Bangkok - Enoteca Italiana

Bangkok's culinary haven status extends beyond Thai food, and it is in this bustling city where I have had some of my best Italian meals in the region.  For some reason, and there is probably a good one, the kitchens there can really churn out some world class renditions of Italian goodness.

The restaurant is not a big one but it is set in a really lovely garden with floor to ceiling glass so the feel to it is dramatically different if you have lunch or dinner, and add to that the permutations of dry or wet weather, sunny or overcast.  And because it is tucked well away in a soi (Thai for lane) of a soi, it may not be easy for the visitor to find so make sure you have a good driver, as we did.

Amuse Bouche

The menu isn't big and there are specials but don't expect to have a lot of variety.  They have some Italian staples but the menu is otherwise pretty innovative in turning some old favorites into modern eats.  The amuse bouche certainly kicked us off very well.  The dollop of chicken liver mousse sitting atop a polenta bed was given a real kick by a gelatinous balsamic vinegar blob, which packed a wow.

Black ink cappuccino

There was nothing cappuccino like about this one and I was happier for it.  It was in fact more like a Latte, if one were to continue in coffee speak, and a very good one at that.  Rich and creamy given more substance by pureed potato, packed with lots of umami by squirts of black ink from the squid, then given a slight chew by little chunks of squid, allowing you to savor the concoction for that much longer.  Our server was a little judgmental of me though, much to the laughter of the table .  He made me succumbed to a half-portion on account of what I had ordered and my size.  I hate to admit he was right.  The result 3 weeks later is a pining rather than a love affair that was good while it lasted.  I do want to go back...

Caprese

Has to be one of the best Burattas I've had in my entire life.  Full of texture but without detracting from the creaminess.  And those tomatoes.. wow, those tomatoes.  So sweet that it could be a mistaken identity - cherries?  strawberries?  Hmm...  highlighted by flavored oils and then given a complete re-take by the anchovies on the other end.  Just so much going on in the palate but in a good way.  Brings new meaning to working up an appetite.  Definitely some work out.

Lamb raviolis

After a good workout, you just want to sit back and be pampered.  This very simple presentation of 6 thin but al dente ravioli pockets filled with shreds of lamb that had been braised for a while garnished with the gravy it had been cooked in were just that.  Simple goodness.  Fuss free and likely to be given a stamp of approval by any Italian grandmother.

Chocolate ice

After a week of good eating, and almost giving up (hard to believe), I still wanted to end on a sweet high.  I spied this on the menu and announced that anything with ice can't be all that rich.  I was half right.  This has got to be some of the best chocolate I've had in a while and it is RICH.  But on top of a bed of crushed ice, this was easily downed and every spoonful was a little crunching with a sweet end.

Petit fours

There were definitely some oohs and ahs going on at our table and even our 2 vegetarian friends were converts by the end of the night.  Perhaps the only dish that didn't seem to work was the monkfish, which J ordered.  A spoonful I tried confirmed the verdict but aside from that slip up, all else was wonderful and just a great way to end a the work week.

39 Sukumwit soi 27
North Klong Toey
Wattana
Tel: +66-2-22584386

Macau - one night at the Grand Lisboa

So somebody had a last minute "bright" idea to spend a night in Macau to celebrate a birthday.  Hmm...  I'm not a huge fan of the ex-Portuguese enclave but ok there is some pretty decent F&B action there.  Where would we stay though?

When I got news that it was going to be the Grand Lisboa, I thought to myself "oh boy, here we go...". Apart from being in the heart of the city, and not having to battle for the shortage of taxis in the city now teeming with visitors from its new motherland since 1999, the hotel is not the most pleasant to stay at unless you are a fan of wading through crowds taking photos in the public areas of the hotel, which are decked with some museum-worthy sculptures and other feng-shui pieces.

The Casino

Of course the crowds are also there to take their chance at being a tycoon, much to the happiness of the tycoon owner I'm sure.  

Room with a view

Checking in was a slightly painful affair since we strongly insisted on a non-smoking room and almost got "duped" into taking a "treated" room on a smoking floor.  After all the haggling and a 45 minute wait, we got upgraded to a pretty decent room.  A big win considering occupancy rates seemed high for Sunday afternoon.  Rooms are styled in dark wood and while decent in size, had a pretty tight shower stall.  But Hermes toiletries are a plus.

"Dan Dan" Noodles with Minced Pork and Peanuts Paste in Chilli Sauce
四川擔擔湯拉麵

Since we had to wait for our room, we ventured to the Noodle and Congee Corner for a late lunch of Dan Dan noodles and pork pie.  While the pie was pretty forgettable the Dan Dan noodles were actually very good, with al dente hand pulled noodles (which we would see from the open kitchen) in an addictive spicy and crunch peanut butter like soup that had the consistency of a thick sauce.  Added to this some minced pork and fresh julienned cucumber made me think they did a cross over with Beijing's famous "Zha Jiang" noodles.

Dinner was a 10 minute walk from the hotel at 陶陶居海鮮火鍋酒家.  A re-decked but old world restaurant serving traditional Cantonese seafood dishes.  Decent food but the MSG attack afterwards which lasted a night didn't seem worth it unless you are accustomed to or do not react to MSG.

Senado Square

Even a walk around Senado Square afterwards nor dessert of Yee Shun's famous milk pudding did not take the pain away.

Fresh Water Crab Congee

The best cure to waking up to a hangover Chinese style is congee.  And what better congee than the famous Macau specialty of fresh water crab congee for room service.  It was surprisingly good value and yummy in taste.  The crab had little meat but was flavorful enough to breathe life into the congee, which became almost the milky sea where the crab might have been swimming in not too long ago.  The dough fritters were dense but fluffy, a combination hard to execute, and salted duck eggs made the meal complete with a yolky richness.

Fresh French Beurre

But no amount of breakfast was going to stop us from enjoying our hard-earned reservation at the 3-starred Robuchon au Dome, which we scored after a myriad of unsuccessful attempts via phone and a face-to-face "begging" session the night before.  Service was impeccable from dealing with a difficult situation, and turning it into a win for both guest and restaurant.  A rarity these days worth complimenting again.  I should have remembered our manager's name but cannot but want to accord her with a big "thank you" again for making the experience memorable.  The world class training at the restaurant extends to our servers who were not only polite but also as knowledgeable as they could be considering their backgrounds.

Amuse Bouche

Of course, the food was definitely awesome and at very decent prices for lunch, it is no wonder that the restaurant is booked for months ahead.  Our amuse bouche was a refreshing gazpacho over a creamy bufala base.  The contrast in flavors made for an excellent tease on the palate before we started lunch proper.

Bread Basket

It is easy to go overboard with a very good selection of breads, especially the brioche and bacon baguettes so pace yourself.

French mussels in white wine and cream

These have to be the best mussels I've had in any long or short term memory.  The consistency in each mussel's sea-sweetness and even size was amazing.  The deceptively light sauce served to enhance each  shellfish.  Served with a gold leaf and flower on the top, it has also got to be the prettiest way to serve this dish.

Caramelized upper guinea fowl thigh with pan fried foie gras and marinated cherry

My choice of the fowl, foie and cherries was also perfection in execution.  What could have otherwise been a rich dish was appropriate for lunch by the clever use of cherries.  Unlike other berries which can be too tart, the freshly sweet fruit made bolder by its marinade complimented the fowl and creamy foie well.

Dessert Trolley

No French meal is complete without dessert and I was happy to see they still use the trolley here.  Needless to say, there was a lot of good choices, and what was outstanding was the Cherry Cheese Tart and the Napolean.  Just a perfect sweet finish with a shot of Espresso.

If you can leave aside a rough ride from the ferry terminal, and battling the crowds who can get rowdy, the one-night staycation at the Grand Lisboa wasn't too miserable.  Especially since the F&B within the hotel more than makes up for everything else.  I might just brave it again if I scored another reservation at the Robuchon au Dome.

Avenida de Lisboa Macau
Tel: +853-28283838

Bangkok - Issaya Siamese Club

The Garden

With the rapid urbanization of cities, especially in populous Asia, it is a sweet rarity to be able to enjoy dining in places like the Issaya Siamese Club.  Set in a 1920s villa, stepping in through the gates and  onto the walkway leading up to the beautiful black-and-white structure transports you back in time where there was little else to worry about except the one telex you got earlier in the afternoon instead of the 200 emails in your inbox..  and the things to be done about that one telex had to wait till the post office opened for business the next day, instead of having to get on 2 conference calls and do recap emails later the same night after dinner.

Times have changed drastically but at Issaya, you can almost feel the time machine had been set for 1925 and is going to stay there on that chillaxing pace, till you finish an enjoyable dinner with good mates.

The table is set

Decor is an all important part of making the time machine experience real and at Issaya, the ground floor dining area is a welcoming room of bold colors that miraculously come together .  The lush garden on the outside is a lovely setting to look at through the big square windows.

The bar

Smiling faces at the bar serve to open up your imagination as you cruise the menu for the concoctions these wizards can whip up for you.

Club grown produce

As you step outback, varieties of plants are grown and harvested onto Ian Kittichai's creations.

Private dining

The upper level of the villa can be reserved for private parties.  A beautiful setting sure to impress guests.

TV area

When not dining, you can even "watch TV" in the living area, although no one stopped to test if the TV still works in 2013.

Tangerine ice tea

After the grand tour, we sat down and had drinks while we pored over a pretty long and comprehensive menu.  Nothing like a long ice-cold drink to beat the heat and humidity of the city.  Instead of pondering over what to order, the 4 of us ultimately decided on splitting the 2 tasting menus since each menu required a minimum of 2 persons to execute.

Here are some highlights:

Amuse Bouche

Banana blossom and heart of palm salad, crispy shallots and roasted peanuts in a chili jam dressing

This is the much talked about salad by Ian K although I would have preferred a more delicate dressing.  I love banana blossoms but feared that they were overpowered by everything else, which thankfully happened to be decent.  I was almost tempted to ask for a second helping of banana blossoms just to balance the dish out.

Grilled imported tender beef, fresh herbs, organic vegetables in a charred bird's eye chili vinaigrette

This was extremely well executed, with enough heat to stimulate but not to overwhelm.  And the beef although quite a big piece for a mouthful, was so tender, that no effort was required to break it down, so you can still keep it elegant while savoring all of the components in one mouthful.  Good news, we each get 2 mouthfuls each.

Spiced rubbed pork baby back ribs glazed with Issaya house-blended chili paste

This didn't look like much when it was served despite the cute Japanese inspired stone stove it came on.    As it heated up at the table, the aroma started to open up the senses, and biting into it, it was not reminiscent of anything Thai but was could be any piece of world class pork rib from any cuisine and of course, melt-in-your-mouth tender.

House made shellfish sausage with Hua Hin style seafood broth

Since we shared, I didn't get any shellfish sausage, but the broth was unbelievably tasty for the thinness of the consistency.  Sea sweet but without the usual heat of a Tom Yum Goong, this was addictive and pretty in the use of paper as a serving device.  My only complaint was that it couldn't contain more given its limited size..

Tamarind glazed crispy duck leg, pan-seared foie gras, sauteed red okra leaves and crushed cashew nuts

No doubt French-inspired and techniques unmistakably so, but it still fit right into the menu without confusing.  Again well executed and despite the heaviness of the ingredients, did not wear us down at all.

Grain fed Australian veal cheek simmered in house-blended spices, hand-pressed coconut milk, and kaffir lime leaves

This and the next were perfect for the rice fiend since you can go on forever eating rice if you had these 2 dishes.  Again, a tender cut of veal that you can break down with your tongue and keeps the focus on the slightly spicy sauce made that much richer with drizzles of coconut milk.

Boneless lamb shank simmered in Mussamun curry served with pickled cucumber

A little anomaly since the boneless lamb came bone-in.  They might have meant it was fall-off-the-bone which was nothing but accurate.  I actually liked the spices in this curry even more than the previous and can prove it based on the spoonfuls of rice I had with this one over the other.

Seasonal vegetables

Likely to have been plucked from the garden too.  I would have liked less sauce with this one since the vegetables were so good since the slightly salty sauce distracted from the natural goodness of the vegetable (almost like flower buds) which I did not recognize.

Asian multigrains, Chiang Mai mushrooms, and garlic sprinkled with a mushroom-scented oil

An Asian play on a truffle risotto, just fluffier and lighter even though it was a little too well-oiled.  Aromatic from the herbs and oil and if not for the amount of food already on the table, I would have had more.

Desserts (bottom up) - Jasmine flower panna cotta, Sticky rice mochi filled with black coconut ice cream, and with fresh coconut, Saree cake (jackfruit semifreddo, Thai miso and mulberry sorbet), macaron

These were all very decent and the panna cotta and Saree cake were standouts for me in terms of creativity and in keeping with the Thai theme, despite the use of western techniques.

An awesome meal to remember for a while and definitely worthy of repeat visits.  Word of caution, the tasting menus are more than generous so make sure you are hungry especially if you go for the more expensive one.  Despite our hearty appetites, we ended up packing up leftovers which we passed to our happy drivers.  Otherwise, the a-la-carte menu has most if not all of the items you might like from the tasting menus.

4 Soi Sri Aksorn
Chua Ploeng Road
Sathorn, Bangkok
Tel: +66-2-672 9040/1

Hong Kong - Fatty Crab 肥蟹

Malaysian inspired cuisine cooked up by a bunch of New Yorkers.  Hmm....  I had to think about that one for a bit.  I don't even eat Singapore/Malaysian food in Hong Kong since I get home quite a bit and don't get into crazy cravings.  So would I take the chance of a no-reservations place on a Friday night in Central for Malaysian food literally cooked up by New Yorkers (I didn't spot an Asian from the sliver opening of the kitchen door closest to our table).  Seriously.

No one spoke Chinese in the joint.  I don't even think they spoke English.  It was as Nu Yawk as the Statue of Liberty.  And it was Greenwich village vibe cool.  Good music and a wide array of fun cocktails.  They can do mock on request.  Definitely noisy and the acoustics amplified it.

And the food?

Like a lot of places these days which tout sharing so everyone gets a taste of everything, we were advised on picking from the different sections in the menu - raw, skinny and fatty.  They also have sides like in good ole fashioned America.  Since there were only 2 of us, we skipped to the chase and and had 3 fattys!

Watermelon Pickle and Crispy Pork

This was as good a pork as you can get anywhere, even in Hong Kong, where pork is the territory's meat of choice.  Pork is very much in our blood and we can have it in several courses of a meal.  But I digress.  This was perfectly crisp on the outside so it envelopes a melt-in-the-mouth combo of fat and flesh.  The watermelon was split into 2 categories.  The red sweet and juicy part we are all used to consuming especially in the thick of summer.  Then they pickled the pale green section between the red and the skin.  With a really really tart dressing reminiscent of the pickle dishes which many old school Chinese restaurants still serve, only much tarter.  There was also a lot of herb varieties over the top which reminded me of many-a-dish in Vietnam where herbs are the order of the day.  Nice, fresh and light for something from the Fatty section, but personally, I could do with just the out-of-the-world pork and fresh watermelon cubes.

Nasi Lemak

This was a 50/50 order since there isn't much you can do to justify badly executed nasi lemak.  But you know what?  It was good it its own right.  Not quite what you're used to on the streets of KL or even from a hawker center in Singapore, but this was nasi lemak at a finer level.  The piece de resistance was a very good piece of curry chicken leg which took center stage.  This dish could have been called curry chicken rice and still be great.  A slow poached egg when broken, added to the richness of the gravy.  Bliss.  Snags?  Sambal had too much heat and not sweet enough.  I would also have like a lot more ikan bilis but that's just me.

Chilli Crab

This scored points with me for the use of Dungeness crab, which I love.  And surprisingly, a really good Pullman toast which had chew to it.  The gravy was not the kind I'm used to although it went well with the toast.  This was not the eggy gravy with a tomato base but rather had a lot more sambal in the base and more pungent.  Wasn't bad though.

Peanut Butter kinda dessert

Perhaps the one disappointment was dessert.  We should have stuck on theme but got distracted as we would by anything with peanut butter in it.  Well, this dish probably suffered more from the choice of a jam jar as a serving platform since it was hard to get a little bit of everything making every spoonful messy and one-dimensional.  I also dislike whipped cream so it made it worse.  On a flatter dish, this would have been way more enjoyable.

Overall, lotsa fun and good quality food (just don't think of it as a Malaysian experience).  It's a theme restaurant for crying out loud.  And you do have to, to be heard over the noise, and to get past the only broken link in communication who stands out front waiting to receive guests.  Her aside, it's good service all round without the service charge.  Yes, tipping is "discretionary" (just like in America).

11-13 Old Bailey Rd.
Central District, Hong Kong
Tel: +852-25212033

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

Hong Kong - Sushi Toku 壽司德

More than 2 years after I first discovered this place, I finally made it back for dinner - something I had planned to do so since that declaration in 2011.  Since it had been a while and it was our first time for dinner, I was advised against Omakase and instead we picked items off the Specials menu.  A semi-work dinner meant I was less than able to remember names of fishies but from the selections, it was only slightly off the beaten track and mostly featured things we would have eaten before.

Starting off with a "carpaccio" of a "left-mouthed" fish.  Well, at least it's what the Chinese call them.  Although they had left and right, I was told left was right and so that's what we ended up with.  Sweet with a subtle crunch and almost a default to start with these days, it's excellent in summer with the tart ponzu soy it's served with.

Then a lightly torched pice of Kinmedai and cockles.  Although the species of cockle was supposed to be very seasonal, I wasn't that blown away.  I still like the red, raw and bloody type best..

A crowd favorite - chopped mackeral with scallions and what was a really fragrant and sweeter version of lemongrass.  Excellent with K's choice of Sake.

The cooked courses were very enjoyable despite the lack of choice since several things weren't available anymore.  A notable miss was the tempura of fresh figs which I must go back for.  The grilled eggplant with sweet miso wasn't bad though since it was still firm and not overly mushy.  Great way to eat this vegetable... or is it a fruit?

The sweet river fish or Ayu is an absolute seasonal fave with sweet and soft cottony flesh.  In bed sheet terms this would be no less than 500 threadcount.  Just lightly salted and grilled so you enjoy its natural goodness.  Accompaniments are strictly that and quite unnecessary.

This was the winner of the evening.  Good grade beef from Saga served on a hotplate and left to cook table side.  Capturing photos meant I left it to cook a tad longer than I would have liked but it was still melt-in-your-mouth goodness.  Amazing stuff.

After the beef, this very good fish tempura unfortunately paled in comparison (only in wow factor) and I was too distracted to even remember the name of the fish.  My bad.

To end, an Uni laden piece of sushi and sweet egg roll omelette.  The Uni was from Hokkaido and supremely sweet.  The Tamago was K's request although I had warned him that after my experiences at Sushi TaKe  and Sushi Sase , it would be hard to beat those.  I was unfortunately right.

Notwithstanding, we were pretty pleased with the evening's experience and the place does have enough credibility to compete with Sushi Kenjo and Sushi Hiro in the TST area.  A definite add to the TST list in my book.

Shop B, 2/F, Cameron Plaza
23-25A Cameron Road
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tel: +852- 2301 3555