The Foodie's Food Trip: food trip

Showing posts with label food trip. Show all posts

Mugicha

I was in the Philippines last week to attend to some family matters. During that short period that I was in Manila my sister, my mom and I went to 2 Korean restaurants. They serve (actually more on we requested) cold tea for the drinks.

The tea they served is roasted barley tea. It's called mugicha in Japanese, damai-cha in Chinese and boricha in Korean (for this blog post I'll call it mugicha as it's more popularly known). It is caffeine-free and is said to have a lot of health benefits - Japanese believe that mugicha helps to cleanse the body.

After going back to Singapore, I craved for mugicha. I went to the grocery store and searched for mugicha. And there they were... bags and bags of them, packed in little tea bags!

I bought a pack then went to the department store and bought a pitcher that can handle hot/boiling water. I went home and made my pitcher of cold mugicha. I've been drinking it everyday for a week now and I just can't stop! I think I can finish half a pitcher in less than an hour (FYI, it's a 1.8L pitcher).

They say that it can help cool down the body when you drink cold mugicha. I can't directly say that it cools down the body, but all I know is it's a refreshing drink and I love drinking it. :)

Ramen

Since we got back from Japan, that was two months ago, our cravings for Japanese food are not the same. We took a break from eating Japanese food for a while, I think we didn't have any for three or so weeks since our vacation. After that, the cravings began.

We've tried real/authentic food from Japan and now we now know the taste, texture, smell of the real ones. We went to our usual sushi fastfood/restaurant here and... we saw the difference. In Japan, there were less rice and more of the meat (fish, prawn, etc). Here, there was more rice and just a small portion of the meat.

Other than sushi, we've also looked around for delicious ramen. I think we've already tried three to four and they're all delicious, but we're still on the search for that yummy ramen. We've heard of one ramen restaurant at Meritus Mandarin Hotel along Orchard Road, but everytime we go there, the line is like a mile long! That's a good sign, though, because that means their ramen must be delicious. :)

The Japan Food Trip

Hubby and I went to Japan during the long holiday (Chinese New Year). On top of our agenda - to eat authentic Japanese food! I was even able to convince hubby to eat rice for dinner so we can eat yummy food (he doesn't eat rice for dinner).

Some of the food we've tried (in no specific order):

Gyudon (Yoshinoya & Matsuya)
Japanese Curry
Kaiten Sushi (sushi served in a conveyor belt)
Katsudon
Tempura
Okonomiyaki - we had this in Kyoto and that's the only item in that restaurant's menu
Takoyaki
Ramen
Japanese Crepe
Onigiri
Yatsuhashi - from Kyoto
Dango
Taiyaki
various drinks from vending machines (I think that's included hihihi)

Just listing them down is making me hungry...will try to post more details/pics when I'm no longer busy. :D

Cutie Bottled Water

No posts for a while... I'm still on vacation. I miss my computer!!

Anyway, I want to show you guys something...

It's being sold at SM's supermarket.

Isn't it cute? :)

Wine and Dine

When we were in the US, our friends brought us to Door County, Wisconsin. It's full of B&Bs and some outdoor activities. There were some shops where you can try/taste some of the stuffs they're selling. These includes cheese, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cherry preserves and wine. We tried all except the wine tasting. I bought some of the cherry salsa... they were yummy! Hubby's now so addicted to it, he's eating chips everyday since we got back.

Speaking of wine, Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel here in Singapore is having a wine and dine gala event called the The Grand Mercure Roxy Wine and Dine, Gala Event. There will be food and wine served during the event. To tease your tastebuds, some of the food that will be served during the event includes

Jia Wei Deluxe Combination
A perfect way to begin your exquisite culinary experience, this Jia Wei Chinese Restaurant signature is an appetising and colourful dish of bite-sized lobster paste roll, smoked duck, seafood dumpling, wasabi prawn and marinated octopus.

Steamed Cod Fish with Special Sauce
Steamed to perfection while retaining its texture and original flavour, the cod fish – specially flown-in from Norway – is bathed in an appetising special sauce made from a variety of vegetables.

On the other hand, some of the wine collections includes
FAMILLE CASTEL, Sauvignon Blanc from Gascogne, France
Fresh and liveky with green highlights and aromas of tomato leaf, aspargus, exotic fruit and lychee. Ideal for drinking on its own or with grilled fish and shellfish.
BASCAND, Pinot Noir from Waipara, New Zealand
Bright berry fruits overlay a complexity derived from old aged vines and intelligent use of oak. Deep, boldly- colored with a big plum and vanilla aromas.

If you're in Singapore and you're planning to stay in a hotel soon, complete The Grand Mercure Roxy Survey and you can book a weekend special accommodation package at Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel. Readers will also be automatically entering a lucky draw to win a weekend staycation at Grand Mercure Roxy Hotel with 3 dining vouchers at the award-winning Chinese restaurant, Jia Wei.

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US Food Trip: Phoebe's Cupcakes

Before leaving for our trip to the US (read previous post Back from Vacation), I included Phoebe's Cupcakes in our Chicago itinerary. Just found out about it from Cupcakes Take the Cake from the blog's list of cupcakes.

We went to the shop on our second day in Chicago. Lloyd and I bought a cup of coffee and the Death By Chocolate cupcake - Chocolate Cake with a Fudgy Chocolate Frosting. Rommel & Alina bought the Tuxedo cupcake - Vanilla Cake topped with Chocolate Sugar Cream (sorry no picture of the Tuxedo... I thought I had one though). The Death by Chocolate is to die for. Chocolate lovers will love it. The Tuxedo's yummy too.

Death by Chocolate

Their flavors change every week. Their flavors for this week: Pumpkin Pie and Apple Crunch Cake. Did I mention they also sell dog treats?

How I wish I'm not that far away from Chicago.

Phoebe's Cupcakes, L.L.C.
3327 N. Broadway Ave.
(between Aldine Ave & Buckingham Pl)
Chicago, IL 60657
http://www.phoebescupcakes.com/

Tonkatsu in Tonkichi

It's been years since I've eaten authentic tonkatsu with authentic tonkatsu sauce. Last time I had it was in Japan in 2003 (or was it 2002?) with my officemates/friends. Each of us will order a tonkatsu set. That's not all.... the rice was eat-all-you-can! hahaha!

Since I left Japan, I've been searching far and wide for that real tonkatsu sauce. The tonkatsu itself is easy to do... but the sauce... I'd just end up disappointed. Most of the time they give me soy sauce!

A few days ago, after going to the gym, Lloyd and I decided to check out if Takashimaya/Ngee Ann City has a Japanese restaurant with tonkatsu in their menu. Lo and behold... there is!

The restaurant's name is Tonkichi. Their specialty... TONKATSU!!! heaven.... :)

So we went in and ordered. Lloyd had the Prawn & Chicken Katsu Set. I had the Nagoya Rosu Miso Katsu Set. Lloyd is fond of Japanese curry so we ordered extra Curry Sauce.

When the food arrived.... speechless. I was too excited (& too hungry as well) that I never got the chance to take pictures of our food!!! Their tonkatsu is actually big... enough for 2 people. And... it was P-E-R-F-E-C-T! The sauce: It was P-E-R-F-E-C-T! Even the curry sauce and the shredded cabbage with the salad sauce... They were P-E-R-F-E-C-T! I was so happy with what I was eating I ordered extra rice... half for me & half for Lloyd. Although Lloyd was teasing me that I was just shy and can actually finish the whole thing! wahahahaha!

To give you an idea of what they offer, here are the links to their menu:
Popular & Standard Items
What is "Tonkatsu"
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Page 3
Page 4
Page 5

Ahh... Japanese food...

Tonkichi - Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road, #04-24
Tower A, Ngee Ann City
http://www.pokkafood.com.sg/tonkichi/index.php