Ikkoten Omakase - Amazing Meal crafted with Passion

It’s always a joy to dine at Ikkoten Omakase because of how Chef Brandon Low ensures that every meal will be unique, amazing and full of wonderful surprises. And this time, he did it again and lots of extra preparation beforehand to make it possible ❤️

Who could have known that soy custard can taste refreshing, baby corn can taste so amazing, sashimi can be enjoyed like bite-sized snacks, a simmered dish have char and textures, beef tartare tasting so creamy and sweet, and foie gras tasting light and balanced? Well, I get to experience all these here 😉 

Summer comes in the form of tonyu pudding, a custard made from soy that surprisingly refreshing and firm but easy to bite. The accompanying specially brewed Amela tomato broth has this refreshing umami that tastes so good on its own and elevates the taste of the pudding, The cute sliced heirloom tomatoes and roasted bonito adds complexity to the taste. A soft sweetness actually develops with each subsequent spoonful, making it even better.

Deep fried baby corn looks simple but tastes so amazing. I immediately widen my eyes and go, "Wow!" at first bite. The corn is unbelievably delicious, featuring a floral buttery sweetness highlighted by the light soy sauce. Best corn I ever have.

Deep fried sawagani is like Crab Skittles, crispy hard on the outside, soft and succulent on the inside. Biting through the shell reveals the briny sweetness of the crab making savouring this fun and exciting. 

Watching Chef Brandon Low meticulously cutting up the Hiroshima Sayori Sashimi into dozen of super thin slices is such a joy in itself. Due to the firmer texture of sayori, this fish being sliced thinly yield tender, smooth texture with a good bite. It is such an awesome experience to pop each cute bite sized fish slice into my mouth to enjoy its freshness and texture. And there are options such as savoury citrus oil sauce, crunchy spongy Japanese yam stem, zesty sudachi, refreshing cherry tomatoes to pair with the sayori to highlight the mild sweetness of the fish in various ways. I totally enjoy savouring this.

Kyushuu Aka Mebaru Nitsuke is first cooked with binchotan to get a hint of lovely roasted goodness to contrast so well with the simmered ingredients. The sauce with Japanese peppercorn is slightly spicy to accentuate the different forms of sweetness packed in thsi dish. The fish is succulent while retaining the slight firmness to hold its form while soaked in the broth. This is like the perfect fish to be used for simmered dish. The warmness of bonito and radish broth juxtapose perfectly with the refreshing juiciness of the summer vegetables, such as Japanese asparagus, carrot and melon.

Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Beef Tartare with specially prepared Kombu Whipped Butter Toast, topped with murasaki uni and specially prepared egg yolk gel tastes so rich and awesome. The slightly cooked wagyu is burned with torch fire to melt the fat for extra juiciness and slight char. When paired with the light, airy, creamy, smooth, slightly savoury kombu butter and mineral umami rich egg gel, the result is different forms of rich harmonised luxurious sweetness in one mouthful.

I have the smoothest and lightest foie gras here, in the form of foie gras mousse topped with caviar for hints of briny excitement and blueberry sauce plus apple sauce to nicely cut through the richness of the foie gras for a lovely well-balanced taste.

Shizouka Unagi was grilled for a crispy exterior before Being added to signature Donabe Meshi packed with savoury collagen goodness. So starchy, so satisfying, so good. Suimono with wasabi adds anotehr dimension and extra sweetness to the taste of the donabe. 

Yuzu Baked Cheese Cake is the best yuzu cheesecake because the texture is so unique and awesome. Creamy, light, succulent with a tinge of gelatinous texture, perfect.

Thoughts: Awesome New Exploration of Tastes and Textures through Thoughtfully Crafted Dishes

86 Telok Ayer Street

66 Chambers Red Room: On Air featuring DJ Dosh Ong

It just seems like there's always new discovery at 66 Chambers, just when I thought I have happily explored everything there.

I did mention in my previous post that I went to 66 Chambers to hopefully find a place to dance to my heart's content (before I found Hard Techno), but I didn't find it there at my first time there during Sins and Seduction event. So imagine the turn of events, many months later, where I absolutely dance to my heart's content and have a blast at 66 Chambers' Red Room: On Air series, featuring DJ Dosh Ong, who plays Hardgroove, Raw Style and Industrial Techno. Yes, Industrial Techno is the one genre that got me to this event.

And this is one genre where everyone can move to by punching the air and all looks cool doing so. The energy in the room is full on with DJ Dosh taking the lead, where even the guys, who don’t dance, start punching the air in enthusiasm.

DJ Dosh seamlessly transits from the light Hardgroove to get us to warm up, to Raw Style to get us to start dancing harder, then ramps up to mechanical, heart-pumping, furious Industrial Techno for that ultimate high in dancing. The anticipation is so good and the drops are wicked.

The session is like an underground rave, where music and movement is the catalyst. It is more intimate, with more raw emotions and more space. It is one of a kind of experience. I’m keeping a lookout on more updates from DJ Dosh and Red Room: On Air.

Thoughts: Mind-blowing, Music and Movement, Freedom for Expression

22A Tanjong Pagar Road

Asin - Amazing Delicate Fusion of Chinese and Southeast Asian Flavours with French Cooking

I am so excited about dining at Asin, the new venture of Ace Tan, chef of now defunct ASU restaurant, where I had an awesome and memorable meal. And yes, an outing here proves to be exceptional and unique. The dishes here features that distinctive tastes of Asian and Southeast Asian, yet very different at the same time, being lighter, more complex and more well-balanced. And at here, I get to experience Malaysian fishes in a different way that actually impresses me.

I also love the calm, upmarket Chinese interior dotted with artistic vibe from the plants, the “specially for summer only” painting behind the open kitchen counter and the cards with Chinese watercolor paintings of the ingredients used in the dishes drawn by commisioned artist. This little thoughtfulness makes the experience so special and I can feel the passion chef has for his craft.

Service here is stellar too, with the chefs coming up to introduce each dish, and the service being so professional and friendly.

Definitely look forward to coming back here again!

Oyster Omelette is hyogo oyster, topped with egg and brushed with chilli holy basil sauce, and encased in Chef Ace Tan's signature crystal ball puff. This first appetiser features a warm sweetness with hint of spicy umami that immediately silently wows over my palates. The oyster is creamy and slightly springy, unlike any other oyster, in a good way. The oyster is briny sweet with well-balanced flavours. An awesome start.

Tori Luffa Bao, packed with chicken, luffa and Dong Qu yellow wine, speaks of textures that amaze me. Biting into this super soft and fluffy bao to reveal the succulent core of chicken marinated in Dong Qu Chinese wine, tempered with the slightly crunchiness of Luffa. The taste is distinctively Chinese, yet at the same time more refined and more balanced, with the unique pungent umami of firm gelatinous century egg bites adding excitement to it. 

Assam Hamo features this distinctive Southeast Asian taste with the slightly spicy tamarind assam, which is the magic to cut through the creamy briny sweetness of the pike coungar eel to elevate the taste. The tempura is thin and crispy, contrasting perfectly with the fish. The refreshing vegetal freshness of herbs and vegetables, such as amela tomato lifts up the taste of assam for hint of excietement. I never know that I can like fish curry until I try this dish.

There is a secret dish where Aji is rolled up within super thin crispy wafer and sprinkled with corn powder on one side and tomato powder on another. There is this awesome juxtapose of textures between the wafer and the fish. And the sweet Aji actually tastes refreshing when paired with the wafer. Brilliant pairing.

Inspired by Chef Ace Tan's Grandma’s Ngor Hiang, named as version 1.0, NGOR HIANG 6.0 is made with Japanese Yuba skin, Tiger Prawns, 5 Spiced Jeju Pork. The ingredients of the ngor hiang is first steamed for the juiciness and wrapped with the yuba skin to be deep fried for that crispiness. The Tiger Prawn is so succulent with a bouncy texture, and slightly spicy meaty sweetness of the pork opens up the briny sweetness of the prawn. This has the lovely ngor hiang taste with a touch of lux, made even better with the crunchy bits added to the filling. 

Yum Pu Ma Noodles is oh-so-fantastic. Two types of fern noodles are mixed together and tastes so refreshing, in a mild balanced way, which accentuates the sweetness of the hanasaki crab. The smooth texture of the noodles, with the essence of crab thoroughly absorbed, this is like the perfect summer dish. The creamy texture of crab also complements the springy smooth texture of the noodles so perfectly.

FTQ Dumpling makes me go, "Wow, this is the first time that a dish tastes so bitter yet so good!" Because the bitterness actually highlights the nourishing herbal taste. The tender, juicy, bouncy and gelatinous sea cucumber perfectly complements the tender abalone cooked for four hours. The scallop adds the a different layer of briny sweetness to make it even better.

Black Beauty Black Emperor Fish with Japanese spinach presents fish in such a unique way that I am impressed. The gelatinous fish skin complements the texture of the fish so well. The fish and milky briny sweet Hokkigai, with the citrus sauce, 20 year-old Shaoxing wine and jungle garlic reduction introduces different kinds of sweetness with hint of herbal bitterness and lovely truffle-like earthy taste.

Jiang Mu Ya dish's core ingredient is Irish Duck soaked in ginger brine for ten days before being aged for a unique sweet meaty flavour. And three kinds of gingers plus Taiwanese peppercorn that tastes like lemongrass dial down the gamey taste of the duck for a balanced sweet meaty taste. The super crispy duck skin juxtaposes excellently with the tender smooth duck meat that has a good bite. The taste is lifted up when paired with the floral sweetness of the accompanying vegetable.

Mountain Yam rice is starchy and smooth rice, featuring an earthy sweetness. This is so satisfying to savour.

The accompanying soup tastes so comforting, full of umami and the goodness of duck meat.

Pepper Hanwoo Beff is so tender and juicy. Beef Bone sauce adds an extra savoury umami to the meat. The accompaniment of Sarawak pepper sauce brings something exciting and different to the taste of the beef. Delicate Lily Bulb adds a hint of vegetal freshness to the meaty taste. Korean beef is only available in few places in Singapore, so I'm happy to be able to try it here

Biwa Honey Sago tastes so cooling due to the honey water. And the creamy coconut adds an iota of creaminess to the refreshing dessert for complexity in the taste. There are lots of textures due to the coconut, starchy glutinous rice and gelatinous goodness of the bird nest. The Chrysanthemum Loquat adds that floral refreshing element, making it even better.

Thoughts: Refined, Delicate and Amazing Asian Cuisine reinterpreted

38 Carpenter Street

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First Round Bar - Awesome Little Chilling Corner with Karaoke

I just found a really awesome Watering Hole where I can just chill, party or sing. Hidden at a corner of the second floor of the quiet, quaint, humble-looking 2 Havelock Building, First Round Bar is like that hidden gem where the owner and service crew are so friendly, helping me with my numerous requests to change the setting of the karaoke system to suit my preferences. In fact, the owner is so chilled that I thought he is a very helpful patron there 😆 And they even have dices here for patrons to play with.

Slightly dark with blue overhead light, luminous cool bar counter and high tables with comfy plush high chairs, the place oozes a cool yet cosy charm. I immediately feel at ease here to start singing despite being here the first time.

The drinks here consisted of a good selection of mixers, classic cocktails and some specials, like the dangerous Long Island Iced Tea. Taste so smooth, with a hint of aroma of tea, this drink is so easy on the palates that one can down several glasses of this awesome drink. But it is very potent where one will get happy very easily after one glass. Highly recommend to try it ... with some caution 😉

Ricky Gin is so good too, with a good balance of sweetness, bitterness and smoothness.

I also love the smartphone menu of the karaoke system where I can easily navigate through it and set my preferences, after getting advice from the owner. I have a blast singing here.

I want to be back here to sing again, enjoy the vibe here and try the drink Flaming Lambooooo!!

Thoughts: Awesome Place to Unwind, Chill, Drink, Have Fun and Sing

2 Havelock Road

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