Back in Jakarta after a long while....

The last time I was in Jakarta, I was speaking at a press conference, riots had broken out in the city center, and we were rushed in an executive car to catch the first plane out of the country. It was pandemonium., and I left with a bitter taste in my mouth. I am fond of Jakarta and the mellow almost sedate Indonesians. I share their preference for food with sweetness and chili – I am accused rightly it would seem for my tendency to rely on kecap manis for seasoning roasted meats. I can do without caramel or fudge sauces in sweets, but give me caramel sweet sauces or dressing for savory meats any day. I digress because I am sat in a food court perched on top of a shopping mall called “Bellagio” with “Vegas” in its tagline. This is a vastly different Jakarta – it is embracing western culture, wealth and the changes are stark in my mind. I am staying at the Ritz-Carlton and get dropped off at Oakwood next door, where Fitness First is located. I run 5 km in 30min 30secs. So I am famished. In Oakwood, there is a Starbucks and an up-market store like the type you would get in posh neighborhood, stacked with Kettle Chips and chocolate biscuits from Belgium or Switzerland. The influence of Singapore is quite disconcerting. In the “Bellagio” shopping mall, there is a Guardian pharmacy. In Oakwood, there is a Penang Bistro (nasi lemak for 59,000 rupiah, satay for 29,000 rupiah) with free Wi-Fi.

I choose the food court instead – how can my first meal be a western one? (Well technically, my first meal was the buffet dinner last night at the Ritz-Carlton but who is keeping track huh?) I choose Satay Ayam, Satay Kambing and Sop Kambing (i.e. Chicken Sate, Mutton Satay and Mutton Soup). The chicken sate was quite nice, came with pink mini-shallots, chili-padi, and what tasted like kecap manis. (See I told you they put kecap manis on everything). The mutton soup was a clear broth with mini-chunks of carrots and celery, served again with Kecap Manis! The Mutton Sate was a mistake to order – it is very tough and over-cooked. The mutton soup had a lovely taste but I am not sure why they served the bones, which were used to create the broth (which was chewy and inedible). The total price came to about US$6.00, which left me thinking perhaps I should have had the nasi lemak at Penang bistro. I am glad I did not – where is my credibility as a foodie journal if I eat Penang food in Jakarta??? Shot I would guess. (If you are asking where is my credibility now, I will smack you.)

Kopi Tiam, Girlfriends and Chin wag

Kopi Tiam really tries to bring local food to those of us who are allergic to sun and humidity. On a day when the temperature hit 36 celsius, and you still want hawker food, Kopi Tiam can be a pleasant surprise.

So for those of us who have spent the past 2 years at least in the Northern Hemisphere, Kopi Tiam is a lifesaver.

I met with Marguerita whom I have not seen for at least 10 years (perhaps more but that would give away our age wouldn't it, and girls don't reveal their ages) and Soh Chin whom I met in April (she who took me to the Star Trek premiere). What better way is there to spend an afternoon than catching up with long lost friends, girly chat and chin way, and pretty decent local food? Margerita certainly enjoyed her extremely lemak Laksa which came in a big claypot - certainly, the lemak soup is so thick it is more like a sauce than soup. Soh Chin has the Hainanese Chicken Rice which looked good although M and I thought the chili condiment wasn't quite so authentic. I had a second lunch appointment, so I ordered rojak to share. It was not bad, except i tasted onions in the rojak. Why would anyone put onions in rojak? Ugh.

M goes back to New York, lucky girl. Bon Voyage M! See you in NYC - i hope very soon for me!

Time Travel: Pandan Nasi Lemak, Tanjong Pagar (June 1st)

I met up with Seow Hiong at Tanjong Pagar to sample some Pandan Nasi Lemak last Monday. The Tanjong Pagar MRT station is set out very much like Raffles Place MRT station - a mini-labyrinth of underground retail shops, food outlets, etc. I have not been to Tanjong Pagar MRT station for years - it has changed so much. The Tanjong Pagar Food Court and market has not changed a bit. It looks clean and well-maintained. The fruit stalls are selling a brisk trade with fresh seasonal fruit currently longans and lychees. SH and I met at one of the staircases leading up to the food court. Of course, I was waiting at the wrong one! Thank goodness he found me and we walked up to my food heaven. I did my pupillage at Loh & Partners around the road at Neil Rd, so I have fond memories of the nasi lemak at this food court. SH recommended the soy braised duck with giblets. Nasi Lemak was good, and the duck even better. After placing my order for nasi lemak, I noticed there was a relatively long queue forming at a second Pandan Nasi Lemak stall. I hate it when that happens....

Wisma Atria: Thye Hong Hokkien Mee

We are such creatures of habit. Yes I am talking about you too. Don’t deny you are among the hundreds if not thousands who queue for Hokkien Mee at Thye Hong in Wisma Atria. Is it a sign of progress or sophistication - when you are embarrassed about enjoying a plate of wonderfully cooked noodles just because it is located in an air-conditioned shopping mall, it is part of a chain of food outlets (Food Republic) and it is a tourist attraction. Or is it just food elitism? Stalls with A grade rating cannot possibly make food taste good! This is a dilemma for foodies in Singapore – can clean and hygienic food taste great? Tasting good is not a problem, but great? So I am coming out of the closet and declaring that I have eaten many times at Thye Hong, queued up multiple times and I would continue to eat, queue, eat and queue. I am not ashamed to say that I really really like the Hokkien Mee at Thye Hong in Wisma Atria Food Republic! Ta-da! (By the way, the Hokkien Mee at Far East Plaza next to William’s rojak is quite good too, and it is cheaper than Thye Hong. And no queues.)

Time Travel: Back to Sun 31 May (P.S.Cafe)

Sunday brunch is always a treat in Singapore. Marmalade Pantry is a tried and tested Sunday brunch favorite – you are never disappointed. However, you are also never surprised and the café menu has not changed very much over the years. On this particular Sunday, we decided to try out P.S. Café in the same building (Palais Renaissance). I felt like a traitor, walking past Marmalade Pantry to get to PS. Café on the first floor. Surprisingly, Marmalade still had several tables open for lunch – perhaps we were still early. You may know the original P.S. Café’ is in Paragon neatly tucked behind a fashion retail outlet.
This is more spacious with high ceilings that create a contemporary remake of a colonial café. Nice atmosphere and creating some buzz. We placed three orders – Wagyu beef burger, Spaghetti and Banana pancakes. It was food cooked well and nicely done. I cannot rave about P.S. Café like I did with Delicious in KL. Their menu simply does not stand out, and does not excite like Marmalade’s menu of more than 6 years (plus or minus a year or two, who’s counting). It needs to be simplified, and punchier. Owners of P.S. Café, please take a leaf out of Delicious in KL. There is no reason for me to go back to P.S. Café otherwise.

Singapore (again): Whirlwind food tour resumes...

I am back again in Singapore for another round of catching up with old friends and colleagues, consuming more local food whether it is new experiences or revisiting old ones. The best cure for jet-lag is greasy stodgy food. At 7am, Sunday morning we walked to Killiney Rd (from Emerald Hill where we stayed) searching for roti prata or nasi lemak. We found the Casuarina Club - the name and brand looked familiar to me - perhaps somewhere in Dempsey Rd or Holland? John ordered Roti Prata with Cheese and Onion (he has this combination with omellettes and in a sandwich too). I was feeling really piggy so I had an egg roti prata and plain thosai (or dosai as it is also known). Perhaps it was the jet-lag, but it was quite good. The thosai was particularly good for me - more subtle in flavor and of course, it is not fried in lard. It is more like a pancake with a sour yoghurt tang. I like buckwheat pancakes very much but i think thosai beats it. There is clearly room for a thosai pancake house!

So you would think this is a good enough breakfast for me. But no! I spotted a curry puff stall right next door to the Casuarina Club. I bought a couple of curry puffs to try, and vadai, which is a south indian snack always served with a green chilli. Vadai is basically a dal based batter - lots of variations on the ingredients, but i like the prawn vadai with a fresh green chilli. I used to buy them by the dozens at the stall in Siglap - this indian lady makes it fresh and hot - she is sold out by 3pm each day. She always gave me extra because I went so often. It is a simple healthy vegan snack deep fried in vegetable oil. Who can resist deep fried? The fresh chilli is a superb accompaniment. The curry puff was very good by the way - thin crispy skin with half an egg inside. It is not fat and stodgy like the Old Chang Kee. but light and leaves you wanting more. I am definitely going back to get some on Weds next week when i am back in Singapore.

Bocca di Lupo: regional italian cuisine tapas style in the heart of Soho

Dinner at Bocca Di Lupo (12 Archer Street) did not disappoint tonight. In fact, it exceeds the rave reviews and high expectations I have received from friends who have been to the Soho establishment. I called ahead of time but the tables were fully booked tonight. Since we were able to arrive early (6.30pm), i did some hard nose negotiations to secure 3 seats at the counter by the chef's "pass".

The restaurant presents the highlights of italian regional cuisine (umbria, tuscany, sicily). We ordered about 3 starters, 1 side dish and 4 mains to share, all of them small plates.

The starters were pan fried fresh porchini on toasted bread with lardo, fristo misto (i.e. seafood fried in a light tempura-like batter) and deep fried buffalo mozzarella balls. The mains were zucchini flowers and prawn risotto, lobster and mussels spagettini with pork and foie gras sausages, pan-fried crispy plaice with a gremolata, and some deep fried artichokes (roma style) on the side. Other than a bit too much salt on a few items, every dish was excellently prepared and tasty. It cost a bit more than Barrafina (about 105 quid for 3 people as compared to 80 quid for 3 people on Saturday night) although the latter is a bar with food (probably the best one in London!), rather than a restaurant.

I saw a bunch of dishes that I didn't try - such as roast suckling pig, beef with balsamic glaze (see photo), parma ham with cheese and what looks like fresh green peas, the crunchy looking salad with pomegranates, etc. The menu changes quite frequently which is always a good sign - the menu on their website is a sample only!

As they say in singapore, this restaurant is "Die Die Must Try"!!! You can see from my face and those of my sister and friend (raymond) we were very satisfied indeed. Salut!

Bank Holiday Roast Chicken

Usually, my roast chicken is a fairly standard recipe - a whole chicken, seasoned inside and out with lots of salt and pepper, perhaps chinese five spice, with some browning agent such as chinese soy sauce or a honey glaze on the top to provide the crispy skin. After eating the chicken, you can keep the bones to make a good chicken stock.

On bank holiday Monday yesterday, I reversed the standard roast chicken recipe. You begin with taking the bones out of the chicken. It is takes a bit of practice, and once you get it, you will find it is relatively simple. Start to de-bone the chicken from the backbone - taking the a sharp knife to lift the skin off, moving down towards to inside of the leg. I prefer to keep the bone intact for the lower drumstick. Remove the upper thigh bone, and work your way down to the breast bone. Keep your knife close to the bone as possible. I keep the bone on the wing for the same reason - keeps the shape of the chicken even after the bones are removed. Repeat the process for the other side of the chicken. You should get a chicken in a "butterfly" shape. You can move the fillet of breast into the gaps between the thigh and wing. (If you can't be bothered doing this, or my instructions are too hard to follow, ask your local butcher to de-bone for you!)

Prepare a chicken stock with the bones - adding onions, celery, carrots and my own preferred ingredient, a quarter of a fennel bulb. You can add herbs - e.g. lemon thyme or parsley - which goes well with the stock.

The stuffing consists of an apple (preferably Bramley cooking apples), lemon or lime zest and the juice of the lemon or lime, parsley, melted butter and breadcrumbs. You may wish to bind the stuffing with an egg. Depending on the palates of your guests, you can add slice fresh chillies or stronger herbs such as lemon thyme. Sage goes well with the chicken stuffing too.

Before you spread the stuffing evenly inside the "butterfly" cavity of the deboned chicking, you should add a few knobs of butter in the center where the skins meets the breast. This will keep the breast meat moist and the skin cripsy too (from the inside). Bundle up the chicken (see photo) with stuffing inside, and tie with 5 pieces of string. It should be firmly held together by the strings, not too tight. Line the remaining fennel build on the bottom of your roasting dish with onions (French ones are the best i find). Roast for about 40-50 min for 1.5kg chicken (preferably free range corn fed chicken - tastes much better). Start at high 220 celsius for about 15-20 mins, and then turn down to 200 celsius cover with aluminium foil.

I like to serve with roast potatoes, slow-roasted tomatoes (with basil and sea salt), steamed carrots, and the cooked vegetables from the bottom of the roasting dish. In my case, I served cous cous infused with the chicken stock and flavoured with sultanas, lime, fresh coriander and salt cured lemon slices.

Prima Laksa at home in London

Is it relatively cheaper to buy a pack of laksa from Prima and cook the ingredients at home as compared to going to restaurant where they serve laksa? In Singapore, you can buy the Prima Taste Laksa pack for about SGD$5.50 (approximately 2 quid). You will need the noodles, fish cake, beansprouts, prawns and tau kwah. Total cost = approximately 6 quid (and you still have leftovers). The malaysian restaurants usually charge about 6 quid per bowl. The Prima Taste Laksa pack serves 2-3 persons. I rest my case. More importantly, was it tasty? It was rather good especially with your own fresh ingredients, it does seem to taste better. I have tried this pack previously, and if there is any laksa soup leftover, you can only keep for 1 day maximum. :)

(Actually, I would like to make my own laksa paste next time...)

Barrafina and my sister's birthday treat

Finally i made my way to Barrinfina, the tapas restaurant extraordinaire I have heard so much about from so many. There is almost as much buzz about this place, as Bucca di Lupo (although the latter is fresh and recent buzz).

It was my sister's birthday last week, so it was my treat for her. Laura was able to join us for an early evening dinner. We were at Barrafina slightly after 6pm and we still had to wait about 40 mins. While we were waiting, we had warm bread with spanish olive oil and about 30 slices of Chorizo Iberico with nice glasses of wine. I had a glass of Miralmonte Joven 2007 red, Laura had the Sonsierra 2007 white and my sister had the Etim rose (not sure what year). It was a very nice way to start the evening!

The place is counter top seating only - is it smart design or it is only what they can afford (as compared to Arbutus down the road). Whatever it is, it works. When we sat down, the queue was rather long and by the time we asked for the bill at 8pm, we could feel the heat rays from the eyes staring into the back of our heads.



The food was worth the wait - the razor clams was cooked on a hot-plate (similar to teppanyaki) - with minimal seasoning or herbs to bring out the natural juices and flavor. It was tender and perfectly cooked. The octopus was again cook sparingly - some of the most tender octopus I have had - topped off with capers - this dish reminded me of japanese cuisine without the fussiness. The first two dishes really hit home for us. Fresh seafood in London - unbelieveable!


The chick pea, spinach and ham salad came next - the color combination was right but it did not deliver on taste. We had super-high expectations for the tortilla. Since we were sat at "the pass" where the chef was working her magic, and right behind her, the tortillas were being cooked in a tiny round saucepan, we could see, smell and experience the tortillas flying out of the kitchen. The prawn tortilla was probably no. 25 in line - no kidding! It was slight under-cooked on the inside, and not overcooked on the outside. Personally, I like my tortilla slightly charred at the edges! It was tasty and well done. Poor tortilla maker - not much job satisfaction there!

The grilled quail and Iberian pork loins came next - the taste of each of the meats came through very clearly. The potatoes served with the pork was according to my dinner companion, over-salted. I thought it was tasty with the caramelized onions.

In the middle of service, the chef "at the pass" was talking to two ladies about 4 chairs to the left of us. I don't recognize who they were but clearly, they were being pandered to, since the chef gave them some fresh sea urchin to sample. Being the busybody that i was, i asked the chef in English if I could order the sea urchin. She pretended not to speak any English. My friend Laura who is conversant in Spanish asked the same question. She replied they are "familiars" implying they get special treatment.
I commented (in English) that the two ladies didn't seem to appreciated her gesture, and I would (since I am a big fan of sea urchin aka "uni" in japan). I have had live sea urchin in Vancouver, BC (Canada), Sydney Australia and Tokyo Japan. I am an expert for heavens sake! A few minutes later (or what seemed like hours), the chef offered me some sea urchin - see the lovely photo I took. It was fresh and tasted of the sea. I fully appreciated the gesture from the chef. The roe was not fleshly and the sea urchin was in my view, probably under-developed. It was more akin to the sea urchin used in a bouillabaisse (the famous fish soup found in Marseille, and one of the dishes i have yet to try in my food journey), not the version served in a Japanese sushi restaurant. Nevertheless, doesn't it take a marvellous photo. It made me sit up and take notice! Coincidentally, from the back of the kitchen, about 10 sea urchins appear and they are gently placed on the fresh seafood counter. There were many customers wondering whether to order or not. The British are colloquial when it comes to food, eh? (And the chef did not charge me for the sea urchin either - thank you!)

Overall, i rate Barrafinas for its superior quality and fresh seafood, for the pure entertainment of being able to watch the cooks grill, steam, gasp at new creatures on display, and the sheer audacity of the simple treatment of good food, cooked well. After all, this is the whole point of my blog. Good food done well. Well done Barrafina!

meal for one (part 3)

This is a standard meal for one - put 2 baking potatoes in the oven with 3 or more garlic cloves with lots of olive oil, good pinch of salt and pepper, and bake until the crust is brown and crispy - open a can of Heinz Tomato Soup, add some home made croutons you had saved in the fridge from the stale bread from last week, mix up a green salad with simple dressing (e.g. balsamic vinaigrette) and voila! a cheap nutritious healthy and sustaining lunch for one! (Note: the single red apple)

meal for one (part 2)

I got bored eating by myself, so i made nasi lemak (coconut and pandan leaf flavored rice), cooked a fish curry using mackeral, fried some peanuts and deep fried some anchovies. I used the wrong anchovies unfortunately - this type is more suited to soups or frying with vegetables - it was already pre-salted.

It is fairly simple to prepare, and took no more than 30 mins in total to cook. It is comfort food for one person. And no leftovers ok? 98% of the time, i don't like leftovers...

meal for one

There is a fine art of cooking for one person. Did you know you can stir fry bulbs of fennel? They are actually quite delicious when combined with soy sauce with a bit of sugar to produce a syrupy result. The ingredients are simple - start with 2 cloves of garlic, onions (sliced length ways), the sliced fennel and if you can stand it, 2 bird's eye chillies, and fry in about 2 or 3 teaspoons of oil. Once the onions start to go translucent, add slice courgettes. Cover with a lid over your frying pan and allow to cook for about 2-3 min. When the courgettes have slightly browned, add the sliced chicken or turkey. Cover again with the lid for about 2-3 min. The pan will get really hot at this point and you can start the stir-fry. Add soy sauce and a touch of sweetness or even balsamic vinegar. If you have leftover sweet corn, whether fresh or canned or frozen, you can add to the pan. Cook for another 2 mins on high heat, switch off the heat with lid on and let the meat naturally cook for another 2 min. The meat should be tender. (To ensure tenderness of chicken or turkey slices, you can pre-seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and a bit of corn starch). Serve with rice or if you are too lazy to cook rice for 1 person (or don't want left-over rice the next day after cooking rice for 2), then you can also have with bread - the sauce goes well with it. For me, I am having the muesli bread i bought yesterday morning with my stir-fried turkey with fennel. I feel so healthy!

By the way, I was cooking my dinner, talking to my friend Dexin in Singapore and ordering 2 pairs of snazzy shoes from Swear in Carnaby Street for him online. Talk about multi-tasking!

cha cha moon, carnaby street

My friend Pak Sen was visiting London over the weekend and we managed to catch-up on Sunday (the day after Eurovision in case you need some context). I knew Pak Sen from when I was living in Singapore back in 2000 when we lived in Club St, near Chinatown in Singapore. Pak Sen now lives in Sydney so it is difficult to take him to a place to eat, when where he comes from has some of the best food. Pak Sen tells me that Wagammama is hugely popular in Sydney. In his opinion, the food is better in the London branches.


So I thought I would take him to Cha Cha Moon, the most recent enterprise of Alan Yau. I have not been to Cha Cha Moon for awhile - prices used to be as low as 3.50 quid per plate. Now you are hard-pressed to find something for 5 quid. I ordered the Seafood Ho Fun, Pak Sen ordered the Beef Ho Fun, we shared choi sum and the mooli (carrot cake style). I must admit the quality is disappointing - both ho funs were too oily, and the mooli was acceptable only. Perhaps I have been to Cha Cha Moon too many times now?

euphoria over euphorium bakery, hampstead

I am mildly euphoric over the fresh bread and cakes at euphorium bakery in hampstead (www.euphoriumbakery.com/). It is a drive by infatuation, since i pass the shop each morning after walking the dogs on hampstead. I drive up to parliament hill and park next to the house where George Orwell used to live, right by hampstead. After the dogs are exhausted sniffing for rabbits, squirrels and god knows what else, we (dogs and I) are starving. This is a contributory factor to my attraction to euphorium. The photos speak volumes. The bread selection is authentic with french style baguettes, muesli bread, sour dough, etc. For this particular morning, I choose the muesli bread. At the same time, I spot there are only a few pain au chocolates left and a fresh batch of carrot cake. The midday cakes are still baking in the oven - i smell banana cake in the kitchen. Damn I am early for banana cake. In the end, I left with muesli bread, pain au chocolate and carrot cake. I am a happy boy! Life is good...