DIY Bread

Been messing around with bread recently. Always wanted to bake my own loaf but my first loaf while smelling good was a hunk of rock, too little water. :(

This was my 2nd attempt. A simple focaccia with some parmesan cheese, black pepper, paprika and sea salt. Not too bad though... but can be better.




Focaccia bread(adapted from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food)
2 teaspoon dry yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
Add and mix well:
1/4 cup unbleached white flour(I used bread flour)
1/4 cup rye flour(I used semolina flour)
Allow the mixture to sit for 30 minutes
Mix together in another bowl:
3 1/2 cup unbleached white flour(Bread flour)
1 teaspoon salt
Stir this into the yeast and flour mixture with:
3/4 cup cold water
1/4 cup olive oil
Knead until soft and elastic.
Put the dough in a large bowl, cover and let double in size around 2 hours.
Shape the dough in a generously oiled pan and drizzle with 2 tablespoon of olive oil.
cover and let double in size around 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 230 deg C
Sprinkle some salt on the dough and place it at the bottom tray of the oven for around 20 - 25 minutes.

Wanna try a sour dough style soon.

Japanese Ramen in the West?

And it is not from Ajisen? I was quite delighted when I passed by a new ramen joint in the new food extension focusing on Japanese food located at the basement of Jurong Point.

Menichi Japanese Ramen, never heard of it before, so try lah. I did try to google it up to find out more but zilch info. So I wonder if the "With 30 years of experience in Japanese ramen kitchens, the grand chef of Men Ichi is certainly not one to compromise on standards" is just a marketing blurb or...

Then I noticed that their email ends with res.com.sg which means that they're under the same umbrella of Kuriya, Kuishin-bo, Ichiban Boshi etc.

Never mind, the proof is in the tasting...

Prices seems quite reasonable... and they have some spicy ramen thingie with varying amount of spiciness not unlike the grand old dame of localized Singapore ramen, Beppu Menkan.


Ordered a bowl of their Char Siew Ramen in tonkotsu based soup.


And the Buta Kakuni cos I just can't resist pork belly.


And how was it? It was palatable, nothing to shout about or go crazy to text all my friends to check out this place.
1) The soup could've been saltier, more robust and ahem... oilier. Its just too healthy for a tonkotsu(I'm basing on Santouka's offering) and it reminded me of the instant soup base sachet from Ajisen takeaway ramen. Oh no...
2) The noodles were cooked just nice but if you hate Ajisen's noodles, you won't like this cos its of the similar kind. Personally, I don't mind it at all.
3) "Generous" serving of 5 thinly sliced tender char shu. Their char shu are of the pork belly variety and is pretty plain in flavour. While I love everything pork but I'd much prefer the shoulder cut char shu. Noodle House Ken's come to mind, oh I need to pay my monthly pilgrimage there soon.
4) The ni tamago or seasoned egg was too plain as well. Needed more soaking time in the sauce. However the egg was cooked just nice, with some soft yolk.
5) The buta kakuni was pretty all right but too thinly sliced. I like the chunks at Marutama but oh... the price difference, so its fine.

I'll go a few more times to check out their other stuff by virtue of them being so close from my work place.

Menichi Japanese Ramen
1 Jurong West Central 2
B1-54 Jurong Point
Tel: 67945125
1130am - 1000pm, last order at 930pm