Tonkichi - Value for Money Set Lunches

For a filling, all rounded meal, Tonkichi is a pretty good choice to consider since the set meal features free-flow of shredded cabbage and decently sized fried meat patty. The breadcrumbs coating the meat is crunchy yet does not have needle-like texture that cuts the tongue—I had eaten tonkatsu with texture like that before, for the record. I like the creamy, nutty sesame sauce that goes very well with the finely shredded cabbage.

Service is a mixed bag. Some auntie staffs are pretty friendly and helpful, but some staffs are rude and look really grouchy. On my first visit there, I requested to change my table to a vacant one nearby, but they rejected me with a grumpy look worn on their faces. The most frustrating part is that a couple who came in later were shown to the table I wanted, and no, they did not reserve that table at first. The service is better on the second visit though.

As for the reason I wanted to change table, well, when seated at that table, I found myself staring at the entrance to the kitchen, and I can say that it is not a pleasant sight. The corridor leading to it is dark, grim and gloomy. And the rubbish bin put at the entrance is in a state that makes me lost my appetite. Really, if you have a choice, avoid sitting at there.

If I am in a budget mode, I do not mind going there to give the wallet a break. But if in a mood to spend, I prefer to go to Saboten.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

Nearest car park: Ngee Ann City's car park
Nearest MRT: Orchard

391 Orchard Road
Ngee Ann City, #04-24
Singapore
Contact No: 67357522

Mizuki - The Little Details that Impress

The second one steps into the restaurant, it becomes obvious that this restaurant aims to provide a dining experience that is like no other through incorporating little fine details into every facet. From the get-go, be prepared to immerse in the strong Japanese vibe while walking down the corridor, where wooden panels with Japanese floral motifs lined the walls, leading to the private rooms and counter seats. And once inside the private room, the interior takes on Japanese posh, minimalist style, letting the gorgeous ornate hanging crystal lamps be the centrepiece of the place. Ambience wise, I can really find no fault with the place. It is perfect, and no surprise, since the interior was designed by a Japanese designer who look into all details, including those in the restrooms.

When my glass of water is served, the fine, elaborate floral patterns on the glass immediately catches my attention. I like this attention to details, and all the more so when I find out that the glass was handmade in Japan. And so do all the beautiful delicate sake glasses that come in many colours. It is quite an experience to choose one from a box of lovely handmade glass cups. It definitely helps that the sake is smooth and sweet. Yes, I do recommend ordering the sake there for the experience.

The starter of vegetables is pretty interesting, which whets the appetite.

On my second visit, the starter consists of fine seawood that thoroughly absorbs the sweet vinegar is so simulating and refreshing in taste. This is a great way to start the meal.

The real show starts when the chawamushi is presented. It is the best chawamushi I ever have. The rich custard is submerged in the thick, starchy, clear broth that holds lots of umami flavours. Not only is the custard full of flavours, the texture of the broth also adds a nice twist to it.

Next up is the sushi for the $48 set lunch: eight pieces of them to be exact. I love it that fresh fishes of better quality are used instead of the usual suspects of salmon, akami, etc. Hirame has very clean taste that I appreciate and I definitely love the thick slab of whole Hotate. Bonito, while looks like the redder version of akami, is way better in taste due to more intense flavour and smoother texture. Chutoro has that melt-in-mouth texture, thus it is for sure the highlight among the sushi pieces. The other fishes all get the ticks of approval from me due to their freshness. And got to make a special mention of the mackerel, which reminds me of the unbelievably awesome Aji at Shinji, due to the dot of green condiment perching on top of the sushi. Well, the mackerel is tad too fishy to my liking, but the simulating flavours of the condiment tones down the fishy taste a lot, making this sushi an enjoyable treat.

As for the sushi line-up on my second visit there, it is ten pieces of sushi served one by one for the $80 set lunch. And I am totally wowed over by the dining experience of sitting at the counter and enjoying the premium sushi. This reminds me so much of the amazing experience at Shinji. As I has said, part of the dining experience at such Japanese restaurants consists of watching the chef carefully prepares the sushi and savouring the morsels, one by one, and right after they are ready. The aburi otoro is amazingly buttery in taste, aburi snapper successfully showcases the great matrimony of the clean taste of snapper and the smoky flavour of grilled meat, the ama ebi are big and sweet and so is the hotate. Aji is served instead of saba, and the difference is obvious. Aji has slightly more silky flesh and does not have the strong fishy smell. Paired with the green dot of condiment, it is truly morsel of délice, which is pretty close to what I had at Shinji. The uni is fresh and oh-so-sweet, which definitely makes me a happy foodie.

Kappa temaki is kind of like the humble sibling of the sushi pieces. The good part about it is the nice crispy toasty seaweed that I enjoy munching on. It is actually more for filling the tummy, as an accompaniment treat, rather than standing out in its own. For the $80 set meal, we have negitoro temaki instead, and I love the creamy texture of the minced tuna belly. This temaki does stand out on its own and as the last of the mains to be served, it seals the deal perfectly.

Miso is the clear type, which is my preference.

Dessert of Japanese ice-cream completes the meal. It does not blow me away, but it is a nice dessert, full of black sesame goodness, to end the meal. But I highly recommend choosing the mochi instead, if you have no allergy to peanut. The mochi almost melts in my mouth instantly the moment I bite into it. I never have such awesome mochi before. For this, the mochi is definitely worth a try.

One more thing, I highly recommend ordering the side of Cheese Tempura. For one, one does not easily find this dish anywhere else. And just imagine melted cheese encased in crispy tempura batter, yes, it is very good.

The service here is absolutely wonderful and meticulous, matching up to the level of intricacy of the food and setting. Even though I am seated at the private room, I have no problem getting the attention of the service crew since they are always on the go. I am thoroughly impressed.

For set lunch starting from $48 only, this is definitely value for money. And it is worth it to go there at least once, for the experience. For me, I will go there more than once, that is for sure.

My Thoughts: Awesome!

Nearest car park: Ngee Ann City's car park
Nearest MRT: Orchard

#05-32, Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road
Contact No: 67346308

Tampopo Grand (Ngee Ann City) - Very Good Mid-Range Restaurant

Given that this restaurant is of mid range type, the service and food are considered as very good.

I like the light savoury soup base for the shabu shabu, the fresh thin slices of pork and the crisp vegetables. In fact, I can't stop drinking the soup once started. The ponzu sauce is an excellent condiment to go with the shabu shabu. 

As for the soba, it is great in texture, being smooth yet not soggy, and refreshing.

The teriyaki chicken is so excellently cooked. The charcoal taste is distinctive, but there is hardly any charred bits on the chicken. So the aroma is there, without the bitter taste of charred meat—best way to enjoy grilled meat.

Best of all, these dishes go so well with the pearl-like Japanese starchy rice. As I had said before, I am very fussy about the quality of rice. And the rice here meets my expectations to the point I have no problem finishing them. 

The sashimi are fresh and very well-cut, not top of the tier but better than majority of its competitors. And at $33 only, completed with two slices of chutoro and a otoro sushi, this is exceedingly value for money. It is a real steal.

The staff are very friendly and helpful, especially the Chinese guy manager.  They even said farewell to the leaving patrons which is a pleasant surprise since staff of some restaurants in the higher range do not even do that.  Ambience is decent also.

A nice choice to have lunch at if shopping in Takashimaya. Besides, Ginza Kuroson, this restaurant is our top choice to visit when at Ngee Ann city.

My Thoughts: It is one of my Favourite Haunts!

Nearest car park: Ngee Ann City's car park

Nearest MRT: Orchard

#04-28 Ngee Ann City

391A Orchard Road

Singapore
Contact No: 67352959

Ginza Kuroson (Takeshimaya) - Quality Japanese Food at Good Prices

Closed

Kurosan is one of those Japanese restaurants that features an extensive menu of lunch sets, and in terms of variety and general quality of the food, I give thumbs-up to these.

At first sight, the interior looks impressive. The seats are spacious, so there is no elbow rubbing with one's neighbour. However, when seated at the counter, I was greeted with the sight of the Japanese produce and seafood. It is pretty tempting to order them.

The nagekomi here is filled with lots of different fishes, so much that the variety will dazzle one's tastebuds. I had the ama ebi, salmon, akami, hamachi, salmon roe, minced fish, tamago and a number of others packed onto the bowl of sublime tasting rice. Moist grains of rice are smooth and starchy in texture, each is imbued with fragrant sushi vinegar. They are soft yet not mushy—signs of rice wellcooked. The raw fishes are very fresh, and I like the addition of the minced fish, adding variety to this dish. But somehow, I didn't enjoy this chirashi entirely. After dining at Syun, I figured that I am not into chirashi. My companion did absolutely enjoy his bowls of nagekomi on our second time, third and fourth there.

My favourite got to be the negitoro rice bowl. Fresh minced tuna belly, topped with chopped spring onions and real wasabi, this dish is bursting with flavours. Spring onions can do wonders to the taste of food, and in this case, raw fatty fish meat. Not as sublime as the negitoro in Shinji, but good (and wallet-friendly) for me to indulge in.

The shrimp and avocado bowl is another good choice—the number of unique set lunch choices is so many that it is possible to patronize this place many times within a short span of time. The avocado introduces a creamy texture and neutral taste, saved for a slight bitterness of fresh vegetables, to the sushi rice, accentuating the taste of brine in the cooked shrimps. The sour-cream-like sauce adds the zing and tangy flavour, which stir up things, in a good way.

I give double thumbs-up to the grilled pork. The meat is super fresh, tender and grilled to perfection. The seasonings is simple, just some salt and a dash of sauce at the side to let the ingredients shine through and do their magic on the palates.

The appetizer changes according to availability of ingredients. The first time, it is pretty good, whetting the appetite, like the pickles I had in Nijumaru. The appetizer I had on the second visit is cooked tuna cubes, which taste very fishy, just like the one I had in Aoki. And just like that time, I had difficulty finishing it. There are other times where the appetizers are so good that they can be considered as dishes in their own. The salad is a huge meh—too generic to warrant any attention. Desserts are okay, coming in the form of pudding and custard. Yes, no watermelon! Though they are just those nice custard found in bakeries, instead of being unique in any way.

The service is good and professional though the staff was very down-to-business. Any casual chitchat with them will be met with smiles and a short reply, then full stop. I must be spoiled by the excellent service in other establishments, like Mad about Sucre, Holiday Inn Tandoori, to nitpick on this. The good part is that they are focused in attending to the needs of the patrons, which is all good.

During a recent visit, we were ushered into a hidden dining room. The vibe there is cosier, so I highly recommend opting to dine there. We were very impressed by the hospitality of chef Tommy stationed there since he took note of our preferences and dietary restrictions and chatted with us about the food—it is always good to know more to appreciate the food. The Japanese chef there is polite and goes the extra mile for the patrons. I definitely prefer to enjoy my meal in this room over the main area.

This is one restaurant I will always be going back due to the sheer variety of quality set lunches and the negitoro rice bowl, which is not easily available elsewhere.

Update: There is a branch at Robertson Quay now! And the food is as good.

Update as of Jul 2019: This restaurant had changed management and things are not what they were used to be. The fishes are not as fresh and the cuts are awful, yielding pieces of sashimi that are too thick and too big to be finished in a mouthful. Will not support them anymore.

My Thoughts: It is one of my Favourite Haunts!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Patties & Wiches - One of the Better Choices for Cafes in Orchard

Closed

Orchard Road, especially around Takashimaya, is a great place to go (window) shopping. It is great if there are a lot of good choices of restaurants and cafes to hang out at after all the walking. The number of restaurants and cafes are countless, but only few offer good quality food to the niche market. While Takashimaya has Kuroson, Tampopo, Angus, Shaw has Shabu Shabu Gen, and Cuppage contains a whole trove of treasures, there are hardly any good cafes or bakeries around Orchard area. So due to the lack of worthy competition, Patties & Wiches provides a fairly decent choice to tuck into some pretty good cakes and enjoy good coffee.

I have no idea why the owner named this place "Patties & Wiches" because I decided to give it a miss the first time I passed by it due to the name sounds generic and that does not say a lot about what the cafe is all about. But after going to Paul's to find the place full and the cake selection looking unattractive, I turned back to Patties & Wiches since the place of black and white theme does look attractive and is reminiscent of one of those Japanese inspired Western cafes.

The cakes are creations of Chef Yamashita, who is the one behind those sublime cakes of Flor. So yes, cakes are, of course, good. I tried the chocolate cake with chestnut cream. The chestnut cream and the vanilla cream are no doubt very light, mildly yet bursting with creamy goodness, as expected of Flor's cakes. The chestnut cream is still one of the best I ever have, due to the good balance of sweetness and earthy aroma of the chestnuts—too much chestnuts will render the cream bitter while too little makes it taste like normal cream. Though the chocolate sponge in the cake is kind of meh. It is flat in taste, a bit too bitter and pretty dry in texture. I had heard about how the chocolate cakes in Flor are the lacklustre ones in the line-up. Guess it is true, based this first time experience.

The Chou-Pop is good. While the shell is nothing to shout about—at least it is not rubbery like those usual ones—the cream is thick and made with quality ingredients, such as real vanilla.

I did not try the coffee, but my companion gave the thumbs-up to the coffee.

Service is decent but not exemplary. Still, this place is a better choice to go to as compared to few others around the area. Though take note that the prices of the cakes here are exemplary. Nine dollars for a cake ... the cakes at Flor are not that expensive, saved for the sublime Bara that is decorated with real gold flakes. Considering that the cakes at Lady M are around nine dollars price range, this cafe is still the better choice.

My Thoughts: Nice!

This cafe is no longer in operation.

Flor Patisserie (Duxton Hill) - The Search for my Fav Patisserie is over

Before I found Flor, I was searching for THAT patisserie that will wow me over with an array of cakes made with passion, having service staffs who are all smiles. Sure, I like Bakezin's Jivara and Canele's Strawberry Shortcake, but the number of cakes that caught my fancy do not exceed 2 in each case and the service standard at these 2 establishments is bordering on being less than decent. The cakes there are nice but lack that "soul" since they are mass produced. The Patissier's chocolate cakes are so decadent, though the service at Flor takes the cake. K Ki's Antoinette and Nao are sublime and out of this world, but these are the only cakes in K Ki's lineup that I fell in love with (but they are the best cakes I had ever eaten due to the intensity of the taste).

For Flor, it is like falling in love in a two-timing, no wait, eleven-timing fashion. Napoleon, Strawberry Souffle, Waguri Millefeuille, Fromage Blanc, Berry Berries, Mont Blanc, Orange Rare Cheese, The Blue Donut, Marasaki Hime, Marron Pie, Ice Cheese tarts; all of them taste so good and heavenly (soft, complex, flavourful yet light on the palate). The amalgamation of fresh ingredients with different textures and tastes are in perfect harmony to create a form that tastes like no others. The ice mango cheese tart may looks ordinary, but it taste pretty good. Try it in the morning to be wowed by it. 

A summary on the cakes:

Napoleon - Layers of fresh cream sandwiched between puff pastry and moist sponge works beautifully. Multi-dimensional texture and taste serves to excite the palate. This is the star along with Waguri Millefeuille.

Waguri Millefeuille - Chestnut version of Napoleon. The inclusion of the sweet, fragrant, nutty cream of chestnut makes this cake unbelievably sublime. A must try.

Fromage Blanc - More for cheese lovers. Not exactly sweet, the tangy taste of the rare cheese will please those who are looking for a quality, not-so-sweet dessert. The addition of blueberry jam accentuate the wonderful taste of cheese.

Berry Berries - Flor's rendition of the Strawberry Shortcake. Absolutely flawless due to the use of quality ingredients.

Mont Blanc - This is Waguri Millefeuille without the puff pastry. Waguri Millefeuille wins in terms of texture, but Mont Blanc is good that there is less mess resulted from cutting the puff pastry. Personally recommend this for whole cake over Waguri Millefeuille for easy slicing.

Bara - While I am no fan of Bandung, I love Bara, a creation that successfully marries the two elements well-known for their incredibly sweet aromas: rose and lycee. The fragrance of rose is light, well-balanced with that of lycee, with two co-existing in harmony. This cake is like the delightful Ladurée rose macaron in mousse form. I am spellbound by this one.

Strawberry Souffle - This cheesecake is of melt-in-your-mouth texture. The wonderful taste and aroma of cream cheese is distinct yet subtle—one of the best cheesecakes in SG (not including those in fine dining restaurants).

Orange Rare Cheese - I had never like orange nor food associated with orange, but this cake totally changes that. The orange and rare cheese combination yields a somewhat refreshing, unique dessert which tastes delightful.

Marron Pie - This one looks ordinary but the taste is out of this world due to the intense flavour of butter, chestnut and almond.

The Blue Donut - A cake filled with lots of mousse. I love this one for its unique yet alsolutely pleasing taste which marries yoghurt and vanilla together to create the sweet, yet slightly zesty bliss. I'm not sure if it's due to the addition of the Butterfly Pea Bloom or the blue colour that I find the cake to be refreshing to eat. Well, most important is that I enjoy it a lot.

Murasaki Hime - I always like creativity infused into food, so this cake made from sweet potato is a winner in my eyes. The earthy aroma and texture gives an interesting dimension to the taste. For fans of Waguri Millefeuille and Mont Blanc.

5 o'clock fromage - Kind of like Fromage Blanc, except the base is made with chocolate cookies crumbs. Still prefer Fromage Blanc since the chocolate does not go well with the cheese. Eat separately to fully enjoy the cheese mousse.

Pumpkin Pie - Just like Waguri Millefeuille, this creation has the dimension in texture due to flaky pastry base and the great marriage of the earthy flavour of the pumpkin, cream and custard. Another winner in the line-up.

Matchago - Okay, this is really expensive with a price tag of $9.20. But the sesame cream is too strong in flavour and does not go well with confectionary products. Not worth it, I feel.

To further seal the deal, the service staffs are so friendly, enthusiastic and full of smiles, it is hard not to love this quaint, charming little patisserie. And the chef himself even made the effort to come out of the kitchen to greet the patrons. How's that for sincerity? Totally.

I can't wait to visit Flor again, just to savour the wonderful cakes there again, despite the place being located on a quiet, "hard to maneuver to" street.

My Thoughts: Sweet Bliss!

Nearest car park: Open air car park at Duxton Hill

Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

2 Duxton Hill #01-01
Singapore
Contact No: 62238628

SunnyHills - Ingots of Sweetness

Ingots of Sweetness, well, not exactly in the literal sense since the pineapple ingots sold here are made with minimum sugar (I think, since they are not cloyingly sweet). More of in the sense that one can feel the sweetness in the heart when eating the ingots. The natural flavour and fragrance of the pineapple filling is strong and the slightly chewy (not overly) nature of the filling lends a good bite. The crust is soft and has enough moisture not to feel dry, is filled with the aromatic flavour of butter which lingers around in one's mouth when eating the ingot, mmmm, nice.

The place and service exlude a distinctive Taiwanese's feel; cozy, natural and friendly.

Will definitely pay this shop a visit if I happen to be dining at Royal China or Shinji in Raffles Hotel.

Note: This outlet have shifted to Ngee Ann City due to renovation at Raffles Hotel.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Nearest car park: Ngee Ann City's car park

Nearest MRT: Orchard

#B2-27 Ngee Ann City
391 Orchard Road
Singapore
Contact No: 85229605

Angus House (Ngee Ann City) - Value for money

A peek at Augus House from the outside, one might guess that the price of the food here must be hefty, since the decor looks classy (I like the piano located near the entrance which automatically play music) as compared to quite a number of its neighbouring restaurants. Seriously, many are missing out on getting decent food at a decent price when they give this quiet little restaurant a miss.

The menu mainly consists of grilled items and spaghetti dishes, which are very flavorful. The abalone with salmon roe spaghetti is practically overflowing with the taste of umi (Japanese word for "sea")! One thing I like about this place is that quality ingredients are used, like abalone, real crab meat (Not those imitation crab meat), big juicy prawns, yet without putting a big price tag for all these dishes. The grilled scallops are so naturally sweet that only a dash of lemon is needed to add a zest to the overall taste. However, if one is ordering the Augus beef, of course it will be far more straining on the wallet.

The service is ok, not exactly meticulous, but they fulfil the basic expectations.

Given the decent quality of food and wallet friendly price, this is one of my top choice for dining if I'm shopping at Ngee Ann City!

My Thoughts: Nice!

Nearest car park: Ngee Ann City's car park

Nearest MRT: Orchard

391 Orchard Road
#04-25 Ngee Ann City
Singapore
Contact No: 67356015

Ladurée Patisserie Singapore - Colours that look as sweet as the taste

Closed

Flavors In the box: (from Left to Right) 1st row - Marron, 2nd row - Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Rose, 3rd row - Praline, Maria Antoinette, Strawberry Candy Marshmellow, Vanilla

The macarons here come in huge array of colours and flavours, seeking to entice many to try them. In fact, this works for me, with more than 10 flavours to choose from, there is lots of fun in choosing the macarons and there is bound to be one flavour that one will like.

The macaron shells are very meaty with no “caves” in them, giving an extremely good, chewy bite. One of the best in terms of texture. Though this texture will be gone if out in our humid and hot weather for too long. Need to pop back into the fridge to get back that chewy texture again.

As for the flavours, personal preferences are Rose (Nice, smooth, strong flowery scent), Maria Antoinette (refreshing and interesting with the tea infusion), Vanilla (this humble flavour, overlooked by many, is surprisingly good, being very classic, french and old school in taste with subtle hints of extra dimension) and Praline (love the very strong flavour of hazelnut, unlike a lot of other macarons out there). The salty caramel is quite a disappointment, given the hype reviews. Personally find it too sweet to my liking. The ganache of Strawberry Candy Marshmallow has an interesting texture, similar to that of the marshmellow, but the taste is like that of the bubblegum, very artificial, will definitely avoid this one in the future. Pistachio and Marron are okay, though not outstanding in taste. Actually, I still prefer the macarons with multi-dimensional taste, at Jewels Artisan, which had sadly closed already. So I guess Laduree helps a bit to fill in that void.

Service wise, I like it that the staffs there practise utmost hygiene in handling of the macarons and the cashier is very polite, trying hard to include that French touch in his greetings. Though I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed that those impossibly beautiful dainty cakes of Laduree are not available at the stores here.

Good for personal indulgence once in a while, since the price is not exactly that wallet friendly. Though the macarons here make great gifts, given the pretty packaging and the established name.

My Thoughts: Nice!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Crystal Jade Korean Ginseng Chicken & BBQ (Ngee Ann City) - Not too bad

Closed

I still remember that when I first tried out the Korean BBQ meat here, I was wowed over by the strong, tasty flavour of the meat (to be precise, it should be the sauce). The sauce is salty and aromatic, complementing the fresh meat perfectly. The six complimentary dishes consist of typical Korean fare, like Kimchi, salad and veggies, are great for keeping one occupied. The spicy seafood soup totally whets one's appetite and the pancake is so fragant (Though the bimbibap is dry and tasteless).

The service is not exactly fantastic but is good enough for me to have an enjoyable meal there. And thus, I became a regular patron of this restaurant.

But alas, as time goes by, I had tasted food from many different dining establishments; I had gotten picky. So now when I revisit this place, while the standard is still the same and I still kinda enjoy the food, I just find the food to be so-so only; kind of salty and did not bring out the true flavour of the original ingredients. I find the meat to be not so fresh. The main thing I still like about this place is the kimchi, not too hot with lots of zest. Though for this kind of price, the food is considered very value for money.

I'll still go back to satisfy my cravings for Korean food. Provided that I don't want to trudge down to holland village for Gaia.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Rive Gauche (Takashimaya) - Not Bad, but Ordinary

If it is 5 years ago where I had hardly tried any decadent desserts, I would love the cakes at Rive Gauche since the cakes are nice and fluffy, slathered with not too sweet, light cream (not the butter cream I hate) and looking pretty.

5 years down the road, I just find that the taste of the cakes here is just too ordinary. They are nice but uninspiring, lack the complexity in taste and texture, did not stand out in any particular way to make one remember the cakes in a fond way. To be fair, the price of the cakes is not too steep, so they can't be compared with cakes of $7~$10 price range.

Service wise, while is not exceptional, but is still pretty good. One of the service staff is especially thoughtful to put a ice pack into the cake box when I told her that I will not go home immediately after buying the cakes.

This is a place to try if one is not particularly picky but yet still want to get some decent cakes at a reasonable price.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

Nearest car park: Ngee Ann City's car park

Nearest MRT: Orchard

391 Orchard Road, Basement 2
#B207-9/2 Ngee Ann City
Takashimaya Department Store
Singapore
Contact No: 68874579

Minamoto Kitchoan - Japanese Cakes Galore

Also known as 源吉兆庵 (Look out for these words if you are looking for it's counter in Takashimaya.

Beautifully crafted Japanese tea cakes, whose fillings can range from red bean paste, white bean paste, chestnut paste, jelly, cream or chocolate, are available from this place. It is hard to resist getting some since the displays of the cakes look so pretty and the packaging is pretty also. The taste of these cakes is sweet and nice and should appeal to most palates. The cakes may not be the best of Japan, but should be good enough to satisfy cravings for Japanese cakes in Singapore. Highly recommended cakes are Ayashirabe (White Bean Paste cake) and Shocora Mochi (White chocolate in Matcha Mochi).

The cakes make great gifts due to the impressive packaging and that they are Made in Japan. For cost saving, one can opt to request the staff to wrap up the box in their FOC generic wrapper (very Japanese in style and still looks very good) instead of choosing the more expensive boxes and wrappers.

This is one place I like to get gifts, and I saw many Japanese getting their gifts from here too.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Nearest car park: Ngee Ann City's car park

Nearest MRT: Orchard

391A Orchard Road
Ngee Ann City #B203-1
Singapore
Contact No: 67351315

Smitten by The Patissier - Interesting and Refreshing

Closed

What I like about the meringue swiss rolls here are the interesting, refreshing taste and the soft texture.  The light flavourful cream is a mixture of sweetness with hints of sourness, proving to be very efficient in waking up and seducing one's palates. The meringue is softer than normal cake sponge, and has that melt in your mouth quality. A special dessert that can be finished in a short frame of time.

One can request samples to try out the cakes though the staff do not look that friendly.  Personal recommendations are First Kiss and Enchanted Kiss. The cakes are great for once in a while indulgence.

My Thoughts: Nice!

Note: This outlet is no longer in operation.

Crystal Jade Palace - Better than most of the other branches

While I had passed by Crystal Jade Palace numerous times since my uni days, I had never got around to try the food there since I do not fancy queuing (so I doubt that I will visit Tim Ho Wan anytime soon due to the horrendous queue). It was by pure coincidence that we went there near closing time that we could get a table without queuing.

Frankly speaking, if a restaurant implements queuing system instead reservation one, it is highly unlikely that the ambience and service are top notch, so I was not expecting too much. The place is quite okay, not overly crowded like that Lei Garden at 313 though not spacious either. The crystal lights above provide some nice touches though everything else looked dated and old fashioned. Service is surprisingly decent, no hiccups, just that it is not cream of the crop. 

As for food, the dishes are way better than the ones at other branches to the point that I was taken aback at the vast differences in standard. The dim sum items are very flavourful and effective in whetting one's appetite. Thumbs up for the Xiao long bao, fried dumplings, century egg porridge and osmamthus jelly. The main shortfall is the lack of interesting, unique dim sum items.

Definitely do not mind going back for some old school dim sum as long as I do not have to queue.

My Thoughts: Not Bad

Nearest car park: Ngee Ann City's car park

Nearest MRT: Orchard

#04-19 Ngee Ann City

391 Orchard Road

Singapore

Contact No: 6735 2388