Green Bean to Bar : Searching for the Best Chocolate in Tokyo

 
Riding on the trend of bean to bar, I went to check out Green Bean to Bar, the last chocolate place on my list. It's actually similar to the previous two, Dandelion Chocolate and Minimal Bean to Bar, as it places an emphasis on handmade chocolates from the stage of bean with only natural ingredients. Workshops are also conducted from time to time. This place is directed by Chloé Doutre-Roussel, a Paris chocolate expert who is not based at the shop (Chances are you will spot a handsome angmoh chef playing chocolate in the kitchen). 

Like Dandelion Chocolate, Green Bean to Bar sells a variety of chocolate pastries all made in the kitchen. Both the plain vanilla choux dark chocolate eclair were delicious but not particularly different from average patisseries. I prefer the chocolate eclair as it is a humbling creation that belied some sublime cacao-imbued deliciousness in the cream sandwiched between lightly toasted chocolate choux. Yes, double chocolate components yet not doubling the happiness to be honest. 

They have other desserts that revolve around chocolate such as cookie, brownies and bread but nothing much that speaks the soul of chocolate. Even the hot chocolate could be a notch richer and bitter. 

Now I know why I left without much ecstasy. But if you are looking for artisan chocolate bars and not desserts, then this place won't be out of your radar. 

Green Bean to Bar

2-16-11 Aobadai, Meguro-ku

11am-9pm (Closed on Weds)

http://greenchocolate.jp

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Chou d'enfer : Famous Paris Chouquette Shop Opens in Tokyo Shinjuku

Change is accelerating everywhere in Tokyo and one big major change in Shinjuku is the completion of NEWoMAN, a new commercial building that includes several F&B booths, book store, Zakka shop within the extended wing of JR Shinjuku station.

One of the shops that I've been yearning to check out was Chou d' Enfer, a brainchild of Paris top chefs Alan Ducasse and Christopher Michalok which has gained thumbs up from the Paris foodies. 

But I was rather disenchanted when I found out that these little punies cost a hefty at a size smaller than my palm. Instead of getting a standard box of 6 different flavor, I opted for SAISON, a bag of 3 flavors that included the seasonal and Japan-only flavor of Fruit Rouges. 
The pearl-sugar crusted choux tasted so pedestrian that I wondered if it is the media that is playing up the hype. The Custard, which is a benchmark flavor to measure a cream puff, had a stale awry taste that wasn't pleasant at all. It was slightly masked in the Matcha version but the latter did not impress either. Three pops into the mouth and everything were gone . 

It is not difficult to replicate this from home kitchens and there are plenty, really PLENTY of other cream puff options that are better and more value for money that this. Even those from convenience stores tastes better.
I was glad that I didn't have to queue like the rest since I happened to walk past in the morning (Yes, believe it or not, there is a queue and apparently all the chouquettes sell out early) And most importantly, I was relief that I had not invested in the box of 6. 

Price for 6 - 734 yen
Tradition (3 pcs) - 313 yen 
Saison (3 pcs) - 367 yen

choux d’enfer PARIS NEWoMan 新宿店

〒151-0051東京都渋谷区千駄ヶ谷 5-24-55
NEWoMan (Within Shinjuku station Near Shin-minami exit)

TEL：03-3354-2181

Hours: 8:00 ~ 22:00

http://choux-d-enfer-paris.jp/

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Man Man鰻満 : New Unagi-ya in Singapore

The search for affordable unagi place in Singapore is gone with the opening of Man Man, an unagi specialty shop opened by Teppei, the same man behind Teppei Syokudo. The eels are imported alive from Isshiki-cho of Nishio city in Aichi prefecture, where annual eel production tops the nation. They are fished out from the tank water fresh upon order, nailed down, slit open, skewered and grilled directly over charcoal flame. 

The most recommended dish here is the Hitsumabushi--grilled, soy-basted eel laid out on a bed of rice in an ornate lacquer-look box. But I wondered if it's because I went on the first day of operation and the chef hasn't got a full control of the heat. Some parts of unagi was slightly charred to the point when it became rather bitter, especially for the ala carte unagi orders 

Nonetheless, there's no denying that unagi here on the overall is as tasty and fresh as it gets, not as soft and melting, but with a firmer chewy texture. Unlike the Hitsumabushi set that is served with unagi maki, the regular and large sized unadon comes with dashi maki. 

But the whole point here is, there's seems to be a lot of eggs in the unagi sets here. In fact, all the sets come with eggs! And that is something I'm not familiar with. Could this be intended to cater to local preferences? But the omelette could afford to be less salty and runny.

The Hitsumabushi was supposed to be eaten in three ways. Firstly, one has to eat it on it's own, followed by the second helping in a bowl with the basic spice combination of chopped green onions, grated wasabi, and nori seaweed sheet. Lastly, the remainder of about half the rice is eaten with green tea or hot broth. Do remember to ask for the tea/broth if that was left out by accident. Otherwise, your Hitsumabushi will end up being no different from a typical Unagi Don. 

If those unagi rice sets aren't enough to restore your energy, get the Unagi Kabayashi or Shiroyaki style. The key difference is the presence of sauce. As much as I love the savoury tang from the basting sauce in the Kabayaki style , I adore the simple grilled aroma from the Shiroyaki. 

In Japan, unagi-ya typically place Yakumi and shichimi at the side of the table but here you get even more--three types of tare sauces to go with the rice. I'm not sure if orthodox eel masters would agree with giving diners the free rein on the amount of tare for the eel but the tare did help or encourage me to finish my rice. Given that this is still in its early stage of operations, I think it's better to give it more time before you head down. Hopefully by then, the queue won't be too bad.

Budget $30 pax person

Rice Sets from $18++ onwards

Unagi Kabayaki/Shiroyaki from $27++ per order.

鰻満　Man Man Unagi Japanese Restaurant
Mon-Sat 1130-1500 (Lunch) / 1800-2230 (Dinner)
Closed on Sun/ Open on PH

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Buttertrade : Singapore's Online Portal for Cakes of Every Occasion

Want to order a cake for a celebratory occasion but you want to impress with something special and unique? Check out Buttertrade, Singapore's first online portal that connects home-bakers and boutique cake shops to customers. Halal, gluten-free, vegan, kawaii, decorative, pet-friendly...you can find all sorts of cakes here that suits your need. 

Depending on the complexity/degree of customization of your cake order, it is possible to have your cake on the actual day as long as you order before 3pm the day before. Not only is this convenient, you can earn 3% rebates for each purchase and redeem them for more cakes next time. 

Recently, I had the opportunity to try out one of best selling cakes that are infused with local flavors. The Ondeh Ondeh Cake ($38) from In the Brickyard was a simply yet elegant construction of Gula Melaka buttercream and Pandan cake. It would be great if the cake was less sweet and moister but I'm certain that these sweet Asian-desserts inspired cakes have their fair share of supporters.

Besides Ondeh Ondeh, there's also Pulut Hitam Cake and Orh Nee Cake. From now till 31st Oct, enjoy 15% of all items  in "local flavors" shown above (link here) simply by entering the promo code "dairyandcream" when you checkout your shopping cart. 

Wait no more and start planning a cake surprise for your family and friends!

Buttertrade Singapore
http://www.buttertrade.com.sg/index.php

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Kissho Karyo 吉祥菓寮 : Must-Go Dessert Place in Kyoto

Besides matcha and black sesame, the next most well-known Japanese flavor in desserts is probably kinako aka roasted soy bean. And Kissho Karyo specializes in just that.

I have always love kinako, especially when it is used with kuromitsu (black sugar) to create mellow roasty notes. So I was curious to learn about Kisshoan, a modern mame (bean) shop that was opened by Kitagawa Satoru, the 16th-generation owner of traditional Wagashi shop, 桂華堂, back in 2006.

While he continues to run Kisshoan as an online business selling modern western-style sweets with a Japanese twist, Kisho Karyo was opened in Higashiyama that serves as a retail shop and tearoom where guests can enjoy desserts such as parfaits, kakigori that revolves around the core ingredient--kinako.

The most popular item is the Warabi Mochi (¥810) that is made 100% with warabi flour from Southern Kyushu. As no starch is incorporated here as compared to most warabi mochi in the market, the dark, almost black warabi mochi is soft and stretchy yet not to the extent of being too jelly-like or gloopy. It is already sweet enough without the need for kuromitsu (black sugar syrup), but I took the advantage of the free-flow kinako powder and scattered them generously with whatever syrup that still remained. Irresistible.

Having matcha parfaits in Kyoto seems quite like an old-fashioned tourist activity because parfaits these days come in various flavors and styles. I was totally blown away by the stunning purple looks of the seasonal edition Sweet Potato and Apple Parfait (¥1296). 

There's red tea jelly, tangy Apple yoghurt mousse, white chocolate crispies, purple sweet potato mousse--all tastefully arranged in a slim, elegant glass--before being sealed up with sweet-potato chocolate dusted crispy meringue on the top. It's one of the best parfaits I've ever come across but if you missed this, there's always the regular Burnt Kinako Parfait too.

The Kinako Soy Milk Espuma Kakigori was a pleasant departure from the usual matcha or fruity kakigori. How could it not taste delicious with the golden combination of kinako and black sugar syrup? I loved the creamy espuma but some parts of the kakigori were too icy and there was sadly no other components beneath the giant ice berg.

The roll cakes were par excellence and probably one of the best I've had so far in Japan. Their intriguing marble patterns sparked my interest and I still can't figure how the chef managed to roll in so perfectly. The Roasted Kinako roll is a black charcoal sponge with kinako cream and warabi jelly (not mochi) while the Matcha Roll is filled with matcha cream and matcha warabi jelly. The sponge was super soft and tender. I could also catch the distinct notes of matcha in the sponge unlike roll cake from Marukyuen.

Besides the sweets, they also serve savoury meals such as Soy Milk Ochazuke (rice in tea) but the desserts are more than sufficient to keep me satisfied. This place has recently gain quite a lot of attention in local media and I would recommend anyone to skip those usual matcha spots listed in  guidebook and visit this place.

Kyoto is definitely more than just matcha when it comes to sweets.

Kissho Karyo 吉祥菓寮
吉祥菓寮 祗園本店. 〒605-0066 京都市東山区古門前通東大路東入ル石橋町306. 
TEL：075-708-5608. 
www.kisshokaryo.jp
Shop: 10:00～19:00
Tea Room: 11:00～19:00

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Mad Cow Cafe in Ang Mo Kio: Where Desserts and Music Meets

Located a short walk away from Soi 19 Wanton Mee is a newly opened cafe by a group of 4 young friends who decided to give up their corporate jobs to pursue their dreams in the F&B industry. The concept is pretty much similar to most ice cream-waffles shop in Singapore except that there is an additional corner for live music. The ice creams are churned from an offsite kitchen factory based on their own recipes and there are more than 10 flavors including cotton candy, tiramisu and premium Mao Shan Wang Durian. 

There are two types of waffles-the Liege Waffles ($5.50 for a mix of red velvet and original) and the Belgian Waffles ($5.50 for a mix of red velvet and original) which you top up with ice cream for $3.90-$4.40 depending on the flavor. 

Of the two types of waffles, I prefer the Liege Waffles because of its crispy sturdy structure that held up well against the ice cream. But it didn't behave like how a Liege waffles should be; slightly chewy, buttery with a thin glistening coating due to the caramelization effect of the pearl sugar. 

Don't get me wrong, they were tasty but just that I naturally expected some differences between this Liege and Belgium waffles if both were written on the menu. Otherwise, calling them "waffles" would suffice if they were intended to have the exact same crispy exterior and feathery light innards. On the other hand, the Belgian waffles were slightly wet on the inside. The ice creams did not disappoint as they were smooth velvety without being too sweet. Our favourites include the Sea salt caramel & almond and Thai Milk Tea. 

With the intense competition in the local cafe scenes in Singapore, I think Madcow can attract a wider crowd if it can neat out existing issues with and find something which makes it stand out from other ice cream cafes. At least for now, I know where I can head to for some quick ice cream-waffles fix.

Mad Cow Cafe

Blk 163, AMK Ave 4, #01-448

Daily 11am-11pm

Facebook: @letsgoMadcow

Instagram: @madcow_icecream 

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Lian Kee Bak Chor Mee @ Alexandra Hawker Center

The Uncle was preparing his noodles in all too-dramatic movements that seemed like watching a dance choreography. From all the tossing, lifting the noodles drainer way high up above his head before emptying the noodles into the bowl, all these resulted in an average of at least 3 minutes preparation time for just a bowl of noodles. As a result, the queue barely moved after 45 minutes even though there was no more than 8 pax in front of us. 


Unfortunately, this seems to reflect a Chinese saying of "事倍功半” because the noodles turned out very ordinary. We couldn't taste much of the black vinegar and neither was there any hints of spice even though chilli was added. (If I didn't say that this was added with chilli, my family would still be thinking that this was a non-chilli version). Will not queue again.

Lian Kee Bak Chor Mee
Alexandra Hawker Center Unit #01-50
7.30am-1.30pm (Closed on Monday)

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