Duxton's Mitsu Sushi Bar

Coming here for a meal is to step away- step entirely away- from the casual (and more visible) Japanese franchise eateries dotted all over town.

I've probably made mention before that I sometimes get a bit unnerved by formal, heavy interiors of (some) bars and (some) izakayas. 

Mitsu Sushi Bar, located over two floors of a shophouse somewhere on Duxton Road near to the Neil Road side, is, however, one of those places that combines the best of formal, casual, traditional and modern. 

It is a place meant for after work drinks and business entertainment where one can meet up with a friend (who works nearby) for a drink at the bar downstairs, or have a dinner with business associates in the dining area upstairs.

It is possible to think of colleagues or friends sitting side by side at the bar downstairs. 

It is also possible to think of the same colleagues having a work dinner at the table upstairs.

I'm pretty sure there have been deals talked about (and hopefully closed) in the dining area.

Because the environment of Mitsu Sushi Bar permits so.

We had an early reservation for this evening that we were there.

They were expecting us- almost as soon as we stepped through the doors they led us upstairs. 

I'd have loved to get a table right by the window but that table was a six seater or had been reserved- something- and so we were given a table close to the window, but not directly beside.

The space of Mitsu has been planned out in a very specific sort of way. 

I don't know the technical words for it, but shall we say that it offers a bit of discretion whilst not being extremely discreet?

If it sounds like an oxymoron, well, it is, but not exactly. 

Because whilst from my seat I could look out the window to Duxton Hill below, I could not see who my fellow diners were even if they were right next to me at the table beside.

The little curtains helped.

The music, too. 

You found yourself focusing on your food without any urge to turn left or right. 

Much of my attention during the meal was on my meal, except for the rare times when I found myself staring at the work of art hanging on the wall above my companion's head in front of me.

It was a very enjoyable meal we had- probably one of the slowest we've had in a long while.

There was an order of wagyu.

Soft and tender, with a hint of smoky taste on the outside, the dish came served with a little heap of crispy fried garlic which excited my companion so much we asked for more.

One thing I particularly liked about this (grilled?) filet was how it had been cut up into elongated strips, making it easy for us to pick with our chopsticks, and chew. 

It let us savor our food in a very slow, zen-like sort of way. 

You know, it was something I deeply appreciated.

Too often in life we find ourselves rushing through our meals in a functional, "lets get this over and done with" sort of way that we don't stop and savor what it is we're actually eating, what it is we're actually doing. 

The meal at Mitsu let me do this in a very natural, non-obtrusive kind of way. 

It's like we got to nibble on the meat of the tonkatsu without having to chomp through layers of breaded batter, and, like the wagyu, had been sliced into narrow thin strips which my companion and I easily divided out and ate.

We were especially delighted by just how skillfully this cutlet had been prepared. 

Many chains tend to do their tonkotsu big, which gives great value to the consumer, but then the cutlet oft ends up to be either very dry and hard, or if not, tender but with soggy batter.

There was none of that here.

The cutlet wasn't very big, but it was done in such a way that there was no taste of oil, the meat was tender and the batter, delicate and crisp on the outside, kept the pork gently warmed on the inside.

I must not be very good with my chopsticks however. 

Somehow, despite my best efforts, the batter and the meat kept falling apart. 

I would have loved it had we been able to order another piece- one really wasn't enough- but then this don arrived on our table, together with the maki below.

Okay, this is a little embarrassing, but I don't quite remember precisely what kind of don it was that we got.

I think we might have gotten salmon. 

Or maybe, salmon belly.

I'm afraid I don't particularly remember- because what charmed me most about this little square box of don was not the mains on top of it, but the bed of rice itself.

Mind, it wasn't anything special- I mean, it was just rice- but then I had a most fun time picking up grain after grain after grain with my chopsticks- all the while thinking through a (difficult) question which required a (as well as can be thought out) answer.

Maybe that's what zen-style eating does to you. 

It calms you down.

Helps you think better.

I don't know how many of the salmon belly slices I took- maybe two, maybe three- but then mindfulness had flown out the window and I was a bit distracted in that way.

Fortunately enough, the chili soft shell crab maki I remember slightly better.

The chili crab taste wasn't very, very strong- oh no- Mitsu's style is elegant that way- but I could taste the flavors of Singapore's chili crab gravy, where it blended so well with the soft shell crab within the folds of the rice that each bite made me feel like I were eating a full dish of crab- in precise, carefully calibrated, single bite size. 

Honestly, I'm now trying to remember whether or not that dribble of orange-colored sauce below is Mentaiko or chili crab. 

I think it's Mentaiko- because both of us were commenting on how surprising it was (yes, we like Mentaiko) whilst trying to swirl it all up with our chopsticks, not wanting any part of this beautifully plated dish to go to waste. :)

The Great (Coffee) Pretenders

A while ago I wrote that I tend to be a little skeptical of first time contacts who insist on having business meetings at Dempsey.

There's another group- I've since realized- whom I'm also a little skeptical of, and even though I can't say for sure whether it is true or whether it is my pure bias, I'm just going to put it down anyway.

Before I continue, however, I must make it clear that I am neither against bean nor brew nor place, and I love a good cup of coffee as much as anyone else, and at anywhere else that serves a good brew.

So it isn't that I have a beef with the person or the bean or the brew, but with the ideology that appreciators of good coffee (read: successful people) are so qualified that they deserve to have someone else pay for their choice of brew. 

I don't know where this ideology stems from. 

It certainly wasn't there when we had business meetings over a decade ago.

What changed? 

Did this ideology start growing around the same time that the start up sector picked up? 

Or was it always quietly there?

The thing that stands out about them is that they have a singular sort of pattern. 

For instance they won't suggest the coffee chains like Huggs, Joe and Dough, Starbucks or Coffee Bean. 

Instead they'll throw out a place that is oft located in such and such a place that is so indie that it is remarkably hard to find. 

Not just that, when you meet them you'll find yourself swamped with a lot of talk about their (grand) vision, their goals, their dreams, their plans, their partners, what they're doing, why they're doing what they're doing, the lifestyle that they're on a mission for, and so on. 

It's a pitch that they hope you will get on board with- and pay them for it- starting with a free ($9 worth) cup of coffee.

There will be those who'll be glad for the connection and the opportunity. 

Unfortunately for them, not me.

I'm a bit stubborn in the sense that I don't like to waste time hunting about for a cafe especially for a business meeting on a business workday.

It irritates the s*** out of me.  

I don't care what kind of coffee the place serves.

I'm there just to talk to you.

It isn't because I don't appreciate quality.

But I don't try to make you pay for it, and I don't try to upkeep an image that says I work 15 hours a day so much so that even my self indulgence (in a good cup of coffee) cannot be enjoyed separately but has to be part of my regular workday. 

(What are you working 15 hours for if you can't even make time to quietly enjoy a good cup of coffee?)

That being said, I'm less huffly with those who I think deserve more effort, money and time. 

Not, however, with everyone and anyone. 

There was this person I met who decided that we should meet at this place somewhere on Orchard Road. 

Now, I don't mind Orchard Road, but out of all the malls along the stretch, and out of all the coffee places in the malls along the same stretch, he/she would choose a place so exclusive that it took me a while before I eventually found it between a steak restaurant and a car park beside.

To be honest, the choice of place should have given me a clue, but it was our first meet and it would be terribly mean of me if I used my close-mindedness to brand a person as unproductive simply because they chose a nice, Instagrammable cafe over a regular, cookie-cutter one.

So I go for these meetings with an open mind. 

With the result that this has happened to me five times.

Let me put it this way.

It isn't that I mind paying for green shakes or good coffee. 

But... is it necessary? 

Is it necessary to (only) get work done in a cafe that sells top notch coffee, muffins, bakes, carrot shakes and green juice? 

And can we (only) have a discussion if the coffee's this and this bean and this and this brew? 

I don't know. 

That's not how it is for me

I belong to a group who won't think you any less a discerning business person if you ordered a kopi from Ya Kun or Hans or any kopitiam than if you ordered an espresso from some indie cafe in some shophouse on some enclave street.

Perhaps for some the environment is like an armor which puts them in a more combative, more business-like frame of mind.

But those from the group don't need it, and neither do I.

Those who insist on these cafes for business meetings will, of course, disagree. 

They'll tell me that a cafe is a central meeting place where people gather to connect with each other, and build meaningful interactions together.

They'll also tell me that cafe culture from the likes of (elsewhere) have been known to facilitate conversation, encourage deep thought and foster like-minded camaraderie.

Yes, I agree. 

But, again, I ask, is it really necessary? 

I can't speak for everyone- there're certainly more positive experiences out there- but I'm  afraid my time at these cafes has mostly been rather unproductive- where after an hour or so I came out not being able to pin down what exactly we had talked about, and what we could possibly together do.

It wasn't just the lack of synergy. 

It was that I couldn't tell what it was they were doing, really. 

I'm not saying this out of arrogance, or singular perspective. 

Because things- at least for some of them- have proven itself true. 

One who met me at a cafe along Jalan Besar quite claiming he/she had extensive experience with the ins and outs of certain government-related applications, but (despite knowing what we were doing) he/she couldn't find any collaborative opportunity- and we were expected to sponsor him/her with a coffee for this sharing, experience and expertise. 

The one at Orchard Road who hovered the conversation passionately between his/her advertising agency and an e-comm platform a couple of years later decided he/she would no longer be doing either and transited to an industry more dynamic instead.

Then the one who gathered the entire group together to work at cafes on Orchard Road and Tanjong Pagar informed everyone several months after that the organization or company they had all been working for and/or contributing to would be shutting down. 

I sometimes wonder what happened to all those plans.

I also sometimes wonder what happened to those who worked with him/her and whether they are still part of the same community. 

You can call me old fashioned, but here's my perspective. 

A cafe is meant to serve as an alternative environment to the office where a worker can take a breather from the stifling cubicle desk, ringing phone, cabinet and chair. 

It is meant to be a place where you can hold casual, non-committal discussions with a cup of your favorite brew without the formality of a meeting room or a boardroom. 

The base of all that is the work that needs to be done. 

If your work can't make it in an office environment with cubicles, rollabout chairs, window blinds and boring paper files, if it's not purposeful and strategic in theory and in implementation, it is not going to make it in a fancy, minimalist cafe with tiny little tables and cushioned benches for (only) two persons either.

The Edge of Bukit Merah

We used to go ABC Market and Food Center a lot. 

We also used to go to IKEA and Anchorpoint lot. 

What's funny, however, is that even though we could walk all the way this side of Jalan Bukit Merah from ABC Market to IKEA, we never crossed the road to the Alexandra Village Food Center on the other side.

It's very peculiar.

But that's  what happened. 

Only in recent years have I discovered hte popularity of Alexandra Village Food Center, and only in recent days have I had the opportunity to visit the area there. 

The bus dropped me off near the junction of Alexandra Road and Commonwealth Avenue West, sp I got a lovely view of the (old) biscuit factory, the present day steel works company, the car showrooms and the new housing blocks rising high above the (very old) Forfar block and estate. 

Here I took pictures of the buildings.... and the drain. 

I wandered inside the Alexandra-Bukit Merah estate a little bit. 

Even though I'd dropped in not too long before and back then I'd seen a little of what I wanted to see. 

But new eyes and open minds always bring new sights and I got a new appreciation of the place 

Like how these horticulture plants look so beautiful when lit in the glow of the setting sun. 

And like how even a simple car park has its own leafy charm. 

I didn't dwell long here. 

I went ahead. 

Somewhere near the vehicle entrance of the AIA Building, I found a little path that led below the highway to the Green Corridor. 

To be honest I never knew it ran alongside this building here. 

Neither did I know it ran along this side of the highway.

The Green Corridor was quietly beautiful. 

Maybe because the foliage reminded me of times past. 

Or maybe it led me to think that- at one point in time- this would have brought me far away to lands beyond this little dot of mine.

There's still a quiet charm to this place. 

And- despite the railways being replaced by a sort of asphalt running road- the space remains. 

I'm not sure whether it is felt only here or if it is felt elsewhere. 

I suppose it is a concerted effort on many fronts to keep as much of the former presence as much as possible. 

Because even an entrance into Interlace has foliage that appears to have been untouched, built around it instead.

My feet took me into Depot Road. 

The original intention was to go all the way to the other end of Depot Road (because by now I was just wandering here and there with zero plans where I wanted to go) but fortunately- I didnt.

Halfway along this tree-lined road, whilst admiring a golden retriever on his early evening walk, I noticed an entrance into (somewhere) and realized it was Gillman. 

So I turned. 

The Gillman Barracks area is a place that I've heard a lot about- but which I've never- not once- ever been. 

It's so new to me that I've no idea what sort of buildings there are, how many buildings there are, and just how large the place is.  

It's interesting what your senses tell you once you shut your eyes and open them again. 

It wasn't the history that I had walked in here to see.

Neither was it the restaurants or the art galleries. 

But- somehow- in the dusky twilight of a very hot day- I saw both- the heritage of the buildings, the galleries of the present- and now I'm curious to know what, and why...

Oscar's @ Conrad Centennial

It's been over a year since we came to Oscars at Conrad Centennial Hotel in Marina Bay.

The last time we had a (buffet) meal here was in the February of last year, close to Chinese New Year. 

We haven't been back since. 

But the food's good, there was a reasonable deal, and most importantly, we were celebrating a birthday. 

So we came. 

On other days we might have done a lunch, but this being a Sunday, it became a brunch instead. 

There's not much difference between a lunch and a brunch, I think, other than the fact that the latter has more desserts and more morning-meal type of foods. 

Strangely I didn't take notice of those. 

Maybe I was too preoccupied with the serving dishes on the buffet table.

I'm a little different from my companion who knows exactly what the appeal of the menu is. 

Oysters. 

Freshly shucked oysters. 

Doesn't matter from where they come- they can be French or somewhere else- it's a go just so long as they're big, fresh and juicy. 

I like oysters (with lemon) but I'm more varied when it comes to food at buffets. 

Like how I always take a plate of salmon sashimi but I also have to have a plate of cooked stuff at the same time.

At Oscars today I took a little bit of noodles, a little bit of chicken, some spinach with cheese, some baked salmon and a bit of tofu. 

It begets understanding why I'd choose the noodles and the chicken but I think one had a bit of Sichuan something, and the other had a bit of a Taiwanese thing. 

Unfortunately I don't remember precisely which was which, and now I'm wondering why I took the mushrooms as well. 

Between the slices of sashimi that were on the table, and the baked salmon, my companion got us each a bowl of oyakodon with foie gras. 

It sounds simple- and it is- but the chicken was tender, the egg was soft, and the rice, when eaten with the foie gras, tasted like fatty meat and rice grains mushed up and melted together.

the dish was unusual- and so good. 

I should have taken another bowl.

But we decided to go for the meats. 

Somewhere from the grilled section outside the restaurant, we brought in a few pieces of wagyu, and several sticks of satay. 

You might find it unusual as to why we come to a buffet and ordered satay.

Because it seemed fun. :)

Satay has to be one of the most fun foods when you're at a buffet. 

No one's going to say anything if you wield the stick around in the midst of conversation or dip the meat into a bowl of peanut sauce and eat it dripping into your mouth.

That's just how it is.

I found the sauce particularly good. 

It wasn't oily, it was thick and tasty, and there were lots and lots of chopped peanuts inside. 

I don't know if we took any more of the grilled meats. 

Probably not. 

By then, we were getting rather full. 

Still, we didn't want to pass on this- a sort of breaded fillet either of pork or fish with a most generous heap of bonito flakes on top.

And we didn't want to pass on this- salted egg fish skin- either. 

Let's just say the fish skin was memorable. 

I don't think we've ever had that much salted egg powder seasoning on the fish skins we've eaten thus far, and neither have we ever had such huge fish skins either. 

It was so good that we actually regretted not being able to go for more. 

To be honest I was feeling really, really, really stuffed by then. 

The culprit, I think, were the prawns. 

I shouldn't have taken them. 

But it's a habit of mine and I always find it difficult to skip out on having a couple of fresh, cold prawns with Thousand Island salad dressing dip on the side. 

Perhaps it sounds pretentious but now that I think about it, it's a pity that I took the prawns. 

I might have been able to enjoy my dessert better otherwise. 

That's not to say that I didn't love what I had. 

There was just too much for me to choose from. 

So I studied the offerings and decided on a plateful of little chocolate cakes, little cheesecakes, two scoops of strawberry ice cream, a bit of apple crumble and dainty rich-tasting chocolate tarts, finishing it all with a cup of strong latte coffee.

126 in 2022

A dim sum meal for me at 126 tends to be either a very late lunch, or an early supper.

It isn't because I don't do dim sum in the mornings. 

It's that 126 has more of a supper-ish vibe than a breakfasty vibe, and I think they know it too, because they've gone from a 24-hour to a late morning 1030 to a past midnight 3am.

It's no secret that I have a great love for dim sum. 

I've written about it long enough. 

Maybe because it's one of the foods that I can eat anywhere, anytime, and it don't have to be a table full of bamboo baskets and plates. 

It can be a single plastic bag, or a Styrofoam box for takeaway. 

I don't know if I've ever done a takeaway from 126. 

I think not.

Most of the time we eat there. 

I've got a series of pictures from previous years. 

This collection here, however, marks the first for this year. 

It's not a very big collection- we don't always order a lot when we're there, but we (more or less) know what it is we want, what it is we love, and what it is we want to have. 

Like the tubs of barley and winter melon drink with chunks of winter melon inside.

And the deep fried scallop yam puff which, I think, is probably one of several signature dishes at this dim sum place, and which- if you don't have an aversion to scallop, yam and deep fried stuff, you really must try. 

It's so good. 

The skin is crisp, the yam, warm and soft, wraps snugly the single piece of (umami-tasting) scallop inside. 

I like this dish so much that I actually get disappointed if we don't get to place an order. 

That doesn't mean that we don't have other favorites or that the other dishes aren't nice.

They are.

We love them just the same. 

My companion has a thing for the fish maw rolls. 

And we have a thing for the cheong funs and the xiao long baos. 

I find the cheong funs here cute. 

Not only do they have the options of char siew and prawn, they're smaller than your regular sized ones, the flour is thick, and the gravy is of so rich a texture you'd almost think of it as a smooth, velvety paste.

I like to slurp the gravy up with the fish maw rolls.

I also like to do the same with the siew mais. 

(Don't waste) 

But I can't do it with the xiao long baos. 

Not even with the meat.

Because in lieu of traditional bamboo baskets, 126 steams up their baos in their metal carriers with each individual bao sitting cutely and safely in its own little spoon. 

I think their timing's pretty good. 

Sure, you don't get the paus all perky and rounded like you'd get elsewhere, but the flavor's retained, and if you eat them the way I do- one small bite style- you don't have to worry about spillover. 

The spoon catches all the delish, savory soup and you can easily sip it slowly after you eat up the bao.

Holland V

I've always been a bit reluctant to come to Holland V in the afternoon. 

Maybe because the place in the daytime makes me think of a year when I didn't really like what I was doing, and yet didn't know what it was I wanted to do. 

It's funny what a place can make you think of. 

See, it would come as no surprise if a place like Holland V made you think of cafes, coffee, lunch with girlfriends, and supermarket shopping. 

Instead I think of an outfit- and it is an outfit that I (in all honesty) don't particularly like. 

I don't have very negative memories associated with the outfit. 

Just that it reflects a role that I- during that time- had, and which I- even back then- didn't aspire to be. 

Of course, Holland V in the daytime is not all entirely that singular association, nor all that singular purpose and memory. 

There have been lovely long lunches at Fosters.

There have been one or two meetings in the two-storeyed Starbucks that I used to have. 

And there have been sneaked half-hour moments of shopping at the Cold Storage during Christmas time. 

They had such lovely poinsettias right by the main door. 

And the collection of wines, chocolates, smoked meats and candy canes got me into the season without me having to get into the season all by myself. 

It's been lovely to have come here on a many a weekend. 

I've had laksa at the coffee shop.

I've climbed up the stairs to the pet store to look at puppies, bunnies and guinea pigs. 

And I've eaten egg tarts from the Tai Cheong Bakery on the very same road. 

Oddly enough I haven't been inside this shopping center much- maybe  because I went in one time- but there wasn't anything in particular that caught my eye so I never went in again. 

In recent years I've been more on the other side of Holland V though. 

There've been a couple of lunches at the Crystal Jade place right by the corner. 

There's been a mid-ride meal of waffles, caramelized bacon and scrambled eggs at Craftsmen.

And a coffee or two at the Coffee Bean there. 

There used to be a Sasa somewhere around here. 

And I think there was an Indonesian food place somewhere here too.

My memories of what Lorong Mambong used to be are a little vague- it's been too long- but I think I should be coming here to the area more often.

I'm glad of it. 

There're new memories I want to make. 

There're new things I want to see. 

Holland V might not be as much a chillout enclave to me as it might be for others, but she has her own presence, her own heritage, her own charm, and that- is what I want to see.

Perhaps I'll never be as bohemian as what they oft claim Holland V to be, but I'll make my own space here.

I'll find a time to have a meal at the hawker center here. 

And meanwhile I hope to come back to Takeshi-San izakaya for their meat platters and sushi platters soon. 

Hedgehog's (Whole) Month- or Two

Just the other day I wrote about the celebration we had on Hedgehog's birthday. 

What I didn't say then was that the celebration actually continued on for the entire month, with drinks here and there, meals here and there.

It's not our style to have a big extravangza on the actual day and be done with it. 

Rather we like quiet celebrations here and there. 

There are three traditions which we try to do year on year on year. 

One is to have a dish of noodles- doesn't matter what sort of noodles they are and what kind of noodles they are. 

One is to have a cake- usually with a bit of chocolate somewhere. 

And one is to have a bowl of glutinous rice balls in ginger soup. 

We started the third tradition about two years ago so it's considerably new, but hey, why not, when it's warm, it's comforting and ginger soup always makes for a great sweet soup to have whether on a hot day, or cold. 

There have been years when we cooked our own ramen. 

This year, however, we decided to have our dish of noodles at Kai Duck over at Ngee Ann City. 

The place being popular for Peking Duck, along with the noodles we got a dish of Peking Duck (tortillas?) and an okonomiyaki-like radish cake dish too. 

There was a day where we had rosti with sour cream over at Wild Honey. 

But because you can't just order the rosti without ordering a main, we ordered a plate of scrambled eggs with vine tomatoes and brioche bread as well. 

Of course there was the delish murtabak from Al-Azhar which we had a on a weekday. 

I cannot describe just how delish it was to have the warmth of hot, crispy, multi-fold murtabak, mutton bits and onions over my palate in every bite. 

Trust me, it was bliss eating it on a Wednesday.

One of the things we like to do on special occasions like these is to have meals that we (somehow) don't usually get to have. 

So for a Friday dinner we went to Poulet, and ordered chicken and cranberry sauce with a side of fries and a side of macaroni and cheese. 

It was, shall we say, unusual, because the charm of the chicken was really the cranberry sauce. I didn't know they had sweet ones. I thought they only had savory

All these meals were really memorable, but what topped it all off- I must admit- was the brunch we had at Conrad Centennial in Marina Bay. 

I'll write about it another time but let's just say there were a lot of (Freshly shucked) oysters, a lot of meats here and there, ice cream, and pretty little cakes which wrapped up this year's birthday.