Bistro One Zero Three

A comfortable place with comfortable food for comfortable company- Bistro One Zero Three.

The first time I was brought to Bistro, it was closed. That was a Tuesday. The second time was a pleasant surprise; both to my tastebuds and eyes. Third was a bit of a difficulty for I lost my way getting there, still food and service was great. The forth and last time, it was closed as I had forgotten it was a Tuesday.

Warm mushroom salad. Mushrooms form the warm part of the salad, which rests on a bed of fresh greens with a lovely sweet balsamic dressing. I like this dish.

For some reason I cannot remember this dish. I think it is fried... umm tofu?

Memory is failing as I write. I think this is osso bucco? haha. And it was not bad I remember... Weiloon had this.

Kurobuta pork neck. Mine. I like it! It's really tender, which surprised me. I had expected it to be tougher. Thick fries, thumbs up. Caramelised onions, two thumbs up!

Crabmeat, salmon tomato-based spaghetti. Grace had it the first time, I went back for it the second time. It is strangely comforting with its slight sweetness and subtle tangyness.

Coffee was disappointing though. I guess I should have gone for the wine instead.

Dark eye circles are fast becoming a permanent feature. Not that I mind much since it gives the smoky-eyed effect. Then again, the time will soon come when I will be able to sleep as freely as I want. Goodbye dark eye circles.

To say goodbye is still the hardest.

Santaro @ Amara

A food post! It has been a long long time since I wrote about food. It's not that I have got no time to try out new places, it's just that to write it all down, with pictures and all can be quite time-consuming. And time is not a luxury that I now possess since there is work and play time. It kind of shows how I prioritize my time. Work comes first, then play, lastly blog. Sorry guys.

A long time ago, my mother and I (together with my brother) decided we shall try this Japanese restaurant that we heard so much about. Chef at work really recommend this place though he hasn't tried. My mother read about it on the newspaper that morning. Therefore we try.

For start, we had japanese ginko nuts, very quickly dipped in hot oil. It is my first time seeing green ginko nuts and I thought they would taste really green and raw (is that how I should describe it?) but it turned out quite alright. Bittersweet.

Sashimi. Uni, salmon belly and chutoro. Top grade! Thick slices and generous portion.We were told that fresh cargo comes every Tuesday and Friday. Very sadly there was no otoro...

Softshell crab uramaki and anago sushi.

Fish essence. This is actually a condensed version of fish soup, or so the serving lady said. This soup is wow. It is like drinking chicken essence, it goes straight to your stomach and warms it up, only better. Another thing I like about this dish is the refreshing scent that lemongrass gives.

Chawanmushi. Smooth.

Wagyu sauteed with garlic, teriyaki style.

Grilled wagyu. Between the two, i like this best. Seriously, for such good beef, to add other flavours to it would be to spoil it. Wagyu should be eaten grilled with a little salt and pepper, medium rare.

A very sesame ice-cream. Imagine pumpkin ice-cream with huge chunks of pumpkin in it. A tiny scoop is enough for me, too much sesame.

Santaro

Tanjong Pagar, Singapore

Amara hotel, level 2.

20th Celebration

20th.

On my birthday, I cooked for my guests, all 25 of them. To make my own birthday cake would be the last straw. I do like cooking, really. I like cooking for small parties, being able to seat and dine with my guests. Casual, intimate. Which was the original plan until my loving mother decided that 10 was the weirdest party number ever; she thought 5 people on each side of the table was weird. Hence, I called some, she called more, and my brother brought back surprises, we settled for 25.

I freaked out in the afternoon. I was so afraid there wouldn't be enough food for the people. Had to do some last minute additions after I ransacked my fridge, which means more rush! I lost my head at about 6pm. I went to play the piano.

At 7pm, the food went out. Whew!

My salad spaghetti, maki sushi, garlic baked potaotes, honey mustard baked chicken, sweet sour prawns and freshly baked pizza (not in picture).

After the food, we had singing sessions with live accompaniment and all. That was enjoyable! Thank you Eddie for the beautiful playing, and my brother for your guitar show.

Chef Yamashita made my birthday cake! Thank you! I wished they could've made it to the party, chef and Ami-chan.

Obligatory birthday shots.

Brother, mother.

Cousins who I grew up with.

Cousins who I grew to adore.

My brother's best mates.

My best work mates.

Incidently, my brother and my mother thought it would be funny to smash the last piece of cake into my face. Ha. Ha.

Team Glace

Erm, thanks for the extremely adorable apron.

End.

Happy 20th.

When I was still schooling, there is this thing called the report card at the end of the year. The report card will tell you what have you accomplished in that year, it will reflect on how hard you have laboured for your grades and probably your general behaviour towards your peers and teachers. I dislike report cards immensely and I was a good student, mind you.

Birthdays have since taken the place of the report card. I sort of dread birthdays now.

20th is a significant number. It is a quarter of 80, which is the average life span of a human being. Which means a quarter of my life have passed. Gosh! What have I done so far?

By the way, I want to thank Chef Mashita and Ami chan for the cake. And my colleagues for gracing my party with their pressence. And my family and family's family for coming. And my brother, mother, and Aida for helping. Thank you.

Comrades

To have colleagues who will shout at the top of his lungs: GOOD MORNING! early morning in your face,
Who will kindly request you to take a deep breath when he passes you in a narrow space, so that he may get to the other side,
Frankly tell you you are gaining mass,
Teach you useful survival phrases like: 有你的事吗? (hokkien style with bobbing head action to your boss),
Address you in the most friendly manner: 笨蛋!

I term them as comrades.