Dearest Ohana-chan,
April seems to be the shortest month this year. The Japanese food posts definitely tranquilized this perpetual yearning to be near you again. Well, sorta. But for how long?
In my last dedication to you, I thought of sending you a postcard of a sort. I thought hard on the subject. I wanted something significant that we could instantly associate with. Nothing of exorbitance or refinement. Just something that filled our days of spring and pollen.
And I found it here at Shokudo.
A self-service Japanese restaurant that is very much similar to Marche Movenpick. A magnetic strip is given to each customer where each order is recorded with a swipe of the card and the total is to be paid as one exits the restaurant.
The Sashimi Set (S$15 for 12 pcs) which consisted of maguro, sake, tako and mekajiki was a steal as the seafood were as fresh as a fastfood chain can get. The cuts were also rather thick.
Topped with bonito flakes, the Unagi Omelette (S$5.80) was perhaps the best dish of the day. The omelette was smooth and the unagi was soft. Wonderful texture. The flakes added a touch of savouriness to the sweet unagi marinate.
At S$5.00, the Yaki Gyoza was ordinary with an O. The skin was thick while the filling was rather minimal and bland.
The Chicken Katsu Curry Rice (S$7.80) was forgettable as the sauce lacked the denseness of flavours of the curry spices. Minimal usage of black pepper as well. The katsu was tender but rather bland.
In case you wondered, yes, I did have my ramen. The Char Siew Ramen (S$8.80) was an unimaginative mix and match of bland ingredients. Our little game of Sudoku was perhaps more interesting than this. The Ice Macha Float (S$4.80) was another disappointment as it was basically just dissolved green tea powder with crushed ice and green tea ice cream.
As far as the dedication goes, I've basically summed up the typical food that reminded me of us. The teary-eyed good ones and the humorously bad ones.
As for this postcard, Wishing You Were Here (at Shokudo)? You deserve much better than this, my Ohana-chan.
Yours,
- Nic -
Shokudo
#B1-44E, Raffles City
Tel: (+65) 6837 3793
------------------------------------
…さくら さくら ただ舞い落ちる
いつか生まれ変わる瞬間を信じ
泣くな友よ 今惜別の時 飾らないあの笑顔で さあ
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, simply falling
Believing that one day they'll be reborn
Don't cry my friend, now is the time to be sad for parting,
With that unadorned smile, well...
さくら さくら いざ舞い上がれ
永遠にさんざめく 光を浴びて
さらば友よ またこの場所で会おう
さくら舞い散る道の上で
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, fly now
Basking in the light merrily, for all eternity
Farewell my friend, let's meet here again
On the street scattered with cherry blossoms
(Ending verses of Moriyama Naotaro’s Sakura)
Source: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Sakura_(song)
13 comments:
Hey dude, can't remember if I've visited your site but your photos ... happening man! Thumbs up on effort to make foodie photo quality better !
cherry blossom petals on the ground.. so pretty! makes me wanna wear em in my hair! lol
I love you have been framing all your Japanese posts with this lyrical lament for Nipponland. And matching it in equal beat to the seasons too!
But surely this is not the last of the Japanese posts? Tell me, sir, there will be more... :)
speaking of ramen, have you watched that jap arty movie called TAMPOPO? aiyo, after watching that, SURE got ramen craving one.
is this the place Xiu Long Bao blogged about? Marche concept, something different from buffet style, but definitely makes one watches over his/her $ before appetite overcomes rationale.
yer... u make me craving for Japanese food now, i want that sashimi !!
those cherry blossoms look like crystal teardrops... how hauntingly beautiful~
timothy, hey, thanks for the compliment, dude! it's always nice to complement a story with a nice pic! i've still got so much to learn..especially on the exposure :)
cumi & ciki, glad you liked it! i was really keeping that pic for the finale..hehe...if only they last forever...sigh..eh, the petal on the floor are dirty lar, dun wear on the hair :)
kenny, april is indeed a memorable month for me...perhaps that made the writings somehow more meaningful...
last of the Japanese posts? hmm, let's just say i'll take a hiatus for now.. ;) hokkien mee!! haha!
fatboybakes, i lurrrve ramen but sad to say I've not watch this arty tampon movie before...will try to see if i can get it from hmv or any other convenience stalls...thanks for the tip!
j2kfm, yupe, she blogged about it before...oh, yes, i agree on the budget thingy...especially when it comes to japanese food...pretty expensive stuff there...haha!
ling239, hehe...the sashimi looked tempting, doesnt it? lurve the mekajiki...yer, i am also thinking abt it writing this...argh! :)
jun, perhaps you are right..perhaps those are really teardrops...of a glorious spring and the becoming of a cruel summer...so kesian my ohana-chan..sigh...
you have been evilly seduced by the Nippon Geishas cum Mamasans , but have no fear , on the Twin Pagodas Emperor's imperial command we have already despatched the pinky Cherry Blossums to save you from this raw unholy roller coaster .
ar..you scar me with japanese food..looks like i need to vent my anger at japanese food dis wkend haha..
Y nvr post ur pathetic ramen pic? I dun mind going bck for their sashimi lor. Btw, i found another good ramen place. 2nd floor of my office building. Specialise in char siu ramen.
feel sentimental when looking at ur cherry blossom photo...
team bsg, thank you for the rescue! this roller coaster ride has ended but the longing for ohana-san is still still tremoring in this sakura coloured mind...will this torment ever end, o' team???
joe, cool lar, brader..hehe...japanese food? that means putting yr bkk posts on hold ar? dont lose the momentum, man...or yr bkk posts will end up like mine..frozen...hehe
xiu long bao, aiyah, the ramen is not worth a pic lar...i dun think i'll go back there in the near future?
good ramen? where?? where?? where??
name?? name?? name?? arghhh!!!!
mimi, awwww, i hope the pic brings back some good old memories for you :) it certainly did good for me...the colour and the smell of spring...ahhh....
Post a Comment