THE VOLUPTUARY

Home Made Chicken Sandwich Part 2

2010-11-15T15:10:00.003+08:00

I heart chicken sandwiches. I make them. I order them. And I like them huge.

Inside the chicken sandwich

Contents:

Organic Lettuce
Organic Tomato
Oven Baked Chicken
Some Awesome Sandwich Bread from Cold Storage
Mayo
Mustard

Jai Thai Restaurant

2010-11-15T14:54:00.004+08:00

I like Thai food and my friends Dorian Gray and wife Mrs Gray recommended a restaurant along Purvis street without a name. So one day after a meeting around town, I walked together with a buddy of mine (EC) to take a look at what we could have for lunch. We had to decide between Chin Chin Chicken Rice and Jai Thai Restaurant, and Thai food it was, even though EC just came back from Phuket.

We ordered Green Beef Curry, Pandan Chicken, Fish cake, Pineapple Fried Rice, and Fried Mix Vegetables with Mushroom. Bill? $45.

What did I learn? Thai food is cheap for so much food right in town. This place is worth a punt.

Things I Bought in Barcelona

2010-11-15T14:46:00.003+08:00

Olive Oil from Las Ramblas.

Corumbel Balsamic Vinegar.

The best can of Olives from Lolita.

Indian Times @ Big Splash

2010-11-15T14:20:00.003+08:00

I love new media. I once put a question out on my facebook account (for those who want to know, my facebook name is called voluptousfoodcritic) on what Indian restaurant my friends would recommend me and I was suggested many but my friend Ed recommended Indian Times at Big Splash.

And I went twice for lunch and each time I have not been disappointed. I know it is strange in a review that I tell people not to go to the restaurant because it's good, but I am telling you, my reader now, all 1 of you, don't go to this restaurant because I don't want it to be crowded. I want 3 servers around my table at all times, and force feeding me the tandori buffet, the delicious chicken and mutton curry, crazy good naan and wait for it, the credit card 1 for 1 deal during lunch making a meal for 2 under $30 for all the Indian food.

Don't go!

Tomi Sushi TWICE!

2010-11-15T13:58:00.004+08:00

I didn't land at Tomi Sushi. Tomi Sushi landed on me!

We went to Tomi Sushi because Jelly was convincing. We went there for lunch and enjoyed and ordered too much (again), I think because Jelly offered to pay for lunch! And $80 later, pictures happened.

And several weeks later, I blame Jelly's colleague for making us go after our 5KM run, which for those who are interested, Jelly kicked my butt AGAIN.

All $130 worth of crazy good sushi goodness. But I don't know if it's good after a run!

My Brinner Last Night!

2010-11-15T13:51:00.004+08:00

That's right people, it happened. And it was EPIC.

Thank you Jelly!

Contents:

Bacon

Chorizo

Heinz BBQ Baked Beans

Button Mushrooms

White Bread

Organic Eggs

Organic Tomatoes

The Hardwood Arms, London

2010-10-12T17:04:00.005+08:00

For awhile, I never understood the appeal of the typical English cuisine? Last I check, Chicken Tikka Masala was the national dish of England. And if the English has no proper cuisine, then why do people love Nigella, Jaime Oliver and let people like Gordon Ramsay abuse them? Surely there must be something more than the occasional fish and chips?

To answer all this questions and more, my brother in law who happens to know a thing or two about food and restaurants decided to educate me. You see, my brother in law is cool. In an Asian crew cut, "I know what I am talking about," kind of sophisticated way. I told him I wanted to have some good English food and guess what, on the last day of my trip in London, he brings me to The Hardwood Arms in Fulham and spoiler alert, I was bowled over not just by how good the food was but how excellent the quality and thought process the dishes were - supremely well crafted and reasonable in price.

Again, like the premise of the other good restaurants I liked, we didn't have time to take the pictures of all the food but lets just say I had to eat fast in case my dear sister would steal food from my plate.

The Starters:

Herefordshire snails braised in stout on toast with crispy shallots, parsley salad and pickled red cabbage. Excellent. I love escargots myself but this brought it to a new level. It didn't taste like snail because it didn't have to. The matching and garnish were perfect combinations

The next 2 starters were on the specials board:

The pumpkin soup with a side of toasted bread with mini shrimps. This was odd at first when you think about it but together the soup represented creamy goodness (and I hate cream) and awesome toast with mini shrimps! What? You must be thinking. But it was good. In a unusual way.

The ox tongue tasted more like luncheon meat to me. This is not a slam of sorts but I really liked it. I never had ox tongue before but it was delicious. It came together with a croquette which was devilishly creamy and complemented with the greens on the side.

Crisp potatoes with garlic butter, salad of leaves . We ordered this as a filler and boy did we make a mistake. The potatoes were excellent but we couldn't finish it!

Slow roasted old spot pork belly with ribs glazed in ginger beer, onion squash, pearl barley and greens. This was the dish that really didn't fit on our table. Probably because the pork was too gamey and the flavor of the pork overpowered everything else in the plate. It is different from the Chinese version of the Roasted pork but similar in appearance and cut but the taste of the marinate was rolled over by the pork.
This was ordered from the specials board again. Jelly ordered the Salmon on a bed of greens. It was obviously named in a more sophisticated way but I can't remember the exact title. The salmon was a lovely pink and sumptuous. Jelly loved it.

Rib of Red Ruby beef for two with field mushrooms, greens, smoked bone marrow, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and horseradish cream. I shared this with my brother in law and I have to say this was the best pudding I have had. The steak was excellent, it came medium rare, the potatoes, were great. Have I ever said that I love meat and potatoes together? Drool. the sauce was romantically drizzled on the meat and the watercress with steak always gives the meat more edge. Love it!

At the end of the meal, what could I say? One of the best English meals I have ever had. The finest and freshest English produce were used, alot of dedication and thought went through the menu. This isn't just a gastro pub that served burgers and chips anymore. But would other restaurateur's follow suit?

Excellent. Will go back again for sure.

El Fornet D'en Rossend, Barcelona

2010-10-12T16:55:00.002+08:00

Sandwiches. I love sandwiches. I love good sandwiches. I just had subway and I have to say they were bad. So bad that just by writing this review, I am drooling.

Jelly and I were in Barcelona and we're hungry. We walked by this bakery and it looks awesome. 3 days later, the counter person at our hotel tells us that the bakery 2 blocks from our hotel is awesome. Coincidence? I think not. I have an eye for good food and these sandwiches, when I walked by them the first day were already calling out to me.

It was so good that before I went back to London, I bought a whole bag worth of sandwiches to eat.

El Fornet. Mi Amor.

Inopia is now called Lolita - Barcelona Edition

2010-10-11T16:47:00.004+08:00

Jelly and I went to Barcelona on a dare and wanted to enjoy tapas like how the locals have it. We were warned by people of the inter web that the people in Barcelona were not very friendly, favored locals and dangerous. Boy, are people on the interweb wrong.

Barcelona is lovely. Men - charming. Women - hot. Food - Fantastic. La Sagrada Familia - Epic.

We did some research and decided that we head to Inopia after watching my man Mario Batali with pals Paltrow and Stipe eat their face off and boy did we do the same.

First off, we had the awesome olives stuffed with anchovies. They were the best Olives I have ever had and they came from a can. So good that we bought a can to try it ourselves and guess what, it was still as awesome.

We also ordered the Iberico Sandwich. Now this is a play on what is available around many of Barcelona's bakeries around town but this was the best Iberico sandwich of them all. The Iberico was smooth, fatty, and luscious. Not gamey, thick or difficult to chew like those served in Singapore at all. Olive oil drizzled on the freshly baked bread made this sandwich simply heavenly.

The Con Tomato was what we expected. Toasted bread with tomatoes smudged onto the bread. I don't know why anyone would serve it any way else but this simple and delectable dish made me love bread even more.

This is the signature dish. The Inopia. The dish that best signifies Inopia previously. Grilled fresh tuna with tomato and olive oil. The best tuna I have had in a tapas bar ever. The fish was smooth and the olive oil added a nice complement to the acidity of the tomatoes.

The white bait was a mystery order for us. Why? We ordered it and I expected pieces of fish and not the entire piece of fish. It was fantastic tasting though. It was salty, alittle briny but very smooth. Jelly was uncomfortable as to how I was just throwing the fish down my throat (and how it was staring at her) but I enjoyed it.

Truly. Let me just say it now. THE BEST CROQUETTES IN THE WORLD! Okay, that might have been an exaggeration but it was a mixture of drinking hot soup inside this crispy shell and it was magnificent. I also chose to drown my happiness with a nice glass of undersized Moritz beer.

The potato bravas were also the best I have had. If you were to say the red sauce is a barbecue sauce, I would be willing slap you because that would be a big insult. The cream used for the potatoes were lovely. The blend was terrific.

We hit a wall with this order. We didn't what else to order and thought that a sandwich with the best sardines would do the trick. Problem is Jelly didn't like the sardines but I loved the sandwich. It was slightly dry but the bread and fish were good together. Not my cup of tea necessarily. But still good.

I am not a vegetarian. But I tell you what, you serve me these ground beans with vinaigrette and quail eggs and I will bite your hand off. The mixture of sourness of the lemon vinaigrette as well as the eggs make this a vegetarian delight (depends on how you define your vegetarianism).

We were greedy and ordered more shoulder ham after seeing the group of Japanese men ordering it. It was some awesome smoked shoulder ham in my opinion.

The coup that stole the night was the dessert. The pineapple with molasses and lemon zest and the Lolita dessert alcohol beverage. The pineapple tasted like a mojito drink. The sweetness of the molasses and acidity of the pineapple was cut and matched very well by the sourness of lemon zest which made this a great dish to end all dishes. The drink was mildly sweet and addictive and summed up my experience at Lolita.

All in all, a wonderful experience. The server was non English speaking but lovely and polite. She gave us lots of ideas on what to order and was patient.

There are other things we ordered as well but we were so busy stuffing our own faces that we forgot to take some of them!

Best part of it all, this meal only cost 80 euros. A price worth paying for the best tapas in town.

LEON

2010-10-11T16:40:00.002+08:00

While in London and shopping around Liberty, I finally discovered LEON!

I always thought Leon was a name of a pimp who turned out to be a chef who turned out to be a writer who found out he could write about cooking. Maybe I was wrong then, but I am right now.

Leon @ Regent Street was excellent. Food was cheap. Falafael delicious. Bottled Coke was thirst quenching.

Why doesn't Singapore have one?

Flying B Class.

2010-10-11T16:31:00.002+08:00

Recently, I had the privilege, nay, the honour of flying on B class on Thai Airways. I have to say I was not too impressed. Yes, the seats were awesome. Service was great. And they finally let me listen to my ipod while the pilot takes off because I'm in B class darn it!

But the food? Oh, it was just like sitting on any other part of the plane, the hull, the wings, the engine room where we poured the coal into the fire ...

I thought the single serving food was pleasant. It was also pleasant to have a napkin and proper utensils on a flight! While Jelly was easily amused, I took all this into consideration, that if the plane had crashed, I would only be alittle more comfortable than the others on the plane.

Result? Food was pleasant.

Self Made Chicken Sandwich

2010-09-05T19:53:00.002+08:00

Yes, the OG does make his own food and I have to say I was really pleased. Chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto grilled, between 2 thick slices of wholemeal bread with lettuce, tomatoes and mustard. And yes, this sandwich fits my mouth.

Best Tostitos Chips

2010-09-05T19:50:00.003+08:00

The obtuse gourmand highly recommends those chips shaped liked my heart. With some good salsa, this is some fantastic chips.

Random Food Pictures

2010-08-27T13:44:00.001+08:00

Fat Boy Burger @ Mohd Sultan (Spoiler Alert)

2010-08-27T13:26:00.003+08:00

I have been reading around some where that Fat Boy Burger is the best burger in Singapore. But before I tell you I agree with this moniker, which I don't by the way, let me tell you the background as to why.

Best. What is best? What's best to me might not be best to you. And since this is my dream, I can create an inception. An idea. A thought that makes all hamburger sense.

We were alone and bored. Not remembering how we got to this place (I walked over from my hotel), we staggered and wondered into this joint. It was empty. We ordered at the counter and we went for the make our own burger option. Immediately, my defences were up and I wanted to test if this was a dream. I ordered my burger with egg, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, on wheat with barbecue sauce on the side. And true enough. The bbq sauce was in the burger!

Level 2. Patty was fresh. Bread was good. Ingredients put together. Less than spectacular. Instead of floating around in space while caught in a zero gravitational fight, I was bemused by the lack of quality.

As the van was hitting the river, like the way I was eating my freedom fries, I could not taste the best of these fries. The fries did not tell me they were the best. They could only warn me that they were maybe moist and over cooked.

Before I could check my totem and hammer the beer bottle on my head to get me to the next level or wake me up, I finally came upon this truth.

Leonardo Di Caprio was dreaming throughout the whole movie. He is already stuck in the dream world.

Miharo at Gallery Hotel

2010-08-27T13:20:00.002+08:00

I keep forgetting that I have been to Miharo countless times. I like the place. Its is however terribly inconvinent.

I really like the ramen and broth except the fact that it comes with corn and I have remind myself to tell the server to remove corn from my ramen. I really liked my tonkatsu ramen. It taste like a Chinese double boiled soup but only salty and filled with pork goodness.

Jelly loved her cold ramen as well. The ramen is accompanied with a bowl of soup and it has and always will be mouth watering.

Gyoza was gyoza like.

I like it that the place still sticks to what its good at. Ramen.

I dislike the saltiness.

Bella Pizza

2010-08-27T13:06:00.003+08:00

Like old warehouse workers, Jelly and I love to hang out at 2 of the famous Quays in Singapore. Both Clarke and Robertson have been our usual hangouts and we recently discovered this new place. Okay. Let me just rectify what I just said rather than pressing the backspace button. This restaurant was already there when we found it. Jelly and I simply put a flag on it and claimed that we found it.

Filled with expatriates and more expatriates. This pizza joint had to be doing something right. And as the name does suggest. Pizza. However, Bella Pizza serves more than pizza. They serve the other popular Chinese invention called pasta and boy was that a mistake.

The picture above is a pizza boat. The first I have seen any where and I had to say this suggestive looking pizza did look and taste as good as I thought. The beef ragu pasta was on the other hand ragu. Ragu Ragu Ragu. It was meaty, gamey and unfortunate. Maybe Jelly and I did not read the description correctly but the Ragu was too strong and we didn't like it.

And true to its name. I suggest that you stick to pizzas at Bella Pizza because the very same owner (I guess) just opened a restaurant down the same stack of stores and called it Bella Pasta. So I would suggest to my reader that she should go to Bella Pasta for Pasta and Bella Pizza for dinner.

This is Singapore.

2010-08-27T13:03:00.003+08:00

How safe is Singapore? This was left in the table in front of me at starbucks for 15 mins. And no one even gave a 2nd look.

Chui Kuay @ Redhill Market

2010-08-27T12:53:00.003+08:00

So the story behind this discovery is I was waiting for jelly after her Mizuno run. Yes, I do watch people run rather than running myself. So after the run, we head to the nearby market to have breakfast.

As per my house rules, in a new place, just look for the longest line and this line was long. Long in terms of the wait was 25 mins for those 6 measly things but the dedication, effort and precision put into this, in my eyes, simple local breakfast got me impressed.

There are not only the traditional standard rice flour cakes but the toppings of the stewed radishes contained fried onions and I detected a brave hint of raisins? It was a strange cacophony of tastes in my mouth, but it made sense. And I really liked it.

Everyone in the line were upset by the wait, but everyone was happy when they got it. I think that speaks volumes.

My random thoughts on food blogging.

2010-08-24T12:06:00.002+08:00

It has come to my attention recently that some food bloggers have brought other food bloggers into disrepute concerning the practices of our secret profession. For those not living in Singapore or unaware of the current situation, there has been much public fury concerning the actions of a certain food blogger who demanded a free meal for itself and 3 of it's mates after declaring that it is a food blogger

I have raised this issue since 2006 where food bloggers have become notoriously popular with advertisers and have been writing stuff like " Oh I know this chef," or "I was invited to x place by the owner." This is Singapore. This is not New York where the food critics wield a large influence and DARE to criticize restaurants about the bad food and bad service. In Singapore, when someone invites you to anything, you tend to say good things about it because honestly, you don't have a choice. And asking for a free meal, my question is how does it make a review impartial?

I pay for ALL my food I order like everyone else and I try to think of the customer who sits in the restaurant like me. The truth is not many places will stand out or deserve a good review, thats my opinion, and I guess thats why I have a day job and don't do this for a living. I trash most places and while reading through my reviews 4 years ago, I would declare that I have evolved in my food taste and writing as I have matured.

Enough about myself, while I like to say that I despise those food bloggers, and I still do, all I can think of is why didn't i think of that myself!?! Damn it. I should have walked into Guy Savoy at Marina Bay Sands yesterday and declared that " I am a food critic, now give me my free food!" But unfortunately, I neither have the stones or the time to go to that restaurant.

In the age of internet, I have always thought that there is such a thing as too much information and most of us are suffering from information overload. I take hungrygowhere for example, I always disagree with the comments they make but I also take it into consideration of what other people say about the restaurant. So in the future, my advice is take whatever anyone says about food and restaurant with a pinch, wait, a bag full of salt. Anyone can write anything on the internet, just see wikipedia for that.

But just as a gauge, if you start seeing food ads on my blog. You should stop reading it.

More Random Food Pics

2010-06-29T18:36:00.002+08:00

Shin Sapporo Ramen @ Suntec

2010-06-08T13:15:00.003+08:00

Shin Sapporo Ramen. I have mixed feelings about you.

I like it that you are located where I am at most of the time. I think your service in recommending me what ramen to eat was good. When I was there the last time, it was empty so I felt well served.

What I didn't like was Tonkatsu ramen, it was too milky for my liking but my Sapporo Miso ramen with the yellow noodles were excellent. Gyoza was typical. Nothing unusual that I have not tasted before.

Will I go back?

Maybe.

Mondo Mio Singapore @ Robertson Quay

2010-06-08T12:40:00.002+08:00

There are times in ones life that everything just clicks. From the first time a man meets the woman of his life and then tells her that he is married; or when in just a glimpse, a person knows that they're getting fired or proposed to; it is a culmination of when the universe aligns together, and everything is right in the world and it speaks to you.

However, this is not that time and place.

Mondo Mio is an Italian Restaurant located in Robertson Quay and its lost in the midst of the other Japanese restaurants and bars in the area. Located and probably meant for the expatriate crowd living there, Jelly and I marauded and ventured into the restaurant unsure of what is to happen.

Appetizers good. Pasta Bad.

639 Long Fatt Tau Sar Piah

2010-06-07T17:57:00.003+08:00

My faith in Singapore has been restored. Truly. I was with Jelly looking at lights in Balestier and we had to go there. We went to the wrong one a year before and this time we were not disappointed.

It was around 4pm on a Saturday afternoon and I had to go. I lined up and everyone in front of me ordered in the 20s. Behind, were several older ladies serving and yelling at each other. Basically telling people to order right, don't order too much and you really only have 2 choices, sweet and salty.

So when it came to my turn, and I was embarrassed. I ordered a measly 6. The lady had a laughed at me and gave me my order. What she didn't inform me was that she gave me 6 reasons why I love Singapore. It was hot in a box, just out of the oven and there were 6 reasons why my grandparents came to Singapore.

I have had loads of mediocre trashy Singaporean food, but this makes me proud. And dare I say happy to be Singaporean. The crust was fluffy, salty and buttery. The paste was delectable and out of this world. There was love in the pastry and I tasted it.

You see the lady in the picture smiling, her smile was going to turn upside down because she was about to be told that they had run out of the pastry and were not going to make them anymore.

These people don't do this to make money as a goal, they do it because Singaporeans love this. And if they're out, they're out. Too bad, come back another day.

Love it.

Marmalade Pantry

2010-06-07T17:51:00.003+08:00

Marmalade Pantry

Oh how I hate thee!

I hate thee for being over priced,

I hate thee because you don't serve anything nice.

I hate thee for your lousy service,

I hate thee for your crappy pastries.

I hate thee for your cheaply made sandwiches,

I hate thee for your horrible salads.

But most importantly,

I hate thee for being conveniently located whenever I am at Ion.

Keisuke Revisited

2010-06-07T17:44:00.003+08:00

It was after another run that we revisited Keisuke. This time we ordered things that we not previously in the menu.

It is still a shrimp ramen place but now they have chicken ramen, which was decent. shrimp fried rice Japanese style, which was average, the rectangular flat dumplings were still excellent, the shrimp and chicken rice was actually surprisingly very good.

Its my 4th time there and still finding new things to eat!

Tomi Sushi @ PARCO

2010-06-07T17:25:00.003+08:00

In a quaint little corner of the new mall PARCO Marina, there lies a small sushi place called Tomi Sushi, if you walk by it, you might miss it. It is a restaurant surrounded by other more hyped and cheaper Japanese fare and I have to say over-rated but I digress. It was after a 8 KM run (how do you think I keep my sexy figure?) and my new friend is hungry, so we said sushi and my tummy thought why not?

I love this place. There, I said it. I can end the review right now. But I will not. I'm thinking about it, but I'm not that mean. The attention to detail is excellent, timing between the dishes were excellent, the service was alright, but the quality of the meats and presentation, did I mention attention to detail, and the excellent excellent ambiance made us order more than enough food.

I didn't have any expectations of the restaurant except that some people with really good taste I know likes it.

Highlights:

Tamago sushi with the entire sweet creamy egg enveloping the sushi rice.

Fried oysters were never this good.

Raw fish on a bed of ice and what can be described as a garden on the ice shavings

And they brought the best for the last, that thing you see with a flower pod is my raw amebi prawns. That's right, it served was on a flower pod.

Entertained and surprised, I have never been THIS happy with Japanese food before but Tomi, you wooed me good. I would go back at any time, now if only I can afford it!

The Hand Burger

2010-06-07T17:14:00.004+08:00

The Hand Burger store located at the basement of Somerset 313 is somewhat of a surprise. I didn't expect the burgers to be great and they were not. However, they were good enough. Good enough to go back twice.

I typically don't consider myself to be any type of a connoisseur of burgers but I do like eating them. Its quite simple really, patty has to be made with good quality beef, greats buns and normal ingredients. No Mayo nonsense. So here lies my problem with the burger at this joint. The burger is stacked too high. The burger is not a pansy food type where one would use a fork and knife to cut a burger up, I utterly despise those people. The burgers should have been wider, not taller.

What I really liked was the variety of the buns available. They are all freshly made within the vicinity and smell and taste awesome. Would go again just for the buns.

The menu was simple enough, service competent, and most importantly, this place has the Astons factor. All good for me.

Random Pictures of Food Products

2010-06-07T17:11:00.002+08:00

Jones the Grosser, I meant the Grocer

2010-05-13T17:40:00.003+08:00

One thing I learnt in life recently is that even though you can teach a cat to walk on 2 legs, it doesn't mean that it's human. Just like a grocery store that happens to sell severely upmarket products like cheese and wine.

One would expect that since its upmarket grocery store ingredients, the food will be great? No. I wouldn't say borderline terrible, but how about very close to terrible?

The other obnoxious thing about stores like Jones the grocer, they like to over charge their customers as well for very high class canteen food.

What isn't terrible and thankfully not pictured by my demon of a phone HTC Touch Pro 2, are the fantastically wonderful breads and muffins and scones. Those, that I have ordered nearly all over a 4 week span have been outstanding.

Bottom line, know what you're paying for and don't eat in a grocery store. Its just rude.

Saboten @ Parco Marina Bay

2010-04-10T23:59:00.002+08:00

Bar none, the best service of the 3 restaurants reviewed so far sitting on top of Parco Marina Bay. And might I add that I don't think any of the stores will survive at this location but this 3 restaurants but I digress.

Saboten serves Tonkatsu. That's breaded fried pork goodness.

The lettuce, rice, miso soup and bows are all free flowing. Really. The tonkatsu is breaded juiciness of pork wrapped in love and you have to smother the in house sauce with the crushed (hulk smash!) black and white sesame seeds to taste the extent and wonder of the pork.

Jelly likes this place but I didn't. I can't put a finger on it but for that service, I wouldn't mind going back and I do love my tonkatsu because of my dad.

Keisuke Tokyo @ Parco Marina Bay

2010-04-10T23:37:00.002+08:00

Finally, I am at the right restaurant. Jelly and I decided to go there during a weekday as we figured that all the other dummies were like me, thinking the other ramen restaurant was this. A word of advice to all potential restaurant owners or already are owners, location, location, location. The other restaurant has a hot Japanese man. Don't hide your young pseudo Japanese ladies!

True enough, the restaurant wasn't filled when we got there but was brimming on the edge when we left. The service was spectacularly uncomfortable as one can tell that the staff is still very new at this but you know this can change when the staff gets more experienced.

How does Keisuke Tokyo see their own food? "Often selected as No. 1 ramen in the most popular contest lists or selections in Japan, Keisuke has a sterling reputation for its noodles. In the annals of Japanese ramen, their broth is a sensation. Without a pork bone base, the revolutionary and new broth is made with mainly fried shrimp, giving it a very rich flavour. Their choice of soy sauce is also carefully selected; only white soy sauce is used."

What did I think? I'm glad they served coke. I was also very happy that the ramen I tasted was very different from what I have had previously. But was it better? I can't say it is. Not because of what you might think but its comparing pears and bananas. This ramen experience is different. This is prawn consumme. The chef was inspired while working in France and came up with a new idea for ramen. The "char siew," used is chicken, and the dumplings and gyozas are all still prawn based. I really hate to say this but as a local, the closest thing to this ramen is prawn noodles. The base of the local prawn noodle ramen is usually a mixture of pork bones and prawns, but this is pure prawns.

I ordered the super prawn ramen and Jelly ordered the regular one and she didn't like hers because she preferred the Ippudo ramen, but I thought this was good but tasted different, if you can catch my drift. The broth for this ramen is rich and gently forgiving, the pork ramen broth is robust and creamy when done right.

I hope people would come to Keisuke to open their minds to a new kind of ramen and not expect the typical fare.

I shall return, when I am in the mood for it.

Nantsuttei @ Parco Marina Bay

2010-04-10T23:23:00.002+08:00

I really wanted to go to Keisuke Tokyo to eat the ramen and me being the idiot that I am, thought this was that restaurant because it was nearest to the escalator and it had a long line. I didn't really figure out that I made the mistake until I saw Man-goh's facebook entry saying " food-critic is an idiot," at least that's what I thought I saw.

Back to the review:

Located on the wonderful 3rd level of the new Parco Marina Bay, Nantsuttei " offers tonkotsu soup (pork-based creamy-typed soup) ramen, which is derived from Kyushu area (west part of Japan). Their special and unique ingredient is “Ma oil”, which is a blend of seven types of deep-fried garlic with sesame oil. The harmony of tonkotsu soup and “Ma oil” is Nantsuttei’s most distinctive feature. Their noodle is mid-size in thickness and springy in texture, well-suited to the mix of tonkotsu soup and “Ma oil”. " (Excerpt taken from their website)

So what did I think about the restaurant? Jelly thinks that the Japanese men there are really good looking and the couple next to us ordered just 1 bowl of noodles to try (how rude!)

The food? I walk into every restaurant wanting to like it, but for some reason, I didn't really think this Ramen was any different from the rest that I have tried. Or what Simon Cowell sometime says to the American Idol contestants, there isn't enough personality to make people want to remember you.

So there, I said it. I said personality. Funny thing is that I actually would go back there and eat the Ramen again.

Trattoria Lafiandara al Museo

2010-04-10T23:11:00.002+08:00

We just finished our typical pre weekend activity as Jelly and I just finished watching a movie @ our favorite cinema, The Cathay. I was hungry for Italian and I didn't want to go to Al Forno's.

I then remember that there was a restaurant at the Singapore Art Museum that I have always wanted to try and I knew it served Italian food.

There we entered from a brief 5 minute walk, a dimly lit restaurant with many dating couples seated together, a family of 5 with a super cute 3 year old and what I still think till today was a lady's night out, or maybe they were celebrating a divorce? I don't know. But there it happened.

We anticipated good things. The restaurant had a great aroma, as if kept in a bottle, the wonderful smell of pizza. Someone should make this into a cologne by the way, I would drink it.

The service was alright. Water had to be either bottled or bottled, Jelly asked for tap and we got still bottled water, its like they read our minds. The pasta was AVERAGE and the pizza was AVERAGE. Service was getting better actually as the night got along. That was the weird part.

I don't think I'll go back again. Who goes to the Singapore Art Museum? Really. (Sorry Pamapadam Pam)

Ramen Investigation - Tampopo @ Liang Court

2010-04-10T23:06:00.003+08:00

I have been told that the proof is in the pudding during my 7 driving exams that I have experienced and since I am doing a power of deduction kind of a ramen sampling, I had to re-try this classic.

Man-goh and I reached the restaurant around 1130 and it was empty. We ordered their pork ramen and enjoyed their soupy broth and in the end, the conclusion was obvious.

Ordinary.

Next?

Ramen Royal Rumble Pt 2 Pt 2

2010-03-24T16:06:00.003+08:00

So we went back to Yoshimaru when we taught we would never do it.

What did I learn?

Terriyaki burger was decent enough but why was is so small?

Garlic noodles were "garlicy," enough.

I didn't know that the menus, when you put them together formed the 10 commandments on the reverse side!

Yakader Muslim Food - Tekka Market

2010-03-24T16:00:00.002+08:00

I love Nasi Briyani and since I had a meeting around the area, I had to try to eat at Tekka Market, for the 1st time in my life. Yes, Singaporeans, I have not eaten here before. I was looking around and finally sat in front of the store and ordered the Nasi Briyani.

My army training has taught me how to blend in with the locals and through my avatar, I understood what the people around me were eating and I have to say this, after I saw the police officer order 10 packets of Nasi Briyani from the store. I was certain.

That I ordered from the wrong store. I should have gone 4 stores down to Hannifa instead.

Lesson learnt.

Cacio E Pepe Italian Restaurant

2010-03-24T15:43:00.003+08:00

I want to support the local businesses. I now live in an area where there are no good Italian food. What do I do? I go online and do a thorough search and here it is. I present to you Cacio E Pepe Italian Restaurant.

Tucked, or more like, hidden away by the massive road construction around the area, we find the restaurant with relative ease between a small coffee shop and a convenient store in a small stretch of shops, I was surprised.

The first rule of any food business is location. So if the location of the restaurant is relatively difficult to find, the food has to be good. We showed up on a Sunday around 9pm and the restaurant was still full. Impressed, we found a table and I took a peak around the tables to see what they were having.

We ordered the risotto, seafood pasta, and a pizza, and a coke. Bill was $80.

I have no gripes with the price but I do have some gripes.

I don't know if a neighborhood restaurant serving Italian food should be charging that much per plate. I didn't think that the risotto or the seafood pasta was nothing I couldn't make myself, and the pizza was above average. Now, I have been to many Italian restaurants and I have paid more money for a plate of pasta than this but I am questioning the satisfaction and cost quotion here.

I might go back again if I am in the mood, and the lady that served us was extremely polite and nice to us. But I don't know if the food is good enough. Obviously I might be wrong about this restaurant because they obviously had a good crowd and a decent rating for the local site for people who I suspect don't know good food even if it hit them in their face, but I left the restaurant questioning what I just had, which is never a good sign.

I am holding on my judgement for now but I hope I will change my mind.

Sea Hag Patong

2010-03-24T15:34:00.003+08:00

I have been to Phuket many times since I was a child and I have always enjoyed the food, the people and the tourists. Going back again recently after a couple of years, it brought back memories of a simpler life.

I did a quick research for food and we headed to the Sea Hag at Patong beach and I have to say I was really surprised by how good the food was. Not that Thai food in Phuket was bad, its just that there is always a tendency when you go to a tourist spot, its less likely to have more authentic local food.

Jelly and I were pleasently surprised by the quality of the food and service. Food took a while and its filled with tourist (which I was initally suspicious as this was the No. 1 rated restaurant on Trip Advisor) but overall, I would recommend the restaurant to any one looking to take the first step towards thai food.

Ramen Royal Battle Part 2 : Yoshimaru @ Holland Village

2010-03-05T13:17:00.003+08:00

I was recommended Yoshimaru by a colleague of mine. I shall name him Evil E. He lives around the area and he has suggested to me on various occasions that Yoshimaru was better than Ippudo. Since Anthropology had a closing sale, why not? 2 stones, 1 bird and some ramen?

Disguised in the upmarket locale of Holland Village sits Yoshimaru. Opened by the seafood restaurant conglomerate Jumbo Seafood, I questioned if my Evil E was correct.

It is a small and simple Ramen bar. Wooden like furnishings with white light. You order the ramen, Jelly and I just ordered the traditional Hakata ramen and a DIY Ramen with Char Siew and Egg with sliced radish and the need to pound some sesame seeds to help enhance the taste of the ramen and verdict?

Those eggs were the best eggs I have had yet in a ramen store. Called "soft boiled eggs,' (actually its between a hard boiled egg and a soft boiled egg with a harder exterior compared to a gooey core but I digress). I give the edge to Ippudo for the broth. Service, can't really be compared because Yoshimaru is very much smaller and the noodles were a push for both (a draw).

I can see why some people like this place. And I think if I'm in the area and want to eat Ramen, I would not hesitate to drop by. Sorry Sushi Tei.

Loved: Eggs:
Hated: Pounding the sesame. It was too much fun that it made me hyper ventilate.

Ginza Barin at Ion

2010-03-05T13:08:00.003+08:00

Yes, its true. I do hate Ion but I still frequent this particular mall because its there. One cannot avoid it like the pink elephant along Orchard Road. Jelly and I were shopping for things we couldn't afford at Ion and we were hungry. We wondered through the several levels of crowdedness, and mind numbing amount of stores and we stumbled upon Ginza Barin. When I say stumbled, I actually mean the store was near the escalator.

We wanted some meat and rice and Katsu Don obviously satisfies both the criterias. The service was prompt as one has to queue up and order the food outside the restaurant and then take a number and choose a table for the food to be served. I'm not a hybrid kind of guy but I think sometimes business owners have to decide on whether to charge the customers a service charge or not because I don't understand why one would want to make a customer line up outside the store, pay for the service charge and then walk into the seating area and wait for the food to be served.

How was the food? I quite liked it actually. I didn't like the lining up outside.

Man Fu Yuan - Intercontinental Hotel

2010-03-04T17:22:00.002+08:00

I was concerned by the lack of customers. It's just before Chinese New Year and a Chinese restaurant is empty! What? We were surrounded by tourists, and some locals. (Isn't that like everywhere in Singapore)

Service was good. Food was good. Jelly and I really digged the soup of the day, the double boiled pork and melon soup. Ha Kaw and Char Siew Bao were fresh. The Siew Mai and Shanghai dumplings were lovely. The only thing that got me was the custard bun which of course my wife Jelly loves and I didn't. The egg tarts were styled in a way that I didn't appreciate but still tasty none the less.

Why I will not come here again: Its quite tough to get to because it is hidden in some obscure corner and the food is good but do I really have to pander to my Chinese roots in Bugis Junction when I know that Arab street, and all that lovely Indian Muslim food is around the corner?

Why I will come here again: We came to Man Fu Yuan because honestly, Hua Ting was fully booked. Sigh. I think this would be a good place to have peaceful, good Tim Sum without the rush and the crowd.

Paulaner Brahaus

2010-03-04T17:09:00.002+08:00

Paulaner Brahaus has been around for a long time and since a friend of mine needed to vent outside the office. What better reason to have beer! ( I don't really like drinking beer but occasionally when I have to, I do.)

Lets get some facts straight. I like beer like I like my women, tall, blonde and bubbly, makes you dizzy after after a few pints and you can only have so much of it, that's why I married one. (Wink)

At the same time, I also like my sausages, long, short, spicy, anything buy cheesy sausages. They're gross.

So why am I not German you might think?

I don't know really.

Paulaner - Worth a pint!

Beginning of Ramen Battle Royale: Ippudo.

2010-03-04T16:48:00.003+08:00

Welcome to my reviews of Ramen stores and first up Ippudo at Mandarin Gallery. This place was "highly," recommended by local food writer Wong Ah Yoke for the Sunday Times but I never really believe him, just like I never believed a man landed on the moon, hey, if Hollywood can create Avatar, they can create anything right?

Things I didn't like about the restaurant, something totally irrelevant to the food. Our dear friend Pampadam Pam was early and helped line up before me and Jelly got there. As you can tell, the line is long. So get ready to wait.

Second thing I didn't like about the place: Why use all this colored bowls? Seriously? ( I just made this excuse up. I really loved the bowls!)

Last thing that I hated: The restaurant is very small, so its always going to look crowded.

The 5 pictures above are reason why I liked Ippudo. We ordered the cucumber, and Japanese green tea, the Tonkatsu Ramen, Mushroom Ramen and Soya Ramen with egg respectively. I love the soup. The soup has depth and complexity. As we sat along the counter, we can tell that the broth is freshly made and prepared for each order. And surprisingly, all 3 bowls of Ramen were lovely.

I highly recommend this place BUT some people have suggested to me that the service can be alittle wanting, and I do agree to a certain extent but if you can ignore that, the proof is in the broth.

Max Brenner's @ Vivo

2010-03-04T16:42:00.002+08:00

Evil never dies. Sounds like a Bond movie. But its not. No suggestive secondary character name here except a license to shill.

We ordered the chocolate cookie, and chocolate shakes. Clearly stirred and not shaken, the shakes were clearly missing something. Something really important and ironic. Yes, chocolate.

Why did I even come here?

Sentosa Resort World

2010-03-04T16:34:00.002+08:00

How do I put this review in words in 3 words or less?

Disappointing.

A let down.

Ray Charles Decoration.

Really?

Horrible Service.

Terrible Food.

Really?

I Don't Gamble.

Parking Lot?

Really?

Trap!

Universal Studios?

Really?

Extra Taxi Charge.

Beware!

Really?

Wow!

You're Welcome.

Pork is good for sex?

2010-02-02T15:06:00.002+08:00

So says the Argentinian President! (Article)

It's alright?

2010-02-02T00:21:00.002+08:00

As I am re-reading my own blog about my "food-capades," I realize that I have made tons of grammatical errors and my vocabulary is in sore need of a thesaurus. However, I would like to point out to my mum that I only post on my blog when I am free and in a hurry. I do not have the discipline to write after every meal, I only do it while I am at work, or am waiting for my wife, or doing both at the same time. More importantly, I am too lazy to correct my mistakes in my former posts, like the contrarians and politicians.

As an aside and in a separate message to my mother:

I'll call you later. Okay? Sorry I can't join you for dinner today with grandma. Was waiting for my wife and posting on this blog at the same time.

Caffe Beviamo @ Tanglin Mall

2010-02-01T19:58:00.002+08:00

We were walking around Orchard Road and I have to say, some of the signs of getting old is that we want to sit down after an hour of walking. I have passed this cafe so many times but I never knew the name. In fact, before I wrote this review, I still didn't know the name but now I briefly do.

Caffe Beviamo sits right in the centre of the 2nd level of Tanglin Mall, an expat enclave and for some reason, we felt right at home. There were no signs of the name of the restaurant but the service was quick, and painless. The food was surprisingly decent and cheap. We ordered the apple cake, scones and tea and I have to say I enjoyed myself. Oh my, I'm quickly turning English.

Bab Noodle - Milenia Walk

2010-02-01T19:49:00.002+08:00

In part two of how to torture your wife, I present to you Bab Noodles. You see, when I'm bored and have nothing to do, I like to eat at bad places and see what happens, most of the time, its just to say that I have tried it, but also it helps when me and the wife can't decide where to go and we let laziness and the attractiveness of the servers at the door dictate where we go for dinner.

I ordered the katsu don, which by the way, is always my safe bet, just like Dorian Gray's Fish and Chips. ( I'm on to you buddy!) and my wife ordered the old reliable salmon and garlic. And as a buffer dish, something both of us could share, some sushi hand rolls. Why the hand rolls were soaked in mayonnaise, I don't really know but the food was way below average.

Sorry Honey. Again.

Just Acia @ Dhoby Ghaut

2010-02-01T19:40:00.002+08:00

Once in a while, I like to torture my wife and this was one of those times.

We weren't hungry and we didn't know where to go after watching a movie at The Cathay. We have been "heartlanding," at our rental place and we were at the train station where there happen to be a couple of food stalls.

Just Acia is a noodles and rice joint that I thought we should try. Similar to Astons but not as good. The target group is for teenagers, most preferably who are hungry and really don't care what they put in their stomachs as long as its filled. The drinks were free flow and Ice Cream as well. I ordered the Ginseng Chicken Soup and the wife ordered the vegetarian set and can I just say, what you see in that picture above, after we finished our meal, the 1st picture still look pretty much the same, only the rice bowl was empty.

I'm sorry honey.

Vietnam Coke?

2010-02-01T19:37:00.002+08:00

Its like drugs man. I could have lines of these and not be satisfied!

Qun Zhong Eating House

2010-02-01T19:31:00.003+08:00

I love dumplings. Its one of those things that I begin to love more and more. Just like my right arm. Qun Zhong Eating house is located along Neil Road and is hidden from all the glamorous people. The dumplings are simple, lovely, and expect to wait a heck of a long if you go during lunch. Also expect to share tables with stranger and service to be below average. But the dumplings? Oh my.

Had the special pork noodles, fried dumplings, steamed dumplings and red bean paste pastry. Sigh. Dumplings were lush. I wish I could go there again.

I love you right arm!

Wine Connection @ Robertson Quay

2010-02-01T19:23:00.002+08:00

Dear follower, let me apologize. The plate you see above is empty because I was so hungry and I wanted to eat Italian food so bad that I had to find the most mundane Italian food around at Robertson Quay, ordered what was a stir fried beef pasta, eat it, and then take a picture for my blog.

You see, I have a dedication to my craft. Like those people you see wearing woollen scarfs walking along the road in Singapore with 30 degree Celsius weather. Unlike Wine Connection, sigh. How about this. This place did not suck when it had many reasons to. High foreigner count. High smoke count. High pretentious people count. Average service count. I did not not like it. I didn't like it, but I did not not like it.

I would not go back again. But it really wasn't that bad. Or good.

Canton-i - Truly Hong Kong

2010-02-01T19:00:00.004+08:00

Let me just get this off my chest right now. I hate this place and I will never go back. There. Satisfied?

And also, Canton-i, you are not from Hong Kong, you don't even have an outlet in Hong Kong. Most probably from my guess, you are from Malaysia. Nothing against Malaysians, I just think its a misnomer. Inappropriate advertising. Like people say that they have truly Italian food when its not true. That upsets me.

What upsets me most? My stomach. Yes, you got it right. After heading to this restaurant, the wife and I suffered a case of food poisoning. So it was re-visiting Canton-i over and over again throughout the day. More accurately, 3 times. And the first time, almost an hour while walking around Orchard road.

I guess maybe I expected too much? The way Ion is positioning themselves as the "place to be," mall; is it really unreasonable to expect good tim sum?

The waiting list is a joke because there were more than enough empty seats in the restaurant, the service was bad, when you ask the server something, response is a blank stare. The char siew and roast pork were too gamey. Noodles were good but the gravy on it was unacceptable. And to top everything off ladies and ladies, the char siew pastry tasted like it had strong hints of lemongrass. Yes. Lemongrass. It wasn't bad that the har kow looked like they were from the freezer, but for average radish cake and egg tarts, and the price? Are you kidding me?

I expected more than that.

Canton-i, really?

Do yourself a favor, don't waste your time and money.

Super Cool Pepsi Can

2010-02-01T18:57:00.003+08:00

You might be the reason why I will drink this terrible drink again.

The Return of Canale

2010-02-01T18:34:00.003+08:00

There and back again, by obtuse gourmand.

We have been avoiding Canale for awhile like Mount Doom but continuously we were drawn by it. Time and time again, the great Canale eye calls us to return. And just like Rudy and Frodo ( I call them "FEETS.") in the Lord of the Rings, the lost volume, are summoned to slaughter the white Lion that roamed Narnia called Gandalf, but only to have Jango Fett from the Millennium Falcon, together with the Vulcans, intercept them on their mission; the dynamic duo have to call upon Bruce Wayne for help ...

Food is still as spritely as before.

Killiney KopiTiam

2010-02-01T18:24:00.002+08:00

Killiney Kopitiam is a traditional main stay in local coffee drinking culture. Unlike the American coffee that normally tastes like drain water, European coffee that is more similar to drinking a cigarette, or the Vietnamese coffee that tastes too sweet, the Singapore coffee is sock filtered and is really special. Most of the time, it is served with toast with kaya (see coconut jam) and it is a beautiful combination, alittle like Steven Gerrad and Fernando Torres for the football fans, or like Jerry Rice and Joe Montana for the football fans, you know what I mean.

Over the past few years, their business have extended to serving food and I have to say, can we please stick to the coffee? Okay, the beef hor fun wasn't that bad, in fact, I just got hungry thinking about it. But I hope they stick to what they do best. And that's just me.

Wild Honey

2010-02-01T18:02:00.003+08:00

Wild Honey is a place where breakfast is served throughout the whole day. Or where my wife would like to call: "Heaven." I am not a big breakfast person but I have to say that I was impressed.

But first, things I didn't like about the place:

- the price = too expensive for breakfast!

- the dimly lit restaurant made me feel like taking a nap, its breakfast for goodness sake, where's the sunshine?

- why am I always surrounded by ladies at this place?

- do you really need a maitre d' at such a small place?

Things I really liked about the place:

- it is dimly lit.

- i am surrounded by ladies

- it is probably the quietest part of Orchard Road.

- i love the furniture.

But wait, this is a food blog, and as food goes, it is good. My wife reckons its what one would pay for at PS Cafe. I have been there 4 times now. The scones are lovely. Chocolate cupcake,lovely. Tea, mundane. Bread basket, varietal. And service? Decent with a capital T.

The one thing I didn't get is that with the price going an average of around $18 a plate, why do I have to walk up to the counter and order like at McDonald's? And talking about McDonald's, the serving of breakfast has been extended till 12 over the weekends.

And that my friends, is a public service announcement.

Scissors Curry Rice

2010-01-21T18:33:00.002+08:00

You remember how countries trick tourists? Like Singapore tourism board tells people that Char Kway Teow and Bak Kut Teh is really from Singapore? And how the Pad Thai was never really Vietnamese?

Get my analogy so far? No? No?

I was duped into ordering from the Scissors Curry Rice from the Food Republic at Wisma Atria many months ago. A better review can be seen here at the ORIGINAL location, and I have learnt this valuable lesson.

Don't believe the hype.

Fika Cafe

2010-01-21T18:17:00.002+08:00

Fika Cafe or most popularly known as "Ikea lite," or "Yes we're Swedish and modular," was open many months ago and I went there recently over a weekend.

She she factor is high. Location, abit obscure but excellent for "private," dates.

Worth a gamble.

Service was excellent.

Changi Village's Amigo

2010-01-21T18:07:00.003+08:00

I was tired and desperate. We just met a customer at Loyang and a friend of mine who doesn't live in the coolest part of Singapore (east coast baby!) wanted to eat at the revered Changi Village.

I brought her there and we ate at Amigo noodles. In Singapore, it seems like when one area is known for one thing, for example fishball noodles, there would be others that would want to serve the exact same thing at the same vicinity or radius. And this bothers me. Right beside Amigo is another store, which name I can barely remember but also serves the exact same thing.

This post isn't about the competition to Amigo noodles. Rather I just wanted to say that the noodles is something one should eat other than the countless Nasi Lemak stores and Ayam Penyet stores in the same hawker center.

Go early, or else you'll have no seat and you probably have to wait in line for a long time.

Everything with Fries

2010-01-21T17:50:00.003+08:00

I love pink shirts. I do. 2 people who know me have seen me wearing them. I haven't worn one in a while, but I have to say that I most probably need to buy a new Lacoste pink polo shirt.

On the other hand, I don't like to be served by young teenage boys with brown hair and white shorts burgers and fries. I know who the restaurant is targeting but seriously?

I went with my colleagues to have some burgers and shakes, and I walked by it just a couple of days before my Korean excursion. And it gave me the same feeling I had while I am at Astons. Am I the oldest person here?

Food wise, decent would be complimentary. But the service in pink shirts were decent. The fries which is what the place is supposed to be about, wasn't outstanding. It was, how you say, pinkish?

Burgers on the other hand were actually of good quality but size rather small. But since this restaurant targets the young ladies as well as the old men whose appetite for meat are debatable, it should be fine.

Just a note, if you serve several types of fries, its best that your servers can articulate why they are different and how they are different.

www.everythingwithfries.com

Apologies!!!

2010-01-21T17:45:00.002+08:00

Its been too long since I have written on this blog. Apologies to my one follower.

In this upcoming year, I plan to write more edgy and ridiculous and most likely rename my blog to food poisoning - I am still thinking about the latter.

There will be intrigue! ( Why I hate Ion)

Drama! ( The weather in Hanoi is lovely)

Irony (Chicken rice is not the best dish in Singapore? )

And most importantly, comedy. ( Yes, its true, Ris Low can help you not have sex. )

Laters,

X

Hock Seng Choon Fishball Noodles

2009-10-15T02:53:00.002+08:00

I love balls.

Fishballs that is. I like them with noodles. Wait. I also like them with some ketchup, peanut oil, vinegar, some condiments of vegetables and sliced fish cake. The adventure that is going to the Bedok South market to have this bowl of noodles is long and can be made into an award winning movie. What is a familiar taste, interpretation and look like every other bowl of fishball noodles is in actual fact very different.

The line at the store is long most of the time. The person/owner that cooks the noodles makes alot of noise while preparing; you will hear the abrupt splattering of the ladle, plastic and porcelain bowls. The chili used is extremely spicy, the noodles, in my humble opinion is always over done (some people still like it this way but I don't), and the noodles do taste very bland.

Again, I like the fishballs from the store, I just don't like the wait and the noodles.

Nanbantei Yakitori

2009-10-14T23:16:00.003+08:00

Funny how all of a sudden I realize that there are Japanese Yakitori restaurants every where. When I was in school, I would always skive around Far East Plaza, a restaurant I have walked by countless times but never walked in, and a dear friend of the blog and in real life, Pampadam brought me and Jelly (my wife's new nickname, she thought of this one herself, really.) to this new old place to try.

Now, this is a small restaurant. So quality is assumed. Check. Service was courteously rude. So restaurant is popular. Check. Menu is unreadable in a good way. So a surprise is going to occur. Check. The great thing about taking Pampadam any where is that she comes prepared. She took out a list of things that she was told to order by her friends and hot damn, her friends were right.

Grilled ball of chicken with quail egg was lovely. (Jelly gulped one whole egg down raw. Nice!) Grilled Mackerel was the only disappointing thing because it tasted like most places. The grilled lamb chop was succulent and delicious, and I don't really like lamb but this was void of all the grin of the lamb after taste. The grilled asparagus wrapped with bacon was as if you were eating meat, and meat alone. One thing that I didn't take the picture of was the grilled rice ball, that was the best one I have had yet.

I ordered many other things for the 3 of us but everything was else is similar to what most yakitori restaurants might have. The dishes that I have were what I thought to be the most outstanding.

The price was reasonable. But there is just something about having fresh and perfect ingredients in the hands of a master that knows how to grill under the most perfect conditions that drives me off the wall. Maybe its a primal instinct where it is encoded in our DNA that we enjoy grilling food, like back in the caves where humans first discovered fire. But be it as it may, a hot grill, fresh ingredients, even in the worst environment, would taste heavenly.

The SANdwich Shop @ City Link

2009-10-10T12:29:00.003+08:00

It's weird. I love sandwiches. And in Singapore, the best sandwich shops are always around a mass of working cluster of people. Like at Raffles City, or Tanjong Pagar or in this case, City Link. The wife invited me for lunch one day and I went. Well, because I had to.

The salads are good. My breakfast sandwich was lovely. And the chips, don't order those chips pictured. Total cost was $25. I love sandwiches, therefore I recommend this place to you my friends. Not many know of this place, so it will be a good place to bring your mistress or girlfriend or wife. For me, all 3 just happens to be same person.

Go!

Pizza Pazza

2009-10-10T12:22:00.002+08:00

Background: I was greedy. I was with wife and Pampadam. We were at the food court at Cineleisure Orchard. We were early and about to watch the terribly depressing movie called Funny People. The girls went to get some yogurt, I ordered a small pizza from the store I recognize from my dreams.

Reality: This dream turns out to be a nightmare. If there is an award right now. This is worst pizza I have had in Singapore in the last 18 years of my life.

Yes, I am that young.

Ang Moh Wontan Mee

2009-10-10T12:17:00.002+08:00

Tucked into the depths of the wondering east side of Singapore, lays in secret in my opinion, the best Wontan mee in Singapore. Ang Moh Wontan mee is a lovely testament to why I love local food. This Malaysian style, dark sauce, no ketchup (if you order without chilli), and the tender char siew and porklicious wontans make this dish a constant in an ever changing country like Singapore.

Love it.

DOONG JI Korean Cuisine

2009-10-10T11:42:00.005+08:00

Right now, in my opinion, the best Korean import and as it should be for most countries is their art and culture. And for my own own purposes of a food blog, art meaning pop music and culture meaning the food. Let me rephrase that, this entry is just an excuse that I can't put a picture of my favorite pop group at the moment, Girl's Generation (I'd rather call them by their Korean name, the abbreviated SNSD)

Unlike nearly all of western pop artists, most Korean, Indian, Japanese, Hong Kong, pop stars do tons of acting, do silly things on tons of variety shows and can actually look like they can make a fool of themselves by not taking themselves too seriously. Nearly all of the female Korean pop stars are seen to be pure, innocent, fair, homely, respectful, mature, responsible, and all the organic wholesome goodness.

Their food culture on the other hand, is spicy hot, tasty, lots of variety, shocking (in a good way) pickled, and is a wonderful treat to the senses. I have been reading up on Korean restaurants in the area and true enough, there is a Korean restaurant near my place.

DOONG JI along East Coast Road is a small and homely restaurant. The service is decent and the food, and its my first time having Korean food, was actually good. In fact, it was decent but the word decent doesn't do it justice. I grew up with my own sister telling me the wonder of Kimchi but Korean food is more than kimchi. It has alot of variety. Out of my own greed, I ordered several things for me and the wife. I forgot that in Korean culture, they usually have tons of side dishes that are served prior to your meal and I was already full by the time the food I ordered came.

The servers were nice enough to explain to us how to mix the dishes and what was good on the menu. When I went there the 2nd time, I went pretty close to the closing and I was the last customer, and they still let me order my food and I ate my fill. Coincidentally, the last 2 times I went, it was raining. And I would highly recommend Korean food when its cold because the spice and the heat makes it all worthwhile.

All in all, I really liked the restaurant. Its not overly expensive and there is a constant spattering of Korean MTVs or drama series playing on the 42 inch plasmas on the wall. At this price point, the $10 - $20 a plate and casual setting, it makes me want to go to Korea.

Does Kiraku Mean Comfortable ?

2009-09-07T15:38:00.016+08:00

A long time friend of mine recently invited the missus and me to savour some Japanese delights at his soon to be opened restaurant located smack in the middle of the CBD. Nestled in a basement unit at 55 Market Street, Kiraku is the latest in a series of Japanese themed restaurants that belongs to the Shin Kushiya stable of restaurants.

Kiraku serves up Japanese standards during the day (sushi, sashimi, udons, sobas & dons). The shabu-shabu (Japanese style hot pot) makes a daily appearance only during dinner service. The staff were very polite and attentive, which made us feel very kiraku. The head chef is from Osaka and he runs a capable team of sous chefs. I'll cut straight to the food from here on.

Please ignore the half eaten bits. You could probably tell that blogging was the last thing on my mind. On this plate from left to right we have chu toro (premium tuna belly) & sake toro (premium salmon belly). The piece with white stripes is the salmon belly. FRESHness guaranteed and bursting with flavour! Coats your mouth with a film of omega oil goodness. Definite must eat.

Kiraku maki to your left. Melt in your mouth pieces of foie gras draped over batter fried sushi rice. The soft, rich foie gras contrasts well with the crisp batter of the rice topped with a little tobiko coloured mayo. Presentation is pretty damn decent too.

More sake toro or premium salmon belly. Can't get enough of this stuff.

We ordered the Wagyu Suki Shabu. Look at the lovely, marbled & thinly sliced slivers from heaven.

Nice medley of vegetables to accompany the meat.

The whole point of shabu shabu. Dip, swirl and eat.

This is one of the things you can do with the raw egg that comes with every order. You're actually supposed to dip the cooked meat into the raw egg just before it enters your mouth but we decided to gently poach it instead.

The meal was washed down the gut with some lovely Shirataki sake. They have a comprehensive list of sakes available for the sake conoisseur.

The best part about the meal - one feels totally kiraku. You don't get the feeling of being overly full which is normally associated with overly oily and lower quality Japanese dishes.

Kiraku will be officially opened sometime this week and I have no doubts it will be a hit with the CBD crowd looking to satisfy their hunger pangs with some quality Japanese. Definitely Kiraku.

The In-Between Meal-Blog Digestive

2009-09-05T14:33:00.004+08:00

From a friend in Melbourne with lotsa cold loving.

Singapore. Meet The Future Of Your Children's diet.

2009-09-02T17:30:00.001+08:00

OT TV: Reasons Why We Will Never Win any International Beauty Contests

2009-09-02T16:52:00.001+08:00

Fish.

2009-09-02T14:13:00.007+08:00

Thanks to our excellent geographical location, enterprising restauranteurs and love for Japanese cuisine, we're pretty fortunate to get good quality seafood imported from Japan on a bi-weekly basis.

Fish Mart Sakuraya, which started out as a retail outlet to cater to the local Japanese community, has seen an increased response for it's produce in recent years and they have expanded their presence to 2 outlets and casual restaurants.

The prices are really reasonable and the quality of the produce speaks for itself. The key to good Japanese cuisine is respect for the produce. I always believe that any good self respecting Japanese restaurant swears by simplicity, wholesomeness and elegance. This is where Sakuraya puts so many other local Japanese restaurants to shame. The mayo-in-everything localized Japanese culture in Singapore is just so wrong.

What a beautiful picture of real food. Fresh airflown salmon (sake) and ohtoro (fatty tuna belly) of the highest quality decorate the black lacquered plate with just the right amount of perfectly cooked and seasoned rice served at room temperature with a mound of pink ginger. One bite of these gorgeous slivers of ocean treasure will despatch you to the heights of culinary heaven. It's that good.

The salmon head is equally satisfying. Freshly grilled and seasoned with a little salt. The juice from the lemon wedge cuts the rich fatty omega oils of the salmon and the grated radish makes a great complement taste wise. S$10.00 for a slice of grilled heaven.

Oishi desu.

Tuesday is Kind

2009-09-01T17:49:00.004+08:00

Ever spent all morning trying to catch that mysterious electrical gremlin that causes one's computer to misbehave every now and then ? The situation is made worse when the computer isn't yours and you do it because it involves emotional blackmail.

Anyway, I took a wrong turn and ended up in Great World City where I went to the Oaks Wine Store to look for a belated gift to my Dad (it was his birthday the day before).

I had a good look at the wines on sale and double checked the reviews with my trusty 3G. My Dad prefers value for money glorified grape juice these days so I guess the purchase of 2 bottles of 2005 Blinder Mitchell Gunslingers Shiraz was ace! (1 for him, 1 for me to be shared with gourmand this weekend - I haven't asked him + if it is still unopened by the weekend)

S$39 for the 2005 Gunslingers sounds like a good deal for a supposedly "full bodied wine with notes of blackberries, pepper" plus it's categorized as a 90-94pt vino meaning a glass at home would cost approx $5.50 assuming the bottle yields 7 standard drinks. I hope it turns out well.

The 2006 Mitolo Savitar Shiraz generously presented to yours truly by gourmand just last week looks like it belongs to the upper crust of the barrel. I've not read any tasting notes on this baby but with a 95pt review, it should bode pretty well.

Yes I do admit I sound like a wine snob with points and all but I reckon if you're drinking your money you might as well drink it with some panache backed by trusted reviewers.

Cheers till the next bottle.

Kopi Tiam @ Lavender

2009-08-31T22:27:00.002+08:00

Me and Jigga Man just came out of a very difficult situation. We were hungry and we decided to walk to the nearby Lavender Kopi Tiam.

Like the bitterness of my childhood, the prawn noodles were upsetting. Sweet when it really wasn't supposed to and only when everything goes wrong. We also ordered a oyster omelette. Let's put it this way, the omelette was floating a good layer of grease. Fail.

Only when we walked out I saw the line at the won tan noodle store. Regret.

Taiwan Delight @ T3

2009-08-31T22:16:00.003+08:00

Besides discovering my sexuality and democracy in the United States. The most important thing I discovered was Taiwanese Scallion Pancakes. I stay with my aunt during the holidays and she had a friend that could make those wonderful, fantastic, magnificent, beauties by hand and I swear, I could eat them the whole day.

Imagine with me if you could, many years later, I'm back in Singapore, I'm hungry and at the airport, because my house is so small and we don't have coffee that my wife insists that we go to the airport to people watch and read. I see these wonderful pancakes and order them.

Mistake.

They were overdone, unfluffy (if there's such a word) and unimaginative. The starchy vermicelli thing that I ordered wasn't much better.

Torisho Taka by Aoki

2009-08-31T21:55:00.002+08:00

Jigga man and B hardly ever let me down when they decide a destination for dinner and last Friday was no different. The place. Gallery Hotel. The restaurant. Torisho Taka by Aoki.

As some of you already know, I'm kinda snobby. So we were seated right by the door, the very area where people are refused entrance to this restaurant if you didn't make a reservation or the restaurant was full. A word of advice to my readers. Make a reservation.

Its a Yakitori joint, so it has to be smoky, have loud noises, and Japanese men in their late 40s drinking themselves graciously silly. The service was impeccable and I would say first class. The dishes, even though I only bothered to take 3 pictures, most if not all the dishes were lovely.

The grilled yellow tail cheek was soft, fresh and to die for. The Yakitori was above average, I wouldn't say that in a bad way but compared to the other dishes they served, the spot light was taken away from the Yakitori. The event of the night was the grilled rice with plum and broth. I'm not over reacting here but it was in my opinion, for the night, the most unusual, pleasant but delightful thing I've had in awhile. It surprised me in a very pleasant way. The dish is served with cooked rice put together into a triangle shape and grilled, then placed in a bowl with raw pieces of chicken and spring onion. The broth comes in a little pot that you pour into the bowl, cooking the chicken and cooking the rice for the third time. It still blows my mind just thinking about it because a dish so simple, so clean, and it makes plum taste magnificent.

My personal discovery of the night was the Yebisu All Malt Beer. I know that whenever you eat a particular cuisine, you need to drink beverage from the country. This Yebisu beer went with every Yakitori stick brilliantly. It complemented the dishes perfectly without taking away or adding unnecessary flavors or tannins to the sublime food.

The only downside I feel to this restaurant.

3 Numbers.

$440.

Ramen Santouka @ Central Mall

2009-08-31T21:41:00.002+08:00

I'm turning Japanese. I think I'm turning Japanese. I really think so.

Santouka Ramen at Central Mall is a semi new joint where the fantastic and magical flavors of Japanese ramen is accentuated. For the regular Ramen fans, this new place might represent a new style of serving Ramen. But to me, sometimes Ramen is just Ramen.

I ordered the limited pork cheek with soy broth Ramen. Maybe I am being picky here but the soup was slightly salty and I didn't know why the sesame seeds were in my soup when I don't normally willingly put them in myself. Noodles were thicker than normal ( I think some people like this.) but the cheek was lovely. Problem is I kept tasting the soup a couple hours after the meal because either the MSG was too much in the soup or I just had a very dry sensation in my mouth.

My personal preference is still Marutaramen at Central. I think I need to go Liang Court and try the Ramen inside Meiyu again!

Hill street Char Kway Teow in Bedok South

2009-08-31T21:28:00.002+08:00

I'm with my ex colleague new neighbor SOTONG and he asked me where to go for lunch. I decided to bring him to my new old favorite place for lunch around our place and the very reason why I suggested this place in Bedok South while talking about home renovations is because of the Hill Street Char Kway Teow at the market across from Temasek Junior College.

The long wait is very much worth the while. The Chinese sausage, bean sprouts, and egg noodles, come together in a beautiful fried melody of domestic goodness with a mixture of crunchiness and sweet dark soy sauce.

If only all Char Kway Teows tasted like this!

Pause Your Life For A Moment

2009-08-31T13:18:00.002+08:00

I'm just regurgitating what everyone else has said at some point in time.

Don't sell your life to The Corporation.

Count the cost. Always.

Though it's not always about the money.

Lovers, friends, family.

Make a promise.

In your life, you'll love them more.

viva la vida.

Geylang Lor 29 Hokkien Mee thats not at Lor 29 or at Geylang ...

2009-08-27T23:16:00.003+08:00

Along the sunny East Coast Road, there sits a Hokkien Mee Store that claims to be the Geylang Lor 29 store even though it's not really on Geylang Lor 29. I have tried the Hokkien Mee store at Lor 29 but I don't remember how it tastes!

But the store along East Coast Road, the Hokkien Mee is EXCELLENT. The service is alright. The only problem I have with the store is that whenever I go in the evening, they always run out of the essential ingredients like squid or prawns. Besides that, the Hokkien Mee is top notch.

There are several variations of the Hokkien Mee, this variety has more pork lard, and fried to a slightly drier mix but still moist enough to taste the succulence of the dish. I'd always visit this store for Hokkien Mee.

Soon Heng Fishball Noodles

2009-08-27T20:12:00.003+08:00

So here I was waiting for my wife on a Saturday afternoon at Milenia Walk. Besides torturing myself by not going for the BMW free test drive, I tortured myself by ordering a bowl of Soon Heng Fishball noodles.

Noodles were overdone. Too much ketchup and why the MSG soup?

Random Nasi Briyani

2009-08-27T20:07:00.002+08:00

I was about to meet my customer but I was 2 hours early. I walked the entire stretch of food stalls along Upper Paya Lebar Road looking for lunch and I decided on Nasi Briyani.

Yes, I am in an Indian food phase.

The Indian food wasn't very good and I still ordered another plate of mutton curry.

The total cost of meal was $10 + 2 cans of green tea.

I accept your Murtabak Challenge ...

2009-08-27T19:52:00.002+08:00

This is normally how lunch with my colleagues go. We go out. We eat.

But this time, there was a challenge, the boys, (I work in the I.T. industry, so most of the time, my colleagues are fellow dudes.) We head to Simpang Bedok for lunch and we started ordering from our Indian store. They knew that I haven't had local food in awhile and so we order the works of Nasi Goreng, Prata, Nasi Briyani, Magi Goreng, Malay Chicken Rice and then we ordered the mother of all murtabaks. All this for 6 people.

The Murtabak was, a quarter of the table big, a quarter of the finger high, and it took 2 quarters of an hour to get to our table. But it was worth it.

Mmmmm ... Indian Food.

Skinny White Pizza @ Suntec

2009-08-27T19:31:00.008+08:00

Or you can call it places I go with my wife when I meet her for lunch. Skinny Pizza. Why would anyone want to eat another color pizza? Yes, you xenophobic maniac, I AM talking to you. I like Pizza, but I seem to think that this pizza was created by women, for women, through women.

So how was the food? Don't order the soup. Bad. Fries? I didn't taste the truffle oil. Pizza? It was surprisingly good.I liked it. As I opened up my mind to accept that I have just tasted a non red pizza, I shed a tear, and had a dream ...

As I was surrounded by tables of women, and an unevenly matched "attractive quotient," couple; I remembered that in Singapore, we are a land that accepts people of all kinds, from all planets, and even though the eggplant was slightly under cooked and I think there is too much onions, I still accepted the pizza. And when I did, the pizza opened up itself to me.

Surprisingly, I enjoyed my half of the pizza but still secretly feeling rather uncomfortable, I left the restaurant in a huff, into the arms of lady liberty, to get a coffee.

Post Script: Just found out from the wife that this is actually next to a strip joint! Surprise Surprise.

First thing I ate when I came back from the US ...

2009-08-27T19:22:00.002+08:00

I do bad things when I'm left alone. Just the other day, I think I gave to charity while walking along Orchard road. So what do I do when I came back from the United States? I walk into Aston's and I ordered a Singaporean American Steak. So what's the difference between Singaporean American Steak and American American steak? Singapore American steak is awful. It tastes like corn. Really.

And on the topic of Aston's, there should an age limit, like you have to be 21 and under to walk actually eat there.

TV Tribute: Best Beer Maker in the World

2009-08-24T00:03:00.003+08:00

Yes. I do use the word Maker often.

So the real reason why I went back to the US was because my dear friend, and best beer maker in the world - knarf knarf, was getting married and I had to be there. It was a great, simple and wonderful wedding, and fun to catch up with many of my college friends.

To a life time of adventures for you and Ms Shepherd! ( I haven't thought of any cool nicknames yet. Sorry!)

Arby's

2009-08-23T23:53:00.003+08:00

We were in a dilemma. We wanted to see our friend in Bonner, we were running late as we didn't know how to get there and our friend had only a limited time as she was working that day. When we finally got there, we were stuck wondering what we could eat for a quick catch up and lunch.

Our choices were Arby's, Mickey D's, random sports bar, and bad Chinese food. I was craving some roast beef sandwich so where else? 5 for $5 roast beef sandwich. You think I'm kidding? I haven't had Arby's in years and it was good.

Actually, the food didn't matter. What was so much more important is that we managed to catch up with a dear friend that we haven't seen in forever.

Roast beef sandwich is excellent. Much better than most roast beef sandwich chains.

Sylas & Maddy's

2009-08-23T23:31:00.003+08:00

One of the best things about Lawrence, Kansas is small business. And what better small business than Sylas & Maddy's Home made Ice Cream?

The picture was taken of the 2 models inside the store having Ice Cream.

Oh, the Ice Cream is excellent. It's so good, that my wife, even in the coldest winter, would still walk into the store and buy it.

Famous Dave's BBQ

2009-08-20T23:53:00.004+08:00

Have you been placed in this predicament before? You go to a place that is famous for something but you never really had a chance to have it until you force yourself to do it on the last day and you desperately try to fit this place or this food into your schedule when its almost impossible?

You see, America, or at least many parts of it, its beginning to look the same. Whenever, you saw a strip mall of Barnes & Nobles, you'll get an Old Navy, Best Buy, and maybe a Home Depot around the corner. Its our last day in Kansas and like a typical Singaporean, we wanted to shop. M&G (my in-laws) were so nice to meet our every demands during this trip that they went with us to Legends to shop for any last minute things we might have forgotten.

I promise I won't go on a diatribe about the shopping condition in America or more specifically the Midwest but thank goodness, there was a Famous Dave's BBQ around the corner and M&G knew the condition of my desires and we managed to have a late lunch at Famous Dave's.

Coincidentally, this is the same Famous Dave's where I had my rehearsal dinner for my wedding, and for all those who know me, yes, I am that country, and alittle rock and roll, so this was a happy place for me.

We ordered our lunch special combinations and I have to say, Kansas BBQ, I love you. And also adding," You're my rock, boo."

I love the many BBQ sauce choices. The succulent ribs, the hearty corn, the always mouthful of corn bread and where's my pulled pork at? Like my Kansas trip can't get any better after seeing friends and family, I get to eat BBQ.

Yummmmm ....... You always want to end everything with a great taste in the mouth.

Free State Brewery

2009-08-20T23:25:00.002+08:00

Free State Brewery or FSB for short has alot of good vibes. One of my first few serious dates with my then girlfriend, and now wife was at FSB. A couple of days ago, I just had one of my great friend's pre-wedding lunch at FSB. And now, we were invited by the Mothergoats to hang out for dinner with their Seattle friends. And what better place to show Lawrence than FSB?

Just to set the expectation right. It's a brewery. So you really want to just order beer and the food, well, the food is good but not exceptional because, hey, it's a brewery. I'm not a "beer-dy," so I can't tell you how good the beer is but what I ordered, "The Cyclists," was excellent. Some people in other parts of the world call it Shandy or my Singapore colleagues call it a sorority girl drink, I call it the beer I would order because I like beer like I like my women. Blond, bubbly and sweet. A combination of beer and lemonade provides a fresh and crisp after taste to any hot summer day.

I would highly recommend the chicken strips, though not pictured, everybody loved it. The Black Bean Quesadillas were highly recommended by a dude sitting behind us, as he overheard some of the out of towners wondering what to order, and yes, Kansas people are THAT nice, I ordered the chicken pesto pasta, which was actually decent, Mothergoat thought that the steak was just okay, (I believe that's code for average and deep inside, I think he regretted ordering it.) The wife ordered the Tortellini, and she thought it was average as well.

Lesson? FSB is still a great place to go to. Expect a long wait during weekend and nights. If you want to people watch on a weekday night, this is the place to be, the crowd and energy is young, not necessarily loud and the beer, I keep hearing from the other beer snobs is still excellent. Just watch what you order for your meal and you should be set.

I would still recommend FSB. The prices are reasonable. Ambiance of the restaurant and bar is cosy and not overtly polite.

PaPa Keno's Pizza in Lawrence

2009-08-20T23:09:00.002+08:00

Pizza. I love pizza. Pizza reminds me of the great times I've had. Pizza is awesome. And one place that brings back great love, memories and awesomeness is PaPa Keno's Pizzeria.

We were back in my college town of Lawrence, Kansas (Home of the 2008 NCAA Basketball Champions and 2008 Orange Bowl Champions) ((Go Hawks!)) for a short period of time to visit Mr and Mrs Goat whom had just moved back to L town the day before.

What better place to have lunch in Larryville then Keno's? They serve made to order pizza by the slice, which by the way I suspect can feed one African family easily and have trays as plates, because what better plate than something that you can use in a fight and you can really hurt someone with it?

Service was as much as you'll expect in a college town but pizza was still pipping hot, fresh, and Italian American goodness. I ordered the works and a coke and yes, it is still as good as I recall.

By the way, on the topic of pizza smells, why does every Sbarro I walk by always end up smelling like a toilet?

Best Meal in Kansas.

2009-08-16T19:10:00.004+08:00

As I sat in the drive way of my friends the Hamels after finishing a ridonculous meal. I couldn't help but think that my friends Hatty and Pletchers should have their own cook book.

After developing dairy and soy allergies during pregnancy, Hatty had to change her diet and can I say she looked way skinny and good? (I still love you more Honey K) and she cooked our meal with those dietary restrictions.

I hate coleslaw but that was the best coleslaw I have ever had. It tasted fresh and fruity. Unusual one might think but awesome. I don't like potato salad but the tanginess and creaminess of the potatoes were delightful. And ribs. Hmmm ... ribs were juicy and contained all the smoky goodness of Kansas BBQ. And to top it all off, chocolate cake with fresh raspberry. (Faints)

I always believe that anything cooked with dedication and love can always be tasted and today it was a mouthful. My greatest fear has always been growing up. When the Hamels put Mr T to sleep, and we started having dinner, I felt old. I was that child that had to go to sleep when my parent's friends came over. But if in growing up, I get to eat such lovely food, I'm happy.

You see, the wife and I were many hours late for our dinner appointment with the Hamels and we didn't know what to expect. But I guess in the end, we should have expected (Oh, I just drooled again.)

Sideways note. American Pinot Noir is climbing up my list of wines to drink. The Colorado label Carlson Vineyards matched very well with everything for dinner and only costs $20 USD

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza

2009-08-16T18:40:00.003+08:00

Which of the following statements are true?

a) Yes. I do have friends in many places.

b) Yes. Deep Dish Pizza is awesome.

c) Yes. Chicago is a beautiful city.

d) Yes. You suck if you disagree with a,b & c.

I have many pre-conceived notions. I think that Godzilla exists and we should always respect Big Foot. If there was a fight between Captain Kirk from Starship Enterprise and Chewbacca, the taller guy wins. And if Spock ever had a conversation with Yoda, it would be like watching any political debate.

With that being said, my college friends live in the wonderful city of Chicago. They took the time out of their busy schedules to hang out for a few precious hours and brought us around Millennium Park, best park in Chicago hands down and brought us to Lou Malnati's, Chicago's other big name Deep Dish Pizza restaurant.

I don't really like thinking about the Deep Dish Pizza. In my mind, pizzas should be respected and not be made into a casserole. It should be crispy yet foldable, delightful and not overly simplified. The Deep Dish Pizza invokes, in my opinion, unnecessary name calling like "Butter crusted Pizza," and "different from the other forms of pizzas," or "Pizza Hut's ugly fat sister."

As delightful as the city of Chicago is, I knew deep within my mind grapes that the true test of the city is in their most famous culinary cuisine. Our gracious hosts guided us to Lou Malnati's and once I force fed the pizza in my mouth, it was as if my whole life passed, sounds of glass shattering and zits popping and then a blank.

It was good.

Now why we ordered 2 large when there was 7 of us, I really don't know. We only managed to finish 1 pizza. And yes, 1 slice was enough for me but I had 2. While walking out though, I did see a family of 3 finishing 1 large pizza. The point being this ...

Brennan's Market

2009-08-16T18:36:00.002+08:00

After our exercise at Kopp's, the clan crossed the street and gathered at Brennan's Market.

I love this place. And I wanted to buy so many things in the store even though I was already so full.

Fruits smelled fantastic, Wisconsin produce is brilliant.

It's a must go.

Kopp"s Frozen Custard

2009-08-16T18:08:00.002+08:00

In Wisconsin or some might call it the land flowing with milk and dispensing custard, and some might say maybe even say makers of great cheese, (isn't this just all a variation of milk you might think? And yes you might.) I was given a wonderful opportunity to taste some of it's natural goodness, except cheese of course, I don't like cheese like Wallace and Gromit.

Kopp's Frozen Custard is one such place that serves natural Wisconsin goodness. Considered to be one of the favorites by Papa G of (M&G), we took a gander and showed up.

I had been having burgers and brats the last few days, and when the G clan hit Kopp's during lunch, we reminded ourselves that we were going to treat ourselves with more burgers and brats later during dinner, so we had to order something else besides burgers.

Standing in the waiting room as if I was an anxious father to be at a hospital awaiting for the birth of my new child, me and the mrs took a deep breath and for a second had forgotten what we ordered. She ordered a cheese burger and I ordered, wait for it, a double hamburger. As if I couldn't stuff more meat in my mouth, I went for the jugular. Lola and K-Bo ordered the fish sandwich, of whom pictures I did not take because I felt a sense of disrespect on behalf of the state of Wisconsin.

Burgers. Check. Onion Rings. Check. Arteries clogged? Check.

The burger were juicy and firm. It's candor was both lyrical and erotic. And to top everything off, and as if my body couldn't take anymore calories in this wonderful Wisconsin visage, the wife ordered a turtle sundae and Lola got some custard with nuts.

Now I don't normally drink milk (actually, I have not drank milk the last 20 some years of my life), but if milk tasted like custard and was frozen, milk would be awesome. Can a customer ever complain that there is too much chocolate, caramel and pecans in a custard? I don't think so but can I just raise my arm to wonder, can I have some more?

Do cows a favor and go to Kopp's.

TV Centerfold Caption: Got Hand?

2009-08-13T19:10:00.003+08:00

King Linus having a feast!

Santa Fe Cafe

2009-08-13T18:56:00.002+08:00

Santa Fe Cafe is a favorite breakfast place for my in laws, lets call them Mr and Mrs G (M&G) and true to their word, they brought us there for breakfast one Saturday morning.

The wait took several minutes but it was all good. It was crowded (always a good sign) and the breakfast smelled proper. Once seated, we ordered the french toasts, omelette's, pancakes and corn beef hash for myself.

Let me explain myself before I go on, I have been in a late funk in taste and my taste buds have been yearning for something spicy. So once the corn beef hash showed up, off went the screw top of the Tabasco sauce and down it's poured into my corn beef hash, and paint me naive, but hot dog! It was a good combination.

As my in laws and wife stared at me (in my mind), I pondered at the wonder of the first person who ever put Tabasco sauce into their corn beef hash and wondered how amazing and strange yet delightful this combination was.

Breakfast, it's what with Tabasco.