Rappu Handroll Bar - Totally on the Roll!

 

High Roller of Toro, Uni, Caviar and Ikura. All the Treasures of the sea, plus a bit of gold flake to top up on the opulence, combined into this luxurious creation. It’s decadently good. And there is a cup of premium sake to go with it. Will impress any date.

Hotate, the first roll that is served. Fresh, sweet, plump scallop with perfectly seasoned starchy rice is so good that it makes me very excited on what is to come.

Kanpachi is a nice accompaniment to the awesome Hotate. Hotate whets my appetite so much that I just grab Kanpachi to bite into it the moment it is put on the cute stone platform. So no picture of it lol

Salmon is fresh and pretty good. I got to say that with the awesome rice and super crispy seaweed, even the good old salmon tastes great.

Toro is part of the reason I come here. Yes, yes, my Toro cravings thoroughly satisfied here. Generous amount of minced fatty tuna totally wins me over.

After the luxurious rich Toro, what else can top it off, the Crab, of course! Huge dollops of umami heaven wrapped with rice and fresh seaweed is a sea feast dream come true. The most intense in flavour among the rolls, and I absolutely love it.

Engawa is the surprise here for me since it is not easy to match up to the intensity of Toro and Crab, but it seals the deal beautifully as the last item of the rolls by introducing another kind of taste profile. Smooth, buttery meat being lightly seared by blow-torch to introduce the smoky taste is unbelievably good, satisfying and memorable.

Grilled Unagi is nicely done and its pliable, fatty, rich meat is very flavourful.

This place is like it’s for the hip, cool and foodies. A good place to see beautiful people here.Very modern setting with all the high chairs, bar counter, open kitchen and such while still retaining the Japanese sensibility with the bottles of sake lining the walls and the stone and clay cutlery.

The service here is very impressive. They are always On the Roll, cooking up a storm in front of us patrons, attending to our requests and keeping all things in order. And they manage all these with friendly deposition and a smile.

I love everything about this restaurant, it is one that I will definitely recommend to others and the one I want to visit again and again, if my schedule allows.

Thoughts: One of my favourites, where I get to enjoy lots of treasures of the sea!

Nearest car park: URA car park at Duxton Hill

Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar or Outram Park

52 Duxton Road

Singapore

Ellenborough Market Café - Awesome Variety of Quality Food Items

The sheer variety of quality food is definitely the highlight of this place. From taste simulating Tuna Tatare, 

Wholesome egg salad, Sashimi, very plain-tasting Seafood Platter, 

Awesome, tasty, nutritious Couch soup, spicy dumplings, crispy fresh corn flakes prawns, delicious deep-fried soft-shell crab,

Nonya food, 

Awesome orange mousse cake with strong aroma of orange and minimum sourness, 

to yummy desserts.

The place is pretty grand and super spacious, with Nonya touches here and there. Due to the big space, this is definitely a great choice for gatherings. I also love the variety of food here, ranging from Nonya, Chinese, Western, Japanese to Korean. This is one of my top choices for buffet.

Thoughts: Awesome Buffet!

Update: They changed the menu, and it’s for the worse, duh! The best food items on the previous menus, like the couch soup, soft-shell crab, tuna tartare are gone. The new items, being so-called kid-friendly, look boring. They are so generic that I can’t remember the names. All I remember is that they are like atas foodcourt food. So nope. In fact, I walk out of the restaurant right after a look at the menu. It’s totally not worth it.

Nearest car park: Swissotel Merchant’s car park

Nearest MRT: Clarke Quay

20 Merchant Road

Singapore

Shion Purple Yam Cookie

 

Generous amount of cream filled with wholesome earthy flavour of purple yam coupled with crispy wafer bits mixed in for awesome texture, this is pretty good.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/357041381/11117249358?smtt=0.147269227-1656454376.9

Sufood - Delicious Soul Food

 

I had been thinking of trying the food here but never had the chance to … until a particular afternoon where I just took leave to try out new food. I decide on Sufood because it is 2:30pm already. With most restaurants closed for afternoon break, and I’m at Raffles City already, I try my luck at Sufood, which closes at 3pm. And yes, the awesome service staff let me make the last order!

Wholesome Trio of Sesame Tofu, Plum Tomato and Matcha Soba starts the meal on a refreshing and simulating note. My favourite of the trio hot to be the sesame tofu. Rich nutty sesame sauce goes so well with silky tofu. Tomato preps and refreshes the palate for what is to come while the matcha soba is very smooth and tasty.

Garlic Mushroom with Vinaigrette Salad is bursting with flavours due to the great combination of garlic and vinaigrette. The well-cooked vegetables fully soak up these flavours. It’s a healthy dish, yet super tasty.

Cream of Pumpkin Soup is so creamy and rich, with a bit of sweetness. Great alternative to the all-time favourite of mushroom soup.

Baked Shell Pasta with Black Truffle is highlight of the meal. It is creamy and filled with the earthy flavour of truffle. A nice indulgence.

Lava Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream gets the thumbs-up from me too. Molten chocolate flows out when cutting into the cake, goes perfectly with the ice-cream and fluffy part of the cake.

Clean, minimalist, this place is really a nice comfortable place to hang out at. And I feel so full, yet refreshed after a meal here. I guess eating wholesome vegetables is more holistic for the body system. This is definitely one of my choices to come for vegetarian food since I love the novelty of presenting vegetarian food in European style.

Thoughts: Very Nice Vegetarian Food!

Nearest car park: Raffles City’s car park

Nearest MRT: City Hall

252 North Bridge Road

Raffles City #02-19

Singapore

Hokkaido Yubari Melon Langue de Chat

 

The sweet aroma of melon is so lovely that I immediately fall in love with this cookie. The melon filling is simply awesome. The cookie part is nice, but may do better if it’s more of a melt-in-your-mouth consistency. All in all, this makes for a great impressive gift or a wonderful indulgence for oneself.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/400463472/17103353430?smtt=0.147269227-1656426888.9

Ichiran Ramen

 

The Best packaged Ramen. Flavourful broth with spiciness that one can adjust. And the al dente level of the thin noodles can be adjusted according to one’s preference.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/91799978/6312979755?smtt=0.147269227-1656248144.9

LeTao Langue de Chat au Fromage

 

Cheese filling made with Mascarpone Cheese is definitely a winner, as long as no chocolate is added. LeTAO, famous for its fromage cheesecake, immediately caught my attention when I was browsing for Japanese snacks. Without a second thought, I ordered this cheese cookie biscuit. It didn’t disappoint. The cheese filling is out of this world. The cookie has that slight melt-in-your-mouth quality. A good buy.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/400463472/5683414919?smtt=0.147269227-1656142844.9

Pastarie Abate - Homely Italian Comfort Food

It is by chance that I patronise this restaurant since Iko stops weekend lunch service for revamp. Standing around aimlessly at Neil Road (my fault for assuming without checking), I decide to hop over to another restaurant nearby that looks good and promising. And Pasteria Abate, with the lush greenery, on the opposite side of the road immediately catches my attention. So here I go.

Fried Mozzarella is a very special dish that incorporates the crunchiness of fried breadcrumbs into the creamy, smooth stretchy texture of the mozzarella. And it works.

Mixed Seafood Spaghetti is chock full of fresh prawns, thumbs-up to this. And with the spicy sauce tossed in the thick spaghetti, this is a very hearty meal to have.

Martini Grilled Pork is very good too. And the portion is super generous. Though need to do some chewing.

The ambience is like that of an Italian home. So one feels really comfy there. Service is pretty good. Price wise, it is actually pretty good too. Maybe in a hurry to settle my lunch, I missed out on some of the interesting food items in the menu, like Porcini Ravoli (who can resist porcini?), Stove-top Mac and Cheese, Parma Ham Pizza and Caspesante Alla Griila (it’s Grilled Scallops Flambé served with Fennel and Sambucca Liqueur, okay, that sounds so good). I do look forward to going back to try the items I truly want to try, given the ones I had tried are good.

Thoughts: Promising!

Nearest car park: URA car park at Neil Road

Nearest MRT: Chinatown or Outram Park

86 Neil Road

Singapore

Ichigen Ebi Soba Miso Ramen

 

Enjoying thick noodles soaked with tasty broth full of the essence of shrimp, ahh, that’s life. This ramen from Hokkaido is good and I like the novelty of the noodles being freshly packed instead of drying it before packing.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/400463472/8027419904?smtt=0.147269227-1656138004.9

Nozomi - Unique Yummy Japanese Dishes

Nozomi, the restaurant at the end of Nihon Street in Millenia Walk, is surprisingly crowded given its secluded location.

What I like about this place is the repertoire of interesting and unique dishes not found anywhere else. In fact, I want to try them all, if the wallet allows.

Sakura Ebi is claypot filled with premium stuff such as Sakura Ebi for the essence of the sea and slices of truffle for the earthy aroma. And lots of ikura added for pops of umami. The starchy rice imbued with these flavours is really a wholesome treat. So good that other seasonings is no needed.

Salmon Lovers Platter is pretty good too.

The place is more of Izakaya style and the service is decent.

Frankly speaking, I feel do very satisfied after a meal here and I want so much to come here again to try all the different dishes like Hokkaido Scallop Black Truffle Capellini, Pidan Tofu, Hotate and Amaebi Don, Hokkaido Uni Chawamushi, Truffle Salt Potato Noisette, Smoked Duck Salad and Amebi Age. And Sakura Ebi gave a nice preview of the quality of food here. But circumstances disallows me to do so. Yup, personal issues … If I have the chance, will like to write more about other dishes.

Thoughts: Unique and Delicious Japanese Food with a Twist

Nearest car park: Millenia Walk’s car park

Nearest MRT: Promenade

9 Raffles Boulevard

Millenia Walk #02-06

Singapore

NewYork Perfect Cheese

 

The ultimate decadent Japanese Sweets: the combination of melt-in-your-mouth cookie biscuit, silky cream and slightly salty Gouda cheese with nutty goodness. It will impress on first bite. But it is very delicate, so handle with care and store in the fridge upon receipt. Let it warm up to room temperature to unlock the flavours before savouring.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/357041381/12977196812?smtt=0.147269227-1656122178.9