MODE Cafe Gamin Tokyo : Playing a Prank on French Food

 

If you think an egg sandwich can never be more than just two pieces of bread sandwiched with fried/scrambled eggs, wait till you see and taste the Souffle sandwich at MODE Cafe Gamin, a casual French bistro-cafe opened by celebrity chef Takemasa Kinoshita He runs Au Gamin De Tokio, a highly popular French Teppanyaki and fine-dining restaurant that serves non-conventional French food like Foie Gras Eclair and Shirako Gratin. This isn't anything strange for "Gamin" means "prank, mischief" in French.

With so many acclaims under his belt, I decided to check out his MODE Cafe since prices are also much more affordable. One of the signature dishes here is the Fuwa-Fuwa Souffle Sando, a massive stack of wobbly Souffle omelette barely covered with the white toasts. All of us went "Wow" at the impressive size and this isn't a sandwich that you can eat with two hands.

Doused lavishly with cheese sauce, the Souffle omelette lived up to its name of "fuwa-fuwa" with its tender, delicate texture. The texture resembled an in-between of a Souffle cake and Chinese chye Poh omelette  but absence of any greasiness.

Unlike typical rich western style sauces, the cheese sauce here was probably mixed with dashi and thus the overall dish wasn't overwhelmingly heavy at all. Highly recommended to those like me who loves to suss out the yummy egg sandwiches in Tokyo,  though the bread could have been further toasted. This is a classic.

Our desserts that followed did not disappoint at all. In fact, I came here all because of the Custard French Toast Cube (¥800) . I've had all sorts of French Toasts but yet one that oozes cream like a cream puff. Prepared fresh in the open kitchen on a cast-iron pan, the toast was superbly aromatic with crispy sturdy edges. The bread was soft but yet not so overly soaked till wimpy. Drizzle over the caramel mocha sauce (choice of this or the milk cheese sauce) and there's the delicious plate of humble toast that created some brilliant bittersweet moments

On the other hand, the Burnt Butter Souffle Pancakes (¥800) were rather disappointing as there was barely any cream flow which contradicts the description of the menu. I wonder if they had changed the recipe because the pancake did not bear any resemblance to a Souffle. Maybe this is all a prank like the name of this place. Nonetheless the richer, nuttier fragrance of the burnt butter still made this pretty irresistible and enjoyable.

There's also a patisserie section inside the cafe and I have high hopes for the pastries as well since they have a in-house patissier. Cheeky, creative without compromising on flavors, I like to see if the chef and his team will be playing any more mischief with the food next time.

MODE CAFE since 2014
東京都渋谷区恵比寿3-28-3 CASA PIATTO1F
11am-11pm daily
http://www.gamin2008.com/shopinfo/modecafe.html

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Seng Yan Charcoal Traditional Toast @ Sin Ming Road : 传统炭烤面包 MUST TRY

Ya Kun, Wangz Toast, Good Morning Nanyang. These are probably familiar names for your kopi and roti fix. Few would have heard of Seng Yan Charcoal Traditional Toast @ Sin Ming Road. It's been around since the times when my maternal grandparents started their tailor shop and my parents started their stone shop in the old Lakeview shophouses at Upp Thomson Road. That place was where my aunts, mother and I grew up in and also where Seng Yan used to be located.



There was no signboard in the past and my family members would refer to this kopi stall 江泉(Jiang Quan). The adults knew the uncle who and the uncle knew us. I am not familiar with traditional kopi but my family swears by the kopi here as it is aromatic, well-Brewer and tasty. That's why you should never mention Starbucks or Coffee Bean in front of my family or buy those coffee to my house.

Following the demolishment of Lakeview shophouses in year 2000, the old neighbours from hawker centers went separate ways. Majority like the Hakka shun kueh, prawn Mee stall shifted to Shunfu Mart while the Teochew porridge and Seng Yan Kopi moved to Sin Min Road. It sells the usual traditional toast but my family favourite here is the baguette toast or what we call Jian Tao Roti (尖头面包) I guess no one knew they were called (Asian) French Baguette so they identified it from its pointed-head shape.  It doesn't matter that both Kaya and bread are supplied because the standards are there (must be from a very good supplier)

There is 2 servings per order and they are grilled over the charcoal toast long enough till the crust turns extra crispy and fragrant. Some parts are even slightly charred. Of course, other kopitiam still sells it but we felt those were often not toasted long or the heat wasn't strong enough. The 火候 here is strong and the butter melts quickly, fusing with the Kaya and softening the interior. It's crunchy and chewy at the same time; the more I chow, the tastier it gets. Amazing how such a simple toast contains so much 学问. And to think that the French never knew that  their baguette could be served in such a delicious way.

Do note that Jian Tao roti is usually delivered to the shop after 3pm. Sometimes you may get it in the morning but I heard those are leftover from the previous day. If you are a fan of this kind of old-school bread, this is a hidden gem that you should know.

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Matchaya @ The Cathay : New Outlet with Expanded Dessert Menu

I used to lament at the shortage of authentic and quality Japanese dessert places in Singapore. Hoshino? Maccha House? Nana? Well, even though they originate from Japan, the standards belonged to the average cafe quality and nothing much outstanding.

But now, I can finally rest my worries as I have found the One and only--Matchaya, a humble tea house that specializes in desserts and beverages of various flavors besides matcha.  It plays around with houjicha (roasted green tea), goma (black sesame) and even Hokkaido milk.  After the successful opening of its first outlet in Tanjong Pagar, it has recently opened its second outlet (a sit-in cafe) at The Cathay, with an expanded dessert menu that include kakigoris, fondues and Warabi mochis. The concept is almost close to those established tea brands in Japan such as Fukujuen, Nakamura Toikichi, Gion Tsujiri, Morihan, etc.

These big boys use the tea from their tea farms to produce desserts of standards that sit above national average.  Land-scarce Singapore doesn't quite allow that to happen but the team at Matchaya works directly with tea farmers and sources the best ingredients from prefectures all over Japan to present the uniquely "Matchaya" tea dessert experience

It might sound like a whole truck of big words but I was instantly convinced after trying the desserts. Their signature soft serves were smooth yet refined, creamy but not buttery. I'm not sure if our local weather helps but I couldn't recall any soft serve in Japan which can match Matchaya's excellent texture. The Matcha soft serve struck a beautiful balance between sweet and bitter. This is actually highly tricky because being too bitter-rich can be dull and disconcerting but try toning it down could make it taste like white chocolate easily. Don’t get me wrong. I love those intense rich ones like Far East Bazaar but I don’t want every single matcha soft serve to taste like that. The black sesame was gratifyingly intense but could be better if it was less sweet.  

While much has been raved about the matcha and black sesame, our unanimous favourite was the Houjicha which we had as a parfait from the Matchaya specialties ($10.90) exclusive to The Cathay outlet. The taste was exceptional. For those new to houjicha, it is virtually bitterless with a pleasant roasty, caramel-like flavor.  Somehow, there is an inexplicable depth to houjicha desserts just like kuromitsu and kinako that appeals to me strongly. The flavor in the parfait was enhanced with red bean, brownies, rice puffs and even some chewy tea jelly at the base. If you haven’t try one before, Matchaya is a good place to start with.  

It was a delight to find Kakigori on the menu but there’s still some issues to be tweaked. The Hokkaido cream espuma was airy but the shaved ice was coarse and too icy.  The respective sauces (matcha, houjicha, black sesame) could perhaps be weaved into the espuma to fortify the profile of each kakigori. The price is considerably steep at $18.90 and thus the soft serves ($5.90 each/+$1 for mixed flavour) would be a more rational re-investment.   

I heard that they are going to introduce other flavors such as genmaicha. But before that, I need to return to try their Kinako-Kuromitsu and Hokkaido Milk.

Best Japanese soft serve in Singapore? I can’t think of a better place than Matchaya.   

Matchaya

The Cathay

Level 1 1pm-10pm daily

Tanjong Pagar

#01-72 Icon Village, 12 Gopeng Street
Singapore 078877

Daily 12pm-8pm

https://www.facebook.com/matchayasg/

https://www.matchaya.sg/

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Bossi Ban Mian @ Serangoon Gardens

Discovered a relatively new Ban Mian stall at Serangoon Gardens recently and I learnt later that this is run by a young hawker. There are 5 options (dry/soup) and the most expensive one does not hit more than $5.50 for the prawn ban mian.

Since customers are allowed to change their noodles, we chose Ee-mian for the soup and the combination, to us, was better than having ban Mee soup. Ikan billis is served separately in a small dish to retain its crispness.

I had most of the dry Ban Mian ($4), served in a pretty special blend of dark soy sauce that stood out from the usual dry noodles. The noodles were slightly firmer than Mee Pok with nice chewy bites. The sweet-savory taste was strong and I was pleasantly surprised to see chye por (dried radish) in the bowl. Even the minced meat are well-marinated into a dark reddish brown with a delectably dry crispness to them. That said, I was expecting sunny-side egg as shown on the menu but it was a semi-boiled egg served in the side bowl of soup. Nonetheless, it is still quite different from the usual ban mian we have elsewhere and I think it is one of the stalls worth trying if you are in Serangoon gardens market.

Bossi Ban Mian

49A Serangoon Garden Way 01-18

Thurs-Mon 9am-9pm
Tues 9am-3pm
Closed on Wed

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Lime Restaurant @ PARKROYAL on Pickering : New Afternoon Tea Menu with Local Twist

Lime Restaurant at PARKROYAL on Pickering has recently revamped its "Tiers of Joy" afternoon tea menu which interweaves more local flavors into the bite-sized selection. Out goes the classic sandwiches and in comes interesting fusion items include the Expression of Nasi Lemak, a ball of coconut rice coated in crushed peanuts with a dab of sambal Chilli at the base. It tasted almost like having nasi lemak except that the grains were rather dry and crumbly. The Peking Duck Duxelles Profiteroles were mildly sweet fillings of tender duck meat in a choux shell. 

While the current afternoon tea looks more presentable than before, it no longer comes with scones. This is a huge pity because the scones here were fondly delicious and it made the afternoon tea less complete. 

The sweet selection is cut down to one tier and each item comes in 1 serving, which made sharing troublesome since the tier was meant for 2. Nonetheless, the quality of the sweets continues to stay strong and some of the new additions were better than before. Highlights include the aromatic Coconut Pandan Mousse Tart and the sweet-savoury Peanut Butter Chocolate Cup with Gianduja Chantily.  

Available 3-6pm daily, Lime's latest interpretation of afternoon tea strikes a good balance between the local and the traditional English but we would definitely miss the scones dearly. Or perhaps with the team's constant strive for innovation, there could still be a hope of the scones returning in some local flavour like pandan or curry, maybe?

SD42+++ per set with a serving of specialty coffee and TWG tea

SGD48 +++ per set with unlimited servings of specialty coffee and TWG tea

Daily 3pm-6pm

Lime Restaurant @  PARKROYAL on Pickering 

a PARKROYAL Collection Hotel

3 Upper Pickering Street, Singapore 058289

Nearest MRT:  Clarke Quay, Raffles Place, Chinatown

Facebook : www.facebook.com/parkroyal.pickering

Note: This is an invited tasting

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Shop Wonderland Cafe @ Telok Ayer : Sweet English Tea Cakes and a Popcorn Matcha Latte?

Chanced upon this neon pink cafe that was bustling with lunchtime crowd as my colleague and I were looking for a nice cafe for coffee and tea. We never notice its existence right next to Sarnies and a Google search revealed that this is a new cafe that adds to the list of hipster cafes in this area. Its floral studio sits on the 2nd floor where floral classes are conducted.

Apart from the list of beverage menu on the wall, the first thing that caught my eye was an elegant display of cakes. Not those artisanal French entremets sitting pretty in a chiller, but rustic English tea cakes in room temperature. Both the Rose Raspberry Pistachio ($8) and White Chocolate Passionfruit Coconut ($8) were fragrant and moist but probably too sweet that I couldn't really catch the flavors. The white cake didn't speak the language of coconut expressively except the layer of frosting topped with coconut shavings. As for the Rose, the rosy pink cream cheese frosting tasted mostly of.......cream cheese after a while. 

For the beverages, I had the Popcorn Matcha Latte ($7.50) as the Matcha Latte was sold out. Thankfully it wasn't some latte topped with popcorn. It still resembled Matcha Latte except for the additional blend of roasted rice which made it more aromatic than an average Matcha Latte. I enjoyed this drink but it should really go low on the sugar, just like the cakes. Overall, this place is a good option for sugar rush in the Telok Ayer area but note that prices are not cheap. Budget $14 ++ for a drink and a cake. 

134 Telok Ayer Street

Singapore 068600

Mon-Sat 8am-6pm

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Canton Paradise @ Marina Bay Sands : New Outlet with All Day Quality Dim Sum and Cantonese Cuisines

Renowned for its high-quality Cantonese dishes, Canton Paradise has launched its sixth outlet at Marina Bay Sands, doling out all-day dimsum and Cantonese wok dishes that will attract diners of all ages.

We begun with the excellently baked BBQ Pork Pastry ($6.80/3pcs) which had the ideal ratio of flaky, crumbly pastry skin to sweet pork filling. Just as tasty as those pork pastres were the Crispy BBQ Honey Pork Bun ($2.40 each for min. 2pcs). They are similar to Tim Ho Wan's version but the outer crust is less sweet and overall less greasy. The Baked Cheese Tarts ($6.80/3pcs) had a delicious molten core though some might find the cheese flavor to be slightly weak. I felt that the price was steep for the size. 

From the Steamed Molten Salted Egg Yolk Custard Piggy Buns ($6.80/3 pcs) to the Steamed White Chocolate with Walnut Charcoal bun ($2.90/pc), Canton Paradise constantly reinvents itself to not only catch up with the era of instagrammable food but also ensure that they taste good.

For the latter, the buns were too thick and they could also pump up on the white chocolate filling. As a red bean lover, I was impressed by how a classic Chinese Red Bean Pastry($6.80/3 pcs) was elevated into an elegant handbag! The exterior is thin, crispy and flaky while the red bean paste was soft, sweet and not too dry.

This is an MBS-exclusive dish just like the Dried Sakura Shrimps with Scallion Oil Tofu ($13.80) that is made with mineral water. So silky soft was the texture that it could almost rival the tofus in Kyoto. I thought the aromatic dried Sakura shrimps were truly a clever way of enjoying tofu.

Made with Japanese Pearl and Thailand fragrant jasmine rice, the Handmade Meatball Congee ($9.80) is cooked to a thick  creamy density that you can no longer taste any grain-a testimony of vigilant watch over the temperature to ensure uniform consistency. What made this a standout from the usual Cantonese congees are the huge springy meatballs that are prepared fresh daily. I've never tasted meatballs as fresh and light as these.

Other highlights include the Crisp Fried Fish Skin With Salted Egg Yolk ($9.80), Steamed Rice Roll with Preserved Turnips Filling ($5.20) drizzled with Canton Paradise's secret blend of soy sauce as well as the Dried Shrimps Noodles. Imported exclusively from HK, the noodles are finer than usual and boasts a springy bite. Nonetheless, I wish the umami flavors of the dried shrimps were stronger.

Other highly popular dishes that have been on the menu since Day 1 includes the rich and fatty BBQ Pork Belly with Honey Sauce ($22.80), roasted four to five times over charcoal for a dark Caramelized exterior. Those who love fatty cuts will like this one as it is almost 95% fat with barely any meat (probably around the rims). The Double-boiled Superior Chicken Soup ($14.80) features the premium penny bun mushroom and kampong chicken thigh boiled for 7-8 hours.

The restaurant also serves typical Chinese desserts but Durian Pudding ($5.60), which is smooth and neither overly sweet nor jelat. Despite the premium location, the prices are truly a steal for the above average quality of the food. There's even a 50% discount for all congee, noodles and dimsum (excluding noodles with roast items) from 3pm-5pm on weekdays (except PH). I can't think of anywhere in MBS with a better deal than this.

2 Bayfront Ave Unit 01-02

The Shoppes @ +Marina Bay Sands Singapore 018972

Mon-Thur 10.30am-10.30pm

Fri-Sun, Eve of PH and PH: 10.30am-11pm

Tel: 6688 7052

Note: This is a media tasting

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Quiche Yoroizuka : Latest New Quiche Specialty Shop in Tokyo

If there's anything that smells as good as tarts in the oven, it's gonna be quiches. 

Quiche Yoroizuka is the latest venture by famous Tokyo patissier Toshi Yoroizuka. He has always wanted to open a quiche shop since at the age of 29 years old when he was working at a cake shop. Kitchen meals would always be the quiches sold from a shop in front of the train station and the attractive aroma and flavors unique to a quiche made him dream of his own quiche shop.

I guessed it's finally dream come true for Chef Yoroizuka as he has not only opened 2 takeaway outlets in Ikebukuro and Shibuya but also a full bistro cafe on quiches  in Aoyama.

The menu is divided into two sections: Deli Quiches and Sweets Quiches. The savoury fared better than the sweet quiches mainly because the pastry shell was flakier and its  inherently savoury qualities made it a natural partner for the deli fillings. This could also be a reason why savoury quiches are more common than sweet ones.

I recommend you to dine-in at the cafe unless you have an oven at home as the quiches can be reheated. This definitely helps to boost the crispness of the quiches as they  tend to turn soggy faster than tarts. The Quattro cheese (\380) is a must-try for all cheese lovers as the intensity of the cheese can challenge the supremacy of Pablo's version. Encased in a butter-rich crust, Egg Benedict (\480) did not fail us with its oozy egg yolk and nondescript sauce. On the other hand, the Strawberry Custard was exceedingly sweet but luckily less so for the Matcha.

Unlike the classic tall and rich French quiches, these Japanese versions are smaller and lighter which I very much prefer. It's not difficult to can be easilypolished

Quiche Yoroizuka

5-10-19 Minamiaoyama 青山真洋ビル 

Daily 10am-9pm 
http://www.1016.co.jp/quicheyoroizuka/

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