Went on a little island trip this past weekend. . . of course, I cooked.

A fish we caught. . .

Then cooked:

Chicken and Potatoes:

Veggies:

We had Spam and Eggs

Also, an experiment gone right!  A soup by the Bonfire!  Thanks to Le Creuset.

And the finale:  The Smore

A Platter of Smores!

Smore on a Skewer

A good weekend. . . a simple weekend. . . a very full weekend.

Great Website.

www.yelp.com

Its like friendster and myspace except its more about lifestyle. . . food reviews, shop reviews, etc.

Shabu Shabu is Japanese for swish swish.  It consists of vegetables, protein (most frequently is thinly sliced beef), tofu, mushrooms, scallions, and udon.  This meal is served with steamed rice, and a dipping sauce. . . some people like me love to dip the just cooked beef in raw egg before dipping in sauce then in mouth.  Its gross sounding, but OMG so good.

The Chinese version is the Hotpot but also known as the Steamboat.  Hotpot is literally translated from the Chinese language.  My parents are going to help inquire about the Steamboat history. . . though Steamboat is the most fondly used term for Shabu/Hotpot in Singapore, Malaysia, some parts of China and among the Chinese in Indonesia.  The Hotpot/Steamboat is what's shown on the blog. 

The beauty of the Shabu is its simplicity.  The beauty of the Hotpot is its variety.

Alright, I'm going to attempt to update my trip(s) so far. Starting with Hong Kong then I'll finish updating Germany.

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Steamboat 101

What can I say? I love steamboat. I LOVE LOVE LOVE steamboat. Shabu shabu, in Japanese. Yes, there are differences but at the end of the day, its one big happy boiling pot of liquid accompanied by trays of meats and vegetables and oodles of noodles. And let's not ever forget the SAUCE.

This restaurant in Hong Kong is frequented by the mobsters. . . I've been asked to not reveal the location (well, we don't wanna stand in line longer than we need to). . . however, if you MUST try this place, you'll have to bring me along. ^_^



First, we started with the big pot of broth. This place rocks cos they put lots of pork ribs and tomatoes and whole garlic in their broth. . . its so good to start with, you know you’re going to have a feast just by looking at the broth.



Then comes the beautiful meat. . . raw, perfectly marbled. . . and for this restaurant, nice and thick (well, thicker than other places). I mean, look at it! Is this not beautiful?!?!?!



Here’s my dinner table during the first 5 mins. We’ve got pork skin too.



One of my favorite items on their menu is their FISH GLUE. Its filled with loads of fish eggs too! So fresh, so chewy, so crunchy, so so gooooood!



Fish Glue in ACTION! Thank God for Fish!



Here we have Sashimi. I forgot what kind of fish this is. . . we ate it raw or slightly cooked. . . either way, superlicious!



One of my least favorites. . . clams. My cousin loves it so I’m putting it down for him. Eat them raw, half-cooked, or fully cooked. Everyone slurps it up like no tomorrow!



Another wonderful addition to steamboat are the vegetables. They gave us a HUGE basket of veggies. LOVE LOVE LOVE!



Remember the sashimi? Instead of wasting the carcass, the kitchen deep fried the remaining parts to a gorgeous golden brown. With a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. . . BLISS!



The only steamboat restaurant I know to serve so many types of balls. . . and such pretty colors! This picture shows the balls raw.



COOKED BALLS! And a corn on a cob.



Remember that fish glue? Well, they come in many forms. We ordered one in a piping bag. . . FISH NOODLES!



Ain’t it pretty?



Our steamboat at its final moment!


God Bless Steamboat.
God Bless the person who invented Steamboat.

My last night in Berlin.  Berlin is beautiful at night but I won't go into details nor will I post photos.

I think I went a little over board with photos this time. . . over 1k of shots.  haha.  oops. 

ON WORLD CUP 2006
GO ITALY!!  The atmoshphere here was fantastic!  The pre-game show was ROCKING!!  Toni Braxton, Il Divo, and Shakira!  WOOHOOO!!!!  But a lot of Germans didn't want Italy to win for 2 reasons. . . (1) Italy had beaten Germany in Semi-Finals. . . (2) Germany had won 3 World Cups, Italy (up til today) had also won 3 World Cups, and France had only won 1.  If Italy wins, that means Italy has won the 2nd most World Cups. . . with Brazil having 4 World Cups.  Its ok for Italy to have the same number of World Cups, but not more.  Anyway, the atmosphere here was a little more subdued than when Germany won vs Portugal.  Sucks that Zidane was out but WTF was that headbutt for?
On another note, the Germans are very good losers. . . they're very very organized and discipline. . . even their graffiti is neat.  Post Germany vs Portugal game was wild!!  Post Germany vs Italy game was quiet and humble.  I even saw some German fans shake the hands of some Italian fans congratulating their team on a great game.  Nah, wasn't worried about Germany having fights as their police are very strict. . . no big fights.  As for Zidane, I imagine the pressure of it being his last game and all the other pressures with World Cup got to him.  I blame the other guy for causing this breakdown. . . there's proof that he had continuously picked on Zidane.  As for Zidane, I'm only disappointed that he didn't keep his cool for a mere 2 more minutes.  His stay in the game could have meant France to keep all their Penalties and probably into Sudden Death. 

I'm staying at Ritz Carlton which is situated right smack in the middle of everything. . . it only 15 mins walk to Brandenberg!   
Germany just won over Portugal 3-1 and huge party all around the hotel. 
The Ritz windows are pretty good, almost sound-proof. . . but alas it only almost sound-proof. 
I'm guessing its close to 1am but the party just started. 
I'd join in the festivities but Dad and I went shopping and sight-seeing today. 
Exhausted!!

Below is a picture of a brilliant chocolate Ode to World Cup, courtesy of Ritz Carlton pastry chefs.

Here's the one they sent to my Dad's room.

We watched the game of Germany vs Portugal where Germany won 3-1! 
The first goal was achieved with assistance from Petit, Portugal.  ^_^

Here are pictures of some fans after the game. . .
Berlin is alive tonight!!  WOOOHOOO!!!

I wanted to take pictures with some fans but things got a little crazy and I ended up taking pictures of them.  A few groups asked me to take pictures with them too. . . but with their camera.  Hmmm. . . oh well, maybe they'll post it online?!?!

Here's a picture of the inside of the new Sony Center

Time to go rest. . . tomorrow. . . ITALY!!!

GOOOOO  ITALY!!!

Theodore Tucher

Awesome restaurant recommended by Concierge. .  very German.  We had pork knuckles, lamb knuckles and apple schitzel and reisling.

This is short, I know.  Am now in Berlin. . . its soooo expensive here to use the internet so I gotta keep it short.  More later.  Dad's gotta use the internet.

WARNING:  The next few entries will not be about food.

I'm in Essen, Germany right now.  Arrived Frankfurt, then transit to Dusseldorf, followed by a short 30 minute drive to Dortmund. . . all in the spirit of World Cup 2006.  As our distance to the hotel draw to a finish, we are greeted by flags of yellow, red, and black for Germany, and red, white, and green for Italy.  Keep in mind this is noon time, the kickoff is at 9pm.  By the way, I HAVE TICKETS!!!

For obvious reasons (almost 24 hours of travelling including a few hours of transit time) forced my dad and I to grab a quick lunch and then a quick walk to settle our full bellies just so we can return to our rooms to rest before we ready ourselves for the Semi-Finals.  Due to jet-lag, World Cup fever, and extreme hunger, I'd forgotten to take my camera with me for lunch.  It was a simple German buffet with a splash of Italian.  Lots of meats, cheeses, NUTELLA, fruits, soup, and pasta.  Warning for visitors to Germany:  bring FIBER pills. . . you won't see much vegetables in majority of their meals. . . its meat, meat, potatoes, meat, pasta, meat. 

Our hotel is a lovely 15 minute walk to the Dortmun stadium.  Its lovely really. . . Steinberger Hotel. . . nice colors, efficient rooms. . . everything was just nice except for the very obvious lack of air-condition.  Normally that wouldn't be such a big deal. . . however, at 31 degrees celsius (approx 90 degrees fahrenhiet), its just plain cruel and painful.   In addition, the "window" is a total of 5 inches of crack. 

Needless to say, after a few hours of very restless and uncomfortable rest, we started getting ready for the big game.  German colors on the arm and face, the appropriate shirt colors, and finals checks for the camera and cell phone (for emergency and sms to update close friends at the game). . . check, check. . . we're ready to go.

It was a lovely walk to the stadium.  Lots of colors and team spirit and friendly competitive feel surrounds the atmosphere and it is truly addicting as Dad and I get into it.  I was rooting for Germany, he was for Italy (but he'd hope for Germany to win as it'd mean big parties til the finals).  Below, I've included some pictures of crazy hats and hair of crazy fans.  Just so awesome!!!

The Dortmund stadium is beautiful from the outside and the inside is awesome as well.  Set in perfect weather, makes me trigger happy.  ^_^

We're sitting in the Green section.  Section 56, Row 13, Seat 38-39.  This is what we see from our seats.  Great seats, by the way. . . about 30 seats above the Media section, we also have a perfect view of the screen AND the field!  Below is a very good idea of our view.

A very cool hat. . . I'm gonna look for it.  I WANT THIS HAT!!  WeeeeEEEeeee!!!

These 2 fans have wild hats!  Soooo funny.  They were celebrities as they came up the stairs; kept getting stopped for photos.

It was a wonderful game but alas Germany lost to Italy 2-0. . . Italy's 2 was beautifully executed at Extra Time in the last 2 minutes!!  The atmosphere as we walk back to the hotel was very mellow and subdued.  It was very sad to see Germany lost, but Italy played a very smart game.  No parties after the game, fans crying, their makeup running down.  The most wonderful sights were of Germany fans and Italy fans shaking hands, congratulating the win and a great game played.  Such great sportsmanship everywhere.  No fights occured from what the receptionist told me the next morning.

Sigh.  I love World Cup.  AND, I am very very lucky to be here.  Today, I'm off to explore Essen.  Tomorrow, train ride to Berlin.  I can't wait.  ^_^

Been so busy with work and travel that I haven't had time to update my food adventures.
Better late than never though

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1st week of June
Shangri La Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia
The French Restaurant. . . dunno the name. Hey! It was the monthly Wine Club Dinner. ^_^

Anyway, here are the dishes. . .

THE FISH DISH

I LOVE the way this dish was plated but the flavor just wasn't quite there.
Visual: 8.5
Taste: 6.5

THE BEEF DISH

This dish was simplicity at its best. Tender, succulent beef cooked to perfection (medium rare, of course). Potatoes just nice. Everything just complimented each other. Nothing fussy.
Visual: 8
Taste: 8.75

THE DESSERT DISH

Catherine LOVED this dish. She's biased as she loves all things sweet and chocolate. This time, I'll agree with her. The raspberry sorbet blended so nicely with the chocolate mousse cake. The cake was a little dry for it to be called a mousse cake. But the chef's choice for the chocolate was lovely.
Visual: 7.75
Taste: 8.25

EDIT:  The fish is under the "cracker", hidden.  An attempt at surprising the audience.

Amuse Bouche at Zakuro, a wonderful place in the heart of the red light district of Tokyo.
I don't know what it was. . . fish eggs, sticky rice/yam, tofu, etc. . . soooo flavorful!

Also at Zakuro, this is an Uni dish, I think.  A tiny dot of wasabit and thick miso sauce.  So lovely!

Super tasty, tender, flavorful. . . these beef were NOT kobe but so soft you would've guessed otherwise.
This smooth rock is sitting on top of charcoals.  Sigh.  I'd fly to Tokyo just for a taste.  ^^

Steamed Hairy Crabs, Zakuro.  No sauce.  Just the tastiest crabs ever!  Sweet, succelent.

Zakuro's specialty.  Crab legs Shabu Shabu.  Isn't it amazing?  They crack the legs for you too!
Special instructions:  When water boils, you drop the leg into the pot then wait until it floats back up. . .
IT'S READY FOR EATING!

LEFT:  Iced Sake.  Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum!!
RIGHT:  Stuffed, breaded, deep fried crab heads. . . all the top methods put together in one perfect harmony. . . with a sauce that tastes like miso and ketchup with a kick.

Clam miso soup by the Toyo Fish Market.  Its ok.  I don't like the overload of scallions.
Also, the clams are so fresh that they still contain the sand. 

My first Uni Sushi ever!  Also by the Fish Market.  Its gooey, mushy. . . texture feels like its overcooked, rotten shrimp. . . flavor so intense you forget yourself as you moan in delight.  Like Uma Thurman once said, its sex in a bite.

Super Fresh Sushi by Tokyo's Fish Market.  Looks terrible but the freshest fish I've ever had!

This is Pork Tenderloin Katsu.  I'll have to find out the name of this place.  At US$30, the most expensive Katsu I've ever had.  It's good. . . but I've had better.

An interesting idea. . . that works.  Pork Katsu sandwich.  Soft on the outside, crunchy on the inside.

This is a wonderful set lunch served to us at the hotel in Hiroshima.
Its suprisingly tiny. . . AND fulfilling.

Tokyo

My short 6 day visit in Japan was a wonderful whirlwind of eating and walking to find food.  There are more photos to come.  Man, I've got to organize my restaurant folio!!