Mitsuba At The Central (Clarke Quay).

For a long time now, I have been seeing ads from Mitsuba about their Jyo Chirashi and Ala-Carte Buffet and they always looked pretty awesome. I have always wanted to give it a try, and finally went last weekend with a friend of mine (who also loves Jap buffets). Walking around The Central made me wonder how the businesses survive, for in all my years of having visited it, I’ve never seen it commanding a large footfall beyond the first floor and basement. But I really like this building and it’s weird nooks and crevices, but most of all, for the view of the river. But I digress… back to Mitsuba. In the review below you will see some comparisons being made to Shin Minori, which has always been my go-to place for this price level of ala carte jap buffets.

Avocado And Pesto Bun

My cat woke me up half an hour ahead of time this morning because she was hungry. I tried to ignore her, but then I too felt hungry. And how could I let my little Queen starve?

I usually take breakfast only upon reaching the office, and after I plonked down her meal for her I laid on the couch to try to get a little more shut eye, but the stomach wouldn’t stop growling. I started making a mental scan of what I had in my fridge and BAZINGA! I remembered I had half of an avocado which was ripe and needed to be eaten and some pesto which I made some nights ago. 

Fish Head Porridge.

Years ago when I worked in an ad agency that was right next to the Maxwell Market, I used to LOVE (and I do mean LOVE) this one small porridge stall known as “城记” Cheng Ji Porridge. Now, most people know about Zhen Zhen or He Ji porridge in Maxwell, but few talk about Cheng Ji. Most of the regulars in this stall have been regulars for 20-30 years, comprising mostly of old uncles. It was a small shop comprising of 3 persons (I think it was a parent + daughter team). Being a big Yu Sheng (raw fish) fan, I have tried the raw fish from all 3 stalls but Cheng Ji is my undisputed champion (though pretty unknown comparatively). But that wasn’t the best food item in  the stall, for my hands down dish, was it’s Fish Head Porridge. 

Chinchalok Steamed Pork.

In my previous post here, I talked about how to open a bottle of Chinchalok without having it explode all over you. So what do I do with Chinchalok? Many people make it into a relish of some sorts as a dipping sauce, but my go-to method is to steam it with pork. Now, if you are not interested in going through opening a bottle of chinchalok, you can also substitute it with prawn paste.

The Art Of Opening A Bottle Of Chinchalok.

I love these little stinky fermented shrimps, but I never knew they could ‘explode’ out of the bottle. Some years ago, my mum asked me if I knew how to open a bottle of chinchalok, and I said yes (but she didn’t tell me that the last bottle she opened had been a bad episode, with chinchalok exploding all over the kitchen). I was so smug.

How hard could it be? I proceeded to open the bottle like I did a beer bottle and was shocked when chinchalok came spewing out and ‘exploding’ like a volcano. The contents continued spewing out even after 10 secs, I guess the fermentation of the shrimps creates huge amounts of trapped gases in the bottle.

Lobster And Crab Buffet at ParkRoyal On Kitchener.

When I saw the posting for this buffet promotion on Lady Iron Chef, I immediately thought of my dad because lobsters are his favourite. I decided to bring him for a treat as a payback for all the good food he used to bring me to when I was a child, and to be honest, I didn’t expect too much since the promotion price of $118++ for 2 pax ($138 including taxes- only if you use certain credit cards, I used UOB) seemed pretty reasonable considering this was a crab and lobster themed buffet.

But boy oh boy did it disappoint!

JDS Szechuan Hot And Sour Soup.

The Szechuan hot and sour soup is one of my favourite soups when I was growing up. Maybe because it was quite out of reach for me. Some months ago, I finally decided to take matters into my own hand and try recreating it at home, and as it turns out, it’s not hard at all.