M.eats

Saint Pierre can be affordable

2009-12-06T23:08:00.008+08:00

On weekdays, Saint Pierre offers good value set lunches comprising of either two, three or four courses, with prices ranging between an unbelievable $28 to $45. Unfortunately it is a little out of the way but on this visit I enjoyed the food that was based on classic French cooking techniques that were well executed. If you are looking for new age / progressive cooking, this may not be your cup of tea. But if all you want is simple, well cooked food, then you have an option here.

On this occasion, we had:

amuse bouche: warm, roasted tomato cream soup

appetizer: tuna sashimi, roasted cauliflower puree

appetizer: artichoke soup with bacon

main course: roasted cod, fennel salad

main: pan fried sea bream, potate ratte with crab
(loved the crispy skin and fresh firm taste of bream)

dessert: any 3 kinds of cheese with condiments below ($8 supplement)
(my favourite is comte!)

Overall the meal was satisfactory, bar the mini baguette served alongside the meal that was cold and chewy. My highlight was the cheese platter because the selection was great and I got to eat my favourite cheese :D.

Sui Japanese Dining

2009-11-28T21:41:00.002+08:00

This post is especially for my friend, J, who was policing my blog and reminded me I was not updating fast enough :)

So, Sui Japanese restaurant is first introduced by my friend D. Initially put off by its location, I am glad that I went and gave it a try. The restaurant is hidden amongst a row of shophouses near Chinatown/Tanjong Pagar border, just opposite Chinatown Plaza. But I was motivated to find a restaurant to replace my old haunt, Tomo Japanese Dining, which is now defunct.

The kind of familiarity between my taste buds and the sushi chef is very important to me and a couple of visits later, I am pleased that I feel fairly positive about this place and the Chef/Owner Andy. He is very passionate about his food and tries to be creative with his sushi.

His sashimi was fresh and sliced thickly with clean cuts. If I had to pick bones, they were sliced just a bit too thick, reminding me of Wasabi Tei's version. But to give benefit of doubt, we were the only customers for lunch and since he was preparing the sashimi fresh from whole fishes, he could have been more generous that normal since he believes that the fresh fish should be eaten within 1-2 hours and not be kept.

One can still find traditional sushi on the regular menu. However, going omakase allows you to experience Chef's creative sushi. He loves being innovative and is constantly trying to find new ways to serve and garnish his sushi with different ingredients that would excite the tastebuds. He can be a little heavy-handed with the salt but nothing a gentle reminder could not solve. The most interesting piece of sushi from this collage above is the snapper, wrapped with its own skin and then flame-torched. The skin gave the whole sushi a slightly chewy texture but not fishy. A close second is the abalone wing sushi on the bottom left. It was not chewy despite the look. In fact, it was rather soft without much taste actually. So the pickled garlic garnish was good that it gave it a bit of sharpness.

From this next collage, my favourite piece is the aburi edagawa (hirame fin) sushi (top left) was plain delicious - fatty with just a bit of bite. The torching releases all the natural omega 3 oil and gave it a mouthfeel that was just so luxurious and desirable. On the bottom left is a temari sushi (sushi ball) that is wrapped with ankimo (monk fish liver). I am not a fan of ankimo but the little ball looked so cute I just ate it. I am glad that Chef chose to make the sushi small and used a citrus dressing on top to cut the richness. The result was very yummy and I could easily understand why ankimo is the foie gras of the sea.

After the sushi, we had a delicate bowl of somen with wakame to fill the tummy. Yokatta desu ne.

Goto Japanese Restaurant

2009-10-18T03:35:00.004+08:00

Lunch at Goto is a fix prix affair that cost $68+. In kaiseiki fashion, seasonal ingredients were used for some of the dishes. The sashimi was not as wonderful as I expected it to be. Overall, I was not overwhelmed by the food although I must say I loved the steamed dishes: third course that was some grated lotus root with unagi hidden below and a sticky sauce and the rice course that was steamed glutinous rice that was deliciously chewy and soft and scented with sweet chestnuts and gingko nuts. A sprinkling of sesame seeds added more flavour and texture.

I heard the dinner courses, which are priced at either $180+ and $280+, are much better. Dunno if that is true and I hope I will be able to find out soon.

Goto Japanese Restaurant
14 Ann Siang Road
Tel: 6438-1553
Closed Sun and PH.

2009-09-19T06:17:00.002+08:00

Saraceno Ristorante

2009-06-27T09:10:00.000+08:00

This new, three-month-old Italian restaurant took over what used to be a French restaurant at Berjaya Hotel. The food served is supposed to be southern Italian cuisine. Still relatively undiscovered, I think Saraceno deserves better because the menu was relatively interesting and had more character in comparison to mainstream Italian restaurants. The food actually tasted pretty good too. The focus was not on fancy presentation or complex range of ingredients. Each dish was kept simple and unassuming. I loved the texture of the homemade pastas, but could be slightly too 'undercooked' for those who do not like their pasta al dente. Therefore, if you are one of those folks, be sure to request for more well-cooked pasta. Don't worry about the restaurant looking chi-chi and stifling. The decor is a total mismatch to the very friendly and down-to-earth personalities of the Chef and the floor staff.

Complimentary breads with olives and its oil. There were three different types of bread. The spinach bread (on the top corner) was interesting to the eye but did nothing to elevate the taste (which was otherwise just fine) . The olives were great! Not too salty and totally addictive.

(Not your traditional) Eggplant Parmagiana, which comprised of thin layers of aubergine wrapping an interior filled with hot, gooey mozzerella. The bed of rocket was not an afterthought as its slight bitterness cut across the richness of the dish.

Fresh pasta from Naples with eggplants, cherry tomatoes and smoked mozzarella ($19.80). The pasta was slight too al dente as I found out that gave me quite a work out chewing. I would have preferred a heavier hand on the salt but to each his own.

The other fresh pasta was pappardelle with grillled peppers and olives. Again, very simple flavours. Both pastas reminded me of fresh pizza toppings against fresh pasta.

Dessert was the apple tartin with vanilla ice cream. I loved the dessert despite not a big fan of the caramel sauce. The chunky apples were nicely stewed until it was soft. Against the puff pastry and cold ice cream, it was rich and heavenly. The icecream did not look homemade but at least it was of good quality with specks of vanilla against a rich creamy base.

Saraceno Ristorante Italiano
Italian. G/F, Berjaya Hotel
83 Duxton Rd
Tel: 6438-9638

Fiftythree

2009-06-05T23:14:00.001+08:00

Once in a while, the ladies who keep me sane at work would cast their boyfriends aside and indulge in a day of eating and shopping together. We went to Fiftythree for lunch, first time for all of us.

Fancy potato chips served on a platter of charcoal was our amuse bouche of sort.

Following shortly was a little gunny sack bag containing the exact number of mini bread rolls as there were folks on the table. There were heated ball bearings at the bottom of the sack, keeping the rolls warm. Now, I am all for the novel idea and presentation effects but the bun, oh do I think it sucked. It had a too hard crust, a too dense innard and too salty in general. No amounts of good butter could save it.

The appetizer was chilled cherry tomato and watermelon, with horseradish, and mozzarella foam. This dish, I'm guessing, was trying to get this interplay going between temperature, texture, and flavour. If so, I think the idea was a great one but the execution fell short. I found the horseradish too dominating and the dish could do better without. That, plus the heavy cream sauce lining the bottom of the plate was quite redundant too.

The main course was barramundi with pear and blackcurrent jam. This was more palatable and the fish was fresh. The sweet jams surprising went well with the fish and the bits of fried shallots added delicious enthic flavours.

Dessert was apple risotto with rosemary foam and struesel of sorts. There was no rice in this dessert. The apple was chopped and diced finely to resemble risotto. Served warm, the cinnamon notes harmonized with the scent of rosemary pretty well, if not unusual. My palate could not decide if I was having a savoury or sweet course. Interesting dish that was easy to eat but I would not order it again.

Fiftythree remains an interesting place to visit once in a blue moon because I truly was not really impressed enough to come back again anytime soon.

Fiftythree
53 Armenian Street
Tel: 6334 5535
Lunch: Tues - Sat
Dinner: Mon - Sat

Klee

2009-05-31T22:23:00.000+08:00

Klee is this little bar located in the slightly off the beaten track location of Portsdown Road. A couple of colleagues swear by the fresh fruit cocktails there and recommended me to visit their favourite bar.

What makes Klee so special is its sushi-bar style setting. I loved the contrast between good and bad, the innocent pine wood counter top and the alcohol display right behind. The bar chairs are an eccentric mix of different chairs, adding to the charm.

Of all the drinks I had that night, my favourites were the pear martini and the kiwi martini. A close third was the cantaloupe martini. It was interesting to see my drink being made from scratch too. The rest of the drinks were okay, but not particularly memorable. But I remember the two cute bartenders though :)

Klee has a policy of not serving their cocktails outside on the veranda. Before you head there, be sure to make a reservation lest you get disappointed.

Klee
5B Portsdown Road
#01-04 Wessex Estate
Closed Sundays
Tel: 6479 6911

Graze

2009-05-26T22:19:00.003+08:00

I love brunch. Having breakfast food in an al fresco setting, with natural lighting and warmth, glass of chilled white wine, good friends with endless chat and no busy schedule to follow, would be most brilliant and make me a very happy girl.

Recently, I went to Graze for brunch. The restaurant, set in a colonial bungalow house, made me feel like I was invited to someone's house - cosy and comfortable. Besides, the service was good and nothing to complain about. Definitely a place to return again and again.

Baked omelette with smoked salmon, roasted tomato, mushrooms and fried potato (S$17)

Waffles with nutella icecream and strawberries ($13)

If you are not a breakfast fan, there is regular food served as well, starting from 12pm. Where is your favourite place for brunch?

Graze
4 Rochester Park
Tel: 6775-9000

Yountville - The French Laundry

2009-05-23T23:20:00.001+08:00

As you know, God is amazing. If you want something bad enough, he will give it to you. That was how I got to have a grand meal at The French Laundry anyway. Leading up to the dinner, I was just really excited, like a teenager going on her first date.

The food was excellent. Most of them I had read so much about, seen so many pictures on other blogs and reviews, that it actually felt so surreal when I saw them presented in front of me. The service was professional yet very warm and friendly. I loved the whole experience and it was nothing short of memorable.

warm cheese puffs
airy and gone in 3 seconds

salmon conets
cute mini cones crunchy and savoury. perfect complement to the smokey salmon.

oysters and caviar
If I had to choose (reluctantly), this would be my favourite dish. generous amounts of caviar only to be eaten with a mother of pearl spoon of course, paired with the freshest little oysters and a thick, rich, custard. it was orgasmic.

butter roll
Somewhat like a blend between bread and brioche. nonetheless very good and very addictive. no additional butter was required but then I needed something to spread the Vermont Butter and Local Californian butter with.

salad of French Laundry garden beets
sweet navel orange wedges and fresh greens that were very flavourful despite the lack of dressing or sauces.

hokkaido scallop tartare
the scallops were raw and sweet and the cream sauce went well with them. the vegetables were again, very fresh and tasty.

sweet butter poached maine lobster "mitts"
beautiful dish. the lobster really was fresh and not overcooked. i loved the morels.

wolfe ranch white quail
that my friends had and claimed was the most tender.

atlantic halibut "confit ala minute"
very tender and went well with the cauliflower puree, which was suprisingly the thing that binded the dish together.

snake river farms prime beef
the beef looked so good doesn't it?

king trumpet mushrooms, sweet carrots and tarragon
the pastry crust could have been 'puffier'. compared to the beef, this was not quite visually appetising so perhaps that was why i didn't think much of this course.

"beermat"
pickled red endive, medjool dates, pistachios and black truffle
the sheep's milk cheese was not so strong in smell and had a firmness of gelatine. you experience different tastes when you pair the cheese with the different condiments. it was good but i had enough after two pieces.

palate cleanser
oatmeal cookie, yogurt sherbet and apricot jam
this dish had the combination that reminded me of breakfast muesli. clever and tasty too.

parfait au citron
candied buddha's hand, lemon snow, biscotti tuile
a very refreshing and light tasting dessert. but was not overly exciting.

chocolate cake with praline

petit four

shortbread cookies to bring home
became supper for me.

Napa - Ubuntu

2009-05-17T19:00:00.000+08:00

When I found out I could not get a reservation at The French Laundry, I had to look for an alternative dining location around Napa and was utterly convinced to try Ubuntu, touted to be the best vegetarian restaurant ever. Honestly, I couldn't wait! But I was secretly afraid my friend would protest. God bless her, she was so accommodating throughout my trip and with my foodie obsession.

Anyway, there was absolutely no regrets whatsoever because I tasted THE BEST PEAS IN MY LIFE. These jade green seeds popped in my mouth and they tasted so clean you can taste the natural juices and sweetness.

"Hmm, I want to bring a whole bowl home!" I remembered that thought running through my ahead. That followed by "No more frozen peas for me. No more canned mushy peas for me. No more, no more, no more!"

The second course was "raw, roasted, pureed", or how Ubuntu glorified the boring white cauliflower. In the little Staub casserole laid cauliflower cooked three ways. At the bottom, almost 3/4 of the pan, was roasted cauliflower together with whole garlic. The roasting caramelized the vegetables and enhanced it with a deep, smokey flavour. That was followed by a pureed layer, creamy and rich because gruyere cheese was mixed into it. Then, whimsicle raw cauliflower trees decorated the top. Stab the spoon into the pot and smear the vegetables over buttered toast. Yums!
Dessert was a "vanilla bean cheesecake". Full cream yogurt, thick and slightly sour lined the bottom of the container. Then, digestive cookie crumbs, and cooked sour cherries filled the middle. Whipped cream cheese topped the whole thing off. The honey tuile on the sides were also nice and crispy. We really enjoyed this light but satisfying dessert.

Is Ubuntu the greatest vegetarian restaurant ever? I don't know if I can make that statement. There is absolutely nothing pretentious - no fancy presentations, foams or molecular cooking. Ubuntu is nothing but fresh vegetables cooked simply to bring out their natural flavours. I loved the food there and sure beats all the other veggie restaurants I have tried so far.

Ubuntu
1140 Main Street
Napa, California 94559
Seven days a week:
M-Th: 5:30pm - 9pm
Fr-Su: 11:30 - 2:30pm and
5:30pm - 10p (9p Sundays)
Tel: 707.251.5656

Berkeley - Chez Panisse

2009-05-11T22:50:00.001+08:00

In less than 30 minutes, one can take the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from SF to Berkeley, in the East Bay region. There, you can visit my alma mater and enjoy great food. There are many many good restaurants around but I only have one meal and I chose to go to Chez Panisse.

Opened by a lady, Alice Waters, who has always been an advocate for sound and sustainable agriculture, the restaurant still remains committed to that believe today. The restaurant started out serving only one fix prix menu that changes daily. That has not changed either, but a more casual cafe opened much later, to offer an alternative to the restaurant. Located upstairs, the cafe offers à la carte menu for both lunch and dinner.

Knoll Farm rocket with artichokes and black olives crostini (US$9)

I wasn't expecting chopped olives on a thin toast. The olives were tasty, but it was far too much oil, good oil or not. But the greens, oh they were a revelation. I could taste each of the different leaves distinctly and they had little holes, a positive sign of organic farming methods.

Spicy Hog Island Clams cooked in the wood oven with pancetta, peas, garlic toast and saffron mayonnaise (US$18)
Plump, juicy, yummy.

Marinated beets and carrots with ginger and Monterey Bay sardines (US$10)

If beets tasted this good all the time, I want to have beets everyday. Seriously. I never tasted beets like that before. They were earthy, yet tasted very clean and light, all at once. Loved it. The sardines were also very very good. I want to eat ten of them!

Crimson rhubarb tart with candied orange ice cream (US$9.75)

The tart, at first sight, looked rustic and homemade. I know it sounds strange, but it exuded warmth and love and I just knew it would be good. The shell was very thin and partly soft, partly crunchy. I looked at the pinkish rhubarb and could not believe something so pretty could be oh-so-sour. Luckily we had the ice cream on the side. On its own, it was rather sweet and tasted like a big, frozen orange creamsicle. What is there not to like about cream and orange? It sure did complement the tarty rhubarb very nicely. I regretted having to share my dessert. Hahaha.

Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709-1516
Reservations taken up to 1 month in advance.

San Francisco - Ghirardelli Square

2009-05-07T02:11:00.004+08:00

Right across the In-and-Out burger joint near the Fisherman's Wharf is a dessert heaven. Ghirardelli Square is named after the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory that used to set up shop there. Today, the Square has many different restaurants but the namesake Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop has good ice cream and desserts. There is an original chocolate-making equipment in operation that can you can focus on for a few minutes while waiting for your dessert to arrive.

Mint bliss.

The Mint Bliss (US$8.95++) is a sundae with chocolate peppermint and dark chocolate ice cream topped with generous amounts of dark chocolate fudge. Sinful? Yes. Good? Yes. American desserts tend to be slightly sweeter but you know, just deal with it.

Ice cream in the cold at Ghirardelli Sqaure with company you care about? Definitely a must-do in SF.

Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Cafe
900 N. Point Street
San Francisco, CA
#415-775-5500

San Francisco - Boudin Bakery

2009-05-07T01:56:00.004+08:00

One must go to San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf, even though we know it is a tourist trap and yadda dada. But go for a walk down the piers near sundown - it makes a lovely way to relax after a long day.

I would not recommend eating at any of the seafood restaurants at Pier 39, because you pay a lot for gimmick and not so much for good food. Walk further down to a more casual Boudin Bakery, famous for their sourdough bread that is in itself ubiquitously SF. I usually get a clam chowder bread bowl and that fills me up nicely. Or, if that is not your thing, the only In-and-Out burger is also at the Wharf.

San Francisco - Maverick

2009-05-03T17:29:00.004+08:00

I caught up with one of my college friends over brunch at Maverick's. This restaurant is located at a more suburban area of SF called Missions and honestly, I would not go a foot near that place unless it is broad daylight. It is really really dodgy.

The restaurant is tucked in one of the smaller streets and decked out in cherry oak wood that felt very welcoming and casual. The almost full-length windows open up to the sidewalk and on a Sunday, it felt very relaxed and chill. Recommended for brunch! The restaurant serves proper food for lunch and dinner but I didn't get to try. Anyways, the brunch menu is not very complex but the staples of brunch are there.
I got a crab and creamy spinach benedict that was simple but soooo satisfying! A lot of fresh picked crab, perfectly poached eggs, thick toasts. Yums. Of course, I had to throw in a pomegranate bellini as well, to make the brunch just that bit extra special and indulgent.

Did I say yums?

Maverick
3316 17th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
T:415.863.3061

San Francisco - 'wichcraft

2009-05-02T07:42:00.001+08:00

It was without a doubt that after the huge dinner at Coi, something simple was desired for lunch. Besides, the main agenda was really to to go shopping right after.

I first read about this upscale sandwich joint from The Amateur Gourmet who lives and blogs about the east coast, so finding it available in SF downtown was totally unexpected and cool.

I love the open cafeteria concept. It is free seating and the food ordering system works just like fast-food, except when the server serves you your made-to-order sandwiches.

I got the soup and 1/2-sandwich combo (US$8.95 excluding tax and tip). The creamy lentil soup topped with a generous spoonful of freshly grated parmagiano reggiano cheese was pure comfort food.
Since I love underglamourous ingredients like chickpeas and pickled lemons, I got a wholewheat bread sandwich filled with rough mashed chickpeas and olives and the combination together with pickled meyer lemon and caramelized sweet peppers was spot-on. I think non-vegetarians would also love this.

The set comes with a pack of thick-cut potato chips as well and there is free water available on self-service.

'wichcraft
westfield centre
868 mission street @ 5th street

San Francisco - COI Restaurant

2009-04-28T23:49:00.007+08:00

The concept of Coi sounds all righteous and good.

"best ingredients we can find in our area: cultivated plants grown from heirloom seeds; wild-harvested leaves, flowers, barks and roots; local fish, seaweeds and coastal grasses; pastured meat, poultry and eggs from small farmers. These are the flavors of place."

I was sold and went all out to make a reservation on Opentable.com until I got a confirmation and heaved a sigh of relief.

Maybe it was a combination of factors - the recommendation and the anticipation, that made this meal a major disappointment.

I won't go into details too much, but in general, I thought the food might have appeared interesting and pleasant to the eye, some of them did taste pretty decent while some of them just don't make sense. Above all, I could not stand the pretentious wait staff, with their no-smiles-i'm-better-than-you attitude. There was no need to seem so high-handed. I know they are probably nice people outside the restaurant. So the friend and I tried to loosen them up a bit by going a couple notches up the decibel scale.

The restaurant was in a low-ceiling room that made me feel like I was in a upscale cave. All the tables were full (about 24 pax in total) and more than 50% were Asians. Just a note, I don't want to imply anything. So anyway, we got the tasting menu, which was the only menu, at US$125 per pax (excluding tax and tip) without wine pairing. What did we eat?

Coi homemade bread roll
Scented with Coi essential oils (sage, pepper, and some flowers)

Honeymilk in a gel
This was pretty good, like a sweet ikura that popped in the mouth.
Pink Grapefruit
ginger, tarragon, black pepper

There is a dab of essential oil on the right if you notice carefully. the play between smell and taste. but it didn't really work for me. the sorbet was very, very sour.

Asparagus, Raw and Cooked
early season asparagus, flowers and herbs

Inverted Andante Dairy Goat Cheese and Black Olive Tart
Vadovan gastrique, preserved lemon, wild arugula
The play on the concept of tart is pretty innovative. Besides, the black olive "tart" was really thin and crunchy. This dish worked well as there was a harmony between different textures, smells, and flavours.

Abalone/Oyster
fennel in different forms
Just wrong. Oysters should be eaten fresh and whole, not minced into a puree and used to mask the taste of abalone which was also diced too small to taste anything.

Sweet, Sour, Salty Bitter
glazed, young carrots, burnt breadcrumbs, almonds, wood sorrel
I liked this one too. The carrots were really sweet and tender so they paired well with both the bitter watercress and the crunchy breadcrumbs that had nutty and smokey flavours.

Earth and Sea
steamed tofu mousseline, yuba, fresh seaweeds, mushroom dashi
Not very interesting though the flavours were light and very comforting.

Nettle-Ricotta Cannelloni
wild mushrooms, oxalis flowers
Again, this tasted good as well. The mushrooms had a really aromatic and meaty texture.

Slow Cooked Farm Egg
slow roasted farro, erbette chard, brown butter parmesan sauce
Very rich dish because of the combination of egg yolk and butter cheese sauce. Because of the farro, the dish turned out to be a loose risotto of sorts. Not in a bad way though but heavy.

Trio (Soyoung Scanlan)
toast, spring lettuces
Goat, sheep and cow's milk in one cheese. Very strong in flavour. Not for the average slice cheese eater.

Caramelized Jasmine Custard
Hazalnut and cocoa textures
Very good dessert - the foam was like thousands of essence of jasmine. The custard just melted in the mouth. The best dessert of my trip (irony!).

Olive Oil Shortcake
strawberry rhubarb, lemon balm, long pepper
LOVED the lemon balm (which is like a concentrated lemon creme that was sweet). This dessert is a close second to the first one. The rhubarb (that cube thing behind) was stewed until soft like beancurd. Yummy.

COI Restaurant Inc

373 Broadway

San Francisco, CA 94133, USA

+1 415-393-9000

Pacific Grove - Passion Fish

2009-04-28T23:40:00.002+08:00

Passionfish is a restaurant that I read about on Chowhound. It is run by a husband and wife team and located in an unassuming town along a small coastal city called Pacific Grove. The executive chef and owner, Ted Walter, believes in serving ecologically sound meal choices such as local farmers' organic produce and purchase sustainable seafood and his philosophy behind his food intrigued me enough to stop by.

I would later come to realization that Passionfish must be a neighbourhood gem. The restaurant was the only light in the lifeless downtown and brimming with life. On that night, it was freezing so we hurried our way into the restaurant, attracted to the warm lights like bees to honey. Once in, we only had to wait for about ten minutes for the table to turn over for our 8pm reservation. Yes, it was that packed on a weekday night.

The house bread was really good, biscuity-crunchy outer crust, super fluffy innards. The soft whipped butter melted into the warm bread. We want to devour all of it but we remembered what happened at Bouchon and held back.

We shared an appetizer.

Dungeness crab salad with avocado & spicy ginger vinaigrette (US$13) would be perfect if the dressing was not so salty. But avoid the dressing, and the creamy avocado and sweet crab meat was a delight to eat.

My main course was sturgeon with chickpeas and carrots stew, zucchini cake and tomato chutney. The white, firm fleshed fish was clean tasting, made good foils with the more heavy sides. The stewed chickpeas and carrots was cooked with spices that seemed to have a Morrocan influence. I didn't care too much for the zucchini cake though because it was slightly undercooked and still had a mild floury taste.

We were stuffed but wanted to make room to try a dessert. The Chocolate Truffle Torte with Five spice syrup (US$6) turned out to be too rich for us but the spicy syrup added an interesting twist to the otherwise mundane dessert because it had a kick that cut the heaviness of the chocolate truffle.

Service was average but pleasant. I would not hesitate to come back again in future if only it was not so out of the way.

Passionfish
701 Lighthouse Ave
Pacific Grove, CA 93950
www.passionfish.net

Las Vegas - Bouchon Bistro

2009-04-27T23:14:00.006+08:00

It was not by chance that our second restaurant in the Sin City was also a French bistro. Because I could not get a reservation to The French Laundry and I was really keen to try Thomas Keller's food, I made a reservation at the Bouchon Bistro at the Venetian. This is much more casual than Daniel Boulud as in they line the table with white paper and the menu is made of paper as well.

The restaurant, located in an unusual lobby on the 9th floor, was welcoming with its warm tungsten lighting through wrought iron wrapped ceiling lights and

beautiful, rustic blue tiles.

We were served a beautiful loaf of bread and butter very shortly. Oh my, the bread was such a joy to eat. I haven't had such a good baguette since Paris and we chomped through another helping, which explained why we could not finish our food later.

We had ordered mussels and frites as our main course and a couple of appetizers and sides to share. Unfortunately all the food came at just about the same time.

The mushroom soup was unfortunately not up my alley. The soup was one-dimensional in taste and texture and the use of sour cream made it excessively sour for a soup. I did not like it one bit. The macaroni gratin on the other hand was really good. The cheese was generous, the pasta still had bite and I totally grabbed all the broiled parts. C-o-m-f-o-r-t food.

The mussels were alright. Sauce was pretty good and I remembered the portion was super huge. Both of us ate and ate and ate and still had left overs. I wanted to lay off mussels for the rest of my life after that meal.

Definitely no room for dessert. Oh well.

Venetian Resort, Venezia Tower Ste 10101
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109

(702) 414-6200

www.bouchonbistro.com

Las Vegas - Daniel Boulud Brasserie

2009-04-25T06:35:00.004+08:00

Daniel Boulud Brasserie is a casual offshoot of the original Daniel Boulud Restaurant in NYC. Located at the basement of the grand Wynn hotel, the Brasserie offers a really good value tasting menu between 5pm to 7pm. Not only that, if you stay past 8pm, you would also get to watch the Wynn's fountain show that shows at 15 minute intervals starting at 8pm.

The food focuses on classical French food and style of cooking and whilst quite ordinary, was perfectly executed so this meal turned out to be one of the most enjoyable one for me. The waiter was casual and friendly yet professional. The bread was interesting too - one of them had poppyseeds and the other had figs and walnuts.

My warm frisse salad with roasted mushrooms and poached egg was a lovely start to dinner. The soft, runny yolk added a richness to the earthy mushrooms and different flavours and the textures just all blended and melded in my mouth.

The scottish salmon with asparagus was perfectly pink and raw in the middle and had an interesting meyer lemon and radish relish that was sourish and did a good job in preventing the palate from becoming too tired. The skin was so crispy I savoured each bite of it. I cannot understand why most Westerners do not eat the skin of the fish. The first thing they do is to lift up the skin and set it aside. What a shame! Anyways, the portion was generous as well so we had to share dessert.

Dessert was a chocolate hazelnut fondant with nougatine crunch and coffee ice cream. It was a good dessert with tried and tested pairing but oh my gosh, the ice cream was sooo good. The bittersweet effect from the coffee grounds and the sweet cream was a match in heaven and I could only complain that the scoop was too small!

We got a complimentary bowl of mini citrus madelines because my friend's steak was slightly overdone. These were surprisingly really fluffy and light, almost ethereal and just not like most madelines that are heavy and dense like muffins. It was a pleasant surprise and a sweet ending to dinner.

Wynn Las Vegas
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89136

(888) 320-7110

www.danielnyc.com

Hong Kong - Chez Patrick

2009-04-06T00:02:00.003+08:00

Chez Patrick, a chef-owner restaurant with two branches in Hong Kong, is helmed by no one other than Chef Patrick, a French guy. I bumped into him at the Peel Street branch and found him to be a really earnest person who is passionate about food. He personally went around the tables to share on his menu and the daily items.

[Sidenote: Apparently he specialises in foie gras and there was an interesting foie gras ice cream that day.]

The concept is simple - one chooses either the 3- or 4-course (with cheese) set dinner, with several options for each category except for the cheese course. The prices were reasonable, well, relatively speaking - HK499 and HK599 respectively.

Starter - Goat's cheese roll-ups with grilled zucchini (cold), red bell pepper and anchovies mousse cake (warm).

I thought the goat's cheese mousse tasted slightly spicy and I was wondering if I was wrong until I overheard Chef Patrick explaining to the table next to ours that (of course!!) there was chorizo in the goat's cheese. Ah, so that explained the slight spiciness that I tasted. Once again, I was beaten by the pork. How could I have convinced myself I could avoid meat in HK?! That aside, the taste of the goat's cheese mousse was really good. Not too gamey (probably blended with cream cheese) and the warm mousse cake was also rather interesting in taste and texture. It somewhat tasted like otah mousse.

Main - Bouillabaisse with fresh king prawn, seabass and snapper (a bit fishy) and (turned) potatoes

Now, the broth was rich and comforting. We were served a platter of thin toasts that we left aside after a bite. Chef Patrick actually came by to enquire if anything was wrong with the bread. He was not looking too happy and I wished I could joke and tell him I was on low-carb diet but I thought he would definitely blow up. As it turned out, the bread was not crunchy because they were air-dried. That would allow the bread to soak up the broth without turning into a mess. Ah! I felt enlightened after his lecture.

Desset - Warm chestnut cake with dark chocolate sauce and burnt caramel ice cream

I really enjoyed dessert becaue there was a subtle hint of chestnuts in the chocolate cake plus it was not too sweet. The ice cream was also very good, smooth and thick.

Overall, I enjoyed the dinner very much. The food was decent and the atmosphere was just very homely ( I loved its old colonial style toilets with octagon marble tiles!).

Chez Patrick
G/F, 26 Peel Street
Central, Hong Kong
Tel: 2541 1401

Hong Kong - Tsim Chai Kee Noodle

2009-04-02T00:01:00.000+08:00

My only authentic Hong Kong meal was wonton meen, at Tsim Chai Kee Noodle, a non-pretentious noodle shop where people eat and leave quickly. Interesting, the more famous and Bourdain-endorsed Mak Noodle is just across the street but the girlfriend felt this was better.

Good thing we arrived slightly before lunchtime, so we need not wait for a table. Shortly after our orders were taken, two steaming hot bowls of noodles (HK$16 each) arrived. They looked puny in size but in actuality, the portion turned out just nice.

Well, the noodles, they had a firm and wiry texture. The mild alkaline flavour was surprisingly not too bad and actually enhanced the overall dish somewhat. The stock was a rich pork stock glistening with a layer of oil. A little salty, very much like ramen stock, sinful but good.

The wontons were big, tasty shrimp balls in disguise! I regretted ordering the one with dace fish balls. The fish balls were very interesting. They were like fishcakes, only much denser. I think they had mixed in pork (why did I even think I could escape pork in HK?!) and little bits of tangerine peels that made the taste very interesting giving a slight hint of citrus.

I don't know if this was the best wonton noodles in Hong Kong but they are certainly very different from our local versions and not bad at all.

Tsim Chai Kee
98 Wellington Street
G/F Jade Centre
Central
9am to 8pm daily

Hong Kong - Yee Shun Milk Company

2009-03-30T22:10:00.001+08:00

The girl friend needed dessert even after all the sashimi and sushi. She was particularly hinting for steamed milk. Now, I haven't the slightest idea what steamed milk was, nor was I really in the mood for dessert when my stomach was longing for a break from an overdose of food. But I went along and we walked just a few blocks away to this Yee Shun Milk Company, apparently famous for their steamed milk desserts.

We each ordered something different - original for the girl, original topped with red beans for the growing boy and ginger flavour (?HK$21) for me. And oh, you can also choose between the hot or cold version.

Now, the appearance of the steamed milk was not unlike soy bean curd. But it was less dense and not as smooth. There was a distinct milk flavour and it was not further sweetened with syrup. I loved my dessert because there was just a slight hint of ginger so it was really refreshing, plus the dessert was very light when I thought it would be custardy and heavy. So, despite being so full, I slurped up every bit of it.

I strongly recommend for milk lovers to give this dessert a try when you are in Hong Kong.

Yee Shun Milk Company
G/F 506 Lockhart Road
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2591-1837
(several locations throughout HK)

Hong Kong - Sushi Imamura

2009-03-29T23:02:00.001+08:00

Josh, the owner of the famous HK food blog, Chaxiubao, readily agreed to meet up for dinner shortly after I contacted him.

"You are a fish person right? How about sushi?"

You can never go wrong with sushi.

With that, we were led to Sushi Imamura, located at this tall and non-descript building that amazingly houses nothing but levels and levels of restaurants and bars. As we stepped in to join Josh at the counter, I felt reassured to see a Japanese chef already hard at work serving a pair of Japanese ladies. I would later find out, he was none other than Take-chan, the chef/owner. Anyway, needless to say, I was excited about what the rest of the evening would bring.

We decided to save brainwork and go omakase. We started with some appetizers and then fresh sashimi, each kind served ala minute and piece by piece.

It must be the season for bivalves of all sort, because we got an enslaught of them. But because I am not a big fan of most of them, I could only remember the x-large oyster, which had just arrived earlier that day, and was huge that it could be cut into three sections. Served with a bit of lime and ponzu sauce, it was sublime and tasting every bit like the sea.

An interesting take on the geoduck sashimi was this version wrapped with crunchy cucumber and then with nori and sesame seeds. The latter ingredients lent their umami flavours to the otherwise tasteless geoduck and turned this "maki" into a tasty treat.

The most interesting item was definitely the shirouo. In fact, it is by far the most interesting thing I had ever eaten. These are very small transparent fish to be eaten alive. We were instructed to let them "dance" in the mouth first before finishing them off. They were surprisingly not very metallic in taste and the texture was a little bit similar to eating konnyaku.

We could not resist fresh uni when we found out they were available. Unfortunately, these ones were not as full of roe and not as creamy and rich as we had hoped for. I don't mean to imply they were bad, because they were good, just not as satisfying.

The other highlight for me was the kuruma ebi. This black shrimp is not commonly available. The body was plump and slightly chewy with a bit of bite. Its big head was later deep fried to be enjoyed as "prawn crackers".After our sashimi course, Take-san took over and made us our sushi. His sushi was beautifully made at just the right size. The rice tasted a little bit off balance, with the sour note a notch beyond my personal preference. Otherwise, they would have been perfect.

A couple of pieces were particularly memorable because of their appearance. One was this kohada sushi. I took a picture of Take-san plaiting the fish into this beautiful creation. He sauced it with his special house sauce before requesting for us to eat it as it was.

The other one was this shima aji sushi topped with a pickled sakura flower. The sourish flower contrasted with the fish, inevitably highlighting the sweetness from the fish.
The whole meal cost about HKD 1,200 per person, without sake or other drinks. Not cheap but certainly oishii deshita!

Sushi Imamura
523-527 Hennessy Road
16/F Continental Diamond Plaza
Causeway Bay

Tel: (+852) 28360035

Counting Blessings

2009-03-29T03:11:00.003+08:00

Private Kitchen, originally uploaded by Skinny Epicurean.

When life lets me down, I never fail to lift myself back up by going back to basics, such as taking the time to appreciate things that people do for me. A good case in point: being invited to a private dinner and especially for me at that.

That meal was prepared by my friend KC and he had to work around my pescetarian diet. But he did a great job managing that, and in addition to the challenges of having to use someone else's kitchen.

The yummies in the tummies were:
Fresh langoustine sashimi 'yu sheng' - loved this!
Fresh raw oyster
Prawn coated with salted egg yolk - my next favourite if not for the shrimp being slightly overcooked.
Prawn with a bread crumb coating
Crispy noodles with red garoupa - an unique interpretation of the HK-style 'sang meen'. interesting.
Char Kway Teow with seared scallops - upmarket take on a local hawker food. very spicy though.
Lime sherbet with fresh berries - totally refreshing after the intense heat earlier.

Food was only part of the great evening but I had really good company as well. So thank you all for making me feel really lucky and special.

Oriole Cafe & Bar - Excellent Fish and Chips!

2009-03-08T09:16:00.002+08:00

The Whitebait and Kale at Camden has closed its shutters for good earlier this week. I was a great fan of their beer-battered fish and chips and lamented the loss, until I tried the version at Oriole Cafe & Bar, a new concept by the same folks at WB&K.

The restaurant is tucked within an upclass looking service apartment in downtown Orchard. Convenient, yet not in your face. The setting is quite stylish, dazzling brass chandeliers, orangey lights, booth seatings, centre-island bar top complete with bar seats. I found it rather bistro-like /classic European. The whole feel was casual, but chic.

Being a bar, there is alcohol served of course and you can get yourself a beer, or something from the small selections of cocktails and wines. I have to mention that there is happy hour from 5pm to 8pm, one for one on beer and housepours . Thought that is a good deal.

If alcohol is not what your cup of tea, try the coffee. The trained baristas are award winning and so, you are guaranteed pretty foam art :)

When you are at Oriole, try the fish and chips. For $15++, it is definitely another great find. There were three very decent portions of very fresh snapper fillets, coated with the thinnest casing of crust, almost obligatory if you ask me. The most important thing was that the fish was fresh and not overdone at all, the latter point which I find is the biggest challenge cooking with seafood.

The chips were fried with, and served together with whole garlic cloves that caramelised and softened under high temperature. The chunky-cut fries were a tad overdone and hence, dry. Good thing they had a delicious toss in salt and dried herbs (I think it was parsley).

The dish was topped with some parmesan shavings peppered around the fries, lending an additional granular texture and salty /smokey flavour. Pairing the garlic and cheese with the fish and chips seemed strange but it worked.

The only gripe was that the basket that it was served in made it rather inconvenient to eat with a fork and knife. Maybe next time I'd go natural and use my fingers.

The service was professional but not over the top or in your face. I think I found a new hangout in town.

Oriole Cafe & Bar
96 Somerset Road #01-01
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites
Tel: 65 6238 8348
http://www.oriole.com.sg