Bukit Merah View Carrot Cake: The Last Bastion of Tradition!

I never thought I would still be able to eat a REAL Chai Tau Kway (Carrot Cake) in our day and age. There are of course more and more hawkers who are trying to differentiate themselves by steaming their own carrot cakes instead of buying them from the suppliers. But most of these hawkers make their carrot cake from rice flour. What I mean by REAL Chai Tau Kway is when they actually mill the rice themselves to make the Chai Tau Kway.


Automated Stone Mill

This 60 year old stall in Bukit Merah View Food Centre is probably the last of its kind in Singapore. In the good old days (I am told, 'cos the good old days was before I was born), stone mills were a commoner sight. They were used for milling all types of grains from soybeans to make soybean milk, to peanuts to make peanut paste and of course broken rice to make carrot cake. Then of course the factories came into the scene and most of the work of milling was subsequently outsourced.


Broken Rice to be milled to make carrot cake

While we were filming for Buzzing Cashier last year for the episode on Carrot Cake, I had the chance to chat with Chef William Soh of Copthorne King's Hotel. Chef William was the principal chef resposible for helping transform the Carrot Cake stall in Pasir Ris. He taught the stall holders how to steam their own carrot cake. It turns out that he was the ideal man for the job because his family were carrot cake sellers. Chef William was telling me all about how they used to mill broken rice to make carrot cake. I never thought that I would ever get the chance to eat this type of carrot cake at the time!

This stall is run by three brothers. One brother takes the morning shift, one takes the evening shift and the youngest one makes the carrot cake. What they do is to mill the broken rice down to a watery solution. Then hot water is added which cooks the starch, turning it into a paste. Carrots and radishes are then added, poured into a round tray and steamed for four hours! That is quite a lot of work and I am amazed that the brothers are still doing it! Best of all one plate of Chai Tau Kway is still only $2.50!



Ok so how does homemade carrot cake taste like? Well, I think the texture is very good. It is soft but not mushy. I must admit that tastewise it is almost the same as some of the other carrot cake stalls since most of the taste comes from the fish sauce, eggs and chai poh anyway.

The stall owners told me that the original Carrot Cake was black not white, which came as quite a surprise to me. Again in the good old days, the typical carrot cake came in big chunks fried simply in sweet black sauce. There was no chye poh or eggs even. Over the last fifty years it slowly evolved to the black and white versions that we have today.

Their style of carrot cake is crispy and chunky as you can see from the photos. Since you make so much effort to make the carrot cake, it would really be a waste to chop it into tiny pieces where you can't appreciate the texture. Both white and black were excellent but if I were to choose one, I would go for their black version. Actually it is hard to pick, so if I would bother to go all the way there, I would probably order both and tarpau the leftover! So for me the Black edges the White 4.6/5 to 4.5/5.


Carrot Cake was traditionally wrapped in these leaves!

I salute the brothers for their passion in keeping our carrot cake tradition going! They even go to the extent of getting these leaves to pack their carrot cake! As I said, the good old days were before my time, so I don't remember seeing these as a kid. But I am sure some of our more matured readers would remember this leaf! I was told that their carrot cake would taste even better if it was packed home and eaten a few hours later, and the best way is to simply microwave it. The youngest brother who makes the carrot cake is proud of the fact that their carrot cake retains its texture even overnight unlike the factory made ones.


Second brother - morning shift

Conclusion

What can I say? If you are a foodie like me, wouldn't you head down to this stall to see what REAL carrot cake tastes like?

Bukit Merah View Carrot Cake
Bukit Merah View FC
Blk 115 Bukit Merah View
#01-279
7am to 2pm, 6pm to 1am daily
Thanks to chaozhouzi for recommending this stall!

Goducate: Go and Educate the Children! Our community project for 2010

The ieatishootipost community has always tried to support a charity since the blog started in 2006. Everyone has a soft spot for certain communities and mine has always been for kids, and in particular, needy kids in the developing countries around us.

When I was living in Bangkok, I had the opportunity to visit the refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border as well as some orphanages in Bangkok and ChiangMai. That really changed the way I think about life. We are so blessed in Singapore that we can sometimes be oblivious to what is happening outside our shores. Orphanages are a reality in most countries, but in Singapore, it is actually difficult to find one. This is testament to a good system of governance and something we all should be proud and grateful for.

Last year, I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting with Dr Paul Choo, a doctor, retired pastor and founder of Goducate.org. I was touched and inspired by the work that Dr Paul is doing in the poorest communities in our region. Goducate was set up as a Non-Profit Organization to provide free education to the poorest communities in the countries around us.

In Singapore, we often take education for granted. Access to education is the foundation on which any society is built and all it takes is one generation of kids who have been properly educated to transform a whole community. This fact was so evident when Cactuskit and I visited Goducate's work in Sandakan, Sabah, just before the Chinese New Year.

Photos by ieat and Cactuskit

Sandakan is the second largest city in Sabah (Kota Kinabalu is the largest) and is famous for two things. Firstly, people travel there for its cheap and fresh Seafood (a big incentive for us) and secondly, it is home to a world famous Orang Utan rehabilitation centre. (for people with Orang Utah addiction). What might not be so well known is that in addition to its declared population of around 250,000, there is another community of "stateless" people who have crossed from the Southern Philippines into Sabah to escape the ravages of the Abu Sayaf. This migration had in fact started from the 60's when they crossed over to Sabah to find work during the Marcos' era. Now, it is estimated that there are almost 1 million of these illegal immigrants in Sabah.

Over the last 50 years, generations of these Philippino kids have been born and grown up in Sabah. Many of these kids are "stateless" since they are not recognized by both Malaysia nor the Philippines. They aren't even granted "refugee" status, so at present there are no NGOs there. Most of the men would eventually find work in oil palm plantations and would leave the family for 6 months at a stretch. The women would try to find work as domestic helpers or other menial jobs. The kids do not have access to education and if they try to venture out of the slums into the city, they might get caught and face deportation. So they spend most of their days wondering aimlessly in the kampungs.



Here is where some of the problems that we face today with terrorism and other vices lie. These kids can either end up being a useful member of society or people who create jobs for the police and anti-terrorism squads. We are told that the Abu Sayyaf would often cross over to Sabah to recruit these kids to join the insurgency. It is a good thing that Sabah does not have a sex industry or the girls would also be dragged into prostitution.

The work of Goducate has already been ongoing for over a year and when we visited the first village, we were amazed at how well organized the village was. What they have done over the year was to start classes in the kampung by training some of the more educated mothers to become teachers. When we entered the kampung, school was in session and we could see hundreds of kids cramped into kampung houses learning to read and write. You can tell from their faces that they were happy to be in school even when conditions are less than ideal. It is as if they knew that learning to read and write would give them a fighting chance to leave the kampung and live as normal citizens.



So why do we need to help?

This is perhaps the most fundamental question for all of us. Why care about kids in countries far away? Afterall, we were not responsible for their plight, so why help?

Well, I think the best reason is that by helping them, we help ourselves. Firstly, because I believe that every one of us has been given the ability to show compassion and as we help others, we exercise that ability and in doing so, we realise our humanity. In other words, when we help others we feel a sense of joy and satisfaction which is what makes us human. The second reason is perhaps more practical and is based on the principal that when we help our neighbours, we are actually benefitting ourselves in the long run.

In the US, astute corn farmers with the best crops would often give the seeds of their prized corn to their neighbours. When I first read about this, I felt it was incredulous that these farmers would do such a thing since they are just creating more competition for themselves. However, there is a good reason for this.

The corn in their own corn fields are being cross pollinated by the corn from their neighbours fields. So by making sure that their neighbours have good corn, they are ensuring that their own corn are being pollinated by the same genes. So in the same way, by helping our neighbours, we are in a sense ensuring our own safety and security by ensuring that these kids turn out to be useful citizens rather than potential terrorists.



The lady you see in the photo giving the keys to the van is Cecelia Tan who recounted how as a child her parents were too poor to send her to school. She cried and cried until eventually one of her relatives undertook to finance her education. She eventually graduated as a pharmacist and is now the Chairperson of MHC Asia Pte Ltd. It was so apt that she was there to present the keys to a new Goducate van which her company sponsored.


Our Community Project for 2010

I thought one of the things we could do together as a community this year is to raise $20K to sponsor a van. We can do this through many ways. The easiest is for you to make a direct donation to Goducate.org and put it under "ieatishootipost". This money will then go into the ieat Van fund. We will be also organizing special fund raising makan sessions this year and sell ieat T shirts and the upcoming ieatishootipost book to raise money. We are also planning voluntourism trips to Sandakan this year, so you can also get involved. If you feel that you can contribute by doing a short term teaching stint or providing other forms of support, do let us know. Please write to me at leslie.tay@gmail.com and I will let you know the details of how you can help.

If you would like to find out more about Goducate.org and read other stories of our trip to Sandakan, do log in to their website at www.goducate.org.

Postscript:

The seafood in Sandakan is cheap and really good! Because Sabah's population is mainly Hakka and Cantonese people, their cuisine is very much like our own Cze Char but with a few twists. Coupled with really cheap and fresh seafood, Sandakan is poised to be the next seafood destination for Singaporeans when Air Asia introduces their direct flights there soon.

So look out for the upcoming posts on what to eat in Sandakan!


Update: 28 June 2010

Many thanks to MHC Asia Pte Ltd who have pledged to match us dollar for dollar for the ieatishootipost van!  You can visit the MHC Asia Pte Ltd site at www.mhcasia.com.

If you wish to get more information on how to contribute to the ieatishootipost van, please click here.
More information on Goducate is available at www.goducate.org

Tiong Bahru Fishballs: Fishball here, Fish cake there!

It is said that of all the major cuisines of China, Teochew food is probably the most suitable for the Japanese palate. The emphasis on freshness of seafood and the use of simple flavours to highlight the original flavour of the produce is very similar.

When I was at Tsukiji market last year, I realise that both cultures also have a strong fishcake culture. When you are in Japan you can find places serving just deep fried fish cakes of many different flavours. I guess fishcakes are just a natural result of having bountiful seafood.

Fishcake is basically minced fish meat which has been pounded till the proteins strands have unraveled so that it becomes springy. This is true of all proteins, whether its fish, pork, beef or chicken. With fishballs, what they do is to scrape the meat off the fish first to make a fish paste. Then salt and seasoning is added. The inferior fish balls would have flour added but of course this uncle here claims that theirs is made from only fish meat without the addition of flour. After that, it is a matter of "beating" the meat which basically means that the meat is thrown against a solid surface many times until the paste attains that springy texture.



Once you have this basic fish paste, you can then shape it into balls to make fishballs or into a number of different shapes. Add a bit of five spice powder and wrap it in bean curd skin and you get Ngor Hiang. Wrap it in some seaweed and it becomes another item.



The owner here, Mr Loh has been selling his fishballs here since 1962. He tells me that the price of fish keeps going up and so it is a challenge to keep producing quality fish paste nowadays compared to the good old days when good quality fish was fresh and cheap.

There are essentially two types of fish used in Singapore to make fishballs. The Teochews regard Ikan Parang or Sai Tor Her (Wolf Herring) to be the best choice for making fishballs. This fish has many bones, so to extract the meat, a spoon is used to carve the meat off the fish. The other fish which is commonly used is Yellowtail. The uncle here of course proudly declares that they only use Sai Tor Her here as any proud Teochew Ah Chek would.

To be quite honest, I feel that the Japanese produce fishcakes that are much more tasty than ours. I am not sure if it is because we don't have as great a supply of fish as they do. I wonder if the fishballs and fishcakes in Swatow would be a lot better than they are here. As far as local fish balls are concerned, they texture of the fishballs here are excellent. Tastewise, they are good but I feel that they can be better. 4.25/5

Conclusion

It took me over three years to blog about the first fishball/fishcake stall. Are there other notable ones that should be blogged?

Postscript:

This is quite an interesting video showing the making of fishballs in Swatow!



Tiong Bahru Fishball
Tiong Bahru Market
30 Seng Poh Road
Stall #02-20
Open 7am to 10pm daily
96362500

Best of the Best Chicken Rice! The Nomination round is open!

The nomination round for the Best of the Best Chicken Rice in Singapore is opened!

This one is going to be a tough one I think, but we will try to see if there is one Chicken Rice in Singapore which has taken over the throne from the legendary Swee Kee Chicken Rice.

There are many Chicken Rice stalls in Singapore, so I expect that we would probably end up with at least 5 to 10 nominees.

So if you have a favourite Chicken Rice place, do write in and nominate them as the Best of the Best Chicken Rice in Singapore!

Wanton Noodles: Pig Armpit at last!

My first blog post on this stall was way back in 2006. I went to the stall to try the famous pig armpit Charsiew but was too late and was given their grade B Charsiew instead. I vowed that I shall return for the pig armpit Charsiew one day....

Three years and 1000 posts later, here it is! I finally got a whiff of the pig armpits!

If you are the type that always laments that the Charsiew that accompanies your wanton mee is often an afterthought rather than the main event, then this is the one place you would want to visit for your next wanton mee outing.



I think the photos convey the emotion I felt when I first saw laid eyes on the Charsiew. Perfectly caramelised with the fat just waiting to dissolve the instant it comes into contact with your tongue. Why, oh why do I have to worry about cholesterol levels? 4.5/5

The noodles are of the Hong Kong style. Both the sauce and the noodles are good but they are the backup singers for this Soprano. Alas, I still can't find the three tenors of wanton mee where noodles, wanton and charsiew are all equally outstanding!

Conclusion

If you are willing to brave the long queues, you would be rewarded with a very nice plate of wanton mee where you can really savour the Charsiew. Just be forewarned that the pig's armpit sells out sooner than the normal charsiew, so you might want to get there early to avoid disappointment.

Wanton Noodle
Tiong Bahru Market Stall 02-30
10.30am - around 3pm when Char Siew is sold out
Closed Fridays

Video Blog: ieat learns to make a heart shaped scrambled eggs dish just in time for Valentine's Day!

If you are wondering what you can do for your beloved this Valentine's Day, may I suggest breakfast in bed with truffle mayonnaise scrambled eggs!

We have divided the video into two parts. For those who are already struggling with cracking an egg properly, the video above is for you. But if you want to do something really special, you can add on Chef Tim's truffle mayonnaise as shown in the video below! Then you are almost guaranteed to make that very special person swoon!



All the best with your scrambled eggs with truffle mayonnaise!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day and a prosperous Chinese New Year!

You can watch the rest of the ieat videos here

Nam Sing is the Best of the Best Hokkien Mee!

Hokkien Mee Man from Nam Sing

Well it was a real close fight between Nam Sing and Geylang Lor 29) but in the end Nam Sing (32.3%) still beats Geylang Lor 29 (29.2%) by a mere 3.1%. There were 909 votes, so that translates to only 28 people.

If we were to be pedantic, we could calculate the stats to see if this difference is significant. But since one of the reasons I chose medicine is because I don't like stats, I am just going to crown Nam Sing the Best of the Best Hokkien Mee in Singapore.

Since Nam Sing's Hokkien mee is the thin bee hoon dry type whilest Geylang Lor 29 is the thick bee hoon thick and gooey type, another thing that we can also gather from the poll is that more foodies prefer the thin bee hoon style hokkien mee. Then again maybe not, since the Hokkien Mee in 3rd place, Tian Tian Lai scored a pretty strong 20.1% of the votes. So if you put Tian Tian and Geylang together, there would be more people who prefer the wet type of Hokkien Mee.

Perhaps our resident statisticians can help shed some light on how to interpret the results?

Teo Heng Teochew Porridge: Is this Singapore's oldest Hawker?

Stewed Cabbage - Simple Teochew Food

Teo Heng Teochew Porridge is a favourite amongst Teochew Porridge fans and this venerable stall at the Hong Lim Food Centre is always packed from the time they start selling at 7am till they run out of fish at around 1 to 2pm. Ask a handful of people where to eat the best Teochew Porridge in Singapore and most of them will point you to this particular stall.

Ushering in the Year of the Tiger: Hong Kong - Singapore Style

Fa Cai Yu Sheng from $18

It is the time of the year when it is ok to throw food around a make a big mess all in the name of prosperity!

Yu Sheng is so popular that even our friends at Cafe de Hong Kong are selling it though it is really a Singapore dish which you don't see this in Hong Kong. Once upon a time, raw fish was something that is not very common. You pretty much only get to eat Ikan Parang (Wolf Herring) which is what they used in Yu Sheng. But since the introduction of the Sushi culture and the availabililty of Salmon, you seldom get to see Ikan Parang nowadays as everyone has switched to using Salmon instead.

Anyway, I am sure you would agree with me that eating Yu Sheng is more about the celebration of togetherness rather than for the taste. The few slivers of fish in the dish is hardly enough for anyone to really savour the fish. The most enjoyable bits are usually the fact that you get to shout "Lou Ah! Lou Ah!" and enjoy the togetherness while munching on the crunchy crackers covered with the sweet sauce and dried fruits.

I know a lot of people try to make Yu Sheng at home, but what most people lack is the special radish and carrot shredder that makes those nice long noodle like strips. I managed to pick up a Japanese made slicer from Sia Huat, so this year I will be eating lots of Yu Sheng at home!

But if you are too lazy to do this at home, then one place where you can get a good Yu Sheng is at Cafe de Hong Kong. We found that all the ingredients are very nicely balanced which really is the key to a great Yu Sheng. Also the sourcing of the dried ingredients and the sauce is very important. Cafe de Hong Kong has their own recipe for the sauce which is made from a blend of plum, pineapple, orange and apple sauces which was excellent. Apart from that, their dried ingredients have also been very carefully sourced from different suppliers so that you can be assured of a really good plate of Yu Sheng. 4.25/5



Lup Mei Fan

One of the things that I really enjoy eating at Cafe de Hong Kong is the Lup Mei Fan. This is basically their Hong Kong Style Claypot Rice which is topped with their homemade gourmet Lup Cheong (Chinese Sausages), wax duck, preseved pork belly etc.



The main ingredient for the Lup Mei fan is this lucious Lup Cheong which Cafe de Hong Kong uses. They specially source their Lup Cheong from a Chef from Hong Kong who travels to Singapore before Chinese New Year to specially make the Lup Cheong. The Lup Cheong is so fragrant that you only have to hold it in your hand and have a sniff to know that it's going to be good. A lot of our kakis are also raving about the Pork Liver Lup Cheong which is also available. These preserved meats are on sale during the Chinese New Year period and are priced at $32 per 600g (1 kati). 4.5/5



Eating Pen Chai for Chinese New Year seems to be a recent phenomenon as I can't remember eating this as a kid. Pen Chai is a Hong Kong dish which is usually served at events where there are lots of people to feed. Essentially it is a braised dish made up of all the good stuff like dried scallop, mushrooms, abalone, seafood etc. The one at Cafe de Hong Kong also has stewed Goose web which were excellent. Overall, the kakis all agreed that the Pen Chai here was very good. I haven't eaten enough of this to be able to compare it with others but it was very tasty and really makes you want to eat more rice. 4.25/5


Conclusion

Good place to consider for a reasonably priced Hong Kong-Singapore style Chinese New Year feast!

The Pen Chai start from $188 for 6 persons and is available for take away together with the claypot. Do check out their Chinese New Year set menus at www.cafedehongkong.com.

Cafe de Hong Kong
586 Balestier Road
#01-01 Eastpac Building
S329898
62553865
jkcintl@yahoo.com.sg
11.30am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 12mn
Closed on Mon (except on PH)

Lee Kheong Roasted Delicacy; Char Siew to Rival KL

Now that is what I call 5 flower pork! (Wu Hwa Rou)

Fatty Cheong's Charsiew has remained almost unchallenged since I blogged about him in the early days of the blog. We did come across one Char Siew that was even more "Tok Kong" (superlative) but that was Ming Kee which is in Kuala Lumpur.

Now our makan kaki, Liverpool has just recommended a stall to us which might just rival Fatty Cheong. Actually, he did not actually recommend the Char Siew. Instead he was telling us about their heavenly Sio Bak which has that melt in your mouth quality about it. But as luck would have it, we went on a day when the Sio Bak was just about to run out. So, we discovered their Char Siew instead.

The photos would tell you what I cannot describe in words. The Char Siew was so good it made me made me close my eyes to fully concentrate on the sweet savoury aroma of the pork. At one stage the kakis were even discussing if it could even be better than Ming Kee! 4.75/5



Their Sio Bak was very good but not what we were expecting based on Liverpool's glowing review. However, as I alluded to earlier, we had gone on a day when the Sio Bak had just about run out, so we did not get the best piece. It was still very good but we just have to come back to try it again another day to get a more accurate picture. 4.25/5

Conclusion

One of the best Charsiews I have tasted in Singapore. The Sio Bak that day was not that great but I think it is because we went late. I will definitely return another day to try it.

Lee Kheong Roasted Delicacy
Blk 32 New Market People's Park #01-1040
Singapore 050032
93804854 (William)
10am to 4pm (Closed Tues)

Shabu Shabu Gen: There's Wagyu and then there's Wagyu

Joshu Wagyu Sirloin $175 per 150g

Wagyu was once a luxury only available to the very well heeled. Now, it has become something that even aunties talk about in Teochew. I was amazed to find it being sold at heartland supermarkets like the NTUC at Bishan where I sometimes buy my beef. In fact, the Japanese style Shabu Shabu beef has almost completely re-defined the way we eat our steamboats nowadays. In the past we used to have strips of beef which we place in the net to cook in the steamboat. Nowadays, everyone is dipping thinly sliced beef into the hotpot, Shabu Shabu style.

We have the clever cattle ranchers in the US and Austrlia to thank for making Wagyu a household name. With Wagyu now available for less than $80 per kg in some places, you might be wondering why a restaurant like Shabu Shabu Gen can sell a 150g plate of Wagyu slices for $175? Afterall, they don't even need to cook the beef for you!

Well, the plain and simple answer is that there is Wagyu and then there is real Japanese Wagyu. Real Wagyu must be raised in Japan by Japanese farmers. Wagyu raised in the US and Australia is like Hokkien Mee fried in New York by an American, it somehow just lacks that something.

The Japanese are meticulous about raising their cattle. They are fed okara (the by product of tofu making process) and Japanese grain and the farmers look after them like they are part of the family. The cows are lovingly stroked and massage with sake and they are kept as stress free as possible. Somehow I just cannot imagine a straw chewing cowboy doing that.

Even in Japan, there are many grades of Wagyu. There is a very very exclusive beef called Mishima Gyu which is only accessible to the people whom the rich people call rich. I first heard of Mishima Beef while watching "Iron Chef - Mishima Beef Battle". Only 20 heads of Mishima Cattle are available every year and I can only hope to watch another documentary on it as I don't think I would ever get to even smell it.


Chart Showing Beef Marbling Grades

Last year AVA lifted the ban on Japanese beef and so the beautiful "snow frosted" (jap. shimofuri ) Japanese Wagyu is now available in Singapore. So it may be useful to know a little about how the Japanese grade their beef.

You have probably already heard of A5 and A4 Wagyu. The 'A' refers to the yield score which essentially means the percentage of the carcass that can be used for meat. The meat is graded A if the yield rate is above 72%.

The number after the 'A' is an overall score based several factors including marbling, colour and quality of the meat as well as the texture and the colour and quality of the fat. To score a grade 5 overall, the beef must score highly in each of the different components. The marbling component consists of 12 grades. In order to qualify for A5 grade, you need a Beef Marbling score of between 8 to 12. So when you look at the menu at Shabu Shabu Gen, you will note that they tell you that they only use A4 and A5 beef and that they have a marbling score of 8+. They even tell you the region of Japan where the beef comes from.

You can click here for more info on the Japanese Grading System.


Copper hotpot with premium Goma and Ponzu sauce

So now that you have a plate of the very best beef in the world. It is important that you give due respect to the cow by eating it in the right manner. The Japanese are a very ritualistic about how Shabu Shabu is enjoyed.

I remember the first time I ate Shabu Shabu. I ate it in the style I was accustomed to and started piling all the ingredients into the soup and drinking the soup along the way. But that is not how the Japanese do it. The meat has been so tenderly cared for that the first thing you should do is to eat it as simply as possible. The thin slice of Beef should only be blanched in the hot water for 3 to 4 seconds. Sumosumo was the first to tell me that in Japan, they would swirl the beef into the water to and fro twice, each time repeating the phrase "Shabu.... Shabu....". After that it is ready to be popped into your mouth to be savoured.

After having a few slices of meat, then all the vegetables get dumped into the soup. In Japan, no one would drink the soup until the end of the meal. The final course is either a bowl of rice or some noodles which would be cooked in the soup and served. Needless to say, this was one of the best Shabu Shabu experiences I have ever had. 4.75/5


Kagoshima Kurobuta Loin $75 per plate

Aside from Japanese Beef, Shabu Shabu Gen also sources top grade Kurobuta Pork which are also some of the best Kurobuta I have eaten. The Goma sauce was an excellent accompaniment to the pork and I was told that the owner of the company who supplies the Goma sauce had to personally come inspect the restaurant before giving approval to supply to the restaurant!

Conclusion

This is probably as close as it gets to a Wagyu Shrine in Singapore. As you walk in, look straight ahead and you can see an "Altar" where the beef is displayed and "Sacrificed". The Japanese do have a knack of creating a product that might be 5 times the price of the "normal stuff" but which people are still willing to pay because of the quality.

Postscript:

Amazingly, I managed to find this very informative video on Wagyu that even features the Joshu Wagyu from Gunma prefecture which is exactly where my particular plate of Wagyu Beef came from. The program also featured a Wagyu Restaurant where you get to eat Wagyu done in many different ways plus some simple recipes to cook Wagyu at home. Definitely worth watching!



Shabu Shabu Gen
#02-13 Shaw Centre,
1 Scotts Rd
Tel: 6836 5155
This was an invited review

Zento: Create a Sushi Roll Contest happening at our Facebook Page!

I have been busy thinking of all sorts of fun things to do over at our Facebook fanpage and here is my latest idea.

As a blogger I sometimes get to do fun things like designing a new item for restaurants, like the ieat Superburger for example, which is now a standard item in Astons restaurants.

So if you are like me, who sometimes daydream about what you would really like eat which is still not available at any restaurant you know, now is your chance to make that creation a reality.

Our friends at Zento are hosting a Sushi Roll design contest to ask our readers to create a new sushi roll which will be featured on their next menu. The Winner will be invited to a Dinner for Two to dine on his/her creation as well as to sample the other dishes at Zento.

To join the contest, visit our facebook fan page at: www.facebook.com/ieatishootipost and describe the Sushi Roll of your dreams! More details on the fanpage wall.

Click here for my blog post on Zento.

Prime Prata: My Idea of the Perfect Breakfast

This Stall has changed Hands!

There are a few things I love to eat for breakfast and this is definitely one of them. Readers who have been following me on Twitter would know that for the last few Sundays I have been twittering about this particular Prata place which I just discovered that is a mere five minute walk from my place. Happiness is to be able to take a stroll down to the prata stall, order your prata kosong and teh tarik and sit down with the Sunday papers with the kids fighting over the comics page.

I have eaten better pratas elsewhere, but the fact is that this one has just the right combination of quality, convenience and comfort such that I have adopted it as my favourite prata shop.

The prata is fluffy on the inside, crisp on the outside and very nicely flavoured such that is doesn't have that overbearing margarine taste. It would have been better if they were just a little bigger and made with a bit of ghee, but the standard is higher than a lot of other pratas out there. The great thing about the place is that they provide dhal (chickpea curry) which is very good, as well as fish or chicken curry, all of which are very good. The curry is not the watery makeshift type that some stalls dish out as an afterthought. I had it four times over the last month, so that is how much I enjoy it. 4.5/5



Talking about this special species of men called the Prata Man, I remember by Aunt telling me that in the good old days, these guys would oil their hairy arms and flap the pratas over their forearms like a french waiter with his towel. I have never seen this before and I think my Aunt must have seen this happening though eyes of paranoia. She told me that she never ate prata for the rest of her life because of the fact that her prata was garnished with curly hair!

Anyway, you all know that there is always this constant debate about Malaysian Roti Canai and Singapore Roti Prata right? The fact of the matter is that this particular Prata Man is from Malaysia and used to sell his prata there before a Singaporean partner (Chinese kopitiam owner next door) brought him over to sell his prata here. Nothing is changed except the price. So is there really a difference between a Canai and Prata, or are the terms merely a reflection of their geographical differences?

Conclusion

It might not be the absolute best around, but it is certainly good enough for me to consider eating here instead of having to hop in the car and to go to another part of the island to get my prata fix.

Update: 13 Feb 2010

I can't believe it! I went this morning to eat my favourite Prata and found that they had changed hands! It's no longer Mr Prime Prata and the Prataman was not there!

This must be the shortest lived post ever. From what I gathered, the stall closed after barely one week after the posting. I really hope that it wasn't because of the photo of the Prataman that has been posted in the blog! Wonder if there were loan sharks after him? It's very strange because he was just telling me that he was going to remain open for Chinese New Year!

Looks like that's the end of Sunday morning jogs followed by Prata!

Mr Prime Prata
Blk 132, Lorong Ah Soo
Open 7am to 10pm daily