UDMC Seafood Centre – Singapore

April 11th, 2009

Block 1202 East Coast Pkwy
Tel. (65) 6442-3435
Opening Hours: Variable from: 11am – 2am and other restaurants: 5pm-midnight
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

The UDMC Seafood Centre on East Coast Parkway has a large selection of regional seafood dishes, it is about halfway to the airport. There are eight seafood restaurants in the complex and some of them have telephones and accept credit cards, reservations and others do not. The most popular are Long Beach Seafood and Red House. Best known for their legendary black pepper crab and chilli crab. Incidentally, none of the crabs come from anywhere near Singapore, they are raised and harvested in Sri Lanka and flown in.

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Saboten – Shinjuku Tonkatsu – in Bangkok

April 10th, 2009


6/F, Central World, just outside Isetan
Tel. 02-255-9848
Website: www.saboten.in.th/contact.php
Opening Hours: daily 11am-10pm
Credit cards: Visa, MC
Prices: Inexpensive-Moderate

You will find Saboten, a storefront restaurant with an all too familiar Japanese blond-wood accented interior, on the 6th floor of Central World just outside Isetan, usually with a healthy queue at the door during peak hours.
The main draw is the excellent pork tonkatsu, crisp outside, and juicy inside and in spite of its deep-fried cooking method it remains quite light. Served with freshly shredded cabbage with a terrific sesame seed dressing that you cannot stop eating. They offer various cuts of pork in the same style as well as minced along with shrimp and crab croquettes. This is probably the best place in town to sample tonkatsu from this authentic Japanese chain. You can find the directions and menu at www.saboten.in.th/contact.php.

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Opus, Vineria Italiana (Wine Bar) – Bangkok

April 6th, 2009

64 Pan Road
Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500
Tel. 02 637 9896-7
Fax. 02 637 9898
email: info@wbopus.com
Website: www.wbopus.com
Opening Hours: Dinner only 7 days, 6pm – midnight
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate

On the corner of Silom Road and Thanon Pan is the famous, Hindu Temple Wat Khaek, using that as a marker turn down the road and you will eventually find the sign for Opus on the right side traveling along from Silom. The Wine Bar or Vineria Italiana, occupies the lower floor of a large house, which has been renovated but not severely so, as they had the good-sense to leave most of the colonial treatments intact. A bar fills the wall on the left side as you enter with an area with high wine-tasting tables directly in front and a glassed-in wine cellar in the rear with a table in the center. Directly in the front of the house is another dining area with lower and more traditional dining furniture, although personally I would rather consume the dishes chosen for this menu: small plates and other tapas-style dishes at bar level tables—it just seems more natural. On the upper floor they have a private dining room and space to build-out others, when necessary.
The managing Director, Alex Morabito is a suave and genial host, very familiar with Italian wines from all regions of Italy; he will help you pair them with the dishes from the concise, but well chosen menu. I sampled a couple of small-plates on one visit and the cooking that is produced here is far superior to the minimum one requires to accompany a bottle chosen from their vast selection of Italian wines. They have a brief choice of wines-by-the-glass, although I would expect that to expand as demand requires it.

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Nebuchadnezzars of Château d’Yquem anyone?

April 3rd, 2009

For normal usage half-bottles are perfect for sweet white Bordeaux wines, such as the prestigious Château d’Yquem, when a bottle is just too much; providing a couple of glasses for two or a generous taste for four persons.
To celebrate the fabulous 2005 vintage the producer will be bottling 100 15-liter Nebuchadnezzars for use at large events or for occasions when many friends have gathered. The estimated price is about $20,000 per bottle!

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Bonjour French Restaurant – Bangkok

March 31st, 2009

1217/2 Sukhumvit Rd.
Klonton Nua, Wattana
Bangkok 10110
Tel. 02-714-2112
Opening Hours: Breakfast, Lunch, Tea Time, Dinner
Owner/Director: Xavier Pierre Olaf Roger Bruzand-Grille
Website: www.bonjourbangkok.com
Private Parking, Private Dining Room
Credit Cards: all major
Prices: Expensive

Bonjour is a new French restaurant situated in a large house just off Sukhumvit Road between Ekkamai and Thonglor, and to narrow it down even further, between soi 59 and 61, it is easy to find and has an abundance of on-site parking.

I had mixed feelings about the experience; I was both excited, to dine at a new French restaurant in Bangkok, and underwhelmed by the two dishes I sampled.
I ordered two courses from the lunch menu. Crab and crevette soup was delivered by a young waitress, and in her hands the low-slung soup bowl reacted like a swimming pool in an earthquake, lapping alternately up and over the brim on both ledges on its journey to the table. The thin soup was separating from the cream, probably due to the vigorous movement, and globules of red-tinged fat from the shrimp floated onto the surface. The next course, a white fish from the bass family, sautéed with the skin, was fine, although not unlike hundreds I have eaten and nothing on the plate or treatment of this delicate fish helped to distinguish it as “memorable”.
The promised swans (see Bonjour’s website) were non-existent, however, they may arrive soon as the building and grounds were obviously not complete as workmen were still in evidence on the premises.
It is always difficult in the opening weeks of any new restaurant and my visit was most likely too premature as this restaurant had been open only a little over a month. I will let some time pass and return again to take another look, at which time everything will probably be fine-tuned and running smoothly.

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L.A.: Models, Actresses Augment Income Parking Cars for Rich And Famous

March 30th, 2009

Valet Girls Parking Service www.valetgirls.com, sounds like “Valley Girls” doesn’t it, and maybe the pun is intended, in any case, they are using a new twist on an old trade, it is quite simple, they have ditched the pimple faced boys in red vests and swapped them for some flashy girls dressed in hot pink. The company claims that the sexy, although struggling models and actresses have been trained in vehicular safety and can perform as well as their male counterparts in style and service.
The potential employees are hired in a “casting call” type interview session as used in the film business and so far they have received a big turnout. Valet Girls will debut at Susan Feniger’s new STREET restaurant (www.eatatstreet.com) 742 North Highland Avenue, on March 30, 2009. Prepare to encounter all-female parking services to crop up in big cities all over the U.S.A.

The valet company’s goal: Leave a Good First and Last Impression, a key ingredient so important for restaurants in today’s uncertain economy.

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Australia’s 100 Best Restaurants

March 26th, 2009

I am reporting on the latest list considered by the Australian food magazine Gourmet Traveller as the Best 100 Restaurants in Australia. This magazine, in my opinion, is the most well-written gourmet magazine published today, so much so, that when I was living in America I subscribed to it.

  1. Quay, NSW
  2. Tetsuya’s, NSW
  3. Rockpool, NSW
  4. Vue de Monde, VIC
  5. Pier, NSW
  6. Marque, NSW
  7. Est., NSW
  8. Bécasse, NSW
  9. Claude’s, NSW
  10. Guillaume at Bennelong, NSW
  11. Aria, NSW
  12. Buon Ricordo, NSW
  13. Jacques Reymond, VIC
  14. Three, One, Two, VIC (Closed)
  15. Rockpool Bar & Grill, VIC
  16. Attica, VIC
  17. Sean’s Panaroma, NSW
  18. Pilu at Freshwater, NSW
  19. Bentley Restaurant & Bar, NSW
  20. Icebergs Dining Room & Bar, NSW
  21. The Botanical, VIC
  22. Yoshii, NSW
  23. Berowra Waters Inn, NSW
  24. Royal Mail Hotel, VIC
  25. Pearl, VIC
  26. Ezard, VIC
  27. Bistro Guillaume, VIC
  28. Lake House, VIC
  29. Bilson’s, NSW
  30. Café Di Stasio, VIC
  31. Flower Drum, VIC
  32. Vulcans, NSW
  33. Universal, NSW
  34. The Grange, SA
  35. Stokehouse, VIC
  36. Restaurant Balzac, NSW
  37. Verge, VIC
  38. Circa, the Prince, VIC
  39. Grossi Florentino, VIC
  40. Interlude, VIC (Closed)
  41. Absynthe, QLD
  42. Bistro Moncur, NSW
  43. The Manse, SA
  44. Lucio’s, NSW
  45. E’cco, QLD
  46. Darley’s, NSW
  47. Appellation, SA
  48. Star Anise, WA
  49. Montrachet, QLD
  50. Urbane, QLD
  51. The Melting Pot, SA
  52. Catalina, NSW
  53. Restaurant Two, QLD
  54. Lebrina, TAS
  55. Isis Brasserie, QLD
  56. Auge, SA
  57. Flying Fish, NSW
  58. Petaluma’s Bridgewater Mill, SA
  59. Vanitas, QLD
  60. The Wine Underground, SA
  61. Stefano’s, VIC
  62. Bistrode, NSW
  63. MoVida, VIC
  64. Bodega, NSW
  65. Billy Kwong, NSW
  66. Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons, VIC
  67. Longrain, NSW
  68. Mad Cow, NSW
  69. Nu Nu, QLD
  70. Glebe Point Diner, NSW
  71. Becco, VIC
  72. Lotus, NSW
  73. Otto, NSW
  74. The Press Club, VIC
  75. Esposito, VIC
  76. Four in Hand, NSW
  77. The Grand, VIC
  78. Restaurant Assiette, NSW
  79. Comme Kitchen, VIC
  80. Forty One, NSW
  81. North Bondi Italian Food, NSW
  82. Vasse Felix, WA
  83. Pacific Dining Room, NSW
  84. Fish Face, NSW
  85. Foveaux, NSW
  86. Astral, NSW
  87. Taxi Dining Room, VIC
  88. The Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay, NSW
  89. The Loose Box, WA
  90. Buzo, NSW
  91. Baguette Bistrot & Bar, QLD
  92. Sailors Thai, NSW
  93. Bar Lourinhã, VIC
  94. Longrain, VIC
  95. Sourcedining, NSW
  96. Gianni, QLD
  97. Glass, NSW
  98. The Courthouse, VIC
  99. Rock, NSW
  100. Gills Diner, VIC

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Sydney’s Best Restaurants 2009 – Sydney, Australia

March 25th, 2009

The following restaurants have been acclaimed as the cities best 2009:

First Tier

Bilson’s Restaurant
Radisson Plaza Hotel Sydney
27 O’Connell Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel. +61 (0) 2 8214 0496
Fax. +61 (0)2 8214 0495
Website: www.bilsons.com.au

Claude’s
10 Oxford Street
Woollahra, NSW 2025
Phone: +61 -2-9331 2325
Website: www.claudes.com.au

est.
25 George Street
Sydney 2000
Tel. 61 2 9240 3010
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri lunch and dinner
Sat – dinner only
Website: www.merivale.com/#/establishment/est

Marque Restaurant
355 Crown Street
Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9332 2225
Website: www.marquerestaurant.com.au

Pier Rose Bay Seafood Restaurant
594 New South Head Rd
Rose Bay, NSW 2029, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9327 4187
Website: www.pierrestaurant.com.au

Quay Restaurant
Circular Quay West
The Rocks, NSW 2000, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9251 5600
Website: www.quay.com.au

Tetsuya’s Restaurant
529 Kent St
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9267 2900
Website: www.tetsuyas.com

Second Tier

Aria Restaurant
1 MacQuarie St
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9252 2555
Website: www.ariarestaurant.com

Becasse Restaurant
204 Clarence St
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9283 3440
Website: www.becasse.com.au

Bentley Restaurant & Bar
320 Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW 2010, Australia
Tel.  +61 2 9332 2344
Website: www.thebentley.com.au

Berowra Waters Waterview Restaurant
199 Bay Rd, Berowra Waters
Tel. +61 2 9456 2633
Website: www.berowrawaters.net

Bistro Ortolan
134 Marion St
Leichhardt, NSW 2040, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9568 4610
Website: www.bistroortolan.com.au

Buon Ricordo
108 Boundary St
Paddington, NSW 2021, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9360 6729
Website: www.buonricordo.com.au

Doyles at Watsons Bay
11 Marine Parade
Watsons Bay, NSW, 2030
Tel. 02 9337 2007
Website: www.doyles.com.au

FortyOne
2 Chifley Square
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9221 2500
Website: www.forty-one.com.au

Guillaume at Bennelong
Bennelong Restaurant
Sydney Opera House
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9241 1999
Website: www.guillaumeatbennelong.com.au

Icebergs Dining Room & Bar
1 Notts Ave, Bondi Beach
Tel. +61 2 9365 9000
Website: www.idrb.com

Lucio’s Italian Restaurant
47 Windsor Street
Paddington, NSW 2021, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9380 5996
Website: www.lucios.com.au

Pilu at Freshwater
Moore Rd
Harbord, NSW 2096, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9938 3331
Website: www.piluatfreshwater.com.au

Restaurant Balzac
141 Belmore St
Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9399 9660
Website: www.restaurantbalzac.com.au

Rockpool
107 George St
The Rocks, NSW 2000, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9252 1888
Website: www.rockpool.com

Universal Restaurant
Republic 2 Courtyard Palmer Street
between Burton & Liverpool, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia
Tel+61 2 9331 0709
Website: www.universalrestaurant.com

Yoshii Restaurant
115 Harrington St
The Rocks, NSW 2000, Australia
Tel. +61 2 9247 2566
Website: www.yoshii.com.au

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Helipad Bar and Disco – Singapore

March 22nd, 2009

photo credit: www.helipad.com.sg

photo credit: www.helipad.com.sg

#05-22 The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street
Tel: +65 6327 8118
Email: info@helipad.com.sg
Website: www.helipad.com.sg
Age limit: 23 years and above
Operating hours: Monday-Thursday: 6pm- 1am, Friday – Saturday: 6pm – 3am, Closed on Sundays
Happy Hour: 6pm – 9pm (1 for 1 on all house pours)
Entry Charges: First drink charges apply from Mon – Sat
Age limit: 23 years and above
Dress code: No shorts/bermudas, slippers or caps

From the creators of the now shut Sound Bar & Liquid Room, another victim of a lost lease, one of Singapore’s best all-night party spots, Helipad is now going to fill that void at The Central, with two floors of entertainment with a unique “rooftop-on-rooftop” al fresco area, with a city skyline view.

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Chez Rene – Paris

March 20th, 2009

14 bd. St-Germain
The Quartier Latin
Paris
Tel. 01-43-54-30-23
Cuisine: Bistro
Location: Quartier Latin
Metro: Maubert-Mutualité
Opening Hours: Dinner: Tues-Sat; Lunch: Tues-Fri; Closed Sun, Mon, Christmas Week, and Aug
Credit Cards: Visa, M.C.
Prices: Inexpensive-Moderate

Chez René is a classic bistro located at the foot of Boulevard St. Germain. They serve good, classic renditions of boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin, cuisse de grenouilles and other Burgundian standards that are becoming harder to find as more modern fare comes into favor.  Although ownership has changed, the authentic bistro favorites have not, at least they were still in place on my last visit. Due to the fluctuating inconsistencies of the restaurant business, one who attempts to write about them and those that read their words, must keep in mind that nothing is cast in bronze and what was true a day ago might not be so now; and that is why I lean toward more of a comment-style than a review-style when reporting on restaurants. These dishes may not be exactly in vogue today, the contents on the plate are not stacked to form a tower and damn it, on occasion it is quite pleasing to have everything on the ground floor as after all, this is bistro cooking not haute cuisine.
The wine list is dominated by wines from the Mâconnais and Beaujolais regions, which as it happens is your best bet.


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