Craftsmen Coffee - Siglap Road

               Almond Latte with a Dark Chocolate by the Side 

             A gem of a coffee joint to celebrate life and have a chat with friends on a Saturday morning. Craftsmen Coffee is just the place. Located at Siglap Road, (new building opposite Siglap Centre) and beside the Cold Storage, Craftsmen Coffee boasts about a dozen brews ranging from your Espresso, Amaricanos, to Lattes to Teas.  My friends Looi and Tom joined me for a morning 'talk cock session'  (banter amongst the 'boys')  and the prices were very economical ranging from 5 to 6 dollars for a cuppa. Teas were starting at 4 dollars.

          Compare this to your chi chi place Tiong Bahru Bakery, this is the better place to relax and unwind after a long hard week chasing orders, managing issues big and small and making short trips to the region for work. There is not as much people coming in and out of the coffee establishment, which is manned by many young baristas mostly in their 20s. 

           The breads, like croissants (I tried one) were not as fresh as the Tiong Bahru Bakery but the coffee and the ambience was the main factor drawing the crowds, mainly young professionals, to sit and chill. 

         I would recommend it if you have an hour or two to unwind at the East Coast  

Bedok Prawn Noodle - Bedok Hawker Centre

My bowl of piping hot noodles cost me $5 

     This morning, I tried the Bedok prawn noodles at the Bedok Hawker Centre next to the Bedok Mall. It was not crowded at 10.30 am and I had the noodles with big prawns and pork ribs. The noodles were either the soupy kind or the dry kind. I opted for the soupy kind. 

     The flavour of the prawn was not very strong, as was the noodles which were not too springy. The pork ribs were soft but no real flavour. The prawn stock however, was quite tasty and the condiments were untouched as I wanted to appreciate the real prawn flavour.

Occupying the Centre Stall at the Centre Aisle 

Verdict, this is not one of Singapore's better Prawn Noodle stalls, or "Hay Mee, Xia Mien (mandarin). There are many better ones at Adam Road Hawker Centre as well as the famous Whitley Road Prawn Noodles now located next to Revenue House. 

I would not make the effort to go there to have good prawn noodles.  

Whip It - LunchMoney

The Case for Karate - Round 2

                         With Sensei Wong Tuan Sing, founder of Shitoryu Karate Association

Karate while it promotes flexibility of movement, balance, strength and endurance, is actually and all rounder sport. It is very physically taxing and the practitioners who have been doing it for decades are all household names. Our coach in our dojo is Hanshi Chia Kwek Fah. For the Shitoryu Karate Association, the chief coach is Sensei Wong Tuan Sing, also with many decades of fighting, coaching and management experience in the martial art of karate.

Sensei Ari Farkash who came today (this is his 3rd year) is an Israeli expert in kumite or free sparring, and his technique is one of smooth flowing basketball style movement whereby the 'player' combines all of the above aspects (first line), with stamina to execute the moves. It is like when we are practising the various poses, then we add the bounce movement to the pose, followed by the punch and kick and punch. The net result is a fluid and fast punch, counter punch, kick, and reverse punch. Done properly it has tremendous reach and power.

I realise my weakness is my flexibility and will endeavour to improve this every single day, till I am flexible enough to do some of the kicks with great ease. This is my short term goal. 

Sensei Ari Farkash, with our team from Ken Shin Kai Club 

While we are trainees in verious clubs, the spirit of friendly training is evident in all of the courses I have attended, as well as the meetings I have been to. The great art of karate embraces life, first and foremost.  While the training is intensive, the social aspect of the art is one which I and my club members appreciate. We are all brothers and sisters in arms, and while the suffering of the art is always a must, the sense of satisfaction after one is able to perfect the move is priceless.

That is the case for karate. Training of the body, mind, and spirit. Healthy mind, body and spirit brings out the best in us.  

The entire group who endured 2 and half hours of free sparring techniques today 18th Oct. 

Finally, the art of karate has eveolved into 3 distinct separate but linked somehow pathways.

1. Martial art - the philoslphy, the art and the behaviour of the proponents must be 
    exemplary.

2. Sports Karate - This is the new trend, karate for sports sake. To score points and win the 
                             bout.

3. Karate for Self Defence - This is the one everyone likes but doesn't practice enough. It is
                                             deadly and used only as a last resort where one's life is at risk.

Fish Ball Noodles at Tiong Bahru - Quan Fa Fish Ball Minced Meat Noodles.

                          Quan Fa (literally "everybody gets rich" fishball minced meat noodle) 

Somewhere in the middle of Tiong Bahru market's food centre on the 2nd floor lies this fishball noodle stall which is a favourite of mine. Manned by the chef, whom I call the 'artist', she very delicately breaks a portion of the noodle into a metal ladle, soaks it into the boiling water, prepares the bowl of noodles with fish sauce, light soya sauce, and vinegar, before mixing the noodles into the bowl.
                 

The small Eu mee noodles are springy and tasty, the minced meat is boiled for several minutes dipped in boiling water, the fish sauce and vinegar are the base for the noodles 

      She then prepares the fish balls, fish cake, minced pork and some small pieces of port lard and boils the lot (except the pork lard) for about 1 minute into the steaming pot of soup. While the ingredients are being boiled, she mixes the noodles into the gravy and finally adds on the ingredients and the end result looks like the above.

     The result is a springy and very tasty bowl of (relatively speaking) healthy fishball noodles which is not fried and with a hint of pork lard. 

     The price $ 3 per bowl of dry noodles with the soup on the side. You can also choose the soup version for the same price. It would be a more healthy choice.  

2 and half months before 2015 comes to an end ; Never Ever Give Up !!!

The economy in Singapore is facing a slowdown, although not many people think it will be a long downturn, but enough to worry many small business owners like myself. In times of crises, I would take financial stock of the business, ensure there is enough cashflow, push for as many orders big and small and hope for the critical breakthrough.

The smile after the struggle, Port Vell, Barcelona Dec 2016 

As in a marathon, the struggle to the finish line is never ever easy, for each race is different,and each year presents a different set of challenges, as is 2015, this year has been really good in terms of numbers, but collections and after sales and managing the vendors have been a new experience for me. 

I am 100% convinced, that we will overcome all these challenges by this month and make this year a great year to remember, even though the challenges are not easy to overcome. 

Finally made it ! 2014 finish line of the SC marathon

       It would also be prudent of me to develop the business in a concentric diversification, circles which are outside the industry but whereby the product at hand can be used in differing and emerging markets locally and internationally.

       A prudent business owner will be mindful that his business needs to be nimble and fluid, but the efforts,vision, guts and the mental stamina and collective will to carry out the plan well will be the final decider of whether we succeed or fail.  2015 is the year we learn, and learning at this age is always a challenge. It is never easy, but it will bode us well in the future. 

Super Lor Mee at Maxwell Road Food Centre

          Right next to Tian Tian Chicken Rice stall is this No. 12 Lor Mee Stall. Manned by a husband and wife team, the Lor Mee is one of the best I have tasted, the gravy is thick and piquant, the fried dumpling crisy, the fried fish also tasty and the noodles are springy and not to thick.

        I normally opt for the No. 5 ; Signature Lor Mee. The flat noodle is springy and tasty, the fried fish nuggets are full of meat and not starch, the fried dumpling is crispy and the fatty pork is plentiful and flavourful.  Give it a generous dose of garlic, chilli and vinegar and you have essentially a quintiseentially Singapore hawker dish.

         Perfect when you need to carbo load and forget about the calories and cholesterol !! 

   

Hard Work and a little Luck Always Pays Off

                                            1st time I broke 6 hours in almost 3 years, 2013

      In life, one must always be prepared mentally and physically for tough times. In tough times, we are forced to think out of the box, be as creative as possible, and work hard at all hours and even weekends. That has always been the motto of most all successful people be it in research, business, development, studying and especially in sports.

      In 2013, I had the good fortune of breaking 6 hours, something I had not done in 6 years when I clocked 4 hours 48 minutes in the 2007 marathon. Looking back, the 2007 marathon was not the most prepared one but I had put aside 3 consecutive months to body condition myself and in October took part in the Treadmill Race at my Swimming Club. 

     Now, I am not the most hardworking of runners, but given my age (52) and disposition 
(small business owner with lots of things to do and run around), well training hard for a marathon is well, time consuming, and , hard.

    But I have decided today 17 Oct that I will clock in 50 km per week for the next 6 weeks in the hope that I can do a sub 5 hour marathon end of this year beginning Dec 2015.

    Is it wishful thinking, or will I be up to the task and pull out all the stops, work extremely hard, and with a little luck actually realise my dream of a sub 5 hour marathon ?

    Go for it Mister Mark !!!!!!  

Kenny Chesney Save it for a Rainy Day !

What an uplifting song ! What bright colours of the sun, the surf, the flora and the beautiful sea.

This is Cat Island in the Bahamas.

This guy has all the 'boy toys' ; yacht, speedboat, guitar, seaplane, fishing rod, surfboard, cowboy hat and aviator sunglasses.  Well good for him !!!

Seize the Day friends

The Thinking Man's cartoon - Argyle Sweater

          This cartoon is normally a single strip featuring just 1 picture so the cartoonist Scott Hillburn has to 'catch' the reader's funny bone (or humerus) and make him see the pun or hilarity in his prose.

          Not easy and not all the time funny. This I found hit the spot just right. 

Lao Ban Bean Curd versus Tiong Bahru Teck Seng Bean Curd

                                              Maxwell Road Lao Ban Soya Bean Curd 


                                     

Tiong Bahru Bean Curd 

        Singapore is a foodie's haven and today's post is comparing 2 best bead curd dishes I have eaten. The top one is called Lao Ban Soya Bean Curd, the original hawker stall was at Old Airport Road hawker center and the queues there were easily about 45 minutes to 1 hour long.

       I bought 2 bowls yesterday 10th Oct of these from Maxwell Road's branch, and tried them, the curd is smooth once the top layer is broken into, there is a sweetness to the bean curd and the flabour is apparent. The price per bowl if I recall is $1.50. Not cheap by any means. 

      The second photo above is from Tiong Bahru's Tiong Seng Bean Curd, the stall is somewhere to the right of the hawker center on 2nd level. We have been eating this for the longest time every sunday after the wife does the marketing and it is cheap and good. The bean curd is dished out from the plastic bins and lathered with syrup. Price for a large bowl is $0.90 and a small bowl costs $0.80. The bean curd is very smooth in texture however, the flavour is milder compared to Lao Ban's bean curd. We had 2 bowls of this today 11th October for breakfast.  

Verdict : Lao Ban is better for taste, but more pricy at $1.50 per bowl. Tiong Bahru Teck Seng is better for texture and cheaper at $0.90 per large bowl.   

Pasta which is Tasty and Fast to cook ; Pasta 101 at Chevron House Basement Food Court

                                         Eating Pasta on a Swing outside Raffles Place on a bright sunny 
                                                                October afternoon
                                                         Taken on 9th Oct 2015

       Today, my friend Hans Brys opened his shop called Pasta 101 at the basement food court of Chevron House at Raffles Place. He has a range of fast to cook pastas ranging from Penne, Linguini and Spaghettini. Price for starters are $  6.50 per box and add $1.00 for extra sauce with chicken, ham, cheese and tomato. Drinks are priced at $1.00 to 2.00 for a bottle or can, very reasonable. The shop is located next to the Indian fast food and Mexican fast food and has attracted already some curious first time customers. 

       I bought a box and it was delivered to me in less than 1 minute. The key to his food tasting so good is in the sauces which are imported from Belgium. I devoured the entire box within a short time, and I delighted to say that in my biased opinion, the pasta is going to be a winner.

                                            Basement of Chevron House, Pasta 101 

      
                                                           Hans, way to go !! 

Ann Siang Hill and its Treasures

                                                Taken from the top of Ann Siang Hill 
                                                                10th Oct 2015 

       After such a hefty breakfast of chicken rice at Maxwell Road Hawker Center, what better way to burn off the excess calories than to take a stroll up the Ann Siang Hill ? I decided to do just that and round out that the Hill was named after a famous Businessman philantropist, Chia Ann Siang. He was one of the most successful Hokkien traders of the early 20th century and bought the entire hill from the then Governor of Singapore.

       The roads surrounding Ann Siang hIll are peppered with small shophouse style establishments featuring many Food and Beverage outlets with fanciful names such as L Angelus (French fine food), Los Primos (Spanish tapas and drinks) and Gugini (Italian trappatoria) all lined side by side.

3 Fine Restaurants Side by Side.  

Gugini Trattoria and Pizzeria 

L Angelus - Fine French Dining 

                          Los Primos Restaurant and Tapas Bar ; try the Iberico Ham with Sangria

                                     At the Top of Ann Siang Hill 10th Oct 2015 

      Where else in the world would you find culinary establishments from easily 10 countries from UK, Germany, Continental Europe, Middle Eastern and Asia all within a 5 minute walk from each other ? None other than Club Street and Ann Siang Hill !! 

     

Maxwell Road's Hawker Centre Tian Tian Chicken Rice

                       S$ 3. 50 for a small plate ; $ 5.00 for Medium and S$ 7.00 for Large

        The Maxwell Road Hawker Centre is a magnet for tourists from all over the world ; In it there are world famous hawkers such as Tian Tian Chicken Rice which has been featured in Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" as well as Gordon Ramsey's famous Hawker Center Cook - Off (taking a leaf from the famous Dance - Off in Hip Hop).

         Somewhere in the center of the Hawker Center, the Tian Tian stall always attracts queues from lots of tourists and some locals daily. They are open from 10.00 am till the chicken runs out ; the famous boiled Hainanese Chicken rice is the "piece de la resistance"
so to speak.

         Living in Singapore surely has its upsides, one of which is that it is a food lover's paradise. Here you can buy a meal for only $3.00 which is described by many food afficiandos as "world class". 

        Coming back to the plate of chicken rice, I feel the rice was especially fragrant, the grains were separate and nice texture, but the chicken in my opinion was a let down.  The boiled chicken (without the chicken sauce) just "so - so" ; there was no fragrance or much taste, though it was tender and succulent. I would give it at best a 6.5 upon 10. The chicken was drowned in the gravy which was thick and most people would find it appealing, but true chicken rice does not come with the sauce. 

        The real test is in the chicken. I personally prefer the Boon Tong Kee chicken at United Square or even the Big Bird at Balmoral Plaza for their  flavourful chicken but at Big Bird's, their rice is rather clumpy and not as good as Tien Tien's. 

       I ordered a separate plate of stir fried bean sprouts with some challots ; that was OK,
for S$ 2.00

      Verdict : Tien Tien well, if you want to try authentic Hainanese Chicken Rice, it is good for first time starters.   

The Case for Karate

Just a gimmick ; breaking bricks 

      Karate is a self defence martial art, originating from Okinawa island in the late 1800s, it has been around for about 150 years and there are 4 main schools, Shotokan, GoJyun, Shitoryu and Wadoryu. The discipline which I have been practising for the last 12 - 13 years and the also for 7 years in chilhhood is the Shitoryu, namely from the master Kenwa Mabuni.

       Our chief instructor is Sensei Chia Kwek Fah, an 8th dan Hanshi who has over 50 years of karate training.He is in his late 60s is as fit as a fiddle and as flexible as a gymnast. He is the technical consultant, founder and sensei of our Ken Shin Kai club since 1997 based in Tanglin CC and with a subsidiary dojo at the National University of S'pore Alumni Club at Kent Ridge Guild House.  

Idoshigyi or movement 

         Karate is more than a martial art, to differentiate it from the new more 'sexy' sports like kickboxing and Mixed Martial Arts which is nothing more than trained street fighting, karate is a way of life, and the actual translation means 'empty hand fighting'. 

          The development of karate has seen much evolution of the martial art but the true essence of the art is about discipline, form, function and self defence. No karateka goes out to make trouble, and we have very strict codes of conduct from the 'rei' bowing to seniors and the 'moksuk' or meditation which also delves into the spirit of the karateka.

        The training 'gi' or uniform harks back to the old days of feudal Japan where each school trained the students to fight to the death, hence the wearing of while 'funeral clothes' in the event of death - with honour of course.   

                                            Teaching the dojo at Tanglin CC Sept 2015 

        I am taking the 2nd dan exam in a couple of months time, so I hope to understand more about this centuries old art and the philosophy and way of life which is still being practised by millions around the world today, 

My Saints 'Boys' from Class of '78 (Sec 4)

      From Left to Right round the table : Specs Pang Seng Meng, White shirt : Albert Heng, Apparoo Surendran, Me, Michael Tan Joo Liang (specs), Chew Ping Nan (white shirt and organiser), Dr. Jeffrey Kuan, Andrew Lee, Kenneth Fong, Chandrakanth Mahawar, S. Thulasidas, unknown, Paul James Ezekiel.  

      As I hit my '50s ; there is a more urgent need to reconnect with the friends of my youth, which are the 'boys' from St Andrew's Primary and Secondary. So every year (or 2), my friend Ping Nan, faithfully rounds up the Usual Gang of Suspects (who are the 'boys' of the class of '78 Sec 4 Saint Andrews) and we make every effort to go Back to School and reacquaint ourselves with teachers of old, the classrooms and of course our long lost 'band of brothers' whom we played marbles with at the school yard, swung by the Banyan tree beside the school, played truant with the then discipline master Mr. Victor Wee, played mid afternoon soccer in the school field and coming in to class stinking to high heaven.

     These are what our collective memories were made of. We cannot go back but we can always reconnect and have a laugh about the 'good old times'. While some people think aging and growing old is scary, it is a rite of passage of life, so we need to accept life, as well as death and the ups and downs which we are given in heaps and doses.

      Are there 'winners' in life ? Or are there 'losers' ?  I am still pondering that question today. But in the meantime I cherish every meeting with my old 'bros' of yesteryear. 

More on Egypt - 25 Jan 2017 Update

The Sun setting on the River Nile

      One of the most fascinating places I have visited is Egypt ; The Nile is called the Giver of Life and the Country is split into the north and the south by the river Nile. There are numerous cruise ships (mostly European run like the Movenpick brand name) which ply the Nile and the best time to visit is in Winter. The weather is cool (something like 17 - 20 deg C in the daytime) and the ancient structures are simply stunning. I would visit this place again in no time !

     There is a great opportunity for me this year 2017 as we have some business in the Middle East and since Egypt is in the vicinity, I might just go back for one more unforgettable visit. The must visit places are :

The God Ra with Ramses II

a) Luxor - so many temples are located there.
b) Alexandria
c) Cario - the National Museum housing the Rosetta Stone is there
d) Abu Simbel
e) Aswan - Dam
f) Hapshetshut - the one and only time Egypt was ruled by a Queen
g) Valley of the Kings

May at Luxor

The last 6 years since the start of the "Arab Spring" has led to some instability and insecurity in the region, however, I believe that tourism is an important aspect of many a country's GDP so there should be ample avenues to pay this magnificent country a visit ; just to see the once in a lifetime pyramids and amazingly built temples.

A relief on the side of a column

Consort serving the god with some earthly food

Ramses II and one of his wives

Greek influence can be seen on the column

Unforgettable Egypt

Trick Photo at a vantage point about 500 m from the pyramids

One of the most unforgettable countries I have visited must be Egypt, straddling Africa and the Middle East, it is dominated by the amazing river Nile which stretches from practically North to South of this country. Home of close to 70 million Egytians, Egypt is a country of many wonders and in particular the gods of the past which many people speculate were from another planet ; such was Egypt's sophisticated calculations in building the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings and all the wonderful temples which have withstood thousands of years, it is indeed an amazing country.  

The coronation of Ramses II with 2 gods front and back 

Our family took the 10 day tour of Egypt in 2009, and we started at the city of Luxor where the great temples of Ramses I, II and others were all situated. They believed in many gods, in particular Osiris and Ra being the 2 most important ones. The sense of grandeur is still present today even though present day Egypt is still struggling to come to terms with a democracy after many years under the rule of Hosni Mubarak and Anwar Sadat. 

Unforgettable Nile river in the evening, with the sailboats at left 

                                       The boys at the Aswan dam on a sunny day 

How to Live to be 100 Years Young ? Keep mentally and physically Active.

                                                  My Uncle N. Vaithinathan turned 100 in August 
                                        (Center picture with my brother John and his family)

My uncle Vaithinathan turned 100 recently, and the family of whom he married my father's younger sister Esther Abisheganaden, had a big dinner to celebrate it with about 60 of his closest family and friends. It was held at the NUSS Guild House and true to his humble nature, he was his ascerbic self.

A very humble and devout man, my uncle Vaithi and my aunt Esther are the perfect couple soulmates, so to speak. They were teenage lovebirds and he was formerly the principal of Tanjung Katong Primary school. He retired at age 55, then studied law (!) and practised for 17 years. At 73, he took up linguistics and learnt and is still studying to this day ! He is a master of 5 languages, and never lost his faculties or wit as was apparent on the day of his birthday. He was known to bother his grandchildren about the intricacies of the computer usage, and the various types of Microsoft Office software, something I am ashamed to say I am lagging in that department.

He also would take daily 5km walks and is an avowed non smoker. He does drink the occasional whisky I believe. The secret to his logevity ? Keeping mentally and physically active and interact with as many young people as possible. Be needed by the community.

We are indeed blessed to be part of his family, and wish him many many more years of good health and joy.

  

Playing and Winning as a Team

                                          Doing the Ido shigyi (Movement ) in Karate class 

      It is one thing to do well individually, but as a team, far greater achievements can and will be reached. It is not easy to train, then gel the members together as one cohesive unit, but I am very determined to achieve that with my last try as a business unit with my company.

      The challenges are very strong now, from what we can see, but we will still need to press on ever higher to achieve the goals and stay the course so that when the economy does pull out from the bad times, we can again fly high. 

       Team building is always on my agenda, but team cooperation and coordination is ever so important for success. No company ever flies high due to 1 to 3 persons, it takes a cohesive and sacrificial team of perhaps 5 or more to achieve that.

       Lets do it !!! 

       

Work Hard till Year's End ; Payoff will Come

Christmas 2013 

This post is a strong reminder to me that, despite the tough economic conditions, the business environment still remains tough, manufacturing sector in Singapore still remains 

and there are needs to test and purchase equipment, only with more stringent conditions attached to them.

I must lead my team to innovate, be creative in our sales and marketing and not shirk new ways of doing the business. There are people wanting to take away all the hard earned wealth of our country, so Singapore, in particular Singaporeans have to adapt to the new climate.

Never fear, try new emerging industries which we have identified, and PRESS ON. Success is just around the corner, do not look at failure as an option. Only the strongest and the most adaptable survive.

 

Right Man for the Right Time ; Never Ever Give Up !

                                             England's Greatest Prime Minister, the British Bulldog


         In life, there will be everyone's 15 minutes of fame. Some people keep that fame for decades, some never achieving anything noteworthy to anybody. Then, there are the truly great people who happen to rise to the occasion when crisis strikes an institution, a community, a family, an organization, a society or even a continent. During the 2nd World War, a little known Minister called Winston Churchill was thurst into the limelight and became Britain's only hope of survival. By sheer strength of character, the British Bulldog coaxed, cajoled, bullied, mocked, and rallied through sheer force of his speeches a people who were bombed day in day our by the Nazi Luftwaffe.

        He put up a brave front, and is renowned for so many famous speeches when all else looked doomed. The famous Battle of Britain was fought above the white cliffs of Dover, and south eastern London. Many young men, barely out of boyhood, died or were injured beyond recognition figitning against the best of the Luftwaffe. Many dogfight strategies were crafted by 'kill or be killed' where it was a survival of the most cunning, or luckiest.

      "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall never ever surrender this little plot of Heaven, this our England" was his famous rallying cry. 

      To that ends, he was the Man who stood up during Britain's darkest hour and never backed down. The modern world owes him and the millions of Allies who fought, were maimed and died for the just cause.

     Sir Winston after the war was a misfit in Parliament, his time to shine was rightfully during Britain's darkest hour. 

  

Family Bonding Time

At my Brother's Christmas party 2013

My 2 young Men 

         When I was younger, I was always wanting to prove something to myself. Now that I am firmly at the age to reflect about life, I feel I am very blessed in life by God to have the family that I have, the business I have started and am still struggling to bring it to a decent size, the friends whom I have interacted and made over the years, and country I was born and continue to live in.

        A quality family life is the most important facet of my life. It has provided my stability in the most mentally strenuous of times, as well as an assurance that whatever the future holds, there is always my family as my rock to help sustain me. My faith in God is also another unshakable facet of my life.

      Raising a family surely has its challenges, its ups and downs surely, but the rewards are immeasurable by any materialistic terms.  

     Daemyung Ski Resort, Dec 2010 with son Andrew, and friend Aaron Leung

Fantastic Udon Noodles in Shinjuku - Thanks to Google Maps and a Food Blogger named Fried Man

                                   
                            Street View ; picture taken from Jay Friedman blog, Sensational Eats

Its Great to be Young

                                                Eagerly awaiting for tomorrow am 


The vigour of youth, the nervousness of the old, the caution thrown to the wind,
The tremendous expectation of what is to come, visiting a land so far away,
With youthful eyes unfettered by life's ups and downs, 
The Boy who will soon become a Man.

Let him fly, let him try, let him fall, and let him crawl
For when he senses that what the world is at hand
Then and only then, I will say to him,
My son, you will become a Man.

Seize the day, for what it is worth, 
Carpe Diem, young Man
That day we will never see again.  

Kyubey - 2nd best Sushi in Tokyo

     

             Located on the 6th floor of Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku district, this sushi is the famous  Kyubey. I chanced upon this 6 star restaurant when reading about sensational eats in Shinjuku from this renowned food blogger, Jay Friedman (Blog : "Sensational Eats")         The main outlet is located in Ginza, but this outlet has only been opened half a year, hence, the availability of seats. The best sushi in Tokyo goes to Jiro Sushi at Tokyo station, where all dignitaries are offered a chance of sushi heaven from Jiro, the master himself. There is an art film called "Jiro dreams of sushi" about his life and his 2 sons, and their very demanding and exacting craft. Food can only be considered an art when it has taken decades of painstaking training and repetitive drills to achieve the multitude of flavours exploding in the customer's mouth. 

The Japanese are very accomodating people, especially to foreign guests and visitors to their country, so when we just 'dropped in' to the restaurant unannounced, without even a forward reservation, when normally it would take 6 months or longer to reserve a table, I tried my luck and asked brazenly for a table. It was a stroke of good fortune, that being a rather wet and cold night, many regulars had decided to cancel, so we were politely ushered into the main dining room.

                                                               I am in sushi heaven



After the meal, I declared that this was the best sushi I had EVER tasted, such was the high standards created by the food artists behind the sushi counter. Every single piece was an art work, and the flavours cannot be adequately described in a blog post. I will leave you with the picture of a plate of sushi, which if, it was an art piece, would be comparable to the Mona Lisa. 

9 pieces of raw heaven 

Keio Plaza Hotel, Shinjuku