Day 3 Como Saturday 2nd Dec 2023

Como Day 3 2nd Dec 2023 (Morning Overcast 4 - 8 C, afternoon Sunny 8 - 10 C).

The 3rd day started slowly for us, and we departed north from Milan to Como. Now Como is the must go place for the jet set. George Clooney and a lot of Hollywood stars have huge houses there, by the huge lake. We mere mortals are just gawkers to an elite lifestyle only reserved to the rich and famous.

About 90 minutes by train from Milan, lies the lakeside town of Como. I had booked off peak rates for 3 nights, something like EUR 150 per night for the service residence called Como City Home. It is located at Piazza Petro Peretta 6, 22100 Como. 

To be very honest, it is in the heart of town and the Christmas market is in the square just outside the apartments. Just 30 minutes away is the Carrefour supermarket so everything is  nearby and accessible. 

We checked in and met with Matteo who resembled an Italian version of the British actor Russell Brand . He gave us some recommendations to try out for lunch and we did, and the result is the photo below :

Osteria dal Pain

Lake Fish 

I had the risotto with pork which was rather salty and with a strong vinegar taste. To wash down the food, I had a glass of Chianti. We noticed that there were very few Asian tourists when we were there, but there were many Italian local tourists.

After lunch we walked to the funicular railway which brought us to the top of Brunate Hill. The price of EUR 3 was really inexpensive, and the view up there that afternoon was spectacular ! 

The Funicular Train up Brunate Hill to the top overseeing Lake Como 

2nd Dec 2023 

The view of the whole lake Como from Brunate was amazing, and we could see all of Lombardy all the way to the Alps.

After taking multiple photos and some videos, we returned back and decided to walk along the Como waterfront. The weather turmed for the worse, and we retreated back to the apartment by 5pm. 

View from the top of Brunate Hill. Picture Postcard Perfect. 

Some illuminated .walls of the town centre. 

Day 2 Seta Marina Mandarin Milan Post 2 of 2

 

Risotto with Tartufo Flakes (Truffle) 

The chef, Antonio Guida has been at the helm of Seta for close to 10 years, and I am happy to say that he has retained his support from the 2 of us ! His 'piece de la resistance' (showpiece) was none other than the off menu Tartufo Risotto with cream. The fragrance was amazing and the entire truffle (easily costing EUR 1000) was brought to our table to have the flakes shaved off it.

I have never seen a truffle in my life before this day ! It looked the size of a large human brain and diners to the left and right of us, were making up their minds to order this off menu dish.

This is akin to the 'omakase' of the Japanese chefs who will do a special if the dish is in season at their diner. Price of the Risotto with Tartufo Flakes ?  EUR 98. 

Experience : Priceless. 

19 to a dozen of the best pastry and chocolates I have eaten. 

There were plenty pastries for us to try, so much so that we resisted the urge to 'dar bao' or takeaway these delectable eats as we were full after our main courses on the whole, and we entered into the bingeing phase of our holiday. 

Some entree with radish and jelly

 

There was another dish, which I unfortunately did not get to snap a picture of, and that was the Turbot with tofu, potatoes and mushrooms. The dish is called Rombo (not Rambo but close enough !) She said good things about that dish too, so both her dishes were winning ones.  

Rather odd soup, crown of chicken. 

There was a rather odd looking free add on dish, called the cock's crown. It was a clear soup with the combs of the crown adding to the flavour. It tasted rather 'heaty' and there was a strong poultry taste.  

 

The happy couple having a wonderful meal on a cold, dreary winter's evening. 

To cap off a thoroughly enjoyable evening, I had a glass of chardonnay to celebrate my journey to 60 odd years of age, with my health seemingly OK.  I must be thankful to my other half, for keeping me disciplined especially when it comes to eating. I have reined in on my eating of snacks and bar foods, and I have made a resolution to  cut back as much as 50% of my snacks on a daily basis.

After an excellent and delightful 2 hours, we headed back to our hotel / apartments. I would highly recommend that chain of hotels too as they are highly professional, very centrally located (some 4 minutes walk to the Duomo) with excellent sound proofing and cosy hard beds. You can get good deals from almost all the various booking platforms.

Duomo Hotel and Apartments.

Via S Paolo 13

20121

Milano

Italy.

www.duomo-apartments.com

 

Day 2 Dinner Seta Marina Mandarin

 

Maialino

Suckling Pig with chickpeas,cream, Savoy Cabbage, Scallop and Gentian sauce 

Day 2 evening Friday 1st Dec 2023.7.30 pm

==================================

I booked the 2 Michelin starred restaurant once again to celebrate my belated birthday 4 days earlier. Seta at Marina Mandarin Milan is a culinary connoisseur's delight the world over. Truth be told, I am not a foodie. I just tag along for the ride, with my wife's good taste as the barometer of what translates a meal ranging from very poor, average, good, very good and exceptional.

Would we be delighted once again (as in 2017 when we first came here, 6 years ago) or would this be a major and expensive let down ?  Read on to find out !!!  This fine dining restaurant is located on the ground floor of the 6 star Milan Mandarin Oriental and the address is as below : 

Via Monte di Pieta 18

20121,

Milano

website : marinamandarin.com/en

Tel : +39 02 8731 8897 

Seta Menu

======== 

The Menu is subdivided into 3 distinct parts. La via del Seta (Seta's Way), Qui e ozo (Here and Now) and Cacciagione (game). You can choose the 8 course degustation menu for EUR 230 to 240 with an additional EUR 200 for the appropriate wine pairing. Or you could also do the a la Carte at EUR 160 (2 course) and EUR 210 (3 course) instead. We chose one of the 2 course and one of the 3 course menu respectively. 

Astice Blu

Roasted Blue Lobster with "Lazzalo" sabagliane leek and Matcha tea  

With the exception of the meal we had at Dempsey in June 2023, (Tinto restaurant), I would dare say that this meal at Seta is the best meal (culinary presentation, flavour sensation,  service, ambience and charm) of the whole of 2023 for me. 

The lobster was superb and the mashed potato below it served as a nice filler for my hungry tummy. Serving portions were small, but that is the way it is with fine dining, they want the diners to try the ' degustation' or tasting menu whereby as many as 6 small dishes (before dessert) so that the first timers or casual dining folk can experience as many different taste sensations, flavours and food textures to write home about (like me).

Service was very attentive, the waiters and waitress ratio to diners were practically 1 : 1. Tables were not that close together and the ambience, while it exuded one of quiet elegance, with the clink of champagne glasses and the hum of small talk and sophisticated laughter (fake or not ?) in the background.

I looked a bit like the poor country cousins with my tourist rugby shirt and jeans, but it didn't matter.

The suckling pig 1(see first photo) came disguised looking like a vegetarian dish. The savoy cabbage obscured the brown pig meat below, but the way the fusion dish turned out, I was pleasantly surprised at its presentation. Frankly, I prefer the pork done  the Chinese / Spanish way (roasted till dark brown) and the crispy and crunchy thin skin part of the baby pig is so tasty just eating it without attenuation. 

The dining area ; 

there is a large bar area out at the front where you can have your aperitifs and hors' deuvres before the main course. 

Fusilloro 

Pasta with horse mackerel, herring roe,king crab and juniper.

My third dish was the Al Dente Pasta as shown above, Italians love their pasta done the Al Dente style.That means chewy and with full flavour. If I had to rank my dishes, I would say this 

1. Lobster

2. Suckling Pig

3. Pasta

The next post will present the dishes which my better half ordered. They were much better than mine 

Carpe Diem. 

Trip to Italy 29 Nov - 14 Dec 2023 (Day 1 and 2)

This is a short online diary of our year end trip to Italy last December from 29th Nov till 14th December. It was lengthened by 1 day owing to the theft of my backpack on the 12th December in the train heading back from Venice to Milan.

That shocking incident notwithstanding, the trip was a very memorable and happy one for us. Here are some short posts of the days from the start to the finish. This is personal to me and I hope to read it when I am old and grey (hopefully) in the distant future and look back at the sweet memories which were created by us in December 2023. 

  

Pointed Steeples of Il Duomo 

AY 132 Finnair ; Singapore Changi to Helsinki. Its a 13 hour flight with a 2 hour layover in Helsinki. Uneventful, and I even had a nap of 6 hours. Upon arrival in dreary Helsinki, its -5C and snowing. We board the connecting flight AY 1751 to Milan Malpensa airport.

Funnily enough, I always prepare mentally myself whenever I travel with May to be on my guard. Its been ingrained in me for close to 40 years of travelling b9e it for work or leisure,that  while there are fun times, we MUST always be guarded against 'unknown unknowns' and the Western Europe we have been visiting (for me anyway) on a regular basis since 1990 (over 34 years) has changed tremendously in form, diversity and safety in major cities and even cuisine. When I first travelled to Germany by myself in 1989, I drove from town to town by car and was viewed as an oddity or even perhaps a novelty.

In the '80s Asians made up only a small minority of visitors and were even lesser inhabitants in many Western European cities. 

Now in the early 21st century, Asians are in every nook and corner of Western Europe. They are working at all levels, as cooks, waiters, bellhops, middle management, to the high ranking professionals such as doctors, venture capitalists and even senior management in European firms. They are part of the new Europe.  Although small in percentage, their presence is significant

As far as tourists go, Asians form the largest bulk of guided tours during June, October, September and December period. Purchasing power wise, well, lets say some of these folks spend A LOT  on branded goods so much so all the major boutiques in Paris, Milan and London have Asian or Chinese sales personnel serving these customers. 

Gargoyles on the side of the Church 

Day 1 Milan (3 - 4 C Overcast) 30 Nov 2023 

==========

Arrive at Malpensa airport. Took the bus to the main train and bus station in town. There was a train strike that day (30th Nov). Had lunch at the station restaurant. Took the taxi to Duomo Hotel and Apartments (4 minutes walk to the Duomo Cathedral). 

4.15 pm Took taxi to Piaza Santa Maria die Grazie. The church there houses the magnificent fresco of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. (See below)

Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper 

From L to R 

Bartholomew, James son of Alpheus, Andrew, Peter, Judas Iscariot, John, Jesus, Thomas, James the Greater, Philip, Matthew, Jude Thaddeus and Simon. 

The fresco is magnificent and awe inspiring. It is housed in the main hall of the Santa Maria die Grazie Church. The legend has it that the Allied Bombers knew roughly where this painting was during the second world war and spared the worst of the bombing around this section of the city. Nonetheless the building was damaged and the fresco was left to the elements for several months till the Allied Victory. 

It took several decades to restore the fresco to its former glory and I am utterly privileged to have viewed this 2. times in the last 7 years. 

After the viewing, I walked back to the hotel in slightly drizzly weather. 

We had Panini sandwiches  at the shop just beside our hotel which were AWESOME. I had the sandwich with Parma Ham Brie Cheese and Rocket salad made by the sandwich artist.  

                                        At the Panini Shop ordering sandwiches 

Day 2 Milan ( 6 - 8 C Slightly Sunny) 1 Dec 2023

==========

Weather is rather overcast this morning, we have a brunch at the Panini shop beside the hotel. I had the same sandwich as the night before. As dessert, we tried the tiramisu which was decent although a little soft.

I recce'd the meet point for the afternoon tour of the Duomo. Its outside a coffee shop along Piazza Duomo and there is a Christmas market set up along 3 sides of the Duomo. 

The street scene of Milan 

Christmas Market 

Tour of Duomo with rooftop access. 

In short, for the next 3 hours, we were treated to a history lesson and were paired with a threesome family from USA. First lesson of the day. The Duomo is Gothic inspired and the second largest only after the Notre Dame in Paris. 4 distinct aspects of Gothic architecture.

a) Flying Buttresses

b) Gargoyles

c) Stained Glass Panels

d) Pointed Church Arches

The most famous Gothic church in Europe is Notre Dame but the Duomo in Milan is the earliest design.Gargoyles are designed into the church's facade to ward off evil spirits coming into the church !

 Marble Complete Panel 

The floor of the church is made painstakingly from marble sent from Lugano, Como and Verona. There used to be a system of canals 600 years ago for the barges to ship them inland from the factories up north.

Stained Glass at Side of Church 

We took the elevator to the top and what a sight it was ! We were very fortunate that today 1st December was a rather cold and overcast day that there were much less tourists. So we more or less had the roof ourselves There were only 20 - 30 people today, whereas on any summer's day, there would literally be hundreds. After taking the obligatory photographs, we walked down the 197 steps. 

At the top of the Duomo with Flying Buttresses behind 

Anyway, the Gothic design of the church was a reaction to the Enlightenment era's emphasis on rationality and classicism. The Gothic design came after the Romantic Movement, which emphasized emotion, imagination, and individualism. So it was Gothic, Romantic and then Gothic again in that order during the Enlightenment era from 1400s - 1700s.    

At the rootfop of Il Duomo Milan. 

In the transit hall at Helsinki early 30th Nov2 2023 

Episode 2 Backpack Stolen in Train from Venice to Milan

 

The magnificent Duomo in Milan

The second episode which I encountered was during last year's visit to Northern Italy Lombard region. After 12 glorious days savouring the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of the Lombard area, we were heading back to Milan from Venice. My wife and I were satiated with all around us. Wallets thinner, health restored through days of long walks and appetites  fulfilled with the finest Italian cuisines. We were ready and happy to head home.

We booked the Business Class carriage departing from Venice to Milan. Our error was to not take the non-stop train. Rather, the train we took was with several stops in between and that was where we were outsmarted and conned. Let me sidetrack and say this : 

The Italian people are very accommodating and nice. There are many polite ones and there are the not so nice ones. Every society has its good and bad hats, there are no exceptions. It is a sad state that many major cities in Western Europe have major crimes ranging from gang attacks, stabbings to petty crimes like burglary and pickpocketing. The fact that there is rampant petty crimes in any country indicates the level of social degradation over the years in that country.

Piazza de Duomo Milan in 2017 

The root cause is economic stagnation (sometimes for decades) leading to an underclass who resort to petty theft to feed themselves.Its a sad situation when people have to rip tourists who essentially bring much needed commerce and cashflow to a country. Italy had a major economic crisis in 2008 and had to borrow money from the IMF.  

Gargoyles on side of Duomo 

Back to my (mundane and unfortunate ?) story.  We settled into our Cabin which had marked seats linked to ticket class and passenger name. So I thought we were in the clear. My wife and I sat facing each other and I  put my backpack above me in the clear glass overhead rack  and hung my trenchcoat by the side hook, there are 2 for every 2 seats just above the window.

The train left the station and I looked around the cabin. The people there were all businessmen and women. Well dressed and seemed to be regular commuters on this type of train. I had foolishly left my passport, and my phone inside the backpack. 

I dozed off while she was occupied with work on her phone. The train stopped at a couple of stops and I looked up ever so often to see that the backpack was there. This was my long held procedure to be alert.

Along the way, some people came into our cabin and on the pretext of sitting at the next set of seats behind us, placed another backpack right above mine. I was threequarters asleep and did not notice anything amiss. Since there were backpacks, I thought one must be mine and I thought nothing of it. 

The person who did this was very schooled in the art of deception. They must have tried this trick numerous times on numerous trains with considerable success.

At the next stop, he or she got out and took my backpack. I was dozing and never took notice.

Only when it pulled out of the station, I got the shock of my life. My backpack with my precious passport and phone were gone ! I went into overdrive, my wife did not see anything amiss and went to the station master.

I reported the loss to the station master and the rest of the journey was fraught with worry and frantic planning. Fortunately I had the presence of mind to buy travel insurance and only the passport and spare phone were gone.

 I will leave that story for another post soon.  

Christmas Market by the Duomo Milan 

Precautions to Take when travelling to Western Europe 2016 - 2023 Experiences Episode 1

 Nov 29th 2023

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci 

My wife and I have had our annual 2 week holiday at each year end, since 2014. With the exception of 2015 (major project in S'pore), and 2020 - 2021 (COVID 19), we have travelled a total of 7 times, once to Japan and the remaining 6 to Western Europe. Average trip time 12 - 16 days. Places visited during these 9 years  :

a) London

b) Paris

c) Barcelona

d) Nice

e) Cannes

f)  Turin

g) Monaco

h) Milan

i)  Florence

j)  Pisa

k) Roma

l)  Venice

m) Como

n) Madrid

o) Seville

p) Cordoba

q) Lisbon

r)  Athens

s) Napfoli

t)  Santorini

u)  Mykonos

v) Cinque Terra

w) Tokyo

x)  Hakone

Precautions .- from me, a seasoned and somewhat disillusioned traveller on 'free and easy' trips 

There have been 2 major 'downers' for me.  I was pickpocketed twice (in 2016 Barcelona and 2023 Venice - Milan train) that has made me come to the conclusion that for travellers visiting Europe, they had better do the following, lest they end up with some major inconvenience and some mental distress if they end up losing their handphones, passports, credit cards and the like. With the bitter experience I have had, I now advocate using the following contraptions :

 

a) close contact sling strap on bags for their precious documents like passports and phones

b) bring only 1 or 2 debit cards 

c) If possible, carry a spare phone and not the one you normally use for work.

d) Buy travel insurance.

e) Always stay alert as best as you can

f) Trust no one especially at public places or places or interest. Eyes are on you all the time, the thieves can spot a tourist a mile off. 

Please, my dear readers and followers. Be prepared. There are a lot of unknown unknowns in Western Europe when visiting. The thieves work in gangs and they are very sophisticated.

Episode 1 - Dec 3rd 2016. Born district Bareclona

We had arrived and were thoroughly enjoying the scenery, food, wine and general laid back atmosphere of the Catalan countryside.  It was day 4 and we had already visited the following 

a) La Sagrada di Familie 

b) Parc Guell

c) La Ramblas

d) La Pedreira (Antoni Gaudi designed house with 0 sharp edges). 

e) Marina 

At Hotel Rooftop overlooking the Marina Dec 2016

The tapas on the whole was world class, and we had a lovely 4 days, triapsing all the places of interest plus the marina at the waterfront. I had witnessed personally 2 people being chased down by their victims and naively thought 'Nah, wont happen to me !'. I was so wrong !

The 4th evening we had arrived, we ventured to the Born neighbourhood. It runs perpendicular to the waterfront and the early winter evening was full of locals and tourists just eating al fresco with fire heaters warming up everyone. The feeling was, in effect, somewhat magical.

My wife and I chose to dine al fresco at one such Tapas place, and there was another party of around 6 people at the next table. We had just arrived, and while waiting to place our order, I foolishly placed my Samsung 10 (new) on the table. The party next to us left and, I slouched over and looked at the menu.

A tallish man came over on the right of me, and I rejected his offer of flowers. When he left, I remarked that who would want to buy plastic flowers for their partners ? Little did I know that they (the syndicate) had made the first attempt at my phone.

A small man then came over, and placed Flamenco dancing flyers under my nose. I pushed his hand away and he disappeared quickly. In a flash, I realised my phone from the table had been swiped when he pushed the flyers under my nose, at the same time taking my phone

I jumped up but he was no where to be seen.

It was a major shock to me. Beware !!!   

I will go again to Europe, the only way to overcome your fears (of being robbed or worse) is to face them but with renewed, more guarded demeanours and the wisdom of living the experience. 

At the rooftop of La Pedreira, Barcelona

Dec 2016

Dinner at Sebastien Mother's Day Dinner Post 2 of 2

The entrance of Venue by Sebastian 

Situated on the ground floor of the Downtown Gallery (opposite the old Singapore Conference Hall), the Venue by Sebastian is a fine dining restaurant operated by the chef himself with fine dining dishes, French Asian fusion style and with prices more down to earth. 

Most dishes are priced within the $20 + to $30 + range and there are many starter dishes priced at $15 + range. It presents good value for money.

On the day we were there, it seemed like there were plenty of repeat customers from the way they spoke to the wait staff and the way they seemed familiar with the menu.

We have only been here once before (in 2019) and their business on a Saturday evening is, well, very good.

Farro 

with mushrooms, Kanbu Butter, poached egg an9d Paggianco Cheese

This was the first time I was eating Farro, so it was a very pleasant culinary experience for me. It is a protein and tasted a bit like minced meat, if I were to give it the closest tasting experience for it. 

Ribeye 200 g 

The Ribeye was also above par and for $42 + it was well worth it. The medium doneness felt more like medium rare and the texture was smooth to the palette.Bravo to Sebastian and his team. 

All 4 dishes we ordered were above par and the duck confit was exceptional. 

                                                                      Duck Confit 

The service provided by the mainly Singaporean staff was above average, professional and friendly. They filled the glasses of water without prompting, they took orders even before needing to give them a headsup.

Their training to serve is one of the better experiences we have had in Singapore.

We were so full by the main course, that we totally forgoed the dessest. I must say that we will come back again.

Venue by Sebastian

Downtown Gallery #01 - 02

6A Shenton Way

S'pore 068815.

Tel : 6904 9688 

                                                                  Pork Collar 

 

Venue by Sebastien - Mother's Day Dinner 11th May 2024 Post 1 of 2

 

Located at Downtown Gallery behind the CPF Building is this gem of a restaurant called Venue by Sebastian. Sebastian Ng is a highly decorated chef  with global experience in London, Tokyo, Melbourne and Turin and started his restaurant in 2017. He has plenty of regular clients and his fare is European with an Asian twist.

We started with the duck confit with lentil and lettuce. The duck was really flavourful with the crispy skin and tender meat. I enjoyed every single bite of this signature dish.

Priced at low $30s this is a must try dish.  

Pork Collar dish was equally superb as it was grilled just nicely with some pink flesh inside. The sauce of mayonnaise was a perfect foil to the heaty meat. However, I would recommend this dish who love tender pork grilled to perfection with some fat.

Priced at high $20s again this dish is truly value for money.

Seating ambience.

The seating is much like a canteen and not like fine dining, which is perfect for Singaporeans who are happy eating in simple settings so that the prices of the meals can be affordable. 

Would I go back again ? Yes. Surely. 

What dishes would I try again ?

Duck Confit. 

Very Good Dry Pork Noodles (Bak Chor Mee) at Evans Road Food Centre

There is a small food centre (Sprouts Food Place) by the side of Botanic Gardens and the Swimming Pool, off Evans road and just before Cluny Road.  Why I know it is there is because, I frequent the place after my morning runs along Dalvey Estate Road, and White House Lane.

The food court is entirely air conditioned, and you can park your car at the open air car park lots beside. Around 8 am - 10 am there are numerous people who will adjourn there after their walk at the Botanic Gardens nearby. 

There is a drinks stall, a noodles, stall, a zhi char stall (Meiben Food Stall) and a Malay food stall (Botak Jones).

I am the only exception, as I am the only runner who runs around the weekend at that time and finishes at the front of the food court, more or less.

The Dry Pork Noodles is the best I have tasted in a long while, to be honest. I normally order the Mee Kia Eu Mee (its also called) or thin yellow noodles (you can also choose from Mee Pok, Sit Mee, Mee Kia and possibly Mee Sua - thick white noodles).

There are 2 prices available, $ 5 for small bowl and $ 6 for a large bowl. I recently tried the large bowl and was bowled over by the numerous ingredients put in it.  Let me try to describe the experience :

The noodles are springy in texture, the ingredients are plentiful There are :

a) 3 large pork balls

b) at least 4 - 6 slices of pork loin

c) generous minced pork portions

d) mushrooms

e) spring onions chopped

f) pork lard (you can request these to be8 omitted).

Do try to drop by one day and see for yourself if indeed the Bak Chor Mee is one of the best or just another run of the mill ?

The closest MRT is Botanic Gardens and you will need to walk about 5 minutes along Evans Road stretch.

There are plentiful signs informing passing cars of the presence of Sprouts Food Place.

Do give it a drop by.

You will not regret it.