Ikkoten Omakase - Simply Amazing and Special

I’m totally wowed over by the dinner at Ikkoten Omakase again, where Chef Brandon meticulously crafted a special, unique menu full of amazing surprises. Though I’m not a fish person, I absolutely love the dishes of the 8-course dinner that features primarily fishes. What makes it better is enjoying the fishes in ways that I have never tried before. I never look at fish dishes the same way again … especially at Ikkoten 😉 

The most luxurious plate of sashimi, made from Kyuushu Blue Fin Tuna, meticulously plated by Chef Brandon, is topped with gold dust. The taste is just as luxuriously amazing and multifaceted. One fish, three different tastes. I love this oh so much.

I love the akami sashimi because it is the best akami I ever have. Actually I always have not so good impression of akami, the lean part of the blue-fined tuna, due to the lack of flavours, rougher texture and the extra smell when it is not fresh.

But the incredibly fresh akami here, which arrived in the morning and soaked in soy sauce, totally changes my mind. It has smooth texture and is packed with unbelievably amount of briny sweetness laced with savoury goodness. It is topped with caviar and dipped with shiso oil for the extra hints of excitement.

Chutoro is so buttery sweet and refreshing at the same time when paired with the crunchy soufflé-like japanese yam. The shiso oil added makes it even better.

Otoro, yes, the prized fatty tuna, is lightly seared to feature that lovely char imparting a satisfying warmth to the taste. It has this intense buttery, amazing melt in your mouth consistency. The oilness is nicely cut by the clean light pungency of ginger flower for a well-balanced taste.

Specially prepared Hassun that speaks of the flavours of autumn.

Age peanut Tofu topped with uni is one brilliant dish. The earthy sweetness of peanut perfectly balances and actually accentuates the creamy umami of uni. The deep fried exterior adds a warmness to the dish elevating the taste, texture and complexity.

Earthy bitterness of ginko nuts is a welcome change in taste profile from the umami sweetness of the peanut tofu. The deep fried exterior adds a sweetness for layered flavours, making it even better.

Chrysanthemum Sushi is called such due to arranging the strands of ika to resemble a chrysanthemum. While this looks like seemingly for aesthetic reason only, the taste is on another level. Best ika sushi? Yes! The ika is unbelievably sweet that I thought something else was added. But nope, there are only the best quality of ika and sushi rice to yield this natural sweetness. And ika being sliced into strands actually negates the tougher texture issue of ika, resulting in it being easy to bite, with a touch of firmness.

The Aomori flounder, being sliced thinly for a slightly firm texture and torched lightly for that char to add complexity to the clean briny sweetness of the flounder results in the best flounder sashimi. sweet sour plum sauce accentuates the briny sweetness

Iwate Pacific Saury totally surprises me by how good it is since I always have the impression that small fishes are dry and features a fishy smell. The Pacific Saury here is so creamy in texture and has that briny sweetness without the smell. The char on the skin makes it even sweeter and better. And the flesh is even creamier near the head. This is so good.

Hyogo Pike Cougar Eel Tempura is so aromatic and flavourful that I thought it got a special seasoning blend added. Actually, it’s a blend of three kinds of oil instead to yield this amazing taste and aroma. I’m impressed! And the texture of cougar pike eel totally works for tempura since it is slightly dry with an iota of creaminess, which juxtaposes perfectly with the crispy tempura. Imagine using a cod fish instead, it will be too oily. The tangy homemade Yuzu sauce refreshes the taste of tempura and makes things exciting.

Binchotan Grilled Blue Fin Tuna, touted as Wagyu of the sea, is full of the goodness of omega oils and toasty goodness of grilled meat. It is as good as Wagyu. The accompanying tomato and ginger refreshes the palates between bites and accentuates the sweetness of the meat.

I requested for the sushi course to be changed to donabe and I got the awesome Signature Ehime Seabream Claypot Donabe. And I’m so, so happy with my choice. The warm, starchy, fluffy rice is perfect match with the briny sweet seabream featuring slightly drier texture. And the roasted edamame is part of the magic, whose light vegetal taste and crunchy texture elevates the donabe so much. What’s even better is that lots of edamame are added. So every bite is full of crunchy goodness.

At first look, I thought the dessert is matcha cake, and I’m pleasantly surprised to taste fluffy light cream cheese with a hint of lemon and clean taste of matcha instead. This is way better than pure matcha cake due to the laters flavours and how refreshing it is.

Specially crafted menu for me ❤️

Ohmine, specially curated sake for the night 😍

Housemade Umeshu from whisky, and it’s good!

Thoughts: Simply Amazing!

86 Telok Ayer St

Kemuri - Traditional and Fantastic Japanese Izakaya

Kemuri definitely got my attention with a young new chef, Chef Yukiro Saito, on board and a newly revamped menu. In addition, the promise of Japanese charcoal grilled food sounds so tempting. I also miss soaking in the Izakaya vibe so this restaurant sounds like a good choice to get that. And somehow I have this feeling that there will be a subtle element of uniqueness and surprise in the food here.

And yes, the food here features that Izakaya flair and heartiness, with a touch of refinement. I totally love it. The charcoal grilled items have that lovely smoky aroma, meaty sweetness, hints of excitement from the sea salt and lemon, layered with something special. Example of something special is the Parmesan cheese grated over the Chicken Meatball. Lots of awesome first times here also, where I, for the first time, try the delicious chilled yam somen, most delicious chicken thigh meat and best cod fish served in Izakaya style.

Located in the “hidden gem” Cuppage Plaza, the interior of the restaurant is in a stark contrast to the surrounding. It presents a brilliant juxtapose of a modern stylish bar and a traditional Japanese Izakaya. The jazz music playing in the background, the upmarket grey stone dining counter and the studio-like black walls create this classy chilled vibe. While the open kitchen, charcoal grill station, flames, skewers and sake bottles radiate this feel of Izakaya.

And watching Chef Saito and his team hard at work preparing the food is an experience in itself.

Service here is wonderful and efficient, sealing the deal that this is definitely one of the places I will look forward to come back to.

Update: And back again since I miss the food here 😉

The quintet of appetizers impresses me with the exploration of distinctively different taste profiles. Each appetizer packs a punch of flavours that is different from its predecessor.

First appetizer of raw Scallop is so sweet, made exciting by the savoury goodness and the incredibly plump juicy texture. This is my favourite of the quintet.

Chicken liver is unlike another chicken liver, being richer in taste and more silky in texture. In fact, this is like Asian style Foie Gras, which is full of thick, creamy savoury umami.

I love how the Duck Breast takes the taste profile in a different direction from Chicken Liver. It fearures this meaty sweetness that actually develops as I bite more into it. And being thinly sliced, it has good perfect bite to it.

Grilled Pacific Saury is full of intense briny sweetness.

Pickles are so refreshing, making them perfect as the last appetizer to cleanse the palates for the mains to come.

A quartet of sashimi that reminds of how much I enjoy quality sashimi.

Kanpachi is sweet and clean in taste.

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

Kinmedai is lightly seared on the top to showcase the smoky aroma for a touch of complexity to the taste. The texture, interestingly and amazingly, has a light crunch to it.

One of the highlights of the meal and a crowd favourite is the Charcoal Grilled Giant Prawn. I like the theatrics of the chef sprinkling salt liberally over the prawn before grilling. The real highlight of the dish is huge, plump prawn, whose briny sweetness is balanced perfectly by the special wasabi cream sauce. It is a must to bite into the head to get the tasty bits imbued with the aroma of charcoal and taste of sea salt, both of which add a layer of unique sweetness to the meat.

This is a must-try here.

Chilled Yam Somen Noodle is oh so amazing that it feels almost magical. And surprising too. The incredibly thin strands of somen looks slippery, but when biting into it, I am wowed over by its vegetal crunchiness, similar to the texture of turnip. And each strand is soaked with the super refreshing, tangy, savoury goodness of clear broth. I end up finishing every bit of the somen and every drop of broth.

This is one dish that is worth a special trip to Kemuri.

I’m not exactly into chicken thigh meat, but I will gladly order the Flame-Grilled Chicken Thigh here. It is the best chicken thigh. It is so perfectly cooked to eliminate the smell of muscle and sinew while retaining the creaminess and juiciness of the meat. With the aroma of char deepening the robust meaty flavour, it already tastes so good on its own. Miso and chilli powder can be added for variation in taste and extra excitement.

Best Izakaya style Cod Fish comes in the form of Saikyo Miso-Grilled Gindara Cod Fish. This is super briny sweet, creamy and full of goodness of omega oils. The grilled skin makes it even better.

The Chicken Tsukune with Cheese feels so pillowy in texture. Lightly seasoned, the meaty sweetness actually develops with each subsequent bites.

Charcoal-Grilled Kagoshima A5 Wagyu Chateaubriand is super creamy with a good bite. The char adds intensity to the meaty sweetness. And the wasabi works brilliantly to refresh the palates and cut through the creaminess.

Nice unique complimentary dish

Claypot Unagi Rice surprises me with its presentation. Served with clear soup, this dish is surprisingly refreshing while still having that lovely warm, starchy goodness I love in Japanese rice dishes. The lightly seasoned unagi adds the punch in flavour, making this dish such a joy to savour.

Refreshing Yuzu Ice-cream. A good choice to refresh the palates after savouring all these grilled food.

Thoughts: Best Izakaya with lots of Surprises

5 Koek Road

Cuppage Plaza #04-02

Leila - Exotic Delicious Tastes

Since I'm always up for unique experiences and gastronomic adventures, the restaurant Leila immediately caught my attention with cuisine from the Balkan region, which includes countries such as Lebanon, Greece, Albania, Croatia, Serbia and Turkey. So I was so looking forward to enjoying dishes with unique spices, lemons, tomatoes and olive oil.

The food here is truly unique, exotic and delicious in taste. Since Balkan region is where east meets west, the food here really reflects that. It feels like Greek cuisine meets Middle Eastern cuisine. And it totally works wonders.

The first thing I notice upon stepping into the restaurant is the upbeat hypnotic Middle Eastern instrumental music that fills the place with a modern mystic air. I love this. The sandy red walls, wooden panels, table lamps and candlelights accentuate the mystic Middle-Eastern feel. The bar counter, glassware and furniture injects the stylish modern vibe that matches perfectly with the Middle Eastern theme.

The thing that dampens my experience here is the bar counter seats and how my request is handled. I always like sitting at bar counter seats but this place is an exception because neither the bar counter seats here nor the bar counter have any foot rest. Sounds like minor thing? Nope, it’s major discomfort in which my feet are left dangling, I feel like I’m going to fall off if I lean too much to one side, and my legs go numb when I cross my legs. In fact, I feel so horrible that I quickly finish my meal to be spared of the agony. I’m expecting to dine in absolute comfort in such restaurant, but alas, I’m left disappointed by this area.

To make things worse, when I requested to change to a table seat, I was only offered an outdoor seat. If the restaurant is full house, then I totally understand why I cannot change my seat. But the 2 small table seats behind me were empty throughout my whole meal. In fact, there’s a couple seated at first at a table behind me, but they did not like it that it was near the dish counter and requested for a change, which the staff immediately acceded to. Imagine how I feel about the difference in reaction to the requests.

When I’m enquired on how’s everything, I just answer with a deadpan look, “Good.” That’s all. Because I’m not in the mood to elaborate like how I usually do when I love the food.

That aside, the service is good actually, putting some stars back into the service rating. Staff, like Delia and Erika, are very friendly, responsive and energetic. They even offer complimentary shots of cocktail to patrons and do the cheers with us, which really heightens the mood.

I also found out that there are Arabian Nights special on Thursdays, which sounds so exciting. I really want to go, but I’m not eager to experience that bar counter seat again.

All in all, a great place to enjoy unique delicious food in an unique setting full of mystic. But avoid the bar seats if you value comfort.

Green Chilli Shrimp: Meaty, plump, briny sweet prawns taste so awesome when paired with the exotic, spicy (the shiok type that refreshes your senses), slightly pungent green chilli sauce. The finely cubed cucumber and tomato is so juicy and refreshing in taste, brightening up the briny meatiness of the prawns. And I love it that the vegetables, being finely cubed, make for a good mouth feel and place the focus on the star of the dish: the prawns.

In fact, the sauce plus cubed cucumber and tomato are the best to go with the Kubana bread. This is my favourite dip of the night.

Pillowy, fluffy, fine texture, savoury crispy top, soufflé bottom … the Kubana Bread is so delicious, full of the sweetness of wheat. The Creamy Tahini dip is savoury, nutty and exotic. The crushed juicy Fresh Tomato dip is lightly seasoned, thus yielding this refreshing taste with a hint of tang. I prefer the stronger taste of Tahini at first but as I eat more of the bread, I start to prefer the light taste of tomato.

Kunafe is a must-try here and worth that special visit. It is so unique, full of textures due to the juxtapose of thin strands of crispy kataifi and crunchy toasted pistachio. The light wet fluffy Jibana Cheese is the magic for that savoury kick amid the sweetness of the dessert and the sweet aroma of rose.

Sweet Balkan Sunset

Thoughts: Unique, Exotic, Awesome Balkan cuisine

12 Lim Teck Road