Somewhat like Japan yet not quite like it - The Sushi Bar (Ngee Ann City)

I was craving for something Japanese during lunch one day so headed to The Sushi Bar at Ngee Ann City to give it a try. Although the online reviews were generally quite favourable, I think it was a mix of hits and misses for me so it will take a few more visits to find out which items are the ones to choose and avoid.

First was the chicken katsu rice which came with some coleslaw and cucumber slices. The fried batter was OK but the chicken meat within was too thin so it felt more like I was eating the skin and batter rather than the chicken. In addition, the rice was rather lumpy and sticky which seemed to suggest that there was either too much water or it was way overcooked. Despite the presence of a sweet sauce to be eaten with the dish, the addition of mayonnaise to the sauce altered the taste and there was too little of the sauce thus making the dish taste rather dry on the whole. It might have better if there was more sauce or the meat was thicker and juicier.

Next was the teba gyoza which means chicken wing gyoza. On first sight, this resembled the stuffed chicken wings commonly seen in Thai restaurants served with sweet chili sauce. The version here was made to be like gyoza where instead of the gyoza skin, the chicken wing which had the bones in the mid section removed was stuffed with meat filling. The accompanying sauce was replaced by mayonnaise. Overall, I thought that the taste of this teba gyoza was not much different from its Thai counterpart and the sauce didn't really do much to accentuate the taste of the dish. Although I thought that it was a pretty gimmicky idea to position this dish as a gyoza-lookalike, the dish probably needs a major change to make an impact on the customer's palate. Perhaps something like a wasabi-based mayonnaise might help in making this dish more interesting.

The kani maki turned out pretty ordinary in terms of taste which can be considered a good and bad thing. The good thing is, it doesn't taste awful but on the other hand, it fails to leave an impression on me. Appearance-wish, I thought that it could have looked slightly better. Given that the name of this place is called "The Sushi Bar", I was expecting something better even for a simple offering like this. It's the simple things which need more skills so in this sense, I thought that it should have fared better. The only thing I liked was probably the wasabi which tasted fresh. Just be careful not to take too much of it at one go or you might find yourself coughing when you choke on the sudden rush of the wasabi's spicy flavour.

The hotate miso yaki was one of the two dishes I liked during my visit. Despite miso having a pretty strong taste and potentially covering up the fresh seafood flavour if it turned out to be too overpowering, the good thing was that I could still taste the hotate's flavour and liked the texture i.e. still crunchy and not overcooked. When eaten with the spring onions, it added a welcome layer of texture to the dish. I didn't try eating with the salmon roe though. However, in order to do justice to the fresh seafood, it might be good to have another option where the hotate is grilled on its own thus allowing its natural flavour to be infused into the hotate due to the heat or adding soy sauce or some other lighter seasoning when grilling. I've tried eaten grilled seafood in this manner while in Japan and really liked the natural seafood goodness which was not overwhelmed by strong-tasting condiments.

I've been craving to have some yakitori, not the sauce version but the salt version. Ever since I tasted the latter from a convenience store in Japan, I've grown to like the salt version a lot. However, a lot of Japanese restaurants tend to have the sauce version only so I was quite happy to find the salt version offered here. The disappointing thing was that, the meat was not grilled yet and lost its meat juices so the resulting product was tough and dry despite the use of the thigh portion (momo) which should have been juicier and more tender than breast meat. The salt flavour was also hardly detectable. Perhaps the sauce version will taste better so I'll probably give that a try next time. As for this version, I think I'll go back to Family Mart to relieve my craving instead.

Last but not least, the tontoro yaki was one of my top 2 dishes that day. I don't know if this was done by the same person who did the momo yakitori but this version tasted much better. Not only was it juicy, the fats on the tontoro added some much-needed texture to the meat thus making it crunchy and nice to chew. The flavour was just right too. I think I might order this again during my next visit.

On the whole, I thought my visit to this place was not that bad because service was prompt and the restaurant was pretty spacious. However, the food turned out to be slightly disappointing. It could also have been that they specialise more in sushi than the other dishes but even so, the quality shouldn't be too far from one another. I would probably go back a second time to try a few more dishes but there's got to be more "hook dishes" to pull me back for the third visit onwards.

Are you sure you want to be a manager?

Came across this article from Harvard Business Review with the above title and I quote the following passage which struck a chord with me:

The world is no longer as simple as your opinion — it’s now about our.  You will encounter a new set of tradeoffs. You don’t get to sit in the cheap seats and blame “management” anymore — because you are now management. You can’t take simple positions like “the customer comes first” because you have to balance cost, quality, schedule, and other factors. When you take the job you leave a world of value simplicity and enter one of value complexity. You will have to advocate positions that you may not totally agree with because you are now a part of a management team. Are you ready for that?

In a nutshell, the article attempts to explain that becoming a manager may be different from your initial expectations and there are certain opportunity costs to take into consideration when taking up the post. It was the above part about losing simplicity especially the statement in bold which hit home.

There is this Chinese saying that says 人在江湖，身不由己 which essentially means that you are unable to make your own decisions or do whatever you like if you are in a particular circle. Even if something is right, you are told to do otherwise in order to protect specific interests or to choose a lesser evil so as to minimise the undesirable effect. Often, it results in frustration because there seems to be no room to explore a better option. There is no such thing as win-win and often, not enough time for you to think thoroughly to dissect the issue.

I think this is the part which frustrates me the most about being a manager other than the people management issues. I don't consider myself to be a perfectionist but it makes me really upset whenever I have to accept something as the easy way out without even trying to resolve the problem. However, it is often futile to resist the tide because other people just don't want to make things difficult for themselves. Or rather, they don't care if it affects other people adversely as long as it doesn't hurt them.

Much as I don't really regret taking the post because I did learn new skills and experience various things along the way, I find myself thinking about the "what if I didn't agree to taking up the post then?" each time something like this happens. And the frequency of this is getting higher as time goes by. Deep down, I may be doubting my decision more so than I think.

Perhaps, this should be the song to remind myself not to be too hung up over these issues and make my life a little easier. ^__^

A place for comforting Korean stews - Masizzim (313@Somerset)

I've always been keen to try Korean stews locally but there were two major obstacles preventing me from doing so. First of all, many places I've been to so far tend to have such stews in sharing sizes which effectively meant that for someone like me who eats out often on my own, there was no way I could have finished the food singlehandedly. Even if I could, some restaurants had the rule that there must be at least two persons present before certain dishes can be ordered (yes, I'm referring to a particular bijin nabe which I've yet to try because of this rule). Secondly, a lot of the stews tend to use beef which I can't eat for religious reasons. It was really difficult to find a place which offers stews using anything other than beef and in a size friendly to singles.

Imagine my excitement when I heard about Masizzim at B3 of 313@Somerset. Not only do they offer the pork ribs stew, they even have it in single and double portions! Given that they emphasized the word "jjim" which means stews in Korean and claimed that their stews are delicious i.e. "masi" is short form for delicious in their name, there must be something about their stews worth boasting about. As such, there was no way I could have let this slip off my radar and thus decided to try if it was good as it was said to be.

The atmosphere of the restaurant can be considered as simple and no frills. From the outside, the restaurant looked a bit dark due to its extensive use of black and brown colours. It was pretty down-to-earth and not the flashy type of upscale eatery which you might have second thoughts entering if you are either dressed really casually or eating alone. Considering how I dress really simply due to sheer laziness and the hot weather, a place which allows me to be myself rather than worry about how people would look at me when I'm eating alone will end up in my favourites list. In this sense, Maizzim is a place which I would have no qualms coming back to. As seen in many Korean restaurants, K-pop music was blaring from the sound system which I have no problems with. If you are in a group though, it may be difficult to hear one another speak due to the music. One peculiar thing I noticed though was, I kept hearing 2NE1 songs while I was having my meal but saw Big Bang's music videos on the TV screen. Perhaps the owner has a particular preference for YG artistes? ^__^

First up would definitely be the pork ribs stew. There are three types of meat stews to choose from i.e. pork, beef and chicken. Note that for the chicken stew, the default option is spicy so for those who can't really take spicy food, you might want to keep this in mind. Personally, I'm not too good with spicy stuff too but I would probably come back another day just to try the chicken stew.

I really liked the pork ribs which were well-marinated and absorbed the flavours of the slightly spicy soup which goes well with the multi-grain rice served together. Although I ordered the single portion, there were more than 5 pieces of the pork ribs and they were mostly soft ribs which meant that there was more meat than the typical spare ribs used in bak kut teh. The meat texture in turn was soft and you could detach the meat from the bones very easily.

After choosing your meat, you can then select the spiciness level. For a "beginner" like me, I chose Level 1 which was slightly spicy in my opinion. For those who are OK with spicy stuff, you might find this not challenging at all so by all means challenge yourself with a Level 4.

Next, you get to choose between Korean udon and glass noodles. I'm not sure what Korean udon is and how it differs from its Japanese counterpart since I ordered the latter. However, I was rather disappointed to see the flat and thick version rather than the thinner one in my stew because it tends not to absorb the gravy/soup/sauce as well as the latter. True enough, I didn't like how the glass noodles tasted. As the thick glass noodles was rather stretchy and difficult to lift from the pot, I was conscious of the fact that whenever the glass noodles snapped backwards into the pot, the gravy seemed to spurt outwards to my neighbours and myself. Might be worth considering that if you want to avoid this messy situation.

If you find that your stew is not filling enough, you can add other things like Korean rice cakes as a top-up. I didn't add any this time since I wasn't sure of the portion size. I guess if I am just ordering the stew without other dishes next time, I might want to try adding the rice cakes.

The squid and leek pancake was a hit with me too. I really dislike versions of this with lumpy spring onion or leek strips (too dense or moist so it loses its crunchiness and flavour), negligible amounts of seafood bits, seafood cut into such small bits that you can hardly taste anything or too much egg in the pancake mix thus causing it to be dense and sink rather than be crispy and light. Fortunately, the version here has very generous amounts of leek and squid in long strips. Coupled with a crispy edge and the pancake not being too thick and dense in the middle, this has got to be one of the better versions I've tasted so far locally. The only drawback was that the sauce seemed to be a bit heavy on the vinegar so the sourish taste overpowered the savoury soy sauce's flavour. Nonetheless, on the whole, it was still good enough to be eaten with the pancake.

Last but not least, to round up the meal, I ordered the peach tea in a bid to remove the spiciness left behind by the stew. Strangely enough, I didn't taste much of the tea flavour but rather this felt more like peach soda to me. It still served its purpose of relieving my palate of the stinging sensation from the stew but I don't think I'll be trying this again. I was more keen on trying their sikhye but it only comes in a 600ml size which again is not a single-friendly item so I can't order that unless I'm in a group or would like to take away the remainder if they allow me to do so. I haven't asked the staff about whether this is OK though.

On the whole, I think the experience at Masizzim turned out quite well and I was quite satisfied with the quality of the food. I wouldn't say that it has a very extensive menu but I have no issues with this lack of variety and would prefer them to focus on their specialties rather than be a Jack of all trades. Now that I've finally found a place where I can get pork rib stew in a single portion, I think I may go back to Masizzim again very soon whenever I have the craving. Next time, it might be good to have the spicy chicken stew with the potato pancake. I just hope that the spicy chicken stew doesn't use breast meat which gets really tough if you cook it for a long time.

A sanctuary away from the frenziness - Hashida Garo はし田画廊

In Orchard Road where there is so much human and vehicle traffic, it is often difficult to find a place which allows me to feel relaxed and get some decent tea time treats at affordable prices. There are indeed many famous and good cafes and restaurants along this busy shopping belt but they may be crowded or cramped due to small shop spaces brought about by the high rents. In addition, customers who are on their own like myself tend to be assigned seats either near the entrance or at some far flung corner where it's hard to get the attention of the staff so it does mar the dining experience to a certain extent. As such, having come across Hashida Garo was somewhat like a wish come true for me especially when I suffer periodic "withdrawal symptoms" from missing Japan.

Hashida Garo which is the second restaurant opened by Japanese chef Hashida "Hatch" Kenjiro, is located on the 4th floor of Mandarin Gallery. His first restaurant Hashida Sushi is on the second floor of the same building. According to the staff, there is a waiting list of at least a couple of months so you would need to make a reservation well in advance if you want to go there. On the other hand, Hashida Garo has a very Zen-like simple feel with its pastel colours and relatively simple decor. The best thing is, you should be able to walk-in and not have to make a reservation. Of course, during the weekend, it might be a totally different situation but since my visits so far were on weekday afternoons, I can't say for sure how crowded it might be.

In case you are wondering, the word "Garo" in the name means art gallery so art is integrated into the concept of this place with paintings hung on the white walls. I don't know if there is any specific theme behind these paintings other than the fact that they are supposedly the works of Chef Hashida himself especially since I am not an art connoisseur but the vibrant colours on the otherwise plain walls help in accentuating the fashionable vibe of this place. As to whether these paintings are changed periodically, I have no idea too since I've only frequented this place twice so far and my visits were just a week apart.

The decor is relatively simple with a U-shaped table where customers sit at while the platform where the tea ceremony is performed is set right in the middle. As such, no matter where you sit, you will be able to get a good view of the entire dining area. There is a wooden counter opposite the dining area where you can see the staff preparing your tea and making arrangements to serve your wagashi. You can't really see the exact actions though since the front of the wooden counter prevents this. Somehow, seeing the steam from the boiling water rise above this counter is therapeutic when combined with hearing the soft music in the background. Maybe it's just me but I think it took my mind temporarily off the things which bothered me and made me settle down physically and psychologically to a certain extent. Of course, I stress again that you might not feel the same way if your visit is on a weekend when it should be more crowded and has a higher noise level.

Based on the photo I took of the tea ceremony tatami platform as shown here, it looks as if not all of the equipment to be used are placed in open view. I suppose this means that the other items will only be brought out when the tea ceremony is to be performed. I heard that you can pay $30 to have a tea master perform the tea ceremony in front of you but I have yet to confirm that with the staff or if that's something which can only be done during specific timeslots or on the weekend. Maybe I should ask them that when I go there next time.

Even when there is no action happening on the tatami platform, just looking at the few items placed there reminds me of the time when I saw the tea ceremony performed before me for the first time at Sankeien at Yokohama. It felt especially special since there wasn't anyone besides me at the time of my visit so the lady who was there was actually preparing the tea for me exclusively. That was such an eye-opening and of course tasty experience because the tea came with some really nice-looking and delicious wagashi. Of course, the price for that kind of luxury is much cheaper in Japan than here where tea ceremonies performed in restaurants are relatively rare. It might be worth trying this for once just to see what the fine art of sado is all about and appreciate the charm and beauty behind this.

At first glance, the lighting in the restaurant seems really ordinary but on closer look, you can see the Wa-inspired patterns on each of these lights which either have black and/or red lines or pictures. Each of these lights don't have the same pattern (there may be repeats which I may have failed to notice) so it's a good way to integrate art and design into the lights which many places do not really put a lot of effort into since the primary purpose of the lights is to provide illumination after all. On the other hand, the understated charm of this is that you won't notice this feature unless you've paid some attention to the lights so in a way, this becomes a hidden treasure for customers to discover for themselves.

Before the meal begins, you will be handed the oshibori in a dainty-looking glass bowl which looks very pretty. The Japanese restaurants in Singapore (especially those major chains) tend to put the oshibori in sealed plastic wrappers which I can perfectly understand since they have a lot more customers and it's probably more cost-effective and hygienic to do so. Then when you come across restaurants like Hashida Garo who hands this rolled hand towel to you in a glass bowl with patterns, it makes the experience feel different after all. It's a nice-to-have although not compulsory feature but it sure feels good to start the dining experience with a small treat for my eyes. And a good thing about the oshibori, it does not have a strong artificial fragrance so I'm thankful for the fact that it doesn't irritate my nose.

Note that the items featured from this point onwards were consumed on two separate occasions with the second visit being one I did with my friend so we could order more items than when I was alone. As I was there during the quieter weekday afternoons, there were no meals served other than the beverages and wagashi. Thus, there will be nothing about their lunch and dinner items in this review.

First up was the yuzu macaron. I must admit that I am no fan of macarons. The first macaron I had was fairly recently at Salt Tapas & Bar where I tried the Japanese purple sweet potato macaron. I guess that somehow set the standard for me so I was looking forward to something like that i.e. light and not overly sweet. However, I found the version here not to my liking. In particular, I thought that the cookies were too dense, moist and a bit chewy that they felt as if they were somewhat sticky. As for the filling, although there was the slight aroma of yuzu which was identifiable, the cream was a bit too sweet for me. Much as there are other flavours which are offered here, I guess I won't be trying any of them soon. Guess it's just my taste buds not being too appreciative of macarons and failing to understand why they are popular. ^__^

The mizu manju is such a beauty that I couldn't help but take many pictures of it before eating them. The outer skin is made of translucent kanten jelly and wraps the white bean paste and seasonal fruit within. The light blue syrup is made of mint and slightly chilled before the entire dish is served. On hot days, this will be a truly refreshing treat. Visually, it should also evoke squeals of excitement from the customers. Besides its very appealing appearance, I think that the charm of this wagashi is that it combines several different textures together with the jelly being slightly chewy, the soft white bean paste and the comparatively harder fruit cube and yet maintains the uniqueness of each item while allowing their individual flavours to come together in a coordinated manner. This is a definite must-try item if you are here.

The maccha financier was served in a very special way where the metal plate, sheet or foil (not sure how to term it) was slightly bent at one of the edges. As the financiers are made on the spot, they take at least a 15-minute wait so the staff would actually ask you if you are OK with it before they proceed with the order. The dish is served slightly warm with the 5 financiers nicely arranged and you can see some white powdery-like substance sprinkled on them. I didn't actually ask the staff about this but from the scent and taste, I felt that they were coconut shreds. If you happen to know what exactly the white substance is, please share the information with me. In any case, eating the financiers on their own is perfectly fine but do remember to take it with some of the red bean paste which I think was cooked in some sugar syrup. As such, the red bean paste was slightly moist so it was easier to eat it with the financier which had a nice maccha aroma but wasn't that sweet on its own. Usually, the financier I see tend to be long and rectangular so these little round balls here have won me over in terms of its novelty and unique flavour. Never knew that a French dessert like financier could go so well with the very-Japanese red bean paste.

Next up is also another highly-recommended wagashi called yubeshi. The ingredients are somewhat similarly to the mizu manju but this is more citrusy, there is no fruit with the white bean paste and the jelly is more transparent. I was really bowled over by how good this tasted and too bad, there were only three pieces in each serving. Compared to the mizu manju, the texture is a bit on the slippery or slimy side as in the yubeshi slides smoothly in your mouth and down your throat. On the other hand, the mizu manju needed a bit of chewing so texture-wise, these two items are pretty different. Even without an accompanying sauce or syrup, the yubeshi is very moist and the tiny bits of yuzu in the jelly accentuate the taste by reducing the sweetness contributed by the white bean paste. This has got to be one of the best wagashi I've tasted by far.

The fu manju is actually a mochi wrapped up in a leaf. On the surface, it can be difficult to imagine what's within but once the leaf is removed, the mochi with its translucent white skin is revealed. The filling is white bean paste. Personally, I felt that the mochi skin was rather chewy, not too thick and soft so in that sense, I liked this wagashi. However, the white bean paste when paired with this mochi seemed a bit ordinary for some reason. That doesn't mean that it was not tasty but somehow, there is a lack of a wow factor to impress me. I would say that this mochi is above average as compared to most of the offerings we can find locally but there needs to be something more unique to this dish. Not sure what kind of leaf was used as the wrapping but if the purpose of the leaf was not merely for aesthetic reasons and there was an intention to let the scent of the leaf permeate the mochi skin, I wasn't able to detect that so that was a pity.

This is the mochi here which combines contrasting flavours of sweet and sour i.e. sweet chocolate vs. sour raspberries. To date, I have never eaten any mochi which has a mixed filling like this so I was very intrigued by the possible synergy brought about by this special filling. However, the raspberry proved to be too sour to my liking and overpowered the chocolate to a large extent. I am also guessing that the chocolate probably also had its sweetness toned down. Perhaps if the raspberry was not as sour or the chocolate was sweeter, I might have enjoyed the balancing of these extremely different flavours in this mochi. As for the mochi skin, I thought that this was slightly more chewy that the version in the fu manju but in terms of thickness and taste, there was nothing I had issues with.

Yokan is generally hard but there is another softer version called the mizuyokan which has water added to make it softer and resembling a firmer version of the usual jelly. The chocolate yokan here resembles that of mizuyokan rather than yokan because it is rather soft with a similar texture-like pudding. There is a white substance sprinkled on the yokan which I am guessing should be salt. Upon tasting the yokan, the sweetness from the chocolate and the saltiness are surprisingly matching even though the saltiness came as a surprise to me initially since I wasn't expecting it. I am guessing that the salt was added to accentuate the flavour of the chocolate. In terms of presentation, this is rather no-frills but the black dish does help in making the yokan look rather elegant while the salt crystals look a bit like snow flakes falling in the dark night.

I'm not exactly sure what drinks will be served in the chawan but based on what I've ordered so far, the maccha and sencha are the teas which will be served in this manner. This is the sencha that is said to be handpicked by Chef Hashida himself which has a light green colour and is relatively clear since you can see the bottom of the chawan. When paired with the wagashi, it clears the palate of the sweet aftertaste left behind by the wagashi and leaves a nice aroma in the mouth. I have tasted sencha before which causes the mouth and throat to be rather dry after drinking but this is very smooth on the throat and doesn't leave behind any dryness or bitterness. I'll probably check if their retail store just beside the restaurant sells this in the form of tea bags or powder or leaves.

As for the maccha, I chose the iced version. Compared to sencha, maccha is cloudier and has a much darker green colour. In terms of taste, I thought that the maccha was deeper and lingered longer in the mouth compared to the sencha. Both types of tea have its strengths so it's not a matter of which is better than which. On a hot day when you are looking for something more refreshing, the lighter sencha might suit you better. Otherwise, if you are looking for a richer flavour, maccha might be good for you. It sure feels a bit odd to have ice swirling around in a chawan but in terms of taste, I didn't think that the melting ice affected the maccha adversely. Conversely, it might suit people who may find maccha a bit too concentrated and overpowering so the ice could potentially make the taste of the tea more palatable to them.

Last but not least, I just couldn't resist buying a box of the 6-piece mochi which looked so pretty with its translucent and snowy white skin. It was no doubt pretty pricey at $24 per box ($4 per piece) but given the quality and the appearance, I could understand the rationale behind the pricing. The filling is different from the eat-in version where there's supposed to be chocolate and red bean filling within. Due to the fact that there are no preservatives, the mochi has to be consumed within 2 days. Frankly speaking, I preferred the skin which was chewy and soft but not so much for the filling. I couldn't really taste the red bean and thought that the chocolate was a tad too sweet. Likewise about the mochi mentioned above, I don't have any major complaints about the quality of this item but I need a stronger pull factor to make me a fan of this mochi. For people who prefer sweet mochi like this, you might want to give this a try.

Raise your spirits with Korean comfort food at Chicken Up (Parkway Parade)

As an amateur or should I say part-time food reviewer (I don't think that I fit the title of food blogger) who posts reviews as and when I like and given that I am no expert on food, I would never have expected myself to be invited to food tasting events especially since I'm not one of the big names in the food blogging arena. When I saw the call for applicants to take part in this food tasting event hosted by Open Rice at Chicken Up's latest branch at Parkway Parade, I gave it a shot while thinking that it would be extremely unlikely that I would be selected. As such, when I received the email confirming my selection, it was a mix of surprise and disbelief that I was going to attend my very first food tasting event! It was a tad intimidating at first because some of my fellow participants were armed with very professional-looking cameras, using additional lights or flashes or going to great lengths to arrange the dishes on the table so as to make the photos look better. Comparatively, I just brought my Sony camera which isn't even a DSLR and was meant as a countermeasure against dark lighting within the restaurant. Otherwise, I always use my mobile phone to take my food pictures. I guess this just shows how "casual" I am when it comes to taking food pictures for my reviews so I don't think I can match up to these more experienced food bloggers anytime soon in terms of skills, experience and enthusiasm. ^__^

Perhaps I should talk about my experience with Chicken Up so far for a start. I am not new to Chicken Up actually as I've been to their outlets before i.e. once in Tanjong Pagar and twice in Tampines. As such, I knew roughly what I was going to eat there before I showed up for the food tasting event. However, it seems like Chicken Up has added some new items which I don't remember seeing before which I think is a positive step towards attracting new customers and maintaining the novelty for existing ones.

The Parkway Parade outlet at the first floor of the shopping mall feels much bigger than the Tanjong Pagar and Tampines outlets partly because there are two sitting areas separated by the walkway. The Tanjong Pagar outlet felt more cramped as the tables were rather close to one another while the Tampines outlet also had similar issues as it isn't a proper shop space within the Century Square building. Lighting-wise, the Tanjong Pagar outlet was on the dark side since it was within a shophouse and there were not many windows to let in the natural light from outside while the Tampines outlet could be a bit dark if there was a lack of sunlight coming through the full-length glass windows as one side of the restaurant was facing the building. Comparatively, the Parkway Parade outlet felt less restrictive in terms of space and the warm orange lighting  made it feel cosier. The shop space area houses the bar counter on the left, the sitting area in the centre, the kitchen at the back and a series of wall display shelves on the right containing bottles of food items such as spices and fruits. It might be good to fill up the entire display area as some bottles were empty so it didn't look as nice as it could have been. The first row of the shelves were also not lighted up so by fixing that, the whole display would stand out more prominently.

The other seating area outside the shop space can be likened to be semi-al fresco because there are no walls on the boundaries so you would be able to look across to other restaurants near Chicken Up. The borderless design makes the area look more spacious than it actually is. In addition, you don't need to bear with the heat like in the Tampines outlet because the outdoor seats there are exposed to the elements. In the Parkway Parade outlet, you get to enjoy an al fresco feel in air-conditioned comfort. Based on this reason alone, I think customers would be happier to sit in the "outdoor" area than if they had to contend with the heat, dust from vehicle traffic or even the haze which is becoming an annual issue when the winds are not in our favour.

Being a Korean restaurant, there is no lack of Kpop music as the BGM which should attract young people who like Korean pop culture and food. I heard a number of my favourites during the entire tasting session which I think is good in improving the dining experience. Ever since the Korean drama "He who came from the stars" (별에서 온 그대) became a hit, chi-maek (치맥) i.e. fried chicken and beer has suddenly become a very attractive combination to many people. For chi-maek fans, you would be happy to know about the chi-maek buffet offered by Chicken Up at its Tanjong Pagar, Tampines, Buangkok and of course Parkway Parade outlets where you can eat an unlimited amount of chicken wings with beer or soju at a fixed price. On most days, ladies can get this deal at $35++ each while gentlemen who are expected to be able to consume more, have to pay a $10 premium on top of this amount. Note that if you are coming on a Friday, there would be a surcharge of $20.

For customers who may be clueless about what to order especially if this is their first time here, Chicken Up provides a list of their best-selling food, drinks and desserts on the first few pages of its menu. Although not everyone may like what's popular among the masses, it is helpful for those who may have difficulty deciding even after going through the entire menu. With the presence of photos as visual aids, this allows customers to see at a glance what to expect. In the event that they are interested in a particular item, they can then refer to the detailed menu for a list of what goes into which dish and the spiciness level. For those who may have special dietary concerns due to various reasons as religion, I would recommend that you check the ingredients list before ordering. In my case, I keep a lookout for dishes which contain beef or beef-related items when I dine out so that I would not eat such dishes unwittingly. As such, Chicken Up's efforts in trying to provide the list of ingredients is indeed commendable and helpful to people like me. I wish more restaurants would be more considerate in this regard.

First to be served was the pineapple soju (파인애플소주, $30). Even before the top of the pineapple was removed, the sweet scent from the fruit was hard to ignore and it looked good visually. The small soju shot glasses were used to serve this type of soju. Much as I'm not really into alcoholic drinks, the pineapple soju tasted better than I expected. A note of warning though, because the sweetness of the pineapple soju is picked up by the tongue first before the taste of the soju kicks in, you may be tempted to drink this at a faster pace than your body can take it. It would be recommended to go easy on the drink because soju's alcohol content varies from 16.7% to 45% so there is a risk of getting drunk before you finish your meal. Perhaps not drinking on an empty stomach and pacing yourself would be the best way to ensure that you can enjoy this drink without causing any undesirable effects after your meal.

The watermelon soju (수박소주, $38) was served in an entirely different manner though. First of all, one bottle of soju was poured into half a watermelon with the fruit removed which set off the first wave of white smoke flowing out and collective responses of amazement among the participants. Another bottle of the soju was then emptied into the watermelon as seen from the picture. The soju was then served in droplet-shaped bowls which were much bigger than the soju shot glasses. Comparatively, this may not go down well with the casual drinker because the strong soju taste hit the tongue in such a manner that it felt like scalding due to hot water. The watermelon taste was not as noticeable when compared to its pineapple counterpart which I assume to be that the soju overpowered the taste of the watermelon.

Frankly speaking, for people who can hardly drink or only drink once in a while, the watermelon may not be suitable for you. For those who can hold their liquor well, this would be good if you are eating in a group and the aesthetic appeal of this item would definitely lift the atmosphere of your meal outing as soon as this gets served on your table. On the other hand, if you are new to soju and can't really boast about being a good drinker, go for the pineapple soju which is less intimidating and easier on your palette. Portion-wise, it would be less likely for you to get drunk since the volume of the pineapple should be lesser than that of the watermelon.For those who may be wondering, the type of soju being used here is Sodal 쏘달 from Jinro which contains 16.9% of alcohol.

Makguksu (막구수, $12) which is essentially cold buckwheat noodle salad, was one of my Top 3 favourite dishes during the food tasting. Besides buckwheat noodles, there were vegetables such as cabbage and carrots, seaweed shreds, one-half of a hard-boiled egg and a vinegar-like dressing. Even before the ingredients were mixed, this dish already gave off a refreshing aroma even though it was not a hot dish. Despite being slightly cold, the makgusu offered an unique combination of sour vs. spicy (the dressing) and soft vs. crunchy (the noodles and the vegetables) thus making it a very appealing appetiser to begin the meal with. Portion-wise, it's good enough to be shared among a few people so for people who must have their greens and carbohydrates, this would be a pretty good choice to get started.

Topokki with cheese and seafood (해물치즈떡볶이, $20) would be a dish popular with those who like spicy food. Most topokki dishes in Korean restaurants tend to have just the deok (rice cakes), the odaeng (fish cakes) and hard-boiled eggs or with ramyeon at times. However, Chicken Up's version chooses to do away with this convention and adds seafood such as squid and scallops along with glass noodles and onions to the standard ingredient of deok. A generous amount of shredded cheese is placed on top thus giving the dish a thick and gooey texture once it is mixed into the topokki's spicy sauce. Be warned that this can be quite stimulating on your tongue so for those who are not too good with spicy food, you may wish to reconsider your choice. For those who relish spicy food, this should be a very attractive option. As for those who can't take beef-related items just like me, note that there is beef seasoning used in this dish.

The seafood pancake (해물파전, $18) here was also somewhat different from the traditional version elsewhere. In many Korean restaurants, the seafood pancakes are usually thin with crisp edges and presented as a big full circle. Sometimes, they are cut up in pieces of different sizes in the kitchen while at times, they are only cut and served at the table. The version here lined up the four square pieces of the pancake neatly on the plate and each slice was comparatively thicker than the norm. However, I found that the proportion of the batter was more than what I would have preferred so I could hardly taste the spring onions and seafood bits within the pancake. The dipping sauce was also modified to become somewhat similar to chili sauce with a savoury twist as it contained chili sauce, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sugar and undisclosed spices. This is quite different from the usual soy sauce with spring onions and chili used elsewhere. Perhaps it's a matter of old habits die hard but I do prefer the traditional sauce when eating this dish. Given the price of this dish, I also feel that the portion may be too little and the small number of pieces will probably mean that it's going to be harder to share this dish in a large group setting unless multiple portions are ordered. For a small group though, this will be just nice as compared to the larger traditional version. I guess the suitability of a dish really depends on how big your dining party is.

There are two types of fries being offered here i.e. the bulgogi fries (불고기프라이스, $18) and the kimchi fries (김치프라이스, $18). As the bulgogi fries contain beef, I would not be able to give an accurate assessment of that since I did not sample this dish. However, the kimchi fries which are covered in a mayonnaise-based sauce with melted cheese, spring onions, shallots and shredded chicken which had been cooked in chicken stock contains a mixture of different flavours coming together to deliver an unique taste. The sourish kimchi coupled with the sweet mayonnaise and cheese, the crunchiness brought about by the vegetables and the texture added by the flavoured chicken shreds combine to create a new type of fries that isn't so common out there. The only flaw I notice is that the fries at the bottom of the tray tend not to be covered by the sauce thus it might be good to have an option of ordering more dipping sauce for those who find themselves running out of sauce or would prefer to have more of it. Surprisingly, despite the use of kimchi in this dish, there seems to be a lack of the signature spiciness from the kimchi so for those who are concerned about spiciness, it looks like it won't be an issue for this dish.

Jabchae (잡채, $14) is a stir-fried dish made up primarily by glass noodles, spring onions, carrots, onions, capsicum and sesame seeds. The version here which I also chose as one of my top 3 favourites, was nicely flavoured without an oily aftertaste. Even when left to cool (because we were busy taking pictures), the glass noodles remained springy instead of becoming a messy lump. Although there are some versions of this dish which contain pork or beef, Chicken Up's version doesn't. As such, for those who are looking for a noodle dish to satisfy their carbohydrates need and yet doesn't want to consume more meat or wants to eat some vegetables, this would be another viable option just like the makgusu introduced earlier on. However, the key difference between both dishes is that the makgusu would be more suitable to be an appetiser while while the jabchae is more like a side dish to be eaten together with the main course.

During my last visit to Chicken Up, I did not notice that there was budae jjigae (부대찌개, $30), also known as army stew on the menu. I'm not sure if this was newly added recently though. The strange thing is that, it is known as Ugly Tang Stew even though the Korean name printed on the menu remains as budae jjigae. Apparently, this name was given to represent the mixture of the ingredients in the stew which look rather messy because there are many types of items inside the top. Budae jjigae apparently started as a food item for soldiers where they added anything they had into the kimchi-based stew because food was scarce then. There are no fixed rules on what must go into this dish but as far as I could see, the standard items of ramyeon, deok, ham, luncheon meat (not sure if this is the SPAM canned meat from Korea), chili, spring onions, onions, macaroni and cheese were all there. As for the soy beans (not baked beans) and enoki mushrooms, they probably aren't considered to be part of the menu for budae jjigae. The soup is also a bit different in the sense that the gochujang (chili paste) is mixed into a kimchi-based soup but here in Chicken Up, a clear stock made of chicken is poured into the pot while the gochujang is shaped into a sphere, placed on top of the ingredients and blended in when the soup boils. As such, the taste here is somewhat lighter and not as spicy than the usual budae jjigae.

Looking at the photo, it is evident that the pot was almost full by the time the soup was poured in. It can be a bit difficult to stir the contents without some of the soup flowing out of the pot. As such, it might be better to use a bigger pot if possible e.g. the flat-type big pans usually used for budae jjigae. Otherwise, it would be best to pour in the soup over several times to avoid the contents from overflowing.

Finally, here are the leads at Chicken Up i.e. the fried chicken! There are three flavours available i.e. ganjang (soya sauce), yangnyum and spicy. During the tasting, we were given the first two flavours to try.

Korean fried chicken is done differently from the usual style of fried chicken we get elsewhere as it is deep-fried twice and coated with a sauce using a brush after deep-frying. As such, this is said to be the reason why Korean fried chicken is less greasy and crunchier than its competition. It is also said that Korean fried chicken restaurants tend to use small or medium-sized chickens which have more tender meat thus contributing to the popularity of this dish.

The ganjang chicken wings (진짜 유명 간장 지킨윙, $12) which interestingly is listed as "very famous ganjang chicken wings" in Korean on the menu, had a light sheen on their skin due to the glazing of the soy sauce which also played a pivotal role in making the skin moist to the taste. Unlike other deep-fried chicken wings which may tend to be either too oily or dry on the surface, the presence of the ganjang helps to accentuate the flavour to a certain extent and retains the moisture in the skin. In addition, the deep-frying method used to make the chicken wings also played a key role in sealing the natural juices of the chicken meat without drying it out. Although it would be good if the flavour of the ganjang could also be tasted in the chicken meat rather than just at the skin level, this might make the entire dish a bit too salty to my liking so I think the current method of just coating the ganjang still works best. On the whole, this version of the chicken wings ranks in my top 3 but I think that there is a limit to how many I can eat these at one sitting because the soy sauce becomes a bit too heavy on the palate after a while.

On the other hand, the yangnyum version (양념치킨윙, $12) looked very different from the ganjang version as the chicken wings were coated in a red and sticky sauce which typically consists of gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste), ketchup, garlic and corn syrup. White sesame seeds were then sprinkled on the chicken wings as shown in the photo. For those who prefer a slightly spicier version of the chicken wings, this should be suitable for you. Even for people who may not be a fan of spicy food, the level of spiciness in this dish is still manageable to a certain extent. Similarly, the meat of the chicken wings was still tender and juicy just like the ganjang version. Personally, I think that this would taste best when eaten with alcoholic drinks such as beer and it doesn't feel as overwhelming on the palate even after eating multiple pieces.

In conclusion, the entire tasting event was very enjoyable and I found it to be a great eye opener. This review turned out to be much longer than I initially expected so if you have read this till the end, thank you for your time and attention and hope that you were not bored by this. Special thanks goes to the staff at Chicken Up who tried to make us comfortable and answered the numerous questions we had and Open Rice for giving me the opportunity to try this new outlet. Till the next tasting event then!

Review of "The Laundryman" 青田街一號

I caught this movie at its special presentation during the Singapore International Film Festival held at Marina Bay Sands' Sands Theatre on 27 November. Before the movie was screened, the director Li Chung and the cast members Sonia Sui and Yeo Yann Yann went on stage to greet the invited guests and press which unfortunately I wasn't able to get close to since there was a security line to separate the invited guests and other members of the audience. Nonetheless, I was still able to catch a glimpse of Sonia Sui from a couple of metres away when she stood briefly in front of the movie's poster for a photo-taking session. She was really stunning in person even though she had just given birth to her son not that long ago and literally dazzled with her dress. It was a pity though that Joseph Chang who was one of the leads, was not able to come to Singapore and I wondered why especially considering how significant he is in the cast lineup.

Before the movie started, the director and cast were invited on stage to greet the audience. Apparently, the two actresses had not seen the final version of the movie yet so the director was joking that he was "worried" for his life since he had to leave many scenes on the editing room's floor. In particular, he was apologetic towards Yeo because her part was affected to a large extent. I gather from the fact that the movie was about 1.5 hour long, there must have been a lot of editing done to make sure that the story could flow smoothly within such a short period of time. Then again, when there is a need to make so many cuts, it makes me wonder too as to whether they might go overboard with it just to meet the time limit and if the story would be adversely affected.

To classify this movie under a particular genre would be somewhat difficult as there was a deliberate attempt to blend comedy, action, romance and criminology into this film. I thought that it was a very ambitious attempt on the part of the director who was making his directorial debut with this film. Considering the length of the film, I did have concerns over how the story structure would be affected.

Before I begin sharing my views on this film, here's a summary of the storyline. There is an old-style laundry shop which operates in a quiet street on Qingtian Street where the beautiful owner Ah Gu (Sonia Sui) is actually the boss of a group of killers and the laundry shop is a front to cover up the tracks of these killers by "washing" away the corpses of the victims. Among the killers, the top killer is Qingtianjie Yihao (No.1 of Qingtian Street) played by Joseph Chang as nicknamed by Ah Gu because he is the best among his peers. There is not much blood and gore since he kills in a relatively clean manner e.g. breaking the neck of his victims or strangling them. The actual dirty part of the job is done in the laundry shop when the corpses are put into the machines and you actually see blood from the transparent water tubes. Of late, No.1 has been suffering from seeing the spirits of his victims haunting and following him around to the extent that he does not dare to stay at home. When No.1 tells Ah Gu about his problems, she dismisses this as mere hallucinations and that he shouldn't be scared of those spirits. Nonetheless, when he insists on solving the problem so as to keep his sanity and get his life back to normal, Ah Gu introduces him to a psychic (Wan Qian) which leads to an unlikely romance developing between them. On the other hand, Yeo plays a female police officer who is investigating the series of disappearances and comes to find out the true identity of Ah Gu and the dark secret she is hiding.

As I mentioned earlier, the biggest concern I had was whether the story would flow well despite the short running time and the editing which had to be done. Frankly speaking, I thought that the story had its bright points such as the part where the man making toy models was pining for his neighbour and sought to kill the latter's husband as he was abusing his wife, the interaction between No.1 and the psychic or the fighting sequences in the climax involving Ah Gu, No.1 and the police officer which were entertaining to watch. During the post-screening talk section, there was a lot of mention of how they tried to be as realistic as possible by using real weapons such as knives or not pulling back punches. In that sense, the movie does have its bright spots and I applaud the crew and staff's efforts in making this movie.

However, if I am to judge the story as a whole, I thought that there were too many elements clamouring for my attention thus leading to me having difficulty trying to make sense of how each part correlated to one another or sustain my attention for the entire span of the movie. In addition, I thought that the pacing was slightly uneven when too much time was spent on some parts while the reverse happened for some other parts. The part about the model man was supposed to be funny but at one juncture, I thought that the joke was getting a bit stale. On the other hand, I would have liked to know more about Ah Gu's background and her rationale for doing what she did but I felt that there was too little devoted to this important fact. As a result of this problem, the biggest casualty would be Yeo who had a really forgettable role other than she was beaten up really badly by Sui in the climax scenes. It felt so odd to see Yeo pop up of nowhere and suddenly go to the laundry shop to confront the baddie when she wasn't featured too prominently initially in the investigation process.

As for the acting, I thought that Joseph Chang and Wan Qian did quite well to make an impression on me and had pretty good chemistry (there were in fact rumours of them dating). My impression of Chang in the past was that he seemed more like a tough guy but this movie showed that he's capable of doing comedy well. Too bad on the action front, they made him look like a weakling in front of Ah Gu who was supposed to be a doctor but strangely could fight that well. In the end, Ah Gu didn't lose because she was poor at fighting which I thought was a rather bad way to end the fighting sequence. The romance factor between Chang and Wan's characters was implied rather than expressly displayed so it did feel a bit odd when you suddenly realise that they had developed feelings for each other. I didn't really mind that but somehow, it felt really out of place.

As for Sui, I felt that she was not featured as much as I assumed when I watched the trailer which was a pity. I had the impression that she was the female lead but the movie featured more interaction between Chang and Wan rather than between her and Chang. In fact, Wan seems to have appeared more than Sui in the movie. As such, I thought that if her role of Ah Gu could be developed further to show a more complete picture of who she was, that might have convinced me why she did what she did. After watching the movie, it just gives the impression that Ah Gu was obsessed with some weirdo ideology and she was a psychopath of some sorts which I thought was not a fair representation of herself. Likewise for Yeo, she didn't get the chance to show what she was capable of doing. Especially after hearing about how she went through lessons to prepare for the filming, there must be more than meets the eye for her role which unfortunately couldn't be seen by the audience.

In conclusion, I found that the movie did not really meet up to my expectations which I attributed to the trailer looking more exciting than the actual film. In his directorial debut, there were some rough edges which I thought that the director could have been able to smooth over if he had more experience. The editing done might have gone overboard to affect the fluidity of the movie which I thought was a great pity because I think this could have potentially done better if it was 2 hours long. Luckily, the movie still had some bright spots in its story and the acting was fairly good given the time constraint and choppy editing. If there could be a DVD version with a director's cut which can add more body to the story, I think I might be interested to check this out again.

An afternoon tea too pretty to eat - Salt Tapas & Bar by Luke Mangan

Whenever I walked past Salt Tapas & Bar at the first floor of Raffles City Shopping Centre, it somehow felt like a place which was more for drinking rather than food so I've never had the urge to check out its menu and what it offers. In addition, the name of the restaurant i.e. the word tapas suggested that it offered small bites rather than full-course meals so that also deterred me to some extent. Upon seeing some recommendations online recently about its Jardin tea promotion on weekday afternoons from 3pm to 5pm, I finally decided to give this a try and I'm glad to say, I am happy that I did so.

Upon reaching the restaurant, the service staff would ask if you would prefer an indoor or outdoor table. If the weather is cool enough or you aren't bothered by the heavy traffic passing you by, the outdoor area would be suitable for you. On the other hand, even if you choose to enjoy the aircon comfort indoors, you can still enjoy the street view since the doors are left open. As seen from the photo, I chose aircon over al fresco since it was a bit hot after a downpour on the day I visited and I didn't want to take in the exhaust fumes from the vehicles together with my tea time snacks.


As I was browsing through the menu, water was served from a wine bottle with a cup having bubbles on the side thus making it look as if this was sparkling water. I must have looked like I was very clueless about this place because the waiter took the time to explain to me what they offered during this period and even told me that this was water (in case I misunderstood it to be otherwise). I think that's rather reassuring especially for first timers like me who probably finds it a bit unsettling to be here when the staff clearly outnumbered the customers. Besides me, there was only another table of a couple with their young toddler and another table of working adults at a corner away from me apparently taking a brief break from work.

On the Jardin's food menu, there were two tea sets comprising of various snacks, both sweet and savoury. Set A contains white coffee creme brulee, camembert with lavash, Jamon croquette, Kinako macaron, Honeycomb cake, prawn taco and choc sable. On the other hand, Set B offers purple Japanese sweet potato macaron, matcha orange religieuse, raspberry rhubarb tart, Parma ham with fig, raisin scones, mini churros and pork slider. As for the drinks, you can choose from coffee and tea i.e. espresso, macchiato, long black, flat white, cappucino, cafe latte, breakfast tea, camomile, earl grey, jasmine green tea and peppermint or the three mocktails i.e. Rose n' flames, Adam's apple and Berry fruity. The Jardin tea time promotion allows you to choose one of the tea sets and one drink for the price of $35++. If you prefer to create your own unique combination (maximum 7 items), that would be $45++.

On the other hand, if you wish to add more items, you can do so at the price of $5++ per item. I welcome this kind of flexibility because I always felt that a lot of tea time promotions tend to insist on a fixed menu which may not appeal to everyone. For example, if I'm not a fan of macarons and yet the menu has this item, I can't change it with something else even if I offer to pay a different price. As such, it does get on my nerves if I'm forced to eat something which I don't like so I tend not to go for tea time offers which don't allow changes or customisation to the food options. Although there were some items which I wasn't too keen on or had never had before, I decided against changing the combination in the set menu since there should have been a reason why they were put together.

Starting off with the drink, I selected the berry fruity mocktail which according to the menu consists of green tea, blackberry, mint leaves and lime. It came in this beautiful cocktail glass with two green apple rings on top of it. Frankly speaking, I wasn't sure whether I should or could eat the apple rings so I just left them as they were. As for the mocktail itself, I thought it tasted a lot like thick black tea rather than the comparatively lighter green tea so I think the blend of flavours probably resulted in this end result. As I am a big fan of mint and citrusy flavours, I was eagerly anticipating to be able to pick up the taste of the mint and lime but unfortunately, they were hardly noticeable. Nonetheless, that's not to say that this drink isn't nice. I did enjoy it after all but I guess it depends on the individual. I personally prefer to be able to pick up the distinct flavours of the ingredients which go into making this drink so at the very least, if the mint taste was stronger, this drink might have ranked higher in terms of my satisfaction index.

As for the food, I selected Set B which has more items that I'm familiar with and like. The items were served in a wooden tray with chocolate soil beneath so it resembles a garden with a variety of colours. Visually, this is very appealing and the desserts looks so pretty that I felt unsure of how I should start. There isn't any particular way or order you should adhere to when eating these items so I just went with my own gut feel. Another interesting feature of this was that the waiter would come by to ask for your name which left me a bit bewildered at first. Later, I realised that this was because they wanted to write my name on the side of the tray in chalk which somehow made this feel special as if this treat is specially for me. I wondered why they put the side with my name facing outwards though and was a bit self-conscious about showing my name to the rest of the customers who were around at that time. Nonetheless, I thought this was a pretty good tactic to improve the dining experience.

The first thing which caught my attention was the sweet potato macaron which was in a light purple hue. I have never eaten macarons before and simply do not understand what the hype is all about. To me, macarons seem like an overly sweet dessert for me so I've not been too keen on this thus far. However, this sweet potato macaron had me somewhat converted, not fully though. The light aroma of the sweet potato and the not-so-sweet macaron was a joy to savour and I felt like having a second helping.

The next item was the Parma ham with fig i.e. one of the two savoury items in this set. I have never tried having ham with fig so the combination was innovative to me. However, perhaps the ham could have been paired with something sweeter than the fig because the saltiness was a tad overwhelming and could have been balanced out with another item that has a stronger taste.

Third up was the churros which is something I've been quite in love with of late. However, as this is the mini version, it was difficult to get an accurate assessment of the taste. In addition, the cream and chocolate sauce were put into the same cup thus resulting in a blended dip which I didn't quite like. Perhaps I should order the regular-sized churros next time to see how they taste.

The rhubarb tart was OK but I thought that the creamy tart base was a bit too fluffy to my liking. I don't really recall how rhubarbs are supposed to taste so I can't tell whether this tart was good especially since the sourness of the raspberries took away my attention.

The scone with raisins were really good in that it wasn't hard as a rock and had a nice aroma. Having it with the jam made the taste even better. I would have wanted more of this if it was available.

As for the pork slider, I thought that it was very flavourful especially the pickled vegetables. I wonder if there was a full-sized version which would be really satisfying to have.

Last but not least, the religieuse which supposedly should have the matcha and orange flavours, turned out to be stronger on the orange side. It might have been good to emphasize the matcha flavour too so as to strike a balance.

In conclusion, this is how I would rank the items I had (in descending order): pork slider -> sweet potato macaron -> scone with raisins -> religieuse -> Parma ham -> rhubarb tart -> churros.

Having tried this once, I think I will go back again to try other items on the food menu and another mocktail. That kinako macaron, honeycomb cake, choc sable and prawn taco on Set A do seem rather appealing. Service was great and attentive especially for a first-timer like me who was unsure of what to order and how to do it. Price-wise, it does seem a bit steep so to me, this would be a once-in-a-while indulgence on a lazy weekday afternoon.

Book Review - 放手，是最好的祝福 / 于美人

As this book is in Chinese, I thought that it would be best for me to write the review in Chinese too where I'll be able to express my thoughts better:

“认识”于美人其实是无心插柳的。

当时应该是2008年左右，在转台时无意看到她所主持的《国民大会》。她那风趣又时而自嘲的谈吐，跟任何嘉宾都能很好地交流，把复杂或沉闷的主题都能用生动和简单的方式呈现，我就因此成为这个节目的忠实观众。很遗憾的是，美人姐突然从这个节目中消失，我也因此停止看《国民大会》。所幸，之后在其他节目如《新闻挖哇哇》，《非關命運》，《一天壹蘋果》中又见到美人姐。只可惜，有些节目已经停播了，至今仍然在网上追看的节目只有《新闻挖哇哇》。

对于美人姐的印象，一直是一个坚强有主见，同时兼顾工作和家庭的职业女性。然而，2013年发生的婚变让这样完美的形象变得有瑕疵。当时媒体很热衷于报道婚变的种种故事，很多名嘴又你一言我一语地批评她，当中还不乏一些曾是所谓好友的人，看了有点反胃。老实说，婚姻出现问题很多时候不一定是一个人的问题，就因为美人姐在事业上和经济上处于优势就把责任全推给她有点欠公平。当然，我也不打算多讨论谁是谁非，既然已经离婚就不需要再多加着墨。人不会完美，这件事之后美人姐也应该认同的是，她虽然失去一些，却也得到不少。我个人的感觉是她似乎没有那么强烈的自我防卫感，现在比较怡然自得。

听到美人姐要出这本书，其实有点担心会不会又被说成是旧事重提或炒作新闻。看完之后，觉得反省和澄清一些不实的报道的成分占大部分，所以应该不至于被说成这样。特别的是，整本书不是美人姐写的，因为穿插了各界好友的观点，所以可以从多方面了解大家对婚变这件事的看法。当中一些并不是名人的友人，用比较平淡的方式，提出的观点又有些许重复，这部分就有点沉闷，因此身为公众人物的赖芳玉律师，黄越绥老师，王瑞德，李昂，许常德和颜冰心的文章就会显得比较容易引起读者的兴趣。

至于美人姐的文章，我特别感到印象深刻的是她提到与小孩接受咨商的过程和成果，尤其是让她了解到小孩真正的想法，也让小孩明白自己的立场这点。人与人的沟通其实是很简单，又非常困难。通过第三者的协调，竟然也能让双方的沟通更有效是我之前没有想过的。这也可说是通过这本书所得到的意外收获。

总的来说，这本书是为了反省和疗愈而写。内容没有她初婚变时的那种控诉和激动，感觉是平实和充满对未来的正面能量，相信对很多面对类似问题的人会带来新的体会。