Rokkatei Strawberry Chocolate

 

The floral pattern on the cup is so pretty. Anyway, most important is still what's inside the cup. Freeze-dried strawberry is like a strawberry cookie filled with 100% goodness and sweet aroma of strawberries. And the sweetness and richness of white chocolate go so well with the tart taste of the strawberry. A very distinctive and unique sweet.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: Isetan Shaw Centre Supermarket or https://shopee.sg/product/302701096/16971883585?smtt=0.147269227-1668550049.9

Song Garden - Opulent Cantonese Cuisine

Song Garden had always been on my wishlist since I had lunch at this place three years ago. It was with family though, so I totally had no impression of what I had eaten since my focus was not on food during such events, except that I like the food here. So I'm finally back again to slowly savour the food and write this post about this restaurant.

Treasure Platter (Chilled) of Foie Gras, Abalone and Sake Infused Crabmeat Salad is a good showcase of what this restaurant has to offer: Classic Opulent Cantonese Food with a Twist. Sake infused Crabmeat coupled with thinly shredded pickles cucumber is very refreshing on the palates. The umami of crab and flying fish roe go very well with the tangy flavour of the cucumber. A good starter. Chilled Foie Gras is very buttery and the jelly that comes with it introduces a burst of refreshing juice that harmonises perfectly with the richness of the foie gras. The abalone is very flavourful and the texture is just right: not too chewy but firm. 

My favourite got to be the Deep-fried Homemade Charcoal Tofu with Crab Meat and Hokkaido Scallop. I love this so much. So traditional yet so unique. Every bite of the soft fresh tofu is filled with awesomely sweet umami of fresh crab. Even the veggie is also soaked with the goodness of the crab. The slightly crispy exterior of the tofu gives a nice variation to the texture. The fresh, well-seared Hokkaido Scallop is plump and meaty, going well with the tofu.

Lots of dim sum items on the menu are the old-school types, and I decide to try one of the staples of dim sum repertoire: Deep-fried Prawn Dumpling with Mayonnaise. Crispy deep-fried thin dough skin wrapping around super fresh juicy, bouncy prawns get the thumbs-up from me. Now I look forward to trying the rest of their dim sum items.

Pan-fried Pork & Foie Gras Dumping is one of the more innovative dim sum items on the menu. This is like gyoza filled with meat and soup à la Xiao Long Bao. So juicy, so good. And the hint of foie gras inside gives the dumplings an extra buttery richness.

Chilled Black Glutinous Rice with Ice Cream Served in Young Coconut is pretty good. The coconut ice-cream is so creamy, so good that I do wish more ice-cream is added. A little dollop of ice-cream is so easily over-whelmed by the sea of black glutinous rice soup. Yes, I said "soup" because texture wise, the black glutinous rice part is a bit like starchy shark fin soup. Some people may like the smooth texture of black glutinous rice prepared this way, but I prefer to enjoy the wholesomeness of rice grains by chewing on them. By the way, I also dig up the young coconut flesh from the shell to enjoy. It is yummy.

The place is very posh and full of traditional Chinese influences, yet inviting and comfy at the same time. The red plush chairs make for very striking impression. I love the semi-circle red plush sofa seats at the side, it makes one feels like one is in a private space of his/her own. The service is professional and efficient. And the tall lady staff is very friendly and helpful in recommending the dishes without hard-selling. This is a very nice restaurant to enjoy traditional Cantonese food, with some twists at times.

Thoughts: Great choice to enjoy Cantonese Cuisine and to have family or friends get-togethers.

122 Middle Road
Level 2 Mercure Singapore Bugis

Singapore

Nearest MRT: Bugis

Hiryu - Gastronomic Indulgence

After weeks of savouring European cuisines on my weekends, I really need a change and Japanese cuisine is the first thing that comes to my mind. After a search on Japanese restaurants around Heritage Area, my favourite place to search for good food, I found Hiryu, which will become one of my absolute favourite restaurants after an omakase meal here.

Just a look at the toast laden with lots of uni and negitoro, a heapful of caviar and huge slice of truffle, you know that this is going to be good. And this fifth sashimi served definitely meets the expectations. I have to write about this dish first because it really encapsulates what Hiryu is all about: presenting the super fresh best ingredients in the best combination for one's indulgence.

The uni is so creamy and oh-my-oh-so-sweet, with none of the bitterness that is present in some uni. Negitoro, aka mashed tuna belly, is also very rich and creamy. The woody aroma of truffle adds a layer of dimension to the taste profile. The caviar is pops of intense umami goodness that works with the uni and negitoro to bring one to umami heaven. The toast makes for a nice neutral base to hold all these luxurious treasures of the sea and woods while introducing a nice crunch to the overall texture.

First sashimi of the day is Hirame, Flounder with light ponzu jelly. Very light, clean in flavour and refreshing taste. A good start to the meal.

Next up is the very interesting Akagai, a kind of clam. The moment the chef hits it, the clam changes shape, like it is coming to life. Check out the video below. Quite a feast for the eyes, and it is sure a feast for the mouth too since this sashimi is very crunchy in texture and has a briny sweetness.

Thinly sliced yet fleshy yellowtail tastes very good on its own with its mild planty taste, elevated with the dusting of the seasoning powder.

King Mackerel sashimi tastes so good with the mustard seeds. The mustard seeds add a layer of light char flavour to get that aburi taste.

I, surprisingly, love Fried Smelt Fish a lot despite the fact that I am usually not into cooked fish and eating it whole. It is fleshy and very crispy. Very good texture and full of concentrated umami.

First sushi of the day is Shima Aji, which is one of my favourite types of sushi since the stronger flavour of this fish can really blows one away when paired with the right condiments. The little green dot of mashed pungent plant really accentuates the sweetness of aji. And I like the brown rice used for the sushi rice, it is very starchy and fluffy.

Second sushi of the day is Uni? I'm surprised since this decadent sushi is usually served at the last. So does this mean there are more luxurious sushi to come after this? Anticipation aside, let me indulge in this sweet creamy treasure of the sea first. Look at how firm the uni are in the photo and you know that it is super, super fresh and well-handled by the chefs. Umami heaven ...

More sweetness comes with Ama Ebi served. The prawns are so sweet and fresh, and extra umami added with the shrimp roe paste. A bit of aburi for dimension in the taste. Yes, more umami heaven!

Savouring sushi with a thick generous slice of otoro, topped with negitoro and a mould of caviar, plus some gold flakes is pure indulgence. So rich in texture and flavour. Umami bliss.

Last sushi of the day is Hotate topped with Foie Gras with Uni. Wow, this is so decadently good. And rich, buttery foie gras actually goes very well with sushi. The scallop is vey sweet and this sweetness is surprisingly able to shine through the intensity of foie gras and uni. I'm now at the realm beyond umami heaven.

Lots of thinly sliced Iberico Pork with its coveted nutty flavours, lots of truffle slices, lots of foie gras, lots of uni and lots of salmon roe decked on top of a thin layer of sushi rice. Bursting with flavours, this is a gourmet dream, in Japanese style, come true.

Nice clear miso soup to cleanse the palates.

Yama momo in the dessert tastes interesting. The melon tastes very refreshing, great to end the meal on. The black sesame mochi has the nice slight chewy texture without being overly so, so it's a nice treat.

The decor of the place is of minimalist Zen influence, great for enjoying omakase in a peaceful environment. The service staffs are very friendly and attentive, being quick to response to requests and sometimes even respond before I call for them. The chefs are very friendly too, and I appreciate their skills in preparing the sashimi and sushi since the non-otoro fishes all have almost this melt-in-your-mouth texture, and the slices are thick enough to enjoy the flavours but thin enough to finish in one mouthful. And the sushi rice is not sticky but well-moulded to stick together until the point of biting into it. I also like the addition of unexpected ingredients such as foie gras and truffle for the unique gastronomic adventure.

While the price of the omakase here is steep, I feel it is totally worth it, given that so many luxurious ingredients are used in the dishes. For that gastronomic indulgence, this place is definitely one of the top choices.

Thoughts: Ultimate pampering of my palates and senses.

39 Tras Street

Singapore

Nearest MRT: Tanjong Pagar

Audrey Gracia Strawberry

 

Unbelievably beautiful wrapping paper, box, paper bag and of course, the cookies! Sure to impress if given as gift. I like the packaging so much that I took lots of photos of this as seen below lol. Also perfect for personal indulgence.

I love this sweet because of the half piece of freeze-dried strawberry adorning the cream. It is like concentrated strawberry goodness in cookie form due to its crunchiness. There is no other confectionary that is like this, I love it. The cream adds the creaminess and moisture while the thin cookie wrap is so crispy, yet has this melt-in-your-mouth quality. A very well-put together ensemble. Highly recommend to spoilt oneself with in the comforts of one's home.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/357041381/20304983691?smtt=0.147269227-1668311402.9

Kumamoto Castle under the Moon

 Super cute mooncake, or what Japanese called it, manju! It's only as big as a tablespoon. And it's delicious too, being moist with lots of white bean paste filling and thin layer of dough. And there is a hint of the aroma of toasted chestnut to make it unique, which is how I like it.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/357041381/3273599897?smtt=0.147269227-1668309879.9

Fukuoka Hakata Strawberry Kirara

 

Beautiful packaging and delicious cookie full of goodness of real strawberries. A real yummy treat that will appeal to almost all palates. I also love the crispy wafer bits added into the filling for extra texture and crunch.

Country of Origin: Japan

Where to get this: https://shopee.sg/product/857785396/19151867421?smtt=0.147269227-1668309317.9

Yujin Izakaya - Hearty Japanese Treats

This restaurant is no longer in operation

While on my way to Dempsey, a Japanese restaurant decked in bright red situated at a corner of the road immediately caught my eye. It really has this Izakaya vibe that is so evident even in the afternoon, imagine how vibrant it will be in the night. I knew I had to make a metal note of this place: Yujin Izakaya. Fast forward to a week later, which is now, I'm here at this quaint place for a new foodie adventure!

The Hokkaido Hotate Sashimi is super fresh and succulent, and has hints of sweetness. A good start to the meal.

Uzaku is wakame seaweed with pickled cucumber and unagi added. It is nice, especially the smokey flavours of thin slices of unagi–I actually prefer this kind of tiny bite-sized form of unagi. But I will prefer it if mozuku is used in place of wakame instead. I find the seaweed a bit on the chunky side.

Ebi Somen is a must try here. It is so rich in flavours and awesome on texture. The thin somen is thoroughly drenched in prawn oil, making it so smooth and full of goodness of the umami of the prawn. And coupled with garlic and spring onion for extra hints of pungent aroma to spice things up. The sautéed prawns are delicious: fresh, meaty and carries a light layer of char flavour.

Warabi Mochi is so good. Luckily, I changed my mind and decide to try out this dessert. The mochi is like refreshing sweet spring water in jelly form. And this refreshing taste is coated with the intense flavours of brown sugar and coconut cream for a real sweet ending. This combination actually works so well.

The place has this authentic Izakaya vibe, where friends gather at night, let loose and just have a relaxing and sort of, rowdy time. The walls are plastered with artfully done posters that feature old school manga style drawings. The service is very good, the staff being very attentive and friendly, cementing this restaurant as a place to chill out. I do love to go back again, especially at night time to try out the sumiyaki here and to really feel the izakaya vibe at its peak.

Thoughts: A great place to have a good time and enjoy great food.