NEXT DESTINATION UNKNOWN

LOOKOUT FOR NEXT LOCATION

Thursday, April 28, 2011

WORK IN PROGRESS

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE HANDED AN EMPTY SPACE N ASKED TO FIT IN A KITCHEN IN THERE?

FIRST DRAFT



SECOND DRAFT

THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS
THERE R A COUPLE OF GUIDELINES THAT YOU HAVE TO ADHERE TO FOR THE NEA LICENSING THOUGH
WISH ME LUCK GUYS!

OH BY THE WAY..THE MEETING THAT I HAD WITH THE POTENTIAL PARTNERS WENT PRETTY WELL I THINK. GONNA COOK FOR THE GUYS NEXT WEEK N DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY LIKE THE FOOD...THEN I'LL GET THEIR SUPPORT. ONE DOOR CLOSES. ANOTHER OPENS. DON'T LOSE THE FAITH.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

WHATS NEXT??

I'VE RECEIVED A COUPLE OF CALLS FROM GUESTS/FRIENDS SINCE I LEFT BUSSORAH. MOST OF WHICH WERE ASKING WHERE I WAS COOKING NOW.  MOST OF THEM SOUNDED CONCERN. I'M WORKING ON A COUPLE OF ARRANGEMENTS N HOPEFULLY THINGS WILL START TO MATERIALIZE PRETTY SOON.
GOT AN IMPORTANT MEETING TODAY, THIS AFTERNOON.  SOMEONE HAS GIVEN ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO COOK IN A VERY NICE SPACE IN A VERY CENTRALIZED LOCATION. VERY EXCITED N OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THIS NEW ARRANGEMENT.  I HOPE THE MEETING TODAY WILL BE A FRUITFUL ONE FOR BOTH PARTIES.
PLEASE STAY TUNED N LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING SOME OF YOU IN THE NEW LOCATION.

DON'T ASK ME WHAT THE WHITE HORSE HAS GOT TO DO WITH FOOD. MET AN DEAR OLD FRIEND FROM LONDON AT TAKASHIMAYA YESTERDAY N THIS WAS IN THE WINDOW DISPLAY, I DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO WHICH STORE IT BELONGED TO. I'VE ALWAYS WANTED A PAIR OF ANGEL WINGS ON MY BACK N IN FACT MARC PINTO OF PRIMITIVE TATTOO IS A DEAR FRIEND OF MINE...WE HUNG OUT TOGETHER WHEN WE WAS KIDS N WHEN I WAS STUDYING IN SAN FRANCISCO, HE CAME N BUNKED IN WITH ME WHILE STUDYING BRANDING - SKIN BRANDING MIND YOU, UNDER FAKIR - THE FAMED BODY PIERCING GURU.
I HAVEN HAD THE TIME TO LOOK INTO ANGEL WINGS BUT I'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I LIKE WHEN I SEE ONE. NO, I'M NOT A DAVID BECKHAM FAN. I SAW THIS DUDE IN FRISCO WHO HAD THESE WINGS ON HIS FULL BACK FROM SHOULDER TO HIS HIPS N HE LOOKED LIKE HE COULD GET A LIFT OFF TO THE MOON.
MAYBE, 2012 I'LL GIVE MY FREN MARC A CALL.

FINGERS CROSSED FOR THE MEETING TODAY.


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

pictures

its spring cleaning here at the house. expecting visitors (cousins) from hk on thursdays and clearing up all the junk n re-organizing my clutter to get ready for their arrival.. very excited as well. having been away in the states since i left national service n haven returned once, i've not seen my cousins in 20 years. these were the guys that i grew up with watching monkey god on tele, listening to horror stories on the radio, n playing jim rummy n five stones n zero point....n catching fighting spiders.....
my cousins who lived in bendemeer road where we all grew up, that my moms side n my dad's side at geylang kampong, married someone from hong kong n he owns a chinese restaurant in san diego california.  so the very guys that i grew up with r now running a restaurant on the other side of the globe.... so much to catch up on as well as....tell them all about my cooking adventures.....think we should still be conversing in cantonese.
hopfully i can sell them my idea n move back to california!!!!!
my knives all bought from japan on two separate trips n some from friends
you choose the knife that suits u. the person at the retail end then hands the knife over to the master n he sharpens your knife there n then. then ask if you wud like to engrave your initials on the blade. pretty awesome. its pretty awesome from the beginning when u walk into a knife maker....its a sight of beauty n perfection. 
when i was working with chef david mollicone...he was at that time using a misono...that got everyone in the kitchen hook on misono with the air pockets n they do work really well when you're slicing a 200g piece of sirloin or ribeye from a 6kg slab of meat. it just glides thru it like a hot knife thru butter.
i think this says : infinite possibilities
ha ha . i'm sure many of you r familiar with ferran's texturas
nothing to do with cooking whatsoever.
found a picture of my first car.
1300cc volks beetle.
toidy if you're reading this....remember the times where we snug out late at night n test drove the car....we wud move the car out of its space n replaced it with a big ass trash can so that we cud come back a couple hours later n park it in its same spot. of course....the last time we took the car out....dad n his belt was waiting for our return....gerald wud bail on me thru the escape door on the driver's side before we reached dad. whoop de doop.. ouch!!!! dad!!!! the neighbors r asleep!!!
oh...there's a horror story to be told about this car.
two toned grey.
remember the curry murder case way back then.
yep...thats the car that house the chopped up body parts before the murderers distributed the curry all over singapore.
my dad worked at mcdonald house at bozell. every morning he'd park his car at the church...the care-taker of the church wud wash his car for him w/o his asking. so i think it was coming christmas n dad let him have the car for the holidays. so christmas passed n as usual the car was returned spotless. few days later, the police came knocking n dad was arrested for murder!!!! little did they know the real people behind the chopped up body was the care-taker who had been given the car by my dad.  i'm not quite sure about the details of the case but I remember dad saying that the guy who was chopped up was a wife beater n that he'd gone on a rampage on his wife that christmas night...the brothers of the battered woman couldn't tolerate his abuse anymore n beat the shit out of him n accidentally went a little too far n killed the dude. to get rid of the evidence...they chopped him to pieces n cooked him in curry...
prata anyone????? 
shit man...taste before you swollow. 
the body was supposedly stuffed in the trunk of the beetle. we sold it. n 1277 came out tops in 4d
think we made 10 grand. 
so good samaritans do get rewarded!!
so go on...this easter is a good time to do good!! lend your rides out!!
hey!! did a catering for mr peter tan last wednesday.
four course meal.
not bad for a days work
lamb rack|red spinach| preserved lemon| smoked aubergine| parsley soil| raita| 
job well done 
thanks guys for helping
mama u r d best
tris at work

boys got potential
band of brothers
hey chef andre!! is this how u erected your olive tree??
btw..congrats on your restaurant making it to top 100 list
i'm sure you're a little disappointed that iggys is at 26
i feel ya man
all respects to all working chefs out there.
was talking to a fren on the phone the other day.
then came to a conversation about my work n my blog
fren says: well at least you got a clear direction of where you're headed
me says: well, yes....but its really not that clear..i'm still struggling with finding my own identity n style of cuisine
me says: i mean u go to most restaurants n you see the same things on the menu...i'm trying to not be the same
bussorah was not the entity for me plus a host of other things that made it fail
fren says: so u feel like u need to challenge them? other chefs?
me says: huh? every long standing restaurant has their own unique selling point. any chef that has toiled for 10 -15 yrs deserves credit n respect...did i make it seem like i was wanting to challenge them? i certainly hope that u didnt get that vibe from reading my blog.
i says: i played competitive tennis n snooker when i was young but cooking ..nah....cooking is like golf....you set the course n visualize your trajectory...n you try to be as perfect as you can n execute the plan
cooking is exactly like that....you visualize a dish....u receive the product...at that point u're either half way to an eagle or three quarters to bogey. most of the time you r just playing with the course n the course with you....cooking is like that too. 
so no...i'm just doing my thing trying to find my way around....no challenges...definitely not.....in fact i dont even think i'm a contender if there was a tournament..
i says to fren: yo man...i'm really not that agro:-)

Saturday, April 16, 2011

ah teng's kopi tiam

Found these chocolates that used to be my favorite when I was a kid growing up with grandma n grandpa at bendemeer road.

Monday, April 4, 2011

we r closed

sorry to inform everyone that we have stopped serving dinners at bussorah.  lets just say that sharing a space is not as simple as poaching eggs. especially when you are more occupied minding other people's business than ur own.  We are gonna step back, re-assess, reflect, rejuvinate, and re-launch.
Thank you to those who constantly came to support us.  Thank you for your patience in waiting for your food n thank you for your encouragements.
To the nay sayers..... I will persist on and I've gotten even wiser n stronger if you believe ...
Any opportunites in food related businesses pls do not hesitate to contact me at my email.
Till next time........Bon Apetit!!!!

oh no, not again...sigh.....no I didn't take ur raspberries n yes I found your cellphone n your money, you left it on the cabinet, as usual.

hmmmmm is the exhaust ever gonna come??? its been five years...
no I didnt use ur blueberries...and u want to open a restaurant with him??? r u serious? wat blueberries?? that the name u have in mind for the restaurant?
can u at least try doing something yourself?? n I havent had a pay raise in two years!! How bout a 
50 cent increment...would u think thats fair? I should have joined the labor union

stop asking him to do your menus!!!!! he doesnt sleep with me anymore!!!
you r so cheap...hire a cook...cus I know the waitresses doesnt like cooking




Saturday, April 2, 2011

brunch menu

The Baby Sitter is damn late again!!!!! Drives me mad crazy!!! Folks..looks like its gonna be a 12pm opening. Menu as follows.  Closing late tonight. Dinner will be served.

APPETISER


FOIE GRAS
PAN FRIED FOIE GRAS| FRESH PEAR
PICKLED RED ONIONS| CRISPY MILLET
25.00

BUFFALO MOZZARELLA
MOZZARELLA| ANCHOVY CREAM| MILK SKIN| CRISPY ANDIVE| XERES| MORTADELLA
18.00

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM
PANFRIED PORTOBELLO| SMOKING ROSEMARY| CELERIAC REMOULADE| CRISPY SALAMI| CAULIFLOWER RAW
16.00

BEEF CARPACCIO
CARPACCIO BEEF TENDERLOIN| CRISPY WHITEBAIT| GARLIC CREAM ESPUMA| WASABI MAYONNAISE| BUTTERED CROUTONS| ROCKET
16.00

3 BEAN SOUP
GARBAZO| LENTIL| WHITEBEAN| MILD SPICY| CHILLI| FRESH BASIL| LEMON GRASS| GINGER
10.00

 MAINS

AGLIO OLIO
TAGLIATELLE EGG PASTA| ANCHOVIES| PARMESAN CHEESE| CHARLESTON PEPPERS| CHILLI FLAKES| CLAMS OFF THE SHELL
18.00

TORTELLINI
VEAL N SPINACH TORTELLINI| GORGONZOLA| SMOKED CREAM SAUCE| GRATED HORSERADISH| ALMONDS
18.00

KUROBUTA PORK CHOP
PORK CHOP COOKED ON THE BONE| GRANNY SMITH| RED SPINACH| CRISPY PORK BELLY
25.00

BEEF SHORTRIB
ANGUS BEEF BRAISED SHORTRIB| BELLY OF SALMON| CELERIAC REMOULADE| GRATED FRESH HORSERADISH
25.00

SMELT FISH
PANFRIED SMELT| INGREDIENTS OF BOUILLABAISE “DRY”|
18.008

WHITE ONION N OTHER WHITE VEG
WHITE ONION GRATINATED WITH PRESERVED LEMON|
BRAISED FENNEL| WHITE CARROT| PICKLED DAIKON| HIRATAKE MUSHROOMS| GOAT CHEESE| YUZU KUSHU
20.00

DESSERTS

PANNA COTTA
MILK PANNA COTTA| WATER CHESTNUT CARPACCIO| CRISPY SKIN OF ROULADE| GRATED ALMONDS
12.00
Brunch menu

EGGS N SALMON
PAN FRIED BELLY OF SALMON| POACHED EGGS| AVOCADO| HOLLANDAISE
15.00

EGGS N PORTOBELLO
EGGS ANY STYLE| BRAISED PORTOBELLO| CRISPY WHITE BAIT
15.00

CROQUE MADAME
THIN SLICE MORTADELLA| MORNAY| FRIED EGG| HANDCUT FRIES
12.00

FOIE GRAS N EGGS
PAN FRIED CRISPY FOIE GRAS| SCRAMBLED EGGS
20.00

THREE BEAN SOUP
GARBANZO| LENTIL| WHITEBEAN| FRESH BASIL| LEMON GRASS| GINGER
7.00

PANCAKES
FLUFFLY PANCAKES| PEACH| HONEY| FRESH CREAM| NUTS
12.00

FRENCH TOAST
APRICOT BRIOCHE| CRÈME ANGLAISE| CARAMELIZED ORANGE
12.00

YOGURT
ORGANIC YOGURT| HONEY| FRESH PEACH| NUTS| PUFFED MILLET| FRESH BASIL
8.00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM

RECEIVED THIS IN THE MAIL AFTER I POSTED THE LAST ENTRY. MY DAD'S RENDITION OF MOM. BRILLIANT. DONE COMPLETELY ON HIS MAC'S PHOTOSHOP. MOST AMAZING IS HE TAUGHT HIMSELF PHOTOSHOP. TO DO THIS ON PAPER WITH INK IS EASY FOR AN ARTIST I THINK. BUT TO BEGIN DRAWING WITH YOUR HAND N THEN HAVING TO ADJUST TO MODERN TECHNOLOGY.....WOW DAD!! PROUD OF YOU!!!!!
Hmmmmmmm.....what about photographers??? I know photography as a profession requires heavy artillary.....what happens to all that equipment when the digital age came about????  My heartfelt sympathy to those fellas.
look at the shading n the eyes
I remember clearly what Dad said to me in secondary school when I was in arts class.  he said when you draw....look at the object n just visualize the lines that make up the object cus what u r intending to do is draw multiple lines 

WE ARE CLOSE AGAIN

IAMARTISAN WILL BE CLOSE TONIGHT TO CELEBRATE MOMMY'S  BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! 
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!
OH SHIT!! WRONG MOM..THATS MOMMY PUMPKINS

THAT MY MOMMY 
A BIRD FLEW INTO THE HOUSE N MOMMY CAUGHT IT WITH HER BARE HANDS
MOM TRYING TO INTRODUCE OUR BIRDIE FREN TO TRISTAN
FLY AWAY LITTLE BIRD, FLY AWAY..



THATS MY MOM LIKE A LITTLE GIRL PLAYING ....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY FROM ALL OF US AT IAMARTISAN

WE R OPEN FOR BRUNCH TOMORROW
SEE YOU ALL!!!!!
PANCAKES!!