Ikkoten Omakase - Amazing Meticulously Crafted Dinner

I’m back at Ikkoten Omakase for this year’s first experience of the taste of spring, and yes, this proves to be an exciting start for thid spring. Where the light herbaceous freshness of vegetables and leaves brightens up the taste of the dishes and subtly refreshes the palates. Carefully and specially prepared, drizzled with specialty homemade sauces to bring another unexplored dimension in taste, every dish of this menu is a standout on its own.

Cold Nanohana Chawamushi embodies the lovely mellow, fresh taste of spring. The freshness of the rare Nanohara vegetables, the zesty creaminess of the egg custard, tangy sweetness of the tomato work beautifully together to create a taste that is subtle, exciting and complex. The flying fish roe adds nice crunchy pop texture to contrast with the smoothness of the custard. 

Sakura Shiraou is full of light, airy briny sweetness and is amazingly super crispy. The sakura salt is light and carries a tint of earthy flavour to balance the briny sweetness. Delightful snack.

Otsukuri of Katsuo Tataki Sashimi with Ponzu Foam is immediately wow and shiok at first bite. The spiciness from Tabasco and fresh pungency of Japanese Negi cut through the rich taste of Katsuo to actually highlights its sweetness. The light balanced zest of foamy ponzu sauce adds the excitement, also highlighting the sweetness of the fish. The dish also has awesome texture due to the crunchiness of negi juxtaposing well with the texture of the fish.

Tai Sashimi with Midori Su showcases the bright, clean, refreshing taste of spring, in the form of sashimi. Clean, clear taste of Tai is made exciting by the tangy umsmi of midori su sauce, crunchy, spongy texture and refreshing freshness of Kyuri aka Japanese cucumber, and clear tangy sweetness of tomato. This is a brilliant dish that comes after the tastebud simulating Katsuo Tataki.

Chef Brandon specially prepares one of the three kings of the fish kingdom: Kinki! (And Norugoro and Maguro are the other two kings).

Kinki fish has this lovely intense sweetness harmonised by the kelp with vinegar sauce harmonises for a balanced awesome taste, amazingly bringing out a softer and smoother sweetness of the kinki. This is like magic. The refreshing freshness of the kelp also cuts through the intensity of the fish for an even more balanced awesome taste. The crispy skin of the kinki creates an awesome texture for a good, exciting bite.

The sakura leaf wrapped around the uni is the taste of spring realised in Oshinogi dish. The leafy, fresh taste of the leaf contrasts so well with the rich creamy umami of the uni. A treasure trove of different kinds of earthy goodness: steamed handmade goma tofu’s nutty earthy sweetness cut, mushroom's earthy, woody rustic taste, lily bud's clear earthy pureness nicely soften the briny sweetness of the leek soup for a well-rounded taste.

Yuzu sauce is the magic is in this dish, where it pairs wonderfully with the creamy, perfectly cooked A5 wagyu beef and the specially prepared foie gras. So good that it is unbelievable. The foie gras is amazing in taste and most probably the best I ever have because it is lighter on the palates, buttery, smooth and not as oily. This is due to the extra preparation to manage the oilness and get the tendons carefully removed.

The Donabe is so amazing in taste. Every smooth starchy grain is packed with briny goodness and vegetable freshness, invoking the feeling of bliss in spring. Amaebi is so briny sweet and has an awesome firm texture with a slight crunch. And Chef Brandon is so generous in adding lots of them. Lots of vegetables are added, which elevates the taste and texture so much. Love, love this.

The dessert showcases how hojicha and pine nuts can work beautifully when paired together. The balanced roasted smoky astringent taste of hojicha is elevated by the buttery nutty taste of pine nuts. The slightly crunchy texture of the nuts also render the texture of ice-cream exciting.

Thoughts: Awesomely Amazing Gastronomic Experience

Wonderland Upside Down - Immersive Unique Dining Experience

Wonderland Upside Down is such a fun, immersive, unique experience, where dining and theatre blend together seamlessly. Each room features a specific theme, from dining hall, clock workshop, mystic haven, cabaret, cleaning room to painting room. And the decor is so on the point, bringing out the vibe of the theme, with lots of details and ornaments added to feel like we are really in another world: Wonderland, that is. And there are hidden doors, secret staircase, winding stairway to hype up the feel of adventure.

The host in each room plays specific character featured in the book, Alice in Wonderland, and all of them absolutely rock in their roles. A huge part of the fun comes from interaction with the hosts. Since I’m chosen as Alice 😉 I get to engage in some role playing with the characters, which I totally enjoy.

During our time in each room, we get to enjoy specially crafted meal course that fits with the theme of the room or allure to items mentioned in the book. The food here is surprisingly delicious that I gladly finish all up. I assumed at first that the food will primarily revolve around the theme without the focus on taste. I’m so happy this place proves me wrong. The food here hits the sweet spots in terms of taste. And interestingly, different types of cuisines are featured, from Chinese, Indian, American to Contemporary.

This unique experience is a must-try, whether as family, couple, friends or even solo like me 😊 And you can use your SG culture credits for this.

The secret location is only revealed a day before the outing. And the doorway is hidden at the back of a building. And through the doorway, I ascend a mysterious flight of stairs lit by candlelights only:

Then it’s down an European style hallway filled with hats. Yes, I see Mad Hatter showing up soon:

Then I settle down in this beautiful dining hall full of British charm. From the English roses displayed in florid English vases, English teacups, Strawberry shortcake displays, candlelights, English lace tablecloth to rich red wooden panels lining the walls. I absolutely love this room:

Then the first character, Mad Hatter, welcomes us with a complimentary refreshing, slightly zesty drink and a cool, refreshing jelly made from a very cool soothing ingredient that I guessed correctly when Mad Hatter asked 😉 I love this refreshing start:

While enjoying the drinks and the jellies, we are given felting kits to craft our own felt project. I love this interesting little activity, which most people most probably have not tried before. I’m pretty experienced with felt crafting, but I still enjoy this:

I made this in five minutes ✌️ 

Then the tax collector comes knocking on the door, and we have to “scramble” to another room to “hide” from him 😆 Which brings us to the clockwork room, where all surfaces are decked in matte wooden panels. Huge round lights, round counter at the centre, panel seats lined up in semicircle formation by the walls, lots of clocks, gears and watches. The character here presents that cool, judgmental vibe of a mechanic and introduces lots of fun moments with questions about the items featured in the room and “unattractive” offers 😂 :

The bread is nicely served warm. It has a crispy exterior and nice pillowy interior:

The Mock Turtle Soup, with no turtle, of course 😆, tastes so nourishing and flavourful. It is full of goodies, such as shredded meat, sea cucumber (I think) and herbs. Feels so warm and comforting to sip on this:

Then it’s off to a room of mystic, with lots of white translucent drapes, Arabian inspired round tiled tables and Middle Eastern sage-like host. He can really sing very well. And his improv and singing are really good, so lots of laughter ensures:

At here, we are served Chicken Korma: lightly spiced chicken drizzled with thick Indian curry, fragrant, perfectly cooked basmati rice and puffed crackers. And this is so surprisingly delicious! The curry is so full of flavours and not overly spicy, thus good for most palates. The crackers blew my mind away with how thin and crispy they are. Yes, make it a mission to try the crackers because of how good they are:

Next, we climb a flight a stairs to wander off into a cabaret, which has the “Lights, Camera, Action!” vibe. It’s flashy and full of the vibrant atmosphere due to mirrors, rows of red lightbulbs, heavy red curtains and the wonderful host who tells an engaging story through interaction with patrons. And she is so quick-witted to respond accordingly to our answers while still staying in character 👍:

The next course comes in the form of Cat Food, and it’s Purrfectly good. The salmon packed features the sweetness and juiciness of fish, with its strong distinctive flavour cut through by the creamy tangy tartar sauce. This is exactly how I like it. I do not expect myself to love this dish due to salmon and its American cuisine influence, but I end up totally loving it:

Then it’s down the rabbit hole to arrive at the clean and sterile washing room, where the Queen is waiting. Besides letting us know that we are involved in something big, the Queen also gets us to have some fun practicing proper greeting towards royalty 😂 and chatting with her. She had invited to some special viewing of her specialty move 😉:

Resembling toothpaste, the créme fraîche does wonders to tone down the intensity of the ikura to make it actually taste so sweet, with a hint of brininess. I’m so surprised by how the taste ikura is being transformed into an even better one by this pairing. I also love it that they provide mother of pearl spoon for scooping the ikura:

Since we are on a “mission”, we make our way through a secret corridor to the painting room, ready to help the Red Princess get the throne from the King. The room is like a rustic artist’s workshop, full of literary stuff and art supplies. The Red Princess really hypes us up for the important coronation, where some of us are assigned roles to carry out the coronation. By now, most of us are really gamed to make this event a great one:

The dessert is vanilla ice-cream and sliced spiced peaches with special “red paint” drizzled on top. The paint was made from strawberries and raspberries, thus having the slight tart taste to balance the taste of the ice-cream. The lavender added to the ice-cream is chef’s kiss, making the dessert taste smoother:

After we have lots of fun in the proceeding with the coronation, the new Queen invites us to take photo with her ❤️ And I dressed in Victoria Punk to match the theme 😉:

Thoughts: Lots of Fun and completed with Good Food!

Amor - Exceptional Espanõl Dining Experience

When I first heard about Amor, the focus on Spanish cuisine got me to find more about this restaurant since I’m always on a lookout for good Spanish restaurants. While the crew at Amor has an impressive track record of working in Olivia, what got me really interested in this place is the menu featuring unique dishes, completed with that Spanish flair.

There are so many tempting choices that I end up ordering four tapas, completed with a dessert. And I enjoy all of them because they are packed with lots of flavours while being light on the palates. And the drinks are so good too. I like the wooden cover of the drinks menu and the drawings of the cocktails featured inside. It feels thoughtful and special.

The interior of the restaurant has this bold, yet harmonious blend of bright, vivid colours from the painting and the entrance door with stained-glass-like surface, pink neon light sign, posh bar counter with illuminated shelves, and rustic earthy colours of the delicate bronze hanging lamps, wooden ceiling and walls. It works beautifully.

Service is so outstanding. The crew members are all so friendly, with some being candid on the introduction of the dishes. Definitely elevate an awesome dining experience here to an excellent one.

Happy Eggggg pairs pumpkin purèe’s earthy sweetness and truffle sabayon's earthy savoury goodness with the creaminess of the egg so perfectly. So many harmonised flavours packed within. And the savoury crispy bits elevates the dish by adding texture and sparks of excitement.

Gambas Al Ajillo is light on taste and big on flavours. And its taste is so unique. I love it that the garlic prawns are slightly raw in the core for the extra succulent texture and extra juiciness. The smoked potato foam with sweet paprika has this light earthy creaminess to complement the briny sweetness of the prawns. And the homemade bread goes so well with the potato foam mixed with the goodness of the prawns. It’s a wow moment.

Jamón Ibérico Croquettes is creamy umami packed with bursts of flavours and wrapped in crispy goodness of potato crust. The change to use the potato crust makes a wonderful subtle difference to the texture and taste. A total must-try..

Paamb Tomàquet, which is Spanish Tomato bread, is so refreshing. The tangy sweetness of the tomato contrasts so well with the charred parts of the bread. This has that distinctive taste of Spanish that I enjoy. And this goes perfectly with the chorizo, or the sauce of Gamba Al Ajillo.

Chorizo Bellota here is like the best chorizo I ever have. Topped with paprika and garlic, the cured meat is slightly savoury, comoleted with a nutty meaty aroma. It goes so well with the crunchy, juicy pickles. 

Hazelnut & Almond Lava Cake is packed with the buttery nutty flavour of hazelnut and the smooth nutty flavour of almond. I love this unique rendition of the classic lava cake. The cake is surprisingly light on palates but full of flavours, with an extra smoothness laced with a hint of savoury punch. Fans of Lava Cakes need to try this.

The Mafia tastes so smooth, with an excellent balance of sweetness and bitterness.

Complimentary champagne, which is very good too.

Best Sangria, due to how well-balanced the flavours are.

Thoughts: Unique, Flavourful food, Great Drinks and Exceptional hospitality

107 Amoy Street