HOW PLASTIC FOOD MODELS ARE MADE IN JAPAN

I have always been fascinated by plastic food models (Shokuhin Sanpuru) displayed outside of Japanese restaurants. I have a better understanding of the industry after reading an article about the history, business principles and trends of plastic food models. I always wonder how the 3D models are made and the following video clips (produced by Nagao Shoken) provided the answers.

ICHIBAN-TEI & BAIKOHKEN RAMEN

Recently I got to know from foodie friends about two popular ramen restaurants in town. Being crazy about ramen, I just (die die) must try them out. First was the Kyushu-style Netsuretsu Ichiban-Tei Ramen restaurant located at Liang Court Shopping Mall basement (near to Meidi-ya supermarket). Previously located at Robertson Quay, the restaurant is famous for its tonkotsu (pork bone broth) and tantan (spicy peanut) ramen. I ordered the super tantan-men (extra spicy), plus a plate of fried cuttlefish. The tantan-men soup had both sesame and miso flavours, with hot pepper and grinded peanuts, topped with minced pork, beansprouts and spring onions. The taste was delicious and not really spicy. The noodle was springy and tasty. The minced pork could have been less salty. The dish was very different from the Chinese Sichuan version. As for the fried cuttlefish, it was crispy and delicious.

• Food & Beverage 7/10 • Ambience 7/10 • Service 6.5/10




The second was the Hokkaido/Asahikawa-style Baikohken Ramen restaurant (www.baikohken.com) located at 7 North Canal Road (opposite OCBC main branch building). This restaurant is popular for its shoyu, miso and shio (salt-based) ramen. I ordered a bowl of shoyu ramen, plus a plate of gyoza (5 pieces). The soya sauce flavoured soup (pork bone and seafood broth) was very delicious and not too salty. The big pieces of chashu were soft and tender, with the braised bamboo shoots very tasty. The curly egg noodle was not too springy though, abit overcooked. Overall the dish was very good. The gyoza was crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The 2 Japanese chefs and their service staff were very friendly. I had a good time chatting with them about Japan travel and food culture.

• Food & Beverage 7.5/10 • Ambience 7/10 • Service 8/10

BEARD PAPA SWEETS MOCHI CREAMERY

After I had my lunch at Parco Bugis Junction and was heading towards the MRT station, I passed by the Beard Papa Sweets Mochi Creamery outlet at basement 1 (www.beardpapa.com.sg). I was attracted to the colourful mochi ice-cream pics on the poster and lightbox. Certainly looked very tasty. At first I thought the items displayed on the glass panel were edible mochi ice-cream. But the outlet manager told me they were all plastic models. She even gave me a chance to touch the models. They looked and felt so real!! There was even artificial white powder on each model, just like a real mochi. Each mochi ice-cream model was labelled clearly with flavour name and price. After much persuasion, and promised that I would buy some mochi ice-cream, the outlet manager allowed me to take photos of the stall and glass display panel.






I looked through the various flavours of mochi ice-cream and realised there were 20 kinds. Gosh, so many to choose from! I bought 6 different flavours – Chocolate Dark Strawberry Chip, Mango, Green Tea, Tiramisu, Blueberry and Vanilla. Some other flavours included Asuki Bean, Chocolate Coconut, Lychee, Guava, Passion Fruit, etc. Not bad to include popular Tropical flavours. The box of mochi ice-cream was wrapped in a foil insulated "Cooler Pack" filled with some dry ice. Such packing prevents the ice-cream from melting within 2 hours at least. There was even a small "How to eat" instructional sheet, to educate customers how to enjoy the best texture and taste of the mochi ice-cream (after taken out from the freezer, allow the mochi ice-cream to thaw for about 5 to 6 minutes in room temperature before eating). After eating all 6 mochi ice-cream, I must say that the mochi skin and flavoured ice-cream combined well to give a unique and delicious taste. I am sure other flavours will taste just as good.

• Food & Beverage 7/10 • Ambience - • Service 6.5/10
 

I COOKED SPAGHETTI

It has been quite some time since I cooked spaghetti. With the request of my little nephew Sherman (he loves spaghetti), I decided to cook spagetti with tomato sauce for dinner today. For the tomato sauce, I mixed both the Nisshin's Mama brand (with pieces of mashed tomatoes) and Stromboli brand (concentrated mixture of onions and mushrooms). I like the combination of the two brands because the tomato sauce mixture has a well-balanced richness and is not too sour. To keep the dish simple, I merely added chopped onions and sliced button mushrooms as ingredients.


I started cooking the spaghetti in a pot of boiling water. Then I used the sieve to remove the cooked spaghetti from the boiling water, drained and shook off the excessive water.



I added some cooking oil into the pot and fried the chopped onions till golden brown. The sliced button mushrooms were then added with a teaspoon of salt. Both onions and mushrooms were fried over middle fire for about 2 minutes.



The tomato sauce mixture (half of each brand) was then added, stirred and mixed well with the onions and mushrooms. A spoonful of sugar was added. The sauce mixture was brought to the boil, then simmered gently over low fire for about 5 minutes. The fire was then turned to middle heat and the drained spaghetti was added. The spaghetti was stirred well with the sauce mixture for about 2 minutes.




The dish was then served with a dash of parsley. Sherman ate the spaghetti with a big smile on his face. Yummy!

WESTLAKE STEWED PORK BUN

While I was at Plaza Singapura Basement 2 and deciding what to have for lunch today, I came across the Xi Hu (www.westlake.com.sg) "kong bah bao" 扣肉包 (stewed pork buns) 西湖小吃 stall. What attracted me to the stall were the big and small food models. There was even a gigantic "kong bah pao" food model (at least 10 times the actual size) displayed at the stall front. When I asked for permission to take photos of the food models, the stallholder told me that approval granted only if I ordered a dish from the stall. I told myself "why not give it a shot?".



I ordered a plate of rice with "kong bah" (stewed pork) and stewed salted vegetable, plus a "kong bah bao" and a cup of lime juice. The "kong bah" was really soft and tender, simply melts in your mouth. I find it much sweeter than other versions I ate previously. The "kong bah" (a big piece and a few small pieces) and stewed salted vegetable went well with plain rice. The combined taste of "kong bah" and lettuce sandwiched between the "bao" was very delicious.


After lunch, I proceeded with photo-taking. Other than the usual "kong bah bao" food models, other food models comprised of spicy beef rice, "chee cheong fun" (rice sheet rolls), sweet and sour soup, glutinous rice and popiah (fresh spring rolls). All the food models were of good quality and looked quite realistic. From my observation, customers could easily identify with the food models and order their food choices accordingly. According to the stallholder, the food models have boosted sales for the stall, and attracted many onlookers. Few pieces of food models were even stolen!


I believe presently, Westlake is one of the very very few local food stalls which believes strongly in food models. Most local food companies/stalls and restaurants still believe that food photography for menus and lightboxes can do a better and cheaper job. I hope that the usage of food models in Singapore will grow significantly in the coming years.

• Food & Beverage 7.5/10 • Ambience 7/10 • Service 7.5/10