3D Joe & Max Street Art

Easy does it.

You may recognize this recent piece, done up in Spain in anticipation of The Dark Knight Rises.

A few days ago, Singapore has seen the return of Joe Hill of 3D Joe and Max.  Thanks to technology (namely, the internet), their street art is known throughout the world.  Joe's missing the London Olympics, instead popping by to see his buddy Dominic Khoo and to exhibit some pieces at 28 Fevrier.

Me, the man himself, and Adam Tun-Aung

Joe, the English theatre-actor-turned-street-artist began with chalk back in the day, but he soon realized that chalk limited the interaction-factor, which is one of everyone's favorite elements about his work.

Like the little monkeys we are, we were immediately sucked in and took dozens of photos -- the evening went by in a flash... or should I say, many flashes.

It's a long way down.

So near... yet so far.

THIS . IS . ILLUSION!

Wax on, wax off.  Daniel-san II

ARGH MA GAWD WHO PUT THAT DINOSAUR IN MA FLOOR

Ohmmm..

Norman Hartono will soon realize the dangers of walking and texting.

This is Joe's favorite piece.  This is just a start of a new series, taking classic works of art and making them 3D.  His next piece?  Van Gogh's "Chair". 

Watch out for a 3D version of this in a city near you.

 Cybertron piece, done especially for Dominic Khoo of 28 Fevrier, who is a fan of Transformers.  Check out that seriously awesome Devastator toy; it's definitely not a Hasbro-made toy.  It's worth at least SGD$700.

Like a musical.

Find Dominic's art gallery, 28 Fevrier at 5 Jalan Kilang, Singapore.

Other pieces at the gallery I also liked:

 

An honest review: 28 Hong Kong Street

--- Note April 2016 update: I've since have a new opinion of 28 Hong Kong Street, a much better impression now 4 years later.  This is an old review ---

Have you ever met someone that you just didn't click with?  The person didn't do anything outright offensive, but you know right then and there that you're never going to be good friends.  That's how I feel about 28.  We don't click - there's a pretentiousness about it all I don't like.  It's probably the hottest word-of-mouth cocktail spot in Singapore at the moment, and the least hidden "hidden find" out there.

With all that said, I'm also the only person I know without a particular fondness for the place, so I am expecting some backlash from this opinion piece.

There are three things I look for in a bar: the drink quality, the staff's knowledge (plus points if they're a good chat), and the vibe of the crowd.  The cocktails are mediocre in quality, on par with the other popular cocktail places in Singapore.  The interior does remind me of a bar you could find in New York's East Village or San Francisco, which is another bit that makes me love and hate the place.  When replicated in Asia, these kinds of places tend to draw the attention of hipster-esque elitists with their fashionably tight pastel-coloured* pants and their I'm-so-in-the-know-about-all-the-COOLEST-hidden-finds-but-look-at-how-nonchalant-I-am 'tude.

*spelled with a 'u', because it's way more cool

The cocktails, like a majority of the cocktail places in Singapore, are painfully overpriced.  28 toots their horn about bringing back the classics and educating their customers about the history of punch and drinks.  As someone who is a fan of sharing and educating, it's nice to see people sop it up, even if it results in these same hipster-esque wannabes who try to one-up each other in their bar talk braggage, "Did you know..."

When I do go to 28, I like to share one of the punch bowls with a group of friends and maybe order a late night grilled cheese.  If you plan to stop by, I recommend calling ahead of time to reserve your seats, since it's consistently full every week and 28 is pretty good about not letting the place get disgustingly over crowded.

Quick summary:  I still recommend the place to people, though clearly I lack the same enthusiasm as others.  The place doesn't jibe with me primarily because of the vibe and overrated drinks.

28 Hong Kong Street is named after its address at 28 Hong Kong Street in SINGAPORE.

How to become a professional food critic

Remember kids, it's not about EXPECTING things.  Don't expect freebies.  Don't expect handouts. 
Practice.  Do your research. Work your ass off.  Never take anything for granted.

When it comes to wanting to become a 'food blogger' though, a lot of people forget one thing: Doing it for the right reasons.

Want to start a blog or intern at a media house simply get free shit or 'fame'?  You're already off to a bad start.  People can smell bullshit and posering (most of the time).  There's a certain special kind fire that comes from writing, cooking, art, photography, sports... when it is done primarily for the love of the craft itself. 

If you have two chefs of equal skill creating the same exact dish in the same exact way, but Chef A is just doing their job solely for the paycheque, while Chef B loves his craft and constantly seeks to learn more.... Well, it's no secret that Chef B's dish will have an inexplicable extra oomph that Chef A's dish won't have.

So remember:

Love what you do. 
But love is never enough,
So you work your ass off for it.

3 Must-Try Singapore Restaurants

Adriana Gascoigne of ImpulseFlyer interviewed me a few weeks ago for their On The Fly video series.  We had two different takes, since the first had disruptive noise in the background.  Unfortunately on the second take though, we didn't get a chance to speak as much about the local-fare.  So if you're wondering about hawker foods, you can find this post on Singaporean cuisine in the meantime.

Otherwise, here is the video they produced:

Link to original article.
1. CUT by Wolfgang Puck (Marina Bay Sands)
2. Luke’s Oyster Bar (20 Gemmil Lane)
3. Blu Kouzina (893 Bukit Timah Road)

Food Diary [Paris]

I dine solo again!

Le Comptoir du Relais

Time: 2 June, 3pm
Place: Le Comptoir du Relais
5, Carrefour de L'Odeon 75006 Paris, France

During lunch, an American husband & wife (or most likely, evil Canadians!) next to me orders a merlot, but it's not available. He then orders a pinot noir - it's also not available. They are perplexed as to why a classic French bistro serving only French wines wouldn't have it. Later, the couple ask me in half English, half very bad French about what I'm eating (it was carpaccio tête de veau - they were shocked I answered in English, but then proceeded to look thoroughly grossed out when I explained that it is the head of the animal... even though the dish obviously looked delicious). They ask me to help them translate the menu and compliment me on how good my English is! They continue to try to stick in as much French in the conversation as possible for my comfort, since clearly English isn't my first language...?

Should the white man be cooking the yellow man's food?

A topic on cuisine authenticity:

Is it fair if chefs become famous over cooking another culture's cuisine? 

My good friend Andrew Chen sent me an email yesterday with
subject: A question of culinary morality(?) for you.

He wrote: I went to Pok Pok NY this weekend and it was tasty as hell.  It was an "authentic" Thai restaurant opened by a white dude from Oregon.  I learned the background from the NYT article below, but I confess to sharing the sentiment of Mr Baohaus in the back of my head (next article).  What do you think when it comes to what is "right"?

New York Times article on Pok Pok NY by Francis Lam

Is it fair for chefs to cook other cultures' foods? (Discussion between Francis Lam and Eddie Huang of Baohaus)

My take:
(Quick background on me: my dad is from Hong Kong and my mother is Thai born Chinese, 3rd gen from Bangkok.  My brothers and I are first gen American born Chinese, grew up in a predominantly white & Jewish neighborhood in New York.  I've moved around a lot and I'm now based in Singapore.)

Eddie makes some good points that I can definitely relate to, especially the growing up as an Asian in America part.  Kids would make fun of my school lunch if it ever involved noodles or rice.  I was teased for simply being Chinese.

Yet, I'm mostly hearing 'wah wah wah AZNPRYDE wah wah wah'.  So what if some white man becomes popular over the dishes that we were once teased for?  I think it's a good sign that we're finally over that racist hurdle to the point where even other nationalities want to master our cuisine, instead of only French/Italian/Spanish being the standard.  Have you been to the Chinese restaurants in Italy?  Hell, even the Chinese themselves in Italy don't respect their own cuisine - clearly the Italians as a whole haven't really gotten into Chinese food yet as Americans are beginning to.

If anything, I'm tired of Asians going to culinary school to hail French or Italian as the true culinary pillar.  In Bangkok, Nahm is one of my favorite Thai restaurants in that city and it's helmed by Chef Thompson (who spent countless years in Thailand learning the craft).  Some of the best French bread I've ever had was and is still made by Robuchon's pastry chef, a young Japanese guy now based in Singapore.  In fact, if I decided I wanted to open an Italian restaurant in America, doubtless I would be annoyed if all these white people brushed it off because of my heritage.

Eddie says that all we ABCs have left as part of our identity in America is our food, but I think the same goes for any race in the USA.  And that mix and availability of cuisines is part of the beauty of it all - especially in New York City.  Momofuku serving a mishmash of Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese or Chinese food doesn't take away from the Asian identity (and yes Eddie, your pork buns are totally better than David Chang's).  Here, Singapore is a melting pot of cultures as well.  While prata is Indian, teochew porridge is Chinese and nasi lemak is Malay, everything still falls proudly under the Singapore umbrella with nothing taken away from an Indian, Chinese or Malay person's cultural identity.

For his point about restaurants like Empellon (NYC) winning James Beard awards and none of the carts in Red Hook Ballpark - I don't think that's a question of cultures and races, but another question all together.  You just don't compare street carts to full on restaurants; neither is superior, because neither is the same.  Going back to my statement about Nahm in Bangkok, while it is one of my favorite restaurants, my favorite thing to eat are from the street carts down the road from my grandparents' place south of the river.  I would never expect them to appear on a James Beard award equivalent in Bangkok though.

The best part about a chef cooking another culture's cuisine is that it opens doors for questions.  People start getting curious about what is truly authentic or not and research it out themselves.  Discussions happen. For example, overtime people who know of Momofuku now know that their ramen is Japanese and their kimchi is Korean... and that you can probably get better kimchi at some dingy place in Queens even if Chang is Korean by blood.

I mean, you have people like me, an ABC rolling my eyes at French bistros who claim authenticity if they serve something not prepared classically.  It would be amazing to see the day come where people do the same for Thai, Taiwanese, Cantonese, Mexican, Persian... or whatever it may be.  Even if Pok Pok NY isn't THE best Thai in New York, it's a step in the right direction.  This is the generation of foodies, and people will make the effort to dig deeper and always demand for better.

The gwailo-American attention is a good thing.  I think Eddie (and thousands of other ABCs) needs to get over his Asian complex.  You don't need to be white to be American.  I used to think like that too, but things aren't the same way they used to be as when we were kids -- least of all, a place like New York.  And cuisine-wise, we are evolving in a good way.

There are a hundred more things I'd like to address, but as Francis Lam said, it's a HUGE topic.

Using our hands

It's funny how people regard nice penmanship as something extraordinary, considering that writing is one of the first things we are taught in school.

I wonder if that is how certain cultures think of the rest of us who gawk in amazement as they use their hands when dining and never lose a grain of rice between their fingers. Veshali Visvanaath, Marketing Director of Muthu's Curry once said to me, "It's amazing that people can use foreign objects to bring food to their mouths - knives, forks, chopsticks - but have such a hard time using their very own hands to eat."

I admittedly am guilty of not being able to scoop rice and curry into my hands with any real grace.

How to make the perfect scrambled eggs [video]

After a lengthy post describing how to make the perfect scrambled eggs for a crowd, I always meant to make a follow up video on making them.  My friend known as Yongfook, the dapper Brit-Singaporean, brilliant home cook got around to doing it recently.  I'll have to say, he (or his hands) have much more camera-suave than I do, and more importantly, he demonstrates it correctly.

Check it out.  And ladies, he's single.  You can tweet him here for a date.

Visit Yongfook.com

Here are some tips from the last time I wrote about eggs.  Yongfook demonstrates a less fussy, but nonetheless delicious version in the video, so take and choose the tips that make what you think are the perfect eggs:

• Use a heavy pan with a nonstick coating.  You want an even distribution of heat.
• Use low heat.  Patience will pay off.
• Warm the pan before adding a bit of oil, then the butter.  The oil will raise the temperature at which butter burns.  Using clarified butter will help immensely as well.  You don’t want your butter to burn.
• Yes, there is a remarkable taste and texture difference between grade levels and between the standard eggs and free-range or organic eggs.  I'm not one of those organic health freaks, so I assure you there is an enormous difference when it comes to eggs.
• Adding a tad of water to beaten eggs will already make your eggs come to life.  As they cook, the water turns to steam, causing them to puff.
• If the eggs are cooking too fast, take the pan off the heat.  This seems like common sense, but you’d be surprised how often this doesn’t occur to people.
• Remove the eggs from the heat while still moist.  The hot pan will continue to cook the eggs and this will prevent overcooking.
• Adding heavy cream or crème fraiche just as the eggs are almost finished cooking will turn your eggs into a delicious rich, creamy masterpiece.  Throw a bit of chopped chives over the top and look like a pro.

[PRESS] Oriental Daily News, TASTE magazine, PCM, ImpulseFlyer

Some updates of the ones I know of so far.

On the Fly Video interview here.

TASTE magazine by Purple Sage

Find the full article here, it's also the article I referenced in this post last week, "Only a man of intelligence knows how to dine".   (Bio photo by Javad Namazie)

Oriental Daily News, Hong Kong

PCM

IKEA Meatballs not what they used to be

After the furniture, IKEA is best known for their meatballs.  I have friends who make an effort to drive out to IKEA (New York, New Jersey, Hong Kong, Singapore...) for the single purpose of eating two orders of 15 meatballs at a time.

Diehard IKEA meatball fans will be sad to know that the recipe has recently changed.  They've stated as such:

 Are these the same meatballs ?
"Well ... no actually they're not!"
Recently, the IKEA Food Services replaced the meatballs with ones that are made using better quality beef and pork mixed to a more traditional Swedish recipe.
The beef and pork are sourced from approved suppliers that operate to the highest quality export standards to ensure food is fresh & safe for consumption.
So if you’ve been wondering whether the meatballs look and taste different… you are right! They are different.
We hope to bring you a little bit closer to Sweden by serving you more authentic looking and tasting meatballs.
Smaklig måltid!

What the new meatballs look like:

The reformed meatballs are about 3/4 the size of the original and are slightly oblong - probably as a result of the softer density.  There is no longer a bouncy-texture to the bite and instead a mushier consistency, almost resembling meatloaf.

Usually, I ask the server to glop on an extra spoonful of lingonberry sauce.  This time around, I found the new meatball recipe less salty, less dry with less bite, resulting in not needing as much of the tart lingonberry sauce to balance it out.

 It's probably true that the ingredients are higher quality, and perhaps closer to what a real Swedish meatball might be in Sweden.  But if you're anything like me... let's just say I don't go to McDonald's because I think they have real burger standards, yet I get the McD's processed food cravings all the same.  If I want a real burger, I'll go to a proper restaurant or Shake Shack.

Verdict:  IKEA is not a nice restaurant, so they should just keep it cheap, keep it despicably delicious.  Maybe it's just my crave for the familiar, but I don't like this attempt at higher quality meatballs.  Give me my salty round balls.

(Thanks to Keith for alerting me to this meatball change - I see why he went on for 10 minutes straight about this preposterous "non-ball shaped meatBALLS!".)

 

Only a man of intelligence knows how to dine

Earlier this month, a food magazine interviewed me for Gastronommy asking the question, "Tell us why desserts are so important in this world."

I answered something to the effect of,

Desserts represent a special indulgence that only human beings really invest time in.  Some might consider it an evil form of gluttony, but if you think about it, it's a celebration of living beyond the most basic of necessities for survival.  Typically delicate and refined, dessert making is one of the many small things that separate us from animals.  But the best part is that desserts are an affordable luxury for anyone - everyday of their lives if they so choose.  And who doesn't like a happy ending?

Though a touch cliche, I thought I was otherwise pretty clever and oh so deep.  But a few weeks after that interview, I was reading Dining Out by Andre Dornenburg/Karen Page and saw this quote, "An animal swallows its food; a man eats it--but only a man of intelligence knows how to dine." 

Leave it to Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin to have put it much more succinctly.

gastronommy.com

Nothing is impossible in the circus: Cirque Mother Africa [video]

I have to share this article I put up on notatourist.sg.  Tomorrow is the last day to catch the show.

Now that I've seen the show, I may have been wrong to compare Cirque Mother Africa to Cirque du Soleil.  Besides its similarities in not being an ordinary circus that is usually filled with tightrope walkers, lion tamers and dancing elephants, Cirque Mother Africa has its own distinct identity, pulsating with a wonderful energy.

Clearly I'm meant to be an editor of words on paper, not being on video!
 
It's not too often that we see blatant injections of African culture here in Asia.  As jaw-dropping impressive the acrobatics were, the real life of the show came from the musical segments based on traditional song and dance from various parts of the continent.  I found myself tapping my foot to the beats, wishing I could dance with the same life that seemed to emanate from the very core of each of the performers.  The children seemed to agree -- during intermission, we saw little girls flexing their knees and exuberantly bouncing their shoulders to tunes still stuck in their heads.

Not to overlook the breathtaking acrobatics either, we witnessed a live record breaker of 51 back-flips in a row (previous world record held just under 40).  And these were not your ordinary back-flips - a talented young performer was tossed those 51 times in the air by the legs of another (clip at 0:33).

Stunning feats of strength were displayed by bulky Hulk-sized men, but even more impressively showed their agility as they landed softly as cats after flipping through the air.  Tricks like riding impossibly tall unicycles were included, though the performer garnered the most pleasure from the audience when he mastered the tiniest unicycle I have ever seen (clip at 0:10).

There were times when I held my breath as contortionists waved to us from inconceivable positions or as chiseled bodies scaled stacks of wobbly chairs to pose into positions that would rival any Olympian gymnast.

I applaud the 40 performers here in Singapore for the very first time from Africa.  If you haven't caught the show yet, you have one more day to get your tickets and watch the dazzling show at Esplanade.

Public sales for tickets are now ongoing ranging from $68-128.  Cirque Mother Africa can be seen from April 12-15th at Singapore's Esplanade Theatre.  (Available through SISTIC.com.sg or call 6348-5555)

How to open your own hawker stall (Singapore)

I was casually surfing the web when I came across this article on Makansutra: So you want to be a hawker: Essential steps for a foodful career

It first caught my eye, because the opening photo is of a friend's uncle (as in blood-relative 'uncle') whose Hainanese curry stall (Feng Kee Hainanese Curry Rice) I had written about ages ago.

Then there's the intriguing topic, especially for us expats who haven't grown up with Singaporean hawker culture.  Make no mistake--my local friends would often tell me--as simple as a hawker stall looks, it is very difficult to get a spot open and running.

This Makansutra article gives some tips to point you in the right direction, including bidding for your first food stall.  You can find the nitty gritty details at National Environment Agency's (NEA) website.  But most importantly, quality comes first, so make sure you have your craft near perfection.  Food-obsessed Singaporeans aren't forgiving when it comes to their hawker grub!

As posted on notatourist.sg

I see the appeal of Japan. (Tokyo, Hokkaido, Sapporo)

Onsen (natural hot spring bath) in Niseko

As you might expect, I have countless photos, countless stories to retell, and even more recommendations for you to try.  However, I'm still catching my breath back here in Singapore, so in the meantime, here's a quick photo tour of my one week in Tokyo and Niseko (with a glimpse of places in between like Otaru).
Special thanks to Paul and Damien - gaijin as they may be, they were as amazing as a guide as any local could be. Thank you Kanae and Mai, who are not so gaijin, for showing me around Ebisu.

P.S. For those who have noticed that my hair looks more 'Japanese' these days, that's because I got my hair cut and colored in Omotesando at ACQUA.  My stylist is Kosuke Takezawa.  http://www.acqua.co.jp/
Tel: 03-3400-8585

 

Mille feuille in Midtown Roppongi

Omotesando Hills -  I did zero shopping for myself, sadly.

Roppongi night life

UKON to start and end a Friday night, the ultimate hangover prevention.

Cold soba with fresh herbs and shaved daikon

La Tour D'Argent Tokyo, French classics with the fine use of both French and Japanese produce, differentiating itself from its Parisian mother back in France. (see interview with owner Andre Terrail here)

The famous tuna, post-auction

Tokyo's Tsukiji Market - 7am in the morning

Otaru, quick stop on the way back to Sapporo from Niseko

The finest uni and ikura I've ever had the pleasure of having in my life.

Local yakitori spot in Hokkaido.  He takes pride in his craft.

Train ride from Sapporo to Niseko

Nightfall view from my cabin window

Whoops.  Back to Tokyo for a moment - this is Harajuku in a nutshell.

Mt. Yotei, the view we get from Niseko

Hello there!

Snowboarders and skiiers.  Jump away.

After a full day of snowboarding, this pretty Bernese Mountain dog is here to greet us

kampai! (Funnily enough, they don't serve Sapporo beer at Hanazono ski lodge, but Kirin.  Sad!)

You won't find tourists (except us) at this ultra local Niseko ramen spot.

Back in Tokyo.  Roppongi Crossing.

Food everywhere, including on our walk to Meiji Shrine

Sukiyaki, anyone?

My last meal in Tokyo: Pizza at Savoy in Roppongi

My last drink in Tokyo - how cocktails should be done. Also where I had the best bloody mary I've had in my life.

鳥松 やきとり
Torimatsu Izakaya
北3条西1, 虻田郡倶知安町, Hokkaidō, 044-0053, Japan
English: 1 Kita 3-jo Nishi | 北3条西1丁目, Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 044-0053, Japan

Niseko Ramen Kazahana (http://www7.plala.or.jp/nisekoramenmount/menu-e.html)
倶知安町字山田170-50, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido, Japan 044-0081
English: 170-50 Yamada, Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido 044-0081 , Japan
* Order the "Niseko Ramen" (potato froth base) and mini charsyu don.

Isezushi
Save Inaho, Otaru, Hokkaido, Japan +81 134-23-1425
* Amazing fresh sashimi and sushi.

Kimamaya
170-248 Aza-Yamada, Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun, Niseko, Hokkaido, Japan
Phone: +81 (0) 136 23 2603

Abucha 2
191-29 Yamada, Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Phone: +81 136-22-5620

Bang Bang
Hirafu Zaka Street | Hirafu, Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Phone: +81 136-22-4292

Pirka
Higashiyama-onsen, Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Phone: +81 136 44 1111

Hotel Niseko Alpen Restaurant Syokusai Hirafu
204 Yamada Kutchan-cho Abuta-gun Hokkaido
Phone: 0136-22-1105

Rakuichi Soba
Address: 431 Niseko, Niseko-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Phone: 0136583170

Torimatsu
15 minutes from Hirafu, in Kutchan
Phone: 0136 23 2893

Gyu Bar
Phone: 0136-21-1432

Niseko Supply Company
190-13 Aza-Yamada, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido
Phone: +81 136-55-8861

Savour 2012 Highlights [video]

Interviewing chefs such as Julien Royer of Jaan, Alvin Leung of Bo Innovation, Andre Chiang of Restaurant Andre, Gunther Hubrechsen of Gunther's (for notatourist.sg & Appetite magazine, see videos below)

It's been an exciting weekend with Timbre Rock & Roots 2012 and the first time Savour Singapore 2012.  Savour, Singapore's first notable gourmet outdoor food festival was held over the last weekend of March at the F1 pit (right next door to Timbre's Rock & Roots at Marina Promenade).

Masterchefs like Alain Passard (L'Arpege, Paris), Hans Valimaki (Chez Dominique, Helsinki) and Enrique Olvera (Pujol, Mexico) joined other leading chefs and vintners from Europe, Asia, Central and South America in the inaugural Savour festival, the three-day food and wine fiesta.

Here are video clips of highlights of each day at Savour!
Soon we'll have a full length video of the event - look out for it on notatourist.sg

Day 2 - March 31, 2012


Day 3 - April 1, 2012