Nara Japanese Restaurant 奈良 @ Goldhill Shopping Centre

Dropped by this place for lunch on one of those weekdays. Heard about their lunch sets and price ranges from $16+ to $20+. There are two menu which lists their set lunches. One is a regular while the other was more of a special menu for lunch.

in the restaurant

regular set lunch

Decided to go for the Nara Set Lunch (regular menu) of Tori Teriyaki Set. Colleagues decided to try their tempura set and the value-for-money set from the special menu. Green tea was complimentary. Had mine cold.

complimentary cold green tea

cute

The salad from the set was served first. Refreshing and necessary dose of greens. Upon finishing the salad, then only the mains arrived.

small salad (part of the teriyaki chicken set lunch)

Tori Teriyaki Set Lunch @$18++

The set include steamed egg custard (chawan mushi), grilled chicken cutlet with teriyaki sauce, steamed rice, miso soup and pickles. The chawan mushi was very healthy tasting with smooth steamd egg. Loved the pickles to bits. Steamed rice goes so well with pickles...

The tori teriyaki itself was a tad burnt and slightly dry but still flavourful.

The bento of others seemed to fare better. 

(from special/monthly menu) the pork set @$18++

soba set

And watermelon for desserts. Sweet.

fruits

Simple and fuss free lunch.

Nara Japanese Restaurant 奈良 @ Goldhill Shopping Centre

Location: 167 Thompson Road Goldhill Centre
Contact: 65 62566568
Reservation: http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/nara_japanese_restaurant_goldhill_centre/
Opening Hours:
Daily:
Lunch - 11:30 am - 2:30 pm (last order; 2.15 pm)
Dinner - 5:30 pm - 10:30 pm (last order; 10 pm )

Benjamin Browns @ Forum The Shopping Mall

This is one of those places where you will be able to find the over the top milkshakes. Wait. Is this still trending? Visited at about five in the evening on a weekend and there was a queue formed. Looks like it is still popular.

here for this

Likewise, we too would want to check out what the fuss was about. Ordered the Old School and the recommended Banana Nutella. Both cost $16++. Steep pricing for a milkshake, I feel.

Old School Over The Top Shakes

After seeing this, realization came that the stuffs that were piled onto this shake were those things from childhood era. That chocolate wafer, sugar gems, candy floss and that round wafer.. all nostalgic. Felt slightly strange to be scraping those chocolate fudge off the outerside of the jar. The heavy top tumbled off after a few minutes. Perhaps we had moved it around a tad too much?

Banana Nutella

The Banana Nutella had salty mini pretzels that contrasted with the sweet stuffs. Loaded with cream as well. Best part was the nuttella. In terms of the shake, liked the vanilla flavoured ones in Old School better than the banana flavoured ones in the latter.

Benjamin Browns @ Forum The Shopping Mall

Location: 583 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238884
Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 10am-9pm
Fri: 10am-10pm
Sat: 9am-10pm
Sun: 9am-9pm

Kok Sen Restaurant 國成球記餐室 @ Keong Saik Road

An old school eatery located at 30 Keong Saik Road. Nearby, is Potato Head Folk. Was there for dinner after visiting 4 cafes. What a feat! Was informed that Kok Sen only accept reservations for a party of 8 or more. Thus, we arrived early before 6pm on a Saturday, for a table. By then, it was already about 80% occupied.

like many before us, we were here

menu

Ordered their famous dishes and also the weekend special; The Golden Dragon Chicken. Service was brisk and chop-chop.

lime juice (with sour plum)

Food was served fairly quickly and almost all at once. Ordered all small portions for the dishes to be shared amongst five people. Actually, the small portions could have fed two pax comfortably as well.

Bittergourd Braised Pork Ribs with Black Bean sauce (苦瓜豉汁焖排骨) @$13

This dish may be comfort food for the older generations but it was our group's least favourite. The thick chunks of bittergourd were braised well and somewhat juicy but the pork ribs did not stand out. It certainly has that retro taste (古早味) to it.

Golden Dragon Chicken (脆皮金龙鸡) @$32

One of us called this dish, "Flat Chicken" which was quite true but the official name seemed more 'elegant'. Quite the misnomer as there wasn't any chicken meat in it saved for the head and wings. Underneath the thin chicken skin, was a layer of seafood paste. Deep fried to an appealing golden brown colour. Perhaps a squeeze of lemon would add some zing to this dish.

Had this back in Malaysia when I was a kid. Nowadays, not many restaurants are making this dish, yes?

sauces for the chicken

One of the star dishes for the night, was the humble yong tau foo. It was simple and delicious. Just the way all yong tau foos supposed to taste like. But the Chinese menu for this yong tau foo was named like a tongue-twister. Haha! Reasons why this dish was good. Firstly, it has the right-sized cut of the vegetables (read - good sized and not shrivelled). Most importantly, the seafood paste was bouncy and tasted like the real McCoy instead of those run-of-the-mill factory manufactured full-of-flour type.

Claypot Yong Tau Foo (巧手三宝煲) @$14

It just gets better. The big prawns hor fun did not dissappoint. Smooth velvety thick flat noodles with  the desired taste of wok-hei and wrapped in flavourful prawn stock. Yums! There were about maybe 6 halves of the big prawns in there. Liked the vegetables.

Big Prawns Hor Fun (大虾滑蛋河粉) @$16

Also tried the bee hoon soup. Was surprised by the spiciness of it! If not careful, one might get '呛到' (choked) by the sudden spice attack. The soup has depth, flavourful and tasted good. Slurp worthy.

Big Prawns Bee Hoon Soup (大虾粗米粉汤) @$16

Kok Sen's menu has 98 items on it, so plenty of dishes to choose from in accordance to your liking. One could eat up a feast here!

all together now - let's eat! 大家吃~

The place got really busy after 6:30pm with steady streams of diners coming in. Both shop lots were packed, including alfresco seats and those tables near the kitchen, were all occupied. Popular place for dinner.

The meal costs about $22 per pax. Must orders from the above selection include the Claypot Yong Tau Foo and the Big Prawn Hor Fun.  Enjoy!

Kok Sen Restaurant 

Location: 30 Keong Saik Road
Opening Hours: Daily 11:30am to 11:30pm
Contact: +65 62232005

The Waterfall Ristorante Italiano @ Shangri-La Hotel

Tucked somewhere amidst the Garden Wing of Shangri-La Hotel, you may just find yourself in a cosy Southern Italian trattoria serving the freshest ingredients and exquisite selection of wines. The place is  known as The Waterfall, and the man responsible for this transformation, is its Executive Chef Marco de Vincentis, a native of Naples. Naples is also considered as the birthplace of pizza.

Was invited to taste Chef Marco's Heirloom Signatures at The Waterfall with the good folks of HGW.

menu

cosy dining

The vibe was of ease and relaxation. Diners could choose to have their meal indoors or alfresco by the pool. Of course, smoking is not permitted in The Waterfall.

pool side dining

Walking into the restaurant, felt akin to walking into someone's kitchen. Guests would be greeted by the sight of the handmade pasta, and all the typical kitchen gadgets. Perhaps, our dinner components were prepared right here at these countertops?

pasta heaven

For wine lovers, The Waterfall has an extensive selection of wines and they might just have your favourite bottle. We know, because we found ours.

a Tuscany red

these glasses are made for drinking

Did you notice those barrels as you strolled into the restaurant? They are not just decorative, though it adds to the charm. In fact, those oak barrels contained Nero d'Avola, their house red. The black of Avola, is said to be the most important red wine grape in Sicily. [wiki]

Interestingly, the house red is served in the traditional ceramic Boccalino mugs, instead of the usual wine glass.

Sicilian Nero d'Avola from the oak barrel

Think I asked too many questions till the friendly (and probably amused) service staff, whom was pulling the wine for other guests, offered a small mug for a quick taste. Accepted with much thanks! Keke. The wine tasted mildly fruity and clean, and of warm berries. Nice as a starter.

Nero d'Avola served in cute Boccalini ceramic mug

Chef Marco took pride in explaining the items in our menu for today and we looked forward to his creations. Meanwhile, we started nibbling on the complimentary breads. Loved the balsamic and olive oil.

bread basket

For antipasto, we had the Insalata di Granchio Aranche e Finocchi (Crab Salad with Oranges and Fennel). It felt like a colourful summer dish that was refreshing to the taste buds. Very lightly dressed, tasted of tangy citrus, sweetness from the cherry tomatoes and cold crab, and that slight bitterness from the leaves.

Insalata di Granchio Aranche e Finocchi @$23++

Next, was the Primo (first) course of Spaghetti alla chitarra con Ragu' di Crostacei, served in a pan. The serving size was good for 2 pax.

Spaghetti alla chitarra con Ragu' di Crostacei @$29++

The handmade egg pasta was served with plenty of sauce, cherry tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, shrimps, prawns and lemon. Subtle taste that was more of tomato sweetness and with just a hint of seafood goodness.

Next, the main course was the Spigola all'acqua pazza. A Neopolitan-style seabass with cherry tomato, olive, capers, wine and parsley. The flavours of this dish was good, somewhat similar to asian-styled steamed fish until that bite of olive came through. The fish was done perfectly, retained its moist texture with some lovely fish oil to taste. I think the carrots were lovely too.

Spigola all'acqua pazza @$36++

lovely seabass

The final main course was a dish that we waited quite a fair bit for. Somethings are worth waiting for, and this may be one of those things. Roasted lamb rack, served with potatoes, thyme and sautéed vegetables.

Agnello Arrosto con Timo e Patate @$36++

The meat was easy to slice through, with an attractive pink center. It was a joy to bite into these morsels as the smokey flavour of the grill swept through the palate. The texture was gentle. Mellow wine and good meat, that would be a good way to enjoy a pre-holiday evening.

hard to resist

Indeed, Chef Marco had expertly transformed the fresh produce and allowing them to shine into beautiful flavours.

Alas, all good things will come to an end. Thus, we bade our farewells but not before we had the sharing platter for desserts that was beautifully plated.

The pannacotta looking item was the Biancomangiare or almond pudding. Chef Marco added a hint of orange blossom water to this nicely wobbly dessert.

Desserts - Sharing Platter - Biancomangiare N @$12++

Desserts - Sharing Platter - Tiramisu A @$15++

Desserts Sharing Platter - Ricotta @$15++

Profiteroles N @$15++

My personal favourite would be the simple Ricotta. Cheese cake made from Puglia region's fresh ricotta cheese. Paired with a cup of bitter coffee. Hmmm.

coffee to end the night

Thank you to Wen Xian and Shangri-La for hosting the dinner, and the HGW team for the invite. Once again, thank you to Chef Marco and to the friendly service crew at The Waterfall.

The Waterfall Ristorante Italiano Shangri-La Hotel

Location: Level 1, Garden Wing, 22 Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350
Website:  http://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/waterfall/
Contact: (65) 6213 4138/ 4398

Reservation: https://www.shangri-la.com/singapore/shangrila/dining/restaurants/waterfall/book-a-table/

Operating Hours:
Breakfast
6.30am - 11am

Light Snacks
11am - 12noon
3pm - 6pm

Lunch
12noon - 3pm

Dinner
6pm - 10.30pm

The Bao Makers Cafe and Bakery @ 78 Horne Road

A cafe serving contemporary Asian influenced bao (包) or buns. The bun variant is of the kong bak bao (扣肉包) type. Besides the bao, there are other foods available. One could get salad, soups, small hot snacks like chicken wings, fries or fish sticks. Or, for mains if you are not into the buns, there are plates like fish and chips and pasta to choose from. Otherwise, there are brunch items such as eggs benedict or breakfast set. Or, just get any of the cakes baked in-house with their coffee.

signage

cakes

We were there to try its bao, and as it was part of our cafe hop, decided just to try two flavours of its buns. The bao platter offers 4 flavours (Classic, Bulgogi, Chili Crab and Teriyaki Chicken) at $28 but we wanted to try salted egg bao which was not part of the 4 included flavours. Can't do replacement with top-up too. So went non-platter instead.

self-serve iced water and wait for the order to arrive

The Salted Egg Shrimp made its entrance known by its fragrance. The salted egg sauce smelled really nice and strong. The shrimps were of a good size and there are three of those inside each bun.

Salted Egg Shrimp @$15

Very likely because we had taken some minutes to photograph these instead of biting into those soft buns filled with warm savoury salted egg sauce when it was just served, the oomph factor was lost. Tasted like any good zichar salted egg. These buns certainly won't fill up the stomach (unless you are on a diet). It needed at least a cup of coffee and perhaps that slice of cake.

Chili Crab @$16

Think the Chili Crab buns were fried but was impressed that it was not oily. In fact, it seemed a tad like a baked bun instead. The Chili Crab sauce here has some spicy kick that would be counted as a notch above the usual cafe spice level. Well suited for the local taste, I'd say. Also liked the fact that the crab meat chunks are very visible to the eye. Good.


Expect to spend about $20 - $24 per pax for a meal here.

The Bao Makers Cafe and Bakery

Website: https://www.baomakers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baomakers/
Phone: +65 6291 2330
 
Business Hours:

Monday to Friday            11am to 9pm
Saturday/Public Holidays  10am to 10pm
Sunday                         10am to 6pm

Non Entrée Desserts Cafe @ Rangoon Road

Located at 204 Rangoon Road, and the place is just beside one of the popular bak kut teh eatery there. If you are looking for main course, there is none here. Unless you count those sugary treats as one. Described as a place that take on classic European desserts, pastries and artisanal gelato.

Was there as an interlude between our cafe hops and it was pit stop #4. Gosh, we were having so many sweet stuff that day.

shop sign

door front

Its door front is painted bright yellow. Can't miss it. Quite heartening to see rattan furniture being adopted at this place. Retro cool.

alfresco

The place was rather packed on a Saturday. Once you step in, you will notice the gelato and then the cakes and subsequently, the chandelier.

chalkboard menu

chandelier and chefs at work

seat and nice tiles

Here is a collage of the ready-to-eat cakes on display that day. They have white florest, gold bar, chocolate charlotte, montblanc and strawberry shortcake.

(top clockwise) White Forest, Gold Bar, Mont Blanc and Chocolate Charlotte

pretty in red

Since we had overdosed on our sugar quota for the day, the three of us decided to just share one plated desserts from the seven available choices. Finally decided on Rubbery Ducky, only to be informed that it was not available. Then, wanted to try Tiramisu but without the alcohol but that was not possible since some of the ingredients were already infused with liqueur. But went ahead and ordered Tiramisu anyway since it was the next available desserts that we perceived as of the 'lighter' variant.

When the desserts was served up, we were surprised to see a Rubber Ducky. Checked the receipt and lo and behold, we did order a Rubber Ducky. Glad they were able to make one for us because it was just too cute!

Rubber Ducky @$12.90+

Essentially, Rubbery Ducky is made from 'exotic' gelato, mango puree, lemongrass foam and underneath it was creme fraiche pudding and sago. This was their take on mango pomelo sago (楊枝甘露).

creme fraiche pudding, sago, mango puree and lemongrass cloud

Rubber Ducky was pretty refreshing, sweet and very Asian.