Wild Rocket

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference

- Robert Frost

Lately, restaurants in Singapore have veered off the beaten path and are sprouting all over the place (think wild mushrooms in the forest wilderness), in locations that don't traditionally fall within the SMRT bus or MRT maplines.

To describe Hangout Hotel as 'secluded' would be an understatement, to get there you have to scale up Mount Emily, drive through a tangle of narrow roads and their much-abused single white lines within a shroud of dense greenery. The way to El Dorado's never smooth but they didn't tell me I would scratch my car, damnit! My friend and I rendered the street directory useless and it was out of sheer luck that we spotted the font-size 40 hotel name on (of all places) the security gantry.

Along with another friend, I took an old-timer out for brunch. "You should get out more often" I tell her. However, she seems resigned to the fact that the 'It' girls, namely Chloe, Miu Miu and Anya, have usurped her status in the bagosphere.

Meet Tess.



Named after Julia Roberts character in Ocean's Eleven because it oozes Rat Pack appeal. I inherited (well, more like ransacked the wardrobe and nicked) this single-tassel beige sling bag from my mum. Only problem is I can't fit my brolley into it!



After placing our orders, we were served cheese-speckled bread and olive oil. Not bad. Great spongy texture.



A welcome change from the ubiquitous blueberries and banana pancakes, we sweetened our Sunday morning with the jackfruit and ricotta pancakes. The pancakes, drenched in syrup, bore an unmistakable fragrance; I cut through the middle and found (to my delight) finely minced jackfruit niblets within. However, the ricotta flavour was regrettably subdue.

Carnivores and omnivores brunching at Wild Rocket rave about its burgers, so we had to give it a try. You didn't think we brave the precariously narrow roads for fruit and cheese, did you?


That's one tall order.

Their burger comes with pepper aioli, arugula and sundried tomato relish. The patty was as thick as the bun, nicely grilled on the outside but imbued with a tantalizing shade of pink. Here's the best part (warning: this is where it gets slightly graphic): slicing through the burger, I found myself dejuicing the patty; for that 3-second performance, I salute Wild Rocket & chef Low.



I loved the pepper aioli in the burger and when I asked the maitre what the sauce was (this was before I read ChubbyHubby's article), he replied "mustard". DANG! Do I look like I just came down from another mountain? I mean, tell me something more believable, like maybe "specially formulated carotene-enriched mayonnaise". Humour me. That aside, the kitchen captured the crunch in the deep fried potato cubes.

The story of chef Wilin Low is a classic Pursuit-of-Happyness tale: Banker/ Lawyer makes big buckaroos. Banker/ Lawyer works 18-hour days. Banker/ Lawyer loses meaning of life. Banker/ Lawyer burns out. Banker/ Lawyer becomes a theatre actor/ chef/ baker/ social worker.

Hurray for the career switch! I love burgers, although I've got to admit I have been adopting a Casanova-ish attitude, fluttering from patty to patty, taking delight in most creations. I guess I just haven't found THE ONE. Wild Rocket's burger but great but it wasn't my 'You Complete Me' burger.

The secluded spot supposedly serves as an oasis of tranquillity but the hostile roads and poor acoustics ushered in an experience quite the opposite. Today, a mother of 3 on my right was determined to include us in her decision making process (to think it's only a single-sided A5 menu!) and dining experience (poor kids have to go through this everyday). As soon as we were done with our mains, I was quite keen on getting out the restaurant.



But I needed my dessert or I would get really grouchy in a with-us-or-against-us sort of way. At Ricciotti, Riverwalk , I moonwallked my way to Zen-quility with the Spaventa, a gelato trio of sabayon, rum & raisin, chocolate chip, with chocolate crunch & whipped cream. Oh yeah...

Other burger finds on this blog.

Akane

Last Saturday morning, I went about my usual routine of flipping to the back page of The Business Times and flinched in shock as the words "Sayonara Akane" flashed right before me.

After more than three decades here, sushi chef Nogawa has decided to pack his bags and head back to Japan (careful at the customs, Nogawa-san). Every Japanese chef in Singapore probably longs for the word "Nogawa" to be on their CV. It would be akin to graduating from an Ivy League, an assurance of a job interview with the Big Four, Fortune 500- it's what separates those "on the way up" from those "on the way out".

Beyond my world of conveyor belt sushi chains and Rated-G family restaurants, I knew I needed to visit Akane before the appeal was lost of me -gasp- forever. Just so happened, a fellow foodie was feeling the jitters and we made it a point to head there for lunch the very next day. On my way there, I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of dread. With simplicity engrained in its tradition, haute Japanese cuisine often seemed underwhelming and what if I felt disillusioned by what I had at Akane?

Seated at the sushi counter, I was glad to have arrived earlier for it gave me a chance to quietly observe the sushi chefs. Alas, the maestro wasn't around but the docile-looking Kondon-san exuded serenity and clear dedication to his craft.

We started off with the sashimi set and sushi set, which came with miso coup, chawanmushi and fruits.



The sashimi set came with premium cuts of yellowtail, scallop and tuna. It wasn't as visually appealing as my neighbour's brightly hued chirashi but the freshness was undeniable.





The sushi set consisted of a neat ensemble of old favourites. When I saw how the fish caps over the sweet vinegar rice like a canopy, I suddenly felt sickened by those butchered versions served in those horrible colour-coded travesties.

So what made people 'swear by' this place? One word- consistency. Be it premium cuts of sashimi or the complimentary miso broth, every dish bore a quiet persistence to excellence.



The miso soup was delicious and a huge prawn head bobs within, a not-so-subtle reminder of where the sweetness came from. The commonplace chawanmushi rose in standing, when topped with ikura and shark's fin broth.



We decided to share the cold Soba and tempura and the waitress was thoughtful enough to serve two separate dipping bowls. I flicked a pinchful of nori and spring onion into the mirin-shoyu sauce and gently dipped the plain looking buckwheat stripes.



The noodles hosted a chilled unblemished taste, which immediately made me think of how sensational it would be to slurp this on a hot Japanese summer day. The tempura, covered in thick batter, was less of a revelation.



Another seemingly simple but difficult-to-wow item was the tamago, but here at Akane, the tamago delighted with a soft, almost cake-like texture.

Quite frankly, it all boiled down to an ego problem... make that two ego problems. Half the sushi counter was filled with folks whose gold-lacquered tableware bellowed 'omakase' while our commonplace black tableware wore like the Star of David. Our egos refused to let us leave without experiencing something extravagant and being seated in front of the otoro did nothing to quell my curiosity.



Behold, the otoro!

The fan-shaped delicacy was decadently laced with fat and the uni (sea urchin) bore an "interesting" non-existence texture. Perhaps I had been expecting an epiphany but truth is the first thought that came to my mind was "hmmm.. slinky".

There was nothing complex in the preparation, nothing fancy about the presentation but every bite brimmed with Poseidon-certified freshness.



Sayonara, Nogawa San and thank you for all that you have given us.

G-A-S-P!

Garibaldi is serving salmon ravioli for lunch- sWOONS.



I think I've been watching and reading too much about Gordon Ramsey, The F-word and his ravioli dishes... becuse I have some weird ravioli craving going on. I would really love to try Salmon Ravioli with Zucchini and Mint Sauce from Garibaldi...

Doo Ri Me

Although she's been around the block for the last couple of years, I never really took notice of Doo-ri until the movie, "Seamless", fashionisspinach's movie of the month.

The sweet cherub Korean was immensely likeable as her wide-eye innocence and muted optimism proved disarming. Throw in parents who own a press cleaner shop (Mom helps out with the sewing, Dad's the do-anything man) and a boyfriend who runs her errands (she didn't have any paid staff), I almost wished Vogue/ CDFA had an award for Best Family Spirit. By the end of the movie, I was convinced that Vogue/CDFA had picked the right winners- dynamic duo Jack and Lazaro from Proenza Schouler but I couldn't help but feel gutted when the camera showed Doo-ri's "I must not cry, i will stay strong for my fans" look.


From Doo-Ri's Resort 2008

I'm happy to say that though she didn't win, Doo-ri's still around and her Resort 2008 collection is absolutely covetable.

FYI: "Seamless" is a documentary which captures the lives of 3 (out of 10) establishing designers who are determined to win the Vogue/ CDFA fund and stake their. It feels like a 1.5 hour-long Project Runway episode, sans perky (in every sense of the word) Heidi Klum and Tim 'Carry On' Gunn. There was hardly any need for a casting director as almost everyone who's a whos-who in the New York fashion publication scene played themselves. If you heart fashion, adore watching bona fide fashion honchos and heart-rending stories of struggling designers; you will love 'Seamless'. Word of caution: Poor cinematography (only the Blair Witch Project had worse camera skills) may induce temporary bouts of headache and slight nausea.


I needed my carbs.




Zhu said I match the furniture.

Over nachos with melted cheese and smoked salmon salad, Zhu and I had a great time at Pitch Black. Thanks Betsy and Pitch Black for playing host! We can't wait for July's event!

Le Papillion

* Written after last week's lunch

My office neighbor is leaving for greener pastures and his farewell lunch took us Le Papillion, a smallish French restaurant located at the Red Dot Traffic Building. Technically speaking, it's a bit of a bluff to call it 'farewell lunch' since his new office is on the other side of the road. Also, this is Singapore we are talking about aka RED DOT on the Atlas, so it wasn't exactly "au revoir, mon ami". But but but when a friend invites me for a "nice lunch", I'm not about to reason against extravagance.



On the breadbasket visit, I received a sickly looking roll that broke away to reveal a soft fluffy inside. Never judge a bread by its cover, they say. Who's "they"? erm, them! (points to crowd whose faces have been digitally pixilated)

For starters, we had the soft shell crab salad with mango salad and tomato chilli dressing, and yellowfin tuna tataki with dill oil and rocket salad.



Last time I checked, soft shell crab and mango salad were clearly "Asians" so unless they pulled a 'Ziyi Zhang,' chances are the menu isn't authentically European. Having said that, I'm someone who finds it difficult to fault anything "battered and deep-fried" so though it scores zero points for creativity, the crisp heavily-battered soft shell crab and its Thai escort were a crowd-pleaser. Shaded by the rocket salad, the tiny mould of minced tuna brimmed with freshness and subtle dill fragrance.



I usually spend much less time deciding on the main courses as the thought process is always the same. I never order chicken. Or pasta, for that matter. If I want chicken or pasta, I would eat at home. Though I feel very strongly for lamb options, someone at the table (usually mum) would order it so I can choose something else. Fish is tricky, though I love fish, I always feel that they aren't given due respect by western cuisines and most times, the word "dory" just kills my interest. So by default, I would choose beef especially if the description spots words like "veal" or "cheek".



At Le Papillion, 3 out of the 4 main courses actually sounded good. The lamb, two T-Bone lamb cuts with roasted sweet potato, wilted greens and parmesan foam wasn't wow-looking but I had a squish-squash good time with its tenderness.



For a change, I opted for the fish over the beef and didn't regret my decision. The Pan Fried Golden Pomfret was on par with the lamb. The firm flesh and the crusty peppered skin signaled of good things to come. Good thing the spice-fennel sauce was dripped on the side, otherwise it would have interfered with the crispness. Points also given to the delicious roasted potatoes nuggets, which pinched and crinkled at the right edges.



Though the mains were commendable, this was one of the rare occasions where I was sorely let down by the dessert- Poached Pear with Yoghurt Sherbet and Rose Water Meringue. Pleasurably tangy, I lapped up the yogurt sherbet with embarrassing haste and popped in the fair meringues, gently pressing them into oblivion with my tongue. But the poached pears were a chilling experience- they spotted an unnatural texture, and if blindfolded, I would have mistaken it for sweetened pickles.

As the restaurant name ("the butterfly" in French) suggests, what we had today was light, wispy and for a fleeting moment, memorable. The restaurant enjoys an appreciative crowd during lunch, no doubt thanks to fuss-free modern cuisine and polite unintrusive service. Apparently the lunch menu (available on their website) changes weekly, so it's a good idea to check out their menu before visiting.

* Fast forward to a week later

This week's menu actually looks like my kinda thing... This is what I would have had I visited The Butterfly this week.

Starters
Gratin of Onion Confit with Grilled Beef, Mesclun Salad and Cherry Tomatoes
Balsamic Dressing: If it weren't for the beef cheek (squeal!) at Main Course, I would have ordered this. So instead, I choose Gratinated Stuffed Mini Eggplant with Chicken and Tomato with Cheese Toppings and would probably persuade (quite possibly with a pout or... threat, if the pout doesn't work out) my lunch companion to order the onion gratin.

Main Course
Blanquette of Beef Cheek with Roasted Sweet Potato, Sauté Mushrooms and Zucchini: Cheek. Sweet Potato- Need I say more?

Dessert
Tiramitsu: Well, I'm not the biggest fan of tiramisu but the starter and main course would have more than made up for yet another humdrum dessert. Hey wait, it says, "tira-MITSU".. does that mean it comes with Japanese black syrup? Arghhh

I spy with my little eye a return visit soon enough.

- - -

A year ago, I left Copenhagen for Milan. Then, I didn't even cry.

Ricciotti, Riverwalk

Hey guys, thank YOU for responding to my Opera call!

* * *

Italian delicatessen and patisserie by the river.

Now that's not a description you hear very often in Singapore but it sure sounds idyllic, doesn't it?

If I had to personify the Garibaldi group restaurants, Garibaldi would be the no-nonsense protective elder brother, Menotti, the young fashionable darling, and Ricciotti, the middle child, a crowd-pleaser and one who treads carefully the between the lines of tradition and modernity.

The deli "aims at being the destination of choice for the finest Italian pastries, cakes, and gourmet food in Singapore" and products-wise, I honestly don't see any obstacles. The pastries were the most eye catching feature of the room and as if dressed by italian haute couturiers, the finery of their pastries were second to none. However, I was here for something else- the gelatos.

At first glance, the gelatos, well, didn't warrant much of a 'first glance' and I was tempted to speed-dial my editor and ask her to switch assignments. Yet as soon as I had a sample of what was to come, I was glad the procrastinator in me won out.

It started off innocently enough- taste samples. The gelatos glided down with little ease, its flavours lingering like summer reverie. One, two, five, six teaspoonfuls later, I had the biggest grin in the room.



The tomato sorbet was incredibly light and the flavour only descends seconds later; I was immediately reminded me of the seeded tomato core and surprised by how pleasant it was.



When placed in front of me, the olive oil gelato put my acting skills to the test and years of drama club didn't fail me. I beamed earnestly though deep down inside I was going, "you gotta be kidding. what's wrong with these people? Can't they just work with strawberry, chocolate.what happened to good old-fashioned vanill- " but barely a spoonful later, I knew the smile on my face was spontaneous and genuine.

It was like licking mild butter and the flavour is just so difficult to describe. It was creamy, yet not very. It was rich, yet not quite. It was peculiar, well yes. quite so. You've got to try it for yourself!

Here's a tip: Pair the tomato sorbet with the olive oil gelato, as the clean airiness of the tomato strikes a good balance with the rich olive oil flavor.



The berry yogurt was charming, with a slight twang and I also tried the Coffee (not pictured) which had a bang-on, head clearing flavour .



For a fast track to heaven, you should get the restaurant's creations, the "coppe gelatos".

We had the Gianduja- gianduja chocolate, hazelnut & chocolate chip gelato, amaretti cookies, amaretto sauce, chocolate crunch and whipped cream. OOO, I would use words normally reserved for the Italian soccer team to describe the luscious affair.

If you like chocolate with hazelnut, you will dig gianduja. Mind you, this is not just another chocolate ice cream; its cultural roots reach deep into the heart of famous Piedmontose carnival mask but you don't really care, do you? As long as it's heavenly... It was so good our photographer Kejie, who was fighting to keep his cough at bay, could not resist spoonful after spoonful.

But Kejie, what about your cough?

At the risk of sounding like a L'Oreal advertisement, he mumbled, "it's worth it..."

I concur.

O is for Opera

Green Tea Opera Cake from www.nordljus.co.uk/

Be it cafe, patissierie, blogger, baker.. Any suggestions on where I can get good Opera cakes in Singapore?

Here are the places I've gathered so far

canele
ricciotti
pure sin
coffee bean
bakerzin
swissbake
macs
coffee club
delifrance

Any other places?

PS Cafe

Last Saturday, I was introduced to Someone over breakfast and the first thing (after 'Hi, my name is...') he said to me was, "I read your blog".

What a relief. I like it when my reputation precedes me. No, really it justs makes things so much easier as I'm exonerated from the weird stares everytime I whip out the camera or request that everyone stop and lay off their food before I take a shot. Gee, it must be fun eating with me. Haha. Don't worry folks, I'm on my best behaviour otherwise.

So Someone was in town for 6 hours transit, there was little time to waste and most brunch places only open for business at 11-ish. At 9 in the morning, there weren't many blogworthy options until we found out PS Cafe's brunch starts from 9:30am. Now, PS Café is one of those places I love to bring people to because it is inherently unique; it breaks away from the sterile brick and mortar atmosphere and is proof that Singapore isn't just 'Orchard Road and Crystal Jade'.


Picture taken from the PS Café website.

But we all know it can be a b***h to get a reservation there in this cooler-than-thou café but I say, the early bird gets the table.

This little pig went to Harding Road.


Wagyu Steak Sandwich

This little pig had roast beef (an actual line from the original)

We had the Wagyu Steak Sandwich- tender marinated wagyu beef, fried eggs, Danish bacon, caramelized onions, horseradish, tarragon crème, romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, served with baked beans and steak fries on the side.



Now, that's a whole lotta commas stuff going on but its all good. On my first bite, I bit into the ball of beef fat and my heart skipped a beat. The conglomeration of sweet and savory, tender and sinewy created an hubbab of flavours and textures, missing in other sandwiches. Inevitably, with that many ingredients, some were bound to be Lost In Ingestion; but the sandwich was sensational anyway. Baked beans were blah but chunky hand cut fries were gratifying.

Now, I would not advise you eat it whole as PS Café is the place to see and be seen so if an ex-classmate sees you shoving down a massive steak sandwich with the onions and tomatoes dripping all over the place and a horseradish smudge on your right cheek... Chances are you will be the conversation starter at the next reunion and I'm willing to bet that's not the impression you want to leave behind.


Caesar Salad

This little pig stayed with Caesar

Smoked crispy bacon, baby coz, baked giant croutons, poached egg, smoked chef's dressing and freshly grated Parmesan, this was an All Hail Caesar salad. I'm not a salad person but credit goes to the kitchen for making this such a fine-looking dish.


Pancakes with Stewed Apples

This little pig snucked on pancakes

The pancakes with stewed apples is yet another share-or-you'll-be sorry plate. The menu description read: "buttered cinnamon pancakes, stewed apples, citrus infused prunes, honey and syrup" but I didn't detect any cinnamon or citrus.

There are many ways to describe these pancakes but "soft and fluffy" probably isn't one of them. In fact, the three pancakes looked a little tired and heavy (imagine someone with a hangover), not to mention bland without the company of the sides. For those who never figured out if they like their pancakes with syrup or honey, this is your chance to do so. The stewed apples were alright and the prunes were shoulder-shruggingly sweet.

I have tasted better and less fussy pancakes elsewhere.


An empty restaurant at 9:30 am but the eatery was FULL a couple of hours later.



This little pig said, "Wee, wee, wee!
I can't find my way home."

The pink taxi cards reminded us of the restaurant's 'middle of somewhere' location. However, it would be more advisable for you to take a walk after that heavy meal and it's a great opportunity to explore the vicinity. Though we had to pass on dessert, it was an undeniably indulgent morning. I love mornings such as these when the only care you have in the world is how done you want your poached egg to be. Sigh, even kids didn't look half as bratty that morning.

P.S. I love PS Cafe's chairs, especially those with the wood-panel armrests- they are perfect for my imaginary dream home!

What I'm into

Vintage Chairs


Korod Larsen Rocking Chair



Eames Lounge Chair

Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie

Ever since I did a food review for youth.sg, there was this inner nudgy no-good feeling that I was no different from those whose judgment had been affected by the free food and spec-iaal treatment. Ruth Reichl's ordeals in Garlic and Sapphires suddenly rang loud and true, and I thought it wasn't worth compromising my conscience for few slabs of meat (ooo, is that Argentinean steak?).

Eat My Words. (ok so this doesn't quite have the same effect as Kiss My Ass). HAHA

Hoping to hone my writing skills, I recently joind SMU Gourmet Club. Like most writers, I have an editor to answer too, though mine happens to be (yay!) un-Ogress-like. I have assignments to complete and as long as I exercise the same amount of dedication I put into my Ethics class, this shouldn't be a problem.

Payment to be made in Dessert Cheques, thank you.

I have to be honest: I'm a sucker for service and I enjoy the special attention the restaurant personnel pays to MOI. I love it when someone makes me feel like I'm not just another diner. I enjoy being treated like royalt- excuse me, a reviewer. At Canelé Pâtisserie Chocolaterie (Robertson Walk), I felt like I was given a personalized tour in a museum whose Dalis and Michelangelos took shape in the form of heart achingly beautiful desserts and pastries.

Upon entrance, it is a visual feast as part-café part-store Canele proudly displays its jams, pralines, chocolate bars, cakes and desserts. A central kitchen that is perhaps bigger than the café itself is testament that virtually everything sweet is made in house. My dining companions and I were oohed and aahed over the dessert showcase- one would have thought we were picking out wedding rings at Tiffany's.

Speaking of weddings, we saw a multi-tier wedding cake in the making (hey I thought wedding cakes were fake!?). Upon further probing, we were told it was Chef Pang's own wedding cake. Like AWW-UH, how sweet is that. Clearly, the way to a girl's heart (at least for Diana and I) is clearly through our sweet tooth.

Cavities-causing treats aside, Canele has a surprisingly comprehensive variety of hot food such as savory crepes, sandwiches, pastas.

I gave the menu a quick check but as soon as I saw the burger, I didn't bother with the rest.


Brioche Burger

Roasted chicken breast slices, lettuce, figs compote, the usuals* and sweet Japanese mayonnaise sandwiched between kernel-tossed brioche buns. This was a burger for those didn't want to pay the price of sin.


(this photo was taken by me, not Kejie)

It was tasty and didn't leave me with an urgh-so-bad-but-so-good after effect. Fig compote jazzed up the otherwise-bland chicken slices and the soft brioche buns, which were lighter than traditional brioche but suitably textured for the burger, gave me reason to smile.


Country Bread

Country bread sandwich with smoked turkey breast, cranberry jelly, apple and the usuals* was a safe choice for those who swear by turkey and cranberry. Unfortunately, I almost pulled a muscle slicing through the thick country bread. With morbid "over-exertion, knocking over the glass cup and water spilling all over" scenes played out in my head, I decided to give the country bread (and my arm) a rest.

Next time I visit Canele, I will make it a point to try the Croque Madame and Club Honey Baked Ham but I also have to make space for the Danishes. Throughout lunch, I found it difficult to maintain eye contact with anyone as the cakes and pastries across the room were excruciatingly distracting. Gimme my crusty croissant! ARGH

*Usuals being tomatoes and lettuces.

Photographer: Tang Kejie . School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University
[ Webmaster . SISS | Photographer . SMUSAIC | Freelance Web Designer . Photographer ]
[ mob. +65 9847 9792 web. http://kj.sg/ msn. kejie.tang@gmail.com ]

Axis Bar, Oriental Hotel

Ever since my Post Bar experience at Fullerton, I have grown to enjoy those chill out catch up nights at bars and lounges. Last friday, I had a meeting with my Publications Director (hi Monica!) and the both of us met up at Axis Bar at Oriental hotel.



I had a beautiful view from where I was sitting.



I had a Frozen Strawberry Magerita, which I barely touched because of the overpowering vodka content. Having said that, all was not lost for I was here from the bar snacks anyway.



During the 5-8pm happy hour, a cocktail ordered grants you 3 free-flowing tapas, which are rotated daily from a list of 23. We enjoyed the fried calamari (no top-ups for this), fried wontons (crunchy with little stuffing), cheddar cheese and baked cauliflower with bacon and olive oil (mmm, I could have this everyday).

Although Axis had tapas, I still prefer Post Bar for its unmatchable service.

Where to next...

Azabu Sabo

The Japanese take their grub very seriously. Well actually, the Japanese take EVERYTHING very seriously and I would be out of my mind to tell them to 'chill out'. You see, their dedication works to our advantage. Be it phones, cars, or food: When I want something of quality, I know I can get it from the Japanese. I don't have to worry about eggs dyed with carcinogenic Sudan red dye or fortified-with-toxic-diethylene-glycol toothpaste.

Here's the best part, Mireille Guiliano so proclaims "French women don't get fat!" but a little bird called Naomi Moriyama whispered to me "Japanese women don't get old of fat!" That to me speaks volumes because who the hell wants to be eighty and look eighty?

Moshi mooshi, gimme sushi.

So, how do we know that the Japanese take their ice cream very seriously?

Well, they have a Japanese Ice Cream Association and a theme park 'Ice Cream City' in Namjatown.

-Nods- Point taken.

I’ve been meaning to try out Azabu Sabo at Marina Square without much success because not many of my friends are big on Japanese desserts, especially guys who cannot stomach the idea of red bean and green tea.

However, opportunity came knocking when I had to cover them for my school magazine. Onward Matcha!

Azabu Sabo's desserts are predominantly Made in Japan. The dairy for the ice cream is from Hokkaido, red beans and kanten jelly are produced in Japan and they get their matcha from a supplier in -surprise!- Japan. So I guess they basically just assemble the stuff here in Singapore.


Shira Kuni Anmistu

Our first dessert is an Anmitsu: soft ice cream, tucked with red bean paste and fruits on a bed of kanten jelly. Soft ice cream is the lighter version of a traditional vanilla ice cream and in Japan, July 3 is Softcream Day (o-kay this fanaticism is starting to creep me out…) As an ex-Azuki-addict, I enjoyed the fibrous feel of partially crushed red bean and was partial towards the kanten jelly. According to Metropolis Tokyo, kanten has zero calories. No frigging way- only diet drinks with tons of aspartame have the power to be that! Zero calories or not, this jelly has more bite than the other jellies but unless you are into jellies, I think the other desserts were more outstanding.



Above: Soft ice cream with green tea sauce, red bean perched on top of baked sweet potato cake. Our second dessert is essentially the same thing with green tea sauce and sweet potato cake, sans fruit and jelly. Hmm, maybe it ain't so similar after all. Here, the red bean here barely registered but I love sweet potato cake- mildly sweet yet full of flavour. I love anything made from sweet potato- baked sweet potato, sweet potato wedges, sweet potato fritter, sweet potato mash, sweet potato bread, sweet potato soup, sweet potato porridge… anyone know where I can get sweet potato ice cream? Ha.

Atop of the pan fried sweet potato cake, the soft ice cream melted fast and it wasn’t long before we had a sweet potato cake in a chilly puddle- not pretty but not too bad either.



Green tea ice cream caramelized sweet potato and deep fried rice cakes is another dessert for sweet potato lovers. I do wish ice cream makers could be more daring with the matcha flavour. Haagen daaz makes a WHOA-bitter green tea ice cream that fits the “real deal” bill. The milkier version here would sit well with most people though it’s the crisp but chewy rice cakes that would be snapped up first.



Recently added to the menu is the Hokkaido sweet potato ball deep-fried, with vanilla ice cream, red bean and hot butter sauce. You won't find this in Japan because apparently the Japanese do not deep fry those sweet potato balls. Why not? I don’t know because it’s absolutely scrumptious. Besides,. the hot and cold contrast, drizzled with lip-smacking butter sauce would Nipponphiles out of anyone. OOO, Ipods! I See Pods. Vanilla pods on the ice cream!

The desserts were surprisingly heavy; perhaps due to the presence of rice cakes and sweet potato, I felt they were almost a meal of their own. What we had today was just the tip of the soft ice cream, so I would advise you skip the mains and head straight for the dessert.

Photographer: Tang Kejie . School of Information Systems, Singapore Management University
[ Webmaster . SISS | Photographer . SMUSAIC | Freelance Web Designer . Photographer ]
[ mob. +65 9847 9792 web. http://kj.sg/ msn. kejie.tang@gmail.com ]