Avenue Joffre
Out of the S.E.A. Aquarium, I walked towards the Sentosa Express Waterfront Station intending to ride the train to Beach Station (its free). However, somewhere near the 'Lake of Dreams' I passed by this..,
I didn't know about this restaurant, but I remembered the name 'Avenue Joffre' - a famous commercial street in Shanghai, where many Russians settled, fleeing from their country's communist revolution in the 1920s. Some of those "White Russians" who later also fled Shanghai to Tubabao Island in Guiuan, may have lived in/at, or at least may have been familiar with the upscale 'Avenue Joffre' of Shanghai.
Wha! I still remember my college history researches! And isn't that amazing how seemingly unrelated places stitch things up to remind us of our 'yesteryears'! The movie-worthy stories of our past! Now I am even about to connect an 'unattended' facet of the lives of those White Russians. I now get it why they looked naturally "properly dressed" in their Tubabao group / party pictures. Hindi mga gusgusin!
They looked urbane in the pictures. Because they either embodied, or rubbed elbows with "affluence". Because, 'Avenue Joffre' of Shanghai was a high-end commercial district of the French Concession!
Mga 'learned' sila.., 'cultured' kumbaga.., probably also even 'principled'.., perhaps maybe even 'racist' circa the 1920s to 1940s. There's even no record of any one of them intermarrying with Guiuan locals.
Mga 'alta sociedad' ng Shanghai in those days. Mga 'sosyalin'.., galing sa Avenue Joffre eh!
So, based on my 'hallucinations' (above) about the name, I got curious and entered this restaurant!
Avenue Joffre, Shanghainese Cuisine. Whoa! When I entered, I could easily discern this was a Chinese Restaurant (staff uniform, big round tables), but seemingly a curious level up from the usual. Kakaiba!
Foremost of the "kakaiba", did you notice? Hindi sya hitik sa nagmumurang kulay-pula is in red all over the place! Well, nasa uniform ng crew nila hahaha! Pero wala rin mga mumurahing drawing o printout ng sandamakmak na bulaklak, ibon, kawayan, leon, tigre, tandang, dragon, etc., etc., lalung-lalo na ang walang kamatayang golden pusa na kumakaway ng walang humpay! VIP rooms.., "have"! Chinese eh!
That waiter informed me, this is a re-creation of the French-occupied Shanghai of the 1930s.
I sat on a small rectangular table, good for probably maximum of only four, buti naman at meron sila.
The table setup is a mixture of Chinese and French dining elegance (maybe with a Singaporean tone)!
The atmosphere is that of a classy sophisticated restaurant of many years ago..,
Well there're red flowers, but as tasteful accent, and not placed or hung just anywhere. Sophisticated!
Oh, I said I wanted something light, so as not to ruin my appetite for 'dinner with friends' later! Waiter suggested dimsum. He told to me theirs were created by the most awarded dimsum chef of all China.
That is 'steamed crystal prawn dumpling with bamboo shoots'. Pangalan pa lang kinilabututan na ako hehe! I chose this as I saw in the photos that they looked like what we call "Hakaw" in the Philippines.
My verdict? Oh well, hands down, that is the best of its kind that I have tasted so far. I wondered how they could keep enough moisture (no no no, liquid!) in each of those, without seeping or dripping out.
I silently said "ano ba ito, me sabaw sa loob"! And that 'sabaw thing' added to its wonderful taste!
What happened was.., I kept ordering many kinds, one after the other. Yeah, parang naging buffet!
Of course you notice the bottle, right? Needless to say... "have"! Wala nga lang SML hehehe! Mind you, the reason they have 'SanMig' is they maintain "class". Kaya, huwag ismolin, multi-awarded din yan oi!
Da! Umandar ang "see-food-diet"! I saw this on another table.., aba, umorder din ako! Ayaw paawat!
I really didn't want to fill my stomach to the brim. However, the aroma of that "kekingdak" (sabi nga ni Mano Toto) was wafting all over the place, I wouldn't have been appeased if I didn't have a taste of it.
Here's where cultures come into play (sometimes) - I wish they would already chop that head off first.
Then again, maybe some (or most) of their customers prefer (or demand?) to see the whole bird first, from head to toe to tail, before they slice it into bite size pieces? Or maybe that portion is also eaten?
I don't know.., my knowledge on Chinese food is not (yet) that extensive. But for my present personal style (as a result, probably, of my upbringing, or lack of it), I squirmed a bit, seeing the neck and head.
Somewhere in me was apprehensive that the poor thing might suddenly open its eyes and mouth.., let out a quavering, barely audible 'quack', as if to say.., 'farewell my feathered flock, my purpose is done'!
Hehehe... anyway, the 'panit' was crispy, and the meat was tender, moist and tasty!
Thus.., especially that it was raining.., I did not anymore go to the beach station.
Wha! I still remember my college history researches! And isn't that amazing how seemingly unrelated places stitch things up to remind us of our 'yesteryears'! The movie-worthy stories of our past! Now I am even about to connect an 'unattended' facet of the lives of those White Russians. I now get it why they looked naturally "properly dressed" in their Tubabao group / party pictures. Hindi mga gusgusin!
They looked urbane in the pictures. Because they either embodied, or rubbed elbows with "affluence". Because, 'Avenue Joffre' of Shanghai was a high-end commercial district of the French Concession!
Mga 'learned' sila.., 'cultured' kumbaga.., probably also even 'principled'.., perhaps maybe even 'racist' circa the 1920s to 1940s. There's even no record of any one of them intermarrying with Guiuan locals.
Mga 'alta sociedad' ng Shanghai in those days. Mga 'sosyalin'.., galing sa Avenue Joffre eh!
So, based on my 'hallucinations' (above) about the name, I got curious and entered this restaurant!
Foremost of the "kakaiba", did you notice? Hindi sya hitik sa nagmumurang kulay-pula is in red all over the place! Well, nasa uniform ng crew nila hahaha! Pero wala rin mga mumurahing drawing o printout ng sandamakmak na bulaklak, ibon, kawayan, leon, tigre, tandang, dragon, etc., etc., lalung-lalo na ang walang kamatayang golden pusa na kumakaway ng walang humpay! VIP rooms.., "have"! Chinese eh!
That waiter informed me, this is a re-creation of the French-occupied Shanghai of the 1930s.
I sat on a small rectangular table, good for probably maximum of only four, buti naman at meron sila.
The atmosphere is that of a classy sophisticated restaurant of many years ago..,
Oh, I said I wanted something light, so as not to ruin my appetite for 'dinner with friends' later! Waiter suggested dimsum. He told to me theirs were created by the most awarded dimsum chef of all China.
My verdict? Oh well, hands down, that is the best of its kind that I have tasted so far. I wondered how they could keep enough moisture (no no no, liquid!) in each of those, without seeping or dripping out.
I silently said "ano ba ito, me sabaw sa loob"! And that 'sabaw thing' added to its wonderful taste!
What happened was.., I kept ordering many kinds, one after the other. Yeah, parang naging buffet!
Da! Umandar ang "see-food-diet"! I saw this on another table.., aba, umorder din ako! Ayaw paawat!
Here's where cultures come into play (sometimes) - I wish they would already chop that head off first.
I don't know.., my knowledge on Chinese food is not (yet) that extensive. But for my present personal style (as a result, probably, of my upbringing, or lack of it), I squirmed a bit, seeing the neck and head.
Somewhere in me was apprehensive that the poor thing might suddenly open its eyes and mouth.., let out a quavering, barely audible 'quack', as if to say.., 'farewell my feathered flock, my purpose is done'!
Hehehe... anyway, the 'panit' was crispy, and the meat was tender, moist and tasty!
Thus.., especially that it was raining.., I did not anymore go to the beach station.
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