The Other Side of Singapore

I happened to be in the Maxwell Rd area last week, and breathed in the beautiful buildings in that area.   Definitely worth visiting vs the usual Merlion, Marina Bay Sands and Orchard Rd :-)

Red Dot Museum - former traffic police headquarters build in 1925, it is now a design museum as well as houses creative services and lifestyles organizations

Corridor of the URA Building

The Scarlet Hotel - a boutique hotel in a 1924 building.  Very lovely.  There is a roof top restaurant and bar which you can chill al fresco.

Murray Terrace - a row of refurbished 4-storey shophouses built in 1929.

Bombay Connection

I was at Joss Restaurant in Kala Godha, Mumbai, a few days ago and I have to say the menu was quite eclectic and extensive.  Not a hint of Indian dishes listed, it has everything from Japanese udon to Indonesian fried rice.  Having come to India often, I was quite skeptical that the food here would taste "Asian" as opposed to "Indian".  Nevertheless, I ordered the Japanese udon and chicken kungpao.  Well, it was not disappointing and not a hint of Indian food!  Don't expect it to be the exact same udon you get at an authentic Japanese restaurant (and same goes for Mr. Kungpao), but I would say it has a nice "fusion" spin to it, and all worked perfectly well with my taste buds.

The udon was quite unique.  It had noodles, but not udon noodles, it had mushrooms (not shitakes) and prawns in it.  The taste was more fusion miso-ey than udon, but it was still a delight.

This chicken kungpao was supposed to be an appetizer, but given the size, it ended up being my main course.  It was not too spicy but not your typical kungpao either.  Different, but tasty! 



On the way to the restaurant, we passed by the Municipal Corporation Building, build in 1893, which houses the civic body that governs the city of Mumbai.  In the hassle and bussle of Mumbai and all the not-so-good-looking buildings, this one surely stands out.  The old colonial feel clearly was still there and I hope they maintain this building as it is so gorgeous and grant.



At the Quay

Yesterday evening we went for a night out and stumbled across an Izakaya joint at Clarke Quay.  We walked in and tried it simply because of the ambience.  It oozed a Japanese feel to it and felt not too Singaporean. The restaurant was quite large and spacious and has "western" seating as well as the Japanese tatami (though in this one you can actually walk in keeping your shoes on).  The table we sat at was quite unique, as you can see from the pictures, and it was lit from beneath giving it a yellow glow.  To our surprise, the food was actually tasty and quite filling as the portions were not your typical small izakaya servings.

Beef stew with potatos and carrots.  Similar to the Indonesian "semur" but not as sweet.  The soup was light yet tasty, but the beef was really well cooked, that you can cut it with your chopsticks.

Asparagus in katsu batter served with ponzu sauce.  Nice and crunchy.

Many types of seating arrangements - sushi bar, tatami or western seatings.  Quite spacious too that does not make you feel closterphobic.

Me and the restos mascot.

A Night in Little India

As odd as it may seem, there is actually a pretty nice French restaurant right in the heart of Serangoon Rd.  Aptly named The French Stall, it serves french food with not even a hint on India despite being surrounded by everything Indian.  The restaurant is low key, not the posh restos you would associate french food with, but the food was just as good as those upper class ones.

The sirloin steak was very tender.  I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked just right.  The potatoes were not soggy, and the creamy and peppery sauce was the right compliment for the dish.

The baked Alaska was simply superb!  It was vanilla ice cream with a lemon/rum flavored pie crust.  The meringue was so tall and thick and fat that I was like a kid in a candy store!

To and from the restaurant, we passed by the Sri Srinivasa Perumal temple, which was one of the 2 tempels that were gazetted as a national monument.  It is just so gorgeous especially with the lights hitting it at the top.

Airports, oh Airports

I have to say that almost all airports these days look the same.  I can land in one and be in a daze having to think twice where I am.  Unlike in the olden days, where airports have a distinctive feel, smell and look, today all airports look alike.  Well, almost.  They all have this white, steel-y, open feel, though you could tell a bit of difference here and there. 

These are a few airports which I managed to take pictures of (if I am not rushing to the gate!).  Ironically, I don't have pictures of Kansai and Seoul airports, the two that I have frequented the most.  Oh, and no pictures of Changi!!

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.  Signage here is REALLY bad. 



Guang Zhou Airport (this kind of looks similar to Seoul, I think)

 

KL Airport.  I think this looks like Kansai.

Ho Chi Minh City Airport





The Curse of the Boarding Gate

(I posted this on my facebook notes last year, before my blog era, so it can only be appropriate that I repost this here. Sorry, no visuals on this one!)

I don't know what's the deal between me and flight boarding gates. I am a pretty punctual person, always on time or early for appointments but not when it comes to boarding gates. No matter how early I get to the airport, I am ALWAYS (and yup, ALWAYS) the last one to arrive at the gate (or maybe one of the last). There was a time I was on transit in San Francisco happily having a drink and noticing from the window overlooking the tarmack that a Delta flight has pushed back. I looked at my watch and boarding pass and thought, that kinda looks like my flight. I walked to my gate and saw it was empty. Then I went to the one guy standing behind the podium counting boarding passes and asked, "Is this the gate for Delta to Cincinnati?". He looked at me with a served-you-right-for-being-late face and said "Are you Dr. Jasmine Karsono?". "Yes", I said. "We have been calling you. Your flight just left. You would have to take the next flight that goes through Salt Lake City. It will arrive in Cincinnati at 11pm". Oh joy. It's not like I am that eager to go to Ohio but just the thought of missing a flight from right under my nose and hanging around an American airport is just plain appalling. And I deserve this just because I decided to have that gin & tonic? I don't think so (or at least that is what I think :)).

Well, that was a one in ten case. For the other nine, I will be running on the travellator rushing to my gate, to be met half way by an SQ staff half shouting, "Are you Dr. Karsono?? Could you please hurry to the gate ma'am, the gate is closing!!". And I would grin, say sorry, all the while trying to run as fast as my little feet can take me.

I solely blame this on my little feet. Scientifically speaking, people with small feet and short legs cannot walk as fast and get as much mileage as you would a taller and/or longer foot person. I'm 5' 2" talll and a US size 5.5 shoe, or European size 35 (just thought I'd give both sizes in case you want to buy a pair of shoes for me for Christmas, given how much of a shoe addict I am, which in and by itself is a different story - and see, hey, I'm digressing from my story!).

Or maybe it's distraction! But of what?? Like the other day, case in point. I arrived at the airport 2.5 hours before my flight. I did my usual chores. Got some cash, exchanged foreign currency, went to the lounge, had a little snack, drank tomato juice and checked email. 50 minutes before departure I started walking to the gate. Then, I stopped by the MAC counter (this is the cosmetic, not that electronic fruit), stopped by Shiseido (to see what they're up to), then headed to the gate. By the time I got there, the glorious "Gate Closing" in red was flashing on the screen, and I was one of the last ones. The minute I sat on my seat, I could hear the all familiar, "Cabin crew, doors closed". And a stereophonic "thump" heard from all angles of the aircraft. Hmmpphh. I slumped down on my seat, reaching for my phone to switch it off and thinking," Me again??".

I really don't have a clue. I don't think I browsed for THAT long. How much can you browse in 50 minutes?? And these were not even shoes!! Or may be I did take my own sweet time. Maybe it was that and in combination with my short legs and small feet. Or maybe the gates just decided to close early. Maybe I need professional help, a hypnotherapist to uncover what childhood events has happened that makes me always late for the gate. Or maybe the fact that I am afraid of heights and in denial to get on that plane has always caused me to be late.

I have no idea. For now, I'll just try to get my butt to the airport as early as I can and as always rush, rush, rush to the gate. That, or until all airlines black list me due to late shows. When that day comes, it will be the beginning of a boat ride era for me wherever I go. And then I will be REALLY late :-P.

Hanoi Pretty Restos

A few months ago when my husband and I went to Hanoi on holiday, we found 3 restaurants that we think are worth visiting again the next time around, not only for the food, but also for the ambience.

The first one was a Burmese-Vietnamese restaurant.  The restaurant was ethnically decorated but we were skeptical as to how the food will taste.  However, to our surprise, the food was delicious, light tasting and very fresh.  We ordered 2 kinds of appetizers, 2 main courses and a dessert, and all turned out lovely!

Near Hanoi Opera House, we went to Club Opera.  This place serves Vietnamese food and though prices are a bit on the high-end for Vietnam.  The restaurant is beautiful and we were entertained by a lady playing the traditional Vietnamese musical instrument similar to a guitar.

On our last night, we were in the vicinity of St. Joseph's cathedral, which is the happening spot for bars, cafes and restaurants.  We went to Mediterraneo, which serves Italian food without a hint of Vietnamese influence.  The owner is Italian, living for many years already in Hanoi.  We really enjoyed our dinner and the ambience.  Recommended J

Meals in the Air

I travel a lot and throughout my travels, airplane food can get quite boring and tend to taste the same. But on the odd occasion, my meals are actually quite yummy.

My last trip to Japan, I got this Hanakoireki, which gives you a taste of the changing seasons, from fall, winter, spring and summer.  The first box is with cold dishes and once I was done, I was given the second one with warm dishes.  It is served with hot green tea and ends with matcha ice cream.  Oishi J



Clockwise in box from bottom left: somen, omelette with chrysanthemum leaf, tofu with jelly wasabi, deep fried mackerel, and the somen sauce.  Cup of green tea and my beloved red wine :-)




Clockwise in box from bottom left: rice (so obvious) with achovies and sweet chili; grilled ayu fish with green gourd and sesame sauce; eel terrine with yam, edamame and eel role; octopus with grilled eggplant and baby okra; cucumber and salmon role, octopus eggs, miso eggplant and river shrimp.  Cup of miso soup on the right. 



Somen

One Sunday, a few weeks before her departure to Japan, a good friend of mine invited me to her home.  One, to hand me most of her lovely clothing items she wants to donate, but secondly, to get me to taste her version of somen. 

Somen is Japanese noodles, served cold with a soup of cold water and ice cubes, and eaten typically during the summer time.  It is very refreshing and very light and remarkably very tasty.  You would take a bit of the noodles, dip it in the dipping sauce, sprinkle with all the herbs and eat it.  You can buy all the ingredients (noodles, sauce and all) ready made at a Japanese supermarket or make it yourself.  Either way, very yummy indeed!

Somen in the big bowl, with iced water and ice cubes, plus all the herbs around it and pictures below.

Ready made somen sauce

A Trip to Beppu



Statue of the "Shiny Uncle".  He is known to be promoting the city of Beppu within Japan to make it as famous as it is now. His statue greets visitors as one steps out of the Beppu train station



Beppu is a city in southern Japan, in Kyushu, near Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  Before this trip, I did not know of Beppu, nor have I heard of it.  Apparently it is a city where hotsprings are of abundance and that is a vacation spot for Japanese people when they want to rest and relax.  Because of the abundance of hotsprings, the city has tones of onsen (Japanese baths).  The city is also right by the sea with mountains right at the back of it, making it such a picturesque site.  



Not Your Regular Bento

The train stations in Japan has a variety of food shops with a majority selling pre-packed meals already in bento boxes ready to go.  Purchases take less than 5 minutes and because you can eat on the train, it is really pick-up and go.

I got this bento box at the Shinkansen station in Osaka.  Look at the extensiveness of this box.  At around US$8, I got 3 kinds of rice, fish, egg, chicken balls, shrimp tempura, pickles – quite filling and actually quite oishi for a packed cold lunch.  And check-out the box!  Made of styrofoam (who would have guessed!), it is actually printed so it resembles a nice, decent lacquer bento box.  Japanese people are all about beauty and that’s what I love about this country.  I have visited Japan so many times that I care to remember, and their attention to detail and beauty has never seized to amaze me each and every time.  

Now THIS is BBQ!

I was in Seoul (again!) last week for 9 days and I think I had my fair share of Korean food.  Don't get me wrong, I love Korean food, but having it everyday was a bit overkill (especially the amount of cabbage you have to eat :-P).

Anyway, there is a saying, "When in Rome, do what the Romans do", and so that's what we did: we went to a traditional Korean barbeque restaurant.  Typically what I am used to when I go to a Korean barbeque restaurant is that I will be grilling my meat on an electric grill.  Well, in Korea, you actually grill it on charcoal.  Yup, you got it right folks, this is REAL charcoal, the one that is black and burning and really hot that it can melt your face and boobs if you have plastic surgery.  I am sure in the winter sitting in front of this charcoal grill would be great, but in the heat, hmmm maybe not.  Apparatus apart, the grilled meat was very tender and juicy and the Korean mushrooms that we got were superb.  Despite loading our faces with carcinogenic ingredients and a few bottles of soju, we all left with a happy and full tummy!

Look at that lovely piece of beef ribs on the charcoal.  I can tell you that it tastes as yummy as it looks!

A traditional Korean meal will not be complete without the set of kimchee dishes that goes along with it.  For barbeque, there are unique dishes that go along, in this case most of them are cold vegetables and cabbage, cabbage, cabbage!  I suspect it is supposed to cool down your system from the hot dishes you have been eating.

Seoul Food

I was in Seoul, Korea, this week, and a group of us went to this traditional Korean restaurant called Hanwoori, in a district in Seoul known for the young, hip, up and coming crowd.   Initially I thought it was going to be all spicy and I was going to end up with a tummy ache, but much to my surprise, the food was really good and yummy and not as spicy as I thought it would be.

We officially had a 14-course meal (which actually turned out to be 16 courses by my count), and I nearly collapsed at the end of the meal, being so stuffed with food.  In traditional Korean dining, the main course comes last - right before dessert- and it is usually a rice dish with another 3-4 side dishes.  On top of the main dish, we were served 4 different kinds of soup, 4 different kinds of cold dishes, 4 kinds of hot dishes, 3 kinds of desserts.  There were no small kimchi dishes that you normally get when you visit "main stream" Korean restaurants, so it was rather unexpected.

The middle top soup is Fresh Water Kimchi (Mul-kimchi), a cold dish that acts similar to the western sorbet.  It is to be taken throughout the course of the meal and serves to cleanse your pallet.  The bottom right soup is Pumpkin Porridge (Hobak-juk).  It is very similar to cream of pumpkin soup but this is lighter and has a slight hint of spice (which I suspect is ginger).

This is Chilli Fried Mushrooms (Maeun Beoseot-bokkeum) mixed with 3 kinds of bell peppers.  The mushrooms look like deep fried fish and when I ate into it, it had this surprisingly soft texture, unlike mushroom nor fish. 

This is the traditional Korean pancake dish (Guejol-pan) which you are to wrap yourself combining all the ingredients presented here plus a tangy-sweet wasabi sauce.  It contains egg and rice noodles, mushrooms, seaweed, carrots, radish, beansprouts, scallions.  Really nice, refreshing dish.



This is a tofu dish (dubu-yori), something like a fried tofu sandwich, served with chili soy-sauce.  The middle of the sandwich looks like an eel, but it actually is some kind of mushroom.  The dish is deep fried, really nice and crispy as you bite into it, but soft when you eat it. 



Korean grilled beef ribs is my all time favorite. Called Sootbul-galbi & yachae, the ribs are grilled on a charcoal with garlic and soy sauce, cut to bite size pieces and eaten with Korean mushrooms.  The beef is very tender and the mushrooms can only be found in Korea.  It has the texture like an eggplant and a potato-like taste.

Main Dish: Jinji & Denjang-guk.  This is part of the main course to be eaten together with a bowl of sticky Korean rice and soy bean paste stew (similar to Japanese miso soup).  The dish contains all vegetables and the intent is to mix each portion with a portion of rice.  Really yummy but since it came last, I was too full to finish it up. 

This tea is the drink for the dessert.  It is a Korean cinnamon tea, drank cold, and it is truly very refreshing after such a heavy meal. 

Maximizing Space in the Study

We never have enough space.  No matter how large our home is, we always feel we have no space. 

We have a 3-bedroom apartment in Singapore and given the boys does not want to sleep in separate bedrooms, we have a spare bedroom that we can use for guests.  However, we have tons of books and so having a dedicated study space seem ideal.  But what if we have guests over, what shall we do?  The spare bedroom is way too small to accomodate bookshelves and a bed.  So what I did was instead of having a bed, I got a sofa bed instead.  We fitted shelves into the spare bedroom and now it actually functions as a study.  We don't have guests every day (or week) anyway, so the sofa bed can nicely function as a couch for reading and when we have people over, it can be converted as a bed.  Yes, it does get a bit cramped when the sofa bed is opened, but hey, it is only temporary. 

What I always love about this study is that all our books are organized here, there is a small desk to do your work (or for me when I work from home), I got a cabinet (against the window) that functions to store files, a fax machine, printer and phone.  The boys can come and read on the sofa, or we can play games on the carpet.  It is not a big space, but cozy indeed.



We have more than books on the shelf.  We keep some momentos from conferences and appreciation items on a separate shelf and also have some pictures on it.  We also put a stereo and arrange our CDs near by.  With open-bookshelves, the key is to treat is as a decorative item versus a storage space, because it very well can look messy.



I get a lot of criticism with the corner desk that I have.  People think it takes up too much space.  On the contrary, I actually like it because I think it saves space and fits nicely in the corner.  I also have a good view out the window as well as if someone walks in the door. 

Good Friday

We invited a few of our friends and their children for lunch yesterday and it turned out to be a great day!  We had potluck lunch, with the main course not coming from the host, but brought in by the guests.  The kids had fun playing in the pool and the moms had a great time catching up and chatting :-).  It was a fun-filled day, with great food and wondeful friends.  Thanks, Refine Lubis and Dyah Sari for coming over!  Looking forward to our next gathering in June!

Photos courtesy of Refine Lubis: http://refinelubis.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/good-friday-and-good-friends/



Our dining table fits 6 people comfortably, but additional adjustments can be made when we have more guests.  Thankfully kids eats in a hurry, so we managed to squeeze all 7 of us in.  The rice dish is called nasi uduk, an Indonesian rice dish cooked with coconut milk and bay leaves.  We would eat it together with fried chicken and fried anchovies with peanuts.  You can also have thinly-sliced omellette (not shown) and corn patties called perkedel jagung (top) as sides.

Nasi uduk is also usually served with lalap (assortment of green vegetables), eaten with sambal (chili paste) shown in the bottom photo.

These are the condiments (clockwise from top left): abon sapi (beef floss) and teri kacang (fried anchovies with peanuts)  courtesy of Refine Lubis, and sambal (chili paste) courtesy of Dyah Sari. 

I made a fruit basket with the all-time favorite banana and had longans (known as 'lengkeng' in Indonesian), apples and red grapes.  The inspiration from the arrangement of the fruit basket is from my grandaunt.  We also included some strawberries which Dyah brought in later.



I wanted to do something unique with the plain Ikea paper napkins we had, so I went on this website and got my inspiration for this Crown Napkin Fold: bumblebeelinens.com/napkinFolding.php

These are 'klepon', round little desserts made of rice flour, coconut milk with grated coconut on top.  The texture is very similar to the Japanese mochi.  When you bite in to it, you will get a burst of a lovely thick, sweet brown Javanese sugar (called gula Jawa).  The color of klepon is supposedly green, but this one is made orange by Dyah.

This is another dessert called bubur sumsum.  Again, made with rice flour and coconut milk, but the gula Jawa is made into caramel and drizzled on top of it.  Really yummy and taste wonderful when eaten warm.