Late night arrival in Tokyo after massively delayed flight and coupled with the dreariness rain in the city, I really craved something to cheer things up and make it all ok. So I got on the streets of Roppongi, and peeked through the windows in search of Comfort Ramen. Tonkotsu is a no brainier. Gotta have it! Interesting and refreshing take of adding pomelo strips in the ramen to neutralise the oiliness and saltiness of the Ramen. They also used it in the Takowasa (Wasabi Octopus) Fried Chicken Wings were surprisingly good too, first fried to lock in the juices, and then grilled for flavour.

酒窝客座主厨night! Featuring Taiwanese seafood in fusion style. Really had to work for this one! Had to figure out how to pry open Oysters from Penghu for the entire dinner crew just to enjoy the sweet freshness of the fruits of my labour.... Chef from Sasha's 阿龙 is the maestro in sauces. The Meitaiko crab was phenomenal! The chef's specialty meitaiko sauce amalgamates and highlights the freshness of the Taiwanese Emperor crab to create a silky smooth texture in your palette! Mussels in extra coconut milky Tomyum was a quite delight too!

Cute little shop on a triangular strip outside National ChengChi University. The Pork Knuckles were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. And with the discount for Wenshan district dwellers, the value is off the charts!

Known as one of the oldest surviving restaurants in Cali, this joint has got some serious history and stories. We were craving steak, so the driver dropped us off here. While the steak ain't the limelight, the grill and setting was definitely to be remembered.

Beautiful hotel, beautiful people, beautiful food! Cest la vie!

Getting filled on the streets of YongLe Market in Tainan City! The best there is!!!

Chateau De La Gardine Gaston Philippe 1995 Unbelievable! Reminds me of Don Maximiano, but much better. Solid solemn nose, slightly acidic with deep notes. Excellent pairing with the succulent Argentinian grill. Perfecto!

I asked for Legit Italian, and this is where the Sicilian New Yorker took me. This is my first NY pizza in NYC, but I gotta say, the setting certainly accentuates the flavour, and I'm loving it! And of course, the MASSIVE Meatballs, totally reminds me of the "Meatballs that ate Manhattan" from NYDC in Singapore when we were younger. And I suppose it's the name is very apt for the fact we're eating the massive meatballs out in Manhattan.

Shake Shack! Gotta check out what all the rage is about?!

Oyster Tasting! @ Grand Central Oyster Bar I just had to retrace my wife's footsteps and try out the specimen she couldn't stop raving about when she was here a year earlier. Bluepoint: Light on the tongue at first, gets creamy towards the end, and 鲜美回甘。Wholesome and savory. Fire Island：有点酸，但是鲜甜。味道完整，但比较单一。 Gigacup：形状特别，非常甜，很鲜而且回甘，齿颊留香！喜欢！ Bathsheba：比较腥，但爽口，肉有嚼劲。 Island Creek：竟然有点辣！而且还带Creamy 味。像是Tabasco的味道，微酸带辣！很特别！口感比较柔，入口即化。 Cape May Salts：鲜中带酸，也有一点Tabasco味。但比Island Creek有嚼劲！ Sunset Beach：肉质较厚，所以比较有嚼劲。属于wellbodied的味道，微微的鲜美。味道有层次，稍带甜味。

Woohoo! True blue Taqueria! Love it!

The pick me up from an unshakeable jet lag...

Fresh catch from the Bay! A great ambience which opens up to the view of the Bay bridge! I like the Seared Ling Cod, which is freshly caught off the Bay!

Home made Burgers with Hard Rock Cafe Shanghai Beef Party, Caramelized onions and 'slaw! The patties are succulent! So that says a lot for the Hard Rock Cafe ones. Can't wait!

Asia is where the heart is. And at Ginger, it takes me back home to Singapore. With the rich Laksa and Thai inspired cuisine, Ginger takes you on the trails of its owners across Asia. Definitely one of the spots I'd take friends who appreciate Asian Fusion and like the quiet/loud ambience. Quiet enough for an intimate conversation, set in the Loud decor of a quaint traditional Shanghai townhouse by the park. Very nice!

Lobster was fresh and succulent, and the hollandaise was just right. Would have loved the al fresco if not for the cold, but the chic/historic setting + the yellow leaves of Autumn, was just exhilarating!

Chilli crab!!!!

Hakkasan 外滩18号5楼 如果丽莲蛋挞说：“可能是上海最好吃的蛋挞”，那Hakkasan“可能是我吃过最好吃的粤菜”！ 米其林星级餐厅未必都能让人惊艳，但是这个仅被“推荐”的伦敦米其林星级餐厅真的处处有惊喜！ 生平第一次，吃烧鸡吃到了烟熏味！ 碟子端上来时，还是盖着雾雾的透明盖子，感觉是里面喷了smoke in a can。盖子一掀，烧鸡入口，马上品尝到了smoky的熏味，仿佛就站在窑前，身历其境～ 萝卜糕也是一绝！ 吃遍了各地的萝卜糕，的确也不乏让我惊艳的萝卜糕。但是萝卜糕外脆内酥，而且底部用蛋煎在一块儿，有点像新加坡式的萝卜糕，但更加精致，更加味道鲜明。 干炒牛河，可能是惊艳之三了。 干炒牛河，需要大量的油来炒起来，才能保持河粉的嚼劲；而且需要成年的Wok Hei （锅气），才能让牛河更加入味。但是Hakkasan的干炒牛河不但肉片细嫩，河粉晶莹剔透，更有一种“干净”的wok hei加持。难怪John停不下来～ 相形之下比较lack lustre的，应该是虾饺和糯米鸡。 虾饺像瑞华一样，大颗而且虾肉扎实，但是却没有瑞华的香嫩多汁；糯米鸡能够吃出荷叶的香味和另一种香甜的芬芳，还是挺厉害的。但是糯米太过粘稠，实在美中不足。But don't get me wrong, they were still pretty impressive! 吃到撑，人均大约250-300元。而且配上外滩18号窗外的美景～ 不得不说，即便是300元，仍旧是物超所值！

It's incredible how many Michelin stars there are in IAPM Huaihai. And Dadong is part of that constellation of restaurants. Honestly, the Beijing joints are all a lot better than the Shanghai ones I've had. So if you have a craving for Dadong while in Shanghai... Go Ahead. Else, go to the ones in Beijing!

Gotta recommend the Dim Sum at the private clubhouse in 华府樟园！ The restaurant focuses on Dim Sum for lunch, as opposed to Shanghainese cuisine for dinner (as per previous dinner post of mine). The Har Kow (Shrimp dumpling) is certainly impressive, more so than even Hakkasan. The dumpling is a huge one, an entire mouthful even for a monster like me, and the shrimp filling is supple, even crunchy to the bite! Very impressive! Another interesting dish would be the Red Skinned Cheong Fun with Youtiao (Dough sticks). I find the dough sticks a little too greasy for my liking, but the red cellophane skin is interesting and pretty tasty.

Hairy Crabs. Even though I despise the labour intensiveness and the low marginal returns from my efforts, Hairy crabs are still a ritual every Shanghai resident needs to abide by annually. This year, we decided to DIY it. With fresh deliveries from Yangcheng Lake (who knows if they were actually from there, or part of the scam?) we embarked on our first attempt to steam them with Beer! While creative and seemingly simple, we managed to destroy the first pot we used. Luckily the crabs were intact, and we were able to salvage the notes of Taiwan Beer that rubbed onto the crabs before they turned into the charred fate of the pot. Not to be forgotten, the sauce is highlight of the Hairy Crab routine. The vinegar concoction needs to be sour(vinegar), sweet (sugar), slightly pungent (ginger) and fragrant (Shaoxing Yellow wine). 完美！

瑞华樟园公馆。 大华清水湾三期。 我们家三期的区域内，坐落着一间倚靠苏州河的老洋房。根据记载，曾经是几位富豪陆续拥有的豪宅，后转为学校。在建商开发这片三期住宅的时候，将其平移了80米，让它更靠河边，也成为了华府樟园的会所。 老洋房原本两层楼的基础上，被挑高了几米，往下挖了2层楼，衔接华府樟园的地下停车库。1、2楼都是包房，B1则是主要用餐区，品酒区、两个中、西式的会议/用餐区，还有一个昆曲的戏台。B2则是展览玉雕的参观区。一楼穿越大唐后，是老洋房原有的中庭天井。环绕的是一二层的包厢。原本就是学校的他，把小教室改为了小包厢。洋房外层，则是露台，优雅做可以喝点咖啡。 整体内饰豪华古典，有一种民初时期中西合并的违和感。艺术品、雕刻的确细致，地板还有红宝石、蓝宝石错落闪耀在像是竹叶斑驳的黑色大理石之间。但整体色调比较heavy，虽然富丽堂皇，但有点沉重。 晚上的菜系主要是本帮+一些粤菜。 他们似乎对虾仁较自豪，有多道虾仁相关的菜。但让我惊艳的却是红烧肉。 肥嫩的三层肉脂，是上海特色的甜，但是入口即化的口感，让人眼睛一亮！ 中午有我最爱的港式饮茶，叉烧包、小笼包、虾饺、烧卖、肠粉一应俱全。一定要找时间拔草！ 由于只要在自己的小区内步行5分钟就有这样的地方，真的很兴奋！晚餐实在不便宜，但是如果下午喝杯咖啡，吃个饮茶点心的话，绝对可以成为我闭关工作的好去处！

Chateau Malescot St Exupery 2000 Margaux 2nd drink at dinner with Irving, Sunny, and Rain in Hong Kong Country Club Rating: 4.0/5.0 Pairing: Asian Cuisine, Curry with Naan, Garlic Chicken, etc. Nose: Strong acidic Tongue: solid grapes, savoury and long lasting.

Jean Bouchard Chassagne-Montrachet 2007 Occasion: Dinner with Irving, Sunny and Rain. Rating: 4.0/5.0 Pairing: Asian Cuisine, Curry with Naan and rice, Chinese Garlic Chicken

A by-brand by the great Jean Georges, Mercato is a chic and more personable cousin of Jean George. The view is great, overlooking the bund. And the food Is certainly worthy of the Jean George name... but it wasn't quite what we expected in terms of value for money...