Posts from — December 2009

Do’ Balls

Doughnuts in all their glorious sizes and forms are a not-so-secret weakness of mine. I trace it all back to the times I accompanied my mother to the supermarket in the basement of Paragon shopping center on the promise of a sugar-dusted treat turned out by the elegant Japanese bakery tucked between the produce section and the butchery.   

Details: B1, Paragon Market Place 290 Orchard Road, Singapore 238859 (+6567380231)

Longan Iced Tea

On my annual pilgramage back to Singapore I usually devote so much time to re-capturing the tastes of childhood faves that I never try anything new.

Since a fellow foodie was afoot however, on this last day of 2009 I decided to take a risk. The Dempsey Hill area (just off Singapore’s main drag of Orchard Road), formerly home to Southeast Asian furniture stores like Shang Antique and not much more, has now exploded onto the dining scene. Besides high-end Australian market, Jones the Grocer,  this heavily (rain)forested area is now dotted with trendy spots for an audience of expats and yuppies to wine and dine one another.

Although no one could find fault with the view, the food at PS. Cafe leaves much to be desired. When I order a Caesar Salad with Rosemary Chicken, not even the waiter’s appealing flattery (“I was too captivated by your eyes”) could distract me from my displeasure at biting instead into a limpid, unremarkable one containing Lemongrass Fish instead. While the Green Garden Lasagne had generous amounts of bechemel sauces and overall was rather good, I doubt that many price-conscious, discerning Singaporean diners would hike all the way up this hill for a mediocre meal in the company of mosquitoes.

Details: 28B Harding Road Singapore (+6590708782)

Gai Wang (BBQ Chicken) with Sticky Rice

Although the version at Singapore’s Boon Tong Kee will forever be my nostalgic chicken of choice, the BBQ chicken available at the hole-in-the-wall stall on Bangkok’s Laarb Langsuang road comes a close second. I shall never forget the day that our school group had a long layover in Bangkok, and despite not having a ticket to fly that day, my friend Calla’s father made it all the way into the terminal, BBQ chicken and all.

Something that globalization is starting to erase is opportunities for a childish delight in obtaining the unobtainable. For years as a privileged visitor to the Videt kitchen, this spoiled Singaporean has access to chicken flown in weekly from Thailand. The example has been life defining: I will go to the ends of the earth to appreciate RGF and to help others do the same.

Details: Laarb Langsuang Road, Bangkok, Thailand

Freshly-Squeezed Watermelon Juice

During my four years in Cambridge, MA I eagerly awaiting spring, which was always signalled by the availability of freshly squeezed watermelon juice at my tex-mex taqueria of choice, Felipe’s.

Wonderful as that was, nothing quite beats the satisfied sipping of the very same juice when deck chairs and a sultry setting are also in the equation.

Details: Four Seasons Hotel, 155 Rajadamri Road Bangkok 10330 Thailand (+66021268866)

Som Tam Thai Kub Koong Mae Naam Yang (Papaya Salad with Grilled River Prawn)

Although there can be a certain delight in discovery, the joy of travelling to visit friends is that privileged insider knowledge is at your fingertips, unadulterated by the narrow perspective of guidebooks and overwhelming array of local listings.

With an upper deck overlooking the Chao Phraya River, the in-house restaurant of the Arun Residence boutique hotel serves traditional Thai and french bistro cuisine as delighted diners look out on Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn).

Although the green papaya salad’s atomic seasoning rather defeated my delicate taste buds, milder options like the Tom Yam Koong Mae Naam (Grouper and River Prawn Soup with Thai Herb, Chilli Paste, and Mushroom) and the Mango with Black Sticky Rice and Coconut Milk Ice Cream are the perfect complement to open-air enjoyment.

Details: 36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Yoong, Maharat Road, Rattanakosin Island, Bangkok 10200, Thailand (+662221 91589)

Fried Sea Bass with Green Mango Salad and Sweet Tamarind Chili Sauce

I’ve mentioned in the past that to cook is to show love. Implicit in this act is the the idea that one takes care of those we love. However, loving doesn’t have to be defined by something quite so hands-on. Indeed, for the most part, caring alone is more than enough.

From the sleek modern design to the breathtaking views of the Bangkok skyline, not to mention the exciting modern Thai cusine, the Long Table of  Krungthepmahanakornamorn-ratanakosinmahintarayutthayam-ahadilokphopnopparatraj-athaniburi-romudomrajaniwesmahasatharnamorn- phimarnavatarnsathitsakkattiyavisanukamprasit (correct name of Bangkok or “City of Angels” in Thai) is exactly the sort of environment I (guiltily) enjoy best.

Because I know such places are not her preferred hangouts nor do they serve the kind of food she likes best, when my oldest friend Calla planned an evening that was all about me, the mango salad was all the crunchier and the spring rolls far more delicate, for they were scrumptious reminders of just how much she cares.  

Details: 25th Floor, 48 Column Building Sukhumvit Soi 16 Bangkok, Thailand (+66 2 302 2557-9)

Mango Sticky Rice

Like the oranges, Thai mangoes are also rather unique. Although there are a myriad varieties,  my favorite is the sweetest strain, Nam-Dok-Mai. Yellowish green on the outside, oblong, and with a flavor more subtle than that of larger green and red mangoes from the Phillipine of Mexico, it was and still is a favored practice of mine to peel one by hand and eat it greedily over a sink, juice dripping down my chin and all. This treat is made all the sweeter when accompanied by glutinous rice cooked in a mixture of sugar and coconut milk.

Som Bangmot (Thai Tangerine) Juice

I can say without any fear of exaggeration that orange juice in Thailand tastes better than equivalents in any other country in the world. Sweet without being sweetened, pulpy without being fibrous, and deep orange in color, it has none of the acidity of the thin, chemical-heavy versions so disappointingly found in US supermarkets.

In Bangkok this ambrosia is sold by street vendors all over the city, but my experience was even more special because it was served in a home of my dear hosts, the Videt family.

Whiskey Green Tea

Preferably made with Macallan Single Malt Scoth Whiskey and Heaven and Earth Jasmine Green Tea, Whiskey Green Tea is the infinitely more palateable Asian version of the Vodka Red Bull energy cocktail fueling partygoers in Europe and the US. 

I’m seldom one to drink, but when something tastes this good, how can any self-respecting epicurean say no? 

Details: 1 Fullerton Road #02 02/03/04 Singapore 049213 (+6563338243)

Hainanese Chicken Rice

Cambridge has The Kong, London has Vignt Quatre, but the late-night spot that will always hold first place in my heart is Singapore’s Boon Tong Kee. After an evening on the dancefloor, nothing sates the appetite quite like a steaming pyramid of fragrant rice accompanied by tender, melt-in-your-mouth chicken breast liberally coated in sesame sauce. For essential rehydration, order the fresh young coconut drink.

Details: 425 River Valley Road Singapore 248324 (+656736 3213)