masterwordsmith-unplugged

A departure from the usual norm of a minimum of five posts a day, this is only my third post for today. The whole afternoon was spent at Island Plaza, my third and final visit to the Times Book Fair :-) since today is the last day. Following that, despite being so tired and sleepy after scrutinizing almost every book on display, I went for my evening run at the park near my home. As it was quite late, I skipped the warm up exercises and started my brisk walk and then began my usual run round the park.

By the time I was into my fourth round, my lungs were bursting for air and my knees began to feel terribly wobbly. I could imagine my knee-caps screaming out "STOP! STOP!" but Madam Kiasu here still pushed herself to run because there was another lady there who was running at a slow and steady pace with her husband. As the sweat trickled down my forehead and my tongue could taste its saltiness, I relished the thought of my fats being burnt at turbo speed and an image of a slimmer me appeared before me and propelled me forward. :-) Well, Miss Vain here pushed herself too much for by the time I finished my sixth round, my legs refused to move and I made my way home, leaving my two heroes at the basketball court. The rivulets of sweat trickling down my legs and neck gave me such a deep sense of satisfaction as I made my way home. Yet, I felt so guilty because I used to be able to do ten rounds easily. Age is definitely catching up!

Soon after, the guys returned and I declared that I was too weak and feeble to walk anywhere else unless they could carry me sedan-chair style :-) and so we decided to go to a Japanese Restaurant near my home called Chikuma.

As usual, I ordered my favorite Sukiyaki set which comes in very generous portions indeed. The chicken meat is normally thinly sliced, tender to taste and the soup cooked almost to perfection. The other condiments mainly cawan mushi, miso soup, rice and fruit are more than enough to satisfy even one with a hearty appetite. Since I am not a meat lover, I scooped the chicken meat, poached egg, vegetables etc into another bowl for my dear hubby.


He had ordered the Salmon Batayaki set where the salmon is marinaded and then fried in butter. The fish meat was very fresh, tasty and crispy without being overcooked. The fish was served with a salad, rice, cawan mushi, miso soup and rice.

On the other hand, my boy ordered the Salmon Teriyaki and he insisted that his selection was the best of the three sets because he loved the teriyaki sauce and ate his food slowly to allow the taste to burst in his mouth.

Chikuma Japanese Restaurant is located at Gembira Parade (Island Glades) just beside a hair saloon. Ben Loo, one of the partners, told me that Chikuma means childhood friends in Japanese. The name Chikuma was chosen because the restaurant is owned by both Ben and his childhood friend Allan Tan, who previously worked at Miyako (one of the first Japanese restaurants in Penang) for many years before embarking on this venture.

The concept of the restaurant is fashioned after the usual family restaurant in Japan, where the decor is simple and strictly traditional Japanese cuisine is served. Ben, who is married to a Japanese, emphasized that culturally, Japanese place great emphasis on food preparation and take pride in their cuisine to the extent that it is even considered as an art form. Fusion food is not served in Chikuma and all the dishes are typical of home-cooked Japanese dishes.

Personally, I love Japanese food because it is fairly fat-free, tofu based in many dishes and very healthy indeed. My family love to go to Chikuma because of its fair pricing, generous portions and friendly staff. Here's Ben with two of his staff.

If you have not been there before, do pay a visit to Chikuma (which is closed on Monday). For reservations, please call 6 04 656 5521. Believe me, you will not regret it because of its fair prices, generous portions, tasty food, friendly staff and simple uncluttered decor.