The Press Lounge, New York City

I thought long and hard as to whether I wanted to have this as a separate post or as part of my series of blog posts on my (not so recent) trip to New York City. As I generally detest staining my travel posts with any sort of bad vibes, I decided that I am going to do a separate post on The Press Lounge. 

We decided to do drinks at The Press Lounge on our first night in New York because we had dinner at Print downstairs and wanted to check out the nice view from Press Lounge. We were greeted by a lady at the entrance and she told us that it was free seating. The indoor area was mostly full, save for a long table which was only half occupied. We headed to the outdoor area which was shielded from the cold with thick plastic curtains. It was spring when we visited New York City (late March - early April) but the weather still hovered around 1 to 2 degrees. The outdoor area was completely full, every single table was occupied. 

We looked around and gathered that there was seriously no available seating aside from the long table indoors which was only half occupied. We moved indoors again and started to shift into the empty side of the long table. My boyfriend, being the courteous man that he is, decided to ask the group at the other end of the long table whether it was okay for us to sit at the unoccupied end. The gentleman replied yes and asked us to go ahead. 

AND THIS IS THE SHOCKER. The lady at the door marched over, gestured to my boyfriend to back off, told the gentleman not to worry, and asked us to leave the table (!). What? Is there a minimum spending before we can sit indoors? Or that we cannot share a long table which was clearly only occupied at one end? She did not give us a reason and just simply told us to back off. 

All right. At this point, I thought to myself that no view was worth this sort of horrible service. A guy (who I found out later was the manager) appeared at this moment and told us that he found us some space outdoors. We followed him and realised that he had asked a group of young adults to move along the couch so that we could occupy the other half of the table. So... ok, certain groups of people can be asked to move so that we can share a smaller table, while certain groups of people can occupy one end of an enormous table and nobody else is allowed to use the other end? What is the logic in this?

We sat down, looked at the menu, and attempted to order. I use the word "attempted" because none of the wait staff wanted to take our orders! They brushed past us, strode past us, saw us and flicked their eyes away, and basically ignored us. Perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect. Eventually I managed to get the attention of the manager and told him I wanted to order drinks. This was when I found out that he was the manager hence he could not take our orders. In light of this new discovery, I asked him to get a wait staff over. He failed to secure one himself so he took our orders eventually. We completed the rite of passage of trying to get around rude wait staff, horrible (and perhaps even discriminatory) service, and received our drinks. 

I read reviews which said that the drinks were expensive. Well, the drinks are not considered expensive if you are used to paying Singapore prices for alcohol so it was not a big deal for us. The view was nice but it was not worth having to put yourself through this horrible rite of passage. 

So there Press Lounge. 

Ambush, Plaza Singapura

We were in Plaza Singapura one Saturday night intending to try Tsukada Nojo but the queue was so long that we gave up and turned to Ambush instead. Ambush is a fast casual diner with european dishes like paella, pasta, and the usual fish and chips. It was relatively empty for a weekend dinner which should tell us something, but the online reviews managed to sway me and we went in anyway.

The diner is large and airy, generally open concept so shoppers strolling past could look in and watch you eat. I am completely fine with that and am more than happy to share the sight of food with fellow shoppers but I imagine there might be people who might have issues with that.

Truffle Fries were average and not pungent with delicious truffle oil.

I had the Fusili Salmone which was decent. Pan-fried salmon with fusili and mushrooms in a bed of tomato-based sauce. The sauce was a little on the salty side which made me thirsty very quickly.

The boyfriend had Crispy Chicken Aglio Olio which was spaghetti done in aglio olio style with chunks of deep fried crispy chicken. The spaghetti was a little soggy and not al dente while the crispy chicken came a bit dry. This was quite a disappointment.

While I cannot recall the exact price of the items, I do remember that they were rather pocket-friendly. That said, I doubt I would return anytime soon because I could probably get something better with a similar price tag. In any case, there are so many other eateries in Plaza Singapura that would make a much better dinner choice.

#04-64 Plaza Singapura (the new wing)
Daily 11:00 to 22:00
63389368

Tonkotsu Kazan, Liang Court

We wandered to Liang Court for lunch one day and walked past Tonkotsu Kazan on Level 1. We were thinking of doing ramen and it seemed like a decent choice so we went in. We were seated quickly since it was not very crowded and a waiter handed us the menu. We had some questions regarding the lunch set since it appeared pretty much the same as the normal menu so we asked. The response we received was a curt and flippant "It's the same" without any explanation and the waiter strode away promptly. Okayyyy so we were handed something which looked ostensibly like a lunch set menu which turned out to be the same as the normal menu? So what exactly is the point of a lunch set? I guess we will never find out.

We took the Kazan Shoyu ($18) which is Volcano Ramen with Shoyu soup base. The ramen arrived in an interesting apparatus that looked like a mini chimney sitting on a stone bowl. The waiter poured the ramen soup into the claypot and stuck the cover on the stone bowl. Steam escaped from the top in puffs.

When the lid was lifted, we were greeted by a surprising sight of bubbling shoyu soup base which flowed steadily out of the stone bowl and onto the wooden coaster below. We left it to bubble, boil and simmer for awhile before we dug in.

The soup base was thick and delicious; it tasted almost like gravy. Noodles were all right, not mind-blowing but they were decent. For some reason, the noodles did not appear to resemble thin springy ramen but reminded me of the thick yellow hokkien mee noodles instead. Loads of vegetables in the ramen just the way I like it. The pork slices were all right. Not deliciously well-marinated or tender. 

The Kazan Ramen came with a free bowl of rice so we poured the rice into the stone bowl when we were about done with the ramen. I cannot figure out why a bowl of ramen would come with rice but it did fill us up very quickly. 

Free hard boiled eggs to go with our noodles.

We also ordered a plate of gyozas to share. Once again, these gyozas were also only all right. Not fantastically juicy or anything but they were ok. 

In general, Tonkotsu Kazan was all right. It offered something different to the usual traditional ramen and was a pleasant addition in Liang Court. However, with so many other delicious Japanese food in Liang Court, I would be hard pressed to find a reason to return to Tonkotsu Kazan unless I am craving for something different.

177 River Valley Road
63368698
11:00 am to 10:30 pm

Founder's Bak Kut Teh, Balestier Road

The boyfriend and I ventured to Balestier Shaw to watch Kingsman! It was a good show and I love how a suit transforms a person. I also really like the pug. Pugs are just too cute! (And this just goes to show how very backdated this post is hurhur).

Since we were in the Balestier area, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try Founder's Bak Kut Teh which was just directly across the road. There was a short queue at the door even before they started business at 6 pm so we joined the queue dutifully.

My childhood favourite is Outram Ya Hua Bak Kut Teh and I go there every time I am craving for some good Bak Kut Teh. But I heard awesome stuff about Founder's so I was super excited to try it.

The boyfriend chose pork slices while I went for mini pork ribs. Pork was fresh but the broth was just not as good as Ya Hua. My mini pork ribs were also less tender than the pork ribs at Ya Hua. 

I left feeling quite disappointed. I expected much higher standards from this well-established Bak Kut Teh store with celebrities' pictures covering every inch of the walls. It feels like a hype that went on forever and did not die down. Aish, I guess I should return back to Ya Hua.

New Orchid Hotel

347 Balestier Road

Wed - Mon: 12:00 - 14:00

Wed - Mon: 18:00 - 02:30

Closed: Tue

+65 63526192

Kim Dae Mun Korean Cuisine, Orchard Road

I was a young university undergraduate the last time I visited Kim Dae Mun. Back then, I was desperate to get away from the exorbitant and hugely disappointing meals in SMU and was willing to walk the distance just to eat something satisfying. I suspect that was when I nurtured my love for walking, just strolling around in the evening to get to some awesome food. One such walk took me to Kim Dae Mun which was a stall in the basement food court. When the food court disappeared subsequently, I thought I had lost Kim Dae Mun forever. I graduated and my hood became Raffles Place for a very short while before I settled down at City Hall/Clarke Quay. I did not look back. Why would I? I have so much yummy food in this area and there was no reason for me to head to the Dhoby Ghaut area. However, I read somewhere that Kim Dae Mun has a shop of its own now! I was dying to try it so I brought the boyfriend there for dinner one day.

Furnishing was sparse and simple, with neat rows of plastic tables and chairs, and a counter where you can place your order. Very much like the previous food court style, you place your order at the counter, wait for your food to be ready, and bring it over to a table. 

It was crowded on a Saturday night and it took some effort to find a table. Everybody was waiting around trying to snag a table and the queue at the counter was long.

The boyfriend chose the Spicy Pork Set which was yummy! Kim Dae Mun is well-known for cooking their hotplate dishes in hot water instead of oil so it was a much healthier option. 

I picked the Kimchi Stew which was heavenly. Just the right amount of spicy and sour with a generous amount of kimchi, egg, and tofu in a thick stew. Perfect with steaming white rice.

I really like my trip to Kim Dae Mun. Food court pricing for delicious food in the middle of town is a combination that I cannot resist. Sure, it is not a fancy place and Concorde Hotel is not exactly in an accessible area of town, but I would say the trip is worth it to save a few bucks and indulge in some homely Kimchi Stew.

#02-17 Concorde Hotel (between Istana and OG Orchard)

10 am to 9 pm

No reservations so just get in there early enough and hope you get a table.

Beauty in the Pot, OneKM mall

My family and I went to OneKM mall for our Chinese New Year eve dinner at Beauty in the Pot, a steamboat with collagen-rich soup base boiled from shark's cartilage. If you have not checked out OneKM mall (likely because you do not live in the east and coming to a neighbourhood mall in Paya Lebar is not exactly the most exciting activity), you did not miss much in terms of shopping. But you should definitely make a trip to OneKM mall for Beauty in the Pot.

My parents made a reservation for Chinese New Year eve way in advance after having a meal there together. Incredibly thoughtful of them to rope my brother and I in for a delicious steamboat meal since we were too busy to join them the first time.

My parents picked one of the sets for 4 people and the spread was incredible. I was frankly astonished when the waitress rolled a cart to our table and started to transfer a million and one food items onto the table. After everything was set out nicely, the waitress started putting food items into the steamboat carefully. 

The creamy collagen-rich soup base was my favourite! Actually, all of us preferred that as compared to its spicy counterpart. The collagen-rich soup base was boiled from shark's cartilage which is supposed to be nourishing for our health and our complexion. I'm not sure whether it is nourishing but it certainly is delicious!

The seafood was very fresh and the cuts of meat were good. The pork was also incredibly fresh so there was no lingering porky taste. The set also came with a basket of vegetables and mushrooms (my one true love!) so you do not have to fear that the large amount of meat is going to be unhealthy for your digestive tract. 

There is a counter at the front where you can mix your own condiments and sauces or help yourself to rice. But seriously, why do you need rice when there is such a large amount of food available? The set came with noodles as well so rest assured that your carb craving will be fully satisfied. 

This restaurant feels like a cross between Tsukada Nojo (collagen-rich soup from chicken) and Hai Di Lao (perfect attentive service). The service at Beauty in the Pot is seriously top notch. It has been long since I felt that pampered at any dining establishment and Beauty in the Pot definitely nailed it. The waitress made it a point to drop by our table regularly to adjust the heat of the steamboat, refill our soup base, drop various food items into the steamboat, and ask if we are doing ok.

I will definitely be back! But before I do so, I must remember to make a reservation because the last time I came by spontaneously, the host informed me that there was a one hour thirty minutes wait on a weekday night!

#02-21 OneKM Mall

11 Tanjong Katong Road

Mon to Thurs, Sun: 11:00 to 1 am 

Fri to Sat, Eve of PH : 11:00 to 3 am

67022542

What to eat in Tokyo, Japan

I did a list of awesome things to do in Tokyo, Japan and it is time for my list of recommended food places. Tokyo is such a foodie heaven if you are into Japanese food. No sashimi places in this list because I came down with a horrible case of food poisoning during my first trip to Tokyo and was completely afraid to eat anything raw during my second trip. As usual, this list is in no particular order.

NUMBER ONE: MUTEKIYA RAMEN

You must be prepared to queue in adverse conditions if you want to try Mutekiya Ramen. The shop space is incredibly small and everybody queues on the pavement outside, fully exposed to the elements. We were in Tokyo in winter and visited Mutekiya on a rainy day. We queued in the rain for an hour and were shivering so badly from the cold that our hands were numb. Was it worth the wait? YES. The broth was so thick and delicious and the noodles were so springy! I love the thick slab of braised pork as well.

Japan, 〒171-0022 東京都豊島区 南池袋1丁目17-1 (near to the Ikebukuro station. Not the easiest to find and I was thankful my bro knew his way around. "Just walk towards the Y-junction" he said.)

NUMBER TWO: NAGI RAMEN

By number two, I feel sorry for my parents that they have kids who make them queue in temperatures of a few degrees for almost an hour each time. We reached Nagi well after lunch hour but we still had to queue for close to 40 minutes. Tucked away on the second floor in the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku, this place was hard to find. Look out for the small red sign with black lettering along a narrow alley. You join the queue inside a back alley and go upstairs to purchase a ticket for your ramen. When a seat is ready, you will be ushered upstairs. The stairs are steep and the seating area is incredibly small, narrow and cramped. Was it worth it? The broth, made from sardines, was very special and had the distinct sweetness of seafood. Noodles were also suitably springy. But I still prefer my pork bone soup base anytime.

1-1-10 Kabukicho, Shinjuku 160-0021, Tokyo Prefecture

NUMBER THREE: ROKURINSHA 

The queue was better here and we waited for only 15 minutes in a nice air-conditioned environment since Rokurinsha is situated in Tokyo Solamachi, the shopping centre at the bottom of Tokyo Skytree. Rokurinsha serves awesome tsukemen, which is ramen with dipping soup. The ramen here is thick, a close cousin to udon and the dipping soup is delicious! Grabbing a mouthful of ramen, dunking it in the hot dipping soup and slurping it all up was fantastic! I like it so much I ate it on BOTH trips. It was that good.

Rokurinsha 六厘舎 – Skytree
Tokyo Solamachi, Level 6, 1-1-2 Oshiage, Sumida-ku, Tokyo Japan

They have another outlet at the Yaesu Ramen Street in Tokyo Station which I visited during my third trip to Tokyo. Goes to show how much I enjoy Rokurinsha <3

Tokyo Station, 東京駅一番街 B1 東京ラーメンストリート内 １-９-１ Marunouchi, 千代田区 Tokyo 100-0005, Japan

NUMBER FOUR: TSUNAHACHI

For tempura! I had this on both trips too and all outlets were conveniently located in shopping malls which made locating this place and waiting for our meals so much more comfortable. Crispy fresh tempura for lunch always made my day. I chose to sit along the counter the first time I had Tsunahachi with the boyfriend and, while it was an eye-opening experience, we both smelled like fried batter when we left. I chose the table seats with my family and it was so much better. 

NUMBER FIVE: CAFE AT MAACH ECUTE

This is a fantastic date spot, perfect for a cup of coffee and tea while we catch up on life together. The boyfriend brought me here and I really liked the collection of small shops in the old train station. The cafe on the second floor was amazing! Situated in a little glass house between the train tracks, we could see trains entering and leaving the stations while we sip our tea slowly.You could either choose to sit inside or outside (air-conditioned or non-air-conditioned respectively). I personally feel that the best seat in the house is definitely the last table outside because of the unobstructed view.

There were many other eateries and cafes that were pretty decent and which I liked a lot such as Coco Ichibanya in Shinjuku, Curry Times in Akiba, Kohmen, bright airy cafes along Omotesando, oyako-don in Akihabara-UDX Building, and Spicy Tofu Soup in Odaiba. But the list above is my absolute favourite!

NUMBER SIX: DOMINIQUE ANSEL BAKERY

We discovered Dominique Ansel Bakery during our trip to New York City and fell in love with the cronuts! I have tried cronuts (or cronuts wannabes) in many other places but, honestly, nothing comes close. I have been dying to have more Dominique Ansel cronuts for so long. Just imagine how excited I was when I realised that Dominique Ansel Bakery was starting a branch in Tokyo! Amazing. Would not miss it for the world.

Unlike the main bakery in New York City, the Tokyo outlet in the Harajuku area did not allow reservations so we headed down early to queue. We reached at 930 am (the bakery opened at 10 am) and were the fourth group in line. They served chai latte to all who were queuing outside (I'm not sure whether they do this regularly or this was a gesture of goodwill because of the cold weather) and we watched in the cold as they hurried around preparing the cafe for opening.

The April cronut flavour was Okinawa Pineapple Milk Chocolate Ganache with Plum Sugar. The array of cakes and pastries looked so amazing that we ordered way too much. We had a cronut each, a Paris-Tokyo (this pretty matcha tart), DKA, an almond croissant, and a Mr Robata. We wanted to have these on the shinkansen to Kyoto but we could not finish all of them so we kept some for breakfast the next morning.

5 Chome-7-14 Jingumae, 渋谷区 Tokyo 150-0001, Japan

For my day to day posts in Tokyo, check this out.

For my post on cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo, check this out.