[Tasting] Shinya Izakaya 深夜の居酒屋 @ 79 Boat Quay

Is it just me, or does Boat Quay look more vibrant nowadays? It feels that the area has rejuvenated by the steady stream of merry makers or just hungry people looking for good food, and reasonably priced drinks.

entrance to Shinya Izakaya

Was invited to the Shinya Izakaya and this new izakaya is helmed by Chef Kakiruma, Jack Wee and Vincent Lau. Shinya Izakaya specialises in fresh sashimi 刺身, kushiyaki 串焼き (skewers), Agemono 揚げ物 (deep-fried dishes), Yakimono 焼き物 (grilled dishes), Itamemono 炒め物 (stir-fried dishes) and Donburi 丼 (rice dishes). Location wise, it is just a few steps away from Georgetown Tze Char & Craft Beer. 

Izakaya in general, refers to a "stay-drink-place". I do like to visit izakaya (not the standing type though), as I could get a variety of snacks/appetisers (otsumami おつまみ) to go with the drinks.

Let's check out Shinya Izakaya! Being the new kid on the block, has its perks. Perks for customers! Spotted their 'Opening Special' promotion of the $1 sashimi or the $1 oysters, with terms and conditions applied. So, do check with the restaurant directly for any further query. 

good deal

cheers

If you're a teetotaler, then it might be a good idea to bring along a friend who does drink (alcoholic drinks to be specific) as the opening promotion requires the purchase of normal priced alcohol. Again, for friends who drink, please drink responsibly.

what are we drinking today?

The interior of the restaurant felt spacious. We were seated at one of the booths that could fit 5 to 6 pax. There are private rooms available as well, hence please check with the restaurant when you make the reservation.

booth seats

inner section of the restaurant

private room

For drinks menu, there are options for Premium Sake, Sake (in the form of 300 ml, 720 ml or 1800 ml bottle), Wine, Beer and non-alcoholic drinks such as soft drinks, green tea or juices. Iced water is complimentary. Selected per glass options for sake and wine are available.

We got ourselves a 720ml bottle of sake to try and to match with the food that we will be having today. Was recommended the Hokkaido Kanjyuku, an aged sake. Aged sake is also referred to as 'koshu'. This informal term refers to sake that's been aged at the brewery for some time before release. For Hokkaido Kanjyuku, it was aged for 3 years. The colour is light yellow, tasted sweet and mellow.

Hokkaido Kanjyuku (Junmai Daiginjo)

Alc                    : 16%

Polishing rate    : 65%

Brewery　　    : Kobayashi Shuzo (Hokkaido)

Not good to drink on an empty tummy, so we started with a platter of sashimi. It was beautifully plated. The default number of sashimi slices is 3 pieces for both the 5 and 7 Kinds of Assorted Sashimi.

5 Kinds Assorted Sashimi (akami, kanpachi, salmon, tai, hotate) @$48

 Ala-carte sashimi comes in 5 pieces per order. There's about 10 different types available on the menu, including premium items like otoro and chutoro sashimi. 

Ala-carte sashimi (clockwise): shima aji 縞鯵 (@$38), otoro 大トロ (@$48) and salmon belly 鮭の腹 (@$14)

close up view

looking otoro-ly delicious

What are the snacks/appetisers that you usually start with? Eihire or Grilled Dried Stingray Fin, is a typical Japanese drinking snack. However, the version here is more chewy as it seemed less charred than the versions that I had from other places.

Eihire (Grilled dried stingray fin) @$12

Gobo Stick Karaage @$6

I think this was my first time having deep fried burdock sticks and boy, I loved it! The flavour reminds me of pisang goreng (fried banana) but it's not. Hehe!

Moving on to the meatier parts, and I do mean it quite literally! We tried the Buta Kakuni, Chicken Teriyaki and Saikoro Steak.

Buta Kakuni (Stewed Pork Belly) @$12

The stewed pork belly was a whole lot thinner than I expected. Usually, we'd see thicker cuts of the meat for this dish. Tasted of savoury soy, sweet mirin and dashi. The fats was melty and dissolved almost immediately once it got into the mouth. Nice.

I was surprised by the Teriyaki Chicken dish, as it looked more like a deep fried item rather than a grilled one? No idea but it tasted good. 

Chicken Teriyaki (Grilled Teriyaki Chicken) @$12

Saikoro Steak (Pan-fried Diced Premium Beef) @$25

Am actually glad that the Pan-Fried Diced Premium Beef (Saikoro Steak) is more of cubes rather than too finely diced! Tender bites for all the two glorious pieces that I managed to steal. Light flavours for the meat.

Let's have a bowl of Tendon for something more substantial, although after having drunk the sake, a bowl of ramen would be ideal as well.

Tendon (Crisp Prawns with Vegetables on Rice) @$15

While the Tendon here does not have fluffy looking batter, nor was it superbly crispy since it was lightly drizzled with sauce, the taste kind of grew on me as I had more of the rice at the bottom. Only managed to try the root vegetables in the bowl and I liked both the pumpkin and sweet potato. Well cooked and tasted sweet. There's eggplant in there as well.

Usually, I'd look for chicken gizzard or heart but it's not available here. Instead, we tried the shishito, shitake, chicken meatballs, enoki bacon and tebasaki (chicken wing). The shio tebasaki was a tad dry but still flavourful. Loved the shishito (Japanese green peppers).

Kushiyaki (Skewers) - left to right: shishito @$2.50, shitake @$2, tsukune @$2.50, enoki bacon @$3, tebasaki @$3

 

My favourite dish for  the night, was the Grilled Yellowtail Collar. Looked a tad on the small side but tasted so good! Plump meat that felt buttery, and seasoned just right. Perfectly cooked.

Kama Shioyaki (Grilled Yellowtail Collar) @$20

Thank you Jennifer Yeo Consultancy for the invite and Shinya Izakaya for hosting the dinner.

Attended with Kris, Tracy, Hence and Ivan.

Shinya Izakaya

Address: 79 Boat Quay, Singapore 049867

Contact: 6327 9240

Reservation: 8112 8028

Business Hours:

Closed on Mon

Tus-Sun: 3pm to 4am

Meatsmith @ Telok Ayer

It was deja vu, all over again. The thing about eating out at Telok Ayer on weekends at popular places like this one, could only mean one thing. One needa queue even when there is a reservation. Our 8pm reservation saw us queueing till an hour later and that was because we were lucky for the previous party had kindly vacated their table after an hour of dining. We know, because we were there when the food was served to their table, to the time that they left.

alfresco dining

Kona Big Wave Golden Ale @$12++

bacon wrapped cheese

Meat Platter for 2 @$90++

Our order was plenty. There's starters and meat platters plus additional ala-carte order of beef short ribs and hangar steak.  The meat platter consists of brisket, pork ribs, brisket springrolls, buffalo wings, pastrami burnt ends and pork belly burnt ends. Plus, it came with corn bread!

Pork Ribs

Pastrami Burnt Ends

Brisket

Whoa, the meat platter sure was strongly flavoured. Not that I wasn't expecting it but still, I was somewhat caught surprised by the pork ribs. Possibly due to the sauce, me thinks.

I liked the springroll brisket more than the brisket itself. The pastrami burnt ends was nice to nibble on. The corn bread was my favourite! The pickles were lovely too and it helped to take off some of the greasiness. Well, ice cold beer works too!

Corn Bread with smoked butter

Next, we enjoyed the Hangar Steak. Loved the salad that came along as well. This meat had an enjoyable chew to it and tasted of its natural flavours.

300g F1 Wagyu Hangar Steak @$38++

tender with a chew

Best meat of the night? The vote went to Beef Short Ribs, hands down. It was just wow. Right up my alley, this one.

Beef Short Rib @$48++

can't wait to get some

Fork tender, with some fats and tasted so good with that sauce. What was that sauce again? 

big bites, big love

The staff are friendly and ice water was topped up whenever we needed a refill.

MeatSmith Telok Ayer

Address: 167-169 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068620

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

Contact: 6221 2262

Business Hours:

Daily 11:30am–11:45pm

[Tasting] New Drinks and Tasty Eats at George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer @ 81 Boat Quay

Back for more Hitachino Nest (bottled craft beer), and this time round, managed to try the Red Rice Ale. Previous visit, I had the Dai Dai and also a sip of White Ale. Wouldn't that means, 3 out of the 4 flavours tasted? My favourite is now the Red Rice (红曲米) Ale. It has a definitive fragrance of the red rice, mildly sweet and refreshing. Plus, very good price during Happy Hour. Cheers indeed!

bevy of beauties - bottled craft from Japan

Brewdog Bottled Craft Beer from UK

For food to go with the drinks, we had the small squares of golden brown homemade chestnut tofu, and freshly fried. Yummy! However, there was less of the crunchy chestnut that I enjoyed from the previous visit.

Crispy Chef's Homemade Chestnut Beancurd @ $12++

introducing Chuga Soju with Milkis

Salted Egg Yolk Soft Shell Crab would be perfect munchies for the beer.

Salted Egg Yolk Soft Shell Crab @$18++

Happy to see soju on the menu, so we tried the lychee, green grape and watermelon flavour, in preferential order. Happy Hour promo, one gets 3 bottles for $36++. Mix it with cold Milkis for a change.

On rainy days, the best thing to eat would be Claypot Mutton Stew with Beancurd and Radish. A pot of well braised tender mutton with a good chew but the surprise was in the radish. Bursting with savoury satisfying flavours! Drizzle all the 'zup' onto a bowl of steamed rice and relish in simple pleasures. It was like a putting the final piece of the puzzle together. So good. No funky business here, only tasty stuffs.

Claypot Mutton Stew with Beancurd and Radish @$25++

Penang Laksa Steamed Fish Head @$28++

If you missed eating assam laksa, why not give Penang Laksa Steamed Fish Head a try. This newer version has been slightly tweaked.

a toast with Brewlander Love (Wild IPA)

Next dish, was a good sized Tilapia for the Penang Crispy Fish. Loved the crisp edges of the fish and remember to scoop the sauce from underneath the fish. This dish paired well with beer as well as soju, and I'd reckon some red too. Just that I wasn't drinking any red wine that night. Hey, it's just Monday!

Penang Crispy Fish (Tilapia) @$28++

For the finale, we were served the Golden Chicken. It is special because underneath the chicken skin, there's a layer of fish paste. The result was a pleasant surprise due to the difference in texture and taste, yet still maintained a familiarity from the crisp roasted chicken skin. 

Golden Chicken - $20/$38 for half/whole chicken

close up view

I enjoyed the refreshing soju, cold beers (bottled craft/tap) paired with tasty tze char food. From what I've tried, it paired quite well so far. Try it and do share if there's any particular combination that stood out to recommend to others.

Thank you Jennifer for the invite, Charles for your kind hospitality and George Town Tze Char for hosting the dinner. 

George Town Tze Char & Craft Beer 乔治 海鲜

Address: 81 Boat Quay, Singapore 049869

Website: https://george-town-tze-char-and-craft-beer-boat-quay.business.site

FB: https://www.facebook.com/georgetowntzechar/

Contact: 6535 6277 

For bookings: Whatsapp 96823826

Business Hours:

Daily 12pm to 11pm

The Gong By Drinks & Co @ Duo Galleria

Revisited this place for one of our wine nights because there's tasty food and reasonably priced drinks. Another motive was partly because we were curious if the food still tasted good on a regular visit as opposed to a tasting session. 

drinks menu

Decided to get myself a glass of beer while waiting for the rest of the peeps. Hey, it's Happy Hour after all! An iced cold Sapporo would be nice.

かんぱい Sapporo Premium @$11

Soon, the rest of the gang arrived and we decided to munch on truffle fries and enjoy our pre-dinner drinks. Loved that the fries was served piping hot, but thought something was missing from the bowl. Ahhh....I think am accustomed to having truffle fries topped with shaved parmesan so when this version was served without it, it just felt lacking. Sorry, brain had been wired in this way!

three is not a crowd

Skinny Truffle Fries @$16

pretty bottle of soda water

beer and fries

"What's nice here?" Asked our friends who had never tried this place. The majority of us smiled and nodded. Most of the dishes were recommended based on our past experience during the tasting session and the rest was based on preference of individuals.

To start, we tried the foie gras. Served glistening, on a piece of crisp toast and adorned with sliced strawberries and grape. The liver was quiver-y, rich and decadent tasting. We had but the tiniest piece as the 6 of us was sharing for this item and as per the rest of the meal. Hahaa!

Pan Seared Foie Gras @$25

We also had the Gong Salt & Pepper Squid. Anything that has the namesake of the restaurant, better be good! The squid was battered and deep fried to a golden hue. There were some cut chilies, peppercorn and garlic crisp tossed into the mix, salted and the plate was finger licking good. I was actually scooping up the bits of garlic chips to munch. So tasty especially with that hint of peppercorn.

Gong Pepper & Squid @$17

For mains, we ordered carbs! Lots of carbs! Somehow carbohydrates and alcohol, goes well together. To accompany our meal, we picked a bottle of red off the shelf. 

Big Bunch Merlot (Hawke's Bay 2014) @$48

juicy and yummy

Let's dig into the mains, shall we? First up, and by popular demand, the Assorted Mushroom Pizza. We absolutely loved the flavours of the mushroom pizza the previous time but again, it looked the same yet there was a difference in taste. We figured out, it could be the mushroom paste was reduced this time round, and hence there was a reduction in the umami flavours of the mushrooms.

Assorted Mushroom Pizza @$26

up up and away, lingering cheese pull~

Pizza was still good and we enjoyed it through and through. We also revisited another favourite (although mine was the Hokkien Mee!) and that is the Crab Meat Claw Fried Rice with Tobiko. Colourful plate and best eaten while still hot.

Crab Meat Claw Fried Rice with Tobiko @$14

How can we not order any meat? Impossible! And, so we had meat. An expensive Bangers and Mash, the lovely Iberico Pork and our favourite New Zealand Lamb Rack.

Bangers and Mash @$27

Loved the crispy fried onion rings. Lovely big ring but alas, only that few pieces. It has the English Cumberland sausage, that prompted me to search wiki for it, and it's supposed to be long.  But ours was short lei, how? Haha! Enjoyably meaty, salty enough to reach for a sip of the wine and loved that caramelized onion gravy on that bed of soft mash.

We craved for meat and of course, ordered our favourites from previous visit. The Iberico Pork came looking sexy with its charred bits. The center piece (pun intended) was amazingly good. Juicy, flavourful and tender. Lovely texture of the pork, enjoyed the charred broccoli and lovely eggplant puree (but this was less smokey in comparison).

Iberico Pork @$24

amazingly flavourful, tender pork

Quite consistently, the New Zealand Lamb Rack (250gms) was the best performer. It was as good as we remembered it. Well, previously, we had it in the Mixed Grill Platter but this time round, the spotlight is on the lamb rack and lamb rack alone and it delivered!

New Zealand Lamb Rack @$34

side view

Well seasoned. and superbly grilled, the lamb rack was succulent to bite and loved those meat near the bone. Smokey, salty and flavourful, plus non-gamey. Served with roasted baby potatoes, grilled  broccoli (gotta love this!) and pickled shallots. Sneaky to have pickled shallots in there but it's refreshing to the taste bud with a sharp tangy sweet jolt.

Service was friendly, and efficient. Overall, a good place to dine with good food and reasonably priced bottled wines.

The Gong by Drinks & Co

Address: 7 Fraser St, #01-59/60 Duo Galleria, Singapore 189356

Website: http://thegong.com.sg/

Contact: 9619 4568

Business Hours:

Daily 11am to 12am