Ever since the demise of A&W in Singapore, Waffletown is probably the only fast food outlet in Singapore that serves up fried chicken and waffles in a small unit reminiscent of an old school American diner.
Located at Balmoral Plaza, the place isn't big and comes with brown table tops and orange chairs affixed to the ground just like A&W in the old days. A very serene sense of nostalgia sets in and one can't help but relish in the comfort it offers.
2 Piece Chicken Set - The chicken skin was crispy sans the layer of fats beneath, which of course is the lesser of two evils. Meat was moist and juicy and didn't come across as oily as those served up by KFC. Only downside was the seasoning of the chicken, which I personally felt was a little inadequate. The accompanying fries and coleslaw tasted like those ready made ones you can buy off the shelves from any supermarket.
Waffle with Blueberry and Vanilla Ice Cream & Waffle with Blackberry and Rum and Raisin Ice Cream - Since the place is called waffletown, its really a no brainer that waffles are their specialty. The waffles were very crispy but that in itself presents a problem, to me at least. Crispy waffles aren't moist and my idea of an ideal waffle should be crisp on the outside yet moist and full of bite on the inside. It must also be fragrant. Waffletown's waffles fulfilled the aroma criteria but they were crispy inside out, which made it a little like eating crackers. Fortunately, thats where the toppings and ice cream come into play, lending the waffles with additional flavour and moisture. All in all a good eat.
At about $6.70 for a 2 piece chicken set that comes with 2 sides and a drink, Waffletown goes for about the same price as KFC. Quality is much higher here though but there is the problem of location.
Sun Moulin is located just beside the Isetan Japanese Supermarket at Lido. My food partner and i went there after our lunch at Tetsu. I believe those who frequent the supermarket will need no introduction to this delightful bakery.
There are quite a wide range of breads, pastries, and cakes around, with prices ranging from 1 to 2 bucks, quite similar to your more commonly found Breadtalk and Four Leaves.
I was so full from the lunch at Tetsu, but my food partner is amazing, she brought quite a few home!
She has tried almost all the bread and pastries at Sun Moulin, so below are some of the ones which she highly recommended.
Soft An-pan ($2) The soft An-pan is actually more familiar to most of us as the red bean paste bun. But at Sun Moulin, they use Hawaiian Bread dough. Soft and fluffy!
Belgian Waffle ($1.30) The Belgian Waffle caught my attention first because i’m a sucker for good waffles. And at $1.30 its definitely worth a try, even though the waffle might be a little small in size. It will be excellent if you managed to get them hot off the pan.
Zebra Mini Croissant There are a few selections of Croissant here, with $0.65 for one, $1.80 for 3, and $2.70 for 5. Naturally the more you get the cheaper it is.
Petit Sesame Croissant Crispy layer of dough, with black and white sesame.
Mini croissant Mini-size croissant, try the original taste!
Mini Choc Croissant Your mini croissant now comes in chocolate flavour!
Double Taste Bun ($2) Enjoy 2 kind of home-made taste, chocolate and custard cream inside.
My food partner got the double taste bun for me, and boy the bread is really good! Peeling off part of the bread, fills my nose with aroma of the warm chocolate and custard cream.
The bread is super soft, and its delicious even eaten on its own!
Total bill for 5 items were $9.10. I only tried one of the bread, and i’m already thinking of going back to Sun Moulin for more! My plan is to go there on an empty stomach, then order a lot of different bread to have them for lunch!
Sun Moulin’s bread are definitely better than your typical bakeries (you-know-what), and the prices are also in about the same range with the most expensive bread at 2 bucks.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
An Australian-Asian fusion cafe. We felt the design and furnishing looks more like those small family restaurant.
We were greeted warmly by the service crew at the entrance and guided to a table. Although its "crampy" but very clean and tidy. The crew proceeded to explain that orders are to be taken and paid at the cashier. Nets acceptable.
Sets inclusive of a main course, soup, dessert and a drink at $14.90 which we loved as its valued for money on the face value.
Soup: Bit blend for taste and had to add pepper.
Main course: Ordered black peppered sirloin ($11.90), Chicken chop (part of set meal). Sirloin was fine though its taste was covered by the sauce which was too spicy for me. Rice that came with the main course was too dry though it still taste quite nice. Chicken chop was fine and tender but the sauce was too blend. At least for the person who ate it.
Dessert: I ordered "Crazy Sue" ($4.50) which was a chocolate and orange flavor cake. Nice blend of both flavors and not too sweet so even when I am full I still can finish the cake. Chocolate walnut that came with the set was also recommended. Commendable, although its a set meal at a low price, the quality and quantity of food wasn't compromised.
Garlic bread: A bit above average though I still prefer the one at "Spaghetti Too" reason being the cheese was not chewy enough and bread not that crispy though its already better than a lot of others I've tried.
On the whole, the taste of food weren't too great. Above average I would say and definitely valued for money. The quality of customer service was also there and highly satisfactory.
I, a fan of desserts and Yami Yoghurt, was more than excited when we walked past Yoguru. The prices are all in Feizhu's review and they seem right. So you can refer to that.
I was a teeny bit sad when there were only two flavours to choose from. But the lady at the counter mentioned that Original flavour was a little sweeter whereas the YoguBliss one was more sourish so I picked Original.
There were about 14 toppings to choose from and I took some time with that. So maybe the lack of flavours is a blessing in disguise.I picked out Oreo Crumbs and Cornflakes for $1.80. I think that it was a nice combination in terms of taste as it adds texture to the yoghurt.
But it was quite messy to eat as the cup overflowed. If you pick one topping it was ok, but two toppings was a little too much and you would risk having it all over yourself when you were done.
I'd have to agree that Yoguru is sweeter and softer than Yami (although I don't find Yami TOO sourish) and I like how Yoguru is fatfree too. But it really is quite expensive. A regular cup of Yami one topping is $3.75. But I paid $5.10 for my yoguru with two toppings. Note that the price diff between one topping and two isn't very much.
I would give it 3 and a half stars really... take away half for being more expensive for a slightly smaller serving.
The yoghurt craze is catching on in Singapore with the opening of yoghurt outlets like Frolick and Yoguru. The former currently has 3 outlets in Singapore whereas the latter only has one.
Located in the still sleepy Kallang Leisure Park, Yoguru has a steady following of fans who swear by the brand's fat free yoghurt which comes in 2 varieties - original and YoguBliss, with the latter comprising of dragonfruit and pomegranate in the mixture. Prices start at $3.30 for a regular cup of original yoghurt to $7.90 for a jumbo take home container. Prices for the YoguBliss are slightly higher, at $3.80 for a regular and $9.30 for a jumbo. Toppings start at $1.20 each. Definitely not cheap.
Not being a fan of dragonfruit or pomegranate, I had a go at the original with toppings of diced strawberries. To be honest, I'm never liked yoghurt because my tolerance for sour stuff is minimal so it came as quite a surprise that I could actually finish up a whole cup of Yoguru's yoghurt by myself. The yoghurt is much sweeter than any of the other brands of yoghurt that I've tried and the smooth creamy texture reminds me more of ice cream, which is totally different from what you can get from NTUC or Frolick for that matter.
I like the idea of fat free pseudo ice cream with a sourish tinge enough to continue my patronage.
Mind you, in my job we tend to get lots of backaches and stiff necks so a massage once in a while is absolutely necessary. Thank goodness I have some of these nearby. Don't be fooled by places of similiar names! This is one of the early ones boasting of traditional Javanese massage from ages ago.
I like to get the full body massage Ginger treatment. After a good massage the therapist would cover my body with ginger bits. I'd feel very very very hot and sometimes it even stings. I'd be covered with towels like a wrap, and it will be kept like that for 15-20 minutes. Trust me, it can be quite torturous... But after that your skin will be silky smooth. I have very sensitive skin and my skin was a wreck after my trip to China. It was covered with rash and dried bits all over but after the GInger treatment it was obviously much better! I think with another treatment next week it'll totally clear. Not only that my tummy will seem flatter after the treatment.
The staff is always polite and they don't make you feel uncomfortable. Also I've yet to meet anyone unskilled there. The prices start from $40 for non-members. Lifetime Membership is $150 and is transferable... Members can also sign two guests in and the guests are entitled to the same discounts.
Attended a wedding tasting lunch at Hilton courtesy of my friend who will be tying the knot later this year.
Well not much can be said about the interior because it was held in one of the function rooms which are named after countries, with this particular one being Singapore.
Complimentary Bread - It was a unanimous decision. The bread was good. Served up warm, it exuded a mild fragrance together with a nice crackling sound when I broke off a piece to savour. The soft yet fluffy dough complemented with a thin layer of salted butter was enough to make us request for seconds. And for the record, I had 5 buns, which is definitely a first for me in such situations.
Gazpacho - I'm honestly not a fan of tomato soup, even more so chilled tomato soup, so I didn't quite take to it. And neither did anyone else around the table. But I personally felt that it could have been stronger on the taste as it did seem a little runny to me.
Madras Long Grain Rice with Raisin and Almond - The good thing about long grain rice is that the grains stay seperate and fluffy after cooking, which was the case in this dish. When eaten with the almond slices and raisins, it made for a nice and light (healthy as well!) rice dish. A pity there weren't enough almonds or raisins to go around so there was quite a bit of rice leftover.
Roasted Stuffed Duck on Sauteed Sweet Cabbage with Mustad Cream - Ironically, the star of this dish wasn't the duck but the cabbage, which was sauteed to the right softness and flavourful. The duck on the other hand, wasn't exactly duck per se. According to the chef, a mixture of minced chicken, walnut and spinach were used to make the stuffing which was then rolled with a layer of fatty duck skin with some duck meat attached. The result? A highly chewy duck skin which was almost impossible to cut through, probably due to the amount of fats under the skin. The stuffing was still decent though but the skin really spoilt the whole dish.
Sea Bream with Roots Vegetables in Saffron Cream - The aesthetics of this dish proved to be the sole consolation for this dish, which is sad really. Huge portions aside, the fish meat was seriously tough and I was left wondering if it was really fish because the texture said otherwise. The saffron cream sauce was also a tad weak and it didn't help that the fish itself was rather bland.
Smoked Chicken Breast with Fresh Poached Prawn & Spicy Mango Salsa - I'm sorry but wheres the spice? The diced mangoes were sinfully sweet and had nary a taste of spice. As for the chicken breast, it had but an ever so faint trace of smokiness, which I would definitely have missed if I had eaten it with the mangoes. A longer smoking time would definitely be appreciated.
Hilton's Famous Cheesecake - Hilton has every right to be proud of its cheesecake because its really in a class of its own. Lightly moist and extremely cheesy, this classic American cheesecake is good enough to make me throw any diet plans out of the window. If you prefer the lighter chiffon variant, I would suggest you steer clear of Hilton's offering and head down to Cheesecake Cafe instead.
A good start and a good ending. Hilton just needs to fill up the hollow center. Thanks for the invite!
Hanabi Restaurant, situated at Bukit Timah Road King's Arcade. We went to this place on Sat for dinner. Read on Yebber's review that there will be a lot of people there so we decided to reserve a table for 3.
When we sat down, the waiter came over and ask us what drinks we want to order when we haven't even open our menu. Turned out its our fault as the buffet comes with complimentary hot or cold Ocha. So we ordered our drinks and sat to look through the menu.
Service was fast and polite. So fast that the moment some one saw my husband took up the menu, he came over and ask us whether we need to order. Not that this was bad. Service crew polite, food served fast and empty plates cleared fast.
Sashimi - I don't eat raw food as I find biting into raw meat very "恐怖“. But even to people like me, the Sashimi looks absolutely fresh and portions given were generously large. My friends who ate this said the meat were succulent and fresh but they ought to put the pieces on cooler or ice to keep the taste there. 2nd portion of the Sashimi ordered were not as nice though. Freshness was still there just that the cuts were not that good. Fish scales can be found.
Tempura - Not that great though served piping hot. We ordered Yasai Tempura and I felt that the vegetables were cooked too throughly and lost their texture. Unagi tempura was not bad with the tempura coating crispy and the Unagi itself soft and sweet. Grilled items - Definitely pre-cooked and re-warmed. Items came out warm and some were cold. Looks dry and uninviting. Grilled items were not too good which can be understood as grilled items take longer to cook. To serve fast, they must be pre-cooked.
Others - We definitely loved the Chiizu Chawanmushi. Though except for a piece of mushroom, there were no other ingredients inside, it was surprising that cheese and eggs blended well together. Not to mention the chewy pieces of cheese at the bottom of the cup.
We also ordered Goma ice-cream (Black Sesame) and Yuzu ice-cream (Jap Lemon?) and Chocolate ice-cream. Both Goma and Yuzu taste heavenly. Especially the Yuzu which is a sorbet ice-cream. Different from other sorbet ice-cream was that it wasn't too watery hence doesn't melt too fast. Pieces of fruits inside the ice-cream and its thick texture makes this item absolutely worthed its price of $4 (per scope)
Total bill for the buffet was $124. Definitely worthed the price.
When we decided to visit this restaurant after choir, we couldn't find a seat and had to wait for 10 mins at 3pm in the afternoon!!
When finally we got our seats, we ordered : Chocolate milk, Pineapple/Mango, Strawberry smoothies named after Disney Princesses, Macaroni and cheese spaghetti and Tomato Pasta.
Chocolate milk was alright. But still, its just normal chocolate milk that HL can do better.Pasta, looks like a big portion. Then again, the size of the dish was small. Sure to say this portion wasn't big enough for my husband. He finished it in 4 mouthfuls and had to add that much cheese to get a flavor out of it.
Macaroni and Cheese ... looks nice but doesn't taste as nice. Too watery and lacking in flavor. Except for macaroni and watery cheese, other ingredients were few. This dish will taste nicer if the amount of ham and pineapple increase.
Menu was limited too~ with only 3 kinds of spaghetti/pasta (one was the pasta of the day). Some kinds of burgers, pizzas and drinks.
Smoothies were what we found tasty there. Interesting blend of fruits such as Mango and Pineapple, healthy and refreshing. Though they can be improved on by crushing the ice to smaller pieces cause as we took our drinks, we found some ice "cubes" at the bottom.
Pizzas were in the shaped of a Mickey's head. Some may find it cute but I just found it unnerving to eat up a Mickey's head. At the cost of $15.90, I don't find it worth the value as the taste of the pizza wasn't that great. Crust too dry and the tomato sauce on it made the pizza salty.
On the whole, I won't recommend this place unless you have a Disney-crazy kid. 3 of us spent a total of $63 and ended with a half full, unsatisfied stomach. Disney Naturally has got good customer service though, the staffs being polite throughout.
However, it should change its ordering system. There were 2 counters there, one at the food area and another where they sell Disney merchandises. We were ushered to the payment counter at the Merchandise area to place order and pay for the food. However, we had to wait for very long as there were people paying for some toys in front of us. Seeing that the queue was slow, the man behind us went to the counter at the food area and placed his order. So in the first place, why were we ushered to the merchandise counter??
I would say I will not step into that place again though its good that they serve healthy meals and have hand washing areas to teach the kids to be healthy and good. But as an adult, I don't really appreciate the cute deco, small seats and confusing system.
Tetsu, opening its doors at Tanglin Mall on January 17, 2008, pride themselves in serving Kushi-Tempura and Kushi-Katsu. Their concept is based on a “LIVE” preparation in front of you by their chefs, who have intensive training in their Japanese Headquarters.
The first impression upon stepping into Tetsu is really nice decorations. Contemporary yet not too modernize till the extend of losing the authentic Japanese feel. Chic furnishings like the curtains, and decors in the restaurant. The whole place exudes an elegant feel with its classy and clean look.
Tetsu certainly does not fits the bill with association to Food Junction, your local food courts isn’t it? But the truth is, Tetsu is actually owned and operate by Food Junction. Surprise surprise, i was quite astonished by this fact when i first heard of it. But i am pleased Food Junction is finally making full use to leverage on its experience and connections in the Food & Beverage Industry, to provide us the consumers with a wider variety of choices to dine at.
The counter bars in Tetsu are specially designed in such a way that diners can seat in close proximity to the chef, who will prepared their feast up for them, well its not just the stomach feast alone, there’s the visual feast right before you.
I was invited by Miss Pris Yap, who’s the consultant for Tetsu for a food tasting session. Here i will like to put Disclaimer first, the review written herein will not be influence simply because this is a food tasting session. Whatever written herein is the Frank and Honest opinions of my friend and i who went to Tetsu for the occasion.
We had the assurance from Miss Yap that they will seek our honest opinion to improve Tetsu, and that every visit to Tetsu will be the same, the food will not look or taste specially good just because this is a food tasting event.
My food dining partner joins me for Tetsu, and she’s a lover of Japanese food, so the review will be a combination of what both of us felt about the meal.
There’s also a VIP room which u can actually make a reservation to book it if you have a certain number of guests, around 10 at least if i’m not wrong.
At Tetsu, there are affordable set lunches from the Jubako, Katsu, Tempura,Sakana (fish) which are in the 20s to 30s price range. I’ll say the set meals are definitely value-for-money.
There is also the designer Kaiseki sets available. Kaiseki is an 5 course set, made up of 4 seasonal appetizers, designer salad, premium kushi-style main course, imported udon from Japan, and dessert at a mere $35. Of course there are more expensive options of the Kaiseki sets going at $45 and $55.
A wide range of Sake, Shoju, and wine are also available to go along with the food. We didn’t had any Sake because it was still early in the afternoon. Perhaps next time!
Salmon Carpaccio ($18) For appetizer to start off our meal at Tetsu, we had the Salmon Carpaccio with french dressing. Carpaccio originated from Italy, and its usually slices of beef, tuna, or veal traditionally thinly sliced or pounded thin, with olive oil or vinaigrette drizzled over it.
We’ll preferred the carpaccio to be slice thinner, the thick and generous slices of the carpaccio at Tetsu is almost akin to sashimi portions. For people who like sashimi, they will probably have mixed feelings for this dish because usually sashimi lovers like the clean and fresh taste of the fish, and its raw texture on its own, but for this salmon, it has a french dressing on it.
Nonetheless, the Salmon Carpaccio is quite fresh, and with the current Citibank promotion, receive this as a complimentary with a minimum spending of $50.
The Salmon Carpaccio is an interesting take on fusion japanese & italian appetizer (although this is done with french dressing). The french dressing helps to balances the richness of the salmon with the complex sweet and sour taste of the dressing, the contrast between the taste is definitely appealing.
Roll sushi 6 Pieces ($18) The roll sushi is covered with crunchy sesame seeds, but on the other end the sushis can actually can get quite dry. My friend thought that if the roll sushi comes with some sauce it will be perfect.
Traditionally sushi rolls are supposed to be eaten in one mouthful by putting the whole sushi inside. But the sushi here is a tad too big, so we couldn’t really fit it into our mouth.
Apparently it has salmon and scallops inside, though when mixed together the scallops taste can’t really be felt. The blend of crunchy sesame seeds and tobiko makes its quite yummy though. However at $18 for 6 pieces, it is considered rather expensive. Have this if you have the extra budget to spend on A la carte.
Onsentamago Tofu Salad ($13.50) Onsen Tamago is hot spring egg. The eggs here are cooked slowly in hot water, so the whites are still soft while the yolks just slightly cooked. Blended together with tofu and sesame sauce, the combination offers a very refreshing approach to the normal salad.
The salad is served by mixing the egg together with the greens and tofu. A good appetizer if you are like us, prefer runny eggs.
Thats all for our A la carte starters, just to recap, we had the Salmon Carpaccio, the roll sushi and the Onsentamago Tofu Salad. All these three appetizers are ordered from the A la carte menu and are not in the set meals which are coming up next.
Rosu Katsu Set ($24.50) The Rosu Katsu (Pork Loin) set is the actual main course that we are having for our lunch. There are two options for the Katsu set, you can choose from either the Rosu Katsu (pork loin) or the Hire Katsu (fillet katsu). Pork loin is fatter than fillet katsu in nature, which makes it more tender than Hire Katsu.
Another interesting point to note, besides the usual sauce that comes with the Katsu, Tetsu provides an alternative, the curry powder to go along with the pork loin. The curry powder is another option if you are sick of the usual sauce, however the powder here is quite on the salty side, so just dipped into it slightly.
The katsu is specially imported from Japan, lightly fried to produce a crust that is light but yet double the thickness of the usual katsu. The meat is marinated for 3 days to ensure its tasty and succulent texture.
Famed for their Katsu, the Kushi-age style (skewered with breaded batter) certainly lives up to expectations. The breaded style of the katsu is really good, the panko crumbs on it is very light which gives it a melt-in-your-mouth feel.
Furthermore, the katsu here has a generous cut, unlike some restaurants which cut the pork into very thin slices. At $24.50, the Rosu Katsu set is really a steal, definitely good value for money!
Fresh greens The fresh greens are the appetizer which comes along with the Katsu set. Basically its a run of the mill salad with japanese sesame salad dressing, ordinary but yummy.
My partner likes the dressing for its slightly tangy but yet salty taste, and the texture of the sauce is creamy. But for me, i’m more of a fan for oily italian salad dressings, so this salad didn’t quite work out for me.
Kaiseki Set Course B ($45) The Kaiseki Dinner course B comes with assorted 4 on a palatte as its appetizer, stick vegetable, Crab sukiyaki for the paper pot, with tempura as the main, and udon or rich, served with a dessert.
The main difference between course A ($35) and B ($45) is 10 bucks, with the addition of the Crab Sukiyaki. And the differiential between B ($45) and C ($55) is that C has an addition tuna carpaccio.
For our main course in the Kaiseki set B, the tempura is done kushi-tem style (tempura). It comes with six tempura, prawn, salmon, pork, beef, scallop and vegetables.
Tetsu is being known for its Katsu and Tempura aspects, and to tell the truth, we found the tempura to be quite a disappointment as we had expected better things from them. Right, the prawn was a bit small, not fat enough for a tempura, we didn’t get the “kick”from eating the prawn.
The Salmon (beside the prawn) was done better than the appetizer in the course.
My partner love the fresh air-flown scallop from Japan.
The seasonal vegetables are zuchinni and okra which my partner found it to be all right, but i didn’t like my vegetables to do it in this way, i prefer them green!
The pork and beef were quite average too. One thing that my partner concluded was if the mains are done in Kushi-age (breaded) rather than the one we had Kushi-tem (tempura), we felt that it will be definitely be better.
We felt that the tempura batter had nice texture, but it wasn’t seasoned enough, so it was quite tasteless for us. Nevertheless the batter is very light, not that oily and it didn’t leave any oily aftertaste that mediocre tempuras do.
The only reason we can conclude for the disappointment in the Tempura is because we had such high hopes for them, so even they are quite good, but they didn’t come out as well as we are expecting. You should try the Kushi-age (breaded) for this main!
Assorted 4 on palette This is the appetizer for the course B. One thing that i liked about the starters in Tetsu course meal is that they are changed regularly because the chef will always pick the freshest ingredient for the current season.
The appetizer is suppose to comes in the different flavors, sweet, salty, and sour. Specially designed to tantalize your taste buds and “prepared” them for the main course.
I like the zesty chicken too which comes with orange and lemon flavour to provide the sour-ish taste.
My partner didn’t like the Salmon teriyaki, she preferred the tamago and prawn which helps to the sweet flavoring of the salmon.
Cod is done with miso, to give the salty flavor.
Stick vegetables The Stick Vegetables also comes part of the Kaiseki set B. Its just your normal vegetables, but it comes with a soy-bean like sauce.
Kani-Suki (Crab Sukiyaki) The prelude to the main, there’s the snow crab legs which are filled with snowy sweet white meat. However we lamented the fact that there is only two crab legs.
The Japanese straw mushroom is always nice in sukiyaki. And the soup base here is nicer than the other sukiyaki we tried before. It tasted sweet but not excessively so till its artificial.
Inaniwa Udon (warm) The Inaniwa Udon is also imported from Japan. but the warm udon had a nice soup base so it’s good for rainy days.
Inaniwa Udon (cold) ($6.80) The udon is not the fat kind, and its sort of flat like ipoh hor fun, nice and slippery! One of the udon comes with the Kaiseki set, and we ordered another one to try both the cold and hot udon.
Banana Tempura & Ice ($7.80) In our frank opinion, the banana tempura is a ripped-off. For two pieces of banana tempura, we can get better ones at the hawker center at 50 cents each. Certainly not worth the price tag of $7.80!
Kisetsu ice & Warabimochi Monaka ($7.80) This dessert fares slightly better than the Banana tempura. The combination of the Japanese Mochi with one scoop of normal vanilla ice cream is quite good, but still not worth the hefty price that comes along with it.
Kokonatsu Milk Purin ($5.80) We concluded that the Kokonatsu milk purin, or coconut pudding is the best among the three desserts. This pudding is something new to us, not your usual run of the mill Japanese dessert which you commonly find in Singapore Japanese restaurants even though its supposed to be a classic Japanese dessert.
Coconut flavor wasnt that strong, we like the sublet flavor! hmm it was really pudding not creamy so i dont really like it
The coconut pudding is good to try for novelty, and it comes with the Kaiseki course set anyway, so there’s no need to order additional dessert.
Tetsu is certainly a nice place to try if you are looking for Japanese food. The set meals are really value-for-money, and the Kaisekis course meals, although heavier in price tag, but they provide more in variety and quality also. We felt that if its two person going to Tetsu, you can either order two set meals, or order one Kaisekis Course meals, and something from the A la carte menu.
The reasonable and affordable pricing at Tetsu means that you will no longer need to spend a bomb for your favourite Japanese food anymore. Tetsu offers a really chic environment, quite unlike your traditional Japanese restaurant. Its an excellent place to either bring a date for her cravings of Japanese food, or a group of friends where you can chill out with the selections of Sake, Shoju, and wine.
My friend and i, plus Miss Yap had a great afternoon enjoying and discussing about Japanese food, restaurants, and some off-topic conservations. We were so full from the meal! My thanks to Miss Yap for inviting us to a wonderful lunch experience at Tetsu.
And one other thing which I noticed, when we went in during 12 noon on a Monday afternoon, there wasn’t much people in the restaurant. But when the clock ticks towards two, the crowd starts coming in already. So you will be fine if you go during normal lunch hour, but still better to make a reservation.
I’ll certainly revisit Tetsu to try out their other stuff, maybe i will have the Kaisekis done in Kushi-age style (breaded) the next time! Tetsu’s at Tanglin Mall level 3, and remember to use your Citicard to get the free Salmon Carpaccio!
All in all, the Katsu is excellent! Its really a must-try if you visit Tetsu. The other fame of Tetsu, their Tempura leaves more to be desired, we felt that their Kushi-age style is better than the Kushi-Tem style. Nevertheless, the Kaisekis course meals are still value for quality. The desserts area is the part which i felt Tetsu must really improve on if i were to go back for a revisit. Being a big fan of any dessert, i must have a nice dessert after every meal. And the desserts selection there can’t quite make it for now.
I highly recommended and advise you to go to ladyironchef to read on this post, simply because the post is way too long, and there are many more nice photos of the food!
” Singapore’s First LIVE Kushi-style Tonkatsu & Tempura restaurant “
1=SGD 0.0587
Ever since the demise of A&W in Singapore, Waffletown is probably the only fast food outlet in Singapore that serves up fried chicken and waffles in a small unit reminiscent of an old school American diner.
Located at Balmoral Plaza, the place isn't big and comes with brown table tops and orange chairs affixed to the ground just like A&W in the old days. A very serene sense of nostalgia sets in and one can't help but relish in the comfort it offers.
2 Piece Chicken Set - The chicken skin was crispy sans the layer of fats beneath, which of course is the lesser of two evils. Meat was moist and juicy and didn't come across as oily as those served up by KFC. Only downside was the seasoning of the chicken, which I personally felt was a little inadequate. The accompanying fries and coleslaw tasted like those ready made ones you can buy off the shelves from any supermarket.
Waffle with Blueberry and Vanilla Ice Cream & Waffle with Blackberry and Rum and Raisin Ice Cream - Since the place is called waffletown, its really a no brainer that waffles are their specialty. The waffles were very crispy but that in itself presents a problem, to me at least. Crispy waffles aren't moist and my idea of an ideal waffle should be crisp on the outside yet moist and full of bite on the inside. It must also be fragrant. Waffletown's waffles fulfilled the aroma criteria but they were crispy inside out, which made it a little like eating crackers. Fortunately, thats where the toppings and ice cream come into play, lending the waffles with additional flavour and moisture. All in all a good eat.
At about $6.70 for a 2 piece chicken set that comes with 2 sides and a drink, Waffletown goes for about the same price as KFC. Quality is much higher here though but there is the problem of location.
See all my pictures here.
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Sun Moulin is located just beside the Isetan Japanese Supermarket at Lido. My food partner and i went there after our lunch at Tetsu. I believe those who frequent the supermarket will need no introduction to this delightful bakery.
There are quite a wide range of breads, pastries, and cakes around, with prices ranging from 1 to 2 bucks, quite similar to your more commonly found Breadtalk and Four Leaves.
I was so full from the lunch at Tetsu, but my food partner is amazing, she brought quite a few home!
She has tried almost all the bread and pastries at Sun Moulin, so below are some of the ones which she highly recommended.
Soft An-pan ($2)
The soft An-pan is actually more familiar to most of us as the red bean paste bun. But at Sun Moulin, they use Hawaiian Bread dough. Soft and fluffy!
Belgian Waffle ($1.30)
The Belgian Waffle caught my attention first because i’m a sucker for good waffles. And at $1.30 its definitely worth a try, even though the waffle might be a little small in size. It will be excellent if you managed to get them hot off the pan.
Zebra Mini Croissant
There are a few selections of Croissant here, with $0.65 for one, $1.80 for 3, and $2.70 for 5. Naturally the more you get the cheaper it is.
Petit Sesame Croissant
Crispy layer of dough, with black and white sesame.
Mini croissant
Mini-size croissant, try the original taste!
Mini Choc Croissant
Your mini croissant now comes in chocolate flavour!
Double Taste Bun ($2)
Enjoy 2 kind of home-made taste, chocolate and custard cream inside.
My food partner got the double taste bun for me, and boy the bread is really good! Peeling off part of the bread, fills my nose with aroma of the warm chocolate and custard cream.
The bread is super soft, and its delicious even eaten on its own!
Total bill for 5 items were $9.10. I only tried one of the bread, and i’m already thinking of going back to Sun Moulin for more! My plan is to go there on an empty stomach, then order a lot of different bread to have them for lunch!
Sun Moulin’s bread are definitely better than your typical bakeries (you-know-what), and the prices are also in about the same range with the most expensive bread at 2 bucks.
You are always welcome to visit ladyironchef for a full-up on this trip. Whatever written herein are my genuine feelings expressed in words that may be subjected to my personal distortion or biasness. Feel free to furnish me with comments, may it be positive or negative : )
” My new favourite bakery “
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An Australian-Asian fusion cafe. We felt the design and furnishing looks more like those small family restaurant.
We were greeted warmly by the service crew at the entrance and guided to a table. Although its "crampy" but very clean and tidy. The crew proceeded to explain that orders are to be taken and paid at the cashier. Nets acceptable.
Sets inclusive of a main course, soup, dessert and a drink at $14.90 which we loved as its valued for money on the face value.
Soup:
Bit blend for taste and had to add pepper.
Main course:
Ordered black peppered sirloin ($11.90), Chicken chop (part of set meal). Sirloin was fine though its taste was covered by the sauce which was too spicy for me. Rice that came with the main course was too dry though it still taste quite nice. Chicken chop was fine and tender but the sauce was too blend. At least for the person who ate it.
Dessert:
I ordered "Crazy Sue" ($4.50) which was a chocolate and orange flavor cake. Nice blend of both flavors and not too sweet so even when I am full I still can finish the cake. Chocolate walnut that came with the set was also recommended. Commendable, although its a set meal at a low price, the quality and quantity of food wasn't compromised.
Garlic bread:
A bit above average though I still prefer the one at "Spaghetti Too" reason being the cheese was not chewy enough and bread not that crispy though its already better than a lot of others I've tried.
On the whole, the taste of food weren't too great. Above average I would say and definitely valued for money. The quality of customer service was also there and highly satisfactory.
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I, a fan of desserts and Yami Yoghurt, was more than excited when we walked past Yoguru. The prices are all in Feizhu's review and they seem right. So you can refer to that.
I was a teeny bit sad when there were only two flavours to choose from. But the lady at the counter mentioned that Original flavour was a little sweeter whereas the YoguBliss one was more sourish so I picked Original.
There were about 14 toppings to choose from and I took some time with that. So maybe the lack of flavours is a blessing in disguise.I picked out Oreo Crumbs and Cornflakes for $1.80. I think that it was a nice combination in terms of taste as it adds texture to the yoghurt.
But it was quite messy to eat as the cup overflowed. If you pick one topping it was ok, but two toppings was a little too much and you would risk having it all over yourself when you were done.
I'd have to agree that Yoguru is sweeter and softer than Yami (although I don't find Yami TOO sourish) and I like how Yoguru is fatfree too. But it really is quite expensive. A regular cup of Yami one topping is $3.75. But I paid $5.10 for my yoguru with two toppings. Note that the price diff between one topping and two isn't very much.
I would give it 3 and a half stars really... take away half for being more expensive for a slightly smaller serving.
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The yoghurt craze is catching on in Singapore with the opening of yoghurt outlets like Frolick and Yoguru. The former currently has 3 outlets in Singapore whereas the latter only has one.
Located in the still sleepy Kallang Leisure Park, Yoguru has a steady following of fans who swear by the brand's fat free yoghurt which comes in 2 varieties - original and YoguBliss, with the latter comprising of dragonfruit and pomegranate in the mixture. Prices start at $3.30 for a regular cup of original yoghurt to $7.90 for a jumbo take home container. Prices for the YoguBliss are slightly higher, at $3.80 for a regular and $9.30 for a jumbo. Toppings start at $1.20 each. Definitely not cheap.
Not being a fan of dragonfruit or pomegranate, I had a go at the original with toppings of diced strawberries. To be honest, I'm never liked yoghurt because my tolerance for sour stuff is minimal so it came as quite a surprise that I could actually finish up a whole cup of Yoguru's yoghurt by myself. The yoghurt is much sweeter than any of the other brands of yoghurt that I've tried and the smooth creamy texture reminds me more of ice cream, which is totally different from what you can get from NTUC or Frolick for that matter.
I like the idea of fat free pseudo ice cream with a sourish tinge enough to continue my patronage.
See all my pictures here.
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I've been to this outlet a few times.
Mind you, in my job we tend to get lots of backaches and stiff necks so a massage once in a while is absolutely necessary. Thank goodness I have some of these nearby. Don't be fooled by places of similiar names! This is one of the early ones boasting of traditional Javanese massage from ages ago.
I like to get the full body massage Ginger treatment. After a good massage the therapist would cover my body with ginger bits. I'd feel very very very hot and sometimes it even stings. I'd be covered with towels like a wrap, and it will be kept like that for 15-20 minutes. Trust me, it can be quite torturous... But after that your skin will be silky smooth. I have very sensitive skin and my skin was a wreck after my trip to China. It was covered with rash and dried bits all over but after the GInger treatment it was obviously much better! I think with another treatment next week it'll totally clear. Not only that my tummy will seem flatter after the treatment.
The staff is always polite and they don't make you feel uncomfortable. Also I've yet to meet anyone unskilled there. The prices start from $40 for non-members. Lifetime Membership is $150 and is transferable... Members can also sign two guests in and the guests are entitled to the same discounts.
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Attended a wedding tasting lunch at Hilton courtesy of my friend who will be tying the knot later this year.
Well not much can be said about the interior because it was held in one of the function rooms which are named after countries, with this particular one being Singapore.
Complimentary Bread - It was a unanimous decision. The bread was good. Served up warm, it exuded a mild fragrance together with a nice crackling sound when I broke off a piece to savour. The soft yet fluffy dough complemented with a thin layer of salted butter was enough to make us request for seconds. And for the record, I had 5 buns, which is definitely a first for me in such situations.
Gazpacho - I'm honestly not a fan of tomato soup, even more so chilled tomato soup, so I didn't quite take to it. And neither did anyone else around the table. But I personally felt that it could have been stronger on the taste as it did seem a little runny to me.
Madras Long Grain Rice with Raisin and Almond -
The good thing about long grain rice is that the grains stay seperate and fluffy after cooking, which was the case in this dish. When eaten with the almond slices and raisins, it made for a nice and light (healthy as well!) rice dish. A pity there weren't enough almonds or raisins to go around so there was quite a bit of rice leftover.
Roasted Stuffed Duck on Sauteed Sweet Cabbage with Mustad Cream - Ironically, the star of this dish wasn't the duck but the cabbage, which was sauteed to the right softness and flavourful. The duck on the other hand, wasn't exactly duck per se. According to the chef, a mixture of minced chicken, walnut and spinach were used to make the stuffing which was then rolled with a layer of fatty duck skin with some duck meat attached. The result? A highly chewy duck skin which was almost impossible to cut through, probably due to the amount of fats under the skin. The stuffing was still decent though but the skin really spoilt the whole dish.
Sea Bream with Roots Vegetables in Saffron Cream - The aesthetics of this dish proved to be the sole consolation for this dish, which is sad really. Huge portions aside, the fish meat was seriously tough and I was left wondering if it was really fish because the texture said otherwise. The saffron cream sauce was also a tad weak and it didn't help that the fish itself was rather bland.
Smoked Chicken Breast with Fresh Poached Prawn & Spicy Mango Salsa - I'm sorry but wheres the spice? The diced mangoes were sinfully sweet and had nary a taste of spice. As for the chicken breast, it had but an ever so faint trace of smokiness, which I would definitely have missed if I had eaten it with the mangoes. A longer smoking time would definitely be appreciated.
Hilton's Famous Cheesecake - Hilton has every right to be proud of its cheesecake because its really in a class of its own. Lightly moist and extremely cheesy, this classic American cheesecake is good enough to make me throw any diet plans out of the window. If you prefer the lighter chiffon variant, I would suggest you steer clear of Hilton's offering and head down to Cheesecake Cafe instead.
A good start and a good ending. Hilton just needs to fill up the hollow center. Thanks for the invite!
See all my pictures here.
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Hanabi Restaurant, situated at Bukit Timah Road King's Arcade. We went to this place on Sat for dinner. Read on Yebber's review that there will be a lot of people there so we decided to reserve a table for 3.
When we sat down, the waiter came over and ask us what drinks we want to order when we haven't even open our menu. Turned out its our fault as the buffet comes with complimentary hot or cold Ocha. So we ordered our drinks and sat to look through the menu.
Service was fast and polite. So fast that the moment some one saw my husband took up the menu, he came over and ask us whether we need to order. Not that this was bad. Service crew polite, food served fast and empty plates cleared fast.
Sashimi - I don't eat raw food as I find biting into raw meat very "恐怖“. But even to people like me, the Sashimi looks absolutely fresh and portions given were generously large. My friends who ate this said the meat were succulent and fresh but they ought to put the pieces on cooler or ice to keep the taste there. 2nd portion of the Sashimi ordered were not as nice though. Freshness was still there just that the cuts were not that good. Fish scales can be found.
Tempura - Not that great though served piping hot. We ordered Yasai Tempura and I felt that the vegetables were cooked too throughly and lost their texture. Unagi tempura was not bad with the tempura coating crispy and the Unagi itself soft and sweet.
Grilled items - Definitely pre-cooked and re-warmed. Items came out warm and some were cold. Looks dry and uninviting. Grilled items were not too good which can be understood as grilled items take longer to cook. To serve fast, they must be pre-cooked.
Others - We definitely loved the Chiizu Chawanmushi. Though except for a piece of mushroom, there were no other ingredients inside, it was surprising that cheese and eggs blended well together. Not to mention the chewy pieces of cheese at the bottom of the cup.
We also ordered Goma ice-cream (Black Sesame) and Yuzu ice-cream (Jap Lemon?) and Chocolate ice-cream. Both Goma and Yuzu taste heavenly. Especially the Yuzu which is a sorbet ice-cream. Different from other sorbet ice-cream was that it wasn't too watery hence doesn't melt too fast. Pieces of fruits inside the ice-cream and its thick texture makes this item absolutely worthed its price of $4 (per scope)
Total bill for the buffet was $124. Definitely worthed the price.
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When we decided to visit this restaurant after choir, we couldn't find a seat and had to wait for 10 mins at 3pm in the afternoon!!
When finally we got our seats, we ordered : Chocolate milk, Pineapple/Mango, Strawberry smoothies named after Disney Princesses, Macaroni and cheese spaghetti and Tomato Pasta.
Chocolate milk was alright. But still, its just normal chocolate milk that HL can do better.Pasta, looks like a big portion. Then again, the size of the dish was small. Sure to say this portion wasn't big enough for my husband. He finished it in 4 mouthfuls and had to add that much cheese to get a flavor out of it.
Macaroni and Cheese ... looks nice but doesn't taste as nice. Too watery and lacking in flavor. Except for macaroni and watery cheese, other ingredients were few. This dish will taste nicer if the amount of ham and pineapple increase.
Menu was limited too~ with only 3 kinds of spaghetti/pasta (one was the pasta of the day). Some kinds of burgers, pizzas and drinks.
Smoothies were what we found tasty there. Interesting blend of fruits such as Mango and Pineapple, healthy and refreshing. Though they can be improved on by crushing the ice to smaller pieces cause as we took our drinks, we found some ice "cubes" at the bottom.
Pizzas were in the shaped of a Mickey's head. Some may find it cute but I just found it unnerving to eat up a Mickey's head. At the cost of $15.90, I don't find it worth the value as the taste of the pizza wasn't that great. Crust too dry and the tomato sauce on it made the pizza salty.
On the whole, I won't recommend this place unless you have a Disney-crazy kid. 3 of us spent a total of $63 and ended with a half full, unsatisfied stomach. Disney Naturally has got good customer service though, the staffs being polite throughout.
However, it should change its ordering system. There were 2 counters there, one at the food area and another where they sell Disney merchandises. We were ushered to the payment counter at the Merchandise area to place order and pay for the food. However, we had to wait for very long as there were people paying for some toys in front of us. Seeing that the queue was slow, the man behind us went to the counter at the food area and placed his order. So in the first place, why were we ushered to the merchandise counter??
I would say I will not step into that place again though its good that they serve healthy meals and have hand washing areas to teach the kids to be healthy and good. But as an adult, I don't really appreciate the cute deco, small seats and confusing system.
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Tetsu, opening its doors at Tanglin Mall on January 17, 2008, pride themselves in serving Kushi-Tempura and Kushi-Katsu. Their concept is based on a “LIVE” preparation in front of you by their chefs, who have intensive training in their Japanese Headquarters.
The first impression upon stepping into Tetsu is really nice decorations. Contemporary yet not too modernize till the extend of losing the authentic Japanese feel. Chic furnishings like the curtains, and decors in the restaurant. The whole place exudes an elegant feel with its classy and clean look.
Tetsu certainly does not fits the bill with association to Food Junction, your local food courts isn’t it? But the truth is, Tetsu is actually owned and operate by Food Junction. Surprise surprise, i was quite astonished by this fact when i first heard of it. But i am pleased Food Junction is finally making full use to leverage on its experience and connections in the Food & Beverage Industry, to provide us the consumers with a wider variety of choices to dine at.
The counter bars in Tetsu are specially designed in such a way that diners can seat in close proximity to the chef, who will prepared their feast up for them, well its not just the stomach feast alone, there’s the visual feast right before you.
I was invited by Miss Pris Yap, who’s the consultant for Tetsu for a food tasting session. Here i will like to put Disclaimer first, the review written herein will not be influence simply because this is a food tasting session. Whatever written herein is the Frank and Honest opinions of my friend and i who went to Tetsu for the occasion.
We had the assurance from Miss Yap that they will seek our honest opinion to improve Tetsu, and that every visit to Tetsu will be the same, the food will not look or taste specially good just because this is a food tasting event.
My food dining partner joins me for Tetsu, and she’s a lover of Japanese food, so the review will be a combination of what both of us felt about the meal.
There’s also a VIP room which u can actually make a reservation to book it if you have a certain number of guests, around 10 at least if i’m not wrong.
At Tetsu, there are affordable set lunches from the Jubako, Katsu, Tempura,Sakana (fish) which are in the 20s to 30s price range. I’ll say the set meals are definitely value-for-money.
There is also the designer Kaiseki sets available. Kaiseki is an 5 course set, made up of 4 seasonal appetizers, designer salad, premium kushi-style main course, imported udon from Japan, and dessert at a mere $35. Of course there are more expensive options of the Kaiseki sets going at $45 and $55.
A wide range of Sake, Shoju, and wine are also available to go along with the food. We didn’t had any Sake because it was still early in the afternoon. Perhaps next time!
Salmon Carpaccio ($18)
For appetizer to start off our meal at Tetsu, we had the Salmon Carpaccio with french dressing. Carpaccio originated from Italy, and its usually slices of beef, tuna, or veal traditionally thinly sliced or pounded thin, with olive oil or vinaigrette drizzled over it.
We’ll preferred the carpaccio to be slice thinner, the thick and generous slices of the carpaccio at Tetsu is almost akin to sashimi portions. For people who like sashimi, they will probably have mixed feelings for this dish because usually sashimi lovers like the clean and fresh taste of the fish, and its raw texture on its own, but for this salmon, it has a french dressing on it.
Nonetheless, the Salmon Carpaccio is quite fresh, and with the current Citibank promotion, receive this as a complimentary with a minimum spending of $50.
The Salmon Carpaccio is an interesting take on fusion japanese & italian appetizer (although this is done with french dressing). The french dressing helps to balances the richness of the salmon with the complex sweet and sour taste of the dressing, the contrast between the taste is definitely appealing.
Roll sushi 6 Pieces ($18)
The roll sushi is covered with crunchy sesame seeds, but on the other end the sushis can actually can get quite dry. My friend thought that if the roll sushi comes with some sauce it will be perfect.
Traditionally sushi rolls are supposed to be eaten in one mouthful by putting the whole sushi inside. But the sushi here is a tad too big, so we couldn’t really fit it into our mouth.
Apparently it has salmon and scallops inside, though when mixed together the scallops taste can’t really be felt. The blend of crunchy sesame seeds and tobiko makes its quite yummy though. However at $18 for 6 pieces, it is considered rather expensive. Have this if you have the extra budget to spend on A la carte.
Onsentamago Tofu Salad ($13.50)
Onsen Tamago is hot spring egg. The eggs here are cooked slowly in hot water, so the whites are still soft while the yolks just slightly cooked. Blended together with tofu and sesame sauce, the combination offers a very refreshing approach to the normal salad.
The salad is served by mixing the egg together with the greens and tofu. A good appetizer if you are like us, prefer runny eggs.
Thats all for our A la carte starters, just to recap, we had the Salmon Carpaccio, the roll sushi and the Onsentamago Tofu Salad. All these three appetizers are ordered from the A la carte menu and are not in the set meals which are coming up next.
Rosu Katsu Set ($24.50)
The Rosu Katsu (Pork Loin) set is the actual main course that we are having for our lunch. There are two options for the Katsu set, you can choose from either the Rosu Katsu (pork loin) or the Hire Katsu (fillet katsu). Pork loin is fatter than fillet katsu in nature, which makes it more tender than Hire Katsu.
Another interesting point to note, besides the usual sauce that comes with the Katsu, Tetsu provides an alternative, the curry powder to go along with the pork loin. The curry powder is another option if you are sick of the usual sauce, however the powder here is quite on the salty side, so just dipped into it slightly.
The katsu is specially imported from Japan, lightly fried to produce a crust that is light but yet double the thickness of the usual katsu. The meat is marinated for 3 days to ensure its tasty and succulent texture.
Famed for their Katsu, the Kushi-age style (skewered with breaded batter) certainly lives up to expectations. The breaded style of the katsu is really good, the panko crumbs on it is very light which gives it a melt-in-your-mouth feel.
Furthermore, the katsu here has a generous cut, unlike some restaurants which cut the pork into very thin slices. At $24.50, the Rosu Katsu set is really a steal, definitely good value for money!
Fresh greens
The fresh greens are the appetizer which comes along with the Katsu set. Basically its a run of the mill salad with japanese sesame salad dressing, ordinary but yummy.
My partner likes the dressing for its slightly tangy but yet salty taste, and the texture of the sauce is creamy. But for me, i’m more of a fan for oily italian salad dressings, so this salad didn’t quite work out for me.
Kaiseki Set Course B ($45)
The Kaiseki Dinner course B comes with assorted 4 on a palatte as its appetizer, stick vegetable, Crab sukiyaki for the paper pot, with tempura as the main, and udon or rich, served with a dessert.
The main difference between course A ($35) and B ($45) is 10 bucks, with the addition of the Crab Sukiyaki. And the differiential between B ($45) and C ($55) is that C has an addition tuna carpaccio.
For our main course in the Kaiseki set B, the tempura is done kushi-tem style (tempura). It comes with six tempura, prawn, salmon, pork, beef, scallop and vegetables.
Tetsu is being known for its Katsu and Tempura aspects, and to tell the truth, we found the tempura to be quite a disappointment as we had expected better things from them. Right, the prawn was a bit small, not fat enough for a tempura, we didn’t get the “kick”from eating the prawn.
The Salmon (beside the prawn) was done better than the appetizer in the course.
My partner love the fresh air-flown scallop from Japan.
The seasonal vegetables are zuchinni and okra which my partner found it to be all right, but i didn’t like my vegetables to do it in this way, i prefer them green!
The pork and beef were quite average too. One thing that my partner concluded was if the mains are done in Kushi-age (breaded) rather than the one we had Kushi-tem (tempura), we felt that it will be definitely be better.
We felt that the tempura batter had nice texture, but it wasn’t seasoned enough, so it was quite tasteless for us. Nevertheless the batter is very light, not that oily and it didn’t leave any oily aftertaste that mediocre tempuras do.
The only reason we can conclude for the disappointment in the Tempura is because we had such high hopes for them, so even they are quite good, but they didn’t come out as well as we are expecting. You should try the Kushi-age (breaded) for this main!
Assorted 4 on palette
This is the appetizer for the course B. One thing that i liked about the starters in Tetsu course meal is that they are changed regularly because the chef will always pick the freshest ingredient for the current season.
The appetizer is suppose to comes in the different flavors, sweet, salty, and sour. Specially designed to tantalize your taste buds and “prepared” them for the main course.
I like the zesty chicken too which comes with orange and lemon flavour to provide the sour-ish taste.
My partner didn’t like the Salmon teriyaki, she preferred the tamago and prawn which helps to the sweet flavoring of the salmon.
Cod is done with miso, to give the salty flavor.
Stick vegetables
The Stick Vegetables also comes part of the Kaiseki set B. Its just your normal vegetables, but it comes with a soy-bean like sauce.
Kani-Suki (Crab Sukiyaki)
The prelude to the main, there’s the snow crab legs which are filled with snowy sweet white meat. However we lamented the fact that there is only two crab legs.
The Japanese straw mushroom is always nice in sukiyaki. And the soup base here is nicer than the other sukiyaki we tried before. It tasted sweet but not excessively so till its artificial.
Inaniwa Udon (warm)
The Inaniwa Udon is also imported from Japan. but the warm udon had a nice soup base so it’s good for rainy days.
Inaniwa Udon (cold) ($6.80)
The udon is not the fat kind, and its sort of flat like ipoh hor fun, nice and slippery! One of the udon comes with the Kaiseki set, and we ordered another one to try both the cold and hot udon.
Banana Tempura & Ice ($7.80)
In our frank opinion, the banana tempura is a ripped-off. For two pieces of banana tempura, we can get better ones at the hawker center at 50 cents each. Certainly not worth the price tag of $7.80!
Kisetsu ice & Warabimochi Monaka ($7.80)
This dessert fares slightly better than the Banana tempura. The combination of the Japanese Mochi with one scoop of normal vanilla ice cream is quite good, but still not worth the hefty price that comes along with it.
Kokonatsu Milk Purin ($5.80)
We concluded that the Kokonatsu milk purin, or coconut pudding is the best among the three desserts. This pudding is something new to us, not your usual run of the mill Japanese dessert which you commonly find in Singapore Japanese restaurants even though its supposed to be a classic Japanese dessert.
Coconut flavor wasnt that strong, we like the sublet flavor! hmm it was really pudding not creamy so i dont really like it
The coconut pudding is good to try for novelty, and it comes with the Kaiseki course set anyway, so there’s no need to order additional dessert.
Tetsu is certainly a nice place to try if you are looking for Japanese food. The set meals are really value-for-money, and the Kaisekis course meals, although heavier in price tag, but they provide more in variety and quality also. We felt that if its two person going to Tetsu, you can either order two set meals, or order one Kaisekis Course meals, and something from the A la carte menu.
The reasonable and affordable pricing at Tetsu means that you will no longer need to spend a bomb for your favourite Japanese food anymore. Tetsu offers a really chic environment, quite unlike your traditional Japanese restaurant. Its an excellent place to either bring a date for her cravings of Japanese food, or a group of friends where you can chill out with the selections of Sake, Shoju, and wine.
My friend and i, plus Miss Yap had a great afternoon enjoying and discussing about Japanese food, restaurants, and some off-topic conservations. We were so full from the meal! My thanks to Miss Yap for inviting us to a wonderful lunch experience at Tetsu.
And one other thing which I noticed, when we went in during 12 noon on a Monday afternoon, there wasn’t much people in the restaurant. But when the clock ticks towards two, the crowd starts coming in already. So you will be fine if you go during normal lunch hour, but still better to make a reservation.
I’ll certainly revisit Tetsu to try out their other stuff, maybe i will have the Kaisekis done in Kushi-age style (breaded) the next time! Tetsu’s at Tanglin Mall level 3, and remember to use your Citicard to get the free Salmon Carpaccio!
All in all, the Katsu is excellent! Its really a must-try if you visit Tetsu. The other fame of Tetsu, their Tempura leaves more to be desired, we felt that their Kushi-age style is better than the Kushi-Tem style. Nevertheless, the Kaisekis course meals are still value for quality. The desserts area is the part which i felt Tetsu must really improve on if i were to go back for a revisit. Being a big fan of any dessert, i must have a nice dessert after every meal. And the desserts selection there can’t quite make it for now.
I highly recommended and advise you to go to ladyironchef to read on this post, simply because the post is way too long, and there are many more nice photos of the food!
” Singapore’s First LIVE Kushi-style Tonkatsu & Tempura restaurant “
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