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Holiday Gift Guide 2007

Well, it’s that time of the year again. Time for giving and receiving joy, hope, charity, good tidings and, of course, gifts. This year, S and I have picked 12 (well, actually 16, but 4 are in the same category) wonderful gifts ranging from the very affordable to the uber-splurge that we love (own) and highly recommend. And–as we did two years ago, when we first started posting our holiday gift guide–we’ve picked 12 things to signify the 12 days of Christmas. So, happy holidays and happy shopping. (Note that most titles below also a hyperlink to the product or brand.)

1. Eva Solo Fridge Carafe
I personally adore these fridge carafes. The neoprene cases come in 5 brilliant colors (black, red, yellow, blue and green). They’re perfect for keeping your water, juice, milk or other liquids cool. And they look sexy and feel luxurious. They’re also designed perfectly. They sit upright in most fridge door shelves and the rubber stopper keeps your liquids fresh. The bottle has a flip-top lid that helps prevent spillage if you’ve added ice cubes into the carafe for some super cooling.

2. Baccarat Glasses
S is currently obsessed with collecting (thankfully, collecting slowly) Baccarat glasses. Last year, we spent a week in December in Osaka, Japan. While there, we had drinks a few times at B Bar, a stunning Baccarat-owned cocktail bar (it also has branches in Tokyo). All drinks, as you can imagine, are served in gorgeous Baccarat glasses. Since then, S has been determined to have her own collection of cool Baccarat crystal to serve cocktails in. Buy your Baccarat both old and new. While the one on the left is brand new, we bought the one on the right (a vintage Rohan tumbler) on eBay ridiculously cheaply.

3. Black Solstice plastic cocktail shakers from Habitat Bangkok
To help you make those drinks that you are going to serve in those chic Baccarat galsses, you’ll need a couple of cocktail shakers. While it’s great to have one stunning silver one, I find that it’s also very useful to have several cheaper ones lying around. That way, you can make several drinks at one time. These black plastic shakers from Habitat in Bangkok are less then US$5 a piece (on sale that is, they are normally priced at US$10), which makes them perfect for either hoarding at home or giving to friends.

4. Cusipro silicone baking spatula with stainless steel handle
S believes these are the very best spatulas she’s ever used. First, of course, is the silicone, which is heat-resistant, non-stick and a breeze to clean. It also makes this spatula super efficient at scraping every last bit of cake batter from your mixing bowl. Then there’s the great design, the sexy metal handle and all the colors you can choose from (ours is from a couple of seasons back). This is not just a great gift but a kitchen-essential. In Singapore, get your Cuisipro products direct from the distributor, Razorsharp.

5. KitchenAid Stand Mixer
Sure, it’s expensive. But doesn’t your loved one deserve only the very best? The KitchenAid Stand Mixer is THE mixer, the standard by which all other mixers are measured (and the only one your loved one really wants anyway). The fact that it looks amazing and comes in a variety of colors only makes this incredible kitchen-tool that much sexier.

6. Microplane Rotary 39000 Series grater
S and I have tested a lot of graters over the years. And the one we’ve come to love the most is this rotary grater (we’re onto our second one, and this is truly a new and improved version). The easy to use handle makes grating mountains of the fluffiest shavings of cheese the simplest task in the world. Where we used to argue about who would get stuck grating the cheese for pasta dishes and other foods, now we both volunteer for the duty. The 39000 Series grater comes with two blades for grating different kinds of foods. S also loves it because it can be adapted for left-handed use. In Singapore, you can purchase Microplane products from Ruiter Far East. Email heng@ruiter.com.sg.

7. Teastick by Gamila
Some of the coolest things come in very small packages. S and I love Gamila’s teastick for its size, design and usefulness. The tiny stainless steel tea-steeping tool is slim and sexy. To make a cup of tea, slide open the tea stick, pack your tea in, slide it shut and slip your teastick into a cup of very hot water. When done, remove. The water flows through perforated holes in your teastick, but the leaves stay trapped inside. It’s also easy to wash and dry. And at US$18, you can easily afford to have several, a couple for home, one for travel and one for the office.

8. Some very special books
It’s no secret that S and I love books. Here are 4 that we think make great stocking stuffers this year.

Ashley by Heng San San
Singaporean Heng San San lost her daughter Ashley two years ago. This beautiful child was just seven years old; she was five when she was diagnosed with malignant tumors in her brain. This moving children’s book, illustrated gorgeously by Ximena of Lobster Squad, talks about Ashley and her love for food, how she got sick and then how she came to terms with both her illness and her religious beliefs. This is a very beautiful book. San San self-published it and is selling copies at just S$25. Further, all proceeds are going to a children’s charity in the Philippines. To buy a copy, contact San San at bookashley@gmail.com.

Happy Now! by Karen Yeo
The story behind this book is also pretty moving. A little while ago, a lovely old woman named Lee Kim Wah was conned of her entire life savings. She had worked for most of her life as a nanny and housekeeper. Karen Yeo was one of the persons who Ms Lee helped raise. When she learned about what happened, she tried to help her get her money back and the conmen arrested, eventually to no avail. Trying to find a way to help Ms Lee get back on her feet, Ms Yeo and some friends decided to produce a cookbook of Ms Lee’s recipes. Friends had always said that her homecooked Singaporean and Malaysian food was some of the best they’d ever eaten. All the proceeds from sales of this book are being given to Ms Lee. To purchase, please go here.

Wine Dinners: Pairing Asian Flavours with Bordeaux Wines by NK and Melina Yong
Dr NK Yong is one of Asia’s most famous wine collectors. His wife Melina is a legendary cook. Over the past two to three decades, these two have been instrumental in introducing fine wine to Asia and in introducing Asia to winemakers from around the world. This is their first book, a small volume that presents 12 wine dinners, each focused on the wines of a very special Chateau in Bordeaux. This book is also special to me as S was the book’s co-author. Wine Dinners is currently only available at bookstores in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and through Swindon’s in Hong Kong. Melina is also auctioning off a private cooking class at the Miele Active Kitchen in Singapore to raise funds for the Children Cancer Foundation. The reserve price for the entire session for 10 people (including a four-course meal with wines) is $3,888. Interested donors are invited to submit their bids (along with their full names and contact details) to Cheryl Yuen at cheryl.yuen@miele.com.sg.

In the Land of Cocktails by Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan
This lovely little tome is written by cocktail divas, Ti Adelaide Martin and Lally Brennan, proprietors of the legendary New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace. It is naughty and nice, and filled with great cocktail history and recipes that will inspire you to re-introduce the cocktail hour (as it was first practised) into your social calendar.

9. Indonique teas
Indonique Tea & Chai operated a cafe and wholesale busines on Magazine Street in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina. During this horrific storm, the whole business was literally destroyed. Since then, owners Daya and George Constance have moved to Connecticut and re-opened their business. As you can imagine, it’s been tough. Please support this couple as they try to get their feet on the ground again. Their Indian teas are excellent and by buying from them, you’re helping a very worthy enterprise.

10. 1995 Les Echansons from Mailly Grand Cru Champagne
What’s the holiday season without Champagne? This season, I’m drinking a classic Champagne from a classic house. The 1995 Les Echansons from Mailly Grand Cru is simply beautiful. And, for all Singaporean readers, I have arranged a special deal in case you want some for yourself or to send to a friend. This Champagne is normally priced at S$195. I have arranged with the distributor, Estima, to make 14 parcels of 3 bottles available at S$420 nett (including free delivery). That is a savings of S$165. Again, only 14 parcels are available, so act fast. Email eric@estima.com.sg to place your order.

11. Louis Vuitton European City Guide 2008
I am addicted to these city guides and buy every edition every year religiously. They’re beautifully designed, surprisingly well-researched and just plain cool to have, look at and touch. Every global nomad will love this amazing box set.

12. Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2
I’ve written before how much I love this little but powerful point and shoot. With easy to use programmes, optional manual controls and a Leica lens, this is the best, small travel camera I’ve found to date. Give it to your favourite shutterbug and make his or her year.

A few travel essentials

As I said in my last post, I travel a lot, mostly because of work. Over the past year, I think I was away from home an average of 10-12 days each month. I’ve already started planning next year’s business trips and it looks like that average might even increase. Because I’m away so often, I’ve taken to packing certain items on each and every trip — what I consider travel essentials. Some of you might consider some of these items frivolous or self-indulgent, but when you’re on the road a lot, you start to develop certain needs.

I’ve decided to share a few of my favourite travel essentials with you. Of course, just because they’re things that I feel the need to tote doesn’t mean they’re right for you. In fact, I’d be extremely keen to know what some of your own must-bring-on-a-trip items are. I’d like to invite all of you to leave a comment and tell the world what your own travel essentials are. And, when you do, you’ll qualify for a little lucky draw I’ve decided to run. Because I’m actually very interested in what you feel the need to pack on each trip, I’m giving away two (one red and one black) X-Mini speakers to one of you. Just leave a somewhat articulate comment by 12 November 2007 to qualify. I’ll pick a name at random and email you if you win.

So, here’s a list of just a few of my favourite essentials, as pictured and numbered above:

1. A great shoulder bag. I have a small weakness for slightly old-fashioned bags. One of my favourites is an old camera case that my sister-in-law picked up for me at a flea market in Australia. I don’t like carrying my computer around when I’m out (I’d rather lock it up in my hotel room), so I don’t need or like my bags too big. If it can fit a camera, a notebook, a map and maybe my guidebook, then I’m thrilled. I picked up this very cool Japanese case from Actually on Seah Street in Singapore.

2. Snacks that you can bring on-board. In the good old days, you could take any kind of food on your flight. But today, travel and safety regulations require us to find foods packaged in quantities of less than 3 ounces, or roughly 90 ml/grams. I recently discovered Kojima Mentai Sakiika, sold in 20g packets. I’ve always liked dried cuttlefish; it has a wonderful umaminess that makes it quite addictive. This version is spiked with mentaiko, spicy cod roe, which makes it even more delicious. Amazingly, I found this at OG, a rather large and ghastly department store that is inexplicably always crowded. And while I once shunned the place, I now make regular visits in order to stock up on this savoury snack.

3. Canned goose meat. Okay, the name sounds a lot better in French. I love rillettes d’oie. And before those previously-mentioned pesky airline rules came into being, this was my preferred in-flight snack. I would never board a plane without a can of this delicious, rich pate made with slow cooked and shredded goose meat. With a hunk of bread (or a few standard-issue bread rolls), it makes a wonderful substitute for the crap most airlines pass off as food. Now, I pack it along in my check-in luggage. You never know when you might get peckish and, to me at least, there’s nothing more satisfying than a can of rillettes d’oie.

4. Good quality tea. My darling and finicky wife S loves tea. More specifically, she loves really good tea. I have to agree with her that there’s something really soothing about ending one’s day, especially a hectic day abroad, with a cup of your favourite brew. S’s current favourite is an amazing blend called Polo Club Tea, created by a relatively new (and soon to be huge) tea company called TWG Tea. The man behind TWG Tea was previously responsible for making some of Mariage Freres’ best known and most interesting teas. Polo Club is a green tea with vanilla, fruits, flowers and, amazingly, little chunks of caramel. TWG Tea is just starting up, and their website isn’t ready, but if you want to know more about them and their many fantastic blends, you can email Ada at Ada.Zee@TheWellnessGroup.com.

5. A small but really (REALLY) good camera. When I went searching for a good, small camera to throw in my carry-on, I drew up a list of must-have functions. It had to had manual aperture controls. It had to be able to open to as wide an aperture setting as possible. It had to have a great lens. It needed to have a custom white balance setting. I had to be able to shoot at a pretty high ISO without too much noise. And it had to look great. At the time of purchasing, the camera that I felt best fit the bill was the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2. The camera is almost identical to the Leica D-Lux 3 but with a more reasonable price tag. I’ve been using the LX2 for months with some pretty fantastic results. And while it will never replace my DSLRs, it’s a great option when I don’t want to lug heavy gear around. Another camera you might want to consider and that I’ve been hearing great things about is the Canon G9. I fully intend to go play with one soon!

6. Wireless stereo headphones. My Capdase HSDG01 headphones are totally an indulgence but I love them anyway. I can plug the dongle into any audio output, including airline seats (using an adapter, which I also always carry), sync the headphones and I’ve got great sound without being tethered to anything, which I really can’t stand.

7. X-Mini speaker. I just wrote about these last week. Click here if you missed it.

8. A good guidebook that suits your needs. I own a lot of travel guides. And I help, on occasion, write them. When I’m actually on the road, I hate carrying anything that adds extra weight to my luggage. So, I really value short, compact but informative guides that are tailored to specific tastes. These days, I tend to be less driven by culture and more by what great shops and restaurants are in any given destination. My favourite guides that specialize in this kind of information are the Louis Vuitton European City Guides and the Luxe Guides. The Wallpaper City Guides aren’t bad, depending on the city you’re interested in visiting (i.e. some are pretty good, while others are awful). My best advice is to do all your research before you go anywhere. Take down any and all info that you think you’ll need. Then pack just one guide to bring along; pack the lightest and/or the one you feel will be the most useful for you.

9. The ultimate white balance tool. My ExpoDisc is one of my most valuable and important photographic tools, whether on the road or shooting at home. Setting a proper white balance is vital when shooting. But setting it properly can also be an annoying and inconsistent process. The ExpoDisc makes this process ultra-simple and amazingly accurate. While I was at first a little hesitant about picking one of these up (especially given the costs) and a little skeptical, after a few uses, I’ve become a believer and huge advocate. With this tool, shooting in any location becomes easy. And for anyone out there who has ever tried to set their white balance discretely in a crowded restaurant, this tool will change your life. Any and every photographer out there should carry one of these around with her.

10. A portable DVD player. This really gorgeous DVD player has been a life saver. Not every airline is like Singapore Airlines, with video-on-demand, and not every hotel has a TV. And some that do, don’t have any channels worth watching. My Philips PET830 has kept me from going crazy from boredom on planes, ferries, in hotels, and in airport waiting rooms. It’s small, easy to carry, has amazing clarity, and a nice, long battery life — I can easily watch 2-3 movies when fully charged.

Happiness in Red

Rainy days suck. Here in Singapore, over the past few days, it’s been pouring almost daily. According to local weather forecasts, the rain isn’t going to stop. It doesn’t rain constantly, mind you. It comes and goes in spurts. It could be perfectly sunny when you get out of bed, but by lunch time, it’s dark, hazy and wet.

During our visit to the USA earlier this year, S and I made a pilgrimage of sorts to Sprinkles, the super-cool cupcake shop that we first discovered via Matt Bites. We loved the pretty cakes, the sleek packaging, and the minimalist-chic interiors (I also liked the very cute sales staff, not that I was going to admit that to S). While there, we greedily devoured several of the cakes, washed down with tall glasses of organic milk. We also bought a couple of things to bring home, presents for friends and a very nicely-packaged tube of Red Velvet cupcake mix for ourselves.

For the past couple of months, the Red Velvet cake mix has sat on a counter in our main hallway. We’d walk past it daily, tempted each time to crack it open and whip up a delicious batch of cupcakes. But we had promised ourselves that this sweet treat would be saved for a “rainy day”, so to speak. Whether S had meant that to be a figurative rainy day or not, I’ll never know. This past week, I decided that the crappy weather was excuse enough to finally open the cupcake kit and bake a little Red Velvet sunshine.

Amusingly, when I opened the kit, I discovered that while the mix was correct, the instructions were mis-packaged. Instead of the Red Velvet cupcake instructions, we had been given notes for making Sprinkles’ dark chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate frosting. Fortunately, the side of the tube the mix came in had a list of “What You’ll Need” for the Red Velvet cupcakes. Using that and intuiting how and when to mix ingredients, S and I forged ahead.

Red Velvet cake, for those who haven’t tried it, is a cocoa-based cake, spiked with a healthy dose of red food colouring and a little white vinegar. It is traditionally topped with a cream cheese frosting. The Sprinkles cupcakes came out really well. The cake itself had a nice, moist fluffiness. It was also surprisingly not that sweet, which given how sweet the frosting was, was a very good thing. These cupcakes were really good. Good enough to inspire me to start researching Red Velvet cake recipes (I’ve found two so far), which I plan on pairing with Martha Stewart’s orange-cream cheese frosting. In the meantime (and until I whip up a batch from scratch, at which point I’ll post a recipe), I’ve been happily enjoying the Sprinkles cupcakes, which are perfect with a well-brewed cup of tea. They’ve been the perfect antidote for a week of crappy weather.

Another little thing in Red

I travel a lot. And I try as much as possible to pack light. So when a friend of mine recently showed me the XMI X-Mini speaker, I was thrilled. Well, to be honest, first I was a tad skeptical. Then I tried it out. And then I was thrilled. This little tiny speaker, which you twist open and gently pull open when in use, is surprisingly clear and even more surprisingly, quite loud, loud enough at least to fill a hotel room. You can plug it into any MP3 player or other device with a single jack output. I use mine, of course, with my red iPod Nano, which I feel is a perfect match. You can recharge the X-Mini via USB, which means not having to carry extra power cords or adapters when you’re on the road (a major plus).

S was equally thrilled with the palm-sized speaker. While I like the red model, she prefers the black version (not surprising as her iPod Nano is also black). She’s been using hers in the kitchen a lot. She loves that she can just pop it open, plug in her iPod and she has her library of music at her finger tips. She’s off to Germany this weekend for a week and I know she plans to bring it along as well.

The coolest thing about the X-Mini is the fact that something so small is so powerful. The design is cute — arguably, it’s not the sexiest thing out there. But it is pretty cool. And for what it is, it’s pretty darned amazing.

Currently obsessed with Antipodes

For some, water is water and drinking bottled wate

r is for dandies and posers. But water isn’t always water because sometimes water can be dirty, polluted and drinking it can send you to the porcelain throne for way too long and too often. At home, my wife S and I have been drinking tap waters for years. We did so quite proudly because S’s father works for our country’s national water agency and likes to joke that he “tests every drop of water in the country.” Recently however, he’s advised us that while the country’s tap water is fine for drinking, because the building we live in uses large water tanks, there’s no guarantee that by the time the water comes out of our taps it’s still as pure as it should be.

Bottled water isn’t all the same either. The more you drink of it, the more you realize that different brands of bottled water actually taste different — which considering water isn’t supposed to have any taste is kind of an interesting revelation. Of course, all tastes are subjective. And what I think might be right you might think is off the mark. Personally, I can’t stand Evian because I think it has a strange tinny taste. Vittel is kind of blah and while I think Fiji is nice and refreshing, I hate the packaging. To me, it looks cheesy and cheap. I enjoy San Pelligrino but it can sometimes be almost too carbonated; which means I can only drink so much of it at any one time.

Recently, S and I discovered Antipodes water. I’ll admit, the first thing that grabbed my interest was the packaging, which I think is fantastic. Antipodes is served in gorgeous, old-fashioned yet still contemporary, glass bottles. The labels are clear, with white text for still water and black for the sparkling. They’re simple, functional and brilliant. Of course, no amount of good packaging would make a difference if the water wasn’t worth drinking. The water, I’m happy to say, is excellent. Bottled at source, Antipodes’ water is drawn from deep strata of water-bearing rock — which is an aquifer — in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty. The volcanic nature of this aquifer means that the water is naturally filtered and low in dissolved solids. Which, in layman’s terms, means it has a really clean and soft taste. It’s also one of the purest bottled waters on the market.

Antipodes’ still water tastes pure as well. It’s something I can only describe (again and again — sorry, I need to buy a thesaurus) as “clean”. Served chilled, it’s fantastically refreshing. It doesn’t have the odd aftertaste that some other bottled waters have. The sparkling, which was rated as the world’s best sparkling water by The Berkeley Springs Winter Festival of Waters, is equally refreshing. It has a nice fine bead and is very easy to drink. Antipodes also has an interesting sales strategy. Because this young New Zealand brand is trying to position itself as a premium water — and in order to differentiate itself from competitors — you won’t be seeing its bottles on supermarket shelves anytime soon. Distribution is only at specially selected F&B outlets (i.e. cool restaurants and cafes) or via home (or office) delivery in selected territories. (Here in Singapore, Antipodes is distributed by and available to drink at The Cellar Door; they have not started the home delivery service as yet, but I hope they will soon.) I hope more and more restaurateurs consider serving Antipodes. Because it is so clean and soft, it works very well with food. Plus it looks just so damn sexy when it’s served or when it’s displayed on the table. Cheers!

A short break (from food) to talk about color management

About a month and a half ago, I got an email that can only be described as serendipitous. I had just flown back into Singapore the day before. Because I needed something to kill time with on the flight, I had bought a digital photography magazine at the airport (something I honestly rarely do — I usually get my news and reviews from www.dpreview.com). One article that I found really interesting was on color management and monitor calibration. Mid-last year, I had made the switch from Mac to PC (I still have the Mac, I just use the PC as my primary machine). And while I was very happy to make the change, one thing I noticed and that really disturbed me was that my photographs looked completely different on my two computers. No amount of tweaking of the PC’s Adobe Gamma settings satisfied me and I found myself, for months, checking to see how pictures looked on both computers before posting them. What I found was that on many occasions, pictures that I thought looked fine on my PC — and, I should say, this is after editing them in Photoshop — looked screwed up when I loaded them onto my Mac… and vice-versa. Sometimes the pictures would be fine on one machine and then look over-saturated on the other. Or green or too yellow or something. Basically, I found myself unable to decide which one was more accurate and instead of really trying to fix the problem, opened both laptops side by side one day and manually tweaked their screen settings until the colors on both were as close as possible (which meant they could have both been entirely off-base). Of course, while I was satisfied with the screen results, when I tried printing images, they weren’t what I expected. They were good, but they just weren’t what I had seen on screen.

I should add that I spent 10 years in the magazine world, so I should have known better. After all, in that industry, our designers’ monitors were regularly callibrated by our printers in order to ensure that what we saw on screen was really what was printed. In fact, as I think about it, I suspect that I considered monitor and color calibration something you needed to bring an expert in to do for you; I never really thought about doing it myself. Until I read that article. The article recommended two products, the Spyder2 system made by Colorvision and the Huey made by Pantone. I had decided that when I had some time I would do some research and try one of the two systems.

That’s when Cathay Photo emailed me. Cathay Photo, as any Singapore-resident knows, is one of the oldest, best and most reliable camera and camera equipment retailers in town. My grandfather — who collected Nikons and Leicas — shopped with them for most of his adult life and it is one of the two stores in town I trust. One of their staff had seen my blog and in a rather out of the box move had decided to contact me. She wanted to know if I might be interested in testing the Spyder2 color management system and if I thought it was something useful, would I mind blogging about it? (Like I said, serendipitous.) Of course, despite wanting to type, “yes yes yes!” right there and then, I told them I’d think about it and suggested a meeting (can’t seem too eager, right?). To make a long story short, I made what I think is a reasonable deal with Cathay. I would try out the Spyder 2 system. If (and only if) I found it useful and it worked, we’d sit down again and hammer out some ways for me to help them publicize the system.

Getting the system set up is a breeze. Install the software off of the included CD, plug the patented Datacolor Colorimeter (which I’ll call “the device” in the rest of this post; “patented Datacolor Colorimeter” is just too much of a mouthful) into your computer’s USB port. Launch the software and follow the instructions, which in a nutshell tell you to rest the device on your monitor. Once the device is in place, the software flashes a series of colors on your screen, which when exposed to the device, helps your computer create the most accurate color profile possible. What I discovered is that the callibration seems to work best in total darkness. I ran the software three times (in different lighting conditions) before I was completely satisfied with the color profile proposed. I also tried calibrating my wife’s laptop in different lighting conditions, with the same results.

The differences between what I had been working with previous to calibration and what the Spyder2 system created for me were astounding. To show you just how different the colors were, I have taken photographs that I had edited to what I thought were pretty good results pre-calibration and then edited them post-calibration. On my laptop, the “after” photos are perfect. The colors are, well, very real. They also reproduce beautifully and accurately in print. The “before” shots, however, are kind of wonky. In the first photo series (cashew chicken), the “before” shot has too much green and yellow. The “before” shot below of my gorgeous friend J drinking soup is too yellow. The “before” shot of the Moroccan chicken is also too green and the “before” shot of the chicken curry is slightly green and way too yellow. Now, the strange thing is that some of you are going to be saying, “Wait, on my screen, the ‘before’ shots look better.” (I know this because I just checked the pictures out on a friend’s laptop and some of the “befores” do look better on hers.) BUT… and this is a big “but” … they only look good because your monitors may be a tad inaccurate. If you were to try printing the images, you’d be shocked to discover that what you see on screen is not what you’ll see on paper (you may already have this problem). Proper color management and monitor calibration is extremely important for anyone who works with photos (and/or any other colored media) on their computers and intends to share those pictures with others.

I’ve been totally thrilled with the results of the Spyder2 system. (I was so happy in fact that I convinced Cathay that they simply HAD to advertise on my site; amazingly, they agreed!) The system reminds you to recalibrate your monitor every few weeks, which is useful and recommended.

But don’t take my word for it. Try it out for yourself. Honestly, not only will you be looking at your own photos and prints in a new light, so will everyone else.

Tokyo hot list

I don’t think I’ve ever eaten more in such a short period of time as I have in the 4 ridicously decadent days I’ve just spent in Tokyo. Because most of my recent travel has been either alone or with colleagues, and has been primarily for business, I had kind of forgotten what travelling with my darling wife S was all about, i.e. food, food, pastries and more food. And while I do try to squeeze in as many good meals as possible during business trips, eating overseas with S is a whole other animal. It means eating like a hobbit: breakfast, second breakfast (usually pastries), lunch, afternoon tea (more pastries), and dinner, all of which is punctuated by whatever odd and exciting nibble we might stumble across. By our last day in town, my usually iron-clad stomach was feeling a tad sensitive — obviously a reaction to the sheer amount of rich food I had forced it to process. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining. I enjoyed every single bite. I just need to remember to pick up some antacids in Los Angeles.

Below is a list of the places that S and I especially enjoyed visiting. Please note that by no means is this meant to be a proper Tokyo guide. It’s simply the places we went to on this most recent visit.

Pastries

Sadaharu Aoki
Visiting one of Sadaharu Aoki’s salons was one of the two things S had told me were at the top of her must-do list for Tokyo. She had read so much about him and has been dying to try his pastries for years. We visited his Midtown salon twice and his Ginza branch once. Everything we tried was lovely. We were both floored by the first taste of his salted caramel tart. But our favourite items were his eclairs. We tried 4, which I have listed in order of my own preference: yuzu, green tea, black sesame and cassis. I would love to be able to have one of his yuzu or green tea eclairs weekly. Both of us can’t wait to visit his Paris branches in just a few weeks.
The Midtown branch is unit 13 in the basement.
Tel: 03-5413-7112

Toshi Yoroizuka
Yoroizuka makes beautiful pastries and the long lines at his Midtown salon attest to his popularity. While I personally prefered Aoki’s desserts, these were very tasty and very pretty. If you can spare a half an hour (because that’s how long you’ll be in line), definitely give these a try. Tokyo Minato-ku Akasaka 9-7-2
Tokyo Midtown east B-0104
Tel: 03-5413-3650

Hidemi Sugino

Going to Sugino was the other must-do on S’ list. This cult pastry chef turns out some of the most beautiful and ethereal cakes on the planet. He has only one branch in Tokyo and getting in requires a ton of patience. We had been forewarned to get there by 930am (the shop is supposed to open at 10am). By the time we arrived, there were at least a good 20 or so people already ahead of us. Once the doors opened at 1015am, we were ushered in slowly, the staffing allowing only about 10 or so people in at a time. Regardless of whether you are buying take-away or are planning on sitting down at one of the few tables in the back, you have to stay in the queue, wait your turn at the counter, and then pick your cakes. Sugino is most famous for his mousse cakes (many of which have been gorgeously recreated on Keiko’s blog Nordljus) which often combine several complimentary flavours. They are light and delicious. Quite simply, Sugino is in a class of his own.
Kyobashi Building 1F, 3-6-17, Chuo-ku
Tel: 03-3538-6780

Simple food

Yummy katsu place
Unfortunately, I can’t actually give you the name (I think it translates as “peaceful pig”) or address of this fantastic, rustic and tiny katsu place. The restaurant’s card, as is often the case, is entirely in Japanese and I stupidly forgot to ask them to help me translate their information. I can give you their phone number though. Hopefully, if you are staying at a good hotel, your concierge can call them and get the details for you. I can say that it’s a stone throw from Tsukiji, just south of Ginza. This little restaurant has a small counter and just two tables. The menu is fried, breaded pork. You have a choice of either loin or filet. S and I had the loin (“rosu”) and it was delicious but also a tad scary. It was hands-down the fattiest piece of katsu I have ever been served. It was also one of the tastiest. Each katsu is served with a large mound of cabbage, (curiously) some spaghetti with tomato sauce, and rice.
Tel: 03-3542-1547

Ippudo
This is one of the most well-known and popular Kyushu style ramen joints in town. It is excellent and very affordable.
They have several branches around Tokyo
www.ippudo.com/index.html

Essenza
A chef-friend recommended we try Essenza, a stylish pasta bar on the 5th floor of the Marinouchi Building. S and I really loved this place. Quick, delicious and well-priced pasta dishes are made from scratch before your eyes. We were especially impressed that the pasta was all homemade and the ingredients were all top-notch. S had a crabmeat and spring onion pasta while I indulged in one of their combination plates. I ordered the seared duck breast, sauteed white asparagus and spaghetti carbonara plate. It was fabulous.
Tel: 03-3240-0103

Sushi heaven

Sushizanmai
My friend M sent us to this popular sushi place in the Tsukiji market area for lunch. Since her boyfriend is in the tuna business and does a lot of that business at Tsukiji, we trusted that she knew her sushi shops. Sushizanmai was a whole lot of fun and it served terrific sushi to boot. Plus, the prices were great. S and I (as expected) totally over-indulged by ordering mass quantities of o-toro (fatty tuna) and aburi-toro (seared fatty tuna). I think we freaked out the chef assigned to us. Mid-way through our first order, he yelled, “Stop!” and made us eat what we had already ordered before letting us order more stuff.
10-8, Tsukiji 4-Chome, Chuo-ku
Tel: 03-5148-3737
www.kiyomura.co.jp

Gourmet experiences

L’Atelier de Robuchon
S and I are huge fans of Robuchon’s L’Atelier restaurants. We plan on dining at the ones in New York and Paris as well in the upcoming weeks. The Tokyo branch is similar in decor to the others and offers a similar menu. The food was excellent and the staff very nice. We recommend going here for lunch; there are a number of well-priced menus available then.
Roppongi Hills Hillside 2F 6-10-1 Roppongi Minato-ku
Tel: 03-5772-7500

Le Bombance
La Bombance is a cute little place in Nishi-azabu. It has a counter that seats 8 and one small table that can take 4 patrons. There is only one menu, priced at Y10,000, which given the kind and quality of the food is a great deal. Our 9 course dinner was excellent. S’ favourite dish was a plated trio consisting of an Okinawan corn mousse, grilled sushi with a firefly squid from Toyama, and a morsel of red-bean rice with sauteed beef from Echigo. I was really taken with the very first course, a warm soup of Asari clams, duxelles, sauteed shirako, wild sea-bream and Asatsuki scallions. The friends who recommended this place to us (and who kindly made our reservations) have advised that La Bombance is a real local favourite and booking is essential.
106-0031 2-25-24-B1 Nishiazabu Minato-ku
Tel: 03-5778-6511
www.bonbance.com

Lauburu
Ever since I first heard about Lauburu, I’ve been dying to try it. This cute, quaint little French place off Kotto-dori specializes in pork. Working out the menu was an amusing challenge in itself since it was handwritten in Japanese and French and none of the staff seemed to speak any English. The pate was pleasingly rustic and authentic. We loved the grilled pork cutlet and cassoulet. This is a really charming place with yummy, hearty food… perfect for pork-lovers in search of an off-the-beaten track experience.
6-8-18 Minami Aoyama Minato-ku
Tel: 03-3498-1314

Restaurant Yonemura
I was utterly blown away by Restaurant Yonemura, a two and a half year-old branch of one of Kyoto’s most respected cult restaurants. The food here is stunning. It is modern, exciting, surprising and delicious. The chef we spoke with called it “new Japanese” (actually, because he only spoke Japanese and French, he said, “Nouvelle Japonaise”). It is a blend of Japanese and European styles and ingredients, served in small bites. At dinner, only a 10 course (Y14,000) tasting menu is available. There is a counter with 12 seats and another room with a few small tables. S and I chose to sit at the counter, which allowed us to see most of our meal cooked right in front of us. Easily the best course of the meal was a small bowl with some fish that had been breaded with panko and deep-fried. Nestled under the fish was a morsel of foie gras that had also been breaded and fried. This was all sauced with a veal jus reduction. The foie gras was amazing! Other outstanding dishes were a lobster and young bamboo shoot gratin; sauteed white asparagus served with jamon iberico and dehydrated chervil; and angel hair pasta served with fresh sea urchin, baby squids, rape leaves, and tomato salsa. This was easily the best meal we had in Tokyo and a place we mean to revisit sometime soon.
Kojun Building F4
Chou-ku, Ginza
Tel: 03-5537-6699
www.restaurant-yonemura.com/

Cool shops

Aritsugu
This small knife shop in the Tsukiji market area was recommended to me by both a pastry chef and my friend in the tuna business. The knives are handmade and are of a high quality. He sells both blades made with either carbon steel or alloy steel (which doesn’t rust). He also makes a variety of specialty knives, such as ones for chopping chicken bones or specific knives for making different incisions in certain fish.
4-13-6 Tsukiji Chuo-ku
Tel: 03-3541-6890
www.aritsugu.jp

Higashiya
Edible art. This wagashi boutique blends modernity and tradition effortlessly. S bought some gorgeous black sesame wafers which were designed to be filled just before you eat them (the sesame filling was packaged in individual sachets). They tasted great, looked amazing and were packaged with a style and precision that can only be described as uniquely Japanese. In addition to the great snacks, Higashiya also produces some beautiful ceramics. S went nuts buying gifts for friends (and herself) and we also found the perfect wedding gift for friends getting married this week in California.
1-13-12 Aodadai, Meguro-Ku
Tel: 03-5428-1717
www.higashiya.com/top.html

Nagae
Founded in 1908, this Seto porcelain producer is renowned for its traditional techniques. We fell in love with the tea-set they made especially for the Ritz-Carlton. Their porcelain is so fine that it is translucent. The matt finish of some of their pieces gives the otherwise traditional pieces a contemporary edge.
D-0319 9-7-4 Akasaka Minato-ku
Tokyo Japan 107-0052
Tokyo Midtown Galleria 3F
Tel: +81 (0)3-5413-3343
www.nagae-seto.jp

Toraya
Japanese desserts are beautiful. They can also be delicious and the ones from Toraya are among the best in the country. Ask the staff for recommendations or look at the English translations in their catalog and choose whatever most appeals to your tastes.
Many locations: www.toraya-group.co.jp/english/

Room with a view

Ritz-Carlton Midtown
This stunning new hotel sits on the top 9 floors of the new Midtown Tower, Tokyo’s tallest building. That means that the rooms and suites on the 53rd floor have the very best views in the city. Of course, as in all Ritz-Carltons, the service is impeccable and the clientele tres chic. Check in for a few days or follow the Japanese and check in just for one night in order to experience the hotel. I was thrilled to see that one of the concierges that had made my recent visit to Osaka so wonderful had been transferred to the Tokyo hotel. Situated smack in the middle of the Midtown development, the hotel is also fantastically located. Midtown is amazing, not only because 40% of the land has been allocated to public parks, but because of the great mix of art, food, design and shopping situated within the project. www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Tokyo/Default.htm

Cool art space

21_21 Design Sight
Built by Tadao Ando and managed by Issey Miyake, this concrete, glass and steel contemporary art space is really cool. I wish we had spaces like this in Singapore. By chance, we visited on the day that 21_21 launched an exhibition on chocolate, which was both visually and intellectually stimulating.
9-7-6 Akasaka, Minato-ku
Tel: 03-3475-2121
www.2121designsight.jp

Tasty texts when you’re killing time

One of the most aggravating things about travelling is the requisite wasted time spent hanging out in airports, bus stations, ferry terminals and other random transit spots. I also hate short-haul flights during which in-flight entertainment usually means listening to the annoying guy in the row behind you try to pick up the gal sitting next to him. At least on long-haul flights, you can watch a couple of movies. The best way, of course, to kill an hour (or several) is with a good book (and an iPod). And while books do tend to weigh down one’s carry-on luggage, they’re worth their weight in gold.

Because I’ve been buzzing around the region a lot the past few months, I’ve had a lot of time to tuck into a few good reads. And, as you would imagine, several of those are food-related. I thought I’d put together a short reading list of books that I’ve both enjoyed on recent trips and a few others (oldies but goodies) that I highly recommend.

Fun, fast reads — If all you want is something fun to flip through: The Food of Love by Anthony Capella is a very cute, funny, retelling of the classic Cyrano de Bergerac tale. This time, Cyrano is a chef in Rome, while Roxanne is an American exchange student. There are some great food scenes in here. Jay Rayner’s The Apologist may or may not have been inspired by Chef Bernard Loiseau’s suicide in 2003. Either way, it is a ridiculously funny story about a food critic who, having driven a chef to kill himself, apologizes so beautifully that the UN hires him to be their Chief Apologist. It’s a witty, silly and totally fun book to read. I could never figure out if Stuart Stevens’ Feeding Frenzy was fiction or non-fiction. If it really is a true story (as its publisher claims), I suspect that the truth has been Chatwin-ized a tad. In the book, the author and a sexy female friend dash across Europe, dining at all of the continent’s three-Michelin starred restaurants on consecutive days. If successful, the femme fatale’s (idiot) banker boyfriend has offered to cover the cost of their trip. To make things more amusing, the author imports a vintage Mustang convertible for the trip and somehow ends up babysitting a Golden Retriever named Henry. Javier Sierra’s The Secret Supper is not really about food. It’s yet another in a long line of Da Vinci Code wannabes. Nonetheless, it is an amusing read and perfect for killing time while waiting for one’s flight.

Damn good food writing — If you want to sink your teeth into some tasty, beautifully-written prose: I love Andrew Todhunter’s A Meal Observed. I like it so much that I’ve (1) booked a table to dine at Taillevant during my upcoming trip to Paris and (2) gotten Chef Philippe Legendre to take a look at and sign my copy of Todhunter’s book. The book is centered around one long and luxurious dinner at Taillevant, arguable the most famous restaurant in Paris. Todhunter had spent month’s hanging out in the restaurant’s kitchens (although, amusingly, Legendre, who was head chef then and is featured prominently in the book, had absolutely no recollection of Todhunter when I asked about him). He uses the dinner as a launch pad to discuss and describe what goes on behind the scenes in the gastronomic institution. A book every foodie must read is Michael Ruhlman’s The Soul of a Chef (as well as his earlier The Making of a Chef). Firstly, Ruhlman writes beautifully. Secondly, he writes more knowledgably about his subjects (in this book The Culinary Institute of America’s Master Chef exam and Thomas Keller) than anyone else in the industry. My own favourite food writer is Calvin Trillin. I love his wit and his style. His Feeding a Yen is one of my favourite books. The chapter on searching for dark pumpernickel bagels in New York in hopes of enticing his daughter to move back to the Big Apple is by itself worth the price of the whole book. A smart, short book that foodies and aspiring chefs should read is Daniel Boulud’s Letters to a Young Chef. This lovingly written book really is a great way to learn more about both this great chef and also about the restaurant industry as a whole.

Celeb Chefs and Restaurants — If you want to learn more about the people you love and love to hate: I’ve just finished reading Gordon Ramsay’s Roasting in Hell’s Kitchen. And while it is pretty badly written, it does help you understand the guy and the really tough life he’s led. Almost a companion to Ramsay’s book is Marco Pierre White’s autobiography White Slave. In sharp contrast to these British bad boys and their bestsellers is Arrigo Cipriani’s Harry’s Bar. As a huge fan of this Venetian institution, I really enjoyed reading (and re-reading) this well-written little book that traces the history of the bar.

S and I are going to be on the road pretty much for the next 4-5 weeks. So, we’ll be stocking up on some new books for the trip. Do you guys and gals out there have any book recommendations for us? Any must-reads we should know about? I’d love to know what are your favourite tasty texts.

S’s lean, mean, slicing machine

A few months ago, S came home with a large, gray and rather suspicious looking case. As an avid-movie junkie with an over-active imagination, the first thing that popped into my head was, “Oh my Lord, my wife’s bought herself a gun.” Seriously, I half expected her to pop open her little suitcase, pull out a state of the art bolt-action rifle with a high-powered scope and tell me she’d given up food writing for life as an assasin. While the case didn’t contain a gun, it did carry one pretty sexy but dangerous looking device. S calls it her lean, mean, slicing machine.

The de Buyer La Mandoline V Professionnelle is a professional quality slicer that makes usually time-consuming kitchen chores a real breeze. The stand that it comes with allows for the mandoline to be placed at a 45 degree angle, which makes it much more comfortable to use. And it can be adjusted for left-handed use, essential for S since she’s a lefty. It’s perfect when preparing dishes that call for ingredients to be julienned or sliced thinly. The mandoline comes with 2 blades and 4 different julienne inserts. You can create everything from waffle-cut potato chips to the thinnest of juliennes. S was close to swooning over the fact that with her new swanky machine she could achieve, in mere minutes, the thin, even slices of potato for Pommes Anna that used to take her ages to slice by hand. The sturdy attachment that protects your hand as you use it slides easily and keeps your fingers from being chopped up by the device’s intimidatingly sharp blades.

Truth be told, I still haven’t given the mandoline a test-drive. For a couple reasons. Firstly, I haven’t read the instructions yet and I’m not about to start playing with anything with such scary blades without really knowing how it works. Secondly, it’s S’s lean, mean, slicing machine. Not mine. And so long as she’s happy to keep using it to make delicious foods for yours truly, then who am I to rock the boat?

The de Buyer, of course, isn’t the only professional mandoline on the market. Our dear friend and neighbor J of Kuidaore uses a Bron Classic Mandoline. S borrowed it once but didn’t end up using it. After setting it up and staring at it for a while, she decided that the device just plain scared her too much. The de Buyer, on the hand, looks and feels reassuringly safe. And given that my darling wife, while an awesome cook, is at times a klutz in the kitchen, I feel much better knowing she’s using something that she feels confident using. If you cook as much as we do, this is a device you might want to consider investing in. It really does save you tons of time and effort. Plus it’s pretty darned cool looking.

Shopping news

Singapore-based gourmands will be excited to know that Pantry Magic is opening the doors of its first Singapore shop on Monday, 29 Janaury 2007. For those who haven’t visited one of their two stores in Hong Kong or its shop in Taiwan, Pantry Magic is a (relatively) new, Asian chain specializing in cooks’ tools.

My darlin’ wife S and I dropped by the new store while the proprietors were unpacking their wares and setting up their displays. It was pretty exciting to see all the gorgeous product just waiting for eager beavers like me to buy and bring home.

S was especially interested in the wide range of bakeware available while I was literally drooling over the gleaming copper pots and pans filling the store’s shelves. We also really liked the roasting pans that they’ll be selling. It’s hard to find nice pans with upright handles. The store has a pretty amazing range of product. The prices are pretty impressive as well. Because Pantry Magic manufactures a good deal of their own wares, they are able to price their items at 30%-40% less than similar, imported products.

Pantry Magic Pte Ltd.
43 Jalan Merah Saga
Chip Bee Gardens #01-80
Singapore
Tel: 6471 0566

Update: Pantry Magic is now located at #44 Club Street, Tel 6224 4055.

A great gift and a very cool book

It’s always wonderful to find something really cool that you can’t wait to not only buy for yourself but also for as many friends as possible. The other day, S came home with the cutest new book. Irene’s Peranakan Recipes, published by uber-cool design and custom-publishing firm Epigram, was originally produced as a Christmas gift for the company’s clients. The very slick and slim volume was so well-received that Epigram has since decided to release the book for sale to the general public.

As design addicts, S and I were thrilled by Irene’s Peranakan Recipes. While published in just 2 colors, it is gorgeously designed, with artful borders and cute illustrations. Everything from the choice of fonts to the fill-in-the-blanks shopping pages are stylishly and artfully well-thought out.

Not only is this great little book beautifully designed, it was produced with a lot of love. The project was brought to Epigram by Singapore Symphony Orchestra oboist Elaine Yeo. The recipes are her late mother’s. Irene Yeo was a Teochew housewife and active volunteer who, in her later years, taught very popular cooking classes. I have to admit that I haven’t had time to test Ms Yeo’s recipes yet. S and I have already flagged a number of things we’re itching to try. Hopefully, we’ll get to them as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we’ll be picking up a couple more copies to give to friends in the upcoming weeks. Irene’s Peranakan Recipes makes a gorgeous and very cool gift. Currently, the book is available in most major bookstores in Singapore.

iWant

Okay, nothing to do with food, but oh my lord do I want one of these babies! Don’t know what it is? Click here. All I can say is, “Wow”.