Adventures In Borneo: The Island

Posted on Thursday. May 21, 2009 | Leave a comment

DSCN2753Manukan Island

The boat pulled next to the jetty at Sutera Resort on Manukan Island and we were greeted by the usual welcome committee. But there was a difference, instead of necklaces of flowers or welcome cocktails, they came bearing pieces of stale bread. And it was the most fun gift I’ve been given at a resort! They were for the hundreds of colorful reef fish gathered below us and I incited a feeding frenzy by throwing the bread into the water.

DSCN2751So many fishy-s

The welcome cocktail was waiting for us at our bungalow. They really think of everything. The cool drink gave a nice reprieve to the heat. I grabbed a quick bite because I was anxious to get diving and wanted time to square away all the gear. But I was told to just go to the jetty, all the gear would be on the boat and I could suit up in transit to the dive sites. Everything was already taken care of, I was assured.

DSCN2754Real al-fresco dining

DSCN2757It’s Marilyn! Lauren’s cat from Brooklyn!

DSCN2758Talk about an open kitchen

DSCN2759Satay

DSCN2765Cat: Bite me

DSCN2760Me: You like me now doncha?

DSCN2773A guide getting ready to go into the blue (or turquoise?)

DSCN2774Me: So any sharks? Guide: Nope the coast is clear.

DSCN2780Navigating with a Mark I eyeball

DSCN2781Watching the setting sun while I off gas (= bleeding off nitrogen, not farting.)

DSCN2789The main dining area

DSCN2791Is that for us?

I rolled off the the side of dive boat for the third time today and splashed into the water. I deflated my vest and started to slowly sink, it felt as though the sea was swallowing me. I used to not like night dives as I fear that a shark would sneak up on me and bite me in the ass. Well there was a glimpse of a shark patrolling the reef wall that slopes into the abyss, but he was shy and soon disappeared.

RSCN2911Night Dive

The darkness restricted my vision to the cone of light coming out from my flashlight, the only sound I could hear was my breathing and the rhythmic slow cadence of air purging from my regulator. The sensory deprivation made the dive so peaceful. The only other diver was my guide so it wasn’t a technicolor circus of flashlights and chem sticks. I snuck up upon a slumbering giant turtle and hovered an inch above it. I had to control my breathing, I was so close that if I exhaled too much I would land on the turtle. I was debating to “ride” the turtle by grabbing the sides of its massive shell and letting it pull me along as it woke up and swam. But ecological etiquette finally won out in the end and I decided not to molest it. The denizens of the reef were in a state of transition. The day swimmers were getting ready to bed and the night inhabitants were just shaking off the last vestiges of sleep before going out to look for food.

It was a magical moment.

I came back from the dive hungry and was pleasantly surprised that the resort staff had erected a private dining pavilion for us, complete with our own chef to barbecue for us. Read about that meal here.

DSCN2810The food

DSCN2817Tablescape

DSCN2813The ‘rents

DSCN2836Yay more Langsat!

We came back to the bungalow and to our surprise, a basket of fruit was on the table. I don’t know if the staff at Sutera Manukan Island are indicative of Malaysian people in general, but they really impressed me with their hospitality and attention to the little touches that make a stay so memorable. They were genuinely warm and it was such a contradiction to the tension their government has with Singapore

But I didn’t dwell on that. I slept as soon as my head hit the pillow, exhausted from a full day of diving.

DSCN2851I love how they use charcoal as warmers

DSCN2856Making Roti Prata

DSCN2864Charcoal, like bacon, makes everything taste better

In the morning we had a leisurely breakfast. It was peaceful, there weren’t too many guests who stayed on the island overnight. Most of them are day-trippers. The food was average, but I loved how they used charcoal for everything, especially toasting bread, which picked up the flavor nuances. Even though I place a heavy emphasis on food, I didn’t really care in this case. I had a great time because of the dives and the hospitable resort staff. I rarely go to Malaysia, but after this I think I have to come back.

07.10.08 Sabah 0044Paradise

DSCN2869I don’t want to leave

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Adventures in Borneo: The Mountain

Posted on Wednesday. May 20, 2009 | Leave a comment

DSCN2500Where heaven and earth meet.

It might seem that I pine about leaving New York. I’d always thought it would be my home. Perhaps I don’t express it as often, but there are some things that make it a joy to be back in Asia. Sure there isn’t Per Se or Le Bernardin, but walk down almost any street in Asia and there will probably be something good to eat.

DSCN2519Market at Ranau

On our way to Mount Kinabalu, my family and I stopped by the town of Ranau for gas and lunch. As we were driving around town looking for the gas station, I saw a collection of tents with multiple plumes of smoke rising. I’d seen that familiar configuration before in Brunei and knew I’d find some good food there.

DSCN2521Charcoal Grill = Yum Yum in my belly

My parents settled for KFC, fearing the lack of hygiene standards at the open-air food stalls. I was a little more adventurous and was rewarded with a Ramly Burger, multiple sticks of charcoal grilled chicken butts and a huge skate wing rubbed with a spice blend that is as varied as it is ubiquitous in grilled food at these markets. I wash it all down with a gorgeous drink of evaporated milk, rose and strawberry syrup, unmixed so that the white and red swirled around like drifting wisps of smoke. There were countless other snacks and desserts that went into my belly as I walked about the buffet of delicious food.

DSCN2520Square savory egg crepes?

I’m amazed by the abundance and diversity of food in Asia. I took it for granted when I was growing up here, but I’ve realized that I’ve never seen such a lush profusion of food anywhere else in the world. I wonder if there is a sort of Wallace Line in our culinary geography.

DSCN2522Colorful Drinks! Wish I could try them all

DSCN2524More Drinks

DSCN2526I wonder if they knew about specific gravity before making this.

DSCN2525So many choices

DSCN2527My choice eventually

DSCN2529My chicken butts and skate wing

DSCN2530Delicious little rice flour “cakes” flavored with Pandan and i think baked then fried. So good.

DSCN2567Cross section, see how fluffy it is.

DSCN2534More markets on the road to Mount Kinabalu

DSCN2543Jackfruits

DSCN2550Honey and royal jelly

DSCN2554A Kadazan fruit vendor

DSCN2556Rambutans

DSCN2591Its like a mini waterfall

Speaking of the Wallace Line, I’ve realized too, just how much I missed nature and the biodiversity in Asia. The only greenery I saw in New York was on my weekend trips to Prospect Park for soccer and rugby, which is actually more brown in the dead of winter. So stepping into the jungle again was such a heady experience, like tasting the first truffles of the year.

I didn’t want to leave but now I’m looking forward to being back.

DSCN2602Lush

DSCN2631Like Ted Nugent, I like dressing in camo. 

DSCN2646Moss

DSCN2647Yum! Mushrooms!

DSCN2657Looks inviting but its probably full of leeches.

DSCN2667A large female Trilobite Beetle feasting on cellulose matter of a tree. 

The common name of the Duliticola paradoxa is derived from the strange shape of its larvae which resembles that of the extinct, ancient trilobites. Interestingly, females remain in their larval form and do not undergo a complete metamorphosis when they reach maturity. (Whoa was that a burst of scientific geekness or what!?! Who knew!)

DSCN2668Reminds me of a lobster tail

DSCN2678Langsat, one of my favorite fruits.

DSCN2695Cicada?

DSCN2685A leech, thank god for gutters, socks and boots. They never made it on my skin.

DSCN2714Getting a leech off me

DSCN2717Leeches that I found by my boots where I had my pants bloused in. I hate leeches.

DSCN2720Mount Kinabalu at around 4000m, is the highest point in South East Asia.

DSCN2739Green Bumpy Logans? Had a floral taste and scent, almost like jasmine. Sweeter than the normal logan too.

DSCN2730Mangosteen

DSCN2740More Mangosteen

DSCN2747The vividly pink pendulous inflorescences of the Medinilla speciosa coated with little gems of water after a rain.

Not to be a killjoy but I think that it’s important for me to say this. When we were in Ranau, we stumbled upon a little known World War II memorial for British and Australian soldiers that died as prisoners of war though the brutal treatment by their Japanese captors. I was appalled that of the 2,400 Allied POWs, only six survived captivity and the marches from Sandakan to Ranau, a distance of about 260 kilometers through marshland and dense jungle.

These men were captured while defending Singapore. As a Singaporean I’m grateful. I couldn’t imagine going though the hell that they did, not even for their home but someone else’s, mine. As a soldier too, the least I could do was to make sure that their story is never forgotten.

Read more about what happened here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandakan_Death_Marches

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The Importance of Service

Posted on Wednesday. May 6, 2009 | 2 Comments

dscn2426Port View Seafood Village

I don’t really care about service. Food is the focus. I will tolerate slow service, put up with inexperienced or worse, incompetent servers if the food is good. I will endure rude or gruff waiters a la Peter Luger’s or like those in your local diner or favorite busy hawker. However looking back at my meal at Thomas Keller’s Per Se I realized that the service was so expert, subtle, warm and comforting that it elevated a superb meal to one that was sublime.

Two meals during my Brunei stay made me reevaluate my preconceived notions of the service-food relationship. They happened within days of each other as my parents and I embarked on a road trip across Borneo from Brunei to Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia.

The first meal was at Port View Seafood Village in Kota Kinabalu. We picked it because it was the closest to our hotel. All we were willing to do was walk no further than across the road after a whole day of traveling.

And in terms of food, I have to admit it was excellent. Every morsel of food was full of fresh flavor and expertly cooked. Sweet scallops were quickly stir-fried to showcase their pristine condition. There was a tender crunch to the huge prawns bursting with flavor. Plump oysters had a veneer of gratin-ed cheese, while the oysters itself was still delectably moist and slippery soft. Soft-shelled crabs were fried crisp yet lusciously juicy inside.

dscn2435Pristine Scallops

dscn2436Closeup

dscn2440Prawns

dscn2448It’s as big as my hand

dscn2456Oysters

dscn2459Fried soft shell crab

The problem was that while the prices of the seafood was very clearly spelled out, the amount you get when you order isn’t. The way the restaurant handled the situation when addressed also wasn’t very kosher. They weren’t cheating but they weren’t ethical. It definitely ruined the mood for dinner, as my mom was pretty upset for being taken for a ride, in fact I don’t think I’ve seen her so upset since I was a kid (and I don’t know anyone as calm as her.)

dscn27871The “Restaurant” at Sutera Resort Manukan Island

Three days later we returned to Kota Kinabalu from Mount Kinabalu. A short boat ride later, we docked at the Sutera Resort jetty on Manukan Island. The clear turquoise water of the South China Sea was too tempting to resist and an hour after stepping on the island I had checked-in, drank my welcome cocktail, gotten a quick bite and was out on a boat again, coasting through Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park to the dive sites. Wanting to cram as many dives in, I added a night dive.

The night dive unfortunately delayed dinner. 

dscn2795Going for my night dive

I was ravenously hungry, which happens every time after I dive, as I walked on the stone path to meet my parents for dinner. And I was pleasantly surprised to see them sitting in a private tent that the resort had set up for us on the beach, illuminated by hurricane lamps with a view of the sea and the soundtrack of lapping waves playing on repeat. We even had our own chef to barbeque our meal. Unfortunately the staff wasn’t told of my night dive and had prepared the food so that it would be ready for us when we came. But we came an hour and a half later than expected, causing the cooked food to sit on a charcoal warmer for the duration of time.

dscn2791Setting up

I still wolfed down the squid, fish and prawns. After looking at fish the whole day I was really craving seafood. The meal as a whole was actually immensely enjoyable. We felt so pampered by the resort staff. I had actually seen them setting up the tent while waiting for the residual nitrogen to bleed off from my body after the day dives, and I was wondering what that was for and it seemed to be a lot of effort. There was an intricate “tablescape” that was an exotic and beautiful garnish to the backdrop of the “restaurant.” Yes the food was overcooked (at least for the first platter, when we got seconds cooked to order it was delicious,) but the level of attention and effort we got from the resort staff more than made up for it. The genuine warm hospitality, which is so rare, made the meal so memorable.

dscn2817Check that tablescape out Sandra Lee!

I don’t go to a restaurant for the service or ambience, but I think I’d return in a heartbeat to Sutera Manukan Island. Would I go back to Port View View Seafood Village? I’m tempted to state an outright no. But the food was really good that it trumped the shady service.

dscn2810BBQ Seafood, Satay and Lamb.

I realize that I haven’t come to a definitive rubric on service. My two examples seem to contradict each other. If anything, my two meals have made me more aware of the role service plays.

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Brunei Bites: Treasures Within

Posted on Wednesday. March 11, 2009 | 2 Comments

dscn40241Bought various cakes from the night market to see that was inside their leaf enclosures. 

dscn40281Close up

dscn4035It’s like a boat

dscn4038I didn’t like this one. I think it was made with beans. 

dscn4041?

dscn40441??

dscn4046Aargh! It’s the face-hugger egg from Aliens! But this one was filled with coconut

dscn4047Hmmm?

dscn4054Spicy. glutinous rice and shrimp paste. It sounds gross but it was really good.

Read about where these cakes came from here: Gadong Night Market 

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Brunei Bites: Gadong Night Market

Posted on Tuesday. March 10, 2009 | 5 Comments

dscn39641 A row of vendors at Gadong Night Market

Asia. I’ve been back long enough that I’ve forgotten just how exotic it is. The everyday exotic food that is so abundant and diverse has turned into just the everyday now. When I arrived back in Asia, to Singapore, by way of a sojourn in Brunei over a year ago, I was so taken with those first few heady bites that were at once familiar and foreign. 

dscn39673Delish BBQ, notice the chicken “tail” at the top left hand corner

Now that I’m writing this, I’m reminded of the bountiful gastronomic treasures right at my doorstep in Singapore and in my regional backyard. One of the highlights of my Brunei trip was Gadong Night Market. As I got out of the car, far from the market, I could smell the fragrance of deliciousness before I saw the smoke rising from the numerous miniature pyres of charcoal, pristine fish and fresh meat. 

dscn2311Chicken Butt

The market is huge, about the size of a football field and it’s divided into two sections. One sells vegetables and fruit, the other houses rows and rows of food vendors. There are whole skate wings and fish cooking on banana leaves. Lamb chops, beef steaks marinated in special sauces, and chicken thighs rubbed in spice mixtures sizzle from the heat of glowing embers of charcoal, the smoke perfuming the meat. There are drink stalls with drinks in every hue of the rainbow. There are parcels of food wrapped with leaves, hiding their treasure within. Cakes, noodles, desserts and a cornucopia of other dishes, it is gastronomic overload for me as I wander down the rows of stalls, coins clinking in my pockets, munching on something as I eye my next morsel with my brain and stomach debating on how much more I can ingest. 

dscn39801I heart anything cooked over charcoal

I have never seen such diversity of food in Asia, compared to anywhere else in the world. It really is quite staggering and I want to taste it all. But the dish I find myself coming back to on every visit to the night market, and in fact eating multiple times on a single trip is the chicken “tail.” Tail being a polite term for the butt of the chicken (not to be confused with the asshole.) It comprises mostly of fat and skin with a little meat and, if you are lucky, bits of crunchy cartilage. The butts are skewered on a stick; sometimes they are rubbed with a special reddish orange spice blend, and roasted over an open charcoal fire. It is essentially a delicious and addictive roasted chicken marshmallow. And it is culinary crack. 

dscn39771Fish!

dscn3987Before open kitchens became trendy in restaurants they were doing it here

dscn2294Coconut rice in leaves

dscn3969Skate wings grilled with sambal, fish cooking.

dscn3979So many drinks!

dscn3978Food Food Food!

dscn3982Cockles

dscn3983Skate browning

dscn3998BBQ Corner!

dscn3993BBQ meat and bones, makes me want to get medieval.

dscn2307Colorful Cakes

dscn3999Looks wonderful

dscn4017My favorite fruit, durian and champedak, fried. It just got so much better.

dscn4000Using a fighter jet engine for a stove. It has two settings: high and afterburner.

dscn2318I have absolutely no idea what all this colorful stuff is.

dscn3975Leaves hide hidden treasure.

dscn3992MOAR colorful cakes

dscn4001Colorful people

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The Importance of a Dining Companion

Posted on Saturday. February 14, 2009 | Leave a comment

dscn8269

In the months leading up to my departure from perhaps the best dining out city in the world, I went on a restaurant binge, hitting up all the restaurants I’d read about and always wanted to go. I was extremely sad to leave but in those last few precious months, I was the happiest I could ever be. I was eating at the finest New York had to offer and spending quality time with my closest friends. I savored the food and company, knowing that I would not have the same opportunity for a prolonged period of time. 

It was during this time that I realized the importance of a dining companion. I was at Wylie Dufresne’s WD-50 with a friend. Now I have nothing but the deepest respect for her, but she just did not get Chef Dufresne’s molecular gastronomy inflected techniques. She didn’t understand the thought that went into the food.

I realized that whom you eat with affects what you think of the food. Your dining partner reinforces or challenges your perception of the dining experience. I thought it was excellent, she thought it was decent to good. My overall perception of the restaurant was an approximate average of our combined experience.

The best dining companion I ever had, by far, is my best friend from college. Our affair started out in Syracuse, where on the weekends we would check out different restaurants or revisit our favorite ones.  And Syracuse for such a small town had really good places to eat. When I moved to New York City, she would visit and we would explore the vibrant dining scene.

So what makes a good dining companion? Well I think a love for food is the first requisite. Now you might think that it’s obvious. But I’m not just talking about liking to eat, because who doesn’t like to eat. But really understanding the food, where it comes from, the concept and techniques.

She is as adventurous as I am. She’s always willing to try new food. We were at Wesley Genovart’s charming and intimate restaurant, Degustation, where we had sweetbreads for the first time. We couldn’t stop talking about that dish and the rest of the dinner for the whole night. There is just something magical when you discover something new together.

But most important of all I think that we have similar taste.  Now I say similar, as opposed to same, because if we had identical tastes, we’d be forever doomed to ordering the same stuff. Variety as she likes to say is the spice of life. We like the same general food but order different things so we both eat things that we wouldn’t have normally. It expands our comfort zone with food in a very manageable way, but similar enough that eating together is always a joy and not a compromise. It’s that beautiful chemistry that makes the two of us click.

This post is dedicated to the best dining companion I could ever ask for.

I miss you.

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Birth of a Blog

Posted on Friday. January 23, 2009 | 2 Comments

dscn2033Empire Resort

There isn’t any food porn in this entry. Sorry. But I’d like to show you where this blog was conceived. In my last few months Stateside, I’d been photographing, cataloging my memorable last meals. These were mementos, postcards from my culinary tour of the city that I thought would be my home. 

dscn2019A small part of the lagoon. It’s (Billy Fuccillo) HUGE!

And while back in Asia, in the first week of my trip to Brunei, with my brother and his family here, my parents took us to spend a few days at Empire Resort. For someone who had been living in Brooklyn, Empire seemed really over the top. As the crown jewel of the small sultanate (population approximately 380,000) everything is done on a lavish grand scale. Yet there isn’t really much to do. I took a wakeboarding lesson (it’s hard!) Swam around the huge “pool” well it’s more like a manmade freshwater lagoon (awesome!) But that’s all I really did. You can’t drink in Brunei so there was no partying at night, and that’s when this blog was created. 

dscn2024A really beautiful place to unwind and get lost in your thoughts.

dscn2042The main atrium at the resort.

dscn2035This restaurant is the best place to be on a friday night in Brunei for the weekly BBQ buffet.

While I’d been toying with the idea of a blog, those few uneventful nights spent in my luxurious room proved to be optimal conditions to put my thoughts to pen and paper. I wrote down the recipe for my blog. I started to write the stories I wanted to tell, thought of the different segments (which you’ll start to see once we get into the Singapore stories,) and decided the angle and what I wanted out of my blog.

Soon I had scrawled on numerous pages of my legal pad and the story of my journey was starting to develop. 

dscn2022The sun sets on MOAR lagoon.

dscn3759Colors, I have to say my little Nikon takes pretty good night shots. 

dscn3748Walking around as night falls.

dscn37731I thought the resort was going to be empty (like Jerudong Theme Park) but it wasn’t.

dscn3781I swam to that small island and hid behind it’s waterfall (now switched off.)

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