Food for Thought: Wahiro

We were planning to have dinner at Nara but decided to explore the area to see what other options were available. We came across a new establishment at Goldhill Plaza called Wahiro. They were promoting their haute cuisine Shiwasu Wahiro 8-course kaiseki dinner at a promotion price of S$68++ per person (normally $100++ pp).  Darling wife and I could never resist haute cuisine especially at such affordable prices.

The 8 small dishes created from seasonal ingredients imported from Japan were delightful. We were first served the Tai Fish and Mitsuba. The Tai Fish (snapper) was cut into bite-size cubes and generously dusted in grounded mullet roe. Very little seasoning was used in the dish thereby, allowing us to enjoy the natural sweetness of the snapper.

Tai fish with Mitsuba

Next up was Otsukuri, the Chef's selection of the freshest sashimi. It consisted of tuna, prawn and 2 different kinds of white fish. The key to good sashimi lies in the freshness of the ingredients. Although we weren't tremendously thrilled by the Wahiro sashimi selection, we didn't totally dislike it.

The prawn head was grilled to a light char and served separately with a slice of lemon.

Otsukuri - finest sashimi

The third dish was fatty swordfish and Japanese leek in clear broth. Though the presentation of the dish was deceptively plain, the swordfish was perfectly cooked to bring out its full flavour. Most swordfish recipes call for grilling since its natural fats are perfect for open fire cooking. This was my first time eating swordfish cooked in a broth. I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of taste that this dish offered. While the swordfish really tasted more like meat than fish, the broth was sweet and the Japanese leek added a dash of sharpness to the dish.

Swordfish and Japanese leek in clear broth

After the soup, we were served a deep-fried concoction of sea eel and slices of burdock in tempura batter. While I enjoyed the crispiness and tastiness of the dish, I was a little disappointed that the eel seem somewhat lost in the surfeit of burdock slices. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable dish.

Sea eel and burdock tempura

The next dish was one of my favourites - Shimesaba Aburisushi or mackerel sushi toasted with transparent konbu. The slightly fragrant rice was topped by a large piece of salted mackerel dressed in a thin slice of transparent konbu. The waitress took the extra effort to inform us that the fish was already salted and reminded us not to use any sauce with the sushi. Although the mackerel was grilled to well done, it still managed to remain tender. The chewiness of the konbu made the texture of the sushi more interesting.

Shimesaba Aburisushi

The one dish I would award top marks would have to be the Buta Yuba or slow cooked pork belly with shrimp filled soymilk roll which was supremely prepared by the Chef. The pork belly was braised to a streaky tenderness until it has absorbed all of the sweetness of the seasoning in the broth. The soymilk roll was soft and creamy in texture. It would have been good with or without its shrimp filling.

Buta Yuba

After this dish, we took a break to savour our side order of Wagyu beef. The course then resumed with Nyumen or fine noodle in hot dashi soup topped with a fried mixed kakiage. Although both the soup and the noodle were of very high quality, we were sadly unable to finish it as we were already sated by the tail-end of the 8-course Wahiro set meal.

Nyumen

The meal ended on a sweet note with a choice of either black sesame ice cream, green tea ice cream or tangerine sherbet.

Tangerine sherbet

Black sesame ice cream

Like Nara, Wahiro is small and can accommodate probably about 50 guests in one seating. One third of the dining room is partitioned off for private parties leaving another third for table dining. The remaining space consisted of the sushi bar where diners sit on high chairs watching the chefs at work.

As far as decor goes, its owners have taken a minimalist approach, moving away from the typical pinewood and tatami with colorful wall adornments, instead using a mainly black and white scheme. It is one place you can go to for haute cuisine but without having to dress up or burn a hole in your pocket.


Wahiro Boutique Japanese Restaurant
#01-19/21 Goldhill Plaza
Tel: 62531692
 

Ambiance: 5/10
Service: 7/10
Food: 6.75/10
Pricing: $$$-$$$$

Recommended Dishes: Shiwasu Wahiro kaiseki menu

My Thoughts for the Day: Cooking for Love

Fusilli with Prawns and Mushrooms Drizzled in Orange Juice

I originally coined the phrase 'cooking for love' to describe my darling wife's cooking style. She puts in great effort into every dish she prepares, especially, for her loved ones. Her fastidious attention to detail begins from the moment she selects the choicest ingredients at the market, to the way she prepares the ingredients (cutting them into equal shapes and sizes), right down to how she presents the final product.

Grilled Mediterranean-Style Vegetables in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Aromatic Herb

Cooking is not only about whipping out food to fill a hungry stomach and it is not just about making tasty bites. An inventive dish must be able to satisfy all the various senses. It has to be a feast for the eye (sight), an aromatic experience (scent), and a delight to the palate (taste).

Yam and Pumpkin Salad with Pomelo and Golden Sultana

The photos illustrate our meticulous use of the freshest seasonal ingredients in order to painstakingly create the right balance of colour, aroma and taste to titillate the taste bud.

Macaroni with Prawns, Cilantro and Garlic Flakes

For darling wife and I, cooking is also an expression of love for the people we cook for. What better way to show how much we regard our friends than by inviting them for a home-cooked meal.

Strawberry and Water Cress Salad

When we do cook for our friends and loved ones, we take into consideration, firstly their likes and preferences. It has become a natural effort for us to ask if they have any fondness for a particular food or types of food.  We are also careful to enquire after any aversions or allergies they might have. As far as possible, we try to modify the recipes or hunt for substitute ingredients in order to ensure the enjoyment of our guests.

Rendang Fried Rice served with Prawn Salad

We do this because we wish for them to derive the greatest pleasure from the food we prepare for them. We bother, simply because we cook for love.

Rose Apple Salad with Sweet Yellow Fargo Tomatoes

When friends and relatives partake of a meal with us, they are, in fact, sharing with us an intimate part of our life.  They get to experience our love affair with food.

Food for Thought: The New Bouley

Chef David Bouley has relocated his flagship restaurant to the corner of Duane and Hudson Streets, which opened to the public on 24 October 2008. The new Bouley offers an entirely Renaissance ambiance, replete with stone from Versailles. The Didier Benderli design features a vaulted ceiling that has been brushed with gold leaf and a romantic dining room with an ancient hearth brought from France.

A small library with intricate parquet flooring assembled from centuries-old panels and a winter garden, abloom with painted geraniums, complete the dining areas on the groundfloor. Downstairs, is a cellar for private parties, a wine cellar fitted with antique glass panes and luxuriously appointed washrooms.

Two of his other restaurants, Bouley Bakery and Upstairs, will be shuffled around to fill the original Bouley space, and renamed Bouley Market. His Viennese-inspired restaurant, Danube, will be reborn as Secession, with the Klimt murals still in place but in a more casual setting. The food will be ingredient-driven French and Italian, with Casare Casella as its consultant.

Next fall, David plans to open an innovative Japanese restaurant on West Broadway to be named Brush Stroke, which will itself house three different eateries. This new venture will be in partnership with Yoshiki Tsuji, President of Japan's largest professional cooking school, the Tsuji Culinary Academy based in Osaka, with branches in Tokyo and France. Mr Tsuji is also the author of the ground-breaking book, 'Japanese Cooking, A Simple Art', devoted to expounding Japanese cooking techniques.

What this means is that at some point in the future, you could conceivably have a different Bouley dining experience on each night of the week, and all within the neighborhood of TriBeCa.

David's 10-year dream has also finally materialised with the December opening of his state-of-the-art test kitchen that can be used for visiting chefs, for training staff and for classes for professionals as well as consumers. On the fifth floor of 88 West Broadway, his test kitchen features a library containing computerised records of catalogued ingredients and photographs of recipes.

Personality: Chef David Bouley

Just the other day, someone asked me why, out of the many Zagat surveyed restaurants in New York City, I chose to dine at Restaurant Bouley. My reason is simple and straight-forward - I admire the man.

I read about Chef David Bouley long before I visited NYC. The reputation precedes the man. In fact, in 1994, People magazine selected him as one of its '50 Most Beautiful People'. Go on and read about him and you'll understand my reasons for choosing Restaurant Bouley over all others.
David Bouley was born of French heritage in Connecticut, USA. His strongest influence were his French heritage, his grandmother's love for cooking and life on his grandparents' farm. Like Catalonian Chef Ferran Adria, David started work as a dishwasher in a restaurant in Storrs, near his birthplace when he was 15. At 19, he moved to Santa Fe where he met Michel Richard - now the renowned chef of Citronelle in Washington - who was a pastry chef at the Hotel La Fonda. From there, David worked in restaurants in various parts of the US before eventually going to France and Switzerland. While in Europe, he studied at the Sorbonne, and had the opportunity to work with some of Europe’s most acclaimed chefs, including Roger Vergé and Gaston Lenôtre, among others.

On returning to the US, David worked in some of NYC's leading restaurants of the time, such as Le Cirque, Le Périgord, and La Côte Basque. He also spent time as sous chef in Roger Vergé's restaurant in San Francisco. Then in 1985, David was appointed chef of Montrachet restaurant in TriBeCa. The restaurant quickly drew attention and earned a three-star review in The New York Times. However, the relationship with his partner was complicated and he left.

In 1987 David opened his own restaurant, Bouley, also located in TriBeCa. Bouley quickly became known as the most notable dining experience in New York and set a new standard for fine dining in America. Among many other accolades, Bouley earned a four-star review in The New York Times and received James Beard Foundation awards for best restaurant and best chef. In awarding Bouley with the 4 stars, Bryan Miller of The New York Times wrote, "David Bouley's rabid zeal for fresh regional ingredients, his cerebral approach to textures and flavours and his obvious delight in wowing customers make this one of the most exciting restaurants in New York City."

From 1991 up to its closure in 1996, Bouley received the number one ranking in food and popularity in the Zagat Survey of NYC Restaurants. In 1991, when the Zagat Survey asked 7,000 diners where they would eat their last meal, respondents overwhelmingly picked Bouley. To this day, no other restaurant has been able to achieve a food rating of 29 (out of a possible 30) in the Zagat Survey, as Bouley did in its last three years. At the height of its success, the restaurant was frequented by famous New Yorkers such as Warren Beatty, Bill Cosby and Woody Allen. David and Broadway superstar, Bernadette Peters, were at that time a celebrity couple.

When the original Bouley closed its doors, it was a monumental event, marking the end of a special era in New York fine dining. David decided to close his restaurant to focus on a greater culinary vision with the intent to bring high quality products to a wider audience. The first step involved the opening of a bakery in 1997.

Bouley Bakery opened as a wholesale and retail bakery as well as a café and restaurant and instantly became enormously popular, prompting an expansion in 1999. Shortly thereafter, the bakery earned a four-star review in The New York Times.

In September 1999, David opened Danube, a Viennese-inspired restaurant, around the corner from Bouley Bakery. The cooking features David Bouley’s interpretation of Eastern European cuisines with eye-popping decor a la Gustav Klimt, (one of my favourite artist-painters). The Danube earned a three-star review in The New York Times and was named newcomer of the year in the Zagat Survey. Its beautiful and romantic décor has also earned praise and was rated number one for décor by Zagat.

Following the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Bouley Bakery and Danube were closed, given their proximity to the World Trade Center site. During this time, David established the Green Tarp restaurant at the Ground Zero site to feed relief workers around the clock for nearly four weeks.

While Danube eventually reopened, Bouley Bakery remained closed and served as the base of operations to prepare over one million meals for Ground Zero relief workers in conjunction with the Red Cross. The original Bouley restaurant had been an early pioneer in the developing area of TriBeCa, and, therefore, David remains firmly committed to redevelopment efforts in lower Manhattan.

In February 2002, following repairs and renovations, the Bouley Bakery facility was reopened as Restaurant Bouley, reminiscent of the original Bouley though with a cuisine reflecting influences from David’s travels, growth, and experiences since the original restaurant closed in 1996. The incarnation of Bouley carries on the tradition established by the original, with the promise of taking diners on a journey to enjoy new and exciting culinary experiences.

In 2013, Bouley received the Green Six Star Diamond Award from The American Academy of Hospitality Sciences.  The Award cited Bouley as 'the first to utilise a Tasting Menu in the USA and is on the forefront of culinary creativity once again with the development of Haute Health food.

What is Chef David Bouley's Food Philosophy?

His emphasis is on freshness and purity of ingredients. He seeks to capture the highest level of flavor, to be realized in season, in relation to the time of harvest.

In preparing the food, his intention is to bring the flavor forward without distraction, to obtain clarity in taste and presentation to allow the diner to fully realise the essence of the ingredients, drawing forth natural flavors in a health-conscious cuisine.

"I cook as if I were in love with everyone I'm cooking for," David often declares. It was once revealed to Alex Witchel, The New York Times journalist, that "if you finished the food, David's smile is dreamy, sated. If you have not, he grows sullen. If you leave too much, he'll go into the dining room to find out why."

Food for Thought: Sin Huat Seafood Restaurant

Sin Huat is not only celebrated by local food critics; it was highlighted by Anthony Bourdain in his episode featuring Singapore.

This veritable hawker-style seafood restaurant, located on the main Geylang thoroughfare, does not offer much in terms of ambience, service or comfort. Housed in an old nondescript shop-house fronting the main road, customers are challenged to battle the noise and air pollution from the traffic that passes by right under their noses. Also, they have to tolerate the heat in the absence of air-conditioning. And on top of all these, customers are required to wait for their food. But all of these setbacks have not deterred devout customers from returning for repeat orders.

Personally, I found the long waiting time to be quite a bother. Definitely not a plus point especially when you are hungry. When we were there last, we waited more than half an hour before the first of our 5 dishes was served.

Therefore, I am not surprised that some customers have actually walked away disenchanted. Lately, in one food blog, I came across several negative comments made about Sin Huat, particularly about its outrageous prices and chef Danny Lim's attitude.

Let me digress here to talk a little about Danny who is a self-taught chef. He was a pig farmer until he was forced to shut his farm in Punggol in the early 90s. He then turned to cooking (learning on the job) and soon gathered a following of appreciative customers. Interestingly the idea for his signature crab bee hoon came from a customer who wished he did not have to order both crab and noodle separately. The creative pig farmer turned chef soon perfected this dish which he entered for the Asiafood competition in 1997.

Now to put things in its right perspectives, I have decided to pen my own review, which is written without bias or prejudice.

Sin Huat's signature dish, which I had mentioned before, is its Crab Bee Hoon which is pricey at $45 minimum per serving. It all depends on the weight of the Sri Lankan crab. Beyond shadow of doubt, it is a delectable dish -one that should not be missed by any foodie. One bite into the bee hoon and I could tell that the chef had fried the dish over very high heat. High heat (or large fire as my mom and aunties would say) is the key to successful wok cooking. Only at such high temperature can the full flavours of any wok dish be achieved. For those of you old enough to remember the aroma of roadside zi char stalls like the ones along Albert Street, Hong Kong Street or Owen Road (for example), will surely appreciate the taste of this dish.

Crab bee hoon - Sin Huat's signature dish

My favourite dish, hands down, is the frogs' legs in essence of chicken. The plump legs of cultivated frogs are first cooked to tenderness and placed on a hot metal platter. Then a bottle of Brand's essence of chicken is opened in our presence and poured over the pieces of frogs' legs causing it to sizzle. The dish is garnished with sprigs of scallions cut into equal length to complete the presentation. I like the taste of the essence of chicken which is rich and slightly medicinal. It may appear to be a very simple dish but its preparation, I can assure you, requires careful attention in order to avoid overcooking. Overcooking can result in toughness of this otherwise, supremely delicate meat.

Frog in Brand's Essence of Chicken

The other seafood dish we ordered was the Steamed Prawn with garlic, a favourite dish of my darling wife. Sin Huat's version was overdosed with garlic, which was not a problem at all for us since we both loved the 'king of bulbs' and use it not so sparingly in our own cooking. Sin Huat's rendition includes a generous helping of chopped spring onions which balances the robustness of the garlic. My only complaint was that the gravy was a little too salty to my liking. Otherwise I found the dish, once again, to be well prepared. Importantly, the prawns were not overcooked leaving it fleshy and succulent.

Steamed Prawn in Garlic

The other two vegetable dishes were of acceptable standards although they were not outstanding. Having said that, I must reiterate that I go to Sin Huat, not for its vegetable dishes but for its seafood.

One characteristic of Sin Huat's cooking style is its generous use of garlic in almost all of its dishes. To me, this makes the difference and sets the restaurant and its food apart from many others.


Sin Huat Seafood Restaurant
659/661 Geylang Road corner of Lorong 35
Te: 67449755

Ambiance: 5/10 (lower if you don't appreciate nostalgia)
Service: 4/10
Food: 7.5/10

Pricing: $$$-$$$$
Recommended Dishes: Frog's leg in essence of chicken, crabmeat beehoon, steamed prawn in garlic

Food for Thought: The Wood Restaurant

The Wood Restaurant, tucked cosily at one corner on the ground floor of Vivocity, was set up by consulting chef, Jake Klein, from the USA.

Jake grew up in the company of food experts. Under the nurturing of his mother, a food critic and publicist, he learnt the importance of using quality ingredients and an appreciation of the tastes of the different regions. His stepfather, Steven Raichlen, is the author of The Barbecue Bible and creator of Barbecue University.

Jake once said, “My food is a photo album of my travels – a way to bring to life the aromas and the tastes. I can’t deliver the crowded streets, or the ryokan, or other parts of the experience, but I can give you the flavours.”

After reading his comment, I became very curious about the flavours created by Chef Jake Klein. This led to our decision to celebrate our last wedding anniversary at The Wood. The restaurant has an interesting tagline 'Cuisine Flamed by the Forest'. True to its claim, the food it served was redolent of the woody flavour of the forest.

For the promotional price of $75 per person, the Chef's tasting menu included an appetizer, salad, soup, 2 main courses and dessert. Complimentary coffee and tea is included.

Grilled baby abalone

We were impressed by the Grilled Baby Abalone served on a bed of fresh greens with a drizzle of piquant dressing. The abalone was chewy but, happily, not torturously rubbery.

The main dishes were outstanding. The Grilled Magret Duck Breast was tender and gamy with a slight overtone of wood; the Black Cod had the right firmness; and the Ribeye was done to perfection - charred on the outside but juicy inside, just the way a good steak should be.

Grilled Magret duck breast

My favourite dish was, hands down, the Magret Duck Breast. Magret refers to the breast meat from a mallard or Barbary duck, which are large and have a much thinner layer of fat compared to the Peking or other species of ducks. Mallard and Barbary ducks are specially raised for foie gras, and are highly sought after for the quality of their texture. The chef's expert rendering did great justice to the dish.

Black Cod

The Wood's black cod, caught from the icy waters of Southern Chile, are air flown to Singapore. Black Cod flesh has large velvety flakes with a sweet, rich flavour due to its high content of Omega 3. When grilled properly, its meat gives off a special nutty flavour. Because of its flaky texture, it is one of the most challenging fish to cook as it has the tendency to break up if not handled expertly. One bite was all it took to convince me that the Chef had prepared it well.

Ribeye steak

I decided on the Ribeye steak as I know for a fact that the ribeye is well suited to dry heat cooking because of its extra fats. The ribeye, from the rib section, is also far more tender, fattier and flavourful than other cuts. However, over-cooking can make the ribeye meat tough. As such, I ordered mine 'medium' instead of my usual 'medium rare', just to put the Chef to the test. I was not disappointed with the result.

Although the Sri Lankan crab salad was not as remarkable as the welcome drink, these were minor let downs considering the exquisite flavours of the other dishes particularly, the 3 main courses.


The Wood Restaurant & Bar
#01-53 Vivocity
1 Harbourfront Centre Walk
Tel: 63759663

Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Food: 6.75/10

Pricing: $$$$
Recommended dishes: Magret Duck Breast, Black Cod, Ribeye Steak