Things to do on a Sunday morning

Although there are countless breakfast joints around the city, my favorite morning spot for freshly baked, mouthwatering breads and pastries has to be Tartine Bakery in the Mission. Both locals and tourists alike stand in lines that stretch around the block for a chance to savor their world famous croissants and pastries.

Staying round the corner from Tartine has its advantages, of course. So there I was at 8:15am on a cold drizzly morning getting in line to buy some breakfast. My usual is a plain croissant and soy latte, and one of their daily sweet creations. Today was going to be an almond tart. By 8:30am, the line had stretched out the door, and the cafe was completely packed. I decided to walk back to the apartment to enjoy my breakfast in peace.

The Not-So-Quite-Spring-Yet tasting menu at Nami Nami

Been a while (like 4 months) since I had dinner at Nami Nami, so I decided tonight would be time to revisit and old friend and get reacquainted again. There were a few new items on the menu, so we decided to try them all!

The sesame tofu appetizer has changed somewhat, now it's presented in a plate of fours. Still tasty as always. The marinated bamboo shoots were new too, but wasn't exceptional. I liked the baby clams in sake a lot, and the grilled tofu on a yuba leaf. We rounded off the meal with some sesame ice cream with taro chips. Can't wait to come back in Spring again.

Taking a walk on the wild side

I'd never tried Okinawan cuisine before, but I was told pork was a central part of the meal. Not just pork meat, but every part and organ of the pig would be used to cook up something delicious. And if this was an indication of things to come, then Mimigar fits the bill like a fist in a glove. In fact, the name Mimigar means "pig's ears" in the local Okinawan dialect.

Some say Okinawan cuisine is a hybrid of Chinese and Japanese cooking, more cooked food than raw, and yet not as spicy or savory as a typical Chinese meal. I was about to find out as I stepped into the restaurant.

It would appear that we were the only non Japanese in the restaurant tonight, which was a good sign. I guess it doesn't get any more authentic than this. We ordered a variety of dishes, starting with baby fish on tofu as an appetizer.

The chilled baby fish and tofu wasn't the most delectable appetizer I've eaten lately, but it was visually a sight I wouldn't forget soon after. Next was the dried fugu with a side of mayo dipping sauce, some stir-fried egg and bitter gourd (a very typical Okinawan staple), a beef curry with rice, and finally seafood seaweed soup. All in all, a very interesting and unusual meal for an evening.

Fridays are for the beaches

I love hanging out at Tanjong Beach Club on Sentosa Island. Lately, it's been a regular Friday activity for me, when weather permits. Not only do they have good cocktails, the food is actually very decent for a beach haunt.

I was famished this afternoon, arriving shortly past noon. Brought a couple of friends along to chill as well, and we started to order food to share. We ordered the sliders and the pork belly skewers with watermelon. The pork belly skewers were the clear favorite, juicy meat seared till perfection while the cool watermelon cubes provided a soft, sweet contrast. Within minutes, the skewers were gone, and I had to order another round.

Cocotte at the Wanderlust

Unlike most of the newer French restaurants in Singapore, Cocotte tries to be less trendy and old-fashioned, cooking up home style French bistro style meals that are hearty and welcoming. Since this was the eve of the Chinese New Year, I was expecting an empty restaurant, but I was surprised by the number of people who decided to do French for their reunion dinner.

We started with escargots in puff pastry, which reminded me a lot of the mini sliders they serve at Barracks at Dempsey Hill. For my main, I picked the beef bourguignon, which was a house favorite. I had to agree, it was very well done.

Cocotte is located in the Wanderlust hotel, in a very vibrant part of Singapore near Little India.
Address: 2 Dickson Rd, Singapore 209494
Tel: +65-6396-3322

The new PS Cafe at Ang Siang Hill

It was a rainy afternoon and I was stuck at the new PS Cafe at Ang Siang Hill, a nice little spot at the end of the row of conservation shophouses, with a bar, and a spacious, mod-colonial styled main dining room on the second level. I ordered the popular Big Nihon salad, with edamame, marinated tuna, sprouts and tofu. It's a good addition to this quaint part of town, and makes a really nice lunch spot. Will be back for drinks in the evening some time.

More bull....

I guess the name 'Bull' is a  popular choice for restaurants in China. After eating at Noodle Bull at 1933 last week, I was not expecting to run into another restaurant called Bull so soon. This Sunday morning, I took a brisk walk over to the new IFC mall in the financial district of Pudong, just a few minutes down the road from the Park Hyatt.

I wasn't too keen on dim sum, so I skipped over Lei Garden, and decided to try Golden Bull, the new Vietnamese restaurant on the fourth floor. I ordered the usual fried spring rolls as an appetizer, and for the main, I picked the beef pho noodle in superior broth. At 100RMB, this was the most expensive pho I've ever had. The broth was excellent, the beef was of a very high grade and very tender. Overall, a very good meal, though a bit pricey for beef noodle.

Recently, Vietnamese restaurants have been sprouting all over the city, if this is a sign of things to come, then I guess I won't have to pay so much for a decent bowl of pho in Shanghai very soon.

Spicy Sichuan at the Long Bar

The Long Bar at the PuLi hotel in Jing'An is a well kept secret that few people who head to the Bund know about. On any given night, there'd be just a handful of patrons seated along the very long wooden counter (hence the name Long Bar), mingling over well-crafted cocktails and snacks. The Long Bar has a few unique signature drinks, and my favorite has to be the Spicy Sichuan. Chili, lime, tequila, peppers.....

Back to El Willy yet again

This is probably my third trip to El Willy, my favorite Spanish tapas restaurant in Shanghai, and quite possibly in this part of the world. I'm still amazed that there are such high caliber restaurants in a Chinese city, but I guess Shanghai is no ordinary Chinese city. It's quite possibly on the way to besting Hong Kong as the foodie capital of Asia.

Anyway, I was determined to try some new items on El Willy's menu tonight. Except for the foie gras. That, I cannot do without. There are few foie gras dishes that impresses me more than the one here. Seared slivers of foie gras on brioche, with raspberry basil compote and popcorn power on top. Yum.

I had the citrus cerviche, the 24-hr cooked pork beef and roasted pumpkin soup. Too much food as usual. I didn't get to order dessert again. There's always next time, I guess.

Noodle Bull at 1933

There's a former abattoir in Shanghai called 1933, recently renovated and transformed into a hip, ultra-modern entertainment complex filled with restaurants and curio shops. It's not everyone's cup of tea for a weekend destination in Shanghai, but if you're fascinated by the architectural wonders of a bygone era, this is a fascinating place to spend an afternoon exploring.

There's a Taiwanese noodle restaurant called Noodle Bull on the second floor of the labyrinthine complex. I was fascinated by the decor, a mix of gothic hip with Chinese decorative touches. Food was typical Taiwanese noodle shop variety, and was actually rather decent.

Madison, Shanghai

I headed out to the French Concession on a Sunday night in late January. Had a reservation at Madison, a new bistro by Austin Hu, a brash new chef cooking up a storm in Shanghai's culinary scene since late last year. Pity they didn't have the usual ala carte menu, it was prix fixe night, and beef Chateaubriand was the highlight on the menu.

In fact, it was a rather old fashioned supper menu, with shrimp cocktail, gratin, onion rings, caesar salad and old fashioned apple strudel. Simple, yet perfected executed. I would defnitely be back to try their ala carte menu some other time.