u m a m i

Where did I eat December 2005

Finally, the last entry for 2005. I suppose I should analyse the information to make some sense of it. Later, after I am done with all the other stuff.

Mayin: My colleague introduced me to this popular Chinese eatery in Bukit Batok Mall. Bright, modern, laminated wood furniture, efficient service, mid-price range, inoffensive, mid-quality cooking, combining the most workable Taiwanese and Crystal Jade formula to keep the mall crowd happy. I wil be happy never to return honestly, all these shiny new laminated places makes me feel like 1984, and I imagine myself eating pink indistinguishable globules of food matter.

Kuriya (3X): My friend eslim has been saying how much he likes Kuriya at Shaw House for its very fresh products and reasonable prices. He is absolutely right. We went on two occasions and enjoyed pristine sashimi dishes of sayori, aji, houbou and scallops. The sayori season is over, I will miss its sweet, almost crunchy texture and its beautiful silvery appearance. Houbou is another new favourite fish, its flesh a delicate rose pink hinting at its almost fruity sweetness. Also ate at the Great Word City outlet with colleagues, since it was a business meal we ordered the set lunches which were very good value and came with strawberry yoghurt desserts instead of the usual watermelon slices.

Silk Road (1/6): Where I met husband for a lovely lunch on the eve of Christmas eve because I got the half day off. Food and service standards maintained. The dan dan noodles is really da bomb, seriously, it is a fantastic bowl of noodle goodness.

No Signboard, Geylang (1/5): Possibly the only seafood place in Singapore that tolerates dogs. We had to sit at the table farthest from the main crowd, but the staff were very nice to our pooches.

Melben: Mimi & Rufus not welcomed, so we had to tar-pow our butter crabs for Xmas eve dinner.

OSO (2/4): Husband really likes this place. I realised that I've eaten their veal before but it didn't detract me from enjoying it again. Maybe they should update their menu soon. But not take away the chocolate tart.

Garibaldi: Lunch on the New Year's eve's eve. I used to be a big fan of their previous incarnation, Rossi, but stopped going after they had a change of management and moved to their present location. Between this and Oso, we much prefer Oso. For one thing, the sauvignon blanc was served almost warm here, not a very good start. We ordered a la carte, not the sets, but was not particularly thrilled except for a starter of grilled scallops which was pleasantly plump and sweet. Oh and I am sure that the lady sitting next to me was Deanna Yusoff.

Ichiban (1/7): Quick shopping lunch at Great World City. The unagi sushi was so dry the fish had curled away from the rice. It isn't often that they get it wrong, but the manager took my feedback well, so maybe it won't happen again.

Crystal Jade. (1/21): I think I am weaning myself off CJ, only one meal this month, at the CJ Kitchen in GWC.

P.S Cafe, Paragon (1/6). Not the Blood Cafe anymore. Their ham sandwich is huge, I ordered it because I saw that them slicing some ham and the meat looked very appetizing. The earnest wait staff with big eyes told me that they were opening a new outlet at Dempsey Rd and urged me to go, yes, I promised; he needn't have worried, it is now the hottest place in town. I'll wait until the hip people move on to the next happening spot.

Spizza (1/7). Juliana Ginna Zara

Auntie Kim's (3/4): Last meal out 2005. Fifth brother was in town for cousin's pre-wedding party, and he wanted loads of meat for lunch. We had bulgogi, bbq beef and grilled saba, plenty of meat there.

Old Airport Rd: Lor mee, not sure I like this noodle in gloopy sauce, but this bowl has a lot going for it. generous chunks of fried fish, sliced fried pork, cilantro, chewy yellow noodles. Then again, all that gloop....I preferred the one at Sheng Yi Fa Xiao Chi in Clementi; which we settled for because the claypot rice stall happened to be closed on the day of our visit.

At work, there was a staff Xmas lunch at the cafe at Marriot, the selection was quite dull. The annual dinner and dance was held in a function room at the Regent, the buffet variety was limited but well made, and the best thing was that I won a folding bike which is now earmaked for my sister's children. 

And as usual, I had a fix of the chicken porridge in Jurong West, which I introduced husband to on Xmas eve afternoon. A little mad to drive from Balestier to Boon Lay on a non-working day, but why not?

Where Did I eat November 2005

There was something about November and Mercury being in retrograde that made it a month of very dull eating. New places failed to excite and old favourites disappointed.

Kaisan (1/9). The food was good, but it takes a blind, deaf and dumb person not to realise that this place is not doing well. There were out of uni by a Friday evening. Johnson was on an indefinite 'sabattical' leave. The sushi counter was manned by Chef Eric whom we felt lacked a certain delicate touch with planning and presentation. Chef Thomas was in the small cooking area where Johnson used to be, and although he made efforts to socialise, he also seemed rather disheartened.

Sapporo Noodles, Miharu. While the professionals with long credentials and hard-earned experience struggle with their fine-dining venture, this tiny noodle place tacked to one corner of The Gallery Hotel was doing roaring business. It has acquired a cult-like following, and having failed to get in previously, I was curious to see what the fuss was about. We came early, put our names on the book and waited.

Proceeded to order their two most popular selection- a cold noodle with house special soup and a hot Tokusen soup noodle. Both did not live up to our expectations. The noodles very springy but my house special soup was covered with an unappetising layer of oil while husband complained that his soup was too robust and devoid of any subtleties. The side order of char-siew was equally disappointing but this time my complaint was its dryness and toughness- don't think Japanese char-siew is meant to work the jaws too much. Service was mechanical and charmless. Sitting at the counter and being so close to the heat of the stoves was a bad idea too. I observed heavy handed use of Korean miso paste. The bill, an exorbitant 40 plus dollars for 2 noodles, char siew and iced tea.

The only good thing to came out of that lunch was my purchase of some scrummy bread from nearby Simply Bread .

Auntie Kim's. (2/3) The bbq beef ribs were not as nice as CJ, this place cuts it too thick. Kimchi tofu soup was good. Bibimbap was boring, for a non-meat bap I expected a more interesting mix of vegetables or seeds. We should just stick to japjae next time.

Sun with Moon Japanese Dining & Cafe, CHIJMES. This restaurant is part of the Suntory stable, and in keeping with the brand image, the space was beautiful and stylish. Too bad the owners did not invest the same care with their food. Sashimi of binchon maguro? What provenance was this? Neither the waitress nor the counter staff could elucidate. The fish, when it came, was pale and unexciting. A selection of sashimi did not meet our expectations, i.e. fresh and tasty- the ark shell was certainly out of its shell for some time it had started to smell a little fishy. The shimaji and fantail clams sashimi was fine but nothing that says wow to us. Sushi, new age style with avocados or mangoes were more pleasing. The house specialty of kamemashi is like a refined version of our local claypot rice and we enjoyed the version that we ordered, with edamame, chestnuts and crab leg. For dessert, the dango was too hard and they were very mean with the soy powder that accompanied the mochi. Overall, this is a pleasing place to go to for new-style japanese dishes as long as it does not involve top-grade sashimi.

Romantic Kobe, United Square. Nothing romantic about plastic chairs, strip lighting and garden tables. Fast-food tonkatsu joint. Rosu Katsu rice with curry was adequate, the pork fillet nicely breaded but the meat itself a little too dry. Husband complained that the beef in his beef curry was absolutely tasteless.

Penang Kitchen, Coronation Arcade. From time to time, we cut out newspaper clippings of restaurant reviews and put it into a mental checklist for trying out and this was one of them. The Char Kway Teow was excellent, a little oily but plenty of wok hei discernible within the tasty noodles. Everything else that we ordered failed. The signature Lor Bak was mainly fatty pork pieces parts smothered to death in 5-spice powder. Sago Gula Melaka came with lumpy foamy coconut milk, an absolute no-no for me.

Pontini (1/4). Our fourth visit this year, and a rather disappointing meal it was. I waited 30 minutes for a salad of grilled frozen prawns and tough squid. The truffle dishes were exorbitantly expensive ($75 for just the truffle alone, per person) but uninspired. The kitchen seemed to be operating on snooze mode that evening. Chestnut charlotte with whisky sauce had no perceptible taste of chestnuts or whisky. When I quizzed the waiter, he sheepishly mumbled something about "only a little" put in, so that it is OK for kids to eat. The same principle applied too, he gave as an example, to tiramisu. Well, that seemed like complete BS to me, considering they charge adult prices for them. I am writing this place off.

Lau Hock Guan Kee Bah Kut Teh, 328, Joo Chiat Rd. One Sunday afternoon we were in the Joo Chiat area and I had a fancy for the gorgeous baby squids from My Mum's Place. But the place was apparently sold out of it, even at the early hour of 5.30 pm. Consoled myself with a fish-head curry meal next door. Their BKT is so-so, but their fish head curry is cooked with plenty of assam to make a thick and spicy gravy and the fish was lightly cooked to let its fresh sweetness come through.

Manna Korean Restaurant, somewhere near Telok Ayer. Was in the neighbourhood and popped in on impulse. The ban-chan selection was wider (seaweed not included, that was my extra order) and the Dolsot bimbimbap very satisfying.

Ichiban (1/7): Good old standby for lunch. I usually order their cooked dishes or pull one or two sushi plates like unagi or soft-shell crab.

Blood Cafe (1/5): My chicken sandwich was too large and dry, so I gave that up in favour of a tart filled with peanut buttery goodness. It was also very large but so decadent and yummy I could not resist finishing it.

For work:

Shang Palace, Shangri-La Hotel. Farewell lunch for a colleague. This grand restaurant has seen better days. The first thing I observed was the person who guarded the entrance. In most fine dining restaurants, this person would be very pleasant, very attentive and capable of handling many awkward situation. The person on duty that day did not give the expected impression, she gestured extravagantly and her speech was coarse and graceless. It happened also that on that day, there was a large contingent of Japanese tourist accompanied by their self-conscious and very loud tour guide. Her well-meaning instructions shattered the calm of the place and I was surprised that the management did not have the foresight to place the group in another area to allow other diners more privacy.

To make things worse, the food was not up to standard and we were compelled to complain to the captain at the end of the meal. Every dish was executed badly. We had ordered the usual items, nothing too challenging for a restaurant of their supposed calibre. Peking duck was dry and the pancake wrapper even drier. Soon hock was over-steamed. Crispy noodles were soggy and the fish slices tough and fishy. Steamed Dong-Po Rou was a misnomer, the belly pork had in fact had all the juiciness and fats cooked out of its every pore. Desserts were in general overly sweet, and steamed egg with ginger juice turned out hard instead of custardy. Oh dear.

Penang Place (1/8): I took same colleague here for her farewell lunch. No surprises here. Consistently good. Or is it because it is the only restaurant within the IBP campus?

That's about it, a month of very dull eating. I am yawning just typing this out.

Where did I eat October 2005

October was when we discovered some terrific new places to eat, and reacquainted ourselves with old favourites.

Thai Smile Cafe, Circular Rd: One of many eateries along Circular Road, this simple coffeeshop serves quite authentic and very reasonably priced Thai food. The chicken with green curry was light and aromatic with loads of tomato aubergines.

Netsuretsu Ichiban Tei, Robertson Quay: Colleagues were in the mood for ramen. Actually we could not get a place at Miharu nearby, so we settled on this instead. I must say, the ramen here is quite respectable. The tonkotsu ramen came with a boiled egg that was nicely soft and yolky, as well as generous slices of tender and fatty cha-siu. Even better was the soft-scoop ice cream that reminded me of childhood days.

Auntie Kim's Korean Restaurant, Upper Thomson Road: There isn't really an Auntie Kim, the proprietors made the name up. No matter, as we enjoyed the food here very much and it has since become one of our regular haunts. On this first visit I really enjoyed my japjae, the bouncy and chewy potato noodles stirfried with scallions and bean sauce was just as I remembered from eating in Korea. Husband loved their spicy squid, which came in a huge platter and was very spicy which was how he likes his food.

CMK Restaurant (2/2), next to Mustafa's. It is actually a 24 hour coffeeshop, "discovered" because I was hungry after my shopping and their neighbour Saravana Bhavan had already closed for the night. CMK has a high turnover of customers who go for their all-day pratas and Indian-Muslim foods. The chapattis here are really yummy, not at all dry and floury, and goes well with their shiok mutton dishes. My favourite item though, is their plain pratas eaten with sugar or if I am feeling bad, wrapped round some sliced bananas.

Old Airport Rd Hawker Centre: I cannot believe that I haven't visited this old favourite for more than 10 months. Well, we're now back with a vengeance. Rediscovered the Nam Sing Hokkien Noodles which was just fabulous, the noodles all absorbed of the rich pork and prawn stock and tinged with plenty of wok-hei. On another occasion, the kway chap at Toricos reminded us again that there are some great foods that can only be found in this little island.

Kaisan (1/8). Thomas was away, Eric took over the fresh fish counter. We enjoyed sweet scallops and kodai sashimi. But his 'special' deepfried maki was not so successful. Johnson compensated for the lapse with his creations from his corner of the tiny kitchen. On this visit, we tried a lotus root uni sandwich- two pieces of lotus root encase uni and the sandwich fried and coated with a mild tomato sauce. Sounds bizarre but it was incredibly delicious, a masterful act in balancing taste and textures. Unfortunately we have since learnt that Johnson is now away on an indefinite period of sabbatical leave. I may be wrong, but this restaurant seems to be still struggling for survival in spite of the perseverance of the crew.

Crystal Jade (2/20): Dim-sum lunch at the CJ Kitchen, GWC- love their spring rolls. Dinner at the Korean restaurant which I maintain serves up the best BBQ beef in town.

Por Kee (1/2): This was the scene of our April makan gathering. This time round, our group was smaller. The cooking was generally above reproach but I was quite disappointed by the very indifferent service and smaller portions.

Forture Restaurant: The food served at the SAFRA wine dinner was lovely, unfortunately standards were not maintained at a subsequent visit.

My Mum's Place, Joo Chiat: Excellent cze-char and great service in this food-centric neighbourhood.

Rang Mahal- They must have heard us criticize their attitute because this time the service was flawless. We came early for Sunday brunch buffet and were given a lovely table on the platform with a good view of the room. Everytime we left the table someone came to freshen the table double-quick. The mango lassi was packed with the flavours of alphonso mangoes while my drink, the Lychee Fizz, was very refreshing and flowery. The buffet cost $35 +++ per person, which was quite expensive considering the limited variety of food. What was served was excellent though, very refined and exquisite. I loved their thosais, crisp and not oily, accompanied with chunky sambars and pungent pickles. From the savoury selection, I found myself liking the cashew and fruit pulao very much. This and their other vegetarian dish, a light curry of peas and mushroom, were my favourite items. The meat dishes were OK, a chicken curry, tandoori fish and chicken, and a lamb briyani, all very ordinary though. Their dessert selection surprised me, because I usually associate Indian desserts to be too milky and sweet, and it wasn't the case here. The mango-based desserts were fabulous, like the burki and ice cream, packed as there were with loads of alphonso mango.

Vansh (1/2). Pre-concert dinner. Like our experience at the parent restaurant, the service has improved greatly.

OSO (1/2): Husband took me here for our anniversary dinner and when we opened the menus we were thrilled to discover that it is the season for truffles. White and black. Not having eaten that much truffles in our life, we were not sure what is the difference between the two so we tried some of each shaved atop pan fried eggs. White is definitely better, it has a more intense aroma and the flavours more nuanced and lingers longer in the mouth. More truffles then, in the fettucine pasta. Even the cheese board had a pecorino infused with truffles, and it was most delicious I assure you.

Alex Eating House, Beach Road. There was a time when I ate here once a week, as the roast meats reminded me of the KL-style I was homesick for. The cooking though, has changed over the years. The roast meats are still done the way I like it, but the sauces that accompanies it have become too sweet and thick, almost ruining the rice on which they are poured.

Some of the places that we tried out and did not like much:

Pu Dong Kitchen, Balmoral Plaza. People come here for Shanghainese food, especially their braised pig trotters. OK only lah. There are many other places in town that does it better and at more amenable prices too.

Miao Yi, Coronation Plaza. My vegetarian frieds say this is the best place for a vegetarian Chinese meal in town. Nah. I just don't see the point. Chinese vegetarian can be quite oxymoronic, most places, like Miao Yi for example, would offer "mock meat" dishes which feature variations of meat substitutes like tofu, gluten, mushrooms and other soy derivatives rolled up in beansheets and deepfried and served with a thick mucinous sauce to simulate the real thing. Boring and unappetising, not to mention unhealthy with all that deepfrying.

Taiwan Delights, South Bridge Rd. Not.

At work, it was Penang Place (2/7) and Nordic Cafe (1/2) to relieve the tedium of eating at the food courts and Spinelli.

Where did I eat September 2005

Another chomp-ful month. First, the usual suspects:

Crystal Jade (1/18): Only the Korean this time.

Cedele (1/10): Tuna melt sandwich and iced tea.

Kaisan (1/7): Chef Johnson stir-fried some ramen with mentaiko, a refreshing, and no-cream deviation from the usual pasta style. From the sashimi counter, kodai sashimi was served in the classical style as well as dipped into a fresh-ginger-scallion dip. Also sweet buttery scallop and more of the grilled sama while the season lasted.

Spizza (1/6): The usual. Ursula, no cheese.

Ichiban (2/6): Nabe udon for lunch. Salmon nabe for dinner.

Royal China (1/4): I have a new addiction- stewed goose webs and sea cucumber. The goose web has high cholesterol, and sea cucumber purportedly lowers it, so it makes sense to eat them together I guess. Another reason to eat there is their apple crysanthemum jelly, husband is still trying to figure out how they make theirs so subtly perfumed.

Blood Cafe (1/4): After my gynae appointment, again. I ordered the blackboard special of Welsh Rarebit, and it came in a big, indulgently rich portion that I could not help but finish. Me bad.

No Signboard, Esplanade (1/4): Dinner with friends. They finally had big crabs! Finger-licking-thumb-sucking good. This white-pepper crab consumption is turning into a serious habit too.

 

Pontini, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel (1/3): scene of a wine dinner featuring Tuscany winemaker Castello di Brolio. Before dinner, there was a vertical tasting of their vintage chianti classicos from 1997-2001.

Then a rich and sumptuous dinner was served to match with more wines. Foie Gras terrine. Heady Tuscany soup of prawns and fava beans. More wines followed, mostly chianti classicos. Chef Francesco Greco sent out more food. Wild mushroom risotto. A perfectly cooked beef tenderloin. A redundant dessert of chocolate puff pastry with sabayon, redundant because by that stage everyone was completely satiated and full to bursting.

LeBistrot (1/2): Dinner with friends. The pig head salad was wickedly good, they must never take it off the menu. Their home-cured gravlax was well-made too.

Then, the others:

Vansh: This upmarket restaurant-lounge looks a bit lost in its current location; the Indoor Stadium is not really the venue that the city's hip people naturally gravitate to. The modern North Indian food is worth schlepping over for I suppose, their tandoor cooks are quite masterful at turning out excellent naans and grilled meats and seafood. Street snacks such as crisp puris accompanied by light tamarind water was a refreshing change too.

The service was efficient but cold and aloof. Vansh and its parent restaurant Rang Mahal have the same failing. They like to reserve 'better' tables in case better customers who may come along later. We have, on more than one occasion, walked into their empty restaurant to be automatically shown not-so-nice tables e.g. in the middle of room, flanked by pillars, in the sun's glare, in the dim corner, etc. When we requested for better table, they try to deflect our request with mutterings of "oh it is reserved"; fine if that is the case, but more often than not those tables remain empty even after we finish our meals.

Peach Garden: Lunch treat given by my boss. I liked their young coconut jelly dessert. For the mid-autumn festival they also featured a less common but elegant red date paste mooncakes.

Fish & Co: Sometimes I just want a piece of fresh fish grilled and served with chips. Fish & Co delivers just that.

Ming Chung Heng Hwa, Maude Street: scene of montly makan session with friends.

HK Street Chun Kee, Novenaville: another makan session with friends.

Jeju: A small Korean restaurant along Purvis St. We ordered simply. Ginseng chicken. Spicy ramen. Spicy squid with rice. The ginseng chicken does not match up to Crystal Jade's but it is more reasonably priced. The spicy ramen was quite plain but the noodles made up for it with its springy bite. This place is definitely worth returning to.

Max Brenner, Esplanade: Where we adjourned to after our crab feast at No Signboard. Their waffles with chocolate sauce tasted really good, especially when paired with gorgeous stickies our wine-loving kakis provided.

Dian Xiao Er, Marina Sq: Similar to Soup Restaurant, this Malaysian-based mid-priced family-style restaurant specialises in duck roasted with Chinese herbs. The ducks are not that fantastic actually, the herbal flavours crude and masked with too much sugar and MSG, but that didn't stop the crowds it seems. I prefer their side dish of kailan stir-fried with plenty of lemongrass and salted fish.

Carl Jr's, Marina Sq: The latest fast food sensation from US. Since we were in the neighbourhood we gave it a go. Did not like the too-bready beef burger, maybe that is a ploy to get people to order the double-patty version. The fries were limp. Gave them another chance with the Fish Sandwich which was a big improvement as the fillet was thick and the batter still crispy when the sandwich was served.

At work, too boring. Only highlight was the chicken porridge place at Jurong West. Otherwise it was mostly Spinelli's- some of their sandwich seems to come with better breads nowadays.

Where did I eat August 2005

Prata Cafe, Evans Rd: This place has its own 10-page thread on the Makansutra forum. A makan session happened in July but I was in China at that time, husband went and reported that he loved the food. I just had to try for myself too so one hot weekend afternoon, we went. Loved the sedap Indian rojak and my Milo Dinosaur which came in a tall glass heaped with a montain-high pile of Milo powder. The dry mutton curry and fried beehoon was so-so. The prata kosong was leaden and chewy, maybe they made too much in advance. The mutton murtabak was a better choice, it came piping hot and the dough layers were finer and more crisp.

Moomba (1/2): Husband and I came here when we were in the middle of a fight. My face looked like thunder, and husband's was equally stony. The atmosphere must have been so awkward that the manager was moved into giving us complimentary glasses of port with our desserts. But even in the midst of a cold war, we ate well and picked from each other's plates. Eat first, continue to fight later. Husband's Kurobota pork chop was as satisfying as ever and I loved my fig and cheese salad.

Burger King (1/2): sometimes you need to have a whopper.

Silk Road (1/5): We ate there four times in January, but lapsed in the months after. The noodles are as good as the ones I've had in China, husband cannot seem to get enough of their dan dan noodles. The cod fish with soya crumbs is a new favourite.

Kaisan (2/6): We stopped going to Kaisan for a while because husband didn't like their new style sushi. Well, Peter has left, and the place is now sticking firmly to the classical style.

Now is the season for the migratory Sama fish. This silvery elegant fish swims northwards towards Hokkaido during the summer season. The journey somehow cleanses the liver, and the liver itself builds up new fatty stores. This is very important, because this fish is prized because of its liver. Johnson, the shy but hugely talented chef in charge of cooked food, grilled the fish with a little salt until it was just so- the skin yielding with a slight crackle to reveal the bubbling liver along one side of the fish. The white flesh is sweet and fine but, tinged with the incredible elemental flavours of the liver, the fish takes on an incredible taste that gets afficionados oohing and aahing with rapture. The first time I ate it, I was a little taken aback with its strong flavours and aroma. It reminded me of my first taste of truffles and buah keluak. After the fifth or sixth bite, husband and I were competing over the dish. Too bad we ordered the last piece. We had to return the following week when new supplies came in.

Other goodies sampled: Hokkaido uni, aji best eaten as sashimi or grilled with salt. From Johnson's side of the kitchen came a healthy and delicate dish of steamed chicken with fresh chopped ginger, a little appetiser dish of braised radish peel, house-cured pickles and the dish that I would always associate with him because his version is simply the best I've had in Singapore- grilled eggplant with miso paste topping.

Tatsuya, Crown Prince Hotel: where we defected to when husband didn't fancy pretty sushi. The food was very good as expected but the delivery was a little too slick for us. The prices were also quite astronomical compared to the more reasonable bills that we have been used to at Kaisan.

No Signboard, Esplanade (1/3): They never seem to have the big-sized Sri Lankan crabs. One of my friends opined that maybe it is a deliberate lie, told to customers to force them to order other dishes. On this occasion my white pepper crab came with one fleshy claw and one 'watery' claw. We asked the manager over, he took one look at the plate and offered to bring another. Wonder what happened to the table that got the other claw. Otherwise a most enjoyable finger-licking-thumb-sucking meal, especially coupled with the stir-fried dou miao and oat prawns.

Crystal Jade (2/ 17): Ever reliable and consistently good Korean food at Ngee Ann City justifies braving the weekend shopping crowd for. At the airport I had my last fix of cha xiu bao before taking off to Bangkok.

 

Peperoni, Greenwood Avenue: Husband was having trouble deciding whether we were eating at Greenwood or Greenleaf. Mimi made the decision for him by puking on the car floormat when we were driving past the junction of Greenwood Avenue. We decided on Peperoni because they had pizza and beers. The portobello fritter with chicken (above) is yummy-mummy too.

Estiva Gelataria, Greenwood Avenue: Personally I found their gelatos too sweet, maybe I just don't get gelatos. Even my ever-hungry Rufus did not fancy any of it.

Royal China (1/3): Back for the crispy aromatic duck wrapped in pancakes. And more treats like braised goose webs. And individual pieces of crab claw steamed with huatiao and egg white- my first encounter with this style of cooking was in the 90's London, Mayflower employs this method for its fabulous whole Scotland crabs but Singapore restaurants have never heard of it. Now one can get this style everywhere it seems, which is a good thing, who would seriously object to seafood-infused custard, no?

 

Shatin Kitchen, Geylang: My makan friends have sniffed out yet another great cze char restaurant. This place is a more posh than the usual kopitiam-syle places. The place had air-con, the waitresses changed our plates frequently and the food, when it came, were beautifully presented with some courses served in individual portions a-la fine dining places. The food was a refreshing change too. The menu highlighted the house special which was sturgeon. Not the roe of course, but the meat of the majestic fish served up in different styles. Sturgeon cartilage with salt and pepper, stir-fried sturgeon fillets with salt and pepper. Also the intriguingly named Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon which was fresh scallop tossed with egg whites. Other winning dishes were the braised lamb and deep fried assorted morels and mushrooms.

This was also the occasion when the number of bottles of wine consumed almost matches the number of diners. We are now the makan and minum gang.

My friend slurp has posted many lovely pictures here.

Zambuca, Pan Pacific Hotel: Once in a while husband would suggest eating Italian, because pasta is his second favourite food after maguro sushi. He decided that we will eat at Zambuca. It turned out to be a failure because although restaurant looks very classy, the food was no better than what Spageddies dishes up down the road. My seafood risotto came with porridgey gluey rice and overcooked tasteless pieces of seafood. Husband complained that his pasta sauce tasted like canned tomato soup. We left without touching most of our food.

Pontini's (1/2) Copthorne Waterfront Hotel: Where we escaped to after running away from Zambuca. There is a young new chef in place and his cooking is assured and confident. Salads were bright and flavourful, and mains were exemplary. My truffle rissotto was rich and decadent, husband's roasted cod was silky and equally indulgent. Sitting by the window and looking down at the action outside Zouk's was very entertaining too.

Where did I eat July 2005

Was out of town quite a bit last month, but the eating was mostly good.

Crystal Jade (3/15) : The Korean restaurant remains a favourite because the food is consistently good. For a change, we had the beef soup, a fiery and very shiok mish-mash of beef slices, vegetables and tofu.

They've recently opened a Macanese restaurant in Bugis Junction, serving favourite dishes from Macau. I visited twice and came to the same conclusion. Either Macanese food is bland and uninspiring or the cook at the CJ is not particularly competent. The Cod-Potato Croquettes which was supposed to have bacalao in it did not have any perceptible taste that indicated its bacalao connection, I reckon the Korokke Chan versions are more value for money. The signature Baked rice with Pork Chop was similarly unexciting- the tomato sauce seemed to have come straight from a can before it got thickened with plenty of corn starch- I had to load a lot of CJ's (excellent, btw) chilli oil into the rice to excite the meal a little. Second outing was slightly better, their Crispy Fried Squid was tasty enough but Spiced Roast Chicken had an unusual spice balance that I could not quite accustom myself to.

Andhra's Spices, Race Course Rd: It's been over a year since we ate here but I don't remember the standard being so abysmal before. The spinach was pureed till it became an unappetising green mush. The naans were flat and hard and the lamb curry was a miserable jumble of gristle and tough fibres floating in its radioactive-orange sauce.

Le Bistrot, Joo Chiat: Good. Report here.

Cedele by Bakery Depot (2/10): On one of the visits, noticed they have a new sandwich.

umami: What is Thai Sawadee sandwich?

server: Chicken.

umami: uh huh.

server: It comes with sauce. Would you like to try our rosemary chicken?

umami: So you don't recommend the Thai Sawadee?

Two girls in front of me laughed. Cashier hastened to reassure me that the Thai Sawadee was really yummy. She was right, the sandwich was spread with a creamy red sauce distinctly fragranced with kaffir lime leaves. Made a welcome change from rosemary chicken.

Liang Kee with makankakis: It is a Teochew restaurant along Havelock Rd. Famous for cold crabs. My favourite dish that evening was the Char Keow Teow, couldn't really tell what was particularly Teochew about it but it was yummy and had plenty of wok-hei.

And then there was the  food bloggers lunch at Mag's.

Ajisen Dining, Takashimaya: Mistake. Maybe they are still finding their feet, but they better find it soon. The conveyor belt sushi is easily the worst in town, and they have a worrying tendency to butane-torch everything. Their mentaiko tofu was inedible, the blameless tofu was covered with a thick blanket of hard un-meltable cheese and the merest hint of the spicy roe. Ajisen should not give up their ramen business yet.

Azhang: A small restaurant with a big attitude. Since they opened, Azhang's have attracted many loyal customers who are fans of their good and unpretentious food. Diners are not rushed over their meal and there is an understanding that their table is theirs for the night; this of course results in some people not able to get in sometimes.

Last Sunday, a friend organised a long and relaxing lunch of sausages and pork leg. Personally I was not terribly excited about the meats but my meat-loving friends were very pleased with the spread. The sausages were admittedly from a local sausage supplier Tierney's and the pork leg was done well but not my favourite way of cooking this cut of meat, I would sum it up as decent but not special. I much preferred their side dishes. The accompanying sauerkraut (or choucroute as husband would call it) was delicious, so was their slow-roasted carrots. They make a most excellent espresso too. The food is, as the owners said with some pride, average, but their consistency, perceived good value, friendliness and familiarity may be what makes it such a successful restaurant.

Penang Place, IBP (1/5): Spring rolls and DIY ice kacang. A little boring but better than the mediocre food court offerings in the neighbourhood.

Where did I eat June 2005

Mid Year Report.

Iggy's (1/2): Banged my car that day, the office secretary suggested I take the day off which seemed like an excellent idea. Invited husband out for lunch. I arrived early, so to quell hunger pangs and settle frazzled nerves, I ordered a Bloody Mary while waiting for husband to show up. Therefore could observe other clients walking in, an impressive list of prominent politicians, socialites and business people.

Tried their burger, which is reputed to very good. I wouldn't know, it was so small I barely fitted in two bites, so how could I tell if it was any good? And it was served with potato wedges, WTF, burgers go with fries lah. Husband had better luck with his sakura ebi capellini; not sakura + ebi (aah the new menu lingo) but tiny pink shrimps which are of-the-sea sweet and cute, the pasta was tasty in a char mee-kia went west way. Was disappointed with the food this time, seemed so plain yet affected.

Xin Jia Shang: Dinner with the makan gang, more details here.

Cedele (1/8): Lunch with colleague. The staff turnover is very quick, I can lunch here everyday yet only recognise the lady who cleans the tables. Which may explain why simple orders take at least 15 minutes to process through. OK lah, forgive them because their breads are delicious.

Ananda Bhavan's, near Mustafa: Did you know that Tena adult diapers are half the price at Mustafa's compared to Cold Storage? And then, because I haven't been shopping for some time and the domestics were telling me this and that are falling apart, we also hauled home shower curtains, floor mats, detergents, whiteboards and ironing board covers. All before 10.30 am which is the usual time we wake up Sunday mornings. So we deserved our paper thosais. Their coconut chutneys are pretty weak though, it is so hard to find decent thosais in Singapore.

Blood Cafe (2/3): They've moved to the third floor. The couscous salad is good, so is the curry chicken sandwich. The iced mint drink, which the server is always keen to sell, is a bad idea unless one is addicted to the taste of toothpaste.

A-Roy Thai (2/2): I finally got myself a Photoshop, but the economical Elements version. Now I can stick my blog name onto my images. Discovered their Fish steamed in Sour Cili sauce packs a lot of kick and zest in the steaming soup but I wish they would use a firmer fish than seabass. Took husband to try it, but he said Por Kee does a better version.

Kaisan (1/4): Peter is the new sushi chef working with Thomas, he specialises in making pretty sushi, like fish slices braided and then dabbed with plum jam, and other embellishing styles that delight some people (me) and horrifies others (husband). Really, June is not the best time of the year for fish from Japan. Luckily there is this local fish called Sugi that makes an acceptable substitute, it's fine firm flesh is best shown to advantage simply grilled with mentaiko on top.

Sin Swee Kee, Seah St. Their rice sets come with interesting side dishes.

Oso: Husband read somewhere it is the best Italian in town. I wouldn't know because I have not eaten at many Italian restaurants. The first thing I said was, " Oh, wasn't this Salut before?". The man at the reception must have heard this so many times yet he was calm about it. The space is very crowded, I can hear the neighbours' conversations clearly, not something I mind very much because I am a kaypoh at heart. The banquette seats are also very confortable, for one thing, they don't sag when you sit on it, so you won't have a hunched back. So many good things even before we ordered.

What I tried I liked tremendously example beef bresaola  with its delicate smokiness interjected with grapefruit sections and drizzles of pesto. Husband suggested that I not order the Roast Cod in Balsamic because it sounded a little boring but I wanted to see how well they do boring, and to their credit, the cod came out flaky and tender inside and sensuously caramelised outside. Husband fared worse with his roast pork loin which was so dry that he had to return the dish after one bite. His substitute dish of gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce was better but bewilderingly, it was over-salted, I could literally feel the salt flakes crunch in my mouth. My good luck continued with dessert, chocolate tart had a pastry shell that 'snaps' and leaves a golden honey taste in mouth. Husband scored worse, again. He ordered the signature tiramisu which seemed a bit apologetic for its terribly subdued use of any of the essential ingredients like mascarpone, coffee liquer or sponge fingers.

The service was exceptionally professional. An Italian man in a suit went round to every table to greet diners, it makes people feel important maybe but it seemed a little silly to me. They replaced husband's dish without any fuss. And the sommellier recommended a very nice red wine that husband was very taken with. 

Crystal Jade (2/12): Theme korean food. Also a weekday dinner to fortify myself with ginseng chicken soup.

Spizza (1/5): The keys to the ladies washroom was missing, so we had to walk to the building's toilets. On way there I was distracted by the bustling activities at the Pudong Kitchen. We must eat there one day.

 

Pu Tien, Kitchener Rd: Heng Hwa restaurant. Their char beehoon is less oily than their competitors. Rest of cooking mediocre but one can't tell from the lovely pictures taken with my new Casio Exilim camera, no? BTW, this camera has one major drawback, it has no date stamp. Bought it at Mustafa's which was selling it at $10 cheaper than what Funan could offer.

At work, I ate particularly well last month:

Pontini's Copthorne Waterfront Hotel: It was a set lunch that was part of the meeting package, but the food was better than I expected, especially the lobster bisque rich with the taste of roasted lobster shells and lobster meat.

Cafe George, le Meridien Hotel: This is our default place for confining groups of people to force-feed them industry knowledge. The meeting packages are reasonably priced and usually includes lunch buffet at the hotel cafe which serves a different menu every day. Day one, lovely duck liver pate to go with freshly baked bread. Day two, ox-tail braised in red wine, yum yums. Day three, crispy pratas sprinkled with sugar.

The chicken porridge stall at FC at Blk 505, Jurong West St 51 (2/2): I vote this as the best chicken rice chicken in Singapore. Comes in a generous portion, requisitely tender, juicy and well seasoned. Good value too, a big plate of chicken drumstick is $4, while half the amount is usually sold by the likes of Wee Nam Kee for $6.

Penang Place, IMM (2/4): First time, because husband came to pick me up from work (when car was out of commission). Second time, friend who lives in this part of the island invited me out for lunch.

No signboard Restaurant, Esplanade (2/2): Their white pepper crab is super-shiok! The white pepper enhances the freshness of the crab, and the the dry sauce is light enough not to need any rice or bread to accompany it. This outlet serves mantou with their chilli-crab, I recall their Geylang place only serves the soft white coffeeshop bread.

Was with colleagues one evening, but shy shy lah, so only ate one tiny mid-leg-section of crab. Took revenge the next day, husband and I went for lunch to whack one plate of cereal prawns, one plate white-pepper crab and one of chilli crab. Later, still had room for some overpriced cakes at V Tea Room. Shocking, no?

Where did I eat May 2005

The May eating-out journal: better record it before the memories gather cobwebs in my tiny overcrowded brain.

Food court at Anchorpoint: Why? Lunch with makankakis. One of them wanted to try the 'best pizza" in town. Not quite, but the pies were loaded with plentiful fresh ingredients. If they were thinner and crispier, maybe. Other good options, the thosai and xiao long bao.

Soup Restaurant (1/2), United Sq: Crowded as usual. Dishes other than the samsui chicken very mediocre, oh why why do I bother? The service staff, terribly lazy and indifferent, maybe they are fed up with the good business.

Ya Kun Kaya Toast, United Sq: Standard continues to decline, food and service wise. But I only go for the cold butter slices anyway.

Royal Copenhagen, Takashimaya Shopping Centre:  I have to thank my good friend G who brought me here when it first opened nearly 10 years ago, and in turn I introduce this spot to quite a few friends. It remains a favourite place to have tea when shopping along Orchard Rd. But I haven't been shopping much, and this place have had a revamp of the decor and menu in my absence.  Banished from the menu is the crepe filled with fresh whipped cream and drizzled with jam- I cannot figure why they would remove such a delicious treat. Though I was soon mollified after eating some honey date pudding, an elegant portion neither sickly nor too sweet and accompanied by a generous dollop of that light-as-cloud cream. And who can remain cross sipping tea from such beautiful china, no?

Crystal Jade (2/10): Once at the Korean restaurant in Taka, and once at the La Mian Xiao Long Bao at GWC. Why is my favourite Korean restaurant run by Chinese?

Haebok Korean Restaurant, Novotel Apollo: I wanted to like this place, because the owner is Korean and he is so nice. The side dishes were more interesting than Crystal Jade's, and they kept giving us refills without our prompting. The kimchee soup packed a good whallop and I loved the seafood pancakes.

Why then didn't I enjoy myself? My beef was, well, the beef. Seriously. the BBQ beef was very disappointing, it tasted wet, like an amateur stir fry effort. The problem may have been the generous portion of beef, which may have overcrowded the grill pan and  caused a steaming effect instead. Most patrons would grill the meat themselves, usually one slice at a time, so to be fair maybe they are not used to weird customers like us who prefer the beef to be cooked before being brought to the table.

Epicurious (1/ 5): Sunday brunch with the dogs. it gets quite hot though. Cannot remember what we ate.

Cellar Door, Bukit Timah: Another occasional brunch place. Don't know what yoghurt they use, it was really light, smooth and creamy. I substituted the bacon with some yummy meaty sausages. Husband gets a little irritated everytime we eat here because the wait staff seems to treat their Caucasian customers better than the locals.

Bali Nasi Lemak, Geylang: It is run by a friend's in laws, but I am not being biased when I say how much I like eating here, and would eat here all the time if only I have a gene that  resists cholesterol. The chicken wings come in two versions, crispy or doused in a finger-licking, lip-smacking honey soy sauce. The sambal petai is always fresh and feisty. Most important, I am happy just eating the rice with just some sambal ikan bilis here. Another bonus to eating here is watching the colourful local characters come and go, but the police cameras mounted opposite have dampened the action quite considerably.

RSSH: The rains made me crave something hot and soupy, so to RSSH it was. If Andrew is around it gets more fun, because he is always test-driving new recipes and dishes. So on this visit we sampled his latest creation, a mutton begedel, which is a vast improvement on the usual greasy potato bullets other places flog I must say.

Farmhouse Village. Second visit with family. The food  was good and cheap. My Chinaman Father approved, helped in large part by the chineseness of the whole place.

Pho Hoa, Holland V: Because it has outdoor seating and because I like their sng-buay (preserved sour lime) soda.

Blood Cafe, Paragon: went for lunch after checkup at the gynae's. The Siam Sour is their take on the mee-siam. What came was pasta in a creamy sauce which was mee-siam like only because it had some sourness from squeezes of lime. But it wasn't wholly unpleasant, even taking into account the extremely salty bean curd sheets which was piled generously on top, that day I happened to be in the mood for salt. I had a slice of cake which compensated  much for the weirdness of the pasta. Note to self, Paragon is not a safe place for the wallet. Bought birthday gifts for husband. New handbag and clothes for meself.

Bakerzin, United Sq: I hate their new name, sounds really silly and unimaginative. Their cakes can still please though, I quite enjoyed my Mont Blanc which was piped over with generous trails of chestnut creams. Their Ginger Milk Pudding is excellent too, much nicer than my home-made attempts.

Spizza, Balmoral: We are moving away from the Ursulas and Claudias. My new favourite is Tiana, the salmon & mascarpone makes lovely pairing on top of pizza crust.

Lai Heng Noodles (1/2): Although I have only eaten here twice this year, husband goes there almost every month. Husband has converted mummy into a fan too, she initiated the request to eat here when the parents were in town.

Whitebait & Kale: This time our dinner did not go well. The waiter was very moronic about the dogs and about the bread that came only after the first course. Dessert was a nightmare, the already not-quite delicate pavlova was buried alive by cement masquerading as whipped cream and the whole bloody carnage emphasized with violent streaks of ugly red jam (regretful flashbacks to ethereal cream at Royal Copenhagen). Chocolate mousse was more like chocolate brick. But the live clams were good, and so was the vegetarian risotto. Bad start, good middle, poor finish- Total Impression: Very Bad. We won't be back for a long time.

Shun Juu, Robertson Quay: As usual, husband over-ordered too many stick-things with bacon. I went home with indigestion.

Kaisan (1/3): Where we went for restorative recuperative cuisine the day after the Shun Juu blow-out. Grilled something fish with lemon was mucho oiishi. Surprisingly the therapy worked, I found room in tummy for some Thos chocolates.

And of course the monthly makan session at Gim Tin.

And at work, continue to enjoy Sergeant Chicken Rice at the Chevron Building because my boss likes the chicken and so must I then, even though I am loathe to cross the overhead bridge and expose myself to the evil sunrays. Still it was nicer than what is available up yonder at the Crunchy Carrot, IMM, which serves food that is, gasp, worse than Han's, a total crime even if we took into consideration the 30% discount if we ordered before 12 pm. A better option is the eggy crepes filled with pork floss from Shihlin XXL Taiwan Snacks. And when I absolutely must have lunch in the building, the sandwiches and coffee at Spinelli are quite acceptable, even more so than the offerings in the foodcourt next door.

Oops, no more photos for May. So we have instead the view of the next-door condo's rear staircases.

Where did I eat April 2005

April was a month of discoveries. Of interesting new places and places that have been right at my doorstep all these while.

Heng Hwa Hometown Cze Char(2/2) is an example that fits both descriptions. At No 276 Race Course S 218628. T: 62941061 . One day I took a taxi to work and when we passed this place the driver told me that the prawn noodle here is very good. He should know right? Being a taxi driver and therefore in a good position to explore the island and discover the best-est and the cheapest. Nah, turned out the noodles were only passable. But the cze char stall at the same shop was doing brisk business serving Heng Hwa dishes.

Heng Hwa is Hokkien sub-group and the main trade for this dialect group is the motor parts (engines, absorbers, pistons, bearings etc) or as the trade call themselves, spare parts business in Malaysia and Singapore. I know this because my father being a Cantonese man had a hard time getting accepted in this business when he first started it some thirty over years ago, the Chinese especially of his generation being typically very clannish and clique-y. In Singapore, the spare parts "hub" (local business accounts for only 30-40%, the rest gets re-exported to Brunei, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Myanmar, like, uhm, you know, the regional countries, and even Russia. It has been like this long before "hub" became such a mis-/ab-used word, but I guess Spare Parts Hub will never sound as glorious as Casino IR Hub, Money Chasing Finance Hub or White Elephant Semiconductor Hub) is concentrated in the side lanes off and along the stretch of Serangoon Rd between Rochor Rd and Lavender St, which pretty much decided why we came to this neighbourhood eleven years ago. How time flies. Now I spend about 2.5 days in the family business while the other 3 days of the week I work in a totally unrelated field over at outerspace Boon Lay.

Anyways, I digress. Heng Hwa food is easy to like. Their ancestral village must have been near the sea because seafood features prominently. Rice vermicelli noodles are typically cooked in rich seafood broth and garnished with loads of dried shrimps mussels, la-la clams and the usual pork and vegetables. I tried both the soup and stir-fried versions, both very shiok but I like the stir-fried noodles more as they seem to absorb the flavours of the broth better. Another dish that everyone orders is their mundane-sounding but delicious Deep-Fried Fish. Husband says it was garoupa though I think it is more like mackerel but no matter, point is they fried it very well. A group of aunties, with whom I shared a table one rainy afternoon, grudgingly conceded that they cannot replicate the fine- inside-crispy-outside characteristic at home.

Another surprise find was Lerk Thai at Singapore Expo: Located outside Hall 6 of the Singapore Expo building where the 142nd SKC dog show was held. Not many food options there besides fast food and food court. Lerk Thai is one of what, only three restaurants at that isolated place, therefore they are guaranteed a captive audience anytime a major event is held there. But we were pleasantly surprised that the food was quite tasty and inexpensive. Not at all authentic but adequate renditions of pad thai, pomelo salad, green curry etc. Run by Select caterers.

Iggy's, Regent Hotel (1/1): I had been meaning to try this place because I like the idea of ingredient-driven menus. Husband when phoning for reservations asked if photography was allowed. The lady not only said yes but gave us seats with a direct view of the kitchen. I counted at least 10 different colour-coded chopping board from my vantage viewpoint. Unfortunately I forgot to charge my battery and the camera died after the first course.

Fortunately the set dinner we had was largely enjoyable, my favourite dish being the Wagyu beef cheek with truffled potatoes because the cheek meat was both tenderly meaty and gelatinous. Also very good was husband's pasta carbonara, I mean carbonara with all its cream and cheese and bacon is always going to be good, but once you add truffles like they did here, of course it got even better. For dessert we shared a melted vacherin mont d'or salad first and then cleansed the palate with a pleasantly lip-puckering green apple sorbet. We will return.

What I enjoyed more than the food was the experience of sitting at the wide counter-top. It has the familiarity of a sushi counter without having to jostle with the chilling cabinets for space. Also, kaypoh diners like me can stare at the neighbours plates without craning the neck too much.

Kuriya Dining, Great World City: I used to like eating here when they first opened. Then one day I ran into E, previously sushi chef at Sushi Sagano, after he met with them for an interview. They were very patronizing to him, offering a junior position with monthly pay of $1000. Which I thought was insulting beyond belief as E had been in the business many years, served his apprenticeship with  (local) Japanese sushi chefs and basically paid his dues. So I boycotted them but the other day husband out of the blue said we should go back to Kuriya and I got to thinking, well, I am at their more down-market Ichiban all the time anyway so what point was my boycott trying to make.

I'll concede that their food is better than I remembered. Mochi grilled till crispy and brown outside and then poured over with a thick soup enlivened with wolfberries and golden needle mushroom was homely and rich. Sashimi was flawlessly fresh. The mentaiko omelet sounded good but in reality had too much mayonnaise which ruined it for me. Service was on the whole haphazard and uncoordinated. Discovered also that they have their own restrooms, unlike the other restaurant tenants in the building.

Also Por Kee with the makan gang.

Only one bad-egg experience: Central, Holland Village: Cha charn tng or Hong Kong style cafe. Charmless and clueless. Waste of time, money and my blogspace.

Some familiar places:

Epicurious (2/4): After four visits in two months, I am starting to entertain unfaithful thoughts about eating at the next door Japanese book cafe, because I used to like their simple cooked dishes like mapo-tofu and tried my first ever coffee jelly there about five years ago. But not sure how they would handle our dogs, have never seen the tidy Japanese customers bring theirs along.

Spizza (3/3): Because there is a branch nearby. They have a nice timber deck with plants and soft lighting which helps mute the noise from the road junction. The staff are very friendly with dogs. Delicious pizza with thin crispy base. We also discovered that if we asked for the mozarella to be omitted they will pile on extra toppings to compensate.

Crystal Jade Kitchen, GWC (1/8): They have new dishes. The prawns with egg yolk was good, so was the ham and crispy bean curd skin wrapped in mantou.

Some nice eats near my office in outerspace Boon Lay:

Fin/ Western, Kopitiam, IMM 2nd Level: The fish and chips here is very popular and deservedly so. The batter is crispy and has a piquant seasoning, the chef's secret recipe apparently, which may not be Brit ideal but is fine with me. The chips were unfortunately not the thick sort I was hoping to get. A rare sight for me, especially in a food court, was the bottle of malt vinegar which customers could help themselves to. I don't know why but no matter how much vinegar I pour my chips are never sour enough is it because I like my chips all salty and vinegary? And, for additional 50 cents one could also buy the mushroom soup which was almost 50% mushroom (canned, not fresh, but I am not quibbling for that price). If they continue this way it will be a short time before they move out of the food court environment.

Penang Place, IBP (1/2): Colleague and I treated our department secretary because it was Secretary's Week. The buffet spread gets my approval because almost all the dishes, especially the char kway teow, spicy prawn noodle soup, kuehs and bubur terigu are of very high standards. In fact I feel that their spread is better than the one at Copthorne Kings and the prices more reasonable. Cons: Location in outerspace Boon Lay.

Another good eatery is the Sergeant Chicken Rice at the Chevron building. The stall owner used to work at the Mandarin Chatterbox cafe so he knows some secrets to the famous chicken rice. Now we know where he moved to after leaving his premises at the Killiney Kopitiam at Novenaville last year.

Where did I eat March 2005

It is nearly the end of April so I thought I better get on with the March installment of "What did I eat". Also, the photos were gathering dust in my PC.

This is not a manipulated image. The tempura prawns were really as tall as a bottle of Asahi beer. Is is the best in town? Absolutely. Is it the most expensive in town? No doubt about it. The bill for two ramen, one tempura prawn and two bottles of beer came to S$90! The memory of the delicious prawns will have to suffice for the moment, I don't think I can afford to eat it that often. Where? Kado Man (1/1) at Grand Plaza Hotel. I think their ramen is excellent, and the place is very popular with the Japanese expat community. One of my favourite haunts in pre-pseudo-Atkins days, but have not been for at least three years. Not much has changed though, the waitress still recognised me.

On the subject of prawns, the ngoh hiang (prawn roll) at the Whampoa Street FishHead Steamboat (2/2)- used to be at Whampoa Market Food Centre, now relocated to somewhere along Balestier Rd- is one of the scrummiest around. Prawn roll is a bit of a misnomer, most places omit the prawns altogether. The basic ingredients are minced pork, diced chestnuts and prawns rolled in tofu skin, or pig caul as in the original recipe. The cze char at this place is not too bad either, but if ordering the fish head steam boat do remember to ask them to omit the alcohol as it completely overpowers the light fish tastes.

And just a spit away is Urban Pooch, a cafe for dogs and humans. The human food is very simple, think fried chicken and hot dogs. By comparison the dog menu is almost gourmet. Dogs get to enjoy home-made Shepherd's Pie and Grilled Lamb cubes drizzled with a meaty gravy. The best thing about this place though is a whole shopfloor area just for dogs to run and play-in total air-conditioned comfort, this is amazing because humans eat in the shaded but non-air-conditioned area. Which is why I bring Mimi there at least twice a week. She is their regular customer and her favourite dish is the Grilled Chicken Meatball which looks very white for something which is supposed to be grilled but Mimi is crazy about it she inhales it in like 30 seconds flat. The frequency with which we visit this place would make it to the top of the list of eating outlets that I am compiling but the food is really not to my tastes, so we will make an exception and omit it from the contest. It is already No 1. in Mimi's book anyway.

Other dog-friendly but not dog-targeted places that we like is Epicurious (2/2) at 60, Robertson Quay, the Quayside tel 6734 7720. They offer dog bowls of water automatically, which is good because some places would not even serve plain water for their human customers. The food is down-to-earth good with a contemporary touch, generally thumbs up especially the brunch items and the apple crumble. They have a huge selection of magazines for browsing (Delicious, DestinAsia, Vogue Travel and Entertaining etc), I also love that they use a lot of retro Chinese plates instead of the predictable white, and their cutlery is the ergonomic type- see, Epicurious is just full of these endearing little touches.

Across the pavement from Epicurious is River Cafe, another modern restaurant in this rather lonely and unlikely setting for the not few eating outlets that are located there. This place was so quiet we were the only customer on our midweek visit. The food, I cannot remember what I ate exactly, was passable and moderately expensive. It was also very quiet which makes it a good place for people who wants to have a quiet meal. 

Another place we took Mimi along to was Da Paolo, Chip Bee Gardens. Upmarket Italian. Already successful so I will say no more about it other than its outdoor deck is comfortable with very adequate shading from the sun and tables laid with crisp tablecloth.

Jia Peng (2/2), which I blogged about earlier. Took husband back to try their CCF. Madam Lum has a chihuahua and a golden retriever at home. The chihuahua likes to ride piggy back on the golden, I wish I can see that.

Above, orange french toast with crispy bacon at Cedele (1/7) at Great World City. Very yummy, husband was practically robbing my plate.

And one day we were at Ikea Cafe because I needed to shop for cushion covers, so we joined the crowd in devouring their $1 fried chicken wings.

Another day we were at Mustafa's. Shopping makes one hungry, and at 11.00 pm in that neighbourhood the best thing to eat is the freshly made thosai from Ananda Bhavan. The cashier tried to make me order a masala thosai, onion thosai, bathura, anything but the cheapest-thing-on-the-menu plain thosai, but plain was good enough for me thank you very much.

And also blogged before, the makan gang's outing at The Family Wok.

Near my office is a building named The Atrium, which houses Penang Place. We didn't eat from its popular buffet spread, but I really liked their version of assam laksa which came with loads of chopped pineapple, fresh onions slices, flaked fish bits and gollops of brown prawn paste.

The best eating of the month was undoubtedly from Kaisan (1/2). An under-rated place that does not deserve to be so. Its standards have not dipped in the least since it opened last July, in fact the food is better than ever.

Some sublime dishes from dinner one March evening:

Left: jewel-like sweet prawn sashimi. I had to resist sucking the roe from all the heads, I mean, six of them at one go is probably not a good idea.

Middle: Hirame (sole) sashimi. Impeccably fresh and sweet.

Right: Fresh juicy oyster in a zesty ponzu sauce. Oceans better than boring old lemon.

There was also a grilled whole tuna cheek. And uni done a new way, mixed with ika (squid), delightfully creamy and slippery. Husband, being leery of uni in general, gave me his share so I enjoyed it twice over.

Left: We always end our meals at Kaisan with a soup. Because their soups are usually quite wondrous. One time it was with slow roasted fish bones. Another time it was some unique winter fish. This time it was made with live seaweed gathered by Ama, that small group of Japanese women who dive for things like scallops ( and seaweed).

Right: Dessert made from sweet potato and pumpkin.

And including the Shanghai eating, March turned out to be one of the best months for eating out this year.