nanbantei, far east plaza.

just about managed to make it for lunch- i reached at 1.50, and they close at 2.30, with last orders at 2.15. i was there for the yakitori bento, but still browsed through the lunch menu and was briefly tempted by the gomoku soba set. in the end i still got the yakitori bento ($13.80)- too much carbs in the soba set (soba + sushi roll... really??!!).

service was quick, but that might be because they were closing. i was one of the three customers in the restaurant by the time my food arrived.

for $13.80, this was extremely good value. five skewers- quail eggs, tsukune, negima, bacon wrapped asparagus, and shiso maki (pork with shiso leaf). buried underneath the skewers were vegetables with an accompanying miso dip, and pickles. also came with japanese rice topped with mushrooms, seaweed and minced meat. miso soup was served as well. tea wasn't included though; didn't realize until i paid the bill, but it was just 70 cents.




i've been thinking about kushiyaki for two days, so this totally hit the spot. some of the skewers didn't come piping hot, so perhaps it has been there for a while, but for the price, not complaining since it still tasted good. perhaps my least favourite was the shiso maki as it was on the dry side, but the rest, especially the bacon wrapped asparagus, more than made up for it. even the minced meat, mushrooms and rice were good. i liked the miso dip for the vegetables as well.

the yakitori set also came with a dessert of red bean with mochi. i was expecting it to be cloyingly sweet and to be served hot; it surprised me by being neither. i was intending to probably just taste it (desserts included in lunch sets have a bad rep), but it was actually quite a pleasant eat and i finished it in the end.




#05-132 far east plaza
http://www.nanbantei.com.sg

omotenashi dining gosso ごっそ, boat quay, 2.0.

i've been thinking about coming back all week, ever since having lunch there. went along with L, my fellow bottomless pit on a tuesday night, after making a reservation the night before.

we got the yakitori omakase ($28), which was a set of six different skewers, with two of each type. very good for sharing (and reduced decision making on our part). the six different skewers for the night were liver, hearts, gizzard, tsukune, negima and sasami yuzu.

first up was the chicken heart skewer:
 

sasami yuzu and negima in the background:




also had the shiokoji chicken nabe ($13.80). portion was on the small side, but reasonable for the price.



highly recommended. portions were small but surprisingly filling. it was obvious that care was taken to prepare every plate- each came with its own dip suitable for the skewer. even the roasted corn tea that they served for free was good- none of that diluted nonsense some restaurants pass off as tea. prices were reasonable and service was excellent. will be back for the pork belly wrapped mochi, as well as the other interesting dishes.

omotenashi dining gosso
64 boat quay
http://www.omotenashi.sg

santaro@hinoki, china square central.

i've walked past this place countless times, even browsed the menu, but never been tempted enough to step in. that day, i was however lured in by the lunch sets that they were offering. the lunch sets should be relatively new as i don't recall ever seeing them offering that.

of course, the one i was tempted by was the signature bara chirashi set ($16.80), inclusive of salad, soup and an appetiser. given the price and the fact that i spied what looked like seaweed salad in a corner of the picture, i wasn't expecting an exceptional chirashi.

i was right- it came with both seaweed and jellyfish salad. i've never had any of these in a chirashi before- most of the time they come as sides, so i was quite taken aback.

the bowl was gorgeously presented though, with what looked like a mountain of sashimi cubes.




unfortunately, it looked a lot better than it tasted. the dice on the sashimi was too fine to actually discern its taste, so it made for a pretty meh chirashi. in fact, the seaweed salad and jellyfish salad were the tastiest components. the rice was meh as well- didn't even taste like japanese rice. i left most of the rice untouched.





santaro@hinoki
china square central #01-50/53
http://www.epicurean.com.sg/hinoki.html

komalas vilas, serangoon road.

was in the lavender area, and was thinking about what to have for lunch. it suddenly struck me that little india was fairly near (a fifteen minute walk) so i headed over as i've wanted to try komalas vilas's dosai meal for a while now.

this is my second visit. the first time i went probably sometime last year. what prompted my first visit was reading that their masala dosai was good, but i didn't manage to get my hands on the menu when i went, so i just ordered off the board that they had tacked to the wall. that was why i never knew about the existence of the dosai meal until recently.

very confusing place if you've not been there before. i was asked to take a seat after being handed a menu, but when i tried to place my order, the waiter told me that all dosai/rice/chappathi meals were served upstairs. so i had to grab my stuff and head up.

i ordered at the counter first. after paying and being handed a receipt, i was then allowed to take a seat.

i got the dosai meal ($8.50). there was a choice between paper and masala dosai- of course i picked the masala dosai. it came served with a variety of side dishes, some of which i've never had before.


all masala dosais should be like this- crispy, light, non-greasy and generously filled with potatoes.



the vegetables included were interesting. i've never tried such indian dishes. one was long beans in yogurt, the second was a potato dish, and the third was beetroot and lentil (?). was slightly wary of the beetroot and lentil one at first glance, but after trying a few bites it grew on me. also especially loved the sambar- practically finished the entire plastic cup of it.

interestingly enough, i think it was like a sit-down buffet style place. one could ask for more of the accompanying dishes from the servers. i didn't, though- portions served were just right.

no frills dining at its best. food was good, and best of all, not seeped in oil. very satisfying; will be back for another of this.

komalas vilas
76 serangoon road
http://komalavilas.com.sg

penny university, east coast road.

it's a wonder i haven't been here earlier, given that i work nearby. then again, i'm not exactly keen on cafes, what with them having a penchant for selling overpriced breakfast food.

omotenashi dining gosso ごっそ, boat quay.

initially headed there for the yakitori don, but they were out of it! it was about one in the afternoon when we arrived, but seeing that they only have 30 sets of the yakitori don a day, i'm not surprised. i really wanted the yakitori though- it's a restaurant specialising in yakitori, after all. they were also out of the tsukune don (!) and i almost wanted to suggest leaving. i didn't, though; because i had to go to work soon and so i decided not to be fussy.

glad i stayed though- food was good.
this was their lunch menu. their dinner offerings are more yakitori focused. given what we got, i'm extremely interested to go for dinner- it's currently at the top of my to-try list for dinner.



i got the beef sinew don ($10.90, extra $1 for raw egg), while my sister got the chicken tempura don ($10.90). all the sets come with a salad, miso soup and tea.

i was pleasantly surprised by the salad, which came first. usually the salads that come with sets are more of an afterthought than anything else. this, however, was not. it was a medley of fresh vegetables, topped with bonito flakes and some yellow crackers, dressed with a light oil based dressing. it set the tone for the meal- i expected great things after trying the salad.



our dons, which came shortly after, thankfully did not disappoint. the raw eggs that we ordered came as just that, and we had to crack it into the bowls ourselves. my sister's chicken tempura don came filled to the brim with chicken and sweet potato tempura. the ingredients given were so generous that she had trouble finishing (so i gladly pitched in).


this was my beef don- tender slices of beef in a very rich sauce that went really well with the japanese rice. the sauce was so good that it didn't even need the egg, actually. i loved the well cooked rice (each grain was separate), especially with the sauce. the beef was good, but a bit too sinewy for my liking. minor flaw, though. i easily cleaned up the bowl (though i'm supposed to be going low carb...)  

the ingredients to rice ratio was just right. i usually leave some rice because i've run out of stuff to eat it with. nice that they're generous with the topping... which makes me even more motivated to come back to nab the yakitori don.




omotenashi dining gosso
64 boat quay
http://www.omotenashi.sg

dutch colony coffee co., frankel avenue.

stopped by for a coffee after work. not too far from my workplace, but it's pretty secluded. the bus stop right in front of the cafe only has one bus.

japanese restaurant suju 酢重, mandarin gallery.

i like going to mandarin gallery, because it's a quieter bit of orchard. entering the place always makes me feel that i've just escaped from the hustle and bustle of orchard.

this was their menu, made up of mainly teishoku.















service was attentive but not intrusive. they replenished our tea without us asking. also liked that even though L's torimomo set was supposed to take 20-30 minutes to prepare, they took care to serve both our sets together- very rare in singapore.

food here was of exceptional quality. simple stuff, but done really well. would absolutely come back for more.

japanese restaurant suju
#04-05 mandarin gallery
http://www.suju-masayuki.com/shop/menu-rse.php