I went to Europe at the end of December 2008. As usual for my trip, one of the focal point would be the food that I ate along the way. Hopefully I still remember those that are good enough to be written here. I will list it by city.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
I did not stay long in Amsterdam. I landed here early morning then took the train to Germany in the afternoon. I came back to Amsterdam on the last night of my trip because of the flight back.
Nothing too impressive while I was here since I didn't have the time. My first meal in Europe was a sandwich. Prosciutto sandwich I believe that I bought in the food court of the shopping mall that I went into in the Dam Square. The last meal before going back to the hotel the night before the flight home was Belgian Frites and some pastries. Weird? Yes, I didn't have enough time there to try a more local/traditional food.
Dusseldorf, Germany
One of the most memorable one so far simply because we had dinner in a restaurant that has a michelin star. The restaurant is called Restaurant Jean Claude, however it is located in the same building as the more upper-class Restaurant Im-Schiffchen which is owned by the same chef and has 2 michelin stars.
Needless to say the food was great and they are kind enough to throw a lot of freebies to us since it is my sister's birthday. 2 appetizers and a dessert for the whole table plus a birthday cake were complimentary ON TOP of what we already ordered. Expensive, but worth every penny.
In a more rustic note, we were taken to a classic German beer hall that serve a local brew called Fuchschen Alt in downtown Dusseldorf. A family friend took us there and introduce us to Germany local food. The beer is good although it is a bit too bitter for my taste. The highlight of the meal was when my brother in law ordered the Schweinshaxe. A roasted leg of pork. Very crunchy outside with a layer of fat inside before a very tender meat. Huge portion.
Paris, France
When in Paris, eat at the bistro. Of course if you want to splurge, Paris is littered with Michelin-star-celebrity-chef restaurants. Savoy, Ducasse, etc. However, if you want a good French meal but not burning hole in your travel budget (or any budget for that matter), then bistro is the way to go.
Le Comptoir du Relais (6, Carrefour de l'Odéon) is one of the best in Paris. The place is small, so either make a reservation or come early. I noticed that a lot of Parisian eat their dinner quite late. Restaurant tend to get crowded around 7.30-8pm or after. Get the classic steak frites or if you are feeling adventurous, a stew of tripes for around 13 Euro.
Brussels, Belgium
What is the other Belgian specialty beside fries and waffles? Moulles Frites, (Mussels and Fries) that's what.
Even without knowing which restaurant is the best, you can tell by the throngs of people dining at this restaurant while the others surrounding it are empty. Aux Armes de Bruxelles is the name. I believe any seafood that you order will be good but do try their specialty, the Moulles Frites. That is what most people order and it is featured heavily on their menu. The restaurant has been around since 1921.
Other notables
Street food featured prominently when I was there. Especially in Germany and Belgium since they have a tradition of setting up Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) during the holidays. It usually has many little stalls that sell anything from food to Christmas decor or gift. Germany have their bratwurst and pretzels. Belgium have their frites and waffles. I found out that Liege style waffle (gauffres de liege) is even better than the standard Belgian waffle (local call this Brussels style). There are some other unique food too like the escargot soup and mushroom stew.
The one thing that both countries have is Gluhwein. This is basically a warm mulled wine usually served in decorated mug that is perfect for souvenir and to warm your body during the winter cold.
One more thing; You can usually find affordable and good wine by the glass or draft beer that is 99% of the time cheaper than mineral water in Europe. Your choice.
A few weeks ago, me and the whole family went to San Francisco and the surrounding areas for vacation. The whole trip is basically a foodie vacation. We booked some restaurants in the area and we also planned to visit some wineries.
The wineries part was mostly my sister and her husband's forte. I don't really drink wine and I can't differentiate between different types of grapes anyway.
The plan was supposed to be flying to SF (transit in LA), spend 4 days there and fly back. But as I will tell you later, some part is not going according to plan.
The first day
Took off from Dallas at 7 am. Everything is still very smooth so far until we reached LA. It was kinda strange since before we land, the flight attendant didn't mention our gate when she announced the connecting flight gate for other flights.
It turned out, American Airlines has canceled our flight to LA due to "mechanical problem" according to the one on the phone OR due to "bad weather" in SF according to the customer service in the LAX.
My very best educated guesstimate is due to oil price. Since the flight is not too full, AA proceeded to cancel the flight and put the unfortunate passengers on the next flight.
Now at this point you would think AA will fly us in about 2-3 hours. WRONG. They put us on the last flight to SF at 7pm that day. Also at this point, we were turning into a very sarcastic and pissed off passengers (at least I was). So, we demanded a partial refund for the ticket, and make sure we are still on the flight back to Dallas at the end of the trip.
We decided to just rent a car and drive the rest of the way to SF since it is not that far and we will arrive faster than if we take the flight. See? Now the vacation is turning into a road trip.
First stop is lunch at Little Tokyo in Los Angeles. The restaurant is called Shabu Shabu House. There was a line even before it is open and we were lucky to get seats on the first wave. However since the restaurant service is very efficient, most customer finish their meal within 30-45 minutes.
We spent the next 5 hours driving to SF. Arrived around 6pm and managed to squeeze a trip to the marina before our dinner appointment at South food + wine bar. The dinner was with my cousin who just graduated and now working in San Francisco before continuing with grad school. The food was okay at best. Maybe it was because the pork chop that I ordered was a bit dry.
The second day
Had some breakfast at a chinese restaurant near the hotel. I very much prefer the noodles in one of the restaurant in Austin. My sister seemed to enjoy it though.
After that we were off to the Ghirardelli Square to look around and have lunch with my cousin again but this time my uncle and another one of my cousin will be joining us.
After lunch, we went off to do some more sightseeing. Lombard street was one of the choice. Unfortunately, Palace of Fine Arts was under renovation. Lombard street is awesome to look at. Cars are going very slowly going downturn and negotiating the hairpins. Union square was next, but we don't really want to shop and there is no place for parking on weekend, so we ended up just driving around the place. Golden Gate is another must see on the trip. We ended up driving from the Marin Headlands/Sausalito area to see it.
The third day
Wines and more wines. Spent most of the day in wineries. The most memorable was the first one, called Spring Mountain Vineyards because the scenery is just gorgeous.
The highlight of the day for me is the dinner. We have plan to visit The French Laundry. The chef, Thomas Keller, is very famous. He's the consultant for the Pixar movie Ratatouille. However, that restaurant was closed for about a week when we were there. So, we decided to go to his other restaurant called Ad Hoc. They only serve one 3-course meal a day. Everyday is a different menu and it is always served family style.
The food is absolutely amazing. We open with some green salad with pickled red onions. Main course was skirt steak with baked potatoes. Cheese course is next and closed with dessert of lemon bars.
Sound simple? It was. But the execution was flawless. The price is $48 per person for the 4 course meal. It was a bargain considering French Laundry charge around $250 per person.
The interesting thing about this one? We found a large vegetable garden just across from the French Laundry. Apparenly, French Laundry like to grow a lot of its own food nearby
The fourth day
Not much to do today since we have to leave after lunch to the airport. Went to some more wineries in the morning and had lunch at Taylor's. Very good burgers I must say.
One of the wineries that we visit has a very nice logo. It resembles a knight's shield and it was made from the wine barrels.
I want to share my experience dealing with a moving company when I moved back from Singapore to the US.
At first, I don't want to use a moving company since I would only ship a few items and I thought I could do it through UPS or Fedex. I asked my HR in Singapore whether she have any recommendation just to compare. She gave me a moving company name (Helu-Trans (S) Pte. Ltd.) and said that they are also willing to ship even if I don't have much stuff to ship.
So I gather all my stuff and set it aside. The moving company guy came to do the survey. He saw my stuff and said that, at most, I would only have 3 big boxes to ship and gave me 2 options:
a) Ship them by sea. It will arrive in 2 months, it will be calculated by volume and I have to pay the minimum volume of 3 cubic meters regardless of how small the box size is. Obviously this is a dumb choice for me to pick.
b) Ship them by air. It will arrive in a few days, it will be calculated by the weight (kg) and there is no minimum amount to pay. The company will ship it by DHL and they will help me pack. Now we're talking.
I picked the air route and I used 2 large DHL boxes and 1 custom box for the luggage that I ship (filled with clothes).
A few days later, I receive the pdf version of the airwaybill which stated the actual weight of two 16kg boxes and one 8 kg box for the total of 40kg of actual weight.
I asked for invoice once the item has arrived in US (by this time, I was already in the US). They emailed me an invoice for 75kg! When I confront them through my HR in Singapore, they say that they use volumetric weight to calculate it since my boxes (according to them) took up too much space for the weight.
So I went online and do research on volumetric weight and here are what I found:
a) Freight company will sometimes use the volumetric weight if the item takes up a lot of space but doesn't weigh much (maybe shipping a super large teddy bear?)
b) It is calculated by taking the volume in cubic centimeter (cm3) and then divide that number by 6000. You will get the volumetric weight in kilograms.
I measured my boxes and I came up with 39kg total for the volumetric weight which is less than the 40kg of actual weight.
Needless to say that if they still insist on charging me based on volumetric weight, I will show them the calculation and pay the 39kg instead of 40kg. I will NEVER EVER pay them for the magical 75 kg that they came up with.
Back in the old Dallas office....in someone else's cubicle since my old one is used by someone else now.
My current one i borrowed so it is filled with someone else's junk. I wish I could have my own, although I know it won't last long since most likely I will be travelling, hence it will be given to someone else. Can I have my own, please? It will probably be filled with junk too, but at least it will be my junk.
I've been hooked to a British TV show called The F Word, hosted by none other than the demonic chef, Gordon Ramsay. It is like a mix between Hell's Kitchen and a variety/lifestyle program, but everything is centered on food from the beginning (raising pigs in the backyard), cooking it, and the end result (including sewage). Every week there is a group of amateurs who wants to prove to Ramsay that they can survive in his kitchen, cooking 3-course meal for 50 diners.
Helllooooo (in Jim Carey's Horton voice)
It's been a while I know (ok, not just a while, but a very long time). I'm back in the US of A after about 1 year and 4 months in Singapore.
First thing first, how was Singapore you ask? It was nice, good experience both professionally and personally. Professionally, I learned a lot from my coworkers back in the Singapore office. It's a different work ethic than what you find in the States and I'm very fortunate to be able to experience both. I'm sure I can use some of that here in Dallas.
Personally, I met with some of my old friends from way back in middle school to the most recent in college. A whole bunch of them seem to end up in Singapore, hehehe.
On the more somber note, my dad passed away while I was in Singapore. The 1st year memorial is coming up soon in July.
I also went to Japan one week before I went back to the US. You can see all the pictures here. People who knows me well will know that I like watching anime. But anime is one of the last reason I went to Japan. I didn't even go to Akihabara! Although I do think I should have gone to Miyazaki museum. I went on a cultural trip visiting mostly shrines and temples. I did get a glimpse of the more modern part of Japan in Shinjuku and Omotesando in Harajuku. On this trip, Nara is by far the most magnificent town in terms of the sheer number of large temples and shrines. It is definitely on the check list if you ever go to Japan.
But the one thing that impressed me the most is the amount of attention to details in Japan and the efficiency of everything. From the cleanliness of the city (more so than Singapore!) to the train system. The Shinkansen I took from Tokyo to Osaka only stops for about 2 minutes on the station. Not to mention that it was very punctual. Speaking of the train system, it is really weird that a smaller city like Osaka has more English signs on the stations and trains compared to Tokyo's.
Currently I stay in my sister's place in Austin. I am helping here moving to Dallas so we will all end up living in Dallas. That is one thing that didn't escape my mom. Before this, my sis still has plan to move to Singapore, while I'm moving back to the US. Now, everyone is in 1 city so my mom is happy although this is still not perfect for her (she wants everyone in Singapore), heheheh.
Anyway, that's the update on my current situation. I know I always promised to write more often (I will!) and I will try to find a time to do it.
Note: One of the reason I update my blog is because someone inspired me to do this (you know who you are). Well, it's more like that person said I only update this once a year. Ack! I guess I should have written more often from now on.
I've been living in Singapore for almost 5 months now. If there are one thing that Singaporean likes to do aside from shopping, it is eating out. I don't blame them though. Food sellers, whether it is a sit down restaurant or a hawker, are abundant in Singapore.
I consider myself a foodie. I like to try new stuff but on the other hand I know my own limit and preference. I'm not the type that eats everything, but as long as it is not moving, chances are I'm willing to try.
I can't help but compare my eating out experience here with the time I lived in US for almost 6 years, since that is the most recent time in my life. When I grew up, I ate mostly home cooking, so I can't use that as a comparison. Home cooking is always on a different level.
Here are some things that I noticed comparing with the US:
1. Fast food can be good. Good as in lots of varieties, freshly prepared, and fast. US fast food consists of burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, and stale sandwiches (did I mention burgers?). Granted, there are a few fast food place that I love (Which Wich and In-n-Out among them), but almost no varieties. I can't really explain the choices here in Singapore for street food. You just have to come to a hawker center to believe it.
2. Notice that I never mention healthy in the first item. Since hawker center has more varieties than American fast food, it has better option for healthier food. But local fav like Char Kway Teow? Quite an artery clogger!
3. Portion size. This is quite obvious. But hawker center food are mostly cheaper than the average US price anyway, so it is justified.
4. Water is not free. At least for some restaurant. The waiters will start talking nervously that they don't have tap water and you have to pay $1.50 for the French branded one. This is stupid on so many levels. Drinking water should be free. I've never seen restaurant in US that doesn't serve drinking water for free. You can ask for water to drink in any decent restaurant and middle to expensive restaurant will serve you water before you even ask most of the time. And those moist towelettes? For God's sake, bring them home even if you don't use them on the spot. The restaurant will turn a blind eye and charge you for it whether you use it or not.
5. "Would you like the soup of the day with your order? What do you have? Cream of Mushroom."
Repeat the above conversation for every single restaurant. I swear there is a Cream of Mushroom fountain somewhere in this island.
Here are some of my more memorable experience in the sit-down restaurant in Singapore:
1. Spageddies has some real issues to deal with. I went to the one in Paragon shopping center. I paid the same price with the US' Spageddies (currency converted), got smaller portion, no bread, and really bad service. Mind you that US' Spageddies is not the best Italian place in US in my book. The appetizer came last (am I the only one who doesn't like to have calamari as a dessert?). The order of which the food came to our table: my friend's entree, 15-20 min wait, my entree, another 15-20 min, appetizer.
Spageddies is a chain/franchise restaurant. I expect the standard to be the same especially if I had to spend the same amount of money. Appetizer should come first, followed by the entree all at once. It's not rocket science.
2. Cafe Cartel, a local chain, does a MUCH BETTER job than Spageddies. Not too mention cheaper. They give free bread too!
3. Mellben Seafood in Ang Mo Kio. Although it is located on a hawker center, I still consider this a restaurant because of the quality and the price. It is a very good seafood place, so expect to pay seafood price.
4. I haven't found a great Japanese place in Singapore. Both Sushi Tei and Sushi Sakae are not bad, but not great in any way. Both restaurant are still way below Origami in Austin, Texas and TeiTei in Dallas, Texas.
5. Found a very good ramen shop in Somerset, behind the OG department store building. I can't remember the exact name. It is something like Ken's Ramen Shop. Menu is simple but result are very delicious indeed. Way better than the overrated Ajisen.
So there you go. Some of my experience eating out in Singapore. It's late and I'll add more if I remember more.
And for the love of everything that is holy, STOP the cream of mushroom!
I went with my friend to his relative's place for a chinese new year dinner on Feb 19th right after I flew back from Jakarta to visit families. Food was good and I met new friends.
I was standing up in the picture because I was the one who set up the camera, put it on timer, and had to run hurdles to beat the clock before the timer runs out.
Happy Lunar New Year everyone!
It's been around a month since I arrived back in Singapore. I was warned by friends about Singaporean Kiasuism before I left. Kiasu generally means fear of losing and the willpower to be #1 even if it means sacrificing others on the way to the top. It is parallel with ambitious but stressed more on the fear part, thus explains the human sacrifice. I laughed at the time and brushed it off. I didn't knew what I was getting into.
Let me back track a little bit. I was a kid the last time I was here, complete with all the privileges of being one. When I went out, I always traveled with families and never during rush hour.
If you want to witness Kiasu at its best, try traveling during the rush hour in the morning or evening using the MRT (subway system in Singapore) or bus.
Here, Singaporean fear of rules is also demonstrated. If there is a definite queue line, then they will follow it to the death, which is a good thing. However, once the rule is considered unwritten or blurred, they will stab you in the back and leave your carcass for the dog to feed, so that they can get in front of you.
Inside the MRT station, there is a line drawn/painted on the floor every 10 feet or so, in front of the door that will open once the MRT arrived (above grounds stations don't have these doors, but the lines are there). The line is a guide for people to stand on the side so that the passengers can alight first before we can enter the MRT.
What does people do very often? They stand right in the middle. Once the MRT arrived and passengers start pouring out from inside the train, those jerks will just mow down the passengers to get inside the MRT first and try to get a seat even though it is quite obvious that the train is jam packed like a human trafficking trucks.
PEOPLE, STAY THE FUCK OUT OF THE WAY! Let the passengers get off first and I promise you can get on EASIER. You don't need to put your face to the glass just to get (or should I say hope to get) a seat.
I realized that this also happen with the elevator. People will just wait 2 inches in front of the door while waiting for the elevator. Once the door is half opened, they will squeeze inside.
Is this Kiasu? Or just plain stupidity? But a country with more than 90% literacy couldn't be that stupid, could they?
If the reason behind it is because they are in a hurry to get to work (or whichever shopping mall that has a sale), then staying on the side and let the passengers alight first would actually be faster, not to mention less chaotic and pushing.
Also, if you think that the people inside the MRT/bus are the victims, think again. Apparently, the phrase "excuse me" is missing from Singlish dictionary. If you want to get off the train, then just say it and we will try to step aside. Looking down and pushing people will not make it faster. Also, if you are one of those unlucky person who happened to be pressed against the MRT door during rush hour.....*inhale*..... STEP OUTSIDE SO THE PEOPLE BEHIND YOU CAN ALIGHT! You can always step back in right after. Although I suspect that most of the time this cannot be done because of those other jerks who waits for the train with their face against the door.
If you are one of the people who happens to be one of those that I mentioned above (you know who you are) and you don't care about it, then too bad. I couldn't care less about you either.
If you happened to be one of those people mentioned and actually got offended, then read this: You can take that last extra seat.....and shove it up your ass....all the way up in your ass.
This is partly a test post of Flickr blogging feature.
The picture is one of the first one I took on my first day back in Asia after spending the last 5.5 years in the US.
I was at Holland Village waiting for a table in a nearby restaurant. My cousins took me there for the first dinner back "home" (not exactly home per se, but close enough).
I was trying to see if I could take a decent shot at night without flash and without a tripod. It took me a few tries but I like the end result except for the person on the bottom right corner (note to self: start cropping your pics).
edit: Woohoo, it worked! I think I'll start posting more like this from now on.
I took a flight from US to Singapore using Singapore Airlines on the 29th of December (arriving on New year's eve).
When I arrived in Singapore, I realized that my luggages has been
broken into (that has been locked with TSA locks), and some valuable
items are missing. Here are the details on those luggages:
1. Zipper has been cut. TSA lock is still attached. No letter from TSA saying that the baggage has been opened.
2. TSA belt lock is missing. Again, no TSA letter. Items are missing.
I
filed a claim that day and SQ (Singapore Airlines) is kind enough to
fix the zipper on my luggage. Nothing broken on my 2nd luggage. They
faxed me the claim form (notice that by now SQ knew that my flight was
originating from the US since they have data from my flight number,
luggage tags, etc), and I list all the items that I had lost.
It took 2 weeks
for them to consider my claim, and today came the rejection letter
saying that SQ is not responsible for luggages originating from US
flights (did I mention that they KNEW about this already?).
I called them up and they stood ground claiming that they reject every single claim for flights coming from US and told me to contact TSA instead, even though TSA never opened my luggage in the first place for screening. They are "kind" enough to give me TSA address and contact number in US while I'm stuck in Singapore (I'm here for business).
