Da Paolo Pizza Bar, Jalan Merah Saga

This "pizza bar" by Da Paolo (44 Jalan Merah Saga, tel : +65 6479 6059) has been around for a number of years and I've never been here until today. I quoted them as it's not so much a dedicated pizza place than another restaurant that serves pizza, amongst other things. Like salads and pastas and even traditionally non-Italian-ish breakfast items. I couldn't even say that I felt that they specialized in pizzas and wouldn't know any better if not for what they had named themselves. But one has to cater for variety and that's the way the market demands here.

Speaking of which, my impressions of Da Paolo was different years ago. Their restaurants were more Italian-ish, so to speak. These days, they don't seem so straightforward Italian anymore. But a wise business moves with market sentiments and adjustments to accommodate survivability are sometimes a necessary evil. And that could be a thin line to thread upon when we talk about perceptions.

So, it's a family brunch so lots to eat like a less fragmented dim sum. The salads were well, just salads. The one with berries was quite nice, but the crepe bowl was stiff and tasteless and the Gorgonzola sauce meagre. No one picked at the bowl after a first bite. Caprese came with more vegetables than necessary, but I guess it makes us fill our vegetable quotas.

The pizzas were decently made, but I don't get the sense that they're very good at it. Pizza bar? I'm generally bias when it comes to blue cheese and the Isola Verde (the one with baby spinach) agreed. The other one with truffle and mascarpone lacked a little salt? The crusts were thin but not super thin and had some chew. No issues for me with that. But I was expecting to be a bit more impressed.

Which brings us to that odd pasta from the pizza bar. That tomato cream and vodka sauce really brought back memories. I'm sure those memories can be selective or fickle at times, but I'm also pretty sure that it tasted very close to what I had the first time at their defunct Il Giardino restaurant. I liked it then and I like this now. It's rich, creamy and the flavours of the crab were in there. It's my Italian butter chicken.

Xin Mei Congee (欣美粥品), Ang Mo Kio Ave. 6

I have a little history with the chicken rice stall right next to this congee stall (#01-32, Blk 724 Ang Mo Kio Food Centre). I noticed that the chicken rice had a queue and promptly tried. I didn't think much of it. A long while later, I happened to be back here again and saw the same queue. I forgot that I didn't think much of their chicken rice and ordered it another time. The aftermath was the same. This time round, the same thing almost happened and I was fortunately reminded of the history and the déjà vu.

So it's congee today, with mixed ingredients. I took the top up option and an additional egg which ended up costing twice the price of the regular bowl. I think I like this, but it's noticeably more costly to eat nice at hawker centres these days. There was generosity with the ingredients which consisted mostly of sliced pork and some bits of fallopian tube and....I forgot what else. The dough fritters looked like they were fried upon order and that made it pretty freshly crisp. Pretty decent yu sheng to be had here as well and those chilli padi sure packed heat.

Platypus Lobster Shack, Pickering Street

It's probably not fair to make this particular comparison, but the lobster roll from Platypus Lobster Shack (3 Pickering Street, Nankin Row #01-31, tel : +65 6438 7961) doesn't stand up to the one Travis Masiero has done. Then again, this one costed about half of that.

For half the cost, we got chips from a packet on the side and rolls that were neither as well buttered nor crisp which really made a huge difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that these guys here are doing something that's much more affordable rather than the current sweet spot in pricing that the others rolling  (hah!) with. I actually liked the lemon dressing that they squeezed over their salad on the side.

Will come back another time.

Goat's brains from Azmi Restaurant

It said goat's brains on the menu and the plate did contain small chunks of stuff that looks like brains. Stir fried with eggs and nicely spiced up. The whole dish tasted eggy, savoury and spicy; actually pretty good with the chapati. There's quite a bit more things that can be had here from this shop, I'll have to come back another time. The address from what I could find mentioned either 168 Serangoon Road or 170 Norris Road. The former is more accurate and the shop is actually at the junction of both Norris and Serangoon.

Hana Hana (華花), Orchid Hotel

Yamashita Teppei seems to have done pretty well for himself. His other (actually first) restaurant Teppei is fully booked up a couple of months ahead and Hana Hana (#01-17 Orchid Hotel, 1 Tras Link, tel : +65 6222 7363) which is just next door that doesn't take reservations has a queue that stretches all the way to Keisuke's Tonkotsu King down the pavement. He's a funny guy too. More about that later.

This was omakase.

That's shoyu braised mid wings. 

Cabbage which is refillable for fibre and alleviation of guilt.

Akami, chutoro and sake harasu. The salmon belly was pretty flavourful.

Toasted edamame. It tastes almost exactly like the boiled ones. No, those burnt marks don't lend char aroma to the protected bean.

First of the skewers. There's some beef, squid, chicken parts and enoki in pork belly. All were pretty tasty.

Next came the negitoro rolls with bits of tempura batter. This was really good. I'm sure the crispy bits of batter helped some, but the chopped tuna belly was delicious. Well shoyu-ed if you know what I mean.

The first of the nibbles on sticks that was handed out through the omakase. It was a mangled grasshopper. One leg left, possibly left leg, probably dipped in tare and deep fried. It tasted like a dried shrimp if anyone's wondering.

Teppei-san introduced these as dinosaur when he served them.

Of course they are goose barnacles. This was possibly the first time eating them for me. They tasted like abalone or clams, chewy to the texture and briny in flavours. I kinda liked them.

Next handout on sticks, quail eggs.

The next batch of kushiyaki were mushrooms, wagyu of underdetermined origins (by myself) and unagi. All competently done.

And then some big assed prawns, chicken wings and thick cut pork belly with onions. I wasn't so much into the wings. The huge prawns were very nice. The char aroma got through and the flesh was sweet-ish. Pork belly was hearty.

Next sticks handout.....chicken windpipes. They're a little chewy, like tripe or intestines. Tasty.

Some chicken part I couldn't clearly identify, but I reckon it's probably thighs. There was some fat and the meat was flavourful and tender.

Clear prawn soup. This was not bad at all.

The omakase comes with rice bowls which one gets to choose from the a la carte menu. I recommend the barachirashi which rocked for me....

...over the beef bowl which I found a little too sweet for my liking. The meat was not as tender as I had been expecting too.

Those on top were deep fried rooster crowns. After all the deep frying, they tasted like crackers. It's all crispy so that's pretty much all there was to the texture. There's some of that tare sauce so it's a little sweet and savoury. Again, Teppei-san refused to say what they were and simply smiled.

These tasted like deep fried cartilage so I'm guessing that they are those.

Sawagani season must be in, so we had some of that too. 

sawagani right side up

sawagani upside down.

I had no idea what these were when it was served. Another mystery service from the kitchen. Turned out that half the spoon handouts contains edamame paste and the other half was wasabi paste disguised under a bit of edamame paste. The chef had more than a few hearty laughs over the reaction of those that picked the wasabi.

This was the last handout. We were stuffed at this point. Sliced fried potatoes from Hokkaido.

For what Hana Hana charges along with both the quantity and quality of food, it was very good value. It's little wonder why people queue for this place. There's no pretence to the offerings, just straightforward good eating which we enjoyed.

Durian sago dessert from Ah Chew

This is new from Ah Chew (181 Thomson Road, Goldhill Shopping Centre). A ball of durian pulp in durian cream with sago. Well, new to me at least since I haven't noticed it on the menu before. It's quite nice and it's here to stand in as my favourite durian dessert whenever I feel like having that durian mousse from Dessert Bowl at Serangoon Gardens.