Archive for July 2015

enbu 炎舞, suntec city.

Monday, July 27, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

knew that eat at seven was finally open, so since i was in the area, i headed over to check out their lunch offerings. at the moment only four of the restaurants are open. i was craving chirashi (what's new) so i was looking for seafood offerings. peeked at maguro donya miura misaki kou (gosh that's a mouthful) situated at the entrance looked tempting after i looked at the menu and spoke to the manager- i initially thought that they only did tuna stuff, and i'm not exactly a tuna person. but i wanted to check out the rest of the places before i decided, so i wandered inside to enbu. it's a charcoal grill place, but i saw that they had a lunch menu with kaisendon, so i was sold immediately.

i got the kaisendon with yuzu spicy sauce ($18) which came with a miso soup.



it certainly came prettily presented, but the taste of the bowl didn't quite measure up. i liked the yuzu spicy sauce well enough, but the sashimi cubes were just not fresh nor generous enough. did not get any salmon roe though there were some in the menu picture. i left most of the rice (which was underwhelming as well). the miso soup also came with lumps of miso paste (saw them making the soup while i was at the counter, and they probably didn't stir it thoroughly). i should've known better than to order kaisendon at a charcoal grill place- what was i thinking?! in retrospect, probably should have picked the tori warayaki that most people ordered. i was seated at the counter so i saw them grilling the slab of chicken over a straw fire right in front of me. 

don't think i'll be coming back, except perhaps to try the tori warayaki, which goes for $15. their lunch offerings are competent and well priced- no gst nor service. too bad their food doesn't measure up.  

enbu 炎舞
#03-307 suntec city 
https://www.facebook.com/enbusingapore

ginza kuroson 銀座・黒尊, ngee ann city.

Monday, July 20, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

after last monday's chirashi fiasco, where i ate a subpar one, i was bent on getting a good one today. almost didn't make it here- i was actually craving for a thick cut chirashi like chikuwa tei, so i went to somerset for chirashi tei. turned out that they were closed (or closed down? looked suspiciously empty) and so i made my way over to takashimaya. ever since finding out that ginza kuroson has opened a new outlet in town, it's been on my to-try list. i knew that the chirashi wouldn't have the thick slices i was craving for, but oh well.

the restaurant was intimidatingly empty when i entered- in fact i was the only customer. but after i sat down, some other customers came in. i got sushi counter seats, right in front of a gleaming row of fish on ice.


they even had japanese musk melon on display on the counter! $15 for a one-eighth slice.


this was their lunch menu.


of course i got the nagekomi don ($22). the set came with appetiser, pickles, salad, miso soup and dessert. hot tea was provided for free. 

the salad and appetiser came first. i don't know what the appetiser was, but it was good- it reminded me of salmon mayo that's served on sushi. 



then my fisherman's bowl came, gorgeously presented in a wooden lacquer bowl. as expected, the sashimi slices weren't as thick as i would've liked, but the fresh fish and generous amount of salmon roe more than made up for it. the wasabi was the freshly grated kind- a big bonus. the sushi rice underneath the fish was well cooked too. 


the set also came with seaweed pickles, miso soup and matcha pudding/mousse. i didn't expect to like the matcha dessert as much as i did- it had a strong matcha flavour, giving it a slightly bitter edge, and was not scarily sweet. its texture was somewhere between pudding and mousse- i still can't quite decide which category it belongs to, but i liked it anyway. 



the sides that came along with the set made it a very good value meal, especially since the sides were of good quality. i'll be willing to come back to try their other sets, but perhaps not the fisherman's bowl, since i'm more of a thick-cut-sashimi kind of person. service was impeccable as well- attentive and yet not intrusive.

ginza kuroson 銀座・黒尊
ngee ann city #03-10

dulcet & studio, liang court.

Monday, July 20, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

since we were at liang court, L said that she wanted tampopo's pudding. despite having heard her wax lyrical about it multiple times since a long time ago, i have never tried it, so i jumped at the opportunity. 

i was first attracted by the cakes they had on display in the chiller- all of them looked so good, especially the chocolate roll and the eclairs! prices were reasonable as well- going to come back for it sometime. 

ended up just getting the milk pudding ($3.30) and eating in. i liked the self-service concept- we just took the pudding from the chiller and paid, then brought it into the cafe to eat. thought that we might've to pay service charge, but it turned out to be the same price as takeaway. 


the pudding came with a small plastic tub of caramel sauce. loved the milkiness of the pudding- it was smooth and creamy; also surprisingly filling. the slight bitter edge of the caramel sauce worked well with the pudding, but i preferred to eat mine without. L says they have different types of sauce for different puddings. she has tried all of the flavours- custard, coffee, milk tea and milk, but milk remains her favourite, and i can see why. 



tampopo has always been a reliable and reasonably priced source of japanese sweets. i especially love their cream puff- so so good i could eat one on my own. looks like i should swing by for their cakes soon. 

dulcet & studio
liang court #01-41/42
https://www.facebook.com/DulcetNStudio

butahage, liang court.

Sunday, July 19, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

i like liang court. it's quiet and full of japanese things- my favourite! even on a public holiday eve (we went on hari raya eve) it was not crowded.



a friend of mine recommended butadon, and it has been on my mind since that day, so i went with L.

the menu was simple and concise- pork bowl as main, with a choice of size. they had the basic one for $13.80, which came with 160g of grilled pork, miso soup and pickles. they also had the premium bowl for $22.80, with a more premium cut, limited to 30 servings a day. we both got the basic one, me because i can't appreciate fattier cuts. they had some sides as well- the one that caught my eye was the hokkaido imomochi cheese ($6.50) so we got that to share.

turned out to be a good decision. it was like a mochi version of a croquette- it was crispy outside, with a potatoey, mochi-like filling. taking a bigger bite, one would be rewarded with a oozy, creamy cheese. perfect balance- i ate it without the accompanying sauce.



the butadon itself was pretty good as well. i liked that the pork slices were well marinated, lean yet tender. it was a simple yet tasty meal when eaten with the rice. 


spotted onsen tamago ($1.50) on the menu as an add-on, so of course i had to have it. awesome, especially with the rice and the pork. 


strangely enough, they do provide cold hojicha for free, while hot hojicha goes for $1. both are refillable, but we didn't find out about the free cold hojicha until after L ordered the hot one. hmm.

simple and concise menu. they do one thing, and they do it well. saw that they have a bento set coming up, with shrimp gyoza, salmon sashimi and grilled pork- might come back for that. while i liked the pork, i still need a bit of variety in my meals (vegetables, other protein, etc.). 

butahage 
#02-32/33 liang court 
http://www.butahage.com.sg

wafuken, asia square tower 2, 2.0.

Sunday, July 19, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

or rather, 3.0. wanted something fresh, clean and filling for lunch after the gym, so headed back there for the third time with my sister.



we both got the sous vide chicken breast. i picked the teppanyaki mushrooms, konbu coleslaw and salt baked sweet potato as my sides, while my sister got the sweet potato salad, soba salad and teppanyaki mushrooms. was debating internally whether i should get the onsen egg- in the end i caved. can't resist wobbly, oozy eggs.

everything was just as good. even my sister, who normally doesn't like chicken breast, finding it too dry/tough, liked the chicken, commenting that it was the first chicken breast that she'd ever liked. it was juicy and flavoursome. yum.

i have to say that portions seem to have decreased though, especially the teppanyaki mushrooms. they used to ladle it onto the plate generously; now it's more of a tiny scoop. still, i'll be back. love the clean flavours and how filling it is without giving me a bloated feeling. it's official- i'm a fan.

wafuken
asia square tower 2 #02-05
http://www.wafuken.com

the tuckerbox lunch, far east square.

Sunday, July 19, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

was tempted by the prices, to be honest. i'm used to paying at least $20 for chirashi, so this price point was infinitely alluring. of course, i came with lower expectations, but this still didn't meet them.


for cbd area, i expected quicker service, for one. i came thinking that it would be a quick lunch. i ordered the deluxe bara chirashi ($15.80) and was told that i would have to wait for five minutes as they were going to make it on the spot. that was alright. what was not alright was that the wait stretched to twenty minutes. i was watching the counter like a hawk, wondering why my food was taking so long (let's be honest here, there's no cooking involved, just assembling), and realised that the reason was that they were serving takeaways first, regardless of the order they came. so people who came after me who ordered takeaways got their food much much earlier. this gave me a pretty bad impression already- i was ready to ask for my money back and leave (only didn't because i was hungry).

so my food finally came, a little while after i went back to the counter to ask. the chirashi that i got wasn't bad per se (i've had worse, but it was a way cheaper priced one), but i realised i would rather pay slightly more to get chirashi at teppei. at least the sashimi cuts would be more generous and fresher. the sashimi i got didn't taste fresh. it looked better than it tasted.



this was their menu-



not sure why they're popular. maybe i shouldn't have gotten the deluxe. if i'd paid $9.80 for the basic bara chirashi then maybe i would have had a different opinion. still, cheap chirashi just doesn't work for me- doesn't scratch the fresh raw fish craving. doubt i'll be back; would rather pay more and get a proper chirashi. besides, there are just too many better food options in the area. 

the tuckerbox lunch
4 amoy street
https://www.facebook.com/thetuckerboxlunch

wafuken, asia square tower 2.

Friday, July 10, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

this is my favourite lunch spot for now- makes me wish i worked in the cbd. it's a stall in a food court-esque space in asia square, so seating is fairly easy to get even during lunch hours (just have to have a keen eye).

this was their menu.


i went with my sister the first time, and while queuing, i was deciding between the chicken and beef don. in the end i was more tempted by the beef don ($14.90) and added on teppanyaki mushrooms for an extra $2. the beef don came with furikake brown rice, japanese daikon pickles and onsen egg. my sister wanted the soba salad, so she opted for the salmon meal in the create-your-own section.


it was the combination of flavours that made the whole bowl work. i liked the al dente texture of the furikake brown rice, but it was on the plain side. combined with the oozy, runny onsen egg, furikake, tender sous vide beef slices though... it was awesome. the teppanyaki mushrooms are a must add on- very very tasty. the japanese pickles provided a refreshing kick. 

i tried a bit of my sister's salmon and soba salad as well. i didn't like it as much as mine, but she preferred hers to mine. very good first experience- gave me even more motivation and temptation to try the chicken. 


i've been thinking about returning ever since, so two days later i went back for the chicken don. 

i was intending to get the chicken don, with add-on teppanyaki mushrooms and konbu yogurt coleslaw (rare that i was so decisive). but when i was ordering, the girl at the counter realised that i should just order the chicken meal from the create-your-own section and do the add-ons for better value. apparently the chicken in the chicken don is half the portion of the meal! didn't know that- it wasn't obvious from the menu. i wouldn't have known if the girl hadn't told me. service was excellent. for the same price ($12.90) i got a bigger portion of chicken.


turns out that i needed the bigger portion of chicken, because it was good. chicken breast is usually too dry, but this was just right- tender and juicy. the shisho salt seasoning was spot-on. i was given the yakiniku tare for the chicken, but it was so tasty i preferred it without. the konbu yogurt coleslaw was yummy, though i was expecting more konbu (it was more cabbage and carrots than konbu). 

absolutely will be back. prices are reasonable and portions generous. very satisfying overall; exactly the kind of thing that i like to eat. 

wafuken
asia square tower 2 #02-05
http://www.wafuken.com

manzoku, purvis street.

Friday, July 10, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

not the first time i've been here; the first i came was when they just opened. i found out about this place when X called chikuwa tei for reservations, and she was informed that they'd just opened a new outlet in bugis, and was urged to go there instead. that was sometime in february this year.

when we went there for the first time, the whole place was quiet. very different from our second visit. the place was buzzing and acoustics were poor, so we could barely hear each other. in addition, the place wasn't very big and tables were placed close to each other. my chair was placed in the aisle and i can't even keep track of how many times my chair got kicked by waitresses and patrons.

i got the chirashi ($25), of course. after some deliberation, X did as well. i don't know if it was because i had a blocked nose, but the sashimi didn't seem to be as good as when i had it the first time. the slices weren't nearly as generously thick as i remembered them to be, and my yellowtail was haphazardly cut. it was broken in places.


previously, the set came with salad, miso soup and ice-cream. this time, however, the set came with just miso soup and watermelon. the strange thing was, they actually served the miso soup and watermelon together first, before the chirashi even came. service was not ideal for a restaurant- perhaps they are understaffed. 



still a gorgeous chirashi, but not as good as it was.

manzoku
18 purvis street
http://manzoku.com.sg

relish by wild rocket, cluny court, 2.0.

Thursday, July 02, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

back to relish by wild rocket with X. 

since this is our second time, we had an easier time deciding what to order. 


this was X's bbq char siew pork burger ($21.40) that i half cajoled her into (because it sounded exciting). she was initially reluctant because of the focaccia, but ended up liking it. it was actually pretty good but because it was open faced, the portion looked on the small side. i think it suited her though, since she is a small eater. 


i eyed the breakfast burger ($20.80) the previous time, but it was unavailable then, so didn't get to try it. finally managed to get my hands on it this time. i liked it, especially the pork patty that had bits of apple in it. it also came with roasted cherry tomatoes and potatoes. i loved the pop and sweetness of the roasted cherry tomatoes, but X didn't- she said that she would rather eat them raw. also liked the roasted potatoes enough to finish most of it. went cold too quickly though, and once cold they weren't nearly as good.


we shared the wild eggs benedict ($20.80) because... poached egg + waffle! i usually can't say no to anything with waffle. i did hesitate about ordering it though because both of us aren't that fond of bacon, but the bacon did work, providing a salty contrast. the eggs were poached perfectly, oozing yolk once cut open.



all the savoury items we ordered were good, but the dessert was spectacular. i decided on the pandan panna cotta ($9) that came in a pool of salty sweet gula melaka. the pandan panna cotta did a seductive jiggle when i shook the plate- always a good sign. very satisfying- i told X that i could have ten of it.


we planned our return visit because of the panna cotta. X says we should have one panna cotta each the next time instead of sharing. 





service was good. food came surprisingly quickly. our waiter was really friendly as well, asking us how we found the food. also, as we were using a groupon voucher and didn't realise that we hadn't hit the limit, he informed us and told us to get something else from the counter to add on. we ended up getting a cake each. 

will come back for the panna cotta (mm...) and to try some of the other stuff (they have dessert waffles!). 

relish by wild rocket
cluny court #02-01

wahiro, roxy square.

Thursday, July 02, 2015 0 Comments A+ a-

walked past many times, even peered at the lunch menu, but have never been tempted enough to step in. i really wanted japanese badly that day though, and this tempted me more than tomi sushi at katong v (also much more affordable) so i decided to give it a try.

should've come earlier; they offer lunch sets that are quite value for money.


i got the kushiyaki and sashimi set ($15). i didn't want tuna so i requested to switch the tuna sashimi to salmon. the set also came with tea, salad, rice, pickles and watermelon. 


of the six skewers, two were vegetable ones- gingko nuts and asparagus. the meat skewers were mainly chicken based, including chicken wings. the skewers were alright- nothing spectacular, but acceptable for the price. the only complaint that i had was that the chicken breast skewers were way too dry. then again, i've yet to have chicken breast skewers that i've liked. 


good value for the price. simple japanese fare that's done competently. will be back if i want a japanese fix in the east coast area.

wahiro

#01-01 roxy square
http://www.wahiro.com
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