The Perfect Brunch at Zuni Cafe

Ah, Zuni Cafe, my quintessential weekend brunch spot in the city. This beautiful, sun drenched cafe along Market Street has come to represent the best qualities of the San Francisco dining scene - fresh organic produce from local farmers dedicated to sustainable harvesting, simple yet tasteful seasonal menus paired with the freshest selections of oysters and crustaceans from the bay area. Local chef Judy Rodgers has made this quaint little corner establishment one of the city's popular dining spots, and have also published a cookbook containing all the signature dishes that made Zuni Cafe such a hit.

My friend David and I drove up from San Jose Saturday morning and headed to Zuni Cafe without a reservation. Sometimes, you do get lucky, and today, we did not have to wait more than five minutes. We were shown to a table in my favorite corner of the restaurant facing the street. I've tried almost all the popular dishes on the menu, but not the grilled porkloin, so that was my choice. David picked the signature caesar salad and minestrone soup. The dishes were perfect, as always, and evoked subtle nuances of Alice Water's Chez Panisse cooking. It's all about simplicity in the preparation, so that the naturally fresh ingredients are allowed to shine.



Today we decided to skip the fruits de mer, and save our appetites for an afternoon snack at the Hog Island Oyster Co. bistro in the Ferry Building. And so began our perfect Saturday afternoon in the city. If you ever come to Zuni Cafe, try the signature oven roasted chicken.

Breakfast at 35,000 ft

I realized it's been some time since I logged an entry, and suffice to say, I'm feeling a certain degree of angst and guilt over this. And just a moment ago, I suddenly had an urge to write a food review, but alas, being stuck on a plane doesn't make my attempt any easier. So I've decided to contribute this short commentary on the breakfast served during my flight from Singapore to Shanghai. As luck would have it, I'm flying first class on Singapore Airlines this morning, otherwise, the economy class version of this review would have been only 2 sentences long. Anyway, here are my thoughts on an American breakfast served at 35,000 ft above ground.


I was presented with a choice of a chinese dim sum set, a tortilla and salmon wrap, continental or American breakfast. I selected the American, just to see how the fresh scrambled eggs turned out over fine bone china. I started the meal service with Krug champagne (the Dom 1999 didn't seem that great), warm toasted cashews, followed by a plate of fresh fruits consisting of several types of tropical fruits and berries. My croissant was nicely toasted, and the delicious strawberry yogurt was served in a fine bone china bowl. My main entree consisted of grilled tomato and assorted wild mushrooms ragout, a spicy hashbrown, gammon ham and freshly scrambled eggs. Maybe it was the bone china, or the food presentation and the white linens, but I felt like I was sitting in a cafe in San Francisco having a very scrumptious morning breakfast, and the eggs were perfectly scrambled. I ended my meal on a high note with a cup of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and a biscotti. Afterwards, Kris, my sexy flight attendant came over to inform me that they would be happy to serve me the dim sum set as well prior to arrival. That made me think about doing a double review, but for now, I'm feeling rather satiated and ready for some shut eye before arriving in Shanghai early in the morning.

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