Sensational Sapporo, Outstanding Otaru & Nectarous Niseko

I can't fathom WHY in all these years, I've never zeroed in on Japan as a holiday destination.  Perhaps it was the impression that it was excrutiatingly expensive, or that the language barriers were insurmountable, or there was radiation everywhere, BUT drat, I've wasted a good 30 years of missing out on this fascinating land, of the Rising Sun.

Since I realise most people, including me, don't really bother sifting through tedious texts, and I shall be word stingy in this post, and keep the natter to a minimum.  

 The quintessential Hokkaido crab, this was taken at the fishmarket in Sapporo.

 Our first sashimi meal, those scallops are to die for, and so cheap.

 Finding a bad gyoza is like finding an honest politician in our cabinet.

 Even their fried rice seems nicer ...

 Hokkaido crab legs, sake and Sapporo beer.. can it get any better?

 Even the sashimi platters from the Supermarkets are fresh and succulent.

 The orgasmic Milk Kobo Cream puffs... dollops of creamy pastry cream, from the tits of cows of hokkaido.... the dairy in Hokkaido is amaaaazing!!!!

 Very atas snack platter at one of our Happy Hours, courtesy of some guests.

 Fabulous sparkling Sake, a first for me.  It's almost true I think, the hangovers from Sake are never quite as bad.  Or maybe all the alcohol was burned up furnacing the body, in that wintery chill...

Tonkatsus galore, and yes, its piggy pig.... oinkety oink...

 Gobules of generations of Salmon that will never quite see daylight... sorry guys....Okay, while this dish LOOKED fascinating, I can't really say it's something I'd eat repeatedly.

 Grilled Hokkaido Scallops, who were still breathing moments before they were grilled.

 Huge ass calamari...

 Clams, cockles and scallops...in Otaru

 Otaru Beer....

 The famous Otaru Le Tao Double fromage cheesecake... one layer of baked cheesecake and another layer of mascarpone...it's that amazing dairy from the tits of amazing cows, I tell ya, that makes all the difference.

 Toro from the fish market, that melts in your mouth like swiss chocolate...

 Swiss Rolls filled with fabulous dairy cream.... Actually, I have yet to see those hokkaido cakes that are sold here, in Hokkaido.

 Green Tea Chocolates...

 The snows of Sapporo...

The majestic and mysterious Mt Yotei, in front of our resort in Niseko...and the various faces of Mt Yotei.  In the lower right frame, Mt Yotei is totally not visible due to heavy snows.  Apparently we were very lucky to see the entire mountain on a bright sunny day in winter. Mt Yotei is volcanic, although supposedly dormant.

A simple meal in the restaurant Mina Mina in front of Shiki Resort.... very reasonably priced..

Sapporo, capital of Hokkaido...

The ski slopes of Hirafu and Hanazono...

Nikka Single Malt Whisky Factory, ...free tastings for 10 and 17 years... no prizes for guessing which one I zeroed in... It's a nice love story, the founder, who originally was supposed to join the Yamazaki fellas, ..and how he fell in love with this Scottish chick, and ...sigh, she followed him to a far off land, despite her Scottish family's objections.... now all go AWWWWWWWWWWWWW.....

The seaside town of Otaru, and the famous Otaru Canal...

And my lovely yakitori experience in Kutchan town... also made famous by Anthony Bourdain...sake cups are poured till overflowing..my cup runneth over...Gorgeous yakitoris, fresh shellfish, melt in the mouth pork neck, chicken skin... prepared over a real charcoal fire, as it snowed outside....

Oh when oh when shall I revisit thee, O Land of the Rising Sun......

Bulgogi Brothers, K- Cuisine, Paradigm Mall

Despite the fact that one of my best buds, whom I call "Tiger Brother", is Korean (although like a lot of them, he's now American, but remains fiercely proud of his Korean ancestry), I have never ventured in a big way into Korean food.  Perhaps it's because it's eclipsed by it's neighbour, Japan, and perceived as less accessible.  Or maybe it's just me.  In fact, I think I can COUNT on both hands the number of times I've eaten Korean food.  Heck, maybe even one hand.  But that's about to change.  It is my new cuisine du jour, and I shall make it my 2014 goal to zero in on this very interesting cuisine.

As if it was destiny, I was unable to attend the first round of blogger previews for Bulgogi Brothers, in Paradigm Mall, but then, a SECOND invitation came.  Okay, apart from Lennie, I didn't know anyone else, so socially, it could have been more scintillating, but well, it was my first time at Paradigm, and first time at Bulgogi, so exploration is always interesting.

It is prominently located in the atrium bit of Paradigm mall, (or what appears to be an atrium...being my first time there, I am really unfamiliar with the place).  The press release states that the ambiance is enhanced by contemporary decor, K Pop in the background (it must have been so subliminal that I didn't notice it at all)...

Anyway, this particular invitation was in conjunction with their rolling out of new appetizers and mains.

The sidedishes that are free flow, apparently, if you order from the Bulgogi Brother's alacarte menu.    6 varieties of refillable side dishes, of kimchi, spinach, racdish, spiced watercress, sweet lotus root and mashed pumpkin.   My particular favourite is the mashed pumpkin, the one that looks like ice cream in the upper right frame.

Sauteed Beef Wraps RM19.90 Sogogi Milsasam, naturally colored wheat flour pancake wraps filled with seasoned sauteed beef and crisp julienned potato RM19.90.  Very unique, and flavourful.  The different colors are obtained from beetroot for the red, and natural greens for the green.  The pancakes are a bit thicker than the usual chinese wraps we get with peking duck etc and can be quite filling, so be warned.

Crispy Tofu WIth Chicken (Dubu Chicken) Rm15.90
Golden Brown Tofu with marinated chicken, teriyaki sauce and bean sprouts.  Chicken & Tofu, every kid's (or mine at least) favourite food.  Cannot go wrong and I was glad to note they use succulent chicken thighs rather than dry cardboardish chicken breasts.

Galbi Tang - Beef Short Ribs soup RM39.90
3 hour preparation of rich but delicate soup, made from beef short ribs and korean herbs, served with rice.  If you like the strong bovine flavours of a beef soup, then this is the soup for you, but if you do not like beefiness, then stay away.  I like beef, so this is definitely something I'd order the next time.

Ginseng Chicken Soup, RM45.90, Samgyetang - Whole young chicken stuffed with jujues, ginseng, garlic, chestnuts and stick rice.  A meal by itself, really, and very wholesome.  It reminds me of chicken soup for the soul.  Actually this dish can easily feed 3-4 people if you ask me.

Spicy Chicken Bulgogi RM29.90 - Dak Galbi Bulgogi - Thighs marinated in spicy Bulgogi sauce served with vegetables and rice cakes.  I like the fact that most of the chicken used are thighs.  This very colorful dish is slowly simmered almost stir fried, and served with rice.

Bulgogi Brothers Special, RM81.90, Bulgogi combination of Unyang Style Beef (Pressed into heart shapes), and Gwangyang Style Bulgogi (thinly slices seasoned beef served with mushrooms, sweet potatoes, leeks and onions.  Not too sure what the heart shapes are supposed to represent, maybe a symbol that it's good for the heart... heh heh...

The finished product of the beef...the heart shaped patties are kinda like burger patties, they were sufficiently tender and moist, but I felt that the beef slices were a tad overdone.  Not sure if it was because it was left on the hot plate for photography, but thin slices of beef do tend to get overcooked very quickly.

A little background on Bulgogi Brothers, it was a company founded by Intae Jung & Chaiwoo Yi, and first opened in ...gasp, GANG-NAM.  It has since grown to 40 over outlets spanning the globe from Canada to Indonesia.

For enquiries and reservations, call 03-7887 3542 for the Paradigm Mall outlet.

You can check out their website at www.bulgogibros.com.my or FB page facebook.com/BulgogiBros.My

Two Thousand And Thirteen, And My Two Best Meals

2013 certainly went by in a jiffy.  They say the older you  get, the faster a year passes, because as a percentage of your total age, a year decreases.  Ie, if you are a year old, one more year is a 100% increase.  Whereas if you're 48, it's err...do the math.

On Jan 8th, I was armed robbed in the office, at lunch time, by a lone ranger, wielding a meat cleaver, bought from Jusco at RM19.90.  I know, because he left the cleaver plastic wrap on my desk.  A few kicks to the groin, but apart from that, no real harm was done to me, physically, so I was thankful.  He did get my new Samsung S3, and a couple of hundred ringgit.

Then on Feb 8th, I started seeing flashing lights at the corner of my eye, and fortunately I saw the eye doctor immediately, because it was the onset of a detaching retina, which he lasered back that very day.  I wonder if the detached retina was a result of too much eye rolling.

Diving in the Southern Similans was a nice treat in the first quarter of the year.
 
We had the GE13, the results of which depressed me for an entire day.

Diving with Whale Sharks in Oslob, Philippines, was certainly a highlight for the year....

 Seeing Mount Everest in Nepal was definitely a HIGHlight as well.

We were blessed by abundant food in Kathmandu whilst on our short term church mission trip.  The friendships that were forged were really a blessing, and again, a highlight in 2013.

Then there was that unscheduled trip to Melbourne, for some nuptials.  Apart from the daily bacon and eggs breakfast, we remained steadfastly Asian in our culinary choices this time.  I find as I get older, I am more partial to Asian food. 

Penang with Old friends was a treat, it's always nice to be in the company of people you've know for years and years, and watched the kids grow up together. It was also my first time watching a dragon boat race.

And now, drum roll, this is after all a food blog, not some personal diary....my 2nd best meal for 2013.

Rakuichi, a gorgeous mom & pop set up, by a husband and wife, nestled in the ski slopes of Annapuri, Niseko Japan.  Made famous by Anthony Bourdain, the place seats only 12, and the soba is made from scratch by the owner, and lovingly sliced into noodles.  Our omakase menu for the night was simply divine. 

 Part of a trio starter, I can't remember exactly what this was, but it was a fish of some kind. 

This was a herring, brined and very tasty. 

Two slices of fish, if I'm not mistaken, called Kalamusi.  

 A fabulously fresh sashimi platter, of Hokkaido scallops, tuna, and a white fish.  The memory of the freshness and the wonderful taste sensation is vivid in my mind, and makes me yearn for Japan. 

 This mixing bowl is where the master rolls the soba dough.  If bowls could talk, I wonder what tales would this one have. I'm sure we'd be bowled over, by the presence of numerous celebrities. ,

 Oysters so fresh, you can still taste the saltwater of the sea. I've been off oysters for awhile now, as the ones we get here are a far cry from these beauties, but if I could have oysters like these, the world is my oyster then. 

 The lovely wife of the master, exudes such beauty and elegance.  She prepares the flames for the hot pot.

 A pork hot pot, in a broth of bonito tuna and seaweed, which is surprisingly good, despite the basicness of the recipe. 

A vegetable tempura, the batter so light and crisp, and so healthy tasting, despite being deep fried. 

 And finally, the piece de resistance, the hand made soba, in a lovely broth, that is beyond my vocabulary  for superlative adjectives. 

 Dessert, a simple but deliciously sugared chestnut, huge, with a cup of hot green tea. 

 The master signs our copy of the menu.

And that, was my 2nd best meal of 2013.  The presence of friends and loved ones, the whole atmosphere just made this such a wonderful and memorable meal. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone, may God bless you all richly, with good health, the company of good friends, and good food.