Robataya Yoyogi, Singapore

As usual, D Guy sure knows all the right buttons to press. When he mentioned that his brother was gifting us a bottle of Junmai Daiginjo for our dinner at Robataya Yoyogi, I could not decline despite being double booked that night.

This spacious little restaurant at The Pier near Robertson Quay serves small dishes of grilled meat, seafood and vegetables. Allowing Chef Patrick Tan to decide on your meal is an easy choice, especially for your first time. Patrick has fresh supplies flown in 5 days of the week from Japan and will select the best from the latest additions to his larder.

Our Omakase dinner began with a leg of Hokkaido King Crab grilled to perfection, sweet and succulent. This seasonal dish seemed an appropriate way to celebrate the end of 2007. A lovely little lamb cutlet followed, seasoned just right and served tender with a dollop of English mustard on the side. After that came a single Hokkigai (surf clam) with a light cream sauce slightly browned on the top mixed with tiny caviar and finely chopped spring onions.

The evening's two vegetable dishes were delightful in their creative simplicity. Two small new potatoes, halved, grilled to perfection and served with thin slices of butter were a fragrant combination, the butter melting upon contact with the still hot tiny tubers. The last dish was a short skewer of cherry tomatoes wrapped in bacon. The little tomatoes were lightly roasted and filled your mouth with ketchup-like consistency mixing with the salty bacon when eaten.

Our little extra order was grilled squid. Chef Tan did an excellent job making sure that the meat was still juicy and not too chewy yet with a crispy edge on it. It was accompanied by a slightly spicy cream sauce that blended well with its flavour. The chef's menu ended with a cold noodle served with sides of finely grated ginger and spring onions. The texture and temperature of the noodles provided a satisfying finish to a wonderful meal.

Chef Patrick also runs Yoyogi across the street at 35 Mhd Sultan Road if you fancy the more traditional sushi and sashimi fare.

Robataya Yoyogi, +65 633 2711, 80 Mohamed Sultan Road, The Pier, #01-04, Singapore 239013.

Hiro Sushi, the best sushi bar in Tahoe

I was up in Tahoe in late November, and stumbled upon this little shack late one night as they were about to close. The crowds were thinning out, so we managed to get a good table near the window. Sushi was the highlight of the menu, and we ordered several varieties, as well as sashimi and some handrolls, but the one dish that really stood out was the 'boxed' style sushi, consisting of seared halibut wrapped over rice and put into a box to shape, hence the name for this dish. It was one of the prettiest presentations I've seen for a sushi dish, and I wanted to share it here. It tasted as good as it looked.

Pony Lounge & Dining, Sydney, Australia

This delightful restaurant is situated on the side of the red-brick "The Rocks" Centre on the corner of Argyle Street and Kendall Lane.

Diners have a choice of sitting either at the long wooden table on the outside or at smaller individual tables inside paired with Eames DCM dining chairs. The pony-skin clad kitchen counter is the first thing that catches your eye and the further straw bale and rope installations add to the cowboy theme.

The food was excellent. The Sydney Rock Oysters (of course) were fresh and garnished with a special vinegar. The tuna tataki salad was lightly seared and seasoned though I thought the portion could be much more generous. It arrived looking like tuna tataki with a small garnish of salad. As for the main, I had the 350gm sirloin which was grilled to perfection. The only drawback here was that they only had French mustard and NO English mustard. Perhaps it is my Asian palate for spiciness but I have a hard time finishing a large steak without English mustard keeping it interesting. In fact, English mustard mixed with the steak jus is a perfect accompaniment to any steak. HOWEVER, the best part of this meal (despite my VERY full state), was the apple and almond galette topped with vanilla bean ice cream. The pastry was light and flaky and yet substantial enough to hold a dollop of ice cream on the top of each forkful. Delicious. Pony's head chef Damian Heads should be applauded just for this dessert.

After this feast, I walked all the way from the Rocks back to my hotel. Well worth it.

Pony Lounge & Dining, Cnr Argyle St & Kendall Lane, The Rocks, Sydney NSW 2000, +61 2 92527797, reservations@ponydining.com.au

Hong Kong's Little Eateries

I had the pleasure of spending this past weekend with some of my best friends in Hong Kong. The mandate was simple : shop for "stuff" (ie dive and photo gear) and eat. Simple but both activities got a little out of hand.

We worked our way down the little streets between Lan Kwai Fong and Sheung Wan. There is a great variety of food and it is indeed hard to decide where and how much to eat. Our first stop (after a grapefruit and passionfruit juice at Starbucks in LKF to get our digestive juices going) was the ever famous Mak's Noodle on 77 Wellington Street. The wanton noodle soup is what most people go for. Both the soup and dry versions were pronounced good. We breathed a sigh of relief when the small servings arrived before us. Though they were not overly generous, we were glad to save room for more.

Our next destination was what has been deemed the best beef brisket noodle in town. "Gau Gei" is located on 21 Gough Street much further down Wellington road off Aberdeen Street. Unfortunately, we were early, arriving at 12pm, only to find that the doors only open at 1230pm. We returned later after successfully buying some "stuff" and were greeted by a long line. Once in, order the beef brisket with the fat yellow noodle. I have tried the rice noodle before but the texture of the linguini type noodle made the overall dish much more interesting. You might also want to order some lettuce with oyster sauce to go along. Again, the servings are not too big and we were happy with that. The curry beef noodle looked exciting but none of us ventured a taste.

On the corner of Aberdeen St and Wellington St stands one of the oldest dim sum places in Hong Kong which serves an extremely traditional dim sum still served in push carts. P Girl (old Tokyu hand) was taken here when she first moved to Hong Kong and was somewhat traumatised by the culture shock - it is very authentic. It opens at 6am daily for those who wish for an early start. Other specialties in that area one should try are the FAMOUS roast goose from Yung Kee on 32-40 Wellington Street, the pigeon and other interesting local dishes at Tai Ping Koon or TPK Cafe on 60 Stanley Street, and the fishball and fishcakes at the Fishball Noodle Shop on Kau U Fong (one street below Gough St off Aberdeen).

As Central expands, the little streets west of LKF and SOHO are quickly undergoing gentrification. These little restaurants now increasingly sit next to hip little furniture and homeware stores. One hopes that these proprieters own their shop spaces and will not be forced to move elsewhere. In this area, the search for food is as interesting as the finds.

The weekend was a success - lots of "stuff" purchased and LOTS of food eaten.

Shira Nui - Melbourne, Australia

Whenever I get to spend a weekend in Melbourne, my one "must-do" restaurant request is Shira Nui.

Shira Nui is about 30 minutes out of the city, but definitely worth the trip. Make sure you call ahead for reservations, especially for the weekends, as you MUST get a seat at the counter. The tables are ok but only counter guests get to order the ... OMAKASE !!

The Omakase puts you in the hands of capable Chef Hiro Nishikura. Pair after pair of custom-made sushi appear on a plate before you. Sitting at the counter allows you to watch the man and his assistant at work concocting up new sushi creations before your very eyes.

If you thought sushi was only fish atop small handfulls of compressed rice, think again! Be delighted by the wagyu beef sushi and sometimes the asparagus with fish roe sushi amidst their more traditional brethren.

My brother-in-law almost exhausted the chef's store of creativity at last visit but is keen to go back for new challenges. My little sis who is expecting a son in December has not been able to enjoy her favorite cuisine for the past 6 months. This will probably the site of our first celebratory meal after she pops!

Shira Nui, 247 Springvale Rd, Glen Waverley, VIC, 3150, Australia, Tel: (03) 9886-7755

Nami Nami, Mountain View, California

"Karoshi" is apparently the Japanese term for death by overwork. I wish I knew the Japanese word for death by overeating.

One of many memorable meals during last week's 9-day visit to D Guy's San Francisco turf was at Nami Nami, a three-month old restaurant on the very hip Castro Street in Mountain View, California.

I have never heard of Kappo Dining but apparently it is casual-style dining from Kyoto. This little restaurant has a very authentic vibe and it feels almost like dining in Tokyo especially since the waitstaff seem to only speak Japanese. A loud "Sumimasen" should get their attention.

To start off the meal, I would recommend the Chinmi - little dishes to accompany sake or beer. The tatami iwashi (flattened crispy whitebait) is always a personal favorite but they also have a few other interesting dishes with strange descriptions you should to try. If you like a good bottle of sake, we had a Kikusui Junmai Daiginjo from Niigata which was very nice and best when serve chilled (I hear only cheap sake is served hot).

Due to my recent education on the terrible plight of the global tuna stock (see National Geographic March issue), I find myself now more partial to interestingly prepared non-fish Japanese dishes and Nami Nami did not disappoint.

The kobe beef sashimi (pictured above) was delicious and is similar to beef carpaccio but lightly seared and garnished with cilantro and sesame seeds.

The other two definite must-trys are the grilled eggplant and the fragrant deep-fried black pork, recommended, of course, by D Guy. The grilled eggplant was served in its skin but the meat had been dug out and cubed, mixed with sauces and then returned to the skin for final grilling. The outcome was a delicious visual delight.

The pork (pictured on right) was lightly floured and still succulent. It was like the sweeter and juicer version of Chinese roast pork marinated in teriyaki sauce. Eating it with the spring onions gave it a kick with none of the overly porky taste. Both the eggplant and pork were wonderful with a bowl of steaming Japanese rice.

240 Castro St, Mountain View, CA 94041
650.964.6990

Tsukiji Sushi Oishii!!!

When given the choice between breakfast and more sleep, I ALWAYS pick more sleep. The one exception is when I am in Tokyo.

Tsukiji Fish Market is located right on the edge of Tokyo Bay where ships can pull up right alongside and deliver their precious loads of Tuna daily. This starts a frenzied chain reaction from an early morning Tuna auction (circa 5am), to the slicing and dicing of the fish (nothing goes to waste) and ending with a satisfying sushi breakfast (burp). Apparently 90% of the fish eaten in Tokyo comes through this market.

My first visit to this fabled market was with D Guy (of course) a few years ago during our first pilgrimage to the Tokyo Motor Show. We made our way to the Tsukijishijo Station on the Oedo Line in the wee hours of the morning when the early rays of dawn were just breaking. The station is right outside the market and if you don't know which exit to use, just follow the guys in the rubber boots. Don't be fooled by the Tsukiji Station on the Hibiya Line, it is somewhat of a longer distance away.

This time around (my fifth to be exact), I took P Girl (who has not been to Japan since World Expo '85) to sample some daybreak sushi. This morning was particularly busy as the little one-man trucks with bumper car agility sped around the narrow alleys at breakneck speeds. The resulting rush of adrenaline kept us on our toes building up our appetite for the feast to follow.

Visitors to Tsukiji should take their time exploring this fan-shaped market. The narrower lanes are less hectic sans the motorized trucks and offer a fascinating array of seafood that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Amazing varieties of prawns, shellfish, crabs waving from sawdust-filled boxes, eels, and anything else you can name can be found here.

The rows of sushi stalls are just outside the fish market and the most famous, (by virtue of their place in popular guide books) sport long waiting lines. No prizes for guessing which ones.

I believe there is a trade-off between food quality and time. No matter how good a sushi place is, if you are situated outside Tsukiji, you can be 99.9% sure that the fish is FRESH! Therefore, we chose a place two rows away and were seated immediately. Consuming significant amounts of raw fish at an early hour can be a shock to anyone's system. I recommend helping your body cope by ordering "Nama-biru". This will set you right instantly. Saying "Nama-Biru Hitotsu" brought me a glass of the coldest and best draft beer I have ever had at 8am in the morning. P Girl wisely (for both of us) decided to share my glass.

If you are still standing after this feast (the food pictured above is for one), the neighbouring stores offer opportunities to purchase all the equipment you ever needed to set up your own sushi bar. From sushi knives, to tableware, to Chef's "happy coats", to those little curtains that make your patrons bow when entering your establishment. The world is your oyster if you can pack it all in your bag without getting arrested.

P Girl (now named Old Tokyu Hand) did show me a new perspective on Tsukiji. After our little tour, we took a 15-minute walk to Carretta Shiodome, a newly created city district, to try to work off the rice and the alcohol. If you take the lift up to the "Sky Restaurants", there is a great aerial view of Tsukiji Market plus HamaRikyu Gardens, Odaiba and Tokyo Bay. You can even see the Rainbow Bridge in the distance and planes heading for Haneda Airport.

If you are a foodie, a trip to this market is a must. No one can claim to have suffered for their passion until they have dined on early morning sushi at Tsukiji. Btw, the market is apparently closed on Sundays. Take note to avoid disappointment.