Ramen Bar Suzuki @ Circular Road

A newly opened ramen shop this year, Ramen Bar Suzuki offers three choices for their soup broth - white, black, and red, which was somewhat similar to Menya Musashi. As I have always preferred stronger flavours, I chose their black broth, which supposedly had squid ink and garlic.

Unlimited servings of potato salad, hard boiled eggs, and pickled bean sprouts were also available, but I found that their pickled bean sprouts were not as good as Ramen Keisuke Dining's.

Black Tonkotsu Ramen with Egg, $14.90

Once the ramen came, my first thought was "egg fail". It was not presented nicely, and some parts of the egg yolk was also too cooked. The second noticeable thing was that their noodles were much thinner than usual, and actually reminded me of wanton noodles. It was a bit too soggy, though. 

The soup gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, it was still quite flavourful. But on the other hand, the flavour did not seem to come from long hours of brewing pork bones (which I would prefer).

Ramen Bar Suzuki is still a decent place to drop by for ramen. But personally, I would still prefer Baikohken, which is just a minute away. 

Saveur @ Purvis Street

The initial hype with Saveur seems to have died down slightly, and there were still empty seats on a Wednesday evening at 645pm. Previously, it would be full even before 615pm.

This time, we ordered two mushroom soups, one pasta, two foie gras, one salad, and two main courses. Only the pasta and salad are new, so I will cover them below. 

Angel hair pasta with sherry minced pork and Sakura ebi, $3.90

The minced pork prompted us to call this their 'bak chor mee'. Quite good, though I would still prefer their other pasta (with tiger prawns and lumpfish caviar).

Mesclun salad with lemon vinaigrette and crispy duck, $3.90

This was a very simple salad. The duck was rather crispy indeed, but it seemed as if they tore off some bits of meat from their duck confits and baked or fried it a bit longer to make it more crispy.


Past visits:
3rd October 2012
27th July 2012

Emotional hedging

I got my CAIA exam results last night, and miraculously, I passed. It was the last level, so with this, I have earned the CAIA designation. Before the exam, I vowed that this would be my last paper, regardless of whether I pass or fail. Whew!

After taking the paper, I was actually 70% certain that I would fail. Insufficient preparation was the main reason; I started around ten to twelve weeks before the exam, and as the exam date drew near, I wondered why there was still so much material to cover - I took around the same time for level I and could finish it comfortably. It was only several days later when I dug out my old level I textbooks that I found out why. Level II's textbooks were around twice as thick as level I's!

I came out of the exam hall feeling rather dejected. I had forgotten some important formulae at the last moment, and couldn't do several questions. I thought I didn't do well either for the open-ended portion of the paper, and even left early because I had nothing more to write.

When I spoke to a friend about it, I told her that my passing chance was 30%. She scoffed at me, saying that I 'say that all the time and always pass'. Hey, that's not true! If I were to list down my previous exams' passing estimations and the actual results, that won't be the case. Let's assume that the estimation probabilities are confirm fail, most likely will fail, 50-50, most likely will pass, confirm pass, uncertain.

In chronological order:

Exam	Estimation	Results
CAIA II	Most likely will fail	Pass
CAIA I	Most likely will pass	Pass
CFP Module 6	Uncertain	Pass
CFP Module 3	Most likely will pass	Pass
CFP Module 5	Confirm pass	Pass
CFP Module 2	Confirm pass	Pass
CFP Module 1	Confirm pass	Pass
IOA CT1	Most likely will pass	Pass
CFA III	50-50	Pass
CFA III	Confirm fail	Fail
IOA CT3	Most likely will pass	Pass
CFA II	Most likely will pass	Pass
CFA I	50-50	Pass

So it appears that the recent paper was the biggest discrepancy. Previously it was only passing despite a 50-50 estimation. But honestly, if someone were to ask me about my passing estimation, I would refrain from saying that I would definitely pass. Why? Basic human nature - to manage expectations, to avoid sounding cocky, and to avoid embarrassment. It would certainly be embarrassing if I tell someone that I would definitely pass, and yet I end up failing. I would also sound arrogant and cocky. On the other hand, it is much easier for someone to tell everyone that they expect to fail, even though the paper is not difficult. (I don't do this, by the way.)

Which brings me to my next point - emotional hedging. In the finance world, hedging is an action meant to offset potential losses. In the process, potential gains are given up as well. For example, if you  were to invest in a US bond fund using SGD, you would be exposed to the performance of the underlying bonds, as well as whether the USD appreciates or depreciates relative to the SGD. If the USD appreciates, you gain. If the USD depreciates, you lose. By hedging away currency exposure, it means that you would be relatively unaffected whether the USD goes up or down. In the process, potential losses are offset (if USD depreciates) but potential gains are given up too (if USD appreciates).

Emotional hedging is when you consciously hedge against a negative outcome that is non-financial. I found myself doing it when I thought I would fail. How? By telling a friend that "if I pass, I would treat you to a good meal!". Treating someone, in this case, is a negative outcome, and I have paired it up with the good outcome of passing. And if I fail (negative outcome), I would not need to treat (positive outcome). Of course, this would not be a perfect hedge, as the cost of a simple meal is incomparable to the relief in passing the exam.

So I end up passing, and have to treat my friends to lunch. But who cares? I am more than happy to do so!

Covelli @ Orchard Central

It has been almost half a year since I last visited Covelli, so I decided to drop by again to make use of the 50% offer.

Baby Spinach Salad, $16

Sauteed tiger prawns in garlic-devon sauce, served on a bed of baby spinach. The tiger prawns were really fresh and crunchy, but I have one gripe - why so stingy with the baby spinach? I could count the number of leaves they used for this dish! Naming it 'Tiger prawns with baby spinach' would certainly be more apt. I wouldn't mind sacrificing one prawn for more leaves...

Quarantaotto, $32

I have conflicting feelings for this dish. My parents came before and said that their beef short ribs were unbelievably good, but when I ordered it, it was disappointing, being dry and a bit tough. I am glad I gave it another chance - today's was really fantastic. Their beef short ribs were supposedly braised for 24 hours, and what you get is an extremely tender short ribs that practically melted in your mouth. 

Kurobuta Pork Belly, $28

Definitely not a dish for the health conscious. For normal pork belly, it is quite easy to separate the fat away from the meat, but for this, it was almost impossible. Not that I am complaining, actually - their fat was delicious and chewy, and didn't taste like the 'oily' type of fats. According to the menu, the pork belly was spiced with chocolate, but I couldn't taste the chocolate at all. 

Past visits:
28th May 2012
2nd May 2012

Prego @ Fairmont Hotel

Prego changed their menu slightly, so this time I ordered a new main course, squid ink risotto.

Squid Ink Risotto, $34

I was a bit apprehensive before ordering this, because I was afraid it would turn out like the one I had at The Tastings Room. But this was much better; at least it wasn't too creamy and rich. The scallops were quite fresh and sweet too, so overall, it was okay. Still, I think I would stick to my saffron fusilli or carbonara next time...

Crispy Calamari, $26

My friend suggested ordering this. The picture doesn't capture it perfectly, but it is actually a rather huge dish (well, it costs $26 after all!). This was really good; the calamari were fried just nice and not too oily, and it was incredibly tender too. 

Past visits:
25th April 2012
30th March 2012

Ramen Santouka @ Central

Intended to visit Ramen Bar Suzuki today for lunch, but when we arrived at around 145pm, they said they had run out of soup! So my colleagues and I diverted our course to Ramen Santouka instead, which was located an additional seven minutes walk at Central.

Komi-Tamago, $1.50

My colleague insisted that all of us order one each, as it is supposedly the best she has ever tried. The picture says it all. Served on a separate plate instead of immersed in the ramen, it seemed to say that it is good enough to be a dish on its own. Which I agree.

Shoyu Ramen, $13.50

Their Shoyu Ramen definitely tasted different compared to other places - it had a very slight tinge of sweetness. The best word to describe it is balanced - it was neither rich nor light. Although I am a bigger fan of rich broth, I still found this bowl enjoyable.

Ramen Santouka definitely deserves more visits, and next time, I will try their Shio Ramen, which they are supposedly more well known for.

Spinach fettucine with mushrooms and baby spinach

Spinach fettuccine with mushrooms and baby spinach (serves 3)

A rather simple dish that is suitable for vegetarians too. Modified slightly from taste.com.au.

Spinach fettuccine with mushrooms and baby spinach

Ingredients:

240g of spinach fettuccine

150g of chopped button mushrooms

150g of chopped Swiss brown mushrooms

200ml of thickened light cream

0.25 cup of Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
0.20 cup of fresh basil leaves

75g of baby spinach

Parsley

Olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Boil the pasta in salted water for a length of time according to the instructions on the pasta packet. Keep around 0.20 cup of the cooking water.

2) Heat some olive oil on a frying pan over high heat. Add the button mushrooms and Swiss brown mushrooms in and fry for around 2 minutes.

3) Add the thickened light cream and continue to cook for around 2 minutes, or when the cream has reduced. 

4) Add in the basil leaves, grated cheese and spinach, and cook until the spinach has wilted. It should take around 2 minutes as well.

5) Add the pasta and cooking water in. Season with sea salt and pepper, then mix it well.

6) Garnish with parsley and serve.

One Piece Pirate Warriors

One Piece - Pirate Warriors, for the PS3

Being a fan of One Piece, I agreed to preorder the PS3 game One Piece Pirate Warriors when my friend asked me. (The game being released a week after my CAIA exam helped too.) And so, this marks my first ownership of a Dynasty Warrior style game. 

Gamespot gave it a rather scathing review, with a score of 4/10. To summarise, the reviewer liked the wild attack animations, but found the combat dull, storytelling dry, and too many actions handled via button prompts. It described the game as being shallow and a rip-off of the standard Dynasty Warriors template.

Despite the review, I actually found the game rather enjoyable. Perhaps it's because I haven't really been exposed to Dynasty Warriors, and to add on, I am also an arduous fan of One Piece. Graphics are bright and colourful, and the voice acting (Japanese voices with English subtitles - whew! I would be turned off if it was dubbed in English) was certainly a key contribution to the enjoyment, as they were extremely vibrant and filled with energy. The game also did a good job in bringing the player through the story, focusing on the most important extracts - though all these would make little sense if the player has not watched the anime or read the manga. The cut scenes were also entertaining - it felt as if I was watching a high quality anime! 

Gameplay-wise, the learning curve is very shallow - in just a few minutes, you can already play it reasonably well. Simply mashing the buttons will already yield considerable results, so sometimes it can be tempting to just stick to one move over and over again. Using each character's special power just requires your special move gauge to be charged (which is done when you defeat more enemies or get hit) and tapping one button. It is certainly very satisfying to unleash a special move and clear twenty or more enemies at one go.

Having said that, the camera can be rather frustrating. When fighting bosses, it is common for the boss to disappear out of sight due to the camera, and being struck by the boss out of nowhere is certainly not fun. The map could also be improved; many times I tried to run to my destination only to be blocked by a gate, which was not indicated clearly on the map. Objectives were also not marked clearly; for example, if the game's instructions were "prevent the messengers from reaching Territory J", the map does not tell you where the messengers are or which area is Territory J. Instead, the player needs to access the menu, scroll through some options before finding out. 

Normal enemies are easy - too easy, in fact. Their existence seemed rather sorry, as they seem to exist just to be pummelled by the Straw Hat Pirates. Bosses are different; some can be rather tough. But the main challenge of the game lies in preventing your allies from being defeated, because that would mean game over in some stages. In this aspect, it can be frustrating, because your allies can't heal, and the (stupid) AI would still direct them to charge head-first to a boss even if they only have a sliver of life left.

The number of playable characters was a pleasant surprise, and they are unlocked as you clear more stages using Luffy. Other than Luffy, you get to control Nami (who wears a ridiculously short skirt), Sanji, Zoro, Franky, Chopper (uber cute!), Brook (love the way he runs), Nico Robin, Usopp, and even Ace, Boa, Whitebeard, and Jinbe.

In conclusion, One Piece Pirate Warriors is worth playing, assuming you are familiar with the One Piece storyline and not too familiar with the mechanics of Dynasty Warriors. 

Saveur @ Purvis Street

Second visit to Saveur on a weekday dinner. Reached at around 615pm, and the place was still not full yet. I guess their expansion really helped to ease the crowd.

This time, my gf and I were there with two other friends, so we took the opportunity to try some different dishes.

Beef Bourguignon with Root Vegetables and Mixed Greens, $13.90

This didn't look too appetising, but it was better than expected. The beef was also surprisingly tender and laced with a bit of fat, so it tasted pretty good. It came with some baked potatoes (below), which was baked with milk, cheese, and garlic. Not bad as well.

Baked sliced potatoes

Chicken Roulade with Foie Gras Stuffing and Basmati Rice, $9.90

I found this dish to be rather uninteresting. There was absolutely no taste of foie gras, for one thing. The chicken also tasted very plain and average. Will definitely avoid this dish next time.

Barramundi with Crab Potato and French Beans, $13.90

The fish was pan fried until it was slightly crispy. Although I felt it lacked the subtle fresh and sweet taste of barramundi, it was still satisfactory. The accompanying crab potato was really good though.

Having visited Saveur twice, I am already planning what to order for our next visit. Assuming a meal for two pax, it would probably be two foie gras (one apple, one lentils), angel hair pasta with minced pork and sakura ebi, duck confit, and perhaps one of their premium items - either the beef tenderloin or the monk fish.

Past visit:

27th July 2012