nanbantei, far east plaza.

Tuesday, June 30, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

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.





liked it enough to come back if i'm in the area/have a yakitori craving. very affordable and value for money- no surprise that they've survived this long in the cutthroat restaurant industry. they do dinner sets that look pretty good too. might come back to try dinner. 

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

omotenashi dining gosso ごっそ, boat quay, 2.0.

Friday, June 26, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

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:


i liked the negima, especially the charred bits, but the sasami yuzu was a bit of a disappointment. the chicken breast wrapped in the seaweed was way too dry. 

the chicken liver skewer came with a timer- to ensure maximum enjoyment, we were supposed to finish the skewers in 40 seconds, as indicated on the timer. 


gizzard, which i've never had before. i was pleasantly surprised by the texture; didn't know what to expect, but i liked its crunchy texture. 


of the six skewers, my favourite was definitely the tsukune. they offer a tsukune don set for lunch; sounds like it might be a good idea. in fact, they do have it for dinner a la carte as well. almost wanted to order it but decided not to be greedy.

aside from the omakase, we also added on some other skewers, including this butamaki omochi ($6)- mochi wrapped with pork belly. this was my favourite skewer of the night, hands down. it was crispy on the outside, but inside chewy from the mochi. i savoured every bite- so so so good i could have ten.



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


the soup was really good, as were the huge chicken pieces included. the hotpot also came with tofu, mushrooms and vegetables. 


last up was the rice porridge set (+$3.80) which was part of the shiokoji pot. we were supposed to leave some soup in the pot and they would bring it back to the kitchen to make the porridge. it was comforting and a really nice ending to our meal. loved that the rice grains were separate instead of gluey.



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.

Wednesday, June 24, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

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.





nice place for lunch- quiet and service was quick. it was cheap, but for the price, i would rather go to sumiya. don't think i'll be back, though the set that woman beside me was having looked good (i had mild food envy).

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

komalas vilas, serangoon road.

Friday, June 19, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

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.

Friday, June 19, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

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.

okay, penny university isn't that expensive by cafe standards. they've raised prices though (the menu on their website is outdated). 



just wanted to have a leisurely lunch and a nice place to spend some time in, so i wasn't expecting much. i got the muddy espresso ($5.50) and the turkish eggs ($8.60). 



the turkish eggs was greek yogurt + poached eggs + homemade harissa sauce, and came with a slice of toasted sourdough. the combination was surprisingly good. it has never occurred to me to try to make a combination like that at home, but it works. the tangy yogurt went well with the slight kick of the harissa. combined with the slightly chewy toasted sourdough, it made for an easy eat. speaking of which, i really liked the sourdough. i wasn't that hungry, but wish they could've been more generous with the bread. the poached eggs that was supposed to be the star of the dish were both sadly overcooked, so no #eggporn. 

the muddy espresso was on the milky side, but with the caffeine kick was sufficient. 



i was okay with the food, but i doubt i'll be back in a hurry. too many better places to check out along east coast road.


penny university
402 east coast road
http://www.pennyuni.com

omotenashi dining gosso ごっそ, boat quay.

Thursday, June 18, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

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.

Monday, June 15, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

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.


loved the space, especially the skylight that allowed natural light to come through. 


i had the signature flight coffee. it came with a shot of espresso and a cup of cappuccino. interesting experience- never had coffee in this manner before. wanted something else to eat, but nothing in the chiller tempted me (all cakes) and they'd closed the kitchen. 





overall, a nice place to chill at- liked the vibe of the place. would've liked to try some of their food; maybe another time. 

dutch colony coffee co. 
113 frankel avenue

japanese restaurant suju 酢重, mandarin gallery.

Monday, June 15, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

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.







some tables were occupied when we entered, but shortly after we got seated, they left. probably because we were there late for lunch- it was two in the afternoon. i like that they're open for lunch till five, with a last order timing of four-thirty. really good for a leisurely late lunch, or tea time. most places are only open till latest three, so this was great, especially since neither of us had anything particularly pressing to do after. 



choosing what to order was easy for me- i like a variety of things, so i immediately decided on the suju plate set ($27) which came with six different types of dishes, miso soup, rice and a mini dessert. L was deciding between the various types of grilled chicken that they had, and eventually got the torimomo shichimi yaki teishoku ($24). 

L said that she wished they could've been more generous with the shichimi on the chicken; she could barely taste it. that being said, she liked it well enough, especially the grilled, crispy chicken skin.


the six dishes were miso eggplant, mentaiko, kinpira burdock root, beef, grilled gindara and tonkatsu. all the dishes were really good, but what stood out were the miso eggplant and grilled fish. the miso was very different, with a deep savoury taste that L said was a bit like alcohol. the fish was grilled just right, with a crispy, salty skin. the bones on the surface of the fish were grilled till they were crunchy bits- couldn't stop eating it. the tonkatsu was good as well, juicy and didn't taste oily. i wonder if they rotate the dishes of the suju plate set though. it's worth coming back just to try the others if they're just as good as what i had today. 



i also liked that the miso soup bowl was as large as the rice bowl. substantial amount of soup given, no stinginess there. the rice was of exceptional quality, and L was raving about it. 


my set also came with a dessert, which was the suju custard pudding. the custard was smooth and paired well with the bittersweet caramel sauce. a very good end to our meal. 




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