normally, degustation or tasting meals would turn me away because they tend to cost a lot while offering only petite-sized portions rather than a hearty meal. yeah, yeah, i know that’s the idea, but still… anyway, dozo is one restaurant that offers degustation meals at much friendlier prices.

Photo credit: Dozo

the conventional degustation meal consists of multiple courses, with each course fixed by the chef. but in dozo’s case, with the exception of the chef’s platter for starters, diners can select from a few dishes for each course. the menu is chiefly japanese with a deep infusion of french and european influences, similar to the design of the restaurant.

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kolo mee is a signature noodle dish in sarawak, perhaps equivalent to wanton mee, another dry-tossed noodle dish that singaporeans would be more familiar with. besides char siew (barbecued pork) and vegetables, kolo mee is also served with minced meat.

in recent years, someone from sarawak set up the jia xiang sarawak kuching kolo mee chain of small eateries selling this favorite dish. to make it even more authentic, the noodles and ingredients are air-flown directly from sarawak daily.

well, i haven’t actually tasted the kolo mee in sarawak before, so i really have no benchmark to compare this with. but the kolo mee at jia xiang tastes really good, if a little expensive!

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tired of the usual chinese, japanese or western cuisine? well, i was, and i went for something off the beaten track — egyptian cuisine! is there anything more otherworldly than that? i had this unique meal at altazzag egyptian restaurant, hidden in one of the tiny streets of kampong glam.

Photo credit: Icy

altazzag is arabic for fresh. and what a “fresh” experience it was! the restaurant occupies a little two-storey shophouse along the very narrow street of haji lane. notice the hookahs in the window? you can smoke shisha here too. this is one of those restaurants you would notice but hesitate going in for a meal due to the exotic cuisine.

in other words, it’s perfect for the days when you’re in the mood for something really different.

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chee cheong fun (steamed rice rolls) is a popular breakfast item in singapore and malaysia. this humble dish is made by steaming a mixture of rice flour and water, and turning the resultant rice sheets into rolls. while it may be one of the simplest food items you can find, it certainly isn’t plain. i like to eat it soaked in a generous pool of dark sweet sauce and sesame oil, with a heap of chili paste (preferably cooked with fermented shrimp), and a slight sprinkle of sesame seed.

rather than being served with just these four condiments, many hawkers have decided to put a twist on the dish. at teng yu chee cheong fun porridge, you can have it wrapped with ingredients such as turnip, egg, char siew (barbecued pork) or prawn.

this chee cheong fun has a filling of fresh prawn and vegetables. before you know it, what is formerly just a simple dish of plain rice sheet rolls and sauce has transformed into something much more savory!

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the annual singapore food festival is on! from 4 to 27 july, foodie events would be happening at various locations across the island. even unconventional foodie places like sentosa and the night safari have whipped up a few events of their own!

during the opening weekend, i celebrated with a hearty meal at lau pa sat, which now sports a 60s theme. grilled sambal stingray and calamari are my weakness, topped only by satay (meat skewers). food galore!

(to be perfectly honest, i have yet to come across a decent grilled seafood stall at lau pa sat. the two prominent ones there, ming yen and boon tat street bbq, simply do not make the cut. the satay from the best satay stall was perfection though.)

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