Some Updates: Sorry for the lack of action on the blog. I haven't been able to sit down and write. Sorry to disappoint those that think that I haven't been eating. The reviews to come are:
1) Straits Kitchen @ Hyatt
2) Liang Kee Restaurant at Robertson Walk
3) Spizza for Friends
4) Peranakan Restaurant @ Katong
5) Food Republic @ ViVo City
6) ChinaTown Hawker Center
7) Banana Leaf Restaurant @ Race Course Road
8) Thoughts on the last meal you might have if you know you were going to die tomorrow.
Till I write again.
Cha Cha Cha
I went to a Mexican restaurant in Singapore because I had to. My mother in law, wanted some Mexican food and I thought why not? I wouldn't go there on my own account, but for my mother in law. Anything!
Its a cute restaurant. It looks like a nice Hacienda and the service was prompt. I made a reservation over the phone, and even though the person who picked up the phone in the restaurant sounded rude and short, he was actually rather pleasant in person. Cha Cha Cha situated at one of my favorite places in Singapore helped. We ordered some chicken faloutas, chicken chimichanga, and a burrito. My wife ordered a strawberry Margarita which was pretty good. Being my wife (and I love her to bits while say this), she has special orders, she goes to restaurants and she wants certain things not in the food that she orders even though it states in the menu that its there. Anyways, she orders a side of sour cream while I asked for another basket of nacho chips.
Now before I go on a rant here, let me just say that I have NEVER been in the restaurant business before and I probably don't know what I am talking about. I can never understand, absolutely sit down and comprehend how a restaurant can charge $4.50 for a side of sour cream. A side of sour cream. A side of sour cream. I am just going to say this again. A side of sour cream. When we asked for an extra side of sour cream, the restaurant gave me a plate of sour cream. I mean like a 7 inches in diameter plate of sour cream. And the last time I checked, Cha Cha Cha is a Mexican restaurant, they are charging me for additional baskets of nacho chips. Nacho chips. A staple in Mexican restaurants. Nacho chips. Okay, rant over.
Besides my rant, the food was pretty good. I have always thought that Mexican cuisine as the poor cousin of the Asian cuisine, but I liked what I ate. A lot of foreigners there, so I guess it must not be that bad.
Its a cute restaurant. It looks like a nice Hacienda and the service was prompt. I made a reservation over the phone, and even though the person who picked up the phone in the restaurant sounded rude and short, he was actually rather pleasant in person. Cha Cha Cha situated at one of my favorite places in Singapore helped. We ordered some chicken faloutas, chicken chimichanga, and a burrito. My wife ordered a strawberry Margarita which was pretty good. Being my wife (and I love her to bits while say this), she has special orders, she goes to restaurants and she wants certain things not in the food that she orders even though it states in the menu that its there. Anyways, she orders a side of sour cream while I asked for another basket of nacho chips.
Now before I go on a rant here, let me just say that I have NEVER been in the restaurant business before and I probably don't know what I am talking about. I can never understand, absolutely sit down and comprehend how a restaurant can charge $4.50 for a side of sour cream. A side of sour cream. A side of sour cream. I am just going to say this again. A side of sour cream. When we asked for an extra side of sour cream, the restaurant gave me a plate of sour cream. I mean like a 7 inches in diameter plate of sour cream. And the last time I checked, Cha Cha Cha is a Mexican restaurant, they are charging me for additional baskets of nacho chips. Nacho chips. A staple in Mexican restaurants. Nacho chips. Okay, rant over.
Besides my rant, the food was pretty good. I have always thought that Mexican cuisine as the poor cousin of the Asian cuisine, but I liked what I ate. A lot of foreigners there, so I guess it must not be that bad.
Jia Xiang Sarawak Kolo Mee
Don't go. Its terrible. Over priced and over rated. Went there a couple of days before Chinese New Year, its bad. With the same amount of cash spent, I could have gone to Macdonalds.
Regent Hotel Sunday Brunch
In my non stop food binging just before the holidays, I had to take a trip to meet my wife's colleagues for the first time. I have to say that the company was excellent, the food on the other hand was something else.
I enjoy a good Sunday brunch. There was free flow champagne and I had my fair share of 5 - 6 glasses, but you can't really keep a count because they keep refilling the champagne before you can even finish a glass full. Honestly, the champagne was decent. The food not so much.
We arrived at 1130 am when the buffet started at 12 and we were supposed to meet at 11. Bemused that all the food was laid out but nobody could eat it as per the restaurant management ruling. Scanning through the range of food available, it wasn't great. There was no dish or thing worthy to slaver.
I especially like the roast beef and pan fried beef with marinated scallops. Those were great. The lobster tasted old, the pasta station, I never understand the pasta stations at buffets, but I have no complaints. The restaurant would rather you load up on carbs than have you eating all the good stuff like lobster and shrimp. Nearly everything else was average. And I tried a little bit of everything. I couldn't help but think to myself that I've had better.
Again, thank goodness the company made the meal delightful. The desserts were ridiculously bland and thank goodness I had so much champagne that it actually made me sleepy when I got home and was ready for my 3 hour nap! The total cost for the both of us was $160. I would say it is relatively cheap since there was so much champagne involved.
So here is my advice: Go only when the company is good and you only really want the champagne.
I enjoy a good Sunday brunch. There was free flow champagne and I had my fair share of 5 - 6 glasses, but you can't really keep a count because they keep refilling the champagne before you can even finish a glass full. Honestly, the champagne was decent. The food not so much.
We arrived at 1130 am when the buffet started at 12 and we were supposed to meet at 11. Bemused that all the food was laid out but nobody could eat it as per the restaurant management ruling. Scanning through the range of food available, it wasn't great. There was no dish or thing worthy to slaver.
I especially like the roast beef and pan fried beef with marinated scallops. Those were great. The lobster tasted old, the pasta station, I never understand the pasta stations at buffets, but I have no complaints. The restaurant would rather you load up on carbs than have you eating all the good stuff like lobster and shrimp. Nearly everything else was average. And I tried a little bit of everything. I couldn't help but think to myself that I've had better.
Again, thank goodness the company made the meal delightful. The desserts were ridiculously bland and thank goodness I had so much champagne that it actually made me sleepy when I got home and was ready for my 3 hour nap! The total cost for the both of us was $160. I would say it is relatively cheap since there was so much champagne involved.
So here is my advice: Go only when the company is good and you only really want the champagne.
Ristorante de Valentino
Fact. I have been raving about this restaurant non stop even though I have never been there. Fact. I love Italian food. Fact. I got a $100 voucher from my sweet mother in law (who is coming to Singapore) for New Year! Fact. I actually went to the restaurant this week!
I have read many reviews about the place so it was time to actually go try it. I think that without a doubt, this is one of the best Italian restaurants in Singapore. And that is before I even stepped into the restaurant. So with all the hype and expectation, the missus and I went to the restaurant over the weekend.
Immediately, I felt out of place. I sms'ed Mr. T to inform him that there were 2 Ferraris, a couple of beamers and mercs parked outside the restaurant! He promptly responded with "Welcome to the West!" We made our reservations many weeks ago and the server, gave us a window seat. Ahh, just the type of seats that I like!
The decor of the restaurant is quaint and exotic. It reminds of a small house in Italy and ambiance is almost you're at a friend's home having a meal. I panned through the menu and we decided together that we were going to have several things. We ordered the Orichette Pasta with dried tomatoes and chicken, a Quarto Stagioni Pizza and a Rack of Veal with Porcini Sauce. I ordered my glass of Tuscan red Italian wine ( I think its my favorite now, but I can't fully decide yet) and my wife had her sweet dry wine, which was not on the menu but the server told us that it was an option and my wife took it. Our desserts we later ordered were a Chocolate Salami with Vanilla Ice cream and the missus ordered the famous cake.
In summary. The food was excellent! The Orichette was done magnificently. The pasta was tender and sauce was finger licking good. The pizza was (I think I have officially run out of superlatives) great. The crust wasn't burnt and the combination was magical. The veal, I loved. My wife didn't really take the idea of eating baby calf, but I thought that the porcini sauce for the rack of veal should have been stolen to make another pasta sauce. The porcini was creamy and delightful. My tongue was rolling on the edge having a high like never before. My dessert was great. Chocolate salami, how wrong can it be? And the cake was decent.
There is however a low point for the restaurant. With all the hype and expectation, and the food being excellent. We left the restaurant unimpressed. Again, nothing the restaurant did was wrong. The service was friendly and I honestly felt so comfortable because there were so many couples of mixed races there! I might have sub consciously wanted more from the restaurant. I still can't put a finger to it. I will go back to wait for the Steak Florentine but isn't it strange when you expect so much for something and when you reach there, it becomes somewhat of an anti climax?
Feeling strange but highly recommended.
I have read many reviews about the place so it was time to actually go try it. I think that without a doubt, this is one of the best Italian restaurants in Singapore. And that is before I even stepped into the restaurant. So with all the hype and expectation, the missus and I went to the restaurant over the weekend.
Immediately, I felt out of place. I sms'ed Mr. T to inform him that there were 2 Ferraris, a couple of beamers and mercs parked outside the restaurant! He promptly responded with "Welcome to the West!" We made our reservations many weeks ago and the server, gave us a window seat. Ahh, just the type of seats that I like!
The decor of the restaurant is quaint and exotic. It reminds of a small house in Italy and ambiance is almost you're at a friend's home having a meal. I panned through the menu and we decided together that we were going to have several things. We ordered the Orichette Pasta with dried tomatoes and chicken, a Quarto Stagioni Pizza and a Rack of Veal with Porcini Sauce. I ordered my glass of Tuscan red Italian wine ( I think its my favorite now, but I can't fully decide yet) and my wife had her sweet dry wine, which was not on the menu but the server told us that it was an option and my wife took it. Our desserts we later ordered were a Chocolate Salami with Vanilla Ice cream and the missus ordered the famous cake.
In summary. The food was excellent! The Orichette was done magnificently. The pasta was tender and sauce was finger licking good. The pizza was (I think I have officially run out of superlatives) great. The crust wasn't burnt and the combination was magical. The veal, I loved. My wife didn't really take the idea of eating baby calf, but I thought that the porcini sauce for the rack of veal should have been stolen to make another pasta sauce. The porcini was creamy and delightful. My tongue was rolling on the edge having a high like never before. My dessert was great. Chocolate salami, how wrong can it be? And the cake was decent.
There is however a low point for the restaurant. With all the hype and expectation, and the food being excellent. We left the restaurant unimpressed. Again, nothing the restaurant did was wrong. The service was friendly and I honestly felt so comfortable because there were so many couples of mixed races there! I might have sub consciously wanted more from the restaurant. I still can't put a finger to it. I will go back to wait for the Steak Florentine but isn't it strange when you expect so much for something and when you reach there, it becomes somewhat of an anti climax?
Feeling strange but highly recommended.
SHIN KUSHIYA
Call me crazy. But I am tired of going to the same Japanese Restaurants and eating the standard Japanese fare. I don't like to eat the same thing over and over again. I think its madness. Sure, I have to eat chicken rice, wontan noodles every week but that's besides the point. I like something different every time.
With the advice of Mr. and Mrs. Tasty Bites, we went to a restaurant at Vivocity. First of all, I have never been to Vivocity. I was not impressed but my wife did like the scenery.We hung out at the book store Page One, which my wife bought several books to read, and we met Mr. T outside the restaurant.
SHIN KUSHIYA is the name of the restaurant. We sat down and ordered. With the advice of Mr. T, we ordered all the Yakitori. I am tired of going to Japanese restaurants and ordering noodles, rice and sushi. We ordered, foie gras, beef, fish, vegetable, pork, chicken; the works. I have read several dissenting views about this place but I have to say that alot of it are wrong. The quality of the fish is outstanding. The beef is absolutely tender and the chicken and pork sticks are savory. I have eaten tons of yakitori at so many restaurants, and they range from the local satay sticks to the over zealous terriyaki sauce yakitori. This restaurant has a firm hand in the terriyaki sauce department and the only thing missing on this day was rice. I never ordered rice!
The service was outstanding and the view beautiful. If you want something different at Vivocity, go to SHIN KUSHIYA. Don't order the sushi and rolls, and noodles and what have you. Order the Yakitori. I know I will be going back there again pretty soon. We ordered so much that we had to stop ourselves from ordering too much.
The damage was about $140 for 4 people because Mrs. T showed up later. We ordered all sorts of drinks and had a great time. What it lacks, is just more variety for its Yakitori, and that's about it.
By the way, I heard that they might be opening somewhere more convenient soon. So look out for it.
With the advice of Mr. and Mrs. Tasty Bites, we went to a restaurant at Vivocity. First of all, I have never been to Vivocity. I was not impressed but my wife did like the scenery.We hung out at the book store Page One, which my wife bought several books to read, and we met Mr. T outside the restaurant.
SHIN KUSHIYA is the name of the restaurant. We sat down and ordered. With the advice of Mr. T, we ordered all the Yakitori. I am tired of going to Japanese restaurants and ordering noodles, rice and sushi. We ordered, foie gras, beef, fish, vegetable, pork, chicken; the works. I have read several dissenting views about this place but I have to say that alot of it are wrong. The quality of the fish is outstanding. The beef is absolutely tender and the chicken and pork sticks are savory. I have eaten tons of yakitori at so many restaurants, and they range from the local satay sticks to the over zealous terriyaki sauce yakitori. This restaurant has a firm hand in the terriyaki sauce department and the only thing missing on this day was rice. I never ordered rice!
The service was outstanding and the view beautiful. If you want something different at Vivocity, go to SHIN KUSHIYA. Don't order the sushi and rolls, and noodles and what have you. Order the Yakitori. I know I will be going back there again pretty soon. We ordered so much that we had to stop ourselves from ordering too much.
The damage was about $140 for 4 people because Mrs. T showed up later. We ordered all sorts of drinks and had a great time. What it lacks, is just more variety for its Yakitori, and that's about it.
By the way, I heard that they might be opening somewhere more convenient soon. So look out for it.
Point-Counterpoint
I actually think that my debating skills are better than those on local television. So to prove my point, I will have to disagree with Mr. Tasty Bites, I have not going around eating at the nice places. Mr. T points me to the direction of the restaurants, I just go. Its a subservient relationship. If one can call it that.
The other point being I hate this new blogger thing. Its been ruining my spacing in my writing of the blog. I blame BLOGGER!
Back to talking about food ....
The other point being I hate this new blogger thing. Its been ruining my spacing in my writing of the blog. I blame BLOGGER!
Back to talking about food ....
Kaffe
Guess what. It took me THIS long to migrate my old blogger account to the current one installed by Google. Talk about technophobia. Heheheh..
Whilst my brother FC has been on his usual ristorante tours around the island, yours truly has taken a seat in a local coffee culture appreciation club and learning what makes a good espresso tick. I've only recently come to appreciate (and am still learning) the GULF in taste and quality between Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Spinelli and outlets which claim to serve decent coffee versus D-I-Y coffee.
So how did I get hooked ? The last "decent" cup of coffee I had was from Spinelli's 4 months ago. I vividly remember suffering from a huge headache after consuming less than half a cup of harmless takeout latte. I thought it was the caffeine doing the work of the devil. Apparently not so.. read on to find out!
It so happened a friend of mine got hold of a non commercial Espresso Gaggia machine and Gaggia grinder around the same time I had that cup of horror. After toying around with it for 2 months and proclaiming the virtues of DIY coffee, he invited me over to his home for a cuppa. It was one fateful Saturday morning not too long ago that I rocked up to his mansion to see what the fanfare was all about.
I stumbled into his kitchen and into the presence of 3 "coffee geeks". Modelled somewhat after AA, this support group has a monthly meet up session with the aim to share the essential technicalities involved in making that perfect espresso. All of them own a basic set consisting of a roaster, grinder, manual/semi automatic espresso machine and are strictly available only from specialised distributors. Even a fully automatic Krups $1,900 machine from a good department store will not suffice!
Casually arranged on the table were a nice set of demitasse cups and saucers for the morning's brew. Seems everyone brought their own stash of freshly roasted coffee beans and everyone was eager to introduce their personal favourites.
It was drummed in me from the very beginning of my re-education that coffee has to be treated with the utmost respect. The DIY method allows total control over the freshness and taste of the beverage as it was meant to be enjoyed as opposed to buying freeze dried grounds of unknown origin/blend.
I sat in the corner, a passive observer, trying to absorb as much as I possibly could. After 10 minutes of studying intently, I was finally offered the first shot of the day. Oozing from the espresso machine's portafilter was pure bliss - a rich golden hue of almost syrupy consistency with an excellent layer of crema finishing off the shot. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee hung thick in the air and it smelled wonderful.
I put the double walled Bodum espresso cup to my lips and sipped gently on that rich liquid and slowly let it swirl in my mouth. Slight hint of bitterness in there, can't seem to taste the chocolate and berries...... and this was followed by a slight sourness on the tongue. Nonetheless, I had unknowingly consumed 3 full shots of espresso in that one single cup! No wonder my friend was cracking up as he failed to tell me that before I consumed it.
Six hours later, he rang me , apparently concerned that I might suffer from the same headache causing caffeine overdose that I thought was the guilty party in that "strong cup of coffee" from Spinelli's. Apparently not!!! I did not suffer from ANY side effects and thoroughly enjoyed another cuppa (so total 6 shots here). Finally, I was told that the cup of coffee I had at Spinelli's was either probably due to overextraction of the beans or that the beans were over roasted. They claim the local barista's are not well trained enough to deliver.
I was a convert.
Presently, I have 2 bags of green coffee beans sitting in my pantry. One bag hails from the mecca of coffee, Seattle's own Espresso Vivace. It's a decaf bean with most of the caffeine removed via the Swiss Water method. The other bag of beans is known as "El Placer Colombia Cup Of Excellence" or The Pleasure from well known US coffee distributor Sweet Maria's.
I am working towards getting a basic set of equipment after I sell some leftover audio equipment to raise the necessary $1,700 at least. Gulp. Heavy investment huh ? Indeed, but you gotta do it yourself if you wanna get it done right.
Have a great week!
Whilst my brother FC has been on his usual ristorante tours around the island, yours truly has taken a seat in a local coffee culture appreciation club and learning what makes a good espresso tick. I've only recently come to appreciate (and am still learning) the GULF in taste and quality between Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Spinelli and outlets which claim to serve decent coffee versus D-I-Y coffee.
So how did I get hooked ? The last "decent" cup of coffee I had was from Spinelli's 4 months ago. I vividly remember suffering from a huge headache after consuming less than half a cup of harmless takeout latte. I thought it was the caffeine doing the work of the devil. Apparently not so.. read on to find out!
It so happened a friend of mine got hold of a non commercial Espresso Gaggia machine and Gaggia grinder around the same time I had that cup of horror. After toying around with it for 2 months and proclaiming the virtues of DIY coffee, he invited me over to his home for a cuppa. It was one fateful Saturday morning not too long ago that I rocked up to his mansion to see what the fanfare was all about.
I stumbled into his kitchen and into the presence of 3 "coffee geeks". Modelled somewhat after AA, this support group has a monthly meet up session with the aim to share the essential technicalities involved in making that perfect espresso. All of them own a basic set consisting of a roaster, grinder, manual/semi automatic espresso machine and are strictly available only from specialised distributors. Even a fully automatic Krups $1,900 machine from a good department store will not suffice!
Casually arranged on the table were a nice set of demitasse cups and saucers for the morning's brew. Seems everyone brought their own stash of freshly roasted coffee beans and everyone was eager to introduce their personal favourites.
It was drummed in me from the very beginning of my re-education that coffee has to be treated with the utmost respect. The DIY method allows total control over the freshness and taste of the beverage as it was meant to be enjoyed as opposed to buying freeze dried grounds of unknown origin/blend.
I sat in the corner, a passive observer, trying to absorb as much as I possibly could. After 10 minutes of studying intently, I was finally offered the first shot of the day. Oozing from the espresso machine's portafilter was pure bliss - a rich golden hue of almost syrupy consistency with an excellent layer of crema finishing off the shot. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee hung thick in the air and it smelled wonderful.
I put the double walled Bodum espresso cup to my lips and sipped gently on that rich liquid and slowly let it swirl in my mouth. Slight hint of bitterness in there, can't seem to taste the chocolate and berries...... and this was followed by a slight sourness on the tongue. Nonetheless, I had unknowingly consumed 3 full shots of espresso in that one single cup! No wonder my friend was cracking up as he failed to tell me that before I consumed it.
Six hours later, he rang me , apparently concerned that I might suffer from the same headache causing caffeine overdose that I thought was the guilty party in that "strong cup of coffee" from Spinelli's. Apparently not!!! I did not suffer from ANY side effects and thoroughly enjoyed another cuppa (so total 6 shots here). Finally, I was told that the cup of coffee I had at Spinelli's was either probably due to overextraction of the beans or that the beans were over roasted. They claim the local barista's are not well trained enough to deliver.
I was a convert.
Presently, I have 2 bags of green coffee beans sitting in my pantry. One bag hails from the mecca of coffee, Seattle's own Espresso Vivace. It's a decaf bean with most of the caffeine removed via the Swiss Water method. The other bag of beans is known as "El Placer Colombia Cup Of Excellence" or The Pleasure from well known US coffee distributor Sweet Maria's.
I am working towards getting a basic set of equipment after I sell some leftover audio equipment to raise the necessary $1,700 at least. Gulp. Heavy investment huh ? Indeed, but you gotta do it yourself if you wanna get it done right.
Have a great week!
Ode to Crystal Jade Seah
Hi Jade, how you doin? It seems a long time ago that you appeared on Miss Universe Singapore and lost to Carol Cheong in a deeply competitive and somewhat controversial social competition. I thought about it long and hard about why you lost, when I could remember, and all of a sudden, you re-appeared in our lives again through snippets of television time.
What's up? I haven't been catching up on the new show you are on about dancing floors but what is this hosting business? You're young and fresh and could have been a great investment banker with your degree from SMU, and now you're hosting uncomfortably among boys who are wearing strange clothes and trying to act like robots in front of you. I can tell you're always trying not to laugh at the bad dance moves.
What's up? I haven't been catching up on the new show you are on about dancing floors but what is this hosting business? You're young and fresh and could have been a great investment banker with your degree from SMU, and now you're hosting uncomfortably among boys who are wearing strange clothes and trying to act like robots in front of you. I can tell you're always trying not to laugh at the bad dance moves.
Not being your biggest fan, can I offer one objective suggestion? Okay. Maybe more than one? Relax. Be cool. Be a diva.
And since this is food blog, have your manager call up Crystal Jade and ask them to sponsor you. its a match made in heaven. Imagine, Crystal; meet Jade.
jade, jade
i think its kinda late ...
I can't do it. Sorry.
Main points: Enjoy yourself hosting. It takes time to be a good host. And get your manager to get you the job of spokesperson for Crystal Jade restaurants.Good match.
And now, my long awaited ode to Diana Ser......
WIne Garage
My wife's boss has been raving about this place and so being a good employee, my wife decided to try out the restaurant. I invited Tasty Bites, (for all dramatic purposes, I shall call him Mr. T) because the missus wasn't around and we could catch up on the Liverpool FC investment situation and thus isolating my wife. Just kidding, we minimized the talking about our beloved reds and concentrated on the food.
At Wine Garage We ordered the Antipasto platter, my wife ordered her sides of cheese and olives and a spinach salad while Mr. T and I ordered the grilled beef "rib-less," ribs with porcini risotto, and the restaurant being called what it is, we ordered some wine.
The deco took some time to get used to. Mr. T continually amazes me with his knowledge about all things told me that a lot of this industrial type design restaurants are really popular in Australia. The deco is nice. Its both a touch industrial without a hint of pretentious. Our server, which I have to say was one of the best servers I have had in Singapore, was polite, fast and made good recommendations.
The antipasto platter was outstanding. Loved it. A mixture of parma ham, cured mushrooms, salmon and fresh olives including the bread was excellent. My wife loved her cheese and olives and she claimed that the spinach salad is the best salad in Singapore; so that speaks volumes on how good the dishes are.
I was somewhat disappointed with my dish. I just felt that grilled beef tasted more braised than grilled. And that was my only contention with it. The porcini risotto was good and my Italian wine delightful. Mr. T didn't really say anything bad about his dish but I could tell that he liked it.
We enjoyed each others company and the restaurant didn't get crowded till very much later in the evening. I recommend this restaurant especially on their burger Tuesdays and I have to say that this is one of the better restaurants where service and food is of a good standard.
At Wine Garage We ordered the Antipasto platter, my wife ordered her sides of cheese and olives and a spinach salad while Mr. T and I ordered the grilled beef "rib-less," ribs with porcini risotto, and the restaurant being called what it is, we ordered some wine.
The deco took some time to get used to. Mr. T continually amazes me with his knowledge about all things told me that a lot of this industrial type design restaurants are really popular in Australia. The deco is nice. Its both a touch industrial without a hint of pretentious. Our server, which I have to say was one of the best servers I have had in Singapore, was polite, fast and made good recommendations.
The antipasto platter was outstanding. Loved it. A mixture of parma ham, cured mushrooms, salmon and fresh olives including the bread was excellent. My wife loved her cheese and olives and she claimed that the spinach salad is the best salad in Singapore; so that speaks volumes on how good the dishes are.
I was somewhat disappointed with my dish. I just felt that grilled beef tasted more braised than grilled. And that was my only contention with it. The porcini risotto was good and my Italian wine delightful. Mr. T didn't really say anything bad about his dish but I could tell that he liked it.
We enjoyed each others company and the restaurant didn't get crowded till very much later in the evening. I recommend this restaurant especially on their burger Tuesdays and I have to say that this is one of the better restaurants where service and food is of a good standard.
California Pizza Kitchen
So we were hungry, desperate, got lost on an island. It was getting late and we didn't know what to do. We walked as fast as we could and we saw a restaurant called California Pizza Kitchen. Place: Forum Galleria. Country: Singapore. Time: Its eating time!
As we entered the restaurant, we discovered that some how, we were the 2 skinniest people in the restaurant. The menu was decent and the restaurant quiet. Unusual for a restaurant in town in the weekend. We ordered the Italian pizza and a pepperoni pizza. I had my fill of Ice Lemon Tea and the missus her ice water. We later ordered dessert, some brownies and ice cream; thus the damage was $50 some dollars.
The food was decent. The pepperoni pizza was average at best. The Italian pizza was much better. Will I go back again? No. Probably not. The ambiance was nice but it wasn't like a pizzeria like I experienced back home.
Alas, good American pizza cannot be found in Singapore.
As we entered the restaurant, we discovered that some how, we were the 2 skinniest people in the restaurant. The menu was decent and the restaurant quiet. Unusual for a restaurant in town in the weekend. We ordered the Italian pizza and a pepperoni pizza. I had my fill of Ice Lemon Tea and the missus her ice water. We later ordered dessert, some brownies and ice cream; thus the damage was $50 some dollars.
The food was decent. The pepperoni pizza was average at best. The Italian pizza was much better. Will I go back again? No. Probably not. The ambiance was nice but it wasn't like a pizzeria like I experienced back home.
Alas, good American pizza cannot be found in Singapore.
More reviews to come for the following places:
1) Valentino
2) The Wine Garage
3) California Pizza Kitchen
Stay tuned........
2) The Wine Garage
3) California Pizza Kitchen
Stay tuned........
Country Singer Chicken
One of the few things in life I have learned through having been to so many restaurants is never go to a restaurant that has a name of a famous star, because most probably the star can't cook. And most probably, the star is not cooking the dishes. While I have been to Kenny Rogers countless times since it first opened in Singapore. I didn't know how good it was till I recently went back there again as a last resort. My wife is a huge Kenny Rogers fan. Wait. She is a big fan of Kenny and Dolly together. I have never seen his movies and hardly can recall his songs. I do remember his chicken. We went to the Suntec branch and we ordered the ribs, a quarter chicken, sides of pasta salad, mac & cheese and tons of corn bread. I have to say it is STILL the best corn bread in Singapore without a doubt. I am not from the south like Texas or Louisiana but I know what good corn bread is. This place served the best corn bread.
If you were to ask my wife, this place also had the best mac and cheese. I hate mac and cheese but coming from a person who ate mac and cheese every week in college, she knows what she is talking about. So besides having the best corn bread, it also had the best mac and cheese.
The ribs was disappointing. Like Eve, I thought I was going to have Kenny's ribs in a chicken hut but what I thought was true again. Never go to a steak house to order the tofu burger. In the same way, never go to a chicken place and order ribs. Bad idea.
The chicken was extraordinarily average. I have run out of superlatives to explain average but its mediocre. It's what chicken is. On a good note, my wife thought that Kenny's chicken didn't have the famous "durian," taste like most if not all of the other local chicken had. (Have to love my wife for saying crazy stuff like that)
In any case, as sure as I know about my Liverpool football or my history of rhetoric by Aristotle, I declare Kenny Roger's chicken 2nd best in the chicken chain competition in Singapore!
How not to pick a restaurant for Dinner
It all started all wrong. My wife had a bad day at work the day before and I thought what better way to cheer her up but to have a good meal at a nice restaurant. Somehow, carb loading does make people happy but Atkins denies that. Anyways, we were thinking about what and where to eat the whole day and my stupid mouth had to say Prego at Raffles City.
Before meeting my wife outside the restaurant, I met my other wife Tasty Bites for a quick caffeine shot and he told me not to go to Prego. I knew that. I trust him. But somehow his other suggestion for a restaurant was closed, I mean never to open again because it was CLOSED. So we had no choice but to end up at Prego.
Some background, I have been to Prego so many times when I was younger that I feel that I know the place by heart. I remembering ordering the cabonara and hated it because I hate cheese when I was 13. And I remember Prego being on the third floor of the Raffles City Shopping mall instead of the swanky corner that it is situated now. And recently, my colleague, which I shall call that person adnil mis recently went there and thought it wasn't that bad. I like my colleague and I think my colleague is a great person and friend.
But my wife and I left the place more disappointed then anything. The service was outstanding, deco was okay. There were alot of man couples and hetro-sexual couples, which made people watching interesting. The bread was somewhat warm the first time round but cold the second. We had a budget of $80 last night and we blew it by $7.
We ordered the calzone, the seafood pasta with tomato sauce and the lemon based sauced salad. First thing's first, the calzone was average at best. The one at Al Forno was much better. It was too cheesy for my liking and there wasn't enough tomato sauce in the calzone. The sausages in the calzone were not done correctly I thought. Instead of putting in cooked sausages, it seemed as if they were thrown in raw, so the texture of the sausages inside the calzone tasted steamed rather than tangy and juicy. The seafood pasta was average. I thought I could make something like that but charge at a much lower price. The salad. Well, I don't know how you say it but its probably one of the worst things I have tasted in my life. All you can taste is lemon juice and the blue cheese had a funky taste to it. It just tasted like vegetables with tons of lemon squeezed over it .
We declined to order more desserts but I think I should listen to Mr. and Mrs. Tasty Bites and my previous experience at Prego was probably right. My wife felt better after the meal not because it was a good meal but because we were laughing at each other while having a fake quarrel. Oh, the good times.
P.S. mama mia merda Prego cucina.
Before meeting my wife outside the restaurant, I met my other wife Tasty Bites for a quick caffeine shot and he told me not to go to Prego. I knew that. I trust him. But somehow his other suggestion for a restaurant was closed, I mean never to open again because it was CLOSED. So we had no choice but to end up at Prego.
Some background, I have been to Prego so many times when I was younger that I feel that I know the place by heart. I remembering ordering the cabonara and hated it because I hate cheese when I was 13. And I remember Prego being on the third floor of the Raffles City Shopping mall instead of the swanky corner that it is situated now. And recently, my colleague, which I shall call that person adnil mis recently went there and thought it wasn't that bad. I like my colleague and I think my colleague is a great person and friend.
But my wife and I left the place more disappointed then anything. The service was outstanding, deco was okay. There were alot of man couples and hetro-sexual couples, which made people watching interesting. The bread was somewhat warm the first time round but cold the second. We had a budget of $80 last night and we blew it by $7.
We ordered the calzone, the seafood pasta with tomato sauce and the lemon based sauced salad. First thing's first, the calzone was average at best. The one at Al Forno was much better. It was too cheesy for my liking and there wasn't enough tomato sauce in the calzone. The sausages in the calzone were not done correctly I thought. Instead of putting in cooked sausages, it seemed as if they were thrown in raw, so the texture of the sausages inside the calzone tasted steamed rather than tangy and juicy. The seafood pasta was average. I thought I could make something like that but charge at a much lower price. The salad. Well, I don't know how you say it but its probably one of the worst things I have tasted in my life. All you can taste is lemon juice and the blue cheese had a funky taste to it. It just tasted like vegetables with tons of lemon squeezed over it .
We declined to order more desserts but I think I should listen to Mr. and Mrs. Tasty Bites and my previous experience at Prego was probably right. My wife felt better after the meal not because it was a good meal but because we were laughing at each other while having a fake quarrel. Oh, the good times.
P.S. mama mia merda Prego cucina.
Astons Specialities
I like beef. Wait. I love beef. I love cows. Don't love milk. But I like Ice Cream. On the other hand, I do love steaks. I studied at a state where they name their steak cuts the Kansas City Strip. I can have beef every week or nearly every day. My wife, can be a testament to that because in school, every 3 days was a beef day. But when I came back to Singapore and discovered the quality of beef to be bad or poor, I told myself to have steaks maybe once or twice a year.
Everyone loves a good deal. Wait. Everyone absolutely loves a bargain. I thought I found it recently but I might have been having a meat mirage. People around me have been talking about Aston Specialities. It's a restaurant located along East Coast road and they serve good steaks. That's what people tell me.
I arrived at the place around 8pm on a Friday and it was full. Full with teenagers and families and young couples. I would like to think that I am part of a young couple but lets face it, these couples were probably still in college. We had to wait in line because the restaurant was full and the restaurant insisted that we had to order before we could find a place to sit (strike 1!)
And so I waited. I waited and waited. I waited for 30 mins before I could order and get a seat and see what all the fuss was about. We ordered the strip loin steak, the bbq ribs, a burger and alot of drinks along with a side of garlic bread. When the food came, I was surprised. The total bill we paid was less than $40. So yes, it is reasonable. The steak that my wife ordered was about 4 ounces? Which is small in my book because any steak you eat has to be about 8 - 12 ounces. We ordered with the sauce placed on the side because Singapore restaurants tend to have an over kill of sauce on the steak and this place was no different (strike 2!) The ribs were decent. It was sweet, the meat came off the bones easily, the burger was bad. I paid for a $5.50 burger and it came with beef patty and a slice of cheese. I was confused. The steak was decent, but the sides that came with it, was not that good. The mashed potatoes tasted processed (strike 3 and you're out!) but the fries, onion rings and potato salad wasn't bad at all. the garlic bread was slightly too soggy for my liking (strike 4?)
Before I get accused of being a high brow for food, let me say this, if you're a teenager and want to bring your girlfriend to a cool place to eat to show that you "know," secret hideouts, I say you bring your girlfriend there. Again, if you're a teenager, I don't know why you would be reading this blog. Anyways, if you have a young family with kids, bring your family there. They will like the place. I have been told that its better than Han's and Jack's Place. Honestly, I have hardly stepped into any of these restaurants in like many years so you can't take my word for it.
Just remember, don't order the mashed potatoes as one of your sides and stay away from the Burger and specifically ask for the sauce on the side for your steak. I was so ready to be impressed, and the pictures on their blog are pretty sexy meats. If you want to order the burger, they have this special burger they make that looks fantastic, order that! Don't order the burger on the menu. Don't order the ribs. And wait, if you could, ask the server if the cooks can abstain from putting the steak seasoning on the steak, and .... I think that's it.
I would really have digged this place if I was younger. I really do.
Everyone loves a good deal. Wait. Everyone absolutely loves a bargain. I thought I found it recently but I might have been having a meat mirage. People around me have been talking about Aston Specialities. It's a restaurant located along East Coast road and they serve good steaks. That's what people tell me.
I arrived at the place around 8pm on a Friday and it was full. Full with teenagers and families and young couples. I would like to think that I am part of a young couple but lets face it, these couples were probably still in college. We had to wait in line because the restaurant was full and the restaurant insisted that we had to order before we could find a place to sit (strike 1!)
And so I waited. I waited and waited. I waited for 30 mins before I could order and get a seat and see what all the fuss was about. We ordered the strip loin steak, the bbq ribs, a burger and alot of drinks along with a side of garlic bread. When the food came, I was surprised. The total bill we paid was less than $40. So yes, it is reasonable. The steak that my wife ordered was about 4 ounces? Which is small in my book because any steak you eat has to be about 8 - 12 ounces. We ordered with the sauce placed on the side because Singapore restaurants tend to have an over kill of sauce on the steak and this place was no different (strike 2!) The ribs were decent. It was sweet, the meat came off the bones easily, the burger was bad. I paid for a $5.50 burger and it came with beef patty and a slice of cheese. I was confused. The steak was decent, but the sides that came with it, was not that good. The mashed potatoes tasted processed (strike 3 and you're out!) but the fries, onion rings and potato salad wasn't bad at all. the garlic bread was slightly too soggy for my liking (strike 4?)
Before I get accused of being a high brow for food, let me say this, if you're a teenager and want to bring your girlfriend to a cool place to eat to show that you "know," secret hideouts, I say you bring your girlfriend there. Again, if you're a teenager, I don't know why you would be reading this blog. Anyways, if you have a young family with kids, bring your family there. They will like the place. I have been told that its better than Han's and Jack's Place. Honestly, I have hardly stepped into any of these restaurants in like many years so you can't take my word for it.
Just remember, don't order the mashed potatoes as one of your sides and stay away from the Burger and specifically ask for the sauce on the side for your steak. I was so ready to be impressed, and the pictures on their blog are pretty sexy meats. If you want to order the burger, they have this special burger they make that looks fantastic, order that! Don't order the burger on the menu. Don't order the ribs. And wait, if you could, ask the server if the cooks can abstain from putting the steak seasoning on the steak, and .... I think that's it.
I would really have digged this place if I was younger. I really do.
Reason for Prison Break at Changi Prison
Porta Porta is an Italian restaurant I have been to since I was a young lad. My parents wanted me to try Italian food and had read an article about this restaurant across from Changi Prison. Excited that I was going somewhere near a prison, I remembered ordering the squid ink pasta, and had tons of bread. I was thoroughly excited that my mouth was black with the squid ink.
I do not know if it is my mum's Cantonese culinary background or just my mum, my sister and I grew up being very critical of food. My family is the type of family that allows my mum to have the first bite of a fish head curry so that she can determine how fresh the fish is and thus to decide if we need to return the fish head curry. Yes, we are that family. I am also in the family where my mum and my sister can go to a restaurant and tell the server that the dish was horrible, or tell me its too salty or confound the critics by deciding that those fools were wrong.
Why am I writing this? The very fact that I was 12 years old when I first went to Porta Porta and I am still talking about it now means something about the restaurant. I do not know the owner and I do not know who cooks the food. I do know that this is truly one of THE hidden gems not only in the eastern part of Singapore but I can safely add that can include all directions in Singapore.
I ordered the Vongole and my wife ordered the Gnocchi, a mixed appetizer starter which consisted of olive oil cured cucumbers, mushrooms, red peppers and eggplant, free flow bread, an apple pie and a lemon gelato type sorbet for dessert coupled with a glass of wine and plain water. The bill was $100. But it was worth it.
I don't normally like to say this but the Vongole is probably the best I have tasted so far in Singapore over the last 2 years. If ever you can complain about having too much Vongole, this might just be it. I took about 15 mins to deshell everything. And once my task was completed, it took about 5 minutes to complete it. Not because the serving was small. But my mouth is big you see. The noodles were al dente, the white wine sauce was tangy and garlic protruded the taste. The blend was a great mix and I felt like drinking the sauce as soup. But I stopped myself.
The gnocchi was lovely. The cheese and the tomato mix was delightful and I personally hate cheese.
The mixed appetizer got me going, the bread wasn't the warmest but it did its job as a condiment to the starters. The desserts were great. My lemon gelato sorbet came in a lemon. How cool was that? (no pun intended) and the apple pie was much better than alot of the apple smush that I have had at other restaurants.
Service was polite and nice. I mean, its a small restaurant.
The only knock I do have is this: the menu is limited. I wish it has more variety so that I can sample more Italian cooking but its a small restaurant based on a very niche market.
So if any of you who decides to be Wentworth Miller and break out Changi Prison, try the Italian food. Its worth the prison break.
I do not know if it is my mum's Cantonese culinary background or just my mum, my sister and I grew up being very critical of food. My family is the type of family that allows my mum to have the first bite of a fish head curry so that she can determine how fresh the fish is and thus to decide if we need to return the fish head curry. Yes, we are that family. I am also in the family where my mum and my sister can go to a restaurant and tell the server that the dish was horrible, or tell me its too salty or confound the critics by deciding that those fools were wrong.
Why am I writing this? The very fact that I was 12 years old when I first went to Porta Porta and I am still talking about it now means something about the restaurant. I do not know the owner and I do not know who cooks the food. I do know that this is truly one of THE hidden gems not only in the eastern part of Singapore but I can safely add that can include all directions in Singapore.
I ordered the Vongole and my wife ordered the Gnocchi, a mixed appetizer starter which consisted of olive oil cured cucumbers, mushrooms, red peppers and eggplant, free flow bread, an apple pie and a lemon gelato type sorbet for dessert coupled with a glass of wine and plain water. The bill was $100. But it was worth it.
I don't normally like to say this but the Vongole is probably the best I have tasted so far in Singapore over the last 2 years. If ever you can complain about having too much Vongole, this might just be it. I took about 15 mins to deshell everything. And once my task was completed, it took about 5 minutes to complete it. Not because the serving was small. But my mouth is big you see. The noodles were al dente, the white wine sauce was tangy and garlic protruded the taste. The blend was a great mix and I felt like drinking the sauce as soup. But I stopped myself.
The gnocchi was lovely. The cheese and the tomato mix was delightful and I personally hate cheese.
The mixed appetizer got me going, the bread wasn't the warmest but it did its job as a condiment to the starters. The desserts were great. My lemon gelato sorbet came in a lemon. How cool was that? (no pun intended) and the apple pie was much better than alot of the apple smush that I have had at other restaurants.
Service was polite and nice. I mean, its a small restaurant.
The only knock I do have is this: the menu is limited. I wish it has more variety so that I can sample more Italian cooking but its a small restaurant based on a very niche market.
So if any of you who decides to be Wentworth Miller and break out Changi Prison, try the Italian food. Its worth the prison break.
Knives
During the long holiday week, the missus and I went to Sushi Tei at Takashimaya. While ordering the food by the sushi train, I paid attention to the sushi chefs and in particular, how pretty the knives were. I believe that besides the cleaver, you should maybe have about 3 knives in the kitchen to cook. And these are definitely on my list.
The pictures are taken from Watanabe Blades. Aren't they pretty?
The pictures are taken from Watanabe Blades. Aren't they pretty?
OSO
In my quest for better Italian food in Singapore. The wife and I have decided to explore another restaurant that is somewhat away from where we normally hang out. Located in Tanjong Pagar road, right next to FairField Methodist Church, is a deceptively sexy Italian restaurant. If you take a peek from the outside, it looks like a small eatery but as you enter the restaurant and turn a corner, its a hidden adjacent room filled with tables and I have to keep repeating this throughout the review, good service.
OSO is a sexy Italian restaurant. If you have been following this blog, we stumbled by this restaurant several weeks back before we reached Le Papillion. The wife and I wanted to head out for somewhere quaint and pretty and OSO was the choice. Its a pretty small restaurant but not as big as Garibaldis. The servers are all extremely pleasant and polite. Very helpful and was willing to put up with my nonsense, and that says quite a bit. We were going to meet our friends "Louis Vuitton," and his girlfriend "Pearly Whites," who were again fashionably 30 minutes late. Please do make your reservations. It'll do you good. So we were on time and hungry and we wanted to order everything first but wanted them to hold the orders for us to wait until our friends arrived. The servers more than happily agreed to our suggestion and we ordered the following:
Soup of the day - shreded crab meat soup in tomato base.
Foir Gras Brushcetta with almond and marsala wine sauce.
Penne pasta in tomato bisque and orange zest
roasted pork loin with honey served with braised capsicum and cinnamon
Hot dark chocolate tart crostata
Mascapone Cheese cake
The latecomers ordered:
The Soup of the day - after seeing me and the missus drink the soup silly
Homemade Ravioli filled with beef in cream, cheese and mushroom sauce
Rigatoni with braised rabbit, thyme black olives, Taggiasche
Sicilian Cannoli filled with ricotta cheese mouse and mixed candied fruits
First of all, I have to say that I love their cutlery and plates. Very pretty plates and utensils. What I didn't do that I should have done was actually to bring a camera because words can't do justice to how pretty the dishes were. Chef Diego Chiarini makes all the dishes looks like art. The decoration for each dish was immaculate and a sight.
I loved the soup, my wife didn't really like it but it was actually one of the best tomato based crab meat soup I have drank in a long time. It was smooth and refine. The foie gras bruschetta wreaked of decadence and beauty. Instead of the typical diced tomatoes, it was foie gras! The almond and Marsala wine sauce made the plate more appetizing and sweet. There was a mix of smokiness and nuttiness that made the bruschetta a great experience.
My wife wasn't too impressed with her pasta. But I was surprised she ordered what she did because it is unusual to have orange zest in pasta, but tasting it, there was a good compliment with the tomato bisque. My dish on the other hand was fantastic. The roasted pork was pink, sweet and succulent. The capsicum and cinnamon complimented the pork to a tee. I clearly had the best dish on the table!
My friends ordered the rabbit pasta ended up returning the pasta because she felt like it tasted like tuna, and the servers took it back without complain and asked her what she didn't like about it. She ordered the shrimp salad later. Louis Vuitton's Ravioli was excellent as well.
The reaction to the desserts were mixed. Again, I ordered the best thing. The chocolate tart. The milk ice cream that came along with the tart made it an excellent dish. And I don't drink milk! My wife's mascapone cheese cake was good too. I like it because it was a light cheese cake and the mascapone cream carried the cake.
Right before the end of our meal, the Maitre'd Stephene Colleoni came by and asked my friend and joked with us for a couple of seconds about the rabbit pasta. It was funny, but you could tell, at least from my perspective that they bothered about what the customer thought. That is good service!
The bill turned out to be about $150 per couple. Just about what I thought it was. I liked the restaurant. Its quite obvious. My wife thought it was one of the best she ever had in Singapore. So that says quite a bit.
Go to the website and see for yourself what they have. The current menu on their website is not updated but they have nearly everything that is in the current menu. I would definitely recommend this Italian restaurant!
OSO is a sexy Italian restaurant. If you have been following this blog, we stumbled by this restaurant several weeks back before we reached Le Papillion. The wife and I wanted to head out for somewhere quaint and pretty and OSO was the choice. Its a pretty small restaurant but not as big as Garibaldis. The servers are all extremely pleasant and polite. Very helpful and was willing to put up with my nonsense, and that says quite a bit. We were going to meet our friends "Louis Vuitton," and his girlfriend "Pearly Whites," who were again fashionably 30 minutes late. Please do make your reservations. It'll do you good. So we were on time and hungry and we wanted to order everything first but wanted them to hold the orders for us to wait until our friends arrived. The servers more than happily agreed to our suggestion and we ordered the following:
Soup of the day - shreded crab meat soup in tomato base.
Foir Gras Brushcetta with almond and marsala wine sauce.
Penne pasta in tomato bisque and orange zest
roasted pork loin with honey served with braised capsicum and cinnamon
Hot dark chocolate tart crostata
Mascapone Cheese cake
The latecomers ordered:
The Soup of the day - after seeing me and the missus drink the soup silly
Homemade Ravioli filled with beef in cream, cheese and mushroom sauce
Rigatoni with braised rabbit, thyme black olives, Taggiasche
Sicilian Cannoli filled with ricotta cheese mouse and mixed candied fruits
First of all, I have to say that I love their cutlery and plates. Very pretty plates and utensils. What I didn't do that I should have done was actually to bring a camera because words can't do justice to how pretty the dishes were. Chef Diego Chiarini makes all the dishes looks like art. The decoration for each dish was immaculate and a sight.
I loved the soup, my wife didn't really like it but it was actually one of the best tomato based crab meat soup I have drank in a long time. It was smooth and refine. The foie gras bruschetta wreaked of decadence and beauty. Instead of the typical diced tomatoes, it was foie gras! The almond and Marsala wine sauce made the plate more appetizing and sweet. There was a mix of smokiness and nuttiness that made the bruschetta a great experience.
My wife wasn't too impressed with her pasta. But I was surprised she ordered what she did because it is unusual to have orange zest in pasta, but tasting it, there was a good compliment with the tomato bisque. My dish on the other hand was fantastic. The roasted pork was pink, sweet and succulent. The capsicum and cinnamon complimented the pork to a tee. I clearly had the best dish on the table!
My friends ordered the rabbit pasta ended up returning the pasta because she felt like it tasted like tuna, and the servers took it back without complain and asked her what she didn't like about it. She ordered the shrimp salad later. Louis Vuitton's Ravioli was excellent as well.
The reaction to the desserts were mixed. Again, I ordered the best thing. The chocolate tart. The milk ice cream that came along with the tart made it an excellent dish. And I don't drink milk! My wife's mascapone cheese cake was good too. I like it because it was a light cheese cake and the mascapone cream carried the cake.
Right before the end of our meal, the Maitre'd Stephene Colleoni came by and asked my friend and joked with us for a couple of seconds about the rabbit pasta. It was funny, but you could tell, at least from my perspective that they bothered about what the customer thought. That is good service!
The bill turned out to be about $150 per couple. Just about what I thought it was. I liked the restaurant. Its quite obvious. My wife thought it was one of the best she ever had in Singapore. So that says quite a bit.
Go to the website and see for yourself what they have. The current menu on their website is not updated but they have nearly everything that is in the current menu. I would definitely recommend this Italian restaurant!
Tis a sad day ...
Inventor of instant noodles dies
 Momofuku Ando often ate his company's instant noodles |
Mr Ando was born in Taiwan in 1910 and moved to Japan in 1933, founding Nissin Food Products Co after World War II to provide cheap food for the masses.
His most famous product, Cup Noodle, was released in 1971.
Its taste and ease of preparation - adding hot water to dried noodles in a waterproof polystyrene container - have made it popular around the world.
Mr Ando said the inspiration for his product came when he saw people lining up to buy bowls of hot ramen noodle soup at a black market stall during the food shortages after World War II.
Noodles in space
He developed his first instant noodles, Chicken Ramen, in 1958.
The product came out as Japan recovered from the ravages of World War II and began a long period of economic expansion.
It was the masterstroke of providing a waterproof polystyrene container for the noodles that made his Cup Noodle an instant success in 1971.
Nissin has led the global instant noodle industry since then, selling 85.7 billion servings every year, according to Agence France Presse.
His firm also developed a version of Cup Noodle for Japanese astronauts to eat on the space shuttle Discovery in 2005.
In 1999, Mr Ando opened a museum in Osaka devoted to instant noodles.
He retired as Nissin's chairman in 2005.
Japanese newspapers and business people have been paying tribute to Mr Ando.
"He was a self-made man who developed an epoch-making instant noodle product and spread it to all corners of the world," Akio Nomura, chairman of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told Kyodo news agency.
Mr Ando remained active until just days before his death, giving a New Year's speech to Nissin employees and having a lunch of Chicken Ramen with company executive.
Taken from BBC News
Solar System Japanese Food at Wheelock Place
So last week was Pampadam's birthday. Well, just to clarify. It wasn't exactly Pamapadam's birthday, it was a week that we were all free, and her birthday was much earlier this month. We discussed on where to go for lunch after much pushing and shoving and we decided on Sun with Moon at Wheelock place. It sounded familiar but I didn't argue with the birthday girl. Its been raining all weekend and I thought some good Japanese soup would help.
Unlikely of Pampadam, she was actually early and sm'ed me to tell me that the menu looked brilliant. So I was expecting something better than Sakae Sushi. The wife and I slept in that day and we were hungry. We always walked by the Sun with Moon because it was right next to our favorite breakfast place, the Cedele at Wheelock Place.
Entering the restaurant, the ambiance was nice but not as hot as Sushi Tei at Raffles City. When I say hot, I don't mean the temperature, I actually mean the surroundings. It was hot. So anyways, after walking a round of the restaurant, we found the birthday girl hiding one corner looking through the menu. After 10 mins, we hit the menu, and we ordered our food. we ordered the 5 varieties of sushi and a rainbow roll which was excellent. There are no pictures of those appetizers because we were that hungry! We sat down and we devoured the sushi before I remembered to take a picture!
I ordered this:
I honestly can't remember what its called but this is one of the specials. Its like a whole bunch of sushi on top of the sushi rice. I have to say this though. The fish were all fresh, rice had the hint of vinegar and didn't break into pieces like other restaurants might. It was highly enjoyable. My set also came with some Udon noodles and this stewed chicken with mushroom that was brilliant.
The missus ordered this:
It was a mushroom nabe soup, served with grilled eel with rice. I have to say. The soup did not have an overwhelming mushroom taste as you might have expected, in fact, it was light and sweet. The carrots, 4 types of mushrooms, tofu, what I thought was daikon radish and potatoes made the soup great. The rice with eel was alright but the soup again took the points for me.
Pampadam ordered this:
This was a Japanese concoction of what I think is their version of Singapore's clay pot rice. Where the rice and ingredients are all cooked int he same heated pot. This is served with the udon noodles and fruits (which came with every set). Pampadam seem to like it. At least that was what I thought she was saying through her non verbal cues!
Our dessert was:
This was a sample platter. The middle was green tea ice cream with red beans which Pampadam thought was brilliant, I actually preferred the bottom dessert, the sesame custard type dessert that was peppered with what else, sesame! The top dessert, I didn't try because it looked milky and I actually don't like milk. That drink on the top is my wife's Japanese grape smoothie which I thought was sweet and lovely (like my wife) and it ended our meal in a good note.
Japanese cuisine can be a real hit or miss sometimes in Singapore. The restaurant was familiar to me because we went there for our wedding anniversary dinner, but at Chijmes. The deco there was WAY HOT. The bill turned out to be quite abit but I thought it was okay. I can't state the price because Pampadam might read it. As an alternate view, one half of the FANTASTIC Gohs, i.e. the MAN-GOH, didn't really like Sun with Moon, and I could see why. But the most important thing I feel is to go try it yourself.
Comments Posting
The idiot in my technology brain switched off the comment portion of the blog and I just managed to turn it on. I have to say, I thought some people I don't know were posting comments. So please! Carry on posting comments and tell me what you think. I am not an attention whore but some constructive comments and thoughts would be great! Sorry about the not allowing the comments to be posted. I didn't know how to do that till today!
My parents must be proud.
My parents must be proud.
Penny Black at Boat Quay
As I tried to allude to in my last post, I am a very big Liverpool fan and last week, I was invited to watch the match at Penny Black which apparently is Liverpool central for game nights and I have to say the atmosphere was outstanding. There was singing of all the Liverpool songs and cheers for the players. Even my wife liked it.
The only complain that I do have is just the quality of my hotdog I ordered. It was bad. And it was $9. The beer was outstanding and the wife ordered a screwdriver.
I highly recommend this place for game nights if you are a true red. Its like you're there at the game only you're staring at the screen and the players can't hear your cheers.
Last note, don't order the hot dog.
The only complain that I do have is just the quality of my hotdog I ordered. It was bad. And it was $9. The beer was outstanding and the wife ordered a screwdriver.
I highly recommend this place for game nights if you are a true red. Its like you're there at the game only you're staring at the screen and the players can't hear your cheers.
Last note, don't order the hot dog.
Madam Butterfly
It was a strange day last Friday. I met the missus in town and we wondered along Duxton Hill. Living in Singapore for so many years, I have to say I have never been to Duxton Hill before and since my wife officially became the Mrs Food-critic, she now knows where are the "cool," places to go whereas me on the other hand have absolutely no idea where to go and what to eat.
So we wandered and darn that Broth looked cool but it was full for the night. The other restaurants just looked to either serve bad food, bar food, or just branded food. I thought of Ember and tried making a call, but alas, it was booked for the night as well. We were walking and finally found OSO that just looked also too sexy and it was full. I was down in the dumps and the wife was complaining about her feet being painful because of her heels. I was about to commit blog suicide when I saw the strange red building called The Red Dot Traffic Building. Honestly, I was looking for any place to just sit down and have a meal with the wife. ANYWHERE! And we stumbled into Le Papillon! And it was empty!
Straddled in the midst of bars and smoke, I was surprised to see an empty restaurant. We glanced at the menu and in 10 seconds I said lets go in. A very typical Singaporean like I am would not ordinarily walk into an empty restaurant but I was hungry. Okay, I didn't know it was empty until I walked in. But we were still surprised. We ordered some appetizers, my wife ordered the very sexily bowled mushroom soup which she thought had peanut butter, and I think I ordered and probably by coincidence discovered the best Cesar Salad I have had in Singapore. So good surprise so far.
A bigger surprise would be Mr. and Mrs. Tasty Bites was just next door! They were chillin out at Skin (like any cool advertising exec would I discovered), so in the midst of discovering Liverpool having to playing Barcelona in the Champions League (which Pool will win by the way), and waiting for my main course, in came the boss man himself TASTY BITES! My wife joked that we normally like to book the whole restaurant to have dinner by ourselves wasn't taken too kindly by the staff, which later explained to us that they were surprised that the restaurant was filled except that there were several last minute cancellations. So anyways, we were talking and admiring the cutlery when the main course came. My wife ordered a fish dish, I can't remember what it was and I ordered the seafood platter which contained 2 sexy looking huge asparagus lined up parallel to one another with shrimp, scallop,fish in the middle, and a side of what I thought to be mashed pumpkin. I have to say my dish was delish. It was good. It was clean, it was fresh and it was not enough (my gripe with most French cuisine). My wife loved her grilled fish and it actually looked good.
For dessert, we ordered the orange souffle which needed 30 mins to make, was good. A souffle is difficult to make but an orange souffle that had to be soft on the inside and gentle at the exterior was tough. But I thought the orange ice cream that accompanied the souffle was a slight overkill. My wife ordered her favorite melting chocolate chocolate cake. The type that has melted chocolate inside the small chocolate cake. It was decent. Not enough melted chocolate I thought.
The damage was $170 SGD and I thought it wasn't that bad. It was a great discovery by just walking around but I would probably not go back there again. If you see the hyperlink for Le Papillon, I agree with a certain Wong Ah Yoke that there's still some ways to go to improve the menu but it is still worth a try.
So we wandered and darn that Broth looked cool but it was full for the night. The other restaurants just looked to either serve bad food, bar food, or just branded food. I thought of Ember and tried making a call, but alas, it was booked for the night as well. We were walking and finally found OSO that just looked also too sexy and it was full. I was down in the dumps and the wife was complaining about her feet being painful because of her heels. I was about to commit blog suicide when I saw the strange red building called The Red Dot Traffic Building. Honestly, I was looking for any place to just sit down and have a meal with the wife. ANYWHERE! And we stumbled into Le Papillon! And it was empty!
Straddled in the midst of bars and smoke, I was surprised to see an empty restaurant. We glanced at the menu and in 10 seconds I said lets go in. A very typical Singaporean like I am would not ordinarily walk into an empty restaurant but I was hungry. Okay, I didn't know it was empty until I walked in. But we were still surprised. We ordered some appetizers, my wife ordered the very sexily bowled mushroom soup which she thought had peanut butter, and I think I ordered and probably by coincidence discovered the best Cesar Salad I have had in Singapore. So good surprise so far.
A bigger surprise would be Mr. and Mrs. Tasty Bites was just next door! They were chillin out at Skin (like any cool advertising exec would I discovered), so in the midst of discovering Liverpool having to playing Barcelona in the Champions League (which Pool will win by the way), and waiting for my main course, in came the boss man himself TASTY BITES! My wife joked that we normally like to book the whole restaurant to have dinner by ourselves wasn't taken too kindly by the staff, which later explained to us that they were surprised that the restaurant was filled except that there were several last minute cancellations. So anyways, we were talking and admiring the cutlery when the main course came. My wife ordered a fish dish, I can't remember what it was and I ordered the seafood platter which contained 2 sexy looking huge asparagus lined up parallel to one another with shrimp, scallop,fish in the middle, and a side of what I thought to be mashed pumpkin. I have to say my dish was delish. It was good. It was clean, it was fresh and it was not enough (my gripe with most French cuisine). My wife loved her grilled fish and it actually looked good.
For dessert, we ordered the orange souffle which needed 30 mins to make, was good. A souffle is difficult to make but an orange souffle that had to be soft on the inside and gentle at the exterior was tough. But I thought the orange ice cream that accompanied the souffle was a slight overkill. My wife ordered her favorite melting chocolate chocolate cake. The type that has melted chocolate inside the small chocolate cake. It was decent. Not enough melted chocolate I thought.
The damage was $170 SGD and I thought it wasn't that bad. It was a great discovery by just walking around but I would probably not go back there again. If you see the hyperlink for Le Papillon, I agree with a certain Wong Ah Yoke that there's still some ways to go to improve the menu but it is still worth a try.
Samui Seafood Restaurant
My wife not being accustomed to spicy food but had a strange thing for Thai food. She actually liked it. On our previous trip to Bangkok in the days or yore, she actually could stomach the foodcourt at MBK. So this experience to Koh Samui helped me see how much she could take. We entered Samui Seafood Restaurant full of hope and ambition. Like many other seafood stalls along the Chaweng stretch, the restaurants would parade their fresh seafood at the entrance of the restaurant so that they can entice customers to enter the restaurant and you can have the seafood cooked any way you want.
Honestly, I entered the restaurant because I thought it was pretty. Okay? I am the food-critic. I am shallow. Little did I know that the restaurant, if I believe my failing memory correctly, is actually opened by one of the maid servants that took care of the Thai King and actually cooked for him. In Thailand, its a big deal. To me, I was like, if the King liked her food, I would too! (See, shallow.)
I wanted my wife to feel like she knew what she was doing and so I asked her to order something she thought looked good, my wife ordered the cashew chicken. I would normally laugh at her because cashew chicken isn't exactly Thai, but you know for her first time in a pretty authentic (I am using pretty authentic because there is also a huge western menu in the restaurants for the FARANG) Thai restaurant and she was trying her best. I chipped in by ordering the tourist favorites, my tom yum soup, pineapple fried rice, pad thai and my fantastic lime juice.
The verdict: I loved the pineapple seafood fried rice. It was actually served in a pineapple, so it was a plus! There was a good blend of sweetness and the texturing was tangy and perfect. The pad thai was good. It wasn't outstanding like the pineapple fried rice but the key was to mix everything up. The nuts, the sprouts, the noodles and the shrimp, we didn't really do that and I think that's why it was quite disappointing. My tom yum soup was fantastic. Its not the clear broth that I prefer but the amount of seafood and bite in it, took all my other reservations away. Tom yum soup is the type of soup that is flavored by lemongrass and the spiciness only kicks in 30 seconds after you swallow the soup, that's the brilliance of it. The cashew chicken, well, was bad.
I would just like to add again how pretty the restaurant was. The restaurant is located at the end of the busy Chaweng stretch and it was fun to ride the local "bus," i.e. the back of a truck there.
In the end, not the most authentic Thai food but almost there!
Food notes from Koh Samui
I have not traveled to many places in the world. But I have to say that several ethnic foods have conquered the world. Chinese cuisine, Indian Cuisine and now Italian Cuisine. Every corner, there was an Italian restaurant and an Indian restaurant. I was shocked, but I didn't know why. Food is such an influential cultural epitome that it translates itself into corners of the world that even the cunning intellectual would blush. (I don't know what I just said) but in layman's terms, specific cultural foods are everywhere in the world. And in Koh Samui, the wife and I discovered PANCAKES!
Its definitely not the American Pancake but its the Indian style "Pratha," type pancake. I had mine with banana and my favorite condiment of all time NUTELLA and my wife had chocolate and banana but mine rocked! And all this goodness for less than $1.50 SGD? Come on! Steal of the holiday!
Imagine if you will a thin layer of flour based batter fried and you put in sliced bananas and Nutella and fold it up to what I can only think is mad goodness!
Its definitely not the American Pancake but its the Indian style "Pratha," type pancake. I had mine with banana and my favorite condiment of all time NUTELLA and my wife had chocolate and banana but mine rocked! And all this goodness for less than $1.50 SGD? Come on! Steal of the holiday!
Imagine if you will a thin layer of flour based batter fried and you put in sliced bananas and Nutella and fold it up to what I can only think is mad goodness!
My trip to Koh Samui in Food Pictures
Recently the missus and I took a short holiday to the beautiful island of Samui to take a short break and do what every other European were doing in Koh Samui this time of the year. Have a tan. Unfortunately, being from a tropical island, a tan was quite easy to have besides waking up late everyday and gorging on the hotel buffet breakfast, we went about the stretch of Chaweng beach to discover gastronomic adventures that were in the end, more of an anti-climax.
Our first night, the restaurant that we wanted to try was RICE. RICE you would think is an Asian restaurant but it was nothing like it. It was an Italian restaurant. Yes. I was hit with the Italian bug AGAIN! The pictures in the magazine was nice and so was the restaurant. Now, if you could only ignore the telephone wires outside the restaurant!
The deco of the restaurant was nice. The servers were very polite and might I just add that the coke bottles are really glass coke bottles? How cool is that? Anyways, we ordered several dishes. And this was how they looked:
What is not seen in the pictures that I did not include was a bricked oven baked pizza Magherita with just cheese,tomato sauce and basil, which my wife thought was fantastic. I thought it was above average. We got served the breads as a free appetizer and I have to say the breads were tasty, fluffy and warm, they went great with the green olives, tomatoes and butter. I then ordered my squid ink pasta with crab meat cooked in olive oil and vegetables. I thought it was good. It wasn't great but at that price and at that ambiance, it was good. My wife ordered the crab stuffed pumpkin ravioli. I had a piece of it and thought that it was good as well. The taste for all the dishes were clean. It wasn't too heavy on the tummy and I felt it was the right amount.
Looking back, maybe I would not have chosen RICE but maybe Olivio's instead. But that's just me being picky. The damage was less than $50 SGD so I can't really complain. The food was clean and dare I say better than Pasta Fresca and El Forno but nowhere near Valentinos or Garibaldis. It was a good median that I wish Singapore restaurants could present to me. A good authentic Italian restaurant without the high price and the glitz.
If you're in Koh Samui for more than 4 days, this is one of the restaurants to go. If you are in Koh Samui for less than 2 days, don't bother. Try the Thai Food!
Our first night, the restaurant that we wanted to try was RICE. RICE you would think is an Asian restaurant but it was nothing like it. It was an Italian restaurant. Yes. I was hit with the Italian bug AGAIN! The pictures in the magazine was nice and so was the restaurant. Now, if you could only ignore the telephone wires outside the restaurant!
The deco of the restaurant was nice. The servers were very polite and might I just add that the coke bottles are really glass coke bottles? How cool is that? Anyways, we ordered several dishes. And this was how they looked:
What is not seen in the pictures that I did not include was a bricked oven baked pizza Magherita with just cheese,tomato sauce and basil, which my wife thought was fantastic. I thought it was above average. We got served the breads as a free appetizer and I have to say the breads were tasty, fluffy and warm, they went great with the green olives, tomatoes and butter. I then ordered my squid ink pasta with crab meat cooked in olive oil and vegetables. I thought it was good. It wasn't great but at that price and at that ambiance, it was good. My wife ordered the crab stuffed pumpkin ravioli. I had a piece of it and thought that it was good as well. The taste for all the dishes were clean. It wasn't too heavy on the tummy and I felt it was the right amount.
Looking back, maybe I would not have chosen RICE but maybe Olivio's instead. But that's just me being picky. The damage was less than $50 SGD so I can't really complain. The food was clean and dare I say better than Pasta Fresca and El Forno but nowhere near Valentinos or Garibaldis. It was a good median that I wish Singapore restaurants could present to me. A good authentic Italian restaurant without the high price and the glitz.
If you're in Koh Samui for more than 4 days, this is one of the restaurants to go. If you are in Koh Samui for less than 2 days, don't bother. Try the Thai Food!
Another night of Italian
So last night, I thought of having dinner with me dad and wife outside. Since my mum was out of town attending to a certain new addition to the family in London, I thought I do my part before me dad leaves for the U.K. and I go for my holiday. I actually wanted Japanese but unfortunately, my expatriate wife and local dad could not find the restaurant. I think I should have gotten the hint when I tried to call the restaurant and the phone company tells me that the service is no longer in use. I was going for quantity vs quality as my dad is big eater. But I digress.
We were walking through Marina Square and my wife turned to me and told me that she doesn't want to eat that much. So okay. My initial buffet idea has gone out of the window. So while we were walking to Suntec because I thought we might have Kushin-bo, or fishing bowl like my dad calls it, we took a turn into Pan Pacific instead and lo and behold, up one level was Zambuca. Its a bar and restaurant and its owned by the MichaelAngelo chain, so how bad can it be right?
We walked in and my wife immediately liked the place while my dad went, "Wah, you like this kind of place?" It sounds funny but for those that do not know, it was the first time I was going out with my dad and wife. So its an unusual chemistry. Usually, there would be mum with dad, and us. So it was kind of uncomfortable for awhile.
The deco of the place was nice. The whole restaurant was dimly lit and the roman blinds were at half mass. The servers were polite but the restaurant wasn't exactly packed. Prices are reasonable. For a plate of pasta, it was about $34 average, main course was about $45, and appetizer are about $25. It wasn't that bad. I ordered the soup of the day which was mushroom for me and dad, and we all split some bruschetta. I ordered the pasta fruta de mare, my dad ordered the pasta tandoor (if I remember correctly) and my wife ordered a penne with spicy Italian sausages, with kalmata olives and some assorted vegetable. The total cost was about $165. It wasn't that bad.
The food wasn't that bad at all. Service wasn't bad. Restaurant wasn't bad. But on the flip side, it wasn't very good as well. Its, how you say, ho hum? It wasn't terrible, and it wasn't great. It was mediocre. I didn't complain about anything, but there wasn't anything worth giving too much praise for. Its standard fare. None of the dishes stood out. Well, nothing really stood out. We had a pleasant time chatting and talking about things but the food never was one of the topics that were discussed, which is unusual for me actually.
I wouldn't recommend this place to most people but I have before because I haven't gone to Zambuca until last night. But what do I know?
We were walking through Marina Square and my wife turned to me and told me that she doesn't want to eat that much. So okay. My initial buffet idea has gone out of the window. So while we were walking to Suntec because I thought we might have Kushin-bo, or fishing bowl like my dad calls it, we took a turn into Pan Pacific instead and lo and behold, up one level was Zambuca. Its a bar and restaurant and its owned by the MichaelAngelo chain, so how bad can it be right?
We walked in and my wife immediately liked the place while my dad went, "Wah, you like this kind of place?" It sounds funny but for those that do not know, it was the first time I was going out with my dad and wife. So its an unusual chemistry. Usually, there would be mum with dad, and us. So it was kind of uncomfortable for awhile.
The deco of the place was nice. The whole restaurant was dimly lit and the roman blinds were at half mass. The servers were polite but the restaurant wasn't exactly packed. Prices are reasonable. For a plate of pasta, it was about $34 average, main course was about $45, and appetizer are about $25. It wasn't that bad. I ordered the soup of the day which was mushroom for me and dad, and we all split some bruschetta. I ordered the pasta fruta de mare, my dad ordered the pasta tandoor (if I remember correctly) and my wife ordered a penne with spicy Italian sausages, with kalmata olives and some assorted vegetable. The total cost was about $165. It wasn't that bad.
The food wasn't that bad at all. Service wasn't bad. Restaurant wasn't bad. But on the flip side, it wasn't very good as well. Its, how you say, ho hum? It wasn't terrible, and it wasn't great. It was mediocre. I didn't complain about anything, but there wasn't anything worth giving too much praise for. Its standard fare. None of the dishes stood out. Well, nothing really stood out. We had a pleasant time chatting and talking about things but the food never was one of the topics that were discussed, which is unusual for me actually.
I wouldn't recommend this place to most people but I have before because I haven't gone to Zambuca until last night. But what do I know?
Not everything that is Italian is Italian!
By MARIA SANMINIATELLI
The Associated Press
ROME -- Imagine a delicious dinner of pasta with meat sauce and grated parmesan. Add a salad of fresh mozzarella and Roman tomatoes sprinkled with Tuscan olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Maybe you'll wash it down with some Amaretto liqueur.
But there's a catch: none of that food was made in Italy.
Foods that look or sound Italian but are produced elsewhere account for $66 billion in annual sales -- nearly half the $135.5 billion worth of real Italian food that is sold worldwide in a year, says Coldiretti, Italy's farmers association.
Italian producers have launched a campaign to set the record straight in hopes of boosting their own sales.
"They might not be illegal, but they are deceptive," Coldiretti's spokesman, Paolo Falcioni, said. "It's wrong for two reasons: You take the [market] of the real food, but most importantly, you're deceiving the consumer."
The fine print may identify food as not coming from Italy, but Italian flag colors or Italian references on labels can lead rushed consumers to think otherwise, Falcioni said.
For Italians, many of whom believe that they have the world's best cuisine, that's tough to swallow.
"I was in China four days ago, and in a supermarket in Shanghai I bought balsamic vinegar from Modena -- with the label written in Italian -- that was made in Germany!" Falcioni said.
Italians say the finest balsamic vinegar is produced in the small northern Italian city of Modena, which is also home to automaker Ferrari. It's expensive: a flask the size of a perfume bottle can cost $100.
The top buyers of fake Italian food are in Australia and the United States, where a mere 2 percent of "Italian" cheeses are made in Italy.
Gary Litman, vice president for European affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said it's too late to rename imitation Italian products that are already firmly established. "You cannot change history that easily," he said. Litman noted that, unlike the European Union, U.S. law requires labels to state exactly where products are from.
In the Know
Falso
Some foods that look or sound Italian but are produced elsewhere:
Olive oil from Spain featuring a label with a picture of Rome's mythological founders, Romulus and Remus.
Roman-style tomatoes grown in California.
Imitations of Parmesan cheese produced worldwide.
Mozzarella cheese made with milk from American or Australian cows.
"Italian" ragu -- meat sauce with basil -- made in Estonia.
Pecorino cheese from Shanghai, China.
"Perfect Italiano" ricotta cheese made in Australia.
Provolone cheese made in Wisconsin.
"Amaretto Venezia" liqueur made in Germany and sold in bottles shaped like that of original Amaretto di Saronno.
SOURCE: Coldiretti
The Associated Press
ROME -- Imagine a delicious dinner of pasta with meat sauce and grated parmesan. Add a salad of fresh mozzarella and Roman tomatoes sprinkled with Tuscan olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Maybe you'll wash it down with some Amaretto liqueur.
But there's a catch: none of that food was made in Italy.
Foods that look or sound Italian but are produced elsewhere account for $66 billion in annual sales -- nearly half the $135.5 billion worth of real Italian food that is sold worldwide in a year, says Coldiretti, Italy's farmers association.
Italian producers have launched a campaign to set the record straight in hopes of boosting their own sales.
"They might not be illegal, but they are deceptive," Coldiretti's spokesman, Paolo Falcioni, said. "It's wrong for two reasons: You take the [market] of the real food, but most importantly, you're deceiving the consumer."
The fine print may identify food as not coming from Italy, but Italian flag colors or Italian references on labels can lead rushed consumers to think otherwise, Falcioni said.
For Italians, many of whom believe that they have the world's best cuisine, that's tough to swallow.
"I was in China four days ago, and in a supermarket in Shanghai I bought balsamic vinegar from Modena -- with the label written in Italian -- that was made in Germany!" Falcioni said.
Italians say the finest balsamic vinegar is produced in the small northern Italian city of Modena, which is also home to automaker Ferrari. It's expensive: a flask the size of a perfume bottle can cost $100.
The top buyers of fake Italian food are in Australia and the United States, where a mere 2 percent of "Italian" cheeses are made in Italy.
Gary Litman, vice president for European affairs for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said it's too late to rename imitation Italian products that are already firmly established. "You cannot change history that easily," he said. Litman noted that, unlike the European Union, U.S. law requires labels to state exactly where products are from.
In the Know
Falso
Some foods that look or sound Italian but are produced elsewhere:
Olive oil from Spain featuring a label with a picture of Rome's mythological founders, Romulus and Remus.
Roman-style tomatoes grown in California.
Imitations of Parmesan cheese produced worldwide.
Mozzarella cheese made with milk from American or Australian cows.
"Italian" ragu -- meat sauce with basil -- made in Estonia.
Pecorino cheese from Shanghai, China.
"Perfect Italiano" ricotta cheese made in Australia.
Provolone cheese made in Wisconsin.
"Amaretto Venezia" liqueur made in Germany and sold in bottles shaped like that of original Amaretto di Saronno.
SOURCE: Coldiretti
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