The first good thing about Sushi Tei is the location. Go to Holland Village which is on the yellow circle line. To find the new (in 2022) Raffles mall you take the first, nearest exit to the ticket office (and platforms), exit A. You come out facing the Raffles mall which is across the car park.
A few steps and you are at the front entrance. The mall is small and easy to find your way around. You are on the ground floor. The upmarket supermarket is in the basement. On the ground floor you have a Japanese cafe and a bakery (and toilets up four stairs.) The escalators are in the centre.
Escalators
A narrow one up and beside it a narrow one down. Up one level on the escalator and there's an expensive dress shop. Up a second escalator and you have the Japanese Sushi Tei restaurant.
You have a choice of window seat tables or secluded inside tables. We had a bright, light window seat table.
We were offered two printed laminated menus. One was the larger regular multi-page hard cover picture menu including some more expensive items. The shorter but large one-fold menu showed a few seasonal dishes and one drink and two desserts on the back.
We ordered
Salmon sushi
Chicken in a bowl of rice with sauce
Chicken on rice bowl. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Salmon (with mayonnaise served on the side)
Vegetables
Tempura deep fried vegetables. The orange was sweet potato. Very nice.
Except that I got two of them. I would have liked smaller pieces. That way two, three, or four people would get some of each vegetable.
The dark grey was mushroom. The white was another kind of mushroom.
I got the stringy white mushroom which I didn't like. Somebody else got the solid grey mushroom which I would have preferred.
To my mind deep frying vegetables ruins their health qualities. But it makes a change.
Made a change from salad.
Delights
1 The ice cream was walnut. Nutty.
2 Being given two spoons to share the dessert.
In retrospect, it should have had a decoration. But at the time I did not notice. You could buy the same or similar in the supermarket downstairs. (I suppose you might say the same of the cold sushi.)
I would have liked to have tried the matcha (green tea) ice cream. I had that at another restaurant and liked it. The matcha would have been more Japanese.
Summary
1 Location - mall near MRT, restaurant near escalators
2 The chicken on rice bowl in a great sauce.
3 The novelty of deep fried tempura vegetables. Lots of salads on the menu.
4 The walnut ice cream was the less expensive of two options and all four of us liked it.
5 Water, warm or cold, provided fast and replenished.
Disappointments
1 Price charge for water. 50 cents.
2 Canned drinks instead of fresh. The grape juice was a Coca Cola brand drink, not freshly squeezed. It was pleasant enough, according to the ingredients list on the can, grape mixed with apple. I didn't mind. The more types of juice the better. I like mixed juice.
3 All the grills were unavailable because, they said, they were short-staffed. Our Singaporean dining companions told us that since the ease of travel restrictions a few days earlier many workers had returned to their homes in Malaysia.
4 Nobody smiled or welcomed us. Nobody smiled or asked if everything was okay or did we want anything extra. (I wanted a spoon. A knife to divide the vegetables. Or knife and fork.)
Toilets
The public toilets outside the restaurant were lovely and modern. Best of all, the shower attachment at knee level behind the toilet. Anything missing? No way to dry your hands after washing them. Those on the ground floor were up four steps, if you have mobility problems, use the ones on the upper floor.
Their other branches include 12 in Singapore. (At Changi Jewel, Nex and more.) Also in Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Myanmar, Vietnam.
Useful Websites
We looked at Sushi Thai or Sushi Tei in Holland Village for a Singaporean Indian friend in Singapore. As far as I can see Sushi Thai is two spelling of the same place. Some branches are franchises. They may or may not have a conveyor belt. The Holland Road branch does not have bookings and you may have to queue to get a table, according to some accounts on Tripadvisor. (However, we went there on a Thursday in April just before noon and had no trouble.)
Earlier this year, 2022, we went for lunch in Holland Village and there were queues (Americans say line-ups) in half a dozen restaurants where because of Covid restrictions, several of the small tables only allowed two at a table instead of four. Now that may change, however, after Tuesday April 26, when restrictions were lifted, we expect crowds all week.
I looked at the Suchi Tei websites and read about the membership. Currently, 27 April 2022, the website told me that you had to pay 68 dollars for membership, but received an 85 dollar credit, which is usable immediately. You might not find that profitable if you are a single or couple or threesome and only paying one visit. But if you add up a bill for three persons, with about 5 dollars each for a main course, about 4 for a shared dessert, three dollars or five each, add 15 for drinks, and you reach at least 30, so it pays for itself if you live locally and make a second visit, or if there are 4 of you ordering lavishly.
What do I mean by lavishly? Lemon tea or grape juice is economical, mango juice a bit more. If you want to stay home, you can order online.
A recipe for taking orange salmon roe, adding a marinade of soy sauce and sake and let stand for half a day, serving on a bowl or rice with some contrast colour and texture green leaves or vegetables.
Useful Websites
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g294265-d11946985-Reviews-Sushi_Tei_Holland_Village-Singapore.html
https://supafreshjapan.com/blogs/supa-recipes/ikura-shoyu-salmon-roe
For information on Holland village, see next post. For more on the restaurant, see the post after that. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.
Useful Websites
The celebrations will be in the UK in June. Who will be there? My guess is that we shall see:
HM The Queen. (Not Prince Philip who is dead.)
Her son, Prince Charles. Camilla.
William. Kate. Their children.
Probably
Thomas Markle, father of Meghan.
Maybe, maybe not
Harry and Meghan. Their children.
Wikipedia has an extensive article covering all the events throughout the year not just in the UK but all over the Commonwealth.
The tours of the Caribbean by William and Kate are part of the Platininum year when they are representing HM the queen who no longer flies.
Wiki says>
For the first time, Jubilee Beacons will be lit in every capital city of each Commonwealth country to mark 70 years of the Queen's reign.[13]
The Queen's Baton for the 2022 Commonwealth Games features a platinum strand along its length to commemorate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year in 2022.[14]
To commemorate the Jubilee, the Royal Mint and the Royal Canadian Mint partnered to create a two-coin set, with each mint designing a coin for the set.[15] The silver coin designed by the Royal Mint has an equestrian portrait of the Queen on the reverse and a royal mantle on the obverse. The silver coin designed from the Royal Canadian Mint has a reverse design that depicts the Queen in 1952, while the obverse has the effigy of the Queen used on Canadian coins since 2003.[16]
Members of the Royal Family will undertake a series of royal tours of Commonwealth countries to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.[17]
The Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on 14 March reflected the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Year with a special focus on the role that service plays in the lives of people and communities across the Commonwealth.[18]
Places to see
Buckingham Palace
Windsor Castle
Useful Websites
https://danwoottontonight.wetransfer.com/downloads/abe367563ed067eaea13ba2e3ed6920320220425214233/b139f3
Shakespeare
Phrases we all know which come from Shakespeare:
It's all Greek to me
in a pickle
without rhyme or reason
if the truth were known
send them packing
an eyesore
more fool you
better days
fair play
I should have shown this on St George's Day.
You can see the Shakespeare theatre reproduced in London, England. Also visit Stratford-upon-Avon.
Visit England or Canada and 'All's well that ends well', as the title of Shakespeare's play says.
Canada also has Shakespeare theatre events.
Useful Websites
The name Odessa is related to the Odyssey, written by Homer.
HISTORY
Odessa or Odesa (Ukrainian: Оде́са [oˈdɛsɐ] (
listen)) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odessa Raion and Odessa Oblast, as well a multi-ethnic cultural centre. Odessa is sometimes called the "Pearl by the Sea",[3] the "Southern Capital" ,[4] "Odessa-mama" and "The Humour Capital", as well as "Southern Palmyra".[5] The population in 2021 was 1,015,826 (2021 est.)[6]Odessa Одеса | |
|---|---|
| Odesa | |
| Ukrainian transcription(s) | |
| • Romanization | Odesa |
 Counterclockwise: Vorontsov Lighthouse, City garden, Opera and Ballet Theatre, Square de Richelieu, Potemkin Stairs, Monument to the Duc de Richelieu | |
 Flag  Coat of arms  Logo | |
  Odessa Location in Odessa Oblast | |
| Coordinates: 46°29′8.6″N 30°44′36.4″ECoordinates: 46°29′8.6″N 30°44′36.4″E | |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Oblast |  Odessa Oblast |
| Raion | Odessa Raion |
| Port founded | 2 September 1794 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Gennady Trukhanov[1] (Truth and Deeds[2]) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 162.42 km2 (62.71 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Highest elevation | 65 m (213 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | −4.2 m (−13.8 ft) |
| Population (2021) | |
| • Total | 1,015,826 |
| • Density | 6,300/km2 (16,000/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | English: Odessite Ukrainian: одесит, одеситка Russian: одессит, одесситка |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal codes | 65000–65480 |
| Area code(s) | +380 48 |
| Website | www.omr.gov.ua/en/ |
| 1Metropolitan area population as of 2001 | |
Wiki says
The settlement was known as Khadjibey until 1795 when a city was established in its place according to the Greek Plan of Catherine the Great. It was named after the ancient Greek city of Odessos, which was mistakenly believed to have been located here. Odessa is located between the ancient Greek cities of Tyras and Olbia; whereas ancient Odessos was further west along the coast, at present-day Varna, Bulgaria.
Catherine's Secretary of State Adrian Gribovsky claimed in his memoirs that the name was his suggestion.
On January 27, 2010, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted Resolution No 55 "On Normalization of Transliteration of the Ukrainian Alphabet by means of the Latin Alphabet", according to which the standardised Latin-alphabet spelling of the name of the city is "Odesa".
The pictures on the right include the statue of French Richelieu.
Useful Websiteshttps://www.thebump.com/b/odessa-baby-name
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odessa
.svg.png)
It is celebrated, or perhaps I should say, observed, in Australia, New Zealand and in London, England at Whitehall.
The event takes place with wreath laying on a memorial in London, by the head of the armed forces/a member of the royal family (who may or may not be the same, depending which year and which country.
There might be visits to obelisks (upright commemoration), or gravestones or plaques.
Before, during and after that day, you might wish to visit monuments, museums and cemeteries.
In Australia I went to visit the museum at Canberra, the capital. I was impressed by a memorable and chilling painting of a parade of veteran soldiers - followed by ghostly skeletons!
On a brighter note, I liked photos and fond stories of mascots and helpful animals in wartime.
More detail and photos will be added later when I finish work.
The Ukrainian language might be new to you as it is to me. On photographs you can sometimes see street names. You also see the street and city names on maps. I always wanted to visit the capital, Kiev, which sounds so romantic and had the great, green, onion-shaped roofs on the famous Cathedral.
I also like chicken Kiev. Chicken breast with moistening butter and tasty garlic. A surprise when you cut into it in Italian restaurants which proliferated in London, England. A quick meal, and still a novelty meal, now that it is sold ready-made in supermarkets such as Tesco in the UK. The alternative spelling is Kyiv.
Odessa is also well-known. The hundreds of steps are a memorable dramatic scene in the classic film, Battleship Potemkin. Ship, port, seaside city. On the sea. Far south.
The third city which is nearest to the UK is Lvov, or Lviv, or Lemberg. Like Leo, all starting with the letter L, the word for lion. After leader or king Leo, the lion king.
The word Ukraine means on the border, as I learned from the video whose link I found in duolingo.
Useful Websites
Video about the language
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o76SHvlLS5I
More details on verbs and comparisons between Russian and Ukrainian
It helps to remind yourself of the English words
genitive, cognate, vocative, pluperfect, nominative, prepositional case, perfective prefix, pro-drop languages
Please share links to your favourite posts.
New regulations will mean easier travel, including to Malaysia. Less of the Trace Together and mask wearing for shops and . Some places such as places of entertainment will have limits.
Check government websites for updates
I bought a skirt from a walk-in kiosk created on the indoor balcony overlooking the atrium, with three clothes hanging racks against the railing making a small circular viewing walk.
Refash
Regular items, skirts and tops, are all S $6.90 (Singapore dollars). I looked at dozens of lace and pretty items, but they were all tiny. When the dresses and tops were tiny, I could not get them over my shoulders.
I saw a couple of items which were in bright colours, orange, which appealed. However, they looked creased and cheap. Not new and smart.
I bought a wonderful skirt from Love Bonito. Size UK 6, US 2. A thick, vividly coloured, slightly stretch material.
This item had a waist zip. Although the waist did not quite do up, that didn't matter.
The colour was black, white and jolly red. Here's what it looked like later at home.
Useful Websites (Alphabetically)
Bishan MRT station
Junction 8
Love Bonito
Refash
We started by meeting in Food Republic.
Food Republic
Food republic has chicken rice and tofu. Last time I had chicken which was boiled. This time I chose roast chicken, which was dry. A mistake. The tofu seemed dry and overcooked as well.
Look up and you will see the hanging plants. I liked the quotation:
The back wall is glass looking out on the path outside and the grass, with buildings beyond.
Food Junction
Upstairs is another food court, Food Junction. One area has windows from up high looking down.
