Japan's top 10 culinary locations

Unesco  recently  added  Japanese  cuisine – known  in  Japan  as  washoku – to  its  Intangible  Cultural  Heritage  list.  This  puts  it  equal  to  French  cuisine, the  only  other  national  culinary  tradition  to  be  so  honoured.  A  journey around  Japan  reveals...

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Ultra Jam X 太陽ノ塔: EEEcentric Pastries

I was stunned by these eye-catchy pastries as I stood in front of the pop-up booth in Umeda Depato, Osaka. I wasn't the only one. There were so many customers surrounding the shop and the items are selling out fast. The eccentrically colorful mushrooms and animal tarts (pigs, lions, pandas) reminded me of the movie Wizard of Oz. I felt as if those characters just trotted out from a dark forest. Who in the right mind would have thought for such...

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Kin Kin Chilli Pan Mee @ Macpherson Road

It's the chilli that makes the bowl come alive. Crunchy, intensely savoury and fiery, the chilli is the star of this Kuala Lumpur famous dry Chilli Pan Mee that once drew long queues when it opened an outlet in Singapore back in 2014. Without the chilli and the crispy ikan billis, this bowl of dry chili pan mee (signature No.1 bowl-$5) would be rather bland since there was no sauce in the first place.I was surprised when I saw white medium-thick...

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[RECIPE] Moo Moo Japanese Roll Cake

Many people bake and cook for different reasons. I've heard of people who don't eat the stuff they bake themselves. So strange as I love to eat the stuff I bake and I bake the stuff which I love to eat. One example is roll cakes, or more commonly known as swiss rolls. I'm not talking about the western style of swiss rolls or jelly rolls filled with overly sweet jam. Neither am I referring to those local swiss rolls from neighbourhood bakeries that...

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HARBS Japan : Overhyped Cream Cakes

Many have recommended me to try HARBS but the price and the copious amount cream just doesn't appeal to me. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a try recently but I'm even more convinced that it would be my last visit. Firstly, there was a ridiculous queue despite having several empty tables inside. The manager could simply usher those in the queue to the tables instead of taking his own sweet time. Secondly, there was a minimum order of 1 drink...

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Super Sunday Lunch : Lime Restaurant at PARKROYAL on Pickering

I always think that feasting should always be an occasional indulgence. Otherwise you lost that kind of enthusiasm and excitement towards the feasting experience. And precisely because feasting is such an important affair, the location, ambience and food become key factors. One good option is the recently launched Super Lunch Sunday by Lime Restaurant @ Parkroyal Pickering.  Available from 12.30pm-4.30pm, the 4-hour long buffet brunch offers...

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Teppei Syokudo @ ION Orchard : Fish and more fish

Fish. A lot of fish. I stared in awe when my bowl of Kaisen don appeared in front of me. There was so much ingredients--shirasu, salmon, maguro, hotate, Ikura, tempura crisps, seaweed, yuzu furikake--all contravening the conventions of a Kaisen don that typically contains raw seafood and Ikura. But the taste remains as delicious as it can be. The latest outlet of Teppei Syokudo in Ion Orchard basement offers diners the opportunity to customize...

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Patisserie Paris S'eveille : A Taste of Paris in Tokyo

If not for the Japanese street names and Japanese conversations around me, I would have thought that I was in Paris. Be it the exterior wooden signboard or the vintage inspired interior design, Paris D Seville is no different from any of the grand old pastry shops in France. But this place is not owned or run by any French patissier. Pastry Chef Yoshiaki Kaneko opened this Paris-inspired patisserie cum bistro since 2003 and the place is always...

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Artisan Boulangerie Co.: Eggy Brunch and Pastries

While Artisan Boulangerie Co may be famous for its bread, it seemed to me that the quality of their brunches surpassed that of the pastries. Available until 5pm on weekends and 2pm on weekdays, the brunch is mostly made up of dishes using eggs that are said to be cage- and hormone-free. My favourite was the Tomato Skillet Eggs ($18), a traditional North African Shashuka with 2 eggs and choice of any 3 toppings. I picked the baby spinach, cherry...

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