I conducted the second day of the intensive program today comprising lecturing and workshop activities, with the day starting at 0830 and ending at 1800. Since the season is winter here, at 6 PM the entire place is pretty much pitch-dark and about what what we’d normally experience at 9 PM in Singapore.
Add to that that this morning and evening was bitingly cold. All of a sudden, my normal cotton fabric short-sleeve shirt, business pants and a normal jacket wasn’t nearly so adequate anymore LOL.
Dinner at Matsuri Restaurant was exquisite again, though I noticed that the wait staff this evening was a different team (more on this later). I’d prepared a list of Japanese phrases I wanted to try using. Among them was for English tea, as I wanted something hot with milk in it. Green tea after six hours of teaching with freezed-up and numb lips is sooo not a good idea. So, I asked for one, which the wait staff readily understood.
Then, the appetizers arrived, starting with…
… which was boiled fish served with a sort of egg-white liked substance. Then…
… sashimi was next. The sashimi was sliced incredibly thin – I wonder what kind of knives were used – and served with two sauces. Next…
… which I really liked. It’s a sort of braised pork that’s cooked till it’s very tender and soft, and served with condiments. I was really surprised by the fourth appetizer:
… which reminded me greatly of Italian cuisine. It was served on a large clam shell, with melted cheese, scallops and broccoli. Amazingly delicious! Then the main course:
This we see in Singapore widely, with every Japanese restaurant and eatery-wannabe dishing it up. It’s tempura.:)
And check out this dessert:
It’s flavored ice-cream, but the decoration looks even better! :)
The dinner however ended on a very slightly negative note. I think the English tea I asked for was considered off-complimentary menu, so I was charged an additional 450円 (SGD7) for it. I thought that was strange, because whenever I am seated at my table at the start of dinner, I’m shown the beverage menu and asked what I’d like. And while I can’t understand the Japanese characters in the beverage menu, I recognize the price numbers, and they look dreadfully expensive. I thought I’d just order something modest.
The bill processing by the wait staff this time was also more business like this time, and not quite with the warmth I’d experienced with the other team from earlier nights. And no, this time no one walked me to the lift lobby either. Maybe they were a little irritated that I asked for something unusual, and they had to quickly send a runner somewhere to find this obviously non-Japanese guy English tea!
Oh well. Next time, I’ll just ask for ice water.:)
AHHHHHH….is that saffron, those red threads, on your first dish dear? It’s probably the most expensive spice around.
Dear, you know I’m absolutely the last person on earth who can tell what’s what in food! :)
HI.
I recommend you if you want to drink a sweet tea, you go to automatic vendor machine or any convenience store, you can find a lot of hot or cold “bottled tea”.
It is so cheap ( about 130-200 yen), but its a good drinks for your worked head, I think.
BTW dear, the servings looked rather small. Did you have enough? Don’t starve ok. :)
yeah, it DOES look like saffron… wow… the second dish looks like puffer fish (fugu)… i am guessing… wow nice… was it crunchy and QQ? you’re supposed to mix the orange blob (grated radish with momiji chili sauce) and chopped spring onion into the larger dish of sauce which i am guessing has a citrus taste =PPP… good that you’re still alive =D i feel hungry liao man…
and yes CY, japan has many vending machines that dispenses v nice warm canned tea… i love royal milk tea by kochakadan =PPP think it’s 120 yen niah… make sure you press the red buttons… red あたたかい for warm, blue つめたいfor cold. nice to hold when the weather is cold too ^^ hahaha u kena ketok by the restaurant le >.< next time want drink english tea drink during breakfast buffet or go back room to drink free one ma (they have tea bags right?) hahaha
ling, got so many dishes sure full one lah! haha…
so u didn't get to use "tanoshikatta"… i was going to ask you to try "minna totemo oishikatta desu" ("minna" means everything, "totemo" means very, "oishikatta" means delicious in past tense) and "kochisou sama deshita" (thanks for the meal) LOL
to order water, you can say "o mizu o onegaishimasu" =D "mizu" means H2O. cold water is "tsumetai mizu"
yeah, it DOES look like saffron… wow… the second dish looks like puffer fish (fugu)… i am guessing… wow nice… was it crunchy and QQ? you’re supposed to mix the orange blob (grated radish with momiji chili sauce) and chopped spring onion into the larger dish of sauce which i am guessing has a citrus taste =PPP… good that you’re still alive =D i feel hungry liao man…
and yes CY, japan has many vending machines that dispenses v nice warm canned tea… i love royal milk tea by kochakadan =PPP think it’s 120 yen niah… make sure you press the red buttons… red あたたかい for warm, blue つめたいfor cold. nice to hold when the weather is cold too ^^ hahaha u kena ketok by the restaurant le >.< next time want drink english tea drink during breakfast buffet or go back room to drink free one ma (they have tea bags right?) hahaha
ling, got so many dishes sure full one lah! haha…
so u didn’t get to use “tanoshikatta”… i was going to ask you to try “minna totemo oishikatta desu” (“minna” means everything, “totemo” means very, “oishikatta” means delicious in past tense) and “kochisou sama deshita” (thanks for the meal) LOL
to order water, you can say “o mizu o onegaishimasu” =D “mizu” means H2O. cold water is “tsumetai mizu”
wait wait!! is there a tiny slice of expensive japanese melon on your dessert plate???? nice!
sorry i commented twice… had some problems =P
I’ll try those phrases tomorrow when I’m taken out to dinner with the Japanese staff.:)