@Atetoomuchsg is now on Instagram!

C says:

We've decided to jump on the Instagram bandwagon. Find us @atetoomuchsg. Bear with us (me) as we figure out what goes where, and how much repetition there should be. 

I'd say we're too old for this, but I guess we ought to move with the times. I draw the line at meaningless hashtags though.

A says:

#finally

Volunteering at Willing Hearts

C says:

I've been meaning to get involved in volunteering efforts for some time now, but alas, most initiatives (understandably) involve working with children. For those who know me, saying that I'm not good with children is somewhat of an understatement.

Which is why I got excited when I read about Willing Hearts a couple of months ago - a non-profit 'soup kitchen' whose mission statement is to "provide daily meals and other support services to the underprivileged, the needy, and other marginalized members in Singapore, and to assist and guide them towards rehabilitating and reinstating themselves as useful members of our society". To me, the only way for volunteering efforts to be sustainable is to do something that you enjoy/believe in, so what better way for me/atetoomuch than to work with food?!

A quick check of their website told me everything I needed to know - the kitchen operates daily, 365 days a year, from 6 am to around 4 pm. If, like me, you're interested in kitchen prep work, you need to get there early to help with the meals for the day. Otherwise, you can also offer your services to pack the food into containers for delivery, or even to help out with deliveries later in the morning/afternoon. Large groups like corporate teams need to inform them in advance of their visit, just so they're prepared, but individuals can just show up to lend a helping hand.

Y and I decided to go together so that we wouldn't be alone and clueless on our first foray there. We got there at 7 and spent a very enjoyable few hours washing and cutting copious amounts of radishes. The camaraderie in the place is infectious - we happened to be there with a large group from Marina Bay Sands, and though it was the first time for most of us, everyone got into the swing of things very quickly. 

It's heartwarming to see small groups of retirees showing up together, and even groups of schoolchildren were there packing mandarin oranges. I left promising to return soon. Given that the bulk of the kitchen work is done in the morning, and depending on how much I want to contribute on a particular day, I can either take a morning off work, or just get in to work a little later than usual. Yes, I do have to wake up extra early and drive to MacPherson, but I figure it's the least I can do.

A says:

So proud of you. You go, girl!

Willing Hearts

50 Genting Lane

#04-06 Cideco Building

www.willinghearts.org.sg
www.facebook.com/pages/Willing-Hearts/251054094985354

Atetoomuch's Best Food of 2013

C says:

A belated happy new year, everyone! It's time once again for our Best Of list. Our cut-off date for our Best Of contenders is literally 31 December 2013, so places like Ubin Seafood won't get a mention till next year's list.

In alphabetical order then, here are my picks for the year's best bites:

Central Hong Kong Cafe

Whenever we run out of ideas for places to eat, or just want something quick, simple and comforting, Central at Star Vista is our default choice. Most of the things we've tried are very tasty, but their sliced fish noodle soup alone gets them my vote.

Esquina

Given how often Esquina keeps changing the menu and specials, almost every visit is a brand new experience, so this is one of two old favourites that I have to keep mentioning.

Guzman Y Gomez (GYG)

This deserves a spot just for converting me - a previously die-hard Mexican food hater . I guess not all Mexican food is drenched in sour cream and refried beans, Tex-Mex style. The burritos and quesadillas are excellent, but my default lunch time option now is the Grilled Chicken salad. A salad where the protein is almost the main event is definitely my kind of salad.

Jewel Cafe at Rangoon

I'm still upset that Jewel in Shenton Way no longer has the awesome chicken wings on their menu, but that's somewhat balanced out by the incredible carbonara at their Rangoon Road outpost. This is quite possibly the lightest and best carbonara I've had.

Oca Grassa

I know we've since discovered Ubin Seafood's steak, but to be fair, Oca Grassa's Florentine served on the sizzling Himalayan salt disc was a pretty outstanding steak. It did break our run of bad beef, and for that it's on my list.

Redring wanton mee

I'm not a big fan of wanton mee (I much prefer bak chor mee), but I love everything about Redring's version, from the al dente noodles to the smokey char siew to the clean yet umami sauce.

Tamoya Udon

This no-frills, self-service udon joint in Liang Court serves some of the best udon I've had. The noodle texture is perfect, the broth is uncomplicated but flavourful, and customise your udon with the self-service toppings bar, complete with tempura batter bits, wakame and grated daikon. Their tempura and chicken karaage rock too.

Tanuki

The food has some misses (steer well clear of the beef tartare don), but there are more hits, plus their Happy Hour oysters and salmon sashimi are possibly the best deal in town.

The Naked Finn

Fresh seafood, sublime bee hoon, great cocktails and a chill, unpretentious environment. What's there not to like?

Their awesome prawn noodle soup now starts at $18 rather than $28. But the downside is that it's now only available for weekday lunches, as they've stopped supper service.

Two Fat Men

We keep coming back here even thought it's in the East and parking is a pain - two factors that usually discourage us from visiting, let alone revisiting, a place. But the food here is well worth it. The chicken wings and grilled pork neck are beyond amazing, and we've recently discovered their kangkong and grilled squid too. And their drinks are fab.

That's it! And if the first couple of weeks are any indication, I think 2014 may be an even better year. Here's to a great year ahead, everyone, and may we never waste our calories on crappy food.

A says:

We keep going back to the same places so I don't think these will all be new or that surprising.

Charlie & Co. Best burger under $20 in Singapore. Try the Classic or Mighty Charlie. Unfortunate location in the Ion basement means it may not be there long, so give it a try while you can.

Tamoya Udon. Best udon in Singapore. No doubt about it.

Jewel Cafe. Good food. Great coffee. Affordable. And not packed with hipsters or posers.

Naked Finn. The seafood is phenomenal. Some items are a bit pricey though. But the beehoon and coconut sorbet are so worth it.

Oca Grassa. It's almost impossible to find good steak in Singapore without breaking the bank. Oca Grassa's one is fantastic, and while still expensive, won't leave you in debt.

First Love Patisserie. I love creamy mille crepes. And this place (I go to the Ion one , but they now have a branch at Raffles City) has a great one. Granted the one at Lady M is better, but it's also more expensive. So if you want a good $6 mille crepe, this is my choice.

Baker's Talent. This small shop in Clementi has great Golden Sands (molten salted egg yolk and sugar) buns for just 90 cents a pop. I get one almost every week. They've got other cheap and good buns too.

And of course, old favourites Esquina (almost every bite is awesome), Ember (consistently good food and service) and Two Fat Men (serious flavour on a budget).

Best of 2012

C's Best of 2012

2012 was a good year, at least food-wise. Unlike 2011, where we were struggling to even find enough contenders for the list, we were quite spoilt for choice for 2012's list. We even had to cull some otherwise worthy establishments, in order not to detract from the truly deserving ones.

If this were in order of merit, no prizes for guessing that Esquina would be top of the list. But because it's too hard to arrange the rest, I'm doing this in alphabetical order.

&Made
We still haven't tried Bruno Menard's new bistro La Cantine, but &Made at Pacific Plaza has some of the best burgers we've had in a while. While the original B Burger was good, I still have a soft spot for the Three Little Pigs burger, maybe because it was the first one I tried.

They don't take reservations, but turnover is pretty high since they have an extremely efficient kitchen, so be patient and wait it out. You won't be sorry.

Amuse
Amuse is a late entry into the list. I was almost certain that I'd include Catalunya, but Amuse's tapas are more interesting, better executed and more importantly, make me want to go back for more.

For some reason, the place hasn't generated a lot of buzz, so for those of you who can't deal with the no reservations policy at Esquina, give Amuse a try.

Ember
Sorry, this may be a copout, but our loyalties to Ember remain strong. Surviving ten years in food-obsessed and food-fickle Singapore is quite an accomplishment, so kudos to them.

For as long as they're still around, we'll be there at least once a year.

Esquina
Need I say more? Every one of our 7 (or possibly 8) visits in 2012 resulted in us scrolling through our calendars, already mentally planning our next visit. Almost every dish pops, with each ingredient playing a specific role and nothing unnecessary or redundant.

The plates are prepared with such care and attention to detail, that sometimes it could work against them - some detractors simply can't look past the fact that they are paying restaurant prices to sit on bar stools, or *horrors* have to wait for seats. They don't expect, and are therefore not willing to pay, for exquisite food that they would probably have no qualms paying double for at a place like Pollen.

All I have to say to that is - excellent. More space for us, then.

And, for the record, Pollen wasn't even in contention for the list.

Gyu-Kaku
A doesn't normally like cooking his own food, so the fact that he voluntarily comes here speaks volumes about how good it is, and how much we like it. Skip the wagyu cuts for a more wallet-friendly experience - we do. Their regular meats are good enough, anyway.

They've recently introduced a new dessert - milk pudding with kinako powder and kuromitsu syrup. This is awesome, and a perfect end to a meal that always satisfies.

Kith Bistro
Kith Bistro at Park Mall is everything that we love about the first one at Robertson Quay, and then some. More seating, an expanded menu, and food prepared with heart? Yes please!

With an increasing number of artisanal coffee places sprouting up, I'm glad that Kith has still managed to hold their own.

Masa
I was on the fence about whether Masa should feature in my list. Since the last time we wrote about it, the menu has changed somewhat, and the wagyu appetizers that we liked so much, like the tataki and the carpaccio, are no longer available. In their place is a wagyu sashimi, featuring unctuous slices of heavily marbled wagyu beef, but at $28 for 6 tiny slices, it's a bit too steep for a casual night out.

Still, I've decided that Masa still makes the list, simply for the awesomeness that is their hamburg steak with the demi-glace sauce. Since their starters are no longer a regular option, I guess we just have to order larger portions of the hamburg steak then. Yay.

Menya Musashi
I can't not have a ramen joint in my list. It was a tough fight between Tonkotsu King at Orchid Hotel, and Menya Musashi's tsukemen. In the end, because the neverending queues at Tonkotsu King are a bit of a deterrant, Menya Musashi's tsukemen has my vote this year.

I love their white tsukemen (A prefers the nuttier black - the dipping broth is a complex blend of pork and bonito, and after adding the soba-yu you get a lovely soup to wash everything down. The noodles have a great thickness and texture, and you can order as much noodle as you want for the same price. What more could you want?

Plain Vanilla Bakery
I'm not big on cupcakes, but I love the ones from Plain Vanilla Bakery. I love the fact that they're first and foremost really good cakes, and that they customise the cake base for each cupcake flavour, rather than dry vanilla or chocolate bases meant to showcase fancy frostings or decorations.

I also love how they experiment with new flavours, and put out seasonal limited edition selections, like a pumpkin range for Halloween and a festive selection for the holidays. I think they've started diversifying into cookies and tarts, but I hope they don't neglect what they do best.

Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru
This new conveyor belt sushi joint at Liang Court serves really good quality sushi at very reasonable prices. They give generous slices of fresh fish, on top of relatively small morsels of rice – no sushi robot chunks here. Plus, unlike Itacho Sushi, their service is outstanding – if you know what you want, you can be in and out in about half an hour.
 
In particular, their salmon nigiri, and various versions thereof, are excellent and very good value for money.
 
Sogurt
Purely in terms of the original flavour, I prefer Red Mango, but I really like Sogurt’s other flavours like the Green Apple and Lychee. Plus their location at Star Vista makes for a convenient drive-by yogurt fix. They’re partially to blame for my recent weight gain, though. At the height of our obsession, the two of us shared around 250g of fro-yo almost every evening. 0% fat but clearly not a lightweight in terms of calories. Still, I guess it’s better than ice cream…

SPR MRKT
SPR MRKT may be a bistro within an upmarket grocery/convenience store, but don’t underestimate the quality of the food that they serve. Chef Jo’s creations, like his blackened fish and chips and grilled baby squid salad, pack so much flavour and are so well executed that they wouldn’t be out of place in a chi-chi restaurant.
 
Pastry chef Furrene Hoh’s evil desserts are another main reason for my putting on weight. Rounding off almost every meal there with a bread pudding and vanilla sauce was, on hindsight, not very smart.
 
Teppei
To be fair, we’ve only been to Teppei once, but we really liked our experience here. The food was good, service was great and the overall cramped yet jovial ambience was really up our alley. Plus, $60 for a no-frills, fuss-free omakase meal really can't be beat.
 
I hear that getting dinner reservations are increasingly difficult though, with advance bookings of at least a week required even for a weekday dinner. Oh well, I guess that reinforces why they’re on my list.

So, there you have it - my Best of 2012. May 2013 be an even better year, for food, for life, for everyone!


A's Best of 2012

Esquina
Safe to say it's our fave place in Singapore. Although I really do prefer the lunch service as opposed to the more hectic dinners.

SPR MRKT
The best food you'll find in a small coffee/bistro place.

Menya Musashi
I love the tsukemen here.

Ryoshi Sushi Ikeikemaru
The best combination of value/quality at a conveyor belt sushi joint. (I'd skip the bland cooked dishes though.)

Amuse
Almost as good as Esquina, which to me, is saying a lot. Plus you can make reservations, and the service is good.

Gyu-Kaku
Don't know why it took so long for us to discover this place. Awesome (and not that expensive if you order right). And the service is super impressive for a grilled meat place.

Sogurt
So good. Not cheap but it has an awesome selection of sweet, fruity flavours.

Noodle Place
This place brings back great memories for me. The meats are a bit inconsistent but in my opinion, the noodles are the best in Singapore.

BK A4dables
Surprise entry. Unlike C, I don't mind going with good junk food (which also explains our different cholesterol levels). And it's rare to find something with this balance of variety and value for money. I pick the rodeo beef set where for around $5, you get 2 slider versions of their onion ring western burger, a small fries, a small drink and a mini sundae. Win!

Modern Peking Duck
Our must tar-pow item at Vivo City. $6 gets you a box of very generous portion of roast pork or 6 slices of peking duck crepes. Buy 3 boxes and get the 4th box free.

Ember
We come here for our anniversary every year. That pretty much says it all.

Also rans:
Papparich for awesome steamed kaya toast and curry (let down by the bad coffee).
Co-Op Nasi Lemak for the kaya toast and excellent teh (let down by the average nasi lemak).
Jewel Coffee which is my go-to place for a quick muffin in the CBD.
Sarnie's for the best sandwiches I can never have because it's always so damn crowded at lunch.

On invites and integrity

C says:

While some of our loyal readers have been very encouraging and supportive of the fact that Atetoomuch is getting known enough to at least receive sporadic invitations, others have expressed disappointment that we've "sold out".

The invites that we've received thus far have been sincere offers to showcase what an establishment has to offer. There has never been any obligation for us to write gushing, positive reviews, nor indeed an obligation to write anything at all.

We're not apologising for accepting such invitations, nor are we going to promise to turn them down in future, because let's face it - who hasn't been envious of bloggers who've been invited to media tastings for the opening of L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, for example?

What we can do is reassure all our readers that we will only accept invitations to places that we are genuinely interested in, and if we do write about it after, we'll be transparent about the fact that it was an invite, and will always, without exception, write an impartial, unbiased review.

A says:

Until I strike it rich, if there's free food (that I might like), I'm there.

Holidays

The holidays are upon us again – it’s that time of year when some of us take our much-needed year-end holidays to recharge before the start of a new year.

A and I love going on holiday. Looking forward to our next holiday is one of the main things that keeps us going as we slog our way through work every day. Travelling opens our eyes to so many different sights, sounds, cultures and cuisines (Anthony Bourdain has the best job in the world!).

Ironically, sometimes the more well-travelled you are, the more jaded you get. It’s sometimes too easy to proclaim that the best paella can be had in Spain, or the best sacher torte in Austria. That could (and probably should) well be the case, but it shouldn’t detract from an otherwise well-executed version here on our shores.

As the year draws to a close, I hope that all of us can bear this in mind. Even if we’re lucky enough to travel the world and savour its delicacies, I hope we never lose the ability to appreciate a dish for what it is, rather than comparing it with what we think it should be.

Happy holidays from atetoomuch!

#CookForFamily

C says:

We were contacted by a fellow blogger (Daniel’s Food Diary) to consider being part of an initiative to encourage more people to cook for, and eat with, their families. I instantly agreed to take part, since I’m always extolling the benefits of home cooking, and how it’s actually much easier and quicker than some people expect.

Our regular readers may remember our Japan Diet - well, we’re still going strong, and while my repertoire is somewhat more limited these days based on what’s the easiest for me to make, I still make dinner twice a week (we get home at around 8.30 pm, after   work and a half hour run). I thought I’d write about one of these typical meals, and show how, in about 15 minutes, you can get a half decent home-cooked meal ready for your family.

Some of the things I make, like pan-grilled salmon, require some minimal prep work on weekends, where I descale and pin-bone the salmon, before portioning and freezing it till mid-week. I’ve chosen this grilled tuna, zaru soba and tofu combination, since this really doesn’t require any prior effort at all.

Step 1: Marinade the tuna. I use frozen yellowfin tuna steaks from Fairprice Finest. By all means use sashimi-grade tuna if you wish, the results will be awesome I’m sure, but it’s hard for me to justify spending over $20 on fish for a weekday night dinner.

I just use some ginger sauce and soy sauce, and let the tuna marinade while the water is coming to a boil for the soba.

Step 2: Cook the soba. Soba’s good because it takes only about 5 minutes to cook, and after it’s done, all you have to do is rinse some of the starch off, and pop it in the fridge till you’re ready to eat, dunked in soba dipping sauce that you can get at any Japanese supermarket.

Step 3: Grill tuna. You can do this while the soba is cooking but sometimes I can’t multitask all that well, and don’t want to risk overcooking either the soba or the tuna. If you like your tuna rare in the middle, then these just need about 2 minutes per side (depending on the size of the pieces). And if you hate cleaning up oil splatters, cover the fish with some baking paper with a hole cut in the center for steam to escape.

When it’s done, just like steak, the tuna needs to rest for a few minutes before slicing. I made the side dish during that time.

Step 4: Make crab mayo tofu. I got the idea to serve cold tofu from my friend W, and I thought it was a brilliant one. You don’t even need to cook the tofu, just slice it from the pack. You can top it with bonito flakes and some soy sauce and mirin, or another option that A likes is crab mayo. Chop up some crab sticks, mix with Kewpie mayonnaise, some Maggi seasoning and black pepper. Top with chopped spring onions if you have them on hand and voila, a side dish in about 3 minutes.

Step 5: Call A to come to the table while assembling everything into bento box (since he always takes ages doing goodness knows what).

Step 6: Clean up the aftermath. A insisted that I include this part, since he does the washing up after. I still clean up the kitchen and my grill pan myself though, because I don’t trust him with either. I’ve discovered method cleaning products, which make cleaning the hob much easier, and my Oxo grill pan brush - a recent acquisition from Amazon – is now my best friend.

There you have it. I timed it and this really did take about 15 minutes to put together. Granted, clean up took about 10 minutes, but isn’t it satisfying knowing that you’re putting something healthy on the table for your loved ones?

With some careful planning and perhaps a teeny bit of effort on weekends, it really is possible to have home-cooked food more regularly than you’d expect.

A says:

My pet peeve with chefs saying how easy it is to cook at home is they don’t have to do the washing up. At least I have a wife who makes great meals.

Savour 2012

C says:

The inaugural Savour event took place from 30 March to 1 April. The F1 Pit Building was transformed into a Gourmet Village of sorts, with over 50 pop up stalls showcasing food from acclaimed international as well as local chefs, seminars, masterclasses and a Gourmet Market featuring various F&B purveyors.

The concept was interesting – you could either buy tickets for lunch or dinner (with dinner being more expensive). Your ticket would then entitle you to a certain number of Savour$ (less than the price of the ticket), which you could then use to purchase food or products at the event. Additional Savour$ could also be purchased at various booths throughout the Village.

Prices of dishes ranged from $6 to $21, and one of the major marketing angles was that this was an opportunity to sample Michelin-starred cuisine at fairly reasonable prices. Some of the guest international chefs included Alain Passard and Alvin Leung. On the local front, there were offerings from Gunther’s, St Pierre, Jaan, Sam Leong and a host of others.

Some items were indeed a steal, like St Pierre’s Menage a Trois, a salmon-based sampler that seemed to have at least 20 components, for only $15. In contrast, Alain Passard’s Chaud Froid Egg with maple syrup and xeres vinegar was, in my opinion, somewhat of a rip off at $18.

Consistency seemed to be a bit of an issue though. We thought the Cod 2.0 from chef Hans Valimaki from Chez Dominique in Finland was one of the best dishes we had, and friend Y, who was also there for the Saturday lunch session, was also quite impressed. However another friend S was there for dinner the night before, and found the fish rubbery.

Gunther’s cold angel hair pasta with Oscietra caviar was good, if a bit pricey at $21. A last minute decision to try Sam Leong’s pumpkin rice with XO sausage and seared foie gras paid off – the fragrant rice steamed within a mini pumpkin was one of the best dishes we had that day.

Other dishes sounded better than they tasted, like Alvin Leung’s egg waffle with vanilla condensed milk ice cream. The waffle smelled amazing, with bits of black truffle in the batter, but the ice cream was too rich, dense and heavy, and could have been a bit sweeter. His molecular xiao long bao and har mei lo mein were pretty good though.

I must say that for a first time event, Savour 2012 was very well organized. There were ample areas to either sit or stand while you grazed from stall to stall. And given the number of disposable plates that they no doubt went through, it was heartening to see that they used Cornware, the range of biodegradable disposable cutlery made from corn.

I think a few things could have been improved upon, like introducing a stored value card system (similar to Marche and Ramen Champion) rather than physical coupons representing Savour$ that you still had to count out. Overall though, kudos to the organizers on a job very well done, and I’m definitely there if they decide to do this again.

A says:

Not bad. Not cheap. And it could have benefited from a more advanced stored value payment system though. And of course, more sheltered seating. But overall, I would go again next year.

Best of 2011

C’s Best of 2011

We’re having increasing difficulty coming up with our annual “Best Of” lists. Quite often, new places that we try don’t blow us away quite as much as we’d expect, while old favourites still continue to impress. Plus foreign establishments don’t count, so some of the awesome places in Spain won’t make the cut.

On that basis, we’ve decided to cop out, and just pick some noteworthy places, both old and new, that made us smile.

Ju Shin Jung Korean Charcoal BBQ

Whether you come here for the exquisite Korean BBQ, or just a simple meal of some soup, rice and their delicious side dishes, this place never disappoints. Except when you can’t get a table on a particularly bustling weekend evening.

The fact that it’s a stone’s throw from our place is just the cherry on top.

L’Entrecote

Yes, the place can be a bit of a madhouse, and the fact that they don’t take reservations may put off some people who don’t like to wait indefinitely, but on the flip side, if you do manage to get there before 7.30 pm you’re more or less guaranteed a table without any wait.

It’s not fine dining, the tables are an inch apart so romantic it definitely isn’t, and their sole main course is a fairly basic cut of meat that may make steak snobs shudder. But I still think that’s all part of its charm, and their pate, truffle brie and salted caramel waffles make this a winner in my book.

Read about L’Entrecote here.

Bruno’s

The only things preventing me from being a regular fixture at Bruno’s are the location, the fact that even though you have a reservation it’s still chaos when you arrive, and the sometimes erratic service times.

The food itself is excellent; prices even more so. The king prawn linguine alone is worth a visit.

Chinois by Susur Lee

Granted, we’ve only been to Chinois once, and haven’t yet made good on our intention to try their dim sum menu. But the one meal that we did have there was unexpectedly good.

Jiro-style ramen – Bario and Riki

Being a fervent tonkotsu ramen fan all these years, Ramen Champion (and Lucky Peach) opened my eyes to the lesser known varieties of tsukumen and Jiro ramen. Bario at Iluma and Riki at Terminal 3 get my vote for best ramen of the year.

Ember

What’s our Best Of list without Ember? It may be a cop-out, but we always leave Ember happy, and to me that’s one of the best indicators of how good a place is.

Jewel Coffee

Given that we usually go to Jewel Coffee for dinner, we unfortunately don’t get to sample as many of their caffeinated beverages as we’d like. They’re on my Best Of list for the food, and in particular their awesome chicken wings which, depending on the mood I’m in, could dethrone Ikea’s as my all-time favourite chicken wings.

What do I like about them? They only use the mid-joint, which to me is the best part of the wing. It’s only very lightly floured because I hate heavy batter coatings. It’s seasoned with a very interesting Asian-esque marinade, served with an amazing kicap manis dip. It’s so tender and juicy that the meat just glides off the bone. Enough said. I’m salivating just writing this.

Kazu

We also haven’t been back to Kazu yet, but the meal we had, ending with the burnt caramel ice cream, was truly outstanding.

  

A’s Best of 2011

Best ramen: Taishoken at Ramen Champion Iluma

I’ve recently gotten into the dipping style ramen and Taishoken’s is the best. From the latest standings, it seems Singaporeans prefer the conventional Sapporo style ramens so I doubt it’ll win the Ramen Championship. Hurry to Iluma before June to try it before it’s gone. Sigh.

Best $100 restaurant: Ember

Great service. Great food. And you can get a weekday booking just a week in advance. Still a favourite.

Best burger: Morton’s Bar

Expensive. But still the best burger in Singapore.

Best food at a coffee joint: Jewel Coffee

Okay. This one’s subjective. I wouldn’t say the coffee’s the greatest, but the combination of friendly staff and good food make this a fav of mine.

Best chicken rice: Wee Nam Kee at Marina Square

The food’s as good as the one at Novena plus it’s air-conditioned and you don’t get the crowds.

Best desserts: L’Entrecote

Waffles…Mmmm…

Best food blog: atetoomuch

hahaha

Lucky Peach

C says:

Being fanboys of Anthony Bourdain, who himself is a die hard fan of Momofuku's David Chang, we knew we had to get our hands on the new food quarterly Lucky Peach, which is a collaboration between, amongst others, David Chang and the guys behind Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations - Zero Point Zero Productions. The first issue completely sold out during its first printing but McSweeney's, the publisher, has recognised the demand and reprinted enough to hopefully satisfy eager readers.

Simply put, the magazine is just downright cool. It's actually less like a magazine, and more like a collection of food essays. It's printed on thicker stock, isn't comprised of advertisements, and has quirkier features and illustrations compared to regular food magazines. There’s even a recipe written completely in haikus.

The first issue is dedicated to ramen, and guest contributors include Wylie Dufresne, Anthony Bourdain and Ruth Reichl. The writing tone is equal parts informative and irreverent, but always entertaining.

I've just finished issue 1 but already I can’t wait to start on issue 2. You can order/subscribe directly from McSweeney's website, and in case you're wondering, yes they accept international credit cards and ship internationally.

A says:

This is not light reading. But then, nothing from McSweeney’s is. Still, it makes highfalutin culinary concepts much more accessible. 

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

C says:

I guess atetoomuch is finally going places, if a reader deems our reviews worthy enough to pass off as his/her own. We recently discovered that substantial extracts of a huge number of our posts have appeared as someone else’s reviews. The similarities, down to certain turns of phrase that I think are quite “me”, are too close to attribute to coincidence.

Yes we’re annoyed; wouldn’t you be, if you discovered that the words that you worked (fairly) hard on were passed off as someone else’s? But at the same time I’m also amused. While some of the extracts are blatant copies, others simply don’t make sense.

Hmpf! Maybe he/she should try to copy this post too!

A says:

omgwtfbbq. No one copied what I wrote. I wonder why?

Mooncakes 2011

C says:

Yes, it’s mooncake season yet again. After last year’s slightly disappointing showing, I decided to forego Szechuan Court’s snowskin assortment, in favour of a few new kids on the block.

Since almost everything that the Paradise Group puts out generally doesn’t disappoint, I decided to try their snowskin mooncakes this year. They have a duo that features both types of truffle – of the chocolate and the fungi variety. The white one has a white chocolate truffle scented with white truffle, and the black one has a dark chocolate truffle with black truffle. Both were paired with white lotus paste and gold-dusted snowskin.


These were very interesting, though definitely an acquired taste. Whilst truffle paired with something sweet is not unheard of (think truffle honey), it’s still slightly disconcerting to have a faint musky truffle aroma lingering in the background of a familiar taste of mooncake.

The mooncake quality itself was excellent. The lotus paste was very refined, and the snowskin was really thin and soft (they dried out pretty quickly though, so eat them fast!).


Majestic Restaurant has some interesting flavours this year as well. They have a snowskin with kopi luwak (civet cat coffee) lotus paste, and a fresh milk snow skin with yuan yang (a mixture of coffee and tea) lotus paste. We opted for the latter.

The yuan yang flavour of the lotus paste was quite authentic, and it all but masked the usual lotus paste flavour. However, because there wasn’t any truffle in the center, I found it a bit too dense and heavy. What I like about the chocolate-centred snowskin mooncakes is that it’s really just a chocolate masquerading as a mooncake. The lotus paste complements it by adding a new dimension, but ultimately it’s still a chocolate.

My usual Raffles Hotel baked Mother of Pearl mooncakes are on the way, as are Jewels Artisan Chocolate’s salt caramel truffle snowskins, so I really better do double time at the gym for the next few weeks.

Mooncake season is until 12 September, so better hurry if you still want to catch any of this year's offerings.

A says

I’m not a fan of mooncakes at all. If anything, I’ll have a few of the snowskin variety. Please see C’s review if you want an opinion on this.

C says:

Isn’t that pretty much the case for everything that we review...?

The Japan Diet – here’s to healthy cooking

C says:

Notice that it’s healthy “cooking”, not healthy “eating”. We’re still atetoomuch, so we’re not going to forego our treasured cheeses, rillettes and charcuterie when we go out for dinner on weekends. This is just for weekday dinners after work.


I was inspired after reading The Japan Diet by Naomi Moriyama, who wrote about losing all the weight that she gained as a student in the US, simply by reverting to her mother’s Japanese home cooking. The Japanese diet is rich in fish, tofu and vegetables, all cholesterol and heart-happy ingredients, and low in dairy and red meat, all the bad/saturated fats. In addition, she also suggested serving meals in bento boxes, since the compartments make for instant portion control.


All set to start the year on a healthy note, I bought 2 bento boxes from TOTT, a couple of miso soup bowls from Daiso, and started stocking up on some essential groceries from places like Meidi-Ya, Isetan and Yamakawa Super.


I realise that if I set the rice cooker on timer mode so that it’s done when we get home, I can get dinner ready in under 15 minutes. The beauty of fish is that it takes almost no time to cook – 5 minutes tops, and simple things like a cabbage salad or cold tofu don’t need any cooking at all. The dishes that require stewing, like oyako-don (chicken and scrambled egg) or miso chicken and eggplant, I just prepare on Sunday and microwave it during the week. On non-gym days when we're home a little earlier, I may cook some soba or Jap-style pasta with some simple stir-through sauce.


I can’t believe I used to make full-on pasta dishes, which were such a palaver since I had to wait for the water to boil, then wait for it to cook, then time the sauce so that it was ready when the pasta was. And the best part is that A likes Japanese food, so I don’t even have to force him to eat healthy.

It’s only been a month, so I don’t know if we’ve lost any weight, but for health reasons if nothing else, pan fried fish and steamed rice has got to be a lot better for you than pasta with cream sauce, butter and parmesan cheese, doesn’t it?

A says:

C can cook.

Best of 2010

C says:

Happy new year! It’s taken us a while to come up with a “Best Of’ list this year, simply because it hasn’t been all that inspiring a year for us, in terms of new finds. Possibly because some of the more lauded new restaurants this year have been way out of our price range, like Waku Ghin and Restaurant Andre. For the most part, our best meals of the year have been at old favourites like Ember and Valentino. Still, for what it’s worth, here are some standouts this year (in no particular order).

1. Spruce

Their burger and burrata are decent, but what will make me return to Spruce is their outstanding tuna tartare.

2. Imperial Treasure Super Peking Duck

This is our new default favourite place for birthday gatherings with my gang. Fabulous Chinese food that even A likes, and outstanding peking duck. Not to mention the delicious mee pok with truffle oil.

3. Otto Ristorante

Fancy Italian food but still not intimidatingly chi-chi. Just well executed and great flavours. The set lunch doesn’t showcase the restaurant at its best, so just go for a proper dinner service.

4. Two Fat Men

No, this isn’t here because we know the owner KH. It’s because their creamy tom yam soup and grilled pork neck are almost reason enough to consider moving to the East.

5. Paradise Dynasty

Awesome xiao long bao and la mian, this place may be our new favourite dining destination in ION. The perpetual queue just makes Meatworks next door look all the more forlorn.

6. San-Sui Sumiyaki and Tsuki Bar

We’ve been here a few more times since our first visit and I must say I’m liking it more and more. Their foie gras rice bowl, the ultimate in elitist comfort food, is to die for.

7. Gattopardo

I know some of my friends have mixed feelings about Gattopardo, and I while I do agree that some trial and error is required in terms of what to order, I still maintain that when you do come across a gem, it’s really good.

8. Chikuwa-Tei

Thanks to colleague L for recommending this amazing Japanese joint. It’s right up our alley – no frills, really fresh fish, and in my opinion, their chawanmushi is the best damn $5 you’ll ever spend.

9. Paradise Inn

Another entry from the Paradise Group, the Paradise Inn restaurants serve zi char done really well. Everything that we’ve tried here has been delicious.

10. Santi Tapas Lounge

I’m in two minds about whether this ought to make the list, but I did need some place to round off the list to ten... Anyway, this makes the cut simply for the awesome parmesan cheese and the quail stew.

Have a great 2011 everyone!

A says:

Maybe we’ve just gotten more spoilt and selective, but it seems the pickings for new places were slim this year. My best meals probably came from old favourites like Ember, Valentino and Morton’s Bar.

But for new places we tried in 2010, I agree with C on:

Spruce – Killer ahi tuna tartare

Otto Ristorante – Very good food with very good service. Atmosphere may appear stuffy and imposing but the wait staff are super friendly.

San-Sui Sumiyaki and Tsuki Bar – Made me a convert with the foie gras rice bowl. And I’m not even that big a fan of foie.

Paradise Dynasty – Great xiao long bao flavours and large portions of la mien.

Paradise Inn – Good zi char chain.

Chikuwa-Tei – awesome Unagi and Chirashi for relatively affordable prices.

I’d also add:

Melt, The World Cafe – Fantastic cheese selection.

Domani – Not for food, but for the Double Chocolate Chiffon Cake.

Rocks Urban Grill + Bar – Great food although a tad on the expensive side.

I’ll stop there and not try to force entries just to make up numbers.

Mooncakes

C says:

Mooncake season is upon us again, and it’s that time of the year when I brace myself for a season of excessive calorie consumption. Because they’re so ridiculously calorie-laden, I try to limit myself to just one ‘brand’ of baked mooncakes each year, and one snowskin. For the past few years, it’s been half a box of the Raffles Hotel Mother of Pearl mooncake with single yolk and white lotus paste (I share a box with my brother), and for my snowskin quota, the Szechuan Court assortment (2 each of 4 varieties they have each year).

Alas, after I placed my early bird orders (to take advantage of various credit card discounts), I discovered that Jewels Artisan Chocolates was making a salt caramel truffle snowskin mooncake this year! Finally! Just when I was lamenting that someone should take on this very logical flavour – after all, most mooncakes are based on a sweet-salty pairing, what with lotus paste and salted egg yolk. Of course, I expected Canele to be the ones to step up, but I was more than eager to give Jewels a try.


For my first few bites, I had some reservations. It was my first mooncake of the season, and I was comparing it to the memory of last year’s. I thought that while the salt caramel chocolate truffle was excellent (they are chocolatiers, after all), I somehow felt that the lotus paste and the snowskin paled in comparison to some of the more established mooncake makers.

However, after trying Szechuan Court’s this year, I’m actually changing my mind. Their snowskin isn’t as thin and fine as I remember, so after sampling both this year, my vote actually goes to Jewels. The snowskin is so thin that it's almost translucent, and while I’m not the most keen on the melon seed slivers within the lotus paste, overall I really like the combination of the salt caramel truffle with the lotus paste. And most importantly, kudos to them for not being timid with the salt – there’s nothing I hate more than hesitancy and reservation when creating a salty caramel.


This year, Szechuan Court’s 4 flavours are Baileys, Rum and Raisin, Champagne and, the new flavour this year, Organic Muesli. They were a tad disappointing this year, though I must say they’re not shy with the alcohol for the truffles. If you like your chocolate truffles with a good dose of booze, then these are the ones for you. Otherwise, the only one that I like this year is the Rum and Raisin. I may have to rethink them as my default snowskin choice in future.


Of course, mooncake season isn’t complete without the traditional baked variety, and in my opinion the best one in town is Raffles Hotel’s Baked Mother of Pearl Mooncake with Single Yolk and White Lotus Paste. The skin is really thin and moist, not dry and crumbly, and the filling is extremely fine, probably due to the pearl powder mixed into the paste that gives it its name and signature texture.

A says:

I think mooncakes are way overpriced. Pass.

Best of 2009

C says:

2009 has been quite an eventful year for atetoomuch. To commemorate it, and to start a new tradition, we’re going to list our Best of 2009 – a summary of the most outstanding places that we’ve discovered this year, or old faithfuls that never fail to satisfy.

The criteria are simple – no minimum or maximum budget, no limit on cuisine type, just places or dishes that made us sit up, take notice, and vow to be back. The only restriction is that it has to be places in Singapore.

So without further ado, and in no particular order, here’s my Top 9 for 2009:

1) Sage The Restaurant

Better late than never. We avoided this place on the assumption that it looked too chi-chi and intimidating, only to discover that it was anything but. Our first visit there in November was one of our best meals of 2009.

2) Morton’s Bar

The fillet mignon sandwiches are good, but the burger here is out of this world. Best burger in Singapore, period.

3) Canton-i

ION Orchard is officially our favourite mall, due in no small part to the great food discoveries we’ve made there. The char siew at Canton-i, with its succulent layers of fat sweetened and charred to perfection, has spoilt me for all char siews in future. No other char siew even comes close. Ok, so Wong Ah Yoke recently dissed the char siew for being inconsistent, but we still beg to differ. We’ve had it 3 times and it has never failed to impress. Maybe we got lucky. Or maybe we just have lower expectations.

4) Kith Cafe

Good food, unpretentious owners and waitstaff (though the same can’t be said for some of the clientele…), and the best damn flat white I’ve had in Singapore.

5) Hiang Ji at Toa Payoh

This is an unexpected but definitely deserved entry. The noodles/hor fun, flavoured with the unmistakeable fragrance of lard, are simply heaven.

6) Arinco King

Yes, at $18 per roll you could say this is overpriced. And perhaps the salt caramel isn’t quite as perfected as Canele’s. But I still think this is worth every penny. That wonderful combination of light sponge cake, burnt caramel whipped cream and salt caramel glaze puts a smile on my face every time.

7) Modern Peking Duck

Thanks to Modern Peking Duck at the ION basement food street for bringing peking duck crepes to the masses. My only grouse is that they’ve stopped serving the Big Pig, and in its place they offer suckling pig crepes. These aren’t as good as the peking duck ones.

8) Shin Yeh

I can’t stop thinking about the oyster omelette here, which I guess is the hallmark of a good restaurant. For this reason, and because less than a day after our first visit I’m already plotting a return trip, Shin Yeh has made it to our Top 9.

9) Ember

Our year will not be complete without Ember. Our anniversary dinner there this year reminded us just how understatedly fabulous the food is.

Well, there you have it. I wonder what 2010 will bring, and I can’t wait to find out. Happy New Year, everyone!

A says:

I agree with C’s except for one of them (Arinco King). My top 9 for 09 are:

1) Sage – expensive but worth it

2) Canton-i – Crystal Jade prices but way better food

3) Modern Peking Duck – I was addicted to these for awhile. Eat them on the spot. I’ve learnt they don’t keep well at all.

4) Morton’s Bar – Probably the best burger in Singapore. And even though it’s $25 (after 8pm), it’s still not the most expensive. Shocking.

5) Hiang Ji at Toa Payoh – We can’t be accused of being too atas with this on the list. Big ups to YCC for the recommendation. I take full credit for asking for hor fun instead of mee kia though.

6) Kith Cafe – Love this place. If only it were a bit bigger. Too bad we don’t live in the area anymore.

7) Shin Yeh – One of my new preferred Chinese restaurants.

8) Ember – Always good.

9) Saizeriya – Unbeatable value for money. Just steer clear of the steaks.

Other notables (but not necessarily must-try material): Hand Burger, Melt buffet at Mandarin Oriental, Smoke Shack (which we’ve tried separately but haven’t gone together so no review yet).

Could It Be…?

C says:

Did the good people at Asian Food Channel actually heed my plea to bring back Iron Chef?

I saw a trailer last night with Chairman Kaga’s signature capsicum-chomp, and the words to the effect of ‘The Challenge Begins November 2008… Iron Chef on the Asian Food Channel’.

I don’t want to get my hopes up, in case it’s actually the William Shatner US version, or a teaser for a completely different show. But if they really are going to air the classic Iron Chef, then if you guys at AFC are reading this – you rock!! Now all that’s left is to sit tight and wait till November. Allez cuisine!

A says:

I’m not sure how Iron Chef will hold up after all this time. Still, it promises to be a treat for first time viewers.

Bring back Iron Chef!

C says:

A and I have recently gotten addicted to a baking/cooking anime on Animax called Yakitate Ja-pan! – about a baking competition between two teams trying to create a national bread for Japan. It’s 80% informative baking/cooking tips with nuggets of information on Japan’s local produce thrown in, and 20% just plain typically weird anime, but really fun to watch.

Anyway, the judge in the cooking competitions, with his dramatic trenchcoat, gloves and frilly neck piece, reminded me of Chairman Kaga (“Allez cuisine!”), the host and judge of the cult favourite Japanese cooking show Iron Chef. This used to be a filler programme on weekday afternoons on Channel 5, and though I discovered it only halfway through its run, I was hooked from the get go.

*Note: I’m talking about the original Japanese Iron Chef, dubbed into English with a sports commentary-style voiceover that was part of its charm. This is not to be mistaken for the failed spin-off ‘Iron Chef USA’, with William Shatner in Chairman Kaga’s role. That was a disaster.*

Many of the ingredients that were used in the show were alien to me back then, more than 6 years ago, but now that we’re eating out more and developing a more sophisticated palate (har har…), I’m belatedly appreciating the quality of the ingredients and cooking techniques a lot more now. Far from being a mere entertainment programme, the chefs were genuinely skilled, the ingredients of the best quality, and it’s bred some big name chefs like Masaharu Morimoto, Iron Chef Japan, who has since opened his own restaurant Morimoto in New York.

Yes, the show may be over the top, but it’s nothing short of entertaining and it really did open my eyes to the many different types of ingredients and cooking techniques. The image of Morimoto bludgeoning a live octopus with a daikon radish to tenderize it (the octopus) will stay with me always.

Now that I’m a little more savvy about all things culinary, I’d really like to watch Iron Chef again, with a slightly more informed eye. How many of you out there would similarly like a chance to catch old episodes of Iron Chef? If enough of us shout out, hopefully someone at Mediacorp or Asian Food Channel will hear us and maybe, just maybe, bring back good ol’ Iron Chef.

A says:

If memory serves me, Iron Chef was a really fun show. I wouldn’t mind watching it again.

Caution –Yakitate Ja-pan! is a really gay anime. Watch it and you’ll see what I mean. Other than that, the totally random plot and self-deprecating humour make it worth watching. Especially if you’re a fan of baking and anime.

Everything tastes better aburi-ed

C says:

I’m finally the proud owner of a blowtorch. Why did I buy one, you may ask? Actually I’m not too sure myself. Mainly to sear tuna or aburi sushi, possibly to make creme brulee, but also to delude myself into thinking I’m actually a proper cook.

I broke it out for the first time proper to aburi some sushi that we bought from Ichiban Boshi. We ordered some standard salmon, tuna, yellowtail and scallop sushis, and torched them for dinner the following night.


Bearing in mind that the sushi wasn’t same-day fresh, it still tasted pretty good aburi-ed. Nice and smoky, with the fish still rare inside. Pity that the rice was a bit hard from being kept overnight, and there generally was just too much rice. I’m inspired now to make my own sushi from scratch and aburi up a storm. Next time I won’t be so timid with the torch – the sushi could’ve done with a bit more searing.


Anyway, I think everything tastes better aburi-ed. I experimented by steaming some vegetables (baby corn, cauliflower and broccoli), then gave them a good blast. Voila! Vegetables with all the charred, smoky taste of the grill, but without any oil, or having to clean up the grill pan. (Ok, there may be carcinogens, but let’s not dwell on small details.) The broccoli benefited the most from the torching – the little fronds provided lots of surface area for the flame to hit, giving it loads of smoky flavour.

Any suggestions on what else I can aburi?

A says:

Smokin’!!!

Duck fat vs lard

C says:

We haven’t been anywhere new of late, so as a result I’m getting introspective… while enjoying a particularly good duck confit at La Petite Cuisine, I was savouring the crispy duck skin and marveling at the awesome flavour of duck fat. Adding just a little bit of duck fat to anything, from salad dressing to French fries to roast potatoes, gives it so much depth and flavour. Just like how hawkers here add lard to practically everything to boost flavour.

Just as lard is indispensable in Chinese cooking, duck fat probably plays the same role in European cooking. The question is – which is inherently more flavourful? If we were to compare two plates of char kway teow, one fried with lard and one with duck fat, I wonder which would come out tops in a blind taste test.

A says:

Nothing.