And a little nicer... Tsujiri

Yep, back on the desserts wagon. I am becoming known as one of those with, as the Japanese say, a 'betsu bara' or 'second stomach', reserved for puddings! (Though I am by no means alone!)

Today I went with a friend to try out the new Singapore branch of Kyoto's renowned Tsujiri outlet. Tsujiri is famous for matcha (very fine, good quality green-tea powder). So here you will find matcha cakes, teas, shakes and desserts. In Singapore, it's a small, modern, unglamorous place at Tanjong Pagar, but the fare was pretty good.

My try: a shiratama parfait (squidgy shiratama balls, matcha jelly, red bean ankou, smooth Mr Whippy-style matcha ice cream); plus a rather nice hot yuzu* citron tea.

The parfait was yummy - I am no expert but my friend was impressed with the shiratama, and I personally much preferred this kind of smooth, green-tea ice cream to the often ice-gritty stuff you find elsewhere.

The yuzu tea was like a hot marmalade tea - sweetish and with real fruit peel pieces in it. A little medicinal perhaps, if you are from Europe - but actually perfect and comforting for me, as I currently have laryngitis!

www.tsujiri.sg

* Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit which has a taste somewhere between an orange and a lime. (Not as tart as a lemon.) It is used quite a lot in Japanese cooking.

Spleen: moving around in Singapore

1. Recently I went on holiday to Europe (where I grew up, and then worked for around 15 years). And the first thing I noticed, even on my exit in not-so-glamourous Heathrow? I am watching a video in fast-forward! In the UK, people walk fast, and with purpose. It was really pronounced!

2. I am also currently nursing a sprained ankle I received here in Singapore.

Here is the explanation for both the above:

1. Singaporeans en masse walk REALLY slowly. And without purpose! I don't know why. This country is admittedly like a strange comfort bubble - insulated from all the pressures, aggression and necessary street-smart of other countries, perhaps that's why? But if you are from London (New York, Tokyo etc) you will find getting from A-B really difficult. It is like finding yourself in a zombie-horde! You might SEE your train coming into the platform just metres away, or your bus arriving. But you won't be able to get it, because there is a crowd of people wandering aimlessly in front of you. Yes, they're all in the same station, mall, or street and presumably also wanting to catch a train, bus etc. But the sense of purpose / urgency you find in big cities simply doesn't exist here.

Climate-wise I totally understand it. You'll sweat to death in two nanoseconds if you try the 'Big City' approach outdoors here. But most of Singapore (certainly stations, malls etc) is air-conditioned and covered. Also, crowds move relatively quickly in places such as Kuala Lumpur, up the road, where the climate's the same.

So, who knows what's going on! But if you are from overseas, just make sure you allow extra time; and be prepared to get exasperated (or, just expect it and take it in your - enforcedly small - stride!)

Incidentally, I've mentioned this slow pace to Singaporeans who have been incredulous and said 'But we walk really fast!'. Nope. I'm getting used to it now, but it is ludicrously slow compared to other countries! And internationally known as the 'Singapore Shuffle'.

2. Conversely, when there's any kind of 'queuing potential' in Singapore, people get incredibly aggressive. So if you are right next to the train when it comes in, or near a pedestrian crossing when it goes green - expect to get shoved, elbowed, 'tsk'd' at, and battered by an array of designer handbags. In the case of buses, once people have beaten you up and are ON the bus, they go back to the zombie pace, picking a seat at leisure while a huge bottleneck-scrum builds up behind them.

Why why why? Is this scrum the result of all those who have missed the previous three buses / trains by being in a zombie-horde?? If that's the case a) at least then be considerate to the others who have also been waiting b) the whole thing could be remedied by moving in a speedy, orderly, purposeful way to start off with!

So anyway, I didn't sprain my ankle (which will take 4-6 months to heal due to ligament damage) doing parkour, taekwondo, or some other activity. I sprained it when I got pushed off the pavement by an aggressive housewife at the pedestrian crossing - going to buy milk on a Sunday morning!

(Though on-foot I still overtake 90% of Singaporeans even WITH the sprain....)

Wheezy, breezy, beautiful Covergirl.. ?

A new strapline for a glamorous asthma inhaler, perhaps?

Actually I am just observing that it is nearly Christmas and not only has half the UK population gone down with colds / flu (normal for this time of year); but so, suddenly, has our entire office. In Singapore. Where it is HOT and summery. All year round.

So I am going to query: are colds simply a psychosomatic reaction to the fact it is the Christmas season?

Any medics, you are welcome to comment.

In the meanwhile, I am off to take some Beecham's remedy and few more puffs on the inhaler.

Elephant dung coffee?!

Oh my giddy aunt! Just when we thought we had got to grips with Kopi Luwak / civet-cat-poop coffee - a new one has been invented! A friend just found this article... :/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244475/Black-Ivory-coffee-Thailand-using-beans-digested-elephants.html

(NB it is no every day I would want to quote the Daily Mail in any shape or form, consider this a rarity!)

Je voudrais une tasse de cafe a porter..?

NB the gist of 'porter' here is 'to carry', not 'to wear'... though in this particular instance both might be appropriate...

Well, as we have already observed on this blog, things are different in different countries. And takeaway is one such example in France.

London, along with Singapore, Kuala Lumpur (in fact most modern cities - be this for good or bad) is encrusted with takeaway coffee shops. You can sit in too. But for a quick bevvy on your way to work Starbucks, Costa, Nero, Pret and others will happily offer you an ample, cardboard cup of your favourite hot drink to go. And it will probably have one of those handy spout/lid things so you can both keep it warm and drink as you walk. Hurrah.

So was my thinking as I set out one early morning from my Paris hotel to get breakfast. The hotel was charging 19 Euros for its own meagre offering, and I'd already located a fab local patissier / bakery nearby. So, croissant purchased, now all I needed was a coffee to go with it and I'd trot back to the hotel room. Down the street splayed a great selection of Parisien cafes. But takeaway..? Mais non!

It seems that the vibe of these establishments is most definitely SIT IN, chill, and enjoy the atmosphere at a leisurely pace. Rushing rudely out with your beverage in a crude American stylee seemed to be most unwelcome!

Finally I did find un cafe which said they could do takeaway for me. It was clearly not a regular thing for them, though, and caused a bit of confusion! In the end I got a small plastic cup (like the ones they have on water coolers) of cappuccino, no lid, for 2 Euros. So began a treacherous and careful trip back to the hotel clutching my flimsy open cup on a windy, winter morning.

But hey, the coffee and I both survived. And I got a pretty good Parisien breakfast for 4 Euros instead of 19. Can't complain.

Incidentally, later that day I discoverd a Starbucks in the small mall near to the hotel. I could have gone there. But you know, Starbucks is the same the world over, and sometimes it is nice to have a change!

PS Translation of title allowing for a few grammatical mistakes: "I'd like a cup of coffee to take-away"

Paris: Deyrolle gardening equipment & taxidermy...

Yes, as some of you know, I have been jetsetting around Europe. (OK just London and Paris.) And I must say this was one of this trip's Paris highlights for me!

You wander into this beautiful old building to find it sells gardening equipment, plus quality books and prints of plants and animals. So far so normal. But go upstairs and you will find an entire menagerie of creatures. Stuffed and preserved. Zebras, lions, a polar bear, pheasants, peacocks, mouse-deer, even guinea pigs and hamsters. Flying overhead are an array of beautiful, colourful birds; glass cases house hundreds of butterflies and exotic insects (some mounted formally, some arranged like they're flying gracefully). Also, that old Victorian classic - the amalgamated animal: a rabbit with wings and other oddities.

And it's not a 'fusty dusty' old stuffed creatures thing.. this place is very clean, and the animals are pristine.

Actually I had wondered what Deyrolle was; perhaps it was somebody's collection, or another sort of museum? In fact, the creatures, like the books and illustrations (and gardening gloves) are all for sale. If I had wanted to (I didn't) I could have purchased a beetle for 4 Euros... or a civet cat for a few thousand.

It turns out that this shop was opened in 1881 by Emile Deyrolle, a naturalist and natural history dealer (from a family of naturalists, in fact). And it had a predecessor elsewhere in Paris which was opened in 1831.

Today I would guess Deyrolle caters for a niche, and I do wonder who their market is! For a casual observer, though, it's a strangely educational and rather beautiful experience. Worth a look :)

(Btw photography is not allowed in there, so these pix are somebody else's!)

Deyrolle, 46 rue du Bac, Paris

A Chinese Tea Ceremony

I had never heard of one of these before, but found myself pulled into one today (by friends) at Chinatown's Tea Chapter. Luckily we had someobody who knew the good blends to choose, and how to do the 'works'. So here it is, annotated! You should be able to click on pix for zoom views.

The Tea Set - includes cups & 'fragrance cups' (the tall ones), plus a 'Justice Jug'. The Justice Jug is where you pour the tea before serving, as the tea direct from the pot changes in features during the pour. The jug ensures everyone gets an equal experience.
 

The Tea - the dark one (which has been smoked) left, and the light one of the same leaf, right.

The Implements - shovel for the tea, pokey thing to clean leaves out of the pot between brews, tongs to pick up hot cups etc.

 

Coasters :)

Warm all the chinaware (including tea pot) with hot water before starting. You can tip the used hot water into the tray afterwards. The glass water pourer is kept warm (but not boiling) over a small flame in its stand (you can just see it in background)...



You can empty out the boiling cups using those tongs!

Use the shovel to collect the tea - make sure not to break the leaves while doing this.

Fill the teapot about 3/4 full with leaves and add hot water. Let brew for less than 1 minute. This is the white porcelain teapot for the light tea. 

Tea is first poured into the 'fragrance cup'. Here you take in the aroma, then transfer the tea into your drinking cup (on the left). You then rub the tall fragrance cup between your hands, and smell again. The smell is actually different this time! You can do this again - the residual fragrance changes as the cup cools down. Now drink your tea. The light tea was very refreshing and aromatic. You don't have to use the fragrance cup for second pouring.

Next up: the dark tea - which is brewed in a clay teapot. You repeat the same process, however.

The dark tea had a much woodier fragrance, and was much stronger / more bitter to taste. It is more caffeine-laden too, which is probably why I'm writing this blog at past midnight! Incidentally, if you are a VIP, you should sit on the pourer's right.

As a snack to accompany our tea hours, we tried these boiled eggs, which have been steeped in tea and spices. The eggs kind of shrink inside the shell, which looks crackle-glazed. Actually, they were quite tasty - slightly sweet and tea-like! - though they might not be so appealing visually!

Our venue before it filled up.

Tea Chapter, 9-11 Neil Road, Singapore 088808
www.tea-chapter.com.sg