DimSumDolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

Year 2008

It's that time of the year again to take stock of one's life and review the year that has passed. It's almost hard to believe that I left Europe a year ago. It feels more like a lifetime away. I miss the travelling...I really do. I miss taking trains cross-country. I miss the anonymity in a foreign land where you can pretend to be someone else if you wanted to and no one would know any better. I miss that sense of freedom. I miss wandering the streets of a new city, exploring its nooks and corners. I miss the mountains, open space, lakes, snow-covered fields, gorgeous beaches and other magnificent natural scenery that can't be found in Singapore. Ah Wanderlust...how do I quell thee?

In review, 2008 hasn't been too bad. Returned from Japan on 3 Jan and then flew off to Dubai a couple of days later to visit a good friend. Wasn't taken by the city at all...the best I could description I could come up with was that it's a 'big construction site' by virtue of the fact that there is a crane on every 3rd or 4th building in sight. With 75-80% of the city's population being foreigners, the city seems to be devoid of local culture. But while there, I managed to have the best carrot cake I've ever eaten at a lovely cafe called Lime Tree Cafe. I also happened to be in Dubai when Bush made a one-day visit to the city. That day, the whole of Dubai shut down for security reasons. Very surreal.

Then in mid-February it was off to Hong Kong for about five days...or was it six? I can't remember. In any case, I always enjoy a visit to Hong Kong. Lots of good food, met up with friends and made a new one over a dinner I crashed. If she's reading this, she knows who she is. :)

After returning from Hong Kong, an active job hunt ensued while still doing freelance work on the side. Eventually I landed a job at a bank. Before starting the job, I zipped off to Australia for an outrigger canoe race in Hamilton Island followed by a relaxing nine days in Sydney where I went to old haunts and caught up with family and friends. Sydney, like Hong Kong, is another city I really love. I find that I really like cities which are surrounded by water. The inlets, bays, harbours, and vast open sea add so much character to the city. The undulating hills of both cities further enhance their beauty. Plus, the food in both these cosmopolitan and multicultural cities is fabulous!!!

Oh yes, the race at Hamilton Island was great fun and it's absolutely beautiful there. The rolling waves and chops made it such a thrill to be paddling there. Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday Island has the whitest and finest sand I've ever come across. It's as soft as powder and it's so white that it almost hurts your eye to look at it with the sun shining down.

After all that fun, I settled down to start my new job. About a month into it, I went took two days off to go to Penang for the World Club Crew Dragonboat Championships. Again, good fun and it was awesome seeing teams from Australia, Czech Republic, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, China, Philippines, UAE, Iran, Germany, Canada, USA, and Russia competing together. It was a competitive, yet friendly, atmosphere and that's what really makes the sport so fun. Of course, there were also lots of hot bods to be ogled at.

A day after returning from Penang, my father met with a mishap while undergoing an operation (which didn't take place in the end) and the incident turned my family's life upside down. Things have settled down now so thanks to everyone who showed their concern during that period of time.

Four months into the job at the bank, I realised that it wasn't really for me and I decided to throw in the towel as it was getting me really down. Tendered my resignation in mid-October and in end October took off for Phuket for a few days over the Deepavali weekend for some chill-out time. I now work somewhere else and even though it's a huge paycut, I'm happier doing it.

Food-wise, it was a pretty good year. Ate at quite a number of nice restaurants and got invited to some tastings. All in all, can't complain too much as long as I have food to eat! I mean, so many people in this world go hungry.

And then I turned 30. Goodbye to my 20s. I hope things are better in this decade.

Love life is still non-existent. While – to borrow a phrase from a friend – 'my eggs are drying up', good friend Olduvai held her ceremonial wedding on Sunday to the brother of monoceros, another good friend. A date Monoceros and I helped set up slightly over 2.5 years ago culminated into a simple and elegant wedding that bespoke of the bride's nature as a person. Olduvai was a gorgeous bride who exuded classical beauty with her exquisite column lace gown that fitted her slim and tall figure and her hair done up in a low bun with two sprigs of white flowers at the side of the bun.

I felt really happy for her when I saw her walking down the long aisle of the church and hearing the couple pledge themselves to each other in their vows. There's something very touching about that moment, especially when you know that these two people actually mean it heart and soul, and you know that this couple can definitely make it all the way and stay true to their vows. Olduvai and her R make a great couple and I wish her all the best in her new life as Mrs R H. I will miss her when she flies off to Frisco next week. But this leaving of hers is a good thing as she's going over to start married life proper!

Some spend their whole life looking for that special someone and still never find it. Some think they've found it only to find that they lose it after awhile, be it in months or years. Still, I consider it good fortune to have loved and lost than not loved at all. But luckiest are the people who find that special someone for keeps and I know that the two of them will treasure each other.

On the whole, I have many things to give thanks for - good health, family and friends. I hope 2009 will bring on more new adventures and good tidings for everyone (and myself of course, hehe) and that it'll be a year filled with happier news!

Happy New Year everyone!

Fave Reads of 2008

I read quite a lot of stuff – magazines, books, blogs, newspapers, news websites – but the best literary companion is always a book that I can stuff in my bag and carry around with me wherever I go. A book helps to fill the gaps between waiting for buses and trains and the lonely rides. Being engrossed in a book also makes the journey seem a little shorter and faster. And really, there's an immeasurable joy in letting your mind and imagination take flight in a good book. So here are my fave reads for 2008:

At Large and At Small – Anne Fadiman

This book is a collection of familiar essays by Fadiman, a genre of writing that her father, writer Clifton Fadiman, lamented "dead". In her charming, witty, and succinct writing, Fadiman brings back this genre which she says is a subset of the personal essay, autobiographical but also giving the reader more information about the subject matter in a broader sense of the world.

In her essays, we learn about how ice cream is made and bringing it back to herself, she relates how ice cream played a big part in her childhood. Another essay takes us back to her childhood days of catching and preserving butterflies with her brother and we learn how this is done as an art form.

Another recommended read is Fadiman's first book, Ex Libris which is a must-read for all book lovers as she waxes lyrical about her love for books.

Seabiscuit – Laura Hillenbrand

I have this thing for horses; I love them. That grace and power they exude when galloping is such a sight to behold. So I couldn't help but love this book which is a biography of what is considered the greatest race horse in American history – Seabiscuit. How could you not love a horse with a name like that?

Everyone loves underdog stories and this book tells of the true story of two underdogs – one animal and one man – who found success together as two athletes who overcame great difficulties and injuries of their own to win the biggest race in the country, giving hope to a nation that was beset by the Great Depression. Seabiscuit became the biggest American celebrity in 1938 and this well-researched book brings us back to the exciting and sometimes cruel world of American horse racing.

The Soul of a Chef – Michael Ruhlman

Get an insider's point of view into the world of professional cooking as Michael Ruhlman susses out three top chefs in America – Bryan Polcyn, Michael Symon and Thomas Keller – and find out what makes them, and their businesses, tick.

The Reach of a Chef – Michael Ruhlman

Ruhlman explores the rise of the celebrity chef in yet another delicious book that promises to seduce with the descriptions of food, sushi knife-sharp writing and delectable prose.

The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals – Michael Pollan

Michael Pollan's writing is a little more intellectual and this reads more like an academic dissertation, but I like the ideas he presents about how we should be more conscious about the origin of the food we eat. Where does the food chain begin? Where are Americans' eating habits leading them in terms of environmental damage, economic wealth and health concerns?

In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto – Michael Pollan

Pollan's next book follows the same lines and talks about how we, in particular Americans, should change the way we eat. He argues that people need to relearn the way they eat, to moderate appetites, learn what is real food so as to get optimal nutrition and health from what we consume.

When You’re Engulfed in Flames – David Sedaris

If you like dark humour as I do, David Sedaris's books are a must-read. His most recent book is another gem where he satirises everyday life. You can always hear him delivering the lines in his book in a deadpan manner which would probably make you pause say think, 'Hey, I think that was supposed to be funny. Yeah. Haha.'

Emily of New Moon series - L.M. Montgomery

I finally finished the Emily of New Moon series this year and I love the protagonist whom we grow up with in the three books. The feisty 11-year-old who has a love for books and writing is a rather precocious child who grows up to be an independent, strong-willed and passionate woman who is ahead of her time in the time the story is set. Montgomery sets her delightful characters against the charming and gorgeous backdrop of Prince Edward Island in Canada and readers are led back to a time where the world was more innocent.

The Fourth Bear – Jasper Fforde

Jasper Fforde's irreverent humour and use of well-known literary characters in his plots are absolutely delightful. To appreciate the humour in his writing, you'll need to be someone familiar with the fairy tales and classics from authors such as Charlotte Bronte and Oscar Wilde. The imaginative plots in his books are a fun, intelligent and witty read. In The Fourth Bear, a woman with long blonde hair, people nickname her Goldilocks, has gone missing and the evil Gingerbreadman is on the loose, and it's up to the Nursery Crime Division in Reading, England, to solve these crimes...

Merry Christmas

A decorated chocolate cake from Lana, the pioneer of the chocolate sponge cake with fudge topping in Singapore. Imagine, my first birthday cake was from there. My dad bought this cake yesterday and I was surprised to see the Christmas decorations, 'cos usually it's just a boring brown cake with no decorations whatsoever.

The gold-coloured reindeer looks like it's perching on snow as it sits on a bed of coconut shavings.

An artificial sprig of holly on coconut shavings adds to the Christmas cheer. And just for some trivia, real hollies are actually a source of food for squirrels, wild turkeys, deer, and many songbirds, especially American robins, cedar waxwings, and northern mockingbirds in North America.

Anyway, happy holidays!!!

Things Not to Consume Before Seeing a TCM Doctor

I got this information from a Chinese food website and it tells us the foods to avoid before consulting a Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor. I hope you'll find it useful.

1. Don't drink cow's milk and soy bean milk. Drinking these will cause the tongue's coating to turn white and may result in a misdiagnosis.

2. Don't eat olives, dried plums and China bayberries. These foods can easily cause the tongue to take on a black colour which will then result in the wrong diagnosis.

3. Don't drink any alcohol or consume any food that's too cold or hot. Alcohol and beverages that are too hot will increase the rate of blood circulation and cause the tongue to turn red. It also increases your pulse rate and affect the diagnosis. This also applies to foods that are too hot or cold.

4. Don't drink coffee, eat mandarin oranges or any type of food that's yellow in colour. Doing so will cause the tongue to turn yellow and result in a misdiagnosis.

5. Don't eat peanuts, melon seeds and walnuts. These foods that are high in fat content will cause the coating of the tongue to turn white which will lead to a wrong diagnosis.

6. Don't go to a TCM doctor immediately after a meal. After a meal, your pulse rate tends to be slower, and the tongue's coating becomes thinner and redder. Certain types of food are also prone to changing the tongue's colour and appearance, which will mislead the TCM doctor in his/her diagnosis. It is best to consult the doctor at least one hour after a meal.

7. Don't go to a TCM doctor after having engaged in a session of vigorous physical activitiy. Your body's state at that time will affect the doctor's taking of your pulse and might mask other underlying health problems. It's advisable to rest for at least half an hour after exercise and allow the body's blood circulatory system to be at a resting rate before seeing the doctor.

For the original article in Chinese, go here.

Goma Mochi

OK OK, since the mystery of the previous post has been already revealed by my careless mistake of titling the photo, here's an early revelation of the answer.

This package arrived on Saturday and I was very excited to receive it as I already knew what was going to be inside. About a month or two ago I was chatting with my friend Felix, who lives in Hong Kong, over msn. I was feeling very down at that point in time and to cheer me up, he asked if he could get me anything from Tokyo as he was going there on a business trip soon.

An elegantly wrapped black and grey package - typical of sleek and tasteful Japanese design - with a gold band and the word 黑 (black) lay before me.

I love the back of the box, too, with its round red sticker that's similar to the red round circle on the Japanese flag. A deft and aesthetically good touch to hold the gold band down.

A black embossed box lay before me after tearing off the first wrapping and my anticipation builds...

And oh, the treasure lies beneath!

Two boxes of goma (black sesame) mochi were sitting prettily in their plastic wrapping.

Each box has five pieces of triangular pillow-like goma mochi speckled with the gold-coloured flour. A close-up of it as shown in the previous post certainly makes it look like small pebbles on a beach that are kissed by sand.

A bite into it reveals the black sesame paste wrapped inside. I love this type of thin-skinned mochi which are slightly less chewy than the round ones which are more common. In Japan, it's a joy to see them freshly made in shops or department stores that sell them. But I'm only a fan of goma mochi; I don't like the other flavours.

Anyway, I'm enjoying my goma mochi and I am so fortunate to have friends who will do such things for me. Thanks Felix!!!

Teaser

Guess what this is? Answer to be revealed in next blog post! :)

Chen Fu Ji 陈富记

Went to try the famed fried rice at Chen Fu Ji the other night at their flagship outlet located at Riverside Point. I don't know if I'm missing something, but I really wasn't impressed by it. I didn't think the crab meat did much for it. A medium-sized portion costs SGD25 and can serve about four rice bowl portions. One thing that disappointed was the fact that the rice didn't have any wok hei. Verdict: Overrated

I also had the coffee pork tenderloin with whip cream. This was pretty good and I liked the hints of coffee paired with honey. The pork was also very tender but I could have done without the four big blobs of whip cream on the plate. First it looks awful when the heat from the meat and the air melts it down and second, it doesn't really enhance the taste of the pork.

Anyway, I'm not inclined to go back to try more dishes as the rest of the stuff on the menu looked pretty much like any other zi char stall, just that I was paying inflated prices here for the comfort of aircon and an unimpressive view of the Singapore River on the second floor. And oh, they really should do something about their extremely worn menus that are in desperate need of replacement - they were all wrinkled and all the sides had scotch tape around it. Just didn't feel nice holding and reading it, you know?

Chen Fu Ji flagship outlet
30 Merchant Road #02-30/31
Riverside Point
Tel: 6533 0166

$1 a day

An American couple, both high school teachers, decided to try an experiment for a month - they wanted to see how they would fare spending only $1 a day per person on food.

For breakfast they survived on plain oatmeal every day. For lunch they had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on homemade bread. Dinner comprised just beans, rice and tortillas. They couldn't afford fruits and vegetables and other fresh food.

The guy lost 14 pounds in 30 days and the lady said she felt 'tired and drained' and rather 'cranky' pretty often.

This is one experiment I wouldn't even bother to try 'cos I wouldn't even survive one morning! And realistically, it's not doable in Singapore. I can't see how really.

Watch their interview here.

The Soul and The Reach of a Chef

If you're interested in food writing, I'd recommend Michael Ruhlman's books 'cos after having read two of them, The Soul of a Chef: The Pursuit of Perfection and The Reach of a Chef: Professional Cooking in the Age of Celebrity, I've found his writing very succinct, appropriately descriptive, insightful, informative and well-researched.

Ruhlman is an American author and journalist who is primarily known for his writing about food. The Soul of a Chef is divided into three parts. The first describes how Brian Polcyn, chef-owner of Five Lakes Grill outside Detroit takes the Certified Master Chef exam conducted by the Culinary Institute of America. We are given an insight into the gruelling process of the exam which lasts for 10 days, testing knowledge, skill, creativity, organisation and inherent qualities like flair and personality.

The second part puts the spotlight on Michael Symon, chef-owner of Lola Bistro and Wine Bar in Cleveland, at his restaurant. We are led to see how this chef-owner dominates the restaurant with his presence and big personality. We learn how he makes ingenious use of food to minimise wastage and maximise profit without compromising on quality and taste.

The last part features Thomas Keller, chef-owner of The French Laundry, among the most celebrated chefs in the world, at work in his Napa Valley restaurant. Ruhlman writes of how Keller succeeded against all odds by believing in himself and his cooking. Though untrained professionally, he has an innate talent in food plus the requisite skills and knowledge to go along with it.

The Reach of a Chef examines the celebrity chef phenomenon which has pervaded the world in recent years. In Ruhlman's words:

"The book is an attempt to get my arms around the expanding nature of the chef in America and what it means to be one today. The chef in the age of celebrity, the chef in the midst of a restaurant-as-theater bonanza, the chef in the middle of an American food revolution. Chefs today can do amazing things—from cooking great food to helping farmers raise it to improving school lunches for kids—but there are also chefs who expect adoration is due them simply for walking into a room with a chef coat on. We simultaneously adore and denigrate Rachael and Emeril, television icons—why? How did we become such a food neurotic country—cherishing carbs then fearing them (and just as we learned how to bake decent bread in this country). We are a fat country, so what do we do to lose weight? We embrace a high-protein, high-fat diet! We gorge on high-calorie, low-nutrition, sodium-saturated fast food. We've debased our hogs and polluted our chickens by breeding them in factories."

Ruhlman questions if it's a good thing for chefs to leave their kitchens and engage in things that do not actually involve cooking and serving food to customers. To describe some of the changes in the American culinary scene, Ruhlman returned to the Culinary Institute of America to speak to the chefs he had written about when he wrote The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America and The Soul of a Chef, to see if changes there reflected those in the industry. In the midst of his research, he discovered new kitchens and new chefs to watch out for.

Check out Michael Ruhlman at his blog for more of his informative writing about food and the culinary scene in the US. For the books he's worked on, go here.

Who I'd Like to Date

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.

~ Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, The Physiology of Taste, 1825

Sui Mai's comment in my previous post made me understand why she married her boy – a durian-loving angmoh (the term used in Singapore for gweilo aka the Caucasian man) is definitely a keeper.

I mean something has to be said about an angmoh who likes durian, you know. I still don't quite understand how a fruit can elicit such extreme reactions from people. We love it here in Southeast Asia and at the same time it is like the poison fruit of the West. It's probably to do with some kind of mental and social conditioning. A durian-loving angmoh is likely to be someone who's adventurous, daring, and open to new ideas and things. All very endearing qualities.

I couldn't ever be someone who didn't enjoy or be adventurous about food. That would be too depressing. Even better if he were a discerning eater, i.e. someone who knows what's good and not good food. A discerning eater doesn't need to be someone with expensive tastes. There is good food that's cheap and there's expensive food that's bad; a discerning eater is one who's able to make all these distinctions with his/her palate. I don't profess to be an expert, but I do think I'm pretty good at making out what tastes good and what tastes bad.

I once ate with a German who thought chicken feet was disgusting. I didn't care – I still ordered it over dimsum and ate the whole portion by myself. Another time while talking to a Singaporean Chinese guy about food, he must have thought that I was a food snob at the end of our conversation. See, every restaurant or eatery which he said was good I thought was bad. I mean places like Shokudo, Curry Favour and Waraku are really not my idea of good food. The Japanese food at Shokudo and Waraku are, at most, edible and nothing to rave about. And he said the Japanese curry at Curry Favour was good – I think it sucks and I can cook better curry using the Golden Curry brand curry paste.

When I mention some restaurants (and approximate amounts one would need to spend) which I thought were good, he goes "That's pretty expensive." And I go, "But it's good!" I would pay for good food and a good experience at a nice restaurant. It's like going to a concert or theatre performance. The chef and wait staff are the performers, the food and service all part of the act. I go there for my stomach, palate and senses to be entertained. I guess he didn't see it this way.

His idea of being a foodie is to go only to hawker centres and kopitiams (a local neighbourhood open air coffee shop) to try different stalls. No, I have nothing against food at hawker centres or kopitiams. In fact, I eat there a lot. But if you're really into food, surely you would like to try out other types of food in restaurants once in awhile?

So Sui Mai, does your boy have any single eligible mates who love durian as much as he does? FedEx them over to me if he does! :p

Icekimo

I discovered this tiny gem of an ice cream parlour many months ago but haven't gotten to writing about it till now. Icekimo is where I get my dose of durian ice cream fix when I'm craving for both durian and ice cream.

The outlet has a cheery pink theme that perks your mood up and makes you want to eat!

One of my cousins went for the green tea flavour. I thought this was pretty good as I could taste the matcha in it and it wasn't too milky.

Another cousin chose the Teh Tarik (top) and Jasmine (bottom). I didn't taste the Teh Tarik but I tried the Jasmine and it did taste like Chinese Jasmine tea – very light and subtle. It's nice if you don't want something too heavy.

But ah, THIS is what I go to Icekimo for – the super durian waffle!!! It's my favourite item on the menu. Luscious, smooth, aromatic durian ice cream sitting atop two warmly toasted waffles with durian flesh puree sandwiched in between. H.E.A.V.E.N.

Icekimo's durian ice cream is the best I've come across so far and other flavours include Belgian chocolate, Blueberry cheesecake, Strawberry etc. I love the flavours that cater to the local market - Dino Milo, Bandung, Teh Tarik, Horlicks (with malteses), Lychee etc. Some of the flavours like chempedak are seasonal. The chempedak ice cream is really delicious and it's a must-eat whenever it's on the menu.

The good thing about these ice creams is that it's cheaper compared to premium brands like Haagen Dazs and Ben & Jerry's. Another cousin had a single scoop of durian ice cream in a cone and the total bill for all four of us came up to $16.30. For the same amount, we would only have gotten three single scoops in any of the more expensive ice cream outlets.

I love my neighbourhood ice cream parlour! I also like the fact that I'm supporting local businesses in patronising it.

icekimo
8 Sin Ming Road
#01-03 Sin Ming Centre
Singapore 575628
Tel: 6455 7585

Chestnuts and Nutrition

I found this article about chestnuts on the Chinese Cuisine Association (中国烹饪协会) website and decided to translate it because it’s about one of the nuts that I really like to eat – the chestnut. I love chestnuts prepared in all forms – roasted, stewed, made into a cream, puréed, stir-fried, etc. Anything to do with chestnuts, I like! Incidentally, one of my favourite Christmas carols is titled 'Chestnuts Roasting'!

Here’s the translated article which I hope you'll find useful:

There’s a Chinese folk saying “八月的梨枣，九月的山楂，十月的板栗笑哈哈” which, loosely translated, means the pear and date of August, the hawthorn of September, and the October laugh of the chestnut.

笑哈哈 is the sound of laughter – the word 笑 means to laugh while 哈哈 is literally read as ‘haha’ to show that someone is laughing. In literary terms, the latter can be called an onomatopoeia. My guess as to why this saying has personified a chestnut to say it’s laughing is that when the chestnut fruit splits open to reveal the chestnut seeds inside, it looks like it's breaking into a laugh with its mouth open (see below).

Image source: http://www.sdqixia.gov.cn

So October is the month when chestnuts are in season. In Chinese it's known as either 板栗 (Ban3 Li4) or 栗子(Li4 Zi3); the latter is more commonly used. Traditional Chinese medicine classifies the chestnut as a ‘warming’ food where it can help to nourish the digestive system, spleen, and kidneys, and strengthen the muscles and tendons, as well as improve blood circulation. It is also known to suppress cough and get rid of phlegm.

It is especially used in treating immobility in the back and knees, weakness in the back and knees as well as incontinence that have arisen because of decreased kidney efficiency.

Research has shown that the chestnut is a nut that’s rich in carbohydrates (碳水化合物), and its ‘warming’ nature is good for helping the body to suppress and combat the cold. Thus it is more suitable to be eaten during autumn and winter.

Due to its many nutritional properties, the humble chestnut is also good for preventing or treating the following ailments:

- High blood pressure 高血压
- Coronary heart disease 冠心病
- Hardening of the arteries 动脉硬化
- Osteoporosis 骨质疏松

As the above ailments are primarily associated with old age, many elderly people in China eat chestnuts often to keep healthy. Chestnuts are also rich in Vitamin B2 (核黄素) and people who have canker sores (a type of mouth ulcer) can also eat it to alleviate the symptoms.

Apart from eaten cooked, chestnuts can also be consumed raw. In fact, eating them raw is actually more beneficial to nourishing the kidneys. In the Tang dynasty, medicinal expert Sun Simiao (孙思邈) had already noted that the chestnut was the ‘fruit of the kidneys’ (肾之果); he pointed out that consuming it raw was good for treating immobility in the back and legs (腰脚不遂). Middle-aged and elderly people who can cultivate the habit of eating air-dried (风干) chestnuts every day will do well to protect themselves from developing kidney deficiencies, sore backs and pain in the legs.
　　
However it’s always bad to have too much of a good thing. Despite all its contained goodness, if consumed excessively, raw chestnuts are hard to digest whilst cooked chestnuts will cause blockage in the digestive tract. Generally, it is OK to consume about 5 to 10 chestnuts a day. Anything beyond that is considered excessive. Children, especially, have a less developed digestive system so it’s not wise to consume too many. As the chestnut is also high in sugar content, diabetic patients are also advised to err on the side of caution and avoid eating too much of it.

Image source: http://www.ahny.gov.cn

For the original article in Chinese go here.

Sha Tin Kitchen

The birthday dinner with my immediate family and my relatives was at Sha Tin Kitchen, the well-known zi char eatery in Geylang. Economic downturn, so can't eat at posh places you know. Well I don't really care whether the place is posh nor not as long as there's good food. And Sha Tin seldom disappoints with the hearty Cantonese food they dish out.

The interior is nothing to shout about with its minimalist style. Pictures of local and some Hong Kong celebs posing with the chef and owner are pasted also on the wall as a way of showcasing their laurels.

The first dish we had was steamed cold crab. This was the best dish of the evening. The crab was fresh, the meat flavourful and light.

Stewed claypot tofu

Pan-fried goose liver – At S$15 per piece, this is a poor cousin of the premier French foie gras. Still, it was pretty good and satisfied my craving for some goose liver. This one came with a slice of deep-fried bread and a thin slice of ham below the goose liver.

Prawn with vermicelli

Yam with duck

Three eggs with vegetable - there's century egg, salted egg and normal egg

Steamed glutinuous rice

Yam roll with mango for dessert

Service was efficient and you would have to budget for about $28–$30 per person just for food for these number of dishes.

10 Lorong 3 Geylang
Tel: 67472483 / 67447087

Tokyo Banana

My friend Rodney gave this to me after arriving in Singapore from Tokyo for a short visit. It's a Japanese snack called Tokyo Banana which he bought at Narita Airport. Cute wrapper.

A white and yellow box is what you see after the wrapper is torn off. The snack is apparently very popular in Japan.

Sitting pretty and cute in individually wrapped packets are miniature 'bananas' which are really sponge cakes with a soft banana filling. The sponge cake is nice and soft and the filling is made from real banana. It was a wee bit sweet for me but I think it would have gone well as a teatime snack with a cup of Earl Grey tea.