Cavalock and The Mooncake Festival

It's the Mooncake Festival again! This year, no Raffles Hotel mooncakes for me. Why? Their mooncakes were alright, but all these years and a dozen (attractive) tin boxes later, it's time for change!

This year it's these mini snowskin lychee-tini and ganache mooncakes from Peony Jade. You got your liquor white choc in the middle and very, very soft snowskin to all that sweet goodness together. Yah, you do taste a teeny weeny bit of lychee flavour in there but it's only there for a second or two.

Cavalock Goes to The Kyushu Fair

With the long holiday weekend here, it sure felt like Saturday when it's actually Sunday now. Hmph, anyway was at Isetan's Kyushu Fair this morning, and here's the loot. Ahhh, my favourite sweet potato snack, can't get enough of it since that first taste in Japan. Also got a bottle of yuzu citrus drink.

More bottles of pure Japanese apple juice. I got a feeling I'll be back next weekend for more bottles before the fair ends.

Oooh, I had kurobuta (black pig) again last nite (Saturday nite). This time, it's kurobuta sukiyaki from Tonkichi at Suntec. Now, I dunno where the kurobuta I had at Tompopo was from but the one I had last nite was from Japan. Very sweet and tender but only like, six or seven slices I think. Portion was a little too small for me, was in desperate need of dessert a couple of hours later! <^;^>

Cavalock Goes Back On A Budget

Found this book at the library. Now I have no idea if I'll pop down to any of the restaurants next month but still, it was an interesting read. I definitely don't see myself eating any Japanese food there! Indian curry, fish and chips ... most probably.

Anyway, was in town this morning and early afternoon, running some errands. What used to be Pepper Lunch is now the new Tompopo joint at Takashimaya. The kurobuta (black pig) shoulder loin was pretty good. They are having an opening offer till the end of the month, that's half price off all drinks including booze.

Now at $S32.15, that wasn't exactly the cheapest solo lunch but I just felt like treating myself. Arrgggh! Feeling guilty now, I really need to keep to a budget again.

Cavalock Journeys To The East

Took a ride to the east side of the island today for lunch. Now here are two things I have absolutely no knowledge of, nor have I ever even heard of them until now.

Folks who know me, will know that I have almost zero interest in Korean stuff. Nothing personal, just never cared bout their food (tried it, didn't like it), music, drama serials or culture, even their chicks, more than half of them have had face jobs done on them, what does that tell you?

Water belly-dancing?!? Is that even possible? I'm tempted to google for images but ....nah.... I like my own mental image of it. <^;^>

Got this soon kueh, Fatt Soon Kueh, at the Bedok interchange food centre for S$2 only, it'll be tomorrow's breakfast. Tried it before and it's pretty good.

The bus ride back on Bus 32 was quite an eye-opener. Bus was real close. Normally I would be like, really pissed off. But I wasn't in a rush and it's like a scenic route for me cos I all those food and bakeries along Siglap and East Coast, they all looked new to me. Was fun, made me wanna try some of them.

Cavalock and The Indiana Jones Moment

Don't laugh now but I felt like Indy when I found this little potato masher at Meidi-Ya for only $2.70. I been looking for one for ages and all I could find were big ones costing $20 or more at those big department stores.

Solo breakfast and lunch weren't very healthy, 2 eggs a day? That can't be good.

Was supposed to meet a friend for lunch but he couldn't make it at the last minute so I dined solo at Pepper Lunch.

And what is lunch without dessert?

Cavalock and The Long-Overdue Little Indulgences

My first 'free' and 'relaxing' weekend in a looong time. Got myself the revised Space Hulk boardgame. This is the new long-awaited edition. I remember playing this game when I was a kid, I had a blast! The latest edition is now S$150 a piece and it was worth it. Managed to get in a couple of games out of it on Saturday afternoon, right after picking it up at the shop.

And a couple of little culinary indulgences over the weekend...

Spizza home delivery. Nah, too lazy to go out for dinner.

A little moscato, while catching up on all those episodes of C.S.I. Vegas.

Cavalock is Alone With G.I. Joe

Scanned the papers first thing in the morning to see if the cinemas are still screening G.I. Joe. Found a 1pm show at Great World City. Not my usual stomping ground but I'll manage. Ticket for one!

Got back home at around 4pm and started making my long-awaited French Roast Chicken bout an hour later. Here's the chicken defrosting since this morning.

Some of the ingredients, always important to get them nice and ready before you start. Didn't do that when I first started cooking/baking and made a bit of a mess of the kitchen! <^;^>

Follow the recipe and you'll get to this stage after stuffing the chicken with all those spices. The frozen chicken came without the head and feet/claws as well as a pretty clean and empty cavity (is that the right word?). So remember to get the frozen one if you are not into gutting and cleaning it yourself.

A peek into the oven. So far so good. Smells yummy too.

An hour later, and I have to admit, sometimes I even amaze myself. The chicken actually tastes great! I was afraid that if it sucked, I'll have to throw away the whole thing.

I followed the recipe pretty close, I got the grapeseed oil, the herbs, French butter etc. It's sooo easy, anyone can do it. Everything turned out alright, you got the juices from the chicken flowing all through the caramelized potatoes and the meat being so tender.

Cavalock and The Hot Chick

*Whew* the course is finally winding down and I finally have time a little breather. Hmmmm....wonder if there's anyone still reading this. <^;^>

Life as a long-haired, hippy 'hermit' was ...er...interesting..., meals were fast and furious grabs at nearby food courts (Subway's too) and entertainment came in the form of the occasional comic book from the library. I got so many movies to catch up with but think most of them are already gone from the cinemas like The Hangover.

And I also have a long overdue hot date with this chick!

Been sitting in my freezer for more than a month now and I just saw this on TV. Figured why not give it a shot, looked pretty easy. Heh, famous last words uh?

Now there's a chance that I'll be roaming through London and Edinburgh in October. First time in Britain, the closest before was a stopever at Heathrow on my way to Cannes, France.

Just wondering if anyone if its alright to bring baked stuff like mooncakes through Btitish customs? Any suggestions to, like, good bookstores? Cooking or baking goods stores? and how the hell does this VAT thing work? Really appreciate any help. Thanks man.

Cavalock and How Not To Use A Pair of Chopsticks in Japan

Not much going on right now, except me trying not to flunk my course. Hah! Saw this interesting poll at What Japan Thinks. It's about chopstick etiquette. Geez, I have to immediately say that I'm guilty of the first one. Never knew it was a no-no, I even saw more than a few Japanese men doing it.

Ranking results

Q1: Which chopstick bad manners can you just not break?

Rank	日本語	Explanation	Score
1	渡し箸	watashi bashi: Resting chopsticks sideways across the top of dishes	100
2	探り箸	saguri bashi: Stirring soup trying to find that last chunk of tofu, etc	83.1
3	突き箸・刺し箸	tsuki bashi, sashi bashi: Spearing food then eating it	79.1
4	直箸	choku bashi: Not using the serving chopsticks, but your own sticks to get food from shared plates	71.2
5	もぎ箸	mogi bashi: Sucking off grains of rice, etc, stuck to the chopsticks	65.4
6	重ね箸	kasane bashi: Eating just one dish continuously	61.9
7	持ち箸	mochi bashi: Grabbing a dish, glass, etc whilst holding chopsticks in the same hand	61.6
8	迷い箸	mayoi bashi: Hovering chopsticks over the dishes while humming and hawing about what to eat	54.4
9	受け箸	uke bashi: Holding chopsticks when asking for more rice	44.8
10	掻き箸	kaki bashi: Holding a bowl to your mouth and shovelling food in	43.0
11	舐り箸	neburi bashi: Licking your chopsticks	27.6
12	撥ね箸	hane bashi: Pushing away disliked food with chopsticks	23.8
13	寄せ箸	yose bashi: Pulling dishes closer with chopsticks	23.5
14	洗い箸	arai bashi: Washing chopsticks in soup	16.3
15	指し箸	sashi bashi: Pointing at people or things with chopsticks	15.7
16	すかし箸	sukashi bashi: Rather than turning over a fish, picking away the meat from under the bones	14.8
17	揃え箸	soroe bashi: Suddenly lunging at dishes with chopsticks ready	13.1
18	空箸	kara bashi: Picking up food but not eating it	8.7
19	移り箸・渡り箸	utsuri bashi, watari bashi: Aiming to pick up one dish, but then suddenly switching to another	8.7
20	涙箸	namida bashi: Allowing tears of soup to drip from your chopsticks	7.8

Cavalock and The Amazing JR Yamanote Line

Managed to hand in an assignment today so it's time for a quick R&R and a short post. Yup, still no time for a meal that's worth talking about. So I figured it's been awhile since I posted anything about my other loves. And we all know that means a Tokyo stopover!

Besides the great food and easy-to-get porn, another of my things about Tokyo is the JR Yamanote Line. The loop train service that takes you to all the best places in the city. I luv it so much I bought a JR train piggy bank on my last trip!

Been dropping dollar or 50-cent coins. Cool part is headlights go on and it plays one of the random station signature tunes/chimes.

Think so far I got a little short of 50 bucks. Looks like it'll be awhile before I make my next trip to Tokyo.

So what else is happening in the world of zanny Japanese toys? Check out the latest from Tokyo Toy Show, thanks to CScout Japan. One of my favs is another (piggy) dog bank, go watch the video. And something for the ladies whenever they need to go.

"Eco Otome solves the problem of Japanese women who want some noise to cover up their time powdering their nose. Now, instead of flushing the toilet before going, the tiny Eco Otome makes the toilet sound for you!"

Anybody wants one the next time I'm in Tokyo? <^;^>

Cavalock and The Return of The Wash Pole Patriot

Am still up to my eyeballs in project work but still its the national day weekend, I figured I'd take a break. Now you can't say its national day without the wash pole patriot. Yup, he or she is at it again.

One interesting thing I re-discovered while hitting the books again is that I still do my best work in the dead of the nite, like almost midnite till 2am when it's dead quiet. I'm like most productive at that time. And with the Nespresso I'm now all pumped up to last the nite and beyond! Hey, I'm the kinda guy that can take an espresso shot at 11pm and still fall asleep an hour later. Not a problem! <^;^>

Not much chance to eat out at any new or fancy joint yet. But here's a well-deserved prata breakfast last weekend at Wisma Food Republic before heading to ION. The teh tarik (milk tea) is amazing, one of best and sweetest I have had.

Cavalock and The Ultimate Fantasy Coffee Party

Another hectic week filled with assignments and training plans, sleeping past 1am every other nite. Argh.....gawd, once this course is over and I make it out in one piece, I'm thinking of throwing the Ultimate Fantasy Coffee Party, yah, and everyone's invited too! Really!

Found myself back at ION again, but this time headed straight down to level B4 for the first time. It's all about food here.

Was there bout 11am, and there was already this long Q for roast meat at Modern Peking Duck. First time I have ever seen a whole freakin' roasted pig inside an Orchard Road food court. Didn't buy any but went for a closer look and the 'blistering' skin looked really, really crispy and yummy! Can't remember if they serve rice meals or just sell the roasted meat.

Thanks to another of Ice's great review, I was drawn to Arinco King's heavenly Caramel Roll. I ain't that good with words so go read her review! <^;^> Every bite is as good as she says! I heard that on some weekdays the Caramel Roll is sold out by 2pm.

Something else I had that was pretty good was the taiyaki (Japanese red bean fish pancake) from where else but The Taiyaki at B4. Unlike the ones you find at every other mall here, this one uses really thin pancake which I like, there's even a chocolate pancake skin. You get a variety of fillings from the usual red bean or custard to new ones like apple cinnamon and banana custard.

Cavalock and The Best Vanilla Ice Cream in Town

Yah, I know I told myself I was in no hurry to join the masses at ION Orchard but that's where I was early Saturday morning. Was actually in town to replenish my Nespresso capsule supply, and the original plan was to have lunch at this new French bistro after reading Ice's mouth-watering review. But decided to make a detour at the last minute to ION to check this new gourmet supermarket 360.

Had an uneventful lunch at some teppanyaki/shubu shubu joint in ION, can't find the name card and it wasn't that fantastic so I'll just skip to the supermarket part of the story. Well, it's by the same folks from Marketplace/Cold Storage so you kinda know what to expect. You also got some Dean & Deluca stuff (don't get your hopes up, its not a lot) and the usual organic stuff.

But the best find has gotta be this. Tillamook premium ice cream! Am sure some of you out there already know all about this famous brand. My affogato is sure gonna kick some major ass now!!!

And speaking of my Nespresso, what do you guys think of this.

Espresso + rum = Good idea or bad idea?

*Doh* I forgot to drop by the Nespresso shop in ION!

Cavalock Does Something Fishy

When I was a kid, my mom would sometimes make some Bird's-Eye fish fingers for me. Couldn't find any Bird-Eye brand fish fingers at NTUC Fairprice, found this I&J brand instead. Not the best choice, had a very lemony taste to it. Prepared this simple dinner for one a couple of nights ago, with boiled veggies and mashed potatoes. Hope Cold Storage has Bird's-Eye.

Believe it or not, this was only my second time at the popular Old Airport Road food centre. Yah, really, first time was like a few years ago then they closed the place for renovation. Anyway, was there for lunch the other day, totally on impulse, was on the bus and saw that it passed by the place and decided to get off there.

Lots of empty seats during lunch hour. Not becos no one's eating but the place is really huge so there are enough seats for everyone. Figured I'll eat first, explore later. Joined the first Q I saw and its for wanton mee, always a favourite. Best part of my meal were the dumplings, very meaty and full.

Now, check this out, the stall after the next on the right was another wanton mee stall (blue sign). Both stalls have a ton of respective newspaper and TV reviews pasted all over their front stall walls. One had a long Q, the other no Q. But the one without a Q had one of those electronic Q number boards. As a 'first-timer', I'm gonna head to the stall with the long Q, not the stall where no one's seems to be patronizing. Anyway, that's just my theory.

Cavalock Sees More See's

Well, look what else I found in my fridge! <^;^> Very sweet caramel wrapped round soft chewy tuffy. Can't go wrong with that.

Found myself back at Seafood Paradise along Defu Lane for dinner last nite. The herbal drunken prawns stole the limelight this time (think there's like 20 in there), the herbal soup was the best ever, and of cos I need my buttery crabs as usual.

Lots of fried buns (mantou) to dip in the ocean of butter sauce. Well, we had other stuff too like pork ribs and tofu with mushrooms, all pretty good but no pix cos hands were too busy peeling the prawns. What I took are pix of the first and last dishes. Hah!

Cavalock *Hearts* Affogato

Check this out, saw Nigella making this on her show and it's really the easiest dessert to make in the world. The word 'Affogato' literally means 'drowned' in Italian, and what you have is either ice cream or gelato drowned in hot, steaming espresso.

Oops, ice cream melted a little by the time I took the above pix. Anyway, it's real easy, as long as you have an espresso machine and vanilla ice cream, you are set to go. Made it after dinner, it's just heavenly, all the more so when you know you did it yourself. Oh yah, I just found out another friend has bought a Nespresso too, just last week. Geez, this thing is really catching on. <^;^>

Well, think I scooped too little ice cream this first time, I mean, I looked at some of the online affogato pix, they are like, two big scoops per serving.

Cavalock Checks Out His Fridge

Last week's course had us taking a test to see what kinda learner we were. I scored 41 as a visual learner, 28 as a kinaesthetic learner and 20 as an auditory learner. Over 40 indicates a particularly strong style; a score of under 20 means a weak style. And there you have it as to why I never follow verbal instructions! <^;^>

Once again, not much of an opportunity to take any cool food pix. So I took a snap of some new residents in my fridge. BTW, heard a rumor that Wasabi Teh at Far East is closing soon, any truth?

Well yah, of cos I have healthy stuff in there too. But this bunch turned out a little sour.

Was at Queenstown Library last week and noticed this. Just thought it was pretty strange to find a steamboat and wine bar right next to the local penitentiary. You can see the barbwire fences of Queenstown Prison right on the left.