Paste in Bangkok's Gaysom Village

I really don't get out to Bangkok enough. The sheer density of Michelin restaurants around here is amazing! And while this formerly-starred restaurant wasn't cheap (999 Phloen Chit Road 3F, 02-656-1003), they fortunately had a lower-priced lunch set upon request that made it just under our corporate budget.

Yes, I liked nearly everything that they served us, be it some puffed rice starters, duck curry, or eggplant salad. That brown thing above is actually tom yum soup (and a decently potent one at that) which surrounded a delightfully tender yet crispy cut of pork leg topped with jackfruit seeds. The only odd thing was a dessert that tasted like wax, but apparently a jasmine candle was used to smoke the coconut mousse, so I guess it was intentional.

Anyway, the service here was naturally very attentive, and the quality of the ingredients was better than Eat Me from last night. But it was also more upscale, whereas Eat Me felt more down to earth. Too bad Eat Me isn't open for lunch on weekdays.

Eat Me in Bangkok, Thailand

This Michelin-listed restaurant has been around for many years, but somehow I'd never made my way over until now (1/6 Soi Phiphat 2, 2238-0931). It was pretty good. One of the dishes that they are known for are their clams, which are done with with a mildly sour northern Thai sausage, making for a pleasantly savory and refreshing dish.

That wagyu tartare above was likewise seasoned like larb, and it was spicier than I thought it would be, in a good way. I even had a chance to try a local rice wine called sato, which was mildly sparkling and yeasty. Yes, I'll be happy to go again. It wasn't cheap, but the staff was friendly, and the food is presumably more affordable than the many Michelin-starred places in the surrounding block.

Mashi no Mashi Singapore's Wagyu Tsukemen

I went to Mashi no Mashi out of convenience today and decided to try their tsukemen this time. The good thing was that the meat quality was much much better than the last time I had it, being both tender and delicious. But that was the only thing I liked. The thick udon-like noodles were chewy but were disjointed from the rest of the bowl. You could taste the beef in the broth, but it was also sweet and had this off-putting starchiness to it. I don't need to order it again.

Casa Buenas at Newport World Resorts in Manila

My flight home was delayed tonight, so I quickly scrambled to see if there was a decent dinner that I could grab near the airport. It turns out that there is an upscale resort area right across the street that is conveniently connected to Terminal 3 by a walkable sheltered bridge. There were some Michelin-listed places available and even a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, but I went for this ornate-looking Filipino place, especially since it was pitched as having a Spanish influence.

I grabbed some sinuglaw, a mixture of grilled pork belly and vinegar-cured tuna, which they served here on rye bread with jellied vinegar. I liked it more than I thought I would, especially since the pork was nice and smoky, while the vinegar was delicate rather than overpowering. I also had that caldereta above, which was a local version featuring beef instead of lamb, and yet was topped with Manchego cheese. It was rather salty and came with disappointingly soggy rice, but it's probably much better than eating at the airport itself.

Japan's Key Coffee in the Philippines

This Japanese coffee chain from Japan was called Kimura Shoten but is now just called Key Coffee. And their only overseas outlets are in the Philippines, one of which happened to be nearby today. It was doing the kissaten look with wood paneling, solo dining counters, and vinyl records; the only things missing were ashtrays. Anyway I got the thing that I figured would be fastest, which was this omurice. I've never been that big a fan of omurice, but this one was a little better given it had savory bits of chicken in there as well as a nice layer of egg. I wouldn't go out of my way for it though.

Trying Cebuano Sikwate in the Philippines

The hotel breakfast had a few local items available this morning, including this drink called sikwate from Cebu. It looks like hot chocolate, and basically was hot chocolate when you consider that it's made from ground cacao beans (yep, apparently the Spanish brought it over). It was gritty and without sugar though, so it was nutty and slightly bitter. I like dark chocolate though, so this worked for me.

Lore by Chef Tatung in the Philippines

That might not look very appealing above, but it was delicious. See, it was from a Michelin-listed place on the third floor of One Bonifacio High Street Mall, and this chef has brought dishes from Mindanao in the south up to Manila.

That dish featured tender pieces of chicken slowly cooked in a blackened mixture of coconut and spices, and it was wonderful, especially when countered with those tart pickles in the foreground and assisted with some rice. I was happy with their inadobong baby pusit too, which featured baby squid sitting in a dark and savory mixture that one could mop up with bread.

Garlic featured heavily across all of my dishes tonight, but in a soft and roasted way rather than a harsh and stinky way. The service here was a little confusing (and the menu was incredibly long), but I'd be happy to eat here again.

Chiyoda Sushi Singapore’s Seasonal Specials Now

Chiyoda has updated some of its seasonal specials right now, most notably with the nishin herring and mebaru rockfish on the far left. The taste of the fatty herring was obviously more pronounced and thus more interesting, whereas the rockfish was more notable for its firm texture than its light taste. The buri and ankimo next to them were holdovers from what they had before, while the plate of baby scallops on the right were only mildly sweet and savory. Still, they were also only S$4.90 (US$3.80) for that serving of scallops, making for nice nibbles to go along with a bit of nihonshu.

The Afghani Kebab from Bar-B-Q Tonight Singapore

Bar-B-Q Tonight had these "non-spicy" Afghani kebabs on the menu. If I understand it correctly, Afghan cuisine is usually on the mild side, compared to spicy Pakistani food at least. So in relative terms, this impressively moist and tender chicken was presumably milder than other items on the menu here. But there was still a notable amount of cumin in there, perhaps to appeal to the Pakistani palate. Either way, it was pleasant and worth ordering again.

Peng Cheng Xiao Chu in Singapore's Chinatown

I'm not intentionally trying to get Jiangnan food two times in one day. It's just that I happened to be walking by this shop tonight, and the menu had some really interesting items (45 Temple Street, 6816-3787).

One of them was that diguoji pot above, featuring cuts of chicken braised in a spicy soy sauce and some flour pancakes cooked along the edges. The pancakes aside, it kinda reminded me of jigongbao, except that it was thicker and one didn't add broth and other toppings into it. Still, it was one of those salty bone-in dishes that requires slow and careful gnawing and ideally some booze to wash it down. Yes, I liked it.

To be sure, this place served Jiangsu cuisine rather than Hangzhou food from this morning. They had a number of things featuring thin pancake wraps on the side for carbs that looked promising enough to return for.

Chunhua Nainai ("Nainai Flavor") from China in Singapore

This chain from Hangzhou was much more casual than I was expecting; they served a range of Jiangnan dishes, including those tofu-filled dumplings above, along with that egg and chive pastry, steamed egg, and rice milk. Yes, it was all very delicate and made for a light but decently satisfying meal.

Meijing Sabah Sandakan Fried Pork Noodle

I think this is my third time having this Sandakan-style noodle, this time from a stall at Hong Lim Market (531A Upper Cross Street #02-33). He fried the pork to order, which made it hot and crispy. But the batter was sweet, as were the noodles. At least the chili sauce underneath was decently spicy, and he's open early in the morning. If I go back, I should remember to try the thick yellow egg noodles, as it is supposed to have some kind of bouncy texture.