French cured anchovy with beet root
It was a really fat and juicy anchovy with such healthy reflective skin, u didn't think it's anchovies didn't you? Beneath the beautiful cured fish was a piece of sweet beet. Think it's simple and easy eh? But don't forget the art of deceiving, most often the simplest thing in life could be the most complicated to achieve.
Just like happiness, it's so easy to say it. Be happy. Have some happiness. Do happy things. Have a happy time. Happy hour~~~ But how often do people attain true happiness? I know, it takes a lot to stay happy at times, but it's all in the expectations.
simple maths....if u have higher expectations than wat you get/receive, happiness level is lower and vice versa. So always set realistic expectations in life and you'll be a much happier person. :)) agree?
Hotate Carpaccio with uni *sea urchin*
How could one resist this? the rich flavour of japanese scallop....all raw....with generous dollops of sea urchin. Oh well only if you are allergic to shellfish or u don't really consume raw fish. All balanced with the crunchy texture from the sweet tartness of baby vege.
If I tell you those leaves looked so perfect coz they were trimmed to this shape would you believe me? All the little details for a beautiful culinary adventure.
Broiled ocean trout with caviar
technically this isn't raw coz it has been broiled. But seriously with good produce like these, all sourced meticulously by Chef Takashi Kimura, u won't wanna destroy it by cooking them like volcano. He has the flair of unpolluted cooking, in fact he enhanced the flavours of these fresh produce to a different notch, sometimes to the extend of curing them at different stages for full flavour to developed.
Sauteed Japanese spinach with slightly fried fresh oysters
Wow this was really the bomb
Prince C: "Only 2 pieces??? ain't enuff for me. Anyone wanna donate theirs to me?"
silence ensued on the table and everyone quickly gobbled down their beautiful oysters. Both has got such minerality, including the spinach. The roots of the spinach was power packed with flavours while the oysters was still pretty raw on the inside and so so juicy despite its size. Anyway we prefer smaller oysters instead of the huge ones. Haven't u heard.....size does matter and bigger things doesn't mean it's big in flavour too eh :)))
Saba fish with wasabi leaf
haven't have this dish at Cilantro and I am impressed that Chef actually has a database of wat his clienteles had and have not before. This is so tedious. I don't even know wat my clients have in their cellar. :P
the beauty of this dish was the wasabi leaf which has got a good crunch and bite, plus the elegant spicy note to follow, which lingered on your palate. It definitely looked like "kiam chai" or salty vegetable but it wasn't...it has a tart sweetness to begin and ended with that, oh u know the wasabi kinda nasal-hotness. hahahaha. Lovely surprise.
Tasting plate of wagyu beef with different types of wasabi on the side.
So u have the sirloin, the rump *i think* and finally the tongue!!! the beef tongue has got to be the best part for its texture and flavours.
On its side, there's 3 types of wasabi. the crunchy wasabi leaves, pickled wasabi with japanese lime and finally freshly grated wasabi root. All has got different length and profile to go with the different part of the wagyu beef. :)))
Fedellini with lidako and fresh sansho
and bcoz we have the 2 boys who are carbo eater, namely Mr. JS and Prince C, Chef had to prepare at least some form of carb to feed them towards the end of the meal. Lidako or baby octopus was slightly charred grilled. It has got the charred profile but isn't entirely cooked to such chewiness, instead it has got a very good bite and sweetness to it.
this was by special request, off the menu. Onsen egg on top of japanese rice, with more beef tongue and crispy beef fat. Aged japanese soyu were sprinkled lightly to add the umami savouriness to this dish. Mix everything up and there u have your comfort food and carbo before we end our meal.
An interpretation of Mont Blanc with bitter chocolate sorbet
The pace and portioning were excellent that evening. I don't know if it's us being hungry, or the outstanding wines, or the food was just so so amazingly good. Chef Takashi Kimura was again at his top form.
Monkey and I Ching in her beautiful Emilio Pucci dress :))
and so we celebrated our friendship, amazing creations by chef and outstanding wines. But most of all we celebrated my first day at my new job :))) Looking forward to more celebrations to come.
For more information on Cilantro:
http://www.cilantrokl.com/
the distinctive and special Bak Chor Mee....or famously known as Mee Pok.
Once can only find these in Singapore I suppose. A teochew speciality, its name Bak Chor Mee means minced/sliced pork noodle. Then wat about Mee Pok? so confusing....anyway Mee Pok is the general term for this teochew noodle which is then divided into Bak Chor Mee and Fish Ball mee pok. So these two siblings have 2 different school of thought concentrating either on pork or fish. It's a good arrangement, so no rivalries. Hahahaha u think so?
Next under bak chor mee, there is the mee kia - thin and flat noodle and the normal noodle. And also there's dry and soup version. Wow ordering a bowl ain't easy huh?
But we lurve it for its spiciness from the chilli oil, acid from its vinegar, richness from its meat and lards and finally the al-denteness of the noodle. It required a lot of technique and skills to prepare and cook the noodle to this texture of chewniness.
The famous bak chor mee that we lurve is Tai Wah for it's the most original one....but if u have no choice nor time and needed a quick fix around ya, just head to the one at ION Food Opera or the very last option would be the mini food court upstairs of Terminal 2 in Changi Airport. In fact there's so many other options and everyone gave me their different bak chor mee around the corner. Shows that this is one and truly a Singaporean comfort food :)))
Do you have one to share with me? :))
Sorry for being so silent the last week, Monkey had been tied down switching career. From handing over my previous career which I love love love and still love so much to another one which I've had so much passion in.
I remembered saying it a few times throughout my young life that I wanted be a PR person for this industry, products which I've grown to enjoy so much especially in recent years. To the extend that I've even documented it on my blog, saying them out loud :)))
Read bout it *here* and *here*
So on the 3rd day of my new job, it was already on the go execution, being in this fast paced industry, there's isn't time for orientation. Speaking of that, I have yet to meet the entire team of colleagues in my floor. The very first project was to whisked media friends to a mysterious location early in the morning for the first tasting. 5 black alphards branded with the word Dom Perignon sped through north, made a pit stop and less than 2 hours later, we were all standing in awe in front of the magnificent mineral landscape of Banjaran Hotsprings to do a tasting in the late morning. This location best describe the champagne :))) minerality and precision.
In the evening, Monkey sped back to KL to gather with clients for another tasting. Chef from the maison was also flown in to craft delicate cuisine to pair with the stunning champagnes.
and we had a tasting of the Dom Perignon 2004, the DP P2 1998, DP Rose 2003 and finally the surprise surprise DP P3 1970
But I must say the P2 was a rather delicate surprise with its honeysuckle length, deep dimension, radiant and intense.
If you would like to get hold of this baby, u'll know where to get me :)))))
but the happiest moment would be to watch all these beautiful people having so much fun, discovering the P2 at its peak. Rated 98 pointers by wine spectator, it's the champagne that you will not forget :)))
Now now it's Friday and I am left with one more event to go tonite. So wishing all my dear readers a lovely weekend ahead, no matter where u are heading or doing :) just chillax la :)))
