...have a taste of Japan in Singapore?

I made a new discovery in Far East Plaza today.

I met a friend for dinner today and after shopping around with little to show for it, we were both famished. My friend then suggested having Japanese food.

"It's supposed to be good....Somewhere on Level 5," she quipped. She was about to call her friend (for the umpteenth time, according to her) to ask about the venue when we noted a queue quietly forming just around the escalator on Level 5.

Understanding that "queue=good food", we figured that there was little to lose and swiftly joined the queue. To our delight, the queue moved quickly and before long, we were greeted warmly by the waitress at the entrance. We were fortunate, because there seemed to be a lot of reservations and we managed to get in only because we promised to finish our food in one hour.

We soon found out that Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant's specialty was Yakitori and decided on a Set B combination and grilled Saba to share. Set B came with sashimi, eight sticks of Yakitori, rice, miso and pickles. Every stick tasted really good - tasty and not too greasy. Personally, I enjoyed the beef, tomato and chicken the most!

Overall, the food was a tad salty, but otherwise yummy. The decor was typical of a Japanese restaurant - small and cozy. The chefs (at least one of them) were Japanese and I particularly liked the part where the entire crew greeted every guest who comes into the restaurant!

Though very different, Nanbantei* reminds me of Gonpachi in Tokyo, which also serves Yakitori. For an hour, I felt I was back in Tokyo. Until I visit Japan again, I guess this will be one of the choices** whenever I need my Yakitori fix! :)



* Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant, Far East Plaza, #05-132.

** I will remember to bring my camera the next time so that there are pictures to show how good the food looked!

...have one of the best ramen at Mutekiya?

I asked KS for a list of food places in Tokyo before K and I went on our trip last month. He gave me a list, and said that the restaurants were listed in order of priority.

Top of his list of recommendations was Mutekiya. He said that the ramen was so good that that he would usually visit the restaurant more than once on his travels to Tokyo; and that locals would queue 30 minutes in the cold during winter for the ramen.

So K and I decided to head to Mutekiya on the second day of our trip, and found ourselves in a short queue. We waited for about 20 minutes (there are only 17 seats in the ramen bar) before being ushered in.



K and I both ordered the ramen that came with one slice of char siew and one egg (I can't remember what it is called, maybe K will remember?). It must have been the best ramen I have ever tasted in my entire life.



The soup was boiled with pork bones and was really tasty. Best of all, you could tell there was no MSG because even though K and I drank up all the soup, we did not feel thirsty at all! The ramen was cooked al-dente, the egg was perfect, runny and soft inside but firm outside, and the one slice of char siew was very delicious. All this for only 780 yen (that's about S$12)!

The ramen was really very good that K and I decided that we absolutely have to go back again before we left Tokyo. So we found time on the second last day of our trip and went back to Mutekiya for lunch. This time, I had a bigger bowl! With 3 slices of char siew and 2 eggs! And only 980 yen (less than S$15.60)!



Mutekiya is a must-visit when you go to Tokyo. I can't wait to have it again!


Mutekiya
1-17-1 Minami-Ikebukuro
Take the East exit of Ikebukuro JR station
Walk about 10 minutes along Meiji-Dori

...make a trip to the Land of Smiles?

HY, LK and I am making our long-awaited trip to BKK! Finally!

While discussing online last night, we were getting ourselves really excited with the prospect of yummy food, good (and affordable?) shopping and lavish treats of massages....and most of all, catching up on all the girly stuff...

So yes, Land of Smiles...here we come! :)

...walk and eat your way through Tokyo?

K and I are back from Tokyo!

It was a great trip - with lots of walking and lots of great food! Best of all, we kept to our budget, think we probably spent only around S$2,200 for a week in Tokyo, including airfare and accomodation!

Will start blogging about the food and the sights when I have tidied up the photos!

...spend your Sunday afternoon listening to songs from another time and space?

I am listening to a 97 hit by Faye Wong "你快乐， 所已我快乐".

It's been a long while since I listened to the radio on a weekend at home, and the feeling is surreal. I remembered a long time (or maybe not so long ago, depending on your point of reference) when nearly everyday was accompanied by my favourite radio station and keeping a lookout for my favourite artiste's latest album...learning the new songs and belting them out in the games we used to play or during karaokes every now and then...That's always a highlight.

Between 1997 and now, we graduated, we started work, and we are now "grown up".

But I don't feel all that different, do you?

... jump out of the pan?

Okay, I was just kidding. This blog has absolutely nothing to do with “jumping out of the pan”, but has everything to do with the restaurant “Out of the Pan”.

One of my more significant encounters with The Crepe was in 2003. LK took me to this place (Imperial, Kensington?) which sold fabulous crepes. I must say, I never knew crepes could taste this good. And friends who have seen photos of me with The Crepe testify that I looked blissful – happy and satisfied!

So, Out of the Pan is really a good substitute whenever I have my crepe cravings, one of which was the Thursday that just passed.

My friend and I ordered some tortilla chips, two crepes (Seafood Juggle and Peking Duck) wrapped in sundried tomato and a Fresh Berry waffle (with chocolate ice-cream) to share. Between two gals, I think that is a lot of food. However, the strange thing was we both did not feel grotesquely full despite eating a lot – which in my opinion, is a key success factor to the food at Out of the Pan. Tasty but light to the stomach.

Out of the Pan is a good place for gatherings of various sizes. The atmosphere is open, vibrant or noisy, depending on how you look at it. The waiters are generally chirpy (more so than what I recall from memory). One of the drawbacks though is that they tuck people into corners which sometimes require 10 seconds of vigorous waving and gesturing before customers can catch the waiters’ attention. That said, it’s hard to be frustrated when the waiters are so apologetic when they realised what they have done.

At the end of our meal, we were also pleasantly surprised when we learnt that they are currently doing a 1-for-1 promotion for crepes for UOB cardholders. On the way out, one of the staff also thanked us and greeted us farewell, something that we have never experienced before.

I wish I have brought my camera and took some pictures, in particular the waffle (by far, one of those I enjoy the most).

But even without the pictures, I hope you believe that the food is really good and if you are in the mood for crepes, please do not deny yourself of the pleasure and satisfaction!

...try a new dish?

One of my 2010 New Year resolutions is to step out of my comfort zone.

Learn a new language.

Pick up a new sport.

Stop procrastinating.

Try new dishes, or ever better - pick up cooking.

I have not embarked on my cooking aspirations. But I have tried a couple of new dishes, which have been delightful to say the least. One of which, included German food at Brotzeit.

Brotzeit has two outlets in Singapore; and although I have walked past both outlets many a times, it never really occurred to me to dine there (which explains my New Year resolution).

Anyway, for a lack of ideas and at a friend's suggestion, I went to the outlet at Raffles City some weeks back. The setting at the Raffles City felt somewhat more inviting than the one at Vivo City. At the very least, it felt more relaxed and welcoming– a good place to chill out over a couple of drinks and light snacks in the evening.

My friends and I ordered a mixed salad and seafood platter to share.

The mixed salad - Salatteller mit Huhn, was generous with the greens and was accompanied by grilled spicy chicken sausage, chicken ham, feta cheese, walnuts, cherry tomatoes and sour cream dressing. The greens were fresh and crunchy, and the sausages were not too salty or “artificial”.

Next was the seafood platter - Fischplatte. The seafood platter came with smoked salmon, marinated tuna, marinated prawns, white anchovies and crab salad with a basket of selected German breads. I loved the breads – very different from the usual served at American outlets. As everyone would be aware, one of the most important things about seafood dishes, is that the seafood itself must be fresh and free of the “fishy” smell. The chef did a great job with the seasoning, accentuating the original tastes of the various seafood types without overcooking.

What’s a meal at a German restaurant without German beer? To top it off, some of my friends ordered German beer. Though I can’t remember the names and flavours – None of my friends complained, which is a testament to the quality of the beer in itself.

I think, I would be back for more. In the meantime, time to brush up on some basic German.

Guten Appetit!

indulge in a little retail therapy?

I must confess that unlike some of my gal friends, I actually do not enjoy shopping that much (Not all the time, at least). I tend to do my shopping when preening away my time while waiting for my next appointment, or straying into one of those random shops I happen to walk by while journeying from point A to point B.

But on days when I do shop, I am like most girls in that I do find retail therapy therapeutic – After all, making the purchase is just a means to an end. It is the emotions attached to the journey that completes the experience...

My friends know that I am not a “red” person. Since I was thirteen, I have little to do with red. My wardrobe is filled with black, white, blue and brown. My shoes are black or brown. In summary, I don't have an adventurous sense of fashion. That said, not that I do not like "red" as a colour, but I often find it hard to carry it off...the colour would be too loud, too red, too much like an Ang Bao, too much of ...something, always.

So understandably, getting my first pair of red shoes (childhood doesn't count) was a big deal. I remembered being quite excited about it – it was probably akin to driving a car unsupervised for the first time after getting your car license. I thought about what clothes and accessories should go with it and imagined how they would look together.

Alas, it was not meant to be. I lost my first pair of red shoes the first time I wore it two years ago. I had gone visiting at a friend’s house during Chinese New Year and left the shoes outside the house. When it was time to go home, I found to my dismay, my red shoes lost to me forever.

I never gotten around to buying the same pair - maybe subconsciously, I don't want to remind myself of the lost shoes.

While I got over the shock of losing my first pair of red shoes (which was the first time it ever happened to me) fairly quickly, the second pair of red shoes did not come by as easily as I thought it would be. In the last two years, I have seen countless shoes that were red...But none to my liking. Until that fateful Saturday afternoon, when my eyes was drawn to it...there it was, on sales (the all important word that prompts most girls to action), waiting to be purchased.

And I was relieved. All the careful selection, comparing various shoe sizes, "test-walking" the shoes were worth it. It was the right size, the right price, just the right pair for me.

So there it is, my second pair of red shoes, contently rested at my shoe rack now.

My search for the red shoes has ended. I hope I do not lose this pair again.

catch a Korean movie today?

While channel-surfing some weeks ago, I chanced upon a Korean movie “Seducing Mr Perfect” (originally titled “Seducing Mr Robin”).

The movie is a romantic comedy, directed in a distinctively Korean style. In case you’re wondering what this movie is all about…well, it is the usual boy meets girl and absolutely hates her; boy turns out to be (ahem) the girl’s boss; boy “tekan” girl; girl hates boy but because he is rich, tries to “seduce” him with hilarious outcomes; girl gets bullied by ex-boyfriend; boy saves girl; boy falls in love with girl but girl doesn’t realise it; girl falls in love with boy but doesn’t realise it, both somehow doesn’t get together; melodramatic event happens…and somehow in the end, they live happily after (well sorta) …

Cliché? Yes.

Boring? No.

Despite a very predictable plot, the movie was not boring at all. The director got the male protagonist (an American Asian) to speak only in English and the female protagonist to speak mainly in Korean. The verbal sparring in Korean and English was interesting and a welcomed departure from an all-Korean or all-English movie.

There was also the signature quirky sense of humour that is found in many Korean romantic comedies. It’s not slapstick entertainment humour commonly found in Hong Kong comedies. Perhaps, something closer to Japanese comedies - funny in its randomness; amusing in its sarcasms; and hilarious in the irony of role-reversals that panned out between the two protagonists.

Despite a seemingly un-inspiring plot, despite the movie being in a foreign language half the time, I liked the movie because it is unpretentious and retained the signature Korean humour – quirky and fun.

Without over-analysing the movie, it is simply put, a feel-good movie, something one can consider watching if you are in the mood of something light-hearted.

... go for breakfast at Canele Patisserie?

I met up with some school friends over breakfast at Canele Patisserie today.

Canele, to me, has always been a dessert place – somewhere comfortable where one can hang out with friends and chit chat over a cuppa of hot tea or coffee and of course, yummy desserts…

As for breakfast…It started as a big question mark to me and ended up as a pleasant surprise.

The breakfast menu consists of six different sets, ranging from $7.50 to $13.50. One could choose to have eggs prepared in various ways (poached, scrambled, omelette). If one has a sweet tooth, one could also choose a bakery set (of muffin, croissant, and Danish), blue berry pancake or French Toast. For those who want the best of both worlds, Le Petit Dejeuner, which has eggs, toast, muffin, sausage, bacon, amongst others, would be the choice.

While I would agree that the menu choices were somewhat limited, the presentation of the various breakfast sets was rather pretty to behold. Needless to say, I was impressed with the way the food was arranged and couldn’t help but marvel at how simple breakfast foodfare can be presented in such a delightful way.

I guess it also helped that there wasn’t much of a breakfast crowd and this made Canele an ideal choice for people to meet up and enjoy a quiet morning.

So yes, next time when you would like to go to somewhere quiet for breakfast, why not give it a shot?