Wasanbon sugar is not widely known in western cuisine, used mainly for Japanese Wagashi. When I worked in Tokyo I came across this mild tasting sugar by acident, experimenting the use in western pastry. One such dessert is Wasanbon Blondie with roasted pine nut and pistachio nut, Valrhona white chocolate and Rose & Yuzu Macaroons, a rather unusual combination. Wasanbon sugar is far more expansive than conventional sugar and many Pastry Chefs, in Japan and abroad do not use this rare sugar because of its cost. I however strongly believe such a wonderful tasting sugar can only enhance a simple dessert like a Blondie with so little ingredients.

Ingredients:

400 gram Valrhona white Chocolate
310 gram Butter, soft, unsalted
200 gram Eggs, fresh
320 gram Wasanbon Sugar
065 gram Flour, sifted
022 gram Baking powder
080 gram Pine Nuts, roasted
045 gram Pistachio Nuts

Method:

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large mixing bowl. Combine the eggs with Wasanbon sugar and whisk creamy. Fold into chocolate-butter mixture and sift in the flour with baking powder. Fold in gently the nuts and pour into prepared baking dish lined with baking paper. Bake at 190 Celsius for 28 minutes.

Unmold to cool and slice into bars, arrange on plate with some Wasanbon syrup, Sakura, Rose and Yuzu Macaroons.

Wasanbon sugar is widely used in the world of Japanese sweets. Wasanbon is a domestically produced light yellow sugar that is made through a traditional Japanese manufacturing process and a particular specialty in the Shikokuregion. As wasanbon sugar is made entirely by hand and the process is quite detailed, mass production is impossible. Due to this and other reasons, the price is higher than for ordinary sugar. The raw material is chikuto, a kind of sugarcane with a thin stem, and the manufacturing process is as follows :

Squeeze the liquid out of the chikuto using a squeezer and make shiroshita by boiling the liquid down.
Put the shiroshita into a big “boat” the size of a tatami (rushmat), and knead it while adding water.
Put the kneaded shiroshita into a bag made of hemp on the outside and cotton on the inside and wring.
Place the entire bag into a “pressing boat” made of wood, hang weights down from the tops of the cabers and apply pressure via the principle of leverage.
When pressure is applied, molasses is generated from the shiroshita. Place the shiroshita remaining in the bag, not the squeezed molasses, into the “boat” again and repeat the same process three to five times. The shiroshita remains in the bag, and is sifted through a sieve after being dried.

Wasanbon sugar crystals are fine, smooth and soft and melt in the mouth while generating an elegant sweetness. In the world of Japanese sweets, the taste of sugar is the life of the sweet and is a treasured part of all Japanese sweets.

Angel’s Share, Dempsey road, Singapore

Simply Bread, Singapore & Rocks, Singapore

Clark Quay, Singapore & Jones Grocery, Dempsey road, Singapore

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur & Werner da Tiger, Kuala Lumpur

When does a hotel become personal and when is it luxury? Is it a personal choice or does every traveler out there has a personal level of luxury needs? With that many hotels and chains competing with each other; who can make a difference to a concerned traveler, what does it cost to meet expectations? Answer; not much and helluvalot!
My recent stay at the Naumi Hotel in Singapore was surprising me and comfort me at the same time; little details like a Nespresso Coffee Machine in the room with an assortment of coffees made a huge difference for me, not only that; it made my day and stay!

Naumi

Check-in was straight foreward, the lobby functions also as a lounge and front desk, activity guarantied! My front desk agent, a pretty stunning young lady checked me in with a welcoming feeling like I have been staying with Naumi previously. Staying at the ninth floor just one floor below the sundeck and pool reassured me a good stay, was the pool only one stair above me. Nice room amenities and room configuration with top class fabric and decoration. A small desk split the kitchenette from the living room and bedroom. Bad room with a sky shower and deep bath tub was just what I was looking for during my stay. I recon; this is a hotel I can live in for much longer than I did.

Complimentary Broadband, even tough slow, was another nice touch, a personal luxury in the room. Oversized LCD TV, nice, but while in Singapore I had not much of a need to watch the tube, but nice to have.

Breakfast was served from a sleek buffet in the lobby lounge, settings on small tables with couches and huge pillows; a setting to spend time in it. Being an F&B person I could see possibilities of improvement in regards to breakfast; perhaps only a juice, fruit and bread basket station and the rest all served a la carte from a small menu. There was a chef on duty as I noticed but most of the items where either under a heating lamp or in some chaffing dishes; the rest like egg dishes prepared by the pantry staff. With such a fantastic location and room one could create a great restaurant with a free standing feel. Nevertheless, I loved the ambiance and the warm hospitality of Naumi’s young and passionate team and will for sure return soon for another experience!

With 40 rooms including 3 suites Naumi is just the prefect size to feel like home away from home, there is even a seperate ladies floor; sadly I was not able to make it up to the sixt floor.

Naumi Hotel Singapore