A Top Quality Japanese Meal at an Affordable Price (1 of 2)

                    Izakaya Signage from Neil Road ; it is along the row of shophouses just 

                        fronting  Neil Road. Behind the shophouses leads to Duxton Hill 

Yesterday, we had a memorable meal. The place ? Kamoshita Izakaya. Located at 5 Neil Road (SGP 088806) , it has basic furnishings, 6 tables of 4 and a bar counter which seats 8 to 10 persons maximum. Access to this Izkaya or inn is rather easy, and if you drive, you can either park at the nearby Duxton URA open air car parks or at the Maxwell building at Maxwell Road which is diagonally across Neil Road. 

The Izakaya is located along Neil Road in a shophouse, and the feel is rather simple. There are no big signs advertising the location, hence I believe the crowd have been regularly coming through word of mouth. There is a fine selection of Japanese Sake and Soju, testament to the 2 big chiller fridges next to the Oden and chefs preparation tables.  

View from Bar Counter 

                                                             

Top Quality Sake from Okinawa 

My wife selected 3 Omakase (As you Like it, or Chef's Specials to serve whatever is in season) of $80 each. We each had to order an Aperitif to start, so I had the Prosecco, Noel had an orange juice and she had the cold Sake. Prices from the Aperitif range from $9 to $19 and all Omakase diners must order a drink, alcoholic or non cocktail. 

    

                                                The Omakase (2 Prices, one $60 and one $80)

The starter consisted of some vegetable and smallish dofu (see below).The appetisers were fantastic, really great tasting. From left, HIjiki, a brown sea vegetable and looks a little bit like bamboo but tastes like some fish. There were super sweet cherry tomatoes, as well as some HIjiki salad (with edamame beans) which tasted awesome.

Appetiser - HIjiki Cherry Tomato and Hijiki Salad. 

Bagna Cauda

The Bagna Cauda is a fancy name for salad. All the ingredients, I am guessing are from Japan. The corn on the cob was the best we have tasted in a long while, what with the frangrance from the corn still lingering on the cob after we had eaten all the little corn bits off the cob. The carrots, broccoli,celery and trunip all tasted super fresh and the miso paste on the wooden spoon was a great condiment to add flavour.  

Wagyu Beef with Uni (Sea Urchin) 

The Piece de Resistance was the Wagyu (2 slices of top quality Kobe Beef) and Uni. The beef literally melts in your mouth as does the Uni which tasted like a savoury cream from the sea.  

My son wasnt impressed with the Beef nor Uni as there was no 'bite' or 'al dente' to the Beef.

I guess different people have different expectations from their Beef !!! 

The Oden was excellent, and we had the fishcakes (2), some daikon (white radish) and another long fishcake which looked like some root. The yellow mustard condiment was nose blowing to say the least !

Signature Dish of an Izakaya (Below) - the Oden consisting of Daikon (radish), Fishcake ( 2 white pieces and another fishcake). 

                  Really Tasty Oden - much like out local Yong Tau Fu or Dofu Soup 

                            Fishcake, Radish Egg  and Onions Common Staples 

Accelerated Aging for Medical Products ASTM F1980 - 16 and ASTM D 4169 - 2016

 

ASTM F 1980 - 16 Chamber  

My company, QRA International has the honor of providing accelerated aging tests for medical devices in these 2 standards listed below :

- ASTM  F1980 - 16  (2016) and

- ASTM  D 4169

ASTM F 1980 - 16

This is a universal tests for accelerated aging whereby the F 1980 - 16 is attained by using temperature and humidity at accelerated levels (between 50 to 60 C) to age devices for durations of 9, or 18 months long depending on what is the planned expected end of life of the product.

The standard follows traditional Arrhenius equations whereby samples which have a shelf life of (for example) 3 years or 36 months, have to undergo aging tests in environmental chambers. My company manufactures such chambers (under the QRA brand) or  we provide testing services in our 2 Laboratories in Singapore. 

Currently we have 22 chambers in our Labs and are growing rapidly.

Please do contact me at mark@qra.com.sg or qrasale@qra.com.sg for a quotation and further consultation.

ASTM D 4169 - 13

This is another universal test for medical devices which has Schedules A to F whereby  each schedule refers to a different type of test procedure.

In the case above of the standard above, the schedules can be 

a) drop test

b) vibration

c) compressed packaging 

d) impact shock

Again, please do contact me if you are a medical device manufacturer and require quotation and / or consultation.

Seize the Day 

   

 

Busy Times ; Adaptable People

 

Rainy Day Breakfast before heading to Work

This year is expected to be a banner year for some. I am doing everything to make sure this year we can and must succeed. There are no fallbacks for slackers at my age. Hence, I am fully cognizant that every day of the working week counts, and time is truly of the essence.

This snapshot is of my breakfast taken a couple of weeks ago, at the end of February when the weather was really rainy and wet. It was 23 deg C on certain days and I am working 12 hour days for weeks on end. Its just a sandwich which is waffled down in all of 5 minutes.

I am mindful that I need to ensure that at the end of the busy period, there is something to show for it.

Truly I will make this a major success.

 

Philips Curve : Inverse Correlation between Unemployment Rate and Inflation

Philips Curve states that the higher the Unemployment Rate in a Country (for example Recession), the lower the Inflation. This makes absolute sense as the less people working, the less they will eat out and buy luxury or even basic things and hence the demand of such goods must go down and hence the price point of many things will come down and hence inflation will ease.

Of course, in the presence of cheap or plentiful money, more loans will be taken out and that would push up diescretionary spending. Hence the Central Bank raising interest rates is a must do, so that there will be less spending and inflation will come down. 

I am re-reading the Prinicples of Economics as well as the Principles of Accounting to equip myself with the better understanding of how companies, and Governments manage their money.

Principles of Economics - The Circular Flow Diagram

Why no PCR or ART tests for inbound tourists from China ?

I read with some disbelief that inbound tourists from China (who are allowed to travel from today Jan 8th 2023) will not be subjected to any kind of tests PCR (taken normally within 48 hours before departure) or the ART (antigen rapid test) upon arrival.

Over a dozen countries have imposed such tests to protect their healthcare and their citizenry.

Singapore and many other ASEAN countries have not. Is this a foolish act ? 

While I welcome tourists to our sunny island, China has recently experienced a wave of Covid infections running into the (hundreds of) millions, and there may very well be a next mutation from the Omicron originating from China. We may very well see the X- version of the COVID. Our health care providers are stretched to the maximum these past few years (kudos to them) and can they withstand another onslaught ?

SARS and the last COVID - 19 which hit the world with such force was from there.

While the logic is that the virus wanting to stay alive and propogate, will be highly transmissible, it will mutate and emerge as a mild form, and not endangering the host, the fact of the matter is that in early 2020, the first wave of COVID -19 did come from China or was detected from that country.

We are putting our health care infrastructure up to the mammoth task, with this opening without any kind of safeguard, to boost the economy via tourism.

Has this been thought out thoroughly or is this some foolish disregard to present 'business as usual' ?

I really hope there is no 'next wave'. 

  

The shocking COE prices ; what is this due to ? Inflation ?

The certificate of entitlement of the last 9 months for cars above 1600 cc has been hovering over the $100,000 level.

This is a totally unsustainable or untenable if, going forward for ordinary citizens like me.I do not intend to buy a new car, but the after June 2024 (10 year use), my car will either go to scrap and I get back the ARF (additional registration fee) and use that amount (S$ 55K) to buy the PQP 10 year (COE), so that means I will need to cough up an additional $50,000 IF I want to drive the car (E 250) for another 10 years.

For 5 years, I will need then to pay half the amount or about $25,000.

This situation is exacerbated by inflation and the rising costs of living caused in part by the war in Europe, US Fed Reserve raising bank interest rates, and the worsening global economy.

I believe that with the influx of new migrants with wealth, especially from certain parts of Asia, could be one of the reasons why the price of cars above 1600cc (the more luxurious sedans) since if the car costs (for example) S$ 800,000, then $100,000 is 16% of the total cost of ownership of the car. So, for the owner of a Ferrari , Maserati or Rolls Royce,  the total cost of ownership is increased by 16%. But for people who can barely afford $ 60,000 for the basic car, then another $80,000 (for cars below 1600 cc), then it is an additional 125% of the car cost.

Hence, the COE system benefits the more well off.    

Honestly, if the situation continues like this for 6 months or more, (high COE prices, high rental prices, and the new BTO flat prices are easily S$ 350,000 and above for a basic 3 room flat), there will be unhappiness amongst the ordinary folk, its just a matter of time.