Province by Law Jia-Jun - Amazing Southeast Asian Flavours never seen before

During a wonderful Wine Dinner with gourmets, the restaurant, Province, whihc is actually one of my favourites, actually came up in the conversation, with lots of us at the table talking about how awesome the experience here is. Then one lovely lady straightaway said, "It's a must to try the Spring Menu, it's so good." And so I quickly booked a reservation before Spring ends. She is so right on this. I have such an amazing time at Province.

The food explores the far extends of the taste spectrum delighting the palates, features the excellent juxtapose of textures while retaining core feel of Southeast Asian cuisine. It's moments of "familiar and warm yet unique and surprising at the same time". It is also an experience itself to watch Chef Jia-Jun and crew meticulously assemble the components of each dish at the open kitchen counter and then go in depths on the details of the ingredients. I enjoy myself so much.

I can't wait for Summer to come here again!

First snack of Grignotages is Peas and Ikura. Ikura with creamy egg, where the intense brininess tamed by the creaminess, definitely pleases the palates. But the pea is actually the magic. Its grilled vegetal sweetness opens up the light creaminess and intense briny sweetness to a taste that is so unique, complex and simply awesome. I also love the crunchiness of the peas. And the lime adds a dash of excitement to make it even better.

Next is Crayfish and traditional Chinese steamed rice cake, featuring such excellent texture where the springy bouncy flesh of crayfish juxtaposes perfectly with the fluffiness of steam cake. The mild briny sweetness of crayfish is highlighted by the mildly sweet starchy base of steam cake.

Caviar and Tartare is like the luxurious Southeast Asian treat. The distinctive taste of Southeast Asia is pronounced, while at the same time refined, complex and balanced, with hints of the flavours to evoke the feelings of familiarity without overwhelming the palates. The lovely combination of meaty sweetness and briny sweetness hits the exact sweet spot. The caviar, from a Southeast Asian farm, is so well balanced in taste.

Aka Ebi featuring prawn gel, fermented kohlrabi, calamansi is another dish with perfect texture, where gelatine texture of prawn gel and the crunchiness of the fermented turnip contrast so well with the juicy, bouncy raw prawn. Szechuan pepper, with all the distinctive aroma, but without numbing spiciness, highlight the mild sweetness of the ama ebi. A brilliant creation.

Beautiful Garden of Spring with aged Aji, spring greens, sesame & Szechuan peppercorn oil, yoghurt foam, showcases aji, a sweet fish with intense flavour, like never before. And I love it! It tastes so exciting, bright, with the briny sweetness of the fish highlighted by a myriad of flavours.

Snapper and Crustaceans Sweetness of the ocean chicken consommé comforting magic lies in the mosiac tiger prawns, zucchini lifts up the taste exciting

First Bite of Wagyu aged beef presents ribeye beef in different cuts and beef jus. The more cooked, tender cut is full of meaty goodness while the rare cut is creamy in taste. The unique freshness of asparagus cleanses the palate to make each bite so satisfying and enjoyable .

Smoked Rice and Squid uses the special Bue Ta Nae Rice that is dry and sweet. The charred squid has the light lovely char to complement the smooth briny sweetness of the squid. This dish is like sweetness on different layers, it feels so satisfying to savour this. The pickles perk things too.

Passionfruit and Rice Yoghurt marries Passionfruit sherbet, koji yoghurt, gooseberries and almonds together successfully. Refreshing and exciting, amazingly creamy.

I’m not a coffee person but Coffee and Roasted Banana here totally converts me to be a coffee enthusiast for the night. Roasted goodness of coffee, toasty goodness caramel and coffee crumble totally works together. The tang of roasted banana ice-cream brings a whole new level to the taste. The cashew sponge adds a good fluffy texture to the dessert. I’m surprised and pleased.

Lots of good wines to go with the course

Thoughts: Thoughtful, Unique, Refined Southeast Asian Delights!

153 Joo Chiat Road

Kleine Notizen Ein

 Ich werde kleine Notizen anstelle meines. Tagebuchs schreiben, weil ich vielleicht nicht jeden Tag die Inspiration habe, etwas zu schreiben.

Ich habe viele deutsche Worte vergessen! Ich hoffe, dass ich besser in Deutsch werde, wenn ich mehr kleine Notizen schreibe.

Unigoro Morita - Uni Dream comes True

I always love Uni and yes, there was a time where I felt that one uni sushi per omakase was not enough to satisfy my cravings. So when I found out about a Uni Omakase at my favourite restaurant, I jumped into it and absolutely loving it. Then Unigoro Morita comes into picture with a promise of uni feast, and based my good prior experience with uni omakase, of course, I did not hesitate to make a reservation and here I am!

My palates are definitely pampered with lots of creamy umami of the uni. And my senses are piqued by variety of ways uni is prepared, where the different flavours of uni are highlighted. Uni is the star in every dish and it never gets repetitive in terms of taste. Every dish is a lovely creamy umami surprise that delights the taste buds.

The ambience of the place is Japanese Zen furbished with cool stylish modern decor. The Japanese floral lattice behind the open kitchen counter, with soft yellow lights glowing behind the translucent screen as backdrop, stands out as the centerpiece of the place. Its Japanese element blends seamlessly with the stylish modern interior of dark walls, black granite counter top, dark wooden furniture. And with the friendly staff and kitchen crew, I'm definitely in the mood to enjoy some good uni.

First up is pure uni goodness with the duo of Uni tasting. Murasaki uni, the rarer variety is creamy umami with a lace of savoury goodness. Next is the famous Bafun uni, that is creamily pure sweet umami. Craving thoroughly satisfied!

Charcoal Grilled Scallop with Uni is da bomb of the night for me. Uni can taste so distinctive yet different at the same time when paired with the huge plump juicy grilled scallop that is seared on the top with the burning hot charcoal. The pronouced aroma and taste of the char adds a layer of excitement and complexity to the taste of uni. This pairing is so brilliant. And shiso perks up the taste to make it even better. 

New “Uniku” is Uni, A5 Black Wagyu Uchimoto (round top) and egg yolk savoured together. This dish features different layers of sweetness in the form of meaty sweetness and briny sweetness. Such an indulgent lovely sweet treat!

Uni-Infused Pudding with Caviar and Vichyssoise (a kind of potato sauce) feels different layers of briny sweetness teasing the palates. The creamy umami of uni is tempered with earthy flavour of potato sauce, briny intense flavour of caviar and smoothness of the custard for complexity and opulence.

Signature Uni Hot Pot is the best hot pot I ever have. This is prime example of how a premium hot pot, without the need for sauce, should be done. Yes, I had been to a certain famous hot pot restaurant peddling this concept, and I can say for sure that I prefer the hot pot here hundred times over.

The ingredients featured is a luxurious lineup of Uni, Ise Lobster, Giant Clam, Abalone, A5 Wagyu Beef Ribeye, Japanese Pork Belly and Small Dainty Vegetables from Japan. The broth, with uni stirred in by the chef, tastes so comforting, warming the heart and features different layers of savoury goodness.

All the ingredients, cooked in infront of the patrons by the chefs themselves, to ensure optimal cooking time, are all so juicy, tender, flavourful and succulent. I am so amazed by how tender the milky briny sweet abalone is. The beef tastes creamy and meaty when half-cooked shabu shabu style. The Japanese pork belly is of course stellar too, with smooth texture and fully absorbing the essence of the broth.

The Ise Lobster, roasted a bit with open flame, is the one that makes me silently go, "Wow, wow, wow!" I don't believe that lobster can be perfectly cooked hot pot style, but the Ise Lobster here, cooked in the broth by the chef, defies my assumption. It is so flavourful, so succulent, so tender. The texture is perfect: springy yet easy to chew. Every piece of lobster is nicely cut up into small bite size that I can luxuriate in its mild briny sweetness easily.

Even the cute little pieces of vegetables here impress me because again, their bite size makes it so easy for me to pop them into my mouth and just enjoy their vegetal fresh sweetness.

Full points for this hot pot!

Uni Risotto is starchy, featuring a good bite, is incredibly flavourful due to the uni hot pot broth. Lotus root adds a good crunchy texture. Perfection in taste in texture.

Homemade Granita of Watermelon is nice and refreshing.

Selection of pretty chopsticks holder to choose from

Thoughts: Amazing how Uni can be presented in so many different wonderful ways!

10 Stanley Street #01-01

Ikkoten Omakase - New Exciting Japanese Omakase with a touch of Fusion

When my favourite restaurant, Ikkoten Omakase, announced the change in menu, I didn’t hesitate to make two reservations: one before the change and one after the change. I’m not sure of what to expect of the new menu actually, but trusting Chef Brandon Low’s culinary skills and his flair for belting out lots of surprises, I’m all excited to try it.

And yes, I totally enjoy the new experience! Tweaks will be made to this soft launch menu. So if you want to try the most refreshing and Japanese tasting pasta, need to try it soon before more changes implemented two weeks later.

My favourite dish of the night got to be the Smoked Hamachi, whose lovely smoked flavour is punctuated by savoury sauce and refreshing pungency of ginger flower for a well-rounded and complex taste.

Crispy Rosemary crackers with dips may look simple but the taste is on another level. Japanese Black Bean Cream Cheese is surprisingly sweet and creamy, enhanced by hints of earthiness of beans and soft savoury nutty taste of cream cheese. It’s a dip like no others.

Tuna Mashed Potato surprises me by how good it is and how different it is from the typical tuna. The strong briny taste of tuna is perfectly balanced by the earthy sweetness of potato for an addictive treat.

Tai, which is Sea Bream Sashimi, tastes so good with homemade Ume Jelly. The taste is clean, refreshing and exciting.

Grilled Chilean Seabass (I’m drinking a lot and forgot to take photo) is the crowd favourite due to the flaky, creamy, succulent texture and the sweetness brought out by the thin strands of seaweed and Nori Butter.

Japanese Pollack Roe and Ikura with Angel Hair Pasta is surprise of the night. I was expecting this dish to taste like one of those Japanese fusion pastas, but Chef Brandon Low totally defies this assumption to come up with a pasta dish that is so unique and delicious. The pasta tastes absolutely Japanese that I will think it's a special somen if not told that it's pasta. The taste is delightfully light, refreshing and briny sweet. I will take this over most pasta dishes anytime of the day.

Binchotan Wagyu is so juicy and meaty, made even better with the char from grilling over binchotan.  Anchovy Infused Potato goes so well with the meat. Pan Seared Foie Gras is perfectly done.

Special dish of Fig with jelly, topped with a dash of gold, is so refreshingly good. Perfect for cleansing the palate before the sushi.

Akami (no photo) sushi has this mild savoury taste that highlights the sweetness of the premium Niigata sushi rice.

Hamachi sushi is clean tasting, made exciting by the zest. This is one special hamachi with such smooth texture. I love it!

Amaebi sushi, served fresh, is so sweet and especially creamy. I love this too!

Chutoro sushi is sweet and has this lovely melt in your mouth texture.

Tai sushi is unique because it has been smoked to impart a unique smoky flavour, making this sushi rich and complex in taste. First time I try a sushi with smoked fish, and it works! 

Otoro sushi is so rich and decadent in taste.

My uni sushi is specially upgraded to Chef's Signature Sushi wth the best, sweetest treasures of the ocean: uni and negitoro, tempered with pickles for complexity in taste. So luxurious, so sweet, so awesome.

Refreshing Kyoho Grape Sorbet is full of the unique wine-like sweet intense flavour of Kyoho Grapes. An excellent way to round up the meal.

Thoughts: Exciting and Full of Surprises!

86 Telok Ayer Street

Taiwanese Snacks 💖

I got some awesome Taiwanese snacks from Handsome 😊 What makes it even better is that the snacks are really delicious!

My stash of goodies that I hog all for my own enjoyment, despite me being always up for sharing the good stuff with my family.

幸福張 handmade peanut wafer is packed with rich peanut butter sandwiched between layers of super crispy wafers. The contrast in textures is great and the savoury nutty taste of peanut makes this snack more exciting and creamy in taste.

蔥軋餅, which is onion nougat cookies, is da bomb. This is oh-so-good and is a must-get if travelling in Taiwan. Despite the look of cookies, the texture is similar to that of nougat, being chewy. And I love this interesting texture, which complements the creaminess of the onion cream. The distinctive pungency of the onion, highlighted by a slight sweetness, makes this such an unique and irresistible treat.

Ruyi Sunny Cake 杏仁䐁肉纸 is another interesting delicacy from Taiwan. Pork is stretched and grilled dried to be this paper-thin crispy snack with a good meaty flavour. Think pork floss in paper form. It’s way better than pork floss due to the texture and the additional sweetness of grilled meat.