My big breakfasts

I enjoy weekend breakfasts at home, which are usually 'guilty', being heavy in proteins and sometimes, sugar. Local breakfasts are usually rare for me (see below), though it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy them:

But a must in my breakfast is a platter of papaya, banana, orange and an additional fruit. These were expensive when I was living in Japan, and thus I eat them daily now:

Besides, the Japanese believe that bananas reduce calories. I do want to prove that it's true.

Lunch at Cedele

We’ve been back to Cedele. The service during one of those lunches that we've had was rather memorable, for once. We didn’t like our seat, I recall, and was given a chance to change and sit by the window. A Filipina waitress, with broad smiles, also helped to take our pictures.

Wholesome high-fibre bread, delicious al dente linguine alfredo with mushroom and another in a tomato-based sauce.

The soups were to die-for: Moroccan spiced carrot (orange colored) and grilled vegetable.

As always, the coffee that rounds up the meals is energizing. It's European style-quite strong and bitter- and comes with a biscuito.

Cakes

Nov 3, 2008(Mon): A. ordered a banana crumble (not in picture). It was like the usual cakes from here, packed with home-made lusciousness. Those in pictures here are the mixed berries and walnut(?) and semolina and orange -yum!

We'd a window seat at the Wheelock Place outlet of Cedele. Good view, but I found service rather disappointing. The young waitors/waitresses were slow and their level of English, far below the average. One trainee was so lazy that I wondered why he even bothered to be a trainee? Perhaps the quality of food compensated for the unimpressive 'service'. We've been having meals there lately.

The outlet at Great World City seems better- at least in terms of presentation.

Pampering the youth

Tertiary students in Singapore are pampered these days- and there's no reason why they shouldn't be since they are the country's only asset. I can't think of any campus that I have been to which I can say is on par with universities in Singapore, in terms of food. Anyway, I could be bias. Look at this restaurant located in one of the universities here.

Although it doesn't offer Japanese food, it's got a nice ambience like any restaurant outside campus. It serves Japanized Asian food- I interpret.

I haven't stopped going back there but each time,after my visit, I always ask the same question: If Tampopo Restaurant at the current Liang Court (beside Clark Quay) continues to offer customers the authentic short-staple sticky rice at similar price lines as this restaurant, why can't it?!

Gazpacho

The gazpacho offered in August this year at Donguri was especially beautiful and - special, because it didn't remind me of the gazpacho that I had in Seville. It tasted out-of-this-world, though, and visually, assuringly wholesome with a mound of fresh summer vegetables in the middle. I could taste olive oil in it, and was wondering if the chef had followed the recipe step-by-step...Ur...this is not an insult, it just tasted unique without the sourish tomato taste. And with all the lovely blossoms thrown in, it was rather 'painful' dipping my spoon into the vegetables.

Yum...So refreshing...

You can probably try this recipe found in elise.com and then dress it up the same way.

Whale meat, anyone?

October 21, 2008 (Tuesday): June this year, I was at the Japanese Association lounge browsing the Japanese magazine Dancyu ダンチュウ (June, p. 111) when I chanced upon this captivating ad on gourmet tours of Kyushu. It is so attractively illustrated and plied with such innocence that everything looks perfectly OK. I don't know what vets would say, especially my nephew, if he sees this. Having our New Year lunch with him at the Equinox has made me abandon my former favorite, the fois gras (Below: fois gras baked on grilled scallop, garnished with fish roe).

I have tasted the whale in Dotonburi, Osaka. My ex-company supplier, who tried to please my boss, treated me to the most unforgettable steam-boat feast. I naively asked how he managed to get whale meat and was told it was declared as a research object by his son-in-law, a researcher of some organization, who was there to share this 'delicacy'. Anyway, it tasted close to beef.

That was my first and last time eating the whale... especially when it looks so cute in this gourmet ad!

Marché

Oct 13, 2008 (Mon): A. had missed Sizzler, the healthy restaurant with a salad bar that used to be located at the far right-hand corner of Wisma Atria on the first floor. So when we discovered Marché one Sunday in Vivo City, where the roof-top garden and playground is, A.'s herbivorous instincts led him inside the restaurant. There was a line, but after 20 minutes, our turn came.

Like a typical Movenpick restaurant in Switzerland where the salad bar is a feature, we were sure we were going to tuck in. To our surprise, the 'healthy' atmosphere strongly signalled us to eat less than what we wanted. We piled the alfafa sprouts into our shallow bowls, then the rockets, lettuce, seeds, boiled potato cubes, carrots, etc. Beside the salad bar, we ordered our spaghetti, cooked by an Indian lady chef. We went to order our mushroom and potato soups and were told to wait five minutes for our pasta.

When pasta was ready, I was surprised it tasted like pasta in curry instead of tomato sauce. I didn't mind actually. A. suggested that we should go back again.

There were a lot there we have not tried: The meats, other soups, the rolls and breads, the wine and beers. We closed our meal with a glass of carrot juice which we shared.

You can be transformed into herbivores for SGD 35, with tax and surcharge, for two.

Go Thai

October 2, 2008 (Fri): It’s Friday evening. Picking up some organic veggie is has become a routine. I stopped by Vivo City, and decided to go for dinner first.

Stopping by Thai Accent was just a coincidence. I haven’t had Thai food since my last meal with a Thai friend at Baan Thai in Hanoi. This restaurant is popular-judging by the line outside. It was early evening, about 7 pm. We were ushered to sit at the corner of the raised level. It was a good table but the air-con was blowing too strongly. We asked to be seated at a corner where we could see the line outside-not so comfortable but we will not freeze.

The waiter and waitress who served us were very pleasant, attentive and efficient. We ordered a Thai green curry, stir-fried kang kong with fermented beans, a glass-noodle soup and a Tiger beer, which was served in well chilled glasses. The curry wasn’t spicy- and that’s good for us.

The veg was very good and rice was refillable. I don’t like egg tofu normally but the soup (without the tofu) was delicious.

With Amex card discount of 15%, the bill was SGD 45. Wow-good deal in this part of the city and excellent (!) for such service, ambience and food quality. I enjoyed the view overlooking the Sentosa casino, currently under construction.

A recommendable place for casual dining.

The Masonic Building

Oct 4, 2008 (Sun): This heritage trail on Hill Street is enjoyable. I’d start from the Singapore Philatelic Museum and end at Clark Quay’s Brewerkz (German brewery) or in Fort Canning Hill. The Peranakan Museum is spectacular as well. If you don’t feel like doing anything except to chat and enjoy a drink or have something to eat, Acte d’Amour (in the building) is the place to go.

Its history started in the colonial days and its ambience is British: The dimness of the lights, the architecture, the ornaments and so forth remind me of British pubs, including even the accents of some of its customers … If you're interested in its brief history, here's a piece written by Vernon Cornelius-Takahama:
http://infopedia.nl.sg/articles/SIP_167_2005-01-17.html


A. loves it; he wonders why he hasn’t known about it after all these years. It’s not advertised in tourist brochures. Does it still preserve the age-old secrets of its chapters? It is now so much easier to ask A. to come to this place for a meal than to ask him to go to the Japanese Association.

I’d not recommend western food at Acte d’Amour, except for its fish and chips.

Indian food is the best, although I didn’t find the mee goreng (stir-fried noodle in Malay style) too bad. Set lunches are at SGD 11.90 each, including a soup and a dessert. Perhaps even having a wine would be great. It’s a peaceful place to chat – and such places are rare in Singapore.

Monte do Castanheiro 2004

October 01, 2008 (Wed): Today is the break of Ramaddan, Hari Raya, and many Muslim families seem to be having fun outings.

Last night A. and I wondered what to pair with our dinner - spinach linguine, little grilled chicken wings and a tofu salad. I thought about the Monte do Castanheiro that was introduced to Singapore - frankly, I don't know when. It was very good recalling Portugal while sipping it, even if it didn't really match the salad and linguine.

Portugal is tranquil, laid-back, very historic and romantic. I recall strolling along Douro River, thoroughly soaking in the sunset at Pousada de Santa Marinha (Guimarães), picking up ripe big tangerines from the ground, exploring Coimbra and totally being gripped by the melancholic fado. I enjoyed getting lost in the oldest university of Europe in Coimbra. Portugal’s charm, simplicity and beauty are deeply edged in my memory. Two of my two trips there were worthwhile. I am thinking of going to Madeira and Lisboa (again)- it should be some time not so soon.

I'll have a week to remember Portugal while enjoying this vinho tinto from Alentejano. It's from Borba, famous for its reds. Unlike many of the indigenous varieties, this one is a blend of Trincadeia, Aragonez, Castelão, Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a very silky texture, a lovely bouquet of fruit, sometimes I taste my favorite fruit, cherry, in it. Finally it exudes a hint of spices. It's got a good balance.

An E-mail from My Old School

I never took any picture of my lunch hall even though I've had numerous scrumptious luncheons there. Thanks to Ms King, the officer in charge of disseminating information on events and general communication, I've the chance to save this beautiful picture of my former school today.

Hanoi!

22 June 2008 (Sunday): I'd missed Ha Noi. I haven't returned for several years since my last stint.

I really didn't know how I felt on my way home from Ha Noi to the airport. I met Phuong through the hotel staff of Intercontinental West Lake Hanoi (1A Nghi Tàm, Hồ Tây). Phuong said that he's Thoi's colleague. Thoi is the driver that I have hired in these recent years for trips to the airport. He's a stout and cheerful guy of 30 years old. I couldn't reach him this time because the telephone line in my room was out of order. I'd the repair men of the hotel examine it, but by then, it was too late to contact Thoi. (The front desk happened not to take the initiative to offer to call Thoi on my behalf).

I saw familiar faces this time: Hung, a young man at the Foreign Language University, is now a receptionist at G's one-year-old inn where I stayed for a few days; Hien, a teacher at Hoa Sua (a school which trains orphans and poor kids vocation skills) is now a waitress at the Lac Cafe in the Intercontinental...I also met a talkative and cheerful waitress formerly from Daewoo's Palm Cafe; and Bien, from Hoa Sua, is now the captain at Paris Deli (Pho Nha Tho). I was both happy and tired after several days of chatting, at different hours, with all these people including folks in the street.

I met Chi Michelle and her love at Au Lac House, a Vietnamese restaurant at 13 Tran Hung Dao (Tel:9.333533) one of the evenings. We ordered a wide variety of dishes while chatting and only realised that it was 10:30 pm when a sleepy-looking lad came up and asked for the bill: "Chi oi, please settle the bill and then you may stay here as long as you want." I didn't think anyone cleared the table after that. There was hardly a trace of any human being after that except for the guard locked up the front gate of this old beautiful and romantic French villa. Outside the gate, we embraced one another farewell and climbed onto our waiting cabs.

The next morning was spent at my former university. Thay XX was there to welcome me. He then called for another colleague of his, my former Vietnamese teacher, to come into his office. We chatted until 11:30 am and left for lunch in a university car - a black Toyota. What greeted me at MYWAY restaurant - a haunt for university guests -was the richest spread of food that I've ever had in Vietnam. Incroyable! Big shrimps,roast duck, fresh spring rolls, fried spring rolls, sour sea eel (cá chình) soup, grilled sea eel with rice paper and herbs, rau muong xao (stir-fried kang kong), fried pork cubes, beer and mango juice...followed by a fresh fruit dessert with tea. It was very much more colorful than any of the wedding banquets that I attended in the years from 1998-2000. I felt sinful from overeating...

Đường Nguyễn Trái (Nguyen Trai Street) on which my ex-university stands has changed. There's a rather ugly Parkson shopping mall, an endless line of small shops, a high-way (not expressway)- but I am glad I could still spot the entrance to the wet market. I remember the road was perpetually flooded whenever there was a downpour about eleven years ago. I recall having to wade in knee-high waters and brave occasional sand storms while walking to school.

The area where MYWAY restaurant (17 T3 Hoang Dao Thuy St, Cau Giay) is located is a new residential estate that reminds me of a small Singapore-style HDB area. I heard there are Korean and Japanese restaurants nearby within the estate. When I enquired about the rent and price of an apartment, I only got repeated replies from one of the teachers that he has several apartments for rent outside the area.

I hopped onto a mini-cab back to the lake after that endless 'grazing' while the teachers scuttled back to school for their afternoon meetings. Along the way, I saw changes along the streets of Dong Da, Pham Ngoc Lanh, leading to Bach Khoa. The young taxi-driver hailed from Thai Binh. When I expressed my surprise at the rather 'roundabout' route he took, he reduced my fare from 69,000 dong (shown on the meter) to 50,000 dong. How's that?!

I needed a coffee - hoping to still stay awake to savor the city in the afternoon heat. I was happy to have found Paris Deli near Nha Tho Lon (the big church). This is a rather new branch, standing in the place of old traditional shops across Moca; now the Moca crowd has flocked to Paris Deli.

The waiters at Paris Deli Ha Noi seemed to enjoy chatting with me whenever they could catch their breath. I never felt lonely in Ha Noi everywhere I went. That was how I spent my five full years in what was then known as a 'no thrill' city.

I relaxed at the Intercontinental with swims and filled myself with the wonderful fruit juices and a Mouton Cadet on (not 'by') the lake after sunset. These activities were followed by another swim at 6 am (sunrise is at 5:20 am now) and a huge buffet breakfast at Cafe Du Lac. The hotel guests were made up half of Japanese, a few Koreans and the other half were westerners. The cafe is also patronised by a few nouvelle riche of the country.

At Noi Bai, after tolerating a long messy line, a customs officer offered me his handphone number and scribbled a line which read 'Younger brother ...' on a piece of paper, then informing me that foreigners like me can now buy land and build houses. I'd met those familiar faces at the SQ check-in counter... My luggage was overweight, but the lady kindly wrote it off after threatening with a "Chị phải trả tiền" (You have to pay).

I saw "Okabei", the movie by Yamada Yoji, on the plane. My eyes, bloodshot from swimming without goggles, felt alright but tears were rolling down - and I wasn't sure if it was the heart wrenching story of the character, Kabei (played by Sayuri Yoshinaga)?

Walking on the arrival passage out of the plane at Changi, I heard an interesting conversation among a group of Vietnamese officers. One said:

"Không cần mang quần áo mấy đâu...Ở đây không bụi mặc cả tuần cũng được."

[Don't have to bring so much clothes... It's not dusty here; it's alright to wear the same clothes for the whole week!]

I chuckled, walked past them and headed for the duty-free stores.

I am sure I will be back in Ha Noi again very soon...Tôi sẽ quay trở về sớm!

MoA-TSUBAKI 椿 at Riverside Point （Tel:6438-4280)

May 24, 2008 (Sat): It's Saturday- a day to lunch out. I chose MoA-Tsubaki after reading about it in a newsletter for Japanese expats in Singapore. All of its six chefs and two Japanese waiters are Japanese and thus I expected it to be truly authentic.

It was not easy to find it, but thanks to posters, I made my way to the fourth floor of this quaint looking shopping mall. I do like the mall for its height -the fourth floor being the highest- and it is located right across Meidi-Ya by the side of the Singapore River. The restaurant gives the feel of a modern Japanese restaurant- like a posh Japanese restaurant in America - but with friendly staff. It overlooks Indochine and the Ford Canning Hill with its wonderful greenery. An artificial trickle of water inside the restaurant divides the private rooms and its long corridor leading from the entrance before the spacious seating area. Hmmm...I do like the interior.

It has lot of dark-colored wood yet it makes use of natural sunlight. Its long purple sofas match the dark tables, black pepper and salt pots,chopsticks and napkins. How many restaurants in the commercial districts of this small island can offer such 'breadth'? - not even Kura no Naka and Sun & Moon - both nearby.

The waiter and the front manager are Japanese. A. found them 'dirty-looking'; one wears long hair and the other is spotted with a crew-cut, moustache and a beard.

The food is great and presentation is astoundingly artistic. Salt, mixed with green tea-powder, is served in a golden lacquer bowl with the tempura - for those with strong kidneys.

The music reminds me also of a Japanese restaurant in California... soft, slow jazz. The mood of the restaurant is right for a romantic date.

I enjoyed my lunch bentoo ; a SGD 32-course with three pieces of negiri-sushi. A. ordered a Himeyuri (SGD 23) with Japanese chicken rice instead of sushi,

but every other dish were the same as those in my bentoo. The lunch came with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream topped with strawberry.

Ambience: 4.5/5.0; Service: 4.5/5.0; Quality of food: 4.8/5.0

Healthy Beer/Sake Side-Dish for the Dummies: Tai no Arani 鯛のあら煮

I hope that no one is hurt by being called a 'dummy'. Actually I have by chance cooked a dish that even dummies can close their eyes and do it well. I was flipping through a gourmet magazine at the library of the Japanese Association. I hardly go there because it doesn't have many non-fictions that I like. Occasionally when I do, I'd read a popular cooking magazine or two. This dish appeared in the most recent
食彩浪漫. It's great for this very hot season when we're trying to cool our bodies with beers or chilled wines and remove some toxic gas, increase our fibre intake as usual...I've rewritten the recipe-here goes:

THE FISH HEADS:
If you go to the Japanese supermarkets (e.g. Meidi-Ya or Isetan), pick up a fish head or two-depending on how many you want to serve. For this season, tai is readily available. You can have salmon as well. These are normally well-cleaned at the Japanese supermarkets - and don't mind the fishes staring at you with their protruding eyes! Wipe away big residual scales stuck around the fins or give the heads another quick rinse under running water. Wipe dry with kitchen towel. Remember to buy a bag of burdock root *arai gobou produced in Aomori Prefecture at the same time. There are two in a bag and the soil has been removed for lazy cooks.

DASHI:

To prepare dashi (bonito stock), micro-wave a satchet of crushed bonito (like our crushed ikan bilis) in hot water in the microwave oven for 2 minutes. Don't use cold water to extract the essence out of the bonito in the microwave -you'll be disappointed. The powdered dashi in bottles or tubes do not produce the same flavor/quality. The sachet ones are more expensive - but you'll be able to convince your dinner guests that you've been trained in Japanese cooking ;).

BURDOCK ROOT:
Wash the gobou roots again-and if you like, peel off another thin layer of skin from it. Cut into bite sizes.

THE COOKING:
Cover the fish heads and the gobou half-way with the dashi, hot from the oven, flavor it with Japanese soy sauce -about 4 TBS (Kikkoman's natural brew自然酿製 is cheap and good), about 4 TBS sake and 1 tsp (teaspoon) of brown sugar or fructose (for your health's sake). Put the pot over medium fire and just forget about the fish for a while.

Wash some ginger and green onions. Shred them finely. Your TAI NO ARANI is ready to be savored with beer/chilled white wine! I had a cold Tyrell's Wine - Semillon 2006 with it.

Durian Desserts, Goodwood Park Hotel Coffee Lounge

By now the Goodwood Park Hotel, the second oldest hotel in Singapore, needs no introduction to its scrumptious durian treats. I'd the durian crepes - which 'rocketed' me into space (SGD 13)! Its real durian all the way! I win the hearts of my friends by treating them to the apple tart and ice-cream - less 'local' but very light and cool for this weather. The tart is flaky, warm and crunchy. Price: SGD 10 (excl. GST).

Minoru Restaurant (Tel: 6775 8879)

February 20,2008(Wed): It's mid-week and chilling out at some small cozy place seems the right way to 'recharge'. I found this place along the quiet West Coast Way. It's hidden and all covered-up so that passers-by will not be able to see its interior.

I used to take evening walks near Hong Leong Shopping Centre where Japanese kids and housewives hanged out in the 1980s-90s; but then, I did not even know this eat-out existed. The equally inconspicuous sliding door of the restaurant opens up to an authentic Japanese drinking ambience. Its low ceiling, warm latterns, small wooden chairs and tables, beer ads of sunbrowned belles on the beach, comics, and ornaments are all so provocative of the izakaya ambience prevalent in the back alleys of Japan. The three gaudy fu-lu-shou (Prosperity, Wealth and Longevity dieties) standing above the shelves of Japanese comics hint at its non-Japanese ownership, however. The chefs and the waitresses are also of Southeast Asian origins - though not necessarily Singaporeans - except for a tall waitress from Mainland China. The head waitress has the sweetest smile, and she immediately imparts an ii-kanji (good feelings) of the place. She told me that the restaurant has been there since the 1980s. I wonder what the place was like in those times when Singapore's Japanese population was four times greater?

Most customers now consist of families or couples, and most were locals living around there. There was a Japanese tanshin funin (expatriate without his family) who pecked at his bowl of rice and naberyori (hot claypot) while reading his daily. I guess doing that was better than just focusing at the steaming claypot right in front of him.

I ordered a Minoru bentoo (lunch-box) and A., a sashimi set. Although lunch time has long past, the waitress informed that bentoo orders were acceptable. That was the kind of flexibility I like.

After munching the rather chewy sanzai (wild mountain vegetable) appetizer, our food arrived.

My bentoo looked ordinary enough: a grilled saba, a deep-fried kushi consisting of bacon and asparagus,sashimi slices, a miso soup and a star-shaped mold of rice. I like the shredded daikon which was thicker and juicier than the very thin popular version. A. liked his fresh sashimi - but not the ambience.

The bill added to about SGD40, including GST. It's not bad, really. The friendly staff know their regulars; the restaurant offers decent wine /sake and does not charge any corkage fee so you can bring in your favorite drinks from home.

214 West Coast Way
Hong Leong Garden Shopping Centre

High Tea at the Equinox (Fairmont Hotel, formerly Raffles Plaza Hotel)

May 1, 2008 (Labor Day): It was a high tea many were looking forward to. Most remembered the Chinese New Year Lunch we had at the Equinox. The sashimi, the sushi, the happy waiters and the lau-hei (Chinese New Year fish salad tossed with vegetables and crisps), and the splendorous desserts...

This high tea offers the same atmosphere: Equinox is grand, bright and spacious. Located on the 72nd floor, it can't fail to impress with the panorama of the Singapore waterfront. I rate the high tea spread, though, as average, although the quality of ingredients scores well. But I don't take my high tea elsewhere, so I am probably not a fair evaluator. There are focaccia sandwiches, green salads, sushi (again, not as great as those served in the Chinese New Year lunch buffet), spaghetti, Chinese dessert soups, porridge, buffalo wings, taro-fingers, pizza...


My favorites are the taro and chicken wings. Most of my guests voted for the warm apple tart which they said was AWESOME! Alas, I was too filled up to relish it. The next time I go, I won't forget. But I will make sure I go for the lunch buffet. This is, after all, my second high tea, but nevertheless, remains a good experience.