Sugarra - Exquisite Spanish Cuisine

I'm so excited about dining at Sugarra because the food here looks exquisite and the setting here looks luxurious, which is different from the rustic ones at most Español restaurants in Singapore. So I immediately put this restaurant in my wishlist and come here at the first weekend after I’m back from an overseas trip.

Every dish here is so meticulously made to look absolutely beautiful, with light, balanced beautiful taste. There is full exploration of different types of taste profiles through the different dishes. I’m absolutely impressed.

The interior is very impressive: classy and modern, with s touch of opulence. Granite tables, soft lights and illuminated walls, a stylish bar and Español music really sets the place up to be a swanky location for wine and dine.

The service is awesome too, sealing the deal for this restaurant as a must-visit.

I squeak in delight when I first reach the table to see this incredibly beautiful display of appetisers, Tapitas. So gorgeous, so thoughtful. I feel like a VIP with this welcome display.

Green pea gazpacho, based on the Español Tomato Cold Soup, is creamy, with mild vegetal freshness and simulating yet well-balanced taste.

Green pepper tartlet has this lovely fresh vegetal taste as top notes and then the taste of nuts with a sweetness develops. I’m so pleasantly surprised.

Beef tartare is meaty and light on the palates at the same time, which is good.

Paella rice with scallop tastes so starchy and satisfying. The sweetness of the paella juxtaposes so well with the mild briny sweetness of the raw scallop.

Vin de claire oyster with pepper has the sweet nutty taste of oyster cut through by the tangy flavour of pepper for a complex and awesome taste.

Savoury panna cotta tastes lovelying milky with a hint of exotic taste, in a good way, due to the celeriac, tempered with ocean savoury intensity of caviar. Brilliant creation.

Swiss roll with basil and anchovy powder tastes like an umami cake from the sea.

Olive with sardine and pepper features strong tangy taste of olive and sardine.

Foie gras with eel has briny sweet eel sandwiched between umami jelly, which is the foie gras. I love this texture of foie gras! There is a nice caramelised sugar on top adding a nice variation to texture.

Served warm, freshly made Black rye bread is crispy on the top and fluffy at the core. The white bread is super fluffy. Both goes so well with the smoked whipped butter or the Sugarra’s special olive oil that has notes of hazelnut.

Tortilla De Patatas  "Spanish Omelette" makes me go, “Oh my Potato!” at first bite because it is so delicious and unique. Consisted of potato in various forms, such as Confit Potato, Sabayon, Potato"Espuma" and topped with Black Truffle, this dish presents sweetness in different levels and forms: toasty sweetness, milky sweetness and foamy sweetness, with touches of savoury goodness.

Remolacha is Beetroot Tartare with Mix Herb Salad and Beetroot Sorbet. This is like gastronomic feast from the garden. The crunchy texture juxtaposes so well with the cold sorbet. Thr sweet and tangy flavours are so refreshing. The fresh herbal taste of the herbs makes it even better.

The dish, Cardo, has lots of goodies hidden beneath the white espuma, like Spanish Cardoon, Almond Sauce, Black Winter Truffle,m and Almond. I love the taste of roasted vegetal freshness here. The almond and vegetable are crunchy, contrasting well with foamy espuma. The meaty savoury taste of truffle add mysterious element to the taste.

Arroz De Verduras Del Desierto tastes so delightful and satisfying. Bomba rice lobster consommé Desert Vegetable like ice plant al dente rice with a good bite super umami Crispy Oyster surprises me by how good it is light and crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside

Suquet  Catalan Seafood Stew, Charcoal Grilled Alfonsino Fish, Mussel, Potato Nice fish dish light tomato sauce accentuates the briny sweetness of fish nice crispy skin

Txuleta  Charcoal Grilled "Vintage" Beef, Piquillo Gel,Smoked Garlic Mousseline Meaty sweetness with additional deep nutty sweetness different in taste slight spiciness of pepper perk up the taste

Baby Gem Lettuce with tangy sauce is crunchy and refreshing and tastes somewhat floral, which is great contrast to the beef.

Yogurt Y Bergamota combines an amazing combination of components, such as Bergamota Sorbet, Yogurt "Espouma" and Fried Dried Yogurt, to yield milky, yet tangy and refreshing taste. 

Dessert of Chocolate. Parfait, Cherry Sorbet and Aerated Chocolate in honeycomb form has such good mouthfeel due to the different textures present.

Delightful, unique Petite Fours.

Sugarra specialty Olive Oil as gift for patrons. Wow!

Thoughts: Absolutely Exquisite and Wonderful Cuisine

L1, Hotel Michael, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Resorts World Sentosa

Luna Lassi

I know I need to get some lassi when I tried the lassi at Coco Ichibanya in Japan. Despite the name, it is actually Japanese yoghurt drink, and it is so good.

And Luna Lassi meets my expectations 😉 

It is thick, rich, creamy, refreshing and has a deep yoghurt taste akin to Greek type but lighter in texture. Pairing thus with curry is pure enjoyment.

And this is sold out fast at Don Don Donki.

My haul from Sake Matsuri

I got some gems from the recent Sake Matsuri event at Jewel, and surprisingly, they are Awamori instead of Sake.

Asagori no Hana has light fresh floral aroma. It tastes refreshing. Becomes sweeter when on rocks

Shima no Napoleon is clean in taste and has very smooth texture. It is intense and sweet when on the rocks.

Danryu features the aroma of umami and taste of wheat. It becomes much sweeter when on rocks, which is a good thing.

Gochu - Exciting Korean Dining

The cavern-like walls of a hot new restaurant, Gochu, definitely caught my attention, and the fact that the signature dish of Gochu is Gochu, crispy chilli stuffed with meat, seemed to promise an unique experience at this restaurant. And so I decided to transverse through the quiet part of Singapore, which is the far off end of Yishun, to get to this quaint restaurant that is nested within the Orchid Country Club Golf area.

Well, despite the secluded location, this restaurant is so full on a weekend that I have to wait for an hour for a table. But the wait is actually pretty okay since there is a nice built-in wooden bench outside to sit on where I can look at the people practising golf. After the wait, it actually feels so refreshing to step into this cool space furbished with black interior, cave-like stone walls and full panel windows overlooking the greenery outside.

And the menu looks good, with plenty of options for different cuts of beef and pork, Korean side dishes, the usual favourites like Seafood Pancake and unique traditional Korean dishes, such as Gochu. Usually, the meats of Korean BBQ are usually tough due to the thick cuts. But the meats are tender and juicy, so I'm really impressed. In addition, I like it that the friendly staff will barbecue the meats on the grill stove in front of the patrons. The taste of the food is very tasty and hearty. Definitely a good choice for Korean fare.

The complimentary Deep fried White Bait is crispy on the outside and succulent on the inside. A delicious snack to much on.

Gochu hits all the points of the taste spectrum from savoury, sweet, spicy, tangy meaty to vegetal. It is pure excitement on the tastebuds.

The ribs, well-marinated, is perfectly cooked by the staff to retain the meaty juiciness with a touch of char for the extra sweetness. This is a must-try here.

Another cut of beef, being more lightly seasoned, and is delicious too due to the juiciness.

Yummy Complimentary Side Dishes.

Thoughts: Good, Hearty Korean Food

1 Orchid Road

Orchard Country Club

Thoughts on buying snacks in Japan

Part of the fun in travelling in Japan is buying the Japanese sweets and snacks. And based on my experiences this time in Japan, I realised that:

1. If getting snacks from souvenir shops, better to get the ones that are also sold in other countries or on online platforms.

Examples: Hiyoko, Tsukigesho, Shiroi Koibito, Tokyo Banana

2. If getting snacks that are unheard of outside of Japan, better to get from specialty stores or counters. And get more of them.

There is a good reason why certain brands have specialty stores or counters. High chance is that their products are delicious enough for the possibility of generating enough sales to justify a specialty store or counter.

3. Specialty vending Machine Snacks may be better than expected

In fact, the best yatsuhashi I have tasted thus far is from a vending machine. Of course, this brand, おたべ otabe, is also available in box form in souvenir stores. But I chose to buy another brand for the sake of trying something new. Well, the good part about this decision is that I realise that otabe is actually better and will be my choice of yatsuhashi the next time I go to Japan.

My guess for its availability in specialty vending machine is due to its popularity (most probably due to its good taste) to justify setting up a machine just to sell this brand of snack.

4. If getting something from souvenir stores, steamed cakes and cookies are safer choices. But they may be just quite nice only, not mind-blowingly good.

5. Mochi and yatsuhashi are risky choices. Buy with a sense of adventure, or buy the ones confirmed to be good.

Japan is still my number one choice for holidays

Before this trip to Japan, I always thought that I’m not into traveling. That’s what going to the wrong places with the wrong company can do to you. After the trip to Japan, I realised that I actually love traveling if the place meets these 3 criteria:

1. Safe streets

2. High standard of hygiene 

3. Good Food

Without any one of these, I rather stay at Singapore to enjoy my homeland’s safe streets, relatively good hygiene and good food.

Comfort is of utmost priority to me, of course I want to visit a place on par or better than my own country.

Instead of asking me which countries I will not visit, it’s easier to ask me which countries I will visit.

Travelling is so Fun!

I totally enjoy my Japan trip this time, and it is possible with careful planning by my kawaii imouto who is cool with doing it, taking into account of both our preferences.

To me, it’s not about showing where I have been to. It’s about experiencing it. I like to take photos to seal it as memories and feel the pride in capturing the beauty of the places, not as proof that I have been here. So majority of my photos don’t have me inside.

I love to feel the vibe, to appreciate the different architecture, to study the beauty of the places, to observe the locals, to experience different things native to the places.

Buying the snacks based on my feelings is a different level of enjoyment from savouring the awesome snacks brought by my loved ones.

And I sort of gather why this trip works for both of us:

1. The travelling companions who are thoughtful and considerate matter a lot. For obvious reasons. And oneself must be thoughtful and considerate too since it is a two-way thing.

2. Have similar goals for travelling. Then all can have fun together without feeling that one has compromised too much, thus feeling frustrated about it.

3. Stay in different rooms for personal space unless you are family living together. Different living habits will not blend seamlessly within those few days travelling aboard. We are used to our habits, and not requiring to change them during holiday makes the trip far more comfortable and results in less frictions. Being able to hog the toilet is great.

4. Being punctual. Missing planned itinerary is not fun.

5. Being positive. The essential element to enjoy lots of things and have fun. 

6. Use logic. To avoid being a nuisance.

7. Be at least quite willing to spend. It makes things a lot easier.

8. Wear your usual shoes for travel. New shoes will be hard in texture and have not conformed to shape of one's feet yet. And it is untried, untested, so who knows what problem they can cause to your feet. Shoes not worn often should be avoided too. They may just disintegrate due to lack of use.

9. Eat multivitamins and probiotics everyday. To stay healthy to truly enjoy the trip.