Les Bouchons @ Ann Siang Road

One of my favourite places to go for steaks is Les Bouchons @ Ann Siang Road. It's a small restaurant located within a quaint conservation shophouse. The red walls, warm lighting and cosy arrangement of the tables (read: set very close to each other) reminds me of a typical bistro in Paris. The above picture was taken from my seat next to the window. Yes, this is how small the place is. The capacity of the restaurant must be about 20. Reservations are highly recommended to avoid disappointment and a wasted trip.

I love the posters that they have on the walls. This restaurant is owned by the same people who own L'Angelus (my favourite rustic French restaurant). Their restaurants have a way of hitting the sweet spot for the Francophile in me. The menu is rather limited but the main focus for this place is Steak Frites (Steak and French Fries) so you should definitely order this when you visit. Joyce and I were there for our Plats (read: dishes) of Steak Frites (@ SGD28.80++).

After we'd placed our orders, we were served a basket of warm bread rolls and unsalted butter. I absolutely love unsalted butter as it allows me to savour the rich, creamy unadulterated subtle sweetness of fresh butter. Unsalted butter doesn't contain any preservatives unlike the salted versions (the salt levels are pretty high in some brands). Some food for thought in considering a switch from salted to unsalted butter. They serve Président Gastronomique here which I think tastes pretty close to the fresh farm-made butter that I enjoyed while travelling in Provence. I was such a fan of the butter that I "impressed" the owner of the "Mas" (read: farmhouse) where I stayed for a couple of days by the amount of butter that I was slathering onto fresh slices of bread.

We were served bowls of salad (part of the set) which was a decent portion and was a refreshing mix of crisp salad greens with walnuts and rocket, drizzled with a tangy mustard vinaigrette dressing.

Here's a picture of the condiment platter which consists of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, wholegrain mustard, horseradish and Maille's Bearnaise Sauce. I love mustard, especially with my fries! Man, I love this place!

Here's a picture of my Rib Eye (done medium rare) topped with a slab of herb butter and served with French fries. I love the steaks here as they're always cooked to perfection with fragrantly seared sides and juicy in the centre. The melted butter adds moisture and flavour to a deliciously tasty steak. The fries are not to be outdone either for they are consistently cooked to perfection. The exterior of the fries are crisp and the interior is fluffy, a perfect French Fry. Apparently the fries here are twice-cooked to achieve this result. I was told some years back that the fries are parboiled first then fried. Fries fans with hearty appetites will be happy to know that you can have unlimited servings of fries. I've not met a person who can go for seconds as we usually are unable to finish the portions on our plates. I'm usually too full after my steak and fries to go for desserts so I cannot comment on the quality of the desserts served here.

This place is definitely a MUST-TRY for steaks and fries!

Les Bouchons Restaurant
7 Ann Siang Road,
Singapore 069689
Tel: +65 6423-0737

Operating Hours:
Lunch - Mondays to Fridays: 12 noon to 2pm
Dinner - Mondays to Saturdays: 7pm to 10pm

Les Bouchons Rive Gauche
#01-01, 41 Robertson Quay (previously occupied by River Cafe)
Tel: 6733-4414
*I've not visited this new outlet myself as I've heard that its not as good as the original

Pho Hoa @ Ho Chi Minh (aka Saigon)

No visit to Vietnam is ever complete without savouring a steaming hot bowl of Pho. As JSV had recently returned from a foodie outing to Vietnam, I had to ask him for recommendations on where to eat in Ho Chi Minh (a.k.a. HCM/Saigon). He told me to go to Pho Hoa @ 260C Pasteur Street (Viet Name: Duong Pasteur) and sent me a picture similar to the one that I took below of the store front. LB & I walked down Pasteur Street in search of one of the "best" phos in HCM.

When we finally arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find a clean-ish restaurant. The restaurant occupies 2 stories and was packed with locals, tourists and expatriates. It was bustling with activity and we were lucky to get a table on the ground floor close to the action.

There were sides of Fried Dough Fritters (aka. Yew Char Kway/You Tiao/Chinese Breadsticks/Chinese Churros), green bananas, puff pastries (I wonder what's in it), 2 types of leaf-wrapped nems, sliced Mexican Lime (aka Bartender's Lime/Key Lime), blanched beansprouts, sliced chilis and of course, the ubiquitous platter of mixed herbs (comprising Mint Leaves, Sawtooth Coriander Leaves and Thai Basil Leaves).

JSV had written the following instructions in his email to me: "Order different cuts of meat and try the Nem on the table - the green leaf package made of marinated cooked pork". I'm too squeamish to try "exotic cuts" of meat, so I ordered a Pho Bo Tai (raw beef slices with rice noodles in soup).

I was curious about the Nem, but there were 2 different types of green leaf packages on the table....which one is he referring to? I looked around and saw that the slim Nem seemed to be the most popular, thus I started unwrapping one to try. I was surprised to see a pale white firm paste in the middle that looked alot like "Otah" (a savoury snack that is popular in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Depending on the recipe, it is typically made of fish paste mixed with spices, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or grilled before serving - this pale mix looked like the unspicy version of Otah). I think this must be the Nem (VND4,000) that JSV was talking about. Though I generally do not enjoy eating pork, this nem was deliciously savoury despite it being served at room-temperature. The texture was firm like a Knackwurst sausage but the colour was akin to that of a Weisswurst sausage.

Here's a picture of my bowl of Pho Bo Tai (Raw beef slices with rice noodles served in soup @ VND26,000). The broth here was one of the clearest and "cleanest-tasting" that I had in HCM. The clearest broth I ever had was at Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi but that's on a different scale because it was served in a culinary school.

Back to Pho Hoa's broth in HCM, it was flavoursome and lightly spiced. In addition, the stock must have been skimmed quite regularly to remove the scum (consisting of fat, blood, broken down connective tissue in meat & bones) which makes a broth taste murky when its boiled and incorporated into it. I smothered my bowl with beansprouts, basil leaves, sawtooth coriander leaves and mint leaves. What can I say? I love my greens! The sweet aroma of the herbs and the rich broth wafted to my nostrils. I couldn't wait to dig in!

Here's a closer look at the smooth rice noodles and a spoonful of rice noodles with a dollop of chili sauce, followed by a slice of beef and herbs. This is definitely a MUST-TRY if you happen to visit HCM/Saigon.

Pho Hoa
260 Pasteur Street (Duong Pasteur)
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Vietnam
Tel: +84-8-829-7943

Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant

My favourite hangout during my stay in Hoi An was Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant. I generally like to check out the local cuisine at the places that I visit, with the exception of internal organs and stuff that would appear on a Fear-Factor menu.

Here's the view from the Morning Glory (pics on the left: from the 2nd floor & pics on the right: from the ground floor).

Hoi An has a few unique culinary specialties. One of them is the "White Rose" (aka. Banh Bao Banh Vat) which is an open-faced shrimp dumpling on an opaque rice flour skin, shaped like a lotus flower. Apparently only one family in Hoi An makes the dumpling, with a recipe that is fiercely guarded and which requires water drawn from a particular well in the town. I thought that the white rose dumpling skin was similar to that of Har Gao (Dim Sum: Steamed Shrimp Dumplings) though the texture was a little more firm than that of Har Gao skin.

I ordered a plate (VND 25,000) at Morning Glory on my first day in town to try the town specialty. A plate of about 6 open-faced white roses were served along with a longish closed dumpling which was stuffed with beansprouts and some minced meat. Apparently, the open-faced dumplings represent the female whilst the closed dumpling represents the male. The white rose dumplings were tasty and an interesting change from the normal closed dumplings. The dumpling's texture is light, so eating it doesn't weigh too heavily on the stomach.

On my last day in Hoi An, I tried the Fried Wantons with Crabmeat (aka Hoanh Thanh Chien @ VND32,000). This dish was recommended to me by "Nhi", a friendly waitress at Morning Glory who attended to me during my 3-day visit in Hoi An. She said that since I've already tried the White Rose Dumplings, I should also try the Fried Wantons. The wanton skins were crispy and they were stuffed with sauteed crabmeat then topped with chopped onion, tomato and herbs. It was like a Chinese-style fried wanton with a Bruschetta topping.

Another of Hoi An's culinary specialties is "Cau Lao" (VND 18,000), a dish made with thick rice-noodles, served with some tasty broth and topped with sliced marinated pork, fresh herbs and croutons. You're supposed to toss all the ingredients and then eat it. There isn't alot of broth in this noodle dish, which makes it similar to Chinese noodle dishes which are served "dry" (ie. with sauce and sometimes with a small bowl of soup on the side). It was very tasty and I enjoyed crunching on the crispy croutons. This is apparently one of Hoi An's most famous dishes with Japanese, Chinese and French influence. The texture of the noodles reminded me of a firmer and thinner version of Japanese Udon. The croutons, though made from flour instead of bread, made me think of Caesar salad. This is definitely a MUST-TRY!

I like the selection of drinks here as they have healthy concoctions to remedy various ailments.

The weather was so warm and humid that I pretty much tried most of the items on the Healthy Beverages menu. The Strawberry Yoghurt Lassi (top left pic) was smooth on the palate. The Sparkling Pineapple & Pear Juice (top right pic) was very refreshing on a hot day. The hot drink called "Calms a Cough & Soothes a Sore Throat" (bottom left pic) which was a combo of green tea, cumquats, honey and sea salt was most soothing for a dry throat. I think I shall try to replicate this at home as I'm prone to sore throats. The "Firm Up Ones Insides" concoction of orange juice, mineral water, sea salt & honey was an interesting mix of flavours.

Here's a picture of "Nhi", the sweet waitress who made quite a few good suggestions during my many visits to Morning Glory. Most of the waitresses at Morning Glory speak pretty good English and she's one of the few who is able to express her opinions more freely.

Morning Glory Cooking School & Street Food Restaurant
106 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street,
Hoi An, Vietnam
Tel: (84 0510) 241555 / 241556
Fax: (84 0510) 911431
Emails: morningglorycookingschool@gmail.com/morningglory@hoianhospitality.com

Morning Glory Cooking School @ Hoi An, Vietnam

Hoi An was my favourite town during my vacation last year in Vietnam. It's such a beautifully quaint little town that has oft been criticised as being overly-commercialised. Whatever the matter, its very charming and one can easily spend hours chilling at any of the pretty cafes.

One of my favourite activities while on vacation is checking out Cooking Schools (if my schedule permits). I chanced upon Morning Glory Cooking School on my first day whilst roaming around the streets of the Ancient Town of Hoi An on foot.

This is the Cooking Studio, situated on the 2nd floor. It has a nice layout. They run quite a few programs here, some are hands-on classes and some are cooking demonstrations. Most of the programs require 10 people to start a class and advance booking. I wanted to sign up for the "Vietnamese Street Food Cooking" hands-on program which required 2 to start a class. When there didn't seem to be anyone keen on the class, on my 2nd day in Hoi An, I told the school that I would pay for 2 but attend the class by myself (my travel buddy doesn't like cooking). I set a time to return for the lesson and proceeded to explore other parts of the town on a bicycle. The rental bikes are very heavy. It didn't help that I was a bad cyclist. Nonetheless, it was still an interesting experience trying not to embarass myself excessively with my child-like cycling skills, trying not to ride into a pit while gawking at the sights and trying not to freak out when approaching a busy intersection.

This is a picture of the kitchen on the first floor where most of the street food is prepared. Nice island in the middle! The contraption on the bottom right gas ring was for making fresh spring roll skins with. Its a pot with a cloth tied over its mouth and was filled with boiling water. One had to ladle the batter evenly over the cloth, let it steam a little (this causes the batter to solidify and look like thin unravelled "chee cheong fun"), then use a slim bamboo stick to gently lift the spring roll skin off the cloth and onto a plate. It was a fun experience trying to get it right!

The next dish was Banh Xeo, a lacy crepe made with eggs and rice flour, then stuffed with shrimp, pork, mushrooms, bean sprouts and mung beans. I love this dish as the crepe is crispy and savoury. It was a fun experience learning how to make this dish and I loved the aroma of hot banh xeo on a stove. :)

Here's a picture of Marianne trying to overcome her fear of spattering oil while making Banh Xeo. LB and I had met her during a day tour of Hue, the previous town that we had visited. I was indulging in a snack at Cargo Club while waiting for the class to start. Then she happened to ride past. I told her about the class and invited her to join me since I was already paying for 2 people. She was apprehensive at first but I told her that the extra fees would go to waste and I would love to have her join. It was a fun experience for her too and I was glad to have had the opportunity to share the joy with a fellow traveller. :)

We ate quite a bit during class and were too stuffed to have any dinner that day. We made plans to meet the next evening for dinner, our final night in Hoi An, before departing for different towns. The most pleasurable bits of cooking classes is smelling the delicious food being prepared and then getting to eat them. :)

This is a place to check out if you're keen to learn some Vietnamese cooking. Even if you're not into cooking, the food served at this restaurant is really good. Marianne and I agreed that they had the best local fare amongst the few places that we tried.

More suggestions are always welcome! I hope to visit Hoi An again someday!

Morning Glory Cooking School & Morning Glory Street Food Restaurant
106 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street,
Hoi An, Vietnam
Tel: (84 0510) 241555 / 241556
Fax: (84 0510) 911431
Emails: morningglorycookingschool@gmail.com / morningglory@hoianhospitality.com

Miharu Ramen - Round 1

I finally had the opportunity to try the ramen at Miharu after hearing such rave reviews from Joone and Skinny Epicurean. Dim Sum Dolly was finally back in Singapore after having lived in the UK for the past year or so followed by months of travelling to various exciting locations. She's such a lucky gal! Skinny Epicurean and I caught up with her over lunch at Miharu.

Here's a picture of the menu.

I ordered the Chili Miso Ramen without corn as I don't like corn. The ramen texture was springy and had a good bite to it, this is a Must-Try! Though I generally like spicy food, I felt that the chili made the broth taste a little flat. It wasn't spicy enough to make me tear, neither was it tasty enough to make crave it. It was just pretty good. I was determined to try a different flavour on my next visit.

Miharu
76 Robertson Quay,
#01-11 Gallery Hotel
Tel: +65 6733-8464

Operating Hours:
Lunch: 12 - 3pm & Dinner: 6 - 9pm (closed on Wednesdays)