My Michelin Starred Week

So I’m currently in Hong Kong, where I am exploring the city with my Michelin guide firmly ensconced in my hand. I am happy to report that over the last two days I have managed to tuck five Michelin stars under my belt! Yes five… one each for lunch and dinner on Tuesday and three last night! That’s not to say I am being extravagant mind – my lunch on Tuesday came to a grand total of HKD$58.00 (that’s just SGD$10.00!)

Suffice to say I am having the time of my life and am looking forward to reporting back with the highlights when I am back in Singapore next week.

Cold Cuts & Cheese

There’s a new Jones the Grocer in town… I’ve never really been a fan of the one at Dempsey- I find the whole feel of sitting in the middle of a deli having lunch decidedly odd. Plus their service has never been much cop.

However, Mr Greedy Glutton was having cold cuts and cheese cravings, so we thought we’d go check out the new Jones and the new Mandarin Gallery while we were at it. Firstly – I have to say, the Mandarin Gallery is a welcome addition to the Orchard shopping scene. I know, I know, there is really no need for yet another shopping mall on Orchard Road, but at least this one sets itself apart from the others, opting for at least half occupancy of small independent boutiques rather than the usual spectrum of high street fashion stores.

But we weren’t there to shop, we were there to eat. The interior of Jones is a vast improvement on its Dempsey space – more restaurant than deli, with sleek brown wood and subdued lighting.



The cheese counter also got a big thumbs up from us – not tucked away in a little room a la Dempsey, but proudly displayed in the window for all to see – and a very impressive selection they have too.



As we were there to fulfil a craving, we opted for one of the platters – the customers’ choice from a selection of cold meats, cheeses and antipasti. We went for the choice of 5 – very reasonably priced at $39.00++, choosing the French Salami, Italian Parma Ham



and three cheeses: the Delice – a beautifully decadent triple-cream soft cheese, the Morbier – a semi-soft cows' milk cheese, best known for the layer of ash through its centre, and everyone’s favourite blue – the Roquefort. These were all chosen with the help of a most informative Jones’ employee who was happy to talk us through all the different cheeses, complete with descriptions and historical background – very impressive.





I’m happy to report that Jones didn’t scrimp on their portions – we even had left over cheese to take home with us, and combined with a bread basket and a pumpkin and feta salad (not on their usual weekend lunch menu, but they were happy to oblige) we had a fine feast of a lunch.





Unfortunately our January ‘detox’ meant that we didn’t enjoy a glass of red to go with it – what a waste…. But there we go, there’s my excuse to go back.

Jones the Grocer, Mandarin Gallery, Orchard Road - http://www.jonesthegrocer.com/

Robertson Quay Chilli Crab

To me, Chilli Crab has always been synonymous with the East Coast Seafood Centre – the chilled out vibe, and breezy atmosphere is perfect for tucking into the juicy, spicy sauce-smothered crustaceans. Last week, however, circumstances led us to visit Red House on Robertson Quay with friends who were in town for the evening.

Bearing in mind that I have walked past this restaurant several times a week for the past 6 months, it really was way overdue a visit, especially as it is not only packed out on most nights, but it always smells incredibly inviting as you walk past.

Well, it was worth the wait I can tell you – and I would even go so far as to say that this is the best chilli crab I have had so far in over two years in Singapore. Unfortunately the service wasn’t quite as great, meaning the crab arrived a full 20 minutes after we had finished everything else… but again it was worth the wait – the crab meat was fleshy and juicy with two of the biggest claws I’ve ever seen, whilst the chilli sauce was lusciously spicy and silky for dipping our buns into.



We also checked out another of their signature dishes – the Creamy Custard Prawns. The story behind this dish goes that in the past customers had complained that the Butter Prawns served up at Red House were both too dry and greasy. So the chefs worked on remedying this by creating this non-deep fried dish that is still butter-based but has the juicy Tiger Prawns smothered in a slightly sweet, creamy sauce. The result is outstanding and is definitely recommended.



Alongside these two signature dishes, we also checked out the Sautéed Beef Fillet with Ginger and Spring Onion, which was beautifully tender and tasty:



And a fragrant and succulent whole steamed Star Garoupa, Hong Kong Style.



Throw in some rice, some vegetables and a chilled bottle of Chablis, and we were some very happy customers – my only regret is that it has taken me six months to get around to trying it… I can assure you it won’t be another six months before I go back.

Red House Seafood, Robertson Quay - http://www.redhouseseafood.com/

Tanglin Japanese

You’d think after all that food we sampled in Japan (more from Kyoto later) that I’d be looking for a break from Japanese food for a while – well, that’s what I thought until those kind folk down at Tetsu invited me down for a tasting of their menu.

Tetsu is easily overlooked, even if you find yourself in Tanglin Mall, tucked away as it is in the corner of the 3rd floor (I myself have been in this mall several times over the last few months and never really known there was a gem of a Japanese restaurant lurking above my head). Once you find your way up there though, you will find a stylish modern restaurant offering fantastic cuisine, attentive service and a welcome respite from all those screaming children that litter the floor of Café Beviamo on the 1st floor (sorry yummy mummies….)

We were given free reign of the menu for our tasting, and we certainly made the most of it – although the restaurant specialises in tempura and tonkatsu, there are pages and pages of other tempting goodies, and we dedicatedly ordered several items from each page – here are some of the highlights.

We kicked off with some Fugu Mirin Boshi (Dried Puffer Fish) – we all know that Fugu can be lethally poisonous if prepared incorrectly, but thankfully we survived this dish, and enjoyed it to boot – although it was a slightly strange taste: like bakkwa with a fishy aftertaste.



The Sashimi Moriawase (Assorted Sashimi) provided a generous serving of large slices of the melt-in-your-mouth fresh fish – and we even picked up a top tip from Tetsu which I will happily share with you now: for the freshest sushi and sashimi in Singapore, opt for a Tuesday, Friday or Saturday as these are the days most restaurants fly in their fresh fish stocks. Good to know.



The Sushi Anago was an unusual entry on the menu, and a first for me – this being salt-water eel, as opposed to Unagi, their more common freshwater cousins. I was pleasantly surprised how tasty this was – sweet, sticky and tender and definitely recommended.



The Yaki Niku was probably the top of the pick for us – to-die-for succulent prime beef tenderloin grilled and seasoned to perfection, definitely a crowd-pleaser.



Obviously we couldn’t ignore the Tempura and Tonkatsu, these being Tetsu’s specialities. Both were fantastic – the tempura batter light and crisp as it should be, whilst the Rosu Katsu (pork loin cutlet), juicy and tender on the inside, crunchy on the outside. They also do a Katsu burger which is on my list of things to try when I return.



As with most Japanese restaurants, the food doesn’t come cheap, especially if you are planning on sampling a large selection of dishes as we did (although perhaps you won’t be quite as greedy as we were!). That being said, I shall certainly be returning as a paying customer and would recommend others to do so – and if you’re counting your pennies as well as your calories after all that festive indulgence then you could always opt for their great value lunchtime bento boxes, which give you an assortment of goodies for around $20.00.

Tetsu, Tanglin Mall - http://www.tetsu.com.sg

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year fellow food lovers! I am hoping and assuming you all over-indulged over the festive period as much as the Greedy Glutton here!

Here's a piccie of one of the many desserts I sampled from the gastronomic overload that is the Ritz Carlton's Greenhouse new year's champagne brunch on 1st January.



Although I completely overindulged on the dessert counter, the highlight of the brunch was undoubtedly the roast beef - an entire rump and leg, it was the biggest hunk of meat I've ever had the pleasure of feasting my eyes on. The chef informed us it took 24 hours to roast... and it was still juicy pink and succulent...

Here's to a 2010 of more over-indulgence....

Tokyo Tonkatsu

We had just taken a wander down Harajuku Street in search of the cosplay girls – unfortunately we didn’t come across many weird and wonderful costumes, but we did manage to track down a fantastic Tonkatsu restaurant not far away.

Maisen has the reputation of serving up some of the best Tonkatsu in Tokyo, and it was certainly popular when we visited. We had to sit and wait around twenty minutes for a table, despite the large capacity of this restaurant - although the front of the restaurant has counter-style dining, through the back this former public bathhouse offers a cavernous dining area.

Once finally seated we ploughed through the extensive menu. Maisen provides this deep fried delicacy in every which way, including a choice of different cuts of pork with each option – luckily we had a Japanese friend with us to translate or we would have been there even longer trying to figure it all out.

I couldn’t resist trying out the kurobuta - it’s what the place is famous for after all – and while Mr Greedy Glutton opted to have his served straight up, I chose the special of the day which had my Tonkatsu accompanied by a selection of interesting dishes.



As good as each accompanying dish was (I have no idea what half of them were, but I didn’t have any complaints about any of them), the highlight was undoubtedly the famous Tonkatsu – the pork was thick, juicy and meltingly tender, the breadcrumb coating crisp and light – and smothered with the sweet, tangy Tonkatsu sauce, it was just heavenly.



So if you find yourself in Tokyo with a Tonkatsu craving, you could do a lot worse than head to Maisen – it really does deserve the reputation that precedes it.

Maisen - 4-8-5 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku

Tokyo Ramen

The best thing about staying with locals when you visit a new city for the first time is that they can help you track down hidden gems you would never have discovered on your own… just like Man-Riki-Ya, a cozy and casual ramen joint in the charming neighbourhood of Azabu Juban.



The place was pretty crowded when we arrived, but they managed to squeeze us in on one of the shared wooden tables, so we could partake in some hearty noodle slurping.



Between us we ordered up a wide variety of ramen dishes, which were all swiftly churned out of the open kitchen. My pork version offered up a generous serving of tender roast pork swimming in a flavoursome clear broth, which despite its excellence, I struggled to finish.



Not that we needed it, but we couldn’t resist a side order of Gyoza, and if you check out the picture below – you’ll see why. These proved to be a worthwhile accompaniment – crisp on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside, tasting every bit as good as they looked.



So two meals down in Tokyo – and two very satisfied Greedy Gluttons.

Man-Riki-Ya, 2-3-2 Azabu Juban - http://www.adhams.co.jp/manrikiya/

Okonomiyaki

From Beijing we flew to Tokyo, where we began an eight day love affair with Japanese cuisine. I had arrived with a long list of all the different food I wanted to check out, and our genial hosts helped us kick this off, with some homemade Osaka-style Okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki is often described as Japanese pizza – but in reality it is nothing of the sort. There’s no pizza dough or tomato sauce for starters – and it isn’t even oven baked. Instead, a base of batter and cabbage is mixed together, and then (like a pizza, I grant you) a selection of ingredients are selected according to taste. Unlike a pizza, these are all mixed in together before being pan-fried to crispy perfection. This evening, we were treated to such seafood delights as octopus, prawns and squid, with the dish being finished off with strips of bacon.



Once ready to eat, we smothered the piping hot patties with lashings of okonomiyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and dried fish flakes.



Sounds so simple… tastes so delicious (or “oishi!” as I learnt to say in Japanese)… A promising start to the love affair.

My Book is Published!

Here it is... the moment I have been waiting for...



My book finally hit the shops this week! It's a very exciting time as I'm sure you can imagine. So if you fancy a look at In Singapore: 60 Fabulous Adventures in the City, then get down to a good book shop now! (overseas peeps may need to wait a while longer).

Of course there is an 'Eat, Drink and be Merry' section - it just wouldn't be a Greedy Glutton book without it!

Here is the blurb from the back cover to give you a bit more of an idea of what it is all about:

If you’ve ever heard or said “there’s nothing to do in Singapore except eat and shop”, then this book is for you. The pages are jam-packed with fun and interesting activities to keep you entertained during your stay in Singapore. From exploring World War II tunnels, to swinging through trees, taking a trip on a Chinese junk boat or tucking into a plate of chilli crab, there really is something for everyone in this fast-paced, ever-changing city-state.

Highly illustrated with photographs and complete with all the important information you will need, sections include Take a Hike, Cultural Interest, Eat, Drink & Be Merry, Entertaining the Kids, and Just for Fun. Whether you are visiting for a weekend or staying longer-term, you need never be at a loose end in Singapore again.

Enjoy!

Oodles of Noodles

We did our fair share of fine dining in fancy restaurants in Beijing, but one of our favourite finds was the Noodle Bar. This unpretentious little place only seats twelve noodle slurpers at a time at its u-shaped counter, emulating a Japanese sushi bar with its fun communal dining in an intimate space.



In full view of the diners, the two chefs busy themselves tending to the large vats of soup and entertaining their guests with their impressive skills as they knead and hand-pull the noodles.





Large steaming bowls of noodles are served up within minutes of you making your order, and this doesn't take long it itself as the menu is rather limited – Beef noodle soup with a choice of brisket, tendon or tripe, and thin or thick noodles. They also had a special ‘noodle of the month’ when we visited – Noodles with Pork Ribs.



We checked out both the Pork Rib special and the Beef Brisket and… oh my goodness, this is possibly the best noodle soup I have ever tasted.



The broth was rich and flavoursome, the noodles just the right side of chewy and the meat just melting off the bone... For a noodle soup fan like me, this was pretty close to heaven let me tell you…

If you happen to find yourself in Beijing – do yourself a favour and get down to the Noodle Bar, and if you have to queue, then queue – it will be worth the wait, I promise.

The Noodle Bar, Beijing
1949 - The Hidden City. Courtyard 4, Gong Ti Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
(Opposite Pacific Century Place South gate)