Encore at Fofo Privat

We were part of the group who booked out Fofo Privat, the private venue owned by the Fofo by El Willy people, for a birthday celebration dinner of our friend this past Saturday.

The restaurant occupied the top two floors of a six-story building right beside where Fofo the regular restaurant is located, with the entrance opening up to a dark side alley. On the first level is the kitchen in an open set-up, with a dining area which can sit 6-8 people, and the floor above - where we were seated - is another private room which could sit up to 20. Decor followed the similar minimalist theme of its regular restaurant, and it also came with a small rooftop lounge, perfect for chill-out before or after the meal.

More Tokyo - Back in history at Nihonbashi's Tenmo

I felt like going back in time when I arrived at Tenmo, a tempura restaurant in Nihonbashi district in Tokyo, in a rainy evening in late March. The small and humble wooden 2-story house - which is both the restaurant (downstairs) and the family residence (upstairs) - was built in 1947 and stood as stark contrast to the surrounding skyscrapers which came well after it. Same retro theme continued with the decor inside, which seems to have left unchanged all these years, with a simple open kitchen setup that resembles more of a family kitchen than a professional one, and a fan-shape counter with high chairs that can sit up to 6 right in front. As I saw the framed newspaper hung on the wall that read "February 1955", I subconsciously took a peek at my iPhone to check the clock and make sure I didn't literally go back in time.

More Tokyo - Good ramen at Kudan Ikaruga

I managed to check out a few other new restaurants in my recent trip to Tokyo, and one of which is a ramen place called Kudan Ikaruga (九段斑鳩) in Kudanshita. To outsiders, the place may not be as famous as the likes of Ichiran, Ippudo or even Menya Musashi (all of which have opened shops in Hong Kong recently), but it's often mentioned by many ramen aficionados as one of the best kept secrets in town.

Cooking at home: When Mexican met Mediterranean

I am planning for a dinner at home for 8 last weekend and I wanted to make use of saffron which we received from a friend after her recent trip to Iran. While a number of countries produce this exotic space known for its special fragrance and color, particularly those around the Mediterranean, it's often said that those from Iran were of the highest quality and the most sort after. Then I came across a recipe on a magazine for a Mexican dessert known as "Tres Leches" cake (which literally means "Three Milks" in Spanish) so I figured it would be interesting to match it with a saffron icecream to bring some sassy exoticity to the menu, matching creamy richness with the unique fragrance; a contrast of off-white and bright yellow colors; a fusion of Mexican and Mediterranean inspired cooking.

Recipe: Saffron Icecream

The second part of the dessert is the saffron icecream. Saffron has this mistakenly exotic fragrance, either you like it or hate it, and while it's originally in bright red color, it will turned into a golden yellow color when it's soaked in water (or any liquid you happen to cook with). That's why it's often used as dye for cloth in ancient times as well.