u m a m i

Where did we eat 6 Feb-28 Feb 2005

Most of February eating was very hum-drum. But I managed to avoid the usual haunts like Cedele and Crystal Jade, ya I surprise myself with my adventurous spirit sometimes.

Royal China (1/2): Whadayaknow a TV crew was filming in the restaurant the Sunday afternoon we chose to eat there. Diana Ser was interviewing the owner Jessie. Now if I were an excitable guy I would probably get excited about seing Diana but I am neither excitable nor a guy, so, we were only a tiny bit excited.

How do I know the owner is Jessie? Because the TV crew needed to film her talking to a regular customer. They chose me to be the pretend regular customer because I appeared pak-pak-cheng-cheng (fair-complexioned and decent in appearance, their words not mine), thus I was introduced to the owner. Did anyone see me on Channelnewsasia on 17 Feb 05? I don't know which programme, or whether I was even in it, most likely not, otherwise someone would have told me about it. True incident though.

Hoshigaoka (1/1): At Bugis Junction. There were once three Japanese dining options at BJ- Hoshigaoka, Hisatomo and Sushi Sagano. That pseudo-frenchy place does not count. Sushi Sagano was my favourite because Eric the sushi chef was always nice to me and my girlfriends and he had exacting standards on sushi-making. Hisatomo was the office favourite for the 'family style' Japanese food and I particularly liked any of their set meals which included Tuna Sandwich, because they toasted the buns first.

Now, Hoshigaoka, none of us really expected it to outlast the other two, but strange things do happen and it is now the only one standing. And it being my first day at my new work place and my supervisor suggesting that we eat CNY lunch with our (something we have in common) ex-colleagues from our alumni employer.... it's like musical chairs in my industry...of course I said yes. The gathering was extremely pleasant but the food was hopelessly bad.

Olive Bistro at the Nordic Building, IBP (1/1): Famous for their pies, or so they like to think. OK lah. Have to reconcile myself with this place because where I work, the food options are not many. Not many at all.

Soup, United Sq (1/1): Their samsui chicken is ideal for our no-rice dinner. Samsui women came from China, they wore a distinguishing headdress of red fabric, eschewed marriage and earned their own living by working as construction workers - in the very old days before we started importing construction workers from Bangladesh. Now these tough, independent women apparently ate a typical dish of Samsui chicken which is a dish of steamed chicken slathered with a fragrant dip of minced ginger and sesame oil. Soup restaurant will collapse if they ever take this dish off their menu, it is that popular.

Nara, Goldhill Square (1/1): Marui, of the dubious tuna sashimi from Indonesia, is no more, thank goodness. In its place is new and very-eager-to-please Nara. Decorated in stylish black glossy panes and panels-that-light-up-from-below. Cooked food is above average, i.e. better than 'family-style". We would definitely return because this place is conveniently close to our apartment.

The sushi guy is Ben, we recognised because he came from Raku and he remembers me as the uni lady- because if I see that the box of uni at the counter is running low I would ask to "reserve" some.

At the end of the meal, we were asked how was everything. Being polite, I said it was fine. But Ben pressed me further, so I thought I would be honest with him.

umami: The raw oysters were excellent. So was the uni. ...... (pause to find the tactful words) but the maguro was just so-so, fresh, but we couldn't really taste its sweetness and it wasn't that smooth.

Ben: if you wanted really smooth tuna, you could have tried the toro.

umami: (thought bubble: No. No. No. Toro is too easy. I don't want just a piece of fatty fish.) You're probably right. But the maguro we had at Kaisan a few weeks ago were fabulous. Melted in the mouth and the flesh was so sweet, no fibrous feeling at all.

Ben: But I get my supplies from the same supplier.

umami: Hmm, yar, sometimes the fish may vary from day to day. Maybe next time.

Whereas in my head, I was thinking what a silly thing he said. It is not just the supplier. There is the handling, the packing, the storage, the serving temperature, the humidity, the all-important cutting techniques- it is all these, and more, intangible factors that separates the expert from the wannabes.

Don Noodle House, Tanglin Mall (1/1): Because we needed lunch before my quilting class, and I have heard that their tahu telor rocks. They're right, the tahu was more like omelet tofu, very smooth and nicely eggy which made a lovely base for the spicy-sweet sauce and julienned cucumbers.

Whitebait & Kale (1/2): Lovely Sunday brunch with husband, MIL and Mimi. The guy at the front desk used to own two silkies. The Bloody Mary was yummerlicious, so was the fig jam that came with the bread. I stole most of the chips that came with MIL's fish and chips.

Shihlin Taiwan Street Snacks, IMM Building (1/1): People said the chicken cutlets are big and delicious. One afternoon I finished a teleconference and looked around. Everyone had disappeared for lunch. I took a taxi all by myself to the IMM building across the road (I didn't know it was across the road, the road very long and circuitous mah). The ladies at the counter only started to fry my cutlet upon receiving my order, which impressed me somewhat. While waiting for the chicken to be fried, I had a bowl of the oyster meesua- a bowl of noodles in brown goo, but the two small pieces of oyster were surprisingly fresh, and the gravy had an unexpected lightness, all plus points which led me to slurp up the noodles in less than 5 minutes. Then my chicken was cooked, the ladies cut it up and seasoned it with two types of powdered seasoning ( here are some nicer pictures from bobafette81's blog). They didn't think I would finish the chicken by myself so they gave me an extra plastic bag to tar-pow. Erm, I finished the huge bag before I caught the taxi back to the office. There was real chicken inside, albeit pounded thinly, and the salty spicy batter was  crispy and addictive especially when it was still hot. I think this chicken cutlet will be the next local food fad, can just imagine the slew of copycat giant chicken cutlets outlets sprouting all over the island three weeks from today.

Must go back to try their pohpiah-like crepe wrapped around a fried egg and pork floss.

Founder Bak Kut Teh, Balestier Road (1/1): The pork rib soup is not the best in town, but good enough. The pork liver can be counted on to be very fresh and cooked just the right side of underdone-ness. What I really like is their tau-kee braised in soya sauce, wet slurpy sheets of beans that reminds me of pasta, but lo-carb of course. And they have outdoor tables so it is a good place to take Mimi along to.

California Bistro, Novena Sq: Neighbour of Spinelli, the only redeeming thing about this place is their outdoor table, i.e. Mimi-friendly. The food is mostly of the "mimimum cooking required" genre, mainly salads and soups made from things in cans.

Uncle Leong Seafood, Ang Mo Kio (1/1): Have not eaten at this place since the last time we visited. Missed the crabs we ate in KL over CNY so this was an acceptable substitute. The signature dish of Golden Sand Crabs were covered with a delicious milky curry sauce that probably counts condensed milk ('milk crab' dishes are very popular right now) as one of its chief ingredients. Unfortunately the meat of the crab clung too stubbornly to the shell for my liking, whether this is due to the country of origin (South Africa) or the time of the month I can't be sure, but struggling to extract the meat marred my enjoyment somewhat.

Lai Heng Noodles, Toa Payoh (1/1): Husband likes this place a lot, and eats it for lunch at least twice a month. They renovated the place but the rain shelter solution does not seem to work. Not a good place to go when it rains.

Where did we eat 19 Jan - 5 February 2005

Past two weeks have been very busy for me. Food was not always top priority. I tried to eat well but there was no time to scope out new places. Also, with Mimi around, our dining options take on new complexity. How far is it from our apartment? she still gets car-sick, see. Does it allow dogs? Most places don't, so we've been eating mostly at places that has outdoor seating. Singapore is not exactly a dog-friendly city.

Workwise, I found another job and quit my old job! Yay me! That meant a few farewell lunches in my final weeks.

Note: I started a new numbering system x/y. where x indicates number of visits in the reporting period and y indicates total number of visit this year. If I keep this up I will know by the end of the year which place has been most visited. Exciting isn't it?

Cedele (3/6): The cheery young lady at the GWC outlet gave me a free cookie the other day. I didn't tell her that I quit my job and would not be frequenting that outlet so often in the future. New cake tried last weekend: Cherry Pistachio slice. Not too sweet, the cherries were a nice tart contrast with the pistachio topping. And their Apple Pumpkin Soup... new idea for my home-cooked version.

Crystal Jade outlets(4/7). Farewell lunch #1 given by boss, at the CJ Golden Palace at Paragon. Farewell lunch #2 given by office colleagues, at CJ Kitchen GWC Level 2. Farewell lunch #5 given by boss's boss (also my previous boss), at CJ La Mian Xiao Long Bao. Not all on the same day of course. Pre-CNY shopping dinner at the Korean restaurant at Ngee Ann City for bbq beef and kim-chi fried rice.

Ichiban (2/4): Farewell lunch #3 given by colleague in previous department. Second occasion was my treat to a friend who will come and play with Mimi while I am away in KL over the CNY . I have spent so much at Ichiban I collected enough stamps on my card and got a go at the spinning wheel, winning a $40 voucher.

Whitebait & Kale (1/1), Camden Medical Centre: Wednesday evenings are for pak-thor (dating) with husband. Modern Australian food served in smart casual environment. This was our third visit since it opened last year. It is about the only good place to eat western food in Orchard Road. Husband had live clams cooked with white wine, very good them clams.

Damenlou (1/1): This cze-char dinner took place after a tour of the Botero sculptures, the dinner and tour was organised by friends. The day was too sunny so I chickened out of the tour and just went for dinner. Some tables enjoyed their food, some did not, the quality can be inconsistent. I rather enjoyed their fried seafood kway-teow.

Silk Road (2/4): On this occasion we tried the Hulu chicken. Not too impressed, tasted very much like regular fried chicken. But the usual dishes of fried string beans, Shanxi meat skewers and noodles pleased MIL and husband. Husband finalised details of his department dinner for the following week. We were comped a red bean pancake. Husband later reported that the dinner was a hit among his colleagues, many of whom had never eaten ma-la dishes before. And this afternoon, husband had another fix of dan-dan noodles.

Bendemeer Food Centre (1/1): Finally they finished the renovations, and the revamped centre is now brighter, cleaner and ventilation is much improved. Best of all, the rent increase was minimal so stallholders did not have to raise their prices. Had our favourite Chye Tow Kuay (fried radish cake) from Yong Xiang #01-35, desserts at the no-name stall at #01-05 because it was cheap and good ($1.60 for cheng thng that included persimmon slices and dried longans) and a new discovery, curried beef noodles fro Hwa TongKee Beefs #01-41. The curried beef was obviously home made because the gravy had a 'rough' texture and the taste was more robust than factory packs.

Burger King (1/1): Technically we did not eat in. Tar-powed Whopper and fries as too tired after spending a whole day shifting furniture and playing with Mimi.

Kaisan (1/1): Saturday nights are pak-thor nights too. Seems we came at a good time, because the uni was voluptuously fresh (anyone watched the Japan Hour instalment where they showed this place that sold uni don that had queues going round the block?), the hamachi was full of winter-fatty sweetness, and the maguro melted like candy floss in the mouth. Special treat was grilled maguro head, the meat so smoky and sweet it tasted a bit like roast duck.

Road Side Stall Hotpot (1/1): The occasion was a fund-raising dinner for the tsunami victims. Andrew, ever the generous host, added abalone and ginseng to his shark-bone soup and provided large sweet prawns and Angus beef slices. The ma-la soup was damn good as well. Dessert was gao-li-dou sha (fried egg white puffs with red bean filling).

Spinelli (2/2) at Novena Sq: The food is nothing to speak of and the coffee usually too diluted, but it has outdoor seating in a sheltered area, and that makes it a good spot to take Mimi along to while we read the papers.

Bali Thai at IMM (1/1): Serves Indonesian and Thai food and surprisingly, does not fail at either. Thai Iced Tea came sweetened with a mysterious syrup that reminded me of palm sugar. Tahu Telor (Indonesian dish of fried tofu with special sweet sauce) was one of the best I've ever eaten, though more knowledgeable palates at the table said the one at Don noodle house at Tanglin Mall is far superior. Dessert of red rubies was a letdown, the chestnut pieces were too hard and buried at the bottom of a tall glass; in contrast, the tapioca in coconut cream was plentiful and satisfied the sweet tooth among us.

Outdoor cafe run by Les Amis, Botanic Gardens (1/1): The Les Amis group is stretching itself terribly thin. This cafe serves terrible food but they welcome dogs, even provide water bowls for them. We stopped for a bowl of ice kacang after walking Mimi- they skimped on the red beans and sweetcorn and piled on too much cincau and chopped up cendol, *roll eyes upwards*! For better food, I'll stick to the cafe at nearby SMU.

Iniavans, Chander Rd (1/1): Farewell lunch #4 (in case anyone was paying attention) given by a very senior colleague. He was pleasantly surprised that I even knew about Chander Rd and that I like the food at Gandhi's. Since I was familiar with Gandhi's he suggested Iniavans, which is right next door. Iniavans serves very tasty curries in slightly more upmarket surroundings. I think we have to make a repeat visit on our own. The vegetable curries that came automatically with white rice were light and tasty. I also got to try some dishes I never knew about before, like salted fish curry, Mysore mutton and pepper chicken. None of the dishes were particularly hot, but the flavours were all quite distinct and well blended.

Nonya Bong (1/1): I thought this place was closed, a few times I've driven past it and the shutters were drawn. Good for a quick dinner before taking Mimi for obedience class.

Top Beef Brisket, Katong: Came across this while shopping for CNY cookies in Katong. This HK-styled place serves beef brisket and spare parts noodles. OK lah, though the meat could have been more tender .

Speaking of CNY goodies, I really like the cheese-topped pineapple tarts that seems to be this year's trend. Other than that, I can't seem to get excited about all the other confections being sold out there. Everything seems to just blend into one homogenous mass, even those by stalwarts like Bengawan Solo and Glory. Never mind, this may turn out to be a blessing to my waistline.

Only 3 more days to Chinese New Year. Umami wishes everyone Kong Hei Fatt Choy and San Nin Fai Lok. 

Where did we eat 18 Jan 2005

For the new year I decided to start an eating-out journal. Because I eat out very often. I will keep this journal to see how much my dining preference changes over the year. Unlike five years ago, when I was trying out new restaurants all the time, now I seem to have settled into a pattern of serial dining- frequenting a place until we tire of it, interspersed with an occasional burst of impulse dining at new places.

In the past 18 days of January, I have eaten at, in no particular order of merit:

(Numbers in bracket indicates number of times patronised in the reporting period)

Cedele (3, not including trips to tar-pow cookies and bread). Love their soups and cakes. Current favourite cake: Apricot Almond Slice.

Silk Road, Amara Hotel (2): We liked it when it was first opened about three years ago, then we had a few bad visits and stopped going. One day in November I suddenly had a craving for ma-la foods so I took a colleague there, and just like that, this restaurant has become one of our old favourites again. Husband and I are addicted to their Dan Dan Mian. The noodles are just the right texture but it is the meat sauce that is to die for- they don't bother to tone the spicing down at all, just perfect for husband who has a high tolerance for spicy food; me, I take frequent breaks to wait for the ma-la effects to subside. We have to have a fix at least every two weeks. The rest of their dishes are mostly good, especially a chicken stirfried with fiery cherry-like peppers, Shanxi meat skewers and sesame chicken. They do not compromise in the freshness of the ingredient or the techniques. What makes it extra good for us is their restrained use of oil, which means we can indulge without too much guilt. Their dumplings are not so great though. Still, husband likes this place so much he is planning to have his department's CNY dinner at the restaurant.

Moomba, Boat Quay (1): Quietly but successfully serving Modern Australian cuisine since the late 90's at least. We only got round to trying it out last year, and have been back once more. The menu is very limited, they stick to what they do best. Prices are slightly high but they deliver on quality. Grills and salads. Mostly grills. Love their Kurabota pork chops and squid cakes.

Crystal Jade (3): Their food may not be the very best, but I can count on freshness and consistency. This month, I have eaten a solo lunch of century egg porridge, spring rolls and ice milk tea at the Bugis outlet. Also dim-sum lunch with colleague at GWC outlet. And korean food at their restaurant at Ngee Ann City.

Ichiban (2): Chain Japanese. Ubiquitous and convenient, high turnover of customer ensures freshness. They are trying to become more upmarket, discarding the Fiesta name. The sushi rolls at $1.90 is very good value, the spider roll especially is oishii. I would not eat any of their raw fish dishes so that leaves out the other sushis and sashimis, but good selections from their cooked dishes repertoire includes the braised salmon (GWC), grilled ribs Korean style (at Wisma Atria outlet) and grilled soba.

Cafe Iguana, Riverside Point (1): Good for a relaxing Saturday dinner. Happy hour margaritas keep us happy, as does the fat juicy mussels in wine sauce.

Aioli  at Boon Tat St(1): Picked at random from a list of new eateries in the asiaone food website. Provencal cooking. I remembered lugging jars of tapenades home from Avignon and letting it all go to waste, but at Aioli, we were mopping it up, as well as anchovy pastes and a spread made with cod. I didn't quite like the aioli, thought it was a bit musty. The pistou was hearty and delicious. Stews like coq au vin and beef daube tasted very similar, maybe they've been left in the pot a little longer than they should. Dessert of flambeed bananas lacked the flambeed taste but the generous caramel sauce compensated enough.

Royal China at Raffles Hotel (1): Default place for dim sum. I really have to move beyond the crispy aromatic duck so I can sample other dishes from their menu, though I have also observed that every other table seemed to order that very dish too.

My new bad habit is popping into Thos downstairs for their house chocolates, strange for non-chocophile me, but I am developing a weird(and costly) liking to their unusual fruit and herb flavours. Speaking of chocolates, I like the rose flavour ones at Chocz too.

Japanese Curry counter at Taka basement, name escapes me now  (1): Anyway, it was very Blah. Better curry can be had at the neighbouring tonkatsu counter. 

Tsui Hang Village, Jurong Pier (1): Working lunch at an unlikely venue. Restaurant with a view. Of ships and oil containers. Unlike other proliferating HK chains, this is only tTsui Hang's second outlet besides their main branch at Asia Hotel. Food is reliably good, especially a wu-kok stuffed with a whole prawn.

Kafei Dian, Beach Rd / Purvis St junction (1): New-ish coffee shop in an area full of Hainanese-style eateries. Was recommended to try their wantan mee which was not bad. The hor-fun in seafood gravy also not bad, but clincher was their fresh bread, made right in the shop. I could not believe I was seeing this in Singapore. The smell hit us first, sweet and mellow. Then we saw them take out the cute little loaves, which they sliced in half and toasted slowly into a golden shade before sandwiching it with cold slices of butter and some kaya. Ya Kun and Killiney better watch out.

Kopitiam (1): Food court at SGH, because my office is in SGH campus. The fish soup and yong tau-foo stalls are the better options. What I really look forward to is the Sng Buay Lime Juice sold at the drinks counter. Staff gets 15% discount at the SGH outlet, and 10% at Tiong Bahru.

Loy Kee (2): Because it was the nearest coffeeshop near the other coffeeshop where I go for my regular poh-piah fix. After the poh piah, we walk over to Loy Kee for chicken and taugeh. No rice. Past two weeks we saw Mediacorp TV crew and two HK actors filming and eating in the shop.

No pictures, because the NY Times thinks it is crass to take pictures of food at restaurants. No lah, because I don't always carry a camera with me all the time.