u m a m i

KL July 2005

Wednesday, 6 July 2005,

Took the 10 o'clock shuttle to KL. Immigration check at KL was painless and swift, the kindly officer even chided me for not knowing how to DIY-scan my passport. Then a quick trip to the city via the KLIA express. So easy, so smart, wah, Malaysia sudah boleh.

Checked into the KL Hilton above the Sentral station. There are three boxes in each room labelled Business, Entertainment and Relaxation. The Entertainment box mentioned we could ask for a fish in a bowl, so I tested their promise, and true enough, a goldfish was delivered to my room. Good company for my first night.

For dinner, my friend J picked me up from the hotel and took me to Gill's at Jalan Kasah for some chicken tikka, dhal makhani and good conversation.

Thursday, 7July 2005

The next day I went to work. In the evening husband drove up and joined me at the hotel. He is sweet like that, also it was my birthday. We went to my parents' house to have a lovely dinner with family. My nephews and nieces had helped third sister to dye the eggs red, and Mummy made a luxurious noodle soup to celebrate my birthday. Also on the menu, a winning new dish that Mummy created- pork trotters braised with Chinese herbs like yuk chuk, red dates, tong-kwai and wolfberries. Plus lovely kampung chicken, eating chicken drumstick on one's birthday is also another family tradition.

Then there were the multiple dessert courses. First, durians. This year there is a bumper crop, well, a glut really, and durians can be had for as little as RM4 per kg. We had durians almost every night, and all were the delicious bittersweet, fleshy type with tiny seeds. The kids had the first of this year's mooncake pastries, the season starts earlier with each year it seems. Finally, we sang Happy Birthday to me and the kids helped to blow out the candles. Cake was baked specially by second sister. Hmm, umami had not had celebrated birthday with family for so many years. Felt older but was happy.

Celebration was a little subdued by the London bombings. Daddy called 4th sister, who is OK Thank God. Coincidentally, 4th sister's birthday is September 11. Now I know how she feels.

Friday, 8 July 2005:

More work, but managed to finish before the weekend crush. Took the monorail to Tengkat Tung Shin for dinner. Lively neighbourhood full of interesting food spots.

Like the hip Vietnamese restaurant Sao Nam with propaganda art on the walls and bahn xeo perfectly crispy and crunchy all rolled up with fresh herbs. The signature mangosteen salad was unusual, tangy and refreshing. Not so the orange duck which had a cloyingly sweet sauce. Eating here is a little pricey, but the portions are big and the owners very accommodating and friendly.

 

The roast meat stall at Meng Kee that husband loves was closed when we visited, but the famous char keow teow stall was still open so we ordered a plate. Don't know why, I still prefer the version at the coffeeshop near my parents' house in Damansara, maybe because I've been eating it for more than 20 years.

Saturday, 9 July 2005:

Ate dinner at home. I made char-siew. The parents tar-powed roast duck from Petaling St. Unfortunately the famous 4-eyed-man stall was closed. This uncle is not the person we usually buy from but his duck was not too bad. And for nolstalgia value, we also bought some kaya roll home- sad to say, the standards have slipped badly, hardly any of the rich egg jam inside.

Sunday, 10 July 2005:

Queued up with seemingly hundreds of other impatient and hungry diners at the buffet brunch at Restaurant Kampachi. The standard of the food has also dropped significantly over the years, and the arduous waits for the food highly aggravating. The only thing I really liked was the freshly made dorayaki. After lunch Mummy persuaded us to play mahjong, she must have felt lucky because she won the round. Not easy when we were playing by the minimum 3 fan to game rule.

Have to post a picture of the ugliest sculpture I've even seen in my life. With all that flowers and trees, who on earth thought we needed artificial fountains with monstrous fake plants.

Monday, 11 July 2005:

Time to renew IC. Took a number, then went for breakfast at the Hanifa coffeeshop opposite the Maju Junction building. Good roti canai and thosai, washed down with sweet thick teh halia. Yeah, Malaysia masih boleh.

Late in the afternoon, we were hungry again. Decided to eat something at Laksa Shack. I don't usually like to eat in a shack that does not look like a shack, I mean lobster shack is fine by me, but an airconditioned place with faux-kampung decor is just cheesy. Not fair to judge a place by its name right? Absolutely, because we found ourselves liking the Johor Laksa so much we ordered a second bowl- it had loads of chopped fish and plenty of spices and fresh herbs, the only fault being the tendency to serve it at less than piping temperatures, but nonetheless, very respectable rendition of a local favourite. I will not giggle at the name, or at least try not to the next time around.

Boleh.... boleh, boleh, boleh.... boleh, boleh.....

Off to KL tomorrow.

For work. Renew IC. Be with family.

Bombe alaska

Most people associate Shaw House with Lido cinema and Isetan. Maybe East Ocean and Kuriya restaurant. Shopaholic females would know about Clodette and Foot F*etish. But most would not know what other shopping adventures this big building holds.

Recently we found ourselves in the non-Isetan part of the building, because my Samsonite suitcase needed repair and it was not a good idea to have it done at the Suntec outlet on account of the traffic jam that is the consequence of the National Day parade rehearsals.

Two steps away from the Samsonite outlet, we found ourselves reading the menu of The Ship restaurant. Whoa, instant flashback. When I was young, going to The Ship in KL was very big deal- mummy made sure we knew how which fork to use and drilled our table manners well and we wore our better clothes when we visited. There we would feast on Maryland fried chicken, escargot, caviar (the lumpfish type, before we knew better stuff existed) with trimmings like chopped boiled egg and sour cream on toast points, fish and chips and lamb chops, while Daddy, remaining resolutely chinaman and being his usual thrifty self, would order the Yang Chow fried rice. Yep, my dad was like that, he didn't mind indulging us but he minded spending money on foreign food when Chinese is better. He was like that at the other restaurant we liked, a Japanese place called Chikuyo-tei. We ate tempura, he ate, yes, Yang Chow fried rice. When I accompanied him to Osaka for a business trip one year, the suppliers took us to eat at Chinese restaurants every meal, the only Japanese thing I ate was a bowl of inari ramen in a noodle hut.

Anyways, The Ship was about as fancy as it got in those days. At that time, the 'western' restaurants were not segmented into Italian, German etc, it was mainly A&W's or The Ship. Therefore when I saw the menu card, I had to check the restaurant out. We got ourselves a nice corner table. The decor is very similar to the KL version, full of nautical references with anchors and bows and wooden decks, and OMG, the menu is almost identical. All the old-style "western" dishes are there: carpetbag steak, lobster thermidor, surf-and-turf, and erm, fish slice noodle. The last dish must have been added to keep the menu current.

We ordered one of the steak sets and the fish noodle. The steak surprised with its tenderness and freshness, the cooking is better than Jack's Place certainly. The fried fish slices, which was served separately from the soupy noodles, were very well fried till even the bones can be eaten.

But the steaks and the noodles were not my objectives. I had earlier scanned the menu and decided that I would order one of the items in the dessert section. We declined the dessert that came with the set, which, from what I observed served at other tables, was a slice of limp-looking cake. Instead, I ordered the Bombe Alaska.

Husband said he didn't know what is a Bombe Alaska. Where were you in the early 80's I asked? Back then this dessert was as ubiquitous as the tiramisu and fondant chocolate cake of today. When we went out to eat with my uncle, he would order it at every restaurant.

 

Here is the cross section. (Poor quality photos came courtesy of phone camera). Bombe alaska, for those who are not familiar with it, is made up of sponge cake base, with fruit and loads of ice cream piled on top before being covered over with a layer of fluffy meringue.

The waiter brings the igloo (alaskan reference here) to the side of the table, and waits a few seconds for everyone to pay attention to him. Then he would, with great ceremony, pour some liquor onto the igloo and set it aflame, or as kids used to say, bomb the igloo.

As children, we loved digging inside the igloo and eating the ice cream inside, but the flambeed meringue smelled funny to us. This time, I shunned the cheap ice cream and the canned fruit inside and instead nibbled away in great delight at the flambeed 'skin'.

Come to think of it, bombe alaska is also served at another place my colleagues and I used to frequent, especially on Wednesday afternoons. Shashlik restaurant at Far East Shopping Centre used to serve a lovely oxtail stew for lunch but only on Wednesdays. Their menu also features, besides bombe alaska, other table-side desserts such as Cherry Jubilee and Crepe Suzette.

Since we are talking old-style desserts, guess what else is new again? Arctic Roll, the ice cream log with strawberry jam and sponge outer layer.

After the lunch that brought back sweet memories, we explored the less-trafficked areas of this mall. The retail selection is very mixed but refreshingly, not dominated by high street or chain names; among them a  shop that sells only French wines, a quiet but well-stocked pet shop, specialist bookstores, polyester fashion boutiques and more than a few jewellers which were surprisingly crowded with tai-tais and rich tourists. A laid-back shopping centre that had seen its heyday and is now a little aged, but still worth exploring. Then, for tea break you can bomb the igloo.

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?

Husband is becoming more and more interested in wine, and I get roped in to do the tastings and drinkings. Have to admit, sometimes the wine is more interesting than the food. And he has been very nice about it too, serving white wines even though he prefers reds because I am more partial to the whites. The very least I could do is to write some notes for my own education.

Yesterday I cooked Sunday lunch. Typical home-style menu of char-siew, quick-braise garoupa fillets, stir-fry asparagus and cabbage cooked with chilli-oil and dried shrimps, served with steamed rice. Dessert was a mellow tong-sui of fresh and dried wintermelons with lily bulbs. Everything, including dessert, served together.

To drink, he opened a bottle of Cullens blended Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc 2001. The aroma was mild and a slightly grassy. Crisp but not acidic, or like husband says, still young. Medium sweet, now the tastes are most difficult for me to describe but it tasted very much of the melons in the tong-sui. Went great with the char-siew (which was finished by the time I thought to take the picture so there is only the sauce to remind of it), and was also sturdy enough to take on the chilli-oil dried shrimps of the cabbage.

And for another weeknight dinner last week, he opened a bottle which he knew would please me very much. I love Sauternes, but this was old wine, and more complex than usual. The Rieussec 1975 is one of the most delicious sweet white wines I've ever drunk, I would say even nicer than Inneskillin icewines which are my all-time favourites. It is sweet, of course, but not syrupy, still very fruity but more textured, more layered. A little, not unwelcome, note of bitterness, husband says maybe the mould is starting to set in. Just as well we opened it then. The wine overshadowed the food, some everyday fare of fried chicken and stir-fried prawns and vegetables. No dessert that night, just another glass of golden ambrosia.

Crsytal Jade Korean: Jewel in Palace Special Menu

Now that the series is finally coming to Singapore, we can expect a flourish of interest in all things Koreana, especially Korean food. Crystal Jade fired the first salvo with the month-long promotion of a special menu featuring dishes inspired by the series.

The set was for a minimum of four people. Good timing then that fifth brother came down with his wife to attend a wedding. We were seated in one of the booths in the small and crowded restaurant. The waitresses wore a pink costume instead of the usual beige uniform, and that appeared to be the only special touch to mark the promotion. Around us, it was business as usual with other customers ordering bbq, ginseng chicken and kimchee fried rice. It felt a little weird, I pretended we were eating in a canteen off the palace kitchen.

The appetisers were the usual, this is good because I've always liked their kim chee and pickled radish. A cool drink of honey, ginseng and red dates was served to tune the tastebuds.

The first dish was Summer Rolls, a D-I-Y style wrap of a variety of vegetables, omelet strip and sauteed beef. It was also the signature dish of the lead character. This also typifies my impression of the cooking in the series, where vegetables and herbs were used in abundance and cooked very simply. Here we had fresh mushrooms, red capsicum, golden mushrooms, omelet, beef, carrots, bamboo shoots and cucumbers. All the vegetables were sliced into even and long julienne strips and seasoned lightly. The taste was refreshing and the flavours harmonious without any particular taste dominating.

The next two dishes did not seem very palace-like but were tasty if one could overlook their everyday-ness.

Then there was a plate of seafood and vegetables wrapped with an eggy mixture and fried lightly. Some of the pieces included a juicy pork stuffing. Also a grilled whole fish with delicate flesh and sweet taste.

A hearty dish of braised beef ribs with radish and ginseng came next. The meat was tender and infused with the twin sweetness, one of full-bodied dried red dates and the  other, a more subtle bitter-sweetness from the fresh ginseng. Absolutely delicious, we cleaned out the little stone pot.

We were already very full when this pretty dish was set before us. A generous steamboar of seafood and winter melon soup. The strips of winter melon were sweet and still a little crunchy, and I enjoyed too the little pieces of gingko nuts hiding in the delicate soup. The portion was more than generous for two or three people and we were too full to do justice to it. It would make a lovely meal for a cold evening.

In case we were still hungry, the final dish was a bowl of ginseng congee. The pine nuts, red dates and ginseng slices hidden inside were lovely, but the dish was spoiled by a most jarring detail- the congee tasted like those served in their cantonese outlets, and it made a very incongrous base for the medicinal-like flavours of ginseng.

The last dish summarised the bizzareness of the meal. It was impossible to be transported mentally to a 'royal' mood when seated in our little cubicle in the middle of a noisy and bright restaurant and getting more than a few whiffs of barbequing activities from neighbouring tables. CJ may have used this promotion to test the waters for when the expected Jewel fever take place, like what happened in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. If they plan to do it again, at least do it at more upmarket venues like CJ Golden Palace. (Hmm, as if anybody from CJ is reading this blog!)