Showing posts with label japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label japanese. Show all posts

Saturday, June 24, 2023

Nozomi @ Star Vista

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After work dinner with Eric and Wendy, and Japanese cuisine it was! They had dined there before, so my turn to try, I guess? Hahaha! We were on the waitlist as it was Thursday and the place was busy. It took about 20 minutes before we got a table.

menu

 



I had the Salmon Trio and Ikura Don, while Eric had the Unagi Don and Wendy chose the Scallop Truffle pasta.

Salmon Trio Ikura Don @$24

The don came with their signature red sushi rice. The vinegared rice was rather mild and loved the overall oily mouthfeel of the fatty salmon especially the aburi'd ones. Came with wakame clear soup which was tasty.

Complimentary iced water is available upon request.

Unagi Kabayaki Don @$24

The rice bowls at Nozomi was kind of on the smaller side of things. 

Scallops Truffle Linguine @$36


The overall taste was rather mild for the pasta. Loved the scallops. We were enjoying our talks and dinner until we finally noticed that we were the only diners left in the shop at 930pm. Thank you to the staff who waited patiently for us.

Thank you Eric and Wendy for the dinner treat!


Nozomi

Address: 1 Vista Exchange Green, #02-20 The Star Vista, Singapore 138617

Websitehttps://www.nozomi.sg/

Contact: +65 9759 3622

Business Hours:

Mon: 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5:00–9:00 PM

Tue - Fri: 11:30 AM–2:30 PM, 5:00–9:30 PM

Sat: 11:30 AM–9:30 PM

Sun: 11:30 AM–9:00 PM

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Café Kitsuné @ Capitol

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Yen chose the place for tea after our lunch at Suntec. This place is nearer to Wu Pao Chun side. Was there around 4pm and we waited for a table.

shopfront


Staff was nice to pass us the menu and to talk to us a bit about the menu. The available bakes are visibly displayed, so one could just go over to that counter to see what's available for the day.

drinks menu


After half an hour, we were presented with a choice on whether we would like to continue waiting for a slightly larger table or all 5 of us squeezed to the smaller table. We didn't mind the smaller table plus I got tired of waiting. Hahaa!

table decor

Iced Houjicha Latte @$8.50

It was a warm day, so I opted for Iced Houjicha Latte. Pretty mild but it's likeable. The hot drinks looked pretty good with the latte art.

Latte @$7.00

Sesame Latte @$7.50

Tried a sip of the sesame latte and it tasted just like the sesame paste dessert albeit not so thick. Lovely flavour if you like sesame.

We got  a couple of the dessert, so our table was pretty busy with all the small plates.

Strawberry Shortcake @$13


I liked the cake. Tasted as how a strawberry shortcake would be.

cross section view



Think Wendy chose the Yuzu Pistachio. Hmmm, it was tiny. It tasted sweet, slightly tart and tangy. 

Yuzu Pistachio Strawberry Tart @$13

inner view

Actually, Yen just wanted the shortbread. Because of its shape. Cute fox shape. We got 2 out of 4 flavours. Had the plain and the choco ones.

Kitsune Shortbread @$4 (one piece)

photogenic

Also tried the Paris-Brest. Paris-Brest by far, is a good choice. Well, my sampling size was rather small. In reality, am only eating this like once in every few years? Ginett version was giant-sized in comparison.

Paris-Brest @$12

The cream was delicious, although one of friend would disagree. But this dessert is my kind of thing. And the shortcake.

Overall, the place seemed popular. There was a small line outside when we were there.


Café Kitsuné Singapore

Address: 13 Stamford Rd, #01-11, Singapore 178905

Websitehttps://www.instagram.com/cafekitsune

Business Hours: 

Daily 10 am–10 pm


Monday, November 21, 2022

Ka-EN Grill and Sushi Bar @ Capitol Singapore

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Was there for a late lunch with Shermaine and Kris, and our birthday treat for Kris.

store front


Kris chose the Premium Buta Kashira Don, while Shermaine decided on inaniwa udon.

Premium Buta Kashira Don @$22

Wagyu Suji Inaniwa Udon @$15


my choice

Premium Buta Don @$19

The accompanying salad and miso soup were good. Lots of dressing for the salad and there's clams in the miso soup!

salad

miso soup


mixed in the runny yolk

The Premium Buta Don uses chestnut pork loin and its texture was nicely tender. Overall, the dish was leaning towards the sweeter side. Hence, requested for the shichimi to balance the taste up a little.

We also shared a side dish of deep fried squid. It came rather late and we had actually forgotten about it. Nevertheless, the dish may looked oily (it was) but the taste was rather good. Crisp on the outside and superbly tender and flavourful on its inside.


Ikageso Karaage @$10

We had a lovely service crew attending to us that day, and she was cheerful and helpful. Attended to our queries and requests, and has adequate knowledge of the menu plus comes by often to check on us. Thank you.


Ka-EN Grill and Sushi Bar

Address: 15 Stamford Rd, #01-82 Arcade @ The Capitol Kempinski, Singapore 178906

Websitehttps://restaurant.momos.io/ka-en-grill-sushi-bar-dd9a8

Contact: 6284 3788

Business Hours:

Mon-Thu: 11am–4pm, 5–10pm

Fri:  11am–4pm, 5pm–12am

Sat: 11am–12am

Sun: 11am–10pm


Friday, December 17, 2021

[Tasting] Omakase Seasonal Lunch Course @ Monte Risaia

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Been wanting to try exquisite omakase using premium and seasonal ingredients? 

Monte Risaia offers Omakase Seasonal Lunch Course for just $79++ per pax. Definitely good value for a lovely 5-course omakase treat! 

The place is cosy and tends to get very busy hence, recommend to make your reservations to avoid disappointment. Do come early around 12pm for lunch.





As in omakase, the item served would depend on season and availability on your day of visit. Below are a list of what I tried recently in Dec 2021.

Staff would check with the guests for their dietary restrictions, before commencement of the meal.

Omakase Seasonal Lunch (5-course)



Engawa (flounder fin) fillet, wrapped with Japanese eggplant and topped with Mozzarella cheese and Italian anchovy butter sauce


The first dish was delightful and comforting. There were layers of soft, smooth texture of the engawa, sweetness from the onions, juicyness from the eggplant (initially I thought it tasted like bittergourd!), topped with salty-creamy mozzarella and plenty of that wonderful tasting, anchovies butter sauce/broth. Just give me some bread to mop up the deliciousness.

Speaking of which, Monte Risaia do have its own housemade foccacia that one could order separately. Oooh, I fancy this because of its cake-like bread texture, plus it goes really well with the anchovies butter sauce.

housemade foccacia (not part of omakase)

The first course was so tasty that one couldn't help but to keep on eating. The plate was polished off pretty quickly.


Next course, was lobster bisque. Now, what I didn't expect, was it to be served inside a parchment paper. So interesting!

Lobster Bisque with Japanese Scallop and Minced Shrimp

hi there


lovely Japanese Lobster Bisque


The flavours of the Japanese Lobster Bisque was pronounced, and each bite had plenty of those sweet scallops and shrimps. Nice.


Next, was the Triple Dashi pasta dish. Lovely shiso fragrance from this dish. Sauce was a good balance of tangy and sweetness. Had enjoyed the previous version of this signature dish back in 2019, and am  loving this version too!

Triple Dashi


A meat dish was served for the next course. We had duck. 

The texture of the Irish duck was expectedly good; firm but not tough. Must try with the plum crystal sauce. Basically horseradish, plum and there is a surprise element in it. A good kind of 'crystal' surprise that adds to overall enjoyment of the dish.

Irish Olive Fed Duck served with Grilled Endive paired with Balsamic Reduction and Plum Crystal Sauce


Almost too quickly, we have reached the last course; dessert. Okinawa black sugar gelato with fresh fruits such as blueberry, raspberry and gooseberry. Berry good.

Fresh Fruits with Okinawa Black Sugar Gelato

The portion was good for the omakase lunch. Do come early to enjoy all the 5 dishes in the Omakase Seasonal Lunch Course at a comfortable pace.

Kudos and thank you to Chef Taizo, Chef Kent and team as all the dishes in the Omakase Seasonal Lunch Course were superbly tasty and comforting. Pronounced flavours that hits all the right spots.  Special mention of Alby, for being such a delightful presence.

Thank you Jennifer (Jennifer Yeo Consultancy) for the invite, and Monte Risaia for hosting the lunch.


Monte Risaia

Address: 59 Duxton Rd, Singapore 089523

Contact: 6970 0067

Reservation: https://www.chope.co/singapore-restaurants/restaurant/monte-risaia

Business Hours:

Mon to Sat : 12–2:30pm, 5–10:30pm

Closed on Sundays.


Tuesday, December 22, 2020

[Tasting] The Parlour Mirage - Craft Beer Tap Room @ 140 Owen Road

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In collaboration with The Parlour Singapore (newly opened artist hub, founded by artist jaye), The Parlour Mirage is a craft beer tap room restaurant that serves up creative cuisine, of both Japanese and Mediterranean fusion.

The nearest MRT to Parlour Mirage would be Farrer Park MRT.

The Parlour Mirage (recognisable by the super big QR code signage)

let's drink


Thank you Hence for the invite, Naomi (The Linch Agency) for showing us around and Parlour Mirage for hosting the tasting.

While guests enjoy their ice cold beer downstairs at Mirage, there are plenty of happenings upstairs as well. Head on up and there are rooms for Creative Workshops, Grid Cuture (music production school by Singapore's first Ableton Certified Trainer, Syafiq Halid) and The Music Parlour.

feel the vibe

Second Life flea market products

let's learn music from Grid Culture

The Music Parlour


Follow The Parlour Singapore instagram for updates and latest happenings.

Meanwhile, I'd just head back downstairs for my beer. There are 12 rotating beer taps and I'd be selecting my drink based on 'tikam' basis if not for the friendly bar manager. I gave him key words like "fruity, don't want sour beer" and we ended up with a beer from Wild Brew , one of our local brewery. I liked its refreshing taste, and the immediate sweetness which tapered off to a bitter finish. 

Wild Brew Hammerhead IPA

Chicken Karage @$12



For food orders, Mirage uses the waitrr app. We tried the Chicken Karage with mayo dip. Lovely, chunky thigh that's deep fried to golden. Thin batter and juicy meat. Yums!

chicken and beer, what's not to like?


Another must order at Mirage is the Fried Cheese. Premium aged cheddar is used and these little small cheese balls are huge in flavours. I think of it as dessert. So good that we kept popping one after another till it is all gone.

Fried Cheese @$10

can't get enough of these


Beer and yakitori makes a good pairing as well but have you tried yakitori with hummus? At Mirage, for every purchase of yakitori platter, one could get two accompaniments. My choice would be Pesto and Hummus.

clockwise from top: Asian slaw, fried mantou, Tzaziki, Pesto, Hummus, Guacamole, Pita Bread and Sweet Butter Corn in the center


Hokubee Beef Yakitori @$9.50 (2 sticks)


Salmon Belly @$9.50 (2 sticks)

Tsukune @$6.50 (2 sticks)


left: Devil's Peak Lager (South Africa)


My second beer, Devil's Peak Lager was mild and perfect for our hot and humid weather. If you are hungry, there's Hokubee Beef Don which is quite a substantial bowl. Meltique beef cubes in kombu sauce for that satisfying bite. Overall, the sauce was a tad too sweet for me though but there's the spicy pickles in the bowl to balance things a bit.

Hokubee Beef Don @$24


We also had the Straccietella and this works as a dessert for us. Think soft, mild ad creamy burrata with mixed honey nuts.

 Straccietella @$15

sweet cheese and beer


Overall, it was a fun tasting and I never thought I could have yakitori with hummus, or deep fried mantou with pesto. Am thinking about the cheese balls with Hammerhead beer. So good!


Come visit, and try it yourself!

The Parlour Mirage

Address: 140 Owen Road, Singapore 218940
Contact: 9654 5687 
Business Hours
Daily - 12:00pm to 10:30pm
 
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