[Tasting] Delectable Feast @ Sichuan Alley Capitol Singapore

Sichuan Alley is now at Capitol Singapore! Here's an older post on its Telok Ayer outlet. Favourites such as ox tongue, President Noodle using its Mianyang rice vermicelli, black plum tea, alcoholic beverages are still available and there are new items to try!

Thank you Kris for the invite, and Chef Eugene with Sichuan Alley Capitol team, for your hospitality.

Sichuan Alley Capitol

interior

I liked that the staff are actively engaging potential diners at the entrance of the shop. Curious onlookers would stop by and staff would be attentive to answer their queries.

Signature Small Plates 风味小菜

Chilled Cucumber 清爽黄瓜 @$3.90

Mala Black Fungus 麻辣黑木耳 @$5.50

The taste profiles for the small plates were pretty much on-point. Cucumber with its yummy garlicky refreshing light taste and the black fungus for its crunchy spiciness.

The next small plate, usually we get 口水鸡 (mouth watering chicken) but here, we are trying the King Prawn version. Aesthetically pleasing and lovely to eat.

Mouth Watering King Prawns 口水虾@$8.90

Yup, the sauce was appetizing and there's plenty of those Sichuan peppercorns.

My favourite small plates, is the Sichuan Pepper Ox Tongue. Thinly sliced ox tongue, neatly arranged with a good heap of chopped green chilies and some crispy shallots on top. Loved the texture of the tongue. So tender! The spice level of this dish is lower than the black fungus~ so no worries here.

Sichuan Pepper Ox Tongue @$11

closer view

Let's have some fried food! And, was happy to see they have fried spicy chicken 辣子鸡 on the menu. If you're having alcohol, this would be one of the top 3 favorites accompaniment to the drinks! Well, at least my top 3, hehe~

B-52 Fried Chicken 辣子鸡 @$16

Was surprised that the chicken was tender and needless to say, the rest of the spices in there were to our liking. Oh, and I dare say that I can finish one whole basket on my own. But I didn't lah, since this is to be shared amongst the group. Next time!

Sichuan Sour Vegetable Fish 老坛酸菜鱼@$19

The Sichuan Sour Vegetable Fish has strong flavours and goes well with a bowl of hot steaming rice. Not too sour but enough to whet the appetite. There was a hint of spice but not enough to work out a sweat.

soft silky fish fillet

In line of soft food, we tried the braised pig intestine with tofu, beautifully presented in a stone pot. I was wrong when I thought I wouldn't like the tofu. It was flavourful and delicious! Intestine was well braised and no funky-ness in them. Spice level in this dish is slightly higher but still manageable.

Braised Pig Intestine with Tofu @$17.30

Another dish with a stronger sour profile, is the Yu Xiang Shredded Pork.

Yu Xiang Shredded Pork 鱼香肉丝 @$7.90

I always gets amused when I see "水煮" something on the menu as literal translation means "water cooked" but it's far from being bland. This method of 'boiled beef' resulted in tender pieces of meat that's enveloped in strong spicy flavours to tease the tastebuds.

Sichuan Hot Red Beef 水煮牛肉@$19.30

food enjoyed, the communal way

Beverages

And yes, as evident from the photos above, some of the dishes were undeniably laden in chili oil. What to do? I like to wash it down with a good pot of hot jasmine tea.

Chengdu Jasmine Green Tea

lovely scent

 

cheers~

Flask of hot water is available at the table, so one could enjoy the tea continuously. Initially, the green tea was mild in flavours with a prominent Jasmine fragrance. Later on, when the tea was steeped for a while, the taste had an ending note of slight bitterness but still very floral.

Or, when the weather is hot, I'd get a Black Plum Tea as well.

Rice Noodles / Noodles

The President Rice Noodle have ingredients such as fried egg, vegetables, braised intestines, braised beef and braised pork ribs in a light meaty broth. We tried the less spicy version and the soup was rather mild.

President Rice Noodle 总统米粉 @$24.50

with rice noodles

Dry Noodles

Sichuan Alley Dan Dan Noodle 川港炸酱担担面 @$13.50

Scallion Oil Noodles

Rice

Sichuan Soy Sauce Fried Rice 四川酱油炒饭 @$8.90

Chicken Cutlet Egg Fried Rice 鸡扒蛋炒饭 @$14

For the dry noodles, one would enjoy the al-dente texture of the noodles. The version that we got was non-spicy. For fried rice, I enjoyed the egg fried rice more due to its egg fragrance. As for the soy sauce fried rice, it was a miss as  the seasoning seemed a tad too mild for me.

Desserts

Unique desserts such as Sweet Fermented Rice and Speciality Ice Jelly. Out of these two, I preferred the jelly dessert as the fermented rice dessert was interesting but more of an acquired taste.

Speciality Ice Jelly 雪山红糖冰粉 @ $5.50

Sweet Fermented Rice @$4.50

Once again, thank you Eugene, Serene and team Sichuan Alley for the delicious food. Will be back again for some drinks and small plates.

Lunch with Kris, Ivan, Hence, Alvin, Tiara and CK.

Sichuan Alley 川港 @ Capitol

Address:  13 Stamford Rd, B1-29, #B1-30, Singapore 178905

Website: https://www.facebook.com/sichuanalley

Contact: +6591555244

Business Hours:

Daily: 10:30 AM–9:30 PM

[Tasting] Kakurega (The Lair ) 隠れ家 Japanese Sake Bar @ 12 Smith Street

"Ms, do you want to drop at Temple side or, which side? Smith Street, there's two sides." The Grab driver asked. My mind whirled for a few seconds before I answered, "I'm not sure. But I'd be going there to eat." He nodded knowingly.

Well, the street sign stated "Smith Street", so I was at the right drop-off. If walk towards my left, the unit numbers seemed to be getting bigger. Ok, let's turn on the Google map for directions. I was just one minute away from Kakurega. The restaurant is within the Food Street.

shopfront

yes, I'd be at Level 2

neighbouring shops

And so, Safe Entry and temperature checked, before guests were ushered to their table. There are tables at Level 1 to Level 3. The washrooms are at Level 1 and Level 2.

into the Lair

interior

online menu

As with any drinking places, let's start with some Zensai 前菜. There's Eihire (stingray fin), Kawahagi (dried leather jacket) and Kawaebi Karaage (deep fried shrimps).

(top to bottom) Kawahagi かわはぎ, Kawaebi かわえび and Eihire エイヒレ

かわえび @$7.80

かわはぎ @$6.80

エイヒレ @$7.80

My favourite snack was the Eihire as it had both savoury and sweet flavours. The Kawahagi came close at second place especially the tasty 'burnt' parts.

what would you like to drink today?

For our table, we tried the Issyou Koufuku Junmai Ginjo 一生幸福純米 sake @ $98/$168 for 720ml/1800ml. The sake is from Yamagata Prefecture and with polishing of 50%.

staff explaining more about the sake

let's choose a pretty cup

sake

The sake was nicely smooth and easy to drink. Sweet too. But be aware of its 15% ABV, so a few cups of it would already set one up for a good buzz. The Shime Saba Aburi (lightly torched cured mackerel), paired well with the sake.

Shime Saba Aburi (Flame-Seared Cured Mackerel) @ $10.80  

meaty

If you are in the mood for skewers (yakitori), here are some photos of what we had. Was surprised by the light tasting Tori Momo and was informed that this was intentional, due to past feedback from patrons. Healthier taste.

It was somewhat unfortunate that the Mozzarella Chizu Maki that I had, was overcooked (burnt) that night.

Aspara Bacon (Asparagus wrapped in Bacon) @ $3.80 - per skewer

Tori Momo (Chicken Thigh) and Buta Enoki (Enoki Mushroom wrapped in Pork) @ $3.80 per skewer

Mozzarella Chizu Maki (Creamy Mozzarella wrapped in Beef Short Plate) @$6.80 per skewer

Chashu Ringo Sauce (Pork Belly with Apple Sauce) - $6.80

I prefer the pork belly skewer with apple sauce as the flavours were stronger. However, the fats could be grilled a tad more.

Another popular item to order at Japanese Sake Bar, would be the tori karaage. True enough, the other tables on my day of visit, seemed to have ordered this as well.

Niwatori Karaage (Deep-Fried Chicken with Sesame Dressing) @ $6.80

My favourite charcoal grilled item that night, was the Hotate Mentai. Served aplenty with umami mentaiko sauce.

Hotate Mentai (Scallop with Mentai Sauce) @ $6.80

yummy

If you prefer beef, there's the Gyu Tataki plate. If not wrong, there's an on-going promo with UOB credit card holders with offer of 1-for-1. Do enquire from the restaurant on the terms and conditions.

Gyu Tataki (230g Meltique Beef with Garlic Chips) @ $18.80

Staff are friendly and accommodating. Be careful when you are exiting from the Level 1 washroom, as the door swings outwards.

The ambiance at Kakurega is cosy and I have enjoyed the sake, the zensai and items from the charcoal grill such as the hotate mentai.

Thank you Jennifer for the invitation and Kakurega for hosting the tasting.

***PROMO ALERT***

All-You-Can-Drink Liquid Buffet @ $59

• 2 Hours Free Flow of Selected Japanese Sake & Asahi Beer
• Yamagata Issyou Koufuku Junmai
• Yamagata Issyou Koufuku Junmai Ginjo
• Hakkaisan Honjozo
• Asahi Draft Beer

Available Monday to Saturday, 5pm -10.30pm

Reserve now on http://bit.ly/3faL52v

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Kakurega (The Lair ) 隠れ家

Address: 12 Smith St, Singapore 058926

Website: https://www.kakurega.com.sg/

Contact:  6223 0102

Business Hours:

Sun: Closed

Mon - Sat: 5pm–10:30pm