Ikkoten Omakase - Special, Wonderful Gastronomic Adventure

Back at another of my favourite restaurant of my favourites, Ikkoten Omakase, for another awesome gastronomic adventure! Chef Brandon Low flexed his culinary skills and prepared special dishes specially for me 🎉 I love all the dishes here, they taste oh-so-good and unique at the same time. Lots of first times here also, with savouring Sakura Sushi, Uni with Shio Kombu, Smoked Otoro and Takiawase of Round Eggplant, Tempura Mushroom soaked in thick crab broth and Sake Pairing 😊😊😊

Japanese Spinach and Mushroom soaked in homemade Dashi sauce is a lovely garden of freshness and savoury goodness. The texture of Spinach is perfection, being moist and tender, juxtaposing well with the bouncy, succulent texture of the mushrooms. Excellent start.

Fig with Fig Jelly is so refreshing and sweet. My favourite fig, yes!

Sakura sushi is light, earthy and savoury, an awesome snack to contrast with the refreshing sweetness of the snack prior. I love this change in taste profile between snacks. In fact, I realise that the Fig is masterfully placed before this sushi to cleanse the palates so that I can appreciate the subtle flavours of this sushi.

Shitake Mushroom stuffed with Fish Paste features a fantastic texture, where the crispy veil-thin batter excellently contrasts with the plump, juicy mushroom for conplexity. And the savoury sweet fish paste adds a richness to perk up the earthy taste of mushroom. Best Shitake Mushroom I ever have.

Pregnant squid has a creamy, bouncy texture and lovely mild briny sweetness made exciting by the mild Japanese peppercorns.

Tsukuri, in the form of Houbou Shio Kombu, makes me go "Wow!" at first bite. I thought it will be sweet, but it turns out to be far more complex due to the briny goodness of the Shio Kombu. And the firm texture of the paper thin slices of Houbou, a rare kind of red flatfish, complements the creaminess of the uni so well.

Smoked Otoro Ponzu Foam is the best smoked meat I ever have. Creamy, tender, smooth, and elevated by the aroma of smoked hay, this is oh-so-good. The light savoury zesty umami of the ponzu foam perfectly balances the robust taste of the smoked otoro.

Takiawase, a difficult-to-master simmered dish, is actually Chef Brandon's specialty and he always hits the sweet spots with his Takiawase creations. Yes, I feel this burst of warm feeling of happiness when savouring this dish full of the briny goodness of kani, which is crab, soaked in Ankake, a starchy broth. Marunasu, a round eggplant, is specially prepared to retain the firm core amid the simmering. And the labourious process pays off to yield this amazingly delicious eggplant with a wonderful texture. Shiomaitake, aka tempura mushroom, radish roll with cheese and oden are all excellent additions to the dish, featuring an array of tastes and textures.

I enjoy this so much that I actually forget to request Chef to shave in some yuzu zest. Luckily he offers to do so before I gobble up everything. With yuzu, there is an element of refreshing flavour to brighten up the warm flavours, giving a new perspective to the taste.

I'm not exactly a fish person, but I will gladly help myself to the fish dishes here, including Yakimono of Aka Amadai. The Amadai features smooth, creamy, succulent flesh that juxtaposes so well with the super crispy deep dried fish scales.  And the root vegetables add lovely earthy flavours to balance the taste.

Miyazaki A5 Wagyu being cooked in Shabu style and then grilled the Yakiniku way, finished with Sanshio Pepper and almost raw egg, is complex in taste, perfect in texture and full of meaty sweetness. The extra step of grilling the meat to yield that taste of char, adds so much more to the overall taste. Excellent.

Ayu Donabe Meshi, made with premium Niigata rice, is starchy, smooth and starchy, packed with the goodness of the collagen broth. This is such a satisfying dish to savour.

Housemade dessert of Marshmallow-like Rice Puffs and Red Bean paste looks simple but is absolutely delicious. The light, fluffy, crispy rice puffs complement the sweet earthy taste of red paste perfectly. Shizuoka Crown Melon is like honey water, infused with musk, in solid form, which is so good.

Special Sake Pairing for the A5 Wagyu, enhancing the experience 💖

Thoughts: One of a Kind Awesome Gastronomic Adventure engaging all senses 💌

86 Telok Ayer Street

Home Made Dumplings is the Best!

It’s time for Chinese Dumplings! And I’m so looking forward to dumplings made by my mum. It’s a show of her love for us because making these dumplings take so much effort. From buying huge bulk of the ingredients such as bamboo leaves, bamboo veins, glutinous rice, pork, mushrooms, chestnuts and spices. And she needs to chop up the meat and pluck out the bitter veins from the chestnuts. Saved for the spices and meat, she needs to soak all the ingredients in water overnight to soften them. Then she spends lots of time wrapping the dumplings and cooking each batch for 3 hours. The whole process takes more than 12 hours. And yes, the kitchen is so hot.

Despite the tedious work, she wants to make these dumplings for her children because we are so fussy about the dumplings we eat. We only eat dumplings made by our mum. I had brought dumplings from restaurants and stores, and none manages to make me go back a second time for them. Too oily, too salty, you get the drift.

Thus I want to post about the best dumplings (to me), made with most amount of love, here 💖

Omakase @ Stevens - Amazingly Beautiful Experience

I'm back at Omakase@Stevens, one of my favourite restaurants among the favourites to enjoy Beautiful Cuisine with Beautiful Taste of Spring. Everything is so meticulously crafted here by Chef Kazuki Arimoto of  and is so refreshingly different and complex that I have this feeling of falling in love all over again every time I come here ❤️ I can’t wait to be back here again 😊

I always look forward to going to this restaurant because I know that Chef Kazuki Arimoto always explore novel ingredients and come out with new surprises every season. And this spring, hints of vegetal freshness brighten up every dish and add that soft speck of excitement to the taste that make me go “wow” with every mouthful.

Hotaru Ika from Hyougo is lightly grilled over charcoal to get the light taste of char interlacing with the intense briny sweetness of the squid for complexity. Canola Blossom, Karashimiso introduces the freshness of the vegetables to balance this briny sweetness. It is unbelievably good, and unique at the same time, where the layers of flavours are harmonised to spellbind the palates.

First dish of Hassun is Maguro with Wasabi and Nori. It reminds me of my favourite sushi: Negitoro, and this dainty, beautiful creation is much more than that: full of hints of additional flavours for complexity. When popped into the mouth, I immediately taste the top notes of briny sweetness, and then the bottom notes of vegetal freshness amazingly develops, giving that subtle gastronomic surprise.

Amaebi is oh-so briny sweet, complex and creamy. I love this so much. And the Green Peas plus Tomato adds the freshness to the sweetness, perking things up. The bouncy, creamy flesh of amaebi juxatposes so well with the crispy tartlet.

Wagyu, with unique Shintamanegi, soaked in Egg Yolk and Whites features this awesome meaty sweetness, rounded up by creaminess of the egg and accentuated by the freshness of Shintamenegi. Despite the wagyu and egg with heavier flavours, this creation is light on the palates, which is a surprise I love.

Lobster from France is the Best Lobster I ever have. The bouncy and succulent lobster tastes so different, in an excellent way, where its soft briny sweet taste is so pronounced and distinctive, enhanced by Crustacean Sauce, Rouille, Snap Pea and Radish.

Another Best here with Sakura Masu from Hokkaido! Yes, this is the best Best Sakura Masu I ever have. The pliable flaky succulent flesh is so rich on flavour. The sauce of caviar & ikura that does the magic to elevate the taste. And the smoky aroma is another magic component that balances the taste of trout. Mille-Feuille is an awesome satisfying potato snack to go with the fish.

Wagyu from Kyoto, has this wonderful juicy texture that contrasts perfectly with the incredibly fine katsu exterior. The juicy meaty goodness is cut through by the flavours of Japanese Mustard and Madeira for an exciting, balanced taste.

Donabe with starchy, fluffy pearl-like Niigata Rice is so awesomely creamy due to the cubes of wagyu added. And the earthy taste of the generous slices of Truffle is perfect match with the wagyu's meaty flavour. And the truffle adds an extra good bite to the texture, making it even better.

Inspired by Chef's childhood melon drink, he come out with refreshing dessert made with Melon from Ibaraki. A beautiful mix of musk melon with elegant aroma and yubari melon that is sweeter, made even better with the lemon confit and the frozen coconut powder freshly sprinkled by the chef.

Dessert of Setoka Orange from Aichi is full of harmonised flavours of sweetness and zest. The tangy flavours of orange is prefectly balanced by the baked sweetness and slight bitterness of Gyokuro Dacquoise. An amazingly dessert.

Absolutely unique petite fours with Macaron made from Raspberry, gummy made from Japanese plum and dark chocolate with lava-like ganache.

Thoughts: Amazingly Beautiful Experience!

30 Stevens Road #01-03

Gramona Wine Dinner at Tinto - Fantastic Experience

Gramona Wine Dinner at Tinto organised by ewineasia.com immediately got my attention and I immediately jumped on it. Because I love the food at Tinto, it features that distinctive taste of authentic Español cuisine, defining it from other European cuisine. I really feel like I’m transported to Spain when dining here.

And this turns out to be one of the best experiences I have. Talking to the winemaker himself, Leon Gramona, really deepens my appreciation of the wines made. When paired with the amazing food, it’s “wow, wow, wow” moment. I also love how different types of wines (bubbles, signature, white, red, dessert) are brought into the picture to keep things varied and exciting. I can say Gramona wines are definitely my favourite now. And Gramona III Lustros is the best Bubbles. 

The food is my-oh-my delicious and unique. So robust, balanced and harmonised in flavours. Definitely evokes my love for Espanõl food again.

Gramona, Imperial Brut 2018 is lovely bubbles that refreshes the palates with a base note of creamy mousse.

Super fluffy bread with stretchy texture that goes perfectly with the olive oil.

Mini Cevichito Catalan, packed with lots of goodies such as Marinated Red Snapper, Romesco Tiger's Milk and Cherry Tomatoes, is refreshing, tangy and surprisingly creamy. The well-balanced multitude of flavours perk up and spellbind the palates. The Toasted Almonds add a good crunchy texture and earthy tone to this awesome starter.

The bubbles in III Lusteos, 2015, are so fine that they cannot be seen by naked eye. But I can feel them when drinking the wine. So smooth yet so exciting. This kimd of bubbles is formed through 15 years aging of the wine. The quality truly shows here. This is a must-try.

Vieiras Gratinada incites the “oh-my, this is unbelievablely good” reaction from me and wverat the table. Roasted Scallops on the shell, topped with Butter, Cava, Ibérico Ham Cinco Jotas and finished with Gratinated with Machego Cheese is so creamy, savoury and conplex. It’s nothing like I tasted before! It is so amazing in taste with so many distinctive taste notes yet all are harmonised. The mild briny sweetness of scallops actually comes through the myriad of flavours and nutty meatiness of ibérico to be even better.

This is the moment I’m so glad that I sign up for this Wine Dinner.

Taco De Pulpo features Grilled Spanish Octopus with Soft Corn Tortilla, Lemon Aioli, Pickled Spanish Onions and Coriander. So meaty, so flavourful, so exciting in taste. When topped at some of the specialty aromatic spicy sauce, it’s fiery and tantalising. I love this too.

Mas Escorpi is the white featured for the day. And it goes so well with the spicy Taco. It’s a very refreshing experience to feel that aromatic intense spiciness spreading in the mouth and then immediately cooling it down with this wine.

Paella Latina Con Chanchito is a a medley of Bomba Rice, Ají Panca Chiila, Ibérico Pork Jowl, Cured Chorizo, Pork Cracklings and Habanero Chilli Mayo. And it works brilliantly. The texture is awesome in that the fluffy, delicious, starchy rice juxtaposes so well with the crunchiness of the Pork Cracklings and chewiness of Pork Jowl and Cured Chorizo. The taste is robust, bursting with lots of flavours, yet very well-balanced at the sane time.

L'Enclos De Paralba Vi Fi De Masia Negre 2020 has that light aroma of oak that perks up the taste without overwhelming the palates. Yes, I got this too.

Suspiro De  is Traditional Passion Fruit Custard with Meringue and a touch of Cinnamon. This is tanginess, sweetness, creaminess and spiciness rolled into harmony to yield an exciting, lovely dessert.

Dessert wine, Gramona Vi De Glass 2023, is mellow and very balanced in sweetness, exactly how I like it. And yes, I got a bottle of this because it is so good.

Thoughts: One of the best Experiences!

10 Dempsey Road #01-21