Saturday, January 5, 2013

Fukuichi Japanese Dining @ TripleOne Somerset (Part II)

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Second visit only, and for dinner this time round. Reservation is advisable if you're planning to dine there on a Friday evening.

It rained prior to our visit, and we had opted for alfresco seats. Fortunately, the rain stopped just in time.

otemoto (disposable chopsticks)
view from our table

For food, we left the choice in the safe hands of my friend, who has frequented this place more than us. Kani tofu, garlic fried rice, mekajiki sashimi, soft shell crab, cod fish saikyo, asari mentai (clams), white tuna roll and beef paper pot. Not forgetting, a jug of Kirin. How many of us? Just three. Hahaha!


kanpai~
pretty little things

It was pretty dark out there but I remembered that plate of swordfish sashimi (mekajiki) was rather tiny. The sashimi was juicy and likeable.

mekajiki sashimi

The white tuna roll was nicely presented on an elongated plate. For those who dislike too much sauce (mayo etc) on their rolls, then the version here at Fukuichi, would be suited for those palates. Nice way to load the carbs.

was that aburi white tuna, or was that unagi?
white tuna roll, topped with tobiko

The plate of asari mentai, probably had like six clams. So each of us had two. Eat for fun, kind of food. Not too salty.

in a clam-shell

The soft shell crab (containing many many small bite sized pieces), served in a small basket, was nicely fried and crunchy. Good to have it with beer!

a one-bite piece of soft shell crab

Then, we shared a small bowl of garlic fried rice. It's actually not too garlicky, and has a smokey charred taste to the rice.

garlic fried rice

Liked the cod fish. The seasoning here was very agreeable to us. Not too salty, just nice. The fish was fresh, firm and fatty. Yums.

cod fish

But the star of the evening, was the beef paper hot pot. Just the right kind of dish to have on a rainy evening. How comforting to have soup bubbling and warmly inviting? Ahhh.. the good life.

waiting for vege to soften
look at that marbling and tell me that ain't pretty

Am pretty amazed by that piece of paper. It never got burnt. We were talking the entire night, and left the pot for a long duration, and the vege was gently simmering away never bubbling over. However, the vege do need some assistance. Gently ensure that the vege goes into that little bit of soup so that it can soften properly.

ready to eat beef slice


The beef slices were not paper thin, nor was it too thick. Just right for a good mouth-feel. Soft but still have a bite kind of beef. Yummy yummy!

There was a promotion of 10% discount for most major credit cards, so do enquire prior to making payment.

Read about first visit here.

Monday, December 31, 2012

Pies & Coffee @ Rochester Mall

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Rochester Mall, that building beside Rochester Park, and somewhat close to Star Vista. I wonder if it was nearer if I had walked from Star Vista instead of the one big round via the main road. Hmm. Pretty near Starbucks Rochester Park.

shop front
Ordered one savoury and one sweet pie. Wagyu Beef Cheek 4 inch version (@$9.95+) and a slice of Macadamia Nut Cheese Pie (@$8.95+). Had latte for drinks.

buzz you when ready

Actually didn't really need the buzzer. The order was completed probably in five minutes time.

savoury & sweet

Wagyu beef cheek pie was served with a dollop of mash potato and a side serving of greens.

served with mash and greens
nice, tender, savoury meat

The wagyu beef cheek didn't dissappoint. It was quite yums. However, the mash potato would probably be better if it was smoother.

latte
The latte was smooth and not too acidic. Didn't have the need to put any sugar too. The cookies are free-flow, so can take as per needed.

macadamia cheese pie
cheesy bits

Lots of macadamia on the sweet pie, and the cheese taste was not too strong. But somehow, it just felt that something was missing. Hmm.

Overall, the pies and coffee cost about $30 for two pax.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

La Cantine by Bruno Menard @ Asia Square

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Located at Level 1 of Asia Square Tower 1. Some of us went on foot, so alighted at Raffles Place MRT and headed towards Lau Pa Sat's direction. Then, cross to the opposite side of SGX and then head straight to Asia Square.

First time trying a Michellin starred chef's restaurant, and coincidentally, our end-of-the-year dinner venue for our small cosy group of friends. Cheers to our friendship and thank you peeps for all the Friday night revelries~ =)

Since we made reservations, we were seated at the nice long table at the back of the room, suitable for ten pax.

menu, all stacked up
interior

Had wanted to try the burger, but there was no burger in the dinner menu. Oh well. Since there were eight of us, we practically ordered all the non-beefy mains plus a beef flank and a veal. Our service staff of the night also advised us to order starters as she said that the serving size of the mains tend to be smallish. Ordered a bottle of white wine as well.

still water

For starters, seemed like we're having pork terrine and escargots.

pork terrine, with lettuce and mustard
escargots
garlicky tender meat, with super crunchy crouton
terrine, with lettuce

But where was the bread? Terrine, should be eaten with bread, non? Alas, the complimentary bread basket only arrived some eight minutes later...

baguette
butter

Liked the bread. Kind of chewy but nice to satiate some of the hunger. Terrine on bread, with butter and some of the garlic sauce from the escargot equates to yums.

However, our wine still hasn't arrive. Could it be, because we didn't order French wine, hence the Australian ones, tend to be forgotten? Apparently, the lady who took our wine order did forget. So, the wine made it appearance somewhat later.

The mains arrived, and our long table was empty no more. Some mains had side dishes, so we had like 12-16 plates/dishes on our table. WoOOhooOO!

The long table of food

The mains:
lamb
cod fish
salmon

The cod fish itself tasted pretty light but the sauce was rather creamy. It has potato slices in the base as well. The fish roe gave those tiny burst of salty umami. This was one nicely cooked dish.

cod fish with ikura
salmon

The salmon tasted Asian, with its light soy base. The meat was very pink and soft in the middle, very tataki like. However, didn't care much for the shredded vege as it was kind of bitter!

More mains:

young yellow chicken
beef
pork belly
pan roasted bass


The beef and veal were chewy. Had a piece of flank that I gave up on chewing. Tough. Chicken was quite dry, so it needed a gulp of wine to wash it down (or lots of sauce if you're not drinking). Pork belly was tasty and tender but nothing outstanding.

The lamb, on the other hand, had looked pretty raw when sliced but tasted, very very nice. Fatty kind of nice. With a tiny hint of sweetness, and without much gameyness. Liked this best!

 The side dishes that accompanied the beef and the veal:

mashed potato
truffle fries
ravioli
not sure what vege this was, but it sure was bitter!

The tiny ravioli tasted quite nice, especially with the crisp top. Usually ravioli tasted all doughy but because the version here was small, cheesy and crispy.

After all the food, we didn't have any room for desserts. A pity.

The meal costs around $500 for the eight of us.

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Kenny Rogers Roasters @ Metro Kajang

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Grew up in an era where KFC was considered a special treat for occasions like birthdays. For mom's, she wanted to have Kenny Rogers. So off we went, to have chicken for dinner.

chicken for dinner

All of us had quarter chicken, and that comes with three side dishes and a muffin. Everyone except me opted out of muffins and had another side dish instead.

They don't have corn muffin here. Only vanilla, banana or chocolate. Hmmm, so vanilla muffin for me. Tasted quite nice, soft and mildly sweet.

vanilla muffin
quarter chicken with black pepper sauce, sides of mac & cheese, coleslaw and fruits

Dark meat is my favourite, but the restaurant need to be fair to other customers so had chicken breast instead. For breast meat, it was dry. So remember to ask for more sauce.

macaroni and cheese
coleslaw
fruits
white meat

The mac & cheese here was not as nice as the ones in Singapore. Too little cheese and it was a tad too cold. The coleslaw was nice though. Fresh and tangy. Fruits looked healthy, so had that to balance things out.

The restaurant gave us a jelly dessert because we have a birthday girl with us.

birthday jelly, with a scoop of ice cream and lots of whipped cream

And if one is using AMEX to pay, then there is another free dessert for spending above RM50, plus one free quarter chicken meal for every three ordered (just one per table).

chocolate cake
not quite oozing out, but it's there nevertheless

The cake was sinfully sweet but enjoyable. Total bill came up to RM80+ after the discount and it fed a family of five.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Melaka: Calanthe Art Cafe @ Jalan Hang Kasturi (Jonker Street)

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Stopped by this cafe for a breather after getting lost for about fifteen minutes or so. Hahaa, my sense of direction is as atrocious as ever.

The cafe has a relaxed vibe to it. You can curl up with a book, and enjoy a cool coffee from any of the 13 states in Malaysia.

alfresco seats, outer side of the cafe
inner courtyard

Ordered a Sarawak Blenz, and a Nyonya laksa for lunch.

Sarawak Blenz

coffee jelly

The Sarawak Blenz was nice to drink, although I should really be having something to quench that thirst! Coffee jelly was a subtle complement to the drink. Something to chew on, while waiting for the drink to melt a little. Coffee was not too strong, and whipped cream gave it a smooth feel. Not too sweet and that's a major plus point.

My food was missing due to some miscommunication and when it came, the beehoon had already soaked up the sauce.

nice presentation
Nyonya Laksa with beehoon
dried sambal chilies


The laksa was fragrant, and quite 'lemak'. Ingredients were pretty simple. Deep fried beancurd skins, taupok, tiny fishballs, some shredded cucumber and egg strips. Big bowl and took quite an effort to finish!

Personally, I felt that the star of the dish, was the accompanying dried sambal chilies. Crispy, very yummy, and not too spicy.


This meal costs about RM16, and the service staff was friendly and courteous.



 
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