One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well. Food has always restored my strength not just physically but also mentally, my best stress reliever. As 2024 comes to an end, I’m thankful and blessed for the many wonderful meals 🙏🏻 And these were the ones that were really memorable in 2024: Casual (<$40) 1. Bistro Du Le Pin @bistrodulepin 2. Age Ya @ageya.sg 3. Koryori Hayashi @koryori.hayashi Semi-casual ($40-$150) 1. Na Oh @naohrestaurant 2. FOC (Clarke Quay) @foc_restaurant 3. Foliage @foliage.sg Fine-dining (>$150) 1. Hamamoto @hamamotosg 2. Nae:um @naeum.sg 3. Pangium @pangiumsg

📍Dill, Singapore @dill_singapore Possibly the only Scandinavian restaurant that I know in Singapore that’s not IKEA. Chef has helmed Michelin restaurants back in Norway and thanks to him, we can experience Nordic cuisine on this sunny island. Very clean flavours yet delicious. Though portion is rather small for the price. • Aquavit cured trout, potato waffel, mustard sauce, dill. Succulent cured trout that’s not overly salty, which was lovely with the mustard sauce and dill. Though I wished the potato waffle was crispier and hotter. Might be a Scandinavian thing? • Atlantic cod. Loved the flaky soft cod fish, and it went well with the fennel compote and horseradish sauce. The mushrooms were special. You need to be able to appreciate clean flavours to really enjoy this one. • Basque cheesecake à la Gudbrandsdalen with cloudberry ice cream. It’s made with Norwegian brown cheese (goat cheese that’s caramelised), a little sourish, sweet, nutty. With a sweet sourish caramel sauce made from cloudberry, balanced by a cloudberry icecream that has a subtle tanginess. Very interesting flavours and an enjoyable dessert.

📍A Hot Hideout, Singapore @ahothideout Not my usual genre but surprisingly I became a mala lover after this. Their signature mala collagen soup base is just so good, not overwhelmingly numbing or oily, perfect for my Singaporean tastebuds. We picked their signature ingredients which they deep fried for us: potato, lotus root, dory fish, mantou, luncheon meat. So good. And the scrambled egg that they added to the soup is a must too. They have different spicy levels and I’m confident to level up next time.

📍Movida, Singapore @movida.sg While the tapas and mains were not spectacular for me, they were generally not bad, especially the “Gentlemen’s seafood paella” which got me amused as we were a group of ladies. An interesting venture by the same people behind Melbourne cafe Surrey Hills, though the chef is Spanish. Some favourites: • Calabrian anchovy with smoked tomato sorbet. Interesting flavours of smokiness and saltiness • Lobster and leek croquette. Scrumptious though would prefer it to be piping hot • Braised beef cheek with cauliflower puree. Beef cheek was fork-tender and the cauliflower puree was smooth and goes well with the beef • Gentlemen’s seafood paella. Haven’t had paella for long time and this was a good one - comforting and rich

📍Hamamoto, Singapore @hamamotosg An Omakase feast to end the year, and boy, did I choose well. At risk of sounding superficial, I can only say everything tasted so fresh and umami 😛 No words. It’s expensive, but Chef Hamamoto-san delivers both the quality and the experience, making it the next best alternative to a plane ticket to Japan. Just bring your sugar mummy, or if you are a plebeian like me - this is why we go to work. Memories I’d like to document: • Seikogani (Female snow crab and roe). Only available during Nov and Dec each year due to fishing sustainability regulations. The snow crab meat and its roe make for a delightful sweet and umami treat full of crustacean flavours. • Iseebi & Hamanaka Bafun Uni & Kaluga Caviar (Japanese spiny lobster, with short-spike sea urchin). If umami has a hierarchy, this would be at the top 😇 • Amadai with crispy scales, monk fish liver, Kyoto leeks, in a light sweet and sour broth. The crispy scales were ethereal, and a delightful textural contrast with the flaky soft and sweet amadai flesh. • Matsubagani Snow Crab Shabu shabu. Unforgettable broth that tastes like it’s been brewing with crab essence since forever. • Shimofuri (Marbling Tuna) sushi. I’ve heard of Chutoro, Otoro but first time hearing about Shimofuri. Apparently this is the pork jowl equivalent of tuna - cheek area where there are no veins. Mind blown by the unparalleled creaminess and the sweet savoury taste. Officially taking over otoro as my favourite tuna cut. • Murasaki uni (sea urchin) sushi. Best of uni. The texture was melt-in-mouth with a lingering buttery consistency. The taste was delicate and a refined briny and sweet-savoury flavour. • Kawahagi (file fish) sushi. It is topped with the liver of the fish itself, making it a rich creamy one. • Chutoro peekaboo. Chutoro with uni. Best of tuna and uni in one mouthful. Need I say more. • Nodoguro (black throat sea perch). It’s given the aburi treatment for that smokiness. Wow this might be my new favourite fish. It’s a white fish that’s just as fatty as tuna, full of umami and sweetness. • Chestnut icecream with dark rum.. ethereal dessert to end the indulgent meal.

Winter is here and that means the return of my favourite seasonal fruit, yuzu. After making yuzu sorbet with the juices, I was left with extra yuzu zest. What better way to utilise them than making some yuzu madeleines. This little cakes look deceptively simple, but it took me a while to master the art of getting the characteristic airy bump, with crisp browned edges, that’s so delightful to eat. The crucial technique to get the little bump is to ensure there is a sharp temperature contrast between cold batter and hot oven. And Dominique Ansel is right - madeleines have a lifespan of 5 minutes. These babies lose moisture and crispness quickly. Best eaten hot! RECIPE (bakes 32 mini madeleines): Ingredients: • 85g plain flour • 1/2 tsp salt • 1 tsp baking powder • 2 large eggs • 60g granulated sugar • 10g brown sugar • 15g honey • zest of 2 yuzus (avoid grating till the white skin layer which is bitter) • 1 tsp yuzu juice • 85g of French unsalted butter, melted 1. In a bowl, sift and mix well plain flour, baking powder, salt. 2. In another bowl, crack 2 eggs, add granulated sugar, brown sugar. Whip with an electric whisk till the volume triples and thickens. 3. Add honey, yuzu zest and yuzu juice to the egg-sugar mixture. Mix well. 4. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Mix well till there is no flour lumps. Do not over mix. 5. Melt butter. Add warm (not hot) melted butter to the flour-egg mixture. Mix well to emulsify. 6. Pour the mixture into a piping bag. Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavours to mingle. 7. Brush the madeleine pan with melted butter. Place in freezer overnight. 8. On next day, preheat oven at 210 degrees Celsius. 9. Pipe the mixture into the madeleine pan. 10. Put the pan back into the freezer for 10 minutes. So that the pan and mixture is very very cold. 11. Place the pan in oven. Bake for 5 min, before reducing temperature to 180 degrees to bake till golden brown with crisped edges (maybe another 2-3 minutes, depending on your oven) 12. De-mould the madeleines immediately. Best eaten immediately.

📍Tonshou, Singapore @tonshou_sg Popular tonkatsu chain from Busan known for selling out their bookings within minutes, has now arrived in Singapore. We’re truly living in the era of Korean influence. Intrigued by their unique charcoal-grilled tonkatsu concept, I tried their special rosu set (pork loin which is fattier, my preferred cut personally), where the pork cutlet is deep-fried and then given a final touch of charcoal grilling. The pork was incredibly tender and retained its moisture due to low-heat cooking. Despite its slightly reddish-pink hue due to low-heat cooking, Tonshou assured that it met food safety standards. Not sure if that is factual but well, I lived to tell the tale. While the pork does not have the porky smell, I thought the meat tasted a bit bland, hence making the condiments essential to enhance the flavour. A sprinkle of Maldon salt really elevated the meat—it’s now my favourite way to enjoy tonkatsu. For me, the Ebi Katsu Sando stole the limelight, with perfectly cooked prawns that were so juicy and encapsulated in the crispiest breadcrumb batter, a contrast of texture with the soft bread. NGL I got a free curry after posting a google review, but it was so so good, in fact I like it more than their housemade tonkatsu sauce. Each set includes miso pork soup, cabbage, kimchi, and a refreshing cold corn soup.

📍Nae:um, Singapore @naeum.sg What better way to comfort myself after the cancellation of my Seoul trip due to the current political drama than treating myself to another delicious K-drama episode at Nae:um? This time, it was Episode 8, Hwagyo, which explored contemporary Korean-Chinese flavours inspired by the Chinese community in Korea. Chef Louis Han took half a year to release this new episode, so my expectations were high. Thankfully, it didn’t disappoint—another delightful meal! The highlights for me (basically the whole menu, LOL): • Snack Platter. As always, the snack platter was beautifully presented, complete with thematic ornaments like a cute panda and a stone lion. From this platter, I particularly enjoyed the Oi Mulchim, an unassuming tea cup presentation with cucumber slices on top, revealing a surprise of cucumber foam, mung bean jelly, cured sea bream, and Nae:um’s signature tangy dressing that really opens up the palate. • Nanjawanse Galbi. A classic from the must-order Signature menu, this dish is a variation of my favourite duck galbi. It featured perfectly grilled duck meat, rice cake, and vegetables—absolutely delicious. • Memilmyeon. The trump card for the Signature menu. The five-spiced braised beef shank for this episode was alright, but the real star was the signature cold buckwheat noodles drenched in Nae:um’s special sauce—a delightful combination of perilla oil, cured tobiko, and white kimchi. • Chunbing. A potato crepe stuffed with kimchi pork bacon ragu, plus grilled pork jowl. It was full of flavour and paired perfectly with two sauces: a pine nut sauce and an indulgent kimchi sabayon. • Langoustine. Chef did justice to the fresh, sweet langoustine with a perfectly chargrilled finish, served with a seafood-based jjamppong sauce. (Continued in comments below)

📍Junryo, Singapore @junryo_orchard Strictly for those who aren’t sushi connoisseurs and have plenty of time to queue. Yup, that’s me. So, I decided to participate in the national pastime of waiting in line for food, and this time, it was for Junryo—a cosy 8-seat sushi counter tucked away in Orchard Plaza. Their pitch: Quality sushi, freshly prepared by a sushi chef, all at wallet-friendly prices ranging from $1 to $10 per piece. The idea is that you can build your own omakase menu. The catch: Be prepared to wait at least an hour, as there’s no reservation system. The review: In my unprofessional opinion, it’s not as bad as supermarket sushi as some Google reviews had purported. Though I think the wasabi was inconsistent across some pieces, and the seaweed lost its crispness. But at these prices, it’d be unfair to expect fine-dining-level omakase. Overall, it was a fun experience crafting my own omakase, though I’d avoid it if there’s a queue. My DIY omakase: • Anago ($2) 😊 • Hamachi ($3) 😊 • Sakura ebi gunkan ($4) • Kuromutsu ($5) • Toro Zuke Inari ($6) • Negitoro Uni Ikura gunkan ($7) - great flavours but letdown by the seaweed • Aburi otoro aka ebi ($8) 😊 • Aburi hotate with otoro ($10) 😊 Total: $56 (after gst and service charge)

📍Milkfish, Singapore @milkfishsg Not my usual genre but I’ve been curious about Milkfish for a while given they are always full house whenever I passed by. An opportunity arose on a day when I found myself hungry in Raffles City. First impressions - The soup broth is milky but there’s no milk! According to Milkfish, the “milky”broth is a result of cooking the fish’s gelatinous belly fat, pork bones and chicken. The wholesome and non-fishy soup reminded us of Ka Soh Amoy’s. I think I just revealed my age group indirectly. We could not resist ordering the value-for-money combo set, which includes three sides: oriental salad, marinated chilled tomatoes, fried seafood and pork rolls. It also includes a baked milkfish belly, which was the real standout for me. The fish was so tender and naturally sweet, and the fragrant Nyonya sauce just elevated it. A bit expensive for fish soup but they were quite generous with the portions. Please feed me this when I’m sick.

📍Petit Pain, Singapore @petitpain.sg After a few months of hiatus which has caused non-petite level of PAIN to their ardent fans (me included), favourite bakery is back in operations! In the same Joo Chiat neighbourhood though different shophouse. Despite warnings from fellow foodies to get there before opening time 1030, I got there around 1045 (blame Saturday snoozing), and risked going home without my favourite plain croissants.. After queueing for almost 45 min, at 1130 with finally just 4 people ahead of me, they announced they were only left with 15 croissants for the day. I thank the 4 people in front who left at least 2 croissants for me to bring home. Though I don’t like the uncle who swept up the last 2 honey brioche loaves. Who needs 2 loaves 😵‍💫 The plain croissant is as high quality as I remembered - buttery, flaky, airy layers, thanks to Elle et Vire butter and Japanese flour. I decided to use my remaining quota (they restrict 5 viennoiseries for each pax) to get some Raisin Escargots, as well as their new product Kouigh Amann. Love the generous amount of raisins in the Raisin Escargots and the flaky sweet layers. As for new product Kouigh Amann, it was so good… The many vertical layers of buttery pastry makes Tiong Bahru’s version look like an amateur. The bakes benefit from the methodus respectus panis baking method, which involves long fermentation up to 18 hours at ambient temperature, minimal yeast and natural levain, so as to bring out the intrinsic taste of wheat and break down gluten for better digestion.

📍Koryori Hayashi, Singapore @koryori.hayashi I was today years old when I discovered that Fortune Centre isn’t just for vegetarians. I had no idea there were so many hidden gems here—looks like they’ve really put Fortune Centre back on the map in 2024. My latest find is Koryori Hayashi, a no-frills Japanese eatery opened by Chef Samuel Lim, who has worked at both Japanese and Italian restaurants, including Suju Masayuki (one of my favourites) and Garibaldi. The food here is a delightful surprise—both satisfying and great value for money. • Chicken Nanban. Forget everything you thought you knew about nanban—this version is on another level. The tartare sauce is rich and flavourful, with a lovely kick from the tobiko and shallots, plus a tangy note that I’m guessing comes from mustard and/or vinegar. The marinated fried chicken was bursting with juices. While the batter is not the usual crispy, it is reminiscent of the fried egg floss found in fish soup, so good that I didn’t miss my crispy chicken at all. 1000x wow when eaten with the white rice hidden beneath. • Pork Shogayaki. Another standout. The soy-based sauce was delicious—umami-rich with a touch of sweetness and a gentle hint of ginger, without overpowering the pork. The slices of pork had a good balance of fat and lean meat. Though some slices were a bit tough. I loved how the sauce mixed with the rice. • Mentaiko Pasta. Not the creamy version I’m used to, but more of an olio style. At first, it felt underwhelming, but as I kept eating, the umami flavour really came through and it became more delicious with every bite. The plump prawns were a nice touch, and the crispy whitebait added an extra layer of texture. • Crab Croquette. Generously stuffed with creamy filling and topped with crabmeat. I loved the crispy panko crust, and the contrast of the piping hot cream with the cold crabmeat was absolutely delightful. A restaurant that I will visit repeatedly.