Michelin Restaurant Bam! in Singapore. More on dishes, desserts and prices.

 

Interior of Bam restaurant with waiter, bottles and glasses and plants. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

We could have had a three course set lunch at S$48 per person. Instead we chose the tapas. Our guest did not warm to the choices of egg or mushroom soup for starters, nor the alternatives of pork or fish for the main course. Saturday brunch is much the same at a higher price, 88 dollars. Plus Plus.

Chicken wings with sauce. Five pieces. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Photo by Angela Lansbury.

I have used our bill to identify my photos. The bill is presented with items listed alphabetically.

I should have listed the items as we received them.

The banana dessert was definitely a winner. Banana cake with exotic sorbet and caramelised pecans. I loved the sweet crunchy caramelised nuts. 

The other dessert, strawberry meringue looked pretty but did not enthral me as much as my banana cake. 

The Japanese service was unobtrusive but instant. When I knocked over a glass of water, two waiters were there beside us instantly with paper towels and a mop. 

Not like the Italian restaurant staff in England who gasp with excitement on seeing you, wave you to your table, talk loudly and enthuse over the menu, ask how you are and listen to your life story, then confide their own with raised eyebrows and gestures, and wink when you leave. Here, typically Japanese, quietly open the door as you exit and bow low without looking at you.

An alternative set menu is Omakase, chef's choice, starting with an amuse buche, then five courses for 158 dollars. Or seven for 188 dollars.

The main feature of the decor was a large picture of Sean Connery, James Bond, famous for his drink being shaken but not stirred.

Useful Websites

www.bam.sg

https://www.instagram.com/bam.singapore/

My previous post

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2021/12/japanese-michelin-starred-restaurant-bam.html

About the author of this blog

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including: Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Japanese Michelin starred restaurant Bam! in Singapore. Prices!

 

Tomato Gazpacho. The best dish, also the best value, at only 6 Sing dollars. (Add 10% service charge and 7% GST to the bill.)

This close up shows the almost invisible ginger, like what we in or from Britain call a jelly (Americans use the brand name Jello).

Another vegetable dish, at the same price, S$6, was spinach.

Door to Bam! restaurant in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The round, red, doorway stickers tell us that the restaurant had the prestigious and internationally understood Michelin mentions, awards?, in 2018, 2019 and right now at the time of our visit, 2021.

The best dish at Bam was my starter, a cold tomato soup with pieces of ginger. It looked great and tasted greater. Highly recommended. 

We chose the tapas, the individual plates, not the seat meal.

Our Chinese friend Shan, one of Trevor's former colleagues, lives part of the year in Japan so she is knowledgeable about Japanese food as well as Asian food. Trevor is the wine expert. I just eat. And write. And take great photos. 

This picture taken by the waiter is slightly askew. I tried editing it to get the horizontals correct. However, that cuts off my shoulder. So I have left it looking tipped and tipsy. In addition to the smiles all around, I love the yellows and reds.

What can you see in this photo? Unusual cutlery. Knives, forks and spoons and cutlery rests. We were also given chopsticks and chopstick rests. 

The neutral colour table top and walls are offset by the cheerful red water tumblers. The red water glass co-ordinates with the red wine, and my red top.

Every dish comes with a dip or sauce, contrasting colour, texture and taste. 

My companions ordered shellfish. One of the dishes was Taraba Crab Cake. I am allergic to that so I ate more of the chicken wings, at Shan's kind suggestion.

The composite savoury cakes (a bit like so-called fish cakes) included one of yellow corn, which  we mostly eat as corn on the cob. it is listed on the menu as white corn, and the corn kernels are in a thick white sauce in the batter. (Americans call the corn, maize. Off the cob - it looks like squashed yellow peas.) The yellow corn kernels were in a white sauce, inside a fish cake like deep fried batter, a contrast of textures.

BAM! Tapas-Sake Bar

38 Tras Street

Singapore 078977

Tel 62260500

Lunch 12 noon - 2 pm.

Dinner 6.30 pm - 10.30 pm.

Useful Websites

www.bam.sg

About the Author of this blog, Author Angela Lansbury

BIOGRAPHY

Angela Lansbury B A Hons ACG ALB PM5 EH5 DL5 VC5 
The Author of several books, including: Etiquette For Every Occasion. Wedding Speeches & Toasts. How to be the Best Man. Quick Quotations. Who Said What When.

Blogs travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com

dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com

translateforfun.blogspot.com

Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters Speakers Club Vice President Public Relations (VPPR), Previous President

Join BHA 1st Wednesday 7pm and 3rd Saturday 2 pm Singapore time 

Vice President Public Relations (VP PR) of Tampines Changkat Advanced;

Secretary of weekly online Singapore International Dynamic Toastmasters Speakers’ Club;

Member and past president of Harrovians toastmasters club, UK; Past member of HOD Toastmasters, London. Past member in Singapore of: Toastmasters Club of Singapore (TCS); Tiarel; and Senja Cashew.

More details from Toastmasters International find a club.

Regular attendee at annual Swanwick Writers’ School, England.

Regular attendee at annual Writers’ Holiday, Wales.

Contributor to poetry readings, and after tea courses on: Speaking On Radio To Promote Books; and Plots And Character.

Winner of many club and area speaking contests in the UK and Singapore.

Language advisor to Empire Toastmasters club in Indonesia.

Language and speech workshops in Singapore.

Speaker on radio and TV in England, Scotland, the USA, and Australia.

Compiler of a school course on public speaking for teachers to prepare pupils for school open days with attending ceremonies before government ministers, Singapore.

Former member of Harrow Writers’ Circle, London, and two writing groups in Singapore.

Angela is on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter. She would be delighted to link up with new friends.

I  also have a blog on comic poems.

 Please share links to your favourite posts. 

Fabulous French Chateaux And Gardens of the Loire Valley

The Loire Valley is known as the garden of France.

Problem
Where to start? Which to do first?

Château de Villandry, photo by Jean-Christophe BENOIST in Wiki.

Answer

Start with Villandry. Pick a nearby hotel. Or pick a hotel, then plot your chateau tour.

Villandry

Villandry is huge. And busy. You could do the gardens only, the house only, or both, depending on weather. I went there on a press trip. The car park was full of groups and the queue (Americans say line-up) for the house was so long that on arrival some of our group drove off to another chateau first and came back when Villandry was less busy. 

One member of the group was a gardening specialist and did not bother to see the house. I can understand that if you want to focus hard on one subject on a trip you might not want distractions. However, not knowing what I would see inside, I remember being so excited by one antique object that I was really sorry my friend had missed it.

Chateau de Villandry, in the region of Tours
I, on the other hand, found the gardens interesting but rather tiring. However, knowing what I know now, about the different patterns, and the problems you have to solve in topiary, I would now be far more interested in the garden than I was previously.

Research
I think it's worthwhile to research the place in advance. When all the details are new and hit you at once it can be overwhelming. When you research and remember the names of the different kings and queen and eras, the plants, the styles of furniture, it makes sense.
.

Château de Villandry, garden, by Daderot in Wikipedia.

Chenonceau, the Medicis and Machiavelli

After Villandry, see Chenonceau. 

King Henry II of France had been married to his Italian wife, Catherine de Medici, when he and his wife were teenagers, both only fourteen-years-old. Henry was then the younger brother of the future king. Catherine was the daughter of the ruthless, infamous Medici family of Florence. Machiavelli dedicated to her father the famous book The Prince, about how to cheat and murder your way to the top! 

Henry's older brother died and Henry became king. Soon after Henry married he embarked on a lifelong affair with an older woman, Diane of Poitiers, to whom he gave the Chateau of Chenonceau. When Henry died, Catherine, who had always wanted Chenonceau, promptly took it from Diane.

Chateaux Tour

Other chateaux include Amboise and Chambord. Usse inspired Perrault to write Sleeping Beauty. Richelieu was the home of Richelieu so involved in French history. Valencay was owned by Talleyrand (1803-1838) whose French words of wisdom included: 'words are given to us to hide our thoughts'. 

You can spend several days visiting chateaux, as I did on my gardens trip. See one in the morning. Have a leisurely lunch. See another in the afternoon. Have a leisurely dinner. Stay in a chateau hotel.

On another ferry-drive holiday with my husband, we tried staying at a grand hotel one night, then on alternating nights we stayed at moderately priced Relais. We spent the money we saved on a one star Michelin restaurant.

VIDEO
Brilliant video of Chenceaux with commentary by a jolly, enthusiastic man, potted history of the royals and picture of the grand interior:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TB8zcl9NxKw

Websites
CHATEAUX TO VISIT
ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Château_de_Villandry
http://www.french-gardens.com/gardens/chenonceau
relais
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Châteaux_de_la_Loire
MICHELIN RESTAURANTS
https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/web/Restaurants/Restaurants-France
HOTELS
http://www.lastminute.com/hotels/country/hotels-in-France
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/SmartDeals-g187123-Chenonceaux_Loire_Valley_Centre_Val_de_Loire-Hotel-Deals.html
NATIONAL TOURIST BOARDS
http://uk.france.fr
http://us.france.fr

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Black Pepper Restaurant in Hatch End, for couples, or groups

We had booked a back room for a committee meeting. I've been going to this restaurant for years and didn't know they had a back room. According to the way they configure the tables, as a solid rectangle of three tables, or a U shape, it can seat a small number cosily or a large number elegantly for a formal occasion.

The server popped in often to take orders and bring food.

Somebody else ordered mussels and said half wouldn't open but when that was drawn to the attention of the management the price for that dish was removed from the  bill. No arguments. I thought that was good service.

I ordered two courses meal from the set menu.

I  like sweet wine. I looked for the dessert wines and ordered a glass of muscat (muscat is the grape which usually makes sweet wine). I feared that as it was listed as dessert wine I might get a tiny portion in a tiny glass. I was pleased to receive a large glass so that I looked like I was drinking a proper white wine with my main course.

The duck main course was pleasant, along with the vegetables, sauce potatoes and spinach. Not over-large. Good enough. Just right.

So was the cheesecake, glad to say it was not that disappointing shaking, squishy, collapsing cheesecake but a solid piece of cheesecake, almost as solid as the famous New York style cheesecake which I used to eat in Starbucks and several other coffee shops in Singapore. A reasonably, sensibly sized piece, not too large, which assuaged my guilt feelings and fear that my calorie count was weighing down the seesaw.

The ground floor toilet is for those with wheelchairs but also handy if you cannot manage stairs, or don't want to when you have a long skirt, and heeled shoes, and a glass of alcohol inside.

Why have I not voted it five star? Because four stars means good enough to go back if you live nearby. I save five stars for Michelin quality food with weird ingredients, and food you want to photograph, and places you should visit from outside the area or indeed across the world.

I ordered decaff coffee. I saw somebody's else's tiramisu desert in a high round bowl which I mistook for a cup and thought it was a cappuccino with con panne, with cream.

So when my coffee came plain without cream on top I was disappointed. Not the restaurant's fault, but I must remember for next time. Nothing special about the coffee. No fancy cup. No complimentery chocolate with the coffee. If you want to delay your departure, maybe.

My share of the bill was about £25 including 10% service.  No fuss when one of the group wanted to pay their share with a credit card. Up comes the machine.

The group voted that we were happy to go back.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, speaker and author.

The Royal Oak restaurant, Pale Street near Maidenhead, Berkshire

Where to take family or friends from overseas for Sunday lunch out of London in the countryside? We really wanted somewhere on the river but the forecast was overcast weather so we settled for a country pub with good food, cross-checking the Good Food Guide and Michelin. Our first choice was an old favourite at Bray, but they were fully booked. We found The Royal Oak pub restaurant.

From the outside it's a plain white traditional building, but the Michelin signs in the window are promising, and one step inside the door - low step - mind the step - you see a smiling face to welcome you, a fireside, an old pub and beyond that a bright, white modern restaurant.

Pre-starters

Main courses

I ordered chicken. 

The fish and chips came with large chips. 

Desserts

Rum baba

Rhubarb crumble

What's not to like? Not enough vegetables, unless up you pay for a side order or think potatoes are vegetables. Bread is a paid for pre-starter. Twelve and half per cent service charge. Fifteen minutes wait for the rhubarb to be cooked through. But the well-heeled, well-spoken crowd did not look like they were in a hurry, not watching the time nor counting the pennies.

Lots to like about this place, apart from the food and wine list: the bag hook marked bag in the ladies toilet, the garden area where you sit watching the wall waterfall, the toothpicks in a cover like a mini matchbook. 

The Royal Oak

Haley Street

Little field Green, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3JN

reservations 01628 620541

info@theroyaloakpaleystreet.com

www.theroyaloakpaleystreet.com

Angela Lansbury BA Hons, author, travel writer, photojournalist, speaker. More about and by Angela Lansbury the author on Lulu.com, Facebook, linkedIn, YouTube.