THE MAST' of Mozzarella & Co @ 182 Cecil Street

Was looking for a brunch place when Hence suggested to try this place. Italian food for brunch? Well, why not? The Mast' hails from Rome, Italy and specializes in freshly made mozzarella.

The Mast' is located near Amoy Street Food Centre and the taxi couldn't find the exact drop-off point so, it was a curbside alight that's right in front of the entrance to the restaurant. Sweet.

inside the restaurant

counter view

The interior is spacious with comfortable vibe. For our group of 5, we shared two starters, three mains and two dessert over a bottle of wine. We ate, conversed over food and drinks for almost 3 hours. Happiness.

what would be our aperitif of choice?

Ivan picked the wine, and food orders were mainly left to Tracy and Hence. Everything was on-point.

Caparzo Toscana Sangiovese 2018 @$65++

The dark berried red wine was very drinkable, sweet and with a spiced finish. It was one juicy drink that's low in tannin. Yums!

lovely red

Let's not drink on an empty stomach, shall we? On to the appetisers! First up, the mushroom crostini. It has sauteed mushrooms, stracciatella and truffle. Was curious so, did a look up on a the definition of stracciatella. It is from mozarella strings, mixed with cream for a soft creamy texture. Imagine crispy toast, laid with abundance of this creamy white cheese and topped with sauteed earthy flavourful shrooms and drizzled with some truffle oil. A good starter that excites!

Crostini E Funghi (vegetarian) @$20++

Ready for more, so let's move on to their signature burrata. Small fist sized burrata, drizzled with olive oil, and served with rocket leaves, tomato slices and parma ham. Am no expert of cheese, and burrata doesn't really have any flavour to it, in my honest opinion. The texture was soft and creamy as befitting of fresh cheeses. Tracy said that the burrata seemed smaller than the other time when they tried it.

Burrata pomodoro e proscuitto crudo @$30++

And, we need to have our quotient of meat and on the menu, there's one item each for beef, chicken and fish (excluding the burger option). So we got ourselves a 300gm grain fed ribeye done medium rare. Everyone loved the veal jus, and the accompanying cherry tomatoes, baby potatoes and asparagus. The beef was a good chew and paired well with the Sangiovese.

300g Grain-Fed Ribeye @$42++

Now, having had our fill of meat, let's try on some carbs. What's Italian dining, if we didn't get ourselves a plate of pasta?

Rigatoni Carbonara @$25++

the secret is in the bacon

It is rare to see rigatoni for carbonara. Al-dente as expected and not very saucy. Someone asked in IG, like how is this a carbonara? Well, if the Chef wants to call it a carbonara, whom am I to disagree? I enjoyed this version of the pasta as it has a stronger flavour due to the chopped bacon that's the main contributor to the flavour game here. Most importantly, is to eat it while it is hot.

And, we thought we did well to end it there. But nooOOoo... we have not tried the pizza! So, ended up with a large Funghi pizza. Didn't expect to see bacon slices on the shrooms pizza as topping, but there it was and no complaints though! The pizza was pleasant and a good filler if you needed more carbs. Non-greasy and with a good cheese pull.

Funghi Pizza @$27++

look at the pull!

Now, we are full and about to have our last sip of the wine. But, could we really leave without trying any of their dessert? Take a guess.

Zuccuto Amarena @$12++

Tiramisu @$12++

Yeah, we ended up with two dessert to end the meal. Hmm, the Zuccuto Amarena is for cherry lovers. I didn't like it because it tasted like cough syrup (all artificial cherry will taste like cough syrup to me). I reckoned it tasted like a cherry flavoured ice-cream cake.

The tiramisu had the classic flavour, with not too strong of the coffee taste. The sweetness was rather pronounced.

All in all, it was a good meal to share with friends. Service was friendly and non-intrusive. One thing to note is that they don't serve complimentary water here, so guests will have to opt for sparkling or still if they want to. We had a large sparkling for $7++.

Expect to spend about $40 to $60 per pax.

THE MAST' of Mozzarella & Co

Address: 182 Cecil St, #01-05/08 Frasers Tower, Singapore 069547
Website: https://themast.com.sg/
Contact: 6513 8010
Business Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm to 9pm
Closed on Sundays

Kiyoshi Restaurant @ 75 Amoy Street (Dine-In/Takeway/Delivery)

Kiyoshi Japanese Restaurant is a family-styled restaurant specializing in Inaniwa udon, yakitori, sushi and affordable bento sets. Have tried one of their affordable bento set and some yakitori, so I was excited to be able to try their signature noodles. If you like the chewiness of Japanese udon and prefers thinner strands of noodles, Inaniwa udon (稲庭うどん) would be the perfect choice. 

The signage was easily spotted and all guests are required to have their temperature taken and the usual Safe-Entry checked-in.

entrance

interior

The place was well-lit and spacious. Counter seats, booth seats and normal table seats are available.

menu cover

menu

Let's start with some hot green tea. It was fun to get different designs of the tea cups. I got the fish cup, there's one with sushi and another of daruma.

saw this design in Japan before!

can you see daruma design at the back?

Ok, can't blame me for being slightly excited after staying at home for a long long while. 

Started the meal with Beef Kinoko Salada with Carpaccio Dressing. Oooh, it was like the gyudon beef but on a bed of greens instead of rice! Loved the beef.

Beef Kinoko Salada with Carpaccio Dressing @$12.80

Next up, Tekka Tataki. The sauce for this was slightly more prominent (probably due to the direct contact with the tuna). Enjoyable and light tasting.

Tekka Tataki @$14.80

If you're having sake or beer, let's order a some deep fried salmon skin and a platter of yakitori to go along with the drinks! Plus, don't forget to order the tamago yaki!

The salmon skin was definitely crunchy! The next table probably can hear it from over there. Ok, maybe not. I wouldn't mind a bit more salt to the salmon skin. Otherwise, a dipping sauce with mayo is also provided.

Deep fried Salmon Skin @$6.80

My favourite item from the yakitori platter would be the tsukune. Large in size and also in taste. Lovely soft texture as well.

Tsukune @$3, Chicken Yakitori @$2, Ebi Mentaiyaki @$4 and Shishamo @$1.80

For fans of maki, I'd totally recommend the Special Salmon Mentai Roll. Generous amount of mentaiko cream which I can't get enough of! Not too salty and very tasty. Love that the deep fried shrimp batter remained crunchy, and that was a blast of contrast in texture!

Special Maki - Salmon Mentai Roll @$12.80

I know I'd want this till the last bite. No paiseh piece here!

good till the last bite

Now, are you ready for the noodles? Let's start with the classic Tempura Zaru Udon, which is basically chilled udon served with dipping sauce and tempura. The tempura selection included prawns, mushroom, sweet potato , pumpkin and enoki mushrooms. The sweet potato was indeed sweet!

Pro-tip: Don't leave the udon out for too long! Best consumed as soon as it was served.

Tempura Zaru Udon @$18.80

Next was the Aburi Salmon Salad Udon. The sauce was already at the bottom of the bowl, so just mix well before digging in! The noodles has a lovely chewy texture to it and this combination was refreshingly light on the palate. Suitable for those who prefers something healthier tasting.

Aburi Salmon Salad Udon @$18.80

If you are all about flavours and texture, the most popular udon bowl would be the Tem Chirashi Udon. Tempura of bite-sized items such as avocado slices, cherry tomato, mushrooms and even scallops, are scattered ontop of the bowl and topped with onsen egg. What do we do when we see wobbly eggs? We popped 'em! Coat the noodles with the yolk and swirl them around before catching it into your mouth. Mmmm, yummy!

Tem Chirashi Udon @$16.80

I liked mine with a dab of wasabi. Try it. 

Kiyoshi Restaurant offers a nice, comfortable ambiance for dine-in with fresh ingredients prepared using contemporary approach. If you are dining at the restaurant, there's sake available too!

Thank you Jennifer for the invite and Kiyoshi Restaurant for the meal. 

Kiyoshi Restaurant

Address: 75 Amoy Street, Singapore 069894

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/75amoystreet/

Website: https://kiyoshi.sg/

Online orders: https://inline.app/order/kiyoshi/amoystreet

Tan Yu 探鱼 @ Somerset 313

Grilled fish is one of the favourite things to eat (according to my ex-colleagues from China) and so I joined them, on one fine evening. This is a throwback post, to reminisce on life before.

Sometime in Nov 2019, long queues were to be expected for weekend dining, so we delegated the task of queuing up to one of our 小妹 (the younger ones in our group) who happened to be at that area earlier. She has gotten the queue number at about 5+pm and was free to roam around till our number is called. The expected waiting time, was about 30 mins before the dinner peak period. Where was I prior? Well, at the arcade as usual...

We congregated at about 5.30pm and gotten our table at about 5.45pm. The service staff led us to our table and briefly glanced at the interior along the way. Quite hip, the place! Dark, cosy and modern. Crowds are mainly young adults. Atmosphere was lively and noise level pretty high as the sound seemed to ricochet all over.

To order, just tick the items that you would like to have on the order chit. The steps are simple. First choose flavour then choose fish. After which, decide on add-ons and drinks. My group have tried all flavours and for first-timers like myself, they recommended the "Grilled Fish with Green Peppers" because it is not so spicy, they said.

menu

For fish type, one could choose Limbo (凌波) fish, Qingjiang (清江) fish or Seabass (金目鲈). Seabass was out-of-stock that day, so we chose Limbo fish since to us, the Limbo fish and Qingjiang fish are equally foreign. My friends said they typically would order seabass most of the time.

I must say that the pricing is really steep for one fish, with prices starting from $40 onwards. Apparently, Limbo fish is a type of catfish and we waited in high anticipation on how it'd turn out since all of us were having it for the first time.

sides and drinks

In every group, we'd have one friend that would want to order more and one that will try to control. Which type best describes you? For me, personally, I think it has something to do with age. The older I get, the more I'd try to persuade people from over-ordering especially if I had dined with the person prior and somewhat understands their tendency. Hahaha!

waiting for food to arrive

Lemon and Lime @$4.80

Liked that the drinks served is of a larger size. Cold drinks to quell the fire later, if any. The wait for food was rather long actually, so the food better not disappoint!

Whoa, the fish was huge! Or, was it because it was butterflied? Hahahaa. The add-ons like enoki mushrooms, pork belly slices etc were all placed underneath the fish. We were actually wondering if it was forgotten, only to discover that it had been bubbling away underneath the fish!

Grilled Limbo Fish in Green Chili Peppers @$45.90+

a how-to enjoy guide

The fish was indeed tender and with minimal bones. Enjoyable and yes, initially the sauce was not too spicy yet still got oomph! But, it did get saltier and spice level more prominent after some of the liquid evaporated as it was bubbling away.

still hot

We also had some cooked dish like chicken wings, eggplant and roasted squid. These are the 3 popular sides (according to the icons in the menu!) I loved the eggplant but it gets a bit too much when shared amongst two pax.

Roasted Squid @$2.90+

Grilled Eggplant @$4.90+

At about 6.30pm, the staff asked our table if we could finish our meal soon as there was a long queue waiting. She was apologetic and we paid the bills soon after.

All in all, the food was tasty and strongly flavoured plus we got acquainted with a new fish name. Price point could be better though.

the alluring taste of grilled fish

Tan Yu 探鱼

Address: 313 Orchard Rd, Singapore 238895

Website: https://www.facebook.com/tanyusg313/

Online order: https://inline.app/order/Tanyu

Kiyoshi Restaurant @ 75 Amoy Street (Available for Takeaway/Delivery)

Kiyoshi きよし Restaurant is a Japanese izakaya (居酒屋) that now offers takeaway/online delivery services.

Recently tried their reasonably priced bento set and a few side dishes. Sushi Moriawase had 5 pieces of sushi (tamago, ebi, hotate, unagi and sake), 3 pieces of maki, 3 slices of salmon and blanched spinach with mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Loved the gari (pickled ginger) and the pickled radish in the bento set. Plenty of wasabi, but they forgot the shoyu!

Sushi Moriawase @$19.80+

start with the vege

my favourite was the scallop sushi!

wished it was thicker!

love the crunch from the ikura

Let's try some side dishes besides sushi! A must order in any Japanese restaurant, is the tamago yaki. Best eaten when freshly cooked. But often times, most restaurants serve it cold.

Tamago Yaki @$4.80

The tamago felt more like a dessert as it was leaning on the sweeter side. Still enjoyable nonetheless. The tebasaki chicken wings were skinny. Marinade was flavourful and had a hint of alcohol. Unfortunately, it arrived cold and hard. I guessed that I should probably heat this up before eating but I was hungry!

tebasaki @$2.80 per stick (from yakitori menu)

all side dish on one plate

Thank you Jennifer for arranging the sampler set and Kiyoshi for the meal.

For orders, please call 6223 0995 or email info@kiyoshi.com.sg or 93666 419.

Islandwide delivery is available at $11 and minimum order of S$30 is required. Do drop by their Facebook and join their FB Live, because you might get a good deal from there as well! Plus, their fresh shipment of seafood comes every Tues and Thurs.

Kiyoshi Restaurant

Address: 75 Amoy Street, Singapore 069894

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/75amoystreet/

Website: https://kiyoshi.sg/

Online orders: https://inline.app/order/kiyoshi/amoystreet

[Taipei] 独立牛肉面 Du Li Beef

In 2019, I was determined to try at least one meal of beef noodles, which Taipei is famed for. Wanted somewhere that's not too far off from the hotel, and I was staying at 璞漣商旅西門館 Hotel Puri Ximen Branch. According to Google Map, it takes only about 7 minutes from the hotel to the beef noodles shop. Great! If Google estimated 7 minutes, that's probably 15 minutes for me. My sense of direction is not that great... hahahaa, but eventually found it. Across the street, there was a dumpling shop and I was tempted...

shop front

But I didn't waiver because beef noodles was what I came for, and I shall be eating that!

The interior of the shop feels like a cafe. Mostly young adults were seen in there. Was greeted by the staff once the sliding door is opened. Awkward as that will also cause the patrons in the shop to look at who's walking-in. Lone diner will be directed to the window seats.

nice sunny day

The shop is manned by just the staff and the Chef in the kitchen. Pretty efficient. I liked the shop decor. Cosy and plenty of natural light.

shop decor

write down your order

The place is semi self-service, and one orders by ticking the desired items in the order chit. It's in Mandarin though. Heng, I can agak-agak (guess) a bit.

Once you have decided and indicated on the paper, pass it to the staff. She was kind of taken aback when I asked if I need to pay first when submitting the order. Hahaa! She patiently informed that customers will pay after they're done with the meal. Oh, and I was happy that she asked how I'd like the tendon to be, as she mentioned that most customers liked it chewy. For me, I wanted mine to be soft.

As it was past typical meal time, Chef started to prepare my bowl almost immediately. The staff will bring the noodles to your table. For utensils, napkin and chili oil, one can take from the common area.

红烧牛肉麵 (半筋半肉)

pretty bowl of piping hot beef noodles

a good bowl of beef noodles, 好吃

yellow noodles

Soup was lightly beefy and fragrant with herbs. Not too overpowering, clean tasting and served piping hot. Noodles were smooth and easily slurped. There were plenty of beef pieces in there and I was a tad worried if it would be tough. I was all smiles at first bite. Wow. Beef was well cooked and fork tender.

so yummy

Tendon was soft and gelatinous. So goood! Overall, happy with the place, the food and the service. It was a good choice!

hi there

One could have a meal here at a relaxed place as there are no long lines outside, pressurizing you to eat quickly. Although, the boy who sat next to me managed to finish his up-sized noodle bowl within 30 minutes. Can see that he too, was satisfied with his meal.

Once done eating, diners usually would collect their empty bowl, used utensils and return it to the staff.

Spent NT$190 (~ SGD9) for the beef noodles.

独立牛肉面

Address: No. 31, Section 2, Guiyang St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DuLiBeef/?fref=ts
Contact: +886 981 738 089
Business Hours:
Mon to Sat: 11.30am to 2.20pm, 5.00pm to 8.30pm
Closed on Sundays