Kuishin-Bo, Singapore

Yeah, we ate Japanese again, and it was the same Kuishin-Bo lunch buffet I had on my previous trip to Singapore about 6 months back. Hub's Uncle Bernard and wife insisted on treating us to the buffet again so there we were, at 12 noon when the office crowd streamed in and the whole place was like a funfair.

Kuishin-Bo specializes in buffets and the quality is not compromised by the variety. The nett price is S$26.90/RM65/US$17 for lunch and S$35.90/RM86/US$23 for dinner and I'm told that the major difference in the dinner buffet is the Hokkaido snow crabs and better sashimi. However, as buffet goes, too much of anything makes it loose some appeal so this time I just stuck to two plates of main and one dessert. And oh, I had 3 cups of the best chawan mushi ever ever and some beef nabe. I felt a little sick after that, and skipped dinner. Buffets are wasted on me.





Those are topshells, which were chewy and rather bland unfortunately because I think they had been frozen. There were grilled sanma, saba, squid and tempura which I really had to pass as my waistband was cutting into my stomach.



Beef nabe.



There were many items from which you can choose to have teppan style. Beef shouldn't go wrong you'd think. But it was disappointing. The beef was bland and not as tender as I would've liked.



Kushin-Bo makes the silkiest, softest chawan mushi (steamed egg) I have ever tasted, unusual for a buffet joint. I rejoiced at the silken texture with each spoonful. There were 2 gingko nuts at the bottom while on top was a slightly thickened sauce that was probably made with dashi and mirin. The amazing thing was you'd think the custard will harden with constant steaming because the cups were kept simmering in a bamboo steamer but I went back for another two cups (yes, I had 3 cups) and they were all out of this world. I was at Five Sails, Sutera Magellan last Sunday for lunch buffet and their chawan mushi had the firm texture of creme caramel. No good.



I enjoy konyakku jelly for their bite, and those jelly 'caviar' are fun to eat. And I love jellies because they aren't fattening like cakes and creamy desserts.



I was told that mochis made from Japanese glutinous rice flour taste best but these were quite ordinary.

Kushin-Bo's lunch buffet is definitely value for money. There were many more items, including dried scallops and ginseng congee, soba, somen plus the usual beverages and teas. Be sure to make a booking because they are full everyday.

Kushin-Bo, Tower 1 , Suntec City
Tel:6836 5877

Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant, Singapore

Singapore shopping is all about Orchard Rd isn't it? Yes, you can go to Vivo City or Raffles City and others but Orchard Rd has all the brands and shops the other places have, plus more, and even the same brands carry more variety of merchandise than the other places. So that's why we ended up on Orchard Rd day after day, and Hub slept on any chair he could find while Yi and I wore a hole in his wallet. The good thing about having a shopping companion who doesn't shop is you can dump all your bags with him while he sits/sleeps. You only need to make sure he gets to eat on time and everything will be alright.

The economy slowdown is very obvious in Singapore. There were not many tourists, and on any day on Orchard Rd, there was hardly a crowd. I've never seen Orchard Rd so quiet. Although Tang's Great Sale was on, the payment counters were free of any queues.

As Yi wanted to check out Far East Plaza, we decided to have dinner in a long-established yakitori (Japanese charcoal grilled meat and veggies) restaurant situated in the same building. We loved the pork yakitori in Takashimaya and I wanted to pig out on all things yakitori, washed down by a cool beer. I had bought a little book called Appetite Guide To Japanese Restaurants In Singapore 2009 from Borders and Nanbantei was in the area. I think Japanese food must be the second most popular cuisine in Singapore, after their own food. And btw, there's no need to pay S$5 for the book like I did. If you eat in any Japanese restaurant, ask for the book and it's free, one to a table. Bummer.

Nanbantei apparently has been around for over 20 years, specializing in yakitori. What I like about the place is that their exhaust hood was so powerful that when I got out of the restaurant, I didn't smell like I had been smoked. My sweater (I've discovered that in super hot Singapore, you must bring a sweater if you shop indoors--their aircons are on full blast) remained floral-scented from the Chloe spritz in Tangs.

We ordered two yakitori sets plus an a la carte order of beef tongue. Between the two of us, it was too much food (surprisingly) and Yi didn't help much as she went in and out of the restaurant to check out the (old) shops in the plaza. All the yakitori were very good, but I think if two people were dining, it's best to order one yakitori set and a non-yakitori dish to share. As it is, we ended up with 20 +1 (the extra order of tongue) sticks of yaki which is a bit much because yakitori is seasoned well and you need to eat it with plenty of plain rice to neutralize the saltiness which means you'll be up to your throat with food.



The wedge of cabbage was surprisingly sweet and tasty. You tear off the leaf and dip into the miso sauce if like but I found it was unnecessary.



Sashimi in Singapore is always, always better than in KK.



The first sticks to arrive were asparagus wrapped in pork, and some leaf veg and chicken wraps on top. MmmMmm.



Next was okra and pork belly, something (I've forgotten) wrapped in pork belly, shiitake mushrooms and plain okra.



Nanbantei's famous house tsukune chicken balls and leeks n pork shoulder, I think.



I love this, grilled gingko nuts with coarse salt, something I first ate in Shanghai. It was creamy, slightly sticky and sweet-salty and the gingko flavor was strong. I hope it helped rejuvenate my memory cells some.



A grilled tiger prawn and a miso sauce-covered stick of tender beef.



Some grilled quail eggs, chicken liver and I can't remember what else.



Buttery, sweet & crunchy, which was probably because it was grilled raw and not parboiled, this a la carte order of beef tongue with a sprinkle of shichimi-togarashi Jap 7-spice powder (I think) was very good but not cheap at S$9/US$5.40 each stick.



Dessert was thick red bean with a ball of soft mochi.

Including a miso soup and plain rice, the sets were about S$32-34/US$21-22 each, which was not cheap considering that this place was price-rated one $, the decor was unimpressive and the building and the shops were rather ancient. I can't imagine the bill at Tatsuya in Goodwood Park Hotel, which is the only Jap restaurant in the guide book price-rated at $$$$$. Frightening. I am looking forward to eating at Akashi on my next trip because it sounds like a great place to eat for only $$ and it's easy to find, at Paragon on Orchard Rd.

Since there are many yakitori-ya (restaurants that specialize in yakitori) in Singapore and even Tangs and Takashimaya offer yaki sticks, at 1/3 of the restaurants, I don't think I'd come back specially to eat in Nanbantei because the yakis were very good but not outstanding. Come to think of it, all yakitori I have eaten anywhere taste great so there's no point searching to the ends of the world for a good yakitori restaurant. That said, there can be bad yakitori restaurants too, but I've been lucky so far.

Nanbantei Japanese Restaurant
#05-132 Far East Plaza, Scotts Rd
Tel: 7633 5666

"So, Tell Me, Why Do You Blog?!"

She crossed her arms and looked at me straight faced, and said like a discipline teacher to a bad student, "I look at your pictures (and this is where I was ready to be modest and say, no, my photos are not that good) and the effort you put in, and so (hand to head, like in frustration), tell me why do you blog and give away your recipes?!" And before I could even recover, she said, "Do you know how much danger you are exposing yourself to?!" Another friend piped in, "Yeah, and you reveal so many things!" And the conversation goes on about how young people are stupid to expose themselves online and blah blah blah. How about some nice words and encouragement, my friends?

I have been reading John Ortberg's Living The Life You've Always Wanted the last few days, and one sentence in Chapter 11 touched me, "Imagine if each time you saw another person your first thought was to pray for him or bless her." This is in special reference to people who offend you or, in Ortberg's words, " Imagine what it would be like if, any time you were challenged or anxious, your reflexive response would be to turn to God for strength." When N asked me in that tone, I tried to put what I read to work, and instead of shooting back with daggers and claws, as I would usually do, I mumbled something about having too much time with nothing better to do, that I enjoyed making friends with people of similar interest I've met online and that I've learnt many new recipes from others too. Later, at home, as I thought about it, I was upset at the way the person had put it, in that tone, like I am a looser to let everybody have my recipes for nothing and at the suggestion that I've been stupid by exposing myself to online dangers. This person informed us that her son is on Facebook, "but he makes sure his photos are not on it." I can safely say that if he does that, he has missed the point of joining Facebook, and he won't have many friends and acquaintences. It's like getting into a relationship and not giving your best shot because you are afraid of being hurt. The relationship won't go anywhere, so what's the point.

That doesn't mean I think it is wise to put up boudoir pictures of yourself on Facebook. I would be very upset if my children were careless on the net. I would still tell young people to be careful, very careful, with what they post, whether it is a photo of themselves half naked or a lamentation about their boss. Recently, I read an article about how prospective employers request information from headhunters regarding potential employees' online habits, personality and background as revealed in their blogs, Facebook and so on. So before you start dissing your boss in your blog, you better remember that that 3-second loss of insanity may cost you a future job, and that high from one romantic night as revealed on your blog may cost you a respectable spouse one day. Sometimes I do let my guard down, and start saying things that I shouldn't or post photos that I wouldn't have done so 2 years ago. Yes, it gets so comfy sometimes I forget my blog is open to the world. I was jolted when I went to a blog through another and read about how this guy found his 8-year old daughter's photo, which he had put up on his family blog, in a Japanese site that blogged about perverted sex. Although the pervert did not alter the photo, it was bad enough to have your child's photo put up in a paedophiles's blog. People can use your photos, remember that. That is why I have started to watermark my photos. Which also brings me to the issue of copyright.

Somebody emailed me that one of my articles was to be published in a magazine (not identified to me) in Feb and distributed to all the major bookstores like Borders and Times. I was pretty upset that the letter was more to inform me, and not to seek my permission. I refused, and they have replied that they won't publish it. If any of you notice my posts published anywhere but on my site, please tell me. I also think it is bad manners to copy in entirety anybody's posts and put it on other sites without asking, and not giving credit to the person who wrote it. I am told that many bloggers face this problem, especially in this country, and even mainstream newspapers are doing it. It is shameful, and nothing less than stealing other people's work especially if they are making money from it. Posts on websites are for all to read, but permission and credit must be given and the writer has the sole rights to his/her posts. This is especially so in the USA where copyright notices are not required for written work as long as you can prove it is yours, from what I've found out. I may be wrong on this, and would love some feed back if you know about this.

So, getting back to my point. Before I continue reading Ortberg, and a halo starts to hover over my head and hold me back from reacting, I want to reply this friend. Online, so I can say all I want. And that's the beauty of having a blog: I can express myself, my opinions and let out my grouses to nearly 1,000 readers per day and you can't stop me. This influence comes with readership growth although that was not what I was looking for when I first started blogging.

3 years ago, I couldn't restart the computer if Microsoft failed to start up properly. I couldn't attach a file to my email. My only knowledge of computer software was when I prepared spreadsheets. I knew nothing about blogging. I couldn't upload photos from my camera because I had my Hub and my son Ming to help me. I just needed to holler. Then one of my kids went through an emotional period, and I found out she had something called a blog. I began to check on her, and my days were dependent on if she was up or down. From there, I discovered the world of blogs, especially food blogs. Then one fateful night, I had a bad dinner at the just-opened Delifrance and I told my son Ming I wished I could tell people how bad the food was. He suggested that I start my own blog, since I've always loved to write, and with his help, the rest is history.

Now back to what my answer would've been if I didn't suppress myself. The overriding reason why I blog now is because I am a housewife with lots of time, and blogging has become a hobby. I am trying very hard not to blog at night. The first year of blogging, I stayed up until 3 am sometimes and my first white hairs appeared. As a hobby, blogging has pushed me to pick up photography, which I'm very much in need of honing. Blogging has also brought me many new and wonderful friends, some of whom I've met in person and am very comfortable with. I am naturally a people person, and I've kept in touch with a pen pal from Japan since I was 15 (although we've lost touch in the last three years or so). Many have written to me about their families, and how their expanded list of recipes and cooking have made meals more delightful, and their kids more interested in cooking. One person wrote me about coming to church (since I don't hide the fact that I'm Christian) and I hope she'll write me again and save me from sorting through my mail to get her. Letters like these lift my heart and make me feel good that in some way, my time and effort have not gone to waste. Through blogging also, a couple of readers have shared with me their struggle as parents and I appreciate it when people trust me enough to share their problems. I don't regret writing about my struggles as a parent. In fact, I want my kids to one day read those posts when they are parents themselves. I also hope that in my small way I can help people in similar situations see their problems from a more positive angle. And in turn, readers have been very supportive and encouraging when I am down. Lastly, I am the recipient too of many recipes tried and tested by other food bloggers who have generously given their cooking experiences and recipes for free. I have a list of food bloggers and reviewers whose recipes and opinions I trust and refer to. I belong to a community of food lovers, all of whom so far have been wonderful to know, even if it's online. I look forward to and appreciate readers' comments (but there are too few and I do get discouraged).

I also blog to record my cooking adventures so that my kids, friends and myself can have easy access to recipes that work. Not all cookbooks give accurate measurements, and experience and trusted recipes make the difference when it comes to cooking.

Many have asked me why I'm not doing this for money, and I've had a couple of enquiries on advertising costs on my blog now that readership is up. I do intend to put up more widgets for ads, so that when somebody asks why I blog, I can say "It's for money" and feel proud of myself that I'm not an idiot giving away recipes for free.

So now that I've given my reasons, I have a question for N: Why do you read blogs? Or even go on the internet which is mainly jammed with information put up not only by companies and authorities but also bloggers.

This is 2009, friend, and blogging is here to stay.

Kev & Jo's Anniversary Dinner

(For optimum reading pleasure, please click on the widget on the right to hear the special song of the day :))

Kev is one of the most romantic man I know. His love language is gift-giving especially to his wife, Jo of A Feast. Kev loves to give Jo presents (I still remember that one of his first gifts to her, when she was in Form 5, was a bottle of Joy perfume and a watch) and surprise dinners on her birthdays and their wedding anniversaries. I remember a surprise birthday dinner at TABH one year and poor Jo was the worst dressed among the guests because she thought it was an ordinary family dinner. For their 30th wedding anniversary (gosh, they were precocious!), Kev offered to splash on a big celebration dinner and to take Jo to Bangkok and Singapore but she insistently refused. He was a little upset.

What Kev didn't know was that Heather, their beautiful daughter who works in Shanghai, had plans for a celebration weekend and dinner for her parents' anni. She had to let her mom in on the plan so that her dad wouldn't whisk her away. It was such a well-kept secret that Kev couldn't even recognize his first child as she walked through the gate a couple of days ago. Part of the reason was probably she had a French man in tow.

William is a young French chef (do all French man have a bod like yours, plus cook like you?) who works in Shanghai and what better way to meet your gf's parents than on a surprise visit where you are to prove your culinary skills to a couple who cook and talk food all the time. Of course if you're working as head chef in a top restaurant that is vying for 2 Michelin stars, you'd be confident enough to take on such a challenge.

Last night's dinner was limited to a prestigious few: Kev's best friend Brian and his wife Jo, Kev's bro Reuben and his wife Lina (Ben was best man at their wedding, as he resminisced in his toast), and my Hub and I, me being Jo's best friend I hope (Jo, I have been blessed by your friendship all these years). Brian and Kev were colleagues and some of you know who Brian's famous son is but since they love KK and want to live here incognito, I won't be telling. Rueben and Lina are excellent cooks too, I'm told, although I've yet to attest to that (are you guys reading this??).

How often can you get a professional chef to cook at home? From the flowers on the dining table to music from Cynthia McCorkindale's Bistro Blues album, which I love, to the menu that also acted as our place cards, to the thoroughly enjoyable company, everything was just beautiful. Even the weather was beautifully cool as we sat al fresco in Jo's patio where the large outdoor kitchen was taken over by calm and cool William, who teased our sense of smell as he cooked, making us wonder in hungry excitement what he was whipping up for us. Jo's 3 girls were excellent butlers (hey Don and Bryan, you missed out big time!). I could go on, but I'll let the photos tell you what we had:





I've had too much cheap champagne and this giant bottle from Moet & Chandon is proof that you mustn't scrimp on fine things. This champagne is absolutely delightful, full of bubbles and not a bit sour. I'm sold. No more cheap bubbles for me.





The kids had a prawn penne dish, very subtle and light which Wey wasn't used to. I stole a few bites and wished it was part of our menu too.



Appetizer was candied cherry tomatoes, lightly sweet outside to balance the slight sourness inside, crisp outside to crunch with the liquid inside. Now this looks simple, and I'm sure most of us can do a version of this. But you'd have to get the toffee to coat to the perfect thickness so that it won't be too thick to chew or too thin to not be tasted, and the sugar to taste just right, not too sweet or bitter.



This was truly amazing: a medium-thick broth of prawns heads and shells that had been brewing all day until it was reduced to a small amount. It had the flavor of lobster bisque, only more intense. Absolutely lovely. If I were to do this, I don't think I could get the taste right.



This salad was perfect served in a glass, because the flavors of the salad are layered--you first start with the greens (William, like all good chefs, used local ingredients. He ditched mesclun and rocket, which are pricey here, and used--surprise--local red bayam and pea sprouts) dressed in a beautiful orange sauce, then to the next layer that tastes of basil which refreshes your palate and then to the bottom of the glass where an avocado and orange paste awaits. Along the way, you munch on the grilled tiger prawn, fresh, sweet and perfectly cooked with a superb orange sauce (Jo, I need this recipe!) that had been reduced from hours of simmering.



William specializes in seafood and pastries, and for our mains, he dared cooked local tuna. I have never cooked local tuna well, and I avoid eating it too because cooked tuna steaks are often hard and dry, tasting like wood I imagine. I wished I had watched William cook this, because the tuna was just cooked, about 95%, and again, I've noticed, William was excellent in controlling the taste and the salt level. A superb piece of fish, served unexpectedly on bean sprouts and sauteed brinjals, topped with a sauteed leek and a secret tangy sauce.

Have you noticed that we weren't served any starch? Is that why the French are so slim as versus the Italians (all those pasta and cheese)? But what about those devilishly delicious French pastries?



This bottle of vin santo 'holy wine', a dessert wine that's sweet and nearly brandy-like in aroma, was made on the vineyard & farm that Kev and Jo stayed in during their Tuscany trip 4 years ago.



Dessert was all about chocolate: chocolate mousse in a spicy 'soup' topped with milk froth. Hmm. I generally dislike mousse, especially when it's very foamy light yet gelatiny-firm. This mousse was not moussy, more like a soft choc cream so it was okay for me. We were also spoilt by a box of Godiva chocs, and lastly, I dared present a banana-choc cake which was based on a version from Lorrine of Ganache. We had no idea what song to sing when the young lau fu lau chi couple cut the cake and Jo requested for that oversung but most romantic Chinese song, The Moon Symbolises My Heart, lead by none other than my Hub, who has a great (as in nice) voice but never remembers lyrics other than the choruses.

Lessons learnt from this dinner:

1. Don't overload in quantity. According to Jo, they were worried when shopping with William. We usually load up a truck when we do dinners, don't we, always afraid that there won't be enough food, and we serve too much with too many different meats.

2. You can use local ingredients when cooking western, even French.

3. Keeping the company small means that even though you set the sitting places, everybody can still participate in the conversation. Round tables especially makes this much more easy and pleasant.

4. Having a real professional chef cook for you at home is a decadent luxury.

5. Don't forget the presentation, from the glasses to the flowers to the plates, because that lends to the sense of pleasure and comfort of the dinner.

Congrats, Kev and Jo! You have one of the truly happy marriages I know, and my wish is that we'll all be around to celebrate your 60th wedding anni. Food will have to be pureed, but hey, who cares by then?

Heather (and William), you have frightened the rest of us off hosting home dinners. It was truly a wonderful and delightful evening and I am very inspired! Can you be my kei nui so you can do my wedding anni dinner too?

Chinese Restaurant, Singapore

The only place I had in mind to eat Sichuan food in Singapore was Ba Yu Ren Jia, highly recommended by Singaporeans and that Hungry Boy in his blog. I wish Hungry Boy reads my blog because I want him to add a search widget. The fella doesn't categorize his posts except by the year which means unless you knew for sure what he ate in September 2005, you won't be able to get the info you want. I happened to have written down the name of this restaurant some time ago. All I wanted to eat was 'water cooked fish'.

We took a cab to Smith St, Chinatown and walked up and down in the hot humid weather but the restaurant must've relocated. Not wanting to end up eating a disappointing meal, we left Smith St, which, btw, reminds me of Cheng Huang Miao in Shanghai. We ended up on the main road (North Bridge Road?) and by then it was raining and our feet were numb so we settled for one of the 4 chuan Chinese restaurants across the road from The Majestic (not sure if that's a hotel or a cinema or neither). I did feel a little uneasy, but the restaurant was half-full and we were hungry. The China Chinese waitress was friendly. I still hadn't given up on Ba Yu Ren Jia, but Hub and Yi didn't share my tenacious streak when it came to seeking out new places. All I wanted to eat was 'water cooked fish'.

This was where we had the worst meal of our Singapore trip. This was the meal that ended my search for a decent Sichuan restaurant in Singapore. The restaurant didn't look dirty but I did get a whiff of the shabby wooden table and the others ignored me as usual, putting it down to my imagination and super sensitive nose. I wondered out loud that if a restaurant is dodgy in the dining area, the kitchen must be worse but Hub was already chatting with the waitress about the menu. All I longed for was 'water cooked' fish.



Yi's order of a simple cold dish of white tofu with century eggs turned out to be the best dish we had here. It was similar to what my MIL prepares, except there's a drizzle of black vinegar which made this dish very refreshing.



The waitress' recommendation of pork strips and veg in a bean sauce was surprisingly bland. Even Hub shook his head at this, which meant it was pretty bad.



A famous Sichuan dish of 'dry-fried French beans'. This was okay, barely.



Ah, my order of water cooked fish! I think of it whenever I crave Sichuan food.



Where's the fish? This bowl is full of cabbage and there were only about 5 paper-thin slices of fish that tasted soft and bland, even in that oil. I could eat the cabbage, if not for the fact that there was no ma la taste and flavor AT ALL. I put my nose to the oil and sniffed hard, but there was no flavor, not even of the chili oil. I'm sure I can cook a better bowl of water cook fish. This was just oil with no taste and flavor.

When the waitress asked, I told her what I thought, and we left. I thought you should beware of this place too especially since it is located on the busy main road and so is very deceiving. The shop's name is in Chinese only, Zhung Gou Chan Ting meaning Chinese Restaurant. How very creative.

I wouldn't ever eat here again even if it means starving.