Tanyoto

Tanyoto sounds like some funky Japanese word but actually just means "Fish Head Soup" in Chinese (Tang Yu Tou).

Steamboat rules the day, with a mind boggling array of soup bases and sauces to choose from.

As it was our first visit there, my kaki and I opted for the lunch buffet (SGD23.80+++ per pax) so that we could try a little of everything. There are also optional add-ons (like SGD4 for free flow plum drink or barley)

The buffet menu. Click to enlarge

We eventually settled on 2 soup bases- the restaurant's "signature" Sichuan peppercorn soup and a tomato fish broth. We paid an additional SGD8.80 for the "signature" peppercorn soup.

We were so taken aback by the thick layer of chili oil lining the surface of the fiery sichuan broth that we scooped most of it out

Here's what we had for starters:
Cold bean jelly- Underwhelming, akin to biting into tasteless konnkayu jelly


Saliva chicken- the sichuan peppercorn sauce was wickedly spicy and the chicken meat was sufficiently tender


Fried fish skin- deliciously crunchy and savoury- we just couldn't resist pinching on these throughout the meal


Before the main steamboat items arrived, my kaki and I scurried over to the sauce counter to concoct our favorite combinations.

Being the boring person that I am, this is the best I could conjure up:

Chilli padi in light soy sauce and sesame sauce with crunchy soy beans and spring onion.

The mains arrived in quick succession

A single serving of fresh medium sized prawns.


Beef and chicken slices. Decadently tender, best eaten with sesame sauce


Fish fillet- Sorry. These were gobbled up before I could whisk out my camera. They were extremely fresh and carried a hint of delicate sweetness, with no fishy aftertaste whatsoever. Apparently the restaurant takes lots of pride in its fish.

Lotus root slices- I didn't really like this. They were crunchy and highly starchy.

Beancurd skin ribbons- Eye candy which unfortunately didn't deliver in the taste department.


Homemade chicken balls, pork balls and beef balls. Temperature and timing are of the essence here. Quickly scoop the balls up once they surface to enjoy them at their best. The balls taste strangely rubbery when overcooked.


Mushrooms and vegetables- We had tons of these. The golden mushrooms go exceptionally well with the numbing hot soup base. Be prepared to cry lots.

By the time we were ready for dessert, it was already 140pm and we were starting to wish that we were tai tais who didn't have to rush back to work.

We quickly caught the attention of a service staff and asked for 2 bowls of aloe vera with honey. These came in pretty little bowls scattered with osmanthus flowers that made our hearts flutter. My kaki was so blown away that she proclaimed this as the highlight of her meal.


Although the restaurant is not very crowded, don't expect tip top service. The staff seem to cluster in corners and do not exercise much initiative. Decor is however tastefully modern, with classy fish murals and dark wood furnishings.


Great for business dining- if your client enjoys steamboat. There are even private rooms on the second level for big parties.


In conjunction with their anniversary celebration, the restaurant presented us with return food vouchers amounting to 50% of our total bill. Being a sucker for freebies, I was quick to make a return visit with yet another unsuspecting makan kaki. This time, we went ala carte and thoroughly enjoyed a medley of vegetables, mushrooms, sweet clams and fish slices. Our accompanying soup bases of tomato and spicy sichuan peppercorn were divine. After factoring in the discount from the vouchers, we ended up paying around SGD25 each, which is excellent value.

Unlike the Chinese Feasts, this is not a steamboat joint that I can afford to come to every week for lunch. However, I will definitely save this place in my "must-go" list for special luncheons.

Tanyoto
177 River Valley Road
#01-25/25A, Liang Court Shopping Centre
Tel: 6836 6839

Freebie of the Week

Do you have a problem distinguishing your luggage from others at the airport?

Here's an easy peasy solution.

Click the below link and get your very own personalised luggage tag- Free of Charge!

http://baggagelabel.klm.com/first.aspx?lang=eng

Thank you KLM!

Osvaldo Ristorante

My tastebuds are quintessentially Asian, having grown up eating potent rempahs and fiery chilli padis. Whilst eating remains my favorite past time, I am almost ashamed to admit that my food vocabulary in recent years has very much revolved around the likes of Asian (Indonesian, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese) cuisine.

Until now.

Yesterday, my tastebuds were jolted awake by the discovery of Osvaldo Ristorante at Maxwell Chambers.

Italian food never tasted so good.

The vibe in Osavaldo is unmistakably homely and if I may add, a little quirky.

A very queer dog portrait

Stacked neatly in shelfs lining the walls are Italian pestos, jams and preserved fruits for guests to peruse and purchase.

For the Italian (cook) in you...

As you can tell, the best things in life do not come cheap (click to enlarge)...

Especially enticing were the huge jars of bottled peaches placed just beside our table.

Unfortunately they do not come cheap.

Owner Osvaldo Forlino himself can be seen flitting from table to table engaging in friendly banter with guests, many of whom have become regulars. Service isn't top notch but our glasses were constantly refilled and it was relatively easy to grab the attention of a passing waiter.

We started off with a simple appetizer of mussels in white wine sauce. The portion was extremely generous and the chef had thrown in some additional clams for good measure. Everything was fresh and perfectly cooked. I enjoyed the jus so much that I couldn't resist mopping it up with some bread.

Mussel delight

Save some bread for the jus

Our next dish turned out to be the highlight of our meal- asparagus with parma ham and poached egg. This is undisputedly the yummiest Italian dish I have eaten in my whole life. The salty richness of the parma ham was not over-cloying. When doused with dripping egg yolk and eaten with tender asparagus spears, the end result was almost orgasmic.

Before bursting the egg

and after- our joy was uncontainable

When the main courses arrived, my mind was still reeling from the after effects of the excellent starters. Whilst my dining kakis were full of praises for their respective orders of risotti and lobster spaghetti, I found my gnocchi lacklustre. On hindsight, I realise I had commited the cardinal sin of ordering something off the menu. (The gnocchi was meant to be served in a walnut cream sauce but I had requested for it to be served arrabiata style instead)

Kaki No 1: Took a bite and went "WOW"

Kaki No 2: Took a bite and instantly went to 7th heaven

Me: Took a bite and sighed

Feeling slightly unfulfilled after the forgettable main, I tried to salvage the situation by ordering dessert. Gelato didn't quite jive with my mood so I decided to stick with good ol' tiramisu.

It didn't take long before I joined Kaki No 2 in 7th heaven.

The mascarpone cheese was creamy, light and slipped down my throat like a soothing balm. I haven't felt so satisfied after a meal in awhile.

As mentioned above, all good things in life seldom come cheap. Our total bill came up to SGD210, or about SGD70 per pax.

I'm already planning my next meal there and I can't wait to try the battered zucchini flowers stuffed with cheese!

Osvaldo Ristorante Italiano
32 Maxwell House
#01-03, Maxwell Chambers

Tel: 6224 0978

An Afternoon with Daniel Tay

Hubby likes to tease me for my unsatiable appetite for cooking books and cooking classes. Alas, the number of man hours I actually spend in my kitchen is dismal.

Last Sunday, I attended yet another cooking class again. This time, it was a baking class conducted by Daniel Tay (owner of Bakerzin) titled "Japanese-French pastries" The class was fully subscribed with more than 40 participants.

Daniel Tay hard at work (in the classroom)

We learnt how to make green tea macarons, Japanese cheesecake, Japanese chiffon cake and the yummiest choux puffs ever- all within a short time span of 3.5 hours. Daniel Tay is a spritely personality with a wealth of knowledge to share. Whilst his teaching method is a little haphazard at times, I tried to catch up as much as I could by furiously scribbling notes. Oh, did I also mention that Daniel Tay has a legion of cheena auntie fans who ask the cutest of questions?

Japanese cheesecake...a little under-done but otherwise light and fluffy

Cutesy chiffon cakes..the use of smaller cake tins ensures better heat distribution

Macarons and choux puffs...my favorite of the lot, insanely tedious to make but highly addictive

Check out the precise piping of the choux pastry

emerald green macaron shells...don't these look like pretty little buttons?

Here are some things I learnt during the class:

1. Don't buy icing sugar from the supermarket. Make your own by blitzing fine sugar in your blender and sieving it.
2. Almonds bought in Singapore are excessively oily. To get around this, leave the almonds on a piece of newspaper to soak up the oil a few days prior to baking.
3. Good quality flour plays an important role in the taste and texture of the final product. Daniel recommended a special cake flour from Japan which can be purchased from Meidi-ya supermarket.
4. Technique and timing is of great importance. Once a batter is overbeaten, it cannot be salvaged.

After class, we got to take home a box of the baked goodies to share with our loved ones. Hubby particularly enjoyed the choux puffs and pronounced them "the best he has eaten in his entire life". (Unfortunately they don't sell choux puffs in Bakerzin outlets)

I think I should really start cutting down on cooking classes and focus my energies towards making the perfect choux puff.