Chapter 1: Seafood Childhood

One of the perks of living by the coast and in Torbay no less, was that we were always able to buy seafood. Fresh fish was abundant and I have memories of accompanying my mother in the drive to her favorite fishmongers in Paignton. The fishing capital of England, Brixham was on the other end of the bay so there was always good supplies. Perhaps it was a little expensive but my family didn't hold back especially when it came to quality fresh ingredients. 

My father loves fresh fish particularly steamed Cantonese-style with ginger and shredded spring onions in a soy sauce oil glaze. If there was no fish at the dinner table, he wasn’t happy.

Steamed Turbot

A family dinner featuring stir-fried crab

Fishing was a hobby for day-offs and late nights after Hoi Shan closed – eels at the harbor, fishing trips out to sea on Tuesdays. One summer, my father even co-bought a boat and it was soon used for weekly fishing trips, undertaken by my dad, brother and various relatives and friends. The largest haul ever on one outing was 35 sea bass which was promptly stored in the freezer!  We all got a little bored of eating sea bass that summer. 

In the summer, we bought fresh lobsters and crabs. Not for us was the simple steaming or boiling method. After cleaning and dissecting into pieces, the shellfish was cooked with their own roe with the triumvarate of ginger, spring onions and garlic. Tomato ketchup gave the sauce piquancy and XO liquer was used to give an aromatic finish.

Sometimes, individual fisherman will come round to sell a freshly-caught fish – still live and kicking in the bucket.  Some of the family’s favorites were sea bass, John Dory, red mullet and flat fish like Dover or lemon sole which were ideal pan-fried with a drizzle of scallions and soy sauce to finish.

I'm happy to have these seafood memories because unfortunately, I developed a shellfish allergy in my mid-40's! Luckily, my tastebuds remember...

Jinsadaek, Seoul

Jinsadaek is a traditional Korean restaurant tucked away in a back alley of busy Myeongdong. It is owned by the same group as the Rakkojae inn where we stayed for two nights. As we were impressed by the breakfast at Rakkojae, we decided to give Jinsadaek a try. The restaurant was styled like a hanok (traditional Korean house) which meant Paul and I had to sit on the floor for 90 minutes. We elected the 13 course Sa Jeongsik menu - the cheapest course at KRW38,000 per person (about US$38).


1st course - abalone porridge

The course started with a little abalone porridge, corn silk tea as well as some cold "white" kimchi which Paul liked as he can't eat the spicy stuff. We loved the abalone porridge which was thick but had a subtle taste of savory abalone.

White kimchi

The next course was Korean sweet potato vermicelli stir-fried with various vegetables which is called japchae.

Japchae

We will then served slices of cold rare beef with shreds of scallion tossed with chilli and garlic slices. I guess you wrap the scallion and garlic with the strip of beef. I loved this dish as I'm a huge scallion and garlic fan. Paul - not so much.

Cold slices of beef (minimally cooked) with garlic and scallions

Fresh sashimi was the next course. In Korea, sashimi is usually eaten with dabs of spicy gochujang and wrapped in perilla leaves as opposed to soy sauce and wasabi.

Hoe (Korean sashimi)

Our next course was a simple steamed shrimp with vegetables - satisfyingly simple. Unfortunately, we only got one each!

Steamed shrimp

























The next course was three different types of pajeon - Korean pancake with zucchini, oyster and potato fillings respectively. These were delectable little bites dipped in the soy sauce.

Pajeon sampler

By now, the table was groaning with all the dishes and there was still more to come! The next dish was a good version of beef bulgogi.

Beef bulgogi

Past mid-way point - we had reached the seasonal soup course. This was a lukewarm seaweed soup. Not unpleasant in taste but a bit slimy in texture. It was different.

Seaweed soup

 

The next dish was the steamed belly pork served with slices of seaweed to wrap the pork in.



Steamed pork with seaweed wraps

The next course was one of the reasons I wanted to eat here. Raw crabs marinated in soy sauce - called ganjang gejang. I had heard about this delicacy in Korea and wanted to try it. Here was my chance.

Looking delicious!

The taste was interesting - subtle taste of crab meat but marinated in soy sauce with scallions and sesame seeds. I would certainly eat it again but must say cooked crab still beats raw crab. By this time, we were getting full but there was also grilled tile fish to enjoy. This was followed by rice and a side dish of whelks with zucchini which was good. There was also a soybean paste stew which was fabulous with rice. Alas, I was too stuffed at this stage to truly enjoy the last few dishes of the course menu.

Chilli zucchini and whelks salad

All in all, I really enjoyed this 'degustation' menu of traditional Korean foods. It was priced very reasonably and we tried a variety of dishes although nothing stood out particularly. Throughout the evening, we were also treated to a rather jarring gayageum performance but that simply added to the charm.

Looks better than it sounds

We had an early dinner reservation but by the time we left, the restaurant was bustling and turning walk-ins away. It seemed like an ideal place to take visitors from out-of-town for business but there also seemed to be locals dining there. Since we were staying at their sister property Rakkojae, we even got a 10% discount!

Having a grand time!



Singapore = Amazing Food!

 I last visited Singapore approximately 10 years ago and I thought it paled in comparison to Hong Kong. I remembered a very sterilized version of Asia - great for families with young children only. It was a claustrophobic place where you had to walk when the green man said so and the streets of Chinatown were un-authentically clean!

Fast forward to 2013 and life in Singapore looked very enticing. With so many new structures - from Marina Bay Sands with its rooftop infinity pool; the modern Helix bridge to the beautiful Gardens by the Bay, suddenly Singapore seemed an exciting place to play.

It helps that the food in Singapore has always been incredible - a perfect melting pot of Malaysian, Chinese and everything else in-between. Foodies in Singapore have discerning palates; food blog-like mentalities and do not suffer from lack of choice.

I stuffed myself for one week and no meal was bad - although there were some exceptional highlights. Let's start with a photo of Makansutra Gluttons Bay - an outdoor hawker center that opens in the evening. The picture of a giant plate and chopstick epitomizes my mindset - FEED ME!

Landing in balmy humid Singapore was a deep contrast to frigid North-east US, so I was feeling a bit dazed and bloated as I followed Aunt Alice to the Ghim Moh Market for a hawker center lunch. We enjoyed wanton noodles, duck noodles with gravy and a braised five-spice tofu dish with broth.



Lining up for the food - no air con!

Yummy duck eggy noodles and a braised 5-spice tofu dish with broth - delicious!

Slurping up the noodles - my favorite pastime!

Wantons in broth and a char sui noodle - both very good



Looking hot, sweaty and bloated next to Aunt Alice - body still adjusting to the humidity

Later that day, Aunt Alice's maid cooked up a seafood feast. What an excellent cook she is! Although I enjoyed crab at a restaurant later that week with colleagues, the home-made crab and shrimp dishes were far superior in taste and quantity. We enjoyed cornmeal shrimp with fried curry leaves and home-cooked black pepper crab and curry crab dishes.

Spicy unami-laden black pepper crab

Cornmeal-crusted giant shrimp with fried curry leaves

Curry crab

With Aunt Alice living right behind Orchard Road, some shopping therapy was definitely on the agenda. Interspersed amongst all the brand-name clothing and cosmetic labels, an occasional food stall will catch my eye. Exotic fruits anyone? I couldn't resist this colorful display of ready-to-eat fruits - melon, pineapple, jackfruit, Chinese pear, mango. They had it all. My eyes beelined for the magenta dragonfruit - an incredible variation of the usual hot pink fruit but with grey flesh, this one had flesh the color of fluorescent magenta. I was told to eat quickly and neatly as the fruit juices can easily stain clothes. It was sweet and delicious.


Gorgeous fruits - pret a porter

Magenta dragon fruit

Throughout the week, there were lots of culinary adventures to be had. On our way to the monorail to Sentosa, I couldn't resist this sign I saw at a food court. Who could?



The pork came separate which meant you could use the braising sauce for dipping!

Perfect impromptu snack for two

The braised pork bun was incredible - just as its picture had promised. Now why no place in Boston can duplicate this and can only produce mediocre imitations, I do not know.

Other meals to highlight - one night out with colleagues to eat crab at New Ubin Seafood brought about this artery-clogging dish. Choice ribeye steak on a board with hand-cut fries. The best though was how they used the residual steak fat to cook a delicious fatty fried rice - the rich meaty savory flavors just exploded in your mouth.  Incredibly satisfying.

And finally some simple lunch meals to show how even lunch during a working day brings about immense culinary satisfaction. In one of the many office buildings in the Financial district, an Ippudo Ramen Express delivers hot and luscious ramen. This is the Akasaka  - my favorite Ippudo ramen in its signature red bowl. And to round off this post - a  simple yakitori snack meal at a shopping center food court - cheap but great.

Singapore - your food is amazing. I love you!!

The Akasaka ramen

Japanese yakitori on a bed of nori-laden soy sauce rice - simple but great

San Fran: The Famous Roasted Garlic Butter Crab

You should not leave San Fran without eating crab. And at Thanh Long vietnamese restaurant, they do the most amazing Roast Crab with garlic, swimming in butter. It is absolutely delicious but very rich. To complement this dish, you can also have garlic butter noodles and garlic rice - both very good.