Lunch @ Aoki

“We don’t serve sake” was the polite response from our waitress to G’s request of no tuna, salmon (or other large fish). While salmon has now surpassed horse mackerel (aji) as the most consumed fish in Japan, it is not historically served raw. This was a pleasant surprise in that Aoki didn’t favor current trends over tradition. We had heard plenty of positive reviews about the restaurant and so far we were off to a good start. But since this was a “first date” of sorts, G and I decided to sample their lunch menu and see if it warranted a return visit for dinner.

Apr 7

Day 188 – Hypo-thyroid

BabyBump reports: Baby Size ~ 36.8cm (cauliflower). Baby Weight ~ 0.907 kg

This week your baby looks like a thinner, redder, more wrinkled version of what he will look like at birth, but in the next few weeks more fat will fill out his appearance. Your baby’s immune system is continuing to mature as are your baby’s lungs which are still practicing breathing amniotic fluid.

It seems like it wasn’t too long ago when I was having a minor breakdown from not feeling any kicks to feeling kicks all over my belly today. Not sure if it’s psychological but it feels like Junior has been kicking a lot more vigorously since I’ve started taking the medication that the doctor prescribed for my hypo-thyroid condition that was diagnosed in late March. Hopefully the euthyrox is helping to increase the hormone production and increasing our overall energy levels.

Apr 6

Saboten

Sometimes all you need for a good meal is a plain cabbage salad in a chilled bowl followed by an incredibly light, flaky and juicy tonkatsu donburi.

Saboten is a chain of tonkatsu restaurants from Tokyo. That’s pretty much all they serve here in Singapore, and they do it incredibly well at a reasonable price. I never thought much of breaded pork before. Consider me a convert.

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Saboten
9 Raffles Boulevard, #P3-01, (Parco Marina Bay)
+65 6333-3432

Apr 5

Tropical Bale

This was an oddity of a restaurant that G and I both enjoyed in Ubud. While the food was a wonderful mix of local and French at a price perfect for the budget conscious, there were however a few quirks and not-so-good dishes that could be improved to make it the fine dining establishment that it strives to be. Then again, sometimes a restaurant is that much more memorable because of what the chef tries to accomplish in a bold but imperfect manner.

Tropical Bale is better suited for a lazy afternoon idling over tea while enjoying the view of the rice paddies in back. When we went at night however, the dim lighting coupled with the cavernous parlor created an almost spooky atmosphere made worse with a barely lit open kitchen bathed in harsh fluorescent. Once seated however, the friendly staff and surrounding decorations conveyed a much warmer greeting. The nostalgia pictures hanging on the wall implied a story of a local chef that may have once visited and possibly learned to cook in France, but we’ll never know since he was on vacation that week, leaving his very capable and young assistant in charge. Continue reading »

Apr 4

You can almost flash fry a buffalo in 40 sec…

It’s not everyday that I come back home to a new kitchen gadget to try out: a shiny pressure cooker. Silit is apparently a well-known brand in Germany for cookware that likes to combine fashion with practicality. This particular model comes with a glossy outer coating and non-stick interior. The lid and handle slide nicely into place but leave just enough wiggle room to allow sufficient venting of steam. This was my first time using a pressure cooker, and I was surprised by how other than the constant hiss of steam, the rest of the pot was remarkably still. It might also be due to the fact that it is incredibly heavy, like cast iron heavy.

To try out the Silit, I made an HK-style beef soup with 牛腩, a cut of beef that benefits from a long braise, at least a few hours. With the pressure cooker on the highest setting, the meat was tender in about 25 minutes. The Silit holds heat remarkably well. Once the desired pressure is achieved, it only takes the minimal of heat to maintain cooking conditions. Clean-up was a cinch, non-stick surface and lego-like lid components. Given our penchant for stews and soups, it’s a wonder that G and I ever got along back in SF without a pressure cooker. This fella is now on my must-have kitchenware shortlist.

Apr 3

Back from Bali

Five very short days later and we’re back from our babymoon (part deux). While G and I didn’t get a chance to lounge around as much as originally planned, we did end up touring some great cultural sites, learn a bit of Balinese cooking and even try the local moonshine (just me of course). We much preferred Ubud where there’s still a healthy mix of locals interspersed with the flourishing tourism industry. The food there is also more varied, including a surprisingly decent fusion restaurant (no, not Mozaic). Seminyak on the other hand was much more touristy and suited for the beach-going crowd.

Will follow-up with some posts on where we stayed/saw/ate after I catch up on work … in the meantime, photos from Bali are posted here.

Grace and Wen

Monthly Archives: April 2011