We all love our wagyu. But with the myriad of types and grades of Japanese beef out there, it can all get a little confusing sometimes. Here are some of the more unknown cuts (with some more regular ones thrown in) you should know about and where you can try them in Singapore.

Toriyama wagyu

Where to try it: Ikyu

 

Unlike regular wagyu prized for its marbling (intramuscular fat), Toriyama wagyu places emphasis on umami, or how savory it tastes. At Ikyu, Chef Takuma Seki charcoal grills Toriyama beef with very little marination. He believes that the wagyu is very flavorful as it is, and the robata style allows for the natural flavors to shine.

Saga beef

 

Where to try it: Bōruto

 

Wagyu from Japan’s Saga Prefecture is known for its fine-grained marbling known as tsuya-sashi, or glossy marbling. For Bōruto’s Chef Angus Chow, he uses buttery Saga beef striploin to create his favorite dish, the gyu tataki, where he tosses thinly sliced Saga wagyu with salted kelp and saffron to create an aromatic dish.

Ohmi wagyu

 

Where to try it: Jin Fine Dining

 

Ohmi beef is regarded as one of the top three wagyu in Japan, and rightly so. While ohmi beef is not as fatty as other premium wagyu, it does carry a distinct sweetness, which Chef Ray Phun of Jin Fine Dining brings out by lightly pan-frying the beef with a little garlic oil, salt and pepper. Try it as part of his premium set available for both lunch and dinner.

Gunma beef

 

Where to try it: Kacyo

 

We all know A5 is the highest possible grade given to wagyu. But it is not easy to find A5 Gunma beef especially in Singapore. At Kacyo, which sources for premium beef on a rotational basis, you can try A5 wagyu from Kobe, Kagoshima, Miyazaki and, of course, from Gunma, which features melt-in-your-mouth marbling and intense umami.

Ozaki wagyu

 

Where to try it: Ushidoki Wagyu Kaiseki

 

Of all the wagyu types, Ozaki beef (sourced from a single farm in Miyazaki Prefecture) is the only one named after the owner of the cattle used rather than where it came from. Chef Hirohashi Nobuaki serves it in his kaiseki menus with each plate featuring a 50g striploin cut along with mountain wasabi from Hokkaido. The rich and flavorful beef is sweet yet not overwhelming to taste, meaning you can eat lots of it without feeling irked.

Start low, end high.

Opt for lighter, crisper styles first, then move on to darker, more bitter and higher ABV beers. Daniel Goh, owner of The Good Beer Company, agrees: “Go by beer style, roastiness and alcohol content. Start with a lager, witbier or pale ale before tackling the extra stouts, dark ales and barrel aged goods.”

Follow the seasons.

Why go for the labels you can find anywhere in Singapore? Take advantage of the situation. “Ask for seasonal beers that are only available during Beerfest. Also, aim for one beer per stall and share it among your friends,” say Fabio De Souza and Keagan Kang, owners of The Papa Shop. “If you drink too many different beers from one stall, you might find it tough to make it to the rest of the stalls when you feel drunk.”

Pick your battles.

Sorry to break it to you: you’ll never drink all the beers at Beerfest (don’t take that as a challenge) and get any meaningful knowledge out of it. Corrine Chia of The Great Beer Experiment recommends a more curated approach, where you identify the beers or breweries you want to hit up ahead of time. “Is it by taste profile? For example, if you have a preference for sweet brews, look for fruit beers or alcoholic ginger beers,” she says. “Or brand profile—for example, the Mikkeller range of craft beers. Or country profile? Belgian ales? With your palate still fresh upon arrival, seek out these beers first. The program book will point you in the right direction.”

Flirt—and don’t commit too soon.

Exhibitors are fully expecting for you to chat them up, so don’t be shy, particularly if you see cute ones. You can make googly eyes at each other while discussing the finer points of organic hops. But you don’t have to buy a whole drink just to flirt. Be even more shameless (easier when you’ve had a couple) and ask the exhibitors for a little sample before you buy. You have the go-ahead from the man himself. Beerfest director Edward Chia says, “Our exhibitors are very open to attendees [having] a little taste of what they have on offer before attendees make their purchase choice.”

Know what’s more important than beer.

Aaron Grieser of American craft beer exhibitor Beervana has been to Beerfest a couple times now and describes the event as “an outdoor swelter fest that will inspire a thirst no brew can quench. The only thing more important than beer at Beerfest is good ol’ H20. “Pre-hydrate. Re-hydrate. A bottle of aqua per pint will keep you rocking all night,” he says. And of course, dress right. Wear shorts but no open-toed shoes unless you want sticky beer between your toes. “Want bonus points? Sport that t-shirt you picked up when you toured your favorite ultra-cult brewery last year. Nowhere else will you find such adoring fans.”

Now that you're ready to conquer this booze fiesta, find out what are spanking new brews at this year's festival.

Monde

555/27 Sukhumvit Soi 39. 088-195-0094.

This rooftop bar treats sheesha like its cocktails. There’s a list of signatures from the sheesha master: Sweet Tonight (grape, strawberry, bubble gum and mint, B500) or Unicorn Pop (strawberry, bubble gum, peach and grape, B500). Or you can even ask for an additional vodka shot, milk or iced water in the pot as well. There are also the customized options ranging from B500-1,290, which allow you to craft your own sheesha recipe and have it served on your next visit.

Perfume Fragrance Bar & Aromatic Cuisine

Thonglor, Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thonglor). 02-714-8071.

Perfume's another venue for those who love their cocktails and sheesha equally. Interesting combinations come with the likes of orange, melon, berry and bubblegum with bases including bottled water for a clean taste and Coca-Cola, which makes for a really smooth smoke when paired with the apple-flavored shisha (B400).

Haus

396 Ekkamai Soi 24. 02-381-2396. www.facebook.com/hauscafexbar

Hidden away, almost at the end of Soi Ekkamai, this new place has taken over the beautiful building that formerly housed the now-defunct Parata Diamond. The original dark mood and tone remain, while the kitchen serves up Thai comfort dishes. It’s already proving popular with a younger crowd drawn by the chance to grab a sheesha and a drink out on the large terrace. Sheesha here is quite interesting through the use of fresh fruits like lemon, pineapple and berries to mix with normal blended flavors. We highly recommend the addition of lemon to the normal apple flavor (B500).

Myst

Rooftop/F, Grass, Thonglor Soi 12. 080-770-9800.

It's not only fancy cocktails that this rooftop bar puts its focus on. Myst also serves fresh sheesha with twists, too. Though the view is not particularly dramatic, given it’s only the fourth floor, the balcony still makes for a nice place to escape Thonglor’s din below. House-blended flavors of shisha are available at B400 for two hours, giving you the option to mix both the flavors and the water. 

Bombay Blues

Opus Building, Thonglor Soi 10. 085-859-1515.   

This place is not new at all but is a hugely popular spot for smokers. While it's just the place to get classic sheesha, it was also the very first place to introduce twists like sheesha and watermelon juice (B500). It also gets plus points for the traditional atmosphere and Bollywood soundtrack.

To make the base, you need:
125g sponge mix, 2 1/2 eggs, 25g butter, 25g water

Instructions:
1) Whisk sponge mix, eggs and water together. 2) Fold in butter. 3) Bake at 160 degrees for 30-45 minutes. 4) Remove from oven and slice lengthwise into four layers.

To make the popcorn mousse, you need:
80g eggs, 38g egg yolks, 100g white chocolate, 20g sugar, 200g popcorn purée, 1 1/2 gelatin leaves, 390g whipped cream

Instructions:
1) Whisk eggs, yolks and sugar over water bath. 2) Add white chocolate, gelatin and purée. 3) Whisk cream till 60 percent whipped, fold in to popcorn mixture. 4) Layer eight-inch mold with cake layer, followed by mousse. 5) Chill cake overnight, unmold and serve.

Hatter Street cafe is at Hougang Street 21.

This play is touted to be one of the best this year. Tell us more about it.
Well, that’s because I'm in it. (laughs) The play boasts an amazing cast of women. We are working with a chorus of 30 women, so you can expect plenty of power on stage. It's going to be exciting with all that feminine energy in one place. 

Do you think you have suppressed desires yourself? 
No, I don't think so. Or if I do, I'm not going to tell...

The plot’s cleverly transposed into Peranakan society. Was it the best fit for the tale?
Yes, I think it works. I feel there are a lot of similarities between Peranakan culture and the world in Lorca's play. The religious aspect works, and the idea of how things "look" (so important to Bernarda) or what we call "face" is really the same thing. Bernarda's snobbery, that none of the men in the village are of the right class for her daughters, reminds me of stories told about the old Peranakan families that would not allow marriage with a non-Peranakan. Costume-wise, I think the use of lace is prominent in both cultures.

If director Garcia Lorca was still alive today, what do you think he would say? 
I hope that he would be happy that his play is still relevant and being staged in a land so far. This adaptation/translation of the play is by one of our finest playwrights Chay Yew. His words are pure poetry and an absolute joy to learn.

People see you in a variety of genres on stage and television, notably comedy. How difficult is it for you to play all these different characters?
I feel very lucky to be working in a job that I enjoy so much. Some jobs are easier than others, but they are all good. I long for more work, as I am happiest when I am working. Recently though, it feels like the parts are fewer and less forthcoming. So, anyone reading this who can cast me, please do.

In a 2010 interview with I-S magazine, you mentioned that you’d repeal Section 377A if you were Prime Minister for a week. What are your thoughts about the level of openness and tolerance to homosexuality in Singapore these days?
I'd like to think that we are more tolerant and [better] these days. Of course, there will always be the [preachers] who think their way is the only way. The recent controversy about the Health Promotion Board FAQ was a great and wonderful thing. Just the fact it’s present is a sign of the times. It's only a matter of time before people realize it is purely equality.

What’s the meaning of life for an artist like you and what keeps you grounded?
Love, living my life with love. Remembering to be grateful for what I have. 

Many artists have looked overseas for opportunities. What do you have to say to them for plying their trade elsewhere?
Yes, go, by all means, go. Artists cannot be confined by borders. The world is a stage. I hope they come back though, like I did, when the time is right.

If there’s one thing you’d have done differently when you first started out, what would it be?
Ok, this has nothing to do with performing. I trained as a lawyer in NUS before I studied acting. I was always looking to go back to law at some point but it just never happened. I would have liked to be called up to the bar and working as a litigator at some point. Maybe it's not too late?

If you woke up as a man and stayed that way for a week, what would you do?
I cannot think of a single thing that a man can do in this day and age that a woman cannot. What a wonderful world we live in. Except maybe for one thing—pee standing.

Neo Swee Lin performs in The House of Bernarda Alba at the  Drama Centre Theatre, National Library. March 12-29. $45-75 from Sistic.

The good:

The bad:

Verdict:

Extinction risk 

Cod 

Pollock 

80%

Reduction in the number of the maximum sustainable yield in the Gulf of Maine in 2012. The situation is very severe.

Sources: The New York Times, Four Fish by Paul Greenberg

 

Chilean seabass 

(better known as snowfish)

 

5

Years in which environmentalists predict Chilean seabass will become extinct if people do not stop consuming.

 

Gurnard 

 

 

Bluefin tuna 

 

US$4 billion 

Value of the bluefin tuna black market in Europe.

 

Albacore tuna 

 

 

80%

Percentage of tuna consumed in Japan that hails from pirate fishing.

Source: The New York Times

Unsustainable farming

Tiger prawns 

Organic tiger prawn, langoustines, crab 

73 

Percentage of Thai shrimp producers who report that they use antibiotics in their farming. 

Sources: Daily Mail, Greenpeace

 

Seabass 

 

 

 

Wild-caught seabass 

 

 

 

17 

Times by which environmentalists claim farmed seabass is fattier than wild-caught ones, due to antibiotics and pollution.

Source: The Guardian

 

Salmon 

 

 

1

Number of PCB-contaminated farmed salmon meals per month recommended by the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), compared to eight meals of wild-caught salmon. 

 

Wild-caught Alaskan salmon 

 

 

74%

Percentage of embryos that die when escaped farmed salmon breed with wild salmon.

Sources: Greenpeace, Institute of Health and the Environment, University at Albany

 

Others on the Greenpeace Red List 

 

Atlantic halibut

Atlantic salmon 

European hake 

Haddock 

Marlin 

Monkfish 

Plaice 

Rockfish 

Shark 

Skate and ray 

Swordfish 

Tropical prawns 

Tuna (except skipjack) 

 

Reasons

 

1. Fishing method catches other vulnerable species

2. Unsustainable fishing

3. Overfishing

4. Unselective fishing methods

5. Pirate fishing

The Greenpeace Red List is the fish species that are near extinction, overfished or their fishery method is harmful to other species or the environment.

 

Where can you eat sustainable fish?

 

Oyster Bar. 395 Narathiwas Ratchanakarin Soi 24, 02-212-4809.

Open Mon-Sat 6-11pm; Sun 12-2:30pm, 5:30-10pm

Sustaina. 1/40 Sukhumvit Soi 39, 02-258-7573.

Open Mon-Sat 11am-9:30pm; Sun 11am-8:30pm

Snapper. 1/20-22 Sukhumvit Soi 11, 02-651-1098.
Open Mon-Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat-Sun 11am-midnight.

Alternative option Avoid

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