September 25, 2011

  • Song of the Day

    Eating Around in L.A. – W treated me for my Birthday at LUKSHON - a new establishment tucked inside the Helm’s Bakery Complex in Culver City. We tried this joint a few months back and I’m very much interested to try the other dishes in its edgy menu. So, here we go…..

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    Cocktail – Singapore Sling (back) with gin, cherry heering, benedictine, orange & pineapple bits and bitters / Lukshon Sour – rye, with lemon, tamarind, palm sugar, kumquat…..
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    Softshell Crab – deep fried, with green mango, chile sambal and bits of peanuts…..
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    Spicy Chicken Pops – drumettes with garlic, kecap manis, and spicy Sichuan salt…..
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    Steamed Branzino – with black bean ghee, sitting on Taiwan spinach…..
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    Chinese Eggplant – pan fried with fennel raita, tomato sambal and topped with eggplant “fries”…..
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    Bhutanese Red Rice – fried rice with lamb bacon, maitake mushroom, egg, scallion and Chinese celery…..
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    Baba Monterey Squid – stuffed with Chiang Mai sausage, candlenut, mint, and rau ram…..
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    Dessert is complimentary – (right rear) Soy pana cotta with coconut tapioca and black sesame shortbread; (left rear) Jackfruit sorbet with Beijing yogurt; (front) cocoa custard topped with Beijing yogurt; three completely opposite tastes, with the refreshing tartness of yogurt versus the sweetness of coconut, mango and cocoa…..
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    The entire dinner was about US$150, including service charge. I enjoyed the dish of tiny bulbs of squid stuffed with Chiang Mai sausage, as well all of the other dishes in the menu, especially the steamed whole fish. All are very delicious indeed! LUKSHON again exceeded my expectations with flying colors. Dishes were bold, lustily flavored, and though not 100% authentic, very true to their Southeast Asian roots. Many thanks to W for the wonderful dinner and fabulous photos!

    LUKSHON | 3639 Helms Avenue, Culver City | lukshon.com

September 20, 2011

  • Song of the Day

    Street Hawker Food (air-conditioned version) in Singapore - After hitting up all the tourists spots in the Lion City, we were longing for some shopping and cool-down time in one of the mega malls. There are lots of wonderful and reasonably priced restaurants throughout. Amongst are TEN Din Tai Fungs scattered all over this tiny city, seems like the locals very much love to eat at this joint. We are going to the one inside the Paragon. The remainder of the Din Tai Fungs are at: Junction 8, Tampines Mall, Wisma Atria, Raffles City , Jurong Point, 313@somerset, Baits @ Resorts World Sentosa, Marina Bay Link Mall and nex @ Serangoon Central. Too bad we only stayed for a couple of days here, or else there’ll be a Din Tai Fung eating tour…..

    The grand entrance to each and every Din Tai Fung is pretty much the same, with a glass enclosed food prep area where most of the staff are busy making these little dumplings…..
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    A super sized dumpling photo, explaining there are about eighteen folds on each dumpling…..
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    Hmmm…..I think the count is correct…..about eighteen folds each…..
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    Appetizer – sliced tofu, seaweed and pepper…..
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    The typical veggie dish with a nice twist, topped with a few pieces of meaty shrimp…..
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    The Chinese version of chicken n’ noodle soup…..
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    ChatterBox at the Meritus Mandarin Hotel is another popular hangout for the famous chicken over rice dish…..
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    The freshest ingredients: top quality COBB 500 chicken, wholesome premium jasmine rice, and the fragrant assortment of home made sauces…..
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    Tender and succulent slices of de-boned chicken making this an iconic Singaporean dish…..
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    Food Opera @ ION Orchard has 22 hawker stalls come complete with chandeliers, commissioned art, acrylic chairs and marble tabletops. Hawker fare in hoitytoity surroundings. Here, the 3rd generation Prawn Noodle stand…..
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    The menu is clear and simple, price is very good indeed…..
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    Spare rib and prawn noodle…..
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    Another noodle stand that specializes in fish balls…..
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    There are several types of noodles to choose from…..
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    Fish balls with skinny noodles…..
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    Fish balls with flat noodles…..
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    When in Singapore, a visit to the Long Bar (inside the Raffles Hotel) is a must…..
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    Singapore Sling and Mai-tai…..
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    Haagen Dazs has joints all over the city, here, we are having “sushi ice-cream”…..
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    Tiny pieces of fruit and ice-cream arranged in the shape of a sushi roll…..
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    The “nori” is actually made of chocolate…..
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    We had this shaved ice at one of the stalls inside the ION Orchard Mall. A special ice shaving machine prepared shaved ice in this ‘silky’ drapery form – Green Tea flavour with Red Beans…..
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    Din Tai Fung Paragon Branch | 290 Orchard Road #B1-03/06 Paragon Shopping Centre | TEL:65-6836-8336 |

    Chatterbox | Level 5, Meritus Mandarin Hotel, 333 Orchard Road | TEL: 65-6831-6288/91 |

    Food Opera | Basement 4, ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn |

    Long Bar | Raffles Hotel, 1 Beach Road | www.raffles.com |

August 26, 2011

  • Song of the Day
    Monkeying in Singapore - I was going through some of my trip photos from last summer to the Singapore Zoo. What aroused my interest is there are so many different species of monkeys inside this zoo. And I have only covered a small portion of the monkey population here. Somehow, I think monkeys photos will not go too well with food porn. Therefore, that’ll be posted at a later date.

    Feeding small snacks…..
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    Shaggy monkey…..
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    Monkey with a cute facial expression…..
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    This one is quite colourful (on certain parts of the body)…..
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    Cute baby monkey with adult…..
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    The ever popular orangutan…..
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    A naughty one rummaging through the trash bin…..
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    Group of (long-nosed) Proboscis monkeys…..
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    My favourite kind of monkey…..
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    I captured some scandalous acts here (sorry for the background noises) Can you distinguish between the boy/girl? And the slapping act really puzzles me…..

    Singapore Zoo | 80 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore 729826 | http://www.zoo.com.sg

August 17, 2011

  • Song of the Day

    Sojourn in Seoul (Final Act) – Korean cha, high above Seoul - It was a rainy afternoon, we decided to stay near home base before packing up for the flight next morning. On our recent flight into Seoul, W read an article about some interesting looking Korean pastries and candies served at our hotel. We were floored by the intricate presentation, where the goodies are served to you ‘hidden’ inside a wooden box.

    The Lounge is located on the top floor of the hotel, with an open floor plan and good view of the neighboring buildings …..
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    The rain clouds are still hovering around; the Han River is on the left…..
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    Coex Mall across the street, where we shopped and ate; there’s subway service too…..
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    The menu…..
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    Server opening the compartments…..
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    So many sweets – yay…..
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    Dried persimmon peel (lower left corner) / crunchy puff candy (upper left corner) / some sort of white mochi (second from left) / sugar powdered orange mochi (second column from right) / chocolate block (right side)
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    Mini sponge cakes…..
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    cup cakes with fruit…..
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    crunchy pastries with pumpkin seeds…..
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    chocolate flavoured crunchies…..
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    pine nuts covered cake…..
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    square blocks of gingered candies / walnut and chocolate treats…..
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    served on the plate…..
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    The Lounge……
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    The entire set, including tea, costs US$28 per person plus service charge. It was worthwhile spending a good amount of time munching on these intricate sweeties while looking at the panorama of Seoul, through the floor-to-ceiling giant windows. The Lounge is also renowned for its traditional Korean dishes such as kalbi, domi gui and kalgugsu. I’ll sure come back again for another dose of sweet time. Highly recommended!

    (Many thanks to W for taking a few of the above fabulous photos!)

    The Lounge | 24th Floor, Park Hyatt, 995-14 Daechi 3-dong, Gangnam-gu (강남구 대치3동 995-14, 파크하얏트서울 24층) | +82 2 2016 1234 | www.parkhyattseoul.co.kr

August 10, 2011

  • Song of the Day

    Sojourn in Seoul (II) – Gyeongbokgung Palace + dinner - We started early in the morning and visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace . First constructed in 1394 and reconstructed in 1867, it was the main and largest palace of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. The name of the palace, Gyeongbokgung, translates in English as “Palace of Shining Happiness.” Nearly destroyed by the Japanese government in the early 20th century, the palace complex is slowly being restored to its original form prior the destruction. The Korean government started a 40-year initiative in 1989 to rebuild the structures that were destroyed by the Japanese government during the period of Japanese occupation of Korea.

    Making sure the camera is working properly prior to the day trip…..
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    Geunjeongjeon Hall (근정전; 勤政殿) was originally constructed in 1395; it is the throne hall of Gyeongbokgung where the king formally granted audiences to his officials, gave declarations of national importance, and greeted foreign envoys and ambassadors during the Joseon Dynasty. The building was designated as Korea’s National Treasure in 1985…..
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    Geunjeongmun (근정문; 勤政門), aligned and located directly to the south of Geunjeongjeon, is the main gate to the courtyard and to Geunjeongjeon. The gate is divided into three separate aisles and only the king was allowed to walk through the center…..
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    The inner courtyard…..
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    The multi-tiered and colourful eaves…..
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    Good signage helped us find our way easily inside the palace grounds…..
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    Dinner- Somehow, I neglected to take note of the name and address of this very nice restaurant, serving traditional Korean cuisine. I remember this eatery is somewhere near the royal palace and is very easy to locate. Once inside the restaurant, we were seated inside a private room with a low table, known as a gyoja-sang (large dining table). All the dishes are served on one table at the same time as an open space pattern. Banchan (side dishes) are arranged according to the recipes, ingredients, colors and temperature of the food. There are 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12-course table settings according to the number of side dishes.

    The traditional table setting with a small bowl of pumpkin jook (porridge)…..
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    Closeup view of the jook…..
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    Gujeolpan – nine compartments dish, all the items are thinly sliced – beef, fried egg, fungus, pickled cucumbers, carrots…..
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    Mixing and stacking the tidbits in a neat bunch…..
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    Side dishes…..
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    Grilled duck…..
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    And these are the smaller banchan (side dishes), mostly vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, kimchi…..
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    We also shared two bowls of this hot n’ spicy vegetable soup…..
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    Last dish – mixed vegetables salad…..
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    Korean style is to mix in some rice…..
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    Add some spicy sauce…..
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    Mixing everything together…..
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    The final product, very delicious rice dish to end this multi-course meal…..
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    The entire dinner took us almost four hours. It was very enjoyable as I listened to W chatting with his relatives in half English, half Korean, adding in some sign languages. One of his little cousins is only seven and she is very knowledgeable about the menu items. I think eventually, she’ll be a future foodie! The tab was at least US$250 for our party of six, it was reasonably priced and very delicious afterall!

July 30, 2011

  • Song of the Day

    Sojourn in Seoul – Din Tai Fung - Of our two short days in Seoul, we managed to schedule DTF onto our itinerary. This Din Tai Fung is located in the Myeong-dong neighborhood, known for its trendy shops and restaurants. It is a popular tourist destination, so if you visit Seoul, this is a “must-go” spot. Once we stepped foot inside this Din Tai Fung, we noticed this restaurant is more upscale than most of their outlets we have visited elsewhere. The interior of this small but compact restaurant is done up with modern dark wood furnishings and red Chinese-style accents. The glass-walled open-style kitchen displaying the staff, huddling around the kitchen counter making the world famous xiao-long-bao/dumplings out of their magic dough.
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    Once we walked through the waiting room, there is an atrium leading to the automated entry doors…..
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    The menu items are consistent with the other Din Tai Fung branches, except for a few “local” dishes to please the native palate…..
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    The spicy n’ sour cabbage is an unique aperitif…..
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    Spicy n’ sour cabbage is quite delicious, with complimentary refills…..
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    The pork and crab roe dumplings, oozing oil and soup…..
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    This one is not perfectly crafted, but with a sackful of delicious soupy filling…..
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    New menu item – Sauteed Vitamin vegetables with pepper…..
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    Kitchen staff hard at work…..
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    Din Tai Fung | 104, Myeongdong 2-ga, Seoul | (tel) 02/771-2778 | www.dintaifung.co.kr

    O’Sulloc Tea House - In Korea, the tea in question is usually nokcha (녹차), green tea. Unlike black tea (홍차, “red tea”), green tea goes through less oxidization and generally maintains the color of the tea leaves. O’Sulloc specializes in green tea, with their own tea plantation in the Jeju islands where they also have a tea museum. O’Sulloc has a branch in Myeong-dong, only a few blocks from Din Tai Fung. The tea house we visited offers not only green tea but many other varieties. It is interesting to note how coffee took over as Korea’s most popular caffeinated beverage these days, which can be easily proven by the number of coffee shops compared to that of tea houses. But what’s also interesting is that most of these coffee shops offer green tea or green tea related beverages on their menu, green tea has become that much of a basic drink.
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    The tea is served on a wooden platter with complimentary tea cookies. Hot water is refillable so you can enjoy the tea at its various stages…..
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    The green tea latte is delicious…..
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    O’Sulloc Tea House | 1F Cheonghui Bldg., 33-1 Myeong-dong-I(2)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul | www.osulloc.com

July 14, 2011

  • Song of the Day

    More Good Eats From Bangkok – Erawan Tea Room - Traditional Thai food and refreshing Thai teas and other local drinks (think lemongrass and fresh fruit juices), are served in quiet elegance. It is a perfect place for a business lunch or dinner, a tea break when shopping and of course, as I mentioned its classic style lends itself perfectly as a destination for visitors (menu and service is in Thai and English). This is not the cheapest Thai food around town. I mean for sure you could eat on the street for 60-80 THB (US$1.50 – $2.50), but its entrees are 190 – 360THB (US$5.50 – $11). Very well priced and quite affordable indeed.
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    Steamed flower-shaped dumplings filled with crab meat…..
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    Deep fried chicken in Pandan leaves…..
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    Pan fried clams with chilli…..
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    Steamed sea bass with chilli and lime sauce…..
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    All the dishes are delicious and well executed. We tried the Thai favorites and there really isn’t any disappointments. Be sure to get a seat by the window, overlooking bustling downtown Bangkok and the Erawan shrine. You may catch a glimpse of the Thai dancing troupes performing multiple times of day to pay honor at the shrine.
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    Erawan Tea Room at the Grand Hyatt | Erawan Mall, 2nd floor, Ploenchit Road, Bangkok | www.erawanbangkok.com/tearoom.php

    Soul Food Mahanakorn - is neatly summed up as: “Wholesome ingredients. Honest cooking. Serious drinks.” This Bangkok restaurant, which just opened in August 2010, is getting tons of buzz, and unlike many of the city’s trendy restaurants, all the hype is truly deserved. Here is a quote from the BK magazine article:

    ‘Long-time food journalist for beloved American magazine The Atlantic and elsewhere, Jarrett Wrisley recently decided to cash in his chips and transform an old, unused shophouse on Thonglor into an American-style, Thai-food-serving izakaya. It now looks all set to be the new place to be, drink and eat one of the most lovingly curated gab glaem et al menus we’ve seen in a long while.’

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    Yam Makrua Yao – this sour & smoky Bangkok classic egg plant salad with boiled duck eggs, mint, coriander & bacon. The eggplant was so fresh, plump and tender. It had so much flavor…..
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    Nahm Tok Moo – Issan style pork, marinated in fish sauce & tossed in a fiery dressing with herbs, so tasty…..
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    Yam Pladuk Foo – Salad of green mango, herbs and peanut, served with catfish that is slow-grilled, shredded, and then fried crisp…..
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    Gai Tawt Hat Yai – Southern Thai Style fried chicken, served with spicy and sweet sauce and pickled watermelon…..
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    Lamb Grapow – Stir-fry of Hand-chopped Australian lamb, with basil, garlic and chilli. Served with Jasmine rice and a fried egg…..
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    Smoked Duck Larb – a mixture of slow-smoked duck breast and fresh duck, tossed in a sour/spicy dressing with herbs…..
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    Sweet mango and sticky rice…..
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    Overall, the food was really delicious. Later, we found out everything except for fish and soy sauce is made upstairs — the sausages, curry pastes, the chili jam (nam prik pao), the yogurt for the samosas. It seems they care about the food they serve and where it comes from, they source many of their ingredients from small farms in the northeast of Thailand. For example, their rice is organic and fair trade, their meats are free-range, and their menu is seasonal with daily specials. We like this philosophy very very much. The food is not only good but very affordable in a very cozy and comfortable setting. This will be one of my destinations from now on.

    Soul Food Mahanakorn | 56/10 Sukhumvit Soi 55 ( Soi Thong Lor) | (tel)+66 (0)85-904-2691 | www.soulfoodmahanakorn.com

    Kum Poon - literally means ‘big bites’ in Issan dialect. This eatery serves a wide selection of Issan delicacies. Although dishes served here can be found much cheaper (and perhaps better) on certain sidewalk stalls, but having your favorite Issan (Thailand Northeastern region) dish in the comfort of air-conditioned room is totally justified, especially during the rainy season.
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    Stir-fried mushroom with sausages…..
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    Charcoal grilled chicken with deep fried sticky rice balls…..
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    Country style herbal chicken soup…..
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    Nua Yang – Charcoal grilled beef…..
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    Brown (sticky) rice…..
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    Chilled beer…..highly recommended….
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    Kum Poon | Central World Plaza, 7th Floor | (tel) 02-646-1044 |

    (Many thanks to Christao408 for choosing all the delicious dishes at SFM and Kum Poon. Also my gratitude to W for a number of fabulous food porn photos above.)

July 8, 2011

  • Song of the Day

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    Eating Around in Bangkok – - One morning, we ventured to the Jim Thompson’s House and Museum. James Thompson was the founder of the world renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. The house consists of a complex of six traditional Thai-style houses, teak structures that were purchased from several owners and brought to the present location from various parts of Thailand. Construction of the Thai house was completed in 1959. The on-site restaurant is a must visit destination for everyone.

    The entrance to the compound, with lush landscaping…..
    Jim Thompson's House

    The entrance to the restaurant, with outdoor seating in the back…..
    Jim Thompson Restaurant

    We opt for the air-conditioned room, desperately need a brief relieve from the overbearing humidity…..
    Jim Thompson Restaurant

    Since it’s still in the early noon hour, we are not too hungry, so we ordered Thai iced-tea and a pad thai dish to share…..
    Jim Thompson Restaurant - Pad Thai

    From another viewpoint…..for sure, this is the prettiest pad thai dish in town, and one of the best too…..
    Jim Thompson Restaurant - Pad Thai

    Interestingly, there is a klong (canal) in the rear of the house/museum. A speed boat carrying locals to their inland destinations…..
    Klong behind Jim Thompson's House

    JIM THOMPSON HOUSE | 6 SOI KASEMSAN 2, RAMA 1 ROAD, BANGKOK | (662) 216-7368 | www.jimthompsonhouse.com

    DIN TAI FUNG - Taipei based Din Tai Fung just opened a branch here in Bangkok, and we are eager to give it a try. With white shirts and white aprons, hair covered in white nets and white hats, and faces hidden behind white surgical masks, the chefs packed into the kitchens at Din Tai Fung have the appearance of a small army of doctors assembled in a glass-pane operating room.
    Ding Tai Fung - Bangkok

    Not just buns: Though Din Tai Fung is famed for its delicate xiaolongbao, the menu includes a long list of stir-fried greens, soups and sides.
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    Since we just finished a pad thai dish earlier, some veggies will be a logical choice – fried morning glory with pine nuts and garlic, an interesting combo…..
    Ding Tai Fung - Bangkok

    Available in six- or 10-piece sets (145 – 315 baht) with a variety of fillings, the tender steamed dumplings sag with the weight of their own juices and are highly addictive…..
    Ding Tai Fung - Bangkok

    My first taste of the latest Din Tai Fung restaurant in Asia *nom nom*…..
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    A group of foodies – armed with cameras and laptops, taking notes while munching on multiple stacks of steamed dumplings. I suspect they are columnists for a food magazine…..
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    Din Tai Fung -Bangkok

    DIN TAI FUNG | CENTRALWORLD PLAZA BANGKOK | 4/1-2, 4/4 RATCHADAMRI ROAD, 7TH FLOOR | (662) 646-1282 | www.dintaifung.com

    THE DECK - is located on the rooftop of Arun Residence, a boutique hotel across from the iconic Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn), along the banks of the Chao Phraya River. Wat Arun is one of the most spectacular temples in Thailand, if not the world, and to be there as the sun goes down and then see it lit up at night is hard to beat for a backdrop to your dinner. Physically The Deck is very simple, two rows of tables running backwards from the river. As such, if you want to get one of the two tables nearest the river view. Food wise there’s a good mix of Thai and international dishes which you can mix and match.

    View of Wat Arun from The Deck…..
    View from The Deck

    Pomelo salad, with shrimp…..tastes of lemon grass, red chile, fish sauce, lime etc……
    Pomelo Salad

    Stirred fried mixed vegetables, nothing fancy but tasty and good for you…..
    Mixed Vegetables

    Fried river prawns, large size prawns with fried garlic, deliciously done to perfection…..
    Fried River Prawns

    After the light dinner, we snapped a few more photos of the beautiful river bank…..
    Chao Phraya River

    Wat Arun

    Overall, it was a tiring day, especially when navigating our way through rush hour traffic to the dinner reservation. We were stuck in traffic for almost an hour, just to travel a few short miles. Anyway, it was a rewarding day and we look forward for more Thai cuisine.

    (Many thanks to Christao408 for dinner and pad thai suggestions!)

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    THE DECK | 36-38 SOI PRATU NOK YUNG, MAHARAT ROAD, BANGKOK | 0-2221-9158 | www.arunresidence.com

July 7, 2011

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    ADVENTURES IN THAILAND – Last week, W and I explored the outskirts of Bangkok. We had the honor of Chris as our guide along the whole trip. His entry can be found here - “Traveling with Gary and William to Kanchanaburi” We made several stops at a few interesting locales along the way. I highly recommend reading Chris’ blog to gain further details as I’ll only be highlighting certain segments of this trip.

    First stop at the Bridge over the River Kwai (this bridge was made famous in the movie “Bridge over the River Kwai”)
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    Chris and W (center) strolling across the bridge…..
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    We found a good street food vendor preparing crepes…..
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    It came in a bunch of six, warm and fragrant crispy tidbits…..
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    A dainty piece of sweet apple sandwiched inside…..
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    Petting baby tigers at the Tiger Temple, this is located about an hour from the bridge (after a long train ride and then by car). The tiger pups are housed in a large 30′ by 30′ cage. Only six guests plus staff are allowed at a certain time of the day. We have to take our shoes off to get in. Once inside, we are free to “play” with the pups. During our visit, there are six tiger pups available for us…..
    Tiger Temple - Kanchanaburi, Thailand

    The pups are quite shy and timid during the first few minutes, once they get accustomed to our constant petting and “molesting”, the pups started to get “wilder”…..
    Tiger Temple - Kanchanaburi, Thailand

    Here, one of the pups showing the fierce side…..
    Tiger Temple - Kanchanaburi, Thailand

    Our guest got a surprise “attack” from behind, I captured this precious moment just in time…..
    Tiger Temple - Kanchanaburi, Thailand

    I got a similar surprise too, good to know it was done in “good spirits”, lucky for me, my shirt was not torn into pieces…..
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    The paws are quite soft and harmless, just like a stuffed animal…..
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    A rare moment for a portrait, these little creatures are quite restless…..
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    At the end of the program, I got to feed the tiger pup…..
    Tiger Temple - Kanchanaburi, Thailand

    Afterwards, we had lunch at this interesting place in the middle of nowhere, courtesy of our Thai tourguide…..
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    Thai green curry and Tom Yum Goon (background)…..
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    Fried egg with pork…..
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    Crispy fried pork in sweet and spicy sauce, so delicious to go with rice…..
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    The meal was delicious, especially after such a long trip in the country side. Many thanks to Chris who narrated most of the sceneries along the way, when our Thai tour guide was napping away. Chris awed the restaurant staff by ordering lunch in Thai, which I think is quite hilarious which caught them by surprise. We all had a fantastic time and would certainly recommend the above itinerary to all visitors.

    @christao408

June 25, 2011

  • Song of the Day

    Eating Around in L.A. – THE BOILING CRAB - is operated by a Vietnamese family from southeast Texas and caters to a predominantly Chinese clientele in the San Gabriel Valley. They are known for incredibly cheap Cajun seafood served in an informal atmosphere — so informal that slip-and-slide runners are rolled over the tables and the food is served almost entirely in plastic bags. Utensils? Nope, unless you ask for it. Just big plastic bags of seafood plopped down in the middle of the table, shrimp and crab and crawfish ready to be plucked from the bag and dismembered, heads smashed and sucked, meat stripped from smoking-hot shells until you reach a gross seafood orgasm.

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    The Gumbo – Your choice: with or without rice. We chose rice to go with it…..
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    You choose seafood, all sold by the pound, boiled with your choice of supersaturated garlic butter, lemon pepper or a fiery Cajunesque seasoning that will stain your fingers and seep out of your pores — or more likely what the restaurant calls the Whole Sha-Bang, a mixture of the three. (It is good to remember that what the restaurant calls spicy is extremely spicy, of an intensity that more or less blots out the flavor of the seafood. Medium-spicy will be just fine.)
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    The restaurant claims that all the seafood is delivered fresh daily, but crawfish is not in its peak season right now, although the plump shrimp may always be at its best. Alaskan king crab legs respond extremely well to the Boiling Point treatment. Dungeness crab may also be out of season, but the plump, sweet backfin meat hidden inside the shell is still pretty great with garlic butter…..
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    A wax-paper tablecloth piled high with shrimp shells and mangled crawfish bits, oozing green crab guts, shattered claws, orange bits of liver and dismembered spinnerets, and a dozen human elbows smeared with garlic, peppers…..IT IS A PRIMAL, SATISFYING FEAST AFTERALL!!!
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    THE BOILING CRAB | 3377 Wilshire Blvd. #115, Los Angeles, CA 90010 | (213) 389-2722 (CRAB) | www.theboilingcrab.com