Ramen Soshiji at Orchard Plaza in Singapore

I've gone to this place at least five times and never got in, usually because there was a long line or because I went on one of the days that it was closed, like a Monday or Tuesday (50 Orchard Road #03-42). Fortunately, they have since expanded with extra seating next door, as well as operating hours that include late nights as well as lunch service. I thus got a seat today, although I still had to wait 25 minutes for my bowl to be served.

So what's the big deal here? It's from a guy who spent time at Sanpoutei as well as Yakiniku Jan Jan. Just like Sanpoutei, he serves Niigata ramen, inclusive of those metal-rimmed bowls. In particular, he specializes in that ginger shoyu ramen above, where ginger goes into the broth, soy sauce, and as a topping. It reminded me of a steamed Cantonese chicken where you get some delicate notes of soy sauce and ginger in a very thin liquid. That might be a turnoff for some people, but I like ginger, so it suited me just fine. I liked that the noodles were firm and that there was some savory seaweed topping too.

Interestingly though, the broth was hardly salty enough for me. There was soy sauce available at the counter, but I felt bad about destroying his creation. Either way, it just wasn't edgy enough to get me excited, and the pork wasn't very tender either. So I'm not going to bother with it again. But there are other bowls available, and these expanded operating hours mean that I'll probably be back again late one night.

Le Perroquet Hassouna in Perpignan, France

I wasn't planning on stopping here; it was just a random place that I saw from the bus when approaching the train station (1 Avenue Général de Gaulle, 4-6834-3436). Its online reviews weren't particularly enthusiastic, but I was quite happy to find so much character in this old school place with its paper napkins and simple lunch sets that included a small carafe of wine.

My set had a salad consisting of iceberg lettuce with raw onions and hard boiled eggs, as well as a Catalan sausage that was smoky and went down nicely with mustard and mayonnaise. Sure, the fries were frozen, unlike the nice ones from last night, and the bread basket was rather sad-looking. But this place was single-handedly run by a kind gentleman who didn't speak much English, which gave it all the more charm.

L'Assiette Catalane in Perpignan, France

A very interesting thing about Perpignan is that it's Catalan despite being on the French side of the border. To add to that, it's North Catalan or Roussillon, and thus there are dishes here that you can't really find in Barcelona. Those snails above were a good example.

They are done in a perky tomato and wine sauce, and are still attached to the shell. That makes them a little hard to extract, requiring a toothpick and hands-on action like the way the Vietnamese do it. But the exposed section of the snail meat is seared, which gives it a slightly crispy texture, and a pleasantly greasy taste too. Still, it's a messy and slow affair, and perhaps why it's served more at festivals and family banquets rather than restaurants. This place serves it nonetheless (9 Rue de la République, 04-6834-7762); the restaurant was filled with families once the clock struck eight tonight.

Other local dishes that I snagged included boles de picolat meatballs that were served in a tomato sauce with white beans and pork. The meatballs were heavily garlicked, but the fries that it came with were just the way I like them: soggy and greasy, with the added bonus of being unsalted yet naturally sweet.

Lazare Escarguel Restaurant In Perpignan, France

I hopped over the French border today and was delighted to get a lunch booking at this Michelin-listed place (5 Rue Lazare Escarguel, 33-4-6821-6042). They did reasonably-priced lunch sets starting at just €32 (US$37), with today's meal inclusive of some lovely anchovy ravioli with capers and watercress, as well as that 100-day old chicken breast above, which was incredibly moist and delicious, unlike what one might otherwise think. It was accented with white pepper, and they served it with some liver-stuffed veggies as well as corn cakes in a black garlic reduction. I happily gobbled it all up along with their egg starter. Nice place.

Divinium in Girona, Spain

I didn't realize that I had booked a fancy one Michelin-starred place for dinner tonight. I was actually just looking up some quintessential places to eat in Girona that weren't from the Roca family, and this place happened to have availability (7 Albereda. 872-08-02-18). Ater walking into that small museum-like dining room with double linens and napkins served to you on a wooden tray, I felt like I was in The Menu with Ralph Fiennes and got a bit concerned. Those hesitations went away quickly once the food arrived though.

The tasting menu was done in three acts, with the first one being a bunch of little bites, including something that looked like a croquette but was filled with a thin crayfish broth inside. There was a trout and dill creation that was encased in a chalky fondant-like structure, while their take on gilda skewers was a small green liquid-filled bite. My favorite was just mushrooms on a cracker, but they sliced the mushrooms paper-thin with a truffle shaver and paired the assembly with a deliciously savory and thin broth. It was all very playful, including some pork rillettes graced with a touch of perky orange rind that reminded me of candy from my childhood.

Proteins came in the second act, like those pheasant raviolis above. I was very fond of some crispy grilled snails sitting in a thin slice of sweet onions and an extra savory anchovy sauce, as well as a dish with small cuts of very fresh and sweet red prawns sitting in a pine nut cream that I mopped up with their awesome selection of bread. They served a suckling pig whose skin was thin and crispy yet whose meat was moist and rich. They even revisited the shaved mushrooms during the final dessert course, which was fun. That was fantastic, and best of all, it was much cheaper than what one would pay in Singapore.

Restaurant Normal in Girona, Spain

We got turned away from this place last night when we tried to walk in without a reservation, but luck was on our side at lunch today (1 Plaça de l'Oli, 97-243-6383). So what's up with that funky name? Well, in fine print underneath one of the signs reads El Celler de Can Roca. Yep, it's from the Roca family, and it's called Normal because it's meant to be a more accessible place for "normal" people at "normal" prices. Yay!

That doesn't mean that it's casual though. It's still a gorgeous place with a view of the kitchen through the window, complete with precision in the workmanship and ingredient selection. That included that crayfish rice above, as well as their grilled cabbage starter. My favorite was a scallop dish featuring fresh and firm peas. I liked how intentionally salty some items were, and the prices were reasonable for what one got.

Vii, Tapes i Platillos in Girona, Spain

I didn't even realize it until afterwards, but this wine and tapas bar in Barri Vell (7 Plaça del Vi, 97-221-5604) is run by the famous Roca family. We actually stopped in twice tonight, both before and after dinner, and even grabbed snacks like those deliciously punchy gilda de bacalhau above. They had a roasted eggplant that was nice with its yogurt sauce, walnuts, and Basque chili peppers. Fortunately, it was easy to walk in and pull up to the bar tonight too.

Vintages in Girona, Spain

We didn't plan ahead when we arrived in Girona this afternoon, so unfortunately a lot of restaurants were fully booked. But we were able to get a table at this random place in the Barri Vell historic quarter (15 Carrer de la Cort Reial, 97-220-6326). I was a little apprehensive when we first walked in, as many diners were speaking English. But my concerns were unfounded, as the food was fantastic.

That duck breast above was done perfectly, with a moist and delicte texture along delightful flecks of crispy salt on the sides, all resting on a soothing sweet potato mash. We had quite a few nibbles at bars along the way here that were quite fun too; it was only after I got in did I realize that Girona is where the Roca family is from and thus has quite a food scene.

Bar Córdoba in Barcelona, Spain

This is an old family-run bar in Barcelona that Bourdain went to that has developed a reputation for selling its patatas bravas online. I had a chance to try it today, and could see why it was held in high regard, as the sauce was velvety rich without being overly spicy nor garlicky. More importantly, these potatoes were crisp on the outside yet creamy on the inside, presumably a combination of the type of potato as well as the oil and technique used. This plate was piping hot, as it came straight out of the fryer, and was nice to have on such a miserably cold and wet day today.

Mazah Restaurant in Barcelona's Eixample District

This Lebanese place was selected for a team dinner tonight (618 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 93-013-0311). The food was a mixed bag, as some of that meat above was a bit lean and dried out, while some of the mezze were extremely salty. But the rest of the platter was fun to eat with the flatbread, and the lamb ribs were grilled nicely. Perhaps the more memorable thing here was the venue itself with its high ceilings and gigantic marble tables, as well as its options for things like shisha and even Lebanese beer.

Batea in Barcelona, Spain

That was kinda disappointing. This seafood place is from the folks at Besta, so I had my hopes up (605 Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, 93-406-8792). It is Michelin-listed, and the quality of the ingredients were all fresh and good. But I was surprised by how heavy-handed the kitchen was. It's like they wanted to leave a mark by aggressively layering on additional flavors. The rye cracker in the prawn "bite" that I ordered was a foreshadowing of what was to come, as the taste of the rye pushed its way past the taste of the prawn.

That said, the focaccia above wasn't as bad given those firm slices of monkfish on top of crispy and textured bread. And if anything was going to shine under the kitchen's assertive tendencies, then it would be ceviche, which I was quite happy to find that they topped with corn nuts. But the clams that I ordered separately were covered in a tangy sauce; it was respectably sophisticated on its own, but it also covered up the taste of the clams themselves. This place was more expensive than I thought too, so I don't need to go back.

Varmuteo in Barcelona's Sant Antoni District

That might look like a hot dog with mustard at a quick glance, but it's actually a small steak tartare sandwich at a fun little vermouth bar (3 Carrer de Vilamarí, 687-680-050). It was a great snack, as were a couple of creative gilda featuring octopus and artichoke. I'm quite happy that it was open on a Sunday afternoon.