Nirai Kanai: Okinawan cuisine in Singapore

I met up with a few old friends from middle school in Singapore. We decided to try an Okinawan restaurant in Tanglin Shopping Center. It's located in a pretty ghetto building that smells of moth balls, not to be mistaken for Tanglin Mall, a much newer shopping mall.

There were four of us so we were seated in the private tatami room.

The food are served small-plates style, with both popular Japanese dishes as well as Okinawan specialties. The menu is huge, sort of in the vein of Cheesecake Factory. There were lots of stir fried and stewed dishes. They also had a special menu focusing on kurobuta (black pig) dishes.

I don't usually like to order salads but the lotus salad was surprisingly so good that we ordered two of these. It was almost like a Caesar salad, with fresh creamy homemade dressing (you could see specks of raw egg yolk) and mayo. The lotus roots were sliced thin and deep fried. They were crunchy and very delicious.

Tuna Carpaccio was thicker than what I expected from a carpaccio. They were much like sashimi slices. The fish was fresh and nicely seared. The tuna was topped with Japanese mayo.

The beef takaki was fresh and soft. I really liked the texture of the beef. The dish was served with a salty dipping sauce.

The Okinawan Pancake was just ok. It was thin and tasted like a crepe, but it was lacking in flavor. It definitely needed the dipping sauce. I also thought that the bonito flakes had a strong fishy smell that was rather repulsive.

Lady finger with tofu and pancetta. The okra was rather slimy so it's not for everyone, but I couldn't stop myself from eating it. I really enjoyed the texture.

Chicken Cartilage was crunchy and not greasy. They were served in pretty large pieces. I liked that it was seasoned appropriately.

Chicken teriyaki was pretty standard but I was glad that the thigh meat was juicy and not dry.

This pork belly is their signature dish. It was pan fried and had layers of fatty and tender meat. The meat had a very distinct porky flavor and topped with crispy skin.

It was Ladies Night on Mondays so it was 30% off drinks of parties of all women. I really liked being able to share and sample various dishes. The pork belly and cartilage were my favorites, but everything (apart from the pancake) were also very good.

Nira Kanai Okinawan Restaurant
19 Tanglin Road, #04-05
Tanglin Shopping Centre, Singapore

Wood & Vine: Small plates dining in Hollywood

We decided to grab a bite at Wood and Vine before the Fleet Foxes concert at the Hollywood Palladium. Located in the historic Taft building, the newbie restaurant is housed in a pretty cool space. The restaurant has two levels, soaring ceilings with dark walls and furniture. It's sleek, trendy, bustling yet warm in a very "non-clubby Hollywood" way.

Their dishes, prepared by English chef Gavin Mills, are meant to be shared so we ordered a couple dishes for the two of us.

Their Charcuterie is an absolute must. It's made in-house and is quite affordable at 3 for $8, 5 for $12 or 7 for $16. You can include cheeses to the selection. We went with the chicken liver mousse, pork and cherry pate and Tallegio cheese. The silky liver mousse was my favorite as it was creamy and easy to spread. It had the right amount of sweetness to it. The pate had an intense porkiness with chunks of rich liver. The Tallegio was rich with a strong aroma. I liked the nice setup of the dish with the meats and cheese served alongside the honey, pickled vegetables and mustard. I also appreciated the ample serving of crostini toasted with olive oil.

Their grilled scallop was cooked with such perfection. It had a nice sear outside but was supple inside. The large scallops were paired with creamy truffled grits and artichokes. The grits were really flavorful and decadent.

The braised lamb and ricotta ravioli was perhaps my least favorite of the lot. I thought the lamb had a gamy flavor. The butter did not seem sufficiently browned, hence it lacked that nutty flavor. I did like the citrus of the preserved lemon and the crunchy stalks of broccolini.

Their fried chicken and waffle is a crowd favorite. The white meat was surprisingly juicy and succulent. It had a nice breading and crispy skin. The house made waffle was fluffy and not soggy. I thought it held together quite well. Instead of having syrup drizzled on the waffle, they topped the dish with a sweet maple roasted squash.

In a town that's filled with too many uber-trendy and sceney restaurants, I really enjoyed dinner at this sophisticated yet approachable dining spot. The decor is quite impressive with a lovely outdoor patio area and retro bar area. The food was also good and very satisfying.

Hits: chicken & waffles, charcuterie, scallops
Misses: pasta was ok
Rating: ***

Wood & Vine
6280 Hollywood Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 334-3360
http://www.woodandvine.com/

Blackbird, Chicago

After sampling the charcuterie at The Publican, we had hoped to make it a Paul Kahan-Restaurant crawl and score a small bite and drink at his other restaurant Avec. Unfortunately, there weren't any tables available at Avec and the snooty hostess curtly said that we wouldn't even be able to stand around for a drink. Defeated, we walked next door to Blackbird, where we had reservations for dinner. Blackbird has earned numerous awards including a Michelin Star and James Beard awards. The menu and ambiance at Blackbird is much different from The Publican but similar to Avec, although with friendlier service. There aren’t any portraits of pigs on the wall. You won’t have to share a communal table with other diners. The restaurant is intimate, and the service less casual. And the food here is elegant and cooked with finesse. It’s definitely more upscale, and the prices reflect accordingly.

The appetizers looked the most interesting so we decided to split a handful of them instead of ordering an entrée each.

Warm fresh bread was served with soft butter.

An amuse bouche of fluke was promptly served. The cured fluke was served with a coriander and chicory sauce and white asparagus. This was probably my least favorite bite of the night. The fish was not chilled enough and the asparagus had a disturbingly sharp flavor.

Warm sepia noodles were served with spring onion, avocado, green pumpkin seeds and lime. This looked like a pasta dish as the cuttlefish resembled linguine. It was toothsome and flavorful. I'm not an avocado fan but I appreciated the creaminess that the avocado lent to the sepia. The citrus from the lime kept this first course light and refreshing.

Our waiter split the Foie gras torchon with mandarinquat jam, sesame and nasturtium dish for us. I'm glad that he did, as it is always tough to share foie gras. The foie was very rich as expected. It was served with sour mandarin preserve which was an interesting combination as I usually see foie paired with something jammier. I loved the intensely flavored sesame crumble. I liked the restraint on molecular gastronomy techniques used at the restaurant. They weren't showy about it, and only used it sparingly. My only critique was that I wished they served this dish with toasted brioche as the foie gras was too rich to be eaten on its own.

The maple glazed veal sweetbreads was my favorite of the night. It had a light and crispy breading that didn't overshadow the sweetbread. I love that you could actually taste the sweetbreads, not just breading. The sweetbreads were served with rutabaga, granny smith apple and black caraway.

Sauteed skate wing was plated with little gem, almonds, pickled ramps and whipped butter pudding. The skate was cooked perfectly and was well seasoned. I thought the delicate and light fish was paired well with the deliciously thick and rich pudding. The creamy pudding was something that I would have loved to pack home in a jar.

The Smoked suckling pig was perfectly crispy and tender. I really enjoyed the daring and interesting combination with the oceanic plump hama hama oysters. The dish was layered with a tangy flavor from the giardiniera pickled sunchokes. Hazelnuts added a nuttiness and crunch. I thought all the components would not mesh well but the flavors actually came together in harmony.

Salted Caramel truffle ended the night.

Dinner at Blackbird was lovely. There wasn't any crackling pop rocks or exciting offal dishes, but the food was sophisticated and well executed. I liked the unique combinations such as sweetbreads with tart apple and the sepia with creamy avocado sauce.

Hits: sweetbreads, skate, sepia
Misses: lukewarm amuse bouche
Rating: ***

Blackbird
619 W. Randolph
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 715-0708
www.blackbirdrestaurant.com

Son of a Gun: hearty seafood from the Animal guys

When I first heard that Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal Restaurant were opening up a seafood restaurant, I was hesitant. When I think of seafood, I think of healthy, steamed, typically not very filling. When I think of Animal, I think of meat, foie gras, sweetbreads, heavy & rich dishes. It still hasn't disappointed me to this date. And recently, I came to find that neither has Son of a Gun. True, there are more seafood dishes on the menu. But it's just as hearty, flavorful and satisfying as its sibling restaurant.

The walls are adorned with nautical props (life savers, fishing poles) as well as wildlife collections (Marlin and antlers).

The restaurant is tiny, it seats 55 and half the seats are available through reservation while the other half are first come first serve. I was a bit bothered at the beginning of the night as we had reservations and had to wait 20 minutes for our table (on a Monday, no less). But the minute we studied the menu and was served the first course, all annoyed feelings went out the door.

Similar to Animal, the food here is served family style.

Shrimp Toast sandwich, herbs, sriracha mayo
This was one of the must-orders based on the reviews online. The airy bread was buttered and toasted, and was thinly spread with shrimp and spicy mayo. The cilantro and Vietnamese basil was sharp and fragrant. We enjoyed this dish so much that we had to get another order at the end of our meal.

Lobster Roll, celery, lemon aioli
This was another crowd favorite. Many suggested getting one for each person (at $7 each). We shared two between three of us and I thought it was sufficient if you just wanted to get a bite. I appreciated the soft roll and the fresh chunks of lobster which was mildly dressed. The potato chip crumbles were a nice topping which added salt and crunch.

Linguine and clams, uni aglio-olio, chili, breadcrumbs
This is one of the simplest pasta preparation: garlic and oil, which the kitchen added a twist to by incorporating sea urchin. To my disappointment, the uni was very mild and almost non existent. But despite the lack of uni flavor, the sauce was flavorful and creamy. I appreciated that the plump clams were extracted from their shell which made this easier to consume. Unfortunately, as with most of the other plates, the portion here was definitely on the smaller side.

Alligator schnitzel, heart of palm, orange
I was excited to try this dish. I love schnitzel and from what I recall from previous alligator dishes, alligator meat tastes merely like chicken. The alligator was pounded thin and coated with a breading that was well seasoned and not loose. It really did taste like chicken. The heart of palm was mixed with spicy jalapeño and dressed in an orange sauce. I really enjoyed the sweetness of the orange sauce which tasted exactly like a creamsicle. The creamsicle sauce surprisingly paired well with the fried schnitzel.

Mussels, tarragon, pernod, fennel, toast
I didn't think I would be wowed by this dish when I saw it. It looked like clam chowder. But in fact, the sauce was rich and creamy, with a tinge of tang. I only wished they provided more than one toast as the sauce was too good to waste.

Fried chicken sandwich, spicy b&b pickle slaw, rooster aioli
Everyone online raved about this, and compared it to Chik-fil-A. Unfortunately I've only had the fast food chicken once so I can't make a comparison. I was glad to see that the portion was pretty large and could be shared between 2 people. The chicken was tender and nicely seasoned. I liked that the breading was crispy and not oily. The tender soft bun, pickles and spicy jalapeño completed the sandwich.

For dessert, I took a bite of this delicious peanut butter toffee bar that I bought from Magnolia Bakery across the street.

Son of a Gun is a great addition to the city. It good to see that the chefs can put out an exceptional meat-based menu at Animal, but can also cater to those that prefer a less bovine-menu at Son of a Gun. I was delighted that the food was not light or unsubstantial. The dishes all had really good and well developed flavors. For me, the mark of a good restaurant is when I am looking forward to coming back and trying more items on the menu. There were definitely more dishes at Son of a Gun that I'd like to try.

Hits: everything we ordered was delicious
Misses: portions can be small, 20 min wait
Rating: ***1/2

Son of a Gun
8370 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-9033 http://www.sonofagunrestaurant.com/

Ray's and Stark at LACMA Museum

I'm not a big museum fan but this week, I ventured into the unknown when I dined at Ray's and Stark, the new restaurant and bar located at LACMA. I'm a big fan of Chef Kris Morningstar after dining at District a couple times, so I was excited to check out his new creations.

The menu at Ray's Restaurant (named after producer Ray Stark) is Mediterranean-focused and created with fresh and local ingredients. As such, the menu changes often, so the beef tongue and veal kidneys listed online were no longer on the menu. Instead, the dishes now seem a bit safer. No offal that night. I later came to realize that Stark Bar has a different menu, something that is more in line with my taste (head cheese fritters, beef tendon). I wish they had offered such dishes in the dining room.

The decor is simple and modern. The tables have little utensil drawers that stored your napkins and cutlery.

The Elizabeth Taylor cocktail (White rum, Orange flower water, lime) was very strong but sweet.

The house made bread smelt great and was soft and warm in the center.

Our waiter presented us with an amuse bouche of cauliflower puree with smoked trout roe. Nice balance of oceanic roe flavor with mild cauliflower.

The casoncelli was stuffed with a puree of sweet green peas. The colors were vibrant and all the ingredients were fresh. The lobster chunks were cooked perfectly and the sauce was light and subtle. This was a nice spring dish.

The Truffled rice agnolotti in porcini sauce was my favorite dish of the night. The pasta was very fresh and the sauce was rich and buttery. The dish was littered with arugula, chopped crunchy hazelnuts and strands of black trumpets. All the flavors worked well together and it was a very complete dish. Similar to the pea pasta dish, we ordered the half portion/appetizer of this pasta, and I thought it was a reasonable size for sharing between two people.

The Hanger steak was sous vide, and quite a substantial portion. It was tender but felt denser and heavier than a regular hangar steak. IMO, I'm not sure if the sous vide preparation improved the steak. I thought the steak was also over salted. My favorite part was the smoked marrow compound which added a strong fatty flavor. The marble potatoes and cippolini onions were nicely cooked through but still held its shape.

The service was attentive and friendly. I appreciated that they comped us an appetizer to compensate us for the long wait for our steak - we didn't even inquire about the steak or complain about the wait time. The pastas were delicious, especially the rich funghi agnolotti. But I thought the steak, although tasty, wasn't anything memorable. Overall, I thought that the food was good, but not unique enough to draw me back. I guess I was expecting dishes such as spam sliders, duck fat Yorkshire pudding and bone marrow pierogies that Morningstar served up at District. The Stark Bar menu in fact, looks much more exciting and appealing to me. That's where I'll head to the next time I'm back.

Hits: pastas, bread
Misses: steak
Rating: **1/2

Ray's and Stark
5905 Wilshire Blvd.,
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 857-6180