Bistro Remedios, Manila…If you’re a foreigner looking for the taste of an authentic Filipino kitchen: this is the place to go

While Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisines continue to dominate the culinary landscape, I can’t help but feel that the food of the Philippines isn’t given the love it deserves.

The menu at Bistro Remedios is expansive and affordable whether you’re in the mood for a warming bowl of bulalo – – a country dish made of boiled beef shank and vegetables or a plate of Sugpo sa gata at sili – prawns simmered in coconut milk with buko meat and chilies. With a hearty (and often hefty) array of traditional dishes, the Binukadkad na crispy Pla Pla – butterfly-cut fried pla pla fish served with balo-balo and fresh mustard leaves makes Bistro Remedios worthy of a visit.

After all, who could possibly turn down a succulent tilapia that is cooked deep fried which is crispy on the outside but soft inside and served with two sauces? Not me, dear reader. Not me. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Restaurant and Bistro The Kitchen, Koh Samui…‘I would rather choke on my food and die than go here again.’

The moment I entered Restaurant and Bistro The Kitchen, I suspected, from looking at the expressions of the other diners, that I was in for a slightly stiff ride. One can tell a great deal about the meal ahead simply by gauging the atmosphere at other tables, well, alarm bells ring.

From the characterless tom yam khung, to the actively repellent wanton shrimp soup, I like to think the staff made these up as a prank, and were watching to see if I would be an obedient foodie and play ball. Let us never speak again of the khao ob sapparot – fried rice with pineapple and vegetables. Service, it must be said, is chaotic, so if one wants terrible food delivered quickly, accompanied by several other unappetising dishes you hadn’t ordered but other diners are currently waiting for, The Kitchen is for you. I walked out in revolt and was still in dire need of some lunch.

I’m a great believer in the best reviews being the shortest ones, so the succinct version is: ‘I would rather choke on my food and die than go here again.’ This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

People & Places, Johor Bahru…There are things here I want to come back for

Let me tell you that, if you’d care to witness JB’s most mesmerising delivery of all-day breakfast, then this is absolutely the place to come. Two thoughts occur to me, very quickly. The first is that I like this place: I like the buzz. The other thought is: I like the food, very much.

We arrived without a booking, but squeaked on to a table with a  range of cactuses down the middle. ‘Why does it look like a botanical garden?’ I asked half-seriously upon entering.

The food upped the ante. The Signature hotcake – blueberry buttermilk hotcake, double cream, maple syrup, fresh strawberries, organic pea sprouts, mixed seeds and nuts was so good that I spent a long, long time slurping off my fork. Quesadilla Brekkie – fluffy tomyum scrambled eggs, chicken ham, sliced tomatoes, Alexa’s sriracha aioli, coriander, and Belgium cheddar cheese sandwiched between tortilla sheets. Topped with grated parmesan, pomegranate and a drizzle of pesto oil was far better. The Englishman’s breakfast was a generous pile of scrambled kampong eggs, streaky beef bacon, chicken bratwurst sausage, house-made baked beans, grilled tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, toasted brioche. The roasted peanut butter toasts – Alexa’s signature roasted peanut butter on muesli bread topped with sliced banana, cacao nibs, chia seeds & dessicated coconut is also very passable.

Some bucket-list places truly live up to the hype. Most importantly I am left thinking there are things here I want to come back for. This is the true truth and I say it as it is…

Paul, Singapore…disappointing and misleading menu

Restaurants from big chains to independent operators increasingly lure diners with menus declaring their “organic,” “locally-sourced,” and premium Wagyu beef status. Restaurants have the right to advertise food and beverage products to properly identify them. To misrepresent menu items is a violation of what is known as Truth in Menu laws. The issue is that you really don’t have a lot of enforcement for false advertising.

Here at Paul in Ngee Ann City, it’s less lunch and more the incarnation of every Singaporean’s fearful suspicions about misleading menu. It’s verging on deceit. The smoked salmon on top of baked potato pancake in the menu turned out to be on pale, limp hash browns. Nowadays, it gets a little challenging to define some of these terms. That’s why it’s difficult to hold restaurants accountable who don’t serve what they say they’re serving.

In the meantime, I will be vigilant about the food I order by educating myself about the foods and phraseology . This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, Singapore…A solid “C”

It continues to amaze me how upscale Changi Airport has become. The Austrian-born Wolfgang Puck is probably one of the most famous chef in world.  Wolfgang’s name carries a lot of weight so I went into The Kitchen in Terminal 3 with high expectations.

Nothing was really terrible about the food, but nothing too great. I would recommend the pizza!  But that’s about it. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

The Baboon House, Melaka…zen burger-eating mode

Yes, we’ve seen about every permutation of burgers by this point. The Baboon House is an unsung hero in a world of overstuffed and overpriced burgers.

Inside is a space that more closely resembles a dense garden than a restaurant. Beaten up wooden tables and chairs punctuate grubby shelves and art-strewn walls in a nice natural lush tropical environment.

The basic menu is short, to-the-point and has possibly the best burger readily available to most Malaccans. Baboon special aloha cheeseburger is a delightful assault on the senses. The homemade bun is perfectly soft. The juicy baboon beef patty is thin enough to not be a belly bomb and are accompanied by a profusion of cheddar cheese, grilled cheese, streaky pork bacon and fresh veggies. The Oriental chicken burger was also simple and spot on and the tropical lemongrass drink (lemongrass, lemon and honey) complements the food very well.

You will surely be in zen burger-eating mode. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

White Flower Factory, Bangkok…I walked away pleasantly surprised.

I wasn’t expecting much from this innocuously named Siam Square One outpost, but I walked away pleasantly surprised.

I opted for the Thai tea crepe was reasonably pleased with the layers of paper thin crepes, each separated with a brush of light thai tea flavour. A simple, effective conversation stopper unless conservation could be construed as a series of affirmative grunts. The chocolate fudge looks and tastes great. It’s a plate which calms the senses like the orderly simplicity of a Japanese garden.The lemongrass juice was sweet and refreshing with a clean aftertaste.

Taken on its own merit, this is a fun, casual cafe you’d definitely use if you were in the area. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

Dave’s Bistro Bar & Grill, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia…The world’s best sandwich?

Eating bread filled with stuff is as universal as loving Taylor Swift.  When it comes to global gastronomy, the sandwich reigns supreme. If a sandwich is doing its job, every bite should be a voyage of discovery. A world of delicious ingredients hidden by slices of bread.

The Vietnamese-French Inspired Banh Mi Sandwich – Winner of the 9th Delifrance Sandwich World Cup 2012 held in Paris is a unique blend of crispy pork belly marinated with local herbs, garnished with daikon radish, carrot, cucumber and topped with bird’s eye chili and signature Tonka vinaigrette. Served between a freshly baked baguette.

Did I like the World’s best sandwich?

This banh mi was radically different, true. Something that combines so much pork with fresh herbs all stuffed into a crispy baguette is, I have to say, a pretty magical sandwich. The crunch of bread was followed by an interplay of porky goodness. It is one heck of a mega sandwich. Eating it tired me out as if I had just completed an Olympic event.

But is this truly the best sandwich in the world?

It may be a notch below great, compared to the humble Roti John. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Cassatt’s A Kiwi Cafe, Arlington, Washington DC…tasty dishes in a cozy bistro-style environment

Cassatt’s, “a Kiwi cafe” in Arlington is a pleaser. Along with the good food, which is styled with a New Zealand flair, it has a nice, cosy neighborhood feel.

The Big Kiwi Breakfast is very similar to the traditional British breakfast with two eggs any style, bacon, sausage, mushrooms & tomato. The Full English. The Full Monty. A fry-up. Call it what you want, but digging into this piping hot fry up is an experience that can set you right no matter what situation you may have gotten yourself into. The flat white, a not-too-milky espresso drink long adored by Australians and New Zealanders is also known as the “quintessential Kiwi coffee.”  It’s hard to find fault with the flat white here. The thin head was smooth and silky while the coffee itself was chocolatey with a light smokiness to it. The coffee was also powerful enough to keep me going well into the afternoon.

Cassatt’s A Kiwi Café doesn’t push the boundaries of cafe-dom but is novel simply by being such a cosy, personal space with flavourful food.  This is the true truth as I say it as it is…

 

Museum Café/Kabila Filipino Bistro, Manila…One of the most relaxed and enjoyable places to eat casually in Makati

Museum Café, aka M is a restaurant with a Pinoy fusion menu opposite the entrance to the Ayala Museum that looks on to the Greenbelt complex’s lush gardens. An alternate Modern Asian menu is also available to make your deciding what to eat a notch more challenging. You can choose to be seated on either the right (Museum Café) or the left side of the room (Kabila). You can also cross-order from either menu. The  Kabila Filipino cuisine here is high up there for me – head and shoulders above Fely J’s in terms of flair and selection.

But what sets this place apart is the quality of the dishes.  The presentation of the food is captivating.  The aroma, inviting.  The taste, fresh and innovative…. What else can you ask for? From the comments of everyone on the table, everything was delicious!!!

One of the most relaxed and enjoyable places to eat casually in Makati, the traditional dishes are tastefully reinterpreted into a variety of intriguing new dishes, albeit with familiar flavor combinations. This is the true truth as I say it as it is…