Eat Like Ushi

A late night barmy evening lent itself to a gelato dessert. By coincidence, luck and fortune, I can across an artisanal seller after dinner.

There's a good list of flavours, but unfortunately on my first visit, the pistachio was sold out, and the deep green I saw was green tea.

Nonetheless it didn't stop me over the next 24 hours from sampling the wonderfully brown coloured pistachio with its intense nutty flavour and minimal sweetness, a rich fruity cherry and a slightly less impressive raspberry.

On a scorching 32C, high-humidity day in Paris, gelato was necessary. After avoiding the soft serve and generally substandard tourist fare, I was lucky enough to spot the golden word Amorino at a stand near the Louvre. Of course this word resonated with me instantly like a mirage from the depth of the desert floor due to my exposure in Lisbon (http://eatlikeushi.posthaven.com/amorino-gelato-lisbon-10-2013).

Due to heat, a lack of lunch and a desire of gelato, I ended up queuing twice for a double each time.

- Pistachio gelato - a sweet version with good flavour;
- Coconut gelato - really delicious flavour with pieces of coconut providing texture;
- Pistachio sorbet - a stronger nuttier flavour, less sweet and preferred over the other (contrary to what I wrote in Lisbon);
- Mango - a strong fruity version as though mango had been blended, thickened and served.

Thanks for saving me. I hope to see you elsewhere.

It must be nice to be awarded the 2016 San Pellegrino Best Pastry Chef in the World.

It must be nice to credited as having the best macarons in the world.

Although I'm not huge on macarons, it seemed difficult to pass up the opportunity to try them. This particular store in Galeries Lafayette  Maison (35 boulevard Haussmann) serves macarons but not pastries so I'll have to leave the latter to another time.

The macarons eaten included the recommended, popular and award winning mogador (milk chocolate with passionfruit) and montebello (half strawberry, half pistachio). The flavours are nice and sweet but not sickeningly so. The flavour starts off very lightly and intensifies at the end. What is most impressive is that the shells are soft and delicate, unlike the firm crispy versions I've sampled elsewhere all over the world. This is refinement.

Picking one fancy dinner in Singapore was difficult. As the new Top 100 restaurants had just been released, choosing somewhere exceptional (and expensive) like Andre or Waku Ghin was possible but something more specifically Singapore seemed like a good idea. That left two options - the "mod Sin" at Wild Rocket or the "neo Sin" at Labyrinth.

In the end, the molecular got to me and Labyrinth it was. It isn't cheap - $98 for the basic, $128 for the extended and $158 for the full. And this is before the service and taxes of about 20% extra. I had to hope the Best New 2014 Restaurant and Best Asian Fine Dining Restaurant in Singapore 2015 would make up for it. It didn't make the San Pellegrino Top 100 world or Top 50 Asia so that was something to be wary of.

The menu is based around Singapore street food as one might eat during a typical 24 hours - although the flavours are arranged as a more standard entree/main/dessert type.

8am
- Tingkat "radish cake, rojak, nasi lemak" - a seared radish cake, a puff of rojak and a chewy disk of nasi lemak;
- Hokkaido Scallop "bak chor mee" - what a great dish to really kick things off. Chewy squid noodles with saffron, scallops depicted as fish cake, powdered anchovy and tapioca powder with a touch of sambal.

12pm
- Lardo “chicken rice” - Hainanese chicken rice in the form of a delicate slice of tofu, covered with chicken powder and chicken lard and the typical soy/sesame/ginger/scallion flavour. Great and perfect flavour although would have loved more of it;
- Otoro “char siew & siew yoke fan” - tuna belly served as a nigiri flavoured as char siew and half-grilled as a cube of "roast pork" topped with pork skin. It is interesting but the quality of tuna belly wasn't allowed to shine;
- Cod “XO fish” - an excellent fish of piece, crisp skin with a thin layer of fat served with a fake tomato made from actual tomato served with a very mild sauce from XO.

3pm
- Spices “OCK curry puff” - a hard-boiled quail egg sits atop a curry crumb nest with a bit of meat hidden beneath.

7pm
- Foie Gras “peking duck” - a foie gras lollipop coated in hoi sin sauce with duck skin sitting on a blackened uncooked (inedible) potato stand. The foie gras was very creamy and a little hidden piece of cucumber was unexpected;
- Soft Shell Crab “chili crab” - a beautiful fried soft shell crab with great flavour, contrasted by an unusual cold Singapore chilli crab-flavoured ice cream, crab foam and the sand made of fried mantou crumb (which didn't seem to add much);
- Seasonal Oyster “orh luak” - a deep fried oyster with an egg custard topped with salmon roe. The leaf tasted exactly like a fresh oyster, down the metallic ocean aftertaste - I can't comprehend how this happened...;
- Boston Lobster “hokkien mee” - soft slices of lobster in a nice savoury sauce and recommended to slide over the pork fat candle before devouring.

- palate cleanser - pineapple sorbet

7am
- Meringue “teh tarik” - an odd rendition of toast that was a bit more melted and creamy and quite sweet;
- Soft Boiled Eggs “mango sticky rice” - a hollowed shell filled with an "egg" of firm sticky rice, mango yolk and topped with black sugary "soy" and crushed almond "pepper";
- Petit Fours - a kaya butter macaron.

The menu is creative and unusual. The flavours do highlight those of a refined version of Singapore street food. The quantity and refinement don't necessarily overtake the satisfaction of a delicious bowl/plate of heavy seasoned and oily food but it's a different quality for a different occasion. The standout dishes (Hokkaido scallop, lardo chicken rice, soft shell crab and Boston lobster) were truly exceptional creations. I'm disappointed I didn't get to try the A4 Wagyu hor fun.

I wanted to go the Lobster Ramen branch in Clarke Quay but it's only open from 6pm-5am which didn't suit me on this visit. Luckily during the day I went past the Tonkotsu King branch and for a tiny place that usually has lines, the crowds were probably kept away by the mild rain.

You order on paper before walking in and perhaps turning this into the more traditional Japanese vending machine method might be fun.

This branch specialises in tonkotsu and you can choose how strong you want it. I had a Black Spicy Tonkotsu with strong flavour and normal noodles. The broth had good flavour (I could go stronger and thicker) but the black garlic wasn't potent enough for me. The meat texture also wasn't that soft (probably a reflection on the local quality) compared to what I've been having in Australia. The noodles could have used a little more thickness or chewiness too. But it was still a satisfying bowl, made better by the Japanese tradition of unlimited hardboiled eggs (not marinated - you pay for those) and the hipster mortar & pestle to crush your own sesame seeds and the marinated beanshoots which were very nice.

Not the best I've had but still good and hit the spot.

I'd been craving laksa for a while even before travelling overseas. I was finally taken in Singapore to satisfy this to a place called 363 Katong Laksa. Looking online there's a few places claiming to be the "original" but as long as it is good, does it really matter?

The menus is simple - 4 iPads are available to order from a $4 laksa, otam, a build-your-own nasi lemak and drinks.

The nasi lemak is good - the ingredients included simple rice, excellent salty sambal, crispy textured of nuts and ikan bilis and a beautifully deep fried chicken skewer (soft meat, crunchy coating) to balance.

However the real star is the laksa - a curry soup that had almost no discernible coconut taste to it, but was replaced with a seafood based stock and peppered by the occasional (seemingly almost raw texture, which I don't mind) little clams that added huge flavour. Add in prawns and thick noodles cut to a length so that you only eat with a spoon, and I was hooked. The broth isn't overly thick and intense (as I tend to like) but I can't complain about how good it was. I couldn't work out what the green herbs I stirred through were but they definitely added depth (it didn't taste like any of laksa leaf, coriander, mint).

I can't say if I like this more than the standard Malaysian curry laksa, the multi-dimensional Thai laksa or a good quality Penang assam laksa, but I know I'll be back.

Although not the easiest place to get to, after an overnight flight from Europe, a breakfast of fried dough was desired. The Indians running this place churn out the food quickly. Service isn't anything special but you aren't here for that.

What I did try was a soft papery prata, a firmer circular disk prata topped with an egg and a mutton murtabak (the small for $7 is very big already).

Each had their points. The soft prata was wispy for mopping curry sauce. The firm prata was what I expect from excellent roti with a crisp cooked exterior and softer chewy inside - truly exceptional. The murtabak had a milder flavour balanced by the lovely texture of mutton mince.

I'm sure the mutton curry, mee goreng and biryani are also worth trying. But for now I'd be happy to go back for much more prata with curry.

I couldn't decide between Delicatessen and Press. Both are closely located, Delicatessen has an exceptional Zomato rating and the menu reads nicely albeit more standard. Press on the other hand has a grill and advertises a section for offal. I am quite selective with my offal but moreso than the average person and finding a place that can execute the nose-to-tail concept (or more parts of it) it quite difficult.

I do admit that the various offals come from different animals, but at least they are trying. Pig blood (as morcilla or black pudding), fried lambs brains, grilled ox tongue and beef heart steak or skewer would have to be my choice selection if asked.

- Kumamoto oysters 6 for $24 - oysters that filled the shell, meaty texture and strong brine flavour. Really good;
- Tea-smoked salmon belly, soba noodles, cucumber, sesame $19 - it was a toss up between this and the woodgrilled squid. This was a cold noodle dish with lovely salted salmon chunks with the skin adding more flavour and texture. The soba sauce was a little weak and could have used more sesame;
- House-made pappardelle, blue swimmer crab, tomato, chilli $34 - it's such a luxury not having to pick out crab meat from the shell. The sauce was unusually sweet as though honey had been added. The pasta quality was top;
- Press* mixed-grill $38 - this is the dish that interested in my Press* the most. Morcilla (strong, rich flavour), lamb brains (a bit plain, not as creamy as I expected), grilled calf's tongue (unexpectedly soft and luscious with grilled flavour), medium-rare minute steak (should have asked for rare but forgot but nicely flavour), honey-roasted sweetbreads (I'm not too sure which this was as the fried spheres were introduced to me as onions and tasted like sweet versions of this. The texture seemed more an onion than a sweetbread too), onion, remoulade & poached egg (nice although seemed an odd addition to the plate);
- Chestnut & apricot souffle with armagnac ice cream $17 - a sweet, warm and aerated souffle with a nutty icecream that resisted the urge to melt.

The food was very good although I may choose more selectively next time. It's difficult because the mixed-grill presents a nice portion of each of the offals which is great if you want variety and aren't able to share it easily. Ideally I'd try to find to rally some troops for the roast suckling Berkshire pig feasting menu...

The waitress Amber was very pleasant and kept a good eye. Be happy with your work as it is so rare I tip in Australia.

The night was for celebrating and so an appropriate venue had to be selected. Surprisingly in researching, there were only a few places that seemed to interest me for the occasion. They were Jolley's Boathouse, Concubine and Chianti (and I had already chosen Delicatessen and Press for the previous nights more casual meals). In the end Chianti won due to an exciting take on classic Italian and the locavore mentality. Jolley's had higher ratings but the menu didn't excite and Concubine is unlikely to be much better than all the equivalent Melbourne versions.

For a place with white-table service, the atmosphere in Chianti is surprisingly cosy and homely. I liked the plates decorating the walls with Audrey Hepburn-type faces.

Complementary ciabatta, some mild EVOO and a small amuse bouche of veal with herbs started things off.

- Antipasti Misti (Local artisan cured meats, prosciutto di Parma, arancini, grissini, mozzarella di buffala, local sardines pickled ‘in saor’, baccala mantecato, balsamic marinated mushrooms, marinated zucchini, olives & additional daily appetisers) $38.0 - the proscuitto was very mild flavoured and the softest I've ever tried, arancini crisp with rice that tasted slightly mushroom or truffled, fresh mild mozzarella and two warm meatballs in ragu;
- Girello di Vitello (slow poached veal girello, truffled anchovy mayonnaise, caper leaves & Ortiz anchovies) $24.9 - very nice individual elements (particularly the anchovies) but not so overwhelming overall. I'd probably go for the octopus or lamb brains next time;
- Fiori di Zucchini (zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta & smoked mozzarella, lightly fried in batter, served with capsicum & almond Romesco) $24.5 - large lovely flowers skilfully fried with a nutty red pepper sauce. I wish there were more than 2 flowers.

After a short intermission the mains were brought out in all their glory:

- Fazzoletti con Anguilla (house-made pasta ‘handkerchiefs’, smoked eel, black truffle & walnuts) $35.9 - excellent unusual pasta dish with eel and crunchy textural walnuts. I couldn't detect much black truffle. Note to mix the pasta sheets early as a few stuck together toward the end as the dish cooled down;
- Linguine allo Scoglio (Spencer Gulf king prawns, Coorong pipis, mussels & fish, Frank’s tomato passata, white wine, garlic & olive oil, no shells) $36.9 - beautifully presented seafood in a clean and much milder than expected sauce;
- Arrosto d’Agnello (roasted Pure Suffolk lamb rump, marinated eggplant, roasted garlic & crema di fagioli) $39.5 - a perfectly cooked lamb with nice eggplant and very discernible garlic flavour;
- Coniglio al Forno (Chianti’s traditional slow cooked Adelaide Hills farmed rabbit, pancetta, port & sage) $39.9 - often rabbit is dry and so it was a small risk but with that description, I couldn't avoid it. The rabbit had one tender piece and one slightly drier piece but overall excellent with a meaty pancetta sauce that lifted the insides of the meat.

Insalata di Campo $11.9 was a side of mixed leaves and not much more. I'd probably try the green bean or tomato salad next time. None of the dishes came with vegetable accompaniments so it is a necessary side.

The food and cooking quality is excellent, as expected by this kind of restaurant with the associated prices. Fried lambs brains and the Budino di Cioccolato hot chocolate pudding will be certainties for next time. I could smell the pudding from the surrounding tables but unfortunately didn't have the stomach capacity this time.

The service is overall very good. One thing I would note is that in being friendly, you are occasionally forgotten briefly due to attention and conversation being paid to other customers (and I suppose other customers would feel the same way when I had the attention). For example ordering took a little while, waiting for the dessert menu too (which in the end opted to end the meal rather than wait longer) and paying the bill too. The service still warranted a decent tip (which is very rare for me in Australia) so that still says something.

Everything was booked to precision. Arrival into Adelaide at 9:05pm, taxi to the hotel, then dinner at Delicatessen 10pm. A few days earlier I received an email asking if I could change the booking to 7:30 or 8pm as "it is busy earlier" but obviously couldn't. Then Qantas delayed the flight and arrival at dinner wasn't going to be before about 1030pm. I called up and they said it would be fine, then received a call back a few minutes later saying it was too quiet and they wouldn't stay open for me. DIsappointment.

The complete and utter lack of food venues at 1030pm on a Thursday in Adelaide astounded me. Maybe I just haven't lived somewhere small for a while but surely Adelaide isn't that small? Anyway a walk to about 15 different places I found on Google and Zomato proved fruitless.

Eventually the mother of all late night dining venues came up - kebabs. The Jerusalem Kebab House was on my list but wouldn't be open late enough. So then came Afghan Kebab House, it's closer proximity and slightly later hours.

- Lamb kebab platter with pita bread $22 for 4 skewers - very lovely lamb skewers cooked to order over charcoal and the heavy flavours blended with yoghurt and spicy tomato sauce and vegetables into a make-your-own pita wrap; 
- Qabuli pulao $18 - basmati rice spiced with butter/oil/ghee/something and housing soft, tender and meaty lamb that fell off the bone. A touch of yoghurt sauce and lemon lifted it. A few more currants or some nuts would have made it perfect.

Both were really great. I probably preferred the strong meat flavours of the kebab but I'd be very happy with either (and happier again with both).

There's also chicken biryani and BBQ chicken for next time. Thanks for being open and cooking fresh for me.