Omakase@Stevens - Beautiful Flavours of Autumn

After a summer full of refreshing awesome surprises at Omakase@Stevens, I'm back at Omakase@Stevens to experience the new surprises Chef Kazuki Arimoto created for this autumn. And yes, this autumn is better than ever, where the beautiful, complex flavours of autumn is expressed uniquely through harmonious juxtapose of earthy, deep, uplighting, mellow and vegetal flavours. I'm amazed that this autumn dishes can showcase totally different yet still distinctive tastes.

Maitake with Prosciutto and Hollandaise amazes me on how good maitake can taste. The earthy goodness of the mushroom is lifted up to taste slightly refreshing by a touch of creamy tart yet mellow taste. This dish speaks of autumn with the soft cool breeze. The pine nuts adds the extra texture and earthy taste to make it better.

Bonito and Fourme d'Ambert, a kind of French Blue Cheese, sandwiched within Monaka, a kind of Japanese rice wafer, makes me widen my eyes in amazement at first bite. There is this amazing creamy umami resulted from the nutty, milky pungency of the French blue cheese balancing the warmness of the bonito taste. I never know bonito can taste this good, where this Japanese ingredient can actually taste French. This snack is like the best blue cheese dish I ever have.

Wagyu with Black Garlic features a lovely warm soft sweetness that lingers on the palates, with the depth added from buttery pastry taste of the shell. Fig adds a splash of refreshing element to lift up the taste. Oh so good.

Sweet Prawn with Caviar and Eggplant tastes surprisingly refreshing yet grounded at the same time. The finely chopped green apples adds a nice crunchiness to highlight the creamy sweetness from the combination of ama ebi, caviar and eggplant. An earthy umami from the ama ebi developed when contrasting with the touch of zest packed within. Absolutely love this.

Hotate, Tonburi, Horseradish, Chive, Kombu, Ayu sauce that takes a year to make and basil sauce come together to surprise me on how good and different scallop can taste. The extra vegetal, almost herbal pungency of the vegetables transforms the mild briny sweetness of the scallop into unique sweetness that I love so much. The scallop is perfectly seared to introduce the earthy taste through the seared surface. Even the cute deep fried potato balls make a difference to the taste.

Amadai topped with Dry Shiitake, Sudachi skin, chrysanthemum, myoga tastes surprisingly earthy despite being light on palates, completed with a touch of briny sweetness from the fish. Ginko Nuts do the heavy lifting here to add an unique element that make the taste more complex and amazing. This dish tastes warm and comforting at the same time. The juxtapose of crispy deep fried scales and succulent flesh is awesome, as always.

Wagyu from Osaka is super, super juicy and buttery that makes me go, “Wow!” It has the luxurious meaty sweetness, made complex and exciting by the Madeira and Red Miso.

The lovely herbal smell of parsley immediately fills the air the moment clay pot with donabe is opened. This adds a hint of freshness to the starchy, fluffy rice, briny sweet ikura and salmon, making the donabe such a hearty yet indulgent treat.

Chestnut, grated, with White Bean and Wasanbon is powdery in texture and earthy in taste. This is such an amazing and unique combination, and it totally works.

Japanese Ringo paired with Sweet Potato and Calvados yields an Apple dessert that tastes so warm, earthy and delicious.

The petite fours in form of Yananashi pear and Persimmon that tastes so sweet, refreshing and are full of floral aroma. The plum wine gummy and dark chocolate are winner as usual.

Thoughts: Mellow Deep Beautiful Flavours

30 Stevens Road #01-03

66 Chambers Red Room: On Air Anniverssary featuring Mya

After attending Mya's set at On Air, I know I have to be back there for her set again because her music totally gets me to dance with passion and yes, bounce.

Her music, with an awesome blend of classic and strong fast bass beats, really gets the adrenaline pumping that makes me want to keep moving to the music. The amazing thing is that with classic songs, such as "Toxic", "Bring Me to Life", Mya managed to mesh the songs seamlessly together with the techno beats, like they are really one continuous original song each.

The crowd is amazing too, moving with passion to her music. And wonderful energy exchanges between Mya and the ravers. Mya is so spontaneous to join in the havoc when the energy is high, making the night even more fun.

Thoughts: Dance with Passion and Energy.

22A Tanjong Pagar Road

Jinn Omakase - Refined Unique Japanese Cuisine made with Dedication

Jinn Omakase has been on my radar after I found out that one of the chefs is Chef Sakamoto Mitsutaka. I had once been thoroughly delighted by the amazing cuisine prepared by him at Ikkagoyo. And with Chef Saito Makoto, who has an impressive resume, this restaurant looks to be very promising. And I’m totally impressed by my dinner here, whose intricacy is showcased through little delicate surprises and unique pairing of ingredients to yield a new kind of briny sweetness.

I also love it that different forms of cooking methods are featured to bring out the best of each premium ingredient. It is also joy to watch the chefs hard at work at the open kitchen counter, craving out intricate pieces to assemble for each dish. The dishes are a joy for both the mouth and the eyes.

The ambience of the place is Japanese zen with blooms of vibrancy and a touch of classy modern vibe. Displays of the cleaned shells and husks of Japanese ingredients line the dining counter, creating a kind of fresh market vibe, in an upmarket, sophisticated way.

The service here is stellar and meticulous, taking note of little details. I absolutely enjoy my time here.

Ingredients used for the dinner are beautifully presented in a Japanese wooden pail. The reveal of the ingredients is via burning the rice paper covered over the pail. Feels very magical.

First dish is a quartet of premium ingredients interestingly stacked on top of the Ankimo that is spread over crispy monaka, which is a Japanese rice wafer. And this formation features different forms of sweetness accentuated and made complex by the bed of creamy umami of the ankimo, aka foie gras of the sea. With caviar, it is saline sweetness. With botan ebi, it is  refreshing clear sweetness, which is my favourite of the four. The custard sweetness comes from uni. And pulled wagyu showcases the meaty sweetness. Very exciting start, especially with the cute cat figurines decorating the plate.

The sashimi all tastes so sweet, in different forms. And the housemade Ponzu sauce is the magic here, featuring a slight tang with a savoury warmness, highlighting the sweetness of the mild refreshing taste of the white fishes. The chutoro is super creamy. The aburi sashimi has the additional sweetness of char that adds complexity to the sweetness of the fish. The soy sauce is specially sourced to introduce a light balanced savoury goodness to the taste of the red fishes, and it totally works.

Dobin Mushi is a pot packed with the sweetness of the treasures of the sea. So briny sweet with a warm savoury quality. I’m impressed at first sip already. The broth tastes balanced, different and comforting when a bit of lime is added. It is like enjoying two different soup. The amazing thing is that the ingredients such as kinmedai and maitake still tastes so sweet despite being soaked in the soup. The secret is the ingredients are being steamed in the Japanese traditional wooden steamer to preserve the taste.

Handroll is Uni and Unagi stacked together, with a slightly tangy taste from the base of the sushi rice, featuring such a unique briny sweetness that I have never tasted before. It’s a different form of delicious: umami taste that is warm, creamy balanced, complex with savoury goodness. I also like munching on the rice puffs added onto the twig cover.

Sugiitayaki is Chateaubriand wagyu served piping hot on a think strip of Cedar wood on top of hot stone, resulting in an extra lovely pine aroma to complement the meaty sweetness of the wagyu. The meat is so succulent and tender, made better with the negi miso. The ponzu sauce, as an optional condiment, totally transforms the taste, making it feel almost magical.

Amadai with Kabu impresses me too with its surprisingly light refreshing briny sweet taste. The contrast in texture between the crispy skin and succulent flesh makes it so good.

Ise Ebi and Sakura Ebi Rice Hotpot is like Japanese premium pao fan. Full of moist starch goodness and has an intense yet balanced briny umami. Totally a delight to indulge in this.

Awabi, aka abalone, somen has a wonderful mild warm sweetness. Thr smooth somen, coated with the essence of the light broth, is perfect match with the springy texture of the awabi. Surprisingly super good. Who could have thought that somen tastes awesome warm too?

The premium melon tastes so refreshing and floral. The Kagabocha ice cream tastes delightfully creamy and earthy. While Kuri is nutty and earthy in taste. Excellent trio of desserts.

Thoughts: Delicate Little Surprises with Intricate Cuisine

1 Scotts Road Shaw Centre #01-11

Publico - Satisfying Hearty Italian Treats

I decide to try the pizza at Publico at the recommendation of one of my favourite chefs. And yes, the pizza here, made from fermented dough and wood fried, is real good!

The service here is very good too, full of smiles and prompt to response.

The atmosphere here is one of the highlights. At the riverside, the al fresco area has this idyllic, dreamy vibe due to thr fairy lights, black and white rattan chairs and the lush beautiful greenery surrounding the area. The interior feels like rustic pizzeria fitted with modern Italian influences and dotted with lamps and ornaments that carry the old world charm. It’s a delight to chill here and tuck into some hearty treats.

Tartara Di Tonno, packed with lots of goodies, such as raw Bluefin tuna cubes, Avocado Mousse, Mango Dressing, Pumpkin Seeds, Bread Coutons and Salmon Roe, is creamy and sweet, in savoury style. A good juxtapose of different textures.

Tartufo Pizza is full of earthy goodness, highlighted by a nutty aroma, due to Truffle Paste and Mushrooms added. The taste is light and creamy, making this an easy delightful treat. The super thin base, made from fermented Flor di Latte, makes it even better with its texture and subtle sweetness taste of wheat.

Panna Cotta with Fragola Cream and Limone is unbelievably smooth, silky and creamy. The balanced tangy taste is great for cutting through the richness of the prior carbs heavy pizza.

Thoughts: Hearty Italian Goodies

1 Nanson Road