[phto] spruce scenes
Monday, 7. December 2009, 15:25:12
Posts tagged with "photo"
[photo] spruce
Monday, 7. December 2009, 15:19:30
presenting ..... drum roll.......the good and the bad of spruce
the good - fresh eggs benny slapped between cured pork and a thick corn waffle
the bad - clumsy banana pancakes. come on chef, surely you could caramelise the bananas, the one you served was not even ripe yet. bad case of form over substance.
the good - fresh eggs benny slapped between cured pork and a thick corn waffle
the bad - clumsy banana pancakes. come on chef, surely you could caramelise the bananas, the one you served was not even ripe yet. bad case of form over substance.
[photo] aoki omakase (お任せ)
Sunday, 6. December 2009, 13:25:22
starter of salad and simmered daikon
sashimi platter featuring the usual fare of otoro, ebi and hotate
savoury clam soup served in a tea pot
grilled snapper
simmered japanese yam
sushi platter
sweets featuring milk custard, coconut ice cream with mango sauce and jelly
overall, the omakase lunch at aoki was enjoyable with the japanese yam and the clam soup taking top spots. i was delighted by the roe sushi, i believe it is sujiko (すじこ) instead of the usual ikura (イクラ), either way, i could down a platoon of these babies.
this damsel seemed to rave about the tamago castella, my tamago seemed to be just a regular egg chiffon, and they seemed to have reheated in the microwave. she must have gotten the pimped up version.
[photo] bourdain's hongkong trail
Tuesday, 27. October 2009, 14:13:41
when i was heading over to hongkong for an unplanned weekend, i knew instinctively (in my belly no less) i needed to visit some of the places anthony bourdain covered. while i was a big fan of the celebrity author slash chef slash ex junkie, i knew his take on asian cuisine is sort of hit-and-miss. i mean this guy did not know about singapore hainan chicken rice till his third trip here.
nonetheless, taking cue from this episode of no reservations, i did some research and found myself riding the mtr to yau ma tei.
i was looking for four season pot rice (四季煲仔飯). it is always encouraging to see a decent queue at the entrance of a chowhouse, it is more reassuring that a majority of them were locals.
taking cue from the gentleman in front of me, i ordered the classic waxed meat pot and the popular chicken and salted fish pot. the waxed meat pot featured one fat laden chinese sausage, one liver sausage and one hunk of waxed fatty pork. all three preserved meat oozed a lingering aftertaste of chinese wine - funky. the chicken and salted fish pot is closer to familiar grounds, though the salted fish used is a lot fishier than what i am used to.
maybe i am biased, the claypots in singapore are way better. having said that, i cannot get the really tasty tung choi with foo yu sauce.
oh, the stewed beef parts across four season is good. very good. more about that later.
waxed meat pot
chicken and salted fish pot
tung choi with foo yu sauce
nonetheless, taking cue from this episode of no reservations, i did some research and found myself riding the mtr to yau ma tei.
i was looking for four season pot rice (四季煲仔飯). it is always encouraging to see a decent queue at the entrance of a chowhouse, it is more reassuring that a majority of them were locals.
taking cue from the gentleman in front of me, i ordered the classic waxed meat pot and the popular chicken and salted fish pot. the waxed meat pot featured one fat laden chinese sausage, one liver sausage and one hunk of waxed fatty pork. all three preserved meat oozed a lingering aftertaste of chinese wine - funky. the chicken and salted fish pot is closer to familiar grounds, though the salted fish used is a lot fishier than what i am used to.
maybe i am biased, the claypots in singapore are way better. having said that, i cannot get the really tasty tung choi with foo yu sauce.
oh, the stewed beef parts across four season is good. very good. more about that later.
waxed meat pot
chicken and salted fish pot
tung choi with foo yu sauce
[photo] 锅魁
Sunday, 4. October 2009, 11:14:10
i arrived at chunxi road (春熙路) eight hours earlier than the scheduled team meeting time. the cool morning air, coupled with the serious lack of sleep on the plane, teased me to take a nap at an empty bench. damn, i am becoming a junkie.
surprisingly, i was able to doze off despite being paranoid of being mugged or arrested. i was jolted awake when my backpack, that weighed almost a small elephant, tumbled to the ground. satisfied with the almost 45 minutes powernap, i went hunting for chows.
my aimless wandering first brought me to a convenience store called wowo which only featured spicy beef jerkies and dried beancurd. i loaded on a coke to extract the much needed caffeine, before heading off to search for fuel. some 50 yards away from wowo was a stall called 乐来锅魁 and small locals were already gathering around the stall, wolfing down their purchases. this is a good start, my only alternative at that moment was macdonalds, and there is no way i will consume hash browns and mcmuffin in china. i rather gnaw on rabbit's heads - which i did later.
since this is new territory for me, i decided to just repeat the order of the guy in front of me - and i was hoping he wasn't going to order something that featured coagulated duck's blood or something. good thing he ordered a 卤肉锅魁 along with soyabean milk. happily, i held my order and hurried off to a nearby bench. now i am behaving like a junkie.
i have never had a 锅魁 before, i would describe it as a chinese pita bread. it is odd that the version served at 乐来锅魁 is sort of steamed, instead of toasted or panfried. either way, the concept of 锅魁 is simple, fill meat and vegetables in a dough-holder shaped like a flattened pac-man. i had stewed pork as my filling cos the guy in front had it. what i really wanted was pig ears along with chinese fungus.
but heck, the 卤肉锅魁 was good, packing in flavours of saltiness, sweetness, spiciness and an almost pervasive numbness from the sichuan peppercorns. the meat was fatty, moist and delicious. darn, my tongue was in overdrive. all these sensations for just 5 yuan. this is a good start to the trip
surprisingly, i was able to doze off despite being paranoid of being mugged or arrested. i was jolted awake when my backpack, that weighed almost a small elephant, tumbled to the ground. satisfied with the almost 45 minutes powernap, i went hunting for chows.
my aimless wandering first brought me to a convenience store called wowo which only featured spicy beef jerkies and dried beancurd. i loaded on a coke to extract the much needed caffeine, before heading off to search for fuel. some 50 yards away from wowo was a stall called 乐来锅魁 and small locals were already gathering around the stall, wolfing down their purchases. this is a good start, my only alternative at that moment was macdonalds, and there is no way i will consume hash browns and mcmuffin in china. i rather gnaw on rabbit's heads - which i did later.
since this is new territory for me, i decided to just repeat the order of the guy in front of me - and i was hoping he wasn't going to order something that featured coagulated duck's blood or something. good thing he ordered a 卤肉锅魁 along with soyabean milk. happily, i held my order and hurried off to a nearby bench. now i am behaving like a junkie.
i have never had a 锅魁 before, i would describe it as a chinese pita bread. it is odd that the version served at 乐来锅魁 is sort of steamed, instead of toasted or panfried. either way, the concept of 锅魁 is simple, fill meat and vegetables in a dough-holder shaped like a flattened pac-man. i had stewed pork as my filling cos the guy in front had it. what i really wanted was pig ears along with chinese fungus.
but heck, the 卤肉锅魁 was good, packing in flavours of saltiness, sweetness, spiciness and an almost pervasive numbness from the sichuan peppercorns. the meat was fatty, moist and delicious. darn, my tongue was in overdrive. all these sensations for just 5 yuan. this is a good start to the trip
[photo] big d's
Sunday, 23. August 2009, 10:14:07
anchovy pasta, big d's holland village, 2009
sambal buah keluak, big d's holland village, 2009
i have heard about big d's from the usual sources of gastroblogs. damn, this place even have a facebook fansite. this kitchen serves chichi-fare to the likes of krobuta pork loin, crab linguine, blackmore full blood wagyu ribeye. i am not sure if the description of "full blood" was to boast the quality of the meat or to describe the messy death of the cow. either way, it was a lousy marketing term.
i came here for one thing - anchovy pasta. at sgd18 a pop, this carbomeal is pricey. for the same fare, i could do a bowl of xo fish head bee hoon and a plate of har cheong kai (prawn paste chicken) from the famed stall located in the same coffeeshop.
the anchovy pasta was fantastic - the al-dente noodles were coated with a delightful blend of saltiness and spiciness. i tasted tiny chunks of salty anchovies, fiery peppers and olive-oil fried garlic pieces. my mouth is having a ball. i only wished the portion was not that frugal.
one interesting thing is that this western-based eatery featured soul food - babi assam, bang bang chicken and buah keluak. who could say no to peranakan food? so an order of the buah keluak was locked in. unfortunately, the black gold of the seeds from the buah keluak fruit did not hit the spot. while the paste was meaty and nutty, it had one flaw - the lack of fatty pork to balance the flavours.
will i head back to big d's? likely, but not purposefully.
[photo] thailand 3 - singapore 1
Sunday, 12. July 2009, 00:58:00
my trip to yaowarat is punctuated with occasions of checking out and sampling the local grub. many of chows featured there in bangkok's chinatown were familiar fare back home in singapore. inevitably, i drew a comparison of which state conjured a more gratifying experience for the same dish.
first up was singapore's national dish - chicken rice. the equivalent version is called khao mun gai (ข้าวมันไก่). both versions are characterised by chunks of poached chicken parts served on top of a generous serving of chicken stock infused rice, served alongside cucumber. the thai version pimped its version with several sprigs of fresh coriander and accompanied by a cake of wiggly chicken blood tofu.
national pride aside, singapore's version packed in a lot more flavour and taste per bite than the thai version. after all, this is our national dish. however, what made the thai version score was the sauce. a bowl of dark, fragrant concoction accompanied each plate of khao mun gai. the sauce was a cpompound of tauchu (fermented yellow bean paste), thick soy sauce, chilli, ginger, garlic and vinegar. it was so good, i downed a bowl with half my plate of rice.
thailand 1 - singapore 1
khao mun gai (ข้าวมันไก่)
next up is a quintessential south-east asia snack - satay. pieces of pork are skewered into thin spears and slowly grilled over an open fire. i chanced open this while scouting the back alleys of yaowarat for photo opportunities. i think stay is called moo sate in thailand.
i ordered 10 sticks and was served within 5 minutes, all prepared from scratch. served alongside the pork that were grilled in its own fat, was a salad of pickled chillis, cucumbers and onions, a bowl of spicy, chunky peanut sauce and a plate of toasted bread.
it was some of the best satays i had ever consumed for a long time.
thailand 2 - singapore 1
thai satay
the next dish had me going back three times within 2 days. the kway chap in thailand re-defined what i understood about the dish. singapore's take on kway chap is a teochew dish of flat, broad rice sheets in a soup made with dark soy sauce, served with pig offal, braised duck meat, various kinds of beancurd, preserved salted vegetables, and braised hard-boiled eggs. the thai kway chap featured a clear peppery broth drenching a curled up version of the same broad rice sheets, and a medley of poached pork, moo grob (crispy pork), tripe, liver and heart. the base broth is already packed with heat to start with, and i was encouraged to pimp it to a hell-broth status by drenching in tablespoons of a fiery sauce of ginger, chilli, vinegar and fish sauce.
this dish had instantly became my favourite food in thailand. the sad part is that i could not get this version here in singapore.
thailand 3 - singapore 1
for approximate locations, head over to my flickr and check out the geo-tagged maps
kway chap nam sai
first up was singapore's national dish - chicken rice. the equivalent version is called khao mun gai (ข้าวมันไก่). both versions are characterised by chunks of poached chicken parts served on top of a generous serving of chicken stock infused rice, served alongside cucumber. the thai version pimped its version with several sprigs of fresh coriander and accompanied by a cake of wiggly chicken blood tofu.
national pride aside, singapore's version packed in a lot more flavour and taste per bite than the thai version. after all, this is our national dish. however, what made the thai version score was the sauce. a bowl of dark, fragrant concoction accompanied each plate of khao mun gai. the sauce was a cpompound of tauchu (fermented yellow bean paste), thick soy sauce, chilli, ginger, garlic and vinegar. it was so good, i downed a bowl with half my plate of rice.
thailand 1 - singapore 1
khao mun gai (ข้าวมันไก่)
next up is a quintessential south-east asia snack - satay. pieces of pork are skewered into thin spears and slowly grilled over an open fire. i chanced open this while scouting the back alleys of yaowarat for photo opportunities. i think stay is called moo sate in thailand.
i ordered 10 sticks and was served within 5 minutes, all prepared from scratch. served alongside the pork that were grilled in its own fat, was a salad of pickled chillis, cucumbers and onions, a bowl of spicy, chunky peanut sauce and a plate of toasted bread.
it was some of the best satays i had ever consumed for a long time.
thailand 2 - singapore 1
thai satay
the next dish had me going back three times within 2 days. the kway chap in thailand re-defined what i understood about the dish. singapore's take on kway chap is a teochew dish of flat, broad rice sheets in a soup made with dark soy sauce, served with pig offal, braised duck meat, various kinds of beancurd, preserved salted vegetables, and braised hard-boiled eggs. the thai kway chap featured a clear peppery broth drenching a curled up version of the same broad rice sheets, and a medley of poached pork, moo grob (crispy pork), tripe, liver and heart. the base broth is already packed with heat to start with, and i was encouraged to pimp it to a hell-broth status by drenching in tablespoons of a fiery sauce of ginger, chilli, vinegar and fish sauce.
this dish had instantly became my favourite food in thailand. the sad part is that i could not get this version here in singapore.
thailand 3 - singapore 1
for approximate locations, head over to my flickr and check out the geo-tagged maps
kway chap nam sai
[photo] yaowarat scenes
Sunday, 12. July 2009, 00:23:54
[photo] light lesson
Sunday, 12. July 2009, 00:19:04
photo courtesy of aujin
steve explaining how light can dramatically make a portrait even better. these two locations were just 5 meters apart.
no strobes or reflector were used - just a keen eye on light. i think this was the best lesson of his 3 days masterclass.
[photo] steve mccurry
Sunday, 12. July 2009, 00:05:06
steve chatting up some japanese cuties. he did this several times over the course of the 3 days masterclass.
ckp.
[photo] little india (misc)
Saturday, 11. July 2009, 15:12:28
some of the other shots which i liked but did not submit for critique
an out-of-focus shot which steve did not like
juxtaposition of indian coffeeshop patrons and mr steve "i am pretending to make pictures and ignoring the participants because the biography channel people are filming me" mccury
gangster tattoo of a stall owner in thieves market
an out-of-focus shot which steve did not like
juxtaposition of indian coffeeshop patrons and mr steve "i am pretending to make pictures and ignoring the participants because the biography channel people are filming me" mccury
gangster tattoo of a stall owner in thieves market
[photo] steve mccurry's workshop - day 1
Saturday, 11. July 2009, 15:06:42
this was my take on the little india assignment. i submitted 5 photos of the same series to see what worked for him and what did not.
steve paid a lot of attention on the body posture and this photo worked because of the spread legs. this was the better one off that series.
steve paid a lot of attention on the body posture and this photo worked because of the spread legs. this was the better one off that series.
[photo] little india barber
Saturday, 11. July 2009, 14:59:07
taken during steve mccurry's masterclass
[photo] guitar heroes
Sunday, 7. June 2009, 08:55:28
kyra "giggles" mattar, eudon "i play only expert level and above" yap, jason "lazy bass" oon
[photo] nepal
Friday, 5. June 2009, 15:59:22
this shot caught my eye when i was archiving all my photos to a new hard disk. i kinda of like it, though it is hard to explain why.
[photo] sri veeramakaliamman temple
Monday, 25. May 2009, 12:34:20
round & round we go, singapore, 2009
grease lightning, singapore, 2009
horn blower, singapore, 2009
[photo] claypot rice
Sunday, 24. May 2009, 07:57:19
the mother of all comfort food. claypot rice is the way to cook rice before modern technology came and conquered the kitchen. the result, especially cooked over wood fire, is a pot filled with soft and moist grains encrusted by a layer of slightly burnt rice grains. the latter has a texture similar to japanese rice crackers, and happened to the best part, according to claypot rice connoisseurs. i suspect it has to do with the nostalgia and the lack. i remember my elders telling me stories that hot water is added to the claypot, so that the charred scrappings at the side were not wasted. either life was that harsh back in the 1950s, or they were going to the extreme in teaching me the chinese principle of frugality.
early versions of claypot rice in singapore did not feature chicken. just rice, a dash of kitchen oil or sesame oil and plenty of black soya sauce. the richer families may add chinese sausages and salted fish. and that's about it. a family probably had it once a month, or longer.
fast forward 50 years, i could have it almost everyday. i should count my blessings.
[photo] off to work
Sunday, 10. May 2009, 10:44:31
5.03 a.m. - a lady taking the first train to work in kyoto station.
[photo] corner shell griller
Saturday, 9. May 2009, 13:02:55
at the west end of nishiki market in kyoto sits a shell griller. this 8 person bar is located next to a seafood vendor, with an elderly man shackling shells and handing them over to a lad who grills the array of bivalve mollusks over a small 6 by 3 feet griller.
i used to avoid shells till the last year or so when i started reading bourdain's novels. i started with clams and slowly progressed to oysters. how could i resist when i saw fresh shells being roasted in its own natural brine?
i locked in an order of kaki (oyster) and hotate (scallop). they were great though i was a little terrified attempting the innards of the clam, especially the orange roe and the god-knows-what dark part.
hotate :: kaki
[photo] yoshimaru ramen bar
Sunday, 3. May 2009, 13:51:21
sesame seeds :: traditional hakata ramen :: hakata mini mentaiko mayo burger
i was pretty pschyed up when i read that a japanese ramen joint had set up a stall here in singapore. this establishment specialises in tonkotsu and tantan ramen. i am a sucker for good stock, so you could imagine me fantasizing about chowing down a bowl during church today.
it did not help that i watched tampopo (タンポポ) yesterday. i still could remember the words the old man in the novel said.
Master...soup first or noodles first?
First, observe the whole bowl. Appreciate its gestalt. Savor the aromas.
Jewels of fat glittering on the surface. Shinachiku roots shining.
Seaweed slowly sinking. Spring onions floating.
Concentrate on the three pork slices... They play the key role,but stay modestly hidden.
First caress the surface...with the chopstick tips. To express affection.
Then poke the pork. Caress it with the chopstick tips.
Gently pick it up...and dip it into the soup on the right of the bowl.
What's important here is to...apologize to the pork by saying... "See you soon."
i was wishing poetry in my bowl today but no such luck at yoshimaru. i was disappointed with the traditional hakata ramen. the stock was delivered well, technically. but it lacked the deep rich taste, and the noodles were a little too soft. the sesame seeds, in my opinion, was an unnecessary distraction. the pork, on the other hand, worked for me.
to give these folks credit, it is a better than average bowl by singapore's standards. but with roots in kyushu, i expected more. the mentaiko burger was refreshing, but i had problem locating the marinated pollock roe. i also realised that the japanese cousins do not feature this item on their menu. it is interesting the yoshimaru singapore is managed by the chilli crab people, jumbo seafood.
i might pop back here next time i am in the vicinity but i don't think i will drive to holland village just to satisfy my crave for rame, especially when miharu is just 10 minutes away.
[photo] offspring gyudon
Saturday, 2. May 2009, 11:08:37
first decent bowl of food i cooked in my life.
[photo] one month
Saturday, 2. May 2009, 03:42:15
it is a month now since dad was called home to be with Jesus. while i know that he is with our Lord, the periodic realisation of him not being physically with me brings an ache within me. i miss you terribly, dad. you were the only one whose antics always bring laughther for me.
i was at mandai last week to ensure the plague for the ash storage was done properly. i was delighted to see that my niece has decorated it with toy kitchen appliances that featured a juicer, toaster, rice cooker and what looked like a modern hotpot. on the other corner lays a pink knitted overall. nice thought, but dad's well taken care of with Jesus.
running through some of the photos during the wake, this photo of shannon speaking to my dad brought back memories. the doll that shannon was holding was her "good luck" doll for her grandfather when dad was in the icu. here, she was speaking to him that she wanted him to bring the doll to heaven.
[photo] noodle house ken
Friday, 1. May 2009, 10:30:38
i might as well turn japanese - i had been craving for all things japanese lately. i even attempted to cook gyudon - a feat that even surprised myself. today, i dound myself craving for ramen after watching ramen girl, a movie didn't do anything else but to make me hungry. a quick google on ramen joints in singapore came up with the usual suspects, except for noodle house ken - which got pretty decent reviews.
old skool beer posters, noodle house ken, singapore, 2009
i was pretty pschyed up coming to a new joint but when i saw the old skool beer posters, my memories worked again - i had been to this place before - for asahi on the tap. i remembered the food was only alright back then. undeterred, i locked in the chows.
miso ramen, noodle house ken, singapore, 2009
the miso ramen was decent, though nothing that made me pause, savout the moment and let off a sigh of joy. the noodles were rather chewy, so thats one point for me. the accompanying pork was a let down - a little on the dry side.
shar siew don, noodle house ken, singapore, 2009
the shar siew (not sure why shar instead of char) bowl also did not make me stand up and dance. again, i blame it on the lackluster pork. a $5 a bowl, i was expecting near magic for the ubiquitous ramen side dish. then again, i may be setting too high a standard for these folks. since sinking my teeth into the delectable rice bowls at miharu, i was in search for another place that can de-throne the best don in singapore.
cold ramen, noodle house ken, singapore, 2009
this bowl has officially de-throned miharu from the top spot of cold ramen. ken's version of the summer ramen drenched in heavy sesame seed sauce had me smiling. the noodles were extremely chewy and almost ice cold, not frosty (very important). the sauce was fragrant and complex, with a nice nutty finish. i suspect some amount of thousand island dressing was used. this bowl was almost perfect, except once again - the pork.
ken, if you are reading this - we need the pork to be more moist and piquant.
old skool beer posters, noodle house ken, singapore, 2009
i was pretty pschyed up coming to a new joint but when i saw the old skool beer posters, my memories worked again - i had been to this place before - for asahi on the tap. i remembered the food was only alright back then. undeterred, i locked in the chows.
miso ramen, noodle house ken, singapore, 2009
the miso ramen was decent, though nothing that made me pause, savout the moment and let off a sigh of joy. the noodles were rather chewy, so thats one point for me. the accompanying pork was a let down - a little on the dry side.
shar siew don, noodle house ken, singapore, 2009
the shar siew (not sure why shar instead of char) bowl also did not make me stand up and dance. again, i blame it on the lackluster pork. a $5 a bowl, i was expecting near magic for the ubiquitous ramen side dish. then again, i may be setting too high a standard for these folks. since sinking my teeth into the delectable rice bowls at miharu, i was in search for another place that can de-throne the best don in singapore.
cold ramen, noodle house ken, singapore, 2009
this bowl has officially de-throned miharu from the top spot of cold ramen. ken's version of the summer ramen drenched in heavy sesame seed sauce had me smiling. the noodles were extremely chewy and almost ice cold, not frosty (very important). the sauce was fragrant and complex, with a nice nutty finish. i suspect some amount of thousand island dressing was used. this bowl was almost perfect, except once again - the pork.
ken, if you are reading this - we need the pork to be more moist and piquant.
[photo] gion nights
Friday, 1. May 2009, 02:15:54
there is a cloud of lingering beauty and mystery about this place.
[photo] naboo
Friday, 1. May 2009, 02:09:56
that's right, planet naboo is actually on earth, right smack at the entrance of ikeda satukiyama park (五月山公園). enter the following into your garmins and start trekking there - geo:lat=34.829625 geo:lon=135.426772
[photo] ippudo ramen
Thursday, 30. April 2009, 11:00:26
another ramen set from ippudo. this one featured cool chewy noodles and a hot dip. it was good, it made the egg and fatty pork almost irrelevant.
[photo] stumbleupon
Wednesday, 29. April 2009, 14:10:05
it seems that i always stumble upon the best ramen seminaries in japan. i chanced upon ichiran ramen while zombie-walking around tokyo dome, its salted egg and porn-video shop layout left me with a deep impression.
next, while shopping at uniqlo in harajuku, my growling stomach led me to kyushu jangara, another ramen darling to tokyolites. here, i was introduced, and fell in love with mentaiko (明太子).
and i thought my good run has ended. the instant cup noodle musuem drew me to ikeda, and while skipping happily to the museum, i noticed the following sign.
ippudo's motto - your happiness of eating this ramen makes us happy
the engrish-like motto left me chuckling. this place fulfilled my food rules - there is a queue forming, and the place is interesting (or at least funny) enough for me to try. i did not march into the ramen shop as the novelty of making my own instant noodle cup far exceeded my gastronomical curiosity.
unfortunately for me, i slurped up my customised noodle cup in the museum and was not hungry (read greedy) enough to consume a proper bowl of ramen. so, i spent several hours at the nearby satukiyama (五月山) appreciating the sea of white and pink sakura, and marvel at the beauty that God created.
oddly, the few hours did not induce any hunger. nonetheless, i knew i will regret if i did not try ippudo. so i tracked back to ramen shop at around 3.30pm, not hopeful that they will be in operation. count my blessings, they were and the place was empty except for one japanese office worker.
array of condiments :: shiro ramen :: stylish contemporary interior
ippudo ramen is actually an established empire in the ramen kingdom. ippudo has over 30 outlets peppered all over japan and one made its way to new york, where it created a sensation. on average, patrons had to wait 30 minutes before their rears kiss the chairs in ippudo. according to these folks, ippudo founder shigemi kawahara is hailed as the "king of ramen".
i could not remember what i ordered, but it was along the lines of shiro-based ramen with a floating drizzle of soya sauce and a dollap of mentaiko. of course, this bowl of goodness featured the melt-in-the-mouth fatty pork (berkshire pork) and soft-in-the-middle egg. the noodles were done my style - al dente.
along the walls laid an array of condiments - toasted sesame seeds, pickled greens, spicy sprouts, peppers, fresh garlic waiting to be crushed. i did not want to ruin the taste of the broth, so i went easy on the condiments. the soup is rich, complicated, chokeful of flavour and a little nutty. i am doing absolutely no justice to the soup here. these folks actually extract 3 bases of the soup at different intervals during the 15 hour brewing, and mixed them in in a final recipe before serving.
i could eat this everyday. and i actually can. ippudo will open their 2nd overseas venture in singapore, at mandarin hotel. happy birthday to me.
next, while shopping at uniqlo in harajuku, my growling stomach led me to kyushu jangara, another ramen darling to tokyolites. here, i was introduced, and fell in love with mentaiko (明太子).
and i thought my good run has ended. the instant cup noodle musuem drew me to ikeda, and while skipping happily to the museum, i noticed the following sign.
ippudo's motto - your happiness of eating this ramen makes us happy
the engrish-like motto left me chuckling. this place fulfilled my food rules - there is a queue forming, and the place is interesting (or at least funny) enough for me to try. i did not march into the ramen shop as the novelty of making my own instant noodle cup far exceeded my gastronomical curiosity.
unfortunately for me, i slurped up my customised noodle cup in the museum and was not hungry (read greedy) enough to consume a proper bowl of ramen. so, i spent several hours at the nearby satukiyama (五月山) appreciating the sea of white and pink sakura, and marvel at the beauty that God created.
oddly, the few hours did not induce any hunger. nonetheless, i knew i will regret if i did not try ippudo. so i tracked back to ramen shop at around 3.30pm, not hopeful that they will be in operation. count my blessings, they were and the place was empty except for one japanese office worker.
array of condiments :: shiro ramen :: stylish contemporary interior
ippudo ramen is actually an established empire in the ramen kingdom. ippudo has over 30 outlets peppered all over japan and one made its way to new york, where it created a sensation. on average, patrons had to wait 30 minutes before their rears kiss the chairs in ippudo. according to these folks, ippudo founder shigemi kawahara is hailed as the "king of ramen".
i could not remember what i ordered, but it was along the lines of shiro-based ramen with a floating drizzle of soya sauce and a dollap of mentaiko. of course, this bowl of goodness featured the melt-in-the-mouth fatty pork (berkshire pork) and soft-in-the-middle egg. the noodles were done my style - al dente.
along the walls laid an array of condiments - toasted sesame seeds, pickled greens, spicy sprouts, peppers, fresh garlic waiting to be crushed. i did not want to ruin the taste of the broth, so i went easy on the condiments. the soup is rich, complicated, chokeful of flavour and a little nutty. i am doing absolutely no justice to the soup here. these folks actually extract 3 bases of the soup at different intervals during the 15 hour brewing, and mixed them in in a final recipe before serving.
i could eat this everyday. and i actually can. ippudo will open their 2nd overseas venture in singapore, at mandarin hotel. happy birthday to me.
[photo] the lady in kimono
Wednesday, 29. April 2009, 11:53:57
a lady dressed in kimono taking photos of sakura in arashiyama. i think this one of my favourite photo during this kansai trip.
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