Misato - Quality Japanese Cooked Food made with Love

It is a matter of time I will write this post since I had mentioned that I wanted to try the food at Misato after watching the viral video. And yes, I am glad that I finally do just that!

The restaurant is actually located at Centrepoint’s Gastro+ corner hidden at the left innermost corner of the building. It is no wonder it is a hidden gem, until the viral video, given its obscure location. Despite the flashy signboard, Gastro+ corner feels like a foodcourt filled with restaurants. The good part about here is that due to the efficient layout, it is very easy to spot the bling bling signboard of Misato when walking through the place. The setting of Misato is simplistic yet comfortable. Kind of what one expects from nice mid-range restaurants.

What makes this restaurant different are the gorgeous tableware from Japan and the unique menu featuring food made from scratch. In my personal opinion, the tableware used is considered as part of the dining experience in restaurants. In a fine dining restaurant, the tableware completes the chef’s creations and tells stories of what he/she wants to convey through his/her craft. In a mid-range restaurant, the heightened aesthetic value of the dishes engages the sense of sight and makes the dining experience more enjoyable. It also shows the extra mile the restaurant goes into presenting the dishes. Which is why I love gold flakes on desserts. With that said, I guess there is no doubt that I appreciate the lovely, exquisite Japanese tableware used in Misato. Time to whip out the camera!

Update: Back again here for the opening of this lovely restaurant's new location! And it's as good as ever.

While dining here provides a great opportunity to take photos, the focus is still on the food lovingly made. I am very impressed with how finely chopped their raw cabbage is. It is finer than the cabbage shredded by machine! With the cabbage strands this thin, the surface will be thoroughly coated with sauce when I dip them into plum sauce of the Cheese Korokke or mayonnaise, yielding very flavourful salad. And this meticulously prepared cabbage is just a side to the main star: the Cheese Korokke. Within the coat of crispy breadcrumbs is a thin layer of lightly seasoned mashed potato, peppered with small bits of ham and corn. And this sphere of potato holds a core of molten mozzarella cheese that transforms into strips of ribbons when one bits into it. Taste wise, it is subtle yet full of flavours. Texture wise, it is perfect. I love the combination of the stretchy quality of the cheese and the crispy exterior. A must order.

Okonomiyaki is another highlight of this restaurant. I have always maintained that a good okonomiyaki will have high cabbage to dough ratio. When savouring this Japanese pancake, I should be biting into a whole lot of fresh crunchy cabbage held together by a thin dough skin instead of a clump of flour. So I am happy to say that the okonomiyaki here meets my expectations. To top it off, the cabbage from Japan has a very mild sweetness and does not have that smell of overcooked cabbage that I always avoid. Using quality cabbage, topped with crispy pork belly bits, really helps to make this dish the king of okonomiyaki. But maybe next time, I will request for less yaki sauce on the top. While the sauce makes this pancake very flavourful and lots of it allows for pretty patterns made on top, plus the fact that I also love it at first mouthful, my tastebuds do feel overwhelmed on the second helping. This should not be an issue if sharing between lots of people though.

Zaru Soba is nicely presented on a bed of ice. I like the look of it and the coldness of the noodles served. The sauce is what defines this dish. It is literally bursting with umami. The sweetness of bonito fish is very pronounced in this sauce, making it a league above other sauces for soba.

Ebi wasabi donburi looks so tantalizing due to the dollops of ikura and flying fish roe stacked on top of each fresh prawn coated with crispy tempura batter and drizzled with horseradish sauce. A very flavourful dish saturated with umami. Also featured here is the awesome finely chopped cabbage that tastes great with the Japanese salad dressing.

My companion loves the nicely presented Chicken Karaage Don, and I give the thumbs up to the quality rice—I am super fussy about the rice. The fried chicken pieces are very succulent and juicy. Having tried chicken karaage from many establishments, I say the one here is very good, but unlike the okonomiyaki, is not the king of Chicken Karaage since it does not have a defining feature that makes it different.

Its Sanshoku Warabi Mochi is king of mochi though. Freshly made for the day, this is the first time I have tasted a mochi that is this refreshing. It is like cool spring water being moulded into mochi. The texture is soft, smooth and slightly chewy. I personally prefer the mochi coated with the mildest tasting soya bean powder since refreshing taste is most pronounced in this one. Goma coated mochi has this sweet, earthy flavour that actually accentuates the sweetness of the mochi. Matcha mochi, which is recommended to be tried last due to its strong flavour, features the exotic bitter flavour of premium matcha. What I like about the matcha used here is that the flavour is very pure and clean, unlike some matcha products that have hints of fishy smell. Use of premium matcha powder really makes a difference in this dessert with delicate taste.

The green tea here is exceptionally fragrant and smooth. I like the aroma of roasted rice in it. I recommend trying the green tea since it is like no others among competitors of similar price range. But take note that it is three dollars per pax.

Service ranges from decent to friendly. The service crew is without a doubt efficient. During my visit, in which the buffet option is scrapped off, I find that the waiting time is pretty reasonable, contrary to what I had read on other websites. So as long as I do not need to wait, I am all good with it.

Though the menu is not exactly extensive, I feel the variety is the winner here. There is surely something in the menu that one will fancy. So this place is great for gatherings to cater to various tastebuds. I do find myself wanting to try almost 80% of items on the menu. So I am definitely looking forward to go back to try the other dishes.

My Thoughts: Great Choice for Gatherings!

Nearest car park: Centrepoint’s car park or Cuppage Plaza’s car park
Nearest MRT: Somerset

176 Orchard Road #01-33E
The Centrepoint (Gastro+)
Singapore
Contact No: 6235 2822

Calbee Granola Rich Strawberry 4 times

Who would have thought that Calbee, the famous snack manufacturers, would come out with a healthy cereal product? Imagine my surprise when I see packets of Calbee Granola stacked onto the shelves at Choco Express. Coupled with the fact that freeze-dried strawberries, my favourite fruit, are added, I naturally feel inclined to check it out. After seeing several wholesome ingredients, such as oats, rye flour, brown rice flour, wheat bran, in the ingredient list, with no colour additives, I immediately buy a pack. Okay, I admit, the packaging also looks too pretty to resist.

This cereal is bursting with flavours of grains, held together by the caramel sweetness. And the strawberries give extra kick to the taste. Good to eat even on its own!

Where to get this: Choco Express
Country of Origin: Japan

Joie - Surprises and Indulgence

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

After memorable meal at Elemen, I am all eager to check out other similar restaurants that serve European style vegetarian food. So naturally, I got my eyes set on Joie since the courses on its menu look really good. But as I had said about limiting my visits to restaurants this year, I did not get around to patronize this restaurant, until now. We were actually going to check out Misato after watching the viral video, but it is closed today. So we decide to go to Orchard Central. My companion wants to dine at Ban Heng or Tunglok while I insist on Joie. As a meat eater, he balks at trying vegetarian food actually, and he even makes a last effort to change my mind when we are at Level 12 by suggesting the next door restaurant, Tsukiji Fish Market. Well, the more reluctant he is, the more adamant I am at convincing him that there is more to vegetarian food than the stereotypes he has about it. So in we go!

Update: Looking havk at this post, I realised how good it is to be a solo diner. I can try whatever I want when dining solo.

The interior is of classic posh style with armchairs, chandeliers and black tables. So this is definitely a great choice for casual dates if want to impress. At parts of the restaurant, there are full glass panels that overlook the lush garden surrounding the restaurant. So request for a table in these areas if in the mood to enjoy beautiful scenery.

Refreshers, in the form of passion fruit drinks, are the first to come onto the table. Sweet and refreshing, they go pretty well with the baked udon and soba that look like uncooked spaghetti. Seasoned with parmesan cheese and herbs, the baked udon and soba make for quite addictive treats while waiting for the courses to be served.

I cannot wait to try Chef’s Selection of Assorted Platter when it arrives on my table because the trio of dainty, pretty morsels look so good. Recommended to start with the carrot piece at the centre, I carefully use a knife to nudge it onto fork while expecting it to taste like fresh, crunchy, mildly sweet carrot. After I pop it into my mouth, I am blown away by its taste and texture. It feels like salmon and paired with sea grapes, a kind of algae, I taste the umami of salmon! The dollop of cream on top adds extra savoury flavours to this creation, which is all good. Next to sink my teeth into is the rice cracker with dots of wasabi cream and fruit puree that are not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to incorporate some kicks to taste of the cracker. Raspberry sphere is an interesting creation in which the combination of slightly tangy raspberry juice and nutty pistachio works pretty well.

We know that cheese goes very well with mushrooms, and the appetizer of Gratinated Champignon with Morzarella just enforces this notion. The meaty flavours of the buttons mushroom and cheesy goodness of mozzarella hit a wide range on the taste spectrum.

Baby Root Vegetables Garden looks so pretty with edible flowers perching on top of the vegetables, and the taste matches up to its look. Mashed potato with truffle is the winner there. I had tried chawamushi with truffle, fries with truffle, but mashed potato with truffle is the best.

I am expecting Infusion with Cepes and Truffles to be good since it is hard to go wrong with mushrooms and truffles, the two ingredients that are packed with earthy flavours. And this soup meets my expectations. Pumpkin Velouté has the sweet earthy taste of pumpkin, just that it is less bombastic in terms of taste as compared to Infusion with Cepes and Truffles. It can be a crowd pleaser though.

Duo Ravioli Platter is impressively presented with a fancy glass lid put over the dish. When the lid is taken off, I am greeted by the sight of a pretty garden. I love the look of this dish. The filling of pumpkin ravioli tends towards the sweet side due to the use of quality pumpkin, but I find that when eaten on its own, it is a tad too sweet for main course. It tastes good when drenched in the accompanying savoury sauce though. Also helps that the dumpling skin is thin and smooth. Spinach ravioli is more nuanced in taste, so I prefer this instead.

I get to try the wild rice of my companion’s Wild Rice with Eggplant Terrine. I absolutely love its strong aroma of rice husk and the slightly chewy texture. I think the rice was cooked in broth since each grain is so flavourful. Wild rice is now one of my favourite rice variety.

The yoghurt in Yoghurt Pudding is pretty ordinary in terms of taste, but its texture is thicker and creamier, which is how I like it. The real star of this dessert is actually the mix of crunchy puffed rice and wheat flakes, whose texture gives the oomph to the yoghurt. In fact, the mix alone elevates the yoghurt pudding to awesome status.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Ice-cream is a must-order. The dark chocolate cake is bursting with intense flavours. Baked to perfection, it has crust-like top and bottom that we enjoy munching on, and its irresistibly decadent molten filling flows out at a light stab into the cake. This reminds us of our favourite lava cake at Jewels Artisan. So savouring this dessert is like reliving a lovely dream.

Hawaiian Blue, a refreshing concoction of lychee and blueberry, may be saccharine sweet, but I enjoy sipping on it since I like lychee, and this drink happens to have strong flavours of lychee.

The service here is great. The service crew is very friendly and helps to make us feel very at ease despite the mismatch between the place’s posh setting and our very casual outfits.

You will most probably be wondering what my companion think of the food here. Well, he loves the food here, praising it to no end. And he admits that it feels like he is just enjoying exquisitely prepared great food, not vegetarian food in particular. He thinks that this is the best vegetarian restaurant, and I do agree with him.

My Thoughts: The Place I'll bring my loved ones to so as to prove that vegetarian food is delicious!

Nearest car park: Orchard Central's car park
Nearest MRT: Somerset

181 Orchard Road
#12-01, Orchard Central
Singapore
Contact No: 6838 6966

Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory - Langue de Chat Cookies for Cheese Lovers and Awesome Sundae!

A strong contender to Shiro Koibito as king of Langue de Chat cookie has emerged in form of Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory!

Update: I cannot resist buying a whole gift box of four flavours!

Made with Hokkaido Jersey milk and French Guérande salt, Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory products feature rich buttery, crumbly cookies sandwiching thick slabs of smooth white chocolate cheese filling. A light bite on the langue de chat and the cookie quickly breaks off to melt into buttery goodness in the mouth. The nutty flavours of the exotic cheeses in the filling add the extra kick to the taste. A must-try for cheese lovers.

Porcini & Gouda is my personal favourite out of Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory’s offerings. The highly sought-after earthy aroma of the rare porcini mushroom makes this cookie taste like an exquisite French/Italian course condensed into a dainty petit fours. Paired with gouda cheese, this is a decadent treat.

The taste of camembert cheese is very pronounced in Salt & Camembert langue de chat, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Cheese lovers will appreciate this though.

Honey & Gorgonzola’s taste is more nuanced due to the sweet honey harmonizing the strong cheesy flavour of blue-veined gorgonzola cheese. Can be a crowd pleaser.

Update: The packaging had changed. Now they have new flavours such as Truffle and Cheddar, Salted Caramel and Mascarpone.

Truffle and Cheddar is umami dream comes true in the form of cookie. The intense aroma of truffle is perfect match with the saltiness of the cheese. The mild sweetness of the crispy cookie perks things up.

Salted Caramel and Mascarpone is for caramel lovers. The taste of caramel is strong, to the point that the subtle flavour of mascarpone is eclipsed. I can taste the creaminess of mascarpone though.

Thanks to my friends, I also get to try Lemon and Cheesecake cookies and Strawberry and Milk Tea cookies brought from Japan. Lemon and Cheesecake, with the punch of lemon and smoothness of cream cheese, will definitely convert anyone into a fan of Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory cookies. Strawberry and Milk Tea is a very safe option for trying this brand of cookies, even for those who are not into cheese. The pleasant, harmonious combination of strawberry and milk can hardly go wrong. Keep eyes peeled for seasonal availability of these cookies at our local counters.

For something different to indulge in or to impress cheese lovers, this brand of cookies makes for great choice.

Update: Got to try the Double Fromage Cheesecake from here, it is so blissfully yummy! Light but distinctive taste of cheese, fluffy creaminess and the slight variation in texture and taste between baked cheesecake (an iota of saltiness plus nutty flavour) and no bake part (smooth and creamy), this combination makes for the perfect cheesecake.

Strawberry Swiss Roll defines the golden standard for cake to cream ratio. Just a ring of cake wrapping around a huge dollop of cream with a thin layer of strawberry jam spread on its inter surface, this is the recipe for best swiss roll. And the super tiny strawberry bits added to the pink strawberry cream makes this a blissful treat. I always prefer real strawberries used in strawberry baked goods, so this cake wins over my heart.

Cow Cow Twist is a must-order because it is the best sundae. I love the exotic nutty flavour of cheese in the ice-cold cloud of cream.

Cow Cow Milk Pie is also worth a try due to the creamy, fragrant cream filling and the novelty of the flaky puff pastry encapsulating it.

Thoughts: Must-try for cheese lovers.

Click link for store locations

SPA Foods Tea

Fancy some exotic, unique tea not easily available in supermarkets? I know I do, and so I’m immediately brought a pack when I first tried a sample of lemongrass tea at Takashimaya Food Hall. I like the light aroma of lemon in this tea, and this plant packs lots of health benefits within it.

So when I see that Song Fish at Yishun also carries this product, I jump at the chance to buy it after I had finished the first pack. And while at it, I get to check out the other products in SPA Foods’ tea range, such as Blue Pea Flower and Pandan. Pandan has this sweet fragrance that I love, and the taste is refreshing and mild. Like lemongrass, pandan also provides many health benefits. Blue Pea Flower features this beautiful blue hue that I use as natural colouring for my baked goods and jelly. The taste is a bit like that of jasmine tea. Tastes great and refreshing when added to jelly.

Country of Origin: Thailand
Where to get this: Click here to find out from SPA Foods’ site

Braci - Italian Pride

In midst of relocation 

The food at Braci is truly in a league of its own. While distinctively Italian due to its rustic yet sophisticated nature and the fact that its premium ingredients sourced mainly from Italy, the different cooking methods incorporated into preparation, in addition to the huge variety of herbs used, yield very unique dishes that take one on a new sensuous experience. And the setting of the restaurant is so rustic and cosy, completed with dark wooden walls, an open kitchen from where one catches whiffs of the aroma of charcoal, that it sets up the perfect mood to enjoy hearty, meticulously prepared Italian food. If it is possible, head up to sixth floor to enjoy some cocktails, the beautiful scenery of Singapore River—it looks great in the noon and amazing at night, and the cool breeze made possible due to the place being the highest point along Boat Quay. It is perfect for chilling out.

Talking about highest point, to get to Braci, just look for the tallest building among the row of three storey-high shophouses. It is white with blue pillars. There is an entrance on first floor that leads straight to a lift. When on fifth floor, the lift door on the right—not the one that opens on first floor—will open and lead one right onto the aisle in Braci.

I have arrived too early, before they officially open for the afternoon, and thus I am shown to the bar on sixth floor to relax. I am glad about it because I love the view there while sipping on the cocktail Honeytrap, a refreshing, addictive and sweet concoction of gin, vermouth, honey, rosemary, citrus and lavender. And this cocktail is billed as one of the best Martinis in Singapore by Timeout Singapore.

When I am ready for lunch, I am escorted to the main dining hall, with the friendly and attentive Man behind the Bar bringing my martini along to fifth floor. Somehow, I feel right at home there, a posh, classy home that is. Its ambience makes me feel at ease, being able to relax and just enjoy the good food.

The fresh plump Brittany oyster is bursting with lots of flavours that work in harmony to spellbind the diner. Nutty tones in the centre of the oyster, with briny flavour of the sea concentrating at the edges, caviar for the bursts of essence of the sea, fennel added for the subtle zest—all these make this creation a winner. Subtlety and excitement condensed within a shell.

Even the bread here is very unique, called Pane Toscano in Italian, Tuscan Bread in English. This bread is given D.O.P rating, meaning its name is protected by EU law—a status that guarantees authenticity of specialty food from specific geographical origin. What make this bread, made with only yeast as leavening agent, unique are its golden standard of 3mm thick crust and no use of salt. It is a real surprise to find that in the absence of salt, the bread is still so flavourful, full of goodness of baked wheat. Recommend to tear off bite sized pieces from the loaf, sometimes with crust, sometimes only the soft, fluffy centre to experience the different textures, and then dip them in the olive oil before savouring. The olive oil is made from olives grown in a family-owned farm in Italy, and it tastes so pure.

The amuse bouche here showcase different kinds of interesting, earthly flavours of Italian produce through pretty, dainty, unique, bite-sized treats. The mildest in taste: sun-dried tomato has the sweetness accentuated by the vanilla and has a bit of tangy flavour. Next is bottarga, which is salted, cured mullet fish roe. Roe is this form is like having its essence distilled to have the flavours of the sea packed tightly into one tiny slice. It is very flavourful, and I like the layer of jelly on top that imparts a smoothness onto the bottarga and separates the saffron from the bottarga, allowing the delicate taste of the herb to shine through the intense flavours. The last one, made with a kind of root in Italy, is the best of the trio. The root is crunchy and juicy. When paired with a bit of truffle, it is oh-so-good. It is like the Song of Mother Earth transformed into edible form.

Hokkaido Scallop, which I order as ala carte dish, is an interesting dish since the plump, succulent scallop is presented in a very unique way due to the sweet, earthy taste of the accompanying sauce. Usually scallop is paired with sauces that have more zest. But the chef here decides to take things in a different direction, and surprisingly, it works. What I like about this dish is the different textures present through the addition of many ingredients such as the runny egg york, the firm, juicy, tangy but also sweet micro tomatoes to complement the springy flesh of the scallop.

The Tagliolini here is a must order, period. If it is not in the set menu, I recommend to order it from the ala carte menu. This is incredibly good. The ribbon pasta is of the exact right texture: smooth, firm yet easy to bite. And it thoroughly absorbs the flavours of the creamy seafood sauce it was cooked in. The sweetness and intense umami of the tantalizing-looking raw prawns from Sicily complements the tagliolini so well, cutting through the creaminess of the sauce to add doses of kicks to the taste. I love the texture and taste of these prawns, remind me of botan ebi that I relish so much.

Roasted pigeon is cooked in Moscato red wine for the sweetness and is grilled over shichirin charcoal grill to yield that beloved smoky flavour on the skin of the pigeon. Meat grilled over charcoal simply tastes better. The smoky flavours is distinctive and more pronounced. The succulent meat is very flavourful and cooked to perfection in terms of firmness. Nashi pear slices do not hit the right notes for me though. I just find that its floral sweetness distracting. Another accompanying part of the dish is a winner though. The pigeon liver, which has gold leaves decked onto it, has this rich taste to complement the gamey flavours of the pigeon.

Giandiutto is a traditional Italian dessert made with 5 types of chocolate and frangelico cream. This is a very decadent, luxurious dessert due to the rich taste of the chocolates and the slight hint of liqueur from frangelico. The hazelnuts coated with herbs make for nice crunchy bites and add a earthy tone to the overall taste of the dessert. It is very rich, but I have no problem finishing it up within minutes since it is so good. A very sinful treat.

The petite fours is interestingly served in ... and on a porcelain pot. Okay, this is really cool, but the best part is this trio of petit fours is among the best I have tried. Lemon meringue is a nice, refreshing treat to end the meal because of the zest from the lemon. Next is fig vincotto in a small chocolate bowl. A nice contrast from the lemon meringue due to its sweetness and earthy flavours—you probably see me using this adjective countless of times in this post. The last one, hidden in the pot and surrounded by hay—I like this rustic presentation, is exactly what is needed to seal the deal: Amaretto mixed with egg yolk. The creaminess of the egg instantly turn the sweet strong liqueur into a dessert that packs a punch. Fans of alcoholic desserts will definitely love this.

The service here is exceptional. They are friendly, very professional, alert and attentive. And I appreciate them going the extra mile to clear the table of crumbs and such after each course. The chef also makes the effort to serve up each and every course and explain in details what goes into making of the food presented. I am totally impressed.

This restaurant is a must visit. Yes, the experience of savouring unique Italian cuisine made with Italian produce, completed with an open kitchen and a beautiful view of the riverfront, is worth it.

My Thoughts: So many Surprises! Excellent!