On the record - one lousy night at the Gaddi's

We all had those kind of days when we just wanna muddle along, trying to get by til the next day and hope no damage's done, didn't we? Well, during a recent dinner visit to Gaddi's, we felt like the staff was having that kind of a day. Yes, I meant the entire team.

A Comfortable Homestyle Bistro - La Cantoche

I was in La Cantoche recently for an invited dinner tasting. Apparently the restaurant has been around for a while, hidden in a small alley in Soho but it's my first visit. I was greeted by French-Vietnamese owner David Sung as I walked in the loft-style space with the bar and kitchen on the ground floor, and additional tables on the second level. I love the casual decor which reminded me more of a bachelor pad every guy dreamt having with colorful chairs, graffiti wall and a nicely-crafted foosball table - so I felt like right at home immediately.

Home Recipe: Japanese Casserole Rice

While most of us would have no idea where the rice we eat every day came from or how long it's been sitting in the warehouses before consumed these days, new crop rice - or shinmai (新米) in Japanese - is much celebrated in Japan, just like other seasonal food delicacies found in different time of the year.

One off the bucket list - Tokushima's Kokin Aoyagi

A few years ago, I came across a book written by Chef Hirohisa Koyama about the fundamentals of Japanese cuisine. It was eye-opening and I learned so much more in terms of appreciating Japanese cooking in a fuller spectrum. Since then I have always wanted to visit Chef Koyama's restaurant in Tokushima myself - so we have put this top of our agenda as we travelled through the four prefectures of Shikoku, including Tokushima being our first stop, in our recent Japan trip.