Tokyo Soba

Trying out something new during lunch with friends from the office! This little joint is literally a hole-in-the-wall soba place with a few small tables inside and one 4-seater table outside. When we arrived during lunchtime, all the tables inside were occupied. Thankfully, just as we were milling around outside trying to figure out what to do, the group seated outside got up and left so we have a table!

The menu was extensive and there was a wide variety of hot soba, cold soba and soba in dipping sauce. I went for the Mixed Vegetables Tempura Soba (Hot). Oh my it was really good! The soba was done just right, not soggy at all and not too chewy. The soup base was light and clear, and the mixed vegetables tempura was crispy and not too oily. The tempura was served separately so that it would not sit in the broth and turn soggy.

Really enjoy the soba here and will be back!

Tokyo Soba

12 Gopeng St #01-16 Icon Village

Singapore 078877

Saturday night

So I spent my Saturday night in the best way possible. Made myself a cup of hot turmeric tea, flopped onto my giant bean bag, switched on Netflix and... picked a romcom.

Tadah! My choice of posion was To All the Boys I Loved Before. I used to be such a big romcom fan. Name any romcom and I've probably watched it before. Or maybe even twice. But in recent years, I dropped that hobby because there hasn't been any good romcom in a long while and I was not going to spend $13 to go to the cinema to watch some half assed crap. Even with Netflix, I would much prefer spending my time watching some sci-fi thing or war movie than some young punks being dizzy in love.

Now I wonder why did I make that choice? After soaking up a night of good old American romcom, I conclude that nothing makes me happier than watching young punks being dizzy in love. Especially with a good soundtrack. Gosh what have I been missing out all these years! Adulting made me forget that a part of me is a hopelessly idealistic romantic. 

Now I'm eyeing To All the Boys I Loved Before 2 which will be released on 12 Feb 2020 and I already know that I will be spending Valentine's Day night watching that show with another cup of hot tea in my hands. Actually, come to think of it, I might even go and catch Last Christmas that is screening in the cinemas now. How tempting. 

Aburi-En

My first time trying Aburi-En was at the Vivocity branch which had a snaking long queue. We waited a long while, watching the cook grill loads of beef and pork, and wondering when it would be our turn to be seated. Food was not bad although I don't remember thinking that it was worth the long queue.

My second time at Aburi-En was at the Suntec City branch. We wanted to go for the Salted Plum but it was crazy crowded so we decided to head to Aburi-En instead.

I always go for the Aburi Salmon Don ($13) since I don't take beef and I have reduced the amount of pork I eat these days too. It was nicely done, with just the right amount of torching. Not too burnt, still a little pink inside and shiny with abundant amount of fish oil released during the torching process.

I chose to add a salad with my Aburi Don which was an additional $1.50. ZG had the popular Buta Bara Don ($15) which was grilled pork belly and he said it was not bad. In addition to a salad, ZG also had an onsen egg which was another $1.50.

My views about Aburi-En remained the same after trying two branches. The food is decent, service is attentive but I will not wait in line for this. This is probably the sort of place you would drop by to have a quick meal in a shopping centre as opposed to a restaurant you would make a special trip to eat their food.

Vivocity #01-159

Suntec City #B1-121 (West Wing)

Opening hours 11 am to 10 pm daily

Uya Japanese Unagi Restaurant

Met Stef for lunch on a lazy Sunday in town for unagi! I've just tried Man Man Unagi at their new branch at Clarke Quay central and was rather excited to try Uya since both shops specialise in unagi!

Stef made a reservation and we were ushered to our table swiftly. They were open earlier than their usual opening hours and there were already folks sitting inside the restaurant. Wow such early birds.

After settling down we both ordered the Hitsumabushi. It took a while for our food to be served and I assume it's because the chefs are hard at work grilling our eels in the kitchen. I was constantly distracted by the chefs at work in the kitchen behind the glass windows.   

When our food arrived I was very pleased with the generous portions of eel sitting on a mound of fragrant rice! The Hitsumabushi came with a flask of dashi stock, nori and wasabi.

There were instructions as to how to eat the Hitsumabushi but after a while I simply alternated between eating the unagi with rice or scooping it into a separate bowl and poured dashi stock into the bowl. The dashi stock was refillable.

I lost the pic of the food alone so here's us with our Hitsumabushi! The eel was delicious. I figured that Uya was different from Man Man unagi in that their eel was super crispy. It was like eating eel crackers. So if you like your eel grilled to a crisp then Uya is for you.

Ended our lunch with some drinks at Starbucks and a good catch up. Thanks Stef for the birthday treat!

501 Orchard Road

#02-15/16 Wheelock Place

Singapore 238880

67321096

Monday to Sunday 12 to 230 pm, 6 pm to 930 pm (till 10 pm on Friday and Saturday)

Pho Vn

I am always on a look out for good Vietnamese pho because nothing makes me happier than a bowl of good pho ga (chicken pho). Whether I am happy or sad, a hot bowl of chicken pho makes my belly warm and my heart warmer.

I stumbled upon Pho Vn after yoga one day at Yoga Movement Circular Road. It was late, around 8 pm, and the shop was empty. I debated whether to enter (was it empty because it served lousy pho?) but I decided to go in anyway because I was really craving for some pho that night.

White florescent lighting, simple decoration and a smiling lady at the till. That was what greeted me when I entered. I didn't really look at the menu because I always go for chicken pho whenever I have pho so that was what I ordered. 

I sat down and my bowl was served within minutes and oh my, it was so good. The broth was full of flavour and I love the thin slices of chicken in the pho. Some places serve their chicken pho with chunks of fatty chicken but Pho Vn's chicken was lean and yummy.

Some 90s pop songs were playing in the background and there was nobody but me in the shop and I love that feeling. There is nothing I enjoy better than slurping down my hot food, listening to songs from an era that I love, and just not thinking. 

So I came back one night after yoga and had their Dry Noodles with Grilled Chicken. Wow it was so good too. Noodles were just right, and I love the fragrant juicy grilled chicken! Portions were generous too and I am especially glad for the large amount of greens.

Will be back the next time I have yoga at night! So glad to discover this spot near my yoga studio. Have a feeling I'm going to be a regular ;)

20 Lor Telok #01-01 Singapore 049032

65350065

Monday to Saturday 1030 am to 9 pm

The Flying Squirrel

Located in a narrow alley off Amoy Street, the Flying Squirrel might not be the easiest to locate if you stroll down the bustling street. In fact, my friend walked right past the alley and reached Amoy Food Centre before realising that she was lost and had to turn back. With all the other restaurants and cafes jostling for attention along the main Amoy Street, you might think that the Flying Squirrel would be a dead town inside. But you would be wrong.

The Flying Squirrel was packed when I entered on a Friday night. It's a small place and there were people seated all around. Dimly lit and with a distinctive bar vibe, the Flying Squirrel is popular for their makis and sashimi.

I intended to order their Salmon Ikura Don but alas, it was sold out. At 730 pm. On a Friday night. Shows you how good business gets at this little joint. So I went for their Unagi Don ($29).

Very generous portions. Just look at that thick slab of nicely grilled unagi sitting on a small mound of rice. While it may not be as yummy as the unagi at Man Man or Uya, this was definitely still good. 

Ambience at the Flying Squirrel was nice and cozy. Feels like eating in a bar. As it is a small place, good idea to make a reservation if you are intending to have dinner here!

92 Amoy St #01-02 Singapore 069911

Monday to Thursday 1130 am to 230 pm, 6 to 1030 pm

Friday 1130 am to midnight

Saturday 6 to 10 pm

62262203

Skai, Swissotel

Celebrated our one year anniversary at Skai! We wanted a place with great views and a nice quiet ambience so we narrowed our search to a few places in the Marina Bay area and CBD. Eventually decided on Skai because he hasn't been back since Equinox was no longer around and I have never been to Equinox. So it felt like a good time to explore a new place together!

Oysters topped with caviar and dashi foam. To be honest, I can't really appreciate that dashi foam, just tastes like... foam. But I love how fresh the oysters were when I bit into them.

I had the uni saffron risotto. Love the uni, and the saffron risotto was less heavy than I expected it to be. He ordered some steak but I forgot to take a picture and forgot the type of steak he ordered oops.

Tuna Tartare and chips! Mostly because I was still feeling peckish and really wanted to have more stuff.



Night view.

When I made my reservation, I left a note that it was our anniversary so they gave us this really cute chocolate. What a nice touch.

The view at Skai was perfect. I've been running around the bay for years so I am very familiar with how it looked from the ground but woah, it was so different to see it from above. Watching the buildings light up as night fell was also really magical. Am truly glad to be able to spend that night with Zg. 

Would I be back? Nah I think once is good enough. The meal was more expensive than I would like it to be and I would only come here if I intended to splurge on a good meal. But I was very happy to be able to have our paper anniversary celebration with Zg here!

Level 70 Swissotel Stamford Road

68373322

Monday to Sunday 12 to 230 pm, 6 to 10 pm

Day 1 and 2 - Jeju, South Korea itinerary

The last time I visited South Korea was with my family on a Chan Brothers tour.

So Zg and I decided to go to South Korea this year on our own and we eventually decided on Jeju and Seoul as the two places in Korea that we will visit! We thought long and hard whether to do Busan too but eventually decided not to because we didn't want to rush and we really wanted to take our own time for the 10 days we were there.

Our first stop was Jeju. We flew into Incheon on a red eye SQ flight and landed in the morning. We took the all stop AREX to Gimpo where we caught the domestic flight on T'way to Jeju. The weather was great, bright and sunny, and we picked up our rental car in high spirits. We rented from Hertz  (Lotte Rent a Car) which always delivered. Since our horrifying experience with other car rental companies in USA many years ago, we have only gone with Hertz and never looked back. 

Navigation in our rental car was a breeze. We just keyed in the telephone number of the place and it will route us there. Saves us the trouble of trying to type the English name of Korean places.

First stop, Samseonghyeol Haemultang. This seafood stew restaurant was quite near to the airport (and Hertz) so we drove over after picking up the car. I read elsewhere that queues can be quite long but it was empty when we reached at 3 pm. I guess having lunch at odd hours worked to our advantage!

They serve the seafood alive! Yes the octopus was squirming away in that pot.

Truly seafood overload but woah the seafood was really very fresh and sweet!

Took the one hour drive from Jeju-si to Seogwipo where we were staying. We chose to stay in Seogwipo because it was near all the sights and the trails that we wanted to hike and explore. Checked into Hotel Yeon which provided free parking. The view from our room was perfect. We had the best view of the Seogwipo Port and I really love the place. There was a convenience store nearby and we were within walking distance to the Lee Jung Seop street. Highly recommend!

Day 2 saw us waking up bright and early to go to Oedolgae. There is nothing really impressive about seeing a rock in the middle of the sea, but I really enjoyed walking along this part of the Olle Trail. I guess I just really like walking around, enjoying the cool breeze against my cheeks, and the warm sun on my back.

So Zg and I are really big Starbucks fans and we collect the You Are Here mugs from different countries that we visit. Yes their coffee suck but I love how Starbucks serves different drinks in different countries and it is always fascinating to see what they serve. In Jeju, Starbucks serves this interesting Mugwort Tea Latte which Zg ordered and Yuzu Tea which I ordered.

Jeongbang Falls next (2000 won entrance fee). This waterfall goes right into the sea and everyone was crowding around the rocks near the base of the waterfall enjoying the splash.

If you fancy some freshly caught seafood, you can purchase them from this little make shift store set up near the foot of the Jeongbang Falls. Otherwise, there is nothing much at Jeongbang Falls.

Cheonjiyeon Falls (2000 won entrance fees). This was more like a park, unlike the Jeongbang Falls which felt more like a fenced up area for the waterfall. After strolling through the park, we reached the Cheonjiyeon Falls and took a moment to enjoy the scenery.

Lunch was at a really affordable soup restaurant along Lee Jung Seop Street. I had the beansprout hangover soup and Zg had the pork rib soup. Both were great and so affordable!

Jusungjeollidae which was a bunch of lava column cliffs along the coast. It was really nice but I didn't fancy jostling with a bunch of other PRC tourists who were shouting in my ears so that kind of marred my experience here. It would probably be nice to visit earlier in the day when there were less tourists.

Osulloc Tea Museum. So this was my favourite cafe in Jeju definitely. I am a huge tea lover and being at Osulloc just made me so so happy. You can buy tea from the gift shop or order their tea and desserts at the cafe. Of course I did both.

I ordered the Halla Tea which came in a large bowl. I poured my tea into the little cup and sipped happily for the whole time we were there. I also ordered the green tea cake with chocolate and it was so nice. The taste of green tea was fragrant and there were bits of crunchy chocolate in the base. Zg had the set which we shared. The green tea ice cream was great. The sponge cake didn't really taste very much like green tea though.

Exploring the tea plantation.

Innisfree was right beside the Osulloc Tea Museum so we dropped by too. The cafe was definitely less crowded than Osulloc. 

Walked down to Seogwipo Port for dinner and we saw this pretty pink sky and a rainbow!

It started to rain so we ducked into Seom Sarang. We had no clue what they served and the place was empty. In fact we were the only customers the whole time we were there.  We asked for the English menu and ordered the seafood stew. Once again, the seafood was super fresh and sweet. Jeju really does super good seafood.

D.O.C at Tanjong Pagar

So I am honestly kind of afraid that this shop will not last that long considering how empty it is everytime we walk by during lunchtime so we decided to drop by for lunch one day.

Ordered the grilled salmon ($18). Woah the slab of salmon fillet was huge and very nicely grilled. I love that crispy salmon skin. 

Returned a few days later to try their risotto with prawns and asparagus ($16) and it was good! Unlike the usual thick and cream-based risotto, this risotto was cooked in prawn stock and tasted so light!

Service was attentive and the staff was helpful. It is a very nice place for a quiet meal with some friends, and I highly recommend it in the bustle of Tanjong Pagar.

Am definitely returning soon to support d.o.c more often and hope that business picks up soon!

21 Tanjong Pagar Road #01-01

Singapore 088444

11 am to 1030 pm on Monday to Thursday

11 am to 10 pm on Sunday

11 am to 1 am on Friday and Saturday

62261631

Older

The second half of my 29th year and my 30th year had been tough. Nobody told me that the whole process of preparing for a wedding, going through the wedding, dealing with home renovation, moving into a new home, and settling down to a new life would be so difficult. There was a constant stream of demands and expectations, and I always felt I was not good enough. Not good enough because my mugs and TV console were dusty. Not good enough because my toilet wasn't scrubbed and spotless. Not good enough because I can't cook. Not good enough, not good enough, not good enough. That was how I summed up my 2018. Always not good enough. No matter how hard I try I just cannot get it right, and no matter how much I do I'm just not the perfect wife / daughter-in-law. And it sucked. 

But I eventually realised that a line has to be drawn somewhere. Sure, I should clean my place every now and then because we should not be living in a pig sty. And yes I should learn how to cook basic dishes because cooking is a life skill. But no, I am not Susie the homemaker. I do not have to clean my place every single day so that it looks like a showroom. I don't have to cook like some celebrity chef and invite everybody over to witness my culinary abilities. 

I am not like that and expecting myself to be that way was just killing me slowly. It was unfair to lie to myself that I could become that way if I try hard enough. There are women who genuinely enjoy taking care of the household but I am just not one of them. I have no issue taking care of the basics but I do not aspire to be Marie Kondo and I have finally accepted that there is nothing wrong with that. I will never fold clothes with gusto but I can take the laundry down, fold them and arrange them somewhat in the wardrobe.

So for my 31st I am making a note to myself to do a few things. First, to accept that I am never going to be a domestic goddess and that is ok. Second, to tell whoever who tells me that I should [insert household chore] to take that unsolicited opinion / advice and stuff it where the sun doesn't shine. Third, to stand up more for myself in the face of intrusive and interfering people. It is tough keeping boundaries, especially when the boundaries are completely not respected and the intruder is someone close, but I promise myself I will try harder this year.

Maybe I should just hang a sign at my door that reads "If you are coming with unsolicited advice / opinion, please take it back home with you. Kthxbye."

But through it all, I am immensely grateful to my family and good friends for sticking by me and listening to my endless ridiculous stories. Thank you for not asking me to shut up and for supporting me through the year.

Of course, I am also thankful for my husband who single-handedly managed the last minute wedding preparation when I was busy with work and who listened to my rants when I get irritated by all the unsolicited advice by others. Thank you for loving me even when I placed the frozen chicken in the fridge instead of the freezer (much to your horror).

Here's to a more snarky and courageous me in the coming year!

Sushi Jin

Starting my food blog again and realised I have many draft posts from more than a year ago! So I shall get around to publishing them.

Zg and I joined Stef and King for lunch on a grey Saturday afternoon. Circled around to find parking because Sushi Jin's address seemed to suggest that it was housed in Farrer Park Hospital, and we were not sure whether that was really the case. After some deliberation (which involved calling Stef and asking the security guard), we were finally parked and settled for our lunch.

Ordered the truffle chawanmushi which was so delicious and full of ingredients!

Their set lunch was served with appetiser, soup and dessert. I chose Kaisen Don ($45). The price tag might be a little hefty, but woah it was definitely worth it. The sashimi in my Kaisen Don was so sweet and fresh. It came with two crab claws too!

Dessert was custard in mochi.

I would suggest you make a reservation if you are visiting Sushi Jin for lunch on a weekend. We were glad we did when we arrived to find the restaurant almost full. The place was quiet even though every table was filled, so it was still easy to chat and relax over lunch.

1 Farrer Park Station road, Owen Link, #01-11 Singapiore 217562

64433378

Monday to Sunday 12 to 230pm, 630 to 1030 pm

Turtles all the way down

"One of the challenges with pain - physical or psychic - is that we can only approach it through metaphor. It can't be represented the way a table or a body can. In some ways, pain is the opposite of language. And we are such language-based creatures that to some extent we cannot know what we cannot name. And so we assume it isn't real. We refer to it with catch-all terms, like crazy or chronic pain, terms that both ostracize and minimise. The term chronic pain captures nothing of the grinding, constant, ceaseless, inescapable hurt. And the term crazy arrives at us with none of the terror and worry you live with. Nor do either of those terms connote the courage people in such pains exemplify."

As usual, John Green is right. How does one describe pain? I had a recent encounter when I was asked to describe pain based on a numerical chart and, through the haze of pain, my brain can actually form a coherent thought, "This is bull." How would one know whether the intense pain should be a 5 or a 8? How would one know whether there could be a pain that can be worse because, at this very moment, the pain is so severe that it feels like the world is closing in on you? 

In a way, pain defies a fundamental belief that I hold close to heart. I have always believed that I can make something work through sheer hard work. It doesn't matter that things are shitty now, I can fix it if I work hard enough. But pain defies that. You cannot work hard to make the pain go away. You cannot work hard to not be ill anymore.

As usual, John Green makes me emo. Thank god I am an eternal optimist.