Eating in 2013

Happy new year!  Yes, I have been tardy.  Yes, I have been MIA since October 2013.  Career wise, it was an unusually crazy 4th quarter.  It usually is anyway in the run up to the holiday season, but this time the craziness spilled right into it.  So no repeat of a vacation away but instead, a staycation in Singapore parked close to the work laptop had to do.

Fat Ma of Kwong Wah Store - picture credit to an unknown artist

It is probably appropriate to bid a proper goodbye to the following, some of whom we will miss badly.  I will miss Fat Ma of Kwong Wah Store most.  Almost an institution in the Tai Hang area before the advent of other more trendy eateries, Fat Ma finally threw in the towel ironically on my birthday and will no longer deal with rising rents, a systemic issue nowadays.  I will miss her cutting wit delivered in her loud booming voice and her home-style dishes which I had fondly grown to love eating at least once a week.  It was by no means gourmet but it was a slice of home.  Properly boiled soups which had been on the fire for hours, scrambled eggs with sea prawns, perfectly steamed fish and honeyed chicken wings.  I hope to someday have the privilege of eating your food again, Fat Ma.  In the meantime, have a restful retirement.

We also said goodbye to:

- Manor and its signature cholesterol sandwiches of liver and fat, which foodies affectionately coined

- Harlan Goldstein's Strip House now replaced by his new concept Comfort

I thought I saw a tweet that suggested that The Drawing Room will close too but wasn't able to verify it.

Joo Heng's steamed Soon Hock with bean paste and lard

In Singapore, we said goodbye Mr. Soon Ah Chai, the patriarch of Joo Heng Restaurant.  I will miss his awkward smile, one that I had been accustomed to seeing since I started patronizing the place in the late 90s.  Fortunately, his family is still carrying on the roaring business, and it is still possible to have Soon Hock fish steamed the old fashioned way with piquant bean paste and lard pieces liberally sprinkled over.

And on that note, here are my lists by city.  Please note that these are places I did patronize so if your favorite did not make my list, it probably just means I didn't make it there in 2013 and will hope to this coming year.

Hong Kong

Chinese - Ming Court, Tin Lung Heen
Japanese - Sushi Sase, Gin Sai, Ronin, Sushi Toku, Butao Ramen, Hana Sakazuki
Spanish - 22 Ships
Modern European - On Lot 10
South East Asian - Fatty Crab , Cafe Malacca
Private Kitchen - Ta Pantry
Pastries and then some - Beef pie from the Mandarin Cake Shop, macarons from Pierre Herme, Eric Kayser
Down & Dirty - Yuet Wah Wui, Keung Kee, Man Fatt, Kong Hing, Sing Fatt, Yummy Vietnamese
Coffee - Kitamura, 18 Grams

Ronin's Kagoshima Beef, Maitake, Egg Yolk

Cafe Malacca's Sago Gula Melaka

Singapore

Chinese - Cheng Hoo Tian, Chao Shan Cuisine, Jing Hua Restaurant
Italian - Valentino, Bruno's, Sopra
Japanese - Ikyu, Sushi Mitsuya, Wahiro , Hakata Ikkuosha
Mexican - Lower East Side
Peranakan - Candlenut, Daisy's Dream Kitchen
Spanish - Catalunya
Modern European - Bacchanalia, Toots Brasserie
Down & Dirty - Joo Heng Restaurant , Penang Seafood Restaurant, Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow
Pastries and then some - Eric Kayser, Tiong Bahru Bakery, B.A.O.
Coffee - Nylon, Penny University, Liberty Coffee, Jewel Cafe & Bar

Sushi Mitsuya

Dong Ji Fried Kway Teow

Bangkok 

Thai - Sra Bua, Issaya Siamese Club, Supanniga Eating Room
Italian - Enoteca Italiano
Bistro - Little Beast

Issaya Siamese Club

Beijing

Chinese vegetarian - King's Joy
Modern European - Sureno

King's Joy

Shanghai

French bistro - La Queue du Chiot
Vegetarian bistro - Green Vege Cafe
Chinese bistro - Yun Se

Yun Se's mountain yam with blueberries

Macau

French - Robuchon au Dome
Possibly my best meal of the year in terms of food and service.

Robuchon's mussels - just perfect

Thanks for staying tuned to EdEats and while there is no certainty that I will be blogging that often in 2014 either, I will continue to be active on Twitter @edenalow and Instagram edenalow so I hope you  can join me there also.  May 2014 be everything you wish for it to be.

Singapore - Toots Brasserie

The Sultan by night (picture courtesy of Time Out Singapore)

Casual French in a colonial setting.  The ambience and location already is quite a stunner already.

The Sultan Hotel, a 4-star boutique hotel in the midst of Kampong Glam, is converted from a row of shophouses dating back to the good ole days with black and white interiors.  Glam is named for the species of trees (a Malay word) and not the hip factor this area is increasingly being associated with.

Freshly baked baguette

Just into its 3rd month of operation, Toots is helmed in the kitchen by Jason Wong - a purported 14 year veteran who is ex-Au Petit Salut.  While he doesn't quite promise to deliver the country to you, he does at least give a very good value slice of French cuisine in a lovely setting away from the bustle of CBD Singapore.

Fig salad

A lovely fig and warm blue cheese "fondue" dressing salad kickstarts our set lunch off on the right note.  Fresh and sweet figs, contrasted by a rich and pungent dressing, and contrasted with crisp Parmesan chips and crunch salad leaves.

Pork Terrine

The alternative starter of pork and vegetable terrine was also surprisingly decent, served with black mushrooms, carrots and a ravigote vinaigrette.

Entrecote

A classic test of any establishment claiming to be a bistro or brasserie.  My main of steak and frites topped off with an herb butter was a pretty good cut (said to be from "Nippon" 150 day Black Angus) for the price and well executed to be the medium steak I wanted.  Enjoyable but just a tad big for lunch in the tropics.  Fries were also crisp (in fact just a little too crisp for me).

Hachis Parmentier

The alternative main of braised ox tail served under a bed of gratin-ed mash was also good.  Well braised and tender, it was easy on the palate since little chewing was needed to bring out the flavors.

Profiteroles au Chocolat

Well baked Choux pastry with ice cream is always a winner and this was pretty good with a dark chocolate sauce and roasted almonds.  Good that it was also one mouthful per profiterole so you get a bit of everything in one heavenly mouthful.

Poire Belle-Helene

Presentation here was the least exciting since they forgot the ice cream and chocolate sauce.  But since we were in a hurry we just enjoyed the well poached pears on their own.

Service was definitely patchy and staff untrained despite the apologetic smiles.  Jason himself had to come out to introduce the specials and menu, so we got to see and talk to him for a little bit but there was definitely a fluster given they had a decent crowd for lunch.  Hopefully that part of the operation doesn't derail a fine concept of value French, something that's becoming a rarity in increasingly-expensive Singapore.

101 Jalan Sultan
The Sultan Singapore
+65 6292 0740

Singapore - Bacchanalia

Bacchanalia - a derivative of Bacchus' (Greco-Roman wine god) parties, seemed an apt name for the location of the restaurant.  Almost regal in the building which houses the openly secretive Freemasons, there is no real entrance except through a wooden door you enter only with the sole escort standing out-front.

Once in, the darker than usual ambience is almost expected, with heavy drapes, velvet chairs and a lot of dark wood, although the glass balls overhead throw us off.  And then the choice of music makes it almost a lounge or club (whatever it is the hip and trendy call their watering holes these days).

Seating in the big velvet chairs is comfortable.  The professionalism of the wait staff almost a surprise and the menu written to raise anticipation.  We were advised to order for sharing as the offerings will come a little smaller than usual.  So between the 2 of us, we got 3 starters, 3 mains and 2 desserts.

The menu was pretty innovative as far as things went.  With innovation sometimes however, the win is having experimented rather than the result in itself.  Most things fit within the range of "that wasn't too bad" to "mmmm.... enough said".

Cauliflower Gratin

Out of the wondrous descriptions of many dishes on the menu, it would surprise many that for me, the starter of cauliflower gratin was the winner hands down.  Deep fried cauliflower florets, white truffle and cheese foam, gremolata.  When the bowl of whiter-than-white cream soup arrived in a white bowl, I almost sent the boring looking thing back but spoon in and you're cauliflower dreamin.  One of the few rare moments where you regret the size of the portion.  Should have just ordered 2 of these and forgo the Fennel and Tahitian Vanilla salad, which while fresh and light did little to inspire.

Hamachi Carambola

The citrus cured Hamachi with pickled starfruit and garlic with freshly grated walnuts was a little more interesting in that none of the ingredients took center stage, especially considering the individually unique and pretty strong flavors of each.  Notwithstanding, I couldn't really say it came together perfectly either and felt the punchline was missing.  Pleasant enough though.

15 Hour Pork Belly

In the mains section, my favorite was the perfectly executed crispy pork belly, with braised red cabbage, granny smith apples and giant capers.  The chef has taken a traditionally rich and fatty dish and turned it into something you can eat for a long time.  The pork was so perfectly done that both meat and fat were melt-in-your-mouth good, accentuated by a lightly crisp crackling.

Duck Confit

This out-of-the-box duck confit was wrapped in spinach, with cucumber and corn, then served with a cucumber dashi in a Sake glass.  It definitely had hints of the Orient and the Sino-French thing was a little confusing to me but it wasn't bad, just a tad salty.  Nicely done though.

Prawn Risotto

If anything was perfect about this, it was the perfectly poached garlic oiled prawn, especially since I don't really like prawns all that much.  But I still came way unsure about the combination of compressed radicchio, strawberries and Burrata although I was able to enjoy each set of ingredients by themselves.

Japanese Momo Peach

My favorite of the 2 desserts came from a base fruit I adore.  J'adore Momo...

The poached peach en gelee was clever and enhanced the original fruit in almost its original form, and was so good that arguably did not need the peach and vanilla bavarois although I did enjoy the Jasmine silver needle ice cream.

White Chocolate and Cherry Tart

Although I was wild in anticipation about the other sweet ending, it did not live up to what I imagined it would be but at least it was Bambi-forest-like in its prettiness and made for eye candy.

Overall, a good testimonial to the chefs' pedigree from the Fat Duck, and certainly worth a visit to partake in their experiment of different flavors and textures from their diverse backgrounds.

23A Coleman Street
Tel: +65-65091453

Singapore - Cocotte Communal Restaurant Bar

The Hotel

Singapore's Little India is revamping.  It is becoming trendy and with the sprouting of a couple of subway stations serving the area, the residential market is also on the up and up.  And with an increasing market to serve, it is no wonder the restaurant scene here is going to extend beyond thosais and accompanying sambars.

Bread and beurre

The Wanderlust Hotel, a newish boutique hotel in the area, houses Cocotte, which offers casual French food.  It is dimly lit but it isn't romantic, but it is rustic and the food is pretty enjoyable all round.

For dinner, they offer a prix fixe menu with several items that require sharing.  Based on what you choose, dinner can get a little expensive despite the entry price but overall enjoyable since the quality of the food is pretty good.

French radishes with butter and Maldon flakes

A French classic started us off.  This one is all about the produce which did not disappoint.  Crunchy radishes with a slight bittersweet taste made smooth and fragrant with the butter, then highlighted with salt.

French oysters - Brittany

Briny but not overly so, this was more sea sweet than sea salty.  Very nice with a twist of lemon and a garlic vinaigrette.

Seafood casserole

This was an excellent seafood pot.  All imported (ok, there was the carbon footprint thing) but oh so fresh.  The brown crab had such sweet and soft flesh that little chewing was necessary to savor the creamy roe and flesh together.  The mussels, shrimps and scampi were also very good.  It was a huge pot and it got a little much at the end.  A tad salty and I could have been a little drunk from the generous white wine which may not have totally evaporated in the cooking process *smiles..

Accompanying fries and walnut salad were a nice break from all the seafood.  The fries a little too dangerously so since we were not daunted by how much there was.

Apple Tart

Dinner ended on a very sweet note with the apple tart.  Perfect crisp with medium cooked apples.  We could have done with a little more ice cream but nobody's complaining.

PS. I don't speak French but there appears to be a few meanings to Cocotte.  I wonder what the message was when they thought of the name.  A little naughty or a little community.  Go figure.

No. 2 Dickson Road
Tel: +65-62981188

Singapore - Kookaburra Restaurant & Gastrobar

It's all day breakfast with a twist.  With a name like Kookaburra, it's gotta be Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.  But they don't serve the bird.  They do however, have kangaroo on its menu.  The menu is a little eclectic with Aussie offerings with local twist.  And when one picks up the menu, it is quite a piece of work.  It's busy to say the least, and takes a while to pore through.  For people who have mental blocks about "fusion", things like Kurobuta Rendang and Kangaroo satay might be worrisome.  But the good news is they do manage to pull it off.

Fluffy Pancake Stack

But this was the winner for me.  Yes, the pancakes are fluffy, but it was the crispy pork belly combined with caramelized apples and cinnamon rhubarb ice cream which made this quite astounding.  If you try nothing else here, try this.

Tasting Platter - Kangaroo satay, baked scallops with mayonaise, popcorn shrimp, salmon wraps

Kangaroo is not a wow, but it is a pretty good meat to have on a satay.  Or a guilt free satay since it is good meat for you.  Very little fat and not too gamey.  A fairly decent combo platter of deep fried, baked, grilled and chilled.

Caesar Salad

Ironically the breads stole the show on the salad.  I'm told they bake their own and these walnut slices had the right consistency with enough chew on them to release the fragrance of the flour and walnuts.  I would definitely order bread based stuff next time I go.

Grape juice

Juices are fresh and they have wonderful concoctions.  Critical to a breakfast joint like this one.

A good place to chill and eat brekkie anytime of day.  Service was attentive (maybe because it was a slow night) but they were all very accommodating since we changed tables 3 times.  All smiles and great recommendations from the staff.  That in itself is already a huge plus.

180 Albert Court
#01-09 Albert Court Village Hotel
Tel: 65-85222365

Singapore - Hinoki

The Japanese restaurant community in Singapore is small.  Almost every sushi chef hails from Master Nogawa, who's recently made a comeback to Singapore after a difficult venture back in Japan.  The 2 lead characters who helm Hinoki are no different, having apprenticed under the master some 2 decades ago.  Lawrence, who is the Laurel of the 2, recently came from the failed Japanese venture at the Keppel club, and whose brother Ronnie is the brains behind the famous Tatsuya, now at the Goodwood Park Hotel.  Gary, who is the Hardy, also worked at Keppel before partnering with Lawrence at Hinoki.

Steamed egg custard - sea urchin and fish liver

Sake accompaniments - grilled Fugu and grilled dried baby sardines

The atmosphere is boisterous, and different from most other Japanese restaurants where the ambience is almost sombre, in reverence of the artistry at the counter.  The only separation here is noisy or noisier, with drinkers tending to be herded towards the Lawrence end.  While a little rowdy, it's all in good fun, with a lot of local Hokkien humor peppered throughout your meal.

Sashimi - salmon, yellow tail, botan shrimp, scallop and swordfish

Grilled geoduck

The style of food is not dissimilar to a meal at Tatsuya although the overall experience (food wise) is not as spectacular.  But prices are about half of that at Tatsuya so one can't really complain.  For a casual night out, it's not bad at all.  And since it was our first time, it was difficult for them to gauge what we like or didn't like so I thought Gary played it overly cautious (almost boring).

Grilled yellowtail collar

Seared foie gras and botan shrimp sushi

But the sushis were the highlight and like Tatsuya, they do specialise in Aburi (blowtorched) pieces for that smoky finish.  If you don't enjoy that, best to tell them upfront.  I do like a combination of fresh and Aburi so this worked for me.  Next time perhaps, I would just have a sushi meal and skip the others.

Mentaiko and Scallop sushi

Anago sushi

Green tea ice cream with red beans and Yuzu sorbet

My only complaint food wise is that my ice cream came melted (and the servers didn't know better than to not serve it).  Not the end of the world but there is sometimes a fine line between fun and professionalism.  Oh well.

Still worthy of a repeat if you're in the neighbourhood.  Word of caution though: don't mention Tatsuya, Ronnie or Keppel.  Any of these 3 words sets Lawrence off and that means listening to a very long story of brotherly feuds and business troubles.  My advice, just stick with the food and drinks.

Hinoki Japanese Restaurant
22 Cross Street
#01-50/53 China Square Central
South Bridge Court
Tel: +65 6536 7746

Singapore - Bistro du Vin

I don't know how well the Les Amis Group is doing with its mid-range concept restaurants but you have to applaud the effort they've put into trying to bring good old fashioned food at reasonable prices into Singapore.  Bistro du Vin brings classic French brasserie type fare in a setting reminiscent of many a Parisian eateries.  Only snag is in the heat and humidity, just the thought of al fresco makes me sweat already.  And indoors is the closest you'll get to Paris, with booths and sidewalk chairs, in a dark mahogany and maroon wall setting.  Nicely done.

Lunch is great value and offers up quite a large variety from the regular menu.  In addition there are specials too, making it quite easy to find something everyone likes.  And at S$30 for 3 courses, it's quite a steal.

Salt cod brandade on toast, soft boiled egg

I hadn't had salt cod brandade since Girona last fall so this was a nice way to recall one of the better vacation destinations (especially cuisine wise) in my lifetime.  This version had a nice bite of cod to it with every mouthful and wasn't too salty at all. Using the egg to bind it all together, it was a great way to wake up the appetite and a nice twist to the usual eggs benedict.

Duck leg confit, brussels sprouts and mustard sauce

So well baked, the skin was a beautiful golden brown crisp and was the star.  The meat was just a tad dry but you really couldn't complain too much since the dish wasn't greasy at all.  Brussels sprouts were lightly sauteed without too much butter and retained good crunch (the way Cantonese eat their veggies).

Creme Brulee

Dessert was competent.  I prefer my torched top to be thinner and a little more brittle so it doesn't stick to the teeth as much but again, this wasn't bad at all.  A pleasant finish to a gossip girl kinda lunch.  Coffee needs improvement though.

Honest food at honest value.  Worthy of a dinner visit next.

56 Zion Road
Tel: +65-68366313