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.