Croissants from St.Marc Cafe (Vivocity)

The crowds at St.Marc Cafe were always a deterrent for me. I don't really like places where it's difficult to find a table or it's hard to relax when the whole place is filled with people. As such, even though I've always wanted to try the food here, I've never done so because of this reason. I thought that it must be fated that I couldn't visit a St.Marc's Cafe because it seems so popular and is never empty, be it in Singapore or Japan!

When I passed by the Vivocity outlet on a weekday night, it was still pretty crowded despite it being after 9pm. However, I was feeling a bit peckish and decided to buy St.Marc's croissants as takeaway instead despite feeling an urge to try their desserts as well. Given the difficulty in finding a table, I dropped the dessert idea and headed for the pastries. The natural choice was to buy the signature chococro and there were a number of different flavours being offered. Anything matcha or green tea would catch my eye most of the time so I got really tempted by the green tea-azuki version and decided to get it along with chococro because it was difficult to pick either one of them.

The chococro's croissant was quite fragrant and the layers were rather crispy and tasty. However, the chocolate filling didn't impress me too much so my overall view of this is that it's a bit overrated. I've tasted better versions of the chocolate croissant where the filling is not as hard as St.Marc's version as if it's a frozen chocolate bar. Luckily, the green-tea azuki version won me over with the two fillings which were compatible with each other. Just a side thought though, the azuki paste seemed to look like taro so I wouldn't have known that it's azuki if I didn't see the product tag.

Will I go back for more from St.Marc? Maybe, only if it's less crowded. Will I go back for the croissants? Yes for the green tea version, not so much for chococro, I guess. It's just a case of personal tastes so don't let my views deter you from giving this a shot because you may just like it better than I did. ^__^

Sneak preview of "La Cure Gourmande" (Ngee Ann City)

Visiting La Cure Gourmande was unplanned, if not totally unexpected. It just so happened that yesterday was their opening day and coincidentally, I was at Ngee Ann City and their colourful shop decor and enticing display of biscuits and chocolates etc. lured me to check things out. I don't know if they publicised their opening anywhere else other than through their Facebook page but there were quite a lot of people in the shop so I guess they might be curious first-timers like me or people who have been to their shops in France or elsewhere.

La Cure Gourmande originated from France in 1989 and sells chocolates, confectionery and biscuits. Although there are other stores selling similar products, La Cure Gourmande's shop front is somewhat different in a few ways. In other places, biscuits are usually sold in pre-packaged form while candy is sold in clear displays and sold on the basis of their weights but in La Cure Gourmande, the biscuits are displayed in a clear shelf at the front of the shop and sold by weight. You can do a mix-and-match if you buy in this manner. For those who prefer prepacked biscuits, there are mini versions which are sold in single or mixed flavours. The chocolates are also sold in a similar manner. In addition, it does look like there is a lot of thought put into the packaging with the boxes for the biscuits said to be designed by the founders. Last but not least, the staff at the shop (who are called Sunshines as per what their Facebook page says) are very friendly and eager to introduce their products but this being their first day, I think they still need some time to get on track because one lady was stumped when I asked where I can see the expiry date on the madeleines' packaging and had to ask her colleague.

As there were only two varieties of cookies which could be sampled, I wasn't sure if I wanted to buy so many biscuits at one go especially when I didn't have the time to choose. It was then when the madeleines caught my eye and the variety of flavours was quite enticing. There were the plain, chocolate, orange, raspberry, blueberry and caramel versions which were either sold on their own at $2 each or sold in a package of 10+2 free at $20. I selected the blueberry, orange and chocolate versions as pictured above.

With regard to the texture of the madeleines, I felt that it was a bit too dense and dry. I don't know if it is due to the packaging which seemed a bit crumpled as if the air-vacuuming wasn't done properly so it could have affected the taste. As for the flavouring, I liked the orange version best because the orange scent could be picked up easily and the taste was consistent in the parts with the filling and without. For the blueberry version, the filling was kinda insufficient so for the parts where the filling couldn't be tasted, it was too bland for my liking. The chocolate version was fine overall but I think it didn't wow me in any particular way.

Since there are still many things which I've yet to try from La Cure Gourmande, I may follow up with another post about their biscuits and chocolates. If you have any thoughts about their products or would like to share your recommendations about their products, please kindly share them with me.

Unexpected discovery in Tanjong Pagar - Quarter to Three

After a less-than-satisfactory dinner, I was on the way to a cafe further down the stretch of shophouses along Tanjong Pagar Road with a friend when we chanced upon this little and cosy cafe named Quarter to Three. Noting how it seemed to be a good place to continue our chat (noisy and crowded cafes are not our cup of tea), we decided to give this place a shot instead. And it proved to be a good decision after all.

Due to the fact that the place is not big, the cafe can fill up pretty quickly. Sometime after our arrival, there was a big group of 10 but they had to split themselves up into two tables since there wasn't a table to accommodate everyone As such, if you are here with a smaller group, it will be easier for you to find seats and save yourself the agony of having to split the group.

We were seated just in front of the cake display fridge and it took us a fair bit of time to decide what we wanted to order. I counted at least 6 cakes in the regular size and another 6 in the "elevated" size (as in the cakes were taller than the usual type). Variety is definitely not an issue here and in fact, I felt like I was spoilt for choice.

The flavours also featured rather unique combinations not seen elsewhere (or so I think because I've not seen these flavours at another place) e.g. cherry and lemon cake or peanut butter brownie cheesecake. I also like the fact that they had some quirky names for their cakes e,g, Her Majesty for the red velvet cake and She's so heavy for the double chocolate cake. Usually, in cafes of this size, the selection of cakes is pretty limited but Quarter to Three defied my expectations in a good way. Perhaps due to the fact that it is also a bakery which supplies whole cakes for takeaway or business is brisk, they can afford to make so many types of cakes. However, it does seem like the offerings can differ from time to time so you may find some flavours not available at times. Besides cakes, there were also light bites and desserts in the menu so you'll probably need to come here multiple times to try everything.

My friend ordered the tiramisu in a jar and one mouthful was all it took to blow me away. I even bought one jar as takeaway because I couldn't resist the temptation after staring at it in the cake display for the whole evening. I'm quite particular about my tiramisu but it's been quite disappointing not to find anything with that perfect texture and dosage of liquor to satisfy my taste buds. Sometimes, the mascarpone cheese was too overwhelming. At times, there was too little of the liquor. On some occasions, the tiramisu was too soggy. Quarter to Three's version was everything I wish for in a tiramisu. Perhaps it might not be so for others but at least for me, it had the best texture, the right amount of liquor without being too underwhelming or overwhelming and best of all, the liquid chocolate poured into the jar and mixed with the tiramisu just before serving was literally the icing on the cake. I will definitely go back for more of this and try other cakes too.

As for me, I decided on the rainbow cake almost immediately because I've never eaten rainbow cake before and the colours were so welcoming. There were two versions i.e. the while cream version and the chocolate frosting. When it was served, I was quite surprised at how good it looked with the dripping chocolate sauce. Some cafes usually just place the cake on the plate but Quarter to Three actually bothered to draw something on the plate (no doubt simple as it looks) for which I think is worth commending. The texture of the sponge cakes which form the rainbow layers was just nice for me, not too dry and not too moist. However, if you just eat the cake on its own, it didn't really impress me. Maybe that's how rainbow cakes should taste like? On the other hand, when eaten together with the chocolate layers sandwiched between each layer of the cake, it accentuated the flavour and improved my view of this cake. The chocolate, although not overly sweet, does taste a bit rich so can be a bit overwhelming who prefer lighter flavours.

On the whole, Quarter to Three is a nice place to hang out and have some nice desserts. Note that they only accept cash and Nets and you must pay at the time of ordering. If you wish to find out more about them, you can go to their website or Facebook page. It would have been nice if they feature the range of cakes they have on their website which looks very bare and not very informational. I surely won't mind looking at photos of delicious cakes! Although I wasn't that impressed by the rainbow cake, the whole ambience and laid-back feel of the cafe plus the tiramisu which won me over means that I'll be back there again pretty soon.

Review of Leonardo Da Vinci's Earlier Mona Lisa exhibition

Da Vinci seems to be a popular theme in exhibitions these days, with one about his life and his multi talents as an artist, mathematician, scientist and architect at the ArtScience Museum (more on that another day) and this focusing entirely on an earlier version of Mona Lisa which was discovered in 2012. It's been said that the Mona Lisa is one of the most recognised female faces in history and it's common knowledge that the painting is displayed at The Louvre in Paris, France. As such, when you hear about this so-called "Earlier Mona Lisa", you will probably wonder, where did this painting come from and is it really from Da Vinci himself?

This exhibition is held at the Arts House at the Old Parliament, the oldest surviving government building in Singapore. To be honest, as a Singaporean, I had never visited this place before so if not for this exhibition, it might have taken me longer to find out about this place. I thought it was a great venue to hold this exhibition especially with the British colonial facade of the building projecting an air of class and elegance. The exhibition gallery isn't too big which is a plus too because you don't have to walk too much just to see everything. However, be warned that there is quite a lot of content to go through but there are chairs provided in the gallery for you to sit down while watching the videos on your personal tablet.

 Unlike most exhibitions which have the content displayed on the boards/walls and have some interactive stations littered along the way, the experience here is very much personalised. You get a free tablet to use at the entrance with headphones which means that you can control the pace which you go through the exhibition and can replay videos if need be. There are transcripts for the videos too so understanding the content (sometimes in heavily accented English) is not an issue. And since Singapore is a multilingual society, it's good that they have the content in English and Chinese. Ideally, it would have been good to have it in Malay and Tamil too for all races but I guess since this is the first stop of the exhibition, the organisers probably did not consider this or there were constraints preventing this from being a feasible option. Might be something worth considering if they move the exhibition to another place where there is more than one predominant language in use. Another good feature I found about the tablets was the segregation of content meant for children and adults. To be honest, if the kids were to use the adult version of the tablet, it might be too difficult for them to understand the content and their attention span might be shortened as a result. I didn't get access to the children's version though but from what I observed from the kids who were there with their parents, they seemed to enjoy the content which had cartoon characters popping up on the screen. Last but not least, having the content to yourself in the form of the tablet and headphones meant that there was little noise in the gallery other than the sound of footsteps so the entire experience was rather comfortable.

To put things simply, there are three main sections in this exhibition i.e. the historical evidence pointing to why the Earlier Mona Lisa or otherwise known as Isleworth Mona Lisa was regarded as Da Vinci's work and why it was believed to be drawn before the Louvre version that's widely known, the scientific and mathematical tests proving why the Earlier Mona Lisa was indeed Da Vinci's work and last but not least, the views of both paintings from experts. In order not to spoil the fun for you who have not been to the exhibition, I wouldn't go into great detail on the content. Instead, I would just like to share my thoughts on this exhibition.

First of all, I think I finally understand the meaning of "a picture is really worth a thousand words". I don't consider myself really artistically-inclined and the last paintings I did were back in school which is pretty long ago. I don't remember giving much thought to drawing or painting at that time since it was usually more of a whimsical nature i.e. whatever inspiration I had then, it was translated into what I drew or there was a preset theme to adhere to. However, when you look at the supporting evidence especially about the analysis of Da Vinci's drawing style and the mathematical theories embedded within, it struck me that perhaps a picture is really not just what it seemed on the surface and that the artist could have done a lot more to put in hidden themes or knowledge which were not evident to most people. To think that the Mona Lisa Foundation could have done so much work in such a short period of time to put together such a compelling exhibition! It was truly a very enriching and educational experience and one of the most enjoyable exhibitions I've been to in recent years.

Secondly, the concept of "seeing is believing" was what hit me after seeing the expert views section and the real painting. Although the evidence presented is rather compelling, there are of course people who may choose to believe otherwise for one reason or another. What I find quite bewildering is that the experts who chose not to believe that the Earlier Mona Lisa was painted by Da Vinci actually refused to see the painting in person which would have been the perfect opportunity for them to offer their counter arguments. Unfortunately, their resistance to do so seems to suggest a reluctance to accept the notion that the Louvre version may have been the second Mona Lisa painting rather than based on sound facts. That is why the quote from Da Vinci shown at the end of the exhibition seems to be reflective of the situation that the Mona Lisa Foundation is facing with these experts who hold different views without observing the real painting: "There are three classes of people: those who see, those who see when they are shown, those who do not see.".

Last but not least, after visiting this exhibition, it got me thinking about how the revelation of the Earlier Mona Lisa would affect the Louvre version in any way or would it not? Frankly speaking, both paintings may have been based on the same woman but there are significant differences between the two due to the gap in time when they were painted. Besides, the Earlier Mona Lisa is regarded as an unfinished piece of work. As such, in my personal view, even if the Earlier Mona Lisa exists, it wouldn't actually threaten the Louvre version in terms of the interest level or undermine its value as a Da Vinci work. Then again, in life, when there are two similar people or things, they may actually be able to co-exist without one being regarded as better than the other. However, because there is always the desire to compare and be regarded more highly than the other, it may not work as ideally thus there would be differing views on which is better. However, the impression I get from this exhibition is that, the Earlier Mona Lisa isn't positioned to be a replacement or a more superior version of the same painting by Da Vinci. I feel that it can co-exist with the Louvre version as originals from Da Vinci and there really isn't a need to say which is better.

If you have the time and would like to find out more about this painting, do check out this exhibition before it ends on 11 February. The next stop will be in Hong Kong from end March to early June. For more details, you may wish to visit this website.

Creative sweet treats @ Createaf Waffles (The Cathay)

Happened to come across Createaf Waffles' Facebook page by chance thus decided to head there for a quick snack before a movie. I am a fan of pancakes and waffles and the like but I've not been to that many places which specialise in these items. As such, it was a rather novel experience to be at Createaf Waffles and see the extensive combinations they can come up with for a plain-looking waffle, be it with different ice-cream flavours, fruits or toppings.

I opted for a relatively no-frills option for my first visit and that was the waffle with maple syrup and two scoops of ice-cream (matcha and rum & raisin flavours). It took a while for the waffle to be served as the tables were all occupied and it appeared as if the staff were making waffles one by one. As such, the waffle arrived piping hot which is a plus point but the wait could have been much shorter. Talking about the texture of the waffle, it was crispy on the outside but the interior seemed a bit too thin so I would have preferred it to be a tad thicker and more substantial. Otherwise, it felt too much like I was merely eating the crispy crust on the outside and nothing but air inside.

In addition, I think the staff were either a bit too generous with the maple syrup or the interior of the waffle was too thin thus resulting in the syrup seeping into the waffle so quickly that I felt that the waffle was saturated with maple syrup and it was too sweet for my liking. Given that the waffle had been served almost immediately after it had been made, there could be two ways to overcome this issue i.e. either making the waffle thicker or going easy on the maple syrup.

As for the ice-cream, the rum & raisin flavour was nothing impressive while the matcha fared slightly better because I could still taste a tinge of the matcha. I should probably try other ice-cream flavours during my future visits.

In conclusion, I think Createaf's waffles are slightly better than the norm served as desserts at non-specialty waffle places but there are some minor points which I think needs tweaking i.e. the service speed, the ratio of syrup with the waffle and toppings as well as the ice-cream flavours which needs more distinction to make them more appealing and distinctive to the palette. I would probably go back to try other combinations in time to come but it will take a bit more to make me a regular given that I rarely head to that area.

The first Singapore Teochew Festival 2014 - Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza

 In conjunction with the celebration of The Teochew Poit Ip Huay Kuan's 85th anniversary, the clan has organised the Singapore Teochew Festival which began from 25 September and will run till 5th October. Promotional efforts for this festival began with some very catchy jingles which can be seen on Facebook and YouTube where people from various ages and all genders gather to sing the jingle in the Teochew dialect. Broadly translated, the lyrics mean "Teochew people are one family". However, this does not mean that this event is strictly meant for Teochews but it is also targeted at non-Teochews who would like to find out more about the customs, traditions and unique practices of this dialect group.

One thing very commendable about this festival despite it being the clan's first attempt at organising this was that they had the foresight or were thoughtful enough to build an air-conditioned tent at the Civic Plaza. Given the recent hazy weather which essentially means sweltering hot conditions especially during afternoons or when the venue is jam-packed with people on weekends, you can imagine how much the visitors and crew would appreciate the aircon so that it doesn't get everyone hot and bothered. If you have to jostle with the crowds while trying to look at the exhibits or Teochew-related merchandise on sale, it can be such an uncomfortable experience and will greatly reduce the willingness to spend a longer time at the event venue. The only areas which don't have the benefit of the cooling aircon are the food street and outdoor sitting area for people to have their food which I think is fine because of the use of fire to cook the food and the lingering smell of the food will not dissipate quickly in an air-conditioned room. Alternatively, if you are OK with standing while eating, there is the air-conditioned standing area with tall tables for you to eat what you buy from the food street. I chose the aircon over seating so it was very enjoyable not to be sweating over my food, literally.

Conversely, the biggest issue I had was the use of coupons to purchase items. I can imagine that the organisers had good intentions by implementing such a system so that the vendors won't have to handle the cash at the end of the day and it's less risky to hold on to the coupons rather than cash. However, for the visitors, imagine having to queue at the booths to buy the coupons and having to make sure that what you intend to buy must match the worth of the coupons you are holding on. That means you either have to check out the prices of the items you want to buy before buying the exact amount of coupons or you'll have to buy a fixed amount first and make sure you use up everything before you leave the venue. I took the second option and had a hard time deciding how best to use up the coupons at the food street. Interestingly, when I asked the crew manning the coupon booth if people are required to use coupons for the purchase of more expensive items such as jewellery (SK had a huge booth there selling gold jewellery for Teochew weddings), they confirmed so. Imagine having to buy hundreds of dollars worth of coupon first before you can buy your jewellery! Perhaps they should restrict the use of the coupons to the food street where hygiene is better maintained through the use of coupons rather than cash and the transaction amounts tend to be smaller. Seriously speaking, it's not good for the merchants too if people are put off by the idea of having to get coupons before making their purchases. Maybe cashless transactions would be the way to go for them while coupons are restricted to small items only?

Frankly speaking, even though there were some live demonstrations on Teochew art-related merchandise such as this lantern-making section and another of making clay figurines, I felt that the commercial aspect of this festival seemed to be stronger than that of the cultural aspect. It also didn't help that the portion showcasing the history of Teochews in Singapore and some of the unique practices was restricted to the far right corner of the hall so I didn't feel that it provided enough information especially for those who know close to nothing about the Teochews. There were really not that many exhibits to look at except for the traditional wedding items and those of Teochew migrants who came to Singapore and brought along items which showcased their lives then. Of course, given that this is the very first Teochew festival, sponsor support from the vendors would have mattered a lot so I guess it is normal to see the commercial aspect of the festival being more prominent. Perhaps with more feedback from the visitors and expanding the area allocated to showcasing Teochew culture, the organisers will be able to do a better job in terms of balancing these two areas in future editions of this festival.

Other than traditional items and specialty products offered at the festival, what caught my attention was a series of "modern" items i.e. using Teochew symbolic items such as png kueh, opera masks, motifs in products such as notebooks, T-shirts, canvas bags. This seemed like a move to make the Teochew culture "hip" in the eyes of the youngsters which I think it's good because clan associations tend to have an old-fashioned image. Through this festival and the marketing of such products, it rejuvenates the image of the clan associations and entices the youngsters to delve deeper into their culture through the exposure to such trendy items. Although the initiative may be good, I think there needs to be some work done to make the merchandise more attractive in terms of its quality and price. For example, I was quite interested in getting the notebook with the opera faces on the cover but seeing that there are no lines in the notebook and the binding is on top rather than at the side (didn't really suit my needs), I didn't think it was a good deal to get something like this at the steep price of $16. Perhaps something like this would have been more attractive if it was marketed at say, $10? It would also be nice if the clan association can continue to develop new product lines and make the merchandise more readily available e.g. sell it online so that the general public can still gain access to these items even after the festival ends.

Last but not least, the food street which honestly is not a long street of food stalls, is a pretty small area where I counted 9 stalls selling various signature Teochew food items like braised duck rice, bak kut teh, fishball noodles, or lua and desserts. The first item I got was the braised duck rice set which was a tad expensive at $10. Nonetheless, they gave me a drumstick's worth of meat and added a few more slices so I didn't feel that shortchanged until I came across a famous food blogger's photo of the same dish where he had his duck meat sliced nicely and thickly (compared to mine). Maybe they do treat the media and members of the public slightly differently? Anyway, this braised duck rice is from Jianye Restaurant which I admit I've not been to or never heard before. I liked the duck meat which was tender and flavourful but the sauce was a bit too salty for my liking. On hindsight, I should have told them to go easy on the sauce but given how watery it looked, I thought it wouldn't be that salty and I was so wrong about it.

To end the visit, here was the assortment of steamed snacks I got from the food street. From left to right, the Teochew meat pau, the crystal buns (savoury version on top, sweet version below) and the Teochew siew mai. The meat pau was kinda disappointing because the filing was quite little compared to the thickness of the skin. As for the crystal buns, the sweet version was slightly better although I still miss the ones I had at Ghim Moh long ago. Thankfully, the siew mai was pretty decent and surprisingly didn't taste too different from the Cantonese version which you usually get at dim sum places. I guess depending on individual tastes, your experience at the food street may be a string of hits and misses so I can't say for sure if all the items on sale there are nice or vice versa. However, I think that there are some items which seem a bit overpriced but I guess it can't be helped too at such events.

To sum it up, I think the Teochew Festival was a great success in its pre-launch marketing through the use of the jingles and social media to spread the word. Not only were there many elderly people at the festival, I saw many youngsters and people in my age group too. As such, this succeeded in bringing together people from all walks of life be it they are Teochews or not. However, more can be done on some of the aspects I highlighted above so I look forward to seeing an improved version of this festival in time to come.

Fancy nostalgia with your curry? - Curry Times (Changi Airport Terminal 3)

It seems that many eating places are going big on the nostalgia factor with old-school or retro furnishings, cutlery or traditional foods which are not widely available these days. As things around us change at breakneck speed, it is no wonder that people feel a longing for things in the past.

Curry Times, a new brand under the familiar Old Chang Kee, has a new branch at the airport's terminal 3's level B2 which is easily noticeable as soon as you exit from the MRT station. You can see various old-style items displayed at the counter area and the furniture used here are marble table-tops with wooden chairs which were seen commonly in old-style coffee shops.


As the name suggests, the selling point of this eating place would be different types of curry. Old Chang Kee prides itself as being able to produce the best curry puffs thus it seemed like a natural extension for them to open a curry-themed restaurant. First up was the curry chicken hor fun which actually looked quite presentable in the sense that the ingredients were nicely laid-out rather than scattered in a haphazard manner. Following that was the curry chicken set which you can choose to pair with the conventional choices of rice or bread or a relatively new idea of prata. I've never seen prata being offered together with curry chicken so far but since I'm not a fan of prata, I chose the tried and tested rice during my first visit and bread on a separate occasion. Actually, the curry used in the chicken hor fun and the curry rice is the same so taste-wise, they are largely the same. I like the curry here for the fact that there is no heavy curry powder smell and it is not too spicy for me. Be it whether you pair it with hor fun or rice, I think it tastes equally good. As for the bread which I suppose is a French loaf, I would have preferred it to be lightly toasted on the outside because it seems a bit too soft and mushy when eaten with the curry. A crispy exterior would have made the texture a bit more exciting and different.

Here comes the side dishes and we started off with the potato prawn ball which actually wasn't given any recommendation mark in the menu. Nonetheless, we wanted to try some unusual stuff and this wasn't something readily found elsewhere so we decided to give it a shot. Personally, I think it's not bad with a good balance of potato and the prawn and neither ingredient was too overwhelming or overly heavy in terms of proportion and flavour. However, it would have been nice to have something like a Thai sweet chilli sauce to go with this which I suppose may be better at improving the taste of this dish compared to mayonnaise. Not many people prefer the taste of creamy taste of mayonnaise with fried items but I think kids and adults would like the Thai sweet chilli sauce to go with something which looks as cute as this.

Next was otah which on the surface may seem a bit boring or nothing unusual. The catch here is that the otah was made from salmon which I've never tried or seen before. In addition, the dish looked pretty appealing on the menu so we decided to try it. However, being not so much of a fan of salmon, I think I wasn't very impressed with this. No doubt it tasted alright, the texture of the fish just felt too different from the otah I usually eat. Even if I wasn't told beforehand that this is made from salmon, I think I would still have my reservations over whether salmon is a good choice for this traditional dish. I applaud Curry Times for having the guts to do something different but I would prefer to have a more ordinary type of otah in future if they do revamp their menu.

Last but not least, we chose chendol to round up the meal. Do not assume that the portion is going to be as big as what you see in the menu. We were quite surprised to see such a small bowl when it was served and wondered if we should have ordered more. Anyway, this chendol was fairly decent except for the fact that the coconut milk on top of it had solidified due to some unknown reason. I wasn't sure if this had to do with the freshness of the coconut milk or whether it was meant to be as such but it was kinda shocking to see bits and pieces of it on the top so we ended scrapping it off.

In conclusion, I think Curry Times offers a pretty good deal with nice food and a rather comfortable old school setting to relax in. However, not all of its non-curry dishes scored with me so it remains to be seen if I will be impressed by the other items in the menu or continue to be disappointed during subsequent visits. Even if you are not so much of a curry person, there are other local dishes for your selection so you may wish to give it a shot. I think I'll probably try a non-curry main dish next time to assess how it performs in this area.

Reflections on Singapore Night Festival 2014

The annual Singapore Night Festival returned to the Bras Basah area again this year on 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th August. Ever since this event started, I have been attending this faithfully. Other than the first year (2011) which had wowed me with its outdoor tango performance, the mid-air acrobatics outside the National Museum and various light and art installations, my impression of this festival in subsequent years has been that of "promising too much and delivering not enough". Often, the promotional materials would seem like there's a lot to see but somehow, when you actually see the real thing, it can be rather disappointing.

Note that I did not actually go to all the venues as the festival's activities were stretched over a large area and I admit that I was quite tired after spending hours walking outside in the evening (which was actually still quite hot due to the number of people who also attended this festival). As such, my opinion will be limited to those exhibits I saw and the places I was at.

I attended the Night Festival on 23rd August (Saturday) and began my evening at the Peranakan Museum which I had never been to before. As you can see from the photo, there were many people here when I arrived at 7-plus in the evening and it was even more crowded when I entered the museum. If I remember correctly, Singapore citizens should have free entry to most of the museums these days but it's only on special event days like this when more people get encouraged to pay a visit to the museum. I usually go to the museums only if there is an exhibition which interests me (usually NMS, SAM or ArtScience Museum though). As part of the light installations for the festival, the Peranakan Museum's facade was also lighted up in a variety of colours which made it look rather different from usual.

After entering the museum, it was as if I was transported into the "Little Nyonya" world with all the fascinating exhibits and information about the Peranakans and their lifestyle. Mind you, I did not watch the "Little Nyonya" drama in its entirety but there were some scenes which I saw before so I did have a vague impression on the stuff featured in there. As such, I could identify some of the exhibits like the family ancestral hall, the dining table and kitchen as that of those which appeared in that drama. Frankly speaking, I didn't know much about the Peranakan way of life prior to this visit so it was an eye-opener to see the rich heritage and traditions passed on over generations. Even without a special activity like the Night Festival, I think this place is worth a visit, be it you are a local or tourist.

While I was in the museum, I could already hear some singing and music outside. Although it sounded a bit muffled, I could identify those songs as that of well-known local Malay songs which I heard of or learnt in school. After leaving the museum, I then realised that there was a street concert just opposite the Substation where the performers were singing Malay songs. I suppose the selection of songs was in line with the fact that the Peranakan Museum was located there. It was a very joyous atmosphere there as those drinking at Timbre or had bought drinks from the street vendors and people who had gone to the museum or had not gone in yet converged on the closed roads to sing and dance along with the performers. Be it whether they knew how to sing the songs (there were many foreigners at the concert), I think people were not too bothered about that and were simply enjoying the music. I didn't start watching from the start though but for the short period I was there, I enjoyed watching the performance.

As I made my way to the Armenian Church to see the light installations, I was headed in the wrong direction initially so had to retrace my steps. I was eagerly waiting to see the illuminated wedding dresses made from wires but the disappointing thing was that there were only two designs on display. No doubt that there was an array of colours illuminating the wire dresses and I do think that they look very nice in the dark surroundings of the church, I did wonder if it was worth walking back to the church when I was already reaching the National Museum. To make things worse, the glow-in-the-dark flower display wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be. By right, visitors should have been handed torch lights to shine on the flowers before music would be played but I wasn't handed a torch (other people weren't given the torches too even though there was a staff member there) so I failed to appreciate the "beauty" of this exhibit. Nonetheless, it was an interesting experience to enter the Armenian Church and see how it looked like.

Next up was walking towards the National Museum and the Divine Faces projection on the trees was the highlight along this path. As some of the trees' crowns had spaces in between, it would have been difficult to see the faces projected onto the trees unless you stood at specific places. It was then when I realised that the best vantage point would be just beside the projectors and that was where you get the best shots of the images. Honestly, I didn't recognise all the faces that were being projected on the trees. However, I do admit that some of the faces looked a bit creepier than the rest because of the lighting and the way the trees' crowns looked. This photo was one of the better shots I got which didn't look so creepy and the face could be seen in its entirety. Personally, I thought that this was one of the highlights of the Night Festival and liked the idea of doing light projections on trees other than the facades of buildings.

There was also a light installation where glow-in-the-dark stones were on the grass fields near to the stairs leading up to Fort Canning. You had to put the stones near the light machines before they would glow and you could place them on the floor to form words or pictures. However, there were too many people picking up the stones so I gave up on this and headed to the National Museum instead.

I had hoped to catch the outdoor harp performance at the National Museum but somehow was too late when I reached there. Actually, there were multiple performances per night but I was spending too much time on the earlier exhibits that I reached the venue just minutes before the next performance was about to start. Unfortunately, that slot didn't feature the outdoor harp performance. If I wanted to stay for the last performance which included the harp performance, it would have been near midnight by the time it started. As I had been walking around for more than 3 hours by then, I was more or less prepared to call it a day. I thought of watching the singing performance since I was already there but it took a while before it started and the music wasn't really my cup of tea so I headed towards SMU Green and the Art Museum for the last few exhibits which I wanted to see.

There were some light installations at SMU which didn't particularly wow me so I headed across the street to see the projection film on SAM's facade. Actually, they've been doing this for the past few years but this year's edition seemed rather week because the colour scheme was rather dull (mostly black and white) and the theme of the images didn't really stand out or was easily understandable. It probably also has to do with the fact that such outdoor facade projections are quite common in recent years that you really need something extraordinary to impress those watching it so I guess that's why I didn't like this at all. I was expecting something more interesting but too bad, this didn't live up to my expectations.

Likewise for the umbrellas installation at SOTA, it felt too bland as there were not many colours illuminating those umbrellas and there didn't seem to have been a special manner in how they were arranged. Maybe it's just me but I thought that the umbrellas were probably good for couples to take pictures with but didn't particularly stand out among the various exhibits during the Night Festival.

Although the evening began on a high note and sort of ended with a whimper, I guess I won't be giving up on the Night Festival just yet unless it truly disappoints me to a great extent. Besides, the satisfaction I got from the exhibits which I liked outweighed those which I didn't so overall, it wasn't a bad experience after all. However, one thing I note is that the crowds were getting bigger with every year (good for the organisers, performers and venues participating in the festival) but it can get a bit difficult to move around or appreciate the performances at ease. For example, there was this performance at SMU Green where so many people gathered around and those at the back could see nothing. It was then that I saw this guy who had a selfie stick recording the performance from the top (ingenious way of using the selfie stick) but too bad, I didn't have one with me to do that. It would have been better if it was performed at an area where more people could watch it at the same time. It was lucky that the day of my visit to the festival where the weather was fine (although rather hot due to the crowds). If I had gone on the following weekend when it was pouring, I doubt that I would have been able to enjoy the festival.

Dainty French dining for an afternoon of relaxation - Antoinette (Mandarin Gallery)

While searching for a place to have lunch before a late afternoon movie, there were not that many choices at Mandarin Gallery as some of the eating places had closed for their afternoon break. Luckily, Antoinette was still open. Since I had wanted to give Antoinette a try previously but never got the chance to do so, this was probably the best opportunity to cross this off my to-try list.

First up, things didn't get off to a good start as the cold drinks selection was limited so I could only order the iced lemon tea. According to the waiter, this was because Antoinette just changed the menu so most of the cold drinks were not available. Conversely, all the hot drinks options were ready for ordering. That was pretty disappointing for a first-time visit so I hope to try other items during my next visit. As for the lemon tea, let's just say that there was nothing spectacular about it nor was it bad in any way.

Next up was the mushroom soup which had small bits of mushroom in it for that added texture. However, the taste was too bland in my opinion and I felt that the soup was not thick enough too. When eaten together with the two slices of baguette, I thought they were OK but just like what happened to the ice lemon tea, the overall verdict I had of this dish was that it's easily replicated elsewhere and needs a bit more work to make it a memorable dish. Perhaps I should try other types of soup next time but I'm wary that I may be disappointed again especially since Antoinette's specialty should be its cakes and desserts rather than soups or main dishes.

The main course I ordered was Ballotine de Poulet a la Grandmere (Grandmother's style stuffed chicken leg). I was expecting a full chicken leg so imagine my surprise to see that it was a boneless chicken leg with stuffing inside. The texture of the chicken leg was smooth and succulent but I have no idea what was in the filling. When eaten together with the mashed potato and sauce, I thought the flavours were quite a match with one another. The biggest disappointment was that the portion was not as substantial as I expected it to be so it wasn't that filling. I do realise that for certain types of cuisine like French, I can't expect too much with regard to its quantity but I'm one who really wants to eat something that's value for money. As such, even if the dish is very delicious, it won't rank too high on my satisfaction index if the portion hardly fills me up. I guess this dish would fit into this category.

Last but not least, dessert was the saving grace in the entire meal, thankfully. The warm chocolate cake with the orange sauce was so rich and comforting that it was blissful just seeing the chocolate ooze out from the moist cake. I can't really remember which flavour the ice-cream was but if my memory serves me well, it should be caramel. It's a case of personal preference though but since the chocolate cake had a strong flavour, eating it with the caramel ice-cream felt like there was a clash of flavours inside my mouth. As such, I would prefer a pairing with an ice-cream flavour which is slightly lighter or more refreshing but of course, I respect the chef's choice because he or she would probably know what is the best combination to bring out the best of the food items.

In conclusion, I think that Antoinette is probably a place more suited for a lazy afternoon when you can afford the time to sit down and chat over tea and desserts. It was no surprise that most of the other customers I saw during my visit were ladies enjoying the desserts. I was in too much of a hurry when I was there and being too hungry probably caused me not to enjoy the visit as much because I have an issue with the portion size. Perhaps I should return on another day when I have the time and focus more on its desserts and cakes which should be where Antoinette's strengths lie.

The beauty and sorrow of Taiwan - "Beyond Beauty" (看见台湾)

I first heard of this documentary film produced by famous Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien from the Taiwanese news channels because it was such a hit there in 2013 for being the most commercially-successful documentary there. The director Chi Po-Lin also received lots of attention for being brave enough (maybe silly in some people's views) for giving up his civil servant job just before he reached retirement and could get his retirement payout for the sake of filming this movie and going into debt (you have to rent helicopters to do the aerial filming). I don't think many people would do that considering the risks involved in making a documentary like this where commercial success is hard to come by.

Lots of people raved about it, not only for the breathtaking scenery captured through aerial photography but also the underlying message behind this movie. This is not a travelogue to entice you to visit Taiwan although the trailer may have you believing otherwise with the nice images but rather as the caption says, it shows you the beauty and sorrow of Taiwan. As such, it is not a pretty picture of the land and sea from start to finish but rather a reality check on what is happening in Taiwan which is also likely to be the same situation or somewhat similar elsewhere in any other country. Frankly speaking, I didn't think this film would ever make it to Singapore so imagine my surprise and joy when I saw that it was showing in Cathay cinemas for a limited time only!

To be perfectly honest, the first part of the movie was rather slow and sleep-inducing. It's true that the breathtaking images of the mountains, land and sea were indeed very beautiful but without any dialogue and the calming BGM (composed by Singaporean composer Ricky Ho), it was quite "boring" to a certain extent. However, when the narration from scriptwriter-writer-author Wu Nien-jen started, the tempo started to pick up and finally got me to sit up and pay attention.

The film can be divided up to four main sections i.e. the introduction which contains the beautiful images of Taiwan as seen from a bird's eye view and highlights things which were not obvious from our usual point of view, the "unnatural" things people resort to that spoil the beauty of the land, pollution issues and the conclusion which explains the dilemma between the needs of humans and the pilfering of natural resources. As I mentioned above, the first part of the film can be seen as a travelogue of sorts with the nice scenery coupled with calming music. However, from the second part onwards, it becomes a reality check.

Some of the things mentioned in the second part include building European-style resorts on mountains which hardly fit the look of the mountainous landscapes, hot-spring hotels built within a small area thus causing the width of rivers to be narrowed drastically, the installation of water pumps to extract underground water for the use of fisheries. The extent of this type of "development" is so appalling not only because of how extensive it is but also how it stands out from its surroundings in such an odd manner. That stretch of pipes from the coast to the fisheries really made me gape. I think this particular line from Wu's narration really summed up this section very well - "People build and install things in areas which aren't suitable for such purposes but when things go wrong, they blame the weather, Nature and the government." There is some truth to an extent because landslides happen when heavy rain comes and brings down the soil from mountain slopes especially if the ground is loose due to the extensive buildup of buildings and lack of vegetation. However, the first culprit that gets fingered at is usually the weather or Nature or the government for failing to protect the property and lives of people who made a conscious choice to be near those places. I'm not saying that these three factors have no impact on the natural disasters that happen but it is also true when you consider it from the other side of the argument that certain places aren't suitable for certain purposes and there is a risk to bear if you choose to do it otherwise. For example, there was this instance quoted that due to the extensive pumping of underground water for the fisheries, it has led to the ground sinking in that area. However, you still don't see any changes made to stop this sinking since the pumping is still going on. Economic concerns are really crucial here and it's not easy to ask people to change.

The third part talks about the ugly face of pollution and how people choose to turn a blind eye to its effects even though they can see rivers turning brown, black or even red due to the discharge of waste water from factories. That scene of the Yin-Yang sea where the seawater near the coast is black and the seawater further out is a pristine blue was really an eyeopener. Air pollution from power generators and the harmful environmental effects of stripping mountains bare for the sake of the cement industry serve as real-life examples of how industralisation and modernisation have affected the environment. I like it that the film doesn't really try to preach from the high moral ground but delivers the facts directly to the audience so that they can see from themselves that all this talk about pollution is not just something far from their own lives but something very real that's happening near them.

Last but not least, the conclusion actually tries to address the dilemma between humans' needs and the taking of resources without any concerns. Part two and three may be seen as largely critical of humans' actions but part four tries to explain the problem faced. For example, the lack of flat land for housing has led to more houses being built on slopes and hills. If given a chance, people would probably not have resorted to this but when you see how precariously these houses are perched on the slopes and can be easily swept away by landslides (if that really happens), the message in the narration becomes hauntingly true - "people are more concerned with the price of their house per square meter rather than whether their houses will still stand safely tomorrow". The film doesn't actually try to tell you what you should do but rather brings across the message that we are mere migrants of Earth and asks you to consider if you are taking up more resources than what you actually need. I guess that's a good question we should be asking ourselves and start by doing small things to avoid hurting the environment even more.

One point that particularly impressed me about this film was the use of specific and real-life examples in bringing its points across. Particularly, I think the in-depth explanation about the cement industry was a very good one. Knowing how lucrative the industry can be and the potential backlash the crew may face by singling the industry out, it takes a lot of courage to do that. Frankly speaking, I do not think that those who are really the key players in hurting the environment would change as a result of this documentary. However, the film would have helped to raise awareness among the general public and let them be aware of what's happening in their surroundings. Maybe the effects of this film will only be seen in many years to come but at least it's a positive step in the right direction.

If you are interested to watch this film in Singapore, it will be showing in Cathay cinemas until 3 September.

A sushi corner in Orchard - Goshin by Akashi (Robinsons Heeren)

On a chilly Friday evening when it was raining cats and dogs outside, I was craving for sushi. However, I wasn't expecting any eating places located in the new Robinsons Heeren so you can imagine my joy when I accidentally came across this place which was housed at one corner of B1. The best thing was, I didn't have to join any crazily-long queues typically seen outside most restaurants during the weekend. To be honest, unless you've heard of this place or happen to be inside Robinsons, chances are you might not know about this sushi joint so I do wonder if they are doing anything special to promote this place because it doesn't look like many people know about this place yet. I think that there is another outlet at Suntec City which I suppose has been around longer than this branch.

Looking at the menu, it's similar to the pricing system at Itacho where they charge by per piece rather than per dish in most other places. There are some items which are considered quite cheap e.g. $1 per piece and of course, some on the steeper side. Depending on your order, I think you can get a pretty good deal without burning a hole in your pocket. However, I did have my reservations at first while looking at the prices (too cheap to be true for some items?) but since this restaurant is produced by Akashi, I thought that this lent a certain degree of credibility to this new sushi joint. The surroundings looked quite comfortable too so I gave in to my desire of sushi in the end instead of going to my tried-and-tested options elsewhere.

First up was the crab claw which also contained minced prawn to make it a more substantial dish. Among all the items I ordered, this was the most expensive. Much as I was pleased with how the interior portion ie. the crab claw and the minced prawn matched each other in terms of flavour and texture and was quite fresh, I thought that the exterior wasn't so nice because it was too heavily seasoned and felt quite dry at the same time. Perhaps it would have been better if this dish was done in a braised form with a sauce or lightly grilled to bring out the freshness of the ingredients rather than overcook it and wasting the fine qualities of the ingredients.

Next was the kanimaki which I was quite surprised to see in this state. This was the first time I've seen the kanimaki in this shape. None of the pieces were round and the distribution of the rice and the kanikama were evidently uneven. That's certainly not what I've seen at other Japanese restaurants even for those which don't specialise in sushi. Appearance issues aside, the taste was pretty much like what you would get anywhere else, even from places like supermarkets' sushi counters where you can get decent sushi at affordable prices. No doubt this item wasn't expensive, I was expecting something of a higher quality than this.

Last but not least, here's the main sushi platter which consisted of ebi, ika, aburi ika, aburi hotate and kanikama. The ebi sushi was nothing extraordinary and I could hardly taste the wasabi within which was a pity. Unlike most versions of the ika sushi, the version here was a thick slice of ika instead being thinly-sliced so it was a bit difficult to chew because of its size. I also didn't like it for the fact that it didn't taste as fresh as I wanted it to be. As for the two aburi sushi, I thought that the aburi ika tasted almost the same as the ika sushi (so why was there a need to order the aburi when I could have just eaten the normal version) while aburi hotate was kinda forgettable. As it turned out, the kanikama turned out to be the best tasting in this plate which I find quite amazing, given that this is a sushi restaurant which should have a certain level of standard and certainly higher than this.

I am not sure if the problems I faced here are due to teething issues with this particular branch so I'll probably come back again to try other items or head to the Suntec City branch to do a comparison. I know freshness, taste and texture are very subjective measures and differ from person to person so perhaps how I felt about this visit is not representative of the general public's view. Besides, I think my craving for sushi that day could have made me a bit more demanding about the quality of sushi I was expecting to eat. In fact, I've read good reviews about the food's quality at the Suntec branch so I don't think all of its items are bad. However, disregarding the fact that whether its food's quality and taste are good, I think there's got to be something done about the appearance of the stuff that gets dished out. That kanimaki was really not something you would expect from a sushi specialty restaurant, especially not when it has its links to Akashi so I hope that was an once-off incident and Goshin will win me back as a satisfied customer in time to come.

Seafood from the Bostonian Harbour - Boston Seafood Shack (Tampines Mall)

A new seafood place is now open at the basement of Tampines Mall which is hardly noticeable because it is situated at one corner behind the escalators. As such, it can be difficult to attract walk-in customers if they do not walk past that corner. In my case, I happened to catch a glimpse of the shop from afar so decided to grab a quick bite before my appointment an hour later. There have been reviews online complaining about the slow service but given that it was a late weekend afternoon where the lunch crowd had dispersed and dinner crowd had yet to arrive, I decided to give this place a chance to convince me into being a regular here.

First up was the citrus refresher which according to the menu was made from apple juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice, lime and ginger ale. Given that it was a hot afternoon on that day, this proved to be a good choice because it wasn't too sweet and was refreshing on the palate. Then again, after multiple sips, I felt like the taste resembled Orangina quite a bit and wonder if I could replicate the same drink at home by mixing the ingredients as stated on the menu.

Next up was the lobster bisque which had a nice design made from the cream. In most situations, the cream could merely be seen as a drop on the surface of the bisque but for the chef to make an effort to draw something on the surface (though not very elaborate) was much appreciated. At least they bothered to make their version of the bisque look somewhat different. As for the taste, I liked the full-bodied richness of the bisque and and the fact that it wasn't too salty won me over. I've had other versions of this at places where the saltiness was too overpowering and overcame the supposed freshness of the lobster which made me reach for lots of water in the aftermath.

The single portion of mussels in white wine broth turned out to be a mix of hits and misses. I thought that the broth was OK and the taste was sufficiently infused into the mussels unlike the version at Fremantle. However, the freshness of the mussels was not as consistent as I would have expected as some pieces tasted good while the texture of others was too mushy. If I have to compare whether freshness or the immersion of flavours in the mussels matters most, I would choose freshness at any time because even if the mussels haven't absorbed the flavours fully during the cooking process, I can always immerse them into the broth for a while before eating so as to achieve the desired effect. As for the garlic bread, I would have wanted it to be crispier and the taste of the garlic to be less saltier.

Last but not least, the dessert which was the half & half cheesecake. Actually, I didn't really get what is meant by half & half but I noticed a layer which tasted like gelatin in this cheesecake. Nonetheless, I thought that the cake was rich as it claimed but not to the extent of being too overboard which was a saving grace. However, I think this cake must have been in the freezer for too long because it was quite difficult to use the fork to cut through the cake. On a side note, it was slightly disappointing to see that out of the four dessert choices, two were not available. I'm not sure if it was because the stock ran out or they did not prepare the desserts on that day but it would have been best if everything on the menu was available.

As a new restaurant, I thought that the quality of the food was pretty decent. I haven't tried the main dishes yet so my opinion might be reshaped after trying the signature items. As for the service, there were only four tables when I was there so I didn't really experience a long wait. A more accurate measure of service standards would probably be peak meal times. The only worrying thing for this restaurant is the location which doesn't seem to catch the eye of customers passing by so it will probably need to build more awareness so that people can actively look for this place to eat at.

TOKIO's 20th anniversary album "HEART" and my love story with the band

TOKIO marks its 20th anniversary since its CD debut this year with a series of activities including appearances in summer concerts and of course, a commemorative hits album. What's slightly different is that instead of including all the song releases in one album, TOKIO got its fans to vote for their favourite songs instead as it would be difficult for them to decide which songs to include. Of course, having all the songs released to date in one album would be great value for money to the fans but it might have been a huge challenge to acquire the copyrights from Sony Music and Universal Music which were the record companies TOKIO used to belong to. I also think that TOKIO probably wanted this album to be one that had the involvement of fans in the sense that they could choose what they wanted to hear so they decided to hold this fan-voting exercise to decide on the track list rather than throwing everything into one album. Conversely, this also meant that there would be a possibility of some favourites being omitted from this list. Personally, I was a bit disappointed to note the exclusion of my favourites such as "Ai no Arashi", "Honjitsu, Mijukumono", "Kanpai", "Hitoribocchino Habrush" but it couldn't be helped since there is a limit to how many songs could make it to this album.

This 20th anniversary album titled "HEART" has two first-press limited editions and a normal edition which comes with slightly different content and covers. The similarity between all three versions is that they each have two audio CDs containing 16 songs each voted by the fans. CD 1 contains the top 16 most popular singles while CD 2 contains the top 16 most coupling songs and tracks from the album releases to date. For the limited editions, version 1 contains a DVD of the recording session of CD 1's bonus track "Heart" while version 2 contains a DVD containing the PVs of the 16 songs in CD 1. After much consideration, I finally decided on buying version 2.

Long ago when access to J-ent information was relatively restricted and I didn't know the Japanese language then, it was by chance that I discovered TOKIO through watching Kouhaku in 1998 when they sang "Love and Peace". It was just nice that I watched the same drama starring Matsuoka Masahiro around that time so that performance made me sit up and take notice of TOKIO.

From then on, I started to become more acquainted with the band, its members, the dramas and shows they appeared in and of course their music. Back in the late 90s, I always thought that TOKIO was a very neglected band by their agency Johnny's Jimusho. SMAP was in a different league of its own but when compared to TOKIO's junior groups such as V6 and KinKi Kids whose members were close to TOKIO's members and some of them are known to be buddies with one another, the contrast was sharp. From the late 90s to early 2000s, V6 and KinKi Kids were enjoying a lot of success outside of Japan where they held concerts in places like Hong Kong and Taiwan. TOKIO was never talked about in the same way as these groups and their CD sales paled in comparison to them. I never used to understand why TOKIO did so badly in terms of CD sales especially since I didn't think that their songs paled in comparison to their peers'.

When they were in Sony Music i.e. from their debut in 1994 to 2000, it wasn't as if the guys didn't have any good songs at all. However, sales figures were not very encouraging and I wondered then if the record company knew how to market the band properly. The big turnaround came in 2001 when the band moved to Universal Music and struck gold with its second single Message / Hitoribocchi no Habrush though arguably, the success was largely attributed to the latter song due to Nagase's drama "Mukodono" being a hit then. Nonetheless, this single was the very first Oricon No.1 song for the band and a very memorable time for the guys since they had finally tasted commercial success after so many years of being regarded as lagging behind their peers and juniors. Even Arashi was doing way much better than TOKIO then.

During their Universal Music days especially between 2001 and 2004, I bought each and every single and album released then and thoroughly enjoyed their music very much during this period. I don't know exactly why but Universal Music seemed to have the Midas touch in that TOKIO's songs became more widely received and popular than before and the packaging of its works was much better than before. As a fan, there is nothing happier than seeing the band emerge from the shadows of its competition and show that they have the quality to make it. In recent years, it is also very encouraging to see various reports about how rock fans have started to take notice of TOKIO for their music and live performance abilities even though they had been written as a half-baked band in the past due to their roots as a Johnny's group.

After the group switched to J STORM in 2008 (the third group to belong to their in-house label after Arashi and Hey! Say! JUMP), they are still doing relatively well even when compared to their days in Universal Music where 6 of their singles got an Oricon weekly single No.1. title. To date, only one of their singles in J STORM i.e. Haruka got No.1 but the remaining singles all got within Top 10 which I think is very commendable. Besides, with the passing of age, I find that the band seems to be more at ease with itself where they enjoy performing and singing songs they like rather than be too caught up with whether their songs are going to be hits on the charts. As such, there's been various collaborations with artistes such as Shiina Ringo (Amagasa), Sorafune and Honjitsu Mijukumono (Nakajima Miyuki) which led to songs that deviated quite a fair bit in terms of style, lyrics and music arrangement from those released by the band in the past but were very favourably received by fans.

20 years is a long time for anyone to be in showbiz. For TOKIO who has been through its fair share of ups and downs over the years, the ability of its members to stay together and weather through all these will surely mean more good years ahead for the band as more people come to see them as serious musicians. I do hope for more commercial success in the music front for the band but they aren't doing too badly anyway. As long as they continue to enjoy what they are doing and produce more good songs for the fans, I'll be content with supporting them from afar even though they may not get as many Oricon No.1s as other artistes. ^__^