Keisuke Tonkotsu King

Situated at a corner of the new Orchid Hotel in Tanjong Pagar, this little hole-in-the-wall that sits only 20 has a perpetually long queue snaking outside its doors. And for good reason. The tonkotsu soup base here is clearly one of the best in Singapore. I had the black spicy everything in special with extra chicken oil and the results was outstanding. The broth was thick and fragrant (especially if the sesame seeds were crushed and added). The pork bone taste lingers and one can barely taste the MSG inside, and with the black spice it gave it a tang of peppery, sze chuan like bite to the soup. I had the hard noodles which was very QQ, but perhaps a bit too much for me. The noodles were the traditional Tokyo-thin kind. The everything-in order came with 3 slices of char siew (generic, non-fatty versions), 1 ramen egg (well made, soft, orangey yolk) and 1 large slice of nori; I skipped the spring onions. The size of the portion was adequate, but for a large eater, remember to keep some soup and ask for a top up of noodles: kaedama.

Verdict:  Will definitely come back and try their various combinations of soup bases and noodles QQ-ness.

Jersey Boys

Lucky us to be the out of town tryout venue for this South American company. A nostalgic roadtrip for fans of The Four Seasons and 60s era rock n roll. Initially the South African tinged Jersey/Italiano accent was a tad trying on the ears which made the starting a bit slow and boring. It was not until the group officially formed that the musical hit its stride with all the hits coming on one after the other. The American Band Stand scenes stood out for its innovativeness and choreography. But some scenes' blocking definitely needs more work. As do some of the dialogue and delivery which fell flat. The highlights were surely the hits and in particular "Can't Take My Eyes Off You". Singing wise they do sound like The Four Seasons especially Valli but he did occasionally slipped in and out. An enjoyable night out especially for fans!

La Cantine

Bruno Menard's new restaurant at Asia Square is solely for the office crowd: it doesn't open on weekends. Pity us non-Shenton people. That can be a turn off. The set lunch was a three course meal priced at $39++ which seemed alright. The amuse bouche was prawns based which I'm allergic to; server 1 says can change to salad but server 2 says cannot then went to check with chef which apparently says it is pre-prepared so also cannot change. First disappointment. First acid test failed two ways: 1) it's basic enough to change starters in a set course due to allergy, even a simple salad is good enough (but I can respect a chef's decision, but that doesn't that mean I approve of it); 2) servers shouldn't have conflicting opinions/instructions. After that incident, I was too miffed to search for a main course so settled on the set lunch's main. And watcha know!, they removed my butter knife even before I was done with the bread or the main course was served (!). The main was a polenta dish served with ham, cheese and sweet meat (like those you find in bacang). It was quite tasty, very filling but veered towards being too filling (because of the polenta) and jelat. Quite a modern/local twist to a French dish. The main was coupled with a crisp house Chablis which I ordered after 3 servers/managers asked me separately whether I wanted wine with my lunch. They did not ask me whether I want dessert my meal!!! Sacrilegious! They just served my partner's who ordered the set lunch! And when dessert came (3 pieces: lemon creme brûlée, chocolate macaron and cream with ?raspberry coulis jelly), 2 servers asked to clear the plate before we were done!! Poor service!! The lemon creme brûlée was good, tart but creamy, but another point of contention: no one really told us what we are eating I'm just guessing the dishes here. Bistro rather than proper dining I guess. The decor was warm and woody and inviting. Cappuccino was from Nespresso and the foam fell flat in bout 2 minutes.

Verdict: Will come back again to try their dinner or a la carte menu purely out of residual goodwill towards Bruno Menard (and his awesome L'Osier).

Life of Pi [IMAX] [3D]

disclaimer: I just finished the book the day before the movie

Book: Finally re-read this book 10 years after I gave up on it less than midway through. Back than, I remembered reading it and going "huh?", but now, 10 years older, I kind of better appreciate the storytelling, the structure and the underlying message of faith, belief and life. Part One and Three nicely bookmark the themes that was presented in an allegorical Part Two which Martel described with such cinematic quality that it makes me very excited to watch Ang Lee translate it into 3D on IMAX (for good or bad)!

Movie: Visually stunning! 3D is really an absolute must for this Ang Lee spectacle! There's no doubt that he will get another Best Director nomination and the show will get noms for Best Picture, Best Effects, Best Cinematography (side: my bet still on "Skyfall" actually) and Best Adapted screenplay. Whether it will win is another matter, perhaps in Effects. But Ang Lee's direction was amazing and some scenes really stood out! Beautiful and poetic. 3D was really used effectively here. From the opening montage to the Pacific adventures, the 3D gave the events a depth and realism that is both effective and immersive. Some shots are a tad gimmicky but they are not redundant. After Scorcese's "Hugo" last year, this really shows how 3D can be used brilliantly! The tiger was astounding especially in 3D. The acting was acceptable for first timer Suraj Sharma. The score by Mychael Danna was suitable but sometimes it lacked the sweeping grandeur that befit an epic fantasy adventure such as this. As for the plot, it was very straightforward. Some of the best lines were actually Yann Martel's own words from the book. <from here on, discussions may involve the inevitable comparison with the book which I had reviewed above> Unfortunately I think it lacked "something" from the book. Ang Lee made the incredible story more credible and plausible, and explained some inner thoughts via visual translation which suits the big screen. But all were in context with Part 2. The most cinematic part of the book. However, what was lost in translation was the heart and soul of the book. Part 1 was condensed and diluted and we lose out on Pi's religious growth which sustained the backbone of his survival in the Pacific. One new scene added by David Magee and Lee was totally irrelevant and added nothing to the story. If it did, it would have been acceptable, but nothing (*spoiler* the dancer). Part 2 was cinematic in the book and it was gorgeous on the big screen, but we are missing Pi's desperation and despondence. Without the increasing feeling of lost, and isolation abandon-ness, we cannot root for Pi to overcome his situation nor connect on a deeper emotional level with him. This was what was essentially missing from the movie. A lead character that the audience only have a superficial connection with. In addition, in my opinion, the book is not about "making you believe in God", but instead it makes you believe in Faith. The filmmakers tried too hard to jam the "God" bit in and missed out on the theme of Faith and the power of storytelling. The ending in the movie could have been more open and ambiguous like in the book, which would have made it more satisfying. Also, by censoring the violent, gruesome and bloody details of survival in the book, the movie sugar-coats the story and simplifies suffering. Granted, this book is difficult to translate to the screen, and Ang Lee has done a very commendable job. By itself, it is visually stunning with a simple, yet effective story about survival (and God if you so choose to believe). However, in comparison with the book, it loses depth and forgets about the power of a story to move, to instill faith and belief in the human soul.

Rise of The Guardians [3D]

An entertaining, fun cartoon that will surely appeal to the children. Adults who do not mind escaping into their childhood fantasy will also find it to be a rather good way to spend 90mins or so. 3D definitely is an added bonus and should enhance the enjoyment. With Guillermo del Toro as one of the producers, there is some expectations for this animation. It was short and sharp, well-paced with a root-able hero(es) and a despise-able villain. It seemed a trend these days in animations to have cute, lovable, and memorable bit characters, and this one too does not disappoint. The most memorable characters are actually the ones that have no dialogue and main purpose is to incite sniggers, chuckles and a smile. It may appear slightly too messy and schizophrenic at times, and the cacophony of colours may be over-dazzling, but nonetheless, the animation was still excellent. The plot was simple and starts in media res, with little background provided, but that's not necessary since target audience are the young 'uns. Sure, objectively and logically there are some gaps, but for a fantasy animation like this, reality is meant to be checked at the entrance and the audience just got to let go and enjoy the ride. A very excellent score by Alexandre Desplat and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra which added layers to the ambience and elevated the scenes. Stay back for the credits for a short epilogue.

La Pizzaiola

Cheap pizza place somewhere in Serangoon area. From the same couple who owns Pietrasantra at Portsdown. Crowded place where reservation is necessary, but unfortunately I think it is over-rated. The best thing was the Chablis wine that I brought over myself (corkage $15) and the low price. However, this place validates the adage you pay for what you get. The garlic bread was in a pizza dough with garlic slices, salt and parsley strewn over. First intro to their pizza dough and it was plainly bland. The rucola and Parma ham pizza was so-so. The dough again was bland and uninteresting. Not thin nor chewy, and the tomato/cheese base was too stingy. The pizzas are baked in an electric oven, hence the lack of wood taste. The Parma ham was overly cured. Service was fast. The house/chef speciality pasta was too bland for my liking. It did not tantalise and felt gimmicky. Just because something is "healthy" does not mean it cannot taste good. The panna cotta was passable, topped with slightly burnt and salty caramel. Cappuccino barely had any foam.

Verdict: Cheap food and value for money. Will only come back if I stay around this area but not something I will actively seek out.

Frankenweenie [3D]

A fun little black & white stop-motion animation twist of the classic Frankenstein tale from the darkly macabre mind of Tim Burton. Updated with some interesting modern and classic horror sight gags and in jokes: Dracula, Gozilla, Mummy, Super 8, Bride of Frankenstein, etc. An interesting first third and a fun, exciting, darkly funny last third, but pity the middle was too slow and draggy. Partly also because it was in B&W, so the slowness in story and pace was not negated by any visual excitement. Even Danny Elfman's score also seemed to take a snooze in the middle portion. 3D was definitely a fun experience in this case without the colour element. The animation is very similar to "Corpse Bride", so perhaps with the same colour palette it may have been even better. Occasionally I was reminded of that classic X-Files episode "Post Modern Prometheus", particularly during the slow moments.