Archive for August, 2010
Haozhan in London: Modern Chinese with Flair
Sunday, August 29th, 2010Haozhan was not open when I first went looking for the greatest Chinese restaurants in the world. Here is a pdf copy of its menu. And a sampling of the dishes we orderd.
Portuguese egg tart, the predecessor of the Cantonese 蛋撻?
Thursday, August 26th, 2010I was in Penang, Malaysia when I saw the Portugese egg tart, also known as pastel de nata, at a local dessert chain called Maxim’s. These are theorized to be an inspiration for the Cantonese egg tart, called dan ta (蛋撻), as they got to Hong Kong via Macau, a Portugese colony when the Portugese […]
A Peek at the Menu at the New Majestic Restaurant in Singapore
Friday, August 20th, 2010I paid another visit to The New Majestic, one of the restaurants I visited in my quest for the greatest Chinese restaurant in the world. We went there with Don and Laura, freshly married folks. When I visited in 2006, it had just opened. It continues. Lots of high-end ingredients (shark fin, abalone etc.) and […]
Chinese Restaurants circa 1100 AD in the Khmer empire?
Monday, August 16th, 2010Chinese restaurants have a long history. And perhaps one of the earliest recorded instances are found on the walls of the Bayon Temple within the Angor Thom complex in Cambodia (It’s one of the complexes within the Angor Wat area). Bayon was built in the late 1100s or early 1200s century as the official state temple […]
Is there a connection between the Dutch and the Japanese fortune cookies?
Sunday, August 15th, 2010I went to the National Museum of Singapore, and spotted these Dutch “pancake grills” that carry an incredibly strong resemblance to the Japanese kata that were used to make the original fortune cookies. It made me wonder if there was a Dutch influence to the original fortune cookies. The cookies made here seemed to be […]
Fried Rice Paradise, Coming to a Theatre Near You
Saturday, August 14th, 2010Was in Singapore subway station when saw a poster for “Fried Rice Paradise,” a musical. Really. As the website blurbs itself: Fried Rice Paradise is set invibrant Jalan Calamansi inhabited by colourful characters. There is Bee Lean whose father owns a coffeeshop selling fishball noodles. Together with her friends Girly Danker and Johan, she has […]
Egg Foo Young Really Does Exist. As Egg Fu Rong
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010I found this in Singapore. Unlike chop suey, egg foo young is based on a recognizable Chinese dish.
Oops. Wrong Cookie?
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010This fortune, which the host got during a taping of a PBS interview about my book, is one of the funnier fortunes I have gotten. It’s from Wonton Foods. Some fortune cookie writer had a sense of humor or was incredibly bored.
General Tso’s Potato Chips, Now Available at Target
Sunday, August 8th, 2010My friend Ross Baird sent in a photo of General Tso’s Thick Cut Potato Chips from a Target in Atlanta. The general continues his product expansion.