Huh?

Do I have hungrygowhere.com tattooed on my forehead? (Though if that guarantees me the payoff they just received, I’d consider it!)

But this is not the first nor I suspect the last time this will happen. So, upon the advice of a very clever lady (thanks, Zurina!), I will attempt to start putting up my favourite places so I can direct people here instead of having to retype things over and over. Have a look, take these tips with a grain of salt please. After all, they are places I like. I am not you, not last I checked, so if something doesn’t gel for you at one of these establishments, I think we’ll all live. Just sayin’

Here we go:

Esquina Tapas Bar

Ok ok, this is not that new any more and everybody and their brother has written about this place. Who cares? I eat really really really well every time I come here. Seriously. If you follow me on instagram, you’ll see the multiple meals I’ve had there and although there are a few repeats, there are also new dishes every time. Chef Andy Walsh makes sure to change things up pretty often so that the regulars don’t get bored. And boy are we grateful!

The most recent visit yielded the following…

Left to right:

Heirloom tomato salad with avocado cream, Egg custard with white onions and sweetbread toast, Gambas with orzo, Iberico pork cheek, Pistachio cake.

The dishes were, suffice to say, beyond good. Rich complex flavours, lovely presentation, all around winners. By the way, I always drink every last drop of the gambas broth (an umami bomb!) and the pistachio cake actually made my friend moan out loud!

Cons: A queue for a seat and the quality of the jamón didn’t seem as good as the last time… maybe I’m just being picky?

If you haven’t tried it yet, get thee there quickly!

And just another quickie for this week:

Madras New Woodlands Restaurant (Upper Dickson Road in Little India)

I haven’t been here in absolutely ages, but am so glad I remembered it. Now this is not your fancy, get dressed up or anything at all kind of joint. This is a get stuck in, use your hands and it tastes damn good kind of place. We were actually a party of 5 adult with 4 kids, nightmare right? They couldn’t have been nicer, we were sat down and served within minutes (more expensive restaurants with crap service… take note!)

I had a paper thosai which was exactly the way I liked, super thin and crispy, but still with a few softer, more dunkable areas. Accompanied by  lentil sambar, coconut chutney and tomato chutney, I scarfed that pancake in no time and pulled off my best Oliver impression, “May I have some more please?” The table also had masala thosai, roti prata and mango lassi…All fresh and flavoursome.. and with a smile

In hindsight there have been so many! Oh they’ve come under other guises, hidden under innocent monikers, but in the end, it’s still “fusion”. Recent memorable meals include any repast at Wild Rocket, food from my cousin Sandy’s sake lounge, Snacky, in Williamsburg, NY (of special note is the kimchi hotdog which deserves its own post!), and of course my own kitchen. Having grown up Chinese-American (in the Midwest no less) and then having lived in Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, London, Burgundy and now back to Singapore for round 2 makes me at least somewhat qualified in this subject…

So on that note, I present the following dish, born out of combining leftovers from Chinese and Italian cuisines. See what you think!

Note: a couple of the ingredients may not be familiar to all so I will highlight them here. First up is kangkong, one of my favourite vegetables ever.  It is available in Asian markets under the other names also, such as water spinach or ong choi (in France it was sold as liséron d’eau if that helps!). It has a hollow stem, which should be crushed before cooking and long slim leaves.

You need to wash this lovely green, get rid of the roots, tear the stems into approximately 2-inch/5cm and keep separate from the leaves which you will have ripped up into more manageable bite-sized pieces. The stems take a bit longer to cook, hence the divide and conquer tactic.

Next is Fu Yu or fermented or “magic” bean curd as I call it. Don’t be scared by the “fermented” word, it just means more flavour! It is also known as tofu cheese and I think that’s why it works here, pasta with a funky cheese, what’s not to love?

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Before we get to the recipe, don’t forget to check out out posts from my fellow Let’s Lunchers

If you’d like to join Let’s Lunch, go to Twitter and post a message with the hashtag #Letslunch

Anastasia‘s Miso Salmon with Mango Salsa at In Foodie Fashion

Cathy‘s Bacon-Studded Polenta With Tomato Gravy at ShowFood Chef

Charissa‘s Gluten-Free Azuki Bean Bundt Cake at Zest Bakery

Cheryl‘s Goan Pork Curry at A Tiger in the Kitchen

Eleanor‘s Wok Picadillo at Wok Star

Ellise‘s Salty Lime Sablés (Margarita Cookies) at Cowgirl Chef

Emma‘s Kimchi Bulgogi Nachos at Dreaming of Pots And Pans

Felicia‘s Mexican-Lebanese Hummus at Burnt-Out Baker

Grace‘s Taiwanese Fried Chicken at HapaMama

Jill‘s Southern Pimento-Stuffed Knishes at Eating My Words

Joe‘s Grilled KimCheese Sandwich at Joe Yonan

Juliana‘s Fusion Chicken Casserole at Food, Fun & Life

Karen‘s Ukrainian-German Cabbage Rolls at GeoFooding

Leigh‘s Venezuelan-Italian Cachapas Con Queso at Leigh Nannini

Linda‘s Project Runway Pelau: Rice & Beans Trinidad-Style at Spicebox Travels

Linda‘s Edible Salad Totes at Free Range Cookies

Lisa‘s Sunday Night Jewish-Chinese Brisket at Monday Morning Cooking Club

Lucy‘s Coconut Rice Pudding with Mango at A Cook And Her Books

Maria‘s Spanish Shrimp with Bacon, Cheddar & Chive Grits at Maria’s Good Things

Nancie‘s Chili-Cheese Biscuits with Avocado Butter at Nancie McDermott

Patricia‘s Buttery Tofu, Pasta & Peas at The Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook

Patrick‘s Kimchi Jigae and British Mash at Patrick G. Lee

Rashda‘s Mango Cobbler at Hot Curries & Cold Beer

Renee‘s Asian-Spiced Quick Pickles at My Kitchen And I

Steff‘s Chicken Fried Steak at The Kitchen Trials

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Anyway, whilst I’m sure this list will be everywhere on the net, I decided to join the party too, so below are the top 50. Sadly, the only Singapore restaurants to break the top 50 are Iggy’s at #26 and Waku Ghin (Tetsuya Wakuda) at #39. That said, an old stalwart Les Amis appears at #53 and relative newbie Restaurant Andre at #68.

It looks like next year, they are going to put together an Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013. What do you think? Personally, I don’t think the lists should be separate, otherwise the title “worldwide” ceases to have any meaning no?

And the more important question is — How many of these restaurants have you been to? . I’ve only been to 6! Better get crackin’ !

The World’s 50 Best

1. Noma, Denmark
2. El Cellar de Can Roca, Spain
3. Mugaritz, Spain
4. D.O.M., Brazil
5. Osteria Francescana, Italy
6. Per Se, New York
7. Alinea, Illinois
8. Arzak, Spain
9. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, U.K.
10. Eleven Madison Park, New York
11. Steirereck, Austria
12. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, France
13. The Fat Duck, U.K.
14. The Ledbury, U.K.
15. Le Chateaubriand, France
16. L’Arpege, France
17. Pierre Gagnaire, France
18. L’Astrance, France
19. Le Bernardin, New York
20. Frantzén/Lindeberg, Sweden
21. Oud Sluis, Netherlands
22. Aqua, Germany
23. Vendome, Germany
24. Mirazur, France
25. Daniel, New York
26. Iggy’s, Singapore
27. Les Creations de Narisawa, Japan
28. Nihonryori Ryugin, Japan
29. Quay, Australia
30. Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland
31. Asador Extebarri, Spain
32. Le Calandre, Italy
33. De Librije, Netherlands
34. Fäviken Magasinet, Sweden
35. Astrid y Gaston, Peru
36. Pujol, Mexico
37. Momofuku Ssäm Bar, New York
38. Biko, Mexico
39. Waku Ghin, Singapore
40. Quique Dacosta, Spain
41. Mathias Dahlgren, Sweden
42. Hof Van Cleve, Belgium
43. The French Laundry, California
44. Amber, China
45. Vila Joya, Portugal
46. Il Canto, Italy
47. Bras, France
48. Manresa, California
49. Geranium, Denmark
50. Nahm, Thailand

My inclusion in this elite group began in Paris (yes, any excuse to mention my favourite city). True though. There I was, hanging out with the fabulous Ms. Tan of A Tiger in the Kitchen fame and she mentioned that I might like to get involved. “You just need to make something in the monthly theme, then post with the Let’s Lunch tag.” Moi? An excuse to cook? A kick in the backside to write and post? To virtually meet a whole bunch of cool folks? How could I say no?

Of course this is probably the worst week for me to do this. I’ve been working on a cookbook project for the last couple of weeks, prepping and styling food for the photo shoots. This means all day on my feet, then ingredient shopping the rest of the time. Any free time (ha!) is for the kids. So this will be a hasty, though heartfelt, post written whilst hubby has taken the munchkins downstairs for a runaround, bless him.

Ok enough blabber, down to business: eggs. I love them in all ways, I think they’re one of the most perfect foods and super versatile. But they are also written to death about so what can I bring to the party? Well, Alain Passard came to my rescue. Yes him, of L’Arpège fame. The chef who notoriously announced his focus on vegetables in his Michelin 3-star restaurant. He was the guest of honour at a new food festival in Singapore, Savour. I went along to see what it was all about. I’ll post more about that experience later, but I did watch Passard’s demo during which he showed his famous egg chaud froid. Bingo! And my egg idea was hatched, so to speak.

Here it is in images:

Steps 1-3

I had just acquired an egg decapitator in Paris, it was as if the gods of eggs had smiled upon me and said, “Yes, you WILL make egg chaud froid, we decree it so!” . Anyway, a perfect opportunity to try it out and folks, though I generally shy away from single use gadgets, I am hooked. This one works like a charm, was not expensive and doesn’t take up much room. Okay, sales pitch over.

The key is to gently remove the shell “cap”, pour out the white without breaking the yolk.

Next:

Steps 4 & 5

The shell with yolk must then be placed in barely simmering water, at 70 degrees Celsius. No thermometer? No problem, you just want to see little bubbles on the bottom of your pan, no more. The tiny bit of egg white remaining in the shell will just start to set if you look carefully around the edges of the yolk…

Finally we come to the “froid” part of the equation. Passard’s recipe calls for lightly whipped cream seasoned with quatre épices, sherry vinegar, sea salt and a drizzle of maple syrup at the end. I took his last item as is, but I happened to have a big container of jamón infused cream (don’t ask, long story) so I used that, a few drops of white wine vinegar and smoked sea salt. I have to say both me and the Taster were very happy with my rendition. No exact quantities folks, tiny amounts of everything. The key point is that there should be equal parts yolk and cold cream when you eat it and you should dig all the way to the bottom to get every flavour on your spoon. Try your own version (cher Alain suggested curry powder and other vinegars, up to you)… bon appétit!

A few  more pics:

My jamón cream, organic maple syrup and the finished product (would add some chives next time)!

P.S. Bear with me friends, this is a VERY new site, still working out a lot of kinks and trying to do everything myself (I know, el cheapo) so will keep tweaking… thanks!

I almost forgot! My fellow Let’s Lunchers have put up some fab posts so please do check them out:

– Ana‘s Breakfast Pizza at In Foodie Fashion

– Charissa‘s Gluten-Free Leek, Ham & Pecorino Souffles at Zest Bakery

–  Cheryl’s Chai Poh Scramble:  Easter, Singapore Style from A Tiger in In the Kitchen

– Denise‘s Beet Dye & Pink Deviled Eggs at Chez Us

– Eleanor‘s Wok Your Easter Egg Any Way You Want at Wok Star

– Emma‘s Eggs In A Hole at Dreaming of Pots & Pans

– Felicia‘s Perfect Sandwich at Burnt-Out Baker

– Grace‘s Scrambled Eggs & Tomatoes at HapaMama

– Joe‘s Kim-Chi Deviled Eggs at Joe Yonan

– Karen‘s Molecular Gastronomy “Eggs” at GeoFooding

– Linda‘s Home-made Cadbury Eggs (Maple Chocolate Eggs) at Free Range Cookies

– Linda‘s Taiwanese Tomato Eggs at Spicebox Travels

– Lisa‘s Legendary Egg & Onion at Monday Morning Cooking Club

– Lucy‘s Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing (& Chicken Salad) at A Cook And Her Books

– Nancie‘s Son-In-Law Eggs at Nancie McDermott

– Rashda‘s Bombay Toasts (Spicy French Toasts) at Hot Curries And Cold Beer

– Rebecca‘s Mini Meringue Buttons at Grongar Blog

Shiso, or the Perilla frutescens plant has all kinds of beneficial qualities, belongs to the mint family, and can be used in a lot of places where you would use basil. But you don’t really care so much about that do you? Bottom line, is it good? Well I’m here to tell you folks, it is awesome (and I don’t use that term lightly). I am such an enthusiast that I pitched and sold an article about it to a magazine, which should hopefully be out on the news stands in a couple if months has been out since last year (!).

BBC Good Food – Shiso Article

There was so much that didn’t fit into that article though that I thought I’d share more with you dear reader, especially recipes. That’s right, I don’t want you to think our friend, shiso, is just a one trick pony after all. And would you believe it, I found perilla seeds at the local nursery so will be having a go at growing them as well, though my thumb is as green as… mud to be honest… Stay tuned for that adventure.

So why am I such a champion for shiso? Well I love the taste of it for one. And I suppose I feel like it’s an underdog, something that isn’t acknowledged for it’s worth. It’s complex, there’s more to it than meets the eye and it might take a bit of time to get to know it but so worth it….

Shiso caprese salad

For the pesto (makes about ½ cup):

1 clove garlic, chopped

¼ cup pine nuts, toasted plus another 4 tsp for garnishing

30g/5 packs shiso leaves

30g Pecorino Romano, grated (about ¼ cup)

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

1 gorgeously red and ripe tomato per person (if it doesn’t smell like a tomato, move on), sliced

1 ball of bufala mozzarella per person, drained and sliced

4-6 tablespoons of shiso pesto

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Directions:

Put the garlic, ¼ cup pine nuts, shiso leaves, cheese and oil in a blender and blitz until a paste forms. Stop regularly to scrape the sides and push the leaves down. Keep blending until you get a fine purée.

Alternate slices of tomato and mozzarella on a plate, drizzle with the shiso pesto (if it’s to thick to drizzle, loosen with a touch of olive oil, say a tablespoon) and devour immediately!

NOTE: With a basil pesto, I will sometimes process it less as a chunkier texture can work well depending on the type of pasta you use. However as the shiso leaf tends to be firmer and more fibrous, I tend to blend till the pesto is fairly smooth.

It’s probably fitting that among my first posts would be about and from Paris. It is after all, where I discovered myself; where I learned to drink wine, appreciate my femininity, negotiate a roundabout in a moving vehicle, was taught how to cut (and eat) cheese properly, and park a car on a dime. My inner foodie was revealed, when I ate a tomato that actually tasted like a tomato for the first time and stood in awe at the market before the most beautiful display of produce ever. Here, cooking and serving  food is a career, it is done with much expertise, efficiency and usually some degree of pride.

I’ve spent the last few days catching up with old friends- Deb, Randall, Janice - and meeting new ones – Cheryl, Eva, Marika, Virginia, Tom. I’ve had Mexican food (twice!), falafel, Vietnamese, charcuterie, steak frites, salads the way only the French can pull off, and more carbs than I can shake a stick at. Funnily enough, food seems to be at the centre of all these encounters, but despite my “list” of Paris must eats, I have come to realise that the time spent in the company of these fine folks far outweighs where I must fill my belly (as long as it is “correcte” of course). This very much mirrors my normal existence. I mean, we all have a plan of how we want things to go, but life likes to throw curves, just to see if we’re awake and paying attention. Hopefully on any given day, I am indeed with it and can swerve, duck, jump as required. And as long as, at the end of the day, I’ve been watered, fed and done a few things, I would consider that day a success. Bonus points if one of those “things done” is writing.

The other things that keeps me in balance is a bit of exercise. Makes sense right? Some food, some movement, everything falls into place. In Paris, that means walking. Yesterday, I walked around for 8 hours. Yup, that’s right, 8 hours. Something about this city makes me want to explore every nook and cranny. And it never fails to surprise me. My feet were aching by the end of the day, but I was bursting with energy. Wish I could have that feeling everyday.

How about you, when do you consider your day a “success”? And is there a place that makes you feel as invigorated as Paris makes me feel?

Good advice though it took me AGES to realise that I was really passionate about. It was there all along, always in the background, never shouting out to be noticed, just biding it’s time. Some days I paid it more attention and some days seemingly not at all. But it was never going to go away after all, it was and will always be a part of my life, everyone’s life in fact (well apart a few somewhat misguided models perhaps). Have you guessed yet?… Yup, food. Sounds simple doesn’t it? We eat it, in more or less quantities, it gives us energy to keep going about our daily lives, but what is the big deal?

Well food provides more than that. Not a new concept I grant you (see the other gazillions of food blogs out there), but true. Food gives me comfort. It puts me in touch with all my senses, even more so when I’m cooking it. Food teaches me; how to buy it, where it might come from, how to cook it, what it should taste like, look like. It has taught me about a new culture in a new country, its history. It has served as an icebreaker and talking point with new friends. Food has even given me street cred in a new environment. It reminds me of the change in seasons (yes, even in Singapore where there are no seasons). It brings me joy and is a HUGE point of bonding for my family and me.

I cannot emphasise this last point enough. In a culture where people don’t really ever talk about anything deep or emotional, food can be the bridge between generations. A Chinese mother may never say she loves you, but she will make you the finest radish cake this side of Chinatown. In doing so, especially in a very white, conservative Midwest in the 70’s where ingredients were probably pretty hard to find, she is showing you that she does. Or relatives I don’t see often who don’t really know what to say will find a voice through their cooking. When they ask me the customary Chinese greeting that’s a stand-in for hello, “Have you eaten yet?” and insisting that I do even if I say I have, they are showing me they care in the only way they know how.

And sometimes food speaks when words are inappropriate or difficult. When my uncle was recently diagnosed with cancer and we went for a visit, my aunt cooked somewhat healthier, though no less delicious, fare. When questioned about his condition, he just said, “Fine, no problem”, but it was when I saw him tuck into his dinner, and breakfast, and lunch, that I truly felt relieved. In a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy, an appetite is a good sign and he sure seemed to have his.

Oh it’s not all fun and games. Nothing makes me feel worse faster than overindulging in “bad” food, for a period of time that extends beyond “normal” (though yes I do think you can eat just about anything in moderation and that’s not just lip service. You’d be able to tell as soon as you saw my hips!)

But overall, food brings me much happiness. It’s brought me friendship and it won its/my way into my husband’s heart. Now what else are you gonna find that can do all that?

So what does food do for you?