The Puff List

Little Spoon - Bangkok

2012-02-01T12:03:00.000-05:00

Monsoon Protection
Sunny Bangkok can take a turn for the soggier faster than you can duck into a cafe for cover. When I sat down at Little Spoon I was a bit damp but fared better than most. Thai rain attacks from all angles - even upwards. The unfortunate were stuck outside, caught like laundry in a violent rinse cycle. I patted myself dry while waiting for my latte and blueberry cream cake to arrive.

Little Spoon looks like a small piece of Tokyo with its whitewashed walls, wooden furniture and cutesie decoration. A peek at their menu revealed some savory items such as curry rice, etc. I was more than happy to stay on the sweeter side of the menu.

The Tokyo cutesie-poo-ness extended all the way to the spoon.

I didn't wait in vain. The cream cake was better than expected. I always worry that Jap-style cakes will be on the dull side, but this is Bangkok so perhaps they zest them up a bit.

All in all, a very nice place to wait out a monsoon and a needed respite from all the street food I've been eating. By my last latte sip, the sky had already begun to clear.

Sukhumvit 21 soi 3 (Asok)
Bangkok

Victim One of Two - Bangkok

2012-01-26T00:23:00.000-05:00

Was it the Street Breakfast?
We're hardcore street eaters. We know we'll eventually pay. Rather, I know I will eventually pay - I've a much weaker stomach. So, it came as a surprise that Dodo got knocked out of the game this morning. It's hard to say what did it. Was it the pork porridge she had for breakfast? It looked pretty good coming out of the bag, into the bowl.

We bought from under the skytrain and sat in a nearby plaza to eat.

Pork porridge is comfort food for the Dodo, she kicked off the shoes and folded herself into a pretzel before taking the first spoon dip. She later bought a few chicken wings that we both tried. Delicious as usual.

I went with something seemingly more dangerous. My over easy was super easy - as in runny to the max. I thought about that as I mixed the goo into my rice. Very delicious! I'm happy to report that I feel great. "Strong as bull" I bluffed, apologizing to my better half. She will be missing lunch today and hoping for dinner. The kid, meantime, will be out and about, trying his luck.

Sukhumvit Soi 38 - Bangkok

2012-01-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

Street Food for Dummies
As luck would have it, we are staying just two map dots away on the skytrain from a nice eating street, Sukhumvit Soi 38. The nice thing about the street is that the vendors have picture menus with English translations. So, instead of ordering like a mime, pointing at unknown foods and making thumbs up signs, all I had to do was use my finger to point at a picture. First up - fried chicken chunks with rice. Not quite as good as the chicken we had on Day One, but not bad at all.

We then let our greed steer us. The street is lined on both sides with food stalls.

Some lead into a covered store front, which comes in handy during downpours. We stopped inside this place for a plate of duck rice.

Other than the stingy-fied lack of skin, this was damned good. I chased it with a large Singha beer which only cost about 3 bucks. At that specific moment I confirmed out loud that I could live in Bangkok.

The best of the night, however, was this mango sticky rice. They serve a ripe, juicy mango with sticky rice and sweetened condensed milk. This immediately became my new love. I have already spoken to the Dodo about going back for more tomorrow night.

This was a successful street food adventure. I wedged it in between two boring conference calls, muting the latter call so that I could burp and sigh as I rubbed my stomach. Long Live Bangkok!!!

Sukhumvit Soi 38
Bangkok

Street Food - Bangkok

2012-01-24T01:06:00.000-05:00

Bangkok, I've Missed You
It's been two eventful years. Though it's not obvious to this visitor, there were riots and floods and a change of government since my last visit. Mostly, it looks like it did. There is still a gentle thrum to this large metropolis with its tree-shaded lanes and famed street stalls. It's a city that is easy to fall in love with. Let's call it an affair, since I'm here for just a few days. It's not a coincidence that the first foray involved both pork and egg, two of my favorite food groups.

A volcanic mix of grilled pork, chillies, and string beans topped by a golden yolk lava flow. We agreed it was good but only second to the deep-fried chicken. I didn't even snap a photo of the latter, we pulverized it and agreed to return tomorrow. I promise to post that, it was tremendous. You will have to make do with this dessert - sesame-laden dough balls with yellow bean inside. These were good warm.

I've already made two bags of peanuts disappear. It's dangerous to sell me honey-glazed peanuts for a buck. I'm contemplating setting a record for peanut eating while in town. Memo to self - time to double-down on the treadmill minutes. Stay tuned, more street food to come....

Passion 5 Patisserie (패션5) - Seoul

2012-01-16T07:40:00.001-05:00

I Won't Be Controlled
My parents passed me their stubbornness genetically and nurtured it through upbringing. So, when one of the chef's at Passion 5 formed an X with his forearms to warn me off taking photos, I smiled and complied. Or so he thought. I was angry and intent on taking even more photos than I normally do. I hate places which have an anti-photo rule - it's so stupid in this day and age. I hoped to despise their goods and slam them but guess what? Anti-photo rule or not, they craft some scrumptious goodies, both savory and sweet.

Just about everything we tried was a hit. From left to right, piggie in a filo blanket, bacon in a dough shawl, a crepe sack filled with strawberries and cream, tied with a vanilla bean and a hot cheese pocket.

Filo dough cradling a juicy sausage. Genius. Un-toppable until.....

.....we tried an even juicier sausage wrapped in a lighter jacket.

This little piggie was top of the food chain, we agreed. So juicy and tender. Of course, we're biased - we're pork-addicts.

As Dodo kept buying, I kept clicking. I hid my camera on my lap and snapped whenever the waiter disappeared. The boomerang in the foreground was the runt of the litter - we selected it not realizing it was filled with olives - neither of us cares for olives. The strawberry pastry was better than it had a right to be - strawberries in the middle of winter?

The coffee wasn't half-bad either. After about an hour of filling my belly, the anger started to recede. I was taking photos, eating like a king. I get a perverse pleasure in not following the rules. It sometimes works for me and other times against me.

We sat upstairs after selecting our eats on the first floor. As you can see, it's schwanksville - a step up from their other chain - Paris Baguette, which I didn't try.

I'm not positive about the address, so just look for the red birdie out front.

Yongsan-gu Hannam-Dong 72-74

Itaewon, Seoul

Homemade Meal - Seoul

2012-01-11T02:38:00.000-05:00

Warding Off the Korean Winter
On the streets of Seoul in December, the wind finds a way through the defenses. It scrapes past your scarf and crawls up your pant leg, taking frosty bites. We called in the reinforcements at Homemade Meal, a ten seat matchbox that quickly became a favorite haunt. The first visit I got pork with chilies and on my return I took it up a notch with a plate of rice, kimchi and spicy pork topped with a fried egg. As I chomped I fantasized about staying there for the rest of the vacation.

The Dodomode got ham and cheese ramen. It came looking exactly how I would've made ham and cheese ramen - with a slice of american processed cheesestuff on top. Moments like these are jarring. Do you expect to see a Korean woman in Seoul pull out american processed cheesestuff and throw it on top of your ramen? Nevertheless, it was excellent. The Dodomode ate with her nose in the air, conveying a sense that I'd been topped.

Of course, I can never be bested, this is my blog after all. I did play along to soothe her fragile ego. Boyfriend work is hard to find so I take it seriously. Seoul reminds me of Tokyo in certain ways - one of which is how fantastically small the kitchens can be.

As we ate, the owner kept ducking out with hot meals that she delivered to the neighboring shopkeepers. Moments later they'd knock on the door and return their empty bowl.

You can have the overpriced fancy places. You can keep the Michelin-starred spots all to yourself. Just keep giving me these small mom and pops.

Of course, there was a sprinkling of pickledness. Their kimchi was pretty good. We would later spend a morning at a Korean "culture" course, making our own kimchi. Boyfriend protocol dictates that I had to pack it in my luggage. Thankfully, it arrived in Singapore in tact with no spillage or stinkage.

Seoul, I miss you already.

Itwaewon-dong (between Hamilton and IP Hotels)
Itaweon
Seoul

Potong Pasir Kopi Pau - Singapore

2012-01-05T22:32:00.001-05:00

They're Not Famous But They Should Be
Bao or pau? Kopi or coffee? Regardless of word choice - we're talking about a steamed bun with a sweet coffee-flavored belly button. I tried to sell my local friends on it - they just gave me the "what does an Ang Mo know about bao" look. Especially a bao from Potong Pasir - one of the smallest estates in Singapore. PP is a bit dog-eared in a lovable way. While the rest of the island has been upgrading like crazy, PP has retained some original small-town charm.

When you tear open the tender skin you get to the goodness. I am guessing it's some kind of sweetened bean paste flavored with coffee. Drop one of these like a hand grenade on your 3pm post-lunch lull and see what happens. I pair it with a nice kopi c siu dai and nod off like a heroin junkie. (If you don't know what a kopi c siu dai is, stand by, I am gonna do a post on Singapore coffee soon.)

You'll know you got the right spot if this is your view. My local friends did try it out in the end. Even Pirate had to admit it was good and she's tough.

You can't beat the price at 60 cents. Another wonderful thing about PP - the prices haven't upgraded yet either. If you visit and happen to see an Ang Mo nodding off nearby - let me sleep....

Potong Pasir Avenue 2 - Block 146
Singapore

Haecheon - Seoul

2012-01-04T12:16:00.000-05:00

Seafood Karma
I recently attended a funeral in Singapore and learned a bit about Buddhism. The priest made an interesting point about how rare it is to come back as a human. Most of the time when you're reborn you're probably a bug - of which there are billions. Think about that a moment. You are lucky. Of course, after going to Haecheon and eating their seafood pancake I considered that to be reborn a shrimp and end up on this pancake would be quite satisfying. Simply spectacularly delicious.

This was a yummy seafood frisbee, so good in fact that I didn't want to play catch with Dodo. I wanted to keep it for myself. As they say in Brooklyn, or used to say back when I didn't have a fat neck: "keep it dolo."

The menu specifically mentioned the Welsh leeks so I flipped it over to show you. I lived in Wales for two years as a kid and I never thought I would see any of their foodstuffs mentioned on a menu in Korea. It's a strange mashup world we live in, kids.

Now, I don't mean to tease my lesser half (she's better than me - smaller, I mean) but she really tripped over the dope-rope with her order. Some kind of horrible porridge that I tasted for completeness sake and quickly chased with a swig or two of beer to clear the palate. Dodo, why? What were you thinking?

As usual, there were assorted picked side dishes and they really hit the spot. I think every culture should offer these. They are nice to snack on while waiting for the meal and once the meal starts, they add a nice change of pace.

Did I mention that we were in Seoul in the middle of the frigging winter? It was so cold that I wanted to stay in my hotel room and cry. I come from a cold place but I now spend so much time in Singapore that I've gotten soft, weather-wise. I am happy about it too. You can have the winter, I'm done with it. Ok, give me two white days at Christmas and then let's get back to the 80's. This photo doesn't show it but the snow was rippling against the window like an icy curtain.

The post-meal wreckage. (See how much porridge is left....?)

264 Itaewon-ro
Itaewon, Seoul

Myeongdong Gyoja - Seoul

2012-01-01T08:04:00.000-05:00

In Korea, they Replace the Z with a J
Not gyoza, but gyoja. We heard this was the place to be for dumplings in Seoul. Judging by the line and the fact that so many were willing to wait in it through bitter cold, I expected good things. The place runs like an efficient assembly line. You're given a table and a menu and they take you order and your money without leaving your side. About three minutes later, ta-daaaaaaaaa.

Is it rude to say that there's a particular smell in the Seoul subway? Not a good smell, not a bad smell, just particular. It has to be the kimchi that everyone eats. The Meyongdong Gyoja version was as good as any I tried. Spicy, zesty, delicious.

The gyoja were not bad either. Not as excellent as the hype would have you expect but I'm not complaining. The skin was almost translucent. Garlic'ed to the rim, killing any and all future romance.

Others around us got the noodles. This young lady reveled in every strand, raising each high to the ceiling before slurping it down loudly.

The complimentary breath mints were a nice touch. We would've needed a bucket of these a piece to make a difference.

Back into the subway we went, adding to the underground Seoul funk.

Myeongryebang-gil 2-ga 25-2l
Myeong-dong
Seoul

Catania Cafe - Brooklyn

2011-11-15T19:41:00.001-05:00

Sicilian Breakfast is an Eye Opener!
Back in Brooklyn!!! Man it feels strange - I've been away since July. As usual, things have changed here and there. A Sicilian cafe named Catania has opened up around the corner, in a bad luck spot that's housed many failed pizza shops. Based on my breakfast, the luck has changed. Permanently. I arrived at 8am on the dot, right when they were pulling hot things out of the oven. It was so good that I ate the equivalent of three breakfasts in one sitting!

I chose an almond-apricot twist, called a Treccina. It was light and warm and a beautiful intro to this lovely place. Normally, I would stop there. As I sipped a rich latte and stared out the window I figured it would be better for this blog to eat just one more thing... I didn't really WANT to do it, but I did it for the blog.

I didn't imagine the fritatta was going to be so damned big. It felt heavy on the plate as I carried it to my window seat. I wasn't bowled over by the taste, a bit on the bland side. As I imagined writing these words and not wanting to end the post on a down note, I figured, ok, just ONE more thing.

I chose a dopey-shaped sugar-encrusted donut called a Graffa. Wow, this thing was so light and airy and dazzling. Kind of like a normal donut pumped up with air. It was still warm from the oven and I spent quite a bit of time licking the sugar off my fingers.

Not only does this place serve breakfast, but they also serve up lunch and dinner. I am definitely going back to get some Sicilian pasta and a bunch of other stuff. The Dodo arrives in a few days. Will she come with me, I wonder?

193 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn

Pain de Sucre - Paris

2011-11-05T13:25:00.000-04:00

the Spaceship has Landed
Pain de Sucre is an old favorite - half of my "winter mashup" experiment. Two store fronts away from their original, they've opened a shiny, sleek new shop. They're selling the usual excellent pastries and marshmallows, but unlike the old shop you can sit outside and eat your treat immediately.

I like the red bench - it folds out from the wall on hinges. I took a seat and turned myself into a human advertisement. Everyone slowed and watched me hack away at my tart. Invariably they'd go into the store as a result.

The interior glows like a giant bulb, with its blinding lacquered white walls. Not my cup of tea design-wise, I prefer the original.

Luckily, they're still cranking out beautiful works of art. I tried a Champcella - lemon cream on top of caramelized apples and sprinkled with some kind of rosemary finish. A surprising combo that works well. Not overly sweet.

Another thing that remains the same are the colorful marshmallows in the window.

14 rue Rambuteau
3rd Arondissement
Paris

Smitten Coffee and Tea Bar - Singapore

2011-10-31T16:30:00.001-04:00

I Thought I Was Having the "Big One"
Smitten is another of the hip Singaporean cafes to open recently. They do it right - good, rich coffee, nice cakes and snacks, cool contemporary interior. There's just one problem.... price. When they handed me the bill I almost had a heart attack.

A Fred Sanford type of heart attack! Only Americans of a certain age will appreciate this clip.

See, all I had was a piece of carrot cake. Damned good one too. Ok, I really only got about half of it because I date a girl who is always digging her little fork into my stuff.

Add to that another latte or two and a pot of tea for my girl Pirate Pixels. If I remember correctly the bill started with a 3! I blanked out, fell back, grabbed at my heart-sac through my shirt, stumbled and then almost started to cry.

I guess I had my warning, they're set up in Robertson Quay, where all the overpaid expats live. These type get their apartments paid for by their companies, charge through all their dining expenses and don't even blink when someone charges them up their ass. It's kinda, well, like, my set-up in Paris.....

So, in the end I don't blame Smitten, they are simply charging what the expat market can bear. It's good but I'm putting you on notice - if you're not a banker or a rich kid, keep it moving.

60 Robertson Quay
Singapore

Claus - Paris

2011-10-30T12:49:00.000-04:00

Cock-a-Doodle-DON'T
More often in Paris than any other city there are restaurants that leave me feeling cold. It's as if the owners are cooking at home for friends and here I am, the uninvited guest, unexpectedly ringing the doorbell, brushing past them in the doorway, taking up space. They smile, they're polite but they seem scared they'll never get rid of you.

Go right upstairs and sit whereever you like they told me and I did, in the seat next to the window. There were about eight tables and only a few were taken.

I was calibrating my camera on the sugar cubes when he appeared and asked if I could move to another table since someone had a reservation in an hour. I was at a table for two and couldn't see a smaller one. As usual, when dealing in French, I was confused and getting confused-er. Don't worry, I told him, knowing I'd be long gone in an hour.

He seemed fine with the explanation but reappeared five minutes later, pointing to a table a few feet away. Same sized table. Away from the window. He was going on in French and I didn't really understand. I moved. I thought about it. There were no configuration reasons I could calculate. Someone else was coming, that's all. Someone window-worthy.

It's moments like these that something goes "click" inside my brain. They could've served me the best food on the planet but I knew I'd never come back. It was no surprise that their breakfast, at least the small bit I sampled, was consistent with their service. Please, I'm begging - if you don't know how to make or serve a scone, take it off the menu. No amount of butter or preserves could've saved this frigid lump of wood, but since I didn't get any I'll never know. It sat stubbornly on the plate, arms folded, starting a staring contest with me and winning.

I hate to admit it but the latte was very good. However, I later learned that the coffee comes from Coutume so I rescind any credit I'd almost given them.

I ripped the cutesie chicken cover off the egg and decapitated it. I dunked a few of the cold toast points and started to giggle. Ways to write-up this place started to dance in my head. I'd taken a recent vow to only post about places I like but this was going to be too much fun. Of course, as I got up to leave, the the three tables next to me were still empty. I'm sure it's just me. Wrong place at the wrong time. You'll go and have a wonderful experience. Perhaps you're in the "in" crowd. Me, I'll take my Euros elsewhere.

14 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
1st Arondissement
Paris

Coutume Cafe - Paris

2011-10-29T11:39:00.002-04:00

Finally!
After so many tartines and croissants and dark Parisian swill pretending to be cofee, a real breakfast! I downed the velvety scrambled and spread the entire golden brick on my whole wheat toast. Coutume cafe is known for their coffee, but I give them credit for their breakfast. It's the kind that leads to a deep, satisfying nap.

I don't care much for the coffee geekery - the siphons, the conical drips, etc. I was happy to simply get a decent latte, this one with three shots. The price was right - about 3 and a half euros, the same price I pay for the dirt milk served in most Parisian cafes.

Definitely an expat crowd - Englishmen, Ozzies and Americans were there in force. I wasn't sure I was in Paris until....

......I spotted the Frenchie in the corner, reading Charlie Hebdo, his dog keeping guard.

I can see myself coming here whenever I get fed up with the usual Paris fare. In other words, quite often. If you don't want breakfast, they offer pastries from Patisserie des Reves.

47 Rue de Babylone
7th Arondissement
Paris

Hokkyokusei - Osaka

2011-10-26T03:19:00.000-04:00

Omelet Rice Ground Zero
Not far from the famous crab sign, out of the neon flicker, Hokkyokusei humbly awaits your discovery. They invented "omuraisu", otherwise known as omelet rice, and they're proud of it. It is as you might infer, an omelet stuffed with rice.

Unfortunately, there's a catch. To eat their invention, you have to sit on the floor. The Japanese have invented a lot of cool stuff but one of their worst ideas was sitting on the floor. There is nothing good about it. Nothing comfortable about it. When I began to take off my shoes, a dark cloud gathered. I laughed when they handed me my locker key - the number said it all.

Yes, I was on vacation so I made the best of it. I put my shoes in the locker and did a few toe touches to stretch out my Pliocene hamstrings.

They make it look so easy. Just fold your legs under you and surf your hand phone. Two minutes in that position and my gluteus minimus would never function the same way again.

Cross-legged position? Nope, not me. I don't think my legs have folded like that since I was an infant.

I considered going with the "cow face pose" but figured I'd spill a lot of omelet on my back. I started out sitting with my knees tucked under my chin but every five minutes I'd shift to another position. I stared at my umbrella locker key and tried to go into a zen trance as I waited for the food to arrive.

When it did, I dived in, happy to forget about my numb legs. It was exactly as billed, an omelet filled with rice. I waited for the eureka moment but it never arrived. Like I said, an omelet with rice. I couldn't help but think to myself "I am sitting on the floor for this?" Bland and lackluster, in desperate need of a dash of some kind of spicy sauce. The catsup just didn't do the trick.

Luckily, the deep-fried chicken nuggets saved the day. Each bite of these lifted my mood a bit, bringing bursts of feeling to my deadened limbs.

Here's the story, according to them.

大阪市中央区西心斎橋２−７−２７
Osaka, Japan

Canezees Donut - Fukuoka, Japan

2011-10-17T01:20:00.000-04:00

"Healthy" Japanese Donuts from the Memory Bank
In the early days I'd blog immediately. I find I'm getting slower and slower. Take Canezees - I was there almost two months ago and am just posting. It's not a comment on their donuts, more my laziness. I remember being surprised by this funky donut shop, found along the railroad tracks in a forlorn section of Hakata.

They hand-roll em and fry em in rice oil, which makes them a bit lighter. They forgo eggs and white sugar as well. With regards a "healthy donut", there's only so much you can do. You can shave him and teach him to play the piano, but he's still a gorilla. The glazed, above, was a bit better than the honey, below. Top of the lot was the "adult" chocolate, photoed at the end of the post.

The small shop is takeout only. We sat outside, eating off one of the oil drums scattered near the point of the triangle-shaped building.

The early morning the crew was there, covered in flour, cranking out the day's batch.

These donuts were a nice reprieve from an otherwise unhealthy attack of deep-fried gyoza, battered chicken wings and grilled pork bits during our time in Hakata.

福岡市博多駅前4-15-10-1F
Hakata, Fukuoka Japan

The Pigeon Hole - Singapore

2011-10-13T20:17:00.000-04:00

The Cool Cafe Wars Are Brewing
It's like 00's NYC all over again. Here in Singapore a cool cafe opens weekly. In an eyeblink, we've gotten The Pigeon Hole, Loysel's Toy, Sarnies, Orange Thimble, Drips, Smitten and undoubtedly a few others while I wrote this post. If you're an office-less worker like me the Pigeon Hole is remote-bot heaven. They have comfortable tables, coffee and free wifi. After 20 minutes of work and 40 minutes of net-surfing I dug into their signature chocolate bread-and-butter pudding. It's described on the menu as velvety creme brulee topped with chunks of fluffy buttery croissant and chocolate chips. I wonder, is that really a croissant on top or pieces of you tiao? The latter, I hope - that would be cooler.

I wouldn't guess they'll win awards for their coffee. It's pretty standard in my anointed opinion. I like a coffee that can punch me in the eye and leave me a bit stunned. Sarnies is that place. However, for vibe and comfort, Pigeon Hole fits the bill.
It's kinda artsy and designy, if you follow me. The first time I went there was a photo exhibition of cool people, the kind that probably would never talk to me. I mean, let's be honest, I don't really have much to say either so it would be an awkward silence.

To the girl with the tight boots in the hot climate, I would start the conversation with something like this: "Hi, which way is the library?" and it would crumble from there.

But I digress. I like this place. They were playing an old-school soundtrack that included Bjork, Morrissey with a dash of Radiohead. No complaints there. I've worked there a few times since then and always get the pudding, it's a perfect fifteen minute respite from work if you take your time.

52/53 Duxton Road
Singapore

Hisago - Kyoto

2011-09-30T03:00:00.001-04:00

Going Against the Crowd (Us Usual)
Visiting the famous temples in Kyoto nourishes the spirit but not the body. Using a Japanese food guide as our bible we made our way to Hisago (ひさご) to try their famous Oyakodon. We, as in her. I went against the norm - every single person there was ordering, waiting for or eating Oyakodon. I thumbed my nose at them all and chose the cha soba, cold buckwheat noodles zapped with green tea.

I was right of course. She wouldn't admit it then and she probably won't admit it now. Oyakodon is a play on words. It means "parent-child bowl" and refers to the fact that is has both chicken and egg. They're simmered together with onion in a dashi broth or chicken stock and then poured on top of rice. I wasn't bowled over by it (sorry for the pun.) It was a bit bland for my buds.

A variety of pickles kept us company until the main dishes arrived.

I've really grown to like pickled things. I never would've imagined that growing up. We used to make pickled everything and store it in our basement and only my mom and dad would eat them. I wish I could try those now with my grown-up tongue.

This is my favorite shot - a bunch of wooden toothpicks. They are so superbly crafted for something you jam between your teeth and then toss out.

There was still a line waiting to get in when we left. I guarantee you every one of them ordered the Oyakodon.

京都府京都市東山区祇園下河原４８４
Kyoto

Dohton Bori - Osaka

2011-09-17T12:43:00.000-04:00

As You Like It, in Osaka
Okonomiyaki is Osakan soul food, they tell me. It means "cooked the way you like it" (okonomi = as you like it and yaki=cooked or grilled.) At Dohton Bori, they take your freedom seriously, giving you all kinds of crazy combo choices for what I'd describe as a savory pancake/omelette. I kept it inside the ropes, adding ham, cheese, prawns, and eggs to a batter made of shredded yam, flour and water. On top were the usual accompaniments: a Worcestershire-like black sauce, mayo and bonito shavings.

You ever seen the famous photo of the giant crab sign from Osaka? Well, this is the place: the Dotonbori neighborhood on the city's south side. Mr. Crab is hanging from a building on the left.

We bellybucked the grill, next to two chain-smoking girls.

I had a good feeling when I got my tools. I noted that the chain-smoking girls had forsaken their chopsticks for the mini-shovel, eating bites off of it between drags.

Phase 1 - dumped out. The pile begins to sizzle.

Phase 2 - formation. The Jackson Pollock becomes a Matisse.

Phase 3 - bubbling disk. My stomach starts to rumble.

Phase 4 - the flip. The crowd oooooh's and ahhhhhh's.

Phase 5 - almost ready. Sauces applied, waiting for the fermented fish crown.

Phase 6 - time for the shovel! I chopped with the shovel, ate with the sticks. Dodo sat nearby, eating of all things - fried rice! Fried rice? In an okonomiyaki spot? Dodo, defend yourself in the comments section, please.

Dotombori
Osaka, Japan

Swindle Factory - Fukuoka, Japan

2011-09-10T09:15:00.001-04:00

It Helps to Be Forgetful
"Who goes on vacation for two weeks and forgets their wallet?" It was a fair question, one I'd asked myself before she gave voice to my inner thoughts. I wasn't sure if she was mad or scared. Is there a small tumor wriggling it's elbows inside my grey matter? Or is it early onset alzheimers? Or, was it a devious plot, she suggested, to keep from paying for her shopping? At our hotel, after coffee at Swindle Factory, the debate was put to rest. I couldn't find my camera - I'd left it behind. We tracked back to fetch it and decided to stay for dinner. Thanks to my creeping senility we filled up on Hayashi rice and pasta.

Those of you who equate Japanese meals with uncooked seafood might be surprised to learn of the wide variety of fare, some influenced by the West. My Hayashi rice is a good example. It's supposedly named for "hashed beef" and is essentially a beef stew with rice and mushrooms, served over rice. Swindle's variety leaned away from the beef in favor of the mushrooms which was fine by me and my brain tumor.

What delights in a place like this is the personal touch. It's hand-painted, quirkily decorated, and each piece of bric-a-brac appears to have been placed there by one of the two owners, a married couple with a small child. She mans the day shift and he replaces her at night.

We chatted with her in a mix of Japanese and English and learned she was born in Singapore, where her family lived for three years. When she went back behind the bar counter to cook, we took a peek. It was incredible since there was no kitchen. Like their Parisian counterparts, the Japanese have learned to cook in tight spaces with limited gear.

Dodo's disgust with me moderated a tad after she dug into her pasta. It had chunks of fatty pork and slices of grilled squash. As she ate happily, I looked around slowly, just to make sure. Camera? Check.

福岡県福岡市中央区大名1-9-17
Fukuoka

Asahi Ken - Fukuoka, Japan

2011-09-08T15:44:00.000-04:00

Whatchya Making Grandmama? Gyoza?
You ever been to a restaurant where grannie is sitting right behind the counter hand-making gyoza and chit-chatting with the customers? I have and I feel special. We picked Asahi Ken (旭軒) out of a Japanese food magazine we bought at the train station. After a few bites of grannie's food, I wanted to pick up that fat pink superphone on the counter and call everyone I knew to brag!

She is famous for her gyoza and I must say, they're tailored expertly. The skin was superthin.

What really had me singing were the chicken wings. I have no clue what they do to them to make them so smokey and lovely. I'd confidently race em against any of your favorites.

As usual I dunked in the wrong sauces but I couldn't help myself, I'm both stupid and stubborn.

Dodo kept the plates of gyoza rolling in and I re-upped on the wings and we sat there, filling two of the 6 seats, for quite a long time.

There was no risk of the goodies running out. Grannie was turning em out faster than we could make em disappear.

Here's a shot of the exterior in case you're in Fukuoka and want to check it out.

Chuo-ku, Fukuoka Haruyoshi 2-13-22
Japan

Hakata Yatai - Fukuoka, Japan

2011-09-02T12:13:00.000-04:00

My Best Experience in Fukuoka
Fukuoka is known for ramen, but they also have famed street stalls called Yatai. They're no larger than a picnic table and you sit elbow to elbow on attached wooden benches and gobble freshly made, tasty street food. We happened into this one as we got lost trying to find our hotel and came back for dinner. Dodo dragged her feet a bit - she mumbled about not immediately getting to eat ramen. After a few bites she stopped complaining. Every thing we ate was good, especially the tightly rolled tamago, dolloped with a local delicacy - Mentaiko, a marinated pollock roe.

Most yatai in Hakata are clustered together but this one stood alone on a busy street in the CBD. Minutes after we sat down the skies opened up and dropped buckets of water. That white tarp on the right saved me from getting completely soaked. During the storm it was just the two of us and the two owners. It was quite cozy.

Check it out for yourself, I took a short video during the storm.

This was the first thing we ordered - a pork sausage and skewer of fatty pork. Both awesome but the pork skewer was slightly better, it had smokey, salty, fatty taste. The kind of taste that yells "this is BAD for you" but you don't care, you order another round.

More pork. This one a quasi pork-kimchi salad with scallion. Damned good. I'm glad my chopstick skills have improved or I probably would've gotten aced out by the old lady, she was wolfing this down, smiling with her full chipmunk cheeks and complimenting the owners in Japanese (or at least it sounded like Japanese to me.)

This is the kind of experience I long for when I travel. Unplanned, spur of the moment, slightly quirky, with a huge downpour thrown in for good measure.

Yes, we ate the famous ramen and it was good, but as I look at this photo of the roof inside the yatai, pinned with decades of yellowed business cards, I cannot help but smile. I truly enjoyed it - it was a one of a kind experience.

Tempura Tsunahachi - Tokyo

2011-08-28T11:12:00.000-04:00

It Takes More Than Hot Oil...
As a boy, when we went out to eat, I refused to eat anything but burgers, fries and milkshakes. How things change - I didn't even wait for her to finish saying "prawn head" before I'd popped it in and crunched happily. I think she was as surprised by my lack of hesitation as I was. It was nice, in a way that suggested a master's steady hand. At Tsunahachi, every member of the staff looked to be in their sixties, including our chef. I'd venture that experience is a positive when you're dunking things in hot oil.

I thought I'd seen it all until the chef placed a deep-fried egg yolk before me. I instinctively leaned forward, hugged the plate and growled. I was seated with thieves, some known to steal food right out from under me.

Crunchy and runny at the same time - the best of both worlds. Kind of like a mortar and small-arms attack on my arteries, but I didn't care. Incredible taste - I can die now, I'm sure of it. It's like an exclamation point - I've seen and eaten it all, haven't I? (Actually, a week later I'd be eating duck tongues in Hong Kong, so I guess there's always something new...)

I was dipping and dunking everything in wasabi salt, another first. I didn't know they made wasabi salt and it's gonna be hard to switch back to the normal stuff. It wasn't overly spicey, jut enough to cause a bit of forehead sweat.

Dodo, being a spice-chicken, stuck with the white crystals. So dull. (By the way, she didn't try the duck tongues in Hong Kong, either. So, that makes here duck-tongue-chicken, I guess.)

The pickled radish made a nice photo - I adjusted my lighting and focus on this as I waited. It was ok, just didn't warm my heart as expected.

At Tsunahachi, they deep-fry it in front of you. We sat at the counter and watched. One by one, things appeared in front of me like these tasty tempura prawns. I'd gotten a head start on these already (drumroll.) Get it? Ok, nevermind.

The maestro was in good form. I'm guessing he was in his fifth decade of tempura making though I didn't dare ask and didn't know the Japanese to do so anyway. I'm sure my gf will read this and be glad that's the case.

It's old-school tempura heaven, folks. That ain't no exaggeration. If you're in Tokyo and want some deep-fried goodies, you now know where to go.

It's not the easiest place to find, so follow the map link below.

3-31-8 Shinjuku
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Columbia 8 - Osaka

2011-08-18T10:41:00.000-04:00

Burn You Twice Curry
It burned the buds and it's gonna burn the cheeks. Not the cheeks on your face, the other ones. The Columbia 8 curry is the hottest thing I've eaten in Asia, bar none. That includes Thailand. It didn't help that Dodo "gohan sukoshi'd"' (less rice) the order, forcing me to eat two spoonfuls of fire for each spoonful of rice. This hidden ten seater is a nice place to eat curry in Osaka.

The young owner was bewildered how a Singaporean and New Yorker found his restaraunt. When we showed him the write-up from a travel book we picked up in Hong Kong airport, he was surprised. He knew nothing about it and proudly showed it to all his patrons, locals no doubt. They ewwww'd and ohhhhhh'd and seemed happy for him. That's him in the shot. He gave us a very warm welcome and explained that his curry is an original recipe.

Dodo's mixed curry was less spicy and was the clear winner. It was a delicious melange of chicken, eggplant, tamago, potatoes, peanuts and loads of curry. I may have tasted clove, perhaps cardamom but he wasn't telling.

I won't go into how we searched in circles for the place under a scorching sun. Suffice it to say I played the good boyfriend, patiently seeking from under my dark black umbrella. The Dodo had all but given up but it finally appeared to us like a mirage.

Doshomachi 1-3-3 Ebisu Bldg 2F,
Chuo-ku, Osaka

Bakeshop - Jiyugaoka, Tokyo

2011-08-15T23:53:00.000-04:00

Iced Coffee Relief
I imagined it was pool-sized. I dived in, did a doggy-paddle past a stray ice cube and then back-stroked to the straw. Back in the real world, a few sips of the Bakeshop iced latte were like slipping on a frozen raincoat. My temples stopped pulsing and the moving lips of my girlfriend started to make words I recognized. Be warned if you come to Tokyo in August, it's hot. Stroke-inducing, lung-collapsing hot.

After a few bites of the banana muffin I told myself "at least the coffee is excellent." Not bad, but designed for local tastes, I guessed. Overly dense and underly sweet.

No matter, I was here for this and it did not disappoint. Icy cold and very strong.

Bakeshop is on the 4th floor of a small building and the views are out of the ordinary. Tokyo has limited sight lines - it feels claustrophobic and it's because no matter which way you look, you see buildings and people. In Bakeshop, sitting next to the large windows, it was more of the same but at least I could peer out over the rooftops towards the imaginary horizon.

It's like a bright white refrigerator and I played the part of a happy, chilled cucumber sitting there. When it was time to go, I mentally wilted. The thought of going into the Tokyo oven again was enough to make a man cry. "Another iced latte please!!!"

東京都目黒区自由が丘2-16-29
IDEE SHOP 4th Floor
Jiyugaoka, Tokyo

Moon Rabbit Onigiri - Jiyugaoka, Tokyo

2011-08-14T09:29:00.001-04:00

Rice Ball Charmer
I'd forgotten that Tokyo is a steaming cement stew in August. I made a quick first purchase - a dark black umbrella, under which we wandered the streets of Jiyugaoka in Meguro prefecture. Happenstance or perhaps heat stroke led us to a four-seater serving onigiri with sides. Onigiri are rice balls and the version at Moon Rabbit are pure - unlike my translation of their name. Officially, the place is called "Tsukitate Onigiri Tsuki Usagi."

820 yen gets you two rice balls and three sides. We chose tamago, carrot topped with sesame-laced tofu and pumpkin chunks.

I was about to dig in with chopsticks when Dodo smacked me on the arm. I'm entirely comfortable with doing the wrong things in Japan so it didn't surprise me. She tsk-tsk'd me and handed over a seaweed skin to wrap around the ball. I followed her lead. It was more flavorful than I expected once I struck the secret core of chicken hidden within.

I tried the tamago first and pretended it was terrible to try to wrestle away the other piece to no avail. I love tamago and this version was soft and sweet.

I didn't expect to like the carrots with tofu but I did. The sesame seeds did the trick.

I had the strangest feeling while we picked out our sides. Here we were deep in the middle of Tokyo, about to eat a quintessentially Japanese lunch and what was the soundtrack? A French radio station. I tried out the ladyboss "Parlez-Vous Francais?" She didn't understand and looked at the Dodo, confused. So strange the love for France the Japanese have. All throughout this little burb are French named stores, patisseries serving French fare and even French restaurants. Remember Godfather III, when Pacino says "Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in!"

This place is a gem. The very definition of kawaii.

Jiyugaoka 山本Biru 1F 1-24-6
Meguro, Tokyo

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison - Singapore

2011-08-09T23:35:00.000-04:00

Juicy Pork Loin Salvation
After a day with Dodo's girlfriends spent gossiping in the hair salon and loitering in the mall as they tested skin cream and shouldered pricey bags, I felt like I'd grown ovaries. What saw me and my shrinking gonads through it all was the anticipation of a deep-fried pork loin dinner at Tonkatsu by Ma Maison. They served me the juiciest, most succulent, mind-bending tonkatsu - I cannot imagine a better one - not even on my upcoming Japan vacation! If I find a superior version, as improbable as that is, it will be purely by chance. I feel about their tonkatsu as I do about the Dodo - no need to search any further.

The Kurobuta loin, when placed before me, glistened and sparkled next to a ragged pyramid of shredded cabbage. They'd crafted a work of art from an ugly black pig. I counted out the seven slices and hoped it would be enough - all the gossiping and shopping had created a mighty appetite.

The food blogger me fought off the starving me. The shots don't convey the juiciness. I knew it was going to be good, I was already congratulating Pirate Pixels on the choice of restaurant. Ever humble, she formed a stop sign with her small fingers "we'll see, we'll see." When I took the first bite, I looked over at her. She was chewing and neither of us spoke - a knowing silence. MC, sitting to my right, fired a warning shot "don't talk to me, busy, busy." There was little conversation during the whole dinner - remarkable for this chatty crew.

With each mouthful, the crispy first bite gave way to tender pork and a rush of viscous fats. Kurobuta is a superior pig precisely for the way it stores fat throughout the muscle and it shows in the way the rich taste pours forth from all directions. In my daze I didn't even notice that one of us had ordered deep-fried oysters. I didn't think to try any - the ladies said later it was nice as well.

Dodo was on my left making her way through a lesser cut of pork. I wonder about her sometimes. She was happy, but as I raved and poked her, she defended her all time fave in Tokyo, Katsu I Chi. I remember it well and we plan to visit next week. With Ma Maison fresh in my memory, how will it stack up? Stay tuned.

One thing's for sure - you cannot top the logo. I might commission an artist to reproduce it in my apartment.

Mandarin Gallery
333A Orchard Road
Singapore

Cupcakes with Love - Singapore

2011-08-04T07:09:00.000-04:00

The Coming Cupcake Craze Crash
Cupcakes have gone global, they're multiplying like a virus. Cutesie-poo cupcake shops have been popping up in Paris and now I'm seeing them sprout in Singapore. Kinda reminds me of real estate in '07. You knew things were crazy and it was going to end badly, you just didn't know when. I enjoyed my visit to Cupcakes with Love and I wish them well but I suspect they're like a Miami condo a few years back. It's all about timing.

My super chocolatey chocolate cupcake wasn't too bad. I'd rank it higher than any I've tried in Paris but nowhere near the Baked level, my cupcake mecca. Interior-wise, they get most things right. It's interesting sitting in the polka-dot room and surfing on their free wi-fi. I wish the tables were a bit taller but I'm nitpicking.

They offer a variety of flavors like cranberry, blueberry and red velvet and serve coffee and tea. The cupcakes are propped up on wooden trays in a giant glass box. We went on a weekday night and were the only ones there. I hope things pick up for them. Perhaps it's more crowded during the weekend.

These bus-riders were curious about the shop, or perhaps they were trying to figure why the ang mo had his camera pointed at them.

348 Tanjong Katong Rd
Singapore

Cindy - Singapore

2011-08-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

Settling into the East Coast
When in Singapore, I usually stay in Serangoon but this time around I'm staying in the East Coast. Not a great location for trains, so I'm figuring out all the bus routes but what an amazingly good location for food! One of Dodo's friends took me to the LC hawker on Tanjong Katong Rd and there I discovered my dinner soul mate: kung pao chicken from a stall called Cindy. It was spicy, artery-clogging love at first bite!

The LC hawker is a pretty typical one from my experience. Open to the street, fans working overtime to swirl the night heat, tables of guys watching English soccer on large flat screen tvs, beer girls offering 40 ouncers, families eating quietly. I love hawkers, they fit me perfectly. I want to eat whenever I want and have lots of choices. Such a nice change from the Frenchie rigidity of lunch between noon and 2pm and dinner starting at 8pm. Speaking of which, I'm working Frenchie hours while in Singapore - 3pm to midnight, so this was lunch, kinda-sorta, I guess. I haven't figured it out yet to be honest.

Ok, back to my kung pao. It's a Sichuan dish that comes loaded with chilies which I tried to navigate. I bit into one by mistake and it felt like someone sucked all the air and water out of my body. I tried to swallow but nothing happened and then I realized my lungs weren't working either. I didn't notice everyone staring at me until I was wiping away my tears. Damned good! Cindy throws in a runny fried egg to boot. I mixed the yolk and the soy sauce and didn't display any kind of table manners while eating. I think I was groaning and mumbling to myself a lot.

Dodo was making fun of me. "Babe, this dish you can get anywhere in Singapore." Yeah, ok, whatever. I don't need to go all over Singapore, I know where Cindy is. I also know that the number 10 and 32 buses will drop me off right in front.

LC Food Centre
369 Tanjong Katong Rd
Singapore

Loysel's Toy Cafe - Singapore

2011-08-02T02:37:00.000-04:00

Hi, I'm Lactose!
I have a buddy who never quite finishes his sentences. If you ask him to have a latte he'll say "I can't, I'm lactose." He's missing the all important "intolerant", which imparts a noticeably different spin. I've been intolerant my whole life but have chosen to pretend otherwise. However, with a nod to the power of milk sugars, I've been trying to warm up to soy. Loysel's Toy Cafe makes a great soy latte and that's no easy feat. Their strong espresso tastes as if it's mixed with milk.

First, allow me to set the Singapore scene. It's hot, muggy - the sun burns your neck like a blow dryer. I do the unthinkable - I take a bus to Loysel's. My girlfriend is, well to put it politely, cab-friendly. She'll think that if any idiot can find a bus to Loysel's, it will be her idiot. For those looking to follow along, I took the number 100 bus and then walked across the Rochor canal on a foot bridge. Loysel's is at the foot of that white building on the right.

The place has that certain something I can't quite put a finger on. I felt right at home and only bad coffee or food could've messed that up. I've now been twice, the first time I tried out a caramel cake that was fantastic. Today, the soy latte was just as good as the first time. These guys take their coffee making seriously.

As with all good places, it tends to get crowded. It helps if you go there on a Tuesday morning at 10am, like I did. I nipped out before the lunch crowd arrived - I was sure there would be one, even though this place is a bit boondockled. I suspect, however, that they'll arrive by car.

66 Kampong Bugis
Singapore

Feeling Unmotivated

2011-07-28T17:05:00.000-04:00

Singapore, Here I Come
I didn't mean to mislead you. You've been clicking into the Puff List and upon seeing that same old doughnut shot, cursing me and my momma. Truth is, I've been feeling lazy and unmotivated. I have no idea why. I hope that when I arrive in Singapore on Monday, that'll change. I might start off with a plate of carrot cake at my local Serangoon spot. Or, hit Sin Ming. Either way, it'll be warm and far from the Paris and loaded with good eats. Check back with me in a few days.

Dough - Brooklyn

2011-06-22T09:46:00.001-04:00

Bus Worthy in Bed-Stuy
As the B38 bus rumbled over potholes, I had a good feeling. I suspected I'd be adding Dough to the "bus-worthy" list. To be bus-worthy means I'm willing to ride a bus to eat at a place. If you've never lived in NYC, the worst way to travel is by bus; they're crowded, slow and attract a high percentage of nutjobs. To be bus-worthy is the highest compliment I can give. Only Baked in Red Hook was on the list, but now they've got company. Dough's donuts are so good I didn't even mind taking the bus back home. They offer interesting flavors like hibiscus, passionfruit, chocolate earl grey and lemon poppy but being a coffee guy I picked one called "cafe au lait." It was so big and puffy I could've used it for a pillow.

We're talking big, fat, yeasty donuts - none of those flat cake donuts (ok, I love those too.) The space is tight, interesting and homespun. If you're lucky you can snag one of the six seats at the window or you can just grab a bunch and eat em at home. Another plus - since it's in Bed-Stuy only serious donut heads will make the hike. Dough, welcome to the list!

305 Franklin Avenue
Bedford Stuyvesent
Brooklyn

Blue Bottle Coffee - Brooklyn

2011-06-12T19:01:00.000-04:00

Sometimes Less is Smore
It's all fun and games until it backfires. I'm talking about the trend where you take an old favorite, break it down and build it back up with fancy-schmancy ingredients. Case in point: the uptown smore I got at Blue Bottle Coffee. It sported a name card explaining how the graham cracker was made from scratch, all the better to house the hand-crafted marshmallow and single-source cocoa bean chocolate sauce (I'm exaggerating.) Sorry, but when I think of smores, I think of this.....

But nooooooooooo...... Look, some things are better left alone. As a 6 year old, with these three ingredients, a sharp stick and some fire, I made better ones. The price I paid today would keep me buried in smores for a week in the old days. Ok, I have to take inflation into account but you take my point.

Blue Bottle is schwanks to the core. Just look at the place. It's "hipster hits lotto" all the way. I got no issue with that, it's beautiful. I sat at a table near the front, open to the sidewalk, enjoying the breeze and my latte, which by the way was ok. I'm sure the single-source beans were hand-picked by eunuchs and transported by ox-cart from Guatemala to Brooklyn, though I couldn't taste the difference. Of course, I am exaggerating again, but you get what I'm saying.

160 Berry St
Williamsburg
Brooklyn

B&B Empire - Brooklyn

2011-06-11T19:53:00.002-04:00

Two Makes a Trend: Montreal-Style Bagels
I worked in Montreal some years back but it wasn't until Mile End opened that I tried a Montreal-style bagel. Where my doctor's office once stood, there's now a new place called B&B Empire. They hand-roll and bake theirs on site, exactly where a female doctor once cupped my sac and asked me to cough. Come to think of it, I haven't been to a doctor since. As pervy as this sounds - a bagel with Montreal style is usually skinnier, sweeter and has a bigger hole.

It was weird to sit where the old waiting room used to be, chewing on a bagel. To be honest, it still felt like a waiting room - they won't be setting the design crowd atwitter. I'd describe it as hospital hallway meets train station.

I did like my bagel though. Cinnamon raisin, toasted with peanut butter. I like the sweetness, which is supposedly because they're boiled in honey water. I can't tell you if it's authentic, I have no idea. Will I be back? Yes. Would I ride a bus or train to go? No. It's about 64 steps from my front door, know what I mean?

200 Clinton St
Brooklyn Heights
Brooklyn

Tacombi - Manhattan

2011-06-10T16:48:00.000-04:00

This is What a Cool Taco Spot Looks Like
It's hot in NY, the past few days in the mid-90's. The Dodomode is in town pretending it's not as hot as Singapore. She's due to leave soon so we went on a Nolita shopping run and took note of Tacombi, filing it away for a future visit. The future arrived sooner than planned when the swirling dark skies began to drop water and ice on us. We ran back to Tacombi, only slightly wet, and tucked into some tacos.

I wasn't sure what to expect - the interior is ingenious. It's like a large garage with a converted VW bus serving as a taco stand. There is a separate stand for drinks and you order what you want and seat yourself. They were playing Netflix movies on a large screen and many were enjoying the free wifi. I was looking around admiring the design and figured "there's no way the tacos will be good." I was bracing myself for the worst - usually when this much thought goes into design, the food suffers. I was quite happy when my pork taco arrived and happier after the first bite. Not quite as good as Matamoros, but good enough. I downed it and immediately ordered another.

Dodomode was really happy with her deep-fried fish taco. She munched quietly and let me try a small bite. Not bad. We were huddled close, listening to hail throw itself against the skylight.

This is what a bad photo looks like. Apologies, the storm darkened the place and I ended up with a grainy out of focus shot of an otherwise delicious chicken taco with corn. I liked this one too, though not as much as the pork.

I plan to wander back here to try their breakfast. With free wifi, I can eat and work a bit and saunter towards the office as late as I can get away with.

267 Elizabeth St
Nolita
Manhattan

Zuzu Ramen - Brooklyn

2011-06-06T23:27:00.000-04:00

Traveling Changes You, Sometimes for the Worse
From a very young age I wanted to travel. As soon as I graduated college I got a Eurail pass and bounced around Europe for a summer. I even did a 41 day stretch on the trains, sleeping upright in the seats and pulling into a new town every day. Now I split my time amongst three continents and am constantly amazed by it. I've learned more from travel than from any classroom. Unfortunately, it's spoiled me. I cannot eat Mexican in Paris (sorry Candelaria) or croissants in New York. I'm stubborn about ramen, even though I've slurped it many times in Tokyo and should know better. My latest disappointment was at Zuzu, where they plied me with gyoza with skin as tough as a rawhide football....

Then it got worse. Pork buns drowning in a puddle of their own blood. I've never seen a pork bun like this, ever. I was so angry I wanted to leave. I was there with my better half though and I'm working hard to improve on my anger issues. Unfortunately, I'm early in the process, the step where you realize you have a problem but don't quite know what to do about it. The old me woulda left for sure. The working-on-me me got quiet and dark-faced.

When the green curry miso ramen arrived I'd already written the place off. I scooped up some of the noodles half-heartedly and frowned at their strange taste. I kept at it though, I was hungry after picking at the first two dishes. Then a funny thing happened - the broth started to grow on me. The strange taste began to fade and a new spiciness overtook me. "These aren't bad, actually" I said, brightening. She looked back at me with a pity that I interpreted as "My poor baby is stuck on an emotional roller coaster."

The space is nice, the service is good. The ramen, as it turns out, was ok. Now for the all important question, would I go back? No. You cannot charge me thirty-something and go 1 for 3. You gotta go at least 2 for 3. Sorry Zuzu, when in NY, I'm sticking with Ippudo. They're just as pricey but twice as nicey.

173 4th Avenue
Park Slope
Brooklyn

Al Taglio II - Paris

2011-05-26T15:59:00.000-04:00

Frenchie Silverware Struggles
During my three years in Paris I've studied the locals up close like a science project. They're funny ones, the Frenchies. They rarely notice when their dogs drop a hot load on the sidewalk - best to leave that for someone else. They can be seen in summer, sporting woolen scarves like nooses, as if fearing a polar breeze. Strangest of all, they eat finger-foods with knife and fork. I've seen them carve up a burger, fork pieces of sandwich into their mouths and even attack a pizza with cutlery! So, when my Al Taglio pizza arrived pre-chopped, sans silverware, I got out my notepad and pencil. Time for some Frenchie-watching! They struggled mightily when the pizza arrived. They looked around, confused. Slowly, after accepting the lack of silverware, they reluctantly picked up their pizza shards. I wanted to give em a hug and tell em everything would be alright, but feared the pizza grease I might get on my back.

It's Roman-style folks. Large trays of pies are cut to order by the staff using a scissors. You pay by weight, which can be scary as you eat first and pay later. Turns out, the price is reasonable by Paris standards. The cheese with speck was satisfying. The crust was light and crackly, the way I like it.

The star of the day was the mushroom with truffle oil. I would advise you to try this - such a deep, rich flavor.

I was impressed with the apricot panna cotta. It tightroped the line between sweet and cream-y more than usual. I enjoyed the strong cream aftertaste.

I've never been to the original Al Taglio in the 11th. I hear that the Marais outpost is much larger. It's bright and cheerful, with long communal tables. The staff was amazingly friendly and nice - un-Frenchie service for sure.

I will definitely be returning whenever I have a hankering for pizza.

27 rue Saintonge
3rd Arondissement
Paris

Popelini - Paris

2011-05-24T09:47:00.001-04:00

Then What Happened?
When I arrived back at work, fresh from Popelini, they were still arguing. The limey was gesticulating so hard, he batted his shiny thin tie over his shoulder and left it there. None noticed the long trays of cream puffs I'd placed in the middle of the table. Each was annoyed I was blocking his view of the idiot on the other side of his argument. I began to wonder about my colleagues - how can they be so passionate about work? Hello, there are rows of tiny choux à la crème, people!

I'd nicked mine in advance and crept out of the meeting, back to my desk. It was just me and my chocolate cream puff. So quiet and nice - cream puffs don't argue. I set it aside, answered a few emails and started thinking about my last experience with choux, which was incredible. Could Popelini be as good?

After a bite I knew I was being unfair. I'd set myself up for disappointment comparing them to La Patisserie des Reves. The chocolate cream was cavity-rattling but the choux was a touch too tough for my liking. Not bad, just not up to the level you need to be in Paris. This is the sweet-stuffs big leagues. I do give them credit for offering something different, mixing up the patisserie scene a bit.

After I'd polished mine off, I began to get emails from the meeting. One, then another thanked me. Apparently, as a result of sugary persuasion, a detente had broken out. They were no longer yelling, agreements were reached. Who said pastry ain't important?

29 rue Debelleyme
3rd Arondissement
Paris

Bagatelle - Paris

2011-05-23T03:42:00.000-04:00

Location, Location, Location
Rarely does the Paris-of-the-movies intersect with real life but on a recent afternoon, outside in sunshine filtered by leafy-green Bagatelle Park, they came together as one. The evil me felt sorry for you. You should've been there at Bagatelle, blowing off your afternoon meetings, sipping wine and taking small bites of prawn risotto with cuttlefish in veal stock. I chewed slowly, glancing at the deep blue sky and felt happy knowing the weekend, though a day off, had already arrived. The prawns had that perfect smoky barbecue aftertaste, drawing me further into summer, to the 4th of July.

As they say, it's all about the location. That cannot be truer with Bagatelle because though the food is hit and miss, you simply don't care. At least I didn't. It's smack in the middle of the Bois de Boulogne on the western edge of the city. I was sitting outside in the warm breeze, enveloped in a quiet rustle of leaves and was non-plussed by the lesser components of the meal.

I went two-for-three as my ravioles du Dauphiné were the perfect intro to the meal. They're named after a region in Southwest France that traded hands many times but were Roman for a spell. They're cheese ravioli in a cream sauce sprinkled with herbs.

The croquant de chevre chaud (goat cheese hot pockets?) were less impressive. Slightly oily.

Not the case with the shrimp cocktail. Fresh and tasty as was the avocado cocktail sauce that accompanied them.

My colleague described the filet de bar (bass, I believe) as "tres bon" and she doesn't hand out compliments that often. Between bites we debated Mr. DSK and as expected, we didn't quite agree on his innocence/guilt.

Generally speaking, where Bagatelle fails is in the dessert category. We weren't that impressed with the pain perdu in the least.

Worse was the apple tarte. Looks great doesn't it? If I'd made this and took a taste test, I would've removed it from the menu. Horrible. Still, even with this as the final taste, I was happy. I'd spent a wonderful afternoon that would score a 9 out of 10 on the frenchie scale. It ain't cheap, but what a nice place for a meal. They serve brunch on the weekends and I bet that is nice as well. You better bring some extra duckets, it ain't cheap.

42 route de Sevres
Neuilly (Paris)

Versailles - Miami

2011-05-06T20:03:00.001-04:00

Chilling in Little Havana
After a punishing round of golf at Doral it was easy to convince the dejected to make a run to Versailles for a Cuban lunch. We gorged on a variety of delectables, pushing our guts to the edge of explosion. We later napped sitting on the couch, tv blaring and upon waking didn't discuss dinner. Everyone was still full and reflecting on the lunch. I teased them for not getting the flan with coconut, one of my favorites. The Versailles version was stellar.

We knew we were in for a challenge when two plates arrived for each of us - main on one, sides on the other. In my case, a fully loaded chunk of roast pork with onions.

It came with a forearm-sized piece of chicharron (deep-fried pork skin) that was worth the drive alone. When I bit into it, I sprayed shards onto my shirt which I later picked one by one and popped into my mouth.

My side plate was another thousand or so calories in the form of moro rice and perhaps the best plantains I've ever eaten. I read on the internet that they spend hours cooking them and it shows. They were sweet, soft and memorable.

There is a Versailles bakery next door and a coffee to go window out front. Why does a Cuban spot name itself Versailles? Why do they pronounce it "Vare-sigh-ess"? No idea. What I do know is that we got a taste of very good Cuban food today and will add it to the rotation when we make our way to Miami.

3555 SW 8th St
Miami

Asiadog - Manhattan

2011-04-25T19:07:00.000-04:00

Thumb-Deep in Toppings
What kind of sadistic genius carpets a beef dog with cubes of barbecued pork belly? I'd read the ingredients before ordering but somehow it didn't quite hit me until I had it in my paws. There they were, cow and pig together, in optimal forms, cucumber and scallions sitting shotgun. I really enjoyed it, staining my jeans in the process. It was my first time eating an Asiadog, and it didn't take long to realize that the place is not so much about the dogs as it is about the additives.

Check out the "Ito" - it's got japanese curry and kimchi apples on it. I don't know what a kimchi apple is, did they bury the apples in the backyard for a few months? Frigging tasty. Doesn't sound good but it is. Kinda reminded me of my Dad's salads - he combines strange things to excellent effect.

I kept it inside the park and only got these two singles. I was tempted to crank it up, though. I want to come back to try the "Sidney" which sports thai mango relish and crushed peanuts or the "Ginny" that comes with kimchi and nori flakes (seaweed.) You get a choice of beef, chicken or veggie dog but with these toppings I'm not sure you could tell the difference. Dodo, I'm thinking you'd like this spot.

66 Kenmare St
Manhattan

Cocoron Soba - Manhattan

2011-04-23T16:05:00.001-04:00

You Better Be Good With the Sticks
One more hour of tweaking powerpoints and I was going to snap. I hoped a faraway lunch adventure would break up the drudgery. No planes involved, only a NYC subway ride to Cocoron Soba. Just what the doctor ordered - pork croquettes and plenty of noodles. However, there's work to put in - the chopstick variety. You better be able to maneuver with the wooden sticks - at Cocoron you may have to dip your own soba into boiling broth, one pinch at a time.

I got something called "Stamina Soba" which I later realized referred to the work I had ahead of me. Here's how it arrives - cold soba on the right, eating bowl in the foreground and a salty fish broth laced with ground pork, boiling on it's own mini-burner. I needed help but was dumbstruck. I stared at it like a blackboard full of calculus. Chef took pity and barked in Japanese at one of the servers who handed me a laminated instruction card. Two ladies seated nearby giggled, then continued their French conversation. French!?!? Reminded me of work and I began to think about the stillborn powerpoint. Dammit!

One chopstick grasp at a time, I lowered a small clump of noodles into the broth and counted to ten, transferred it to the eating bowl then into my mouth. I played with the cooking time, dropping down to four seconds to get the texture I wanted. Every now and then I'd fish out some ground pork and scallions. Aside from the novel delivery, nothing special. I enjoyed it, just didn't see or hear fireworks.

I sat at the counter and followed chef's every move. Given the size of the place, you can easily chef-watch from any of the fourteen seats.

After you use up the noodles they bring you hot water to dilute the broth to a less salty soup. I enjoyed this, I poured the water into the boiling pot then ladeled it with the wooden spoon. More French giggles. Double-checked the laminated instructions.... Oh screw it, did it my way.

In the end, it did the trick. I was so wrapped up in the process and chopsticking nuggets of pork that I forgot all about work. I was happily engrossed.

61 Delancey St
Manhattan

Dans le Noir - Paris

2011-04-22T10:57:00.001-04:00

No, Not What You're Thinking
I doubt it's a coincidence that Dans le Noir has a slew of lovely, dark ladies working the front door. However, it's not about that at all. It's not really about the food either. It's something so strange that you have to try it. That is, if you can handle it.

Photo Credit

Dans le Noir is a completely pitch black restaurant where you're served by blind waiters and waitresses. They lead you by hand from the dim anteroom to the diningroom. There is no menu - you don't know what's being served, you don't know where you're seated, you cannot see a damned thing. Matter of fact, it's a kind of darkness you're unlikely to have experienced unless you've turned off your flashlight five miles inside a cave. Your eyes never adjust. You fumble for your silverware, you knock things off the table. You think you can judge your food by taste, but actually you probably cannot.

Once you're done eating they lead you back to the anteroom and show you the menu. "Foie gras? There was foie gras?" Amazing - because none of us guessed. We thought it was cheese. Really interesting experience.

51 rue Quincampoix
4th Arondissement
Paris

Le Meating - Paris

2011-04-16T15:16:00.003-04:00

French Steakhouse Fail
Back in grammar school, the unlucky ate the cafeteria food. A few of us carried our lunch from home in a brown bag. Without imagination, I'd attack in order: first the carrot sticks or apples, then the sandwich and finally the dessert. One day I noticed a kid who was eating his dessert first. I asked him why. He looked at me as if I'd asked to pee on his shoes. "In case I get full, at least I've had my dessert!" This kid was clearly brilliant - he probably grew up to be an astronaut. At Meating, had I been able to start with dessert and go backwards, I would've been much happier.

The rice pudding was really well done. Perfect texture and not overly sweet. It luxuriated in a caramel bath and was topped with popcorn and nuts. In my fantasy reordering, everything else that followed went downhill. Case in point, the "Thai-spiced" steak tartare. It peered out from beneath a jumbled crown of julienned vegetables and was neither Thai nor spiced. It was an insult to Thailand, a country I happen to love.

Even more of a letdown were these chicken parts. This photo lies to you in your face. These were not succulent, not juicy, not tasty.

The beef carpaccio was not a complete loss but neither was it memorable. Overdressed in my humble opinion, not enough taste of meat.

I won't complain about the wine, nor the conversation. Along with the dessert, these saved the lunch. Steer clear folks, there is much better to be had in this fine city.

122 Avenue de Villiers
17th Arondissement
Paris

Nomiya - Paris

2011-04-09T12:26:00.000-04:00

Living the High Life
So rarely do the fancy places impress. After overpaying I often feel disgust, feign indifference or burst out in laughter (Joel Robuchon.) Then there is Nomiya. It sets such a high bar and hurdles it so effortlessly that I don't consider it another "fancy" - I place it in separate orbit. We compared notes and decided that this may be the best lunch we've ever had.

The meal started with champagne and view-taking. Nomiya is perched on top of the Palais de Tokyo inside a glass cube. There is just one table with twelve seats. The chef cooks a few feet away in a small kitchen at the other end of the cube. First up - scallops, coral and asparagus tips with a pesto foam.

They sat poolside to a velouté of asparagus with drops of olive oil. I'd been expecting the worst until I tasted a few bites of this first plate. It's hard to find the words to describe the perfection. Why don't other chefs cook and serve the coral (roe)? It was better than the scallop.

Next, a tower of crab and flying fish roe surrounded by a mote of artichoke quacamole. Chef explained that the tower is made from caramelized artichoke and it made sense since it delivered an unexpected sweetness.

Doesn't exactly sound good, right? Thing is, it was. Very good. Especially with a touch of the mandarin orange bits lurking at the edge of the plate.

Next, three pieces of ginger inflected pigeon, each in a puddle of corn chowder. The middle piece came with a Moroccan inspired pastilla. The bird was cooked in a vaccuum bag then finished in the frying pan, imparting a one-two tender meat and crunchy skin punch.

Then when I didn't think it could get any better, the dessert was served. Dollops of cheesecake on railroad ties of banana and rhubarb, banana sorbet with a lemon foam cap, cookie drops and rhubarb gelee.

It was like christmas and a birthday all at once. Many of my favorites combined in an unexpected way. Simply spectacular.

This was not a cheap lunch. However, it was worth every Euro paid. I would gladly go back and would recommend it to anyone - especially to those who are usually not impressed by fancy places.

We were so wowed that we decided to eat un-fancy for a long time. Anything else would suffer in comparison.

13 Avenue du President Wilson
16th Arondissement
Paris

Le Verre Volé - Paris

2011-04-05T16:31:00.001-04:00

Is Canal St Martin the Paris LES?
On the train to work each morning, I squeeze my Kindle with stubby fingers and read the NY Times like it's a lifeline to home. Rarely does the Times strike a false note but today, as I read a story about Paris restaurants, I bristled at the comparison between Canal St Martin and New York's Lower East Side. The LES? Seriously? News flash - ALL the interesting neighborhoods and food in NY are in the outer boroughs, mainly in Brooklyn and Queens. It would be more apt to say that Le Verre Volé resides in Paris' equivalent of Williamsburg, Red Hook or maybe even Gowanus.

Le Verre Volé is a wine bar with very good food. Matter of fact, I was more impressed with the eats than I had any reason to be. It was described to me as a great place for inexpensive natural wines and side snacks like charcuterie and cheese. Far from the truth. I did love the wine - our bottle arrived sporting a small inflatable jacket to keep it cool - something I've never seen. However, the food more than held it's own. Both the bulots (sea snails) above and the carpaccio de lieu jaune (coley fish?) below were amazing.

Even better were the thick slices of ham. They were impossibly juicy, a trick that escapes me. I've made many hams and I don't know how they did it, it took the slightest knife pressure to glide through it. It was gone in minutes.

My colleague raved about her black pudding. She's petite and managed to wrangle this whole chunk, chewing with her eyes closed half the time.

It's just steps from the canal in the Canal St. Martin neighborhood, an area that reminds me of certain parts of Brooklyn - sorry NY Times. And yes, it's in the 10th (a place, gasp, that might be like going all the way on the train to Brooklyn.) It's wall-lined with wine bottles and you'll be packed in like sardines at mismatched tables and chairs. It's got cool without trying. Good value, very good wine and food to match. On the "Frenchy" scale, it's a nine. If you're not in Paris very long, make this one of the places you try. You'll be happy you did.

67 rue de Lancry
10th Arondissement
Paris

Nanashi II - Paris

2011-04-02T13:21:00.001-04:00

Japarisian Deserves a Second Look
I've always admired the hard-working Japanese ladies at Rose Bakery. They wake up early to make me scones and carrot cake for breakfast. I like to get there early to peoplewatch them mixing and kneading next to the towering double stove. One of them, Kaori Endo, left to open Nanashi in the 10th and I figured it would be a no-brainer success. When she quickly opened another in the 3rd, I was surprised. It's right in Rose's backyard. I tried it out today and while not quite ready for primetime, it deserves a repeat visit.

It's a ridiculously large, bright, beautiful space right across the street from Tartes Kluger. Judging from the paint smell and muffled hammering, it literally just opened.

Clearly, it will be less white when they're done painting. A nearby wall was marked for a coat of pink.

I stared at the menu trying to figure the place out. I'd describe it as Japanese bento meets French bio (as in natural), falls in love, has a baby. None of the three main bentos (beef, fish and vegetarian) is available on the weekend so I settled for something called Bento a la Parisien. It was a melange of thinly sliced ham, soft boiled egg, wild rice, garbanzo beans, mushrooms, shredded carrots and greens. It tasted as though it were harvested a blink before being served. So healthy that I felt my blood pressure drop.

I quicky tried to gain my balance and get back on my usual unhealthy track. The chocolate fondant with yuzu looked ordinary enough.

The shredded bits of yuzu were hidden within but were not stong enough to overcome the dryness of the cake. I wanted this to be slightly moister.

Nanashi, I didn't have the best experience but I think it's all timing. I'll give you a bit to get things rolling and then I'll be back.

57, rue Charlot
3rd Arondissement
Paris

Locanda Verde - Manhattan

2011-03-25T20:01:00.001-04:00

The Out of Towners
A while back two of Dodo's friends visited NY for the first time. One from Singapore, the other from Chi-town. We took them to Locanda Verde for brunch. It's pretty schwanks - chock full of bright-toothed model babes and well dressed enablers. Cleary, with my broken mouth smile and day before yesterday's outfit, I wasn't enabling shit. No worries, we weren't there to pose, we were there to stuff ourselves. Besides, Locanda Verde is wasted on the slimmies - you gotta put down the iBaubles, roll up your sleeves and dive into their sumptuous high-post brunch.

Dodo scored well with her order of lemon ricotta pancakes. They were light and perfectly cooked, with a fluffy interior. It helps that lemon curd is kinda like Nutella to me - if you were to smother a live cricket in either I'd pop it into my mouth and chew happily. No complaints about my scrambled on toast with a side of pig, but I could probably cook this up if I weren't so damned lazy.

Tops in their brunch pyramid, one step above the freshly made buns, breads and muffins (not pictured), are the crispy garlic potatoes. They're zesty, crunchy grenades that I tossed mouthward with abandon. With rearview mirror thinking, I should've paired these with the breads, a few cocktail chasers and a latte exclamation point.

377 Greenwich St
Tribeca
Manhattan

Eataly - Manhattan

2011-03-21T16:33:00.003-04:00

Pricey but Tasty!
I visited Eataly when it opened a few months back and immediately wanted to kill myself. It was a buzzing mess of gawking tourists and elbowy locals, stretching wait times and my patience beyond reason. I swam against the current out the exit, empty-stomached and pissed, no intention of ever returning. I didn't tell this to my colleagues who booked a "haven't seen you in a while" lunch there. Luckily, the place has settled down; you can get a table in a reasonable amount of time and savor some good food. I regret not trying Cacio e Pepe while I was in Rome. The Eataly version was al dente and the pecorino and ground black pepper speed-bagged my taste buds perfectly. I could eat this every day.

My colleagues were just as happy with their penne with tomato sauce. I tried a bite after listening to their moans. Simple, fresh and outstanding.

The pizza couldn't contend with my favorite at Motorino but that's a bit unfair probably. There wasn't much of it left when we were done and I did most of the heavy lifting.

The roasted vegetables caught me off guard. They were so flavorful, especially the salsify in the foreground. To see it described alternatively as "goatsbeard" was strange, though I think we were eating the vegetable, not the wildflower.

Yes, just three of us ate all this, including the filling platter of meats below. I'm glad I came back. I tend to write places off with one bad experience and I need to work on that a bit. Eataly serves up a lot of good stuff. If you can avoid paying for it yourself (as I did), then all the better. It's not the cheapest place - and I say that after spending quite a bit of time in over-priced Paris.

200 5th Ave (corner of 23rd)
Flatiron District
Manhattan

Mexicue - Manhattan

2011-03-19T20:08:00.000-04:00

More Manhattan Truck Love
If you ask me "Mac or PC?" I'll smile and answer "both." It's not because I'm a smartass (though that helps) - I simply don't buy into the question. On my travels I've learned that everyone thinks their country's food is the best. Regardless the location, there's pressure to side with the locals. With an open mind you can find good (and bad) in each country. On my food continuum, the NYC lunch truck is closer in spirit to the Singapore hawker than the Parisian two hour wine-soaked lunch. If you've tried the Mexicue truck you know what I mean - they serve-up quick yet excellent barbecued meats in taco and sandwich form.

After walking too many blocks in frigid winds I went order overboard. I preferred the middle of a lineup consisting of a short rib taco, barbecue brisket slider and pulled pork slider. Steer clear of the tacos, they're many better places for those. Stick with the sliders, which ooze messily with barbecue sauce and avocado and transport you to the edge of a mid-afternoon nap.

When I come back in April, I hope to try them again when the weather is warmer. I'll sit in Madison Square Park with the Dodo rather than head back to office.

5th Ave and 18th
Flatiron
Manhattan
(and other locations, check out their twitter feed to get up to date locations)

Bian Dang - Manhattan

2011-03-08T23:02:00.001-05:00

Trading Abe for Chops
Some crazy people were slinging chops from a van for only five bucks today. I saw em driving down Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn on Saturday and jotted the name down - Bian Dang. Pure luck - they parked a block from the job today so I donned the snorkel parka, waited in line and traded over a fiver. In return, they gave me a filling two chop lunch that included rice, pork sauce and greens.

I didn't know em in their previous incarnation as the Cravings truck so I don't know if the menu's changed. As Bian Dang they're offering pork chops or chicken or fishcake over rice and offering them cheaply. The five dollar price was a special today, two less than normal.

The chops were serviceable, but due to price I'll give them an upgrade to "good." I ate every morsel and paid in sleepiness later. A colleague asked for a taste, so I told em what my boy Froggy would've "there's more in the store!" I pointed out the window, told him to take a right on 24th and look for the light blue van....

24th and Park (and a variety of other locations)

Van Horn Sandwich Shop - Brooklyn

2011-03-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

Love is Four Letter Word: P-O-R-K
I've been away from Brooklyn for three long months. Enough time for someone talented to plop down an excellent southern-style sandwich shop near my apartment. They call themselves Van Horn and they must have sold their souls to the devil. They made me a pulled pork sandwich for lunch that singlehandedly removed both my jetlag and the bonechill I'd acquired on the walk over.

I've had the afternoon to ponder and now I'm sure - this is the best sandwich that my senile mind can remember. I remove the bun-hat to show you the smokey pulled pork, slaw and unseen sprinkles of vinegar. I downed it in what seemed like a singular gulp and there was the waitress, asking me how I liked her suggestion. "Holy shit" was all I could think to say. She smiled nervously, though in her defense I was dressed like a homeless and hadn't showered since Paris.

Have you ever had hushpuppies? They're deep-fried balls of cornbread. True Americana. I usually don't care for them but now I got something new to feed the girlfriend when she arrives in April.

The Van Horn version are light and are served with sweet butter to devastating effect. It felt like love.

I sat in the window and watched the bundled lean into the icy wind on Court Street. I was warm and happy as I slowly finished off my Big Daddy IPA.

231 Court Street
Cobble Hill
Brooklyn

40 Hands - Singapore

2011-03-02T07:43:00.000-05:00

Outsourcing the Hobby
Puff List readers realize I don't know what I'm talking about and my photos are crap. I'm no pro, this is a hobby - one that can be very time consuming. At 40 Hands, I accidentally stumbled into an epiphany - I may be able to outsource some of the work. I was there for brunch with Dodo and her friends MC and Pirate Pixels, two photo fanatics. They whipped out their expensive cameras and were like food paparazzi. In this post, I'm using their shots and you can definitely tell the difference - notice the beautiful depth of field in Pirate's egg cocotte.

40 Hands is all about coffee, the name being a reference to the twenty people on average who have a hand in your coffee from crop onwards. Not sure who came up with the figure, just go with me on that one. Pirate Pixels was happy with her espresso, I think. Pirate, care to comment?

Everyone else loved their lattes. If you've spent time in Australia, you recognize the glass - this is an Aussie style place. I like the blurred hand and coffee in the background. Better yet, I liked sitting back, doing nothing and letting the experts take all the shots. Next step is to find someone to write the words. Dodo, you want to be a permanent guest blogger?

For some reason Aussies love eggs benedict. If I had to guess, this is the national breakfast dish. The 40 Hands version was quite nice.

They have gotten quite a rep for their Tau Sar Pau - steamed buns filled with red bean paste. I had one and liked it and the others concurred. However, they're overly steep at SG2.50 a pop.

Best of all, in my humble opinion, are the truffle oil matchstick fries. I could eat a whole bucket of these and deal with the stomach ache later. This little one agrees - if you don't like these fries, you are a LOSER.

78 Yong Siak St
Singapore

Tong Hua Jie Night Market - Taipei

2011-02-25T09:48:00.000-05:00

Closing it Out in Style
Mom, I apologize in advance for the double negative because in Taipei you cannot not go to a night market. We opted for the less touristy Tong Hua Jie rather than Shihlin. Special thanks to Nicholas of My Inner Fatty for giving me a heads up on this - a pork sausage sitting in a small rice canoe. How they fashioned a bun from rice, I can't figure out, I just know the combo works.

As you might expect, they grill em up fresh for you, the rice buns at the ready. The girlfriend was doubtful and ordered one for me only to wolf half of it once she got a taste. The first bite was a bit strange, the bun dense but better at handling the sausage juice. As I progressed I became a believer - at least in the half of the dog I managed to get. The toppings made a lot of difference - onions and some kind of greens perhaps with a bit of garlic, but I'm not sure.

Better yet was the "deep-fried dough", the official name of which escapes. The flat circle of dough was fried for about 2-3 minutes and doused with chili oil. The hot oily mess was delivered in two plastic bags, the smaller tightly wrapped for a clean finger-grasp and the larger to catch the inevitable droppings. I tried very greedily to not share this and was almost successful.

On cue, a healthy fruit stall appeared and guilted us. It was a hive of activity, whole fruits were quickly rended into clean, bite-sized parts.

Why anyone would pour condensed milk onto strawberries is a mystery - aren't strawberries sweet enough on their own? I'm a strawberry snob - this was a fail. Dodomode sauntered off from here to look for some steamed bao and I sooned followed. Just then someone punched me in the nose and poked me in the eyes and it was all I could do not to fall over. After a few seconds I regained my balance and looked around to try to figure out what happened.

I realized that I'd wandered into a stinky tofu steam cloud from a nearby stall. I began to run, fast. Anything to get away from the smell. I had to run clear out of the market and once I did, I wasn't eager to go back in. I stood there, talking to myself. "You only live once kid, get back in there and eat some stinky tofu." Then I heard myself answer. "Fuck that."

Tong Hua St at Lin Jiang
Taipei

Sit-Fun Shih Tang - Taipei

2011-02-21T03:15:00.000-05:00

This is the Healthier Side of the Street?
I fancy myself the pork fat king - it's only a matter of time before I'm fitted with my coffin-shaped crown. However, even I sat blinking, dumbfounded at the inch-thick layer of fat on the pork at Sit-Fun. When later research suggested they offer "lighter versions of Taiwanese delicacies" I broke out in laughter. Surely they must be joking. The first bite was delicious but I soon felt like I was eating all icing and no cake. The King admits to leaving a lot of the fat in the bottom of the bowl.

Sit-Fun offers dishes based on what the chef finds in the markets that morning, thus ensuring a fresh, seasonal rotation. There isn't a menu - you take a look at the dishes propped up in case near the front door and order prior to sitting down. It makes everything so much more efficient. Surprisingly, the dish I enjoyed most was this one - green beans, eggplant and red peppers sauteed with generous amounts of garlic. I couldn't stop eating this, I think I ate most of it.

Less interesting to me were the yam fritters. Dodo was much happier with these than I was - I'm just not much of a yam person, besides I'd just eaten a plate of veggies and that's enough for one day.

The place was packed from the moment we entered to the moment we left, stuffed to the gills.

It's on a small alley off of Yong Kang St, pictured below, which is stocked full of shops and restaurants and is a fun place for a walk around.

5, Lane 8, Yong Kang Street
Daan District
Taipei

Cafe Ole - Taipei

2011-02-17T05:52:00.000-05:00

The Coffee-Crazed are My Kinda People
I immediately noticed all the cafes in Taipei. They're everywhere and that warms a man's heart. There's nothing better than lazing in a cafe, drinking coffee, surfing the net, flipping through magazines, wasting time. It's the template for my retirement. I don't think I could live in a city where it isn't possible. NY excels at it, Paris fails - not enough free wifi. Singapore is coming along - though they need more free wifi. Taipei, it turns out, does pretty well, Cafe Ole being a good example. We went a few times, surrounded by hip Taipei-ers (Taipanese?) and enjoyed it to the fullest.

Don't be scared off by the cutesie napkins, they serve a grown-up coffee, rich and hearty. They also have a nice jazz soundtrack and plenty of cool people magazines to flip through. The wifi is strong and everyone there either had an iPad or something similar. Some of the younger set had books open and were doing homework.

Dodo got her coffee iced, though I'm not sure why - it was fall-like in Taipei with temperatures in the high 50s.

If you're in Taipei, looking for a chilled place to sip coffee and surf, you won't be disappointed.

No. 15號, Alley 1, Lane 123, Section 5, NánJīng East Road
Songshan District
Taipei

Maroco - Taipei

2011-02-14T06:05:00.000-05:00

Thick Toast Wake-Up Call
Before I arrived in Taipei, Dodo had already scouted a breakfast spot near our hotel. She described it as a "thick toast spot" and I knew exactly what she meant. Maroco makes their own bread, slices it thicker than your head, toasts it and loads it with butter. They do much more - feast your eyes on the tarts. Though our Taipei trip wasn't a long one and repeating visits to a single place makes little sense, we came to Maroco many times - because of the toast.

It's a small bakery with seats for about ten. Just inside the front door you're bombarded by freshly-baked choices.

The first time I got only toast. The next time back I went for the full breakfast which included scrambled eggs and pork sausage, which I slathered with the spicy mustard. It was very filling and quite tasty but totally unnecessary - I was happy with the toast alone.

Every time we went, we sat inside, read the newspapers (ok, I looked at the photos in the newspaper and asked a bunch of questions), ate and sipped coffee. Perfect way to start your day.

I really wish I had this place right around the corner from my Paris apartment, so much better breakfast than a rock-hard tartine.

No. 45, RuìĀn St, Da-an District
Taipei

Shin Liu Farm - Hualien, Taiwan

2011-02-08T04:28:00.000-05:00

Healthiest Meal in the History of the Puff List?
I rarely do the things I should. Back in my youth I used to exercise, smile, make new friends and eat vegetables. I've grown up to be an old, lazy, scowl-faced carnivore. I like to think of myself as a work in regress. That's not to say I don't enjoy a plate or two of veggies from time to time, I just don't go searching for them. Our Taiwan guide, a colleague of Dodo's, was something of a health nut. She drove us south of Hualien, into the east rift valley to Shin Liu Farm for some greenery, both the viewing and eating kind.

Shin Liu appeared to be less a working farm than a wetlands museum. A lattice of elevated walkways sat above waterlogged fields and ponds while bamboo fish traps slowed the flow of a small river that bisected the property. Their small store sells locally produced goods like honey and rice and is a stone's throw from the larger restaurant, where I sat in front of plate after plate of local "water vegetables." After trying to get some translations, I gave up. A lot of these veggies were regional specialties and everyone was having a hard time coming up with the English for them. I have to admit, I enjoyed them - after all, they were very fresh, lightly steamed and made me feel like I was doing something good for myself.

Then the fermented tofu arrived. When something is described as "an acquired taste" you know what's coming.... This was no exception, after a mouthful (which I quickly chased with a swig of beer) I left this to the experts. They swooned and ahhhed and closed their eyes so I think it was a good version.

The next dish was probably caught in one of the bamboo fish traps. We'd driven an hour just for him, our guide explained. He'd swum his entire life in fresh mountain water and then taken a wrong turn through a one-way bamboo gate and now here he was, side-up, for all to see on a dopey food blog. I was feeling a bit sad about it all until I chopsticked a hunk of his flesh into my mouth. It was much lighter than I expected given his rough appearance. Very tender and slightly sweet, quite nice though maybe not one-hour's drive nice.

"Hey what'd they add to the rice?' the idiot asked. "Nothing, that's how natural, rough rice looks" they answered me. Really cool. Asia's equivalent to whole wheat. Tasted just like regular rice though the texture was a bit firmer. Not bad at all though I wanted to bomb it with a few tablespoons of butter.

Then a miracle! The waiter put down a plate of preserved salty pork. It was like getting lost in a desert for a week and stumbling upon a glistening pool of water. I dove in, a split second reflex, happy that I was dating a like-minded carnivore. She'd anticipated an hour of vegetables and broke up the party with and order of fatty, salty, sinful pork shavings.

After our meal we walked the planks, taking in the natural beauty. Before long, two dogs joined us, they seemed happy to have company.

When the braver of the two jumped off the walkway and began to frolic in the deep vegetation, his friend hesitated at the edge, not able to make the leap. He whimpered and whined and looked up at me but I didn't know how to help.

It's a beautiful, green, peaceful place. I felt my city pulse slacken and fade and wished for a nap that wasn't allowed.

Our guide was pushing us onwards, to the next site and now, reflecting on it, I'm glad she did.

Yi Wan Xiao - Hualien, Taiwan

2011-02-02T12:26:00.000-05:00

Perfect Post-National Park Meal
Hualien is a city on the Eastern coast of Taiwan near the spectacular Taroko National Park. We'd spent the day at Taroko, gawking at seascape, rivers and mountains through sun, clouds and cold drizzle. By dinner time we were famished and looking for restoration. Luckily our B&B owner gave us an insider's inside scoop and sent us to Yi Wan Xiao for noodles. The name could be translated as "A Small Bowl" and indeed that's all it took for me to be totally satisfied and ready for a night of unconsciousness.

After a day of walking and sightseeing there was something so perfect about a bowl of handmade noodles with chunks of beef. Others in my party (ie the Dodo) ordered something less fulfilling, in my humble opinion, but hey - to each his own. She also likes durian and I still date her so you can see how magnanimous I am.

Isn't this the best stack of juicy steak chunks you've ever seen? Yeah, well welcome to stupidity - that's tofu, silly. I was tricked too and I've spent way too much time in Asia to keep falling for it. These were a tad dry, not as good as the ones we bought from a small hillside monastery earlier in the day.

Just before I almost broke my tooth on one of these hard biscuits, our Taiwan guide (a Dodo colleague) instructed me to break it into pieces and add it to the soup. They immediately soaked up the liquid, softened and were a nice addition. Saved from a dumb foreigner move in a nick of time!

This is a small place - about 30 people can fit in, not counting the one seat in the kayak mounted on the ceiling.

Here's a shot of the exterior. If we were cooler, we would've arrived on scooters and parked them at the front door.

Here are a few shots from Taroko, enjoy.

94-1 No. Yan Oi St

Hualien, Taiwan

Hui Sushi - Taipei

2011-01-30T04:00:00.001-05:00

The Best Japanese Outside of Japan
Dodo's Taiwanese colleague didn't offer the thought as a conversation starter. She stated as fact that the "best Japanese outside Japan is to be found in Taiwan." I was skeptical until chef Weng from Hui Sushi started placing dishes in front of me. The Japanese were in Taiwan for about 50 years starting in 1895 so it makes sense. However, since I tend to stay away from superlatives, let's just say that Hui Sushi was the best Japanese food I've ever tasted in Taiwan! It was damned good and I offer up the photos and words to prove it. Take a peek at the miso soup with prawn and hidden chunks of succulent fish.

There are exactly six seats at Hui. Yes, s-i-x. So, along with the chef, at max, there are seven people in the room. You sit around a counter and watch the chef do his thing. When we arrived he was grinding and hand mixing the wasabi. There's no menu, you just sit back and wait. The abalone, below, was the tenderest I've ever had, flavored with just a touch of salt.

The chawanmushi, served in a deep bowl, was perfect. I wished he'd served a bit more of this but I was warned that much more was to come. I don't usually eat a lot at dinner but as with all good Japanese, I never felt overly-full during this meal.

Chef used a lot of local Taiwanese fish, most as sashimi. However, he baked one near the end of the meal and served it with a side of lime. It was tasty and fell apart the moment I touched it.

I don't usually like pickled ginger but this one was extraordinary. Chef made it fresh, as expected. It was not as strong as some others I've had.

When the sashimi and sushi started to arrive in waves, it was so sublime that I kinda blanked out trying to write down names of fish. Enjoy the photos.

Here he is. Chef Weng, the man, the myth, the legend. He gave us (and two strangers) one hell of a memorable night.

Near Section 5 XinYi Rd
Taipei
(click on link to see map)
Reservations are a must: 0922-222-775

Golden Cake Vendor - Taipei

2011-01-26T21:43:00.002-05:00

Pay Dirt, PB-Style!!
After just one bite I fantasized about hiring her to setup her stall outside my apartment. I dreamt of opening my front door and yelling "two more peanut butter, please." Moments later I'd bite into this freshly cooked cake with a vein of molten chunky peanut butter.

I give Dodo indirect credit - she brought me here to buy the thin rolled crepes you see in the background. I was fixated on the cakes, however. The Auntie had just poured some batter into the molds. After placing some fillings into the batter, she covered them with more batter and then closed the mold. After a minute, she rotated the mold so the other side would get some heat. I got excited and waved my translator over. Dodo ordered three and the vendor said something back to her. Then Dodo said something like "do you want peanut butter filling or blah-blah-bluh bluh-blah-blah-blaaaaaa." I didn't even hear the other varieties.

We got one with butter filling, one with chocolate and one with peanut butter. Do I even need to tell you which was the best? Come on, it's obvious! On my return visit, my silver-tongued girlfriend tried to talk me out of getting three peanut butter for myself. She's very convincing, but in this particular case she failed to change my mind!

20, Section 2 Daan Rd
Taipei

Yong He Soy Milk King - Taipei

2011-01-24T19:44:00.003-05:00

Is it Called Breakfast at 11pm?
I don't know, but I had an immediate affinity for Yong He - they serve freshly made breafkast food deep into the night. It didn't hurt that I was fighting jetlag and losing - breakfast at night was making perfect sense. What you see below is an amazing concoction - it's a thin egg and scallion crepe wrapped around two deep-fried dough sticks. If I'm not mistaken (and I easily could be) that would be a dan bing wrapped around two you tiao. Someone from Taiwan, help me out with my probably poor interpretation, please.

Any great place knows to make the food as close to the sidewalk as possible - make a little show of it. This is what you see walking past Yong He. A whole crew kneading and cutting dough and frying you tiao. That's all this wannabe reporter needs to see. Things like this always stop me dead in my tracks. They fry their you tiao a bit extra. When I bit down they crunched and crackled audibly, making this jetlag breakfast sandwich extra special.

A few days later we returned to try something else. First on the list was something called a shao bing you tiao, which I'd describe as deep-fried dough sticks wrapped in a flakey sesame seed encrusted flatbread. So, in other words it's a bread sandwich - not too appealing at first blush. How wrong I was, this was absolutely delicious. It makes no sense whatsoever but I became quickly enamored of this and downed most of it quickly.

Just then Dodo peered up at the menu and got all excited. She said "ok, now let's get another one - they have one just like the last one with the egg and scallion crepe added: a shao bing you tiao lai dan." My mind started to spin - the bread in bread AND some egg and scallion? DO IT!!! However, in a strange case of subtraction by addition - the sandwich was less tasty with the egg crepe. It muted the flakiness of the flatbread and masked the sesame taste without adding much. In the end, the shao bing you tiao was the winner.

I didn't take any photos of the soybean milk - their specialty. Why? Well, it just looks like a cup of milk - not visually interesting. I've recently taken a liking to soybean milk - and whereas I'm no expert, theirs was silky smooth and delicious. Dodo and I munched quietly at our table, happy to have hit on a winner in Taipei on our fist night.

102 Flushing Nan Lu, Section 2
Taipei

Le Cantine de Quentin - Paris

2011-01-14T11:14:00.002-05:00

Grocery Store Dining
One of the growing Paris trends is eating inside the grocery store. It's called "epicerie-a-manger" and the handful I've tried have been long on looks and short on quality food. I'd say this about Le Cantine de Quentin, Au Duc de Montmorency as well as newcomer Jeanne A, where I recently suffered through a rubbery chicken. They all stock consumables on tidy shelves and create a grocery store illusion, though I've never been the least tempted to buy anything. I do enjoy the look, it's comforting to me in some strange way. Of those I've tried, Le Cantine de Quentin was the best experience food-wise. The hits outshone the misses, like the remoulade, below. A friend explained that it was made with celery but I later learned that he meant celeriac, which is a root vegetable from the celery family. It was combined with peppers and tossed with mustard and was very nice.

The risotto with mushrooms, however, was a miss. The bubbles seemed like a bad sign and indeed they were.

The pate with pickles wasn't bad and I'm not a pickle type.

The mushroom ravioli passed, just barely. A bit on the bland side of the aisle.

This combo of foie gras with chutney was absolutely delicious. Call me a rookie, but I'd not had these two together before and for now on I will insist on it.

I loved the dessert - something named croustillant praliné. A lovely combo of chocolate and praline mix in a cream bath. Very subtle, not overly sweet.

I sat with my back to the window, the better to people-watch the flossies inside. Too shy with my camera, I failed to capture the woman with fur boots or the man with the scarlet tunic and matching hair. The characters eating there scored an A+.

52 rue Bichat

10th Arondissement
Paris

Khong Guan - Singapore

2011-01-06T05:29:00.000-05:00

Nasi Padang in Queenstown
This is the full circle post - the one that takes me back to the beginning. Khong Guan is one of the first places I tried in Singapore and the one from which my girlfriend's nickname sprang. See the "greedy shot" photo on the right, the one with the sparkling curry puff? That was taken here a few years back and sent to me long-distance. I started calling her Puff almost immediately and the name stuck for quite a while. My mom still calls her that, resisting the more recently concocted "Dodo" as being too insulting. Puffin grew up eating at this coffee shop and she gets all misty-eyed when she talks about their mee rebus. I was more than happy to gnaw on a fat curry puff, which was deliciously tasty, sentimentality aside.

I've had their mee rebus before and it's pretty good. This time around I tried Dodo's mom's favorite: a triangle-shaped glutinous rice treat that is coated with fresh coconut and swimming in a palm sugar bath. Sorry, I don't know the official name of it - can someone help me with that? Not something I'd try again - a bit rough around the edges, not as sweet as I want my treats to be. If you're in the neighborhood, you'd be smart to check out this old coffee shop, situated in an even older HDB block. This is old-school, folks.

49 Stirling Rd
Singapore

Tong Ah - Singapore

2011-01-03T05:59:00.001-05:00

Now We're Talking...
All you fake toast spots, stand aside. All you wannabe toast joints, get outta the way. We're talking old school, throw back, analog, original toast, Chinatown-style. I'd been spending too much time at lame, wan, watered down mall toast places and Ah Tong was the antidote. There, sitting amongst the shophouses I downed stacks of perfectly made butter-sugared and kaya toasts and chased them with cups of dark, satisfying kopi.

It seems so simple, you might be thinking. Just toast, butter, sugar. But for some reason, these taste better. Perhaps it's the bread or maybe the butter or the method. All I know is they tasted delicious and I ate more than a person should. The kopi was deep and dark, barely reflecting any light. This is the way to supercharge your day - I sat straight up in my chair and felt happier after a few of these.

The views are unbeatable. Shophouses to the left and right allow in a lot of sunlight and breeze.

So old school, they still write their characters right to left.

Get yourself a newspaper, take a seat, order up some toasts and coffee and taste the difference.

36 Keong Siak Road
Singapore

Co Do - Melbourne

2010-12-28T22:02:00.000-05:00

Finding Vietnamese Goodness on Foot
Sometimes we just luck out. We trammed our way over to Richmond, a suburb NE of Melbourne a few clicks, known for being the cross hairs of the Viet community. We employed an old-fashioned analog technique called "footing it" which is simple and effective - walk down the main drag and peek in restaurant windows until you find a full one (in this case, full of Vietnamese.) This is how we found ourselves in Co Do and Dodo in front of a plate of Cơm tấm, otherwise known as "broken rice."

Apparently, rice can be broken when harvested and/or transported. The bits and shards are separated from the whole grains and are cheaper, qualifying this as a classic peasant meal, I presume. The Co Do version came with a pork chop, oozing fried egg, steamed egg and various sliced veggies. It was delicious, I was glad we share our meals. I was less lucky with my order of bánh xèo, a savory deep fried pancake made from rice flour and stuffed with shrimp and bean sprouts. It was ridiculously large, have you noticed that you cannot even see the plate? I was introduced to this dish in a eastern suburb of Paris and I remember that version being much more delicious. Nevertheless, I managed to polish it off.

Stuffing in mint leaves was the trick, they imparted a nice zing to the pancake. I'm glad I was shown how to do this by a Viet friend. Otherwise, I think I may have tried to pour the sauce on the leave basket and eat it like a salad. Dummy in the house!!!

196 Victoria St
Richmond
Melbourne Australia

Fish and Chippers - Melbourne

2010-12-24T23:20:00.000-05:00

Wasn't in the Cards
We set off from our hotel to Fish and Chippers expecting a short tram ride to a tasty fish and chips. We should've known better. We got on the wrong tram, then switched to a wronger one. One of those typical couple arguments broke out where I, the man, was determined to go my way and Dodo, the woman, wanted to interrogate my thinking. When we got off the second tram we were standing next to a rental bike stand and decided to ride there. A friendly Melbournian helped us figure out the system and we ignored the large signs warning that it was against the law to ride bikes without a helmet. Dodo pedaled like a turtle, doubtful of the route or in protest, perhaps. When we dead-ended at a busy street and had to push our bikes across, I thought she was going to kill me. Save me, Fish and Chippers, save me!

It looked like it was going to be good but the journey there should've been a tip-off. It just wasn't going to be my day. I was hoping for one of those "served in the newspaper funnel" type experiences but nope. Again, like some of the other meals I had in Mebourne, it was a tad on the bland side. To make matters worse, the tartar sauce was unlike what I'm used to. It was way too sweet for my taste. I had a sandwich and she had hers with fries.

Overall, an interesting journey that ended in disappointment. I'm sure there are better fish and chips spots in Melbourne but I don't know where they are.

293 Clarendon St
South Melbourne
Australia

Queen Victoria Market - Melbourne

2010-12-21T00:47:00.001-05:00

Breakfast of Champions
Queen Victoria Market is "the" market in Melbourne. It's a combination flea market, butchers, bakers and food court that you're as likely to find boomerangs for sale as you are "Moreton Bay Bugs." Those are the fellows in the middle to the right of the tiger prawns. I don't think anyone consulted a reputable PR firm when they came up with the moniker "bay bug." Not exactly appetizing. Besides, we were there for something much more mainstream, though perhaps not "breakkie" mainstream.

That's right, we eat bratwurst for breakfast! We're not sissies like some of those other wannabe food bloggers. We even went for the spicy version!

There were more than a few bratwurst purveyors at the market but Dodo was positive this was the good one. I didn't question her, more often than not she's on the money. It's an efficient operation, we jumped in line and got one to share with two lattes. Well, ok, look - that's not exactly a typical combo but we were sleepy. Too many planes and too many time zones will do that to you.

It was loaded with cheese and tucked into a very sturdy bun. I bit enthusiastically and chewed with all my might. Only after a while did the spiciness begin to kick in. I'd label it "ok" - nothing super-amazing or outstanding. I was hoping for more of a pop! More flavor, pretty please.

As an American who travels internationally a lot, I can tell you that American food gets no respect. It's pretty funny usually - I cannot tell you how many Frenchies, on the way into a restaurant have told me "sorry, they don't have any hamburger for you here" We are simply hamburgers and donuts to most people. Of course, they've never really been to America - they've never had barbecue in South Carolina, tacos in East Los Angeles, soul food in Mississippi or Cajun in New Orleans. Shit, for that matter, they've never really had a good burger either - just some crappy fast food version. So, when I saw this "donut trailer" in the market, I both rolled my eyes AND got excited! DONUTS!!! I yelled.

Now, I watched them make a few and quickly realized these were more like beignets you'd get in New Orleans than good old American cake donuts. Properly done, they'd be pretty good and properly done for me means loaded with jelly.
Sadly, they got all Scrooge McDuck when it was jelly time. A dot of jelly? Are you serious? Is there a jelly drought down under or something? Sorry Aussies, come on over to American and get a real donut!

155 Victoria St,
Melbourne

The Outpost - Melbourne

2010-12-19T03:25:00.001-05:00

Hit and Miss
At a small cafe named The Outpost in the South Yarra suburb of Melbourne, Australia, I kicked off two weeks of anti-work, otherwise known as vacation. This is the kind of place I wanted to love but couldn't completely - it is a mix of good and not-so-good. My scrambled with black truffles should've been a deal-maker but they were suprisingly bland. They looked so beautiful that I chewed and chewed, patiently waiting for something to happen. Nothing did. Dash of salt, bit of pepper, still nothing.

Puffin made the right call - stacks of french toast strips with carmelized walnuts and bacon on top. Absolutely excellent. I, of a chivalrous nature, gladly helped her out with this daunting pile of food. It was the least I could do.

This is a lovely place, a small triangle with high ceilings, an open kitchen and seating for 5-6 people. There is a separate dining room as well. We sat next to the barista and watched him take his sweet time creating each cup. I didn't find the coffee especially outstanding, however, I say that acknowledging Melbourne's already high standard for coffee. There are cafes and coffee stalls dotting this city.

The crew were friendly and hard-working, though a tad slow. To be fair, the slowness appeared to be due to their desire to craft each latte and plate of food with attention to detail. If it weren't for the eggs, I would have given this place an unabashed thumbs up.

9 Yarra St
South Yarra
Victoria, Australia

Freshness Burger - Singapore

2010-12-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

Where's the Beef?
Back in the 80's there was a series of Wendys commercials in which an insistent senior kept yelling "Where's the beef?" as a way of tweaking McDonalds and Burger King for their small patties. When the crew at Freshness Burger handed over my "classic" cheeseburger at lunch yesterday I felt like screaming the same thing. To make matters worse, when I bit into it all I tasted was hype.

There are apparently hundreds of outlets in Japan but this is the first franchise to open in Singapore. I've never tried the Japanese version, so I don't want to overstep. Let's just say that this burger was not a fresh burger. Matter of fact, it conjured up a corporate taste to me. One of brainwashed cows being herded to an efficient slaughter and their meat diluted by chemicals and additives unknown. I'm not saying that is what happens, but that is what it tastes like to me. Worse than any other burger chain? No, not really. But I sure got excited after all the hyperbole.

Just for fun, here's one of the original commercials:

NEX Mall
Serangoon, Singapore

Toast@Work - Singapore

2010-12-12T21:57:00.001-05:00

The Beginning of the End?
Nex is yet another new glittering mall in Singapore with restaurants throughout and a food court on the top floor. You can eat in air-conditioned comfort, a welcomed respite from the unceasing heat and sun. We navigated Nex to try out Toast@Work and while I have no specific complaints, I worry that these malls will slowly dilute the street food culture and doom the Singapore food scene.

I see signs of decline, which if not quite here yet, will be shortly. Will the younger generation of Singaporeans take over their parents' stalls? Doubtful - they've got better opportunities now. Already, the better stalls have begun to clone themselves through franchising and many of the remaining have hired mainland Chinese. This all makes sense - it's a tough gig and probably doesn't pay a lot. My peanut butter toast was ok, it was buttered on one side and peanut-buttered on the other - a trick this greedy man appreciates. However, it's not as good as the Toast Box version, which itself is an approximation of the thicker, tastier street versions I've had.

The French toast was not bad either in a "just good enough to not feel guilty about being lazy and walking 100 feet to the mall" kinda way.

When she grows up, will she even remember hawker centers? Perhaps it's a sign of age that I lament the changes I'm seeing. It's always this way, right? The whole "back when I first came here, this was better and that was better, etc" There's an older generation, the pre-hawker generation, who used to go to the street stalls and may feel reigning them in under a roof was the first step towards their eventual disappearance.

My girlfriend tells me not to worry - "if there is one thing Singaporeans will never give up, it's their street food." I don't know, it could be death by 1,000 cuts. First, they offer you a version in the mall that is only slight in decline, close enough for an air-conditioned trade off. You forget the earlier, better version just in time for the next cut. I, for one, will boycott these mall toasts. Tomorrow I'm going to Chinatown for a real version (or what passes for one these days.)

NEX
Serangoon
Singapore

Les Pâtes Vivantes II - Paris

2010-12-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

It's Official, Happy Nouilles Takes em Out!
I'm a Zha Jiang fanatic. If that doesn't mean something to you, it should. We're talking hand-pulled noodles with ground pork and fermented soybean paste. Maybe that doesn't sound enticing to you if you've never had it - think of it as a spicy, porky spaghetti. Still doesn't sound good? Seriously? I cannot get enough of the stuff and in Paris, my favorite version is at Happy Nouilles, not Les Pâtes Vivantes. I confirmed it with a visit to the latter's recently opened second outpost on Blvd St Germain.

This is just a quess but I think Auntie Duan, the owner, targets a French crowd and waters things down a tad. Logical. Their Zha Jiang simply doesn't have the zesty burst of flavor that I now expect.

The new space has a lot more light and elbow room as compared to the original and feels a lot more Parisian. Depending upon your tastes, that may be a good thing or a bad one. I miss the cramped hustle and bustle of the original.

I do give them credit for their new bowls, however. They are slanted at the front, making them easy to slurp from. I felt like a pig at the trough but ended up with less splatter on me than usual. Sorry Auntie Duan, when the noodle pangs hit, I'll be at Happy Nouilles from now on.

22 Blvd Saint-Germain

5th Arondissement
Paris

Xi'an Famous Foods - Manhattan

2010-11-18T13:29:00.000-05:00

Game, Set, Match!
You're unlikely to find a tastier, more satisfying batch of noodles than those served at Xi-an Famous Foods. I was dumbstruck when I took my first bite of their "Savory Cumin Lamb Hand-Pulled Noodles." I didn't think something could be this delicious. These are giant, flat, ragged, hand torn noodles that you might not associate with Chinese cuisine, but alas, China is a big place. Xi'an presents food from Shaanxi province in northwestern China. Their noodles are spicier, heartier and more delicious than any I've ever had.

Apparently Shaanxi has two types of weather: bloody hot and numbing cold. I can envision tucking into a plate of these noodles in the winter. Mixed in were healthy portions of spring onion, sprouts and spicy shredded lamb that made my eyes water and nose run. This is not a light meal - it made me immediately sleepy and kept me full until I went to bed - I didn't even consider dinner.

Don't wear any fancy clothes, there is no way to eat this and stay clean. When I was done, I looked like a wolf who'd just torn a lamb to bits. I had juice all over my face and hands.

The anti-dope food pictorials hanging on the wall were a great help. I perused all the things I will come back to try like "Spicy and Tingly Beef Noodles" and "Concubine's Chicken Noodles." Why does a concubine own a chicken? I don't know, I gotta see what it tastes like though.

81 St. Marks Pl
East Village
Manhattan
(and other locations in Chinatown and Flushing)