Of artichokes and onglet and......

After being informed that the Brittany artichoke season is back again, we immediately made reservations at Le Bistrot Du Sommelier. It is also because of this very reason that we realised that the last time we had visited was almost year ago because of the artichokes that were in season. It was also an excuse also to come for their onglet which we really liked. Tender and sear crusted under their shallot and garlic confit.

This time round, we allowed ourselves to be convinced of their joue de boeuf which was slow cooked for 18-24 hours with red wine. The meat was nothing less than fork tender. Dessert was preserved plums in Armagnac and vanilla ice cream. It was something that subtly grew on us as we ate.

A wagyu hamburg steak with penne from Miàn (面)

I was craving some hamburg steak recently. By some chance when I ended up at Salut Kopitiam and saw that Miàn (Blk 119, Bukit Merah Lane 1) had some weekly special on the board which involved a wagyu patty and shallot fried penne, I basically changed my mind from trying their ramen burgers to that. The ramen burgers, will have to wait for another time.

I quite liked this. The meat was dense, tender and hefty for its size with flavours that were pretty beefy too. I didn't even mind the brown sauce that they were using as it didn't distract from the meat. The tangy dressing on their salad was quite nicely done too. All in all a plate of straight forward comfort food. I guess the only couple of things that I thought they could improve on was a proper seared crust on the exterior of the patty which would make the world of difference and getting the doneness at medium spot on.

Anthony Bourdain’s Theory on the Foodie Revolution

"When I grew up in the ’60s, we’d go to see a movie, then we would go to a restaurant. And we would talk about the movie we just saw. Now, you go right to dinner and you talk about the dinner you had last week and the dinner you’re going to have next week, while you’re taking pictures of the dinner you’re having now."

Full article 

Fu Xiang Chicken Rice : Boiled Edition

Here's me cutting back on the roasted pork and sticking to all things chicken in this plate from Fu Xiang which I mentioned wanting to try. I can't say that I've got how they've done their birds all figured out, but I think I like their roasted chicken better. The skin for this boiled one was a little thicker and just didn't quite work out for me. That's not to say that I won't change my mind about it with a better experience in the future though.

Mr Teh Tarik, Ang Mo Kio Ave. 5

This place sure brought back memories because an old friend used to live in the vicinity and also that, this was where Small Potatoes first started! To add on to the trivia when Botak Jones ended their tenantship (is that a word?), Charco's the Flaming Chicken took over. Though I do seem to recall that they had also left at some point as well, Charco's is easily and oddly, tops in page viewership on this blog. I know because Google says so and I didnt think they would lie about it. So I haven't been back here for a really long while and behold, it's Mr Teh Tarik (608 Ang Mo Kio Ave 5, #01-2771) today. A name that I remember from getting teh tarik at the outlet at Far East Square. This was however, a Muslim coffeeshop.

I hadn't a chance to explore much in this first visit, but I really dug the sup ikan stall which served a generous portion of piping hot fish soup prepared with an unabashedly generous dash of Carnation milk soul. It's been a while since I've watched someone make fish soup and tell myself 'hey, this looks so street food!'. The ritual of preparation wholly lacks pretence and knowing what to expect, I thought the soup rocked. The sliced ikan tenggiri was fresh and even the fried fish tasted good. Healthy eating as locals would consider it with a decent obligatory greens of crunchy sambal kangkong from the seafood tze char stall. Washed down with none other than teh tarik.

Kopi gu you (coffee with butter)

This is local coffee, not a fancy roast. But it's pretty decent local coffee. And then a slice cold butter melting in it. I've been wanting to try this for some time since I've heard of it some years back. Recently, I came across its mention again and that was pretty much what prompted me to seek out a cuppa. Apparently, this coffee with butter used to be a rather popular beverage back in the day. It's not seen commonly these days and Heap Seng Leong (10 North Bridge Road, #01-5109) is one time capsule of a local coffeeshop that still serves them. How did it taste? The buttery flavour was actually quite mild, but it did make the coffee noticeably smoother which I believe is the appeal. Sitting in this coffeeshop sipping one as time subtly decelerates is quite the experience by itself too.

I think I'll try making this at home.