Showing posts with label tasting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tasting. Show all posts

Monday, December 19, 2022

[Tasting] CNY Feast at Goldleaf Restaurant 金葉餐廳 @ 83/85 Geylang Rd

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Goldleaf Restaurant is now located at 83/85 Geylang Road. Grab driver was asking me which lorong would that be. So closest would be Lorong 3. Go past Sinma G7 Frog Porridge shop (uncle said Geylang has 3 of this frog porridge places...), then go past the traffic light and the restaurant is about 100m after the traffic light. Thereabouts. Can park at nearby HDB block behind the restaurant.

Goldleaf Restaurant


table by the window


spacious interior

iconic


套餐三 (Set Menu Three)

鸿兔大展 $888 (8-10pax)


Yu Sheng



Goldleaf Reunion Yu Sheng 金宝仔捞起

abalone close-up

甜甜蜜蜜 (sweet loving relationship)

招财进宝 (attract great wealth and treasure)

let's toss for good health, abundance of wisdom and wealth (and world peace)

let's eat!

The yusheng is basically a salad of sorts, and it is sweet and refreshing. A good start to the year.



Soup


Sea Cucumber, Fish Maw with Ginseng and Cordyceps in Superior Broth

炖洋参虫草花羹


Loved the umami-sweetness of the superior broth, and one could taste the hint of ginseng in the soup. It is a thick soup (羹) with smooth texture. Satisfying and comforting. Didn't need any vinegar or pepper for this.


Fish


Steamed Red Snapper with Chye Poh and Garlic

Goldleaf has always done their steamed fish right, and this plate was no exception. Fish was fresh with firm flesh, and the sauce concoction tasted savoury sweet of good soy sauce, and loved fried crunchy bits of the chye poh garlic. Alvin said, he would love to eat this with rice.


Prawns

Wok-Fried Tiger Prawns with Black Pepper Sauce

Finger-licking dish, and for lovers of stronger flavours. The black pepper sauce was delicious and the prawns were of a good size. This is one dish that you don't mind getting your fingers dirty!


Poultry


Housemade Chicken with Specialty Dip 

The roast chicken brought back a bit of nostalgia as Chinese restaurants in the olden days, will definitely have one on the menu (and usually served with prawn crackers!). Chicken was well roasted and mildly seasoned and served with Goldleaf Specialty Dip. Wet or dry, choose your favourite but both were equally addictive! I prefer the dry one as it could be sprinkled to noodles as well! The sauce dip had a bit of peppercorn / mala taste in it, and I had it with the chicken breast parts.


Vegetables

Abalone Slices, Mushrooms and Sea Moss with Seasonal Vegetables


Plenty of vegetables for the table. Sauce was lovely and the vegetables plate could be pretty filling as well. The broccoli was lightly blanched and retained its crunchy-ness.


Noodles


Stewed Golden Taiwanese Noodles 金黄台湾面

closer view of the golden noodles

Noodles were well stewed and with an amiable texture. Not quite al-dente but just nice. Tasty on its own, or sprinkle some of those dry spice from the Housemade Chicken dish specialty dips.


Dessert


Orh Nee 芋泥


The set menu consists of dishes that the young and old could enjoy, and its dishes could also be paired up with a bottle of your favourite wine/sake. Corkage fee is $35 for BYO.


Thank you Kris for the invite, Goldleaf Restaurant and Karen for hosting the tasting. This menu is available for dine-in. So, make your reservations today as CNY is just round the corner.






Goldleaf Restaurant 金葉餐廳

Address: 83/85 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389200

Website: https://goldleaf.com.sg/

Contact: 6346 1088

Business Hours:

Daily: 12–10pm


Thursday, December 1, 2022

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

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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


Monday, November 7, 2022

[Tasting] Gochi-So Shokudo ごち惣食堂 @ Novena Square 2

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My first time trying Gochi-So Shokudo. They have 14 outlets islandwide hence, there is a high chance there is one near you!

Made a visit to the Novena Square 2 outlet at Level 3, thanks to an invitation from Jennifer Yeo Consultancy.


menu

let's discover the secret behind delicious pork~


scan to order


Let's try everything from the Truffle Fair menu! If you're a fan of deep fried, then the Truffle Cheese Mille Feuille would be right up your alley! Or, if you prefer grilled version, then go for the Truffle Chestnut Jowl Don.

Truffle Cheese Mille Feuille @$18.90++

Truffle Cheese Mille Feuille 


layers and texture

dip for a change-up


Truffle Chestnut Jowl Don @$12.90++


If you top-up $2, you'll get a choice of drink and a side. Wow, such value for money!

Iced Green Tea


Both pork were good as expected, but am more inclined towards the grilled version. We ordered a couple of other things to share and our table unanimously agreed that the Iberico Secreto Black Char Siew was our favourite! Succulent meat, well grilled, savoury sweet and so tender!

Iberico Secreto Black Char Siew (6 pieces) @$9.80++


Octopus Karaage @$7.80++


Crispy Pork @$5++


Oyster Katsu (3 pieces) @$7.80++


For all deep fried sides that we ordered, it was best to be eaten while still hot. Octopus karaage and the crispy pork were tender with adequately seasoned batter.

However, be careful with the piping hot oyster katsu!


interior


The prices remained reasonable for the quality of the food. Indeed value for money.

Thank you Jennifer for the invite and Gochi-So Shokudo for hosting the dinner. 


Outlet Information:
  1. Asia Square Tower 2 #02-10
  2. Bedok Mall #01-75
  3. Bukit Panjang Plaza #02-19
  4. Chinatown Point #02-41/42
  5. Hougang 1 #01-23
  6. Jewel Changi Airport  #B1-289
  7. Millenia Walk #02-16
  8. Northpoint (North Wing) #02-27
  9. One Raffles Place #B1-30
  10. Plaza Singapura #B2-50/51
  11. Novena Square 2 #03-72
  12. Tampines 1 #03-K2
  13. The Seletar Mall #01-34/36
  14. Westgate #01-02 


Gochi-So Shokudo ごち惣食堂

Websitehttps://www.facebook.com/gochiso.shokudo

Address: 10 Sinaran Dr, #03-72, Singapore 307506

Business Hours:

Sun-Thur: 11:30am–9:30pm

Fri-Sat:  11:30am–10pm


 
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