Dim Sum at Mouth Restaurant シンガポールのヤムチャ （6534-4233）

April 29, 2007 (Sunday): It seems ages since I last had dim sum at Dragon City on January 1 this year. The restaurant is located in Corpthorne Orchid Inn (ex-Novotel Orchid Inn). Since then, I really thought I would not eat anymore Chinese food out of my home. Dragon City used to be one of my favourites a decade ago, but its standard has plunged so much that I think chefs working there must be paid peanuts. I had deep-fried seafood rolls (frozen Southern Vietnamese seafood rolls)- the most horrendous combination of some jackfruit mayo sauce mixed with oil, its nightmarish stirfried fuyi noodles, and its steamed tofu dish all tasted like substandard hawker fare.

This time, after browsing through UOB's brochure on one-for-one deals, I've decided to check out this restaurant where one of my nephews had his birthday bash. There was no good deal I could get from my UOB card, though, having not gone there with a group of four.

When I reached there at 3:00 pm, the restaurant was still packed. There wasn't much of an ambience to talk about -- just a rather clean-looking place with pacquet floor, some timber works, two huge pillars diagonally positioned probably for good fengshui. I have always wondered why this place was named so uncreatively, upon seeing its Chinese name 地茂馆（lit. 'land prosper restaurant/place'), I sensed some humor in it. The Chinese name phonetically reminds one of the way a Chinese would attempt to pronounce 'the mouth' in English for the first time -- it is rather ingeneous!

The menu is expansive; one features the deep-fried stuff, the other the steamed dishes. Then there are lunch and promotion sets. Prices range from SGD 3.80-4.90 a dish. I only picked the steamed stuff because I didn't think oily food would work well with my stomach. Finally, after being told that 80 percent of the steamed menu were no longer available for that day, I'd not much choice left. What I ended up ordering were: siew mai with crab roe, Beijing jiaozi , yam cake, special har gao (shrimp dimplings), and bamboo shoot in beancurd skin rolls. I couldn't have more because they forgot my steamed carrot cake. The total bill added up to SGD 25.28 ( a little discount on service for UOB cardholders).

My overall rating: food: 4.0 out of 5.0 points; service: 2.5 - 3.0 points; ambience: 2.5 - 3 points. I wouldn't mind making another trip there at the end of the year.

Address　場所: 133 Chinatown Point #02-01；New Bridge Rd 059413.

Saturday Breakfast and Tu-tu Kueh

April 28, 2007: Thursday evening, while passing by Scotts, I thought I'd go to Isetan Scotts to buy some salmon and pumpkin. I took the elevator to the 4th level, and entered from Scotts Shopping Centre. I was surprised to see Enzo Angiolini on sale. Although I like this brand very much, I am often resigned to not buying any of its shoes because of my dainty feet. This time, however, I was fortunate to find a fitting pair of sandals. It was quite a good deal-- SGD 65.90, considering the usual prices E.A. shoes go for.

While at the household level, I recalled seeing on the Isetan newsletter about a German frying pan going really cheap, from SGD 79 to 29 and decided to 'hunt' for it. The brand was nowhere in sight. I spotted it later on at a corner in the most inconspicuous counter which was blocked.

I used it this morning to make two sunnyside-ups, the sole reason for buying the pan anyway. Truly it made the greatest eggs (see: served with traditional British recipe baked beans SGD 1.50).

In the afternoon, after renewing my library membership card, I joined the line that was formed at Clementi Coffee Shop behind NTUC, Clementi, to get five of Tan's Tu-tu Kueh (SGD 2). Without any smile or acknowledgment, the owner rudely threw the bag of cakes at me. Although the kuehs really are lipsmacking good, and a break from western cakes, I'd try not to patronize his store again.

Instead the next time I go there, I'd like to check out the 'no pork, no fat' fresh popiah store beside him that's drawing a longer line. The lady chef appeared composed, and the store looks like it deserves an 'A' for hygiene, although I couldn't see any sign displayed.

Quecetto Chianti and Pasta Puttanesca

April 27, 2007 (Friday): I seem to go for 'Italian' quite often. Tonight was no exception. I'd "whore's pasta". What an exciting dish, you might think. This dish was named, some chefs said, after local prostitutes in Naples; Pasta alla Puttanesca means "pasta in the way a whore would make it". Some think the name came from the spiciness and smell of the sauce. The sauce, by the standard in this part of the world, is not hot at all. It's a delicious blend of capers, tomatoes, anchovies, olives and garlic.
There are also others who interpreted that the low price for enticing customers to order it made it a dish of such reputate. A well-known chef rationalized it as a quick, cheap meal that prostitutes could prepare between customers.
The wine I served with it was Quecetto Chianti 2005, which I bought at the impromptu wine stall at the Japanese Association on April 22. The other wine that I wanted to buy was Maysanne but there was no stock left. I think most Japanese only enjoy the blancs.

Easy-to-prepare Appetizer

April 24, 2007: The polengi mozarella (mozarella ball) is expiring tomorrow. I cut it into smaller oblong pieces and halved the Grace Cup cherry tomatoes - the best in town -then placed each half on each piece of the cheese. Toast for about half a minute in a toaster -just enough for the cheese to start to get sticky. Sprinkle black ground pepper and basil over it. Garnish with basil or some greens. Serve hot.

DONGURI's どんぐり Tokusen Bentoo for April (Japanese Association)

April 25, 2007: It's a mid-week eat-out evening. I have not tried Donguri's bentoo set this month and so thought it'd be a good chance to stop by the Japanese Association. Besides, the weather was cool and wet with the rain continuously pouring down in torrents. These external conditions and my hunger pangs make a good miso soup and tempura irrestible.

On the way, I stopped to buy some handmade bagels at Cluny Court's Cold Storage: wholemeal (the last piece), sesame, and raisin and cinammon (SGD 1.50 each). Of course, some thick Swiss cheese would make a wholesome breakfast tomorrow, I thought, and so got a pack of that (SGD 6.80), and some smoked ham (SGD 2.49 per 100g). Along an aisle of the supermarket, I saw a Terre D'orb from France and picked up a bottle (SGD 18.95). This is an award-winning French 'varietal' in 2006 (25% Carignan, 20% Grenache; 15% Merlot; 25% Syrah; 15% Cab. Sauvignon). I could taste the sweetness already simply by reading the content composition.


4月　特選弁当(1025Kcal)

うなぎご飯 (SALMON, NOT UNAGI!)、

いかそうめん (SHOULD BE SANSAI SOBA!)

木の芽二色田楽、

若布ときゅうり

黄身酢和え、

竹の子筑前煮仕立て

鶏唐おろし餡、

味噌汁



Grilled salmon Rice, Assorted

Sashimi, Cold Soba with Wild

Vegetables and Grated Radish,

Simmered Butterbur(Fuki)

Assorted Seasonal Tempura,

Sesame Tofu, Miso Soup

My Fish Ikasumi Curry

April 21, 2007: We went to a local coffee shop on Jurong West Street 41 and had a curry fish head for lunch on April 20 (yesterday). It was a sweet-sour Chinese fish-head curry simmered with some sweet pineapple. The coconut milk was not smoothly blended into a smooth gravy but it tasted good somehow. I do not think I'd go there another time because I prefer my own home curry dish. I did enjoy going to the vicinity where the coffee shop was located, though. The provisional shops offer countless varieties of wares- and they make up a colorful buzzling area. I came back again today.

At CK store, I bought a value-pack of MagicClean (KAO) sheets for SGD 9.90. It's SGD2 cheaper than Meidi-ya's promotion price but I realized it was manufactured a year and a half earlier in late 2005. I also bought two pairs of cotton boxer shorts for home use. It's cool; I suppose boxer shorts are unisex stuff. Then I passed an Indian woman selling fresh curry paste at a rather dark corner among the rows of shops and got 60 cents-worth of fresh cumin, chili, galangal, and all the colorful aromatic spices all packed into a bag. She shortchanged me - meaning that I paid SGD 1 for that bag.


At home on April 22, I bought squids and red snapper from the fishmonger and then a bag of freshly grated coconut,lemongrass, ginger, red local onions, and coriander at the wet market. While cutting the squids, I'd this idea of mixing the squids and their ink into the curry. I expected good results since the Italians made use of squid ink for their delicious stew and ravioli. Indeed, nothing was not a let-down at all and was given the boost with a B & G Chardonnay 2004. For Vit-C intake, I opted for the bitter gourd. It was a perfect meal in the tropics.

Too-much-fish Day

April 19, 2007: It's one of those days when I didn't seem to have control over what I want to eat. I wanted to make dinner for my Mom and so went home slightly earlier than usual to grill some salmon and to prepare a tofu dish and boil some greens. All these took me half-an-hour. Before I left the house, I took out the sanma (Japanese swordfish) to thaw for my dinner later.

When I met her, she told me she's just had a great dinner of lotus root soup and white fish with sauce and some mustard greens. She couldn't take in another piece of the white fish - which I was sure, just by looking at what was left on the plate. That meant that I'd to finish the fish that I grilled for her besides the sanma which I'd thawed. Once thawed no fish should be re-frozen or I know I'd be sorry for doing that.

Bakerzin's Strawberry/Vanilla Sponge

April 13, 2007: Cindy and her Mom came to my place. It must have been a long journey from her abode in that rather 'remote' Savanna Park, but I am glad they made to right to the other side of the island where I live.

Cindy, as usual, does not have the habit of coming to my place without any gift. Good for me, though, I got this chance to relish one of the most delicious cakes in Singapore, and perhaps in the world. Bakerzin's strawberry cakes are a mark up among the rest. The last Bakerzin treat I had was from Ah Kiat, who treated us on his birthday. He told me that he paid SGD 28 for it. This time, I almost had the whole light fresh cream fruity spongy cake to myself. I recalled telling Ben who works for Pokka that their strawberry cakes were nowhere near this Bakerzin's version and it seemed that Pokka (operating in the Japanese Association) has tried to improve theirs. But I think there's still a lot of room for improvement in terms of being true to the fruit and sponge. Toh tseh sai, Cindy!

Sun with Moon Restaurant Japanese Dining & Cafe at The Central (6534-7784)

April 11, 2007: I wanted to dine Japanese tonight and had Donguri in mind, but somehow was made to change my mind. I was taken to a new outlet of Sun with Moon, a new business venture of the Suntory Group. This new outlet just opened a few days ago-on April 8th, if I am not wrong.

This place is like a hip Tokyo-style outlet, but sprawling spaciously by the side of the Singapore River and is thus more relaxing. I ordered the mainstream fare: assorted sashimi (about SGD 32.50) and tempura (SGD 28?). The sashimi did not taste as good as it looks, maybe because I was comparing it to Sushi Yoshida on 10 Devonshire Road (Tel. 6735-5014), where I found fresh raw fish to be of No. 1 quality. The tempura at Sun with Moon turned out crispier and lighter than those I tried at Yoshida's, though. I was impressed with the succulent shiitake and the branch of golden mushroom which opened up like a Japanese fan.

I had Lindeman's Semillon, a very easy companion, to go with it. Most of the Japanese restaurants that I have been to do not carry good wine menus.

The signature dishes at Sun with Moon include kamameshi (averagely priced at SGD 25), traditional steamed seasoned rice pot which are subtle cousin to local claypot rice, and aburi - half-broiled sushi. I ordered the oyster and shiitake pot which turned out to be very good, partly because I was hankering for oysters. The warm house sake made it quite divine.

The most supreme seemed to be the desserts. In fact, the dessert menu is impressive. My tofu cheese cake (SGD 6.50) was a delightful call.

It's sour, smooth and creamy and contrasted with a very sweet crispy crust, lightened by its thinness.
There are certainly many other temptations worthwhile succumbing to the next time I come.

Address: 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #01-70/71/72 The Central Singapore 059817

日本人会 のレストラン・飲食 & Ai Funghi e Proscuitto

ミニ膳（680Kcal）

山菜ご飯

若布あさり大根の吸い物

揚げ豆腐の肉味噌

鮭の味噌煮

ほうれん草じゃこおろし


Rice with Wild Vegetables,

Clear Soup of Japanese Clam

with Seaweed and Radish,

Deep Fried Tofu with Minced

Meat Miso Sauce, Simmered Salmon

with Miso Sauce, Boild Spinach

with Grated Radish and Sun-dried

Fish


The Straits Times URBAN of April 5 carried an article commenting on the common faux pas of locals when they go fine-dining. "They feel like they’re just going for a meal and they want to dress for comfort," comments a F & B consultant. Although I think that comment reflects a partial picture, I can understand that kind of comfort derived from not wearing heels, accessories, and make-up. That explains why I like the comfort of eating at home.

It suddenly rained cats and dogs in the midst of my heritage tour on April 7, 2007, conducted by API (Asia Paranormal Investigators) which I will write on next. I headed back to the Japanese Association 日本人会 for a cup of hot coffee after being drenched in the rain. The heritage trip had to halt halfway.

I ordered a Napoleon to go along with my coffee. The Japanese Association’s Donguri Restaurant,operated by Pokka Corp, serves fantastic coffee – not so much for its beans and roast, but more because the coffee is prepared using a special siphon. I had a mini-ZEN set for lunch earlier. This is one of their specials for the month of April. The buri (fish) and asari no osuimono (clear soup with clams) were very tasty. I'd order it a second time in my visits there this month.

After tea, I picked up a funghi sauce at da Paolo Gastronomia for my pasta, together with what used to be my house wine for a few years which was going on a special price at Cold Storage -- Rawson’s Retreat Shiraz Cabernet 2006 by Penfold’s (SGD 17.95). I enjoyed the wine; but the sauce wasn’t as good as the funghi sauce whipped up by Pane & Vino in Hanoi, a simpler creamy version with mushrooms... Nho’ ’ Ha` No^.i qua ’ !

Buffet Lunch at Ellenborough Market Cafe (6239-1848)

Good Friday, April 6, 2007: After my swim this morning, I was all ready to go to Swisshotel Merchant Court for my buffet. This would be my first visit to this hotel, tucked at the corner of two busy streets near the Singapore River.

When I reached there, a short line was already formed. The hotel interior exuded a strong Balinese accent which I liked very much. The polished teak, porcelain, rattan flower-pot stands and other embellishments were coordinated to create a mellowed brown ambience of tranquility. The spacious cafe is decorated with tiles reminiscent of Peranakan houses and Portuguese-style ceramics. In fact I saw some Eurasians who looked Portuguese!

The feast derived from four generous spreads of food - quite a rarity in hotel buffets on Orchard Road- and I immediately felt my guilty conscience prompting. First, the vivid scene from a You Tube video clip on 'Daily Life in North Korea' was still lingering in my mind; next was the sudden disturbing appearance of the bloated me posing with Evelyn for a picture outside our dormitory on Seaview Street in Oahu (Honolulu). Ughh...Life is a journey of negotiating dilemmas, and it later turned out, a battle with onslaughts of temptations:

Sushi, sashimi, braised sea cucumber with mushrooms, fresh roast duck, arrow squids in chili, flower crab with a spicy gravy, beef rendang, chicken masala, steamed oysters, western salad spread, marinated abalone, roast chicken, duck in soy sauce, spring rolls, beef goulash soup and boiled shrimps; the dessert counters offered Thai Bubur Terigu, green tea brulee, brownies, Easter eggs with choc, Ah Balling (Peranakan glutinous dumplings with black sesame filling), 'foo chok pak kor' (a soupy dessert with bean sheets 'yuba' and ginko nuts), fresh tropical fruit platter, ice cream, apple and raisin crumble, bread and butter pudding, vanilla sponge...

I give thumbs up to the prawn noodle for its excellent authentic stock which contained some fallen shrimp legs, followed by the well-braised sea cucumber (namako)with mushrooms, the steamed oysters and the beef goulash. It was such pity that my stomach wasn't able to make room for everything in the buffet.

Finally I ended this gluttonous sojourn with several morsels of sweets that immediately melted in the intermittent sips of European style coffee. I'd to change my plan of finishing a paper at a quiet cafe in Marina Square and head for home!


What a guilty Good Friday - at SGD 31.35 (everything thrown in).

Other detail from the web (but I didn't see any lobster, abalone noodle, or durian pengat!):
Swissotel Merchant Court Singapore - Buffet Lunch & Dinner
When: Noon-2.30pm, 6.30-10pm daily
Cost: $19.90+++ for lunch and $24.90+++ for dinner on weekdays, $25.90+++ for weekend dinner.
Children pay $11.90+++ for lunch, $13.90+++ for weekday dinner and $14.90+++ for weekend dinner.
This spread with a strong nonya component has gained fame since 1997 and the star remains the durian pengat, a yummy mousse. Other must-haves include the slipper lobster in black bean sauce and abalone mushroom noodles.

Marks & Spencer's Messicani & Swiss Bakery's Pannini

Friday, April 5 (Thurs): Today seemed like a Friday, tomorrow being Good Friday holiday. I went to Cluny Court's Cold Storage and had a surprise when I saw 'Ubaldi' ravioli on the shelf. This was the brand of the ravioli I picked up at a Sydney Supermarket (Costwell?) near Manly Pacific, where I stayed. The cost for a box here is SGD 10.10. Not too bad, really. But tonight, I wasn't in a ravioli mood. I was thinking of the half-box of Messicani left in the fridge. I thought some really fresh Pomodoro e basilico would be perfect with it. It turned out to be true, with an excellent Bordeaux, Chateau L'eglise Saget (2004) as well. This has a profound body, a wift of fruitiness, and a refined balance. It was one of the six bottles I picked up at Carrefour during the French Fair. Vive la France; vive le bon appetit!

I have not seen Messicani in Italy and wonder if it's an Anglo-Italian creation. It read something like this on the packet: Made from durum wheat semolina and fresh free-range eggs. Wow! No wonder I thought the best food in Oxford was any food stuff from Marks and Spencer on High Street...

Hijiki Recipe

April 1: What a relief; my training's successfully ended and I could chat through dinner. With an enjoyable dinner conversation in mind, I prepared this healthy dish with much passion:
(1) Soak the hijiki seaweed. They resemble soft black pencil tip but are endowed with minerals; drain;
(2) Slice the carrots and aburage (fried tofu from Meidi-ya, where they are the best);
(3) Boil eda-mame (green flat peas);
(4) Stir fry the carrots, add in the tofu pieces, followed by hijiki;
(5) Flavour with a little mirin and soy sauce; simmer; and
(6) Garnish with green peas.

Itadakimasu! It tasted fantastic.

Burmese Day-Bed

On the evening of March 28, my Burmese teak day-bed FINALLY arrived. I'd waited for it for months- and due to bad service protected by the 'no promise of delivery' clause on the back of the receipt, I was resigned to not seeing it at all. I almost gave up waiting for it!

True to the bad service policy of the company, St Louis Pte Ltd, in IMM, Jurong, it came a little scratched at the two sides. But by now, I'd no more energy to kick up a fuss and send it back! The two workmen entered my clean home on their sooty barefeet and treaded on the sides of my Kashmirian silk carpet- apparently got quite 'high' while stepping on it too - and almost snapped my nerves. But I controlled and served them chilled water, much to their surprise! I guess none in Singapore has done that to them even when the temperature rises above 33 degrees Celcius?!

Anyway, I love my new bed. It's very comfortable to read on. With the cool air drifting in from the window, I end up sleeping more on it than reading (See: picture of it with cushions handmade by the Nung women in Lac Son; bedsheet is a quilt by the Hmong tribe, Sapa, Vietnam).

Nikujaga

March 29: After a full day of training, I felt tired. But while everything was simmering in the Japanese pot, I had a good scrub in the shower. Missed swimming in the morning because of training. I had to be at the training venue at 8:30 am.

Nikujaga is a very delicious and easy-to-cook dish. Cut up potatoes and carrots (I always believe in cutting them neatly) and blanch 'shirataki', or 'itoo konyaku' (arrowroot starch vermicelli). Boil some peas if desired. Thaw your packed sukiyaki or paperthin beef. Slice some onion rings.

Fry the sliced onions until aromatic. Add in carrots. Stir well, followed by the potatoes. Add in shirataki, then water, mirin (sweet rice wine, which I usually omit), sake, and finally soy sauce. Simmer all. When the ingredients are cooked, flavour them with beef. Many add in sugar but I don't.

Garnish with peas. The dish is ready to be relished with piping hot Japanese rice - for a day or two!

This was also the first time I had Saumer with it. And it is really a weird but interesting wine. Very good with cheese, as I found out on the next day.

Four Leaves' Potato & Bacon Bun

March 28- I had to conduct training the next day; thus, having an elaborate dinner would be out of the question. Tuna and Italian bean salads would make fine accompaniments to the bun I picked up at Four Leaves Bakery, with a Rosemount Shiraz Cabernet. Unfortunately the bun didn't taste good- it was too soft and sweet. I should've gone further to Cluny Court Cold Storage for the freshly baked multigrain Swiss bread. But I must say this Australian varietal has interesting bouquet, a decent medium body and a lingering aftertaste. Good companion for a quick bite.