Plane Phobia

Planes, i've known and sat in planes since i was a toddler.

The reason? My dad works in a certain aircraft company and they get tickets once a year to share and bring their family overseas.

When i was a little boy, i hated planes because it meant i would be away from my comics and video games in a foreign country with (in my childish little world) nothing to do. This privilege ended when i reached the age of 21 and just when i was beginning to understand and honestly enjoy what is truly a "holiday".

As of that time, i've been to quite a few countries with little recollections of the time i spent in those countries. Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, Australia, Hong Kong and Indonesia. Of these, i enjoyed my trip to USA and Australia the most. Absolutely beautiful places and worth every penny, just be sure to put away at least 2-3 weeks of leave for those trips.

Now, something happened on one trip i took with my grandma to Hong Kong which made me fear planes ever since. The flight to Hong Kong was alright, it was the flight back that had issues. Just to be clear, this was using another service provider. On this flight, whilst on the journey back from Hong Kong, the plane ran into turbulent weather. At one point, the plane fell a few stories and simply scared the hell out of me. After that, i never looked at plane rides the same way again.

After that, it was another 2 years before i managed to get myself into the seat of a plane again voluntarily. And it was still a terrifying experience for me even though the plane travelled smoothly. Every time the plane went through turbulent weather, the immediate thoughts were of quick and gruesome death. Imagine that running through your head during every single bump and you get the idea of what a phobia does.

I've since went on multiple overseas trips due to my job and due to my current crazy urge to see more of the world as quickly as possible, am planning a little more over the next few years.

The point is, i managed to conquer my phobia by actively choosing to face it.

Bishamon Sapporo Ramen

Japanese food is an addiction i just can't seem to shake off. And this outlet was kind enough to allow me to have some photos taken after the initial negative response. Business is tough nowadays i reckon.

Location: Raffles City Shopping Centre B1-17 Singapore 179103

Contact: 62352890

Price range: $15-20 per head

Located in the usual basement area of the Raffles City Shopping centre, the outlet is a humble one which allows seating of up to about 25 patrons. Chairs and tables are of the wooden variety which makes for a small but reasonable comfort. Don't expect anything fancy though. This is as manufactured a place as it comes.

Salmon Sashimi ($2.90)

The sashimi here managed to surprise me. For a cool $2.90, you get soft tender fish meat with a tinge of sweetness. Much better then the $5.99 variety in red plates i've come to dislike.

The salad appetiser comes with a generous smattering of thousand island sauce and was otherwise cold and fresh enough to be nice.

Unagi Bento ($13.90)

The Unagi is in itself a reasonable portion albeit not as generous as my favorite haunt, Wasabi Tei (the boss of Wasabi Tei has since moved on so the portion and food there might be different.) I found the thickness lacking in this version with the meat soft and well marinated. The rice is a tad dry and would benefit with more sauce. The surprise was the egg which was perfectly cooked outside with the yolk half cooked. I liked it.

Katsu Curry Rice ($12.50)

The katsu curry had less to write home about. The chicken was dry and overfried to me while the sauce turned out to be indistinguishable ( to me at least) from the normal supermarket variety. Otherwise, it was still edible but not worth the money.

Bill

The total bill turned out to be $38.02 for 2 people for a simple meal.

Overall Score: 6/10

Last word:

The food in and off itself is not bad really. The sashimi i found was pretty decent, so was the egg. However, the overall cost/taste balance didn't quite add up in its favor in the end. To me, i'd try it once and probably not return again. You guys might wanna give it a go to see if its your kind of restaurant.