Tonkatsu by Ma Maison

I'm a porky person.

I discovered quite late in life (when I was in my mid thirties) that my favourite meat is actually pork. Bak kwa, ba kut teh, pork chops, I like them all.

Thus it should come as no surprise that I’m particularly susceptible to the temptations of tonkatsu (pork cutlet covered in breadcrumbs and then deep fried). My go-to place for tonkatsu is Tonkichi in Ngee Ann City. I’ve been frequenting that particular restaurant for more than a decade, albeit not on a too-frequent basis due to its rather steep prices.

I first came across tonkatsu in katsu-don form. That is the same bread and deep fried pork cutlet, but in this case, there is the additional step of cooking the cutlet after it has been deep fried with egg and onion in some magical stew and then the whole shebang is served on rice. In the dim and misty stretches of my memory, I no longer remember my first katsu-don; it may or may not have been that unforgettable version from Ginza, a Japanese restaurant near Rosebery Hall, my hostel in London, a good two decades ago. Sadly, that restaurant is long gone.

(Apart from the fantastic katsu-don that they served — which surely used black magic to make it taste so good! —they also served the best mochi I ever had. Mochi is simply rice cake. In Singapore, we have the sweet form dusted with crushed peanut and sugar. In Japan they are also mostly in the sweet form. Now, this version from Ginza is a slab of rice cake, dressed in a layer of miso and I don't know what else and then wrapped with a piece of seaweed, before it is put to the grill. I tell you, it is absolutely tastebud NIRVANA. Sadly, I’ve never been able to find this version of mochi after I left London, both in Singapore and on subsequent trips to Japan.  Up to this day, I console myself with the local version, and occasionally, the Korean versions, like the dukbokkie from Bibigo.)

This is the closest to mochi heaven I could find on the internet:

Don't be fooled by its nondescript look -
it hides heaven in a bite!

If anyone knows what I'm talking about and where to get it, please let me know. I would be eternally grateful.

But I digress. Like the vanished mochi, when I returned to Singapore, I hunted high and low for the perfect katsu-don, not unlike a character in Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen, who travelled the length and breadth of Japan to find the best katsu-don (that book has one of the most seductive descriptions of katsu-don ever; in fact, it might have been it that triggered my memories of Ginza and instigated my own search). Unlike my quest for the Ginza mochi, this one had a happy ending. When I tasted the katsu-don from Tonkichi, I knew that my search had come to an end. And so my katsu-don saga came to a natural pause.

Until recently.

Do you believe in synchronicity?

Well, as it happens, synchronicity has a part to play with my run-in with Tonkatsu by Ma Maison.

About a month ago or so, I dined at Tonkichi with my family, and for the first time, we ordered a katsu curry set. The curry was simply F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S. It was so good that I kept thinking about it even weeks after the meal. Yeah, that good.

So to temporarily satisfy my craving, I took to surfing the internet for reviews of Tonkichi. Quite sad, right?

Anyway, anyone who has surfed before would know how one click always leads to another, and before long, I found myself on a review of tonkatsu by a rather well-known Singaporean lifestyle blogger. This blogger did a comparison of various tonkatsu in Singapore and he rated Tonkatsu by Ma Maison as highly as Tonkichi.

So far so good.

I should also mention that I stumbled upon this blog in Jurong Regional Library, which is located in Jurong East, right behind JCube. If you’re familiar with the geography of Jurong East Central, you could guess what happened next.

After getting enough respite from the tropical weather, I decided to leave the sanctuary of the air-conditioned library and window-shop at Westgate and Jem before heading home. Guess what I found on Level 4 of Westgate? Yeah, an outlet of Tonkatsu by Ma Maison.

If that is not synchronicity, I don’t know what is.

And that is how a couple of weeks after I spotted Tonkatsu at Westgate, I made a date with my sister to try out this new eatery and see if it indeed lives up to its name as a rival of Tonkichi.

My verdict: It’s a pale shadow of the latter. (My verdict is rather charitable compared to some of the choice words my husband used.)

Things got off at a rather bad start when my instructions were misinterpreted. My taste in tonkatsu over the years has evolved. This time, I hardly ever orders katsu-don. Instead, I would get the katsu toji.

Katsu toni is essentially the same as katsu-don, except that the pork cutlet drenched in the titillating concoction of gravy, egg and onion is served separate from the rice.

This is what katsu toji looks like:

Note that the rice is separate from the pork and egg.

Katsu toji is not on the menu of Tonkatsu by Ma Maison. Not a big problem. They have katsu-don, right? If can cook katsu-don, surely can also cook katsu toji. After all, they’re the same thing, just served differently.

I told the waiter I wanted katsu-don but that the pork and egg should be served separately from the rice. He looked bewildered for a second. Then the confusion cleared from his face and he said it would be possible. Good.

However, when it came, it looked like this.

Katsu toji misinterpreted: see how the poor pork cutlet
is sitting all by itself, and the egg mixture is all slumped
all the rice. Cost of this hideous dinner: S$21.80

Yes, they served the egg and what-not on the rice, and the left the poor naked pork cutlet by itself on the platter. My husband definitely did not enjoy his dinner. He complained that the pork was plain and the rice too soggy.

Apart from the freak katsu-don, we also ordered the katsu curry (remember? it was my craving after tasting it in Tonkichi that led us to try out Tonkatsu) and the mackerel and pork loin sets.

Katsu Curry - S$21.80

The curry was not as fragrant and tasty as Tonkichi’s. In fact, it was rather middling.

Mackerel and pork loin set: S$29.80
This comes with a bowl of tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon,
which don't help much in masking the strong fishy taste.

The fishiness of the mackerel was over-powering; perhaps mackerel is not a good choice of fish to be done in the style of katsu due to its strong flavour. I personally found the pork okay. Crispy and tender, fragrant too, although I still prefer Tonkichi’s. But that could be simply because I prefer the katsu toji style which I obviously didn’t get to sample at Tonkatsu.

But my opinion was not shared by the rest of my family who declared the pork tasteless.

And that wrapped up a rather below-average experience at Tonkatsu by Ma Maison. Will we be back again soon? It’s pretty unlikely.

To be fair, my sister pointed out that the original blogger had had his meal at the Mandarin Gallery outlet and we know how sometimes the standard can be inconsistent at different outlets. But at the sort of prices they are charging, I’m not inclined to visit Mandarin Gallery for a test taste to confirm if the problem was indeed a case of inconsistency, an overly positive blogger or simply that standards have fallen since the review was written in 2012.

There was a complimentary appetiser.

Cool radish which also acts as a palate cleanser.
Quite pleasant actually, if you're into raw radish,
which unfortunately I'm not.

Tonjiru soup

There was a complimentary appetiser. All the sets come with a bowl of tonjiru soup, a heap of salad and pickles - the same as Tonkichi, except that Tonkichi serves miso soup; you have to add a charge of I can't remember how much to upgrade the miso soup to tonjiru.

But miso or tonjiru, both Tonkichi soups beat the one at Tonkatsu hands down.

Sorry, I didn't take the shots of the pickles but if you peer carefully at the pictures of the sets, you'll be able to spot said pickles lurking in the background.

The sauces for the salad. They have a sweet version and a spicy version. I'm not too fond of this at Tonkichi but I like the ones at Tonkatsu even less, no thanks to a strange Chinese medicinal taste in both of them.

Book Review: THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE

There is no denying that Neil Gaiman is a compelling writer. He comes up with cliffhangers that demand you continue reading to find out what happens next.

That said, I generally find something lacking in many of his stories. There is always that something that leaves me vaguely unsatisfied after reading his book. As a result, I generally prefer his short stories to his novels. He is one of the most celebrated fantasy writers of his time, and rightly so. But for some reason, even though I find his stories interesting, unique and original, I hesitate to call any of his works ‘great’.

Recently, I finished The Ocean at The End of The Lane. My first impression was that it was his best work yet. Unlike his previous novels, I didn’t go away with that gnawing feeling of unsatisfied expectations.

The story starts off with an unnamed narrator who went back to England for some unspecified event - but which was most probably a funeral - and prompted by an urge that was only partially explained at the end of the story, he visited his old neighbourhood and drove down the lane to the farm of his old friend, Lettie Hempstock.

SPOILERS AHEAD

As he sat on the farm, his memories returned to him and he remembered the three females on the farm: Grandmother Old Mrs Hempstock, Mother Mrs Ginnie Hempstock and daughter Lettie Hempstock, as well as the role they played in the life-and-death incident when he was seven.

When he was seven, his parents fell on hard times and had to take in boarders (tenants in American English). One of the boarders was a South African miner who came in a cab that ran over and killed the boy’s black kitten. In return, he caught a hostile tomcat and gifted it to the Boy. Not particularly important plot point but for some reason I find this part hilarious.

The significant role played by the South African in the story was that he committed suicide after losing all his money, and his friends’ money, at a casino. And he chose to die at the edge of the Hempstocks’ farm.

The problem with this was that the Hempstocks were no ordinary women. They were benign supernatural beings who ensured that order was kept in all the worlds of the universe. When the miner died at the edge of their farm, a place where the barriers between worlds run thin, he awoke a being from another world (whom we shall call Rags) who began to wreck havoc on this world.

The Hempstocks were apprised of the situation by the Boy and Lettie was given the task of reining in Rags. This seemed to be a duty that she was no stranger to. Her manner was confident and easy and she decided to bring the Boy along. Just because she could. Even though her elders advised her against it. Anyone who knows fairytales would know what happens when the young go against the well-meaning advice of the older and wiser.

And indeed, although Lettie managed to subdue Rags, the latter found a way to follow the Boy back into his world, where she materialised into Ursula Monkton, an au pair (babysitter to the rest of the world) who made the Boy’s world hell. She banned him from leaving the grounds of his house, so he could not go to the Hempstocks’ home for help. She kept an eye on him as closely as the NSA monitors the world, Americans and non-Americans alike. She seduced his father, and abetted him to almost drown the Boy.

Eventually, the Boy managed to escape to the Hempstocks’ farm. Lettie came to the rescue by calling forth some supernatural birds that feed upon beings like Rags and Rags was devoured by these creatures. Problem quite easily solved? Not quite.

That was not the end of the Boy’s woes. It turned out that Rags had used the Boy as a portal to cross over from her world to his. And a fragment of the portal was left in his heart. So the birds refused to leave until their job was done, that is until they had consumed his heart. In the ensuing face-off, Lettie was badly hurt, as close to death as a being like her could be. Her grandmother and mother released her into the ocean which resembled a pond (another manifestation of the women’s powers) so that she could heal. It was hinted that her healing could take eternities and that even then, she might not return. And if she did return, it could be in another form.

After the incident, the Boy’s memories were altered so that he didn’t remember Lettie sacrificing herself to save him. What he remembered was that she left for Australia with her father. Only at the crossroads of his life would he return to the pond/ocean. Another reason offered for his occasional returns to the pond/ocean was that Lettie wanted to see how the Boy turned out. Which was the true reason? Shrugs. With Lettie’s powers, injured as she was, she could possibly have timed her desire to see the Boy with his life-changing moments. The Boy never remembered those times he returned to the farm. Just as it was shown that the moment he left this time, at the end of the book, he began to forget again.

Gaiman is a master at world-building. It is amazing how he could use such simple language to construct a layered world imbued with magic and fantasy. There was the normal mundane world which was a struggle for the Boy who was a loner and could not fit in in school. When he met Lettie, he stumbled into her world where time travel was normal and reality could be altered, or even deleted.

The charm of this story lies in the strength of the world Gaiman built. Despite all the incredulous happenings, he made it all so realistic and believable.

It is recommended that this book be read just to see how simple words and language could be used to knit a tight and gripping story.

My only gripe with the book is that the problem of the ravenous birds who would not go away was resolved so easily that it was a little contrived. But this is a minor quibble, in view of the enjoyable hours I spent in the Boy and Lettie’s world.

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken at Westgate,
on a weekday before lunch hour

4 Fingers Crispy Chicken burst onto the Singapore scene four years ago.

I first heard about it when my sister ranted and raved about the ‘Korean fried chicken wings that tasted so good even when dapao-ed back’. It tasted really good, she stressed for emphasis.

Hmm. I was sceptical. Until she bought back the chicken wings back one night, and indeed, they didn’t let her down.

Not being much of a foodie and having heard about the legendary queues at the stall, I never tried to buy the chicken wings myself. I was contented to leech off my sister whenever she bought any back, not that she did too many times. In my recollection, I’ve only tasted it twice prior to my personal visit today. Both times were indeed finger-licking good.

Thus I was delighted to see an outlet at Westgate. Now I could buy the chicken wings myself if I feel like gorging myself with unhealthy fried food. The catch is…there is always a queue too at this outlet!

The ever-present queue

Apart from the MacDonald’s Hello Kitty dolls in 2000 or when I’m overseas (where the chance to sample the food is gone if I don’t queue, given how unlikely it is for me to go back to the country), I generally don’t queue. To make me queue in Singapore, the food must satisfy two criteria:

1. It must be good; and

2. It must be cheap.

4 Fingers may be good but it ain’t cheap, not when its combo meals start from almost $10, compared to $7-ish meals from its rivals like KFC and Popeye’s. That’s a premium of 50%.

The Westgate outlet has opened for about a month but each time I go past it, there’s a long line in front of the shop. Good thing that Westgate has got great ventilation, so it doesn't get unbearably hot when you are stuck in the queue.

Until today. I intentionally went to Westgate in the morning, hoping to beat the crowds. Wishful thinking. When I reached the outlet at 11.30am, there was already a line snaking out through the glass doors. Sigh. As the line looked relatively shorter than the other times I passed the shop, I thought it might not take that long to be served.

Sigh. Wishful thinking again.

I think I’ve discovered why there is a queue at all times outside 4 Fingers: the staff are really slow. There were 5-7 people in front of me but it took more than twenty minutes for me to be served. Then of course I had to wait for the food. I only got to tuck into my lunch at 12.15pm. 45 minutes! And I thought it was fast food.

The deafening music probably contributed to the slow service as staff taking the orders and customers couldn’t hear each other clearly over the booming K-pop songs and had to repeat their orders and questions.

Still, Singaporeans don’t seem to mind the wait, judging from the never-ending crowds. Clientele was a good mix of students, working adults and aunties (no offence, aunties, I’m one too).

The line got even longer after I placed my order!

After ordering my food, I was given a circular disc. This is actually a buzzer that lights up and beeps when the food is ready, so that I would know when to go and collect it. Good idea for labour-starved Singapore.

A great idea for eateries

If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, then 4 Fingers passed muster.

I ordered the 1 Drumstick and 3 Wings set, mixed (drumstick and one wing came in Soy Garlic flavour while one drumlet and the other wing were Hot), with kimchi fries. Cost: $9.95. A bit pricey.

The 1 Drumstick & 3 Wings Combo, S$9.95

The chicken was indeed tasty, although the intense sweet and salty flavours may put people who are health-conscious off (then again, what would health-conscious eaters be doing at a fried chicken fast food outlet?). I prefer the Soy Garlic flavour as it was more fragrant than Hot. What particularly impressed me was the drumstick. The skin was deep-fried to a satisfying crunchy crisp, yet the meat managed to retain its succulence and wholesome chicken flavour. Well cooked!

The fries on the other hand were bleh. Could be me but I felt that the kimchi powder didn’t go all that well with the skinny fries. They were a tad dry too. Had to wash them down with a steady stream of chilli sauce.

If you aren’t in the mood for chicken, there are non-chicken items like tofu, shrimp and calamari. Chicken is also available in the form of burger, chop and katsu sandwich.

Would I come back again? I wouldn’t mind, if I don’t have to queue. And I would probably skip the fries and only get the chicken.