Petit Croissant @ Mini Ones

As a snack food, Mini One croissants found at Donq Bakery is probably something I would eat only if I had to. Now as much as I love my Croissants, I do not think that the Japanese know a thing about making good ones and it shows.

Mini One is a branded version of a petit croissant, and it is pretentious. You get a bag full for roughly usd$ 2 bucks and there are five. Now there is nothing shady or bad about the Japanese made pastries, it's the pretentious branding that gets me. 

In Japan, there are queues forming at the counters for take aways but in Singapore, the lines are non-existence. This would probably give you a clue to why the Japanese has much to learn about a true European pastry. 

When you bite into one fresh off the counter, the first thing you'd notice is that it lacks any buttery fragrance. The sweet taste from the sugar sprinkles is the first thing that hits you, so if you are looking for a sugar fix, this could be the only high you are getting. 

Having tasted the petit croissants found on a side street in Macau, made with love and within the European tradition, the one from Donq Bakery just doesn't quite cut it. It lacks character, fragrance and taste. It is unfortunately quite bland. The sugar as a high note doesn't quite make it for me as I don't crave sugar like a five year old. 

It's like having a meal at a fancy restaurant and the very next day, you don't ever recall eating it. 

In a unlikely way, it has to do with the perception created with a fancy branding. You expect more out of it and when you don't get it, you start to wonder what the fuss is all about. Even when taken in a blind taste with the petit croissants I found in Macau, the ones from Mini One will still fail to measure up to my expectation in terms of taste. 

There is nothing sinister about branding a croissant, provided it is better than the average croissant. For Donq,  the Mini Ones still need some working on. 

Petit Croissant @ Mini Ones

Mongolian Tofu @ Ah Poh's Kitchen

Mongolians are never famous for their food. Being Nomads, they only ate what they found off the land and they are not farmers either. So when this dish came up, I had to figure it out if this was the genuine stuff. 

Ah Poh Kitchen in Johor Bahru isn't the easiest places to find but when I did, I was curious if this seemingly ordinary restaurant could offer anything better. Now for a moment imaging that you are having the rather famous Fried Yam Ring with vegetables, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Now imagine replacing the Yam ring with one that is made of smashed tofu with yam bits. That's what the Mongolian Tofu is all about. There are chicken bits, onions, slices of mushrooms with a sauce. 

The sauce is nothing extraordinary. I think it was a misfire on the chef's end. It is light, and lacks character. Since Tofu is bland, you will need a sauce that will personify its character, this obviously didn't. And what made it worst was that it was suppose to be a signature dish. 

Even after deep frying the Tofu, the dish still didn't cut it. But I must say this. It's healthy and well suited to older folks who do not want to taste anything too sweet or salty. 

I couldn't find a redeeming feature even though I wasn't turned off by the dish. It tasted ok, no ground shaking aftershocks. It was also reasonably priced, and eaten with rice, it could be a stomach filler. 

Mongolian Tofu @ Ah Poh's Kitchen

Fried Spanish Mackerel @ Seng Steam Fish Restaurant

Before you step into Seng Steam Fish Restaurant, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a sauna masquerading as a restaurant. With water vapours rising from the signage itself, it becomes a foreboding statement for those who dislike heat or steaming hot restaurants to which you indulge your lunch. Yes, it's only open for lunch and closes right after. 

What makes this place unique is that it is open air and yes, it gets really warm during the afternoons but the real reason why they only open during the heat of the day is because their food runs out quite quickly. Seng is famous for all things fish. And the menu is behind the signage, plastered with badly taken photos of dishes that has made them famous. So famous that they don't really care to open a full day. 

They have two signature dishes, the deep fried sea bass tail and the most unholy spanish mackerel. Personally I like the fried mackerel seen below, which I bet you will ask me about. This is a whole fish, with the meat removed and then reconstituted to make up a whole fish again, bones removed of course, fried and sliced up. This unholy union of fish is really quite splendid. The taste isn't overwhelming and the fish taste fresh even though the meat has been turned into a fish cake of sorts. The light drizzle of think soy sauce makes it very palatable. 

There are two places in the world which for me has stood out for fish dishes, one is in Hanoi, Vietnam at Cha Ca Street, famous for the Cha Ca fish and noodle dish. Something you'd die for. And the second one is this fried spanish mackerel. The fish meat is flayed from the bones and skin, and the skin is reused to house the whole fish before it goes into the deep fryer. The taste isn't strong or fishy, which is why I think it bodes well for people who dislike fishy tasting fish. 

Seng also has fried clams and pork, no crabs or shrimp. They also serve up a mean selection of seasonal steam fish but I will leave that for another day. 

Fried Spanish Mackerel @ Seng Steam Fish Restaurant
rating

Three Cup Chicken @ Zen Taiwanese Restaurant

Zen. The word conjures up images of Japanese monks sitting by a willow three meditating and hopefully find Nirvana in the process. In a forgotten time, it could even mean all manner of enlightenment but here at the Zen Restaurant, the Zen is put into practice by way of styling your food. I ordered the Three Cup Chicken. I have no idea what it is or whether it would fill three small cups with meat. My order arrives and is laid out in a Zen like manner. The dessert is made up of a glutinous rice ball with sesame seeds infused with a red bean filling. The Japanese cucumber too is infused with sesame oil, and for a bonus, there is a morsel of pork sausage.

The soup is made with vegetables and Chinese Wolfberry or Goji as you may know it, with a meatball obviously inspired in Taiwan which has a soft meat filling.

While the main dish isn't something to brag about, it is nevertheless a pleasant surprise. Fried with
sweet basil, dried chilies, rice wine and bean paste this Cup Chicken dish taste like home cooking.

The Chicken is soft, well flavored, without being too sweet or salty. The taste is delicate and the hint of basil provides for this. Not my preferred taste as I like strong and contrasty flavors in my food. The soup however was excellent. Light and tasty, you can skip the drinks and use this to wash down your meal. 

The whole meal cost roughly usd$7 bucks, which is quite a ransom to pay if you are only here to fill your belly but the restaurant itself is nicely decorated with an ambience to calm you before a meal. There are plenty else to order but I wasn't here for that. 

To be fair, I am not blown away by the chicken, the delicate taste isn't my thing but I would understand if you liked it. For me, a place like this can be a good dining choice though it's a little on the high side for a casual meal.  

Three Cup Chicken @ Zen Restaurant, Jusco Tebrau. Johor

Papa Roti the Polo Bun

During my sojourn in Macau, I came across this strange bun called the Polo Bun or Pineapple Bun as the locals would call it. I didn't know what it was and ordered it. It came fully buttered or drizzled with sweetened condensed milk. Mine was fully buttered and only after I bit into it that I found out what it was.

This is essentially what the Papa Roti is about sans the cross like decorative layer that is made with a french style souffle. The difference is that this egg layer is infused with coffee flavors.
The ones sold in Macau and Hong Kong have a criss cross layer that gave them the pineapple reference while the one in Malaysia is flat.

The bun is also buttered but with vegetable margarine instead of full fat butter.
Papa Roti uses a unique approach as the flavor of the coffee souffle and margarine mixes well with the bread making it a nice tasty snack for both young and old.

The crispy top has a satisfying bite while the coffee taste further enhances the taste.
The only let down is the price, which at RM$2 (usd 70 cents) is a bit pricey. It sells for more at a Paparich cafe. The problem I have is this bun is that it's very light and made with normal baking flour instead of high protein bread flour. With each bite, the bun collapses on you. Bummer.

This is one bun that you can't cure hunger with though it can be satisfying snack. My gripe is the price, which basically isn't much but judging from the quantity of air you are biting into, is kinda pricey.

Papparoti

Thai tea @JCO Malaysia

I am not a big fan of cafe culture as the tropics prove to be bad places for Al fresco dining and hangouts. The humidity means you are better off indoors where you can stay cool.
This is where JCo gets to attract people in general. Classier than Dunkin Donut and catering to health conscious froyo consumers , this Indonesian cafe chain has it made. Each drink comes with a sugar glazed donut as a side bribe instead of the humble biscoti.
As a competitor to chains like the ever passe Starbucks,  JCo offers a much better selection of ice coffee than its American brethren.
The donut selection too is commendable even when the choices are rather plain. Each is topped off with a variety of sweet offerings and cost RM$2.50 or roughly usd $0.85 each.

Now about the Thai Tea, I can't say that it taste bad or is anything bad, but it taste like one of those Taiwanese Bubble Tea offerings. It's not a taste that I would associate with freshly brewed tea but I suppose some people like it. 

Having sampled the Tea, which coupled with the Donut could make you a diabetic statistic, I must add that this is not something I would like to have on a regular basis. The Donut is too light, and for some reason, seems to be minted on a production line for commercial consumption. Sugar addicts may find redemption by chewing on a morsel but this isn't one that I would line up to buy to eat. 

The whole experience cost me usd$3 bucks. That' a premium of sorts to pay only if you are in dire need of a sugar fix. 

Thai Tea & Sugar Glazed Donut @ JCOrating