Having withstood two postponements due to the lockdowns, I was beside myself with joy when I finally arrived at the familiar nondescript entrance shoehorned between other Japanese sip-and-sup concepts at Orchard Plaza. I may or may not have been hyperventilating when I stepped through @bistrotetroit’s door. But I will say this - the giddy thrill of being able to enjoy @chef_y.doi_avossouhaits’ cooking again was real. Once my fellow foodies @momofuku @safarislim @szeliang888 arrived, punctually I might add, it was all systems go for the one-man-show extraordinaire. First, he sorted out our drinks, pouring the bottle he recommended (I get why it is a favourite of his - that red was too easy to drink). We then got a glass jar of chilled wasabi cauliflower cream with uni each. My spoon made quite a cacophony trying to reach every last marvelous bit of it. Chef Doi’s housemade breads arrived after and were hoovered up amidst murmurs of admiration. As usual, the brioche was stellar - its subtle sweetness complemented beautifully by the savoury uni and white miso butter. Everyone had the Shima-Aji dressed with pomegranate, nuts and chrysanthemum petals as their first appetiser. It looked simple but was lively in flavour. We chose our second appetiser from a list of four options, and the Ayu was what I selected. A stunner indeed! Packed with roe, the Komochi Ayu had been confit to the loveliest of textures, rendering most of its bones edible, and flesh, a creamy-powdery delight. It was presented with a sauce and Greek mushrooms. Rivaling it in delectability, the Kinmedai which was @huatkaliao’s pick (or should I say, mine, because I wanted to try that too 😆). The flesh was cooked low and slow until a pretty translucence. A quick aburi bestowed it with smokiness that further enhanced its sublimity. Chef Doi’s take on the French classic, the Bouillabaisse, featured a large piece of roasted Amadai, and it was sensational! THE dish of the night for me. I can’t begin to explain how life-changing this felt - the seemingly straightforward act of placing a crispy-scaled fish in a pool of tomato-based sauce with… ⬇️Continued in Comments⬇️

This Pumpkin Porridge. A relatively obscure location for us as we stepped into Fortune Centre near Bugis, this is one of the popular dish from Bodhi Deli, a vegetarian restaurant located on level 3 of the nondescript building. This porridge is somewhat satisfying to our surprise and at $3.50, it is very reasonable for an air-conditioned eatery. Ingredients are generous too, just check out those fried beancurd skins and mushrooms!

. 普普通通/平平無奇，可以用以下expressions表達: 1. average (adj.) 2. run-of-the-mill (adj.) 3. unremarkable (adj.) 4. unexceptional (adj.) 5. mediocre (adj.) 6. nondescript (adj.) 7. characterless (adj.) . 較informal嘅講法: 1. Be two/ten a penny (普通到周街都係) 2. Be a dime a dozen (普通到周街都係) 3. Nothing to write home about . 例句: e.g. I would say this is a rather run-of-the-mill performance. e.g. I live in a nondescript building in the neighbourhood. e.g. Movies like this are a dime a dozen. e.g. The decor is impressive but the food is nothing to write home about. . #dseenglish #emilychan_english #emilychan_english考試英語 #emilychan_english生活英語