Kemuri - Wonderful Refined Izakaya Experience

I always want to go back to Kemuri after an awesome meal here. And so here I am, enjoying quality traditional Japanese cuisine with additional interesting twists. The menu changes quite a bit, and the food is still as good as ever. And it is a treat to see the chef in action at the robatayaki grill station.

The negitoro here is super sweet and smooth, and as I bite more into the roll, the warm earthy zest and savoury goodness of vinegar rice takes over, creating a lovely transition in taste profile. Tastes so satisfying, especially with a good crunchiness of the finely chopped pickles to contrast with the texture of the minced toro.

Corn mousse is so amazingly good that makes me go, "wow" at first spoonful. The floral buttery umami of corn, makes it taste like uni of vegetable kingdom, and punctuated by the herbal bitterness of the flowers for an even better and more complex taste. I love this.

The Charcoal Grilled Mushroom is surprisingly very good. It tastes so warm and earthy, whiole the texture is  soft and tender. Soaking it in light yet concentrated chicken broth is a very different way of presenting mushrooms and it totally works. Feels so comforting to savour this.

The Charcoal Grilled Tiger Prawn is plump and juicy, full of briny sweetness, topped with a hint of char. The tangy taste of lemon accentuate the sweetness and make the taste more varied. Another highlight is the cauliflower paste, which has slight vegetal earthiness, adding dimension to the taste of the prawn. The slight grittiness within the smoothness of the paste makes every bite of the prawn more interesting and enjoyable.

Charcoal grilled A5 Kagoshima Wagyu Sirloin is so tender, so juicy, so meaty sweet. The richness is balanced by the miso paste, wasabi and salt. And best of all, the meat got the sweetness of grilled meat and the light sweet aroma of straw. Every bite of this is a bliss.

Mozuku is very smooth and zesty, best enjoy at the start, to whet the appetite.

The warabi mochi here has this unbelievable liquid like, soft texture, with an iota of chewiness. This makes for such awesome mouthfeel. The earthy aroma of kinoko makes the sweetness of the dough even better and more varied. One of the best warabi mochi.

Thoughts: Absolutely Enjoyable Hearty and Authentic Japanese Meal

5 Koek Road #04-02

Wheeler’s Estate - Wheeling Good Times

Since I started to have a liking to chilling at alfresco restaurants with live bands, I decided to go to Wheeler's Estate, which is pretty near to my lair, to possibly add an restaurant to my list of favourite restaurants with live bands. After a visit, yes, this restaurant goes into the list! And this place is one of the few places where I can get to via direct bus, so this is now my top choice for dining with live bands.

I had said it before in another post that listening to live bands feels so different. The lively vibe, the real time interaction, the vibration of the music, the presence of the performers make it so much more immersive than listening to the jukebox.

The food here has good variety from pizzas, pastas, mains to appetizers, and all these feature crowd-pleasing, hearty tastes that we all enjoy.

Purple Rain showcases that slightly tangy Cranberry Juice can actually tastes smooth and floral due to the Mint Leaves and Lychee Syrup added. This is good!

A5 Wagyu Beef Skewer with Garlic Chips, Shaved Red Onion, and Lemon Wedge is da bomb of the night. Each piece is so juicy and tender, completed with meaty sweetness and a hint of char. Higher price tag, but totally worth it.

I have to admit that after savouring the skewers, the Ribeye Beef tastes very ordinary and its tougher in texture. Still can be enjoyed, but after the A5 Wagyu skewers.

Galiciana Queen Scallops is Salt Baked Zamburina Scallops soaked in Garlic Herbed Butter, completed with Pickled Pepper at the side. So briny sweet, so zesty, so savoury, these scallops are packed with good robust flavours.

Grilled Octopus is also briny sweet, laced with balanced robust flavours of Chimichurri, Lemon Capers and Butter Sauce. Another hearty treat.

Thoughts: Absolutely Cool Place to Chill, Dine and Enjoy Live Music

2 Park Lane