Bombay Post, Airport Road, Bangalore

Nice one. I was brought to this place (Carlton Towers, 1 Airport Road, 80-41113939) by a client, who told me that it was known for its grilled meat and North Indian food. Indeed, an encouraging aroma emanated from the grill right when we entered the dining room. The waiter recommended the prawns and the pomfret, which I absolutely loved. In stark contrast to the disappointingly boring lunch that I had today, these were covered in some extra sour and spicy stuff that really got me going. The meat of course was tender and fresh, and I easily wolfed this all down.

This was then followed by another nice surprise: the seekh kebab. This was grilled just as it should be at first, but then these guys took on a really interesting tack afterwards by shoving cheese (or something) into the middle and then deep frying the whole thing, creating an extra crispy skin with a little extra oomph inside. Great - this place didn't cease to impress, even if the butter chicken-like curry was a bit too tomato-ey for my taste.

BTW, here are a few interesting things that I learned about Indian restaurants today. First off, people don't really start dinner until 9 PM or so (reminds me of Spain), so the lack of a crowd when we arrived at 7 PM was completely replaced by a full crowd by the time we left two hours later. Secondly, the word "official" apparently means "business" in India (as opposed to "personal"), so this was considered to be an "official dinner." Finally, they had a selection of three different Indian mints, one of which was some chunky red thing that ended up tasting a bit like laundry detergent. I'll probably stick to those sugar-coated fennel seeds instead.

New Shanthi Sagar Vegetarian Restaurant, Bangalore

With just 25 minutes available until my next meeting, I asked my driver in Bangalore today for a good nearby lunch suggestion. He pointed me to New Shanthi Sagar, a chain of vegetarian restaurants in this area that he assured me was pretty good. After waiting a while amidst the busy lunchtime crowd, I finally got a seat and ordered some pani puri and masala dosa.

Unfortunately, most of it was a bit of a bore. The pani puri, while cool in that you got to assemble it yourself (including poking a hole in the shell), wasn't anything too spicy nor exciting. The masala dosa similarly was a yawner, despite its crunchiness. I'd much rather go to Raj back in Singapore instead.

This was a bit odd, especially considering that nearly everyone in there appeared to be local (and hence presumably lending credibility to its authenticity). And if that were really the case, then this was just too mild for me. I did hear afterwards that this place is actually known for just being a cheap place with high turnover, so I dunno if the taste of the food was that high of a priority. Well, at least it was cheap at only 110 Rupees (US$2.70), including a milk shake (apparently mango lassi is not that common here since mangoes are seasonal, unlike back in Singapore).

A Masala Dosa from the Hotel's Breakfast

I normally don't like hotel breakfasts too much, but hey - when in Bangalore, get masala dosa, so I did. Admittedly, I couldn't quite pin down anything too special about this, but I was pressed for time, so this was the easiest thing to get for now.

SQ Econ Class Indian Vegetarian to Bangalore

Indian meals usually need to be pre-ordered on airlines, but of course on flights to India, they become standard fare. SQ featured a choice of a vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and a Western dish in economy class tonight, so I opted for the vegetarian version. It was a bit of a mixed bag. The chickpeas were supposed to be in some tamarind sauce but it was hardly sour at all. The okra and spinach dumplings were fine, albeit a bit on the mild side (and the yogurt was just plain yogurt rather than raita), but thankfully they provided some pickles that added a bit of heat to the mix.

The dessert did have a heavy dose of saffron in it though, and it was cool to see not only some miniature papadams the size of Tostitos, but also some "After Mints" that pleasantly turned out to be some of those sugared up fennel seeds. It was also interesting to see that even the standard issue peanuts were replaced with an Indian snack here instead.

More Soto Ayam from Batam, Indonesia

Here's just another quick and random bowl of soto ayam from Batam. It had quite a bit of that yellow chicken oil on top than I'd seen before, so I didn't really need the lime too much as a result. Either way, this was refreshing.

A Hot Meal on Aeroline

Whoa...the meal on the return leg to Singapore tonight was hot! I guess they have a microwave on board or something. This curry gravy reminded me a bit of Madam Kwan's nasi lemak from last night, although it was paired with what seemed to be just normal rice, so I guess that just makes it some kind of curry chicken instead. It certainly wasn't as rich as Madam Kwan's either, but heck, we were on a bus!

I've gotta say that I'm pretty happy with these Aeroline guys in the end. The bus itself was obviously well designed, but the service was great too: not only in terms of the crew's attentiveness, but also in the little things like blankets/pillows, reading materials, and even hot Milo. I'm probably going to take these guys again next time. (It was also amusing to find some of the passengers from the competing NiCE coach gawking in awe at our bus while we were at the rest stop...still no Ramly Burgers at this one though.)

Madam Kwan's, Kuala Lumpur

This has become quite a popular place (Suria KLCC Level 4 #420, 03-20262297, with two other locations around KL too). What for, might you ask? One look at the signboard will tell you: "Cafe - Cuisine - Nasi Lemak." They do serve a full spread of various noodle dishes and the like, but what these guys are really known for is the nasi lemak. It's not quite your standard serving with the usual fried chicken and ikan bilis: these guys provide some tender chicken stewed in a rich coconut gravy that pairs well with the delicate yet tasty rice. I didn't even bother with those pickles on the side.

I'm not too sure how the rest of the food fares here though; I usually just get this. Admittedly, the luster has faded a bit for me after having eaten it a number of times now, but it is a unique thing that I really liked the first time I had it.

Meng Kee Char Siew, Kuala Lumpur

Yay! Meng Kee (13 Tengkat Tong Shin) was open this time! I was getting a bit worried too since I was arriving after 2 PM, but they still had plenty of char siew hanging in the glass case when I arrived, so there were no problems. Just as I remembered it, this stuff was great ("pork-flavored candy with a greasy aftertaste," as I like to put it).

Now, the meat was a little tougher today than I seem to recall (and there was a strand of human hair on my plate too), but none of that really mattered in the end, as I still gobbled this stuff up quickly, which is particularly impressive for a guy who really doesn't like sweet-tasting things either.

They have chicken rice here too, but I didn't bother with any of that, especially since they give you some of the rice and soup anyway. The hot sauce surprised me; it was a bit more like a Mexican salsa, with chunky bits in a thin and mildly sour juice that went well with the rice. The standard issue dragon breath alert still applies though.

Aeroline's Bento Box to KL

Of all the flying that I do every year, the one route is really quite burdensome is the one from Singapore to KL. Sure, the flight is less than an hour, but one spends so much time schlepping luggage around, getting to the airport early, clearing security and immigration, going through all of the pre-flight announcements, and repeating the process all over again when getting to the other side that it effectively makes it a four to five hour affair in total, especially given how far KLIA is from the city center. And I barely even get any miles for all of that hassle!

So this time around, I declined the flight to KL and requested the bus instead, the idea being that at the expense of an additional hour or so of cumulative transit time, I get nearly no interruptions, much more comfortable seats, cellular and BlackBerry use all the way through, and even power outlets at each seat...at least, from these Aeroline guys (I took the competing NiCE coach once a long time ago, but this double-decker is clearly leagues beyond that). In short, it should be much less stressful, more productive, and all the while also saving the company a bit of money.

Was it everything I expected it to be? In general, yes. The seats, while certainly not Raffles Class SpaceBeds, were still much better than peanut class in the back of a plane, with enough room to recline with a leg rest. Two power outlets were provided in every row of the upper deck (so if you're in the aisle seat, then you'd better hope that one of your neighbors is not using the outlet...although I didn't see many people using them today anyway). And the only real interruption was getting out at the border to go through immigration formalities, although it was pretty quick going through Tuas today. (One can't help but chuckle at the announcement that the toilet on board is for "light use only," and that if you need any "heavy use," they'll have to pull over to some more adequate facilities.)

Anyway, after clearing the Malaysian border, they served some food. Well, one can't exactly expect much here (and if you've ever had any of those bento boxes from a train in Japan, then you'll be sorely disappointed with this), but this was certainly much better than some bento boxes I'd been given in Taiwan a couple times. Unfortunately the rest stop that we did hit along the way here didn't have any Ramly Burger stall, but they did give us some fruit later into the ride.

There is a competitor called Transtar that allegedly has even better (wider) seats and individual VOD screens (rather than that movie blasted out over the loudspeakers on the central screen, which was a bit annoying when you're trying to listen into a conference call like I was today). But I think I still prefer these guys given the nicer embarkation points on both sides. Note to self: there are no overhead bins, so a good seat to try to get next time appears to be the front aisle seat (good view plus you can leave your carry-on bag in the aisle without blocking anyone). The solo seats on the left are nice too in that they have dedicated power plugs, but your carry-on at your feet will block your leg rest from coming up unless you can find an empty seat next to you to dump your bag at.

Sukiyaki from Hakata Nihon Ryori

Here's the sukiyaki from Hakata. Due its sweetness, I usually don't eat sukiyaki too often, but yesterday's episode of Japan Hour apparently planted a subliminal thought in our heads.

As you can see here, these guys provided individually sized portions rather than being in any big communal pot on a flame. Yes, it was sweet, but dipping it in the egg saved it for me. This actually came in a big set that included a mess of other stuff (like chawanmushi, which I'm usually not a huge fan of either), but I suppose that I didn't mind the side salad nor rice with tsukemono and miso shiru. Anyway, let's move on...

Andhra Curry, Kerbau Road

A former colleague of mine from India had referred me to this place (41 Kerbau Road, 6293-3935), on the basis that they had a great dhal. I couldn't quite find it explicitly stated on the surprisingly brief menu tonight, but I figured that it would be included in the kalyana bhojana, a vegetarian thali whose many samples were much more distinctive than I would have thought, including an extremely sour soup (in a good way). The dhal - assuming that this was the same one that my colleague referred me to - was nothing like Bukhara's rich ghee-infused one, but it was tangy and spicy, so much that I could still feel the heat in my stomach as we went home.

We also grabbed their biryani, which was fine, although I still found Mirchi's and Heritage's to be more edgy and exciting. One other surprising thing was a rather significant number of tourists here; only did I realize afterwards that this place was listed in the Lonely Planet guide. Anyway, that thali was indeed memorable enough for me to come back for, although admittedly there are still so many other restaurants in Little India to try that it may be some time before that happens.

Yakitori from Tomton at Central

Here's just a few a la carte yakitori selections from Tomton, whom I didn't even realize had a grill...or is this unique to their new location at the Central? Anyway, these were fine (even if the lady got my order wrong), but clearly the main focus was still the tonkatsu, so we went ahead and also got several cuts of pork, including the shio katsu don.

Perhaps more interestingly, we only came here because Marutama was completely packed today. I definitely don't mind this place as a fallback though.

Peach Blossoms, Marina Mandarin Singapore

Here's a Cantonese place on the fifth floor of the Marina Mandarin hotel (6845-1111) with a very modern/chichi twist, as seen in the dessert trio in the photo. We went through a Chinese banquet tonight, some of which was delightfully impressive, including the very light "Deep Fried Crispy Chicken Skin Coated with Prawn Paste," as well as a "Crispy Fried Green Apple Truffle Coated with Salted Egg Yolk" in the dessert trio that surprised me with its eruption of green lava inside.

Yet other things were a bit of a bore, such as the standard fare ee-fu noodles that closed the meal or even the soggy string beans and pork. And while I'm not such a huge fan of big Cantonese banquets that would make me run back here at the next opportunity, the service was so professionally attentive tonight that I would easily recommend it for a small private function.

Maru Korean BBQ, Mohamed Sultan

Here's yet another sign of this street transforming itself from a former strip of watering holes to dining spots instead. Located on part of the former grounds of Madam Wong (27 Mohamed Sultan Road, 6235-9344), a bar that was practically a landmark on the street not that long ago, this Korean BBQ was surprisingly upscale in decor (one never would have thought that it was that grimey dive before). And perhaps more amusingly, they even had a Madam Wong set menu. We ordered a la carte though, specifically our usual unmarinated kalbi as well as the ox tongue, which they brought out promptly.

Now, one thing that strikes you before you start cooking is the lowering of a long cylinder from the ceiling...almost like a submarine's periscope or something out of Darth Vader's toilet. This was just an inhalation duct to keep the smoke off of you, but it was also a bit odd in that it hovered just four inches off the grill itself, thus making it feel a bit cramped when trying to cook meat underneath it. Still, it worked rather well; in addition to being very quiet, it presumably also created a draft with which to feed the charcoal underneath some oxygen.

Anyway, back to the food: I liked both the tongue and kalbi. While the quality wasn't perfect, it was good enough, and the kalbi had just the right amount of fat in it to give it a little bit of extra flavor. The portions were a bit small though, so we had to order a third plate, this time upgrading to the wagyu version. And here is where things really got interesting. The excessive fat from the wagyu, dripping right onto the hot coal underneath, fueled a flame so big that it would make Kingsford jealous. All this time it also instantly seared the meat, thus barely requiring any cooking time. The unmarinated nature of it meant that it helped to have a touch of that salt that they gave you (yay - they provided some dipping oil as well!), but yum...this melted in your mouth just as wagyu should.

And what about that huge gripe that I've had about most of the Korean places around here cooking the meat for you? I'm pleased to announce that none of that happens here...this is all DIY (and they don't pour your beer for you here either...yipee!). Now, there were a few things I wasn't a fan of: the kimchee, for one, was not only a bit of a bore, but also very stingy in quantity (they charged you for seconds too). Speaking of stingy, things like the lettuce, garlic, and bean paste for wrapping were also optional, as was soup and rice. This place also took on a bit more of a contemporary slant, with not a metal bowl in sight (check out the chichi kimchee layout here too). But these were all minor things on the side. At the end of the day, the meat was tasty, and they let me cook it myself, and that made this place favorable in my book. I just hope that they don't close down soon...there were hardly any customers in there tonight.

Si Chuan Eating House, Jalan Sultan

My, my, how quickly do things change. We came here (100 Sultan Road #01-09) tonight expecting to get Sichuan hot pot from Jin Huang, but when we walked in, things were quite different. They had carpeting. It was cleaner. They had pots stacked up in the kitchen. The hot pot meat spread was all gone. And alas, the sign and name of the place had changed. We asked the guy to explain and he told us that these guys took over four days ago, replacing many of the things, including the kitchen staff. It was still Sichuan food, but it was mainly cooked dishes instead (there was still hot pot if you wanted it, but the ingredients were all in set packages rather than a spread). And to our dismay, this place was run by the Mapo Doufu people just around the corner (why would they open another shop so close to it??).

Well, we still decided to try some of the food anyway, with a couple bowls of cold noodles plus some pan fried dumplings and pumpkin things. To my surprise, I rather liked the taste of it all...in fact, even more than their Mapo Doufu brethren (at least, as best as I could remember them). Sure, the noodles were overdone, but the right combination of seasonings overcame that shortcoming for me. Hey that wasn't as bad as I thought, even if the kitchen staff absent-mindedly completely forgot to make half of our dishes. Either way, it's too bad that Jin Huang shut down, as I was really getting to like that place (it didn't even make it past the one year mark!). Another one bites the dust.

Takeaway Fish & Chips from Greenwood Ave

Here's the takeaway version of fish & chips from Greenwood Avenue Fish Market. This left a much better impression on me than their in-house version, as it was much more humble and without any of that lame salad on the side. The batter was much lighter than I remembered it too, despite having traveled home wrapped in a brown paper bag. No, they didn't give any malt vinegar (and yes, that is a sweet Thai sauce that you see next to the tartar sauce), but I've kinda given up on expecting it now, lest I just be disappointed more.

Anyway, this turned out pleasant enough that I'm inspired enough to come back to this place again and try some of that other stuff on the menu (the dining room didn't look as messy as last time either). And while I may still prefer Fishermen's Wharf's fish and chips slightly over this (I love the chips over there), I definitely won't be complaining if anyone brings this home to me in that brown paper bag again.

Pho from a Hawker off Sixth Avenue

While waiting for our pizza to be reheated over at Pizza Da Donato, we noticed a sign at one of the kopitiams down the street advertising pho. Really? Pho from a hawker here? (Look for the Mixed Vegetable Rice stall at Anne's Corner Food Place off Sixth Avenue.) I had to give this one a try.

When the bowl arrived, I was so let down to see lettuce leaves sitting in the bowl...this was not a good sign. Indeed, the greens and bean sprouts came pre-mixed, the lime wedge was actually calamansi instead, and the meat was cut into chunks. This was looking worse by the second.

Upon tasting it though, I fortunately did find a very pleasant surprise: the meat was incredibly tender...almost like Taiwanese beef noodles, but even more so. Even the thin slices of raw meat in this bowl were super tender too. Nice...gotta give this guy a thumbs up for that.

Unfortunately, when putting the whole package together, this was still not anything that I'd come back for (the broth, while better than I thought it would be, was rather watered down). It was indeed a bit like a cross between Vietnamese pho and local beef noodles, and I suppose the purist in me isn't a big fan of that. I'll stick to Pizza Da Donato instead...or maybe I'll try that prawn noodle guy across the street next time.

Pizza da Donato, Sixth Avenue

Cool - this was a good one. Mentioned by the same Italian colleague of mine who recommended the absolutely wonderful La Braceria, this alfresco stand in a back alley of Sixth Avenue (Unit 8a, 6219-7562) proudly displayed all sorts of beautiful pizza by the (square) slice in a glass case from wall to wall, not to mention some other oddities like calzone, sausages, and some kind of flat pizza-like sandwiches.

While the crust of the mushroom pizza that I grabbed was a touch thicker and "doughy" than this non-bread eater prefers, it didn't really matter that much in the end, as the quality of the sauce and toppings really came through to make this a very pleasant experience. I definitely look forward to coming back to try some of the other things they have.

Ras, The Essence of India

This place (Clarke Quay Block 3D #01-05A, 6837-2800) is from the guys behind the Mongolian BBQ at the Tent. We had quite a number of items for lunch today, most of which all fared respectably well, including a great chicken kebab and even a refreshing spread of veggies. My favorite was the dal though, which interestingly featured heavy overtones of what seemed like roasted garlic (and it had quite a bit of a spicy kick to it too). Anyway, I won't go about trying to name everything we ate...to keep it short, let's just say that the food here was better than I thought it would be.

Lei Garden, CHIJMES

I must have walked by this place at least a million times before (30 Victoria Street #01-24, 6339-3822). And yet I never went in, mainly because it looked like a typical Cantonese restaurant with a huge open dining room and big tanks of seafood (I'd gotten plenty of it back in California, where most Chinese restaurants were Cantonese). Tonight, it wasn't my choice to come here, but I'm glad that we did.

While many of the items were still standard Cantonese fare, such as a steamed fish sitting in a hot oil and soy sauce seasoning, there were a few things that really got me excited...most notably a cubed roast pork thing with one of the crispiest skins ever while still preserving a perfectly tender meat inside. A Chinese mustard was provided with it, which also struck me as a bit odd at first, but provided a perfect contrast to the pork itself. Normally I think of the Germans for great pork, but this is one that really got me going. Apparently these guys are known for this dish.

There were a few other items that worked well for me, including the Peking Duck, which was also meticulously crispy (despite being in a Cantonese restaurant) as well as a crabmeat casserole thing sitting in some bird's nest-like shell/pastry (sorry, I don't know the official names). These were all enough for me to realize that these guys clearly were beyond the Cantonese places that I had become accustomed to, and I liked it.

Still, not all was perfect. The service was quite slow, and some of the other items like fried rice and veggies were a bit of a bore. The bamboo clam was also done with too much garlic in my opinion. But in the end, this place fared far better than I was expecting, and I'd come back again just for that pork.

Timbre, Armenian Street

This place (45 Armenian Street, 6338-8227) seemed interesting enough: an alfresco spot across from SMU featuring local bands and an all-night thin crust pizza menu that we were told was pretty good. While the location was pretty cool (smack in the middle of the city yet just a touch of the beaten path enough to feel removed from the concrete jungle), we left rather unsatisfied.

The garlic shrimp listed under the tapas section naturally made us think of gambas al ajillo, but what we got instead were mushy shrimp sitting on a bed of leaves and almost literally blanketed with what seemed to be bottled pre-minced garlic (ugh!). The fish and chips sounded interesting with its chickpea batter, but that made the batter so hard that it was like eating peanut brittle (and yes, a puzzled look appeared when we asked for vinegar). And the pizza? Well, the crust certainly was the thinnest I'd ever seen, but it was so thin that it was completely limp...it was almost like an open-faced burrito of sorts, yet filled with pizza toppings. Granted, the ingredients actually did taste OK in the end, but if I wanted pizza from a bar, then I'd rather go to Emerald Hill.

Then again, I don't suppose these guys were really looking to make food the main selling point...instead, it's clearly geared at music. In that sense, I wouldn't mind coming back to get a beer and check out some of these bands (just the other day, a friend and I discussed how there seemed to be a lack of live music venues around here). But I'll be sure to eat beforehand...or at least, I'll just stick to the burrito...err...pizza.

More from Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao

Here's just a couple quick pics from Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao: the scallion oil noodles and the "saliva chicken" (what the heck is the official name that they use here?).

They may have looked promising at first glance, but perhaps not surprisingly, both of these had a tinge of sweetness to them that I didn't particularly care too much for. Well, I suppose that they did make the dishes look presentable at least.

Blanco Court Prawn Mee, Beach Road

Here's the prawn noodle from Blanco Court (243 Beach Road #01-01, 6396-8464), a spot that was recommended to us as being better than the guy at Adam Road. Having finally tried this one today, I'm inclined to agree...mainly because the soup was less sweet. Actually, I preferred the "dry" version of this more since it allows you to dump all of that chili powder into it. Either way, just keep in mind that these guys are only open from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM, so I guess that it's kind of a breakfast thing.

BTW, is there some connection between ngoh hiang and prawn noodle? These guys had somebody selling this deep fried stuff right next door, kinda like the Whitley Road guys. I kinda liked the dark chili sauce here, not to mention those little river shrimp cake things, which were kinda like Vietnamese banh tom, but without the rice paper wrapping.

Xin Tian Fu Chuan Cai, Tanjong Pagar

Here's another one of those many Sichuan hot pot places that have been popping up lately (130 Tanjong Pagar Road, 6227-1266). Unfortunately this one was generally forgettable. While the spices in the broth were reasonably authentic, everything still somehow turned out rather tasteless, no matter what kind of condiments we tried applying. More importantly, the ingredients were a letdown, both in terms of selection as well as the quality. It got better when they brought out a second round of beef later, but in the end, this wasn't anything to draw us back right away. I wonder if their a la carte dishes are any better.

Zhen Zhen Porridge, Maxwell Food Centre

For some reason, I got the fish version today rather than pork variety that they are known for, but nonetheless, these guys at stall #54 do have a pretty good porridge, where rice has been stewed so long that they are not even in grains anymore, but rather one thick sludge. I was a bit disappointed to find that part of the flavor of this porridge depended on those little brown salted vegetables on top (and I was surprised to see how crudely the scallions were cut here), but those didn't really matter in the end, as it was still pretty darned tasty.

Be prepared for the Porridge Nazi here though; the grumpy lady shouted at me today and didn't even make eye contact throughout the entire transaction. I guess it was a rather amusing change from the guy down at Ho Kee.

Jiang Nan Seafood, Serangoon North Ave 1

I noticed some table ordering this deep fried fish last time I walked through the area (153 Serangoon North Ave 1), so we came by tonight to get a taste. It pretty much tasted just like it looked, with tender meat yet crispy skin and a sauce that was mildly sweet but not annoyingly so. OK - that worked for me.

These guys are actually just a another cze cha that opens up at night at a housing estate (and yes, they had typical items on the menu like sambal kangkong and hot plate tofu), so I'm figuring that something similar can probably be had at other places around the island. My lack of cze cha experience means that I can't really make any comparisons, but the fish was definitely fresh here, and the garnish came together well enough for me to like it.