Cilantro Modern Asia: Wagyu Shabu Shabu $15!

This Stall in Closed

Wagyu Shabu Shabu or Sukiyaki $15 (Normal Beef Shabu Shabu $7)

There are some things that sound too good to be true. Now if you are an optimist, your response to such things is to quickly go and find out if it really is true but if you are a pessimist, then you would sit back and mull over the thought that there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.

So would you consider yourself an optimist or pessimist if I were to tell you that you can get a Wagyu Shabu Shabu for $15? It's no bull (pun intended), this Wagyu Shabu Shabu is going for $15, but there is one catch --- you have to eat it in a coffee shop. "Phew, that's not too bad", I think I hear you say.

Now, for the readers who are really really skeptical, I post the picture on the right for you. Hope you are convinced.

When Jacky of Cilantro (Remember $15 Foie Gras?) said she was going to do modern Japanese food at her Marine Terrace branch, I was excited. Excited because, I know that she would go all out to give the customers something of quality but at rock bottom prices.

Good Japanese food depends on good produce and sadly a lot of places that sell Japanese food in hawker centres are not giving us good quality stuff. Now, I am not talking about the top grade Otoro, but simply a place that sell Mid-Ranged Japanese food at Hawker ranged prices. That would be a great idea for a family outing wouldn't it? Thankfully after a bit of gentle prodding, Jacky caught on the idea and decided to procure some Wagyu for the launch of her stall in Marine Terrace. Now it is up to the response from the general public to decide if we are going to see more Wagyu in coffeeshops!

For $15, you get around 5 slices of beef plus a pot of either shabu shabu or sukiyaki stock. They also serve Ponsu and Goma sauce to go with it which is quite unexpected of a $15 shabu shabu! There really is not need to tell you that the Wagyu is really melt in your mouth beefy goodness is there? 4.5/5


Wagyu Don $9.80

So what else would you do if you invested in an expensive meat slicer and you have a few kg of Wagyu Sirloin in your fridge? Why, you do a Wagyu Don, that's what. Now believe me, you don't have to Argue with Wagyu. The meat is just plain tasty no matter what you do with it. It's great whether it's dipped in soup, fried in teriyaki sauce or even eaten raw. So I'd say this could be the best bowl of Gyu Don I have tasted if only they had used better rice and the teriyaki sauce was tweaked a little. Jackie assured me that they will be changing the supply of rice to match the quality of the Wagyu. Whatever it may be, you'd be hard pressed to get something with the name "Wagyu" on it for less than $10 anywhere in Singapore. 4/5


Charshu Ramen $6

The Ramen here is very commendable. The soup is tasty enough, but I thought it could be just a little smoother (ie more fats from the marrow dissolved in the soup). Amagada on the other hand said the soup was surprisingly nice. The Chashu here is really good and quite addictive. Incidentally, don't you think Chashu is a bit of a misnomer? Should be called Lor Bak instead right? 4/5


Family Feast $18

The Family Feast is designed for families with kids (like mine). How often have you gone to a Japanese Restaurant and every time you order the tempura, it comes only in a small portion for $12? What we need is a family feast type platter where you get a variety of fried favourites like Pork Tonkatsu, Breaded Prawns, Chicken Karage, Potato Croquettes, Nuggets and Chicken Wings. As mother would say, "Jia Kau Song Song" (Eat till you are satisfied). Nothing out of the ordinary, but it's a dish the kids would love and gives the adults an excuse to indulge. 4/5


Teriyaki Chicken $6

I have to include this picture because I managed to catch the drop of lemon juice falling onto the Teriyaki chicken. Ahhhh, satisfaction.

Anyway, teriyaki chicken is a staple for any Japanese eatery and although it is easy to do, (who hasn't cooked teriyaki chicken at home?), it is very hard to get that special smoky charred taste. It is highly dependent on the quality of the soy sauce used. The one here is competent but I felt still had that "Chinese" taste to it. Kids will love it, but I still haven't found.... what I'm looking for. 3.75/5


Pan Seared Tuna $9.80

For the more adventurous, Cilantro offers a few more upmarket dishes like this Pan Seared Tuna in miso sauce. It is the kind of thing that you don't readily find in most of the Japanese Chain Restaurants in Singapore. Definitely worth a try if you are tired of the standard Japanese fare. 4/5


Banana Chocolate Mousse Cake $4.90

For dessert, you have to try their Banana Chocolate Mousse Cake which will satisfy most chocoholics except for the most fastidious ones. 4.5/5. The tiramisu is also very good. 4/5

Conclusion

We need to demystify the Wagyu and bring this wonderful tasting meat to the heartlanders. I hope to see more Wagyu appearing in food courts and mid ranged Japanese restaurants which will increase the awareness and demand for this product which will in turn mean that it will become standard fare for more Japanese eateries out there. When the Ah Gong and Ah Mah start to coin their Hokkien word for Wagyu, then we know we have reached our goal. In the meantime, if you want to continue to see Wagyu in the coffeeshop, then you have to do your part to go down and support them so that they will continue to sell it!

Now apart from the Wagyu (which is great even as sashimi), the rest of the fare is competent but don't go there expecting the same standards as your favourite Japanese restaurant. The main selling point it that it is a place where you can bring the kids to eat pretty decent Japanese food and not burn a hole in your pocket.

Cilantro Modern Asia
Blk 59 Marine Terrace (Coffeeshop)
Opens 10am to 10pm daily
Disclaimer: I had an active role in planning the menu

What to do next?

Read about the $15 Foie Gras
Read about other Japanese Food
Read about other stalls in Katong and Joo Chiat
Grab a traditional cup of Kopi at the rustic Chin Mee Chin after that!

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Eng Cheong Pau: Improving the standard of Kopitiam Paus

There was a period of time when the standard of our Paus really went downhill. A lot of the commercially available paus that are still being sold in our coffeeshops are very much still at the bottom of the hill, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.

There is a resurgence of the handmade pau as opposed to the factory made ones. Somehow they still haven't been able to built a machine that can make random folds on the bun as good as the Pau Uncle or Aunty. That is a relief, cos if the day ever comes that we can't differentiate handmade and machine made paus but its outward appearance, we are all in trouble.

The light at the end of the tunnel is the fact that there is an emergence of small scale handmade paus that are being shipped to our coffeeshops which I hope will improve things for all pau lovers out there.



This little stall in Upper Paya Lebar Road sells the paus at the premises but also sells them in several coffeeshops around Singapore. The interesting little background is that they used to be owned by the people from Tangjong Rhu pau who sold the business to the current owner with the assurance that they will pass on their recipe to them. As a result the meat filling is quite similar to Tanjong Rhu pau which is still the best pau in Singapore in my books. (The only complaint is that for $1, the large pau is the same size as most small paus)

There is however one drawback. Because the paus have to be displayed in a steamer for the whole day, the skin is made necessarily more resilient which means they are not as soft and supple as the ones sold at Tanjong Rhu. No matter, they still beat thost horrible K___ G____ paus handsdown anyday! 4/5

Conclusion

If you happen to be looking for Paus in a Coffeeshop, look for the Eng Cheong label. It's one of the better "outsourced" paus around. Have a taste of the filling, doesn't it remind you of Tanjong Rhu's?

Eng Cheong Pau
416 Upper Paya Lebar Road
S534995
7am to 7pm daily
68583652

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Ieat 2nd Anniversary Charity Makan Session: Beta Testing the ieat SuperBurger MKII

Time flies! The blog is now coming to 2 years old and to celebrate, we are of course having a makan session. Last year, we celebrated our 1st Anniversary at Astons Prime and we managed to raise some money for the Andrew and Grace Home. This year I am trying to do something a little different with a direct impact on the people we are trying bless. I also wanted to do something that can be replicated with other restaurants who might also have a social marketing aspect to their business.

So we are working with Faith Community Baptist Church (FCBC) this year with a group of kids from the Oakley Children Prison Ministry. FCBC run a prison ministry to help people in prison. In their communications with them, they realized that these people are all quite concerned about the well being of their own kids whom they are unable to care for while in prison. Some of these children actually live with their grandparents or aunties/uncles. So "Oakley" was set up in order to provide tuition for these kids as well as to organize activities for them and in a sense, to be an extended family to them.

What we are planning to do is to arrange for the kids to have a 3 course lunch at Aston's new restaurant at The Cathay (Handy Road) and teach them a little bit about dining etiquette, followed by a movie at Cathay. Since the restaurant can only hold 50 people and I know that there are a lot of ieat readers who are keen to contribute to this worthy cause, I have decided to split the session to two. So there will be an earlier session for the kids followed by the main makan session (where you all come in) that will start at 1pm where we will be "Beta testing" the ieat SuperBurger Mk II. Your feedback on the burger will eventually determine what the burger will look like! Aside from that I hope to be able to do an auction to raise money for the kids to buy assessment books, stationeries, etc.

Here are the details:

Venue: Astons Specialities (The Cathay 4th level)
Time: 1pm
Date: 17 August (Sunday)
Tickets: $80 (Suggested donation) Early birds will get a Movie Ticket!

Every ticket will be entitled to either an ieat SuperBurger Mk II or an alternative main course of beef, fish or chicken from the menu.

What you need to do.

1. Book your seats by emailing me at leslie.tay@gmail.com. Please indicate your name, HP number and the amount that you wish to donate.
   
2. If you cannot come but wish to make a donation, write a cheque to "FCBC" and mail to: Dr Leslie Tay, Karri Family Clinic, 866A Tampines St 83, #03-05, Singapore 521866. On the back of the cheque write "Oakley - Children Prison Ministry", plus your address if you need a receipt.
3. If you would like to sponsor door gifts for the kids, or if you can sponsor something for the auction, please write to me at leslie.tay@gmail.com. Sponsors will be acknowledged on the blog.

Thanks for your generous support and look forward to seeing you all there!

Click here to link to the forum to see the latest updates!

Update: 5 Aug 2008

All seats have already been taken up. But you can still be put on the wait list. Our apologies.



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The Ieat - Canon Food Photography Workshop

Isn't it amazing to see so many DSLRs snapping away in a restaurant? I wonder what the restaurant manager would have done if our group had arrived unannounced?

Last Saturday, 30 kakis gathered at Shin Kushiya restaurant at Vivo City for the very first ieat - Canon food photography workshop to "EAT" and "SHOOT". The session started with resident professional, Jino giving a presentation on the technical aspects of photography followed by my presentation on food photography.

After getting some tips to work on, we unleashed our hungry photographers onto the unassuming food. If this had been a war movie, it would look like a scene where hundreds of canons (pardon the pun) are being fired upon a flock of sheep! Anyway, our photographers all exhibited the marks of a true food photographer, patiently snapping away at the food rather than succumbing to the temptation to eat it first.

After the session, our photographers submitted their best photos for the competition. So without further ado, may I present the winners of the photo competition!

Taste in food is subjective, so is taste in photography. So let me just state that the judge's decision is final and blah blah blah.......and so on and so forth and so fifth.

1st Prize - Jimmy Lee


This is the runaway favourite. Very nicely composed picture. The backlighting highlights the translucency of the shallots and the shadows give the picture a very dramatic feel. The steam rising from the miso soup is very difficult to capture and Jimmy managed to catch the moment beautifully. Perhaps the only thing is to pay more attention to the arrangement of the crockery in the background.

2nd Prize - Wahcow


I like the bokeh (the blurred bits) of this photo. Wahcow managed to get the rim of the bowl plus the rice on the chopsticks in focus and the background is a very pleasing arrangement of bowls which tells you the story of what is happening. This picture would have scored higher if the rice grains on the chopsticks were a little more accentuated. The top is just slightly overexposed. Would also be nice to see a little shimmer on top of the rice.

3rd Prize - Michael Luthi


The thing that is most pleasing about this picture is the balance of colours between the yellow cheese cake and the blue plate, accentuated by the green mint leaf. There is also the nice inclusion of elements such as the texture of the lemon slice and the fork. The contrast between the yellow surface of the cheese cake and the shadows on the sides accentuates the corners of the slice. Would be nice to see a bit more of the red on the top right corner.

OK, so those are the winners. Next let me post some of the consolation prize winners. Sorry guys, you don't actually get a real prize. But since you won the "Consolation" prize, here is the "Consolation": "There, there, its a good effort. You'll do better next time!"


Photo by: Kerk Sheen

Nicely composed. I like placement of the grilled pork skewer over the rice which gives the picture a point of focus. However, there are 2 things that can be improved. The chopsticks are overexposed so we can't see the texture of the wood grain. The pork looks dry, probably because it was left for too long before the picture was taken! So sometimes have to be quick to shoot!


Photo by Terrence Yap

I was attracted to the colour balance of this picture. There is the blue on the right top corner, the green on the left, bit of golden yellow from the tungsten light reflecting off the plate and the translucent grey jelly in the middle contrasted on the black plate. The problem is that the cream has melted so it looks unappetizing.


Photo by Denison Tan

I like the highlight on the legs of the crab which tells you straight away that you are looking at a crab and the way the legs draw the eyes diagonally across the picture. However I think the photo was not cropped properly so it is not so well balanced.


Photo by Wilson Tan

This photo demonstrates quite nicely how backlighting can show translucency of food, in this case, the salmon flesh. It would be nice to also capture the shimmer of the surface of the flesh. One way to do this is to have the salmon arranged in such a way that it has one surface horizontal to catch the shimmer and the other vertical to catch the translucency.


Photo by Brandon Yeo

The diagonal placement of the skewers lends a dynamic edge to the photo and the red coloured prawn heads with the charred legs immediately gives you that feeling of crunching the crispy legs in your mouth. I think it is slightly overexposed and may look more balanced if it not cropped so closely. Also it would be better if the legs and head of the first prawn was all in focus.

Now, I was pretty busy that day to really pay attention to all the food. But the one item that really stood out were the Kushiyaki. They specially import "White" charcoal from Japan to grill the skewers which results in a nice smoky flavour that is crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside. The pork Kushiyaki was something I can eat quite a few of. 4.25/5

Conclusion

I thought it was an enjoyable session overall and I also learnt a lot from it. It's always nice to meet with like minded people!

Have a look at the pics and let us know which are your favourites and why!

Thanks to Shin Kushiya for helping to organize the event.

Shin Kushiya
#02-120
Vivo City
11.30am to 11pm daily

This session was made possible by the nice people at Canon.








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Madam Saigon: No wonder the Vietnamese are so slim!

Starter Sampler $29.90 (6pax)

This is a wild guess, but I reckon that more women like Vietnamese food than men. We are talking about Singaporeans of course. The reason I say this is because Vietnamese food is pretty healthy and low in oil and coconut milk. I think if we did a survey, the number of women putting up their hands should at least be twice the number of men.

I have been to Vietnam only once, but the place that I ate Vietnamese food most was in Australia and Thailand. It's funny, but in Thailand, Vietnamese food is regarded as a higher class of cuisine than the local fare. It's very much like how we compare Thai food to our local hawker food.

When you feel that you have had a little too much rich food, than going to Vietnamese restaurant to eat something light and satisfying like the salads and summer rolls might just be the way to go. For starters, we had the sampler which had three different types of salads and they were all refreshingly good. It's the combination of fish sauce, vinegar and palm sugar that gives the salad that kick. 4/5


Summer Rolls with prawns (Guoi Cuon) $8.90 (2 rolls)

Summer rolls might seem like a very simple dish to do since it really is just rice skin, vermicilli, prawns and mint leaves. However, it is a bit of a challenge to rehydrate the rice skin to just the right texture so that it has that nice gummy bite to it. For me this dish always epitomizes healthy eating. Having tasted this dish quite a few times, I am confident to say that the summer rolls here is almost as good as it gets. 4.25/5.


Stir Fry Beef Vermicilli (Bun Bo Xao) $10.50

The dish of the day for me though, was the dry beef vermicelli. The fragrant lemongrass marinated beef combined beautifully with the vermicelli, ground peanuts and other condiments. It's tasty, yet contains very little oil so you go away with a satisfied tummy and a clear conscience. 4.25/5


Vietanmese Pancake (Banh Xeo) $10.90

Vietnamese pancake is a sort of rice flour pancake filled with bean sprouts, prawn, chicken and mung beans which I surmise must have been a Vietnamese adaptation of the French crepe. I have had this many times in Thailand before and all the crepes always came very thin and crispy. The version here has got a thick chewy pancake which I felt was a tad too heavy. Would have preferred it thin like a Thosai. Then again they have thin and crispy as well as pan pizza to cater to different types of people, don't they? 3.5/5


Beef Pho $8.90 (Special)

How to blog a Vietnamese joint without the Pho? This is as Vietnamese as Hokkien Mee is Singapore. To have good Pho, you need lots of good quality beef bones. The Pho that they sell in Cabramatta, Sydney are really good because they have lots of cows in Australia, so bones are cheap which explains how they get their soup to be really robust and sweet. I guess in Singapore, it is harder to do the same. Despite that, they did managed to produce a pretty good Pho here which is good enough to satisfy a Pho craving. 4/5

Conclusion

If you feel a need to eat something light and tasty, Vietnamese cuisine is a good bet. Madam Saigon is a comfortable little eatery with friendly service and several items which are worth trying.

So, am I right is saying that there are more women than men who enjoy Vietnamese food?



Carlene introduces us to Madam Saigon!

Just trying out some new things with my Creative Vado. Let me know what else you think might be interesting for short clips.

Madam Saigon
30 Liang Seah Street
Tel: 6333 9798
Mon-Fri 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm to 11pm
Weekends, PH, 12pm-4pm, 6pm to 11pm
Disclaimer: This was an invited review




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Yong Li: Treat your hawker nice Day!

With Cactuskit, Wahcow and smart


Well, we Singaporeans are an honest bunch. We know our faults and we openly admit them. Impatient, rude, unforgiving and downright Kiasu. We sigh in frustration when we experience graciousness in other societies and lament that we can't be the same. Hey, all is not lost. Deep inside each and everyone of us, there is that spark that just needs to be ignited. We all have it in us and it is just a matter of expressing it so that we can make a difference.

Why do I say that? Because there is still a lot of niceness and goodness out there! And it is as close as the hawker that you buy your food from everyday.

Take this little old lady selling kway chap for instance. You could go up to her, order your $3 kway chap, pay your money and sit down and eat. Or, you could do what our friend Cactuskit did and start showing real interest in the lady, chatting with her frequently and even going to the extent of inviting her to one of his church functions. It's no wonder she treats him like a son and cooks a special chilli stingray dish for him when she found out we were coming for breakfast on a particular day!

That is why I feel that if you want to see more graciousness in our society, it starts right where you are. And one of the first people you can start with is our humble hawkers who work so hard everyday to feed us but often don't get any credit and very little thanks for what they do. A big smile and a simple word of praise for their food usually gets things going and I assure you that you will go away feeling much better about life too! In fact, if I were a Director in the Ministry of Community Development, I would even declare an official "Hawkers Appreciation" Day to try to spread some goodwill around. Happy hawkers make yummier food and yummier food make us all happier.



This little stall in Haig Road Food Centre does not have any newspaper clipping or awards of any sort, but they have been cleaning out pig innards for more than 30 years. Ever since Cactuskit mentioned them in the forum, it has been winning approval from our forummers including our venerable uncle Smart who declared that the lady makes the best "Da Chang" (Large Intestines) and pig skin in Singapore.

I think the thing about their "Da Chang" is the fact that they managed to get it so clean that you don't have any "smelly" taste in it. Now, here is the secret which I immediately spotted, thanks to my years of studying histology and anatomy in Med School. (Yeah right). Notice from the picture that they stripped off the layer of mucosa (innermost layer which is in contact with the fecal matter), thus exposing the inner layer of circular muscle? That is the secret. The old lady laboriously turns the large intestine inside out and painstakingly strips off the mucosal layer. This extra step results in a clean tasting "Da Chang" which even someone (like me) who doesn't usually eat "Da Chang" can appreciate. Smart gives it a 4.75/5 and says that the texture and taste is almost perfect.



So here's the nice little old hawker Aunty who has been stripping off pig innards for 30 years. Be nice to her and to your favourite hawker Aunty and Uncle today!

Conclusion

If you like "Da Chang" and pig skin then according to our kway chap experts, you should give this stall a try real soon!

Yong Li Cooked Food
Haig Road Food Centre
Open 7am to 2pm daily
Closed on Monday




What to do next?

Read about other Kway Chap stalls by clicking here
Like to find more Mom and Pop stalls? Click here
Find out what else is there to eat at Haig Road FC. Click here
Don't miss the Putu Piring that is just round the corner! Click here


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Boon Tong Kee Chicken Rice: Surprisingly good

It is human nature to side with the underdog. So when it comes to chicken rice, not many people would go with the big players like Boon Tong Kee, citing that they are too commercial, lacks the personal touch etc etc.

With over 20 chicken rice stalls already blogged, this site would really not be complete without one of Singapore's largest chain of chicken rice stalls. So it was only a matter of time before I blogged BTK. I have had this chicken rice several times already before I started by blogging, but never really thought much of it. (Didn't analyse food as much then as I do nowadays) However, on the insistence of Holydrummer who swears by this chicken rice (the East Coast branch), I decided to blog it sooner rather than the later.



The overall experience was surprisingly good. BTK was able to put a whole chicken rice package together that resulted in satisfying chicken rice experience. From the rice to the chicken to the chilli sauce, I thought that even though not one item actually stood out, they were all competent and worked well in harmony. The several items that I really appreicated though were the pickles that come with the chicken. Though not traditional served with chicken rice, I thought they added a little bit of a zing to the whole experience and I especially enjoyed it. The other item was the minced ginger which they provided. It was also a little on the sweet side and very fragrant. One of the best ginger sauces that I have come across.

Conclusion

So there you have it, I am surprised that I actually enjoyed it so much. Maybe its because I usually like things a little on the sweet side and so the pickles and ginger did it for me. I am sure there are going to be lots of supporters and detractors of this chain. Whatever it may be, one thing is quite safe to say. If you have overseas visitors and want to introduce them to chicken rice, BTK is a good place to consider since you are assured of reasonably good chicken rice in a modern and clean environment. It's a "soft landing" to test their level of tolerance before bringing them to the hardcore, roadside, eat with your fingers, "D" rated type stalls.

Boon Tong Kee (Katong)
199 East Coast Road
(Opp Holy Family Church)
Open for lunch till 10pm daily

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Ieatishootipost feature in Lian He Zao Bao

Click on Image to Read

A very warm welcome to Lian He Zao Bao readers! Thank you for visiting the blog. I hope you all find something good to eat!



Click on image to read

When I started the blog 2 years ago, I never thought I would see my picture on the front page of zbW and a full 3 page feature! It is indeed an honour and I would like to thank:

1. God for making all things beautiful in His time. The Lord is good and does "exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think...". The glory belongs to Jesus.

2. My parents, parents-in-law, my wife Lisa (Amagada) and kids James (ieatjr) and Megan (ieatprincess) for their support and especially for waiting patiently while I take photos before we can start eating!

3. The Merry Makankakis: Smart, liverpool, damien, sumosumo, Cactuskit, khim, jems, Holydrummer, Holybro, Holybunny, SCS butter, Happi Mummi, fashionfoodie, wahcow, vVv and many more who help me organize the sessions and support the events. There are so many more to thank, so sorry if your name is not included in the list yet.

4. And finally, thanks to all readers of this blog! It is your comments and participation that keeps us all going!

As the article mentioned, we are in the midst of planning our next Charity Event sometime next month. I will let you all know the details a little later. I hope to get your support!

Khim is helping me to translate the article to English! Thanks Khim, on behalf of all the "Ang Moh Pai" readers! I only managed to make out about 60% of it and I actually know the story already!

For our new readers, you might like be interested in the following links to familiarize with the blog:

Introduction to ieatishootipost: Click Here

Below are the links mentioned in the article:

ieat Creations
ieat Experiments
Makan Sessions
Sakura Chicken
Charity Events
Creative and Canon advertorials
Cilantro
ieat SuperBurger

To view the Channel U feature click here

The article talked about the Singapore Blog Awards organized by Omy. If you would like to support the blog with your vote, please click below and vote for ieatishootipost! Thanks very much.



Click here

Here's the Translation for all our Ang Moh Pai Readers! Big Big thanks to Khim and Holybro!

Summary

Local well-known food blogger ieatishootipost.blogspot.com commenced in 2006, it had accumulated 1 million hits a year after; 2 years later – today, the blog was even nominated for “Most Insightful Blog” category in the “S’pore Blog Awards” organized by Omy.

Doctor Food Blogger

When the owner of local well-known food blog ieatishootipost.blogspot.com, Dr. Leslie Tay (39 years old), started the blog more than 2 years ago, little did he imagine the recognition he would have today.

As a start, he only wanted to make up for a deprived childhood. “When I was young, my father seldom brought us out for meals, I had no idea where all the famous hawker food are!”

In 2006, he began to be interested the Singapore local cuisine, always going online, looking for chicken rice, char kway teow, hokkien prawn mee, etc.. through word of mouth. “I wanted to make up for my deprived childhood in a big way!”

But he realized that no matter how good the comments came from readers, the blog will not be persuasive and convincing enough just with word and no pictures of the good food. “I’m interested in photography, as far as I can recall, there seems to be no one in the local scene that have used photos of hawkers’ fare as a main topic. I was wondering, why don’t I take pictures while writing the blog, recording the experiences and photos at the same time.”

So, in August 2006, ieatishootipost commenced, it accumulated 1 million hits within a year and now 2 years later, the blog has been nominated for “Most Insightful Blog” category in the “S’pore Blog Awards” organized by Omy.

Family doctor’s Extra Curriculum

It’s Leslie’s identity as a doctor which adds on to the appeal of the food blog.

Everyday at 2pm, when he is taking his afternoon break at Karri Family Clinic situated at Tampines Street 83, he would drop his white doctor’s robe, take off his stethoscope, jumped into the identity of a cuisine reporter; before the opening of the clinic’s evening shift at 6.30pm, he uses this time to run all over Singapore, in search of food worth recommending, then "serves” up all these mouth-watering , fantastic findings onto his food blog which gets 8,000 hit daily.

ieat has got nearly thousand of posts to date. Leslie’s style is neither braggy nor pretentious, but like the media, he knows how to capture one’s curiosity using interesting ideas like “Where is the President’s favorite poh piah and favorite teh tarik stall located?” to attract readers. How many hidden gems are there in hawker centres located from North to South locally? Leslie will find out for you. Or, if you have something in mind, you can search based on the type of local fares like bak kut teh, beef hor fun, chicken rice, etc.. With one click, you get to see what the food looks like and where to find it.

2 months ago, Leslie even started a forum, creating different interesting topics for the 800 plus registered readers. Leslie explained with pride that this forum connect foodies together. Next, he would even hope to create another avenue where all food bloggers can gather together to exchange thoughts.

Sponsors knocking on the door

Food bloggers like Dr. Leslie Tay have increased in numbers the past 2 years. 2 years ago when Leslie started writing the food blog, there were only a handful of food blogs. Now, there is a long list of local food bloggers, some of the better known ones even catch the attention of F&B proprietors. There is yet a new trend, that is, more and more F&B companies are eagerly engaging PR companies to join and manage food bloggers. These e-generation food reporters are challenging the traditional food critics, especially when youngsters nowadays like to surf the net, food blogging on the boundless internet also manages to capture foreign readers, attracting these foreign foodies into our country for different kinds of cuisine.

Dr. Tay revealed that he, just like that media reporters, often receives invitations from various restaurants, hawkers as well as PR companies, to try out their dishes. Even visual & electronic equipment brands like Creative & Cannon came knocking on Leslie’s door, expressing interest on sponsoring and introducing the fantastic gadgets through Leslie’s blog and thus, delivering the message through the internet.

Also, readers from as far as Ukraine, England and United States had treated Leslie’s blog as a food guide, often sending him emails: “I’ll be coming over to Singapore on this particular date, what should I eat?” Leslie used to reply every single email, giving them some recommendations. Now, he would invite these readers to browse the blog, or join the internet forum and let the other readers provide the recommendations.

From Makan Sessions …

Using “fussy” to describe his taste buds, Leslie has a mum who is a chef. He has a strong interest in cooking too. When he was studying in Australia, he used to cook by himself. His best dishes would be sweet and sour pork as well as various soups.

Speaking of how he chose his food entries, Leslie replied: “Some are just fate, other times, I will tend to look for dishes with a more interesting angle." Have you heard of sakura chicken? There is a farm in Malaysia using Japanese’ method to rear chicken. Cultivating chicken without any injections, yet the chicken remains juicy and tender. I find it very interesting. Singaporeans love to eat chicken rice, I hope to be the first to spread the news!”

Browsing through ieatishootipost, one can see why it has dominated the other food blogs. This place is bursting with activities, like makan sessions, ieat experiments and ieat creations. This active blogger, through “spicy” activities, unceasingly seeks readers’ participation, thus winning the hearts of many readers.

The makan sessions are Leslie’s plan to get like-minded makan kakis to share good food together. “Just like the ‘durian degustation’ held earlier. Durian comes in different breeds. There are many people like myself, who don’t know the difference between Shan Mao Wang, D24, Red Prawn, Black Pearl, XO, etc… So I organized a degustation. The concept is similar to wine tasting.

… to Charity Makan Events

That durian degustation even enticed a Japanese couple to join. Each person paid $25 and within 2 hours, a specialist explained the characteristics and taste of over 10 different types of durian, following the tasting of the durians by the readers.

Leslie not only have to eat, listen and take notes, he is also busy clicking his camera, capturing the marvelous shots and then uploading it onto the blog, letting those who were unable to attend the event enjoy the post on the blog. What is surprising is that such makan session can also be turned into a charity event to contribute back to the society.

During the first year anniversary of ieat, Leslie and western restaurant called Astons organized a charity makan session. The attendees paid $100 each and filled the restaurant that night while Astons provided the meal at no charge. The readers not only enjoyed a sumptuous meal, a mini auction was also held to raise funds for Andrew and Grace Home (for Troubled Teens)

Leslie said food blogging is usually about introducing good food, but he wanted to do more. Leslie has found a meaningful way to contribute back to the society by organizing charity events through food blogging. “We can’t bring anything with us when we depart this world. What legacy can you leave behind? What kind of change can you bring to others?”

Dr. Tay yearns that his effort is able to touch someone’s life. His mind is continuously revolving around this concept: Every week, a restaurant sets aside some time and invite a group of not-so-fortunate people to enjoy a delectable meal. Hence, not only is the restaurant able to bring joy and happiness to people, it is also a way of giving back to the society.

Leslie hopes after the ieat event, others will follow suit. “Most importantly more will benefit, more will come forward and offer their humanitarian assistance and spread the happiness across.” During this interview, he is already planning the next charity makan session with Astons.

Suggesting to Hawkers to come with new dishes

Besides the makan sessions, Leslie also love to gather makan kaki to do experiments, naming it ieat experiments.

He cites the satay experiment as example. “East Coast Food Centre has many satay stalls, but which one is the best? Once, a group of makan kakis and I went there to find out. We ordered chicken satay from each stall and everyone then voted the best based on the satay and the fragrance of the satay sauce.

The inspiration of his experiments normally comes from his observations and “wacky ideas which he is thinking of”. Example whether "tariking" the teh actually made a difference to the taste of the Teh? He had his eyes blindfolded, noted the taste of both teh, with and without the “tariking” and the results were posted on the blog.

To understand the eating habits and preference of Singaporeans, Leslie added polls to collect opinions: “Last October’s poll attracted 4,000 readers to vote for the local’s popular dish & in the end, Hokkien Fried Prawn mee came up tops. There was also the most popular dessert as well as Singaporean’s favorite cuisine.”

But what Leslie is satisfied most, are the ieat creations. These are new dishes that he suggested to the hawkers.

“There is a western food stall, Cilantro, in one of the coffee shops in Bukit Merah. I found their food to be so-so. If they want to have an impact on local food and attract customers to their stall, they can’t be just another western food store selling the usual spaghetti and lamb chops. I told the owner, if they could dish up Foie Gras at just a price of $15, now, that would be interesting!”
Cilantro took his advice. When it dished out the first Foie Gras in a coffee shop, it invited Leslie back for tasting. “In the end, when the post was on the blog, Cilantro was unable to cope with the crowd over that weekend!”

Leslie’s attitude towards local cuisine is no doubt positive and enterprising. He wanted to bring the latest and the better quality great stuff to everyone.

“Like the Foie Gras, this is a challenge to the hawker. Generally speaking, hawkers are willing to try new things. If the response is good after the dish appears on the blog, then the new dish will become a regular item. Likewise, if the response is lack lustre, then the hawkers can treat it as a new attempt and publicity.”

Another ieat creation that Leslie speaks about is the Boston Lobster Fried Tang Hoon which he suggested to a cze char stall in Geylang. He said that since no cze char stall had ever include Boston Lobster in its menu, this will be the first. Also, the second version of ieat Superburger will be rolling out soon.

As if introducing his own baby, Leslie said: “This first version of ieat Superburger was introduced in September 2006. My idea is to give burger lovers that super value burger experience. So I challenged Aston. Subsequently, the team really created this Superburger! First grill the hand-chopped steak, add on the fresh and crispy lettuce, caramelized onions, bacon, etc… And price it at only $12.50! They even had the burger named after my blog, it’s named ieat Superburger.

The burger has been selling like hot cakes ever since its introduction and became a regular item on the Astons menu. Recently, Leslie has another new idea. The second version of the ieat Superburger will be introduced soon. He only revealed that it is square-shaped. As for what is in the burger, Leslie smiled and said: “Wait and see!”

A Heart Warming Story

Because Doctor Tay comes into contact with people from all walks of life, he summarizes all his experiences as “interesting”

“There was this Singaporean lady who migrated to Adelaide. She contracted cancer, and her days were numbered. I received a letter of thanks from her, saying that the food shown in the blog brought her back many pleasant memories, and reminded her of her childhood days where she would dine in different places. As I read her letter, my tears fell. I would never have known that a simple food blog like this would be able to touch a heart.”


Doctor Tay also mentions the founders of Andrew and Grace Home:” On the 1st week of this couple’s marriage, Andrew rented a room to a problem female student for her to stay in. Now, to raise funds they even lost their home. Thus the both of them and a group of problem teenage girls stayed in an old hostel. To raise funds they were willing to do almost anything like shaving their heads and running marathons. Andrew was like their father to them.

Food is one thing. Being able to keep yourself full is another. But behind the story of good food lies many extraordinary stories of ordinary people, this is even more heart-warming than food itself.


Coming back, what Doctor Tay is concerned about is not so much about his story.

In the blog there is a link, which is actually about herbal soup located in Geylang, but in a few words, he also conveyed the message of the problem of prostitution. :”They are all standing out! This social topic is of grave concern and should be noted by people. I stand here, bringing to you in a relaxed manner of what I see. The people usually see my point.”

Looking back on the growth of ieat, Doctor Tay says:”It has been a good learning experience, but what makes me happy, is that when I do take a shot of a dish which I really love frequently, and then share it with others. Food that tastes nice can never lie. It has a mysterious force, which somehow makes the pictures of it look better!”

One last thing is that, if it really tastes good, it should never be eaten alone, or you might taste a sense of loneliness and solitary.

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The Ieat Durian Degustation II: Ah Loon and Ah Teck's Boutique Durian Stall

The pictures say it all. When it comes to Durians, we Singaporeans will throw any manner of decorum to the wind. It is one of the few times that you can actually eat with your hands, get durian all over your face, and talk with your mouth full without mom telling you off. This is especially so when mom is also in the thick of things.

Yes, when it comes to durians, it is the fruit that is the main focus and nothing else matters. No one bothers that the tables are not cleaned, that you can throw the seeds into a dirty plastic box and it is permissible to stuff a whole durian segment in your mouth because you got to use your hands to open the durian. Do it with a chicken drumstick and everyone will be staring at you!

So it is when over 80 durian kakis gathered outside a provision shop to enjoy the fruit together. From Neurosurgeons to students, retirees to property developers, there are no social barriers when it comes to durian. The only criterion for admission is that you love the fruit.

The degustation session covered 5 varieties of durians that evening. We started with D24, then move on to Hong Xia, Black Pearl, XO, Golden Phoenix and finished up with the prized Mao Shan Wang. The characteristics of most of these have already been covered in my previous posts, so I will only highlight the Black Pearl which was voted best durian for the night.


The Black Pearl

The Black Pearl is easily recognizable by its elongated Rugby Ball shape which is something close to the heart of this ex-Saint/Rafflesian.



The flesh is is greyish white and most of them have little "pearls" of black in the flesh. The shape of the segments are also elongated and looks very much like those fried fish cakes. The texture is pastey and the aroma is only mildly pungent. However it is distinctly sweet with a taste that I find as difficult to describe as the colour Red.



The small size of the segment is offset by the tiny shrivelled seeds, so you still get quite a nice mouthful of flesh. I am told that is it best eaten by popping the whole segment into your mouth, spitting the seed out and then spend the next few minutes savouring the taste while swallowing a little at a time. 4.5/5

Conclusion

I think all our durian kakis went home very full and very satisfied that night and woke up this morning with Durian breath! Don't forget to drink lots of water everyone!


Ah Loon showing off the characteristic star shape pattern of the Mao Shan Wang

Ah Loon and Ah Teck Durian
231 East Coast Road
97514828





Acknowledgements

Thanks to Sumosumo, Holydrummer, Holybro, Holybunny and Cactuskit for helping to organize the event!

Photos by Cactuskit and Ieat

Read about the other breeds of Durians here



Remember to vote today! Click here

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