Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant @ Oxley Hub 2 (Rooftop)

Made reservation and was surprised to receive a whatsapp notification, complete with screenshots on how to find the restaurant when you're at Oxley Hub 2. Nice.

I followed the instructions and managed to find the restaurant easily. 

entrance

let's browse the menu

The place looks cosy but the vibes coming from the staff was rather nonchalant.

interior

sip sip

mini chalkboard menu

we need food

We ordered a bunch of things, and I got myself an Asahi Black. This drink was smooth and malty, and a tinge of savoury akin to soy sauce.

Asahi Black @$11

Water is chargeable at 50cents per head and refillable.

Sashimi Moriawase 7 Kinds @$78

When we order, we enquired from the staff on which type of seafood/fish would be in the assorted sashimi platter. She said that it would depend on what the Chef wants the diners to have on that day itself. There were salmon belly, scallops, abalone, sea urchin, hamachi, white fish (maybe tai), kajiki and  lightly vinegared mackerel. Thank you Chef for indulging us with some premium selection in there!

admiring the  beautiful platter

best pairing for sashimi

I always liked to try tamagoyaki from the various Japanese restaurants and here is no exception. The version here is the typical sweeter version.

Tamagoyaki @$10

Tori Karaage @$13

Of course, there'll be fried food in the mix and tori karaage it is! Flavourful and enjoyable with the cold beer. Not the best but still decent.

Oden Moriawase @$19

The oden version at Tora Tora Tora was more similar to local yong tau foo because of its many pieces that tasted similar to fish cake, there was meatball and tofu puffs in there as well. Unfortunately, the daikon was not as soft as I'd like. Broth was nice and flavourful but temperature was not that hot.

Surume Ika @$23

The grilled squid looked kinda photogenic, don't you think? Hahaa. The texture was nice and tender but not too soft. Sauce was leaning on the sweet side.

Tontoro @$28

The cubed tontoro was nicely grilled with a slight crisp edges. Firm and gives a nice chew. Tasted of natural flavours and I liked it without the sauce.

Hokkaido White Corn @$12

The Hokkaido White Corn was lightly salted and grilled. Not as juicy as one might thought it would be, but it was definitely sweet! Dip it into the wasabi mayo sauce from another dish and it was nicely creamy and sweet.

Niku Udon @$18

Niku udon for the birthday boy and it has an onsen egg in it too. Pretty apt to order this. Of course, we stole some bites from his bowl. Hahaha!

Hamachi Kama @$23

My favourite dish for the night, is the grilled yellowtail collar (hamachi kama). Smallish in size but has plenty of white cottony soft flesh. Nicely salted too.

Wagyu Fried Rice @$30

The wagyu fried rice was recommended by the staff when we enquired whether the seafood fried rice or wagyu fried rice was more popular. The plate of the fried rice was about maybe 2 pax portion and the beef was tiny but adequately scattered throughout the rice. Strong flavours but I think I'd go for the regular fried rice for another taste test next time.

It was nice to be able to try a good variety of dishes here with the help of the legendary group. Here's wishing Ivan, a Happy Birthday!

Tora Tora Tora Japanese Restaurant @ Oxley Hub 2

Address: 62 Ubi Rd 1, #11-19, Singapore 408734

Website: https://www.toratoratora.sg/

Contact: 98529148

Business Hours:

Daily: 1:30 AM–2:30 PM, 6 PM–1 AM

Dessert Time @ Yat Ka Yan 一家人 Fortune Centre

It was a Friday evening and we decided to have dessert ahead of dinner because, why not? Located at Level 2 of Fortune Centre, it was about 10 minutes walk from Bugis MRT station.

We queued up at the entrance counter (cashier?) intending to place our orders first while waiting for a seat. And lucky us, a staff came over to aide and informed that we could be seated at Table 13 and then order from the counter.

interior

 

The place has a retro feel and the menu have a couple of savoury snacks that one could choose from instead of just having sweet dessert. Tempting, but we stuck to our mission of having the sweet stuffs!

menu

Ice Jelly Passionfruit with Soursop @$5.50

Durian Chendol @$7.50

Chendol @ $4

Fresh Mango Sago with ice-cream @$7

Service was fast and efficient with the desserts served within 5 minutes after placing our orders.

The Ice Jelly Passionfruit with Soursop was only mildly fragrant with the passionfruit sauce/syrup, and some sweetness with a slight satisfying tangy flavour, distinct to soursop. Jelly was not too chewy and slid down well after a few bites. Refreshing and perfect for the hot and humid weather. Noted that after mixing the ice, one might not be remember that there's passionfruit in this concoction. 

Yen was funny. She was raving about 'Avocado Sago' (as seen from Insta) and was recommending it to us when we were thinking of what to order. As you might have guessed from the photos, we didn't. Haha!

She went with Durian Chendol, so we ordered a regular Chendol to do a comparision taste test. Verdict, unless you have a craving for durian, I would recommend the regular chendol simply because when one has durian as a topping, the rest of the ingredients will be overshadowed. I enjoyed the original flavours of the chendol, and it was adequately sweet with the fragrance of the gula melaka. The texture of the green rice flour jelly, was one of the better ones I've tasted.

Personally, my favourite goes to Fresh Mango Sago Pomelo with ice-cream. That dollop of ice-cream was really generous! Plus, one gets chunky sweet mango and that brown sugar jelly bits in the bowl added to the enjoyment. A bowl of cold, creamy dessert with fresh mango. Yums!

Icy adventures with Jingwen, Yen and Eric.

Yat Ka Yan 一家人 Dessert (Fortune Centre)

Address: 190 Middle Rd, #02-08 Fortune Centre, Singapore 188979

Instagram: https://instagram.com/yatkayan

Contact: +6587989292

Business Hours:

Closed on Tue.

Mon, Wed - Thu: 12–10 PM

Fri - Sun: Friday, 1:30–10 PM

Lunch at Birds of A Feather @ Amoy Street

Am no stranger to Birds but it has been quite a while since I last dined there. Went back to enjoy a quiet lunch with Kris and Ivan. Glad that we made time for this quick catch-up.

Starters

Crab and Avocado Bruschetta

Crab and Avocado Bruschetta

The starters came in handy as I was feeling pretty hungry that day, having only had small pieces of pastries and coffee for breakfast. The rendition of "Crab and Avocado Bruschetta" is still visually stunning after all these years. Tasted light and healthy, with small burst of sweetness from bits of pomegranate and green apple slices.

Find the Chicken in the Chillies 

Find the Chicken in the Chillies @$19

You might have noticed that the "Find the Chicken in the Chilies" is my must order at Birds and yes, it still is. Noted that the spice level and numbing factor have been toned down. Still a nice snack especially if you're having ice cold beer or prosecco.

Main Course

Barramundi Chazuke

Barramundi Chazuke @$36

cracker on the side (to keep it crisp), chazuke (bubbling)

Barramundi Chazuke is indeed a dish that whets the appetite. Sour, tangy and deeply flavoured broth that soothes the soul. I liked it with the crackers. Fish taste was clean with firm texture. Be careful when sipping the broth as the hotstone bowl kept the soup bubbling for a short while after it was served. There is an equivalent of one bowl of rice in the pot, hence this is suitable to be eaten by self as main course or shared with a friend, with a side appetiser and a dessert.

Pan Seared Fillet, Classic Sichuan Sour Vegetable Fish Broth, Mustard Green, Japanese Rice

Charred Marinated Octopus

Charred Marinated Octopus @$32

Sichuan Pita, Pork Ragout

Sichuan Chopped Chillies Salsa, Baby Arugula, Joyn Tomato, Feta

Staff has informed us to mix well the octopus with the salsa before packing them onto the sliced Sichuan Pita (the charcoal looking mantou). Topped it up with the pork ragout. Octopus was nicely tender and I liked it with loads of the pork ragout for extra flavours.

Sichuan Pita, Pork Ragout and Octopus

Oxtail Mapo Tofu

Oxtail Mapo Tofu @$38

I believe most of us probably would have tried mapo at some point before, but mapo tofu with oxtail? This is my first time trying this combo! Expect the beefy taste of the oxtail that's fork tender and the lovely savoury bean-paste fragrance of the mapo tofu. Must eat with rice for the complete experience. I think one could eat two bowls of rice with this. This dish was pretty laid back in the spice quotient, so it could be enjoyed by most.

good with rice

Staff are generally friendly and would inform the guests to be careful of hot surfaces, water continuously topped up and would do a brief introduction of the dishes when presented to the table. Thank you Mei Zhen and Yiling for taking care of our table that day. Apologies if I had mis-spelt your name.

We ended our meal with a cup of coffee. Thanks for the nice latte-art! And of course, special thanks to Eugene for your kind hospitality, in making sure we were well-fed as always.

Mocha @$8

Birds of a Feather

Address: 115 Amoy St, #01-01, Singapore 069935

Website: https://www.birdsofafeather.com.sg/

Contact: 97557115

Business Hours:

Mon - Thu: 12–3 pm, 6–11 pm

Fri - Sat: Friday, 12–3 pm, 6 pm–12 am

Sun: Sunday, 12–3 pm, 6–10 pm

[Media] Lovely Pies @TheFoodPan3

Was blessed with a box of pies recently from TheFoodPan3. Thank you Winnie and Kris for the pies! It was well packaged and the sturdy box protected the pies during the trip from town back to my home.

box of pies

When you think about pies, what comes to mind? For me, it's the chicken pie. I had a childhood phase where I'd grown to dislike chicken pies, so I tend to avoid those whenever I could. The more recent delicious pie that I had, was in Melbourne and those were the beef pies. Read more about Melbourne experience here.

The box came with handy stickers to identify the pies, ingredients used and not forgetting, the reheating instructions! Wow, all inclusive so that everyone can enjoy the optimal taste of the pies as intended by the chefs. That is, if we chose to follow the instructions... hehe!

box of four

I understood from TheFoodPan3 team that the pies are baked on the day of delivery, so these can be eaten fresh once you received it. Of course, it's always good to check with the friendly team at TheFoodPan3 if you have any further queries. 

Classic Chicken Pie

Classic Chicken Pie @$7

potato, carrots, chicken, egg, onions, peas, seasoning

Am surprised that I liked the Classic Chicken Pie. It tasted a bit of a light peppery stew kind of sauce in there and the root vegetables were adequately soft. Nice.

Red Wine Chunky Beef Pie

Red Wine Chunky Beef Pie @9

Usually, I'd halved the pies to share with my brother and by chance, mine so happened to contain largely beef tendons while his contained meat. Hmm. Nevertheless, the mushroom in this pie carried the dish well and the sauce was mild with savoury sweetness.

And if you're wondering whether there are pies with local flavours, then the answer is Yes! There's Ayam Kari Kapitan and Beef Rendang for now.

Ayam Kari Kapitan Pie

Ayam Kari Kapitan Pie @$8

spicy shiok

The Ayam Kari Kapitan pie has a spicy kick to it. I enjoyed the hardboiled egg in this pie as egg and spicy kari, pairs well.

Chunky Beef Rendang Pie

Chunky Beef Rendang @$9

chunky beef indeed

One gets to enjoy the aromatics (prominently of kaffir, lemongrass, galangal) in the beef rendang before it mellowed down into a mildly sweet flavour. The chunky beef was fork tender and lovely to eat.

Overall, I liked all the flavours that I've tried. The pies were of a good size and one pie would be adequate for a meal. The pie pastry holds well and I think it'll still be good even if the pies had a bit more sauce in them.

Thank you once again to TheFoodPan3 team. Looking forward to more local inspired flavours in the future!

Interested parties, please send direct message to TheFoodPan3 team via Instagram, or Whatsapp.

TheFoodPan3

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefoodpan3

Whatsapp: 97965460

Email: thefoodpan3@gmail.com

[Tasting] H&C halycon & crane @ Paragon Shopping Centre

Was invited to H&C at Paragon to try some of the items from the new menu. Thank you Kris and Eugene for the invitation. This time round, we went during dinner time. 

cosy interior

nice seats to watch the world go by

some nibbles before getting the mains?

how about some fancy teas?

Fancy Teas

Since weather was hot and humid, I opted for "Cold Brew Orchid Pu'erh Tea". This was the only cold tea from the fancy tea series. Staff informed that the tea is steeped daily and in limited volume. Ok, let's try it.

Cold Brew Orchid Pu'erh Tea @$10.90

cheers~

Loved the deep amber hue of the Pu'erh tea. It was indeed refreshing and enjoyable.

For teas prepared via the siphon pot, one could watch the tea preparation at the coffee/tea/bar area. These would be the "Beau-tea-ful You" and "Tea-rriffically Healthy".

aesthetically pleasing

Once the tea is ready, staff will bring over the brewed tea to your table (minus the siphon). Staff informed that the volume of water served is optimal for the tea-leaves used.

"Tea-rrifically Healthy" (Buckwheat and Chrysanthemum) @$14

"Beau-tea-ful You" (Mixed Dried Fruits, Rose, Strawberries, DragonFruit) @$14

Buckwheat tea was nicely nutty with toasty notes (unsweetened) while the one with the mixed dried fruits and rose, was mildly sweet and lovely rose fragrance.

Nibbles

Let's nibble on some appetisers while we sipped the teas. 

Crispy Squid @$18

Crispy squid was lovely as the squid was nicely tender. It actually doesn't pack any heat although menu listed it as '1 chili' spicy level. More sweet than spicy.

Hot & Sour Gyoza Soup @$14

Chicken gyoza was decent and the sauce is similar to 酸菜鱼 (sour vege fish) albeit less on the sour scale. Tangy and appetizing.

Sticky Pork Ribs @$15.50

The pork ribs had some crisp bits on first bite with overall flavours from the classic sweet vinegar glaze. Longan was nicely plump and sweet.

Tomato Beef Stew (served with sourdough) @$19.50

Oh, I might have found my new favourite nibbles and that's the tomato beef stew. Hearty, tangy plus beef with some fats? Bring it on! Plenty of tomatoes and potatoes in there too.

Pasta

For the mains, there are noodles and there are grains to choose from. Let's try a few.

Low Cal, Avocado Scallion Capellini @$22.50

Important thing to note is that keep the photo taking moments (if any) to a minimum if you had ordered the pasta.  We took a tad too long and the capellini had begun to dry out a little. So we made the most of the onsen egg to moisten it again once more, before we tucked into it. Hehe.

The scallion capellini had yummy mushroomy flavours that I liked. And, towards the end, I added some beef stew to the noodles to change it up a bit and I enjoyed that too!

Hot Sauce Prawn Pasta @$27.50

But my favourite pasta that night, was the prawn pasta. The prawns were cooked the way I liked. Moreover, it was served with deep fried kale. I'll gladly eat this vege.

that perfect bite

Grains

Squid Mixed Grains Rice Stew @$26.50

First time seeing squid mixed grains rice stew. Have you tried one before? It was a novelty for me. 

interesting

Salmon and grains were served with slightly charred/roasted romaines, sliced avocado, cherry tomatoes, sprinkling of nori and of course, a piece of well cooked salmon. I'm all for the salmon skin. Crisp and packed with flavours.

Salmon and Grains @$34

But who would've guess, that I'd fall for the stone bowl grains. Same mixed grains as the rest but there's a slight smokey flavour from each spoonful of this. Besides mixed grains, there's potato, mushrooms, chickpeas and fried kale.

Humble Grains Stone Bowl @$16.50

Special thanks to Chu Chu who took care of our table that night, and Chef Eugene for recommending us the dishes.

Read more on our past brunch experience here.

H&C halcyon & crane

Address: 290 Orchard Rd, #03-09 Paragon Shopping Centre, Singapore 238859

Website: https://linktr.ee/halcyonandcrane

Contact: 97275121

Business Hours:

Daily: 9 am–8:30 pm