Entries from November 2007 ↓

LESS IS MORE

Hanabi Japanese Restaurant @ Odeon Towers is a buffet a-la-carte joint which scores high on first impressions. A stone path lined with bamboo shrubs leads you into the well-lit and crowded establishment — always a good sign that a restaurant is doing well.

Service right from the start was excellent — we were greeted at the door and may have been shown to a corner table at first, but were soon ‘upgraded’ to a larger table in the heart of the restaurant when the manager noticed our discomfort. Being a true Singaporean, I loved this unexpected upgrade.

Even more promising was the menu variety, which boasts almost 100 items of all-time Japanese favourites ranging from sushi to udon to teppanyaki. Needless to say, we were spoilt for choice.

I was definitely looking forward to patronizing One Rochester (for the 2nd time) on a lazy Friday evening. I vaguely remembered the following about One Rochester from my last visit - great drinks and a lovely ambience. I wondered if there was anything left to impress me.

One Rochester is not new to most. Everyone has probably heard about it in some way or another. As I stepped into the tranquil surroundings, I felt calm and relaxed almost immediately. And that is perhaps the greatest strength of One Rochester.

My companion and I were instantly greeted with a smile and ushered to our reserved table. We were duly warned about the slippery wooden floor boards, and presented with a menu shortly after we sat down. We were fussy that evening, and decided to change seats. We were allowed to do so without a fuss. I was rather impressed when the staff barely batted an eyelid when we started shifting the tables and chairs around, so that we were in the most comfortable seating possible. That scored a couple extra points.

Where Oktoberfest Happens Every Month

Sitting amongst a row of quaint shophouses in Chinatown, Magma is a new-ish bistro which opened August last year and is run by an expatriate couple, serving up authentic German nosh at decent prices. Essentially modern in design, the exterior does make strange bedfellows with a Chinese music association at first sight, but this actually adds to the charm of the place. Once inside the cool, dimly-lit interior, you can either choose to go straight into the main dining area, or make a slight detour to check out the retail store next door, which pretty much stocks up on the same kinds of foodstuff that you would expect from a German version of Ikea. One wouldn’t be surprised to see homesick Germans acting like it’s Christmas in here, with interesting products such as pickles, preserves, organic juices as well as a large selection of German beers and wines up for retail.

For me the term pig candy is an oxymoron, a contradiction in terms. Culinary wise, I do love most pig parts, albeit there are some I’m not too fond of. But turning pig into a candy bar, sounds a bit off, doesn’t it?!

My personal pig candy story is probably not too far from yours (if you’ve had the pleasure): I stumbled upon it on the net, sometime, somewhere, shook my head in disbelief and moved on. The term pig candy got cached somewhere in my mind next to thoughts around re-painting our living room and calling an old friend. Until Sebastian surprised us at an offbeat cook yourself business dinner with these nibbles. They are the incarnation of concentrated bacon flavor and anything but easy to swallow, you will either love or hate them! Some might say: “hm hm hm - wow” after the first bite and a second later “ok! been there done that“, but I’ve also witnessed someone diving head first into these - well, you tell me.

Continue reading →