Uprising of Japanese Cafe...

Ten years ago, dining at a 'Hong Kong cafe' is probably one of the trendiest thing to do during that period of time. 'Hong Kong cafe' back then was so so common. There's probably one in every neighborhood. Me and my friends used to hang out there too. :) However, that was a completely different situation as compared to now.

Since I had a heavy dinner earlier, I decided to go for the desserts only.

'Japanese Matcha & Ogura Honey Toast' This is pretty similar to the thick toast that one can get at a 'Hong Kong Cafe'. But over here, they have topped it with several types of Japanese ingredients, etc. 'Shiratama'(Sweet rice flour dumpings), green tea ice cream, red beans... The finishing touch would be the portion of 'Honey' that goes on top of everything else.

I started dividing it into 9 pieces. After dividing it into smaller pieces, the ingredients started flowing down the 'holes' that goes between the pieces of toast. As I dig into the toast, besides for the nice and sweet sensation, it also comes with this nice fragrance, which is a (+). Not only it's fluffy inside, the toast is also covered in this thin layer of crust. And the chef has come up with a pretty good dessert, which is a good mix between a Toast and the Japanese ingredients.

The name of this Japanese cafe would be 'Wa Cafe'. It's located on basement 1 of 'Chinatown Point'.

Opening Hours:

• 11:00 - 21:00

* Click here for the Facebook Page of 'Wa Cafe'.
^ Click here to find out more about 'Chinatown Point'.
~ Click here for the location of 'Chinatown Point' on Google Maps.

The Atomic Bomb from the sky

The sky is full of glittering stars. However, an 'Atomic Bomb' has dropped from the sky last year. Therefore, I decided to give it a good try.

Here's my confession: My appetite is slightly bigger as compared to a normal human being. Therefore I love restaurants that provides unlimited portions of rice at no extra costs. Therefore for the sake of the 'Atomic Bomb', I decided to give this place a good try.

Over here, besides for the unlimited free flow of rice, you can also get shredded cabbages for free too. But wait, unlimited free flow of rice and shredded cabbages, isn't that one of the characteristics of a Japanese 'Tonkatsu'(breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet) restaurant.

That's probably why, they are providing the 'Sesame Sauce' for the cabbages, 'Tonkatsu Sauce' and 'Seaweed Salt' on all the tables.

More than half of the items that are listed on the menu comes with with a breaded deep fried cutlet. The above shows 'Special Pork Loin Cutlet'.

The skin of the cutlet isn't too thick and at the same time isn't too oily. On top of that, the sweet taste of the loin meat is a (+). But most importantly, the chewy and crunchy meat is unforgettable.

'Piyo Piyo Minced Meat Cutlet'

This would be the 'Atomic Bomb' that I have mentioned earlier. The core of this cutlet was made up of an fantastic boiled egg, pretty much similar to those that you are getting from a bowl of Japanese Ramen. And it's wrapped around a layer of minced meat and topped with the breaded skin. And as you cut open the cutlet, the creamy egg yolk started to flow out of the core, which makes it look ultra yummy. The combinations looks pretty interesting and it's pretty different from the average cutlet. Not just being crunchy, there's also a chewy sensation and the taste of it are pretty good. However, the portions are kinda small and it will be great if they can throw in an extra cutlet in the set meal.

'Jumbo Pork Loin Cutlet' This is indeed a jumbo loin cutlet. The portion is big enough to be shared by 2 individuals. Besides for the 'Pork cutlets', they have also listed different kinds of cutlets, e.g. 'Seafood cutlets', 'Chicken Cutlets', etc. If you are hanging out nearby, do give the cutlets over here a good try. :P

The name of this Japanese restaurant would be 'Imakatsu'. It's located on level 1 of 'Star Vista'.

Opening Hours:

• Lunch: 11:30 - 15:00
  Dinner: 18:00 - 22:00

* Click here to find out more about 'Imakatsu'.
^ Click here for the Facebook Page of 'Imakatsu'.
~ Click here for the location of 'Star Vista' on Google Maps.

A Mount Fuji that can be eaten....?

I managed to conquer Mount Fuji a few weeks ago. However, that isn't the first Mount Fuji that I have conquered. The first Mount Fuji that I have conquered a few months back was...

'Mount Fuji' This would be a Mount Fuji that anyone can conquer. The top is covered with a brown colored chestnut flavored cream. The base is made out of a few slices of chocolate Chiffon Cake, chestnut and cream. In fact, this would my first go with a 'Chestnut flavored Cake'. Mumching... Munching... Munching... The overall texture is pretty good and on top of that the nice mix of both bitter and sweet taste just makes it better and better. If you don't have the courage to climb 'Mount Fuji', you can always give the challenge over here a try first. :D

'LUNA WRAP (MANGO)' This is wrapped in a fluffy layer of pancake and filled with mangoes and cream. It's pretty sweet and tasty, but the price and the size of this is kinda... In fact, I personally find the 'Mount Fuji' far more interesting than this.

The name of this pastry shop would be 'Chef Yamashita - Japanese artisan'. It's located on level 2 of 'Tanjong Pagar Plaza'.

Opening Hours:

• Weekdays & Saturdays: 10:00 - 18:30
• Sundays: 10:00 - 16:00

* Click here to find out more about 'Chef Yamashita - Japanese artisan'.
^ Click here for the Facebook page of 'Chef Yamashita - Japanese artisan'.
~ Click here for the location of 'Chef Yamashita - Japanese artisan' on Google Maps.

A 'Rich' Sushi... :P

As suggested by the title, the Japanese restaurant is slightly a bit more costly as compared to the average Japanese restaurant, but the portion and taste are reasonably good. :) By the way, before I move on further, the name of the Japanese restaurant would be '富寿し'(Tomi Sushi) and the Japanese Kanji '富' means 'wealth' or 'fortune'. Anyway, since I have a voucher, rather than wasting it, I decided to give this restaurant a try. :D

While waiting for my dinner, I was taking some random shots of the restaurant. By the way, I only placed an order for an item on the menu. This might sounds pretty unlike me, but it's the truth. Especially when...

'Sashimi' Urm... A bowl, a tray, oh man how should I classify this? Anyway in order to preserve the freshness of the raw cuts of the seafood, rather than handling the customer a plate of raw cuts, they have made the extra effort placing the tray on top of a bowl of ice to preserve the freshness and the moist texture of the seafood. Anyway the cuts are pretty generous and not forgetting fresh. However I have seen something far more better during my trip to Japan this year, but in the local market, this is pretty good. :D

'Sushi' More raw seafood cuts, but this time round, it's prepared with Japanese Rice. One thing I like about Japanese Rice would be the fact that it's sweet and it doesn't stick unnecessarily. (That's probably why I love 'Yayoiken' that much.) Hmmm... I love this, at least the rice/ingredients proportion are pretty good. When I pop each of them into my mouth, there's a satisfying sensation and on top of that, I'm not getting the feeling that there's too much rice in my mouth.

Anyway, this would be the rest of the items that comes in my order. '寿し御膳'(Sushi Gozen) This would be the name of the set meal that I have ordered. Though it wouldn't be possible to cover all the Japanese cooking style in 1 single set meal, but it has covered most of the common stuff. Besides for the 'Sashimi' and 'Sushi', it also comes with 'Tempura', 'Chawanmushi'('Steam Egg served in a Tea Cup'), 'Miso Soup', etc... With a main dish and a few side dishes lying in front of me, too bad I don't have enough space for another bowl of rice, else I would have ordered it. At the end of this meal, I ended up leaving the place with a satisfying smile and a happy stomach, which is the most important part of a meal. :)

The name of this restaurant would be '富寿し'(Tomi Sushi). It's located on level 2 of 'Velocity Novena', which is located above 'Novena MRT'.

Opening Hours:

• Lunch: 11:30 - 14:30
  Dinner: 18:00 - 22:00

* Click here to find out more about '富寿し'(Tomi Sushi)(Overseas a.k.a Out Of Japan).
^ Click here to find out more about '富寿し'(Tomi Sushi).
~ Click here to find out more about 'Velocity Novena'.
# Click here for the location of 'Velocity Novena' on 'Google Maps'.

More of a Sashimi or more of a Rice Bowl?

In the past, most of the Chinese dishes will revolve around the idea of '色香味', which simply means that the chefs will try to make the dish as appealing as possible, and at the same time, the fragrance and the tastes have to be appealing. As we move forward, things have changed and now it has become '色香味意形养'. Besides for the looks, fragrance and the taste, the chefs have also found the shape, ambience and health to be pretty important too. Therefore, that's one of the main reason why I find Japanese food to be pretty interesting since most of the time, it can easily score high points in some of these areas...

'Seafood Rice Bowl Set'(海鮮丼定食) Well, if you find the set meals during dinner to be pretty costly and you really want to give the food of a Japanese restaurant a good try, you probably want to give their set meals during lunch time a go first. In order to attract the attention of the consumers, Japanese restaurant around the world will prepare fantastic and inexpensive set meals to attract the consumers and boast their business. In fact, there are times where there are meals that are exclusive to lunch hours only. Therefore, I decided to give the set lunch of this restaurant a try. :) Not only it comes with 'pickles'(漬物) and 'Miso Soup'(吸い物：味噌スープ), it also comes with 'Chawamushi'(蒸し物：茶碗蒸し), an appertizer(前菜) and a plate of cut fruits(果物). I'm not going to spend too much time describing how good these side dishes are, since these are just mainly (+)/add-on's to the main dish. What I can tell you frankly would be the fact that these dishes are pretty good and it doesn't comes with a lot of artificial flavours.:)

For a start this looks pretty beautiful. The top layer has been covered with all these brightly colored ingredients and more than half of the layer are cuts from different types of fish('Sashimi'). Besides for 'Sashimi', it also comes with fish roe and 'Grilled Egg'(卵焼き). Though I'm not a big fan of 'Sashimi' and I couldn't really tell what are the different types of fishes that was given, or I could probably only identify the common ones, what I do want to stress over here would be the fact that all these cuts are pretty fresh and tasty. On top of that, these cuts doesn't come with the cold and stale texture, which is one of the most important point when it comes to 'Sashimi'. Looking at it from a different perspective, the ingredients and the cuts are pretty generous and to a certain extent, I think that I'm having a delicious plate of 'Sashimi' more than a delicious seafood rice bowl. :D

So where can you give all these delicious Japanese dishes a good try?

The name of this restaurant would be 'Niji Japanese Restaurant'(虹). It's located on level 1 of 'Seacare Hotel', which is located along 'Chin Swee Road'.

Opening Hours:

• Lunch: 11:30 - 14:30
  Dinner: 18:00 - 22:30 Daily

* Click here for the 'Facebook' page of 'Niji Japanese Restaurant'(虹).
^ Click here to find out more about 'Seacare Hotel'.
~ Click here for the location of 'Seacare Hotel' on 'Google Maps'.

Nothing to do with the Shoujo Manga...

If you are pretty familiar with infamous Manga(Japanese Comics) Titles, you will easily understand why I have given this post such a title. Anyway, I have given the following a try the other day...

'Houjicha Shiratama Parfait'(Houjicha and Rice Flour Dumplings Parfait) Though the 'Parfait' idea was originated from the West, but the first time I have actually given it a try was a few years back in 'Kyoto', 'Japan'. As for the 'Parfait' over here, for a start the 'Houjicha' syrup that is poured on top of the 'Parfait' is pretty thick, strong and they have managed to bring out the rich and smoky taste of the Japanese 'Houjicha'. The same goes for the 'Houjicha' ice cream that comes with it. In order to appreciate a 'Parfait' to the maximum, I think that you shouldn't be eating the ingredients separately. You should try scooping 2 or more types of ingredients at 1 go. Besides for the 'Houjicha' stuff, ingredients like the Chewy 'Shiratama'(Rice Flour Dumplings), crispy 'Corn Flakes', Chewy 'Kanten Jelly', etc... were added too. Therefore, there's a nice mixture of different types of ingredients(in terms of the texture and the taste) that are brought together and produce this nice and interesting 'Parfait'. Hence, if you are into 'Hojicha' and ice cream, I think that this would be one of the better places that offers such a delicious combination. :D

So where can you give the 'Parfait' a good try?

The name of this restaurant would be "nana's green tea". It's located on 'Plaza Singapura' level 3.

Opening Hours:

• 11:00 - 10:00 Daily

* Click here to find out more about "nana's green tea".
^ Click here for the Facebook page of "nana's green tea".
~ Click here for the list of delicacies that you can find and get at 'Plaza Singapura'.

God Fire...

While travelling around Japan last year, I finally managed to come across a spicy delicacy in Hakata, Japan. (And Wasabi isn't spicy.) And that delicacy has something to do with this post today.

'God Fire Ramen' They are preparing and selling a wide variety of 'Hakata Ramen' over here. But, for the locals that love spicy food, the most attractive and interesting 'Ramen' over here would most probably be 'God Fire Ramen'.

They are offering 4 different levels of spiciness for the 'God Fire Ramen'. Well, the biggest difference between the 4 levels would most likely be the portion of special paste added into the bowl of 'Ramen'. Trust me, the highest(4th) level can really set fire on your tongue. However, it's nothing as compared to the special '10X Special Paste Ramen' from 'Ichiran Ramen' from 'Hakata', 'Japan'. Besides for the spicy soup base, the thin and chewy noodles, the strong and thick Pork Broth, are the characteristics of the 'Hakata Ramen'. (In fact, I love with 'Ramen' that comes with the thin and chewy noodles.)

Not only the Noodles are chewy, the taste are equally good too. On top of that, the taste of the broth is pretty spicy and the taste of the Pork Broth is pretty thick. However, the standards of the flavoured egg is pretty normal and the slices of barbecue pork ain't satisfying enough, which is a big disappointment. By the way, my face was covered with sweat after spending a bit of time finishing the whole bowl of 'God Fire Ramen'.

The name of this 'Ramen' restaurant would be 'Ikkousha'. In fact, 'Ikkousha' was the overall champion of 'Ramen Champion' for 2 consecutive years. Therefore that might be the main reason why they have decided to have their own outlet in Singapore. The 'Ramen' restaurant is currently located on level 1 of 'Tanjong Pagar Plaza', which is also located opposite 'Orchid Hotel'.

Opening Hours:

• Weekdays & Saturdays: 11:30 - 21:30
• Sundays: 11:30 - 21:30

* Click here for the Facebook page of 'Ikkousha Singapore'.
^ Click here to find out more about 'Ikkousha Ramen'. (Japanese website)

It's not Ramen...

I decided to have my dinner at the 5th Keisuke Japanese restaurant a few weeks back. And apparently it's not a Ramen restaurant but a Japanese restaurant selling...

'OO Set Meals' The restaurant is famous for 'OO Set Meals'. But before I move on introducing 'OO', let's start with the side dishes first.

The set meals come with unlimited free flow of Rice. (This is the most important part. I'm always coming across the problem of finishing a bowl of rice with a large portion of side dishes left behind. And it's kinda disturbing when I have to pay for an extra bowl of rice.)

However, they didn't provide Japanese pickles over here. But, they do have the spicy bean sprouts and cabbages that works pretty good for pickles too. Although the taste of it are pretty good, but it's not spicy enough for me. (But nevertheless, free pickles is a very big (+).) So what's 'OO'? 。 。 。 。 。

'OO' would be 'Gyoza'. The speciality of this branch isn't 'Ramen' but 'Gyoza'. However, the 3 different types of 'Gyoza' over here are related to the 'Ramen'. The 3 different types are: 'Keisuke Tonkotsu King Gyoza (Pork)' 'Keisuke Tori King Gyoza (Pork + Chicken)' 'Keisuke Gyoza (Pork + Prawn)' Basically they are using 'Gyoza' to present the specialities of 3 other 'Keisuke' branches. I ended up choosing the 3rd type, which is a mixture of Prawn and Pork meat. For a start, there's the crunchy fillings, the nice fragrance of prawns and the relatively thin skin that wraps all the the fillings nicely together, which makes it pretty delicious and good.

Each set meal will come with 2 different side dishes. You will be given 8 different choices, which include meaty and vegetables dishes too. I ended up choosing the 'Deep Fried Chicken with spicy sauce and mixed sesame' and 'Chicken Nanban with Tartar sauce'. Though the taste is relatively good, but the small portion is kinda disappointing.

The above shows the order sheet of the restaurant.

This is the appearance of the restaurant 'Keisuke Gyoza King'. It's located on level 1 of 'Orchid Hotel'.

Opening Hours:

• Lunch: 11:30 - 14:30
  Dinner: 18:00 - 22:30

* Click here for the Facebook page of 'Keisuke Gyoza King'.
^ Click here to find out more about 'Keisuke Gyoza King'. (Japanese website)

Marutama Dining

'Marutama Ramen' is my favourite Ramen in Singapore. Therefore, I decided to have my dinner at 'Marutam Dining' 2 weeks ago.

The selections at "Marutama Ramen" used to be pretty limited back then. But, they have a bigger variety of food over here. They even have 'Curry Rice', 'Hot Pot', etc... 'Ebi(Prawn) Ramen' Even though it's known as 'Ebi Ramen', but it's actually the original 'Marutama Ramen' topped with a few prawns and a slice of lemon. Note: the soup base of this Ramen couldn't be changed.

After squeezing the lemon, the taste of the soup becomes both sweet and sour. And I still couldn't resist the delicious noodles and flavoured egg that they are offering over here. However...

The prawns aren't suitable. Although the prawns are pretty fresh, but when I have it with the prawns, the taste ended up becoming pretty weird. Well at the end of the day I still prefer the 'Nama Karashi Ramen'(Ramen with Spicy Chicken Broth).

Here's the appearance of 'Marutama Dining'. It's located along 'Killiney Road'.

Opening Hours:

• Lunch: 11:30 - 15:00
  Dinner: 17:30 - 22:00
  
  Fridays and Saturdays
  Lunch: 12:00 - 15:00
  Dinner: 17:30 - 22:30

* Click here to find out more about 'Marutama Ramen'.

Cream Puff from Beard Papa

I have eaten all sorts of pastry in Singapore. However, up till last weekend, I have yet come across a delicious 'Cream Puff' in Singapore. In fact, most of the 'Cream Puff' in Singapore have a few major weaknesses. For a start, the texture of the 'Cream Puff' is either too soft or the amount of filling that was insert into the 'Cream Puff' aren't satisfying enough. However...

'Mango Yogurt Cream Puff' I have bought 2 'Cream Puff' the other day. One of them would be the 'Mango Yogurt Cream Puff' and the other one would be the original 'Cream Puff'. Taken out from the fridge, the taste of the 'Mango Yogurt Cream Puff' is fantastically delicious. It comes with a not so hard and not so soft texture, a fluffy interior topped with a nice aroma of 'Butter'. As for the filling inside, the sweet and refreshing 'Mango Yogurt' is delicious and cooling. In fact, I have eaten the 'Cream Puffs' of 'Beard Papa' as I was travelling in Japan back then. The way that they are selling the 'Cream Puff' over here are pretty much the same as those in Japan. After a customer place an order for a 'Cream Puff', they will pick up one of them and inject a generous portion of fillings into it. In other words, you will be getting lots of fresh cream inside the 'Cream Puff' itself. There is this amazing sense of happiness, when I was savouring the nice 'Cream Puff'.

The name of this shop would be 'Beard Papa'. The above shows the outlet located in the shopping mall, 'Serangoon Nex'.

Opening Hours:

• 11:00 - 20:00

* Click here for the Facebook page of 'Beard Papa'.
^ Click here for the Facebook page of 'Beard Papa' in Japan.
~ Click here for the website of 'Beard Papa' in Japan. (In Japanese)

Appetizers buffet for FREE*

We, human beings are the greediest species on earth. Despite of the size of our stomach, when we are hungry, we will feel like eating different types of food. Therefore, it would be great if we can try a large variety of food at one go.

At this restaurant, you can give the Appetizers buffet a try for FREE*. It includes japanese dishes like 'Soba', 'Takoyaki', 'Chawanmushi', etc. Since it's free, the taste of most of the appetizers are pretty normal. However, there are some exceptions too. I personally find the 'Onion Steak' (Image on the top left hand corner) to be exceptionally good. The chefs have added some spicy touch to the fried crunchy onion slices. The overall taste and the texture of the onion slices are pretty good and interesting. By the way, if you really want to give the Appetizers buffet a try, there is this simple condition that you would have to fulfill. The condition requires each customer to place an order for a Japanese Set Meal, isn't that simple and easy? :P

'Eel & Clams Rice Box Set' My favourite Japanese set Meal would be 'Eel Rice Box Set'. Therefore, I ended up placing an order for this the other day. The delicious taste that you are getting when you mix all the 3 main ingredients(Eel, clams and cucumber) together are fantastically good. The crunchy cucumber and the fresh ingredients are something that one could really look forward to. (By the way, most of the set Meal at this restaurant are within the price range of $10 - $30.)

The name of this restaurant would be 'Hifumi'. The above shows the branch located in 'Plaza Singapura'.

Opening Hours:

• 11:30 - 10:00

* Click here for the Facebook page of 'Hifumi'.