Kappou Miyako - Refreshing Japanese Cuisine with Originality

When I first saw this wooden door, which looks to be made from Japanese Cedar, in the relatively quiet International Building, it got me to stop in my tracks. The simplicity, with only the Japanese Kanji word "都" on the door, and pronounced Zen vibe of the exterior of the restaurant does pique my interest.

So when the chance comes where I am looking for a nice place to dine while hanging around the quieter part of Orchard.

Since this quaint little restaurant has been around for quite a while, I sort of assumed that the dishes are old-school Japanese type. Well, I’m in for a nice surprise when I find out that the dishes are unique, creative and delicious.

The interior of the restaurant is filled with Zen and Muji elements, filling one with a sense of calm. The service is very good too. This restaurant is definitely one of my surprise good finds.

Onsen Egg with chopped Tuna is one of my favourite dishes in this restaurant. Rich in taste due to the tuna and onsen egg, the pine nuts introduce crunchiness and nutty flavour for dimension in taste and texture.

Clams with Japanese Vegetables is so refreshing in taste and features the light milky briny sweetness of clams.

Yam and Anglerfish Liver is more earthy in taste, with hints of refreshing elements from the leek, really pleases the palates.

I absolutely love the slippery texture of the special Wakame paired with succulent bouncy Baby Scallops. And the nuanced essence of the ocean in this dish, such an enjoyment to savour this.

Flounder with Truffle features the clean taste of flounder and the intense earthy aroma of truffle, which works wonderfully.

The Sashimi trio of Amberjack, Maguro from Kyoto, Scallop is very good. And I also like the iceberg vegetable that goes with the Scallop and the sea grapes perching on top of the Amberjack.

Spanish Mackerel is moist and delicious. The crisp refreshing vegetal taste of Daikon sauce perks up the flavour of the fish. The Turnip, Yam and Pepper are nice accompaniments to the fish.

Uni with Anglerfish, Codfish Roe, soaked in Snow Crab + Scallop Sauce is so luxurious, packed to the brim with creamy sweet umami of uni and subtle, delicate flavours of the ocean from the Snow Crab and Scallop. Definitely an awesome surprise to have uni presented in this way.

Claypot rice with Amberjack, Nuts and Sakura Ebi is lovingly cooked with a piece of charcoal popped inside the pot.

Very flavourful rice with a nice smokiness from being cooked the claypot. The intense umami of Sakura Ebi makes it even better.

I love the homemade fishball in the miso soup because of it’s bouncy texture.

Nice dessert platter of Japanese fruits, chocolate macaron and Monaka with Matcha Ice-cream.

Thoughts: Good choice for a unique Omakase at Orchard

360 Orchard Road

#01-90/10 International Building

Nearest MRT: Orchard

Imbue Restaurant - Exciting and Beautiful Experience

The rise of fusion restaurants is so exciting. I do prefer well thought-out fusion menu that promises unique flavours that please and surprise the palates.

Imbue is one of the new restaurants that lovingly infuses elements of Asian flavours into European cuisine. And the food here amps it up further with the addition of distinctive taste of Chinese cuisine, such as Mala Gao and Doubanjiang. I absolutely love every dish here, the flavours featured explore different taste profiles, are memorable and like no other. One of the best restaurants, definitely a must-visit for foodies, food lovers and bon vivants.

The exterior of the restaurant is a subtle kind of head-turner due to the wide wooden door embellished with wooden planks laid in lightning bolt pattern and polished curved door handle. The interior is modern, stylish, grand and cosy due to clever use of mirrors, stairs and lights that makes me feel like I am in a exclusive space of a mansion.

The service is perfect: meticulous, friendly and professional, making this dining simply awesome.

Century Egg Crab is definitely one of my favourite. The smooth , rich pungency of century egg beautifully rounds up the essences of the sea from the briny sweet crab, umami of kelp and complex intensity of Kaluga caviar. So luxurious, so many nuanced flavours, I love this so much.

Oyster Mousse makes my eyes open wide at first taste because of how good and unique it is. It is smooth and creamy while packed with the distinctive taste of oyster: a medley of iodine, nutty flavour and mild sweetness. The jellyfish, fennel and citrus white soy adds a refreshing element and additional texture to the dish to contrast nicely with the richness of the oyster mousse. Definitely my favourite way of enjoying oyster.

Drunken Chicken here got to be the most succulent and tender chicken breast I have ever tried due to the hours of preparation and marination done on the meat. And it is one of the few chicken dishes I absolutely love. The Chinese elements of doubanjiang, (spicy fermented bean paste), Szechuan peppercorn oil and shaoxing wine (Chinese mildly sweet and fragrant rice wine) add kicks and layers to the taste of the chicken, elevating it.

Beautiful Trio of Appetisers served together

Smoked Yellowtail takes a surprise turn from the nuanced flavours of the appetisers to be bold and simulating instead. Yes, it’s another “widen my eyes in pleasant surprise” moment. This is such a refreshing dish due to the plum ginger, lapsang souchong complementing the light smoky goodness of yellowtail fish. The mountain yam adds a good variation to the texture.

Abalone ginko nut custard with preserved green chilli, pine nut evokes the feelings of pure warm happiness with each spoonful. Ah, that lovely mix of savoury flavours. And the texture is also excellent. This is another one of my favourite.

"MALAI" bread with malt is incredibly fluffy and soft while having a light crispy exterior peppered with thyme and sea salt. ginseng honey butter, thyme. The beloved taste of Chinese pepper is obvious in the bread yet the spiciness is skillfully maintained at a level to allow the other mellow favours to shine through. A unique and lovely treat.

Pan seared pork from Hungary has this lovely smokiness amid the succulent meat with a good firmness. It tastes superb on its own and even better with the mustard and sauce. The mushroom stuffed with macadamia tofu is on a class of its own, having that earthy goodness and a soufflé crunchy texture like no other mushrooms.

Yuba Pavlova, sesame oil, Meyer lemon curd, black lemon is rich yet refreshing at the same time, elevated with laces of the taste of sesame. The exterior is crispy with a bit of soufflé texture, juxtaposing well with the ice-cream-like texture of the lemon curd core. A very unique and awesome dessert.

Unique cocktail of Chocolate, Coffee and Irish Baileys, perfect to go with the Petit Fours.

I love the Mignardise here too!

Heaven and Earth cocktail has this unique woody, spicy taste that I actually like a lot.

The gastronomic journey here is truly one of a kind, being amazing and original. I feel so pampered here, especially my taste buds. A bon viviant’s goal reached here!

Thoughts: So Amazing!

32 Keong Saik Road 

Nearest MRT: Outram Park

Mikan Mochi

 

Soft, chewy and bursting with floral citrusy sweetness of Japanese mandarin orsnges, I love this so much. Going to buy more!

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: Don Don Donki

Synthesis 食拿酒稳 - Interesting East meets West Cuisine

A recent private party brought me to Synthesis, and after trying their food during the event and liking what I had tried, I decided that I need to come here again to focus on enjoying the food at my own pace (I was more of in celebratory mood than foodie mood during the party lol).

This place is bustling with patrons on a Saturday night, reservations is a must. After two outings here, I know exactly why. The East meets West cuisine here is interesting and unique, thus refreshing and surprising the palates, and more importantly, is delicious and well-suited to most palates, including those who mainly eat local food. I totally enjoy the food here.

The ambience here is an eclectic mix of different styles and vibes, which actually works and reflects what the food here is like too. The exterior is reminiscent of traditional Chinese medicine shop, which is quaint and eye catching. Once entering through a giant heavy wooden sliding door, whose entire surface was engraved with Chinese words, one will be greeted with a Taiwanese street lit with Chinese neon signs. Yes, this is totally instagram-worthy spot. After transversing through this corridor, carefully step over the kerb to see a totally different world of dark mysterious modern, stylish, upmarket bar. I also like the juxtapose of the western alcoholic drinks filling up the shelves on the wall behind the bar and the distinctively Chinese cutleries and cups stacked around the bar.

The service is friendly, helpful and energetic, which really fits well with the upbeat mood of the place.

Laksa Prawn Tartare wins me over with its Homemade Laksa Ice-cream, which is so creamy with hints of spiciness, zest and pungency. Yes, I try it on its own and also pair it with prawn cubes and potato chips. Both are good. This combination of prawn tartare and laksa ice-cream us ingenious. I would love this dish even more if the chips are more artisan in nature though.

Salmon Pani Puri totally gets my attention wuth how pretty it looks, and the taste matches up to the looks. Cured Atlantic Salmon, Assam Curry, Lemongrass Cream  create a bombastic taste with nuances of complexity and briny sweetness. The texture of thin crispy shell of Pani Puri complements the moist filling so well.

Nasi Lemak Kueh Pie Tee features Tumeric Chicken, Onion Sambal and Pandan Coconut Foam, which is like an ode to Malayan umami flavours. Very unique and pleasing in taste.

Pna-seared Hokkaido Scallops with XO Cauliflower Puree and Ikura is so succulent and tasty.

At the event, after trying one of this, I immediately love it. And at noticing that the people at my table were not helping themselves to the food (I have no idea why), I took another one, then another, plus another Kueh Pie Tee and Pani Puri. Maybe my actions made them realized that the food is good, and they started tucking into it. Goal met! I don’t like to see good food get wasted, so I either try to motivate people to finish it or I will try to finish it by myself.

"Suan Pan Zi' Truffle Carbonara is a must-try for vegetarians and worth a try for non-vegetarians. Slightly chewy Yam Abacus Seed soaked in lovely truffle cream sauce is so delicious. Crispy Burdock Root adds the variation in texture and Wild Mushroom elevates the dish with its earthy taste and unique texture.

Bing Chiling is consisted of Winter Melon Gelato, Honey Osmanthus Gelato and Peppermint Herbal Gelato. All three are tasty and nice. My favourite is a toss between Winter Melon and Honey Osmanthus. This is recommended for sharing. For me, having 3 gelatos at one go kind of freezes my senses and … brain. Now I appreciate that most desserts have only one scoop of ice-cream. Nonetheless I like the unique take on ice-creams here, and I would have love them more if I have each one of them on different occasions.

The awesome service staff serves up 2 shots of cocktails for me to try.

Appetite whetting Sakura Cocktail

I had tried other dishes, namely "Xia Hua" Charcoal You Tiao and Mongolian Fried Cauliflower, at the party, which are delicious, but I didn't' have the chance to take photos of them. The Cauliflower is like no other Cauliflower dish, highly recommended, and is another must try for vegetarians.

The experience here is like no others and definitely worth at least try.

Thoughts: Unique dishes that surprises and pleases the palates

Temasek Blvd

Suntec City Tower 4 #01-643

Nearest MRT: Promenade