My first Christmas gift from Switzerland

December 18, 2007: A beautiful surprise awaited me this evening. It was heartwarming.

Cyril has sent a calendar of the most beautiful pictures taken by him. They were pictures of his family and his friends in Africa...Such gorgeous looking people and nature! I cannot believe he actually met them in such spirits. His good deeds must have livened them up! I am proud of my friend. He's established a foundation to help the poor in Peru and Africa. I wish him success.

I've also changed my table cloth to the Christmasy one. I didn't use it last year though. Each time I enjoy a slice of stollen, I will remember my German-speaking friends...

Christmas is coming to Singapore!

December 16, 2007 (Sunday): I cannot think of a festival that stimulates more expenditure than Christmas. Not even the traditional New Year for Chinese-Singaporeans.

I went to Takashimaya today and I was overwhelmed by the crowd and surprised by the endless number of hampers that Harrods' staff were assembling and the number of Christmas sweets displayed at Swiss Bakery and the Shangrila Hotel counter.

Lines of paying customers were formed every where! It's good to see that people have so much money to spend. The economy is doing very well, many jobs have been created, salaries are rising - except mine.

I particularly like Christmas decorations in Singapore. I think you'll not be able to find more fanciful and elaborate Christmas decoration in shopping centres or office spaces in many places in the world. But I like the decor last year much better. It was more elaborate and the colors a lot more striking. I fancied the revolving soldiers - and the multilingual carols performed by different church choirs ranging from mountainous Taiwan to the lush hills of Malaysia. But I remember that it rained and rained last year.

I really don't mind this year's white and violet lights as well. The design is really intricate. I haven't spotted any defects unlike those in the previous years. I don't quite fancy the M & M's house although I took a picture of it. From another view, it can be cute.

The Ngee Ann City (Takashimaya) tree isn't to my delight as well. I like the white and gold one three years ago. It was very stylish. This year's looks like the result of a budget-cut.

I haven't ordered any turkey yet but I have been gobbling down sushi. On Saturday night I bought some from Nakajima Suisan. And last night, I got some from Isetan Supermarket. They were getting a lot of orders for Christmas as well. Now, I wonder where I should have my Christmas dinner? I am likely to get a good wine and enjoy it at home.

Salmon Burger & Banrock Station Unwooded Chardonnay

December 11, 2007 (Tuesday): I've never known that frozen fish burgers can taste good. These salmon burgers and the salmon steak I bought at IKEA have proven that Swedish salmon is delicious. There was surprisingly no preservative listed on the labels.

I fried them on a non-stick pan, then boiled dou miao (young shoots), cut up the cucumber and cherry tomatoes for a salad. Simultaneously I was stirring a fried tofu skin (aburage), onion and fresh wakame miso soup. The miso is organic; and the fried tofu skin is from a tofu store in Meidi-Ya which makes the most delicious tofu in Singapore.

I chose Banrock Station's Unwooded Chardonnay 2005, which turned out a surprise. I haven't drunk this before because I thought its low price reflected its quality. But it turned out a great chardonnay - without that smell of 'fuel'- and that really aroused my curiosity. I looked up for the wine maker in my wine guide immediately and voila! it was lauded as 'an impressive budget wine'.

A simple dinner, though, every thing tasted good to me.

Best Hokkien Prawn Noodle in Singapore

December 09, 2007 (Sunday): I'd wanted to fix lunch, when I learnt about the 20-percent storewide discount at Kinokuniya today. Time seemed to be running out. It was close to 12 pm and I thought I should just head straight there after a quick lunch outside.

The rain poured. It has been a rainy day and the rain still has not stopped when I write this. Vivo City was nonetheless crowded with shoppers. I went to Food Republic for prawn noodle because I had been pining for that since A first took me there four months ago. After that experience, everywhere else just seems to be offering mediocre prawn mee.

The sauce is excellent; the noodle very thin and evenly al dente . This makes Thai Hong's (located in Food Republic, Wisma Atria) weaker sauce and softer noodle class-less. Thai Hong is, however, still attracting a crowd. Location counts.

Vivo City's Food Republic boasts of several top local hawker stalls: The fishballs are A's favourite.


Yong Soon Fritters is also something I cannot resist despite detesting oil. No doubt I am putting on weight...I enjoy the sight of skilful food makers pressing the chopsticks on the soft dough, deftly lengthening it, and then dropping it into a pot of oil only to see it ballooning into a precise golden fat tube. I also enjoy the sensation of biting into fragrant thin layer of anko (red soy bean paste) embedded in the soft crunchy hot doughskin sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds.

The warm soy milk is simply calming and is a must with the snacks. I even brought home a 'butterfly' dough cake. I can say I eat these deepfried Chinese desserts twice a year. Is that sinful?

At Yong Soon, there was a fair-complexioned salesman who flirted with the young teenage girl lining up in front of me. She ordered three doughsticks and he repeated he would give her one free, grinning and winking while uttering that. Youth in women is certainly an asset in Asia!

I headed for Orchard Road after that. Takashimaya was just as filled with shoppers. I bought my book and Christmas cards and then went to Jelita's Cedele to pick up a wholemeal with sunflower seed bread. Then there was my laundry which I sent in after my trip to Beijing on the second level of Jelita shopping mall. The laundry lady exclaimed: "Hey, three months ago; three months already!" I simply grinned; I'd thought it was just a month ago...

I also stopped to ask the boy collecting orders for roast turkeys and ham for Christmas when the date for the last order would be. He replied December 20. After trying out several Christmas turkeys here, I'd recommend Cold Storage's butterball (USA), going pretty reasonable at SGD 49.00. It really reminds me of the scrumptious Thanksgiving turkey I had in California in 1996. Forget about turkeys from other supermarkets or cafes, but I must add I haven't ordered from any hotel yet.

At Home on Saturday Evening

December 8, 2007 (Saturday): I'd a wonderful lunch at my favorite restaurant in the Japanese Association today, so I wanted to stay at home for dinner. I looked forward to having my favourite wine and some light food.

I picked Terres D'Orb Rouges, an award-winner at the 2007 Foire Exposition Brignoles which is reasonably priced, exudes a pleasant black currant bouquet, and is smooth and earthy...Somehow it smells like a Spanish wine. I prepared a salad with sprout (kaiware), sweet cherry tomatoes (Grace Cup brand), fresh wakame seaweed, and lettuce with a Japanese sesame dressing.

I also picked up my pan-crust tomato, zucchini and mushroom pizza and fresh egg taglialini at Gastronomia Da Paolo.

The pizza was still crispy when I reached home after a two-hour grocery shopping. Fresh spaghetti at Da Paolo is great - my all-time favorite is the spinach taglialini. I also love all the fresh sauces.

After hauling a loadful of laundry and grocery goods home, I started boiling the noodle, washing, draining and cutting up the veg.

It was great eating at home with warm candle lights, very delicious pasta and a vino companion. I need not bother about making-up, dressing, talking too much and so forth.

I think I will stay at home all day tomorrow - with probably a short shopping trip at tea-time. I haven't started my Christmas gift-shopping yet. I've only bought the wines.

Salmon Dishes at Home

December 7, 2007 (Friday): Time really flies! Three more weeks and it'll be Christmas! I am so glad that I've submitted my writing to the Editor for the Handbook who will be publishing my work. Now I can do some star-gazing and home-peeping. I have looked into the homes across mine. Some are already beautifully lit for Christmas--but that's all I can guess because the homes in my estate are designed in such way that you cannot see through the house. There is this home which has suspended a big bright star at its veranda. The star emits red rays that fall on the foliage and the walls of the veranda. It's a soothing sight. There's also another home with a Balinese interior whose glittering Christmas tree top I can see when I look up from my veranda... I can do all these because I feel more relaxed now. I haven't done my Christmas shopping yet,though. Cyril, my Swiss friend, told me he's finished his last weekend. Already! I have to do mine this weekend, i.e. tomorrow. I don't wish to repeat what I did last year. Last year Singapore registered the highest rainfall in 35 years and all my Christmas gifts went out in January this year because every day after work, I would rather relax at home. This year is certainly a little warmer and not so wet.

I prepared some salmon, five-grain onigiri and boiled kailan tonight. The orgnanic five-grain onigiri turned out really delicious. I am glad I've used the improved onigiri mould with a tap in the middle that enables the rice to be pushed out easily. It is non-stick as well so that you'll be assured of beautifully carved out rice moulds. I think the Japanese are fantastic craftsmen!

Salmon is probably one of the most frequent fish I cook at home. It is very easily done. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees ( a bread toaster is fine too) and then place the salmon (about 250 g) on a foil or in a baking plate to bake for about 6 minutes and it's all ready to be served. I couldn't find chive butter sauce when I did my grocery last night. What I use is my normal salad dressing- the Mentaiko from Japanese Cupie's Tasty Dressing Series. The sesame dressing from the same maker and series is another convenient but delicious seasoning to have in your fridge.

The sweet black grapes are also in season. They are cheap as well. I had some leftover unsweetened beancurd with Haagan Daaz Melon and these grapes together. The result: an unforgettable dessert which I will make tomorrow again.

I love the salmon pan-crust pizza at da Paolo along Bukit Timah. It costs SGD 7.50 for a small slice but it makes a wonderful appetizer. I also enjoy my salmon with Russet mash potatoes and golden kiwi and pine nuts. Pretty uncommon I think but it is better eating mash potatoes with fish than grilled red meats. My wine tonight was Two Oceans 'Pinotage' - another uncommon combo, I suppose.

Taiwan Porridge at Goodwood Park Hotel, Coffee Lounge (Tel.:67377411)

I was told that this cafe has been renovated past a month ago. I somehow prefer the 'colonial feel' of the old interior at the smoking area (although I dislike smoking) except for that automatic swinging door. The door has been taken down now; and the interior and 'smoking section' -- now air-conditioned (and thus non-smoking)--has been transformed into modern Zen.

I occasionally crave for this soul food - the watery Taiwan rice porridge.
The chef now does a great job - with great consistency in the Taman fish sprinkled with sesame seeds and black sauce, black pomfret with black bean paste, kang-kong with sambal, kang-kong with fermented bean sauce, and tofu dishes et cetera. Every dish was served piping hot, and all the veg and fish just gave that perfect crunch. We went there twice last month (November 11, 2007 & ?). Warm soft porridge on cool November nights makes wonderful dinners.

The cafe's coziness makes it ideal for a night-out -- tranquil, no music. I remember how my Osaka friends found the main dish fascinating and asked for the menu over fax. A loves this porridge as well, but this should not be read as "Japanese love this porridge". Another Japanese, for instance, from Northeastern Japan commented that this is food for the sick man because in Japan only the sick are served warm rice porridge. He thus felt disgusted seeing rice porridge elevated to hotel food!

I am hence also reminded of the jaundiced views of looking at other cultures at this restaurant.

Ambience: 4.0 /5.0; food quality:4.2 /5.0; service: 2.5 /5.0;
value for money: 5.0 /5.0.

Elegant Cantonese Cuisine, Hua Ting Restaurant, Orchard Hotel (Tel: 6739 6666)

October 07, 2007 (Sunday): I finally managed to squeeze my name into the list of reservations for lunch on Sunday. I was asked to turn up at 1:30 pm. Well, not too bad, I thought;at least I could still eat till three.

I went slightly earlier, at 1:15 pm. A couple was waiting to go in but they were told that they had another 20 - 30 minutes. I was also told to wait. The time went beyond 1:30 pm. I patiently sat on the sofa outside. More people came. Some went off disappointed; they had not made any appointments.

I was delighted when it came to my turn. When I stepped into the restaurant, what greeted me was a spacious, warmly lit room with a quiet crowd. It was a far cry from my lunch at Crystal Jade Golden Palace in Paragon last Sunday which was dark, crowded, noisy, and there were frowning waitresses brushing past you all the time. There, we were told in advance that we could only dine from 12:30 pm to 1: 30 pm -- obviously for table-turnover reason. But the food was served late then and the dishes terribly oily.

On the contrary, Hua Ting embraces you into its sturdy woody and tranquil interior. There were Vietnamese Bat Trang tea pots, bright Chinese embroidery framed in wooden frames on the walls with corner tables perched with pots of orchids. It was what most Japanese would say, ochitsuku.

After the long wait, compensated by the smiles of waitresses and the usher nonetheless, I didn't want to go through the dim sum list. Very quickly, I pointed to Set B on the set lunch menu. Before the first dish came, I saw a cook book resting on the glass wall panel shelves written by Chan Kwok, the chef, entitled A Culinary Genius. I really hope so he'd be, I told myself.

The first dish arrived: a seafood roll with nori, a steamed dumpling and another yam and shrimp paste cake. They were served the French way.

I liked the last piece of cake best. The last few bites were fresh garlic chips and it imparted some notes of healthy assurance. The other two morsels tasted ordinary but what impressed me was -- they weren't oily.

The second dish was a delicate bowl of soup with a lid. The lid was removed to reveal a fresh stalk of Chinese mustard green, fish bladder and chicken topped with two burgundy fragrant Yunnan ham. The combination was mildly fragrant, rather "unCantonese".

The next dish was one that accounted for the handsome price tag of the meal: SGD 170 for two. It was stewed sea cucumber (namako), abalone, and mushroom. They didn't fill up an inch of my stomach, however.

I thought the dish that arrived next was a huge abalone, but it was a piece of tenderloin topped with two soft Chinese mushroom (shiitake). It was succulent and tender, but it just couldn't beat Keyaki's fantastic kebabs. It seemed like that was the climax, and I prepared myself for fried rice. What a pleasant surprise when I discovered that only egg white was being used and skilfully whipped into fluffiness. It was still oilier than Keyaki's version though very fragrant.

Mochi were the last item and they were far from being delicious - although rare desserts to be served at Chinese restaurants. After sinking my teeth through the skin, I thought I'd rather have real Japanese mochi or just mundane almond jelly on crushed ice. Anything icy, cold and light would score better than these somewhat uncooked chilled dough with a light cream that was not easy to index on the scale of tastes. They were just balls of distressed flour.

However, overall, I'd send kudos to its healthy and elegant version of Cantonese cuisine minus those disastrous glutinous rice balls. But I am still wondering if the food here deserves all that reputation... (December 6, 2007: Until now, I haven't heard from the F & B Manager of the Hotel despite having written him an e-mail to complain about that dessert. I think this is just one of those not so reputable hotels in Singapore.)

Here's the report card:
Food: 3.8/5; service: 4.5/5; ambience: 4.5/5.

Feasting in Beijing (2)

September 23, 2007:
The air in Summer Palace was laden with the sadness of the Emperor Tong Zhi 同治, born on 23rd day of the third month, 1856 咸丰六年. The palace was built from funds meant to strengthen the Chinese navy by Ye Zhi Na La Shi 叶赫那拉氏, i.e. Empress Ci Xi 慈禧. The marble boat - an immobile vessel from where the navy watched the ships in operation - still floats sedately on the surface of the lake. Willows, peonies and chrysanthemums in the palace paint a tame environment where "danger" and "crisis" do not fit in. This alone speaks about the implausibility of training a powerful state navy.

We cruised in the lake; the breeze was blowing against us and the weather was very fine - the best weather in Beijing which is said to only last 40 days. The cruise reminded me of my passage down the Danube in Austria in 1992. Durnstein, also known as " Pearl of the Wachau" is a very pretty little baroque town on the bank of the Danube that you'd notice as you sail downstream from Melk. It was here that Richard the Lion-Heart of England was held captive in 1192.

The landscape of Summer Palace is just as charming as the Danube. From the lake, I saw the grand building on the hill where Empress Ci Xi received her foreign visitors. Before it were several gates (each collecting 10 RMB from the visitor, I was told) erected on the gradient.

When we reached the jetty, it was time to go back to our hotel. The bus was waiting for us at the entrance.

We dropped our load in our hotel room and went across the hotel to a Jajiangmian restaurant(Tel: 62136766). Each serving was huge, meant probably for two ladies. Each of us ordered one bowl for ourselves (6 RMB each=SG$1.20). At the end, we felt that the fresh vegetables in it had multiplied our enjoyment of the smooth noodle and sauce many times. It was delicious.

We caught a cab when we exited the restaurant to the Forbidden City. It was quite far away. The air in the taxi was sultry and the driver was panting from exhaustion. She was a fair-complexioned Beijing folk.

The entrance to the museum was under renovation for the Beijing Olympics; otherwise every building looks majestic. We hired a guide for 120 RMB- a Hunan native of about 23, patient and pleasant; she was rewarded a 20 RMB-tip. I particularly enjoyed her explanation of the origin of many Chinese maxims. The history of China never fails to awe me.

After the tour, I took bus No. 20 to Wang Fu Jing, the "Orchard Road" of Beijing or, the "Umeda" of Osaka. It was just a stop away from the Forbidden City. I'd wanted to buy books. After spending about 4 hours at Wang Fu Jing Bookstore, I only managed to pick three books. I bought a bottle of chilled Tong Yi brand green tea in front of the bookstore and then headed for Dong Fang Xin Tian Di Oriental Plaza where very characteristic of the building told me that Singaporeans had a hand in its construction. Bread Talk is among its many modern tenants, so is Humble House by Tung Lok Group. At that time, my feet ached and I walked to Entrance 1 of the mall at the far end to Kelly's Nail for a pedicure. I realised, looking at the prices, that pedicure and manicure services here in Singapore are value-for-money. I paid SG$32 for cutting, and cuticle and dry skin removal. That was all I got for SGD32 in Beijing! The girl named Ye Qing from Dalian (Shenyang) related her love story to me through the session, helping to spice it up a little, even if it was about her heart aches. Poor girl.

My colleague came back from her shopping to look for me. We were both hungry by then and briskly made our way to a small Olympics souvenir corner to pick up some gifts before sniffing our way to Quan Ju De, the famous restaurant for Peking duck not far way from the shop. We were instructed to walk straight and then make a right turn. On reaching, we didn't feel like eating duck after several gourmet meals with endless dishes in two days. Immediately across "Quan Ju De 全聚得" is "Gou Bu Li 狗不理", a chain outlet originating from Tianjin city. The latter really sounds strange for a restaurant name. My immediate response was why was it named as such?

A story on big placard at the side of the restaurant reveals that in a village in Tianjin, the wife of a farmer in his forties finally gave birth to a son, who was of course, a jewel to the family. According to Chinese belief, to ensure that a child does not meet any misfortune cast by some evil spirits, the farmer called his son "Gou zi 狗子" ("Dog" or "Puppy"). In Chinese, "Gou zi" does not have the nuance of the word "Puppy" like in English. The name was to ward off a spirit's interest in the child because of the coarse name. Sure enough, the child grew up strong and healthy and took an interest in making dumplings. Good fortune struck as he was a serious cook. He would usually knead the dough without being distracted by anything else around him, not even his customers. Words about this "uncaring" (不理) attitude spread, and hence the name of his restaurant came about.

Gou Bu Li's hot steaming soft dumplings looked tempting but the number of menu sets and choices were limited. We picked the set that came with three dumplings of each type of filling, mushroom and pork, vegetables, and pork. Together with the dumplings was a free flow of green bean porridge which tasted exotic and a dish of seasoning that appeared like dried shrimp sambal but was some kind of pickles to be mix with it. We ordered an extra side dish of boiled green mustard. The vegetables were very fresh; they needed no accompaniment.

We headed towards Giordano after feeling satisfied but most clothes on display seemed expensive. Across the courtyard from Giordano was an Olympic souvenir shop. We browsed through the gamut of souvenirs before entering Wang Fu Jin Xiao Chi Jie 王府井小吃街, a food alley offering fried starfishes, locusts, worms, handmade tofu, Japanese snack, candied fruit of Beijing, kebabs of Xinjiang, and so forth. Nothing seemed tempting as I was still full from those bao zi.

At about 9:30 pm, it was time to head back to our hotel. We took the subway and at Xi Zhi Men 西直门, we hopped onto an awaiting cab outside the station. I opted for another place when we stopped close to the entrance of our hotel -- this time to George's Bar.

There were European oil paintings hung on the ceiling - duplicates, of course. What striked me about this place was the predominantly British crowd. There's no doubt the Brits hang out here. There was only a group of about six Chinese men and a lady who came in black flip-flops. Badly matched,I thought, although her dress was pretty. The drinks were good- the pistachios,though small but really delicious, were the best.

We left for the airport at 12 pm. After checking in, we spent about an hour shopping inside. I bought a Great Wall Red Dry Wine (US$20) and nuts (US$9). Then we boarded. We were told when the plane was about to take off that there were some engine errors. The light flickered. We waited. Then we were told to wait for another half-an-hour while the engineers tried to ratify the problem. The wait was prolonged twice, half-an-hour each time. By the time it was seven something in the evening. We were told that there would be no SQ flight to take us home that night. We'd to go to a hotel. There were two coaches waiting for us at some walking distance from the airport. We were told we had to catch the plane probably at 8:30 am on the next day.

When we reached the hotel at 9: 30 pm, no one seemed to complain. It was Crowne Plaza, a five-star at 48 Wangfujing Ave, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006, China. It is a short walk from Saint Joseph's Cathedral, half a mile from the Forbidden City, and approximately 25 miles from Beijing Capital Airport. The rooms were comfortable and well-designed. I knew I was going to sleep very well even if it meant only 5 hours!

I went straight to the Brazilian restaurant. I was famished and thought I saw a great salad bar. Indeed my eyes didn't fool me. There was a colorful display of veg, nuts, fruit and cakes. There was also a pot of hot steamed rice and black beans with pork- the typical Latin American fare- in the midst, with the chefs busying with their roasts behind it.

After tucking in the fresh veg and rather soft nuts, the chef came with a pole of roast viande. Yum. He made several rounds with chicken, beef, lamb, and sausages; chicken being the most delicious and beef, the toughest and least edible. I ordered a glass of Peter Lehmann Shiraz for 78 RMB (SGD 15.60, tax inclusive).

I'd a good soak and slept soundly till 5:30 am the next morning. Within 10 minutes, I hit the cafe for breakfast from the good spread of buffet made up of Chinese and western fare. The cafe was spacious; it has an atrium and glass panels looking into a park where a few people were jogging.

We left for the airport at 6: 40 am and this time after about an hour delay due to heavy traffic, the plane took off. We reached Changi Airport safely at 3:45 pm.

Feasting in Beijing (1)

September 20, 2007: I touched down Beijing Airport at about 2:45 pm. When I walked to the luggage claim hall, I felt like I was in America. The design of the airport is typical of any international airports. An exception to that is the Singapore Changi Airport which has a very spacious, bright and colorful luggage claim section.

The custom was efficient and friendly. The officer who handled my entry greeted me 'Ni hao' - and I was stunned. I didn't expect such friendly service, but perhaps that signalled the approaching 2008 Olympics.

We lined up outside the airport and were sped to Friendship Hotel by a taxi driver with a cool attitude. He didn't appear particularly friendly but did answer all our questions.

When we got on to the streets, I was surprised by the number of cars in Beijing. Many said that the air in Beijing is polluted. But I didn't think the air was that bad. The streets were broad and sometimes covered with expressways. It is a very modern city I thought. I particularly liked the temperate trees along the boulevards. Beijing is beautiful.

When the taxi had to go around the hotel looking for our building- we weren't informed in advance- the driver didn't blow his top. So that was cool. We tipped him and paid 114,000 RMB altogether.

I liked Friendship Hotel 友谊宾馆 immediately. The Chinese architecture is elegant, and the colours aren't gaudy. It was built in 1954, I was told. Good preservation.

I also wonder what it is about the northerners' countenance that make them so pleasant to look at. Their manners seemed alright - there were responses of 'You're welcome' in Chinese each time they were thanked.

We got changed into our dinner attire and rushed to catch our bus to Beida. We were the only two in the second bus. The first one left, half-a-bus full.

When we reached Beida, we went up the hall on the second level of the canteen. It was quite full and at the entrance, I said 'Hi' to a guy who was standing there. We exchanged name cards and very soon we started talking in Vietnamese as his name card indicated that he was a Vietnam specialist. He has studied in Ha Noi and even looks Vietnamese. "I'm a Zhuang", he explained to me two days later at lunch. "Zhuang and Viet share the same ancestors".

The dinner hosted by Beida was buffet style. Many academics, ethnic Chinese overseas included, stacked their plates with the colorful food. I was most engrossed looking at what these food were and went around snapping photos.

The qing jiao chao tu si (stir-fried green pepper with rabbit shreds)caught my attention. The is a bean sprouts dish. I found it quite delicious. There were a dozen more dishes - at least twenty more around the table- but I didn't find any that was particularly outstanding. Maybe I wasn't that hungry.

I saw many friends from my last Chinese Studies conference in Bendigo, Australia. It would be fun then, I thought.

The first day (September 21, 2007) started with a half-day programme of speeches, tea breaks, and a stroll through Beida campus after a more than ten-course lunch. The weather was hot and the stroll a little energy-sapping. The pagoda and the lake
未名湖 in the campus make the place absolutely picturesque.

My presentation started at 4:00 pm. The classroom was full. In no time, I'd to present my conclusions.

The evening ride to Hotel Nikko New Century was snail-paced due to traffic. I took a nap and my leg was aching after the ride.

We entered a very beautiful five-star hotel. The banquet was five-star as well, with probably more than 10 courses, the best being the lightly fried cod with a very crispy skin and a very thin and tender slice of flesh-very fresh. There were many others: beef with abalone, an unforgettable shark's fin broth, scallop with brocolli etc.


The Dragon Seal wine was a divine companion. China may be the next Bourdeaux region of the world.

The diners at my table were easy to talk to. There was our table host, a young gentleman from Qiaoban, Martin from Pathfinder and the professor from NTU. I found the conversation and food flowing very well. Martin threw in a remark that he found my presentation enjoyable and I was much encouraged except somewhat uneasy for getting that over dinner.

At the end of the dinner, my friend suggested that we go out with her friend. We agreed but because we went to the toilet first, the bus left without us. I tried to catch the leaving bus, but it couldn't stop for us at the entrance to the big road.

We went back to the hotel on a bus, No. 102, across the street after asking for directions. The guys at the bus stop were very helpful and so we started our really enjoyable ride. The bus stop wasn't too far from the hotel; the bus was clean and quite well designed as there were grips on the back of the chairs for support.

Day Two (September 22, 2007) was another day of eating. Lunch at Beida was another twenty-course banquet. The dried fried shrimps with sesame were fantastic, most commented.

I felt relieved. My friend from Japan presented. She's skipped dinner on Night 1 and all the seminars to prepare for her presentation. She was glad she made it. Then she shook my hands - they were icy cold. Gosh.

We had dinner at Overseas Chinese Plaza Hotel, hosted by Qiaolian. The courses were out of this world! The semi-dried carp slices was my favourite among the different varieties of appetizers. And so was the wine, a Changcheng (Great Wall) variety. Some people apparently were pissed (a Chinese professor was one of them, I heard on the next day at Yi Huayuan-Summer Palace). My partners thought the spare ribs with tea leaves were one of the stellar dishes. Despite being not so keen on meat, I loved the tea fragrance that seeped into the crunchy meaty shreds on the bone. It was an immaculate recipe.

The dessert dishes included mooncakes with very smooth bean paste. Overall, I'd award nine-and-a-half points over ten for tonight's dinner.

My HK friend and two of us from CHC went to Hou Hai (Back Sea), recommended by the gentleman from Qiaoban the night before, for a stroll. It was like Ho Tay in Ha Noi but really a lot more colorful, cleaner and fancier. There were tea houses and bars on one side of the lake - all with different ambience. The other side mostly were bars and the walk ends at a Starbucks (Xing Ba Ke Kafei 星吧克咖啡). Interesting translation. Before we could decide on where to have tea, we met a boy from Shenyang, Wang Chao, a touter who wanted us to go to the bar he was working at. He wasn't pushy, just chatty and sang very well. He sang a tune for us and said he would continue if we went back. Because the other end of the road was blocked by an acting crew for either a TV serial or movie, we had to walk back to his bar. We climbed up the narrow rickety flight of wooden stairs and perched on big sofas where we had a view of the lake lined with glittering cafes and bars.

We went to bed after chatting for about an hour.

The next morning we were to head for Empress Dowager's Summer Palace after breakfast at Friendship Hotel. What's different for breakfast here was the dau fu nao 豆腐脑, basically meaning 'bean curd'. In Singapore, we eat it sweetened with syrup but in Beijing, it is served with a spicy hot pepper oil, and/or another bowl of mushroom with black sticky soya sauce. I got used to it fast.

Chinese-Singaporean Food (2): Crab with Salted Egg Yolk, etc.

September 7, 2007: A and I thought hard on where to take his rather un-localized Japanese friend for dinner. We both agreed on the cze char place on Upper Bukit Timah Road, Forture Seafood, simply because of its variety and casualness.

His friend came in his best Aquascutum long-sleeve shirt. It wasn't that out of place at this eat-out because some white customers came properly dressed in black night attire, though not overwhelming kind of dinner outfit.

We asked what he would like, and the reply was "boiled crab with ice" -doesn't that sound like Hokkaido hairy crab? We replied, "Oh... sorry, there's no such crab dish here. There're others..." He said, "No chilli crab or pepper crab for me, please". So we settled on the crab with salted egg yolk - which Makansutra recommends.

This crab dish was not that well-done as I expected it to be. It was not as dry as it should be - like the shrimps in salted egg yolk at Imperial Treasure (Marina Square). Though it was not dripping with oil, you can tell it's been fried in oil.

Forture's shrimps in cereal- my favourite local dish- is one of those easily available and affordable excellent versions, though. It's very drained in oil and one can't tell whether it's been fried or not. However, I've also tasted the version whereby the shrimp shells are kept intact-and the shrimps certainly turn out tastier.

We've had a lot that evening. The sheng mian (literally, raw noodles which are crispy instead) was very good. The vegetables with scallop was also fantastic - and I only wished there was lesser oil.

The oyster omelette was unforgettable as well- the egg was soft and the oysters small but plump and succulent. They are better than those at Newton's Circus.

At last, we ordered desserts, but oops, there weren't any. Sorry, we told our guest. Whatabout an ice-cream somewhere else along Bukit Timah? He chose "chatting" as his dessert and seemed quite pleased with conversation rather than with food.
(* 24 April 2011: We suspect a heavy dosage of MSG is used at the stall. We did have to clear our throats several times after each meal.)

Chinese-Singaporean Cuisine (1): Seafood "Sar Hor Fun"

September 13, 2007: Time flies. And it seems that I've hardly completed any of my papers. This afternoon at 15:00 hrs, I went to the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies for a seminar on "Vietnam: Challenges of Growth and Globalization".

I'd make some quick entries here. The challenge for me right now is to get my paper on this Chinese community written and done with. Time is running out. Let's see...September 5 was the night I'd dinner alone because A went across the border.

We haven't got over our cravings for cze char yet, and I thought on which dish I'd miss in Beijing? (I thought of Beijing because I'd be there next week). The dish would be sar hor fun with seafood. This smooth noodle dish is Cantonese; it's got to be steaming wok mei (the fragrance of the wok) before it could be deemed passable. It's hard to describe what this fragrance is. Apparently to achieve it, the wok has got to be hot and fuming and the ingredients swirled very swiftly around it. The other thing is never to scrub the wok clean with detergent. Splashes of boiling water over it before commencing cooking is the key.

My Hong Kong friend, with whom I had dinner at the East Coast Jumbo Seafood last year, commented that the sar hor fun that she was eating in Singapore at that time did not have the charred fragrance (wok mei). I would agree perhaps; but a characteristic that would differentiate the sar hor fun here and that of Hong Kong is the pickled green chillies -- they resemble Mexican pickles, but taste a hemisphere different. Also, the heavenly scent of the obei leaf (dried bark of the palm) that we use to wrap this noodle in sometimes does not seem to be replicable elsewhere.

Anyway I paired this sar hor fun with Penfold's Semillon-Chardonnay and what delightful combination! I'd recommend Penfold's Semillon-Chardonnay over Rosemount's. I think the "depth" factor matches the lingering fragrance of the noodle, even if it didn't originate from the wok, but in the slippery rice strands.

Weekend Meal: Mini-Zen and Cedele's Tea Cakes

September 9, 2007: I ate unhealthily yesterday- had a hurried lunch at Canteen B in Nanyang Technological University and then later on at about 4 pm, after the opening of Nantah Pictorial Exhibition, there were the oily spring rolls and fried vermicelli to pacify my hunger. I was determined to eat better today and I did.

For easier parking and healthier choice, I went to Donguri in the Japanese Association. I ordered the Mini-Zen set (SGD 12.80).
A., his invariably fixed choice of Japanese yasai karee rice. He finds the curry gravy really different from that of the other Japanese restaurants.

This month's chef's recommendations are good- as I have commented in my previous entry. The Mini-Zen comprised a bowl of sushi rice, saba simmered in miso and ginger, hijiki seaweed (substituted with spinach and mushrooms today) and boiled radish topped with katsuo bushi (bonito fish flakes)- all so wholesome and light (unfilling) that I had Cedele's desserts scribbled on my mental menu as part of this healthy eating.

A agreed, because Cedele's and The Cellar Door (on Upper Bukit Timah) are his sources for breads. He doesn't belong to the crowd of Japanese who flock to Provence (Holland Village) and Takashimaya Japanese-style bakeries where you get soft sweet-tasting breads. I will remember to take the pictures of Cedele's desserts the next round. It is very crowded; it's a place for discerning customers, surely, who want to pay for real food. I wonder why, though, cafes in Singapore are so noisy! There's the greenery outside, it's cozy and people are happily chatting but there's no peace and quiet. That's the only reason why I don't go back to TCC chains now - because the deafening pipe-in music drives me away. Cafes in Europe are generally places where you have your repose over good coffees and teas, and that's my idea of a cafe, but unfortunately I have been scouting for here in vain.