Grace and Wen

For me, the three F’s of any great Thanksgiving are family, friends, and food.  This holdiay, G and I were thankful to celebrate with a great group of friends and family – both old and new.  Food-wise, I was inspired by my own personal and professional changes to take a risk and craft a more modern menu that included some twists on traditional dishes.  With help from the always adventurous T & A and bro-in-law M, we served up a hopefully memorable meal for 16.   I’ll post details on a few of my favorite dishes later, but in the meantime, enjoy the menu and some photos of the more non-traditional creations from that evening.

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Singapore, where even the memes are imported, is experiencing a proliferation of underground dining/secret supper clubs.  A quick search for any of those word combinations results in enough quirky dining experiences to amuse the seen-it-all foodies for at least a few months.  Looking for something “different” is easy as most of these events have websites, meetup groups or Facebook pages.  Though some events are more “underground” (as in unlisted) and either being in the know or sheer happenstance are the only methods of invite. Which brings me to the topic du jour – an underground dinner ala Jimmy Chok.

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If you visit Singapore and don’t end up having crabs, you are missing out on an integral part of the food experience here.  Ask the locals, and chances are they’ll rattle off a half-dozen or more ways to enjoy this tasty crustacean.  But around this time each year, one crab in particular whips the island (and much of Chinese Asia) into a frenzy best described as hairy crab fever.  For G and family, it’s an annual itch that can only be satisfied with repeat visits to Capital Restaurant.  While every other chinese restaurant will have their own variation of crab and preparation, we’ve been loyal patrons for years there because of the consistency, value for money and a certain vinegar/ginger sauce.

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As far as mid-range dining goes – B @ Rochester is competent though uninspired.  I’m still unsure what exactly “Modern Japanese” means here other than a carte blanche for the restaurant to toss western and Japanese-ish dishes together and call it a menu.  The upside of this approach is one could enjoy sashimi and pair it with one of the tastiest plates of french-inspired mussels G and I have tried in a long time.  While the food is reasonable for the price, other than said mussels, there really isn’t much else that’s compelling enough to make this place a must-try.

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Our sleepysaurus had also recently just “hatched” when we visited this cafe, an ode to all things eggy.  Hatched is a great destination for kids and adults alike and boasts a surprisingly varied menu despite the chef/owner’s singular focus on one particular ingredient.  The food here is generally good value for money and more importantly very baby and kid friendly.   (more…)

Duck confit is one of the most rewarding and versatile dishes to add to any cooking repertoire.  Not only is it delicious pan-fried or shredded and served as a spreadable rillette, it can also be kept for months.  Of course, who could forget about the wonderful byproduct of confit- duck fat.  Mmmm, tasty graisse de canard.  With a wonderful aroma and flavor more complex than butter yet just as versatile.  Confit is normally made by rendering duck in its own fats in the oven, but when done sous vide it not only produces a much more juicy and tender meat but also requires less upfront fat to start.  And did I mention how easy it is to make?

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The menu at Table 66 reads like an introduction to sous-vide cooking.  The dishes here would serve as great companion recipes to Douglas Baldwin’s wonderful starter guide on the subject (a must read for any aspiring modernist home chef).  True to the restaurant’s description the fare here is casual european cuisine: decent, unprentitious and essentially an upscale dining experience for the budget conscious foodie.  While you may not find a standout “wow” dish, the meal is overall quite consistent and a pleasant accompaniment for any meeting over food.

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For the past decade, G and I have considered Tatsuya our go-to place when it comes to satisfying those rare upscale omakase cravings.  While the quality of ingredients isn’t as top-notch as the competition; the flavor pairings, reasonably sane pricing, and the “where everybody knows your name” atmosphere all help to set Chef Ronnie and team apart from the more staid and commercial offerings around.  This might also explain why despite the influx of “star” Japanese chefs and ludicrously higher-priced Japanese restaurants, Tatsuya still commands quite the reputation and loyal following.

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FiftyThree is at best a mid-tier european restaurant masquerading as modernist cuisine.  The decor is a pleasant spartan rustic; the service is generally good, and the dishes are nicely plated.  The failure however is in the taste of the food.  One can’t help but feel that so much time was spent in planning on how to “wow” patrons visually, that the chef in the process neglected to “wow” gastronomically.  Back when this place opened in 2008, there wasn’t much to compare against, but now with the likes of Novus and especially Restaurant André, there’s really a sense of fatigue to this former must-go destination for molecular gastronomy.

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