Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen - Best Ramen

Actually, I have a slight phobia of eating ramen. The oily, heavy and salty soup with a strong smell of pork, combined with the alkaline taste of ramen noodles—these usually are too strong for my tastes. I had tried the soup base of a number of famous ramen restaurants and had always ended up stopping after one sip. The one exception is the ramen in Tonkotsu Kazan Ramen.

One of the main reasons is because despite the milky appearance, the soup is light, infused with the flavours of fresh vegetables and not oily. It tastes almost like clear soup, which is what I prefer. Moreover, the soup is very flavourful due to the use of pork bones, yet there is no hint of that strong pungent smell of pork that is evident in lots of ramens—just like how the fishy smell is off-putting in fishes, if you know what I mean.

Another thing I like about the ramen here is that lots of fresh vegetables are added, so there is variation to the taste and texture instead of just downing strands of starch and carbohydrates. The noodles are a bit soggy, but I appreciate that they do not have that taste of lye that I dislike. Recommend to dip the food in the soya sauce mixed with freshly crushed garlic to up the simulating factor. Yes, you get to crush the garlics by yourself.

The tori kaarage is tasty with no hint of the smell of stale oil—I am sensitive to that. The gyoza is decent due to the fresh pork used.

The place is quite cramped and humble in terms of furnishing. At least, it is clean. The service is pretty good. Not exceptional when it comes to attentiveness and promptness, but they do give off a vibe that they enjoy what they are doing instead of executing what is expected of them. Special mention of the chef who not only handles the cooking station well in full view of the patrons, he is also very alert, responding promptly to our requests.

This is the only place I will go for ramen. Glad to find a restaurant that gets me to appreciate ramen and don't mind eating it again.

Update: Okay, the accolade of best ramen now goes to Burosu Honten Gyoza and Ramen instead.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Nearest car park: Square 2's car park

Nearest MRT: Novena

10 Sinaran Drive

Square 2 #02-68/69

Singapore

Contact No: 63976636

Mad About Sucre - Not only Mad about it, but also being Enthralled

The moment I stepped into this chic patisserie, I can feel the vibe of Paris. It has a black and white vertical stripes theme that is minimalistic and classy, and the decorations and cake couturier's works of beauty impart an European feel onto the place.

Things look further up when one of the bosses greeted me with zest. He went on to give a detailed introduction of the cakes. It is obvious that the cakes are made with dedicated ideals in mind, not compromising on quality in favour of profits. Such patisseries always get me excited about trying out their creations because there is potential of surprising me with their innovations and delighting me with the perfect harmonization of the best ingredients.

Moulin Rouge is the lightest in terms of taste, but it is no lightweight when it comes to getting the attention of dessert lovers. Despite the reduced sugar, plus the fact that raw sugar is not as sweet, this cake actually tastes blissfully sweet. I guess this is due to the quality and the combination of the ingredients bringing out the inherent sweetness. Like how the freshest seafood is so packed with flavours, in spite of not adding any seasoning. Well, you get the idea. Moving on back to Moulin Rouge, the initial bite invokes mental images of spring: flowers of different kinds blooming. Like the flowers that are pleasing to the eye and whose mild floral aroma filled the air, this cake embodies multiple subtle flavours, from the nutty taste of the walnut parfait to the nuanced charred flavour. The intensity gets cranked up when it is eaten with the almond flakes—they are not merely for decoration. I absolutely love this pairing since the almond adds an interesting crunchy quality to the bite and accentuates the flavour of the caramel, rendering this cake to be truely Moulin Rouge, like its namesake. The short pastry at the bottom, which is moist and crumbly, plus a millimetre thin sponge above it, add variation to the overall texture so that it is not about mousse only.

The Coco Citron may sounds heavy in terms of taste, given that it is consisted of lemon curb and coconut, the two components well-known to have strong flavours. So I was surprised to find out that it is light and refreshing—namely due to the airy coconut mousse. The two main ingredients are mild in taste and actually coexist in unison to create an unique and pretty exciting taste. The sugar crystals are delights to sink my teeth into because they are really crunchy and have the exact right level of sweetness: not overwhelmingly cloying.

The chocolate cake made with single origin cocoa from San Domingue, aptly named after the island, is very intense in taste. The smooth rum encased in the chocolate jewel box is potent and has a light sweetness, going perfectly with the fresh chocolate mousse. When someone says that dark chocolate is bitter, I always go, "Nope, that is not the case with premium chocolate." Like the best chocolates, San Domingue's ones only has a trace of bitterness to give the extra dimension to the overall taste, they are actually sweet, exceedingly smooth and full of the aroma of roasted chocolates. When I knew that there is no sugar added to the chocolate, I really wondered if I had heard it wrongly. The chocolate mousse tastes sweet, no doubt about it, so it is amazing that the cocoa itself has such inherent sweetness. I would have loved this cake to the bits if not for the banana in it. Since I have never like to eat banana in any form other than its original one. The acidity of the banana in San Domingue has been toned down a lot, which is all good, but it is not enough to switch me to the banana-in-desserts camp. Still, I will order this cake again because of the sublime combination of quality chocolate and rum.

Even the teas are made with fine, quality ingredients. I love the floral aroma of the rose from Paris, laced with traces of the sweet smell of vanilla from Magadascar.

Price wise, the cakes are not cheap though they are definitely worth it. Desserts in high-end restaurants are of the same price range anyway, and the quality is comparable. The service is just as good and friendlier than some well-known establishments.

I absolutely love to go back again.

Update: And I did! Check out my post on the savoury dishes of this restaurant, and Castile, a Spring 2017 cake.

My Thoughts: Amazing!

Nearest car park: URA's open air car park along Teo Hong Road and Bukit Pasoh. Prepare lots of coupons.

Nearest MRT: Outram Park

27 Teo Hong Road

Singapore

Contact No: 62213969

Mai Thai - Spicy Goodness and Best Tom Yum Soup

Closed

Seems like there are some changes made to the dishes after my first time, disastrous dining experience there where I had fallen sick due to the incredible level of hotness in the food. Things had gotten much better since they had added non spicy options in the set menu, and if I am not wrong, the level of spiciness can be adjusted, unlike last time.

Ambience wise, the place has a very exotic vibe with strong Thai influences. The service is okay.

As for the food, lots of ingredients and spices are added to create dishes with strong aroma and very simulating tastes, alternating between sourness, saltiness and spiciness. The curries are bursting with flavours, so do the tom yam soup, but lots of milk tea needed to quench the flaming sensations resulted. The grilled chicken itself is being imbued with a light charred flavour and essence of a few spices. When paired with the sauce, things kick into high gear. Yes, more milk tea needed in this case. The prawn paste balls have a very crispy exterior and an interior packed with fresh, delicious prawn paste. No hint of the smell of used oil, so thumbs-up to this. The milk tea is very sweet due to lots of evaporated milk added, but I appreciate strong taste of milk and that it helps to put out the fire on the tastebuds.

The Tom Yum Soup here is the best among all the Tom Yum soups I have tried. No doubt about it. Lots of ingredients like lemongrass, prawns, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, spring onions and spices are added to create this little bowl of tangy goodness. Absolutely simulating on the taste buds and appetite-whetting, this clear soup has the right balance of spicy and tangy flavours, completed with the strong aroma of the spices and seafood. No other Tom Yum soup packs as much flavours as Mai Thai's Tom Yum Soup. And to add a cherry on top of the cake, patrons can request for the less spicy version of the soup, which is what I always do.

The Mango Sticky Rice is another must-try. The starchy, sticky, smooth glutinous rice has crystal-like appearance, and when served warm with coconut drizzled on it, it is a delightful treat. When paired with the slightly cold, sweet mango slices, the contrast produces fireworks on the palates. This makes a satisfying dessert with its multitude of flavours and aromas.

Go for the set lunch, which is very value for money. Ala carte dishes are quite expensive, considering the small potions. But the dishes do cater to most palates, so this place is a great venue for gatherings.

I can't say that I'm blown away by the food here since the dishes are quite humble type that create an impression through overwhelming, bling bling kind of taste with no subtlety. But it is a place I like to go to once in a while to enjoy Thai food since my taste buds appreciate the shock therapy every now and then. In addition, I do love their generous use of spices in their dishes which is unlike many other places. By the way, among the Thai establishments I had visited, this is the only Thai restaurant that I write about, goes to show that this is the only one that gives me enough motivation to do it.

My Thoughts: Lots of Kick!

Note: This restaurant does not look like it is still in operation. And nobody in Greenwich V's management office answers my phone calls to confirm this.

Update: Yes, this place is no longer in operation, and the Holland V branch is no longer in operation also.

Hai Di Lao - Most probably the Best Hotpot

I was quite sceptical about how good Hai Di Lao is since chain restaurants are well-known to be huge disappointments. Thus I was totally bowled over by what this place has to offer, both in terms of food and service.

The rich, milky white—bright red if ordering Mala—soup base is very flavourful, even before adding the ingredients. The seafood one has a light taste of the goodness of the sea while the chicken soup has a strong flavour of, well, chicken. In fact, this is the only place, excluding Tsukada Nojo, where I do not need to order prawns to yield tasty soups. The Mala one is extremely potent in terms of spiciness, great for certain ingredients, like luncheon meat, sliced pork, tau pok (drain away the liquid first), baby corn and such. Avoid putting the vegetables into the Mala soup if one has low tolerance towards spicy food since it is easy to choke on the overwhelming hotness. Adding parsley and spring onion to the soup is recommended.

The ingredients are fresh, and most are reasonably priced, with exception to the pastes and seafood. Also helps that the variety is awesome, featuring many types of ingredients from all kinds of beancurd products, various meats and seafood, several kinds of noodles and vegetables. The best part about this place is that one can concoct customized dipping sauces from a huge array of condiments available. Sesame sauce, sesame oil, freshly minced garlic—so fresh that the typical strong pungent smell can blow one away, soy sauce, chives, parsley, spring onions, chillies, the list goes on. The staff is very regular in topping up the condiments, which is all good. Go easy on the chillies and even the garlic because the ones here pack lots of fiery power.

The service is unbelievably good, except for the reservation system where they lost track of a reservation that was two weeks old, and when they need to check their reservation list. They are very proactive, polite, patient and prompt in responding to requests. Even the kitchen staff is very polite.

The place is well-kept and clean. No complaints here. Though it may get cramped if an obnoxious patron sits behind you because the chairs take up quite a lot of space, and the person is inconsiderate, well, good luck.

Despite this minor issue, Hai Di Lao is still my favourite place to go for hotpot.

My Thoughts: Very Nice!

Nearest car park: 313@Somerset's car park

Nearest MRT: Somerset

Level 4, 313@Somerset

313 Orchard Road

Singapore

Contact No: 6835 7227