Bavarian Matcha Cream at Kinozen (紀の善) - Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman Episode 6

If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Bavarian Matcha Cream at Kinozen (紀の善) from episode 6 of the show!

Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.

🍨 Bavarian Matcha Cream is an East-meets-West sort of dessert: The Bavarian Cream itself originating from somewhere in Europe (Wikipedia seems conflicted whether it's of German or French origin), and the Matcha (green tea) and Anko (Red Bean Paste) originating from Japan.

If you don't want to ask for an English menu, the Japanese name of the dessert is "Matcha Babaroa" (抹茶ババロア). There's also a Chestnut Bavarian Cream ("Kuri Babaroa," 栗ババロア), which was unfortunately not in season when we visited in the winter.


As is somewhat standard with most (all?) Japanese dessert shops, the waitresses give you hot green tea and sometimes some small snacks once you're seated; Here at Kinozen (紀の善) the snack is a somewhat vaguely cat-shaped Senbei (rice cracker).


We asked for two orders of the Bavarian Matcha Cream / Matcha Babaroa / 抹茶ババロア. The dessert was really good: The green tea flavour profile accompanying perfectly the red bean paste. We weren't so sure about the whipped cream, though - Bavarian Cream is after all primarily a thickened milk-and-cream mixture, and adding more whipped cream on top of that was a tad bit much on the dairy. In hindsight perhaps we should have shared two different desserts.


👥 Crowd: We visited on a Friday afternoon, and the two-storey shop was around 80-90% full. If you visit on a weekend, it's probably pretty likely that there'll be a queue.

🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then take exit B3 or B2a of the Iidabashi Station (JR Chuo-Sobu Line; Tokyo Metro Tozai, Yurakucho, Namboku and Oedo Lines); Kinozen is a a minute or two walk away.


Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations not accepted.

Mamekan at Akasaka Sagamiya (赤坂 相模屋) - Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman Episode 3

If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Mamekan at Akasaka Sagamiya (赤坂 相模屋) from episode 3 of the show!


Yes, we're nerdy like that
Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.

In episode 3, Kantaro tried to execute the "Mamekan Triathlon," eating three bowls of Mamekan from three different shops. We didn't have the time (or the stamina) to do the same, so we picked Akasaka Sagamiya, the third shop, as it was the most conveniently located for us. If you recall, however, Kantaro actually had take out, and ate the Mamekan at home, because ...


... except that he didn't, really. We ended being a casualty of the non-literal translation, because what Kantaro actually said - "赤坂相模屋には、残念だがら、イートインのコーナーはない" - literally means "Unfortunately, Akasaka Sagamiya does not have any eat-in corner (area)," i.e. you have no choice but to order take out. Oh well. Anyway ...

🍨 Mamekan is a Japanese traditional dessert not too unlike Anmitsu (which we blogged about a few days ago). It has the same base of Kanten (Agar Jelly Cubes) and Kuromitsu (Dark Syrup), but instead of having red beans and fruits, it concentrates on Kuromame (Sweet Black Soybeans).


Before we continue, apologies in advance for the aesthetically-challenged presentation. If you are a resident in Tokyo I'm sure you'll have no problem, but as visitors to the city staying in a business hotel, we had to improvise by using coffee mugs in place of bowls, and crudely chopping up the Kanten with a plastic coffee stirrer borrowed from a Family Mart downstairs. Aesthetics doesn't change the taste (much) though, we hope!

Oh by the way, the two mugs pictured below make up half of the "three person portion take-out pack" (¥1200).


The dessert ended up to be quite delicious, if perhaps a little one-dimensional. Unlike Anmitsu's variety of flavours, Mamekan really is all about the sweet soy beans, so your enjoyment of the bowl will probably depend a lot on how much you like (or don't like) them.

👥 Crowd: As mentioned, this shop is take-out only so there shouldn't be any problem with crowds.

🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then Akasaka Sagamiya (赤坂 相模屋) is within walking distance of either the Akasaka (Tokyo Metro Chiyoda line) or Akasaka-Mitsuke (Tokyo Metro Ginza, Marunouchi Line) stations. It's also a short walk from Esse Due (episode 10), which has decent Italian food and a killer Creme Caramel Cake.


Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations and credit cards not applicable.

Anmitsu at Hatsune (初音) - Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman Episode 1

If you're reading this then you're probably a Kantaro: The Sweet Tooth Salaryman fan like we are. And like us, you might be thinking of paying a few of the shops a visit on your next trip to Tokyo. To help you a little in your quest, today we bring you a short write-up of the Shiratama Anmitsu at Hatsune (初音) i.e. the dessert that appeared on the very first episode of the show!

Follow this link to go back to the master list of all the other dessert shops / cafes.

🍨 Anmitsu is a Japanese traditional dessert with red bean paste and other ingredients heaped on to kanten (agar jelly) cubes. Pictured below is the Shiratama Anmitsu at Hatsune (初音)(¥900), which includes ...

Shiratama: Glutinous Rice Flour dumplings
Kanten: Agar Jelly Cubes
Anko: Sweet Bean Paste (normally Azuki beans)
Gyuuhi: Delicate, chewy sweets made of glutinous rice or glutinous rice flour
Kuromame: Sweet Black Soybeans

... plus seasonal fruits, and your choice of shiroi mitsu or kuro mitsu (clear and dark syrup respectively). We personally preferred the additional earthiness of the kuro mitsu over the plain sugary sweetness of the white.


👥 Crowd: We visited on a weekend afternoon and the shop was only about 2/3'rds full, so there shouldn't be any problem getting a seat here for couples or small groups.


🚄 Access: As always, directions via Google Maps rarely ever fail me in Tokyo, but if you won't have Internet connectivity then you should head either to the Ningyocho (Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line and Toei Asakusa Line) or Suitengu-Mae (Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line) stations.


Hatsune is facing a decently large street, and it's quite easy to spot from a distance.


Tabelog Link for your quick reference on opening days / hours. Reservations and credit cards not accepted.

Keisuke's Sublime Tendon (天丼) in the Heart of Tanjong Pagar at Ginza Tendon Itsuki.

I'm a huge fan of Keisuke Takeda's ramen shops around the country. Partially because his noodles are pretty damn good, but especially because each of his shops has a slightly different theme or twist. From his four seasons outlet serving up 4 variations of tonkotsu ramen, to his tori king outlet with a huge broiled chicken drumstick and thigh with each bowl, every outlet has its own charm.

His latest offering, Ginza Tendon Itsuki however, isn't noodle-related at all. Instead, he offers up an assortment of battered and deep fried Tempura (天ぷら) on a bed of steaming hot rice to form a Ten-don (天丼)!


There are only two choices on the menu: $13.90 for the omnivore Ten-don (two slices of chicken, two shrimp, egg and assorted vegetables) or $12.90 for the vegetarian Ten-don. In either case you get the goodies deep-fried and drizzled with a sweet and savory sauce. On a bed of Japanese short-grain rice, of course.

The price you pay is remarkably generous considering it also comes with miso soup and a very tasty chawanmushi. Drinks are perhaps a little pricey ($3.80 for a can of coke) but warm/iced water is complimentary.


One of the highlights (and something new to the darling and I) is the tempura egg. It's hot and runny and adds a delightful richness to the rice.


The tempura'ed items are fresh, expertly fried to perfection, and tastes delicious with that sweet sauce. We have to admit we were expecting (hoping for?) a little more crisp to the batter, but given that ten-don comes pre-doused in sauce, that was perhaps a little wishful thinking.


It's a small restaurant - with seating for perhaps two dozen or so diners. If you're in a smaller group we totally recommend requesting seats at the counter so you can watch the chefs in action frying up the battered items, then meticulously plating them. A word of caution perhaps: If you're planning to come for lunch, make sure you don't have any important client meetings in the afternoons as we're not sure how long it'll take for the aroma of fried food to dissipate from your clothes.


Ginza Tendon Itsuki is located at 101 Tanjong Pagar Road, S 088522 (Next to Orchid Hotel, and just around the corner from Keisuke's Tonkotsu and Gyoza king outlets). No pork, but we're not sure if any other porcine-derived oils, etc are used.

Kuching Waterfront Food Guide Malaysia!

Kuching, the capital city of the state of Sarawak in Malaysia isn't perhaps on the top of the list on most peoples' tourist destination lists. There are some attractions, though, so you might perhaps be here to visit the Sarawak Cultural Village. Or maybe you're just in town for some other reason - maybe your cousin is getting married, for instance, which happens to be the reason the both of us were here for the weekend!


As we mentioned in a previous post, we stayed at The Ranee Boutique Suites on the Kuching Waterfront. So naturally we walked around the area trying as much food as our stomachs could handle. We ended up only trying three main areas (in the map above), which we'll cover below. So let's get started!

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1. Carpenter Street Food Court (Lao Ya Keng - 老爺間)

Really easy to find - just walk down Carpenter Street until you see a food court opposite a Chinese Temple.


Fish Ball Glass Noodles. Decent springy fishballs, although the portion is a little small. We also thought that the soup was a little too lightly flavoured for our tastes. 2 stars.

Kolok Mee. Outside of Sarawak, you might see these noodles spelt (and pronounced) as "Kolo Mee." But in our observations over three days in the city, it really does seem to be more accurately "Kolok Mee." This bowl was pretty delicious, actually, and fairly generous on the portions. Check out the fats on that slice of pork belly! 4 stars.

Sarawak Laksa. The other famous noodle is Sarawak Laksa. The bowl here is quite nice, with generous portions of chopped chicken (rather than shredded chicken meat). 3½ stars.

Pork Satay. This food court is quite known for its' pork satay but we found it mediocre at best. The meat used is almost all lean so there is none of the fatty, porky, charred goodness. Note also that the satay auntie only starts selling at around 1pm. 2½ stars.

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2. Electra Food Court (also Old Market Kuching).

If you're having trouble finding the exact location, 'Jalan Power' or 'Electra House' in your GPS should bring you close enough (The food court is directly opposite Electra House on Jalan Power).


Ais Kacang. Par for the course. Not particularly worth coming here for, but you wouldn't be disappointed if ordering as a thirst quencher on a hot day. 3 stars.

Ah Mui Beef Noodles (Mee Sapi), stall 32 - Our favorite bowl of noodles for the day by far. Delicious, al dente Kolok Mee with beef brisket, meat and tripe. 4½ stars.

Kolok Mee and Sarawak Laksa, stall 39. This particular stall serves up a lot of different kinds of noodles, and the lack of specialization shows - neither of the bowls we tried were particularly good. 2½ stars.

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3. Bing! Coffee

The Kuching equivalent of Starbucks or Coffee Bean. We tried the Hills Shopping Mall outlet.


Latte, Mocha and Caramel hot drinks are decent at best. We're not big fans of chain-store coffee, we find that the outlets typically overcompensate for poor coffee by overloading on sugar and other flavors. 2½ stars.

Chocolate Truffle Cake and Brownie. The truffle cake was pretty nice, actually. The brownie was disappointing though; came totally drenched in a chocolate gravy that made it taste like a chocolate fudge cake rather than a brownie. 3½ stars (chocolate truffle cake), 2½ stars (chocolate fudge cake Chocolate Brownie).

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So that concludes our one single day of eating ourselves around the Kuching Waterfront! If you're in the area, hopefully this gives you an idea of what's good, and what's not worth wasting your calorie quota on! Let us know in the comments if you agree (or disagree) with our ratings of each item, or if you've got any other recommendations!

Fancy Shinkansen/Space Shuttle/Train Conveyor Belt at Genki Sushi!

Quick mid-week video minipost! Finally got around visiting Genki Sushi to check out their fancy sushi delivery system. You place your orders on an iPad and instead of a waitress serving your sushi it zips right to you on a motorized shinkansen / space shuttle conveyor belt. Awesome sauce!


Sushi itself is pretty par for the course for conveyor belt sushi chains in this part of the world - that is to say, reasonably cheap ($2.30 for two salmon belly nigiri) but honestly not very good. But of course you get what you pay for, and it is pretty fun watching the shuttle arrive.

Genki Sushi has three outlets - Orchar Central, Chinatown Point and Bugis+. Non-Halal.

Korean BBQ Buffet in Bedok - Ssiksin 食神 Korean BBQ, Bedok Point

When we think of Korean BBQ restaurants here, there seem to be two distinct types of restaurants - higher end, ala carte joints where you have a choice of 25 different cuts of pork or 43 different marble grades of Beef ... and the BBQ Buffet. These restaurants are normally priced quite reasonably, and allow you to stuff yourself to your hearts' content at a (relatively) low price point. It's perfect for big stomachs, or for those nights where you just don't feel the need to pay top dollar for Grade A5 Wagyu roasting on a perfectly-heated bed of hot charcoal.


We're pretty stoked then that Ssiksin 食神 has just today opened its' doors in Bedok Point. It's run by the same Korean tai tai's as Ssikek over in Tampines 1. Decor is decidedly basic with monotonous wood everywhere - from the tables, partitions, floors and the furnishings. It does help that it's very 'open air,' so unlike the sister outlet further east it doesn't really get too stuffy/smoky/meaty in the dining area.


As Korean BBQ buffets go you do get the staple meats - pork belly, bacon, pork shoulder, some marinated beef, rib eye and short ribs. Over on the seafood there's decent sized prawns, squid rings and some chicken sausages sitting amidst fresh lettuce, onions and other garnish.


There's also a basic collection of cooked food - some pasta, some glass noodles, seaweed and beef/radish soups and an assortment of vegetable tempura. Nothing to get particularly excited about of course but not everyone can eat pure meat for an entire meal.


The buffet price includes free flow of drinks from the soda fountain.


As is par for the course for BBQ Buffet restaurants you do need to grill your own meat. We're actually extremely impressed with the new ceramic grill plates. They don't give out a lot of smoke - so you finish the meal smelling a lot less meaty than normal - but we totally dig how non-stick they are. The non-marinated meats hardly left any residue, and the residue left behind by the marinated meats was easily wiped off with a couple of tissues to reveal an almost-new plate to continue grilling! Awesome.


Overall it's solid and tummy filling but not particularly gourmet dining. At just $24.95 for a buffet dinner you really wouldn't ask for more. Open seven days a week on the 2nd floor of Bedok Point mall. Non halal.

* Apologies for the quality of photographs in this post which were snapped by mobile phone as we didn't bring our cameras

Pretty Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) at Kema Sakuranomiya Park, Osaka, Japan!

The darling and I have always wanted to visit Japan for some Sakura (Cherry Blossom) viewing, so almost a year ago we planned this trip for the second week of April which has historically been the peak Sakura viewing season. Some unseasonably warm weather in March this year, however, accelerated the flowers' full bloom by over a week. So when we got off the plane we dumped our bags at the hotel and immediately headed over to one of Osaka (and Japan's) favorite viewing spots - Kema Sakuranomiya Park!


We reach the park and are delighted to see that although some trees have started to shed some petals thanks to the rain and strong winds, most trees are still blooming strong! The park has something like 5,000 trees lining both banks of the river and make for an extremely scenic and enjoying leisurely stroll.


We're somewhat surprised to find out that there are actually close to twenty different varieties of Sakura / Cherry Blossoms all over Japan - with different colors, blooming periods and even number of petals and flower shape. The trees in Kema Sakuranomiya Park are mostly of the Somei Yoshino variety.


We also encounter a lot of multiple petaled, darker pink variety which we believe is the Yoshino variety. These are very obviously a later-blooming variety as the flowers look strong and sturdy and show no sign of giving up their petals to the wind ... yet.


Although we may have been a day or two late with the "peak" season for Osaka, we actually very much liked the conditions at the park - thanks to the hanafubuki (flower/petal blizzard) of "snowing" petals whenever the wind blowed. You can check out what it looks and feels like in the video below:


Of course we have to admit that it's a shame that the season came and ended earlier than usual this year (blame global warming, perhaps?) as we would have loved to personally experience the entire lifecycle of the sakura opening, blooming and the petals dropping. Maybe next year? :)

Kema Sakuranomiya Park has no admission fee and is just off the JR (Japan Railways) Sakuranomiya station in Osaka.

Click here for our blog page Our Travels, bits & pieces of our life... come along! for more of our travel and bit of pieces of our life blogs. Hope this list will help out in travel plannings~

Best Prata in Singapore? Mr & Mrs Mohgan's Roti Prata in Joo Chiat

At the middle and upper end of the gastronomic spectrum, Singapore simply blows KL out of the water with its' huge variety of fine dining restaurants, celebrity chef outlets and steakhouse chains. At the lower end though Singaporean street and hawker food lags behind. In particular, we find that most Roti Canai / Prata places simply miss the mark, so we're always on the look out for good Prata places around town.

Mr & Mrs Mohgan's Roti Prata is a shop that comes extremely highly recommended in the food-o-sphere. It's said that Mr Mohgan mans the shop himself because he simply couldn't find any worker / chef who could prepare the Prata to his standards.


As is usual with Canai and Prata you get dozens of choices of what fillings to have in your Prata. Our order of two kosong (plain) and two telur (egg) comes up to SGD4.40 which is a pretty reasonable price. It's very good for Singapore standards: decently light and fluffy and not too chewy, and is fairly crispy. However if you've grown up eating in various mamaks around KL and other parts of Malaysia it'll probably rank as just 'above average.'


Sadly the restaurant is somewhat inconvenient to get to if you don't have a set of wheels, but if you're in the area and have a hankering for above average Prata then it's worth the trip!

Mr & Mrs Mohgan's Roti Prata
Poh Ho Restaurant
7 Crane Road
Singapore 429356


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KL-style Hokkien Mee at Big Eater Restaurant, Upper Changi

It's gotta be pretty confusing for a foreigner eating certain foods in Malaysia / Singapore - for example the ubiquitous Hokkien Mee. Up North in Penang, Hokkien Mee is Prawn Noodle Soup. Down South in Singapore, it's a wet-fried yellow-noodled variety. And in KL, Hokkien Mee is 1cm thick noodles with what seems like a bottle of black sauce in each serving.


Big Eater Restaurant in Upper Changi serves up the KL variety down South in Singapore, and I have to say it's pretty good. The noodles are perhaps a tad bit on the soft side (I prefer it a little firmer), but there's good flavor in the sauce (and not to mention a liberal helping of fried pork fat).


Sambal Fried Rice is decent, with a nice wok hei.


We also have some Crispy Roll - prawns mixed with turnip and deep fried; goes well with mayonnaise.


I also pretty liked the steamed chicken, which is one of the dishes which I feel that Singapore generally does much better than Malaysia. Smooth skin smooth juicy meat and a nice (if a tad bit salty) sauce.


For the mandatory vegetable, we order bitter gourd and eggs. Can't comment on it though as I don't eat bitter gourd.


For about SGD12 per person, the food turns out to be pretty good value for money, and it's certainly worth the trip if you live or work around the area. Big Eater Restaurant is at 34 Jalan Pari Burong, Picardy Gardens. Non Halal.

Jalan Sultan Prawn Mee - Singapore's Best?

For someone raised on hawker food in Penang and KL, the "Singaporean versions" of dishes available in the Island Republic are often ... different. Not necessarily worse, just that they're of a different style.

Take, for example, the Prawn Mee. Malaysia's version is a lot stronger tasting, with a sweeter, more concentrated broth. One could even go as far as to say that the sambal and sugar overpowers the taste of the prawn in the soup. Singapore's version has a clearer broth that is less loaded with condiments.

As with all hawker food, there's dozens, if not hundreds, of stalls around the city, so we start off our Singapore-style Prawn Mee review with Jalan Sultan Prawn Mee - an almost permanent member of any "Top x Prawn Mee" lists.


The "base model" prawn mee is SGD5 (same price with or without pork ribs), and comes with a nice number of pretty plump and juicy prawns - as you can see, they're quite sizeable. If you're game for more prawn, though, go for the King Prawn Mee (SGD8) or Sultan Prawn Mee (SGD10). With larger prawns you sometimes run the risk of getting mushy meat; no such problems with the firm and delicious prawn meat served here.


As I mentioned earlier, the soup base is quite a bit different from the Penang style, so it's best not to make direct comparisons. Overall, there's a very good reason why this restaurant always has a steady stream of customers and closes by mid-afternoon: The prawns are big and fresh, and the soup base (although light), is tasty and has a good prawny strength to it.


Jalan Sultan Prawn Mee is not actually located anywhere near Jalan Sultan. Instead, it's right across the road from the Kallang MRT station. Take the South Exit, look towards your left, and you should just about be able to make out the signboard. Opening hours are from 8am to about 3-4pm, closed on Tuesdays. Non-halal.

Cooking Exploration ::: Crispy Salmon and Creamy Mashed Potatoes.

Watching cooking shows on the Telly can be very deceiving. The chefs make it seem like the easiest thing in the world to do, but often gloss over important details that the newbie, non-culinary-schoolgoing random Joe wouldn't automatically know. I've lost count of the number of times over the past decade that I've cooked up a dish that ended up being borderline inedible.

Practice makes perfect, though, so today I'm trying out some combined recipe from arguably two of Britain's most well-known chefs!

Heston Blumenthal is the owner of The Fat Duck - a three Michelin starred restaurant that only serves GBP180/cover tasting menus (equivalent of a degustation menu, I suppose). His mashed potato recipe involves half an hour of simmering at 72 degrees before boiling, mashing (twice) and adding butter with potato-skin-infused milk.


I didn't have a ricer, so I did the first mash with a fork before pushing them through a strainer, resulting in a recipe that works! The mash was uber creamy and delicious and totally worth the attention needed.

Moving on to Gordon Ramsay's Crispy Salmon. Ramsay shouldn't need any introduction by now - he's arguably one of the most well known TV Celebrity Chef's around now. Perhaps too well-known for some critics who'd like to see him spend less time in front of a camera and more time in his kitchens.


This turned out to be an awesome no-brainer recipe that anyone, even somebody who's never picked up a frying pan before, could pull off very easily. The results are pretty good, too! Skin of the salmon did turn out crispy as advertised.

Finally, a simple garlic-buttered Broccoli, sauteed/steamed in Olve Oil (with the lid on) over high heat.


So a nice dinner that costs about $7 per person, and tastes better than almost anything you'll get for under double that dollar amount outside the house. The tradeoff, of course, is the amount of prep work and washing up you'll need to do after :)

Incidentally, I'll be having lunch over the next two weeks at Heston and Gordon's restaurants. Couldn't get reservations for their flagship places though, so we'll have to settle for Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and Petrus. Stay tuned for the reviews!