brekkie done my way

Scrambled eggs, chicken chipolata,
apple-baked ham & parmesan-crumb crust on roasted tomatoes

I am a breakfast person. So is D. No matter how late we have slept the night before, we will wake up and eat brekkie. It can mean driving 20 minutes to botanic gardens to eat at les amis cafe or going to our nearby coffeeshop for congee and teh and kopi-o. We also been to corduroy and finch several times, but the last one several weeks ago got us thinking. Why should we drive 20 minutes to Bukit Timah Road, pay $10+++ for 2 eggs?! Or $4 for fancifully cut hot-dogs which looks absolutely silly and tasted exactly like those 10-for-$2 frozen hotdogs? So I decided we either eat local in our neighbourhood or at pek kio for our dose of prawn mee or I'll simply cook eggs my own way. With a little ingenuity, I can minimise the cleaning and have an excellent brekkie at home.

Parmesan-crumb crust on roasted tomatoes - a handful of dried breadcrumbs, a spoonful of fresh grated parmesan, mixed dried herbs, sea salt and black pepper. Mix altogether and top halved tomatoes. Drizzle on some olive oil. Roast till tomato halves are warmed through and crust is golden brown.

Throw in the chipolatas with the tomatoes to roast.

Scrambled eggs - 2 eggs, a splash of cream and a splash of milk and salt and pepper. Scramble till slightly runny and undercook. Don't chop at it just fold lightly and you'll get nicely scrambled eggs.

finding time to cook

I haven't been cooking much. The cleaning up thereafter is a big no-no factor. D and I have been eating out quite a bit. To a point where we are so sick of the food around and about our neighbourhood that I might just be pushed into the kitchen again. I quite miss the ritual of prepping, cooking, tasting.. but not the cleaning up though. Hopefully with the year winding down, I might have the time and inspiration to get back to basics - to cook.

190

Some weeks back D and I went to One-Ninety at Four Seasons for a really nice Saturday night out. The service was top notch, the food flawless and ambience was classy without being stuffy. We ordered a range of appertisers, had a salad, shared a steak and a dessert platter. Too much? Probably. Too good? Definitely.

The complimentary 'bread' was a popover. A huge and ugly hollowed out bomb-of-a-bread which was extremely cheesy and addictive. The outside was golden brown and earthy and the inside still warm and soft. We loved it. In short, it was all good. But, the appertisers deserve all the praise. I enjoyed the appertisers most. The range of Asian-inspired appertisers was modern without being confusing. It was innovative without being contradictory. The thick cuts of foie gras sitting on celeriac puree and pea blinis with black truffle jus was indulgent and satisfying. Each bite was sinfully good. The Peking duck gyoza was crisp on the outside, richly savoury on the inside and suited the sweet sauce perfectly. The cucumber slices beneath completed the peking experience. We also had a prawn dish on impulse. The prawns with soysprouts and hazelnuts was a nice contrast to the other two meaty appertisers. The tiger prawns were complemented the sauteed sweet soysprouts and the smoky hazelnuts added an interesting crunch. We were wowed over. I could just eat a whole degustation dinner on the appertisers. Kudos to the chef for a deft Asian touch. Kudos to four seasons for an overall great eating experience.

craving for a bite of saigon

Every now and then I will get a craving for Baguette - The Viet Inspired Deli's saigon baguette (located at Raffles City basement). It's actually their rendition of a vietnamese Bahn mi. Of course, its overpriced to what you can get there, but its the best about town. What do you get for $5.60? You get a chockful of 3 different hams and smeared pate, decadent mayonaise, a dash of maggi seasoning (don't you scoff at this as its highly popular in vietnam, this all-in-one sauce in a bottle) crunchy pickled radish and carrot, chilli slices (which really packs a burning punch) and coriander sprigs all stuffed into a extremely crisp fat baguette (so crispy that there were several times I cut the top of my mouth while trying to chow it down). Pretty good stuff nevertheless.

PS. Forget about the chicken version, or their weak imitations of bun cha (pork with vemicelli) or goi cuon (fresh shrimp rolls) or ice lemongrass tea or stuff like that. Just order the banh mi and chomp away.

chicken rendang noodle

I have never encountered chicken rendang. Its always has been beef or mutton for me. If I'm not mistaken, rendang dishes are typically Indonesian and unlike Indian curries, they usually contains loads of coconut milk, lemongrass and galangal etc, making it very fragrant and lemak (rich). I like eating beef rendang the traditional way, with ketupat. Lucky me, I get to sample homemade beef rendang and ketupat once a year at D's colleague's place during the Hari Raya festivities (which reminds me, is very soon!)

So back to our ayam rendang noodle. We ordered a sampling of noodles - assam laksa (see previous post), laksa lemak (coconut milk-based laksa with yong tau foo) and the rendang. It looked suspiciously like the curry mee we get here, till I took a mouthful. Wow. It was an explosion of tastes - spices and creaminess of the santan (coconut milk). The chicken was tender and came off the bone easily. A sprinkling of sliced white onions, red chillies and spring onions balanced out the richness perfectly. My only grouse was the noodle was a little overcooked. Nonetheless, it was sumptious and satisfying and all that for RM3. Ah... streetfood heaven.

malacca's nolstagic oasis

The shop front is tiny and congested. It looks like one of the many run-of-the-mill eateries vying for tourists' attention. Walk in and you enter an oasis. It's cool and spacious. There's this sense of calm. A kind of hush - hardly anyone's talking, everyone's digging into their porcelain bowls of chendols, laksas & rendang noodles.

I couldn't have asked for more. After all that walking on the dusty streets with the sun scorching down mercilessly on us, its a welcomed sight for a recluse like me, seeking shelter from the crowds and souvenir hunters. The surrounding was pure nolstagia - polished wooden tables and chairs, memorabilia in the glass shelves, posters of ancestors of yore, antique ceiling lamps and fans... We have found a gem, a real keeper.

With the sunlight slipping through into the courtyard, there is an almost theatric effect surrounding the place. And the star of the show? The food of course.

My favourite meal in malacca must be this one. The assam laksa was almost tongue numbing spicy, but at the same time, the myriad of other tastes shines through. It's sour and sweet as it is salty and heady with the scent of hei gor (fermented prawn paste). The rice noodles were almost udon-like in thickness and the texture was chewy and light. Topped with julienned laksa leaves (daun kesom), sliced shallots and flaked fish (I spy suspiciously that this is not mackerel, I think its canned tuna), but nevertheless the combination of tastes is just awesome. To tell you the truth, I wasn't expecting much from this dish, considering that assam laksa is famous in Penang and not here, but I think this Malaccan version has found a place in my culinary roadmap.

Next post: chicken rendang noodle.

food on tv

One of the celeb chefs whom I enjoy watching on tv is Anthony Bourdain. Why Tony? He's straight to the point. He's got very dry humour. Eats everything. Curses on TV. Knows the good stuff (like Thomas Keller and Tetsuya). He loves Vietnam. And despite all that food, he doesn't put on an ounce of weight.

Yes, yes, those who know me well will know that I watch anything and everything on tv to do with food. Even silly korean food shows on AFC. Though I must add that I do have several chefs on my top-20-food-shows-I-love-to-watch list - Gordon, Nigella, Curtis, Ben, Jamie. Yes, I'm on first name basis here. And no, NO Kylie please. Recently, I discovered Restaurant Makeover. Fantastic reality food show, much better than the model, home or singing or runway versions. It helps restaurants which are hopeless cases and in a serious need of a makeover to revitilise their businesses. Who doesn't love a fresh start?

Anyway, back to Bourdain. Here's the article which he wrote for NYT on Singapore street food (which appeared in ST's Sunday Times last Sunday). Just thought I'll share it with you if you missed it. The Article

red & green

I love this combination. There's nothing quite like it. It's a Japanese concoction which has become a popular dessert choice in Singapore. Tiramisus, chiffon cakes, brulees: cafes and restaurants about town are clamouring to add versions of this pairing to their dessert offerings. I used this duo several times before. I once did a red bean paste with custard stack with green tea ice cream, using wonton wrappers for my layers. Recently, I also did a green tea panna cotta with red bean paste and white chocolate sauce.

I chanced upon this lovely combination again recently when D and I went on a walkabout in Marina Square (which is very rare, cos we are crowdaphobic). After walking around admidst families and couples jolsting for mall space, a call for time out and dessert was gladly received. We stumbled into Azabu Sabo. It tries to distinguish itself from the rest of the run-of-the-mill Jappy restaurants by focusing on serving mainly desserts. They also emphasised the fact that their ingredients are air flown from Hokkaido. (Come to think of it, most of our food are flown in from somewhere, isn't it?) Anyway, I enjoyed the little dessert I ordered for myself.

The duo of simmered red beans and green tea gelato was just heavenly. The sweetness and creaminess of the azuki beans and the freshness and distinct flavours of the green tea gelato did not disappoint. The addition of the chewy mochi balls finished it off really nicely. I wished they gave more though. I enjoyed it nevertheless. It was a yummy combination of colours, textures and tastes. The next time I find myself in Marina Square, I getting myself one of those again.