Asu Restaurant - Complex, Delicate and Thoughtful

I know I got to go to Asu Restaurant the moment I read about how Chef Ace Tan’s Progressive Asian Cuisine, where East Asian dishes are reinterpreted with different global techniques while incorporating Traditional Chinese  Nourishment elements. And this beautiful restaurant, with the beautiful cuisine with beautiful taste, absolutely astounds me. So much so that I know I will back for another season!

I love it that so much thoughts is put into the concept of the restaurant, evident from the little details such as printed cards of the ingredients being beautifully hand drawn by an artist from Hong Kong, the paintings and plants reflecting the four seasons and the magical elevation of Asian dishes that score perfection in both taste and texture.

Each meticulously made bite-size morsel, made with luxurious ingredients, is so complex and well-balanced in taste while highlighting the vibrancy of Asian tastes. The dishes here are also unique in that they have this delicate familiar yet special cooling property like that in traditional medicine, so there is always a “wow, this is really something unique and awesome” moment when I take the first bite of each dish.

Housed within a historic colonial bungalow amid the lush forest at Labrador Villa, the exterior of the restaurant is grand, with touches of nostalgia and character. In fact, walking up the brick stairways flanked by lots of foliage while admiring the greenery surrounding the bungalow and feeling the serenity, away from the bustle of the city, is such a relaxing and different, great experience. The interior is classy, and stylish with subtle tones of lux, combining elements of modern sensibility and traditional Chinese flair.

The service here is simply awesome, being friendly, thoughtful, professional and meticulous. This restaurant is definitely of Michelin Star standard.

The crystal ball like Tea Smoked Sakura Masu features Cherry Trout smoked with Pu-er, topped with Fiddle Head and suprise! Pandan, it is full of light umami yet tastes refreshing. This is so unique and out of this world, made possible by the dot of special vegetal pungency. The crispy crystal ball contrasts so well with the texture of the cherry trout. An excellent start to the meal.

Mapo Tofu, a traditional favourite dish of chef’s childhood is reinterpreted with smooth Soy Milk custard decked with slices of Razor Clam, Shiso and Szechuan Pepper. The exciting, mildly spicy sauce is so well-balanced and complex, with the coldness of the custard perfectly balancing the spiciness. The texture of razor clam and its soft milky briny sweetness contrasts so well with that of the custard. Definitely my favourite Mapo Tofu.

Hotaru Ika Hitam is like the best Firefly squid dish I ever have. With Yam as earthy base, the umami of Squid Garum, the tart taste of Kaffir Lime and briny sweetness of the squid,  the dish is refreshing in taste yet amazingly warm in core, with a unique pungency to perk things up.

Special roll for the season, coated withs sesame and seaweed, is stuffed with coconut and crab, yielding a juicy, briny sweet, refreshing snack with crispy exterior. So hearty yet delicate, excellent.

First add-on I have is Buta Wrap, which is Chinese style Tacos with sliced tender, juicy grilled Hokkaido Pork paired with Winged Beans, Sambal Ijo and wrapped with Charcoal Crepe. The lovely warm meatiness is elevated by spicy, exciting, tangy flavours of the condiments.

Hong Zhao Main Xian gives me the chance to try Geoduck. And its crunchy refreshing texture, coupled wth a taste that is more milky than milky briny sweetness of abalone, totally wins me over. No wonder this delicacy is so prized in Chinese Cuisine. Geoduck goes so well with mild sweetness of Red Koji, spiciness of Bentong Ginger and crunchy, refreshing potato noodles. 

Abalone & White Asparagus Porridge is the best porridge I ever have and the only one I love. The bouncy texture and mild taste of of Abalone, the crunchiness of White Asparagus, the unqiue vegetal pungency of Perilla Oil and nutty sweet Coconut comes together to create a sweet refreshing dish. This is made even better by the char of the rice that gives a good bite and a layer of beautiful complexity to the taste. Pickled asparagus has that additional sweetness that makes me go, "Wow!"

Nori Chidai has Sea Bream deep fried to get super crispy scales and Fish Maw, Seaweed, Dried Scallop added to result in a sweet and refreshing fish dish that totally works. A fish dish that is refreshing? Yes this dish is, which is amazing and so delicious.

King Crab Shiro Kare King is a delicate dish packed with the briny sweetness of crab that I absolutely love. Crab Dumpling, White Curry, refreshing Daikon and a juicy stab of Crab leg meat incites that pure feeling of Happiness with every mouthful. The juicy succulent sweet crab meat has its sweetness further highlighted by the mild spiciness of the white curry.

To make things even more immersive and exciting, there are rice and Matcha Shio Pan to go with the curry, just like how we locals enjoy Chilli Crab. The white Curry, with the essence of crab, makes even the rice tastes sweet so oh-so-good! Matcha Shio Pan is also another awesome carbo to go with the curry.

Definitely my favourite dish of the night.

The Bone Broth served is so meaty sweet, and turns bombastic with unique pungency of Yunnan herbs. It is wow, wow, wow! Unbelievably good!

Wild vegetable for refreshing the palates between bites of the Wagyu.

Niu Pa Hu is like Wagyu Ribs savoured in five different ways, with options of Angelica Shoot and different condiments. The tender, succulent Wagyu Ribs tastes like Chinese meaty sweet char siew with hints of excitement from the accompanying condiments. I love this too!

Cheng Tng is so refreshing, surprisingly creamy and has a lovely herbal taste due to the awesome pairing of  Chrysanthemum Ice-cream, Red Date, White Fungus and Honey. This is so good and unique that I decide to add on another dessert in the menu.

Ice Cream Uncle is a pretty creation made up of Strawberry, Omija Berry, Wafer and Toasted Barley. Omija berry is chewy, which is a great texture to juxtapose with the crispness of wafers and creaminess of ice-cream. There is a good balance of tart and sweetness, with hint of earthy warmth from toasted barley for complexity.

Refreshing unique cocktails

Thoughts: Absolutely Astounded!

30 Labrador Villa Road

Mugyutto Raw Gummy むぎゅっと生ぐミ

Just a random peek at the gummy candies section in Don Don Donki, and I found the yummiest gummies with one of a kind texture here!

Comes in floral sweet flavours, such as Lychee, Grapes, Peach and Apple, the taste is on the point and the texture is out of this world. The gummies have this super bouncy juicy texture core, wrapped with a slightly tougher, but easy to bite skin. This contrast in texture between the core and skin makes for such unique good bite.

I brought two packets at first to try and ended up liking it so much that I brought all flavours and extra for my family!

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: Don Don Donki

Gaig Restaurant - Beautiful Flavours of Catalonia

Since last year, I always want to ensure that I celebrate every International Women’s Day in style. And this year, the collaboration between Gaig Restaurant and ewineasia is the one that really caught my fancy among the choices. I had a very good time at Gaig before, so to be back here again for a special occasion sounds like great idea to me.

And yes, the awesome food, wine, ambience and service here totally makes my day! The palates have been taken through an incredible journey through Catalonia.

Salpicón de marisco: seafood salad tartlet with ikura is a Catalan summer snack that speaks of the the flavours of the sea. It is so briny sweet and refreshing at the same time. The crispy tart shell adds a nice crunch to this dainty, unique creation.

Jamón Ibérico Croqueta is a very good change in taste profile from refreshing Salpicón de marisco. This croqueta is meaty, creamy and crispy. This is so good.

Sobrassada and Mahón cheese waffle has the lovely complex sweetness, made exciting by the pungency of cheese.

Carpaccio de Pulpo is octopus carpaccio dotted with avocado, corn and green apple. This is the first time I am trying octopus carpaccio and I absolutely love it! The octopus is sliced paper thin for its flavour to take the center stage, with avocado, corn and green apple to add more complexity to the taste and texture. The refreshing briny sweetness actually develops into more distinctive sweetness as I savour it. Amazing!

Canelón de Gaig Fresh pasta stuffed with beef, pork and truffle sauce is such a hearty treat, being creamy, earthy and full of meaty sweetness.

Arroz de Carrillera de Ternera, which is beef cheek creamy rice with truffle, is just wow. Perfectly cooked rice with a starchy good bite is soaked with the meaty sweetness, making every spoonful of it a joy to savour.

Namelaka with white Chocolate mousse, toffee, hazelnut and choco tuile is creamy, full of the goodness of cocoa butter, and surprisingly refreshing. This is one lovely, light dessert that I can finish a second helping with ease.

Beautiful wines from ewineasia to go perfectly with the dishes. I even got a bottle of Mesquida Mora Sincronia Blanc 2023 because I love its creaminess. 

Thoughts: Absolutely loving the taste of Catalonia

16 Stanley Street