Tachibana @ 100 AM

Saw this place from JPassport and decided to give it a try. Usually, I tend to steer clear from places that are new new and this place seemed like it with just 5 reviews on Google.

Decided to make a reservation for early lunch. The place is located at Level 3 of 100AM mall but discovered that they weren't ready even at opening time of 11.30am.

shop front

It's quite a big space and there was only one staff doing the opening (cleaning up, arranging utensils, placing glasses into the fridge etc).

menu

drink culture at an izakaya

We were finally seated and the shop does offer set lunches teishoku. We ordered a main from the set lunch and some small dishes from the regular izakaya menu.

interior

I saw one other customer in the shop that also ordered Tonkatsu Curry and it turned out to be a good choice.

Tonkatsu Curry @$16.80

delicious savoury curry, crispy cutlet

The curry was less sweet and more savoury (which we liked) and had visible bits of meat inside (this was a bonus), cutlet was crispy and portion was good. Served with a bowl of miso soup and a small side of pickled vegetable. It was yums.

Top-up $5 to get a bottle of Sapporo beer to go along with the curry rice.

Sapporo beer

kanpai~

We also tried their gyu sara (beef slices cooked with onions) and karaage (small).

gyu sara @$9.80

karaage (small) @$6.80

The beef slices were cooked in soy sweet broth, and tasted pretty nice and the fried chicken was crispy. 

junmai ginjyo sake

cheers~

Also tried a cup of sake and it was deliciously sweet. I liked all junmai ginjo and junmai daiginjo!

Staff was friendly and we enjoyed our lunch there.

Iced water and green tea are complimentary and self-serve. Glass and water near the shop entrance.

Tachibana 

Address: 100 Tras St, #03-13, Singapore 079027

Contact: +6564432218

Business Hours:

Daily: 11:30 AM–10:30 PM

[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

The Public Izakaya 大衆酒場 @ Tras Street

Was there for supper with Ivan, Hence and Tracy when we were doing our staycation nearby. The place was bustling during dinner time so we made our reservation prior and went to shop in 100AM mall first.

Ivan's favourite is the oden so we ordered a portion to share. Omakase style so that night Chef gave us hardboiled egg, daikon, beancurd, and fishcakes (2 types). The soup was tasty!

Omakase Oden Set (6 pieces) @$19

Cabbage Miso @$7

Lemon Chu-Hi @$12

Plain Udon Soup @$7

The cabbage miso is refreshing and crunchy and to quench thirst, I had the Lemon Chu-Hi. To accompany the drinks, we had the deep fried river shrimps. A tad bigger in size and makes a good beer snack.

Kawa Ebi Age @$11

We reminisced about the super huge tori karaage, and for old times sake, we ordered a portion. One portion is 4 deep fried balls the size of a child's fist.

Tori Karaage @$13

huge!

The skewers were pretty good too. At least, it was not of a stingy size but I wonder when did it get this pricey.

kushiyaki (skewers) - negima (1) , hatsu (1), gizzard (x2)

Onigiri Mentaiko @$8

All in all, the menu has adequate options and I'd like to order other things next time. For example, I'd like to try their motsu-ni and also their kushiyaki again.

The Public Izakaya 大衆酒場

Address: 100 Tras St, #01 - 09, Singapore 079027

Website: http://www.hachi-group.com/?page_id=124&lang=en

Contact: 6604 9622

Business Hours: 

Mon-Fri: 11:30am–2:30pm, 5:30pm–1am

Sat-Sun:  5pm–1am

Pipes By Hattendo 八天堂 - Cafe Bar & Roasting Gallery @ Dorsett Residences (New Bridge Road)

Was there for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by its izakaya-ish menu. Had always thought of it as a cafe.

They are running a promo for oysters, so we got ourselves some to try.

Seasonal  - Hiroshima Sake and Oysters Set

Opted for Sugaki (Momiji Oroshi & Koichi Yuzu Pon) which essentially was a trio of marinated oysters. Natural (unadorned) was $5 per piece and while those with Okinawa Umibudo, was priced at $8 per piece.

Loved the oysters and wished we could have more. Plump, creamy and flavourful. Natural was good too. 

Sugaki (Momiji Oroshi & Koichi Yuzu Pon) @$16++

Umibudo and Natural

Seagrape, quail egg yolk and shoyu

I opted for Calpis Sour while Ivan had the Yuzushu. Staff served us some nuts to go along with the drinks.

Calpis Sour @$13++

Pipes Original Yuzushu @$23++

assorted nuts - almond, cashew, macadamia

For appetizers/alcohol bites, one could get the Eihire (stingray fins) to go along with the sake. The version here seemed to be meatier and awesome flavours. Best parts? Those charred parts for some sexy smokeyness along with the sweetness.

Eihire with Yuzu Mayo @$12++

We also tried the Yaki Onigiri. It was like a triangle-shaped fried rice. Didn't taste any pork belly in there but I liked the pickles.

Yaki Onigiri @$12++ (2 pieces)

Next, we had the aburi Hokkaido scallops. Pure indulgence.

Aburi Hokkaido Scallops @$32++ (6 pieces)

Next, we had the Chestnut Pork Belly, and this was one of my favourite dish. Yummy, satisfying slice of pork with good oily mouthfeel. The visuals, the taste and personally, I think best eaten in one mouthful!

Chestnut Pork Belly @$18++ (150g)

The Wagyu Tongue Stew, was surprisingly good too. Comforting taste and the texture of the tongue was good.

Wagyu Tongue Stew (Daikon, Potato, Carrots) @$32++

And, we can't leave without trying their sando. Hmm, am not sure if a single person can finish the entire Tonkatsu Sando, because the meat was really thick! There was no doubt that after this dish, our stomach space was nearing its limit.

Tonkatsu Sando @$20++

And, we went all-in with our orders. A very rich plate of A4 Wagyu complete with foie gras. 

Char Grilled A4 Wagyu (Foie Gras, Berries Compote, Shimeji) @ $ 38 ++

But, we wanted dessert too. The seasonal bun was the Hiroshima Lemon Bun, so we got one to try. Also tried their soft-serve ice-cream.

assorted cream buns

Hiroshima Lemon Bun @ $ 3 ++

Hokkaido Soft Serve @$6++

By the end of the meal, I was seriously stuffed. But do try their coffee, if you still have space. If unsure, the friendly barista would be able to recommend based on your preference.

Thank you makan-kakis as always. 

Pipes by HATTENDO

Address: 331 New Bridge Rd, #01-02 Dorsett Residences, Singapore 088764

Website: https://hattendo.net/

Contact: 8113 6096

Business Hours:

Tues to Sat: 11am–4:15pm, 5:30–10:30pm

Sun: 11am–6:30pm

Closed on Mon