Flashback Friday: PUBLICUS

Healthy and delicious food is sometimes contradictory.  So many places promote wellness and health and actually don't know how to make whole foods taste good.  Publicus in downtown Las Vegas is one of those places that gets healthy and delicious right.  Their daily changing specials and whatever they have on the counter (it could be a quinoa and roasted vegetable salad or an open faced toasted sourdough with cherry tomatoes cheese) is always fresh and flavorful.  It has become a regular weekend place for us in Vegas that when we do go, the manager already knows what the kids want to eat.  I've had a delicious spicy black rice and poached egg bowl with pickled ginger, a simple sourdough and avocado toast and filling brunch plates on the weekends.

Coffee is fantastic (none of those cappuccinos being served in gigantic cups that then makes the ratio of espresso and milk all wrong).  Plus, Publicus is a really nice place to hang out and get a bite or a coffee during the day, be surrounded by mostly locals and feel so far away from the lights, bling and tourists of the Strip.  When you're done, head over to the newish Downtown Container Park - a complex of restaurants and shops made of colorfully painted shipping containers with a large playground deck in the middle for the kids to run around in.

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Publicus

1126 Fremont Street, Las Vegas Nevada 89101

Tel: +1 702 331 5500

Open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Flashback Friday: CAFE CONSTANT

It's been raining almost every day for a week here in Singapore and the dark, dreary weather reminds me of Paris in the winter, without the cold of course.  This type of weather makes me feel like having hearty simple food that feeds the hunger and warms the body.  Flashback then to a simple dinner we had in Paris at Cafe Constant - the casual neighborhood bistro on rue Saint Dominique, a mostly residential area in the 7th arrondissement.  One of the restaurants owned by ex-Crillon chef Christian Constant and the most casual of the five.

Cafe Constant has a zinc-topped bar, mosaic floor, rickety wooden chairs and tables set elbow to elbow which makes for a typical Parisian dinner.  There's a selection of wines by the glass, a blackboard prix-fixe and a separate la carte menu of bistro classics which are all reasonably-priced and served with a smile.  Convivial, cozy and delicious - the kind of place I wish we had here but seems to only work in Paris.

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Cafe Constant

139 rue Saint Dominique, 75007 Paris

Tel: +33 1 47 53 73 54

No reservations.  Open daily for breakfast 7-11 a.m., non-stop service from 12h -23h

Flashback Friday: CLOVER

On a cold rainy autumn evening in late November, we met up with friends for a drink at La Societe, St. Germain's sleek Liaigre-designed Costes-managed bar, while we waited out our reservation at Jean Francois Piege's year-old farm to table restaurant Clover.  

Located in a back alley off boulevard St. Germain, where the Parisian brunch institution Coffee Parisien used to be, Clover is filled with several rustic wooden tables set with just a crisp white linen napkin and a knife.  The elongated space seats about 40 diners elbow-to-elbow making it feel like one large communal table.  The previous bar area has been transformed into a sleek modern open kitchen with a glass-fronted fridge filled with local produce.  At the time we went, there was a beautiful display of large succulent-like green savoy cabbages and tiny dark brussels sprouts.

Clover has a daily prix-fixe menu, for lunch ( three-course €35 or five-course €43) and a more elaborate one for dinner (five-course €60 or six-course  €73) with a supplement charge of €8 for a plate of cheese served before dessert.  The restaurant showcases produce from the all over France like special quail  from Dombes in the southeast or ratte potatoes from Touquet in the north.  Most ingredients indicate their origins and the cooking is simple but sophisticated.  The food is served family-style so dishes areplaced in the middle of the table and shared between two keeping it all very casual.

That evening, we started out with some St. Jean de Luz tuna, smoked butternut squash, crispy crackers and horseradish - an interesting mix of cold tuna tataki-style offset by the spicy horseradish and warm creamy squash.  Next up was the chef's signature dish of Saint-Jacques cuite sur le pavé parisien - literally one large scallop in a half-shell placed on top of a sizzling hot Parisian cobblestone - a playful Parisian take on hot-stone cooking and gave the super sweet scallop just a tiny sear.  This was followed by cabbage, smoked herring foam, preserved lemon and chestnut chips which were the flavors of autumn on a plate - warm melted cabbage leaves with tangy bits of lemon rind and crispy chestnut chips for texture.  Main courses came next - the ladies had the fish which was a sautéed lieu jaune (pollock), topped with salsifis wildflower (goatsbeard), radicchio leaves and covered with an emulsion of bay leaves - the delicate white fleshed fish complemented by the bitter chicory and herb-infused foam while the gentlemen ordered the heartier roasted Dombes quail, trompettes de la mort (horn of plenty mushrooms), caramelized onions and mango vinegar.

We skipped the cheese course and went straight for dessert - chunks of dark chocolate fudge cake, milk chocolate ice cream, tiny sweet raspberries, cranberries and grilled pecans.  Espressos were ordered and the coffee shots were accompanied by a large gooey chocolate chip cookie which we all broke into and finished.  Dining at Clover is fine dining without the formality, like a fun meal with friends at their kitchen table sharing good food and wine.  In other words, Clover feels like home, except there's a Michelin-starred chef who's in charge of the kitchen.

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CLOVER

5, rue Perronet, 75007 Paris

Telephone: +33 1 7550 0005

Email:contact@clover-paris.com

Open Tuesday to Saturday

Lunch from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., Dinner from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m.

GINZA BAIRIN

Ginza Bairin is one of Japan's most well-known tonkatsu specialty restaurants with five branches in Japan and almost a dozen overseas locations in Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore, Manila and even in Hawaii.  When we showed the taxi driver the address for the Ginza branch, he smiled and said "Oh, you'll be having good tonkatsu tonight.".

Ginza Bairin does one thing only and that is tonkatsu -  Kurobuta (Berkshire pig) plus prawn cutlets and extra-large prawns coated in panko and deep-fried to perfection.  The menus consist of tonkatsu sets that come with unlimited steamed rice, cabbage salad, pickled vegetables and miso soup.  The place is like a Japanese diner with a long wooden counter running the length of the restaurant plus a few small tables at the back.  Tables are set with just chopsticks, the laminated menu and a small tray of homemade tonkatsu sauce in sweet and spicy versions, extra spicy Japanese mustard and chili flakes. 

Ginza Bairin opens all-day every day (except for new year's day) from 11:30 a.m. till just 8:45 p.m. so you need to get there early for dinner.  The restaurant facade is unobtrusive with no English sign and is located just off Ginza's main drag.  If not for the ubiquitous window display of plastic tonkatsu food variations right by the entrance, we would have missed it.  It showcases tonkatsu sandwiches (crispy deep-fried pork cutlet sandwiched on soft white crustless bread) to curry katsu (tonkatsu covered in a gravy like Japanese curry sauce) along with the other versions of tonkatsu meals. 

We all chose the tonkatsu set -crisp and not oily panko-coated kurobuta pork loin plus a side order of prawn katsu to share. The only thing we didn't realize was that the restaurant only takes cash so after dinner, my husband and son rushed  off to a nearby ATM while my daughter and I waited for them to get back.  (My daughter didn't mind the wait as she had her first encounter with a pink dialing pay phone and I had to explain to her how it worked).  Dinner was a hit as the kids love tonkatsu and even if that was the only thing Ginza Bairin served, they do such  good job that we enjoyed it thoroughly.  Our taxi driver was absolutely right.

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Ginza Bairin

7-8-1, Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 104-0061
Daily 11:30 am till 8:45 pm (except January 1st)
Cash payment only
Contact: t.ohyabu@ginzabairin.co.jp

BAREBURGER

I know, I know - we're in Tokyo so why are we eating hamburgers?  Well, like I mentioned in the previous post, Japanese restaurants have a tendency to serve one thing and one thing only and after several days where everyone had to agree to one-dish meals, I started googling burgers in Tokyo and found Bareburger Ginza which had just opened the day before (31 March 2016) at the brand-spanking new Tokyo Plaza Ginza department store which was conveniently located a few minutes walk from our hotel in Shiodome.

Bareburger Organic opened its first outlet in 2009 in Astoria, Queens and now has 28 locations mostly in New York but with a few scattered in Connecticut, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Ohio, Washington DC.  Its' first overseas franchise was in Tokyo with Dubai and Frankfurt opening soon.   Voted by Zagat as New York's best burger and Michelin-recommended for four years in a row (2011-2014), Bareburger has a lot to live up for since they use only free-range, pasture-grazed, humanely raised and antibiotic, gluten and hormone-free beef and chicken.  Even the beverages are organic and the french fries are cooked in non-GMO Canola oil.

The menu has Bare "burgers and wiches", from¥1380/US$13 for the Buttermilk Buffalo Chicken Sandwich to ¥2980/US$28 for the Tomorrow Burger - a limited Tokyo special of Ozaki (Wagyu) beef tenderloin burger .  For vegetarians, there's The Shroom, a wild mushroom patty with alfalfa and balsamic mayo wrapped in kale.  There are also Greens (salads) and Bare shares which have side or share portions of french fries, sweet fries (sweet potato), onion rings and buttermilk chicken bites plus a couple of sliders.  They have a kid's menu called Cubby Fare (¥880/ US$8.50) - a choice of Panda (buttermilk chicken bites and buttermilk ranch dip) or a Grizzly (burger with Egmont cheese on a brioche) served with fries, dessert and organic juices (orange and apple) or organic milk.  They also have house-made natural soda, lemonade, iced tea and creamy milkshakes and a large selection on organic wines and spirits, organic craft beers and cocktails.  Desserts are ice cream sundaes: either the banana foster or the choco-peanut butter. 

On both visits, once for dinner and another to indulge the C's Grizzly craving, we enjoyed the food and the atmosphere plus the super friendly service and English-speaking (a challenge in Japan) staff.  We enjoyed the Buck Wild - burger with pimento, fried egg, crispy onions, dill pickles on a brioche bun) and the Supreme - burger with Egmont cheese, country bacon, green-leaf, chopped fried, special sauce on a birch bun topped with house-made onion rings.  We shared the fries and rings combo and the buttermilk chicken bites with classic lemonades and a creamy chocolate milkshake served in tall ice-cold aluminum cup.  The experience was all-American and guilt-free because of the organic and non-GMO ingredients they use making it one of our best meals in Tokyo.  Wonder when they'll open one in Singapore?  Soon, I hope.

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Bareburger

Tokyo Plaza Ginza 10-B (10th floor), 5-2-1 Ginza, Chuo-Ku, Tokyo 104-0061

Telephone: +81 3 3572 5315

Open daily, 11:00AM to 11:00PM (Last Order 10:00PM)

SHABUSEN

One of the best things about dining in Japan is that restaurants are so specialized that they serve only one type of food which is done perfectly.  One of the worst things about dining in Japan is that restaurants are so specialized that they serve only one type of food and so everyone has to agree to eat the same thing.  On one of our first evenings in Tokyo, we decided to do just that at a traditional shabu-shabu restaurant.  It took a while to convince our youngest, C, to commit to just shabu-shabu and not have tempura or tonkatsu (her favorite Japanese food).

There are two Shabusen restaurants at the Ginza Core building - one on B2 and another on the 2nd floor.  Both serve the same shabu-shabu except that upstairs, there are operate tables where diners can sit together and share the shbau-shabu per table, while the basement outlet has three u-shaped counters where each seat has it's own shabu-shabu pot so it's good for those dining alone or those who'd rather not share their dinner.

We went to the one in the basement and sat alongside each other in the middle counter.  Each place setting had a pot right in front of the seat.  The menu is limited with sets including beef, pork, a combination of beef and pork, Wagyu beef, or special pork from Hokkaido.  They also serve sukiyaki which is similar to shabu-shabu except that the meat, vegetables and noodles are already cooked in a sweeter and saltier broth which then takes the fun out of the full-on shabu-shabu cooking experience.

 Two servers are in-charge of around 20 diners per counter.  They do everything from pouring tea and serving drinks to setting the plates of thinly-sliced meat with a side portion of vegetables (Chinese cabbage, mushrooms,  tofu and some bean thread noodles) and two sauces: goma and ponzu.  They also check that the broth isn't bubbling over or that the sauce bottles are still full of ponzu or goma.  

We started out with a cold egg custard topped with mayonnaise, cucumber and asparagus.  Soon after, the meat was served and it's D.I.Y. cooking from there.  The very thin slices of meat are dipped quickly in the light kombu-based broth then fished it out and dipped again in either the citrusy soy-sauce ponzu or  the creamier sesame-mayonnaise goma alternating between slices of meat and vegetable and mouthfuls of steamed rice.  You can personalize your dipping sauces by adding what you like from the trays set on the counter: spring onions, garlic and chili oil.    They say that the name shabu-shabu comes from the swishing sound of the meat stirred into the bubbling broth. Once you've finished the meat and vegetables, the servers come around and add noodles to the now flavorful bubbling broth and serve you a small bowl of ramen to finish of your meal.  Simple, satisfying and light.  Just remember that if you have big appetite, you might have to order an extra portion of meat (like my son did).

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Shabusen Ginza

〒104-0061 Tokyo, Chuo, Ginza, 5 Chome−8−20 (Ginza Core Building)
Phone:+81 3 3571 1717 (B2) or  +81 3 3572 3806 (2F)
Open daily,  11:30AM–2:30PM and 5:30–10PM

TOKYO

Tokyo is my second favorite city after Paris and it's because the Japanese are the most similar to the French in their love of gastronomy and beauty, from the beautifully presented food in individual dishes or lacquered bento boxes to the intricately-wrapped packages in the boutiques and food shops.  When I was at Le Cordon Bleu, it was always my Japanese classmates who perfected the pastry pratique as they were naturals at recreating the glazing and decoration on the gateaux et patisserie.  Their attention to detail is present in their day-to-day lives and this is seen everywhere in Japan.

I had been to Tokyo for the first time in 2014 and explored the city on foot with my friend Rumi.  This time around, we chose to spend a week over the easter holidays with the kids to experience Tokyo during Sakura season (cherry blossom time).  Spring in Tokyo is usually rainy but mild and it was a nice change of weather from tropical Singapore.

We walked all over the city from  Ginza for shopping and eating to admiring the architecture and window displays in Omotesando Hills.  We went to Midtown and walked around the beautiful green oasis of Hinokicho park where we saw our first cherry blossoms then headed over to nearby bustling Roppongi.  We also visited the peaceful Shinto shrine  Meiji Jingu located in the middle of a 100,000 tree forest near Harajuku and Omotesando.

We also explored the basement food halls of department stores Matsuya and Mitsukoshi in Ginza which had an amazing selection of both local and imported food for takeaway.  Despite having spent a week in Tokyo, I still felt that we had only scratched the surface on what the city had to offer in gastronomic treats which just means that I'll be gong back sooner rather than later.

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Meiji Jingu
1-1 Yoyogi-Kamizono-cho,
Shibuya-ku,
Tokyo 151-8857

*Open daily from sunrise to sunset (opening and closing times change depending on the season)

Ginza

Harajuku & Omotesando

Roppongi

GIN KHAO BISTRO

Sunday evenings are when we have our family dinner out and since Sentosa Cove's Quayside Isle  is much more pleasant than the overcrowded Resorts World complex, we end up heading there for an early dinner al fresco overlooking the marina.  Since Quayside Isle opened in December 2012, there have been several changes in the restaurant offerings - the space right beside the popular Blue Lotus used to be a Japanese restaurant, then an oyster bar and now is the space where the Thai restaurant Gin Khao is located.

Gin Khao Bistro serves simple Thai dishes at very reasonable prices. I might be mistaken but it seems like they have the cheapest food in the strip of restaurants of the usually overpriced Quayside Isle (not counting the Panini at the newly opened Joe & the Juice).   We usually order the same dishes from their menu which features Thai street food:  Po Pia Tod - prawn spring rolls, green mango and prawn relish with rice crackers and Tom Yum chicken wings plus by their larb moo - warm minced pork and mint salad or the spicy green papaya salad to start.  They do a decent seafood pad thai and have a good selection of grilled seafood (mackerel or squid) or meat (chicken or pork belly) served with the addicting nah jim (green chili and lime dip). There are several types of fried rice on the menu from the spicy green curry to the salty black olive rice to the sweet pineapple and the unusual watermelon rice.  Service is always courteous and efficient and best of all, the food is hot, spicy and inexpensive, the way Thai street food should be.

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Gin Khao Bistro

31 Ocean Way #01-12 Quayside Isle, Singapore 098375

Tel: (65) 6570 2208

Email: feedback@ginkhao.com.sg

Mon to Thurs: 12:00pm to 3:00pm, 5:30pm to 10:00pm
Fri: 12:00pm to 12:00am
Sat/Eve: 11:00am - 12:00am
Sun/PH: 11:00am - 10:00pm
Last Order: 30 mins before closing

*10% off for Sentosa Cove Residents

*Takeaway available

BIRD BIRD

Bird Bird is the newest restaurant of Singapore's bad boy chef, Bjorn Shen.  Fans of his popular Middle Eastern restaurant Artichoke, are in for another cheeky surprise with this casual Thai street food restaurant just like those found in the back streets of Bangkok.  The place is simply but thoughtfully designed with mismatched plastic stools, simple wooden tables, multi-colored soft drinks crates stacked up by the bar and colorfully decorated walls with their cheeky slogan "Bird Bird Satisfy You Long Time" to the stenciled red rooster painted with the line "This is the S#*t".

I went with a group of friends recently and we all had the set lunch menu ($13) which comes with your choice of a main course and a drink: soft drink, Thai soda water or soy milk. If you top up a few dollars more, you can have one of their signature slushies (we had the Thai iced milk tea or Thai milk coffee blended with lots of ice to make a refreshing drink which was sweet enough to combat the spice).

We had the Khao Soi (spicy chicken curry soup topped with fried noodles) and the chili basil minced duck Gra Pow which came with steamed rice and the usual fried egg.  We added a few other dishes to share - the som tum (spicy green papaya salad) and a big plate of their famous Gai Tod (southern-style fried chicken wings with chili jam), the bird-bird from which the restaurant got its' name.  For dessert, six of us shared their homemade ice cream Neh-Neh pops (another of Chef Shen's creations) - we had sneekers (just like a chocolate covered ice cream dipped in crushed pretzels and marshmallows), a cherry cheesecake (cherry flavored ice cream dipped in graham cracker crumbs) and the Thai flavored Mango sticky rice (mango ice cream dipped in white chocolate and rolled in crispy rice).  The food was good, the place was fun, the service was friendly and the price was right - what more can one ask for?  We'll be back for sure.

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Bird Bird

18 Ann Siang Road, #01-01, Singapore 069698

LUNCH
Tuesday - Saturday | 1130am - 230pm

DINNER
Tuesday - Thursday | 630pm - 10pm
Friday & Saturday | 630pm - 11pm

CLOSED ON SUNDAY & MONDAY

Walk-ins only for groups of 5 or less.
Email hello@birdbirdsg.com for reservations for groups of 6 and more. A minimum spend of S$45++/pax is required for all reservations. Your reservation is only confirmed after we've sent you a confirmation reply.

THE LOKAL

After two years and a half of living in Singapore, I'm starting to play favorites and have become a regular at a few places.  The Lokal, which opened in 2014 has literally become "my local" since Chinatown is the closest restaurant row off Sentosa island and they're open early for really good breakfasts and strong coffee.  Service is also friendly, although it can be chaotic when it's packed on the weekends, and it's not fancy so it's easy to just drop in for a quick bite.  

Although the menu is limited (only about a dozen dishes), they do have a large selection of mix and match items which they cheekily call "pimp your breakfast", so you can pimp your plate by adding poached, scrambled or fried eggs, baked beans toast, bacon, smoked mackerel or mackerel and several other side vegetables.  The other great thing about this little place is that the Australian chef prepares a lot of ingredients in-house (one of the few that do this in Singapore).  They house-cure their bacon, they smoke their salmon and mackerel over cherry and apple wood chips, they make their own butter, ricotta, and yoghurt and they even make their own jams and peanut butter.  Coffee is from Common Man Coffee Roasters and they surprisingly have decaf and cold brew coffee plus skim, soy and almond milk.  Daily specials are on the board: usually a toastie (sort of a grilled sandwich filled with different fillings per day) and a multi-fruit fresh juice and sometimes a muffin or cookie.  I've been countless times in the last year and a half and it's a firm favorite for a quiet solo (or not) breakfast or for an afternoon treat.  There's a completely different menu for dinner (I've never been) with cocktails and wines and a weekend brunch menu which includes a Sunday roast and a pork sausage burger which isn't available during the week. 

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The Lokal

136 Neil Road
Singapore 088865

Tel: (65) 6423 9918
Email: hello@thelokalsingapore.com

Monday 8am to 5pm
Tuesday to Friday 8am to 10pm
Saturday 9am to 10pm
Sunday 9am to 4pm

Flashback Friday: HONG KONG

When we were growing up, Hong Kong was our weekend getaway.  At just an hour and a half flight, I can't recall how many times we visited with my parents and grandparents over the years. When I moved to Paris in the early nineties, Hong Kong was too far away to visit but when I went back home in 1997, I visited again and even stayed there for longer periods while A was posted there in 1999. Since then, I hadn't been back, and I had heard that the Hong Kong of my childhood had changed - it was bigger, brighter, more crowded - the New York of Southeast Asia.  

Finally, in 2014 I went for a few days with my friend T.  We lucked out on a promotion at the newish Mira Moon designed by Marcel Wanders and you Studio.  In a slim modern tower, on the edge of Wan Chai (which used to be the infamous red light district of Hong Kong), it's near the convention center and to several hip restaurants.  With just 91 rooms, this boutique hotel was perfect for our girl's mini-break.  On each floor, there are only a few rooms.  Our Full Moon Premier Room was much bigger than we expected and the bathroom was huge, with a separate rain shower and a large bathtub with a sliver view of the harbor.  There was a pretty wooden Grey Goose box filled with everything for martinis, intricately-carved cabinet doors, and rabbits everywhere from the ceilings to the glass etchings and the lamp bases.  Even the signs scattered around had rabbits including one that said "Good rabbits don't smoke".  We enjoyed breakfast al fresco at their tiny but well-designed terrace and on one of the evenings, we also managed to have a few after-dinner cocktails.

On our first evening, we explored the little street and had dinner at the more casual and better-priced Hee Kee for their fried crab rather than at the fancier Under Bridge Spicy Crab which was two steps away.  The fried crab was sweet and overloaded with crunchy garlic.  We had it with their salt and pepper squid and a plate of stir-fried greens which was a tasty start for our Hong Kong holiday.

The next day, we wandered around Wan Chai and explored the area near Wing Fung street and had an early lunch at Classified before we crossed over to Pacific Place and some retail therapy.   On another day, we explored the IFC mall and had lunch at Open Kitchen which had long queues at their large deli counter of salads, sandwiches, cakes and pastries.  We continued our shopping at the Landmark were we stopped for a much-needed afternoon espresso at Fuel. 

Our last lunch was at the traditional Maxim's Palace City Hall - an old school classic dining room with large windows all along one side.  We shared an assortment of dim sum -  prawn filled cheong fun (rice paper rolls), flaky char-siu puffs, the usual siew mai and her gao, steamed pork ribs, custard buns, buchi (red bean paste-filled glutinous rice balls) and the standard dan tarts.  As always, the dim sum in Hong Kong didn't disappoint.  I never made it to my childhood haunts - Spring Deer and Yung Kee but now that Hong Kong is just a few hours flight from Singapore, there's no excuse not to visit more often.

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• Mira Moon Hotel

388 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay

Tel:  +852 2643 8888     Email: enquiry@miramoonhotel.com

• Hong KongHee Kee Fried Crab

Shop 1-4, G/F, 379 Jaffe Road, Wan Chai

Tel: +852 2893 7565, Open daily noon-4.30am

• Fuel Espresso
• Classified
• Open Kitchen
• Maxim's Palace City Hall

ROADHOUSE

When we ask our six-year old where she'd like to go for Sunday lunch, she usually chooses Roadhouse for their super deal kids menu ($14) which is a main course, a drink and a fun dessert.  We don't mind because the burgers at the Roadhouse are pretty good and they have lots of other items on the menu in case you're not in the mood for meat.  The Josper-grilled burgers are juicy, corn-dogs are delicious, fries and onion rings are crispy, iced teas come in large mugs, milkshakes are thick and creamy and the service is friendly.  Don't be surprised to walk in to a full restaurant on weekends with lots of families having a burger while sharing the large communal table in the center of the restaurant.

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Roadhouse

13 Dempsey Road, Singapore 249674

Telephone: +65 6476 2922

Email: info@roadhouse.com.sg

Mondays to Fridays 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 6:30 to 10 p.m.

Weekends and public holidays 9:30 to 11 p.m., Brunch served till 5 p.m.

Free corkage Monday to Thursday, Small fee on Friday and weekends

SARSA

I'm in the middle of a one day juice fast of six juices from The Syndicate Juice Co. and after several hours of just drinking my meals, all I can think about is food, delicious food.  Since I can't eat anything, the second best thing is to write about my favorite Filipino restaurant in Manila - Sarsa Kitchen. 

Sarsa, named after the Filipino word for sauce, is a mainstay in the Filipino table.  Most meals are accompanied by an assortment of sauces: calamansi soy, chili vinegar, fish sauce, liver sauce, bagoong (a local fermented fish or shrimp paste) - the combinations are endless and Sarsa Kitchen is a contemporary take on classic Filipino food with some specialties from the south as the chef JP Anglo is from Negros.

The menu is a melange of classic Filipino dishes and several Negrense specialties.  All are well-executed - the grilled dishes are seared with the meat slightly blackened and crisp on the outside and tender on the inside - from inihaw na liempo (pork belly) to inasal (Southern-style grill) chicken parts (including intestines, tails, gizzard and liver). Bulalo, a Filipino version of pot au feu with beef, bone marrow and vegetables is done traditionally with soup and sizzling Kansi, served on a sizzling plate with gravy.  Vegetable dishes were also very good with the gising gising coconut milk prawn and beans to the roasted squash topped with crispy dilis (tiny fish).  We also enjoyed the pancit molo, a dumpling and noodle soup similar to wanton mee and Batchoy, a southern soup filled with misua, thin noodles and pork liver.  My mouth is watering from the memory of that meal - I can almost taste the starter of crispy dilis in the chili pineapple glaze.  I better stop writing or I'll give up this juice fast right now.

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Sarsa BGC
Forum South Global
7th Ave cor 25th Street, Bonifacio Global City
Tel. +63 2 866 0912 or +63 927 706 0773


A second branch recently opened:
Sarsa MOA
2F South Veranda
Entertainment Mall
Tel +63 915 307 1426

HAWKER CENTERS

2014 ended with a fantastic two-week trip a deux to Paris followed by my sisters' visit over the Christmas and New Year holidays.  2015 started out busy with dinner parties, getting the kids back to school and the the recent Chinese New Year celebrations and just like that, March is almost here. I wanted to get back to posting and I just couldn't write about another restaurant and ignore one of the best reasons for a foodie to love living in Singapore - hawker centers - that unique outdoor food court that locals love and frequent every day.


I've been to several over the years but it was only when we moved here that I was taken to several hawker centers by my friend D (you know who you are) who loves good food and good deal as much as I do.  We meet up about once a month to try out new places or hang out at food centers and do an afternoon of hawker-hopping . Our first trip was to the Zion Riverside Food Center (70 Zion Road), we tried the black carrot cake, which is actually not made with any carrot but with radish, wok-fried then tossed in dark soy sauce and also shared an ice jelly dessert. At another hawker center near Holland Village, we had the  wanton mee topped with char siew (roast pork), wilted greens and a few wantons with a plate of the classic chicken rice along with a fresh-pressed sugarcane and lemon juice.

Another time, we met up at the East Coast Lagoon Food Village (1220 East Coast Parkway, Bedok)  before going to the famous 328 Katong Laksa for spoon laksa  (where the noodles are cut short so you can it just with a spoon) - a large bowl of sinus-clearing prawn broth and coconut milk filled with rice noodles, cockles and prawns and served with a side order of banana-leaf wrapped otak-otak (ground fish meat mixed with tapioca and spices, wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled) was a great lunch.  This was followed by another short drive to the Old Airport Road Food Center - a few blocks of hawker stalls in three separate buildings. There we had a delicious mutton soup - a clear broth with fresh herbs and mutton ribs from Hougang Jin Jia Mutton Soup (1-23) and the best bang for the buck I have ever had at a food court - the $5 fresh prawn noodle soup from Kallang Cantonese Prawn Noodle (1-83) - where the auntie fishes out three large live prawns from an aquarium and drops them into the piping hot prawn broth along with some noodles, fresh herbs and topped with chunks of crispy pork lard which melts into the broth.  I would drive all the way there just for that delicious bowl of soup. We finished our meal with some banana and jackfruit fritters along with a green fruit juice, the name of which escapes me at the moment.

Of course, our family favorite, Newton Hawker Center which we consider our "local", even if we live in Sentosa, is where we usually go when we just want a quick meal and can't be bothered to cook.  Many say that Newton is a rip-off and that it's expensive and tourist-filled but we still enjoy going there and eating at our preferred stalls - perfectly crispy gooey oyster omelets from Hup Kee, grilled pork satay from the uncle at the far end near the washrooms (I don't even know what his stall is called), hokkien mee - slightly soupy stir-fried yellow and white noodles with prawns, chili and herbs, hot and buttery roti to be dipped in the curry sauce or just eaten as is or fluffy garlic or butter naan with grilled prawns and crispy baby squid sotong goreng in the sticky sweet sauce.

Singapore's hawker centers are a great way to experience the local culture through food and even if I've been here for over a year now, I haven't even scratched the surface.  Thank goodness there's lots more to try and loads of new places to eat in.  Here's to more hawker-hopping with family and friends!

THE MARKET GRILL

After a year in Singapore, we now have a few favorites - Luke's, for when we're feeling flush and then there's the "cheap and cheerful" version of Luke's - The Market Grill  - part of the Unlisted Collection of seven boutique hotels and fourteen restaurants mostly in Singapore but also in London, Shanghai and Sydney.  In Singapore, they also manage other trendy restaurants Bincho, Esquina, Pollen and Cocotte and the funky Majestic Hotel in Chinatown.

Located on bustling Telok Ayer street, The Market Grill is in a converted shophouse.  A long narrow room lined by a few formica-topped tables with a long counter making best use of the space.  Behind the counter is the open kitchen and grill.  They also have a large chiller where the different cuts of meat are displayed just like at a butcher which is why they specialize in grilled steaks.

I first went for lunch in the middle of the week with some friends and we made it a point to arrive early so we could get a table as they don't take reservations.  Good thing we did, as the place was packed by the office crowd by 12:30.  We started off with the artery-clogging oven roasted bone marrow (S$25) which came with caramelized red onions, a parsley and shallot salad, sea salt and two large marrow bones which we slathered onto slices of crisp toasted sourdough.  We never fail to order this when we eat there, even our 12-year old son asks for it when we're there.  This was followed by two side dishes  - the crispy pig's ears (S$18) with a garlic and herb vinegar dip and the onion matchsticks (S$8).  The pig's ears were superb - not greasy at all and still crispy, like chewy chips (much better than the soggy battered version at Pizzeria Mozza).  The onion matchsticks were addicting - I could have eaten a whole bowl on my own.  The three of us shared the lobster roll (S$45) - a soft sweet buttered roll filled with mayonnaise tossed lobster chunks served with fries and a green salad and a medium-rare 200-day grain fed, 200 gram Wagyu rump (S$40) which was served plain with a dollop of caramelized red onions.  Too full for dessert, we walked off our lunch and had a post-lunch coffee nearby.

On another occasion, I lunched with another friend and we sat at the counter and had another enjoyable lunch - the usual bone marrow to start then I had the grilled Maine lobster (S$45) about 500 grams, served simply with butter, lemon, a green salad and mashed potatoes which they gladly substituted for french fries while my friend had a 400-day grain fed, 200 gram Black Angus bavette (S$40) with fries.  No dessert again.

We've been back again several times with the kids (for dinner and we always had to sit on the counter) and tried the 150 gram CW (Chef Colin West's initials) Burger Breakfast (S$23) which comes with a sunny side up egg, bacon and aged cheddar.  Their beef burgers are available in either 150 grams or 200 grams (from S$22 to S$33) and they also have a cod fish burger and a chicken burger for those who are avoiding red meat.  We also had the Terres Major and  Lobster - a 300 grams artisanal cut of beef with a 500 gram lobster, both grilled and served with a green salad, french fries and strangely enough, just red wine sauce for the meat, you'll have to order the butter sauce separately and pay extra for it.  The kids had to have dessert so we all shared a plate of churros which could have been perfect except for the non-traditional covering of cinnamon sugar (proper churros are served plain) and a tiny pot of melted chocolate.  Trust me, you'll have to ask for more chocolate to dip the churros in as there isn't enough for the three large churros.

The Market Grill is our go-to when we're hankering for a grilled steak or a lobster and with the usual prices for steak and lobster at other high-end Singapore restaurants, this place hits the spot and doesn't leave one with a hole in their pocket.  We'll definitely be coming back.

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The Market Grill

208 Telok Ayer Street

Singapore 068642

Telephone: +65 6221 3323

*Open Monday to Saturday for lunch (11h30 a.m. to 2h30 p.m.)  and dinner (6 to 10 p.m.).

*No reservations, street parking only.