Kaiho Sushi Restaurant - A Hidden Gem

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Kaiho is one hidden gem. Why? Because on the first look at the exterior and interior, nothing seems very impressive, not to mention it is hidden in Cuppage Plaza (only known to those who know that this place has a lot of great Japanese restaurants). However, if one chooses to venture inside, he/she will be rewarded with great food at great value, plus decent service (something lacking in a lot of Japanese restaurants, including high end ones).

On the side note: The chef is a local, however one can spot a lot of Japanese expats dining in here and this is saying a lot about the skill of the chef (since I know that Japanese people don't really fancy Japanese food made by non Japanese). I had even overheard a Japanese saying to his lady companion "すごい美味しい", meaning "very delicious".

The raw seafood were so fresh that while retaining the natural sweetness of the seafood (termed as the taste of umi, by me), there is no fishy smell or taste at all. The raw tuna and yellowtail here, truly surprised me in how good the taste and texture can be, since I always had a bad impression of these two fishes (rough and tough texture, fishy smell) based on experiences in some other restaurants. Shirauo (whitebait), aburi hotategai and amaebi sushi are highly recommended. Especially the amaebi, an item that I always order when dining in Kaiho. The prawns are incredibly sweet, creamy and fresh, got to be the best amaebi I ever had. As for the aburi hotategai sushi, the smoky flavour lends extra dimension to the smooth, fresh slab of seafood—pure enjoyment of great food, but the price to pay is great. Mekajiki can be given a miss since I find the meat to have the fishy smell I dislike. And the tako is too tough to my liking.

The chestnut ice cream is a must try also due to the richness of the taste of Japanese chestnuts. And seriously, it is not like one can find such ice cream easily in other places!

Best of all, green tea is complimentary!

There are few places in which one can savour such fresh seafood and Kaiho is one of them, and given that the service is quite decent, I am always ready to be back for more!

My Thoughts: Nice!
This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Shinji By Kanesaka - Haven of Gastronomy

The gateway to that haven is through a door of distinctive Japanese influence with the words "Shinji" above it. When closing upon the door, it slid open by an extremely friendly service staff and from there, one is transported into the world of exploration of the gems of the sea.

In there, one’s personal chef of the day (sort of since he will personally attend to about 8 diners), skilfully slices up the fish, puts on the sushi rice and finally, dabbles delicate seasonings on it, and viola, little morsels of pure goodness. All the sushi I had tasted are very fresh and do not have even a hint of fishy smell, yet retaining the sweet, unique flavour of each own fish. 

I especially love the Aji, where a little dot of green condiments will explode (not literally) in the mouth to accentuate the natural taste of the fish with a wonderful marriage of light herbal-like flavour and sourness. Aji belongs to a class of fishes whose meat can easily get that fishy smell if not processed under the strictest conditions. So I am glad to inform that the Aji here has none of that smell, allowing me to appreciate such fish (I had always dislike mackerel class of fishes prior to savouring the Aji sushi in Shinji). The uni from Hokkaido is literally bursting with sweetness of the sea to the point of disbelief that seafood can be this sweet without addition of seasonings. Yes, this is even sweeter than ama ebi, a prawn known to be naturally sweet. The taste of uni is so awesome that the memory of it lingers in the mind for days.

Almost all the sushi have the melt in your mouth texture, including the usually tough Akami. The sushi rice moulded onto the sushi is a work of skill in itself. When picked up by the chopsticks, the sushi rice will not crumble, but when put into mouth, it breaks immediately apart, creating perfect harmony in texture with melt in your mouth fishes. The seasonings used and the cut made on the fishes all served to accentuate the wonderful taste.

Frankly speaking, the sushi here have tastes that are like no others (based on my personal experience, though I had not tried almost every kind of sushi out there), thus taking diners on a brand new gastronomy journey.

The service is absolutely excellent; warm, friendly and genuine. One of the best services I had encountered. The place is simplistic, yet elegant, full of the Zen influence, filling one with calmness.

Though I highly recommend opting for the counter seats only because when seated at the table, one pays full price for getting one third of the unique dining experience there. Part of the gastronomy journey in Shinji is to watch the chef meticulously prepared each sushi and wait with great anticipation for each morsel of delight to be ready. And during the wait, one can slowly indulge in the appreciation of the flavours of the sushi just savoured. To be served plates of sushi pieces at the table is simply just different from sitting at the counter to enjoy the sushi one at a time.

Another note: I found that the sushi here is so pure in taste that I can actually detect the subtle differences in taste of the sushi made by different chefs. All are good, but there is bound to be one that you prefer, depending on personal preferences. My favourite chef even remembers us and the set lunch we always order!

Absolutely love to go back again.

My Thoughts: Out of this World ... when seated at the counter

Nearest car park: Calton Hotel's car park or St Regis Hotel's car park

Nearest MRT: City Hall or Orchard

76 Bras Basah Rd
Calton Hotel, Lobby Floor
or
29 Tanglin Road
The St Regis
Singapore
Contact No:
63386131
or
68848239

Chocolate and Gelato Shoppe - Mmmmmm, Gourmet Chocolates! And yummyGelato!

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Formerly known as Xotiq Chocolatier, this little shop is one of those few places which sells gourmet chocolates (No, I do not consider those famous boutique chocolates as gourmet).

Frankly speaking, Gourmet Chocolates are the only chocolates that I actually like since I had never liked chocolates. Something about that smoky smell, the sour aftertaste, blatant sweetness and my occasional bouts of allergy reaction (don't ask me why, it just happens sometimes when I eat some of those commercial chocolates) that make me choose vanilla over chocolate anytime of the day.

However for gourmet chocolates (think Valrhona, Michel Cluizel and Amedei), it is just pure love and indulgence. Why? Because these chocolates do not have that smoky smell (due to the fact that the cocao beans are sunned dry instead of going the faster way of being smoked dry), have none of those nasties that I encountered with commercial chocolates due to the quality beans used (namely from South America, instead of Africa where children are exploited as cheap labour) and stringent control of the processes.

All these show in the very quality of the chocolates themselves, rich, velvet in texture, complex (with hints of the taste of different kinds of fruits or nuts, depending on the origin) and with the taste lingering on the palate. It is kind of unbelievable that I can taste the distinct taste of citrus fruits in Michel Cluzei's Mangaro when no fruits are added inside.  Thus coming to this humble little shop is a gourmet chocolate's fan's sweetest dream, and they even sell those tiny samples (they do let customers sample some chocolates for free if they are interested in the bars) for customers to try all the different types of chocolates.

Besides Chocolates, there are Gelato of different flavours available and they taste natural and good.

The service is friendly and personal, and the lady boss even went the extra mile to pack the samples I brought into a nice packaging, completed with ribbons when I told her it was meant as a gift.

I always like to say, "If you want to eat chocolates, gourmet chocolates are the ones you should try."

My Thoughts: Very Nice!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Ladurée Patisserie Singapore - Colours that look as sweet as the taste

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Flavors In the box: (from Left to Right) 1st row - Marron, 2nd row - Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Rose, 3rd row - Praline, Maria Antoinette, Strawberry Candy Marshmellow, Vanilla

The macarons here come in huge array of colours and flavours, seeking to entice many to try them. In fact, this works for me, with more than 10 flavours to choose from, there is lots of fun in choosing the macarons and there is bound to be one flavour that one will like.

The macaron shells are very meaty with no “caves” in them, giving an extremely good, chewy bite. One of the best in terms of texture. Though this texture will be gone if out in our humid and hot weather for too long. Need to pop back into the fridge to get back that chewy texture again.

As for the flavours, personal preferences are Rose (Nice, smooth, strong flowery scent), Maria Antoinette (refreshing and interesting with the tea infusion), Vanilla (this humble flavour, overlooked by many, is surprisingly good, being very classic, french and old school in taste with subtle hints of extra dimension) and Praline (love the very strong flavour of hazelnut, unlike a lot of other macarons out there). The salty caramel is quite a disappointment, given the hype reviews. Personally find it too sweet to my liking. The ganache of Strawberry Candy Marshmallow has an interesting texture, similar to that of the marshmellow, but the taste is like that of the bubblegum, very artificial, will definitely avoid this one in the future. Pistachio and Marron are okay, though not outstanding in taste. Actually, I still prefer the macarons with multi-dimensional taste, at Jewels Artisan, which had sadly closed already. So I guess Laduree helps a bit to fill in that void.

Service wise, I like it that the staffs there practise utmost hygiene in handling of the macarons and the cashier is very polite, trying hard to include that French touch in his greetings. Though I have to admit that I’m a bit disappointed that those impossibly beautiful dainty cakes of Laduree are not available at the stores here.

Good for personal indulgence once in a while, since the price is not exactly that wallet friendly. Though the macarons here make great gifts, given the pretty packaging and the established name.

My Thoughts: Nice!

This restaurant is no longer in operation.

Izakaya Nijumaru - Cheap and Good

Nowadays, I either go to Shinji or Shabu Shabu Gen for the unbelievably sublime, though expensive gastronomic feast, or I can get better and cheaper food than those chain restaurants (with Rakuichi as exception) in Kinsa or right in dingy location of Cuppage Plaza.  Besides Kaiho and Shinjuku, another good find is Izakaya Nijumaru which offers a variety of classic, common Japanese food.

The set meals are very value for money given the quantity of the food and the fresh ingredients used.  The pickles are well done and the buta katsu is crispy and flavourful, having none of that unpleasant smell of overused oil.

The ambience is simple yet having a strong Japanese influence.  If the service crew speaks in Japanese, it will feel as though one gets transported to a street in Japan.

Service is quite okay, though I always visit on Saturday afternoons when it was not crowded, so it may differs from the standard at night.

One of my top choices for some down to earth good Japanese food.

My Thoughts: It is one of my Favourite Haunts!

Nearest car park: Cuppage Plaza's car park

Nearest MRT: Somerset

5 Koek Road

#02-10 Cuppage Plaza

Singapore

Contact No: 62356693

Dolcetto by Basilico - Italian Desserts and Breads Galore

I had always enjoyed the authentic Italian desserts in Basilico, so the opening of Dolcetto was good news to me since I can still get my hands on their desserts when patronizing Summer Palace in The Regent instead.

The breads are of hits and misses, some like the chocolate roll (the chocolate chips inside are delicious) are really good while others are just so so only.  For the desserts, most are pretty good while the star is the Torte Nocciola.  What I like about it is that the overall, well rounded taste is very unique, unlike that of the usual cakes, and the raspberries, hazelnut sponge and the big dollop of cream on top complement each other excellently.  For the macarons, the shells are very well made though I find them to be a bit too sweet.  Vanilla and strawberry balsamic macarons are the ones that stand out for me, lavender one smells too much like perfume.

One more thing: a must buy when visiting this place is the Amedei Chocolate—one of the best chocolates in the world and it is not easy to find a store carrying them. I only know that Dolcetto, Chocolate and Gelato Shoppe sell these. In fact, I only like chocolate desserts made with chocolates of Amedei, Valhorna calibre. The Amedei milk chocolate I had gotten is incredibly smooth, warm in taste with strong hints of honey. Though no honey is added. Amazing, right? That is the beauty of premium cocoa.

Service is good and professional.

Look forward to go back for the Torte Nocciola and grab a bar of Amedei!

My Thoughts: Nice!

Nearest car park: The Regent's car park

Nearest MRT: Orchard

1 Cuscaden Road

Level 1 The Regent Singapore

Singapore

Contact No: 67208000

Dolce Vita - Glorious array of pure Italian dishes

It is easy to find restaurants offering brunches in Singapore, but it is not that easy to find one offering pure spread of authentic European dishes (Somehow I hardly have any liking for those with international spread, most of them cannot meet the basic expectations). I can only name a few like Basilico, Osia, Garbiardi and you guess it, Dolce Vita!

All dishes are served to the table instead of the "pick all you want" style, all of them are free flow but there are so many dishes that I only have the stomach for one round for all. I absolutely love the appetizers here, from crab timbale, burrata mozzarella cheese stuffed in cherry tomato, port wine marinated foie gras terrine (the trio of appetizers in my photo) are refreshing, simulating and multi-dimensional in taste.  The piping hot soups of mushroom, and those of cauliflower served in shot glasses respectively are sublime, being overflowing with flavours and having the right consistency (creamy but not overly so).  The ham and oysters are good also, though I prefer Osia's condiments for the oysters.

The mains are not really my type since I find that the core of the pasta to be uncooked (but take note that this style of cooking pasta is actually the preferred type for Europeans, considered as perfect in texture).  The fishes are good and fresh though not as great in taste as the appetizers. The star of the mains is the risotto with black truffle which is a aromatic comfort food. My main problem is that the main courses are free flow also, which proves to be too much for a small eater like me. Another thing: after eating the salad loaded with lots of seafood, which is great actually until they served the pasta tossed with exactly the same type of seafood, causing me to feel great dilemma. It was a waste not to finish up such a dish filled to brim with the treasures of the sea, but faced with a similar dish where my full stomach was stretched beyond threshold, it was impossible to take more than three bites off it. It will be better if there is an option to choose one main course only at a lower price for the brunch.

The desserts are extremely sinful; silky smooth in texture and rich in taste, high points for them.  I love the gold flakes on the tiramisu and chocolate, adding the luxurious touch to the already decadent treats.  The panna cotta is unbelievably good with its custard being the smoothest and most refreshing one I ever had. Ricotta Cheese berries tart is very light, yet creamy at the same time, an absolute must try.

The ambience is very modern with a bit of the resort feel due to its location besides the swimming pool surrounded by lots of flora.  The view outside of the restaurant is breath taking, where one can see MBS and the flyer.  The service is very attentive, professional and friendly, absolutely faultless.

Will like to go back again to try the set meals or if there is an option not to go for free flow of main courses or for special occasions.

My Thoughts: Very Nice!

Nearest car park: Marina Mall's car park

Nearest MRT: City Hall

Mandarin Oriental Singapore L5

5 Raffles Avenue

Singapore

Contact No: 68853500