EmmaGoodEgg

Smash Hits

“Ayam Penyet”, literally translated as smashed or flattened chicken, was until six or seven years ago a pretty unknown dish. It is now a lunch or dinnertime staple as popular as “nasi katok”.

There is nothing unusual about this Indonesian dish. Its components are straightforward: fried chicken, ‘ulam-ulaman’ (vegetables, usually raw cucumber and blanched cabbage), plain rice and ‘sambal’. Some would want to jazz it up with tempe, a sprinkling of ‘uras’ (golden crumbs left at the bottom of the deep fry strainer) from the batter or crackers. It is a simple dish, but as everyone knows, the greatest meals are not necessarily multi-coursed, multi-sauced feasts but simple homely dishes prepared with love and care.

You used to only find Ayam Penyet in insalubrious locales without a Rampaian Licence but its popularity as a cheap and cheerful dish has grown. Now everyone has a favourite Ayam Penyet place and I thought I would try to sample a few.

I started my research of Brunei-Muara District’s favourite penyet places as I do when needing an answer to a burning question these days: ask Twitter and Facebook. I enlisted my beloved and we set out to review the most popular choices, those with three votes or more. We paid for our own meals and I list them in order of consumption.

The first place we went to was the newly opened Ayam Penyet AP, located at Units 20 & 21, Ground Floor Block B, Gadong Central. It is a franchise joint – a sign of how far this dish has gone; like burgers, pizza or fried chicken (wait a minute, it IS fried chicken). It is a Malaysian enterprise that has been given the “license” from the Indonesian Government to use the name “Ayam Penyet”. So in other words, Indonesia owns this part of culture but the Malaysians reap the benefit.

Anyway, this place is run with modern tick-the-box stick-with-the-manual industrial efficiency. It had laminated menus with glossy pictures, snazzy drinks with at least three ingredients and stylish furniture. The menu had a wide variety of new fangled penyets aside from the normal chicken: beef and duck and ironically, Skate, a flat fish.

It was busy at 9pm on a weekday night and generally delivered a clean, efficient dining experience, far removed from the sidewalk gerai origins of this dish. Ayam Penyet cost $5.10 and drinks, mocktails especially, were pricey.

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 2/5 Not a big helping. Lacked zing. 

Sambal: 3.5/5 Strong but to the point of overpowering the tongue.

Rice: 2.5/5 You had to pay extra for rice.

Chicken: 3/5 Nice enough, but not moist on the inside.

Service/Ambience: 3.5/5 Zippy.

Total: 14.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this place was a diplomatic incident, it would have been won by the Malaysians.

The next day for lunch we headed to Pondok Sari Wangi, 1^st Floor , Unit 12 and 13 Block A, Abdul Razak Complex Gadong, a popular Indonesian restaurant that has been around for some 22 years. We went to the Gadong branch. The Ayam Penyet and its accouterments came in a designed round white plate lined with banana leaf. It is accompanied with tempe and a few crackers thrown in for good measure. This is a more full-blown restaurant than the first, with a full menu of Indonesian delicacies, and service to match. Ayam Penyet was $5.00, lime juice was $3.00.

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 4.5/5 Fresh. Crispy blanched cabbage and flavourful cucumbers. 

Sambal: 4/5 Light in colour, but the heat was clear, as was the taste of fresh tomato. 

Rice: 4/5 Moist.

Chicken: 4/5 Fresh, still succulent inside.

Service and Atmosphere: 3/5 MTV at lunch.

Total: 19.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this Ayam Penyet was an item of clothing, it would be a classic Chanel handbag, reassuringly expensive.

In the evening we went to Taman Selera, opposite the Sharia Courts building in Bandar. Stall Number 4, Gerai Selera Damas has dining alfresco, indeed there is no inside eating. This gerai is within a large food court, which is quite lively in the evenings, with large families feasting and a few tourists tentatively picking at the live seafood offerings. Damas seems to cater to those in the know; indeed an old school friend was seated at the next table. After a while, he simply went into the kitchen, cut his own vegetables and fried his own fish. I asked him if he had any ownership interests, he said that he was only a regular. 3 orders of ayam penyet came family style, $3.00 each and $1.00 for a drink. The economy option.    

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 2.5/5 Cucumber and cabbage.

Sambal: 4/5 2 types hot and medium. The medium was balanced and had a deep tomato flavor.

Rice: 2/5 No portion control.

Chicken: 3/5

Service and Atmosphere: 3/5 Street cuisine.

Total: 14.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this gerai was a night out in any other city it would be a Dangdut Club playing Inul Daratista karaoke.

We tried Arzy Restaurant’s Ayam Penyet next. Formerly located on the 2^nd floor PGGMB Building and now at the food court of Wisma Setia on Jalan Pemancha. I have to thank Arzy for getting me hooked on Ayam Penyet. The service was familiar and cheery. You dine in a food court filled with a mix of office and manual workers. Ayam Penyet was $4.00, Coke $1.00. Recommended for lunch only.

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 4/5 Cucumber, cabbage beans and kenikir ferns.

Sambal: 3/5 Less tomato, more belacan. More rock than keroncong.

Rice: 3/5

Chicken: 3.5/5 Properly smashed, skin flavourful.

Service and Atmosphere: 3/5 I like being greeted like a long lost friend, but minus points for cleanliness.

Total: 16.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: For me this place would be like a favourite piece of clothing, a comfortable and familiar pair of jeans that have seen better days.

Gerai Makan Ayam Penyet Tanjung Nangka is on Simpang 1626 just beyond the Jerudong turn off on Jalan Tutong. This received the most votes. We first went when it was a wooden shack over a monsoon drain. Now it has proper parking and its own concrete building. The proprietress, an elderly lady from the kampung, still lords it over the cash till regardless whether it was in a wooden shack or in the new comfortable surroundings. Her golden bangles like Wonder Woman’s cuffs of power. Ayam Penyet was $3.50, lime juice was $1.00.

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 3/5 Muang beans!

Sambal: 4/5 Mild, balanced.

Rice: 4/5 Local short grain.

Chicken: 4/5 Flavourful local bird.

Service and Atmosphere: 3/5 Functional.

Total: 18 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this Gerai was a football team, it would be the Brunei Under 21 National team, the local contender.

Our final Ayam Penyet epic was completed at Gerai Mak Siti, on Simpang 178-16, Kampong Kiarong. It can be seen from the highway, on the left as you pass RIPAS before Jame’. The Gerai is in someone’s garden, with twinkling fairy lights and an absence of fluorescence. Seating is in a cosy wooden structure. It is, if anything, a gerai for dating. Ayam Penyet was $3.00, Coke was $1.00, economical.  

Objective Ratings:

Vegetable: 3/5

Sambal: 3/5 Two types again, the hot was hot, and the mild was sweet.

Rice: 4/5

Chicken: 3/5 Smells good.

Service and Atmosphere: 4.5/5

Total: 17.5 from 25

Subjective Rating: If this restaurant was a P. Ramlee song, it would be “Getaran Jiwa”.   

 

@emmagoodegg

Illustration by Cuboi Art.

For the online version click here.

Waxing Lyrical About A Box Of Brownies

I had my hands on a box of Sas Brownies last weekend when Bobby away on a Rinjani-Man-of-The-Mountain trip with a few good men. When I got them they were still warm fresh out from the oven (delivery time accounted for). At first glance a white box of 9x flat square brown chocolate cake, at first smell it was heavenly.

Sas Brownies are baked by none other than, Sas Monroe, blogger formerly known as Pynk. I'm not much of a foodie and my brownie description may be shallow but you must be bitter, very bitter, not to enjoy these chocolate brown mamas. Full bodied and sweet just like their baker, they were a bit on the soft side, though I'm not complaining. A bite releases fudgey, rich, moist and chocolatey goodness. Not tooth-achingly sweet, which was a nice touch. The top was textured crisp and shiny. You can easily, I say a little bit forlorn, eat one whole brownie under 60 seconds. I had mine with a side of You've Got Mail. Bobby had his warmed and with a side of Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chocolate ice-cream. Deeelicious.

It was decadent and most appropriate for a girl's night home alone, taken slowly yet surely, chick flick/vampire Mills & Boon paperbacks optional. Full brownie points for Sas and her box of sassy, sexy brownies.

You can order Sas Brownies by tweeting Sas @sasbrownies or text 8950000.

My Favourite Recipe Book By The Brunei Foodies

I finally got hold of my two copies of 'My Favourite Recipe Book' a compilation of recipes by our very own foodies, bloggers or otherwise. The recipe book was a sold-out and a signed copy of it (by Her Royal Highness ‘Azemah Ni’matul Bolkiah) raked in a further B$5,586.00 for its charity of choice, the Special Olympics Brunei Darussalam. The aim was to raise funds to send our special ones to the World Special Olympics in Athens in 2011.

I feel most guilty at not being able to partake, but hopefully there'll be a next time. I've read that the recipe book gathered some vitriolic discussion over on RA's tagboard over some missing ingredients in some recipes, well-intentioned people simply using the book for fame and glory, the usual defeatist comments that seems all too common in our country. All I can say is My Favourite Recipes is a commendable and worthwhile effort and that at least these folks stepped up to the plate and gave their time for charity:

Ani Annuar
Alina Malik
Ann Jom
Aunidayini
BinKhalid
Brunei Creative Chefs
Bunny Pablo
Chef Pol
Eva Wanda
Fiona Foo
Hajimbo
Hjh Tom
Ihsan HZ
Irene Shahri
Iskandar World
Maria Rahimin Assagaff
Marul
Maurina HA Hamid
Nikki Ahmad
Nonnie King
Nurolaini Kifli
Reeda Malik
Risyianbalkis
Sabtuyah Ali
Safiya Emir
Senor Pablo
Syarifah Haslinda Assagaff
Tina Lim
Thanis Lim
Wais Saputera
Yee-Man Cheng
Zarina Hussain
Zul Fadly

Ps/ Bobby likes the look of the Udang Galah In Saffron Dill Sauce by Brunei Creative Chefs on Pg 29 and I'll give Yee-Man's Chinese Chicken Salad on Pg 10 a go.

The Tippling Club, Singapore

For the GoodEggs a trip to Singapore usually means embarking on a Food Odyssey.  And a chance to hang out with our dear friends who live in Singapore is a bonus.  So I messaged Marilyn to make dinner plans (and Bobby text his best mate SP, who made the call to dine at L'Angelus). 

For dinner on the first night, we settled on The Tippling Club , mostly because it has an amusing website. 

According to British born owner and chef Ryan Clift, The Tippling Club is "fine dining without the snobbery" so I fretted a bit having given a wide berth to dress.  Bobby said he could do without the snobbery given that he'll be dressed in his work clothes.

That Friday evening Marilyn, her darling Saik and I headed over to The Tippling Club which is housed next door to Spa Esprit on 8B Dempsey Road.  I was in jeans and a dressy top, with Louboutins on my feet just in case Chef Ryan lied.  Walking in we were warmly greeted by his wife Leesa.  She's petite and pretty, dressed avant garde chic in 'deconstructed' black apron, black tights and flats.  She's an interesting start to our evening.  The noise of the kitchen hits me as I enter a room filled with a large 3-sided bar.  In the middle of the bar is a steel island where Chef Ryan and his merry little helpers concoct food that surprises you.  His partner in crime is one Matthew Bax, a bad-ass mixologist whose unique cocktails complements the chef's food.  Ryan and Matthew are partners in the restaurant, as is Cynthia Chua of Spa Esprit.

We sat at the corner of the bar, two abreast.   

Chef comes over to tell us that they can only cater for one course per group of diners so every one must either have the five, ten or fifteen course menu. Bobby, raring to try the 15 course menu, was thwarted by his dining companions who decided to take on the 10 course.

While waiting for our food I was taking pictures as you do but was politely discouraged by a Filipino waiter who told me the restaurant's No Pictures policy.  I can of course take pictures of my friends and if I wanted pictures they will email me the pictures from their stock.  I made a moue at this rebuff but its reasonable, I guess, to want to control your images online. So much for the the new non stuffiness.

The food however was a breath of fresh air.  Each of the 10 courses was paired with a drink.

Butter nut squash soup was a frozen butter nut foam with goats cheese and bitter chocolate, it came with a "teachers tipple", a bitter sweet cocktail served in a flask hidden in a book.  The container for the soup, an upturned squash, by some trick of the science lab and not the kitchen - melted into the soup at room temperature.   

"Satay" was pleasantly reworked.  Quail brushed with a sweet sauce in a green curry paste, the coconut  not only dessicated also freeze dried.  All taken together, this tasted like the classic street side food, though reworked so that each of the elements of the dish came from some where else, the crunch for example not coming from the peanuts (which you taste but do not feel), but from the coconut. The satay sauce coming not being a chunky brown, but a vibrant green.

42* egg.  A poached egg came in a bowl, with fried bread and a cheesy foam, complimented with an amaretto based cocktail served in a plastic bag.  Kopi-o with the breakfast, yes we get it.

Two types of foie gras, cold and hot. The cold looks like its hot, having been shot through with liquid nitrogen so that it steamed and the hot liquid foie gras deep fried in a casing and looking like a cold  dessert.

Pickled ray, was skate cooked in vinegar with picked veg. Kudos for the local ingredients. Bobby liked this, but a bit fishy for me.

A plate of wonderful fresh vegetables with mushroom soil, a star. We are wholeheartedly carnivorous, so who would have thought that a simple plate of vegetable could move you so?

To end the seven savories a plate of very nice barramundi .   

The pictures are courtesy of The Tippling Club.

Teacher's Tipple and Butternut Soup to start...

Foie gras, freeze dried and deeelicious.

The vegetables.

42*s Egg came with a Kopi-O.

You get to figure out the 1+2=4.

3 desserts, all with their own cocktails. Strawberry, banana and pistachio textures.

The food was quite lovely, in delicate portions. Some courses, especially the early ones make you think, and others thankfully, simply showcased good ingredients and cooking. 10 courses in all, and by the end a bit hard going. It was more to do with the large number of drinks, which never the less came in quite small pours. 

The food that Chef Ryan came up with is kinda like his website and his wife's apron, different and cool.  Imagine a laboratory, in a university cafeteria, in dark wood and steel.  Everyone, including the diners, busy and the atmosphere hip and happening.  Was it fine dining, yes I think so.  Was it snobbish?  A little bit, you know you can't imbibe progressive food and not feel a tad pretentious.

Four hours later I was bursting at the seams and delectably entertained.  Having a 10 course dinner late is no mean feat but I gladly suffered some indigestion while trying to sleep because The Tippling Club was kinda worth it.

Would we return? Have to say, yes. Bobby says bring on the 15 courses.   

~ Food bits written by BobbyGoodEgg

Little Gordon Big Gordon

What's more entertaining than seeing '12-michelin stars' Gordon Ramsay telling a cook, "You're pulling my plonker now aren't you?" and almost pop a blood vessel on his hit TV show The Kitchen Nightmares?

The answer is a 9-year old 'Little Gordon' mimicking the acclaimed chef's fiery temperament and use of expletives in a series of Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares spoofs: 

[WARNING - Content may offend if you don't have a sense of humour]

Here's Little Gordon going rabid at his school dinner lady for her awful sausage.

And, Little Gordon scolding his own mother for making white bread sandwiches for his lunch. 

Aaand, Little Gordon furious at a restaurant manager for slow service.

Hilarious and spot on.

Aoki - A Samurai in Singapore

I've been mulling for the longest time about a post on Aoki, a Japanese restaurant in Singapore Bobby and I frequent whenever work or some time away brings us to its shores.  Aoki is part of the Les Amis Group, the group who runs Les Amis on Claymore Hill and Les Jardin in the Singapore Botanical Gardens and other fine dining restaurants, so it comes from good breed.  It was for this reason that my husband Bobby the foodie booked our first reservation for lunch at Aoki all those years ago in 2004.

The reason why I mull over an Aoki post is because I am unable to pinpoint exactly why I love this restaurant.  So I pore over the Aoki reviews online and unexpectedly find many unflattering, quite the opposite of my own views. 

The entrance to Aoki has no English sign, instead there is Aoki in Japanese and a rough cotton curtain hanging at the doorway.  Together with the dark cool atmosphere of the restaurant and the cave-like feel of the lower eating area where there are front row seats to the sushi bar, to the arty paper scrolls hanging from the ceiling, all this adds to Aoki's bushido play at lunch.

Aoki on Claymore Hill.  Photo screenshot from the Les Amis Group website.

The sushi bar.

I look up to the paper floating from the ceiling.

Chef Aoki at lunch service.

I find executive chef Kunio Aoki bears similar qualities to a Samurai warrior as he wields his knife to slice fresh tuna belly lifted out of a refrigerated wooden box.  Silent, precise and perhaps even ominous, as one website have described him, Bobby and I are lucky to always sit in front of Aoki-san.  I say lucky because watching the man craft delicate sublime Japanese dishes is quite a show.  Even the lights shining over the chef area are designed like theatre floodlights.

The theater does not end just with the chefs, the fellow diners on the sushi counter are as much part of the act.  There's a boisterous Chinese family of four, Belgians ordering Bento boxes, visiting Japanese, the new girlfriend on the first date with Mom.  I remember the curt nod of the chef when told by a fellow diner that the grilled fish was salty.   

Incidentally, there was one time when we sat in one of the private booths provided on the upper floor, and I must say we did not enjoy lunch as much. 

Chef Aoki and his knife.

All the years we've been sitting in front of Aoki-san, both of us slowly developing a crush, in awe and speaking in hushed tones.  Bobby and I are rather envious of the people to whom he converses with throughout lunch service, when all we can dare is squeak "Aoki-san, may we have that sashimi koi dish with shavings of white truffle, please?"

Koi sashimi with white truffles.

A few weeks ago we were in Singapore for SP's wedding.  This time we brought Beloved Son along to Aoki's.  And since we've all eaten fairy food, we'll be looking rather forlornly at the carbohydratic sushi rolls at ol' Excapade from now on.

Table settings over the years at Aoki.

Freshly grated wasabi.

Assorted sashimi and beef with vegetables steamed in a box.

Seared Wagyu beef nigiri and Hokkaido Oyster.

After lunch we walk out onto the Singapore streets on a cloud.  Never doing any shopping because we've blown all our budget at lunch.

The Boxwood Cafe

A few weeks ago when I first told Bobby that work was bringing me to London, his eyes lit up and he said, “You must go eat at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant!”. But for the purposes of this post, let’s go a step or two backwards.

Ever since Astro has programmed the Asian Food Channel (or better known as the AFC) into our cable TV, there is not much else that Bobby and I watch. E Channel is skipped. So is AXN. Nowadays we watch Dosanko Cooking. Chef Okigawa is the oldest chef on the longest running cooking show on Japanese TV. She has a sidekick on the show who is a funny looking Japanese man constantly bowing and saying “Haaittt!!” We watch Charlie Trotter, the chef who looks like Superman. And then we burst into silly giggles thinking of him donning his suit and saving the world during the advertisements. Chef Wan is a firm favourite. The same Chef Wan who is so out of the closet that he’s throwing away the closet.

And then there’s Gordon Ramsay, whom we watch more than any other. I bought his new autobiographical book, Playing With Fire. The book tells us how Mr Ramsay hones his celebrity chefdom. I read about his restaurants and how he runs his life and businesses. And because Bobby is a foodie like no other person I know, he read the book first.

So my husband, who is living vicariously through his wife, suggested that I eat at a Ramsay restaurant and he mulled over which one. I planned to bring my dear sister-in-law and her boyfriend to dinner (for I missed her dearly and for moral support perhaps). In the days preceding my departure, Bobby would pore over the reviews online. We decided that eating at Petrus, or Gordon Ramsay at Claridges, or Royal Hospital Road would turn me into a nervous wreck, given the daunting atmosphere of fine dining. So maze was the first choice, but unfortunately it was closed for renovations. Somehow or rather, I quite liked the idea of The Boxwood Café. According to Mr Ramsay’s book, it is the only restaurant of his where he lets his children dine at. So Bobby called and made a reservation for three at 7.30 on a Monday evening. We then spent time looking at the menu online and thought about what he I would eat.

The Boxwood Café is located at The Berkeley Hotel, 2 minutes away from Harvey Nichols in Knightsbridge. London is cold this time of year. After checking in my coat, I found sis-in-law and boyf already in the warmth of the Boxwood mezzanine bar area. The décor was slightly informal, lovely and chic…olive green upholstery and dark wood. We had preprandials and after being suitably limber from drinks (for courage you see), we asked to be shown to our table. The dining area is a level down from the bar area. Our table was the middle banquet seat at the dining area. As far as I know, we weren’t in Siberia.

I had planned to order what I think Bobby would, so for starters I had the fried Irish rock oysters with fennel and lemon, sis-in-law had the potted salt beef brisket with grain mustard, pickled cucumber and buckwheat flour crackers and her darling had the foie gras parfait with smoked duck, tea jelly and brioche. We ordered a bottle of shampoo and the evening was then spent in a daze of good company and equally good food.

So there we were, 2 asians and 1 from up north living it up at The Boxwood Café. We felt quite special. And we talked about how great our banquet table was. It probably wasn’t the best table at the restaurant, but what do I know. The waiters were attentive and perhaps a little bit amused at the behaviour of country bumpkins. For mains, I had what Bobby would have had, the red wine braised shoulder of Dedham Vale beef with curly kale, parmesan mash and black truffle. Sis-in-law had the roasted loin of Scottish venison with creamed sprouts, chestnuts without the smoked bacon and boyfriend had the roasted loin of suckling pig with garlic roasted potatoes and grain mustard sauce.

And for dessert I had the…gosh, by the time desserts came, I probably ate a clown and I wouldn’t have remembered (but don't our desserts look fabulous?) Plus, I think I over tipped.

I must say I enjoyed the food and our evening was pretty swell. I would have liked this post to wax lyrical about the food at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant but honestly, I am no foodie. I can't analyse why celebrity chef Ramsay has 12 michelin stars. I can only say the beef was tender and fell apart into shreds, the oyster inside was moist, and oh, and the truffles? Deeelicious. And if it wasn’t at the behest of Bobby, I’d probably end up unadventurously eating tuna sandwiches in London.

EUREKA!

Me: Ini merica apa? Mesti pergi kedai untuk beli?
(What is a merica? Do we need to go to the shops?)

Nigella From Sumbawa: Merica itu Pepperrr.
(Merica is Pepperrr.)

Me: Really?!
(Really?!)

Nigella From Sumbawa: Iya.
(Yes.)

You learn something new everyday.

And somedays, Happiness IS an Indonesian recipe book online. Blessed be the brains behind this site for making it easier for Indonesian helpers in the kitchen! Mine turned into a little Sumbawa version of Nigella Lawson as she happily read, and understood, the familiar Indonesian words on the screen and cooked us some mean Ayam Panggang Kecap (Soya Sauce Grilled Chicken) plus accompanying sambal. Chosen because there was no recipe for Ayam Penyet (something must be done).

Tetsuya's Sydney

Restaurant Magazine’s top five places to eat in the world for 2006 are: El-Bulli in Spain, The Fat Duck in dear old England, Pierre Gagnaiare in Paris, The French Laundry in California and Tetsuya’s in Sydney.

Of these restaurants, only Pierre Gagnaire and Tetsuya's are located in large cities. El-Bulli is in the middle of no where on the Spanish Costa Brava, The Fat Duck is in Bray on Thames (where? you say, exactly! I answer). The French Laundry is in the Napa Valley.

If you want to eat at any of these places, I figure you need commitment, and a willingness to travel for your tummy. This therefore was my sad justification for wanting to go to Sydney in August, for my Birthday, to eat at Tetsuya’s.

So, back in May I booked a table at Tetsuya’s for the Saturday night after my birthday. Apparently this is the length of time you need for a Saturday night booking. Table secured, we organized flights and accommodation.

I have always been told that if you go out to dinner, you dress. It is a sign of respect to the host. So we did.

I have a nice pair of tailored grey worsted wool trousers that fall just right half way over the loafer. A white shirt with faint pink and aqua checks followed this. A tie from Gucci purchased in the Tom Ford days. I topped it with a black blazer, with velvet texture. A hand-down from me pater, much as I would have loved to keep the nautical theme, I had to change the brass buttons for plain black, lest I be mistaken for admiral.

Em wore a lovely burgundy Thai silk shift dress and her white jade earrings and a ring that jingles about like an ice waterfall. She covered up with a peacock wrap, both in the motif and in the blue.

I thought we cut an elegant if somewhat eccentric dash.

Unfortunately, even at Tetsu’s the Aussies cannot bring themselves to dress. Oh how we mourn the advent of casual wear.

I liked Tetsuya’s very much. There is no ordering, every one eats the same 10-course meal, with a variations to account for particular diet. So once you step into the foyer, you pretty much give up all decision-making and have to simply give in to the tender mercies and whims of Tetsuya and his staff.

They bring you a pre-prandial at the table, and then explain the menu, 4 starters 2 main courses and 3 desserts. We also had them choose the wine pairings so had 6 different glasses to match the food.

The first lady to attend to us explained the menu. She had the attitude and demeanor of Professor McGonagall. Almost, “this is what you will eat and you will like it, you are eating at Tetsuya and you better feel privileged.” I know, I’ve read Kitchen Confidential, Saturday night is people from the boondocks night. Well damn right we are from the boonies, but we were happy to be there. Aside from this initial starchiness, they did loosen up over the course of the evening. Towards the end even, Em was taking pictures of the food, and the waiter asked if it was for her blog. She said yes of course, and he said yes, every one does it nowadays.

The service was pretty seamless and most professional. Different waiters dance in and out of the room bearing plates of perfection. All done with no fuss. Different people appear at different parts of the meal, each time explaining the food and suggesting the best way to eat it. At one point Em was in the loo and they brought the next course. When they found her not seated, they sent the food back to the kitchen and probably redid the whole thing for when Em eventually got back.

A little amuse bouche of warm sweet potato soup with feta and rocket. We were told to down in one.

We opted for the extra starter of Tasmanian pacific oysters. This came with a creamy vinaigrette. The oysters were large and plump, but lingered a little too long on the palate.

The next course was tartare of tuna on sushi rice with avocado soup. This was one of my favorites. You are instructed to smush all the ingredients onto each forkful. Deconstructed sushi roll, very good.

Then came three little sushi sized appetizers, tuna marinated in soy and mirin; soft smoked ocean trout with asparagus; marinated scampi. This was accompanied by a grilled scallop, covered in its own broth. We were very fond of the scallop.

The next starter was one of the signature dishes, confit of petuna Tasmanian ocean trout with konbu, daikon and fennel. This looks like a kind of sushi dish. The ocean trout is raw, and encrusted with finely chopped konbu, which is dried brown Japanese seaweed. Konbu actually contains large amounts of naturally occurring monosodium glutamate, so the dish gave our tongues a little numbness and a blank feeling in the back of the throat. We were a little worried that we would suffer elevated heartbeat and anxiety attacks. I think this is supposed to be a bit of an amusement on the part of the chef, getting all these people travel all this way to get a helping of Aji No Moto in the fish course. I thought it was quite good, Em was disconcerted.

Then came ravioli of Queensland spanner crab with tomato and basil vinaigrette. Not bad this one.

The first main course was deboned twice-cooked spatchcock in bread sauce. Chicken goodness.

The other main course was seared wagyu beef. They get paper-thin slices of really nice cow, roll them up into a tight tube, and cook them on a very hot plate for the shortest time. The meat in the middle has only the slightest brush of heat, and is silky smooth and musky. Another favorite.

We had three desserts, beetroot and blood orange sorbet with strawberry shortcake; vanilla bean ice cream with white beans and dates; floating island with praline and vanilla bean anglaise. I liked the first and the last best. The desserts were all in a way very Japanese, like the ice cream with beans and the floating island.

On the whole, we liked it a great deal. The whole experience from the minute you come in is aimed to sweep you off your feet, whirl you away on this wonderful sensory experience, then by the time you get to coffee, gently lay you down and with a gentle nudge, push you off into the night.

Well worth the hike.

[Full Sydney Travel Report on the right sidebar or click here]

A Date With Swensen's

The husband and I had lunch at Swensen's today, which is located at the 2nd Floor of the Mall in Gadong. 

I remember when I was growing up Swensen's was THE big date venue.  In the early 90s there were not many big-name chains such as Swensen's, where you used to go and imbibe root-beer floats, ice-cream sundaes, lambchops and an air of sophistication.

Oh my callow youth.

Sadly, the restaurant temporarily closed for a few years, following the onslaught of other franchises and faster food.

Swensen's has recently reopened at the Mall.  Looking around the myriad ice-cream dishes, I felt like I was a teenager in Grease on a date with my man.  It is a good feeling to have.  We had a quick lunch (so no ice-cream boo-hoo), the husband ordered a Chicken Teriyaki Burger which he enjoyed, and I had my favourite, the Curry Baked Chicken.  The husband had an American flag on his burger bun and I had "kicap" with my curry chicken.  Although it is an American franchise, it has developed its asian food well, which makes its menu varied and interesting.

Swensen's is definitely a place where the young can feel all grown-up and the old can feel young again.  Besides the good food, a whole lot of ice-cream and drinks, the restaurant also boasts the cutest manager ever!  Go visit Swensen's at the Mall, bring a date, have a good time, indulge in some ice-cream and if you're lucky you'll be looked after by Manager Imané.