El Chigre 1769 in Barcelona's Ciutat Vella

I was a little worried about this place at first since there were quite a number of tourists inside (7 Carrer dels Sombrerers, 93-782-6330). Then again, that's probably also because I made a very last minute reservation, and the only time available was an early slot before most locals start dining.

Anyway, the food was amazing. They had a wide selection of fish available, including seabass and turbot, and the staff happily suggested options for us. The best thing that we had were those amazingly sweet prawns above. Seriously, I need to max out on prawns while I'm here in Spain this week, as the headfat is just so velvety rich and savory.

This place is also known for cider from the northern Asturias region, and they pour it from a height like the Basque do with txakoli (although this was from apples instead of grapes). The one that we had was quite dry, but it made for an interesting dish where they simmered chorizo in the cider. This place was fun.

Soma Restaurant in Barcelona

It's places like this why I like Spain so much! This laid-back wood-paneled bar in Eixample (179 Carrer de Provença, 605-658-956) was churning out little gems like this, including those dark risotto cakes topped with diced bits of fresh and firm squid in the bottom right corner of the photo above, as well as that roasted eggplant with burrata at the top. The prices were surprisingly reasonable, the service was super friendly, and it was reasonably quick as long as you are lucky enough to get somewhere to sit. Thumbs up!

Dallmayr Bistro at Munich Airport T2

Dallmayr is apparently some kind of famous delicatessen in the city that happens to have an outlet at Munich Airport Terminal 2 airside. At first, I questioned whether to make an effort to go, in part because the Lufthansa lounge already had a huge tub of free Weißwurst available. But Dallmayr is apparently an institution, so I made the most of it by trying them at both Dallmayr and the lounge in order to compare them.

This shouldn't come as any surprise, but difference was in the quality. I mean, the lounge version was edible, and frankly I wouldn't have known any better had I not looked into the details. But Dallmayr's had a very pronounced amount of fresh parsley, as well as more finely minced meat. I'm also quite happy that I haven't lost my skin peeling skills despite not eating Weißwurst on a regular basis.

Tonshou's Hire Katsu Set

Somehow I never noticed this the first time I had Tonshou's tenderloin, perhaps because it was buried under that combo plate. But it's interesting that they use medallion-shaped cuts. If my information is correct, this is because it's the preferred way of cutting in Korea, whereas it's a long and flat cut in Japan. If so, then this (along with the portion of kimchi) is a telltale sign that Tonshou is from Korea.

The other thing I failed to notice the first time is how incredibly tender and moist these cuts were (yes, they are supposed to be pink in the middle). I normally lean towards rosu because I figured that the fat would be tastier. But it turns out these cuts are even better. It really didn't need much to go with it despite the array of condiments available. It was already lightly salted, and was good as-is.

Tokyo’s Pizza Studio Tamaki (PST) in Singapore

When PSG opened an outlet on the former grounds of the Tippling Club, I avoided it for a while because they were usually fully booked (38 Tanjong Pagar Road). Fortunately, the hype has died down a bit and it's pretty easy to walk in at lunch now. And the fact that the pizzas come out in lightning speed makes it a all the more convenient for me.

Now, the thing that I remember the most from Japan was the salt-bottomed crust. I'm not sure if they intentionally toned it down in Singapore, as the menu says that you have to explicitly request less salt, which I did not do. But it seemed less salty here, even though I was still happy to eat it. The crust was not as chewy as a Neapolitan, but it was light and even featured a bit of scorchiness.

Either way, they still used good quality ingredients, like a rich cheese as well as juicy and sweet tomatoes in their namesake pie above, or even their olives and homemade sausage olives in a Diavola that came together very well. Sure, it's a little pricey for lunch, but it is super fast and the service is great, so I will be going back as long as it doesn't hurt my wallet too much.

Rendang Jackfruit Arancini from Kucina Kiosko

Cool, Kucina Kiosko is doing a Ramadan menu featuring a rendang jackfruit version of its arancini. And instead of his usual tomato-based sauce, it's a brown curry-like sauce that was impressively potent, bright, and balanced. I should get this again before the promotion ends next month.

Belimbing in Singapore

This upscale extension of the Coconut Club was excellent (269A Beach Road). Run by a Naked Finn alumnus, it serves modern interpretations of local food, and everything that we had tonight was delicious due to both the quality of the ingredients as well as the technique. My favorite was a local soon hock fish that was done with wonderfully crispy skin and a cashew nut curry underneath. That's a stuffed savoy cabbage above, in case you're wondering, and their smoked ox tongue was also tender and buttery smooth. Big thumbs up to this place; along with the Naked Finn, it has to be one of the more unique places in town that embraces local products and flavor profiles, all while executing with finesse. And yes, the service is good too.

Zok Noodle House from Malaysia

This chain from Malaysia has been down here for a few years, but their marketing copy never sold me with their pitch about being authentically Malaysian while also serving the "authentic cuisine" of Hong Kong and Macau. Anyway, they obviously serve Cantonese food, and they offered a 10% discount today, so I went straight for their signature wonton min, as I just happened to watch a video on bamboo noodles the other day.

Despite the placement of the noodles alongside the wontons in that big bowl, it wasn't too bad. Those gigantic wontons included a generous pair of shrimp that were plump, firm, and savory, while the noodles were firm with just a mild alkaline taste in it. The broth was savory, and it came out pretty quickly too. I might actually go back for this, especially since Mak's Noodle isn't down here anymore.

SIDES by Sidemen in Singapore

This Nashville hot chicken chain from the UK is from a group of YouTubers whose content isn't focused on food, yet it commanded some pretty long lines when it first opened in Singapore. They have a few outlets now, so I had a chance to try it today when one of them had plenty of seating available.

What surprised me was that the chicken wings were not coated in a sauce, but with a dry rub powder surrounding a crispy Shake 'N Bake-like layer. My "hot" level 3 of 4 was fine in terms of heat, but it was also sweet and MSG-ish, not unlike what you'd get in a bag of ultra-processed chips.

Still, the pickle slices were nice, and the chicken was piping hot and moist inside. In that sense, I kinda liked it better than the other chains, and I wouldn't mind trying their burger if I somehow ended up here again. But that sweet MSG powder would also keep me from being a regular.

IM JAI's Tom Kha Pla Lunch Set

That might not seem like much on the surface. In fact, this was one of the last things that I've tried on the lunch menu at IM JAI by Pun Im, as it just didn't look very interesting on paper. But I really liked the thoughtful little touches employed. In particular, they didn't leave any of those inedible fragments of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves that usually pervade tom kha pla, leaving only easy-to-eat ingredients in a delicate yet punchy broth. They complemented it with a salty fish sauce and chili dip as well as a gritty chili paste rice. This may in fact now be one of the first things on the lunch menu that I'll order again.

Sarangani Bay Milkfish in Corn Oil

These little jars of milkfish from the Philippines looked interesting, so I picked up one to give it a try. It was like a milder version of tinned sardines, and was certainly much tamer than tuyo. Either way, it was easy to eat with rice. Apparently the Filipinos only started doing this type of oil preservation after the Spanish arrived.

Now Pizza in Singapore

Given how much that rumeL place surprised me with its chewy dough, I figured I'd try the other fast sourdough pizza chain that has popped up recently, even if it similarly looked discouraging from the outside. The dough definitely wasn't as good as rumeL as this one was more dry and commonplace. But that also made it crispy and airy, and at least there was a bottle of olive oil there for one to moisten it up with. They don't do those super small sizes like rumeL here, but it was fast and cheap. And it was still much better than places like Pizza Hut and Domino's.

IM JAI by Pun Im's Goong Ob Woonsen

Here's the prawn vermicelli from IM JAI by Pun Im. It came out very quickly, and I ate it very quickly, as those prawns were conveniently peeled already and were decently plump and fresh. The glass noodles were surprisingly peppery and almost excessively so, but still fun and edgy enough to eat with a smile on my face, especially with that generous scoop of crackling. The portion was kinda small though.

Folks Collective's Tom Yum Fire Hotpot

In case you're wondering, there are prawns, eggs, fried pork belly, and Mama noodles inside that pot. And it was from Folks Collective, a place whose name is still baffling to me, even though I'm increasingly liking the food. I separately had a wild bamboo herb salad that was served warm and was deliciously refreshing with a sprinkle of rice powder on top. Next time I should try their jungle bamboo tum, as it comes with protein and noodles too. And maybe try to come for their surprisingly affordable happy hour drinks.

Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen's Coriander Bowl

I haven't been to Tonkotsu Kazan in ages, but recent promotions for this coriander bowl got me curious. It's too bad then that it was basically just a big pile of coriander on top of a bowl that was ruined by a sweet chili sauce. What made it worse were the gigantic cuts of meat that were tough and even sugary sweet. It was all off-putting enough that I didn't bother to finish my bowl. But I ate all of the coriander.

China's Shu Da Xia Hotpot in Singapore

I've been wanting to check out this chain from Chengdu for a while now, but its location at Tampines 1 made it difficult for me (10 Tampines Central 1 #03-16). Fortunately, I had a chance to go today, and was happy to find an afternoon meat buffet offer for S$18.80 (US$14.75). What a bargain, and they were fine with you being a solo diner, at that.

Now, keep in mind that the deal only includes meat selections. If you want veggies or carbs, then you have to pay for those. And you have to pay for the broth and the condiment bar either way, so it wasn't quite as affordable as it sounded. If you really wanted to be cheap, you could get your veggies and carbs from the condiment bar, if you don't mind it being limited to instant noodles and a cold bamboo shoot appetizer plus some coriander for garnish. The good thing was that the broth didn't have to be a full-sized pot; one could just order a three-compartment pot, filling two of the compartments with (free) plain water. My basic mala broth in the third chamber was sufficient.

Now, the meat was interesting in that one of the choices called Guifei Beef arrived with a white milky substance on top. It looked like coconut milk, but was actually a protein mixture of some kind used to tenderize and moisten the freshly cut Chaoshan-style meat. The meat was indeed tender, even if it didn't have much taste, and was unique enough that I opted for another plate while I could. I definitely got my protein today.

Hougang Traditional Famous Wanton Noodle

Stall number 35 at Old Airport Road Food Centre proudly displayed a badge for their Michelin listing, so I got a serving to find out why. It turns out these little bowls were pretty good thanks to the quality of the ingredients. I prefer skinnier noodles, but these were bouncy and laced with an edgy chili sauce that wasn't sugary sweet. The wonton fillings were earthy, and they sat in a crisp and savory soup, unlike the dishwater that one commonly gets at other stalls.