Bonus Chapter: Junk Food from My Childhood

And just for fun - we certainly ate our share of junk food while growing up in the UK. Interestingly, I don’t think our parents limited our intake too much. Or they were too tired from working the night before so my brother and I were left unsupervised until around midday. We had the good/bad fortune of living next door to the newsagents. With spare money from the till, we indulged in sweets, chocolates and crisps whenever we felt like it. Some notable memories include:

Chocolate easter eggs 

After Christmas, the shops start stocking up on chocolate eggs for Easter. These are usually a hollow chocolate shell filled with a treat such as a toy or a bag of chocolates. I remember receiving 7 large chocolate eggs one Easter and I ate through all of them in one sitting! My favorites was of course Cadbury’s milk chocolate such as Wispa, Aero, Bounty or Flake. I was very partial to Maltesers. I didn’t care so much for Twix or Mars Bars. 

Soft serve vanilla ice cream with Cadbury’s 99 flake 

Living in a seaside town, soft-serve ice cream was everywhere for the tourists. Back then, only two flavors were available - vanilla or strawberry. My favorite was vanilla with a Cadbury’s chocolate 99 flake.

Pot Noodles

When our local newsagents started stocking Pot Noodles, we were done for. Kee and I loved them as they were so flavorful and easy to make. My favorite flavours were the Beef & Tomato and Curry version. The Beef & Tomato version with its sachet of tomato ketchup was one of the most satisfying unami tastes in my memory. I’ve since learnt that these Pot Noodles were sodium bombs. So much so, that once they revised the recipes for modern times to reduce the salt, all the amazing taste I remember from my childhood disappeared. They now taste just as bad as they look. Which is probably a good thing. 

Nissin Ramen

This red packet of processed ramen noodles was a staple in our teenage years and my guess is that it still is for my brother! There are so many combinations to make a satisfying lunch. As teenagers living at the takeaway, we would add veggies such as broccoli and slices of roast pork. Later, during our college years, we added slices of ham and topped off the ramen with a fried egg. I’ve always liked mine with plenty of chopped spring onions. The soup base was laden with MSG - no wonder we loved it. Nutritionally empty, it is not something I eat anymore but I still think fondly of the taste memories! 

First Mcdonalds in Torquay

Mcdonalds did not arrive in Torquay until I was a teenager, shortly after Burger King appeared. Before that time, our appetite for fast-food burgers came from Wimpy. Therefore, the Mcdonalds menu was a rare and wonderful thing to try. I remember a relative buying Mcdonalds and setting aside a cold “Filet of Fish” burger for me to try. Aside from the sensation of being new in town, it was nothing special. I sometimes would get Chicken McNuggets but I never really enjoyed Mcdonalds. Even as a teenager, I would rather get a toasted teacake with butter at a local cafe anytime. Bonus fact - Kee worked at Burger King for a few years! He was so competent that he was trusted in the kitchen to cook the burgers!

Food Adventures in Osaka

Despite living in Japan for 2 years, I never got round to visiting Osaka. This September, I finally got the chance to visit for a long weekend - primary mission was to see Shinee in concert but the secondary mission was to stuff my face with local street food favorites! Research at hand, I dutifully sought out all the various culinary delights Osaka had to offer. Let's see if Osaka lives up to its moniker as "the nation's kitchen" -

Dotonbori riverside - Ichiran ramen next to two takoyaki shops

1. Takoyaki - piping hot balls full of soft dough with chewy octopus chunks, various sauces, scallion and bonito flakes. Look for the large "octopus" signs at storefronts and head to the ones with queues.  Plenty all round Dotonbori area. Delicious and a great beer snack. Or in my case, a mere appetizer before ramen!

Queues of people means your takoyaki will be freshly-made

My piping hot order - with the "full works" of onions, pickled ginger and bonito flakes

2. Ramen - I've seen the videos of the single ramen booths and wanted to try for myself. There's a branch of Ichiran right on the Dotorbori riverfront. You can't miss it due to the extensive queues (but do get in line as it moves at a steady pace). First, you will be brought to the ticket machine where you will have to make your choices and pay. There is a person stationed here to assist if you get really stuck. I went for the regular ramen with the egg. Here's a picture of my "booth". You never see the server's face and it means you don't have to see the other diners slurping their ramen either. You can order extra food through the order sheet and press a button for a server to come to your booth. Once your server gives you your food, he/she will bring the blind down.

Lovely bowl of ramen with extra scallions - just how I like it!

 The ramen was excellent especially since you can customize it to your liking. You can choose to have the broth at varying intensities of flavor, spiciness, add extras and so on. I chose the regular broth but with extra scallions.

3. Udon - I'm a huge fan of freshly-made udon. Thick chewy noodles in a clear flavorful broth really hits the spot for lunch. Dontonbori Imai Honten is a well-known udon restaurant. You may easily miss its discreet storefront on brash Dontonbori street, home of 3D mechanical crab signs. I certainly walked past it a couple of times!

This beautiful lunch set of seasonal delights comes with a bowl of kitsune udon , rice, pickles and dessert.

4. Yakiniku (BBQ) - With Osaka's proximity to Kobe, yakiniku restaurants abound in Osaka. I found a small restaurant off the main Dotonbori strip. There seemed to be a slight Korean influence as I was served kimchi instead of pickles. There were only a few tables and a counter-top but I was impressed the restaurant had Dassai 50 sake. Although I didn't feel like drinking on my own, I very much enjoyed the dinner set. There were 2 different types of beef in the set - the more marbled meat was Matsusaka beef while the less marbled meat was Kobe. Although the Matsusaka was melt-in-mouth, it was too rich and fatty with me. I much preferred the less marbled meat. The meat juices was fantastic on a bed of white rice. The vegetables from Hokkaido were also fresh and a much-needed counter-balance to the fatty meat. My only grip was that the vegetable portion seemed a bit stingy - I certainly would have enjoyed more than one stalk of asparagus...

Close-up of 2 types of beef with vegetables from Hokkaido

My own grill pan and set-up for dinner

Walking through Kuromon Market

5. Kuromon Ichiba Market - Luckily, the hotel was only a few blocks away from Kuromon market. If you are a foodie, be sure to visit this excellent market in Osaka. No shortage of tourists from Hong Kong! Lots of stalls grilling scallops, king crab legs and shrimp on the spot. There are also stalls selling sushi, fruits, cakes plus a supermarket. I had a lot of fun walking through the market, picking out what I wanted to eat and in what sequence.

Typical seafood set-up - ready for grilling on the spot

This unassuming stall sells soy products including a luxuriously creamy soy milk 

I picked up some extremely fatty tuna "otoro" sushi

5. Matcha - Ujien Shinsaibashi is a luxurious tea specialist store that also sells matcha-flavored sweets, desserts and cookies. There was a small drinks outpost near the hotel so I couldn't resist picking up a cold matcha tea drink. I love the taste of bitter, creamy matcha and this drink

Drink in hand

6. Yakitori - fun you can have with sticks! Enjoyed an incredibly fun dinner with beer and yakitori one night with a fellow Shinee fan. It was noisy fun as you can order loudly over the counter as you go and the cooks will respond just as loudly! We selected a whole variety of yakitori which were placed on the stainless steel counter in front of us. You put the used sticks in the tall container. I love this type of eating as conversation is the main focal point while the eating and drinking happens around it.

Half-way through our yakitori meal

All in all, I focused on reasonably-priced food during this trip yet my taste buds, eyes and stomach was definitely sated.  There were many other types of foods and cuisines I didn't even get a chance to try - saved for next time I visit the fun culinary playground that is Osaka. 

Rokurinsha

I queued for 35 minutes to get this bowl of noodles! Down in the rabbit warren that is Tokyo Station, Ramen Street hosts a number of well-known ramen joints. The one with the longest line is Rokurinsha, known for its thicker al-dente noodle and dipping broth.

Looking down Ramen Street

Determined to taste what all the fuss was about, I settled down to wait in line. Obviously, Rokurinsha is a destination for foodies worldwide as this helpful notice in Japanese, English and Korean can attest to.

Luckily, 35 minutes passed by relatively quickly as I soaked in the sights and sounds of the Tokyo Station underbelly. Once I got to the front of the line, I was escorted to the vending machine where I chose my ramen - the popular "special" that seemed to have a bit of everything. A seat at the bar came soon after that. I just had time to ask for a bib (to catch the oily splashes) and voila, my ramen was set in front of me.

I was given two bowls - the noodles were room temperature but the broth was hot. The broth was incredibly complex - porky but also seafood undertones as well. It was a little too complex for my liking and also quite salty. There is no doubt though that a lot of ingredients went into making the broth. It was confusingly complex though and it made me realize that I prefer a simpler, focused broth that brings out the flavor of one thing - whether that be pork, chicken or seafood. The noodles was exactly how I liked them though - and reminded me of sanuki udon. All in all, it was a serviceable lunch and Rokurinsha is definitely a favorite for many. It was not my preferred ramen house though.

Once your belly is full, consider walking through Ramen Street to explore Character Street - lots of exciting shops here! Ramen Street is found in the basement of Tokyo Station, near the Yaesu entrance.

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

Ippudo, New York (2nd entry!)

Couldn't resist blogging about Ippudo again. I was thinking whether I would give Momofuku ramen a try but better to stick with the tried and tested with Rach in town. This time, to ensure we did not have to wait, Rach and I were outside the door at 10.45am, getting in the way of the wait staff, trying to clock in before their shift time begins. Success! When they opened their doors at 11am, we were the very first customers and offered pride of place at the communal table round the hearth. Aside from the prerequisite pork buns, we had the Akamaru Modern ramen (my favorite ramen dish on their menu) plus the spicy one which was very good as well. For those that know me, you will know that I am also a big fan of dishware china so Ippudo's bar decor (pictured) certainly caught my eye. Lots of nice touches in the restaurant from the "I love ramen" t-shirts on the wait staff in the Star Spangled colors of red, white and blue to the downstairs window where you can see the ramen-making machine as you walk to the restrooms. Don't miss Ippudo next time you are in New York! Only their ramen broth is at the level that I enjoyed in Japan...no place in Boston comes close in my opinion. Other places in New York? I'm open to suggestions...

Ippudo in NY - ramen as art

After four unsuccessful attempts, we finally staked our ground and waited over an hour for a table at Ippudo. In the past, we were just too hungry to wait. For those in the know, Ippudo is a well-known chain for ramen in Japan and recently, they opened up their first branch overseas in New York's East Village. If you have ever had ramen in Japan, you'll know that the soup base is an art-form, boiling pork bones for 24 hours to produce that rich, silky-smooth concoction. Noodles are hand-made. At Ippudo, the ramen did not disappoint and neither did the appetizers especially the pork bun - beautiful slab of Berkshire pork wrapped in lettuce, mayo and fluffy mantou. Apologies for the picture - we gobbled one of those down before we remembered to take a photo! The chicken wings were good too - marinaded in a honey-sesame and black pepper sauce. We also had the seared scallop appetizer with shiso leaf and ponzu sauce - nice but with the small portion size - expensive. We ordered the standard ramen plus the special - with ankimo (monkfish liver) pate and garlic toasts in the tonkatsu pork broth.