お家ですき焼きは

The friends said it was time to celebrate our birthdays! A belated one for me and an advance toast for the husband. Yes, but we didn't want to put them out about the meal and proposed a to-go or delivery. We agreed on sukiyaki (すき焼き). Heh. There's no need to complicate it with additional seafood or whatever and turn it into a Chinese hotpot. Sukiyaki is meant to be fuss-free. 

The friends thoughtfully also got trays of non-wagyu beef. Donki supplied all ingredients, including negi and shungiku. We're not fans of tang-oh but as shungiku, it lends a nicer flavor to the soup, although I wouldn't eat it. But negi is LOVE. Heheheh. The kamaboko-chikuwa, tofu and mushrooms were all yummy. I was really happy with the udon too. In this manner, five strands of udon filled me up!

Dipping beef in hot stock worked nicely for everyone. We could control our done-ness. I simply love dipping beef and everything else in raw egg yolk. The husband didn't finish his dip (cholesterol lah), so I slurped it up for him.

We had a gorgeous bottle of champagne to go along. Crisp and beautiful. Totally loved catching up with the friends too. It's been a hectic quarter at work. Everyone's glad to have an easy night. Our friends' generosity made this evening truly enjoyable — the best gifts, truly. 

The Tasting Menu at Yantra

It has been more than a decade since I stepped into Yantra. I stopped going because at the last meal I had there all those years ago pre-renovation and new owner in the re-launch of 2022, the goat they touted used in a dish wasn't goat. It was mutton. I dropped Yantra from my radar and never bothered about it. 

Then V mentioned that she recently went and was impressed with what they had. She went with friends who eat there regularly, and the kitchen was able to customize various items to their preferences. She thought we might want to check it out again and see if the 2026 Yantra works for our tastebuds. So both the husband and I looked forward to checking out this new Yantra of which we were told that they also offer a goat curry of sorts.

The menu has both a la carte, and a tasting set of nine dishes including dessert. This tasting set has vegetarian options too. While it's a set menu, I think if you ask politely, the kitchen can customize it and accommodate requests within reasonable swaps that the kitchen already stocks. We opted for to do this tasting set so that we get smaller portions and could be greedy and taste more items. However, there were some stuff that we didn't want, say the ema datshi (I've never liked it while in Bhutan or Tibet, so this version ain't going to cut it), or the black cod done in the tandoori. So the kitchen kindly tweaked it for us. 

We started off with chaat. I was tickled. It was rather clever of the kitchen to put all the popular types of chaat together in a bowl. Sweet, sour, salty all in one. The restaurant calls it 'Benarasi Chaat' — it's khoi bora beetroot crisps with yoghurt, tamarind popped multigrain rice, fennel, ginger, and coconut. The aerated yoghurt was fabulous. 

I absolutely dislike black cod if it's not the kind I want. It's way too oily in this format. So they replaced it with a kingfish (a mackerel), of which I very much preferred. I also vehemently declined the cheese and vegetable broth. There was a duo of pulled duck in a soru chakli wrap, and prawns in a tiny appam. 

It was time for carbs! Hyderabdi dum chicken biryani. I also had goat as nihari gosht along with the crabs, and a Punjabi-style maa ki dal. We were so full! We took some, but couldn't finish them. So we packed the biryani and dal home. Wheeeee. Those made for a great lunch the next day.

Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was 3.30pm. Wow! This was such a long lunch, one of the longest we've had without the dog. We were thankful that the weather gods were kind. There was no rain and no thunder in spite of a predicted thunderstorm. So the dog was rather happy being home alone. I would return again now to Yantra because the goat in the nihari gosht is actual goat. 

'Force Majure' Begins Pangdemonium's Final Season

Adapted from Anton Chekhov's 1901 novel, 'Force Majure' opens the final season of Pangdemonium as a theatre company. After almost 16 years, Pangdemonium is closing at the end of this year. I have always welcomed what Pangdemonium chooses to adapt and stage for the Singapore audience. I can always find something to watch and mull over. There's never a bad production, but of course anyone could critique it to however they wish. Our national critics are always kind anyway. 

Written by Stephanie Street and directed by Tracie Pang, the play is set in a Southeast Asian country that is not Singapore. It kept faithful to the novel in the expiration of the relationship between three sisters and their brother, the issues of dysfunction within a family, of individual personal ambitions versus financial obligations and realities.

In 'Force Majure', there was some singing, yes, but thankfully this isn't a musical. The set was beautiful. I obviously wouldn't go into details here since I'm not paid to review it, and I keep my thoughts short and unprofessional. Hurhurhur. On this blog, it's always pretty much about whether I like something, or I don't. (Reviews here, here, here and here.)

Two actors take on dual roles in this adaption. I mean, aside from practical costs issues, one could also view it with a literary angle of the roles of these males Theo and Ken in their women's lives. Same goes for the actor playing Nat and Vic. Recurring patterns are everywhere. If you've read the book, then all the more you should be able to spot them. The music was fine, and the acting was pretty all right. Nothing too overboard, and made very believable. 

The playwrighting though, was a bit skimpy. I didn't feel the effect of 'force majure' coming through. Most certainly not in the way of a flood that upended all their lives, and deciding who would live or leave. The pacing in the first half was patchy. The second half (after the intermission) exploded and confused the heck out of me.

I'm just a regular audience. What do I know of theatre critique? But there is no necessity for me to say how wonderful this show is when I didn't fully embrace it. Did I enjoy it? Yeah, I totally appreciated the play in its entirety. Pangdemonium has always been so good for the Singapore theatre scene and its artists.