Review of "Hakugin Jack" / 白銀ジャック

To be honest, this novel started off very slowly so it took me a long time to move past the first 100-pages or so because I found that the case was really getting nowhere. What's more, there were no possible suspects throughout much of the story and it was only till the very last juncture that the pieces of the puzzle fell together quickly. There were people who looked suspicious but in the end, they all turned out to be false guesses. The actual criminals were people who didn't have anything suspicious going on throughout the whole story. In fact, I felt like the truth was shoved right into my face and I just had to accept it even though I did not agree with some parts of the "truth" or how certain things developed.

For a suspense thriller to be engaging, it must allow the reader to feel like they are involved in the developments e.g. by giving clues for the reader to guess or deduce the truth so that they continue to be interested in the novel. However, I kept feeling that I was an outsider all this while and seriously, this meant that whatever happened to the characters didn't matter that much to me. If this case was really as exciting and intriguing as it promised, the truth was pretty much of an anti-climax. The tempo of the story was rather off with the pacing being extremely slow and suddenly accelerating in the last 40 pages or so and then screeching to a sudden halt when things settled down.

In conclusion, I think that this is a pretty disappointing work but I hope to see a better version with the live skiing scenes when the drama SP starring Watanabe Ken, Hirosue Ryoko and Okada Masaki gets shown this summer.

An affordable gem in the CBD - The Wicked Garlic

This place may not be easily noticeable as it doesn't face the roads but once you enter the International Plaza building through the entrance where UOB and Swiss Bake are at (just beside the taxi stand), you will be able to spot this quaint shop with minimal frills but with lots of tempting fragrances luring you to check out what they are serving. And I finally gave in to temptation one evening to check out The Wicked Garlic.

This place is unlike your usual Italian restaurant because it is so small and there are not that many decorations or fittings which hint that this is a high-class dining place. However, despite the lack of frills, the food proved to be better than I expected especially with their pocket-friendly prices. I had the prawn aglio olio which gave off such a great aroma that I wondered why other versions of this dish I had elsewhere did not have that same fragrance. The prawns were also considered to be big, considering its price and especially when compared to that other seafood place I reviewed recently. The amount of spaghetti is good enough for one person but if you happen to be a big eater, you should get other dishes such as pizzas or sides to supplement the main pasta or you might not feel full enough. With regard to the taste, I like the fact that the spaghetti did not stick together in one lump and was not greasy at all. Coupled with the prawns which were grilled to the point where the shell portion was slightly burnt and gave off a nice aroma, it was such a perfect combination that I finally understand why there were so many other customers that night who ordered the same dish as I did.

To end the evening on a sweet note, I had wanted to try its signature tiramisu but too bad, it was already sold out. I chose the oreo cheesecake instead which turned out to be good too. The texture of the cheesecake was firm yet moist while the oreo cookies base and top accentuated the flavour of the cheese. I could have done without that drop of cream on top of the cake though. The cookie placed on the cream was a bit too soft which I gather was due to the fact that it had been placed in the fridge for some time and absorbed a fair bit of moisture before it got to my table that night. Other than this slight flaw, I thought that the cheesecake matched up to my expectations.

Considering the price I paid, I was quite impressed with the quality of the food and the prompt service. It would have been ideal if the shop space was bigger so as to accommodate more diners which would have prevented me from listening to what my fellow diners were talking about. However, given that this is the CBD and rental must be quite high, I think it's probably best for The Wicked Garlic to build up a loyal following with its food first before expanding further. For the time being, I'll be sure to go back again to try out its other dishes especially the new Bailey's tiramisu. ^__^

If you want to find out more about them or see their menu, you can visit their official website.

Review of "Maleficent"

"Maleficent" is really not your typical Disney movie. "Frozen" bucked the trend by being a film which attracted people of all age groups, had a runaway hit song, poked fun at some of Disney's typical developments in its past movies and reversed the trend of princesses always waiting for their princes to save them. In that sense, "Maleficent" was also very different from typical Disney movies because its protagonist is not a typical hero but rather one who can seen as both a hero and villain.

Instead of being a film meant purely for children, the message it tries to convey seems to be one which can be understood more by adults. Although I had the nagging feeling that this might be a kiddie movie before I watched it, I was pleasantly surprised at the end.

If you are interested to know how the story progresses, you can visit the Wikipedia page so I won't go into further details here. As for those who have not watched this movie yet, be warned that there will be spoilers below so you may wish to skip this review.

Angelina Jolie is awesome as Maleficent. In fact, if she had not taken up this role, it would have been difficult to imagine who might have played it as well as her. Her metamorphosis from a cheerful fairy to that of a dark fairy was due to the betrayal by the man she loved. According to Jolie in an interview, the significance of that scene where Maleficent had her wings cut off by Stefan was tantamount to rape. Of course, in a Disney film, it would have been impossible to convey that explicitly.

Due to the physical and emotional pain she suffered, that caused Maleficent to change into a dark fairy. However, she was not evil by nature thus her heart softened as she watched Aurora grow up and became drawn to the little girl she had cursed because of the misdeed by Aurora's father. There were multiple facades of Maleficent which made her more endearing to the audience and her actions more understandable instead of traditionally strict lines separating the good and evil in typical children's stories.

I also liked the twist where a mother's love was seen as "more true" than the spontaneous "love at first sight" typical in Disney stories. It made the story less predictable and provided a source of redemption for Maleficent who could save the girl she cursed.

Frankly speaking, the graphics in this movie were a tad darker and less colourful than what you usually see in Disney movies for children. That cannot be helped as Maleficent was portrayed as a dark heroine with lots of pain, anguish and hatred for most of the movie. Of course, when she finally overcame the dark past, things became better and the world suddenly became colourful again. I thought it was a great way to show that how people's perspectives of the world can change depending on their state of mind. If Maleficent had continued being a dark heroine, her world would still be dull-looking even though it was far from reality.

In conclusion, "Maleficent" is a film which exceeded my expectations in a good way and I would recommend it to anyone to give it a try in the cinemas.

Australian seafood by the riverside - Fremantle Seafood Market (Clarke Quay)

On a sweltering late Saturday afternoon while looking for something light to eat i.e. no meaty or heavily-spiced stuff, I chanced upon Fremantle Seafood Market which is located next to the bungee facility at Clarke Quay. My impression of Australian seafood was formed largely based on various travelogues and food programs I've watched i.e. fresh, big, fleshy and juicy seafood. As such, that was what I thought I would get at Fremantle.

First up was the main course i.e. scallops and prawns linguine in white wine saffron garlic butter. The first impression was why the chef did not bother to wipe out the stray stains left by the sauce at the side of the plate. Second thing I noticed was how bright yellow the linguine had turned out. Actually, among the four sauces to choose from, I thought this was the lightest compared to squid ink, mushroom cream and spinach pesto but sad to say, I was wrong. The buttery taste and smell was pretty overwhelming to the extent that the zucchini and linguine was totally soaked in the sauce and I could taste nothing but the butter sauce. As for the seafood, it was rather disappointing to see prawns of such a small size and not being able to taste the freshness of the ocean from these prawns was pretty unacceptable especially considering that this plate cost me $24. The only saving grace was the scallop which was pan-fried to a nice golden brown on the surface but it would have been better to be able to taste its original freshness rather than have its flavour altered artificially by the overpowering sauce. Perhaps another sauce would have helped in letting me enjoy this dish a bit more? If they decide to do something like aglio olio-style, I think it would be the best test of the chef's skills in delivering the freshness of the seafood from the ocean to the table.

The mussels in spicy white wine broth were also rather disappointing. Not only they were not as big and juicy as I thought, the mussels seemed to be cooked unevenly with some having the taste of the broth while some obviously didn't absorb it. As such, the inconsistency in taste made it difficult for me to like this dish. Surprisingly, the garlic bread was very flavourful and tasted great when dipped into the broth. I would have wanted more pieces of this to go with the broth, two was simply not enough. Unfortunately, to have the supporting cast turn out to be better than the lead star in the dish is really not a nice thing to happen and I would have expected a seafood place to do better in terms of the quality and taste of its main selling point.

In conclusion, I am not writing off Fremantle entirely yet since I saw some other items of interest in its menu which I may return for a try in the near future. However, if the next visit continues to disappoint rather than impress, I might as well go elsewhere for more reasonably-priced seafood dishes. After all, if you can't get your signature item right, it's going to be difficult to justify that price tag and keep customers coming back for more.

Review of "Overheard 3" (窃听风云3)

This movie is the long-awaited sequel in the Overheard series which have had the same leads i.e. Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu. However, the story's setting and their characters have all been changed so there is no worry about not having watched the earlier installments and being unable to understand what Part 3 is all about. In fact, I watched Part 2 before Part 1 and it didn't bother me any bit since the stories were independent of each other.

The central theme of these movies is on eavesdropping or wiretapping where the characters try to outsmart one another through the use of such intelligence gained from this method. This time, the story is based on a group of people hoping to profit from the trading of land rights owned by indigenous people living in the New Territories area of Hong Kong. At one end is Lau Ching Wan and his three buddies who appear to be working with the village heads' leader Uncle To but are plotting to seize all the profits instead of being content with what they already have. On the other end is Louis Koo whose character went to jail for a staged accident under the influence of alcohol in order to kill his buddy who had threatened to wreak Uncle To's plans. He engages the help of Daniel Wu's character to help in monitoring Lau and his cronies in a bid to help his former girlfriend who is Uncle To's daughter and to take revenge for what happened to him and his buddy.

Frankly speaking, there were some parts of the movie which I found rather contradictory or difficult to understand. For example. the story had started by explaining how the Hong Kong government gave house-building rights to the New Territories residents in 1972 so as to prevent them from making a fuss over the development of their area. However, from the time Louis Koo's character went to jail till he was released, it was said that he was in jail for just 5 years and yet the fashion style of the characters seemed a mismatch especially when they were all carrying advanced smartphones. Assuming that when the drink-driving accident happened in the late 80s or 90s (guessing based on the clothes, hairstyles and accessories worn), how could the smartphones and advanced computer equipment be available by the time Louis Koo was released? The story suggested that this was happening in the current times but the clothes worn especially the spectacles worn by Louis Koo seemed to be from the old times.

I also felt that the movie had deviated a bit from its "eavesdropping" concept too much due to the advancement of technology in current times. It was like Daniel Wu's character was doing more of "watching" the characters though the video feeds rather than eavesdropping which is the essence of this series and what makes it doubly exciting. To be able to acquire intelligence merely by hearing and not being able to see what those being monitored are up to is actually more challenging. In this sense, I think Part 3 failed to deliver what it should have done.

In such movies dominated by the male cast, it is inevitable that the actresses will be relegated to being insignificant characters. I thought Michelle Ye's character was simply annoying because the only thing she managed to do was to weaken the resolve of Louis Koo's character and resulted in his tragic fate at the end. However, this was an improvement from Part 2 when she played Koo's wife and had such limited screentime to make her presence felt. As for Zhou Xun who played the role of Louis Koo's buddy's wife, I thought her scene opposite Koo was quite good. There they were staring at each other and she was burning with rage while tears welled up in her eyes while he could not do anything to alleviate that pain and just kept looking at her with sorrow in his eyes. Although no words were exchanged between them, I thought it was a pretty intense scene showing the complicated emotions between them. Zhou also had pretty good chemistry with Daniel Wu as a potential love interest while her rejection and showdown with Lau Ching Wan was yet another powerful scene. In this sense, Zhou had a meatier role than Ye and was easily more memorable.

On the whole, I think Overheard 3 might disappoint those who have been longtime avid fans of the series because it's lacking in excitement and the complicated story about land rights may not interest everyone. Perhaps it's time to know when to stop or else any residual value from this series might be milked dry by the time the next lacklustre sequel comes up.

Upscale yakiniku in the heart of Orchard Road - Magosaburou (Orchard ION)

On the fourth floor of Orchard ION lies a small door to an upscale yakiniku restaurant which can be easily missed among the various dining options available on the same level. Especially when there is no waitress standing at the entrance, it would be difficult to spot this place since the restaurant itself is situated one floor above and can only be accessed through this entrance or via the carpark on level 5. Magosaburou specialises in wagyu i.e. Japanese beef thus I had my reservations about visiting this place because of the lack of options for non-beef items and the fact that the prices are rather high. Considering its location, atmosphere and service standard, I can understand why the prices are marked up but as to whether I may return for a second visit, that would depend largely on whether there are more options for someone like me who doesn't eat beef.

Magosaburou offers two types of dipping options to eat with your meat i.e. the tare (sauce) or shio (salt). I don't have a particular preference for either type but I did notice that the taste of the same type of meat can differ greatly depending on which dipping option you choose. There are people who swear by either of these options but my suggestion is to try both and see which suits your tastes more. Frankly speaking, I thought the shio was more to my liking because it brings out the original flavour of the meat compared to the tare which sort of alters the taste. I can't remember exactly but there was a place where I liked the tare more than the shio so I guess the composition of the tare plays a role in determining whether I would like it or not. Maybe Magosaburou's version is just not my cup of tea?

Before the meat got served, I had a piece of the aburi hotate sushi which was served on a beautiful glass plate. The taste was great but to pay 8 bucks for a single piece of sushi seemed a bit too much. I had to keep reminding myself that the money wasn't just for the food itself but also the "extras" which come with fine dining. Much as I enjoyed the taste and novelty of the experience, this is probably what I would do once in a while only. Remember my previous post about Poulet? I would prefer my food to be tasty and filling so the extras like ambience and plating are things I can do without with. Nonetheless, I think for a yakiniku specialty like Magosaburou, the sushi is at least decent so I don't have any major issues with this dish.

After my recent trip to Japan where I truly enjoyed the rice there (somehow the rice there tastes a lot different from what we have in local Japanese restaurants), this was the first Japanese rice which I found that could be on par to what I tasted in Japan. I don't know exactly what brand or type of rice this is other than it's mentioned as organic rice on the menu. For a whooping 6 dollars for this small bowl of rice, I was a bit sceptical on whether it is truly value for money. However, the nice fragrance of the rice and its taste won me over very quickly. It was of the right texture (not too soft or not too hard) and it was great to see each grain clearly defined in the bowl. I wonder how they manage to make the rice taste so good?

For people like me who don't eat beef, there are three types of pork and one type of chicken to choose from in addition to some seafood options. It was not clearly specified which cut of the chicken this was but each dish was tagged with a slip of paper to indicate the type of meat so that you know what you are eating. I left it to the staff to do the grilling for me and they shared an interesting tidbit with me that the locals i.e. Singaporeans tend to leave the grilling to them while Japanese customers prefer to do it themselves. When I looked around, it was exactly as what they described although I suppose there would be exceptions. I think I would not mind doing it myself if I wasn't starving at that time and if there had been a device to suck out the smoke like what we usually see in Korean BBQ restaurants. Coming back to the taste of the chicken, I thought it was pretty ordinary. Portion-wise, I would have wanted more pieces since this plate cost me 15 dollars.

Luckily, the kurobuta jowl was more pleasing to the palate and again, I wish the portion would have been bigger to justify the price tag. As for whether it tasted better with tare or shio, I think it fared better when paired with the latter. As Magosaburou essentially focuses more on its wagyu than other types of meat, I would expect that its beef offerings should be of a higher standard than what I experienced from the pork and chicken selections. It would be nice if they could offer more choices for people like me who don't eat beef or those who just happen to want to eat something other than beef on a particular day. Otherwise, I find it difficult to justify a repeat visit especially when I can get meat of a similar quality elsewhere in substantial portions and lower prices, albeit without the same upscale atmosphere.

Out of the seafood options available for grilling, I chose the crab leg which was truly disappointing. I found that this was overcooked and it was difficult to remove the crab meat from the shell as it was so tough to chew. I believe it had lost most of its moisture during the grilling process thus the freshness and flavour of the crab leg was gone by the time it was served. Again, to cut Magosaburou some slack, its signature item is the wagyu so there is a likelihood that its other items may not be as nice. However, if these items are to be offered on the menu permanently, there is a need to put in more effort to ensure that what's served is decent enough. Considering the price, I won't recommend ordering this item and think it is a better idea to stick to the meat options.

Last but not least, the dessert I chose was the tiramisu. On hindsight, I should have chosen something more Japanese because they might have done a better job with it. Let's just say that this version of the tiramisu is forgettable and that there would have been better options elsewhere at lower prices.

On the whole, Magosaburou would be a place to go to entertain business associates, friends from overseas or for some special occasions because of its nice appearance and good service. However, to go back to it on a regular basis, there needs to be more pull factors for me at least to justify the high price tag and small portions. I think the lack of consistency in terms of quality among the various dishes and absence of options for people who don't like or eat beef will be a deterrent for repeat customers. Perhaps the viewpoint from a beef lover would be different but in my case, I doubt that I'll be heading back anytime soon.

Wholesome French cuisine without the classy distance - Poulet (Raffles City)

The image I have about French cuisine is that it's usually in very small portions i.e. not filling and it's eaten at a classy place where you have to be really conscious about your table manners. I once had very exquisite French food before but it was a bit stifling and I got hungry quite quickly after that meal because the portions were very small. That doesn't mean the food was bad but I guess I am of the type who prefers a balance between quality and quantity.

Poulet gives a very different vibe where you can easily enter the place without feeling too intimidated or worried about not being able to pronounce the French name of the dishes and I'm pleased to see that the portions are big enough (at least to me). First up was the cream of mushrooms served with croutons. The soup was creamy but not too overpowering but the mushrooms were minced so finely that it was a bit difficult to taste them. It might have been better to cut them into bigger pieces so as to taste the different flavours from the mushrooms used in this soup.

One note of caution to those who don't eat beef, it would be best to check with the staff on which dishes use beef stock. Luckily for me, the waitress alerted me to the fact that the onion soup uses beef stock so I switched to the mushroom soup instead. As such, for those who have the same concern as I do when eating out, be sure to check with the staff.

Of course, when you go to Poulet, you've got to order their signature dish i.e. the roasted chicken which can come in different sauces. Again, thanks to the gentle reminder from the waitress, I avoided the other two sauces which use beef stock and chose the signature version i.e. mushroom sauce in Chardonnay. The skin of the chicken was flavourful due to the overnight brining and the meat was juicy on its own (even the breast meat portion). When eaten together with the sauce, the taste changes so you can have different flavours within the same dish. However, when I ate the same dish at another outlet months after this visit to the Raffles City outlet, I was less than impressed because the chicken felt too dry and the sauce was too watery. Maybe the quality of the dish got affected because the second visit was on a very busy Saturday evening while my visit to the Raffles City branch was in the early evening of a weekday. It would have been better if the quality can be assured across branches and regardless of the time of visit or else customers would be turned off if they happen to have a less-than-satisfactory version during their first visit.

This is a pretty common dish in most restaurants but at Poulet, they call these prawn fritters. I was wondering what they were until the dish were served on my table. Frankly speaking, I don't know if this dish exists in French cuisine or they are including this in a bid to add local flavours to the menu. On its own, there is not much of a wow factor because this dish is so common elsewhere but thankfully, the size of the prawn fritters are big enough so it's a substantial snack and when eaten with the Thai-style chilli sauce, it's quite delicious. It's just that to find something resembling a Thai dish in a French restaurant feels a little odd somehow.

The tiramisu here is said to be their signature dessert item so it would be weird to give it a miss. I have tried many versions of this well-known dessert before but there have only been a few which impressed me. Luckily, Poulet's version does not disappoint and being served in a glass jar like this makes it slightly different from most places which serve it in a small cup or as a single slice. However, the only drawback from serving in this manner is the slight difficulty in trying to remove the different layers in a single scoop so you may not get the same taste with each mouthful as compared to when you eat from a sliced version. Nonetheless, I think it's not that of an issue to most people so overall, I think this is a pretty good dessert.

In all, it does seem like the quality of food may differ slightly across branches but the overall impression I have of Poulet is still good. It looks as if Poulet is rapidly expanding these days so it would be best to keep an eye on the food's quality regardless of when and where we go.

Review of "Transcendence"

On paper, "Transcendence" sounded quite promising as a sci-fi thriller. However, the biggest problem I found with the story was that the concept of transcendence wasn't really explained and explored clearly so at the end of watching the film, I found that I was still none the wiser about what the whole hoo-ha over transcendence was about. I thought it was a real pity that the film had the potential to do better if the concept was developed to its fullest but it went the other way instead and felt like a half-baked effort.

In addition, I didn't really see the link between the advanced technology which the scientists were working on and the ills of the world e.g. pollution and diseases affecting humans which ultimately resulted in the global blackout when the main characters died. Maybe the message was that something created with the intention of goodwill can be manipulated by those who have the desire to use it for their own benefit. Then again, is the film trying to say that Will had the ambition within him so when his consciousness was merged with the AI, he had the power now to do what he always wanted to? However, when you look at the earlier scene where he was speaking at the presentation, he expressed his view that his wife had the lofty ambition to solve the problems facing mankind and he was more concerned about his research. Somehow, that seems a bit contradictory to what the later version of Will thought and did.

It was also a great pity to see Johnny Depp being relegated to leading man in name. In fact, Rebecca Hall (Evelyn) was seen in action more than him and it felt like she was the lead instead. However, if you look at how the script was written, I guess there was no way to see more of Depp in physical action since he had to die before his consciousness could be uploaded to the AI. If that didn't happen, the story would not move forward. However, if the story had been more detailed and taken the trouble to explain some of the fundamental questions over the concept of transcendence and what it really meant or involved, I think there would have been more room for Depp to explore the inner world of Will a bit more and make his performance more memorable to viewers.

Review of L'Atelier TiramiSu (The Central - Clarke Quay)

I've heard of L'Atelier TiramiSu before in the press and had even walked past its shop before but never managed to try any of its products. It will be difficult to miss this place as you walk from Exit F of the Clarke Quay MRT station towards The Central. By chance, I was in the area today and got tempted to try its tiramisu. However, due to the small shop space i.e. there is a limited number of tables, you might not be able to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea there if there are no available seats. As such, I observed that most people who came in did takeaways rather than eat-in. It would have been nice to have a bigger place but then again, it will probably make this quaint cafe-cum-confectionery become another Starbucks. When I arrived, all the tables were taken up but luckily, one of the tables' occupants left soon after so I managed to grab a place and enjoy a short break.

The highlight here is of course the tiramisu. Besides the classic version, L'Atelier TiramiSu also offers three other flavours i.e. lychee, matcha and dark cherry. As this was my first visit, I thought it was best to try the classic version which would have been a good gauge of the quality. The slice served here is actually quite big compared to many cafes which serve a very thin slice for around the same price. The benefit of this is that you can also taste the contrast between the biscuit fingers and the cheese. What struck me was how well these two layers were in harmony with each other. The biscuit fingers were flavourful yet not overly soggy so the texture matched the cheese which was also firm and just right in terms of its moisture content. It is not easy to achieve this because I tried making tiramisu before in the past and it was so difficult to get the balance and texture correct. There were also many occasions when I had versions of tiramisu where either one of the levels were good and the other mediocre. L'Atelier TiramiSu has indeed impressed me with its version of the tiramisu and I believe I'll be back to try the other flavours very soon.

In case you want to try all flavours at once, I saw a sampler selling for $15 where there were small cups for each flavour put together in a set. That might be a safe option to ensure that you don't end up buying a slice or the whole cake of a flavour you don't particularly like.

What also impressed me about this place was their drinks. I had ordered the chamomile & honey chilled tea and was expecting really straightforward like tea made from a tea bag and filled with ice cubes. However, a stone slab with three cups or rather two beakers and one cup was served and the friendly lady at the shop took the time to explain what the contents were. The smaller beaker at the side was the honey which is surprisingly clear rather than the yellow versions more commonly seen elsewhere. In the middle was the chamomile tea while the cup on the right contained ice cubes not made of water but rather the same chamomile tea in the middle! According to the lady, this is to prevent the dilution of the tea when the ice melts and I thought that it was quite impressive that they took pains to prepare this version of the ice. I've had similar experiences when I was in Japan recently when the freshly-made fruit juice I ordered came with ice cubes made from the same juice and the aim was to prevent dilution of the drink but in Singapore, I've not encountered this until today. As such, I was pleasantly surprised that this cafe actually went to the trouble of doing this. Seeing the beaker also brings back memories of my schooling days because it has been more than 10 years since I last saw or touched one during science experiments so it was fascinating to see it being used as a tea holder this time.

As for the taste of the tea, I thought that it was a good choice against the tiramisu which was rich thus left a lingering taste in the mouth. The tea offered a refreshing sensation and was a really good palate cleanser in the sense that the aroma went straight to the nose to clear the alcohol left behind the tiramisu while the taste removed any lingering richness by the cake. The honey was not overly sweet too so I thought it was a great combination. Next time, I'll have to try other beverages and see how they match up against the tiramisu.

On the whole, it looks like a lot of thought has been put into this place because despite being small, the quality of its food and drinks is pretty impressive and service is rather good too. The only thing is, due to the limitations imposed by its size, there is a likelihood that people who pop up during the weekend will likely not be able to dine in and enjoy the ambience while the mall where it's located at is simply too quiet during weekdays. I hope that it continues to stay in business for a long long time and serve delicious tiramisu at affordable prices with nicely-crafted beverages.

Fancy a walk in the world of tea? - TWG Orchard ION

Whenever I walk pass TWG, I always see tai-tais dressed in their finest, sipping tea elegantly and nibbling on the dainty snacks served here. Well, that's the impression I get: TWG = expensive and so not suitable for me. ^__^ I am no tai-tai and find it quite uncomfortable to eat at a fine dining place where my biggest grouse is usually how the price of food does not match up to its portion nor the satisfaction I derive after consuming it. That's why I've been rather reluctant to try TWG because I think I'll be the odd one out here struggling to behave like a fine lady.

However, while at ION one Saturday evening and being extremely famished with no more energy to find other dining options, TWG seemed to become welcoming all of a sudden especially with the lack of a queue. That was rare, I thought because it was a weekend night so I decided to give it a shot and see what the fuss is all about.

The decor of the place was posh with nice arm chairs, white tablecloths and fine cutlery. However, it was a bit disappointing to see that the tea stirrer spoon wasn't polished properly and looked a bit dirty. Other than that, I thought the surroundings gave off the vibe of a fine French restaurant except that this should be more like a tea specialty cafe with its half-open air concept (no roof but the surroundings are boarded up in glass). Metal cans of tea leaves line the walls and counters so you can imagine the number of options you can find here. To be frank, the choices are so many that I did felt overwhelmed. Thankfully, they have this Tea Book which has a description on the teas they offer so you can refer to before you make your choice. Due to the sheer amount of teas, they are classified by location of production and some places will have a longer list compared to others. However, if you prefer to make a choice quickly, you can get the staff to make recommendations based on the food items you order and your mood or preferences so that you can skip reading this book. Nonetheless, I thought it was a pretty informative guide, just that it's a bit too thick to read in a restaurant.

I was in the mood for something minty so I didn't seek the help of the staff despite this being my first visit. Maybe I should try doing this the next time I visit TWG? Anyway, I wanted something minty and refreshing so I ordered this mint white tea (can't remember the exact name) which came in a regular-sized glass teapot.

 What I've noticed that depending on the tea you order, the pots come in different shapes and sizes. At least from what I notice, there are teas which use small metal pots and some which have much larger pots. I wonder if it had to do with the intensity or should I say how thick the tea's flavour is supposed to be so it was rather interesting to see pots of various sizes and materials on the tables. In my case, the tea leaves looked like a flower rather than a cluster of leaves which I usually see in my teas. The flavour was a bit mild at first but as you let it simmer for a longer time, the flavour of the tea is gradually released and the mint taste lingers on even hours after I finished my meal. Not too bad a choice at all.

 As for the main course, I ordered chicken ragout which is essentially roasted chicken cooked in a rich Red of Africa Tea infused sauce with potatoes, olives and shallots. Frankly speaking, the taste of the chicken and the potatoes were OK but the sauce took a bit of adjusting to. A good thing was that the chicken parts used were the drumstick and thigh which were more tender than breast meat so this scored some points with me. The meat had absorbed the sauce fully which was also a plus point. Maybe it's because I'm new to this type of tea so I found it a bit difficult to accept initially. In addition, the portion of this dish was not that big so I didn't really feel full after eating this. I pondered a long time before deciding on the main course since the rest of the options didn't impress me at all. It would have been nice if there was a wider variety of choices for the main course section.

Since the tea pastries here are supposedly more well-known than its meal options and there was room for more food, it was decided that we should get some desserts. First up was the chocolate fudge which consisted of a rich chocolate cake served with a scoop of homemade Singapore Breakfast Tea ice cream and a sweet morello cherry marmalade. The cake on its own was passable, nothing too impressive or anything to complain about but when eaten together with the tea ice cream, the marriage of these two flavours wowed me. The cake was slightly on the sweet side while the ice cream's strong fragrance helped to take away a bit of the cake's richness and made it taste smoother somehow. When the ice cream was eaten on its own, I liked the taste too because it was not overly sweet and each mouthful felt rather refreshing. Maybe it's because of the fact that it's made of breakfast tea which is supposed to rejuvenate people as they start the day so the tea ice cream didn't felt like an overwhelming lump of sugar.

The other dessert we ordered was the matcha financiers which were heated up so it was slightly warm when it came to the table. On its own, the green tea flavour in the financiers was easily noticeable even before taking the first bite and I really liked the texture of the pastry which was moist and fluffy at the same time. On many occasions, I've tasted financiers which were either too moist that the buttery smell proved too much for me or too dry that I needed tea or some other beverage to wash it down with. Thankfully, TWG's version got the right balance and successfully impressed me again with the high quality of their tea pastries. Looks like I have to be back again soon to try its other pastries but I may not be so keen about the other items on its menu though.

The pastries actually do come with two options i.e. whipped cream and tea jelly which you can eat together with your tea pastries such as financiers, madeleines, muffins, scones, caneles, croissant, cinnamon roll or Swiss brioche. I had assumed that the whipped cream would be too rich for me but surprisingly, it tasted quite light and matched the financiers to a T. However, I think the tea jelly really nailed it for me because the rich tea flavour actually helped to elevate the matcha taste in the financier and make it a memorable taste which is hard to forget. In fact, the tea jelly impressed me so much that I had the urge to buy some back but I later found out that there are multiple flavours for the tea jelly so I have to figure out first which was the one that impressed me.

In all, I think the first experience at TWG was a bag of hits and misses. While I truly liked the tea and tea pastries, I think the main course paled in comparison. Of course, this is largely due to my personal preference so I'm sure there would be others who are fans of this dish. Nevertheless, after this first attempt, TWG doesn't seem to be that intimidating to step in anymore just that you probably need to be a bit more conscious of the price when ordering if you are on a tight budget. The pastries are generally OK but it's the other dishes which tend to be on the steep side. Other than that, service was great but this place is probably more suited for tea time or after-meal chit chats rather than a full-course experience.

Review of the "50 Years of Television" exhibition

I was under the impression that this exhibition would be as its name suggests i.e. a look into the history of TV for the past 50 years. However, it was rather disappointing on several counts and I did feel misled by its title and what it suggested would be covered.

First of all, the scale of the exhibition was considerably small especially when you are talking about 50 years of content to be covered. It took me slightly less than 15 minutes to cover the whole area even though I thought I had been taking my own sweet time taking photos and looking at the displayed items. Of course, considering that 50 years is a long time, it is impossible to expect that everything can be covered but I would have liked the scale of the exhibition to be bigger and more inclusive.

Secondly, the title of the exhibition was rather misleading because the afterthought of viewing this was that, did I just look at the history of MediaCorp only? Isn't the title of the exhibition "50 Years of TV"? The "convenient" omission of MediaCorp's competitors such as the now-defunct Mediaworks and entry and proliferation of cable TV were so obvious that I think the title needs to be changed to "50 Years of MediaCorp".

Thirdly, the selection criteria of items or content to be featured was bewildering, if not inconsistent. The emphasis of the TV programmes highlighted were mostly Chinese dramas thus there was little mention of variety programmes which I think deserved quite a bit of attention too. Channel 5 had its fair share of hits too but only "Phua Chu Kang" was featured. Where does that put "Under One Roof" or "Growing Up" then? I think it would have been better to feature different zones for various content i.e. one for Chinese dramas and one for variety shows, one for Channel 5 dramas or sitcoms, one for the development of TV  over the years in the lives of Singaporeans, one for changes in the equipment or technology used to produce TV programmes etc. Information displayed in the form of trivia e.g.which TV drama was the top-rated in the 80s, 90s and 2000s would be quite interesting to see. More effort also needs to be put into the writeup for each of the displays because I think they are quite bland to read. And if this exhibition is meant to be for all to enjoy, surely you need to have the content translated in the four official languages? I saw a lot of elderly people at the exhibition and I'm sure the English content didn't help them in understanding the displays better. Even in the small number of Chinese words used in the writeups, I could spot at least one mistake i.e. the name of Yang Guo which I think reflects badly on whoever should be responsible for the exhibition because of this lack of QC.

The biggest problem with this exhibition is, it tried to do everything and made a mess out of it by not having a focus theme. In the end, I didn't really gain much new knowledge on top of what I already know and it was such a pity.

*Side note: I wrote this review last night but surprisingly, an article appeared in the evening news today with the same criticism as what I have mentioned above. So I guess I'm not the only one who has issues with this exhibition? ^__^

If I have to name the two highlights of this exhibition, they are actually not so related to it in a sense. First of all, the feature of magazine covers from I Weekly and 8 Days on the wall was a welcome walk into history as you see some of the more notable cover pictures of stars, some as far back as 20 over years ago. I would have preferred to see more of the covers though but given the scale of the exhibition, it would have been difficult to ask for more. The problem is, this section felt pretty much standalone and it would have been better to weave it into the central theme e.g. saying which cover was for which TV production and offering some titbit info on what went on behind the scenes for the production of these covers. Otherwise, just showing the covers alone would take a bit of effort on the part of the visitor to recall the linkage with TV programmes.

On the second floor, you might miss this wall of photos unless you walk into the interior part of the museum and catch a glimpse of it from the ground floor. This wall of photos features some of the most memorable characters or stars which I think works better than most of the exhibits in the main exhibition. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, it's not possible to be as inclusive as possible but I think it's commendable that they had this at least. Otherwise, I think the exhibition would have seriously flunked in my eyes for being totally ineffective.

Just next to this display and on the reverse of this wall, is a special feature of the ongoing big production on Channel 8 i.e. The Voyage. I watch this drama from time to time but I wouldn't count myself as an avid viewer. What was interesting wasn't the display of the costumes of four of the characters but rather the production process shown at the back of the photo wall. It shows the amount of effort and technology in making the drama while giving you a background of the historical setting of the story. Quite informative, I would say but I think it deserves a better place to be displayed because I'm sure many people would not have known that there was something behind the photo collage wall. Wonder who was doing the space planning, really leaves much to be desired.

In conclusion, I probably would not recommend that people go for this exhibition especially if you already have a fair bit of knowledge about local TV programmes. It basically doesn't offer enough insight or additional information to spark your interest and the selection of displayed items just isn't inclusive enough to satisfy the needs of most visitors. It's also not so user-friendly towards people who can't understand English. I think you might be better off satisfying your curiousity via the Internet where you can get access to multimedia content rather than cold displays you see from this exhibition.

Review of Tonkotsu Itto (Ramen Champion - Bugis+)

Tonkotsu Itto is one of the newest competitors at Ramen Champion's outlet in Bugis+ and takes over the spot vacated by Ikkousha which has ventured into Tanjong Pagar with their own shop. Hailing from Tokyo, Tonkotsu Itto's specialty is in tonkotsu ramen rather than the usual soy-sauce flavour chicken-based broth which is a bit unusual considering its origins. And precisely because it is now occupying Ikkousha's previous spot and sells a similar style of ramen like theirs, I find myself comparing Itto's version with Ikkousha's somewhat unconsciously.

It was a pretty quiet Saturday afternoon when I visited so there wasn't any queue at most, if not all of the stalls. Ordering was a breeze but the time taken to prepare the ramen was somewhat longer than expected. I wonder if it had been that the stoves were turned off during the afternoon lull and the staff needed some time to get the right temperature to cook the ramen. Anyway, the wait wasn't that unbearable but it was a surprise to get a bowl of ramen which felt somewhat lukewarm instead of piping hot. And I certainly don't think I took such a long time to take pictures that it lost its warmth so rapidly so the lukewarm serving was probably deliberate.

At first sip, the soup felt somewhat close to Ikkousha's standard but a bit toned down. For people who don't like their tonkotsu soup to be too rich, Itto's version would suit you better. Coupled with the sesame seeds (you can help yourself to them at the counter), it brings out a nice fragrance in the broth. However, I thought that the body of the soup wasn't consistent because when I got to the bottom of the bowl, the flavour turned out to be quite bland instead of the other way round. I'm not sure if there was a conscious effort in trying to change the original taste to suit local taste buds but I think Itto's version of the soup wasn't as memorable as Santouka's or Keisuke's although I admit the latter two can tend to be a bit oily depending on what you order.

As for the noodles, I thought it wasn't cooked thoroughly and with the crunchy black fungus, it was a different type of texture I had never experienced before. Most noodles tend to be infused with the broth and could be slurped up very smoothly. Itto may have wanted the noodles to avoid being overcooked and coordinate with the black fungus to give a surprise to their customers but personally, I prefer my noodles to be flavourful and not overcooked at the same time. Itto scores in the texture aspect but taste-wise, the noodles felt rather bland if you try to eat it on its own without the broth.

With regard to the chashu, I think it's of a good thickness and quite tender. However, that's also its slight flaw because Itto's version of the chashu at this standard can be easily found elsewhere and it needs a stronger distinguishing factor in this item to win over fans who are meat lovers.

On the whole, I think Itto's version of the ramen is good in its own way but in order to stand out from the competition, there is a need to have a stronger selling point in order to catch the attention of those who go to Ramen Champion. Being situated right inside the restaurant has its challenges because people can easily bypass you. To win like what Ikkousha achieved, Itto must find their selling point and capitalise on it. It's as if Itto is an all-rounder right now with credible performance in every aspect but if I have to name something they are very good at, I struggle to come up with an answer.

Last but not least, my favourite side dish whenever I have ramen. Just like Itto's ramen, I also struggle to find fault with this dish. It's not bad yet not superbly interesting to entice me back. One bugbear I have with their gyoza is probably the lack of consistency when it comes to cooking them. As you can see from the photo, the first gyoza didn't have that golden brown skin as seen in the other pieces which seems to suggest uneven cooking. Some of the pieces were even charred at the edges. I like my gyoza to be crispy and yet succulent at the same time which is seriously a huge challenge so that's why I can't  find a version to date which has truly awed me beyond words. Despite the less-than-desirable appearance, the quality of the taste is still acceptable but I think the filling needs a bit more seasoning. If you dip it in the chili oil and vinegar, it easily overwhelms the palette and you really can't taste what's inside the gyoza because it is beaten hands down in terms of flavour.

So the dust has settled? Or so it seems, for the time being.

The news has finally been confirmed. Taewoong, Sikyung and Haejin are leaving the 1n2d. I guess for the first two, they have their other work activities to think of. Taewoong just announced his involvement in a new cable drama a few days back while there is word that Sikyung needs the time to work on his album. Haejin also has his acting projects to think of but it's still sad to see him leave after such a short time on the show.

What's more surprising is the manner how Sugeun has bowed out from 1n2d. It just reminds a lot of how Mong and Hodong left the show against their own will. In Mong's case, although it's been some time since his case was closed, he still hasn't made his comeback. I think the trauma of the backlash against him was very overwhelming and hurting so it really made him lose the confidence to restart his career. Hodong did make his comeback but not without some setbacks in the beginning. Sugeun's situation is somewhat in between the two of them. Although he is a famous comedian and host, his status in showbiz still pales in comparison to Hodong prior to his scandal so it will be quite difficult and time-consuming before he makes a comeback. Coupled with that, he still has two young kids to take care of and his wife's health condition wasn't that good too. Since he has already admitted to the illegal gambling charges, I won't dwell too much on this or criticise him for what he did. All I have to say is, if not for this case, Sugeun might not have left the show which he has stuck with for so long. I feel for his family especially since he had been under so much pressure to keep the show going after all these changes and support his family but this scandal will no doubt make it difficult for him to continue his career for a period of time. If only he had left on a voluntary basis and not under the shadow of such a scandal...

Now, it seems like there are at least two new names being said to be the "confirmed" new cast members of season 3. Actor Kim Joohyuk and rock singer Jung Joonyoung are said to be joining Jongmin and Taehyun in the new season. I suppose there may be more new names to be announced soon? I've only seen Kim Joohyuk in one of his dramas Terroir which wasn't very exciting but I vaguely remember seeing him on Running Man before. Still, I wonder how he will be like in 1n2d. As for Jung, I really have no idea who he is so I will be getting to know him through the show.

Not again! Rumoured departures from 1n2d?

I am so sick of such news, really.

Rumours are going around that KBS is planning a season 3 of 1n2d after a PD change and impending departures of Sung Si Kyung, Yoo Hae Jin and Kim Jong Min. Just when PD Lee has finally come up with some "better episodes" (the recent Campus 24 Hours episodes were the most enjoyable I've seen in recent days) and the cast is finally starting to gel together, this had to happen. Did PD Lee lose his job because the ratings were bad? Then again, their main competitor Running Man is also suffering from low ratings too because competition is getting so much stiffer in the same timeslot with many options available. Yet, you don't see them changing the cast or PDs so readily as if it's a game of musical chairs. And the Running Man cast was very frank about the state of things and stated in recent interviews that they try to focus on their programme rather than worry about the figures which is beyond their control. So why is 1n2d being "punished" for having equally low ratings?  Was it because 1n2d was so successful in the past that any drop in the figure becomes an unforgivable sin?

Ratings simply do not tell the whole story about the quality of a show. However, in reality, that's how they usually get judged because advertisers look at the ratings to decide where to buy CM slots in. I admit, 1n2d has lost its shine over the years but I think it also has to do with the series of changes it went through. Starting from the time Jong Min rejoined the cast, Kim C left, Mong had to leave because of his military service scandal, Ho Dong leaving due to the tax evasion scandal, addition of new cast members (Uhm Tae Woong, Kim Seungwoo, Joo Won, Si Kyung, Tae Hyun, Haejin), departures of the original core six (Seunggi and Jiwon) and departures of the "new members" (Seungwoo and Joo Won), you cannot deny that these changes hurt the stability of the show. With each change, the cast must adjust its momentum to suit one another again. Just when things get on track, they have to change again. How can you blame the viewers from jumping off the bandwagon if they have to sit around waiting for everyone to find their footing again? Especially for those who remember the heydays of the core six, the comparison becomes even harsher and less forgiving to the new people who come into the show.

Of all people who could have quit the show, I didn't expect it to be Jong Min. He pulled through such tough times when he was criticised for being not funny and causing the departure of Kim C (which had nothing to do with him since Kim C wanted to pursue his music career and frankly didn't seem to enjoy his variety persona as much as the rest) so why on earth is he pulling out of a show which he spent so much time and effort and put his soul into? For the sake of Koyote's activities? For some other work activities? I seriously don't get it. Haejin being the newest addition to the cast, he has impressed me with his quiet and hardworking style but honestly, he sometimes does not get enough airtime and doesn't seem to be the one to initiate the laughs. Maybe he is indeed finding it tough to keep going? As for Si Kyung, rumour has it that he wants to concentrate on being a singer. Well, if you ask me, I think the idiot Sung image probably gets in the way of his ballad prince image but that has also made him more endearing to the public. It's a double-edged sword, I guess. You get the awareness and popularity but have to overcome the impression the viewers already have of you.

This is when I remember Tae Woong's words to Tae Hyun when they were on the Bau Trail which I thought really hit the spot when I first watched that episode. When asked about his thoughts on 1n2d, Tae Woong said, "You know what? You leased or rented an apartment but the owner just fled and now I own it. And I can't sell it. I can't do anything with it. And the maintenance is expensive. It was hard for me at first because I didn't feel like a permanent member. I felt like I was a guest. Actors usually come as guests. So I got here, and the others were so good, and it was fun to watch them. I had no idea I would be doing stuff like this." It's really true when you come to think of it because out of the original six members, only Sugeun remains. From being a newbie member to being one of the "old" cast members from season 1, Tae Woong must have really felt that he has some responsibility towards the show and can't leave it easily even though he wasn't doing it right from the start.

And that makes me wonder at the same time, is it better to let the show go out on a high note rather than let it suffer brickbats and add further insult to injury as it gets ridiculed for the low ratings? I have a lot of feelings and memories of 1n2d since I've been watching it since 2008. That's a long 5 years I've spent with the show. However, it pains me to see it suffering from bad reviews, all these changes and departures of its cast. Sometimes, I feel that if someone's not going to be in for the long haul, they might as well not come in at all. Of course, for the people who left, I believe they had their own reasons to do so and understand their problems but you just can't help feeling as if they abandoned the rest of us i.e. the crew, cast and viewers. I don't mean everyone though, I just feel this way towards some of them.

If there is an intention to revive the show, they have to do more than to go to the same places in Korea all the time. More must be done to make the travels and games more enjoyable to watch. Editing must be consistent and not be all over the place. And staying focused is important rather than trying to do everything at once. If it's better to have the cast together during shoots, don't send them on small group missions because it affects the air time proportion and fluidity of the show. The thing is, will anyone do something before it's too late? Or will the so-called season 3 hold new promise with its cast additions if the rumours are indeed true? Seems like more news will follow after the shoot this weekend so I'm keeping my eyes open for the updates. In the meantime, enjoy it while you can!

Comfort food at a premium - Tonkichi (Tampines Mall)

Whenever I crave for tonkatsu, I usually go to Tonkichi to satisfy my desire. It's not to say that other places can't serve up decent versions of this because there are many other Japanese eating places which I've never tried before. It's just that among those which I've been to, I still prefer Tonkichi's version.

The common grouse which I have with tonkatsu is that the batter is too thick, the meat tastes too dry due to overcooking and loss of moisture in the meat or the aftertaste is too oily. Tonkichi never fails to serve up a good dish of tonkatsu and my favourite is the Kurobuta which contains lots of meat juices and doesn't taste dry at all. Paired with the thinly-sliced and crunchy cabbage, the savoury sauce and light but still flavourful miso soup, the kurobuta set always gives me lots of satisfaction. However, there is a stronger smell of pork compared to the usual types of pork used in tonkatsu so for people who may not like the meaty smell, perhaps the other types of pork offered by Tonkichi might suit you better. In addition, some of the dishes here tend to be a bit pricier compared to other places so you may not want to choose the kurobuta version if budget is a concern here.

I also tried two dishes which I've not tasted before, the first being the potato croquette. Surprisingly, it was larger than I expected since most places have this at usually half the size of what Tonkichi served up.. The crust tasted somewhat similar to the tonkatsu's version which was a bit unusual among the different types of croquette I've tasted. Since the crust is very thin and relatively oil-free, the filling is quite substantial as seen from the photo. What I liked about the filling was that there were some bits of potato which I could taste rather than a paste-like mashed potato filling. The uneven texture made a simple dish like this a bit different from the norm so I was pleasantly surprised by this offering which turned out to be better than expected.

As for the kushiyaki, I ordered the tsukune and momo with leek. The tsukune looked slightly bigger than usual so two sticks of this was rather filling. I assumed that the tsukune might taste a bit dry and tough but it defied my expectations and turned out to be moist and had absorbed the sauce fully. However, the same cannot be said for the momo which I would have expected the texture to be smoother than breast meat but turned out to be quite tasteless. It could be that the momo was not so well-marinated or the nature of the cut made it more difficult to absorb the sauce as compared to the tsukune. On the other hand, the leek seemed to be slightly overcooked as it had lost its crunchiness which I felt was a pity.

For a place like Tonkichi which is known for its specialty in tonkatsu dishes, I tend to be a bit more wary about ordering dishes outside their niche area since it can be a mix of hits and misses. This is exactly how I felt this time because the croquette and tsukune impressed me but the momo was kinda disappointing. Then again, I can't expect it to be good at everything so I'll be content to head there for my comfort food once in a while.