I always know that I will be back at Foliage, a quaint intimate cosy dining location born out of a couple's passion for food and their travels through Japan. And so here I am!
What I love about the food is its unique taste of distinctive Southeast Asian flavours with the clean and clear taste of Japanese cuisine, where the natural sweetness of the specially sourced ingredients is highlighted. And as I have said before, the owner couple work together to add an extra cosiness to their place with their hospitality, curated cutleries, sake, produce from their travels in Japan, and make the experience feel like private dining.
The dining experience here is one of a kind that I definitely look forward to enjoy again.
Monga Ika & Oba Spring Roll, Hojiso & Umeboshi White Rojak amazes me with an unbelievably clean, light and balanced taste of rojak. Roasted almonds add the nutty earthy taste for that distinctive rojak taste, and Hojiso aka ginger flower adds vegetal freshness to lift up the flavours. The ika, aka cuttlefish filling, is so fluffy and milky briny sweet, juxtaposing perfectly with the super crispy spring roll skin that nicely breaks at a bite. The crunchy vegetables tastes so refreshing, brightening the taste of rojak. Best Rojak!
Hamo Conger Eel, Sayur Assam, inspired by a Javanese soup, makes me go, "Wow!" with its unique comforting sweet, savoury taste with a hint of zest. The taste is like southeast Asian umami. The fish is so fresh, having briny sweet and juicy flesh.
Murasaki Uni & Akaebi "Lemak Ikan Asin" with Green Yuzu and Coconut is wow, wow, wow. It is unbelievably and amazingly delicious. The taste is super sweet, featuring different layers of sweetness, and refreshing. I love the blend of briny sweetness, vegetal freshness, creamy umami, nutty creaminess and hint of herbal pungency in this dish. The variety of textures present: creaminess and crunchiness, is awesome too.
Fresh Crab & Kani Miso "White Laksa" Pie Tee is stuffed with shredded Coconut Canadian Red Crab and super crunchy shredded turnip that makes for a lovely local taste with extra sweetness, refreshing element, zest from laksa and briny sweetness. The housemade Pie Tee shell is so amazing on its own due to the extra sweet aroma of baked sweets present, made possible with the addition of coconut milk. And the shell, being freshly made, is so so crispy. Best Pie Tee.
Somen-Kabocha & Manganji Pepper "Soto Ayam Lamongan" with Japanese leeks features fluffy and meaty Grilled Ika & Kampong Chicken Tsukune, which is meatball, soaked in slightly spicy broth full of goodness of taste of Southeast Asia due to the medley of goodies added. The unique slightly crunchy somen, which is like strands of thin fine turnip, absorbs the umami of the broth to taste so good.
Suzuki & Grilled Nasu White Wine Fish Curry with Prata ala Minute is like the best curry! The Japanese vegetables soaked in the spicy, sweet, buttery curry has this refreshing taste that contrasts so well with the thick curry. The prata here is exceptional too, being made from Hokkaido flour and Normandy butter, and is thus extra fragrant. Yes, best prata!
Amela Tomato & Kanten "Ice Jelly" with White peach is so refreshing and zesty, with vegetal freshness. I love the kanten jelly that introduces the bouncy texture and clear sweetness.
Hojicha made from stems, therefore having less caffeine and is smoother in texture.
White Corn & Wasanbon Kueh Dadar has French sea salt added for sparks of excitement. This dessert is packed with floral buttery sweetness of white corn and creamy nutty sweetness of coconut. The pandan green wrapping skin has such good texture, it is like super thin kueh. The filling features different kinds of crunchiness from coconut and corn, making for an excelent bite. Stellar Southeast Asian dessert.
I also get to savour rare Japanese wine from Nagano, which cannot be easily found at other establishments. The couple managed to secure supply deal with the winery owner by helping with the harvesting of the grapes. I love the story behind getting wines from this unique, quaint winery. It adds an extra touch of warmth and passion to the experience. The wine is clean and crisp in taste, making the food tastes even sweeter.
I also get to try the red wine from this quaint winery, and it is made from Kyoho grapes. Wow, I have never tried wines made from Kyoho grapes, so I'm so excited to enjoy it. This wine carries the distinctive sweet aroma and wine-like richness of Kyoho grapes and the taste is fresh, with hints of sparkling feel. A must try here.
Thoughts: Amazing, Clean, Balanced Southeast Asian tastes realised by Passion
11 Kee Seng Street
#01-03
