Tonkatsu tonkatsu

Tampopo serves the best tonkatsu in town. There is a wide variety of cuts to choose from with the most expensive featuring black pig. Regardless, each piece is wonderfully fried, crunchy on the outside, moist and succulent on the inside. 

I have never had a bad meal in this restaurant and treated myself to one today because I took a long walk from Robertson quay to the mall. 

To make it less guilty in terms of calories, I pair it with soba instead of rice or ramen. 

Favourite Spot

My favourite spot on the planet - smack in the middle of Tekka market, savouring fragrant and delicious mutton briyani, Nasi goreng putih and tulang soup. 

I love hanging out here because it's a microcosm of multi cultural Singapore. We have the local Chinese and Indians, foreign labour, tourist of all sorts, local expatriates etc all tucking into their favourite Indian food. Obviously many came from afar and this could be their weekly food pilgrimage. 

Sipping my Teh Tarik slowly, I relish every moment and marveled at how successful Singapore is in amalgamating different ethnicities into a melting pot of kindness and tolerance. Thank you Mr. Lee. 

Sweet and Satisfying

I am not a sweet tooth person and much prefer savoury food. However I do have occasional cravings for sweet and decadent desserts, especially if my weight is way too low. My body was basically screaming for sugar. 

We had a nice after dinner treat of a salted caramel brownie and apple crumble at Craftsmen. Rich and moist, the brownie was such a wonder to savour. The apple crumble was crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, oozing with Apple induced sweetness, with a hint of cinnamon. 

Truffle truffle truffle

I had the most amazing cold angel hair pasta with truffle and clams. It was the day's special at Da Luca. 

Rich, smooth, decadent and complimented by the sweetness of the clams. Every mouthful was a joy to behold. We mopped up all the truffle bits with our bread since it will be an insult to waste any of it. 

The best pasta we have had for a long time. 

Books, music and food

My restaurant will bring you to places in your head through the ultimate triumvirate of senses - what you see, hear and taste through books, music and food. 

So powerful and infinite. 

Dismal food experience

I always hesitate to spend exorbitant amount of money on very average food. Especially in Singapore where there are unfortunately too many restaurants that give you that experience. For the birthday of my special half, I set aside my misgivings and gave it a go at Salt Grill and Sky Bar located in Ion Orchard. 

The reviews seemed good, with many accolades given for the view. And the executive chef has a renowned reputation in Australia for modern classics. Very reminiscence of the food scene in Melbourne and Sydney. 

And so we went with high expectations. It will be a costly meal, since it's smack in the heart of Orchard. I hope I will not be disappointed. The view was indeed phenomenal. Panaromic views of the downtown skyline. The setting and atmosphere is quite elegant and chi chi. We were given a table right at an unblocked window so it started off on the right note. Service was what you would expect at a fine dining restaurant and nothing to shout about. The menu seems sophisticated with some interesting dishes. 

Well, the food turns out to be good, above average but not great. We had a more memorable dining experience at Buku Nero for the half the price of SGD200 per head. With less pretence. So what went wrong? I think it's really the quality of the ingredients and the overall execution. We had better foie gras at Chez Papa for a much bigger portion at half the price. Oysters were so small it's almost a pain to eat them. My duck breast was a tad better than the venison. The beetroot purée was too overpowering. 

Would I head back again? For the view, yes. Otherwise, I feel less cheated at Chez Papa. 

Revel in veal!

I love meat and am an unapologetic carnivore. Which makes it all the more enticing when I went through the paleo diet the last 11 months. 

But I didn't know veal cutlets could be so thick and juicy. I have done them breaded and pan fried over butter. So it was such a surprise and treat to taste this version from the British Club. Absolutely delicious!