The Parent's Birthday (Part One)

I had a plan to split the birthday celebration into two parts this year. 

The first part would take place a month prior. 

The second would take place nearer to the date itself. 

It wasn't for any particular reason. 

I just felt the inclination. 

Like this there would be two cakes. 

There would also be two presents. 

Birthday Celebration One gave us the joy of having a wonderful Lunch at home. 

There was a bowl of homecooked garlic chicken noodles served with fish balls, cuttlefish balls, beef balls, a bit of sausage, fresh tomatoes, and leaves of lettuce. 

There were also plates of foods bought from the stall downstairs. 

We had a salted fish pork patty, a triangle of omelet, braised potatoes, a piece of (very spicy) otah, and battered fried fish coated with the flavor of salted egg. 

It was all very appetizing. 

After lunch there was the opening of the card. 

There was also the presentation of the birthday present. 

Later that evening we shared a plate of hor fun- the gravy type- specially bought from the zichar stall in the coffee shop downstairs. 

The wok hei from this stall tasted particularly good. 

Along with the thick strips of hor fun, the little prawns, the pieces of pork, the fish cake, and the vegetables, we had a bowl of homemade soup filed with more lettuce, more tomatoes, more beef balls, more cuttlefish balls, more fish balls, and one specially steamed egg. 

We ate everything with our regular cups of coffee. 

Then it was time for the Cake- sponge with fruit and cream, cute little bananas, and cups of creamy warm vanilla ice cream. 

Yakiniku GO

BBQ joints are not a new thing on our shores. 

They've been around for a while- the Koreans with their Korean BBQ, the Japanese with their Yakinikus, the Thais with their dome-shaped mookatas, and the Chinese with their BBQ and hotpot combinations thrown into one.

We've got no lack of choices here. 

But there's always room for one more. 

I've been seeing them around- these smaller-scale Yakiniku places that cater very well for both the group diners, and the solo eaters. 

We paid a visit to the newly-opened Yakiniku GO outlet at Suntec City not too long ago. 

The first thing you notice about the place is how bright, structured and neat it is. 

There're no kitschy decorations, no fanciful posters on the walls, nothing (very cultural) of the sort. 

Just bright lights, neat chairs, brown tables, and cute little square shaped grills. 

Much of their menu is (of course) beef, but they have pork, vegetables and salmon too. 

We went straight for the beef. 

Four platters, two kinds. 

Don't ask me what kind of beef-  I don't know- but they were cut thin, each layer had a nice strip of fat, and all of them came drizzled with some kind of dark, sweet sauce.

I think one of the meats was a wagyu. 

It was all very good- the flame was hot, and we had a marvelous time grilling the meats in some sort of comfortable rhythm where we moved easily from the tongs to the chopsticks to the spoon.

We took turns to work the grill. 

One cooked, one ate. 

One ate, one cooked.

In front of us were the condiments. 

There was a saucer of sweet sauce with a little bit of chili. 

There was a saucer holding a cube of butter which we had ordered because butter and meat can make for an unusual combination, and we wanted to try.

At the next table, someone was waiting for their order of salmon to be cooked. 

It was interesting- here at Yakiniku GO they don't place the fish directly on the grill. Instead they serve it in a little tray like the kind used in frozen pound cakes, and you just chuck the whole tray straight onto the grill. 

There's- literally- nothing for you to do, except maybe poke some holes in the butter (already inside the tray) and rearrange the fish. 

Same thing happens when you make an order of vegetables. 

They come in the rectangular-shaped pound cake tray which you simply put on the grill, then wait for it to heat up so your butter can melt to cook your vegetables, and in the meantime you can stir the mushrooms about a little bit, or rearrange them in a neat row if you're super restless and want to kill time.

Nevertheless, whether it be grilling the meats, wrapping the meat in the lettuce, or swirling the mushrooms around in the tray to soak up the butter, having a meal at Yakiniku GO can be a really great time. 

I appreciate the variety as much as I appreciate the fact that I can have a meal here with family, friends, or all by myself. 

It doesn't feel awkward. 

Particularly since the place, the portions, and even the service have all been designed (expansion-pack) style this way. 

Matsukiya

This is the fifth time I'm trying to write about Matsukiya. 

It's frustrating that my words won't flow the way I want them to. 

I mean, how difficult can it be? 

Look at these pictures. 

Doesn't the food look good? 

Then why am I finding it hard to put into words what it was we ate that night? 

And why am I struggling to describe the dishes as they are? 

Could it be that I have little recollection of what it was we had? 

But, that's not possible. 

Because there are just some flavors you don't forget. 

Like that of the kushiyaki skewer grilled foie gras. 

And that plate of delicious omu rice. 

It is a rare day I get to have foie gras. 

Which is why that bit of rough texture (at the start) sticks in my brain so well.

I hadn't been expecting it. 

I'd thought the fatty goose liver would be only melty and soft. 

But, no, it turned out to be an explosion of textures and flavors which made an impression on me, and which I thoroughly enjoyed.

At first bite there was that bit of (startling) rough but then it gradually transformed into a soft, salty, grilled-meat type of rounded warmth which then lingered on your palate as you let the foie gras slowly disappear and melt away.  

It was good- so good- that I found myself wishing for the whole piece to myself. 

But I was here at the recommendation of my friend, and we had agreed to share. 

I'm definitely going to have my own kushiyaki grilled foie gras the next time I am there. 

I'm also going to have my own omu rice too. 

They do it very well here, by the way, taking what is (considered) a simple, non-descript, almost ordinary dish, but making it remarkable.

It could have been the texture of the Japanese pearl rice that they use (which reminded me of barley)

It could have been the flavor of the sauce. 

It could be that I got intrigued by the half-runny texture of the egg omelet wrapped like a blanket over the rice.

Or it could have been the feels that this plate gave to me overall. 

There're many offerings here at Matsukiya that I'll love to come back and try. 

Like their signature kushiyaki skewers, which, amidst all the offerings they have, include meats, vegetables and seafood. 

I didn't get a clear look of their menu, but I think I saw the shitake mushrooms, and, if I'm not wrong, they've got nice, big scallops too. 

But it wasn't just the foie gras kushiyaki that we had this evening. 

We had grilled salmon (belly?) too.

It's unfortunate, and embarrassing, that I can't seem to remember exactly how the fish tastes like, though. 

The only impression I have of it is the tender softness of the fish, and the slightly burnt, slightly crisp taste of the skin.

After eating three slices of it too... 

Nevertheless I'm thankful for these pictures that I took.

They don't look the best, they may not be the best (in terms of IG-standards and #foodporn) but they're a beautiful reminder of the meal I had at Matsukiya, and they gently speak for me all the little details that I cannot remember.