Birthday at Babette

    How time flies, it's once again time to celebrate the wifey's birthday. As usual, she'll have some place in mind that she'd like to try out. This year we're off to Babette, a restaurant/ bar situated at Parc Sovereign Hotel, along Tyrwhitt Road. Although marketed as a "restro-bar", you wouldn't find anyone outside at the counter in this sweltering heat. The first thing I noticed is the lack of a dress code. Decked out in my polo-tee, jeans and brown leather shoes, I felt somewhat overdressed. The other guys were in berms and (*Gasp!) flip-flops.

    Babette draws its inspiration from the 1980s film "Babette's Feast", which is about how a good chef can transform a dinner into a love affair. It is precisely this reason that the wifey chose this place. For starters we had the sous vide Octopus Tempura. One would think that using the sous vide method would make it more tender. However, this was not the case. The batter tasted simple and "home-made" and not in the positive sense, not something that you'd expect from a good restaurant.

Top marks for presentation. Not so for taste.

    Next came the Grilled Asparagus in garlic miso cream. I wasn't expecting much from this dish and honestly, it didn't look like much. A surprise was in store. The asparagus was cooked just right, not too crunchy and not too soggy. The miso cream was of the right consistency. It made the asparagus that much smoother. The deep fried ginger garnish was also an excellent complement. It's tanginess contrasted nicely with the milky-sweetness of the cream, bringing out the best in the asparagus.

Worth a try.

    The starters ended with the arrival of the Crackling Pork Belly. Now this is something to shout about. The dish arrived with thick chunky slices. The 48 hours of slow cooking had really done its job. Pop one piece into your mouth and the first thing you'll encounter is the crunching of the crispy skin. This is followed by the sinking of your teeth into tender meat, as the fat melts away almost simultaneously. For those who cannot take food that is too spicy, the accompanying whole-grain mustard sauce is for you. Slather a generous helping on your meat and experience how it brings out the flavour.

 

Crackling Pork Belly and Babette Chirashi Donburi - both looking equally enticing but oh so different in giving satisfaction.

    We chose the Babette Chirash Donburi for main. It looked promising enough but turned out to be a bitter disappointment. Firstly, the ingredients were not cold enough. Instead of complementing the sashimi, the warm rice prevented us from assessing it's freshness. This resulted in a dish that is neither refreshingly cool nor pippingly appetizing. Who serves warm rice in chirashi don anyway? Some people may enjoy the contrast of hard crunchy pickles against the soft squishiness of sashimi but not I. Besides, the pickles could've been more sour. It was almost akin to eating raw carrots. I would also prefer tuna roe to tobiko any day. Verdict: don't bother trying this dish. All looks and no substance.

    In the end, although we were quite full, we decided to give Babette a chance at redemption. The signature Macha Lava Cake took 20mins to prepare. Frankly it didn't feel very long because I was in good company. First impression, it held a lot of promise.

    As the restaurant would describe it: this is a "green tea infused white chocolate fondant served with home-made azuki red bean ice-cream". Slice into the "cake" and dark green "white" chocolate oozes out. The cloying sweetness almost stung my tongue, as I savoured the sticky goodness of the green tea infused chocolate. With each spoonful of green gooey goodness, I edged closer to the precipice of "over sweetness". Just when I thought I would fall over, a wave of refreshing coolness swept me backwards, as I relished the taste of home-made ice-cream on my palate. Not wanting to lose the sweetness that I just discovered, I delved again into the green softness. This time, the bite of mint brought me back. A spoonful of ice-cream now tasted a tad bland. This was immediately resolved by the intrusion of azuki reds.

 

    To wash it all down, we had a tall glass of yuzu beer. To conclude, Babette is not a place for important celebrations. However, I wouldn't mind chilling out here. Food-wise, there are hits and misses. I probably won't be back too quickly. Maybe I'll try their other offerings in the future. 

The Power Behind The Power

    As we approach the end of our national week of mourning, I feel it is apt to pen down my thoughts. I have held back starting any post on social media, not least because I know my views would probably be frowned upon, but also because this week has been one of self-reflection for me. I am no fanatic of the Man, neither do I belong to the opposing camp. I believe the middle ground deserves to be heard as well.

    The week started off with the announcement that Mr Lee Kuan Yew had passed away. Singapore then witness the new phenomenon of long snaking queues of thousands of people lining up to pay their last respects to the man many regarded as the founding father of our nation. Tears were as commonplace as the NeWater that flowed from our taps. I on the other hand, felt nothing. No sense of grief, no urge to condemn the politician that was no more. I couldn't understand the public outpouring that was witnessed on television. The wifey felt I was heartless and arrogant. Was there something wrong with me? 

    I do not deny that Mr Lee Kuan Yew was a great man. I do recognize the contributions he made to my beloved island of Singapore. Without him, Singapore wouldn't be the First-world metropolis it is today, the envy of the Western media, if I dare say so. I may not agree with all his, and the PAP's, policies. But I am grateful for the life we now enjoy. Can we attribute it all the Mr Lee Kuan Yew? Therein lies the answer to my conundrum. 

    Mr Lee Kuan Yew was a man of his time. He was the best candidate for the arduous task that was to establish the state and build the nation of Singapore. Yes, he had the help of able men, but that's not my point. I believe Mr Lee Kuan Yew was chosen by God for this task. He was appointed for a "time as this". Thus he was endowed with the mental, emotional and physical capacity for the task at hand. Mr Lee Kuan Yew was sought the world over for his deep insights. Where did his wisdom come from, if not from on high? To his credit, Mr Lee Kuan Yew stepped up to the plate and is now remembered by the masses as the man who built Singapore. However, I feel that should Mr Lee Kwan Yew not have done so, the Divine would have replaced him with someone else. God always fulfills His plans. If His plans were for Singapore to succeed and overachieve as a nation, He would have brought that about, with or without Mr Lee Kwan Yew. To put it crudely, Mr Lee Kwan Yew was a positive and successful tool in the hands of the Almighty.

    That is not to say that Mr Lee Kwan Yew, the human being, had no part. I do recognize the sacrifices that he and his family went through to build Singapore; and I'm grateful for it. Mr Lee Kwan Yew was given this awesome task, and he took it upon himself to meet his Destiny. That is the main thing, I believe, we can learn from this man. Everyone of us has an awesome Destiny. It may not be to build a nation, but it will be no less important in the big scheme of things. The important question is whether we are making the most of our earthly lives; whether we are seeking and accomplishing the tasks that we are put on this earth for. I do not know whether I'll meet Mr Lee Kuan Yew in heaven. I know that he did fulfill his Destiny.

    Therefore, you will not find me joining the throng at Parliament House. Instead of hero-worshiping the human being, wouldn't it be better to recognize the Power behind the power? All of us have a task. Are we working towards it's perfect completion? Instead of simply mourning the loss of a sacrificed and accomplished destiny, and then continuing to live our lives as if we owe the world nothing; wouldn't it better to uphold Mr Lee Kwan Yew as an example to be followed? Let's think a little deeper and look within ourselves. There will only be one great Mr Lee Kwan Yew, but we can all be little Lee Kwan Yews. Will you heed the call? Destiny beckons!

Cold-rea (Korea)

    This post is two months late. I figured I better get started on it or I'll never get it done. So here's my first experience in Cold Cold Korea. After about a month, I got to admit I can't remember the Korean names of the places we went. Only one think is stuck in my mind... the cold. It was so cold that getting out of bed every morning was a chore. We based ourselves in Seoul and took day-trips out.

Hiding under my hood gave me little respite from  the cold.

    One thing I've learnt, is that one needs to have an English-speaking guide when visiting the various palaces. There are hardly any English signs. We wandered through the complexes, not knowing the significance of each. It would have been better if we had someone to explain the intricacies of the Korean court and the significance of the various buildinsg and architecture.

You know it's cold when the stream freezes over

Rice wine - a whle pot of it

Korean BBQ Beef. Yummy!

    I was never really a fan of Korean food... until now.

Visiting the "Little Prince" theme village.

    We went on a day-trip to the Naminara Republic; a self-styled "island-state" where the popular "Winter Sonata" drama was filmed. Interestingly, it was "Winter Sonata" that started the Korean drama phenomenon and allowed Korea to snatch pole position from Japan.

Nami Island hotdogs

    Some of the best fried chicken can be found in Seoul. I reckon. It was simply a "hole-in-the-wall" kind of shop but it left me craving for more. So much so that I had to get more fried chicken before we flew back. 

Fried chicken and beer

    One of the more quaint places we visited was the Bukom Hanok Village. This adds another UNESCO Heritage site to our belts. The narrow street, flanked by centuries old, traditional Korean houses, make for a tranquil and pictureque scene. Then it began to snow... It was the first time I've experience such heavy snowfall. Soon the streets were covered in blanket of white.

Street Food. Brings to mind our local "Yong Tau Hu" but much more delicious. Comprising of rice cakes with sweet sauce, an assortment of friend fritters and fish cake in hot soup.

    Being lovers of sashimi, we couldn't miss Noryangjin Fish Market. You can find a huge assortment of fresh seafood in this sprawling complex. Choose a stall with the seafood you want, pick what you'd like to have, pay the noona, and she'll bring your seafood upstairs to one of the various restaurants where the food will be prepared and served.

Salmon sashimi, live octopus (it's so fresh, it wriggles and sticks to your gums) and grilled abalone

The crabs here aren't as good as those in Hokaido. But they're still good nontheless.

    The wifey is a fan of Studio Gibli. So how could we miss the Studio Ghibli exhibition that was going on? To-to-ro to-to-ro...

    Yes, it's food again. This is the best Korean mixed stew I've had - ever. Sweet and spicy sauce, coupled with magi noodles, onions and goodness-knows-what-else. Everyone in the shop finishes up their pot. At the end, they'd even use the remaining gravy to fry you a final rice dish. This is a must-try for anyone visiting Seoul.

     I must admit, I had my doubts about Nanta. I thought it's simply a brainless show where the performers chop food up. Boy was I wrong. It is much more than that. The story line allows for much of the "kung-fu" performance. The performers dazzled with thrie precision. The slap-stick comedic script added much to the enjoyment. I didn't regret it.

A trip to Seoul is never complete withouyt catching Nanta at least once.

Another palace framed by the distant snow-capped mountains.

Ginseng Chicken Soup

Fried pancake.

     If not for the cold, I would've enjoyed this trip a whole lot more. The food was fantastic, the company better. Looking forward to the next trip with the wifey. Stay tune till then.

Birthday 2015: Luke's Oyster Bar and Chophouse

    How time flies. It's a new year and I'm a year older. In keeping with our tradition, the wife took me out for birthday dinner. Several people asked us where we were going. So to satisfy you curious souls, here it is.

Luke's Oyster Bar and Chophouse

    Luke's Oyster Bar and Chophouse is the quintessential American oyster bar, complete with Elvis-era music blaring in the background. Nevertheless, it makes for a cosy and somewhat romantic setting with its dimmed lights. Although the prices don't allow us to make Luke's a staple, the oysters are worth every cent. The rest of the meal was excellent too. So what makes Luke's so special?

     The main attraction is, of course, the oysters. We had a mixture of different oysters. Luke's serve only the freshest. Those that were available for the day included Katama Bay, Matunuck, Onset and Riptide oysters. I'm no oyster connoisseur, but I could really taste the difference in the variety. They ranged from the really briny to the ones with a tinge of salt; from "crisp" ones to those that melt in your mouth. I decided that I most preferred Riptide, which had medium saltiness, whereas the wifey liked Onset, which was least salty. What made the oysters taste even better was the accompanying champagne mignonette. Imagine a hint of champagne, ever so slightly bitter, coupled with the brine and flavour of fresh oysters, melting in your mouth - heavenly. I've had really good oysters, but these were by far the best. It is no wonder that Luke's can confidently assure it's guests that the oysters are "the very best oysters the world has to offer".

    Ever since we had them in Washington a few years ago, the wifey has been on the lookout for good crab cakes. We tried some in an establishment along One Fullerton but those were disappointing. I never expected to come across good crab cakes in Singapore. Boy, was I wrong. True to it's American diner roots, Luke's crab cakes didn't disappoint. It had just enough coating to give it a nice crunch and you can literally feel, taste, and see the fibers of crabmeat. One was enough for the wifey though. And I gladly finished the other portion for her. Excellent choice if you are looking for something to share.

Luke's Bone-in Tenderloin Au Poivre

    For my main course, I chose the Bone-in Tenderloin, medium done. I ordered an extra "half a lobster tail"(that's the white "garnish" on top of the steak). The lobster was good but the steak is the one that deserves more comment. It came encrusted with peppercorn and surrounded by mustard cognac jus. When you cut into the meat, you'll realize how very tender it is. The softness of the meat is perfectly contrasted with the crunchiness of the peppercorn crust. Add the mustard cognac jus and you'll have a wonderful culinary explosion of taste on your palate. Although the wifey would disagree, I know of only two other establishments in Singapore that serve such delectable tenderloin. This is unique for it's peppery crust (I love it) and special gravy. Simply satisfying.

Grandma's Apple Pie

    The coup de grace was Luke's "Grandma's Apple Pie". My grandmother was an excellent cook, but she never made apple pie. If she did, I bet this would have been as good as hers. The soft pastry at the bottom had much cinnamon mixed in. It sandwiches a scoop of maple pecan ice-cream, drizzled with maple syrup, together with thin slices of granny smith. I'm no fan of apple pie, but I'll be a willing convert because of this. It sounds really sweet, however, we found this not so. The wifey, who doesn't like really sweet foods, loved it. The softness of the warm pastry, apple and cinnamon fillings paired excellently with the granny smith. It is hard to find words to describe the welcomed contrast of moist goodness and apple crunch. The cool sweetness of the ice-cream wraps around your tongue, providing a velvety blanket to the rest of the desert. It was indeed a fitting finish to a simple yet unforgettable culinary experience. Thanks wifey.