Credits: Quickpage by Jessica GriffinThe new donut craze in Southeast Asia that is soon coming our way (hopefully). Incredibly light and airy with good java to boot. J.Co, originally from Indonesia has entered the shores of Singapore, Malaysia and most recently Shanghai.
Or something like that. Anthony Bourdain was all praises, enjoying almost all the dishes set before him at Sin Huat Eating House in Singapore.
I actually didn’t know about this episode of Mr. Bourdain’s earlier show A Cook’s Tour until my friend V insisted that we go there for dinner one night in Singapore. If it’s good enough for Anthony, it’s good enough for me.
We arrived at a shabby looking eatery in Gaylang Rd. with tables extending almost to the sidewalk. On one area of the restaurant, there were staffs watching TV. Known to have a line, the restaurant was unusually quiet that night with only a few tables occupied. But who’s complaining?
Our friend V, leaving there for a few years now was given the task of ordering our meal for the night. She did well.
Served first was the scallops in garlic sauce — fresh and simply steamed and then topped with a black bean garlic sauce. The dark sauce does not make for a pretty sight but is high up there in the flavor scale.
Essence of Chicken I am not fond of but this Essence of Chicken Frog’s Leg was a surprise.
They poured the essence over the dish just before serving, which had me worried for a second. But there really wasn’t anything to worry about as the flavor of garlic won over the tonic taste. Overall the dish, albeit not my favorite, came out pretty good.
Winning an award is a good sign, a very good sign for this trademark dish of chef/owner Danny.
The gigantic crab, sweet and firm, was cooked with the beehoon (vermicelli) in a wicked, spicy “secret” sauce that brought Sin Huat to fame. A definite crab-lover’s paradise, if I may call it that.
As mentioned on the clip, this could be the most expensive restaurant in Singapore. That said and despite the lack of ambiance, I see myself going back there on my next visit to Singapore to savor more of Chef Danny’s trademark and try his other fresh seafood dishes. With food this good, who needs ambience?
Most trips to Tagaytay would entail a sumptuous meal at Antonio’s, whether it be dinner or lunch. Lovely food from starter to dessert, great service, throw in a welcoming ambience and you get an experience worth every buck each time. Never fails.
Credits: Papers from LivEdesigns’ SsunFun Paper pack — Moss, Sidewalk Chalk, Stripey and Vineyard. Elements from PouYou’s Pink & Me kit — round stitch / couture 2; Scrapmatter’s Life’s Little Surprises Kit — dbo staple.Over-rated or not, I am a fan. Whether it be the fresh-never-frozen patties, the sweet, toasted buns, the sweet and tangy spread or the fresh lettuce, onions and tomatoes — all together, it is one burger that is without equal – still. The quest for the best burger is still on for many but I think unless I stumble on another that can equal or top this, I remain a fan.
In-N-Out is the place to get real fresh burgers, great shakes and the hottest fries. The menu so simple, unless you go for their Not-So-Secret Menu, has just 3 choices.
The plan was to have a meal at one of the stalls or food trucks parked in front of the Ferry Building. Serendipitously though we managed to get a table at The Slanted Door.
I think this was a day mapped out by providence.
The Phan family owns The Slanted Door, a modern Vietnamese restaurant overlooking the Bay that showcases humble family recipes made exceptional (by Chef Charles Phan) with locally sourced ingredients.
The wait staffs were friendly albeit busy. It was a busy lunch day after all and we were really lucky to have gotten a table without reservations.
We had, to share, the Green Papaya with pickled carrots, tofu, rau ram (Vietnamese coriander) and roasted peanuts. Love the fresh and crunchy papaya with the tangy dressing.
The Grass-fed Estancia Shaking Beef – tender cubes of filet mignon sautéed in red onions and a soy sauce vinaigrette and served with a pepper & lime dipping sauce — outstanding. Even without the dipping sauce, the dish stands on its own. A must-have on every visit.
Perfect with their broken jasmine rice.
This codfish over rice noodle was delish too.
Modern and trendy, The Slanted door is more than the food. It has a sweeping view of the Bay too to go with the food.
The Slanted Door Ferry BldgIf I lived in San Francisco, I’d be hanging out a lot here, spending all my hard-earned money on everything on display. This is my wonderland.
Located at the foot of Market Street is Ferry Building Marketplace. Shops in all sizes offer everything from frozen yogurt to artisan cheeses.
Acme Breads — giving Boudin a run for their money
Superb cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery — I went all gaga with the selections!
On the day we were there, stalls of fruits, vegetables, flowers and a wealth of other products,
which include artisan specialties like ice creams, cheeses and honey occupied the front of the building along the Embarcadero.
On the other side are food trucks and stalls where many from near and far would trek to enjoy good, affordable food.
Taken from the back… stall owners busy preparing orders.
Food trucks and stalls from the front
A really good food truck is Roli Roti that served a mean Porchetta sandwich — they wanted to go home and was selling the last slab at a very good price. We obviously bought it to have for dinner that night. Lip-smacking good!
At the back of the building, one could sit back and enjoy the goodies purchased perhaps from one of the stores or stalls while marveling at a beautiful view of the bay bridge.
As luck would have it, I will be back sooner than I ever expected but that’s a tale for another day. 😀
A reliable go-to if one just seeks for a relaxing time away from the metro is Tagaytay. Nice charming restaurants abound and there is a buzz going around foodies of this new charming place called Marcia Adams. I think it is such a secret that only those in the know would be able to find this place – without any sign that inside is a beautiful garden and a very charming restaurant that serves good food to boot. Close to the main highway at the border of Tagaytay and Alfonso just across Villa Somerset, you will come across a gate, orange I think it is. Stop and ask, most likely it is the place.
Once inside, you will be ushered in through the garden that leads down to the restaurant.
One can also choose to sit outdoor surrounded by a country cottage styled garden. We chose to stay inside overlooking the beautiful scenery of hills and plains.
The interior is rustic, very Tuscan.
The food? Beautifully cooked – all of those we chose at least.
We started with this Amalfi Prawns that is perfectly cooked, succulent and crispy.
We then shared a bowl of Aegean salad, which had a grilled pear on top of mixed greens with roasted pistachio and Italian ricotta cheese dressed in a herby tangy dressing.
For our main, I chose this Grilled Aromatic Pork, which was heavenly. Soft and juicy and packed with so much flavor.
The Fish Souvlaki A chose, a Tanigue kebab marinated in olive oil, lemon and herbs, is also mouthwateringly good.
M chose Chicken Kebab marinated in cumin and yogurt. Tender and delectable to say the least.
All their desserts sounded so good so we each decided to choose one so we ended up with these delightful beauties – the Panna Cotta with lemon sauce turned out to be our favorite and the Guava Shells was quite interesting too. They’re all good!
Next time you’re in Tagaytay, make sure to pay a visit to Marcia Adams; she will definitely delight your taste buds.
Brunch never fails to give me the warm fuzzies because I love breakfast and I love the idea of having my favorite breakfast fare for lunch on a lazy Sunday morning. Brunch also means that waking up early is never in the equation (unless it’s some 100 kilometers or more away). So yay for R who made reservations at Marseilles for BRUNCH before the matinée showing of Green Day’s American Idiots at St. James Theatre on 44th St.
Marseille at the Theatre district is the quintessential brasserie, the menu predominantly French with some Italian, Greek and Moroccan influence thrown in.
The group shared 2 starters. The duck liver mousse topped with a rhubarb gelee was heavenly when spread on grilled bread.
For some reason, I can’t remember how the goat cheese tarte fared – must be ordinary.
The breads however were wonderful.
I chose Portobello Tartine mainly because I just cannot resist Portobello mushrooms and I’d always hear about Swiss chard but am not really sure what they are and if I can find them in my neck of the woods. Despite how it looked, which was kind of a mess, I was happy with my choice. All the flavors were a great harmonious blend.
I also liked the Jumbo lump crabmeat dish of J. Endives has always been a top choice because it never fails to liven up a dish with its refreshing, crunchy leaves while the mustard vinaigrette gave a wonderful kick to the dish.
Not a knock out was C’s Poached Egg’s Provencal. The ratatouille didn’t blow me away, it was not a total failure, it just seemed average. I wasn’t sure if the poached eggs were able to elevate the dish or not. I didn’t get that far into the dish because it wasn’t mine to start with. 🙂
The restaurant, being a top fave of many in the theater district, was busy that the service was quite slow. We were getting anxious waiting for our food as we do have a show to catch.
To make up for the slow service, the staff gave everyone a glass of Cava Mimosa on the house. Nice touch… now how do you give a bad rating for that? I’m not sure though if that was enough to make up for not having our dessert. Probably not, if you ask someone with a sweet tooth like me.
We were in the mood for hot and spicy and Grand Sichuan seemed to be the popular choice that evening. Noted for its fine Sichuan and Hunan food, they have several branches in NYC and we walked to one of their branch in Hell’s Kitchen. It is said to be one of a handful of real Sichuan restaurants in the city. A contrast to the contemporary feel and look of the restaurant, the menu was pretty extensive featuring many of the region’s favorites. The staff were very friendly, also so unlike the typical. The food was, without a doubt, smashing.
We started with some Sichuan cold noodles coated with a nice spicy peanut sauce.
We were there too for their Pork Soup Dumplings (or xiao long bao), which I think was not bad but quite forgettable compared to the ones I had here.
Mapo Tofu will always be part of a Sichuan meal and this one was pretty good.
We ordered Lotus Roots with Baby Shrimps out of curiosity, the shrimps were fresh and crunchy while the lotus roots uninteresting.
The baby shanghai bok choy, sautéed ever so lightly leaving the stalks crunchy and the flavor clean with only the right amount of wonderful fresh garlic.
On our way home, we passed Amy’s Bread and couldn’t resist the warm and cozy smell of bread and coffee,
we entered despite the line and sampled their hot chocolate made of thick Choco paste stirred into hot milk and finished off with a piece of homemade marshmallow. The result was a drink with just the right richness.
The sticky buns, which to me looked like ordinary cinnamon roll and would otherwise just walk pass it were it not highly recommended by both friend and staff. It was sticky and moist and does taste like a better version of a cinnamon roll, I still couldn’t tell the difference between the two, however.
Sea Salt on your ice cream? Or maybe some vanilla ice cream topped with balsamic syrup?
Check out The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck and you’ll soon find out that they are remarkable flavors that will blow your mind. The truck roams the streets of NYC – a brainchild of musician Douglas Quint who announces the truck’s locations on Twitter and on his blog.
And that was what brought us to Broadway and 17th on Union Square one sunny day in October last year. The truck is all about fun and unique toppings that brightens up an otherwise plain soft serve.
Novel and experimental toppings one would not think of pairing with ice cream, from the best-loved crushed graham crackers and nutella, to the innovative sea salt, olive oil, and elderflower syrup to the more radical wasabi and cayenne pepper to name a few.
Manned by no other than Quint himself, the truck was still closed when we arrived and not long after, a line of eager customers ensued.
I ordered their most popular regular – The Salty Pimp, which is vanilla ice cream injected with dulce de leche (something like caramel) sprinkled with sea salt and then dipped in chocolate. The sweetness of the ice cream and dulce de leche fused with bursts of sea salt is a new marriage my taste buds easily took to.
My friend M got the simpler Bea Arthur, which was dulce de leche injected vanilla ice cream and sprinkled with crushed Nilla Wafers – which she says is her favorite.
There were daring concoctions that I wasn’t brave enough to try like the Cococone, vanilla ice cream and curried coconut flakes. – my palate couldn’t marry that just yet. There are however still an army of interesting blends that caught my fancy if only I can handle more ice cream that day… if given more days in New York, I’d probably be lining up again the next day to sample the peppermint syrup and cacao bits topping or its olive oil and sea salt combo or… do you think I should pack up and transfer residence? 😀
my adventure odyssey 