Tokyo/Kyoto Apr12 - Day 1

Arrived Haneda airport at 5am. Took airport limousine bus to Shinjuku station West Exit ~30mins. Got pretty lost in this huge station; took us a long while before we figured out the right exit (Exit B9) that wld lead to our hotel - Best Western Shinjuku. Too early to check in, so we left our luggages at the counter and went to Tsukiji Fish Market. On our previous visit we only managed to have a sushi meal but this time round we ventured further in and walked the aisles and aisles of fresh seafood on sale. This part of the market is open to public at 9am so if you're thinking of shopping, do come on time. (Fyi they now open the 5am tuna auction to a limited number of visitors only so do check their website for more details). As an avid seafood lover, this was definitely an eye-opener because of the endless variety of sea creatures on display - many of them in the most qwerky shapes and unthinkable sizes! Haven't seen so many types/grades of uni (photo below) before. Yums. Bought some sashimi, then went to a sushi shop for lunch. Will never have the patience like other tourists to queue for some of the sushi shops that offer really cheap options. Chose the one that we patronized last time (signboard says 市場 something) . Short queue but suits us fine.

Back to hotel for check-in. Decent size by Tokyo's standard. New, modern and clean. Location can be slightly better but good enough for me. Worked on the sashimi we bought at Tsukiji earlier in the morning. Caught a wink then headed out at night to walk around the vicinity. Settled for a tempura dinner but I suddenly fell very sick so couldn't enjoy at all. Pity.

Savour (food festival) Singapore 31Mar12

Hi all, because words aren't flowing freely to my mind today, I've taken the liberty to quote an introduction to the food festival from their website www.savour.sg:

"The SAVOUR concept is a first of its kind in Singapore, with a philosophy to unite the finest food and drink with a plethora of expert master classes, live demonstrations, fun workshops and culinary shopping, in an event that is accessible to all. Within one purpose-built venue, one can find an alfresco Gourmet Village teeming with award-winning restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs, a bespoke indoor Gourmet Auditorium complete with a state-of-the-art kitchen where culinary master classes are held, and a Gourmet Market that boasts an international showcase of artisan food and drink exhibitors."

Exactly what we were presented with at the event:

o   Shop for hundreds of exciting products that are not readily available in Singapore
o   FREE celebrity chef masterclasses and cooking demonstrations.
o   FREE wine tastings, activities and culinary workshops from bread making to latte art
o   15 award-winning chefs, including chefs from the world’s top 100 restaurants and Michelin-star recipients
o   50 signature dishes to sample from S$6 – S$21 

Entrance fee was S$44 for the afternoon session with S$21 worth of savour dollars (that acts like cash). Without much ado, let me introduce you to our all-time favourite: Gunther's (Singapore) cold angel hair pasta with Oscietra caviar. There he is! The dish bursts with flavour so heavenly I'm craving for it even as I type. Bought it for S$21 and realized that he's actually selling it at his restaurant for S$60! Probably bigger portion and better presentation but still, it's a steal :p

Next, Chaud Froid of Egg (translates directly to hot cold of egg) by L'Arpège (Paris) which harnessed lots of hoohaas but turned out to be the most disappointing dish and most expensive egg I've ever eaten. S$18 for that! We concluded that the hot is not hot and the cold is not cold. Soury sauce is also abit off. Thumbs downnnn :(

Most surprising dish of the day: Molecular xiao long bao by Bo Innovation (Hong Kong). See those cute little balls? Yes it's S$6 for one. Not cheap, but worth every cent. I love surprises and this made us go.."wow". Think we need to start trying molecular cuisine! The Har Mei Lo Mein (dried shrimp based) was also superb. Definitely gonna mark this restaurant on our list for the next HK trip.

Moving on to the Gourmet Market in the pit building. Had some oysters..some cheese tasting..tomato tasting..sake..wine..tea... Pretty fun. The Gourmet Pie Company offers pies with interesting flavours like chilli crab which was not bad. Can't remember the coffee company but it was good. Contemplated the Beluga Vodka & Seki Sashimi but found it too intimidating. Think about salmon sashimi soaked in vodka! Hmmm..

HK Sevens (23-26Mar12)

Hong Kong has never really been at the top of our travel destinations (since it's kinda touted as just another Singapore) but who can resist the festive HK Rugby Sevens held annually? We couldn't. So off we went on a 4D3N trip to this vibrant city. Before we talk about rugby, let's run through some of the eating places that we conquered.

I have been aggressively promoting a restaurant called Sushi One in Tsim Sha Tsui just below our hotel (stayed at Citadines Ashley btw), simply because of their 50% off sushi sashimi & other dishes after 10pm! To avoid disappoint, please arrive at 930 and start queueing. See photo to believe. Was afraid that quality & portion might be compromised due to the promotion, but boy were we pleasantly surprised. This must be the cheapest uni (or sashimi for that matter) I've ever eaten. Can't remember but it's about 10 or 20+sgd for a crate?! That's just insane. The menu is diversified, sashimi portions are big, and freshness is there. What more could we ask for? We ordered mostly premium items. But even with sake, total bill came up to be less than sgd60! Last order 1130pm. Plenty of time. I just did a check online and found they have other outlets but not sure if the same promotion stands. Do not miss =)

- Somewhere near our hotel there's this really good meat stall so we packed half a suckling pig and a fat goose leg back chez moi. Paired with red wine. Pure enjoyment.
- One morning, we went to this really traditional dim sum place (can't remb the name) but not quite a fan of it as the portions are HUGE and food's not to our taste. But interesting setting that brings you back to the old times.
- Headed to Harbour City for some window-shopping. Great view of Hong Kong's night skyline from the Star Ferry Pier/Avenue of Stars.
- Dinner at Al Mono Ristorante Italiano by the waters. Good crowd on a weekend night. A tad expensive but nice atmosphere.
- Lunch at 南海一号 (Nanhai no. 1) on level 30 of Isquare (in Tsim Sha Tsui as well). Awarded a Michelin Star recently, you can expect steeper-than-average prices. But I recommend going for their lunch menu that's extremely value-for-money. Spent arnd sgd30 per person. Superb view and good food!

Here comes the rugby at the Hong Kong Stadium. Love.The.Atmosphere. It's half rugby, half party! See the South Stand? If your com's good enough to zoom into the photo, you'll find lots of qwerky & hilarious costume-dressers. What a sight. Spot, also, some dudes balancing god knows how many beer jugs!

The real rugby action. Huge Chinese firecrackers were set off to signal the start of the exciting finals between Fiji and New Zealand. Fiji won convincingly. Nice. Ended with a very pretty display of fireworks. Wooo. We will be back.

More food coming your way. That, to us, is what HK is all about.
- Japanese BBQ at Yakiniku Gyukura (also at Isquare). Not bad but not the best. Price is a lil steep.
- You may not believe it, but we managed to bring an entire goose back to Singapore, UNCHOPPED. Yes, we hugged and lugged it all the way back! Worth every effort. Bought the prized possession from a meat stall in Happy Valley. Tops. Stuff it in a cooler bag to avoid oil leakage (get from the supermarket).
- Simple but oh-so-yummy Wan Ton Mee from around our hotel.
- Last meal at Maxim's at the airport. Shouldn't have, because the food there totally paled in comparison to what we had been eating the past few days...

HK Sevens 2013 perhaps??