I was introduced to this Japanese restaurant, Nihon Mura at Revenue House.
Part of the sister chain to Suki Group, who brought in Suki Sushi and Sakura, this new entrant is offering sushi dishes at 99 cents each.
It is made possible, according to their director, Mr Kelvin Ong, because their business strategy is to avoid malls, which are overflowing with other chains, and opt for less expensive venues in suburban areas to keep prices low.
However, despite offering cheap conveyor-belt sushi, the peeve is that none of the tables are located next to it; hence you have to walk over to help yourself to the sushi.
The restaurant also comprises of various sections including: Grills, Tempura, and Noodles, other than the Sushi - which is ready-made - all the other dishes are represented in placards placed in front of the stations, beside a batch of ice lolly sticks etched with the name of the dish.
Interestingly, to order, you collect the sticks of the dishes you want and hand them to a waiter with your table number, or simply drop these lolly sticks into a cup placed at your tables, and the waiter will collect it and take order.
With the amount of variety to choose from, the standard of the dishes were unexpectedly of a high standard.
Even the Sashimi were surprisingly fresh, so much so that we had a second order of the Akagai, or the Red Shell Fish, which is bigger version of what we commonly known as Cockles. The meat was so sweet and the texture was firm.
The other dish I enjoyed was the Salmon Belly Soup. A bowl of piping hot soup served in a ceramic pot with generous serving of vegetables and chunky pieces of Salmon Belly Meat was such a delight that we ordered a second serving as well.
For a lunch of 7 adults and 1 child, the whole meal was $220, which worked out to be slightly over $30 per person. My overall verdict is that for the price we are paying, all the dishes are pretty good. The only regret is that as most dishes are served at one go, such that some of the turned cold before we could have a chance to sample it. Nevertheless, this is definitely a good place to go for family gatherings and friends reunion dinner.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
One of my rare appearances in the East side of Singapore finally brought me to the long awaited Aston Specialities. This Western food eatery started off as a humble hawker stall in a coffee shop a few doors away. Headed by Mr Aston Soon, 34, an ex-Ponderosa chef, this restaurant has already drawn excellent reviews with good steak at affordable prices all over Singapore.
Having heard so many people raving about this establishment, I was very much excited to dine in this place. I opted for the Prime Ribeye XtraCut (Medium Rare) with Potato Salad and Baked Beans as sides, and boy am I captivated! The cut had a slightly higher marbling fat content than the usual Ribeye I have tried, making it juicer and succulent, and the black grill lines produced a charred smoky touch to the tender beef.
It has been a long time since I had such a wonderful piece of steak. The medium rare that I dictated was also well executed giving the meat an extra sweetness and moistness. However, the sides were very much below par – the potatoes were too undercooked for consumption, and the baked beans were just as unappetising. However $34.80 for two slabs of beef and two drinks is definitely worth it, and I would definitely be coming back for their Celebrities Cut – Wagyu Beef priced at $38.90 the next time round!
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Over at Ohsho, you get to indulge in simple Japanese-fusion fare and I was overwhelmed. We tried the Tori-Kara-age, or the Japanese Deep-Fried Chicken, and boy was it good! A wrench of the lemon and you have the perfect combination of sour, salty, crispy and intense flavour of the chicken with each greasy bite – served fresh when ordered.
Added chunky delights came in the form of Funky Potato – a dish of Tori-Kara-age with Crinkle Cut Fries dose in Chilli Sauce, although I would have to add that this dish reminded me more of my good old primary school days than a Japanese fare.
We also ordered a serving of Chahan, or the Japanese Fried Rice. Of course, we all know that the difference between the Japanese version and its Chinese cousin lies in its grain. Japanese grain tends to be shorter and the rice – stickier, and therefore the art to cook it well lies in the emulsion process - the combination of eggs first emulsifying together with the oil in the pan, and then adding the rice later into the semi-cooked eggs, created the best tasting sensation.
And I have to say they did a pretty good rendition of it. The Wok Hei flavour was captured in the dish, but the dish could do even better with another dash of salt. Lastly, the Gyoza was also delectable. The skins are so different from the mainstream ones where it's all thick and starchy!
Although Yaki-Gyoza, or pan-fried preparation method is usually first fried on one flat side, creating a crispy skin, then, stock is added and the pan sealed with a lid, until the upper part of Gyoza is steamed, Ohsho’s version seemed to be a little too dry. However, the fact that the Gyoza’s skin is so well pan-fried makes up for it.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Many of my friends and readers have came back telling me that I have yet to complete my ramen research till I am done sampling ramen from Sapporo Ramen Miharu. Eager to complete my findings, I persuaded my buddy Sharon for a late Sunday lunch.
It was said that a good bowl of steaming hot ramen is to be slurped away within 10 minutes – for if it is left too long, the noodles would lose its texture and springy nibble. This is precisely why Miharu does not allow takeaways. Miharu uses fresh Sapporo Nishiyama noodles imported from Hokkaido, which is fatter in texture. Being the first outlet in Singapore - the original shop in Chiba, Japan – the restaurant also made an effort to import stock ingredients from Japan so that their noodles are not localised.
Their popular Miso Tonkotsu is well liked for a reason – the soup broth was rich in flavour from the chicken and pork bones (although I find it a bit oily), and pretty salty – similar to those found in Japan, and the corn and the dash of spring onions was surprisingly delectable. However, the Char Siu was good but not as tender and soft as those from Marutama. I also tried their Gyoza, but I was not overwhelmed with it.
The skin was a tad too dry and many locals would probably find the overpowering taste of the Chives too strong for their liking. Overall, a quality place for ramen especially for the soup broth, but personally I would still prefer the Char Siu and noodles from Martutama.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
I was there for their Tonkutsu Ramen that my friend has been bugging me to try. Located at the corner of Robertson Quay close to the hip-hop club, The Buttery Factory, This Japanese family restaurant serves a mean bowl of ramen.
The soup broth was rich and creamy, and the Soy Egg is one of the better ones I had in town – semi-boiled egg with runny yolk that also captures the essence of the soy marinate. The noodles are pretty similar to those from Miharu, slightly fatter and springy – call me prejudiced but I still prefer the thin noodles served in Marutama, which comes with a better bite, or the Italians will call it Al-Dente.
The Char Siu served was a generously thick slice, second only to Marutama. Despite being so, their soup-based is the best I have tried so far, trouncing even Marutama’s legendary Aka Ramen by a wide margin (I have since went back to Marutama to confirm it).
The Gyoza though came very charred, probably to capture the burnt flavour within when the stock is added over it, but presentation wise I think it will prove a turn-off to many ill-informed patrons.
Their Gyoza is differently a notch better to Miharu.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
1=SGD 0.0587
Part of the sister chain to Suki Group, who brought in Suki Sushi and Sakura, this new entrant is offering sushi dishes at 99 cents each.
It is made possible, according to their director, Mr Kelvin Ong, because their business strategy is to avoid malls, which are overflowing with other chains, and opt for less expensive venues in suburban areas to keep prices low.
However, despite offering cheap conveyor-belt sushi, the peeve is that none of the tables are located next to it; hence you have to walk over to help yourself to the sushi.
The restaurant also comprises of various sections including: Grills, Tempura, and Noodles, other than the Sushi - which is ready-made - all the other dishes are represented in placards placed in front of the stations, beside a batch of ice lolly sticks etched with the name of the dish.
Interestingly, to order, you collect the sticks of the dishes you want and hand them to a waiter with your table number, or simply drop these lolly sticks into a cup placed at your tables, and the waiter will collect it and take order.
With the amount of variety to choose from, the standard of the dishes were unexpectedly of a high standard.
Even the Sashimi were surprisingly fresh, so much so that we had a second order of the Akagai, or the Red Shell Fish, which is bigger version of what we commonly known as Cockles. The meat was so sweet and the texture was firm.
The other dish I enjoyed was the Salmon Belly Soup. A bowl of piping hot soup served in a ceramic pot with generous serving of vegetables and chunky pieces of Salmon Belly Meat was such a delight that we ordered a second serving as well.
For a lunch of 7 adults and 1 child, the whole meal was $220, which worked out to be slightly over $30 per person. My overall verdict is that for the price we are paying, all the dishes are pretty good. The only regret is that as most dishes are served at one go, such that some of the turned cold before we could have a chance to sample it. Nevertheless, this is definitely a good place to go for family gatherings and friends reunion dinner.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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Having heard so many people raving about this establishment, I was very much excited to dine in this place. I opted for the Prime Ribeye XtraCut (Medium Rare) with Potato Salad and Baked Beans as sides, and boy am I captivated! The cut had a slightly higher marbling fat content than the usual Ribeye I have tried, making it juicer and succulent, and the black grill lines produced a charred smoky touch to the tender beef.
It has been a long time since I had such a wonderful piece of steak. The medium rare that I dictated was also well executed giving the meat an extra sweetness and moistness. However, the sides were very much below par – the potatoes were too undercooked for consumption, and the baked beans were just as unappetising. However $34.80 for two slabs of beef and two drinks is definitely worth it, and I would definitely be coming back for their Celebrities Cut – Wagyu Beef priced at $38.90 the next time round!
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!.... ok this will be my next try. will go early to queue
22 Mar 2008 at 9:12 am
Added chunky delights came in the form of Funky Potato – a dish of Tori-Kara-age with Crinkle Cut Fries dose in Chilli Sauce, although I would have to add that this dish reminded me more of my good old primary school days than a Japanese fare.
We also ordered a serving of Chahan, or the Japanese Fried Rice. Of course, we all know that the difference between the Japanese version and its Chinese cousin lies in its grain. Japanese grain tends to be shorter and the rice – stickier, and therefore the art to cook it well lies in the emulsion process - the combination of eggs first emulsifying together with the oil in the pan, and then adding the rice later into the semi-cooked eggs, created the best tasting sensation.
And I have to say they did a pretty good rendition of it. The Wok Hei flavour was captured in the dish, but the dish could do even better with another dash of salt. Lastly, the Gyoza was also delectable. The skins are so different from the mainstream ones where it's all thick and starchy!
Although Yaki-Gyoza, or pan-fried preparation method is usually first fried on one flat side, creating a crispy skin, then, stock is added and the pan sealed with a lid, until the upper part of Gyoza is steamed, Ohsho’s version seemed to be a little too dry. However, the fact that the Gyoza’s skin is so well pan-fried makes up for it.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
It was said that a good bowl of steaming hot ramen is to be slurped away within 10 minutes – for if it is left too long, the noodles would lose its texture and springy nibble. This is precisely why Miharu does not allow takeaways. Miharu uses fresh Sapporo Nishiyama noodles imported from Hokkaido, which is fatter in texture. Being the first outlet in Singapore - the original shop in Chiba, Japan – the restaurant also made an effort to import stock ingredients from Japan so that their noodles are not localised.
Their popular Miso Tonkotsu is well liked for a reason – the soup broth was rich in flavour from the chicken and pork bones (although I find it a bit oily), and pretty salty – similar to those found in Japan, and the corn and the dash of spring onions was surprisingly delectable. However, the Char Siu was good but not as tender and soft as those from Marutama. I also tried their Gyoza, but I was not overwhelmed with it.
The skin was a tad too dry and many locals would probably find the overpowering taste of the Chives too strong for their liking. Overall, a quality place for ramen especially for the soup broth, but personally I would still prefer the Char Siu and noodles from Martutama.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!
The soup broth was rich and creamy, and the Soy Egg is one of the better ones I had in town – semi-boiled egg with runny yolk that also captures the essence of the soy marinate. The noodles are pretty similar to those from Miharu, slightly fatter and springy – call me prejudiced but I still prefer the thin noodles served in Marutama, which comes with a better bite, or the Italians will call it Al-Dente.
The Char Siu served was a generously thick slice, second only to Marutama. Despite being so, their soup-based is the best I have tried so far, trouncing even Marutama’s legendary Aka Ramen by a wide margin (I have since went back to Marutama to confirm it).
The Gyoza though came very charred, probably to capture the burnt flavour within when the stock is added over it, but presentation wise I think it will prove a turn-off to many ill-informed patrons.
Their Gyoza is differently a notch better to Miharu.
You can view the photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Login to add your comment. Or, Register for an account now. It's free!