Tiong Bahru Yong Tau Fu

                                   S$ 5 dollars for 1 bowl ; Coffee is an extra $1.50 


Today, I ventured to the far end of Tiong Bahru (if the Market is considered the Center), at the corner of  Eng Hoon Street  and Kim Tian Road lies a shophouse. At night, it converts into a drinking pub and the young millennials, Western expats and locals all converge for their nightly 'fix'. Tiong Bahru Yong Tao Fu costs S$ 5 a bowl and since I do like Yong Tao Fu, I tried one.

The main bowl consisted of 8 pieces of dao fu (bead curd cakes collectively) in a bowl of soup. The bee hoon or rice vermicelli was lathered in a red gravy cum sauce and the last was a generous dash of oyster sauce. The whole setup was garnished with some chopped spring onions and fried shallots.

My verdict, pretty delicious on the whole. The vermicelli was springy and tasty, I guess there was some oil in the bowl, the red sauce was sweet and the taste of chili was not too spicy.

The yong tao fu  fish balls were savoury, as were the tao fu which was bean curd wrap over fish cake and the soup was also savoury tasting of not too sour spicy flavour.


Food   :  4.8 out  of 5 

Service :  4.0 out of 5 (the lady boss was very polite and efficient)

Ambience : Roadside walkway cool 5 out of 5

Presentation : 4.0 out of 5  

Overall Rating : 4.5 out of 5        - Excellent !  

Shitoryu Kata - Kururun Fa

Thailand Ram Inthra (Minburi) 24 - 26 May 2017

Chilling out at a small coffee shop selling freshly brewed coffee

           Situated to the North East of Bangkok, some 30 minutes drive, is Ram Inthra in the Minburi district. Our representative there got us a gem of a resort called Syn Siri Resort. It has a resort feel though with no facilities except for a clean room, toilets, friendly reception staff and fresh towels every day. For THB 1000 (S$ 40 or US$ 28) it is a steal especially for us business folk who have no need to base ourselves inside Bangkok and wasting the additional half hour or 45 minutes to get in and out of the city.

        The Ram Inthra Road is a long stretch of road, and our resort was at the flyover turnover near Fashion Island. Further infield lies the Panya Inthra Golf Club, one of the most prestigious clubs within Metropolitan Bangkok.  I had an hour's run during my stay in Bangkok and the footpath is wide and even, something which my joints appreciate !  There are a number of food shops by the roadside selling grilled fish, papaya salad, fried seafood and soups so we always have clean food at very decent prices just at our doorsteps.

View from my room at the 'resort' 

Friendly hawkers 

        The prices offered by the hawkers are very reasonable by Singapore standards, for THB 40 to THB 55 (small or big bowls) which comes to about S$ 1.80 (US$ 1.40) and S$ 2.30 (US$ 1.80) you can have a bowl of nutritious pork noodles with lots of vegetables like spring onions, towgay (bean sprouts), lettuce and morning glory

        Je Kann coffee cafe which is situated right by the roadside, is a gem of a shop with a very friendly owner, Kew and her staff. A coffee latte or coffee mocha freshly brewed is only THB 50 (S$ 2.00 or US$ 1.60). A Cappucino or an espresso is slightly cheaper at THB 45.

      You can sit away in the cool airconditoned cafe by the roadside looking out into the green courtyard with frangipani and other local trees. Very soothing and relaxing indeed  ! 

This is too funny !

Egypt Ramses II - Abu Simbel.

Relief of Ramses 

          The news that the discovery of another 30 odd mummies in the Valley of the Kings comes with very little fanfare. The fact that Egypt over 2000 years ago was the epicentre of technology, mathematics, science arts and culture wandering through the ruins and temples of Luxor, Om Kombo, and numerous others along the Nile river is testament to that.

          Ramses II was the most prolific ruler of that millennium and his likeness in statues, reliefs, cenotaphs and even temple walls is for all to see. Sadly, the situation now is not too conducive for tourists to come and visit, although I would gladly revisit this fascinating country to re-examine many things.

                                        With our Tour Mates outside Temple of Nefetary

  

         He lived till the amazing age of 82 (when the life expectancy of people then was a measly 35 years or so around the 2500 BC era !) That fact alone is testament to his strength and vitality. Many Egyptians feel that the temple at Abu Simbel, some 200 km from Aswan (which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1965) was the work of not just humans and there was some 'extraterrestial' knowhow imparted. The magnificent temple was found submerged and the Egyptian authorities rebuilt it brick by brick. The front temple was dedicated to Ramses wife as can be seen in the picture below.

The Temple of Nefatary with 3 visible statues of Ramses and one worn out due to erosion

         How could the innermost chambers of this temple where the statue of Ramses II be lit up only 2 times a year ? The anniversary of his birth and the anniversary of his coronation ? This, bear in mind, was built some 4000 odd years ago, and the mathematics of mapping the stars and the Sun to be so accurate even by today's standards is mind boggling.

      

        

'Shiok' Breakfast - Tiong Shian Claypot Frog Porridge

Tiong  Shian Claypot Porridge along New Bridge Road 

        Situated in Chinatown, opposite the old Pearl's Hill Center and along New Bridge road in a coffeeshop sits a lovely stall selling, yes, Frog Porridge. In Chinese it is called 'bao tian ju' or literally field chicken. Back in the day, some 50 years ago, the frogs were still being caught in the ponds near the open fields and cooked for their protein. Nowadays they are all farmed probably in Malaysia or Indonesia.

        I had this 'shiok' breakfast this morning (20th May 2017) after running an errand at approximately 10.45 am. Situated along the roadside at the corner of New Bridge Road and Keong Saik Road, there is this coffeeshop with dull green awnings to accommodate the overflowing customers I hear the place is packed late into the evening and early morning. 

                         

                                          

     The bowl of porridge and the claypot came together as did my 'you tiao' or dough fritters. The 'you tiao'  was hot and crispy. This meant that it was recently deep friend, just the way I like it. 

     I ordered the frog in black sauce with ginger and spring onion (small) for $8.00 and porride for $0.60. The verdict ? The sauce texture was just nice, not too thick or watery and very flavourful. It had a slight hint of oyster sauce and pepper inside it and it is best mixed with the porridge. The frog (don't be squeamish you guys from the Western Hemisphere) was very tender, and the legs do resemble that of a miniature chicken, minus the fat. There was some skin again which was tender, and resembled chicken skin only smoother. 

Looks like chicken, its very tender and 'springy'  (LOL)

    There were also other body parts, such as the back bone and 2 flaps of skin, which was also very nice to chew. The entire meal was in my opinion, 'shiok'  - very tasty in Singlish

but it is a heaty  ('heats' up the body) dish, so I suggest drinking some lime juice or herb tea which is sold by the coffeeshop in cans to wash down the 'heatiness'

     Rating  (out of 5)  

a) Food :  4.8 out of 5  (really 'shiok')

b) Service:  4.0 out of 5(prompt and polite, this is hawker stall by the way)

c) Ambience :  3 out of 5 (it can get really busy and noisy later in the day I am sure)

d) Satisfaction :  5 out of 5 (how many people can say they ate frogs and actually 

                           liked it ??? )

   Name  : Tiong Shian Claypot Porridge Stall

Address :  265 New Bridge Road SGP 088745 

                 corner or New Bridge and Keong Saik Street

 Cuisine : Chinese and Singaporean

 Speciality : Frog Legs (either with Black Sauce or Garlic and Chili)  

Kaiseiki Yoshiyuki - Par Excellence

            Situated at the basement of Forum the Shopping Mall at the start of the Orchard Road, Yoshiyuki's entrance is uninspiring if not modestly discreet for many shoppers and diners.  Helmed by head chef Yoshi Kashiwabara, Yoshiyuki provides 2 types of dining experience, first, the Kaiseiki (multi-course omakase, meaning the chef's choice of food preparation) and the bar outside which is more casual.

           To make it to the dining room, you first have to walk through a black tunnel room, and enter the dining room after some sliding door entrance. On the right is the casual drinking and bistro area.

                                           Kaiseiki Yoshiyuki, at the Forum 

          Yoshi san cuts an imposing but friendly figure ; his dining counter where he holds court only caters to 14 diners. As it was my wife May's birthday, I decided it was worth a try after reading all the 'superb' reviews.

          I ordered the Yuki 7 set course meal, which consisted of 
Sakizuke (amuse bouche)
Suimono (clear soup)
Sashimi  (raw fish)
Yakimono (grilled dishes) 
Nimano (simmered dishes)
Shokuji (rice with seasonal ingredients,pickles and soup)
Mizugashi (japanese sweets and macha)

        She had the 8 course meal, consisting of 
Sakizuke
Hassun
Suimono
Sashimi
Yakimono
Shizakana (main meat dish)
Shokuji
Mizugashi

         Each dish was a delight visually, and the tastes were a delight to behold. My taste buds are not as refined as my wife's but the experience was nothing short of ethereal or out of this world.The sashimi was so fresh, the simmered dishes as good as the best from Japan and the grilled dishes excellent. The phrase "less is more" certainly applies to the dining experience and chef Yoshi is a master at making small talk explaining each serving with the finesse only a master chef can. Chef Yoshi has served previously as the personal chef for the Japanese ambassadors to San Francisco and Singapore and has perfected the fine dining art. We were kleft in wonder at the wonderful presentation, the nuanced tastes of each dish and the warm banter from him which made the meal so unforgettable.  

Sashimi

          We have been to Japan a number of times and had fantastic food in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hokkaido to name but a few. I am pleased to say that Singapore is fast gaining a reputation as a foodie's paradise for high quality food and Japanese top end restaurants such as Kaiseiki Toshiyuki will only reinforce that view.  The sashimi slices of toro (salmon belly), uni (sea urchin) and maguro were all par excellent. "Oishi' 

Sakizuke (Amuse Bouche)

Frankly, the visit to Tokyo in 2014, when we visited Kyubey (second restaurant at Shinjuku Keio Plaza Hotel) and had the best sushi in my life still stands as the best. Kaiseiki Yoshiyuki comes in a close second place.    

Sakizuke (Amuse Bouche) 

Many happy returns 

Pricing of this set courses is steep, for the 7 course set it is S$ 258 (plus service and GST) while the 8 course  set is S$ 288. So it is only reserved for treats and special occasions.  

For the curious ; the location of Kaiseiki Yoshiyuki is below :
58 Orchard Road, B1-39 Forum the Shopping Mall
S'pore 238884
Reservations :info@kaiseikiyoshiyuki.com
Tel:(65) 62351088