Kyotofushimishinseishuzo Torisei Honten 鳥せい本店 @ Kyoto Fushimi

Yuka and myself weren't feeling that hungry so we decided to eat nearby Fushimi. She brought us to a yakitori place that's operated by a sake brewery. It has its own carpark, so we didn't have to hunt for a parking lot.

Quite a cool shop. Lots of wooden beams, shelves and shelves of sake bottles and sturdy tables.

similar to housewine so this is their 'house' sake

Had my first taste of matcha sake and it was delicious! It is pretty sweet so, guys might not like it. Similar to dessert wine but not as sweet. Very nice and kind of regretted not getting a bottle home! But the otoshi (お通し) was quite horrible. It was just grated radish with soy sauce?! Ugh.

matcha sake ¥440

Didn't order alot and they ran out of chicken hearts. See, this is one of the favourites. The yakitori prices were reasonable and between ¥140 to ¥210 each stick.

tebasaki and pork belly - salted

chicken liver and momo - sauce

For carbs, we had the autumn seasonal kamameshi. It came with pickles and tofu. The flavours are mild and the hot rice was comforting as it had started to drizzle a bit and night time was pretty cold in autumn.

chicken and mushroom kamameshi - autumn limited edition @ ¥950

Interesting place and too bad Yuka can't drink as she's driving. A nice place to enjoy yakitori and sake.

Torisei Honten 鳥せい本店

Location: 186 Kamiaburakakecho, Fushimiku, Kyoto 612-8047
Contact: +81 75-622-5533
Website: http://www.torisei.com/shop/fushimi/

Tatsumiya 辰巳屋 @ Uji Kyoto

As I was nursing a fractured wrist due to an accident while I was in Kyoto, my landlady Yuka took pity on me and offered to bring me around Kyoto via her car for a day. A chance to explore Kyoto with a local? Yes, please!

Uji is located at the outskirts, so the scenary changes from buildings to farmlands and river.

view from Yuka's car

look, Uji river~

We parked the car and strolled down to the restaurant. Tatsumiya is about 12 minutes walk from Keihan Uji Station or about 15 minutes walk from Uji JR Station. Nearby, is Byodoin, a World Heritage site.

Tatsumiya

The restaurant has wooden sliding doors and one sits on tatami flooring. Yes, one needs to take off shoes before being seated.

counter seats and this is the door where the hostess will enter

Tatsumiya serves traditional Kyoto cuisine and one could opt for Kaiseki as well. We took the lunch bento. I had mine with sashimi while Yuka opted for one with chawanmushi.

The bento was served with a brown leaf folded to cover the small dishes. Was pleasantly surprised by the colourful and pretty looking items. The bento was served with seven rolls of Akita rice that has Uji tea leaves on it. I understand that the small dishes in the bento changes in accordance to season.

宇治丸弁当 ¥3800

many many small items in here

There's mushrooms, chestnut, konyaku, fish paste, a slice of duck, juicy brinjal, quail's egg, gingko nut, shishito, snail etc. Interesting eats and one would get quite full at the end of the meal. Allocate at least an hour to an hour and a half to eat all of this.

The sashimi was slow to arrive but it was super fresh. The fish was fatty and firm.

sashimi of squid and hamachi

Very interestingly, there's a mochi wrapped in green leaf in there. This was one of the best mochi that I've eaten!

mochi

By then, I was seriously full. But, there's desserts! There was a grape, pear and matcha chocolate.

desserts

Had an enjoyable lunch and appreciate the company. Special thanks to Shinichi (for treating us lunch though he's not present to join us) and Yuka for introducing a slice of Kyoto.

Tatsumiya 辰巳屋

Location: Togawa-3-7 Uji, Kyoto Prefecture 611-0021, Japan
Website: http://www.uji-tatsumiya.co.jp/
Other websites:  
https://gurunavi.com/en/k010600/rst/
https://tabelog.com/en/kyoto/A2607/A260701/26000038/
Contact: +81-50-5890-8703
Business Hours:
Lunch: 11:00 - 14:30 , Dinner: 16:30 - 20:00 

Kendonya 手打うどん けんどん屋 @ Fushimi Inari Station Kyoto

Again, our instinct of trying out the foodshops near our Inari House paid off well. This time round, we wandered into Kendonya, an udon noodle house. This shop was more spacious as compared to Ramen Hiwamatanoburo which is just a few doors away.

shopfront

counter seats and Chef

Most of the sets came with carb-on-carb, meaning you'll get a bowl of udon and a bowl of rice. Tourist friendly and English menu is available. The shop's bestseller seemed to be their pork cutlet sets. Bucking the norm, we decided to choose something else.

I went with my karaage set (minus the rice) and my friend opted for the udon and oyakodon set. Both are priced below ¥1000.

draft beer

It was rather late at night, close to 830pm when we dined there plus it was drizzling, so there were only one or two tables occupied.

favourite condiments in Kyoto

Mini chicken and egg rice bowl with hot udon @¥860+

Hot udon with karaage set @¥980+

The mini oyakodon here looked good, especially when eaten while it was still hot!

mini 親子丼

The owner had been making udon since his 20's and he ventured out and became his own boss in his thirties. Handmade udon, we loved! The udon served at Kendonya is of the plump and chewy variant. Slurpiliciously good! Because it was a cold day, we chose the hot broth version. Otherwise, one could also have it as chilled udon.

温麦

While the star is the udon, must mention that the karaage was very good too! The menu mentioned that this is different from American-styled fried chicken which made me thought of how to describe the taste of Japanese fried chicken to our foreign friends?

 から揚げ

The karaage was well-fried to a crisp skin and still moist and juicy on its insides. The meat was marinated adequately and each bite was thoroughly enjoyed. Though its size is not comparable to the one from its neighbour, I didn't regret ordering this. Plus, fried chicken and ice cold draft beer...need I say more?

Kendonya 手打うどん けんどん屋

Location: Japan, 〒612-0012 Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Fushimi Ward, Fukakusa Ichinotsubocho, 41, パールハイツイナリ1F
Website: https://tabelog.com/en/kyoto/A2601/A260601/26003538/
Contact: +81 75-641-1330
Business Hours:
11:00～15:00 (lunch)
17:00～20:30 (dinner)
Close on Wednesdays and one extra day off a month.

[Media Invite] The Peranakan @ Claymore Connect

Have you tried The Peranakan Yee Sang Istimewa? Istimewa means special, so we asked Chef Raymond on how is the Yee Sang Istimewa differs from the usual. Found out that the secret is in the herbs.

Yee Sang Istimewa 娘惹捞起鱼生 @68 （for 8 pax)

Salmon toppings start from $38 while abalone starts from $88 onwards. Combo toppings are priced at $118 for medium plate.

closer view of the herbs

let the wealth starts pouring in~

huat ah!

As Chef Raymond explains it, the yee shang is still of a much familiar taste of sweet, tangy and appetising with a healthy dose of peranakan herbs. Likeable flavours! The large portion was good enough for 10 pax even!

yee sang istimewa

How about ushering the Year of the Rooster with a bottle of Aves Del Sur Reserva Merlot?

Aves del Sur Reserva Merlot Chile

There are many high tea options available in Singapore, but have you ever experienced a Peranakan High Tea? Best to allocate about 2 hours of leisurely chit-chat and makaning for this! About 12 dishes in total per pax that include both sweet and savoury items.

The Peranakan High Tea @$24/28 (weekday/weekend) per pax (min. 2 pax)

Loved the presentation. From the lace found on the serving tray to the tiffin carrier that housed our delicious mee siam, to the small containers with nanyang-styled motifs.

mee siam and red wine

The mee siam here has strong flavours that we loved. From the sambal that's so shioks, to the super tangy yet sweet sauce. Very appetising and yummy with the merlot.

satay babi pongteh bun

The other savouries that I liked was the satay babi pongteh bun ala kong bak bao. Fatty pork braised in sauce. Just that the bun had slightly hardened by the time we got to this dish.

ngoh hiong and hae bee hiam toast

"So much food!" That was the common exclamation that night.

pineapple tart sampling

loveletters, toast with durian puree

The high tea set comes with a pot of Malaccan coffee/tea. I'd recommend the tea to go along with the sweets like pulut inti kelapa/durian and the pandan chiffon cake.

The Peranakan also offers Lunar New Year cookies for sale (while stocks lasts!). My favourite was the kueh bangkit! CNY Cookies are priced from $18 to $28 per tin.

jemput makan

Many thanks to Chef Raymond Khoo and crew of The Peranakan for your hospitality and warm welcome. Thank you Hence for the invite and fellow foodies for the enjoyable company!

The Peranakan remains open throughout the Lunar New Year. Gong Xi Fa Cai!

The Peranakan

Address: 442 Orchard Road, Level 2 Claymore Connect, 238879
Website: http://www.theperanakan.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePeranakanSG/
Contact: 6262 4428

 

[Media Invite] New Menu @ Bōruto - A Modern Izakaya at 80 South Bridge Road

The atmosphere was boisterous and the place seemed to be popular with young adults. Perhaps, this has something to do with the Boruto's Head Chef Angus youthfulness? Walk-in and you'll be greeted by the open-kitchen. Upstairs, marvel at the vault where it keeps rows after rows of sake safe, till the next consumption.

Kani Croquttes @$12.80

The Kani Croquettes has blue swimmer crab meat in-and-out and interestingly, its inside has sauce that's akin to a bisque. A strong savoury flavour that pairs well with alcohol. Lovely start.

delightful morsel

Next up, another seafood dish and this time, we had seabream. Grilled seabream with red miso broth, shitake and minced pork. Was expecting a strong flavours in this dish since miso is used but it turned out rather mild. Subtle flavours and to be eaten with a small wooden spoon.

Madai a la Plancha @$15.80

We heard a commotion, and turned to have a look. A table was having Sake Chicken and it was certainly a look to behold. Instead of beer-can chicken, one gets sake-chicken at Boruto. This being a Japanese izakaya after all! Alas, the chicken had flew the coop as it wasn't part of our dinner.

Roasted Sake Chicken @$48.80

Beer at this place, was served in a steel mug. How cold, I mean cool. Hahaa! Think I'll try their sake the next time I'm there.

Asahi Super Dry and Asahi Black

The dishes here are interesting and somewhat unique. The flavours, some are quite daring and bold. How do you interpret that? It was either you like it or you don't. At least, that was the situation for me. Taste is subjective, after all.

Black Barley + Uni @$35.80

The Black Barley + Uni dish, looked promising. Beautifully presented, lots of aka uni and interesting black barley risotto with chopped squid and saffron and snowed with grated parmesan. The chopped squid gave it a very interesting texture alongside with the barley. However, I can only say am not a fan of this dish. Let me know your thoughts on this dish, if you've had it.

The next dish, was something that everyone in the group could agree on. The 1.6kg Zaragova Roasted Pork Shoulder. Best!

Roasted Pork Shoulder @$88.80

chopped and ready to be devoured

The skin was thin and crackling, the meat moist and tender yet not too heavy with fats, mildly seasoned so that it can be enjoyed with the super tasty truffle green tomatoes chutney. Now, where can I dabao that sauce...

The pork shoulder can be shared by 2-3 pax as a main. Recommend to have it with at least 5 friends so that you can try the other stuff here. Plus sake.

oh, we've eaten this much?

so good that only bones, remained

Do pre-order a day earlier for the pork shoulder to avoid disappointment!

Next up, we had a carb dish. One of Boruto's signatures; Truffle Hiyashi Somen, served cold.

ready....

it's raining truffle flakes!

Thank you Chef Angus for the indugence. This man sure know how to please his diners.

Truffle Hiyashi Somen @$15.80

Mix the somen up good so that it catches all the goodness of the confit egg yolk, truffle and shio konbu. The other star of this dish, is the sakura ebi. Lovely crunchy bits and seafood umami'ness.

The Vault

Lastly, we sampled two desserts and by then, we were pretty stuffed. It's not often that I see warabi mochi on the menu but they have it here at Boruto. Made of bracken starch, and coated with kinako powder. It has a wobbly soft-jelly like texture and sweetness from the sauce. Almost like eating water.

Warabi Mochi @$6.80 Not

so soft

The other dessert was the truffle creme brulee. Truffle, what? Yes, but the flavour was actually like-able!

Truffle Creme Brulee @$8.80

can be less sweet but this was good

For appetiser, get the Kani Croquette. Highly recommends the Zaragova Pork Shoulder. For carbs, the Truffle Hiyashi Somen and lastly, the Truffle Creme Brulee. And sake, yes?

Thank you Chef Angus for your hospitality, and the staff of Boruto for your friendly service. Special thanks to Kris for the invitation.

The above are new dishes (except for the somen, desserts and sake chicken which are available now), shall be available from 23 Jan 2017 onwards.

For the coming festivity, YuSheng can be pre-ordered for 27 Jan 2017, and collection will be between 11am to 1pm at their sister outlet, Tamashii Robataya.

Please note that Boruto is taking a break from 27th Jan to 2ed Feb 2017.

Bōruto

Location: 80 South Bridge Road, #01-01, Singapore (058710)
Website: http://boruto.com.sg/
Contact: 6532 0418
Operating Hours:
Level 1: 6:00pm - 11:00pm (last order 1030pm)
Level 2: 4:30pm - 12:00mn(last order 1130pm)
Happy Hour: 430pm to 730pm
Closed on Sundays.