Amuse Bouche

Jaan par André

2010-03-29T22:17:00.016+08:00

5 March 2010 - 20:00 (Friday)

It's amazing how time flies. It seems like just yesterday that me and Wen got married and in a blink of an eye we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary. For such a joyous occasion, we decided to go somewhere special for our celebrations. We had been eyeing to go Jaan for a very long time but had been putting it off as we went there a few years back before Chef Andre took the helm and it was very disappointing then. Under the previous management, the food was mediocre and dining in the restaurant felt like you were sitting in a hotel function room with windows.

But Chef Andre has done such an amazing turn around to the restaurant. We finally couldn't resist trying Jaan as Chubby Hubby had rated it as one of his best eats for 2009 and the Miele Guide had placed Jaan 4th on their list. We were not disappointed one bit...

Without going into too much details, i have to say that Jaan is the BEST restaurant we have ever tried. We have even tried Pierre Gagnaire's 2 Michelin star restaurant in Tokyo, and Pierre Gagnaire happens to be one of the chefs that Chef Andre trained under and this is a perfect example of how the pupil has become better than his master. The level of attention to detail, from the decor of the restaurant, to the utensils used, to the presentation of the dishes, to the pairing of the flavours... everything was immaculately perfect.

Wen and i have had quite a few great eats over the last couple of years, from Iggy's and Gunther's in Singapore to Mozaic in Bali to Pierre Gagnaire and Sushi Saito in Tokyo... all highly acclaimed restaurants but Jaan managed to beat all of them hands down pants down.

The only problem we have now with Jaan is that it's so good we want to go back again and again to savour Chef Andre's master pieces but it's so good we feel we are only justified to go and have our meals there on special occasions for otherwise meals on special occasions will never be really special. It's a bit like buying that Birkins bag.... do you carry it with you every day cos you love it so much or do you carry it on special ocassions because it is so special. That's one dilemma that Chef Andre has given us which will never be forgiven. Damn u Andre for being such a darn good chef!!!! :p

Amuse Bouche.... what a pretty sight!!

Gambas de palamos natural, pair with variations of heirloom tomato-boshi, thin combawa jelly dusted with sechuan flower pollen

Next dish was the Clam "vichyssoise" topped with Atlantic caviar and burnt leek which we so excited whacked up only to realise we forgot to take a pic!

Perigord foie gras mousse, forest poupier salad and mushroom, barley puff, fresh-bake brioche

Squid Risotto that was suppose to be on the other degustation menu and not ours. We realised it after the first bite, raised it to the waitress and she said this dish is complementary from the chef :)

Potato from ile de noirmoutier, with braised mustard seed, shaved truffle and baby herb salad

Wakayama needlefish with sauteed land seaweed white garlic and pine nut soup

Kagoshima wagyu beef slow roasted, wild "trompette de la mort", cognac jus and seared parsnip puree. This is absolutely the best piece of beef i have ever ever ever ever had!!!

Jaan Snickers 2010 Dessert. Heavenly!

Petit Four

Jaan par André
2 Stamford Road
70th Floor, Swissotel The Stamford
Tel: +65 6837 3322

Down Memory Lane with Restaurant Ember

2009-10-28T18:26:00.003+08:00

5 March 2007 - 20:00 (Monday)

Felt a little nostalgic and decided to pull out these old photos taken at Ember and post them here. For those of you who were at this party, here's a reminder of what a good time we all had! :)

Restaurant Ember

50 Keong Saik Road

Singapore 089154

Tel: +65 6347 1928

Brunch @ Spruce

2009-10-27T19:33:00.004+08:00

25 October 2009 - 11:30 (Sunday)

The Spruce Big Brekkie

The British Brekkie

Spruce Eggs Benny on a Corn Waffle with Leg Bacon

Spruce Restaurant bar bakery
320 Tanglin Road,
Phoenix Park
Singapore 247980
Tel: +65 6836 5528

Birthday Dinner @ Home!

2009-10-25T00:41:00.005+08:00

24th October 2009 - 21:00 (Saturday)

The Marmalade Pantry @ ION Orchard

2009-10-25T00:37:00.004+08:00

24 October 2009 - 15:00 (Saturday)

Soft Scrambled Eggs & House-cured Salmon with horseradish creme fraiche on pumpernickel

Roast chicken & Avocado Caesar with a poached egg

The Marmalade Pantry
2 Orchard Turn, #03-22,
Orchard ION
Singapore 238801
Tel: +65 6734 2700

Iggy's Revisited

2009-10-24T20:45:00.009+08:00

23 October 2009 - 19:30 (Friday)

Warm toasted bread

Amuse Bouche 1 - Uni Dish

2 bottles of Jacquesson Cuvee 730 Champagne and a bottle of Morey-Saint-Denis 2005

Hamachi with radish, sesame and fine herbs

Autumn Salad - Button Mushrooms, Eringi, Chanterelle, Cep, Citrus and dehydrated Mesclun

Sanma with wild rice, olive and thyme

Spaghetini with zucchini and smoked mullet roe

Kokotxas - Cheeks of the Hake fish

Lobster with Oats, gizzard and Fennel

Tomato and Essence of Tomato

Wagyu beef with lady's fingers, trumpet mushroom and tapanade

Feijoa with Gin and Lime

Coffee Tiramisu - Banana, milk, passion fruit and Mascarpone cheese

Petit Fours - Lemon Tart

Iggy's

1 Cuscaden Road,

The Regent Singapore,

Level 3

Singapore 249715

Tel: +65 6732 2234

Tomato Wanton Ramen @ Home

2009-10-24T20:33:00.004+08:00

19 Oct 2009 - 20:30 (Monday )

Shabu Shabu @ Home

2009-10-19T12:03:00.006+08:00

17 September 2009 - 20:30 (Saturday)

Ember Restaurant

2009-10-18T02:12:00.003+08:00

17 October 2009 - 20:00 (Friday)

Restaurant Ember

50 Keong Saik Road

Singapore 089154

Tel: +65 6347 1928

Tokyo - Dalloyau

2009-10-16T11:35:00.006+08:00

20 September 2009 - 15:30 (Sunday)

The biggest regret we've ever had with regards to Japan was that it took us a little too long to realise how good the Japs are with their desserts. During our 18 days visit here in March, we completely did not bother with tea time desserts... the only one being at Le Tao over at Hokkaido.

And this time round, the only reason why we even tried the desserts was cos we did so much walking that we had to take a break in between lunch and dinner and where else better than a Patisserie to rest those weary legs and sip a cup of tea and some sweets to bring back the energy. It was only then that we realised how good the cakes and desserts are over here in Japan.

Dalloyau came so highly recommended by Tomomi, a colleague working in our Japan office, that we decided we had to give it a try. Our conclusion.... SOOooooOOoooo GooooOOOoood. Wen's not a big fan of desserts but when she walked into Dalloyau, she just wanted to eat everything! They looked so good in the display shelves and tasted even better.

Just to prove how good the desserts were..... u will notice that we had a total of 3 macarons and 3 cakes.... and that was for just the two of us, after a very heavy lunch.... and we aren't really very big eaters..... that's how good it was!

Dalloyau
6-9-3 Ginza, Chuo-Ku
Tokyo 104-0061
Tel: 03-3289-8260
http://www.dalloyau.co.jp/

Tokyo - Maisen Tonkatsu

2009-10-16T11:22:00.006+08:00

18 September 2009 - 20:00 (Friday)

Maisen Tonkatsu
4-8-5 Jingumae
Tel: 03-3470-0071
http://mai-sen.com/

Tokyo - Kihachi

2009-10-16T11:16:00.003+08:00

18 September 2009 - 15:30 (Friday)

Kihachi Cafe
Ate at the one at Isetan Shinjuku
Various branches around Tokyo
http://www.kihachi.jp/cafe/index.html

Tokyo - Roadside Stall @ Shinjuku

2009-10-16T11:03:00.008+08:00

18 September 2009 - 13:00 (Friday)

Unfortunately, we have no idea what this eatery is called as it's in Japanese and the eatery staff can't really speak english either. This was recommended by my army buddy, Alex, and if there's anything i've done right in this lifetime, it's listening to his recommendation and coming here for a meal.

This eatery is just round the corner of OICITY (which i believe the Japs call Marui City) and their food is just so awesome! Simple yet delightfully tasty. The pork salad has got to be the best salad i have ever eaten. It's basically Shabu Shabu quality pork with vegetable but the taste was seriously out of this world. The cold noodles, the tempura, the raw beef with raw egg yolk was just amazing as well.

This will definitely be a regular haunt for us on our yearly pilgrimage to Tokyo!

Ten Million Thumbs up!!!

Roadside Stall @ Shinjuku
Location is just around the corner of OICITY (Marui City) at Shinjuku
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=takashimaya+times+square&sll=35.689962,139.706848&sspn=0.002562,0.011373&ie=UTF8&ll=35.689727,139.706601&spn=0.002553,0.011373&z=17&layer=c&cbll=35.689731,139.706604&panoid=GPSWRbnYTwhXEBLAXqifxQ&cbp=11,284.9069899971264,,0,5

Tokyo - Freshness Burger

2009-10-16T10:57:00.003+08:00

17 September 2009 - 11:30 (Thursday)

Freshness Burger
Ate near Harajuku Area.
Various branches around Tokyo
http://www.freshnessburger.co.jp/

Tokyo - Sushi Saito

2009-10-15T17:31:00.010+08:00

16 September 2009 - 13:00 (Wednesday)

Sushi Saito

Jidousha kaikan Bldg. F1, 1-9-15, Akasaka, Minato-Ku

Tel: 03-3589-4412

Tokyo - Restaurant KPZ'ee

2009-10-15T17:05:00.007+08:00

11 September - 15 September 2009

Restaurant KPZ'ee

By Invitation Only

Tokyo - Cicada

2009-10-15T16:54:00.005+08:00

14 September 2009 - 19:30 (Monday)

Cicada

5-2-40 Minami-azabu, Minato-ku,

Tokyo 106-0047

Tel: 03-5447-5522

http://www.tyharborbrewing.co.jp/restaurants/cicada_e.html

Tokyo - なまはげ六本木店

2009-10-15T15:34:00.009+08:00

13 September 2009 - 19:00 (Sunday)

なまはげ六本木店

〒106-0032　東京都港区六本木3-13-12 エルサビル2F

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD%E6%B8%AF%E5%8C%BA%E5%85%AD%E6%9C%AC%E6%9C%A83-13-12+%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B5%E3%83%93%E3%83%AB&sll=35.670214,139.75841&sspn=0.009866,0.022638&ie=UTF8&hq=%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AB%E3%82%B5%E3%83%93%E3%83%AB&hnear=%EF%BC%93%E4%B8%81%E7%9B%AE%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%93+%EF%BC%91%EF%BC%92%E5%85%AD%E6%9C%AC%E6%9C%A8,+Minato+Ward,+T%C5%8Dky%C5%8D+Metropolis,+Japan&ll=35.662962,139.733691&spn=0.004446,0.022638&z=16&layer=c&cbll=35.662965,139.733694&panoid=iY6j0FcGJo3TbNaZjFqYYg&cbp=11,184.42,,0,-12.16

TEL: 03-5410-0012

http://namahage.hy-system.com/roppongi/index.html

Tokyo - 愛宕酉はら (Yakitori Chicken)

2009-10-15T15:09:00.008+08:00

12 September 2009 - 20:30 (Saturday)

愛宕酉はら

4-24-3 Shimbashi Building, 1F, Minato-Ku, Shimbashi, Tokyo 105-0004〒105-0004　東京都港区新橋4-24-3 エムエフ新橋ビル1F

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Shiodome+Station,+Japan&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.320439,92.724609&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Shiodome+Station,+Japan&ll=35.663485,139.756415&spn=0.002223,0.011319&z=17&lci=transit&layer=c&cbll=35.663482,139.756416&panoid=s76_UEYH90HvZCMSNSTLTQ&cbp=11,325.28,,0,-0.12

Tel: 03-5405-1120

Tokyo - Taiyo Tomato Noodle

2009-10-15T14:57:00.007+08:00

12 September 2009 - 11:30 (Saturday)

Taiyo Tomato Noodle

Ate at the branch near Toyosu Station

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Toyosu+Station,+Japan&sll=36.204824,138.252924&sspn=20.021025,46.362305&g=japan&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FfwMIAId8h5VCA&split=0&hq=&hnear=Toyosu+Station,+Japan&ll=35.655378,139.797764&spn=0.009868,0.022638&z=16&lci=transit&layer=c&cbll=35.655275,139.797591&panoid=psDrGxOj7kzLCnWOAUAHMg&cbp=12,132.79,,0,6.63

Various branches around Japan.

www.taiyo-tomato.com

Tokyo - Galali

2009-10-15T14:15:00.012+08:00

11 September 2009 - 19:30 (Friday)

Galali

3-6-5 Jingumae Shibuya-ku

Tokyo, Japan 150-0001

Tel: 03-3408-2818

http://www.gala-e.com/galali.html

Tokyo: Standing Sushi Bar + Amazing Ramen @ Shimbashi

2009-04-15T14:31:00.012+08:00

14 March 2009 - 19:30 (Saturday)

I was actually planning to blog our culinary adventures in Japan based on chronological order which would have meant that this would be the last Japan blog entry cos it was the last good meal we had in Japan but my good friend Meng is preparing for his trip to Tokyo and i figured i better do this one up first... only because it was the best damn meal we had in Japan!

The concept of the Standing Sushi Bar makes complete sense in a built up area like Tokyo. Small cramped shop where diners stand at a counter to eat so that you do not need to pay extra rental cost and you do not need to transfer that rental cost to your customers via higher priced meals. And it's great for those who are just knocking off from work where they want a quick, nothing fancy bite before heading home. A meal can be had in 5 to 10 mins if you are in a rush.

But as a tourist, you are never really in a rush so even in a eatery like this where most people are rushing for a quick meal, you can take your leisurely time to just enjoy the chef's showmanship, enjoy the food and smirk away at how the other customers are running out of time whilst you have all the time in the world. Nice!

As the food here is so awesome, i'm going to take that extra effort to guide those of you planning a trip to Tokyo on how to get there.

First, you wanna get on the JR Line and get to Shimbashi Station. At the station, there will be a couple of different exits out so you want to get to the Karasumori Entrance of the Shimbashi JR station (See above). Easy enough right?

Next, take a few steps out of the train station and the below scene should greet you. When i mean a few steps, i mean like 4 or 5 steps.... if you've like trodded for 15 mins and still can't see the scene below, you went seriously wrong somewhere...

When you see the above signage, you are definitely on the right track. Just walk along the street and the Standing Sushi Bar should be on your left. It's not easy to miss, the signage is in purple and the English words "Standing Sushi Bar" will be screaming at you. If it helps, just opposite the Standing Sushi Bar is this sex shop called "Santa Fe". For some of you men out there, it might be easier to look for a purple signage with lots of sexy women silhouette and the words "Santa Fe" :p

Now, when you are inside the Sushi Bar, indicate to the chef how many are there in your party using your fingers and he will direct you to where he would like you to stand. Don't worry if you can't speak a word of Japanese. Why? Cos everything they serve is displayed at the counter so all you need is to point to what you want and tell the chef how many you want, again using your fingers.

Do take note that everything comes in 2.... they do not serve their sushi in odd numbers. So if you point to the salmon and show the chef 2 fingers, he will serve you 4 pieces.

When you are standing at the counter, you will notice that the counter has 2 levels. The first level is where your condiments will be placed. The second level will remain empty until the chef serves you your sushi and that is when he will place the sushi on the second level. Remember.... only the sushi should be on the second level. Do not put your sauce dish, tea cup, wallet, sex toy you bought from the shop oppsite, etc on the second level. the second level is like a display counter, only the chef's work is worthy of this location.

I can't begin to tell you how good the sushi here is. The rice is served warm, not cold. Some of you might already know this but for those who don't, sushi is best served with the rice at the same temperature as the human body temp... 37 degrees. And that's what they do over here. I wasn't expecting the sushi to taste any better than those i had in Tsukiji market because the simple idea of seafood is fresher at Tsukiji market was ingrained deep in my little pea brain. I was wrong.... the seafood they serve here are uber fresh and plus the fact that the rice is served warm..... unbelievable!

Ok, i'm going to give some recommendation which you would otherwise might have missed out on. When at the Sushi Bar, you gotta try the Uni Sushi.... out of this world.

The other thing you need to try is the ebi (Prawn) sushi. Here's their specialty.... first they put the body of the prawn on rice and serve you as sushi... then they take the prawn head, flambe it and then serve you on a plate and what you need to do is put the open end of the head to your mouth and suck the prawn's head like there's no tomorrow. This may sound disgusting but i am telling you, you WILL get a high from the taste of the prawn head. That few seconds that i was sucking on the head, it's like..... angels doing the swan lake ballet on your tongue... a heavenly moment!

I'll leave you with pictures of some of the other wonderful sushi we had... pictures do the food no justice but trust me.... u will not leave this place unsatisfied :)

The sushi were so good we had in total 100 sushi pieces between the 4 of us... yes 100! That's like 25 sushi per person. And the damage? Approx... S$120 in total... YES! That's like S$30 per person for 25 pieces of sushi! And the most expensive Sushi was the Tuna Belly Sushi at like approx. S$2 per piece.

Seriously, at that price, for that quality of sushi, you can't even get like 5 pieces over here in Singapore! We were well pissed off that Kev and Pauline brought us here only on our last night in Japan. Their arguement? "If we had brought you guys here earlier, you will be here every night and you wouldn't have enjoyed the other wonderful eateries Japan has to offer"

Ok, forgiven...

Under normal circumstances, 25 Sushis would make 3 full meals. But good o' Kev had to go "So guys, it's your last night in Japan.... now that you have tried the best sushi, are you ready to try the best ramen.... it's just 3 shops down....."

What a F**ker.... How do you say no to such a proposition?!?

So just 3 shops down of The Standing Sushi Bar, is this ramen shop...

What can i say.... it was the best Ramen i have ever had....

Wen prefers the ramen we had at Omotensando. Still, it's a close fight and just to prove how good the ramen was..... check out the below picture... and that's after 25 sushis.....

Positively one of the best meals i've had in my life. It's been a month since we came back from Japan but in our hungry moments, we crave nothing other than the sushi from The Standing Sushi bar.

Meng my bro, this one is for you.... eat your hearts out when in Tokyo!!!

Standing Sushi Bar
3 Mins walk from Shimbashi JR Station

Kyoto - Kiyomizu Dera Tofu & Red Bean Dumpling

2009-04-15T11:07:00.007+08:00

3 March 2009 - 13:00 (Tuesday)

Kiyomizu Dera (Pure Water Temple) is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. Founded in 780 (Note the 3 digit year...), it stands in the wooded hills of eastern Kyoto. This temple was added to the list of Unesco World Heritage Sites in 1994.

In my opinion, it's one of the most beautiful places that Japan has to offer BUT NO.... this is a food blog, not a temple blog so i won't waste any more alphabets describing how beautiful it is, how it's heaven on earth, how the view from the temple top is magnificent, how everyone should visit this temple at least once in their life time..... It's seriously a DIE DIE MUST GO place when in Japan but NO..... i'm not wasting any more of my time writing about such an amazing place cos this is a food blog..... :P

Outdoor seating...

Nestled in the midst of Kiyomizu Dera is this little eatery that has both indoor and outdoor seating and they are famous for serving the silkiest of Tofus (Soy Beancurd). If you don't already know, Kyoto is famous for their Tofus... they taste so much better than what you get in other parts of the world. Why? Apparently it's cos Kyoto has a large number of underground springs and it's the spring water that makes the Tofus softer and silkier in texture.

We had the luxury of watching snow fall from the sky when we were at Kiyomizu Dera and it was one of the most beautiful sights we've ever seen in our lives. Temperature was 0 degrees and when we reached this Tofu eatery, what did we do? We chose to dine on Tofu.... Al Fresco style! Think all the Japs were looking at us and thinking "These crazy Chinese will one day rule the world..." Something like that...

The Tofu is served in a wooden bucken with very very hot water. See that little ceramic pot at the top of the bucket?it's base actually extends through the top of the bucket into the hot water. The ceramic pot contains some soya sauce for the Tofu and the sauce is kept warm by having the base of the pot dipped into the same hot water as the Tofu. So cool!

The Tofu simply took both Wen and my breath away. It was as how legend has over the centuries described it... so Soft, so silky.... Nice!! What you do is place some of the sauce into your bowl, next scoop the Tofu from the bucket into your bowl via the metal netted ladle, top it with some green onions on it then you have an option of either sprinkling it with the spicy powder or the magic salty powder. Yummm!

Being the alcoholics that we are, what's Tofu without Sake right? :)

Now, i'm not sure if Kyoto is famous for their Red Bean dumplings but these dumplings has got to be the BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST dumplings i have ever sunk my teeth into. Wen doesn't like Red Beans ever.... just that it was so cold and she wanted something hot going into her system. She drank some of the red bean soup, took a bite of the dumpling and her whole face lighted up like the 4th of July. The Tofus were fantastic but these Red Bean Dumplings.... DIE DIE MUST TRY!!!

If you are ever in Kyoto, please please please for the love of mankind.... go visit Kiyomizu Dera and then have some Tofu and Red Beans Dumpling. I'll personally castrate my best friend if you do not enjoy that experience.

Kiyomizu Dera
Kyoto

Ristorante Wendy's! Again!

2009-04-14T17:17:00.006+08:00

13 April 2009 - 20:00 (Tuesday)

If you have been following this blog, you will know how i always declare that Wen must be the best pasta chef in the world. She never has to try very hard to bring tears to your eyes when you try her pasta or any noodles for that matter. I'm not alone in saying this.... we've held numerous home dinner parties for various friends and if there's one thing unanimous about their opinions of these parties, it's the pasta that Wen whips up.

This time round, she's up the ante....

Wen's latest creation.... It's only apt that i give this dish a name.... I think I shall call it.... Wen's Divinity Dish! :)

Basically, she created a tomato based sauce mixed with bacon, garlic and chilli padi. Left to simmer for quite a long while. Taken out and then blended... yes blended... to form a puree. Next throw in some sausages into the puree, simmer a little bit more. In goes the Spaghettini, topped with some grated Parmesan cheese and pine nuts and Voila! Wen's Divinity Dish!

Heavenly!!!

Dinner was accompanied with a bottle of Torres Vina Sol 2006... For all you wine snobs out there, yes this may be a S$25 bottle of wine but it is a very very nice bottle of white. Complemented perfectly with the Divinity Dish.

Yes, i've been to heaven and back....

Bali - Mozaic

2009-04-13T17:44:00.010+08:00

24th October 2008 - 18:30 (Friday)

If i said that Mozaic is simply the best fine dining restaurant Bali has to offer, some smart alec would probably bring up the point that it can't be true simply cos i haven't tried all the fine dining restaurants in Bali. Nevertheless, I will still unabashedly proclaim that Mozaic must be the best fine dining restaurant in Bali... If you doubt me, then try doubting it's reputation as the 5th best restaurant in Asia, an award given by The Miele Guide...

Situated in Ubud, Mozaic is this really charming restaurant with a very beautiful indoor bar cum lounge area while it's main dining facility is outside in the courtyard surrounded by perfectly manicured greenery. The landscaping is simply magnificent and the closest description i can give to it would be.... errr.... Disney's Tiki Room.... it's gorgeous, it's charming, it's magical...

It's a pity i am writing this blog 5 months after we've been there as most of the details are rather vauge to me by now. But i did remember that i was completely enchanted by the courtyard dining area, mesmerised by the flickering torches surrounding the dining area, happily intoxicated by the bottle of Pensfold Cellar Reserve Pinot Noir 2006, thought i died and gone to heaven with Chef Salans cooking...

Below are some of the fantastic memories of our meal at Mozaic...

Bar cum Lounge area where we enjoyed a nice Dirty Martini :)

Dirty Martinis with some Canapes...

Amuse Bouche...

Scallop with Parma Ham Starter....

This is good stuff!!!!

Wen's main course.... I believe it's a salmon.... so yummy!!!

My Main course.... a medium rare steak.... Awesomeeeeeee.....

Wen's Dessert....

My Chocolate Dessert....

Bali has a lot to offer culinary wise and i'm sure we will be exploring more of that the next time we are there but Mozaic, along with Ibu Oka, will definitely receive a repeat visit from us :)

Mozaic
Jl. Raya Sanggingan, Ubud, Gianyar
Bali 80571
Tel: +62 361 975768

Bali - Four Season's PJ's

2009-04-13T17:03:00.007+08:00

25 October 2008 - 18:00 (Saturday)

PJ's at Four Seasons, located in Jimbaran, Bali is one of the restaurants which both Wen and myself will remember even when we are into our 80's and strangely.... it's not because of the food. Here's why...

Picture this, it's close to 7pm, you are seated in an open air restaurant in a 5 star hotel on a beach watching the sunset. On your left are cliffs with lots of lanterns lighted up. In front of you is a clean beach filled with candles and their flames are flickering away. A little out to sea are 3 small boats with massive kerosene lamps lighted up for no other reason other than to add to the atmosphere. On the beach are mirrors, lots and lots of mirrors.... all strategically situated to reflect the already numerous candles on the beach to create an illusion of a beach completely lighted up by flickering candles. How romantic is that!

And if i haven't been able to conjure up that romantic image in your mind successfully, i hope the below pictures will be able to tell a better story than my words :)

Sipping on a frozen Margarita as the sunsets under the horizon...

Some bread to start off the dinner...

A Bottle of Devil's Lair Chardonnay.... purchased from Singapore Duty Free on the way to Bali...

The Massive Seafood platter that both Wen and I shared...

And finally, some pics to try and whip up the romantic image i was attempting to explain with words.

Oh.... and to add... personally, i think this would be a great place to propose to that loved one of yours :)

PJ's
Four Seasons Jimbaran, Bali
Denpasar 80361
Tel: +62 (361) 701010

Bali - Ibu Oka

2009-04-13T16:31:00.007+08:00

24th October 2008 - 11:00 (Friday)

Did i ever mention that i have a focus issue..... whether it's tasks on hand or using a camera.... i have a knack of... losing focus. Yes, i know i am right in the midst of blogging all the wonderful food we had in Japan but i need to break away from all that and blog about food we had in Bali 6 months ago....

Over the weekend i was at home mucking around, surfing the net aimlessly and kaypoing friends' Facebooks when i saw that my uncle Andrew was about to leave for his vacation in Bali. He was asking for recommendations on food on his FB when it suddenly dawned on me that i never got around to blogging some of the most awesome meals i have had in Bali.

Proceeded to dig out the photos from the memory cards and finally.... presenting.... my most memorable meal ever costing less than S$5..... Ibu Oka!

This eatery was a recommendation by Anthony Bourdain and what made me decide to give this a try was when i saw how his face light up when he took his first bite. The pure pleasure that he experienced was instantly recognisable.

Ibu Oka is this warung that is located in Ubud, Bali. It's so famous you just have to tell any cab driver Ibu Oka and they will know instantly where to bring you. Just take a look at the menu.... there's nothing on the menu that's more than S$5! And at those prices, don't expect any luxury. The eatery is open air, has no chairs, you basically sit on the floor and eat from a low height communal table. Yes, you don't get your own table...

But you really don't need all that luxury when the food is this good. It's really only after you have finished your meal that you realise you can no longer feel your legs cos of the limited space you have to cross your leg during the whole duration of the meal.

We had the Nasi + Babi Guling Pisah (loosely translated to Pig Rice Special) and i swear we had that same expression that Anthony Bourdain had when we took our first bite... It was so so so so gooood! The special comes with 2 pieces of really crispy pig skin, a few pieces of fatty pork meat, a few pieces of lean pork meat, some pork intestines and a heap of specially prepared vegetable that would make a mean man cry.

It was so good i licked up every single bit on my plate! I'm lost for words on how good this really is. If you ever make a trip to Ubud in Bali, this is a DIE DIE MUST TRY.....

Ibu Oka
Jalan Tegal Sari No 2 Ubud
Tel: +62 361 976 345

Osaka: Kani Doraku Crab Restaurant

2009-04-09T17:14:00.008+08:00

02 March 2009 20:30 (Monday)

You've travelled 4940km from Singapore to Osaka... you've spent the earlier part of the day exhausting all your energy in a Universal Studios where the super heroes speak Japanese... You are suffering from the unfamiliar cold of close to 0 degrees... You are tired and hungry... you see this large crab above a restaurant which is suppose to be the iconic restaurant of Osaka... what do you do? We know what we did..... we smiled, walked in and asked for a table for 2... non smoking section please :)

Kani Doraku is one of the most famous crab restaurants in Osaka. The six and a half meter crab at the front of the restaurant is mechanized which means its arms and eyestalks move! Built in 1960, this mechanical billboard soon spawned imitations, including a squid that puffs steam and oni (demons) that light up at night. We were soon to find out why it's so famous..... food was Marvelicious!!!

Cute Crab Chopstick Rest.

So many things to order on the menu so we decided to go with one of the sets. Started off with this cold crab starter along with some jelly thingy and a bowl of prawn and brocolli in some yummy sauce...

Crab Jelly + Prawn & Brocolli...

Cold Crab Starter...

More Cold Crab with an option of 3 different sauces...

Crab Sashimi! Now, that's something you don't get here in Singapore everyday!!! Texture was a little strange cos it was soft yet chewy. But the meat was so sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!

Crab Chawamushi... check out the little bowl they serve it in, so nice... like a peach!

Crab, potato and cheese in a sizzling hot plate...

More Crab... this one cooked in some sauce...

Ok, this was interesting. What you have is a bowl of rice served over a burning stove. The waitress told us to leave the rice cooking for about 15 mins. Once it's cooked, you are suppose to place the crab into the rice and then you see that little tea pot? It contains some sort of soup base which u are suppose to mix into the rice and the crab... How strange...

Crab mixed into the rice after 15 mins...

Soup based mixed into the rice and the crab..... stirred for a few minutes and scooped up on a plate. The taste of the whole dish was refreshingly nice!

And finally, we finished off our dinner with Macha Ice Cream. But here's the twist... instead of serving us a Green Tea Ice cream, it was a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream with concentrated Green Tea sauce distributed over it. That had gotta be the most awesome Macha Ice Cream we have ever had!!

Kani Doraku isn't the cheapest of restaurants, heck i wouldn't even consider it to be in the mid range pricing. It's rather expensive and u will find yourself down by a couple of hundreds if you go ala-carte. The Set Menus were rather comprehensive and it certainly helps manage the dinner cost. If you have been to a crab restaurant in Hokkaido then my recommendation would be to give this a miss cos while it is very good, it ain't as good as those in Hokkaido. But if you haven't been to Hokkaido and don't plan to go there for awhile, then you are going to have the best crab meal of your life here :)

Kani Doraku Crab Restaurant
1-6-18 Dotonbori, Osaka
Tel: 06-6211-8975

Osaka: Aka-Oni Takoyaki

2009-04-09T17:12:00.005+08:00

02 March 2009 20:00 (Monday)

When in Osaka, you MUST try the Octopus Balls, otherwise known as Takoyaki. It's a city specialty and it certainly taste fantastic!!! It was so good we had it every single day that we were in Osaka.

Aka-Oni Takoyaki is located along the main strip of Dotonbori. With a stall decor like that, you can't possibly miss it. Along Dotonbori there were way too many Takoyaki stalls but we settled on Aka-Oni simply cos it had the longest queue. Ah yes.... we adopted the Herd Mentality and this time round, the Herd proved right :)

There were a few choices of how you would like your Octopus Balls done, we went for the spicy sauce and ...... Yuuuuuummmmmm......

Bad picture cos it was close to 0 degrees outside and we were freezing our a$es off and the moment I removed my hands from my gloves to take a camera shot, my fingers would freeze up. It was a street brawl between good picture of food vs hands need for warmth..... hands won...

Aka-oni Takoyaki
Somewhere along Dotonbori...
Can't miss it, the stall with the red devils is way too prominent...

Dining in Japan - An Introductory Video

2009-04-09T16:57:00.003+08:00

Here's a really funny clip i found on YouTube about dining in Japan. It seriously cracked me up and we figured we would have some fun in Japan by following exactly how they drink in this video clip. Enjoy!

Ramen @ Omotesando

2009-04-09T16:36:00.005+08:00

01 March 2009 11:30 (Sunday)

Right... Sometime during my holiday in Japan, i figured i would have a problem with my blog due to the eatery names being in Japanese. This would be the first of my problems. The Japanese character is rather similar to Chinese and i figured the words at the end are Fire and Mountain but i cannot figure out what's the word in the middle. As such, i shall henceforth call this Ramen Eatery the Mountain Fire Ramen Stall.

Now, the Mountain Fire Ramen Stall is located along Omotesando which is near Harajuku. If you were to stand at the opposite side of the road from the Omotesando Hills Shopping Mall and face the mall, you should then turn left, walk about 134 paces then turn left again, you should face an alley, walk another 23 paces and the below scene should greet you....

At this point, i certainly hope you did not stop at the earlier paragraph, hopped on a plane to Japan and followed my instructions cause i doubt that was correct. General directions are correct, just not too sure about the number of paces....

Again, it was Kevin and Pauline that brought us to this relatively obscure ramen eatery but boy was the ramen good! The weather outside was about 4 degrees and it was drizzling and that Oh so tasty Soup ramen certainly helped warm up the body in the most wonderful way...

Just look at the soup..... yes, it's as tasty as it looks! Mountain Fire Ramen stall serves their pork separate from the soup rather than dumping everything in. Idea is for you to decide how much and when you want to mix the pork into the soup. I'm sure there's a highly logical explanation as to why this is so but i decided i would leave the chefs to serve the long queue of people in and outside the eatery rather than have him figure out what i am trying to say to them...

The bowl with the green stuff is actually Dou Miao vegetable with rice below. No sauce, no condiments.... just Dou Miao, Seaweed and Japanese rice. So simple yet so nice. The Gyoza was to die for! Skin was super crispy and the meat was awesomely tasty!

Another shot of the ramen.... u can't possibly tell me u aren't salivating yet....

Looking at these pictures certainly bring back wonderful memories. If only i could have this for dinner tonight.....

Mountain Fire Ramen
Somewhere in Omotesando

Gonpachi - Nishi Azabu

2009-04-08T17:43:00.014+08:00

28 February 2009 19:30 (Saturday)

Gonpachi is a bit of a legend over in Japan. When the former US president, George Bush, came over to Tokyo, the former Japanese prime minister apparently brought him here for some bites. For those of you who are into Quentin Tarantino films, you will find this restaurant highly familiar.... yes, that's cause the set for the scene in which Uma Thurman decapitates Lucy Liu and her Crazy 88 gang was based on this restaurant. Have i gotten you a little excited yet? :)

This is a view from our table on the 2nd storey of the restaurant. Doesn't the restaurant look so cool! It's always packed so reservations are a must! Gonpachi is a bit of an Izakaya, where people have small bites, drink huge amounts of alcohol and talk as loud as they can. And to reciprocate, the waiting stuff are always shouting some greeting whenever someone walks into the restaurant. The Chefs will then reciprocate with more shouting.... It's noisy, but it's oh so cool!

What's a good meal without sake right? Isn't this Sake pot so cool!

Starters to stimulate the stomach....

Errr.... i think this is the pork belly with a dose of Wasabi... Yuuummmm.

Grilled Beef... Mmmmmm....

Can't remember what fish this is but trust me, it taste better than it looks!

Black Miso Cod fish..... Meat so soft, Meat so smooth, Meat so tasty......

This one was our favourite of the night.... grilled Foie Gras with Strawberry. The liver melts the moment you pop it into your mouth. WHOA... i think i just fell into a 10 second trance just writing this bit about the Foie Gras....

More grilled meat.... too much alcohol to remember what is what....

Ok, i'll be honest. Gonpachi is a restaurant you gotta visit when you go to Japan.... but just once will suffice. It's a must in my books only because of it's decor and the electrifying atmosphere. You cannot find anything remotely close over here in Singapore. The food is great but it isn't fantastic... Don't get me wrong, it's very nice but you can have the same quality of food here in one of the better Yakitori restaurants in Singapore. We were looking for uniquely good in which we found in the atmosphere.... food was good, just wasn't unique. Still it's a must go... and you can quote me on that!

Gonpachi
1F,2F
1-13-11 Nishi-Azabu, Minato-ku,
Tokyo 106-0031
Tel: 03-5771-0170

Tsukiji Market - Sushi Sen

2009-04-08T16:04:00.024+08:00

28 February 2009 11:00 (Saturday)

It's been 28 hours since we arrived in Japan and we haven't sunk our teeth into any sushi yet. Sacrilegious!

Sushi Sen @ Tsukiji Market wasn't exactly where we had in mind. I did a lot of research prior and apparently the best sushi places in Tsukiji market would have been either Sushi Bun or Daiwa Sushi. For some reason, the map printout i had was completely useless cos it was probably drawn by an eight year old where the scale and the navigational indexes were wrong.... either that or we simply didn't know how to read maps!

Anyway to gut a long story short, we didn't manage to find either and that's where our dear friends Kevin and Pauline decided to bring us to Sushi Sen cos this is where they usually have their Sushi in Tsukiji market and they swear by it. It wasn't going to be long before we realise that if Kevin and Pauline swears by a restaurant, you better believe it's goooood!

Sushi Chefs behind the counter..

Being the uninitiated in a foreign land, we decided to let our friends, the local foreigners, do the ordering. First up was this plate of Aburi Sushi. I hear some of you asking "What on earth is Aburi"... well, it's similar to Flambe.... what the chef does is to blowtorch the sushi for a few seconds before serving. If done correctly, you will end up having a slightly cooked surface but with all the freshness of the raw fish. I can't quite remember what each piece in the photo is but they were all .... what's the word i can use here.... AWESOME!

Next up was the mixed plate of Sushi. Ok, here's where i admit i am a wuss.... yes, i almost cried when i placed these little pieces of goodness into my mouth. Back in Singapore, we probably eat more Japanese then the usual local delights. But never in the most vivid of our imagination did we imagine that the Japs in Japan can do it so much better than in Singapore. Ok, i guess the freshness of the seafood used helps but still.... how can anything taste so good?!?

Without discrediting any of the other sushi on the platter, my favourites were the Uni Sushi and the Aburi Salmon Belly Sushi (next to the Uni Sushi) with a droplet of Japanese Mayo. I'm lost for words to describe just how good they are..

Yes, they were this good we had 2 more orders of the Uni Sushi...

Anago Sushi (Sea Eel), So so so so so so so goooooooood.....

Hotate Sushi (Scallop). If i were to blindfold you, put this piece of hotate in your mouth, have you savour it, then i place a piece of the freshest hotate we can get in Singapore in your mouth, your natural reaction would be to spit it out simply cos your mind tells you the hotate has gone bad. For some reason, the hotate in Japan just taste ultra fresh and ultra sweet. The texture is so different from what we get around here!

Clams cooked in Sake Soup... MMmmmmm...

Can't remember the name of this Sashimi but boy was it good..... even though the picture does look a little barbaric, wouldn't you say?

First Sushi we had in the land of Japan and we were thoroughly floored by the experience. It's just our second day and we are thinking we want to consider spending the rest of our lives here... yes, we are simple people.... we gravitate mindlessly to where good food is....

Tsukiji Sushisen
6-chome jogaishijo ten
Akimoto building 1F, 6-23-12,
Tsukiji, Chuo-ku
Tel: 03-3549-1136

*Out of curiosity, can anyone tell me if there is a plural for Sushi?!? This one had me baffled...

Home Bento Box - Attempt 1

2009-02-19T16:13:00.009+08:00

Alex, my army reservist buddy, sent me this amazing website called "The Adventures in Bentomaking" which features this amazingly creative individual who whips up gorgeous looking bento boxes. Wen has always been one to take pride in her work so when she cooks, she doesn't just make sure the food taste good, she makes sure it's visually glorious as well. The only time when it becomes an exception is when she is making simple home cooked chinese dishes in which case it ends up like how every Chinese family cooks it.... one communal plate for each dish cooked.

So after visiting "The Adventures in Bentomaking" website, we were inspired to try and make the simple dishes look good. Problem is, we ain't got no Bento Box to decorate the dishes in. On well, first attempt, we try with a nice looking clay bowl...

The Dishes:
1) Luncheon Meat, Onions and Potatoes fried in Tomato Ketchup and Chilli Sauce
2) Brocollini stewed in Oyster Sauce

Under normal circumstances, the Dishes would be served in separate plates. Each diner will get a bowl of rice and we eat in the traditional Chinese way. But we decided to do it Bento style!

The Idea:
1) Place the rice in half of the bowl (Vertically half, not horizontally half)
2) Place the Brocollinis in a quarter of the bowl with the leaves upwards
3) Place the Luncheon Meat and Potatoes in the remaining quarter of the bowl
4) Decorate the rice with a piece of Strawberry or Cherry for visual effect

The Result:

Haha, as you can see, not quite what we had intended for....

Bento Box attempt 1 - Lessons learned:

1) You need a nice looking Bento box, not just a bowl that looks semi nice
2) Better to use Japanese rice cos they are stickier and can clump up better
3) Portions need to be right... in this case, too much rice, too much luncheon meat

Well, at least the meal was fantastically awesome tasting and we had a nice 07 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc to go with it :)

Land of the Rising Sun - 朝日の土地

2009-02-18T13:45:00.006+08:00

It's been a long while hasn't it?

Due to work commitments, life changing events, chronic compulsive laziness, this food blog has been left empty and unattended to but in 10 days time, this blog is going to be set ablazed!

Food and drinks have always been a large part of Wen's and my life and in 10 days time, we are going to the Land of the Rising Sun..... the Land of Sashimis, Tempuras, Bento Boxes, Sushis, Yakitoris, Teppanyakis... and we are going to be there for 17 days and every delicacy that is devoured shall be featured here. I salivate just at the thought of that.....

Oh such exciting times.....

Gracie's!

2007-10-05T12:18:00.002+08:00

Date: 22 September 2007 19:00 (Saturday)

Welcome to Gracie's!!!

Eating at Gracie's is a tricky proposition. First, you need to be well acquainted with this lovely lady called Grace Swallow (I kid you not... that's her real last name...) Actually, that's all you need to do really.... such a lovely friend and an awesome chef!

Reif+James

2007-10-01T17:22:00.001+08:00

Date: 11 September 2007 19:00 (Tuesday)

Reif+James
80 Mohamed Sultan Road,
#01-03, The Pier at Robertson Quay
Tel: 6238 8817

Iggy's

2007-10-01T16:48:00.002+08:00

Date: 10 September 2007 19:30 (Monday)

It's your wife's birthday, u know she is the best, and she deserves the best, and you've saved up enough to possibly afford the best, what do you do? Why bring her to Iggy's of course!

2 years ago, when Iggy's was still relatively unknown, Wendy brought me to celebrate my birthday at Iggy's. Then the Degustation menu was S$175 per head. 2 years later, after numerous awards and the distinguished honour of being the World's top 60 Restaurant, the price has remained unchanged. Brilliant!

Through some sheer co-incidence, my buddy Charles' wife-to-be celebrates the exact same birthday as Wendy and so we agreed to do a "double date" thingy and enjoy the creativity and wondrous creations of Ignatius Chan and Chef Dorin Schuster.

The restaurant has expanded slightly, services remain impeccable and food continues to impress.

Iggy's
The Regent Singapore
Level 3
Singapore 249715
Tel: 6732 2234
www.iggys.com.sg

Ember Restaurant

2007-10-01T16:42:00.002+08:00

Date: 07 September 2007 19:00 (Friday)

Ember Restaurant
Hotel 1929
50 Keong Saik Road
Singapore 089154
Tel: 6347 1928

Bistro Kev's

2007-10-01T16:37:00.001+08:00

Date: 01 September 2007 19:30 (Saturday)

日本の食糧が付いている家!

2007-09-13T15:32:00.000+08:00

Date: 25 August 2007 19:30 (Saturday)

What do you do on a Sat evening when you feel like having great Japanese food but need to stay at home to catch the Turkey F1 Qualifier?

You buy ready made Sashimi and Sushi from Isetan and dine at home in front of the TV! Perfect Solution!!!

First up, this Spanish White Wine called "Oroya" which is suppose to go perfectly with Japanese Sushi. I think we got this from Meidi-ya.... Not a good wine... I wouldn't bother trying this again. Was rather tasteless... too light... wine was too short....

Ok, the below would be Otoro (Tuna Belly), Salmon Belly and Hotate (Scallops)... YUMMY!!!

Assorted Sushi...

Was a pity our favourite Kimi Räikkönen only managed a third position for the qualifiers. Still there was much to rejoice as Isetan did a good job on those Sashimi and Sushi!

Le Pont De Vie

2007-09-13T15:23:00.001+08:00

Date: 24 August 2007 19:00 (Friday)

I guess by now most of you would have realise that both Wen and I are into French Cuisine. I remember how when i used to be a lot younger, i used to think that French restaurants are the most expensive to go to and by the same token.... French people are all millionaires cos they can afford eating what they eat. But somewhere along the lines, either the myth of French restaurants being expensive was debunked or that the French restaurants in Singapore just generally lowered their prices. Either way, diners like myself rejoice...

About a year back, Wen and I dined at San Marco which is located in the Lighthouse of the Fullerton hotel and we had a very meaningful, albeit brief, chat with Roxan Villareal who runs San Marco. He was educating us on how similar French and Chinese cooking is. The way we season our food, the way we cook it.... He came up with some examples which were truly glaring at how similar the Chinese and French do their dishes. But somehow, I personally feel that the French just managed it a whole lot better...

Le Pont De Vie is an example of a French Restaurant that has emerged recently and does fantastic French food at reasonable prices. We heard a lot about this restaurant from our fellow dining friends but for some reason, we never got around to trying it. But i decided that we would change this and hence a surprise French dinner outing for my beloved Wen.

Presenting the Amuse Bouche!!!

Wait... aren't those empty sauce plates and spoons i hear you ask... The answer is yes! They certainly are.... but awhile back they contained the amuse bouche which the chef painstakingly prepared. The same amuse bouche that the blogger whacked up before realising he forgot to take a pic....

Warmly toasted bread with garlic butter. By the way, for those folks out there who hasn't been to France, the one good thing about eating french in Singapore is that most of the French restaurants here ensure that their diners get served with warm bread... in France, you get cold French loafs... Ewwww

Wen's Starter.. the Escalope De Foie Gras De Canard - Pan Fried Escalope of Rougie Duck Liver with Sundried Figs, Petite Salade, Cassis Reduction! Yummm....

My starter... Salade De Brie - Salad of Melted Brie on New Potatoes, Diced Bacon Bits, Petite Salade Tossed, Balsamic Vinaigrette ... Pardon my French but Wah lau.. this dish is F**King Awesome man!!! Never had this before... the brie melts on the hot potatoes and together with the crispy bacon beads, the bloody thing just oozes in your mouth and the combination of flavour and taste is something the imagination cannot fanthom out. This is a DIE DIE MUST TRY!!!

Wen's main which was the Cabillaud - Pan Roast Canadian Black Cod, Brunoise of Vegetables in Jus de Citron... very fatty... very nice!!!

My mains... Confit De Carnard - Duck Confit with Roast New Potato and Mesclun. They prepared it Dry! The way i like it!!! Duck confit is seriously my favourite french dish. A properly done duck confit will have it's skin super crispy and the meat so tender it will just detach from the bone the moment you press your knife into it. A lot of French restaurants love to add a dash of sauce to their duck confit, which in all honesty, does add a different dimension to the taste but the problem with sauces is that it ends up making the crispy skin soggy. Le Pont De Vie does it completely dry and you get to totally enjoy every single crispy bit of skin! Wah.... writing this blog makes me want to go back NOW!!!

And finally the dessert.... which i believe.... from the picture... to be.... some ice cream on banana crepes with strawberry by the sides.... Damn it man! I really must remember to take pictures before i plunge my damn mouth into the food!!! Oh, now i remember... it's called the Crepes Suzette - Thinly Flambéed Pancake with Vanilla Ice Cream. OOooooooo....

Oh, and the whole meal was beautifully accompanied by a bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2006. Ah... that's life!!!

For the French illiterate, Le Pont De Vie is a direct translation for "The Bridge of Life". And with the quality of food that they are serving, this is definitely one bridge i will be crossing over and over again :)

Le Pont De Vie
42 Waterloo Street
Tel: 6238 8682
www.lpdv.com.sg

Les Amis - Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

2007-09-13T14:52:00.000+08:00

Date: 23 August 2007 21:30 (Thursday)

So after a humongous dinner at En Bar, we decided "Hmmm, after all that nice salty dishes, i think we want something sweet to end the evening" It was easy for me, i had Wen with me and that was all the sweetness and goodness i needed. But alas, some feelings are just never reciprocated...

So off we went, across the road from En Bar, into Canelé, the French Dessert place by Les Amis.

Now, for those guys (Yeah, man talk here... women please skip to next paragraph. Thank you...) who have been visiting the Canelé branch at Mohd Sultan, you would remember that a while back, there used to be this really gorgeous and cute chick that mended the restaurant. She had the perfect poise, perfect skin and spoke perfect English.... She's no longer there and hasn't been for awhile. The last i spoke to her, she was leaving to work for HSBC. Every time i talk to my guy friends about Canelé, the first thing that will shoot out from their mouth is how good looking that chick was. Unfortunately i can't remember her name but if anyone important from the Les Amis Group is reading this, please.... "BRING HER BACK!!!!!!"

*Ahem*... the above paragraph is by request of my buddies and in no way reflect the feelings and thoughts of this blogger....

Cafe Noix for Wen...

Tarte Griottine for me...

Double Shot Espresso for both of us.... :)

Now that's a sweet way to end a lovely evening, don't you think?

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie
11 Unity Street,
Robertson Walk, #01-09,
Singapore 237995
Tel: 6738 8145

En Japanese Dining Bar - Mohd Sultan

2007-08-29T16:00:00.000+08:00

Date: 23 August 2007 19:30 (Thursday)

En Japanese Dining Bar, also affectionately called En Bar by fans of this restaurant.... Ah, Memories...

You know how when you first started dating your partner and how there would be a specific cinema that the both of you would always go to, or a shopping centre that both of you like to hang around, or a specific bush in a specific park that the both of you would romp in (ahem...) Well, En Bar is the restaurant that both Wen and myself built our dating days upon. There were times when we would be at En Bar no less than 3 times a week. I think i probably spent more time at En Bar in the last X years than in the office! (Ooops...) We must have tried every single dish on the menu...

There's obviously a reason why we go to En Bar so often.... it may be that the place is really chill out and it's in a very centralised location (Mohd Sultan) but mostly it's cos the food and sake they serve are so AWESOOOME!!! (though i suspect the cute jap manager, Ibuki Horie, might be a reason why Wen suggests going to En Bar so often... don't think i never catch you stealing secret glances! *wags finger*)

Ok, back to the food...

We've been to En Bar so many times we could just say "The usual" and the waiting staff will probably get it right. So without further adieu, presenting...... En Bar Food....

We first started with a nice pot of Hot Sake... just to whet up the Appetite :)

Next up, Tako Wasabi - slightly boiled Octopus mixed with Wasabi... Mmmmm...

Salmon Sashimi... So Fresh... Mmmmm

Hotate Sashimi aka Scallop Sashimi... So Fresh... Mmmmm

Mekajiki Sashimi - Swordfish Sashimi... So Fresh... Mmmmm

Kokuryu Junmai Ginjo Sake - translated as "Black Dragon".... this has got to be one of the best Sakes around...

Kubu Irichi - Seaweed with pork...

Daikon Salad...

Shitake Tempura

Assorted Sushi

Wafu Steak

Yup, all the above for 2.... it's any wonder why we are not as fat as Sumo Wrestlers! And oh no, dinner wasn't over... we proceeded across the road to.... CANALE!!! But that's a different story altogether...

En Japanese Dining Bar
207 River Valley Road
UE Square, #01-57
Singapore 238275
Tel: 67352212

Oosh!

2007-08-29T15:09:00.001+08:00

Date: 22 August 2007 18:00 (Wednesday)

Ok, i know sometimes it may seem like i am very generous with my praises to places, restaurants, food, wines, friends, etc.... but the truth is that i am someone who is easily pleased. BUT BUT BUT.... i do not mince my words when i say that Oosh! is possibly the most chill out place in Singapore!

To justify my claims, let me list down why i think this is the most chill out place:
1) Beautifully Designed Building
2) Fabulous Landscaping all over
3) Nice chill out seatings
4) Many different seating/dining areas and each one have their own landscaped theme
5) Al Fresco with sufficient Outdoor Cooling Systems
6) Beautiful Bar Area

I could just go on forever on how i love this place! If you are feeling in a Bali mood, you can select the Trellis area which features individual outdoor booths. You can sit on The Roof and have Sake and Sushi. There's a proper dining area known as The Garden which has the tables set amidst luscious greenery. Damn it, this is Heaven in Singapore!!!

But heaven comes at a price.... the things i really dun like about Oosh!

Firstly, you got to pay a flat fee of $5 for the parking. There are free alternative parking areas which is about a 5 mins walk. The parking area is pretty small and you usually see Beemers, Mercedes, Audis, Porsches... generally people who will use a $5 note to wipe their arse after a dump...

Secondly, prices of drinks are ..... pardon my French..... F**king Expensive! Here's an example of how expensive... house pour wine.... $18 per glass! Usual going rate in most pubs is between $10 to $12 so that's about a 50% premium. Fwah...

Thirdly, service levels are really quite bad. When you enter the main entrance area, you get all these lovely ladies greeting you and sorting out your seats and you think... wow, heaven comes with angels as well. But then that's about the only service you will get. The waiting staff are poorly trained and largely lack initiative in ensuring that their customers are well taken care of.

BUT BUT BUT... dun let all that stop you from going to Oosh! It's really a fabulous place and everyone that i know that has been there agree whole-heartedly with me. I guess the owners must know that they can afford to charge a premium on their food and drinks due to the amazing atmosphere they have landscaped and created.

Thank goodness i had those wonderful discount vouchers from UOB...

We started off with a bottle of Champagne! Piper-Heidseick Blanc de Blanc...... with the UOB voucher, $88.... :) This is a really nice bottle of champagne... first time that both Wen and I have tried.

For the food, we ordered the Pork Belly Skewer and the Chicken Thigh Wasabi Skewer. Now, i normally don't have much expectations of drink places serving finger food but these skewers were AWESOME!!! From the picture, that may seem like a lot of Wasabi on the Chicken Thigh but it's nothing a 5 year old can't handle. The Pork Belly was crispy where it should be and non fatty where it shouldn't have been.

For those with discerning eyes, you would perhaps notice that the chicken thigh wasabi doesn't come in a full skewer. Errr, that' only cos i started eating before i realised i had to take the pics! Each skewer dish comes in 2 skewers so whatever you see in the pic is but the balance of what i haven't eaten... Heh heh...

We also tried the Crab Cakes which were very very good too.... And yes, i forgot to take the pic before eating again. Dish actually comes with 3 Crab cakes.... Crab Cakes are served together with Wasabi Mayonaisse. Lovely!

And then, the Wagyu Beef burger with Foie Gras..... sounds like an awesome dish yah? It's not too bad except for the fact that they are really small and you can't really taste the Foie Gras... They serve this during happy hours on Sun and Mon for Free (I think...) so idea is to go on a Sun or a Mon to try this one...

We sat in Oosh! from 6pm till 8pm witnessing the sunset and enjoying the bliss that the Dempsey area have to offer. How good is this place? Let's put it this way..... if i could afford it.... i would be at Oosh! every single night of my life!!!

That's how heavenly this place is!

Oosh!
22 Dempsey Road
Singapore 249679
Tel: 64750002
www.oosh.com.sg

Home Again with Galbiati Gourmet

2007-08-29T14:47:00.000+08:00

Date: 21 August 2007 20:30 (Tuesday)

There's no place like home! After a hard day at work, nothing beats going back to the comfort of the home, slumping on the sofa with the legs propped up on the coffee table with a glass of Crossings 2006 Sauvignon Blanc in one hand and the hands of your dearest in the other..... Ah....

But life ain't always perfect like that.... you can only hold your dearest hands for so long before the stomach starts growling. So once again, we Ta Pao some yummilious food from Galbiati Gourmet.

For Starters, the Lobster Bisque.... Hmmmm, nice but not quite there.... not quite there....

Then there was the Mushrooms which was very nice! I'm sure there's a proper name for this dish but the wife bought the food and threw the receipt away so the proper name escapes me...

And for the mains...... Beef Lasagna (once again) for the wife. As usual, it was good...

As for me, the Tagliatelle Squid ink with Crab Meat. This one is yummy beyond yum.... I so love Galbiati's pasta!

And we rounded off our Italian dinner in French style.... Fromage! Peppered Brie.... OOooooh.

Ok, hands up.... who says i can't write a short and concise blog!

Galbiati Gourmet Deli
400 Upper Bukit Timah Road
The Rail Mall
Singapore 678050
Tel: 64620926

Raffles Hotel - Writer's Bar

2007-08-29T13:29:00.000+08:00

Date: 18 August 2007 19:00 (Saturday)

I have had feedback from some of you that i have, in your exact words, "damn a lot of cock to write" and hence i shall attempt to write a short one...

During my last visit to The Bar & Billiard Room with Felix, i was reasonably impressed to decide that i was going to bring Wen here to experience the wondrous spread of seafood. I'm not going to write about our dinner cos it's going to be largely similar to the previous entry. But i am going to write about our Pre-dinner drink.

Writer's Bar is this small little bar that sits around 10 which is located just outside The Raffles Grill. It has a long history and apparently there have been numerous literary greats (including a certain Rudyard Kipling) who have sat here sipping on single malts and writing books that have touched millions of hearts. It's a pity that i did not have my writing pad and pen otherwise i would have added another great literary name to that list.... :p

Yes, back to the pre-dinner drinks... Wen had a shot of Ballantine's 12 years on the rocks while i had a single shot of Glenmorangie 10 years straight up. That cost us $16 and $20 respectively.... the price one has to pay to attempt to pretend to be a literary great!

After dinner, we were in for a pleasant surprise.... Fireworks!!!

Enjoy!!!

Raffles Hotel - Writer's Bar
1 Beach Road
Singapore 189673
Tel: 6337 1886

Whitebait & Kale

2007-08-29T09:49:00.000+08:00

Date: 16 August 2007 21:00 (Thursday)

A very late dinner... sacrifices a husband have to make when the wife decides to get her nails perfectly pedicured at Pauline's. Some days you wonder why men need to put up with all these crap about women spending time looking pretty and us men having to wait around for them. What happened to those good o' times when the universe revolved around us men? As the wait extends, the hunger expands and the impatience augments but then the wife appears and you see her and her perfectly pedicured nails and the love rushes back and all is forgiven. Yeah, i am one of those fickle chauvinistic types... :)

When you have Kevin and Pauline as dinner company, you can expect nothing but a good time. Pauline is the artist responsible for making the harder parts (errr... nails that is) of my wife look good and Kevin is the artist responsible for making sure that Pauline is in good shape to make my wife look good. I love having meals with them cos they are really the most unpretentious, unassuming sort of people. I've got quite a few best friends that i have meals and drinks with quite often but for some reason while it is really fun being with them, there is always an underlying hint of everyone making comparisons about each others' successes, a nonchalant attempt to show off achievements, intelligence and wealth which makes these gatherings a tad unpleasant. This isn't a jibe at my friends, it's human to behave like that and i must have been responsible for such behavior at some point in my life but it's because of this that makes dining with Kevin and Pauline so much more enjoyable. They are a very lovely couple and we can talk about anything under the sun with them and everything spoken between us only serves to delight and never offend.

And so after a long and hard day's work for everyone, we finally gather at Whitebait and Kale at 9pm for a very sumptuous dinner. We start off with the freshly baked Onion bread which was soft and warm when served. Bread was really flavorful :)

Next up was the wine..... I can't help but stereotype here.... the men ordered the red, the women ordered the white. A bottle of Cloudy Bay's 2006 Sauvignon Blanc and a bottle of Cesari Mara 2002 Vino Di Ripasso.

Now, let me spend some time to tell everyone how both Wendy and I think that Cloudy Bay's 2006 Sauvignon Blanc is a wine made in heaven and the grapes that were used to create this wine, possibly cultivated by the very hands of Bacchus himself. Upon the first whiff, you are engulfed with the mouth-watering aromas of passion fruit and lemon grass led with perhaps the spiciness of just-picked tomatoes tossed with fresh basil. Once the wine hits the palate, you cannot help but be amazed at the fruitiness of the taste and it provides a very long, powerful, crisp finish. It really is our favourite bottle of white!

As for the Vino Di Ripasso, this is a red wine from Veneto Italy and it is one wine which demonstrates rich, ripe fruit flavors and i personally thought it complemented quite well with the Angus Prime Rib i had. 2002 isn't exactly a prized vintage for wines from North Eastern Italy so dun expect it to be heavy or heady on the palettes. I liked the wine and i guess that's all that really matters :)

For the Appetizers, we had the Crab Cake and this blogger has no picture to show for cos he was too hungry and when the dish was placed on the table, this blogger went straight for the food, stuffed his whole mouth with crab cakes and then attempted to say "Shit! forgot to take pictures" Obviously, that all came out rather inaudibly.... If you have not tried Whitebait and Kale's Crab Cakes, you haven't eaten real Crab Cakes.... Awesome!

For the Mains, Wen had the Crabmeat Capellini.... as a matter of fact, for the last 3,657 visits to Whitebait's, she has been ordering this for her mains. I'm going to be very factual here.... Wendy makes the best pasta in Singapore. I am not bold enough to claim that she is the best pasta chef in the world cos i think there must be at least one 5 star Michelin Chef that can do pasta better than her.... But in Singapore, if you take Wendy away from the pasta equation, then i would say this pasta is right on par with Ember's Ebi Sakura Angel Hair Pasta. That good? You Bet!!!

As for Pauline, she went with the Catch of the Day which is Errrr.... a Rock Cod i believe.... (This is what happens when you try to write a blog on a meal that happened half a month ago) She was kind enough to feed all of us with generous pieces of her fish and the fish was really very good. Fresh, tender, juicy, tasty.... Mmmmmm!

Kevin and I had the US Angus Rib Eye. He had it Medium with Truffle sauce and i had mine Medium-rare in Pepper sauce. I think the Rib Eye would have been perfect if it was done Medium-rare in Truffle Sauce! Ladies and Gentlemen, friend, fans and staff of Morton's ..... THIS IS WHAT I CALL A REAL STEAK!!! Sorry about being bitter but i still can't quite comprehend how a steakhouse specialising in steaks can get it so wrong.......

Dinner was concluded with a bottle of Moscato for Pauline, a serving of Profiteroles for Kevin, a Warm Chocolate Cake for Wen and myself and a single shot of espresso for Wendy, Kevin and myself... all of which i have no picture to show for cos i'm a crap food blogger....

Bah.... who needs pictures of food when you have company like Pauline and Kevin's!

Whitebait and Kale
1 Orchard Boulevard
#01-01 Camden Medical Centre
Singapore 248649
Tel: 63338697

Ristorante Wendys!

2007-08-13T15:27:00.000+08:00

Date: 11 August 2007 21:00 (Saturday)

You know you are in for a real treat when your wife says "I'm going to do it for you tonight..." And she certainly whipped it up good! All that anticipation throughout the whole day, the foreplay of smells and sensations, the explosion of orgasmic feeling when it happens.... yes dinner was eventually served and Wen is the best cook, i tell ya....

The Dish of Desire - Baked Penne with Sausage and Carrots....

But first, let me dwell on the anticipation....

The thing about making baked pastas is that there is a lot of waiting time. Preparation time is pretty ok, in fact rather short but the waiting time is long and we were already hungry. So a nice snack of Ferro Breadstick dipped in Copperpot's Zesty Eggplant Dip. This dip is really quite awesome and if we had a microwave oven at home, we might have heated this up as i think it will really taste better warm than cold. The dip is a little spicy and it tastes like ... eggplant.

But that's not gonna make us happy yeah? So... a plate of nice Peppered Brie!

This is awesome cheese man! Brie Cheese is one of my favourite cheese... so creamy on the inside... Ooooo...

And what good is cheese without a drink! Ok, some of us were taught in kindergarten that we should always have cheese with a fine bottle of red wine. Someone from the Ministry of Education ought to have been fired! Some cheese go well with Whites and some with Champagne and this Brie goes really well with a bottle of....

Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne! Mmmmm...

Errr, ok.... some justification required here. Yes, Champagne ought to be limited to special ocassions... unless you are a friggin millionaire in which case then it should be limited to breakfasts only. But in our last trip to the city of Champagne (French pronounce it as Sharm Pun), we learnt that when a bottle of un-vintaged Champagne is bottled, the taste will only last for 3 years after which the bubbles disappear and so do the taste. Absolute crap since we've been stocking up on Champagne over the years and they are all nearing expiry! So yeah, this was a bottle of champagne which was bought almost 3 years ago hence the need to consume it immediately. We were just exercising intelligent prudence :)

Next up, the foreplay....

Ingredients that go into Wen's Baked Penne...

Yeah, we eat everything with Chilli Padi!

For the uninitiated, the above consists of Onions, Chilli Padi, Carrots and Italian Spicy Chicken Sausage...

Now, i have tried seeking permission on putting the recipe online but the chef has politely declined this opportunity. It's such a pity because this is an absolute fabulous dish. But i'm not the bastard that everyone makes me out to be so i will go against the chef's wishes and give you one very crucial chef secret that will make or break this Baked Pasta dish. And the secret is.... you will need an oven for this.... :)

And so the chef mixes all the above along with an unspecified weight of Penne soaked in an unspecified brand of Tomato and Herb Sauce. Look at the pre-baked pictures... it looks yummy even before it's cooked!

A rare photo of the chef in her apron....

And so after an unspecified number of minutes in the oven at an unspecified temperature. The chef sprinkles some Perfect Italiano Mozzarella cheese, puts it back in the oven and within a couple of minutes later... Voila!

Again, if you think the picture of the final product looks good, this dish is a million times better than how it looks. The cheese is baked to perfection, crispy on the outside and still creamy inside. The Penne is Al Dente, Sausages and carrots perfect texture, the onions adding to the sweet tingle and the chilli padi adding zest to the whole dish.

And of course it was perfectly accompanied by the Rose Champagne.

I must be the happiest man alive :)

Ristorante Wendys!

What?!? Did you think i would be crazy to put our home address here?
Tel: Are you crazy?!?

Yumeya Japanese Restaurant

2007-08-13T13:57:00.000+08:00

Date: 8 August 2007 21:30 (Wednesday)

I've begun to realise that i will never be a good food blogger. I love food very much, I love drinks even more, I think i can write a decent article if necessary, i can take a mean picture if the lightings are right.... BUT... what good is all that when this food blogger ends up eating and drinking everything on the table before the photos are taken and notes are recorded!

Take my posting about Morton's for example, picture of the steak looked pretty decent but truth is that that's a half eaten steak! Ate half of it before realising that i forgot to take pictures! turned the steak over and with some clever angled shots, managed to take a pic of the steak as if it was untouched... And that's not the only shot i have cleverly covered up....

If you looked up "Crap Food Blogger" in the dictionary, you will probably find my face there...

On some ocassions though, i am thankful that i have friends who are fanatic enough to take pictures of every single dish before allowing the rest of us to partake the food. This is one such ocassion. All pics in this posting were made possibly by Peiling. She's like the world's biggest Hello Kitty fan.... she takes fantastic photos, she's really funny and she is a master in the art of "Disciplining Hubbys" I would write a lot more about her but personally i think it's just not nice to compliment your good friend's wife too much... raises your friend's ego, gets the wife all jealous, makes your other married mates wary about you, yada yada yada... :P

Back to food blogging....

It's National Day Eve..... everyone's in a party mood.... group of us friends start off the evening with drinks at Axis Bar and Lounge @ Oriental (looks like this is going to be my new hangout place). We then proceed to the Mohd Sultan area for some good Japanese food!

Yumeya Japanese Restaurant. Located along Mohd Sultan Road, this Jap restaurant is run by Lee Loon, a Chinese Chap. I did not get a chance to speak with him much other than complaining that his promise of a table within 10 mins extended to over 30 mins. I did put in a formal demand of 15% discount and 2 x 300ml bottles of Sake for our waiting time and i made clear to him in no uncertain terms that if my demand was not met, i would do absolutely nothing detrimental to him. Poor chap shivered in fear and gave in to my demands....

First up was the Fugu Mirin Boshi.....

Some will have you believe that this is the most dangerous dish in the world. It's basically Puffer fish meat and if cleaned incorrectly, the slightest hint of poison will make you look like Paul Twohill with a bad hair day... This dish taste so much like Bak Kwa. If you are feeling down and want to end it all, eating poisonous bak kwa would be a nice way to go...

Next up was the assorted plate of Sashimi. I'm not at that level in which i can comment on why this sashimi taste better than that but i certainly can differentiate between fresh sashimi and err.. not fresh ones. And the Sashimi that Yumeya serves are FREEEEEEEESH!!! SO so yummy!

After the Sashimi came the Cheese Oyster served with a plate of flames. Cheese was like still bubbling when served. SO so yummy!

Crap, once again, my limited range of adjectives put to the test... shall let the photos do the talking....

Yasai Kakiage... Deep Fried Vegetable... Crispy and Tasty!

Age Dashi Tofu.... this one is awesome! One of the best Age Dashi Tofus i have eaten. Problem with most places serving this dish is that the skin gets a bit soggy after prolonged periods in the sauce. But over at Yumeya, they've managed to do this perfectly... the skin continues to remain taut and crispy and together with the sauce... Oooooh

Wafu Steak.... Nice!

Gyu Tataki.... Beef fillet.... Nice!

Kinoko Mikisu Yaki... NOW THIS IS WHAT I CALL A NICE DISH OF ASPARAGUS!!! It bloody cost $10 and taste like a million dollars. if you are wondering what the caps lock are all about, it's in relation to the $25 plate of asparagus i paid at Morton's... That one cost a million dollars and taste like $10!

We finally ended the evening with a Dobin Mushi. This is a pot of soup which have lots of goodies in it. The Dobin Mushi was really tasty and it sure helped to complete a perfect meal. But where's the photo of the Dobin Mushi?!?!? Peiling? *curious look*

The whole dinner event was aptly accompanied by 5 x 300ml bottles of Hot Sake. Not much alcohol for a party of 7... which is why we then proceeded to Stanley's apartment over at The Pier (just across the road) for another 2 bottles of Champagne, 2 bottles of white wine, 1 bottle of red wine and toasted to our country over and over and over.....

Happy 42nd Birthday Singapore!

Yumeya Japanese Restaurant
33 Mohamed Sultan Road
#01-01, Singapore 238977
Tel: 68870282

Axis Bar & Lounge @ Oriental Hotel

2007-08-06T13:31:00.001+08:00

Date: 4 August 2007 18:30 (Saturday)

It's 30 mins away from our Anniversary dinner at Morton's and we are early.... so untypically Singaporean! Oh well, off to Axis Lounge for a pre-dinner drink...

Managed to get a window seating with a splendid view of Singapore's Skyline. But oh wait.... can you see it? Lots of people marching along the roadside? Yup, National Day Parade just around the corner and these patriotic citizens are practicing hard for the show in 5 days time. All their blood, sweat and effort will be richly rewarded when they perform in front of the whole nation on National Day. Brilliant!

Ok, this is our first time at Axis Bar & Lounge... on most weekday evenings, me and my colleagues will often flock to Morton's Bar for their Happy Hour. Morton's Bar serves huge Martinis at $10+++ per glass during happy hours and it even comes with free steak sandwiches... naturally, everyone's happy during Morton's Happy hours! Axis is just opposite Morton's bar but I have never stepped in till now. Happy Hours are from 5pm to 8pm and happy hour drinks are at $13+++ .... on first sight, it doesn't seem as happy an hour as that of Morton's BUT if you have been to Morton's like ten thousand times in the last 3 months, then Axis is a refreshing change. Martini's are not as big as those you get at Morton's Bar but you get:

(1) Free flow of Wasabi Chips
(2) Free flow of Tapas
(3) One serving of Calamari

One should always be a gentleman and never complain about free food so i won't dwell on the fact that the Calamari was a little too oily for our liking. One should however dwell on the good points of free food and that it that the Wasabi Chips were very very nice, the Tapas were really quite awesome and the Calamari's batter is about the most crispy thing you can ever bite into...

Any seating in Axis will get you a great view of the Singapore skyline and the sofas are really comfortable to laze around in. Staffs are attentive and the drinks menu is pretty comprehensive.

Happy Hour at Axis anyone? :)

Morton's, The Steak House

2007-08-04T10:28:00.000+08:00

Date: 04 August 2007 19:00 (Saturday)

Morton's, The Steakhouse - The Creme de la Creme of Steak Houses....

Before you start wondering if Wen and I are some multi-millionaires who live a life filled with riches and excesses, let me put to rest that suspicion you have. No, we are not multi-millionaires and we do not live a life of riches. The dinning of the past week may seem to indicate so but that's far from the truth. We do indulge in excesses though...

BUT, this meal is not one of those excesses. It is a necessity... because ? years ago on this very day, in a dinky dark corner in the now defunct Devil's Bar, I looked at Wen in her eyes and my heart screamed out to me "this is the one!" after which i, without any hesitation, planted a kiss on her lips. ? years ago, she stole my heart away from me... And so, this meal at Morton's isn't about Excesses... it's a celebration of the start of a perfect union that happened ? years ago...

And so after our pre-dinner drink at Axis bar & Lounge, we made our way to Morton's! Oh what joy to be able to dine in this restaurant which we have been fantasizing for such a long time!

Let me first talk about why everyone should go to Morton's for a meal....

1) Excellent Service! - All restaurants should learn a thing or two from Morton's. The waiters and waitresses were very professional and the managers were very attentive to the needs of the customers.

2) Table front presentation of food - Yup, the waiter in charge of serving you will push this trolley filled with all the dishes they serve and explain to you what each dish is about. Doesn't matter that it seems rather silly when a waiter picks up a lobster and tells you that if you order lobster, this is what you will get...

3) Excellent Service! - I called up to make reservations about 2 weeks back and informed them that i would be celebrating our anniversary. They made our table really special. They sprinkled little stars on the table to make us feel special. They gave us a booth seat even though i did not request for it. The printed menu on our table had a congratulatory message wishing us a Happy Anniversary. Nice small touches...

4) Excellent Service! - At the end of the meal, they even gave us a complimentary Warm Chocolate cake. They came over to take a picture of us and within minutes presented us with a nice photo frame with the picture taken and wishing us a Happy Anniversary. So so sweet of them....

We started off with the free Onion Bread that they serve all their patrons before dinner. The bloody bread was ENORMOUS! We were completely stunned when we saw the bread... it's bigger than the size of my stomach! But the onion bread was very very nice.... very flavourful and freshly baked.

Next, we had a look at the wine menu and i think the cheapest bottle of wine we could find was a $148 bottle of Pinot Noir from Australia which you can get for $37 in Cold Storage. It's not that they only carry expensive wines.... it's just how they priced their wines. If i had known this to be the case, I would have been better off paying the $60 corkage and bringing my own bottle of wine!

Anyway, we decided to go with a bottle of Chateau Belgrave, Haut-Medoc 1999. We've had this before though we can't remember where. After all the nice 2006 whites we've had in the past week, this bottle was a disappointment. It's not too bad... just highly forgettable. I guess it holds true about how when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys... This bottle cost us $150. A pretty expensive bottle of monkey if you asked me... Again, dun get me wrong, if i had paid $60 for this bottle of wine, i would have said it was fantastic, but at $150... i couldn't help but feel that the wine did me injustice...

Next up was a half dozen oysters...

Oysters were rather massive in my opinion but the waiter served it with an apology saying that the oysters are a little small today so they decided to give us 7 instead of 6. Duh! But i wasn't going to start complaining....

Next up was the Lobster Bisque which we had requested to have one portion split into 2. Wen and i aren't such big eaters and we usually rather have more in variation than in size. The Lobster Bisque was really quite good though not the best. For the best Lobster Bisque, look no further than St Julien at Fullerton's Waterhouse...

The picture above is how it looks with the portioned Split... thank goodness we did not order a bowl each!

We ordered 2 extra side dishes to go with our mains and that would be the Asparagus in Hollandaise Sauce and the Lyonnaise Potatoes. I'm going to be blunt here... the Asparagus tasted like... Asparagus. And with the Hollandaise Sauce, it tasted like... Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce! And if you have to pay $25 for a plate of Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce, you would feel a tad stupid after... which is how i felt.

The Lyonnaise Potatoes on the other hand was simply out of this world. Grilled to perfection! Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside... Didn't matter that i felt stupid paying $15 for a small plate of potatoes... they were good! This is one dish not to be missed when you visit Morton's...

And then... the highlight of the evening! The US Prime Rib-eye... Ok, for those who have never been to Morton's and you are planning to go and you are not a big eater, for the love of Mankind... order just one steak and share it with your partner. Don't feel shy about asking them to split your steak order! Here's the reason why.... Wen and i may not be big eaters but we still do put in a substantial amount of food into our stomachs during meal times. For Steaks, Wen usually struggles to finish 120 grams while i do perfect with 150 grams. That's a total of 270 grams between us. Morton serves their steak in 400 grams portions.... that is massive! At 400 grams here, you are not even talking about eating a cow.... you are talking about eating the cow, it's parents, it's grand-parents and half of it's first uncle!

Ok, i think you get the picture... Now, the quality of the steak.... i'm going to be curt here. I have had better... much better... for possibly half the price. The best steak i had was when both Wen and i were in the U.S. We were in Las Vegas and we went to this steak place called Smith & Wollensky Same posh setting, same posh menu, same excellent service, a fraction of Morton's prices...

In Singapore, many restaurants do their steaks very well... the only difference is that most restaurants do not use US beef and while i am not the biggest fans of the US of A, i got to say they have the best cows in the world. If these restaurants started investing in US Cows for their steaks, they would do a meaner steak than Morton's. I enjoyed my steak... so did Wen... but we both felt a little silly paying $80 for it. The steak was at best .... mediocre...

We ended the dinner with the complimentary Warm Chocolate Cake. Now, this one was really good and it wasn't because it was free.... Served with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream and an inedible candle on ice. The sponge of the cake was the perfect texture and the hot chocolate contained in those sponges were simply orgasmic!

It was supposed to be a perfect evening for the 2 of us... celebrating our anniversary in a restaurant we have wanted to visit for so long. But we ended up damaged twice over.... we damaged our digestive systems big time. We had to literally roll out of the restaurant. I could have walked out of the restaurant without my pants and no one would bat an eye lid simply because my stomach would have been covering any obscene parts. Our wallets also got damaged big time... super big time. I had exchanged my UOB Credit card points for a $100 voucher and thought i would spend no more than $250... final dinner bill... $402.53. For that price, i could have gotten a degustation menu for 2 at Iggy's without alcohol!

But like i said.... this isn't one of those excesses we have in life. It's a necessity... when you come into the realisation that the one you love means the world to you, Morton's extravagant bill is really just peanuts. A very big peanut....

Morton's, The Steakhouse
Oriental Hotel
5 Raffles Avenue, Marina Square
4th Storey
Singapore 039797
Tel: 63393740

At Home with Let's Clap

2007-08-04T09:27:00.000+08:00

Date: 03 August 2007 20:00 (Friday)

Guess we are not typical Singaporeans... a typical Singaporean would on a Friday night go:

(1) Chionging
(2) Dinner with Friends
(3) Go Shop in Johor with Colleagues
(4) Watch a movie
(5) All of the Above in one night

But Wen and I decided that we would take the evening easy. It has been a really tough week and both of us have got ZERO energy left to enjoy an energy filled Friday.

And so we decided to Ta-Bao some good o' Chinese food from Let's Clap over at Rail Mall. This Chinese Restaurant had recently moved into Rail Mall and up till now, we've never tried it before. We decided to take it easy on our stomachs and hence the following orders:

(1) Small Packet of Ee Fu Noodles
(2) Gao Gei with 3 kinds of Eggs (Salted, Century and Normal) cooked in Superior Stock
(3) 1 Kg of Steam Crab

Total cost: $50 (Crab is sold at $30 per Kg)

We were rather skeptical of the food quality simply because this is a rather new restaurant and the few times that we have gone to Rail Mall, it has always been almost empty. I suppose it is normal to assume that if a restaurant looks empty, it's probably not good. But Boy were we wrong! Food was AWESOME stuff! The Ee Fu Noodles had very good texture, was very tasty but yet not oily. The Gao Gei dish is simply the best i have tried... previously my favourite Gao Gei would be from Charming Gardens at Copthorne Orchid Hotel or Crystal Jade. This one beats those two hands down pants down!

And the Steam Crab... MMmmmmm... meat was so perfectly cooked. Firm to the touch, Soft to the Taste... it was naturally sweet tasting and so juicy that you could not bite into each mouthful without the remnant soup base trickling down your hands. My Father-in-law is a hardcore fisherman enthusiast and he did once tell me something about how there is a correct time for eating crabs. Something to do with the full moon and the crabs meat being tender at that point cos of the mating period or something... I would have remembered better if i understood his Teo Chew but i think i got the gist and perhaps we happened to eat the crab at the right time. But dun let my last statement take the credit off Let's Clap. Wen said that it is easy to do a good pepper crab or chilli crab but it's almost impossible to do a good steam crab. With the pepper and Chilli, the spice flavours will mask the imperfections of the crab.... with a steam crab, it has got to be cooked to perfection because there isn't anything to mask the imperfections. Let's Clap did the Steam crab to PERFECTION...

Oh, and like i always say... what good is seafood without a bottle of white...

Make that the 5th bottle of Oceanic bottle of white I have had in the last 6 days! We have like half a dozen Oyster Bay's 2006 Sauvignon Blanc in our wine fridge simply because it is ridiculously good at that price. $27... that's all it takes to enjoy a fantastic bottle of white... AND AND AND... this wine goes perfect with Crabs! So for all crab lovers out there.... make sure you get a bottle of this when you have crabs... Trust me :)

Let's Clap
396 & 398 Upper Bukit Timah Road
The Rail Mall
Singapore 678048
Tel: 64684453

Raffles Hotel - Bar and Billiard Room

2007-08-03T11:08:00.000+08:00

Date: 2 August 2007 19:00 (Thursday)

This is starting to look like a really good week. So much good food over the past week I'm actually starting to feel really decadent.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are generally my gym days (need to run off all those ridiculous amounts of calories i put on every other day) but i had to make an exception for this one. Received a call earlier in the week from Felix who started out as my Financial Planner but has grown to become a good friend of mine. He wanted to give me a treat and as a foodie and a true blooded Singaporean, you just don't say no to an offer like that!

A word about Felix before i talk about the wonderful meal we had. Felix, is about the best Financial Planner that anyone can meet. His knowledge is inexhaustible, he is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to Financial Planning, he is highly motivated in giving his clients the best advice possible... I'm not the easiest customer to have. If you knew my wife, she would bitch non stop to you about how i constantly stress salespeople out with my incessant questions. I don't do this intentionally, it's really just how my thoughts are processed. And Felix has always had a ready answer for me no matter how ridiculous and far fetched my questions are. Sometimes he bombards me with so much knowledge i actually suffer from a brain freeze... Oh and Felix loves to talk too.... i don't ever remember having dinner with him and not been the last ones out of the restaurant. He is about the most entertaining person to have dinner with simply because of his wealth of knowledge and his passion for life and work is just so infectious you can sit and listen to him all night. Actually i exaggerate a bit here.... i can probably listen to him all day and night... But in all honesty, he is really good with what he does, ever since getting him to plan the financial aspects of my life, i have never had to worry one single bit. If you have just started thinking about planning your financial health and you want Felix's contact, drop me a mail and i will have him contact you :)

Ok, back to the meal....

The last time i went to Bar and Billiard room was in 1995. It was my first job and my boss (aptly named Mr. Smart!) then took the whole department to the Bar and Billiard room for a lunch buffet. Looking back, that was actually the very first fine dinning i have ever had (i came from a very poor family...) I remembered being amazed at the luxurious spread then....

I continue to remain amazed at the luxurious spread now....

If you are a seafood person, then you would love the Bar and Billiard Room's Buffet. It's got endless rows of Prawns, Lobsters, Oysters, Scampis, Mussels, Sashimi... They emphasize a lot on the Lobsters though. You can get Lobster Bisque, Lobster Pancake, Lobster as it is..... This is Lobster HEAVEN!!!

And what is good seafood without a bottle of white right? Thank goodness Felix was in a very generous mood and he got us a bottle of Hardys Colombard, Verdelho, Chenin Blanc 2006 from Australia. Yup, yes.... yet another 2006 bottle of white for me... 4th bottle this week! Life is Good!

Now, in a setting like the Bar and Billiard room which isn't overtly stuffy, one is still reminded to put on their good manners, you just don't go around taking pictures of their food spread. And unfortunately, i have just restarted my gym routine which makes me highly calculative with my food intake so.... only pictures of what i ate... which, believe me, is a mere fraction of what is available...

My Starters 2x Fresh Prawns,3 x Fresh Oysters, 5 x Salmon Sashimi, 2 x Tuna Sashimi (Hmm, I'm actually more disciplined then i think i am....)

The good stuff... 2nd round... 1 x Lobster Pancake, 5 x Smoked Salmon, 3 x Baby Lobsters... oh and 1 x Lobster Bisque which i forgot to take a picture of...

Mains! Butter Rice (AWEEEESOMEEEEE!!!), Mixed Vegetables, Roasted Potatoes, 1 slice of Beef and some seafood....

Desserts.... Dunno what the heck those were but they are nice!

Ok, any Health Fanatic out there that can calculate just how many calories i consumed?

As i mentioned, those pics above do no justice to the amazing spread that the Bar and Billiard room offers. There is a bread section, cheese platter counter, roasted meat section, cold cuts section, ice cream section... all of which i skipped.

Oh, i did have a cup of espresso after all that. Mind you.... when i said a cup, i meant a cup... a full one... at least 6 shots of espresso in there. Not that i needed that to keep me awake... i had Felix as company :)

Raffles Hotel - Bar and Billiard Room
1 Beach Road
Singapore 189673
Tel: 6337 1886

Sakana Tei

2007-08-02T17:23:00.001+08:00

Date: 01 August 2007 19:30 (Wednesday)

Welcome to Japanese Food Paradise!

Here's the lowdown about Sakana Tei.... it's located on the 4th floor of Cuppage Centre and is surrounded by upmarket sleazy health centres and KTV lounges, it is a 10 seater restaurant and all seats are at the counter facing the chef, it has one chef that does the cooking, serving and washing up, the chef is not even Japanese, there is no menu so you do not get to choose what you eat, it isn't cheap....

Who in the right mind will want to come here for a meal?!?!? :P

On the contrary, this is Japanese Food heaven. This little known restaurant was recommended to us by Wen's buddy Pauline (who by the way is a real artist when it comes to manicuring and pedicuring... She's the best really...) We were blown away by the food the first time we went to Sakana Tei and ever since then, we've basically bitched about all other Jap food that we've had. This would be our regular haunt if it wasn't for the fact that it's really bloody expensive to dine here especially since it's no posh restaurant...

And so with a hearty greeting to our favourite non-Japanese Japanese Chef, he proceeded to prepare a bottle of our favourite sake in the restaurant...

This Sake has got absolutely no English words on it's labeling so i shall just name it "Very-Good-Sake". Now Very-Good-Sake is an absolute delight to drink. It is very flavourful, smooth and easy to drink. Best thing is that it pairs very well with the chef's cooking. In terms of quality, it is pretty close to our favourite Sake which is a Junmai Ginjo Sake called Kokuryu. Sake is served in a little Sake Pot that does what it's suppose to do, keep it cold! It's a really pretty pot and has a container in the middle to hold the ice without letting it melt and ruin the sake and apparently, you can't get this in Singapore. Hmmm, business idea here...

For starters, we were served a mean dish of "Tang-Oh" with Shitake Mushrooms. Perfect way to clear the palettes and wet up the appetite!

Next up was a dish specially created by the chef himself. I've never seen this done in any of the Jap restaurants i have been to. It basically fried prawns wrapped with fish roe.. this is AWESOME!!!

Then came our favourite dish.... the beef tongue! I cannot emphasize just how good the chef makes this dish. I know many people shiver at the thought of biting into a cow's tongue but if you can just remove that fear, this will be one of your favourite dishes of all time. I guarantee you that... We've spoken to the chef on this dish in depth and he was educating us on how it is so important to eat the inner part of the tongue rather than the tip. It's the inner part that ensures the juiciness and tenderness. If i had to write a book about the top 10 things you need to do before you die, one of them would be to try this Chef's Beef Tongue....

The one thing i hate about writing food blogs is that i end up getting really hungry when i write them! And it doesn't help when i take such good pictures of the food *Gloat*. So, i need to give my stomach a rest now and talk about something that is food related but not food itself.... The Chef! Chef Ming Fa is a Malaysian that has been well trained in the secrets of Japanese cuisine. His family in malaysia runs restaurants as well and i guess he has been blessed with the cooking genes. He had been training under a real Jap chef over the last few years and through his hardwork, gift and creativity has managed to come up with a list of specialty jap dishes you will never find anywhere else. Ming Fa is about the nicest person you will ever meet. He is always very jolly, friendly and very chatty. When Wen and I go to Sakana Tei for dinner, we always go with the mentality that we will be having the chef as our guest for dinner :)

Ok back to the food.... and i'm not even a quarter way through yet!!!

Next up was the Beef fillet.... Done the way we like it... medium rare... so juicy, so tender, so tasty, Yummmy.....

Then came the vegetables... First off was this vegetable shoot thing called "Niu Bang" in Chinese. I have no idea what it is called in English nor Japanese. It was then followed by the Kakiage (Fried Vegetables). One of Ming Fa's specialties is that he makes a mean batter and when he uses that to cook his food, they always end up tasting crisy and tasty without the oiliness. Wen has gone so far as to claim that his Kakiage is the best she has ever tasted.

That certainly seems like a lot to eat for 2 people doesn't it? Well, we are not even halfway through....

Actually, i realise i am running out of adjectives to describe Chef Ming Fa's cooking so i think i'm going to let the pictures do the talking. If the pictures look good, believe me... the food taste even better....

Skewered Beef cubes with White Asparagus...

Best Chicken Terriyaki in the world. Look at how crispy the skin is... look at how juicy the meat is...

These oysters will seriously send you to eleventh heaven!!! They are size zero oysters which means they are HUMONGOUS!!! The perfect aphrodisiac... so for those who want a little "something" after dinner, this is it....

Chef Ming Fa realised that we have had too much on our palettes so he whipped up this cucumber dish that is very refreshing and helps clear up the taste buds for more goodies to come...

Pork ... oh glorious Pork... This "Kong Bak" would seriously put Westlake's Pork Buns to shame man.... look at how unfatty the fatty parts are, look at how tender the hard parts are... Mmmm...

Yam Noodles with Fish Roe... ok, i'm not a very big fan of this one. Wen loves it though...

NOW.... this dish will send some people scampering away. This looks like a completely innocent skewered chicken or pork. Well, it's actually pork but the meat comes from the Pig's Head. We were a bit skeptical when Chef Ming Fa asked if we were willing to try eating Pig's Head. But he did assure us that it would be very very good... we took his word for it and the rest is history. I will want Pig's head meat everytime i step into Sakana Tei!!! Heck, i want it for every meal of my life!!!

And so after a million dishes later and two million dollars poorer, we went on our knees and begged the Chef not to cook up anymore otherwise we would be rolling out of the restaurant and i will be driving home using my tummy to steer the steering wheel of the car!

If there is one Japanese Restaurant you should try before you die, this is it.... Chef Ming Fa was explaining to us about how the rentals at Cuppage have gone all Looney and the boss of Sakana Tei may close this down after which we may never know if we will get to try out Ming Fa's cooking again so to be safe and not sorry, make your reservations NOW!

Btw, i was joking about the 2 million dollars bill... it's actually closer to $200+ out of which the Sake cost $70. Not that expensive? Yeah... we aren't that rich....

Sakana Tei

5 Koek Rd, #04-15
Cuppage Plaza

Singapore 228796

Tel: 62353390

At Home with Galbiati Gourmet / Rocky's Pizza

2007-08-01T09:22:00.001+08:00

Date: 31 July 2007 20:30 (Tuesday)

Another one of those days again... unfortunately not mine to bear today. The Wife has had one of her worst possible days at work in a very long time. Sometimes she tells me that she feels the whole weight of the company on her shoulders and by the looks of it, it certainly seems so. She may be the most capable person in the office but there's only so much that one can shoulder... Maybe it's time to consider opening a little restaurant of our own... she can be the chef, the manageress and the waitress... I'll just sit happily behind the cashier and collect the money... :p

And so after my 8km run at the gym and Wen's 12 hours non-stop fire fighting in the office, we decided that this time round, she was the one that needed the alcohol and me would attempt to be the ugly but slightly entertaining companion. But then.... wine and companion aren't good enough without food. So we ended up Ta Bao'ing Fried Chicken Wings from Rocky's and Good O' Pastas from Galbiati Gourmet Deli at Rail Mall.

First, the alcohol... It was really between a bottle of Laurent Perrier Rose Champagne and a bottle of Selaks 2006 Sauvignon Blanc from Malborough New Zealand. Wen decided that the bottle of white would go better with the food at hand so it was down to the Selaks. In my previous posting, i made a declaration that you can't go wrong with a bottle of 2006 white from Australia or New Zealand... I was proven right once again. The Selaks is nowhere compared to the Gibbston Valley or a Cloudy Bay but on it's own and for it's price, it was still quite good. The fruity flavours just explode in your mouth the moment it goes in and it lingers on indefinitely. It certainly went well with our food. Bottle of Selaks at Carrefour = S$30 something...

For starters, we had Fried Chicken Wings from Rocky's Pizza... that certainly looks good doesn't it? It's really not bad but if you want the most awesome chicken wings in Singapore, look no further than Ice Cold Beer at Emerald Hill or Harry's Bar at Boat Quay. The chicken wings there are to DIE FOR.... Total cost of 4 x Chicken Wings = S$7.50

Next up was the Tagliatelle Squid ink with Chilli Tomatos and Prawns from Galbiati Gourmet Deli. Ok, i know the picture of the Ta Bao'ed Pasta doesn't do justice but hey... i'm no professional photographer and i've got crap lighting at home! But dun let the useless pic above fool you... this is one of the BEST pastas you can ever sink your teeth into. It is OH SO GOOD! The texture of the Tagliatelle is Al Dente and the prawns are fresh and generous in portions. It would definitely have tasted better if the chilli used were chilli padis instead of normal chilli but that's really my own preference...

I thought i read from somewhere that the Chef, Roberto Galbiati used to be the chef at Da Paolo... which probably explains the quality of his food. I might be wrong though... problem with info junkies like me is that i can never remember half of the things i read...

Then there's the Beef Lasagna (Quit complaining about the quality of the pics!). Very nice.. If you are a Lasagna person, this should appeal to you. I've not a big fan of Lasagna and it certainly tasted good to me :)

Total Cost for the Pastas = S$25.50

Galbiati Gourmet Deli has got a very nice place over at Rail Mall. It's a 10 min walk from where we stay but we rarely go there simply because we find the wine selection to be "insufficient". And since it's so near where we stay we usually just do take aways. If you haven't been there yet, you should make a trip there. It's a really chill out place with friendly service staff and great food. Bring your own bottle of wine though...

Galbiati Gourmet Deli
400 Upper Bukit Timah Road
The Rail Mall
Singapore 678050
Tel: 64620926

Wine Network - Gibbston Valley Sauvignon Blanc

2007-07-31T08:54:00.000+08:00

Date: 30 July 2007 17:30 (Monday)

Another one of those days...... All of us have it but some of us have it worse than others...

And so at 4pm, i sent a quick message to the wife and told her that i know it's a Monday and we've been discussing about how we should cut down on our food and alcohol intakes but i'm having it really bad today and i could do well with a little alcohol just after work and before going back to Mum's place for dinner.

And so we proceeded to Wine Network and got a table outside (Table T4). The weather was awesome cos it has been raining in Singapore for the past whole week and temperature was about 26 degrees Celsius making it perfect for Al Fresco dinning.

Both Wen and I are not as alcoholic as most would like to believe and we did try to limit our alcohol intake this time round to the obligatory glass or two each BUT we did our maths first... If you order a glass of wine at Wine Network, it costs $12 each. If both of us had 2 glasses, it would have cost us a total of $48. You got to be silly not to order a bottle instead right?

And hence, we were recommended a bottle of Gibbston Valley 2006 Sauvignon Blanc from Malborough New Zealand and at $48, I personally thought this bottle was a steal. It's really very good and i am beginning to realise that if you want to drink a white.... you simply cannot go wrong with a 2006 Australian or New Zealand White. It would have been made perfect if we had a plate of Whitebait and Kale's Crabmeat Capellini to accompany the wine. Mmmmm....

That wine certainly made my day....

Wine Network
Blk 13, Demsey Road,
#01-03A
Singapore 249674
Tel: 64792280

Grappe Wine and Bistro

2007-07-30T15:46:00.000+08:00

Date: 28 July 2007 20:15 (Saturday)

Formerly known as Zuko! This cosy and unassuming little restaurant along Upper East Coast Road has been one of our favourite restaurants for awhile now. It's not that the decor of the restaurant is elaborate nor is it because the food is outstandingly fabulous but ever so often, we just want a nice little restaurant where we can chill out, have good food and not pay through our noses for the dining experience. You know what i mean right? And because the restaurant is really small, it allows much interaction with the staff there. We have become quite well acquainted with both Roy and Muriel who have never once disappointed us with their service levels.

Just a little background about this little restaurant. It used to be called Zuko! and was originally helmed by Chef Reifaie Kee who has since left to start up his nice posh little restaurant Reif + James over at The Pier. Back then, this was really our favourite restaurant cos Reifaie is such a great cook and we were always amazed at how we could get such quality food at such wonderful prices. Things didn't work out internally and they underwent some changes and had to rebrand themselves and call it Grappe Wine and Bistro. Food Menu remains largely the same, quality has gone down a little, wine choices have increased tremendously but prices continue to remain fabulously decent.

First off was the wine we selected. A Chalker's Crossing 2004 Chardonnay from Tumbarumba Australia. We selected this wine cos it was mentioned on the menu that James Halliday gave this wine 94 points. And at S$68 for a bottle, we thought it was a pretty good deal :) And it didn't disappoint. I'm not going to go into specifics as to how the wine tasted cos i'm just not at that level but it was really quite good and if i had to give a rating to this wine, i would give it a 94 too! Guess that means i agree with James Halliday doesn't it? :p

Next up was the Poached Egg Caesar Salad. This was really quite awesome. Basically fresh lettuce tossed with crotons and chicken bacon mixed with Caesar dressing sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and topped with a poached egg. Very balanced taste... Yummm!

For our mains, Wendy had the Beef Bolognaise Spaghetti while I had the Crabmeat and Pinenuts Linguine. Got to say that Wen wasn't particularly happy with her Beef Bolognaise as she felt it tasted a tad too artificially sweetened. Mind you, if Wen says so, it's got to be so... Wen is the best Italian Chef i have ever known and no one can ever change my mind about that. She knows her stuff and her grouse with the spaghetti was that the sweetness tasted like sugared sweetness rather than one that occurs as a result of adding tomatoes and spices. Personally, i thought it wasn't too bad but what do i really know... Haha..

My Crab meat pine nuts linguine was awesome. I was a little wary at first cos this is the first time i have had this dish served to me with so much soup base but i basically slurped up every single bit of that by the time we completed our mains. I had requested for 3 chilli padis to be added to my linguine and that made the spiciness perfect for me. Texture of the pasta was immaculate, amount of crab meat was generous and if i had to come up with a complain, it would have been that there just wasn't enough pine nuts. A small setback to a great dish though...

We ended our dinner with the Apple Crumble Pie topped with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream. Unfortunately, the dessert looked so good we sunk our teeth right into it only to realise that we forgot to take a picture of it! Having said that, the dessert looked better than it tasted. Not that it was bad but just very ordinary. Completed our dinner the French way by having a shot of Espresso each... Awesome!

Final Bill Amount ... S$133.83 inclusive Service Charge and Amex Discount. Now you understand why this is one of our favourite restaurants... :)

Grappe Wine and Bistro
17 Upper East Coast Road
Singapore 455208
Tel: 62415669

Amuse Bouche

Jaan par André

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Brunch @ Spruce

Birthday Dinner @ Home!

The Marmalade Pantry @ ION Orchard

Iggy's Revisited

Tomato Wanton Ramen @ Home

Shabu Shabu @ Home

Ember Restaurant

Tokyo - Dalloyau

Tokyo - Maisen Tonkatsu

Tokyo - Kihachi

Tokyo - Roadside Stall @ Shinjuku

Tokyo - Freshness Burger

Tokyo - Sushi Saito

Tokyo - Restaurant KPZ'ee

Tokyo - Cicada

Tokyo - なまはげ 六本木店

Tokyo - 愛宕 酉はら (Yakitori Chicken)

Tokyo - Taiyo Tomato Noodle

Tokyo - Galali

Tokyo: Standing Sushi Bar + Amazing Ramen @ Shimbashi

Kyoto - Kiyomizu Dera Tofu & Red Bean Dumpling

Ristorante Wendy's! Again!

Bali - Mozaic

Bali - Four Season's PJ's

Bali - Ibu Oka

Osaka: Kani Doraku Crab Restaurant

Osaka: Aka-Oni Takoyaki

Dining in Japan - An Introductory Video

Ramen @ Omotesando

Gonpachi - Nishi Azabu

Tsukiji Market - Sushi Sen

Home Bento Box - Attempt 1

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Reif+James

Iggy's

Ember Restaurant

Bistro Kev's

日本の食糧が付いている家!

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Les Amis - Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

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Home Again with Galbiati Gourmet

Raffles Hotel - Writer's Bar

Whitebait & Kale

Ristorante Wendys!

Yumeya Japanese Restaurant

Axis Bar & Lounge @ Oriental Hotel

Morton's, The Steak House

At Home with Let's Clap

Raffles Hotel - Bar and Billiard Room

Sakana Tei

At Home with Galbiati Gourmet / Rocky's Pizza

Wine Network - Gibbston Valley Sauvignon Blanc

Grappe Wine and Bistro

Tokyo - なまはげ六本木店

Tokyo - 愛宕酉はら (Yakitori Chicken)