the familiar-looking yellow kueh looked rather sad, and kind of naked, especially when next to the other dessert dish, the durian pengat (warm durian paste with pieces of assorted fruit/vegetables - think sweet potato rather than watermelon). however, since i don't eat durian (and a taste of the pengat reinforced that), i tried a bite of the kueh bengkah. and another bite. and another piece. i probably would have finished the whole tray of the kueh bengkah if not for the fact that i just finished a ten-course meal, and am simply too stuffed to eat any more. the kueh was simply divine: the browned "skin" more crunchy than usual, serving as a counterpoint for the more sticky body of the kueh. the taste was also more sublime than the usual ones found in confectioneries, not so in-the-face, and certainly less "artificial".

the dishes i didn't quite care for were the sambal udang (sambal prawns) and the itek sioh (braised duck). perhaps i was already too full at that point, and really required a stroke of genius to raise my marginal utility (like the kueh bengkah), but i thought the prawns, swimming in a sea of red sambal, were a tad hard texture-wise. the sambal, though scary-looking, lacked a punch that was in the earlier dishes; perhaps i just don't care for sweetish sambal. the duck made no impression on me other than the fact that it tasted like duck, though the disclaimer made earlier probably contributed to my indifference.

all in all, it was a highly satisfying meal, although one full of guilt as well, what with all the fat and all. still, it was well worth the price, as well as the sacrificed dessert at pierside with j, hk, g, yq later in the evening.




* chot - a term j, d and i came up with after a meal at chat masala, meaning chili-hot, rather than temperature-hot (note: chotness does not necessarily equate to spiciness, and vice-versa).

** another one bites the dust; sigh...

l'angelus

i've never had a classic (admittedly, for lack of a better word here) french meal, or even eaten any classic french dishes before, even though there are no lack of french restaurants in singapore. the jaan meals are the closest to what i suppose could be termed "french", though by a stretch, since the restaurant itself bills the food as "modern french". dining at les amis remains quite out of my reach at the moment; anyway, i'm not sure if what they serve can be termed "classic french".

no luck in paris either; attempts to have french food there six years ago were pre-empted by the arranged meals in dubious chinese restaurants, which included oddities such as boiled cucumber with sprinkled sugar, and the obligatory servings of egg-drop soup, and orange for dessert. the bse-scare then did not help matters much, either.

friday's meal at l'angelus is, thus, what i termed as my first foray into french food. not the bite-sized morsels you find at modern french restaurants; this, i suppose, is the real hearty deal. of course, i may be mistaken (it's my first french meal after all!), but i cannot imagine any dish to be more representative than confit de canard.

l'angelus is situated in one of the shophouses along club street, and it's one of the few restaurants that doesn't sport a modern, faux-zen look. my dining companions (j, d, g, yq, ws) have been there a few years ago, so i suppose it's been around for a while, which says something considering the short lifespan of singapore restaurants. most of the tables comprised westerners, possibly french: one more good sign. another thing i liked is the generous spacing between tables, which allows for decent conversation to take place; something which is strikingly lacking in two of my favourite restautants: ember and oso.

the menu is made up of the usual suspects of french food: duck confit, terrined livers with bread, escargots, and so on. being a novice to french food i ordered the safe choices: warm salad with duck liver, chicken liver and bacon for my starter, and the duck confit with garlic sauted potatoes for my entree.

the starter was a obscenely huge plate of salad greens, with chicken liver and bacon pieces generously scattered over it, and a slice of terrined duck liver, slightly larger than a credit-card, sitting on one side. the serving was so large, i was contemplating cancelling my main course, for fear of not being able to finish it after the salad. but i must have been more ravenous than i'd felt, for i almost finished the whole thing, save for the last bits of salad greens. it was delicious too; the freshness of the greens combined with the slight hint of gaminess of the chicken liver, and the oiliness of the bacon. i opted to eat the duck liver slice by itself, rather than with the greens; it was sweetish, and quite delightful without any accompaniment, and i wanted the taste to remain unadulterated. perhaps that's why they served it as a slice rather than chopped up.

the duck confit was another substantial dish: a whole serving of duck leg, all oily and crispy, accompanied with the abovementioned potatoes, and a lone gratinated tomato. the potatoes were served in a wierd (i think) style; i was expecting, from the descriptions on the menu, for the potatoes that came with the duck confit to be whole, or perhaps mashed; it turned out to be a flat, slightly crispy hash-brown piece that i didn't think complement the duck in terms of texture, and by itself was rather forgettable. the duck was enjoyable enough though; the skin layer akin to fried pork lard, oil seeping out with each bite, which, coupled with the slightly dry flesh, makes for a guilty, sinful dish. i cared even less for the tomato than the potato hash, though i did dutifully eat the whole thing up.

j later described the preparation of the dish to me, for he did not expect for the duck to be as dry as it was. basically, confit is a

"... specialty of gascony, france, (and) is derived from an ancient method of preserving meat (usually goose, duck or pork) whereby it is salted and slowly cooked in its own fat. the cooked meat is then packed into a crock or pot and covered with its cooking fat, which acts as a seal and preservative..."

- definition of confit, epicurious.com

if it were any more oily than what i'd had, i probably wouldn't be able to take more than a few bites (though i may just surprise myself; my propensity for oils is astonishingly high =p )

i ended up not having dessert or tea, as i was supremely stuffed by the end of the entree; if i'm back here for another meal, i'd probably share a starter with another person, so as to make room for dessert, or just simply to prevent myself from overeating.