Just some happy snaps from dinner.

How does hot fondue sound après-ski on a cold snowy winters night? Pretty damn good I’d say!

Say hello to Grand Papa lodge restaurant in Hirafu. Grandpapa is one of the few lodges in Niseko still owned and operated by its founding Japanese family. But we weren’t staying there, but we did hear about it’s infamous fondue dinner.

So we made a reservation for 6 of us a day in advance. I didn’t take many photos, so below is all I’ve got to show.

Grand Papa offers a traditional Swiss cheese fondue made from Emental and Gruyeres from Switzerland.

The set menu comprises of the cheese fondue, bread, vegetables, meatballs, potatoes, soup, dessert and coffee for the price of 4000 JPY ~ 62 SGD which was quite pricey for what it was. But then again, this is Niseko. All restaurants there are pretty expensive, so be prepared to pay premium prices for not-so-premium food.

If you really want to save money, cook your own food at your chalet, or just go to the seikomart just up the road open from 7am to 11pm, for instant Katsu curry, sandwiches or ramen.

Grand Papa
Address: 163 Niseko Hirafu, Kutchan town, Hokkaido Japan
Tel : +81-136-23-2244
Email:info@nisekopowder.com
website: www.niseko-grandpapa.com
*Highly advised to make reservations 1-2 days in advance.

Don’t want to eat out? Another option is to cater in! If you have a large group of friends, why not have a Shabu Shabu dinner at someone’s place.

Concidently, Stef, Mai, Alexis and gang were in Niseko the same time as us, which was a perfect excuse to get our crunk on. Well in reality it was everyone else but me.

I left a bit earlier than the rest because I was shattered from the day’s boarding, and Andre was my sleepy golden ticket back to the lodge early.

Nonetheless, it was great fun Shabu Shabu-ing, comparing happy socks and dancing on chairs.

And I apologise for the duckface but there’s only so many smiles and expressions you can do in front of the camera!

*Check out the marbling on that beef pictured bottom left. Nom.

You can’t go to Shanghai and not have Xiao Long Bao! Actually you can… Din Tai Fung is pretty damn good.

Adrian suggested this hole in the wall place in the French concession. I can’t remember the name of the place, but when I do, I’ll update this post.

He said the crabmeat Xiao Long Bao was a must try, and it didn’t disappoint. These little packets of juicy fresh FRESH crabmeat was just so flavourful, it was the best seafood Xiao long bao ever tasted. I won’t go as far as saying it’s the best Xiao Long Bao, because I still like the traditional mince meat ones from Din Tai Fung.

Order at the counter, walk pass the group of ladies chatting away and filling Xiao Long Baos, seat yourself on one of the tables and just wait. It will take awhile because they only make it on orders.

I did say I’d make it a point to try new food this year, so I had a tiny bite into the chicken blood soup. Not bad, but not great. Edible but passable.

What I love most about travelling solo is wandering the streets alone and discovering new nooks and crannies away from the tourist crowd.

This little place stood out because, while it was on the main shopping street on HuaiHai Lu, it looked out of place with its worn down service window and a dimly lit room at the back for diners so sit. Was walking down the strip when I caught a waft of the steaming hot buns and dumplings.

Had myself a plate of Guo Tie 锅贴 just to try it out. With my broken Chinese, I ordered a plate, paid peanuts, collected my food at the next window and sat myself opposite an old lady and enjoyed my 小吃. She had the same thing and spent the entire time mumbling under her breath how the dumplings were all annoyingly stuck together.

These humble little dumplings are also known as pot stickers or Jiao Zi.The fillings can be anything from chicken, pork, beef or vegetables, and can be steamed, pan-fried or deep fried.

Best eaten when dipped with vinegar and thinly sliced ginger.

Before I flew down to Shanghai, HS put me in touch with his friend Adrian living there who so graciously offered to take me out. Adrian’s friends were having a clothing line launch, and I was to meet him at the studio. He was going to be late, so I waltzed in there not knowing a soul, but happy to have met new people.

We all went out for dinner to Hot Pot King on Huai hai Lu in the French Concession. First step to Hot Pot goodness is to order the soup base. There were lots to choose frpm such as chicken, fish, pig bone. If you’re in a big group like us, to appease everyone’s taste buds we opted for the popular yuanyang two-broth hot pot. The soup is only as good as the stuff you put in the bubbling cauldron, so next thing to order is the meat and veges.

Hot Pot King has a little condiment and sauce section where you mix your own dipping sauce: Sesame, Soy sauce, Vinegar, Sesame seeds, onions, garlic, chilli, spring onions, Dark sauce, sweet sauce… the list goes on. I reckon there were at least 50 different things concoct your potent dip. Personally, as long as you got the sweet, sour and salty covered, you’ll be fine.

We paid about 100RMB (approx S$20) per person and that included beer. Besides the price, the great thing about this place is it opens till 4am, sure fire remedy after a evening of boozing. And the menu is in English! And wait for it… it’s a pictured menu! Just point and say 这个, 这个 and 这个, and Bob’s your uncle!

Hot Pot King
Address: 2/F, 1416 Huaihai Lu,near Fuxing Lu
淮海路1416号楼，近复兴路
Area: French Concession
Metro: 10 mins. walk from Changshu Rd
Tel: 6473 6380
Opening Hours: Daily, 11am-4am

We stayed at Hirafu in Niseko, which is right smack in the centre of all the activities. Everything is within walking distance or short bus ride away. Most of the time, we would walk up to the ski school, lifts, shops and restaurants. Very very convenient.

Food-wise, there are lots of local deli’s, pubs, cafes, and fine dining establishments to choose from.

TIP: Unless you want to be eating cup noodles from Seikomart, make reservations! A lot of these places get booked up by late afternoon.

It was getting late by the time we got round to dinner on our first night in Niseko. We decided to just walk into a place called Wild Bill’s Bar in Hirafu for Mexican food. We will be eating lots of Japanese for the rest of the week, so we broke the rule and decided to go with the Quesadilla, Tacos, Nachos, Fajitas and Guacamole instead.

Snap!: The bottom right photo in the collage is the view from the top of our steps at the house. Look at the amount of snow collected by the railings! That’s how much snow has been falling this season in Niseko. Non-stop. Everyday.

If you’re partial to Tex Mex, Tequila, Mint, Mohitos, Margaritas & Music, step out of the snow and into our gorgeous log cabin, Wild Bill’s offers the quintessential apres ski atmosphere.

Warmed by a log fire, it’s a cosy, casual, family friendly dining atmosphere… until the younger crew roll in for party time later in the evening.

Portion sizes are generous for hungry skiers, so don’t order too much.

Wild Bill’s Bar
Address: 189-8 Aza Yamada, Abuta-gun,Kutchan-cho,Hokkaido,Japan.
Opening Hours: 5:30pm till 1:00am -ish
Food last order: 9:30pm
Reservations: +81 (0)136-22-5652
Website: www.wildbillsniseko.com

I was given a pair of vouchers for my birthday last year to attend a morning gourmet session at-Sunrice Academy Fort Canning, and hadn’t redeemed until recently. There were different cuisines to choose from on different dates.

But the only cuisine which I was interested in was Thai food. Mumsy and Jie jie couldn’t make it, and Danli was busy that weekend. The next best person I thought of was a friend who was part thai and likes to cook! (My sister nicknamed him “PartPad-thai” hur hur hur)

We rocked up to the 10mins late, and the class was already mid-way through the first demonstration. We quickly wore our aprons and sat ourselves down.

The first two dishes were just Chef demonstrations:
- Deep-friend Fishcake Served with Sweet & Sour Cucumber Sauce (Thod Man Plaa)
- Thai Shrimp Paste Dip (Naam Prik Kapi)

The next 3 dishes were hands on demonstrations. First dish we prepared was the Steamed Banana Pudding (Khanom Kluay). We had to start on dessert first because it will be placed in the steamer while we ate our mains.

The second hands-on dish was a Stir-fried Chicken with Holy Basil (Phad Ka-prow Gai). Those who have worked me with me at ICON and Convertium would know I absolutely love the Basil Chicken at Senat Thai store at Maxwell Food Centre. Without doubt, the best Holy Basil chicken in Singapore!

I remembered Dougie saying his mum picked him some Holy Basil to take home to Singapore, so this dish was came at a good time for him too!

I was quite surprised at how simple it was to cook this dish. I reckon we did pretty well in terms of plating and presentation. Chef did say it was a bit salty (what we didn’t mention was the mix up in quantities of the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Ooops!)

Last dish that morning was the Savoury Chicken Soup in Coconut Milk (Tom Khaa Gai). This was also fairly easy to prepare and extremely tasty. We got props for this dish from Chef, with praise that the heat and sourness is just the way he would have prepared it. It tasted rather like a green curry, but less heavy.

At the end of all that cooking, we took our dishes to the veranda outside where we ate our food for lunch with Chef and the other students.

Minus the rain, the morning gourmet sessions was really enjoyable. I love trying out new recipes, and if I had the opportunity to do cooking sessions again, without a doubt, YES! And these recipes I just learnt? I’m definitely cooking this up for my next house dinner party with friends. Who’s in!

If you’d like to spend a morning learning a new cuisine, check out their website at www.at-sunrice.com for more details.

*I didn’t post the ingredients and instructions on the blog because it was just far too lengthy. But if you’d like a copy, email me at contactATangelaleowgrayDOTcom and I’ll send you a copy by email.

Lookie what I found at  ParknShop at Wanchai Hong Kong awhile back, Mrs Mac’s Pies!! I’m sure they are available in Singapore as well, just haven’t seen them yet.

Mrs Mac’s is based in Perth and available at almost all gas stations and grocery stores. Brings back a lot of memories this one. My mum likes the famous beef pies and I used to buy back five to ten frozen pies home for her. Anyone in Singapore seen them at the frozen goods section?

I keep calling it Ching Chong instead of Chong Qing! Only realised today the restaurant’s full name is “The Magic of Chongqing Hot Pot”. Don’t diss the name, the food is actually pretty good. Possibly the most well-known hot pot restaurant in Singapore.

The Magic of Chong Qing Hot Pot
Opening Hours:
Lunch : 12.00 – 3.00pm
Dinner : 6.00 – 11.00pm

*Last Orders an hour before closing
*Reservations recommended

Address: 19 Tanglin Road, #04-06 Tanglin Shopping Centre
Tel: +65 6734 8135
Website: http://www.chinesefeasts.com.sg/