Hokkaido Melon Pudding

This is so delicious! Yes, another star buy from Don Don Donki. Made with Hokkaido Milk and Melon, this pudding is creamy and full of the musky sweetness of melon. I'm getting more of this for my family.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: Don Don Donki

Baristart Coffee - For both Coffee Lovers and Non-Coffee Lovers

At last! I get to dine at Baristart Coffee after weeks of trying to no avail. Big reason for this is because this quaint cafe always had a queue already when I went there at around 1pm. I beat the crowd this time by going at 10:30am instead and I got a seat without queuing, but much to my surprise, there are other patrons in there already. So yup, this place is that popular. After trying the food here, I can see why this cafe is so popular.

Since I don't drink coffee, I will talk about another specialty of this cafe instead: Hokkaido BLEI Jersey Milk. And custard of Strawberry Sweet Jar is made exactly from Hokkaido Milk. The custard is silky and very rich in flavour. Full of milky goodness and not heavy at the same time. The cookie crumbles add a nice variation in texture to accentuate the silkiness of the custard. I also like to eat the custard together with the aroma of baked cookie at every bite. A very nice dessert to enjoy.

I love it that this cafe offers something special that other cafes seldom do, which is yoghurt related drink. Since I'm slightly lactose-intolerant, this Blueberry Yoghurt Smoothie is my saviour, especially in the morning when I haven't eaten much yet. After enjoying does of this refreshing, super yummy, super healthy, slightly zesty and creamy smoothie, my tummy is feeling great all day long.

Obihiro Butadon is such an awesome dish, which surprises me since I do not expect a cafe to serve up something savoury that is so good. The pork is very thinly sliced to throughly soak up the essence of the sweet, aromatic homemade teriyaki sauce and for easy bite. Mizuna, a type of veggie which adds the refreshing element to the dish together with the onion, is easy to bite too. The fat of the pork is full of nutty aroma that makes it even better. Pearl-like Nanatsuboshi rice is starchy and has an iota of chewiness, I can actually eat this rice on its own. In fact, I have eaten it on its own as they are very generous with the amount of rice added to the don, so when I finish the pork slices, there is still some rice left ...

The place is of chic cafe style and features very flattering lightning where almost everyone there looks good. So when there, just snap lots of pictures of the instagram worthy food, yourself, your partner/s, friends or family. The service is good and efficient. This is definitely one of my favourite cafes due to the good food and the yoghurt smoothie–this is my personal must order when at Baristart Coffee.

Thoughts: Awesome Cafe!

65 Tras Street

Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

Fluff Meijin Hokkaido Cheese Mochi

Who would have guessed that this slightly humble-looking packaging packs such delicious snack inside. The puffy mochi has the starchiness of glutinous rice, and yet will surprise one with its super fluffiness. It’s like enjoying cheese clouds ☁️ ❤️ 

There is nothing else like this. Definitely worth a try.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/857785396/19451535487?smtt=0.147269227-1669247242.9

Don Don Donki - I go Crazy Shopping here lol

After a recent change in lifestyle, I can now shop reins free! Well, sort of. And going to Don Don Donki simply awakens that shopaholic soul in me. So yes, while I go here with a see see look look attitude, I end up going crazy on the buying and just put whatever I like into the basket.

First mention is the Shine Muscat Grapes, the best grapes in the world! This grape is like the refreshing condensation of the sweetest fruity wine. Thin skin and no seed, it's perfection manifested in grape form. A must get if going to Don Don Donki.

The mini tomatoes are pretty sweet too and super juicy. So good that I can eat these as snacks.

The Emina Cheese Dessert is like pudding in triangular form. Very interesting and the taste is creamy and good.

Otafuku Okonomiyaki is delicious and authentic. Good to satisfy cravings for some omelettes packed with vegetables and some seafood. I like it that the sauce, bonito flakes and seaweed flakes are included.

My Star Deli Ebi Croquettes is one of my star buys of the day. The creamy prawn filling hidden within the fried mashed potato is a joy to eat since it is umami goodness.

This ramen smells so good and tastes great too. The broth is milder in flavour, not as salty and not as strong in pork taste, exactly how I like it. In fact, I finish the soup.

My Favourite Grocery shopping places!

Fujiya Country Ma’am Season Limited Hokkaido melon soft chocolate chip cookies

I love these cookies because they are moist due to real melon custard added within the soft cookie dough. Easy to finish all in one go.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/786118443/19014758545?smtt=0.147269227-1662867101.9

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

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

Hokkaido Pote Kotan

Best Potato Snack! Best of all, the flavours are from natural ingredients. So flavourful due to the addition of seasoned onion powder to premium Hokkaido potato. Yea, Hokkaido potato tastes a league better than the common potatoes. Easy to finish three packets in one go.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this:

https://shopee.sg/product/400463472/3783395513?smtt=0.147269227-1655978469.9

or

https://shopee.sg/product/568232041/12932386503?smtt=0.147269227-1655978512.9

Pullman Bakery - Interesting Variety of Yummy Breads

The moment I stepped into this upmarket bakery, I am wowed over by the huge variety of breads there. To top it off, most of the breads are not the usual run of the mill type, it is really tempting to buy all of them to try. I end up getting the famous Melon Bun and the Ham and Cheese bread.

Melon Bun is surprisingly yummy even though it has no filling. The bread is soft and fluffy, and the crumbly sweet crust on top plus the milky goodness within makes this a sweet delight.

Ham and Cheese bread is slightly different from the Ham and Cheese found in other establishments due to the thick strip of creamy cheese and the sprinkling of pepper on top to give an extra kick. I like it that the cheese used here is not the usual cheese slice but natural cheese.

I look forward to update this page more after I have tried more of their offerings.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Nearest car park: Millenia Walk
Nearest MRT: Promenade

Millenia Walk #01-97/98
9 Raffles Boulevard
Singapore
Contact No: 63373575

Love of Japanese Cakes

Recently, NTUC have imported several brands of Japanese cakes, to my delight, so there is no need to fly up to Japan to get a bite of these morsels of delice. Take note that despite the impossibly beautiful packaging, I find that not all are extremely good in taste. So I spent lots of moolahs to try out all and buy extra boxes of the nice ones to give to my loved ones. And here are my findings:

Nagoya Tamogo Manjū (名古屋たまごまんじゅう)

This snack is the only one I remember from my days of working in a Japanese company where my Japanese colleagues would buy Japanese snacks for us. I still recognize this product from the adorable picture of a chick with big head.

Sweet egg bean paste wrapped in thin crepe-like dough skin, this manjū hits the right spots of sweets lovers.

The white bean paste is fine in texture and the egg adds a nice aroma to it. A tad too sweet, but the rich flavours are good enough to indulge in once in a while.

A hot seller in NTUC.

Yubari Melon Steam Cake

Whiffs of the sweet aroma of Hokkaido melon immediately filled the air when biting into this cake with a molten centre that is infused with premium melon. This actually tastes way better than those slices of tasteless melon on sale in fruit stalls.

The cake is fluffy and soft though a bit on the dry side. I guess packaged cakes cannot be as moist and buttery as those freshly made ones. But the molten melon incorporates the needed moisture into the cake when eaten together. So the end result is a blissfully sweet fruity treat.

Another hot seller. All were sold out five days later when I wanted to get more.

Hokkaido Cheesecake

This is basically the light Japanese Cheesecake with a hidden treasure of a molten cream cheese ganache. The cake itself is that decent but ordinary cheesecake. When paired with the creamy, aromatic cream cheese in the centre, it is oh so good. I have no problem finishing five in one go.

Boxes of these fly off the shelves at a pretty fast rate.

Osaka Sachimaneki (大坂幸まねき)

This is an assortment of Japanese cakes that makes very impressive gift. The delicate paper wrappings of pastel colours and hues are so pretty that every time I take one of the snacks to eat, I take a second to admire the packaging.

The one with a cute cartoon of a chick is very similar to Nagoya Tamago manjū in terms of taste, especially the intense sweetness. Though the bean bun in this box of treasures is slightly drier in texture. But it still makes for an addictive treat.

The red bean dorayaki is very sweet, but the rich aroma of the crepe and relatively smooth red bean filling renders this enjoyable snack to tuck into.

The chestnut puff is kind of meh. I think packaged puffs are simply not comparable to freshly made ones since the filling used is of starchy consistency instead of the creamy one. I am no fan of mochi, so it is not exactly fair for me to comment too much on it. One thing is for sure: it did not convert me into a mochi lover.

The green tea cake is between the two ends of the spectrum of taste: not bad in taste and quite moist in texture, but not outstanding in any way.

Well, the manjū and dorayaki make it worthwhile to try this selection of cakes.

Akai Bohshi (赤い帽子)

The biscuits look really good, and the dark and gold packaging impart a royal feel.

Most of the selection are of butter cookies base though the texture is drier than that of Danish cookies. What makes some of these biscuits better than the Danish cookies is the addition of other ingredients. So for the milk roll and tea roll: the ones with no chocolate or almonds, they taste like those ordinary cookies. Surprisingly, the rose cookie, which looks yummy and catches my attention straightaway, disappoints since it is just another cookie with the very faint aroma of rose.

My favourite one is, unexpectedly, the Coffee Macaroon since I have no love for coffee. It is very crunchy, and the thin layer of hardened syrup on top adds extra bite and moisture to this confectionary.

Other favourites are White Chocolate cookie and Almond Leaf. The aroma of roasted almonds really do a lot to add dimension to the taste. The white chocolate imparts the creaminess to buy biscuit, making a whole lot of differences.

Those biscuits wrapped in candy style make nice little bites due to the chocolate coating the wafer.

The strawberry cookie looks absolutely sweet. Taste wise, I like the strawberry cream with dried strawberry bits sprinkled on top since the tart taste and the mild aroma of strawberries speaks of authentic flavourings and ingredients.

This box of cookies makes absolutely wonderful and impressive gift.

Produce from Hokkaido

The best gems of this Hokkaido fair are the milk and Farm Designs yoghurt cheesecake (The dried food are not included since I did not try them).

The milk is absolutely sublime; being as refreshing as spring water without compromising on the aromatic creamy (not milky) taste.

The yoghurt cheesecake is very creamy, and of pure cheesecake goodness with very light hint of sourness.

The souffles are melt in your mouth quality, the taste is good, though I prefer Hakodate's cheesecake, which is more aromatic.

The strawberry cube puff looks good and is filled with lots of custard, though I find the taste to be quite ordinary and there is slight weird taste.

As for the crab inari sushi, my suggestion is to eat the crab meat separately from the inari beancurd skin. The inari's taste is too sweet and overpowering that totally eclipses the delicate taste of the crab. The crab is actually pretty good with the subtle taste of the sea, so don't waste it with the inari.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get these: Hokkaido fair at Ngee Ann City's food hall