With Japanese dons starting from $4.90, @bowlchap in Ayer Rajah Food Centre usually sells out by 1pm on weekends, so donât be late for lunch!
While the Black âSweetâ Vinegar glaze on the pork belly was a tad sour, the onsen egg was cooked to perfection.
The Short Review
Price Range: $6-$14
Nearest MRT: Kent Ridge
Food:
1) Wildfire Cheeseburger [$5.30]
With 150grams of medium-rare Angus Chuck as its patty, my burger was so juicy that it made it hard to hold up for this snapshot.
Other components sandwiched between the two buttered, toasted brioche buns include melted American cheese, pickled cornichons and glazed, caramelized onions.
Got two of these badbois for $10.60, thanks to the off-peak Burpple Beyond app! Thereâre plenty of other 1-for-1 choices at Savourworld, so just head on down if youâre feeling a lil peckish at Kent Ridge MRT!
Come Here: Again.
Nothing says Trump more than crispy duck fat, double-fried to a gorgeous orange hue.
The truffle honey was pretty weak though, and Yeung Kai was pretty unimpressed.
Get your duck burger fix at Borough Market instead, where Tartufuaia's Truffle Honey samples will melt your heart away.
@thefrenchieuk
Come Here: Maybe?
Check out those sexy char-grill lines.
Grilled, juicy bacon sandwiched between slightly-charred bread & paired with an indulgent BBQ sauce.
The Eccles Cake, a baked pastry ball filled with brown sugar, butter & raisins was a bit gross though đ
Reminds me of a new US President for some reason.
Come Here: Maybe?
15 pounds for an excellent duck confit; crisp, flavourful & tender.
0 pounds for the waffle; mildly tepid & dense.
2 pounds for a spectacular skyline.
Book way in advance as they might not open up the obviously-empty tables for walk-ins!
@duckandwaffle
Come Here: Again.
Cos @kaiyle's photo looked dam good.
Mine didn't come as freshly-fried as I wanted it to be, but the sweetness of the pomegranate seeds and the sharpness of the yoghurt contrasts nicely with the heavy-handed grease of the cheese.
@oli_babas
Come Here: Maybe?
The Short Review
Price Range: $11-$14
Nearest MRT: Labrador Park
Instagrammability: High -
Nestled amongst numerous art galleries, Creamier's second outlet barring Sunday Folks overlooks the iconic "Blue House" of Gillman Barracks.
Food:
1) Waffles & 2 Scoops [$12.00]
Waffles are as good as remembered. Topped up $3.40 for a premium scoop of Rum & Raisin to our basic $8.60 waffle & scoop, which was suitably alcoholic.
Our other scoop was Kaya Toast, exclusive to the Barracks, which was nicely pandan-y & studded with breadcrumbs?
Other Gillman-only flavours include Pomegranate Yoghurt & Macadamia Tropicana. Westies lamenting about only having soft serve with Creamier's waffles...lament no more.
Come Here: Again.
The Short Review
Price Range: $17-$23
Nearest MRT: Queenstown
Instagrammability: High -
Marbled surfaces, dainty utensils and a shop full of antique paraphernalia quietly lend ambience to the meal.
Food:
1) Buffalo Mozzarella & Parma Ham [$17.00]
To expectations. Parma Ham's always good. But we won't be rushing back to order this again.
2) Pulled Pork Risotto [$21.00]
Both risottos had a texture which could've been creamier, but the Pulled Pork plate consisted of more banal flavours. Who knew truffle oil, shaved Parmesan & pulled pork could be so unexciting?
3) Spiced Risotto & Grilled Prawns [$23.00]
Featuring Indian-inspired spices reminiscent of curry buns, this heavily Asian-leaning Italian dish's highlight were its fresh prawns.
The Bakehouse (by Carpenter & Cook) is probably better known for their pastries, such as the easily recognizable "stiff peaks" of the Passionfruit Meringue Tart, but hey, let's not let their April 2016 entry into the Entertainer catalogue go unnoticed.
Come Here: Maybe?
Who'd knew that NTUC Foodfare would offer food that's more than mere sustenance? (okay, èç«æ±€'s pretty good)
Usually, mall foodcourts feature only one generic, token Japanese stall, but Clementi Mall's tally now stands at 4, with latest addition Ramen Taisho joining "Japanese Food", "Japanese Curry" and Pepper Lunch Express. Stiff competition for a foodcourt.
For its very agreeable price of $6.90, you get homemade ramen, two slices of fatty chashu and a molten half-egg, immersed in a decently rich tonkotsu broth that tastes leaps & bounds above its Kopitiam counterparts.
Recommended for all impoverished secondary school students nearby who are still priced out by Yoshimaru Ramen Bar's weekday specials.
The Short Review
Price Range: $3-$24
Nearest MRT: one-north
Instagrammability: High -
Much care has been invested in the spray-painting of graffiti-esque murals; marrying a container concept with an industrial sheen.
The list of vendors pours on and on: Portico Platos (of Gillman & Dempsey fame), Teppei, Two Wings & Garçons (both hailing from Salute), Dancing Crab, The World is Flat (by Tanuki Raw), as well as a pantheon of well-loved hawker delights, some of which were there before one-north's resurrection.
Food:
1) Kaisendon - Teppei Daidokoro [$16.00]
Teppei's always reliable, and while its portion seems smaller than remembered, the standard still warrants a return visit.
2) Three Skewers & Onsen Egg Rice - Kush [$13.30]
We ordered the Soft Shell Chilli Crab Rice, but opening day issues plagued their deep fryer.
Essentially $13 for 3 average satays with a side of sambal kangkong & an onsen egg. We're looking forward to the next stall that replaces Kush.
3) Lobster Roll - Dancing Crab [$24.00]
Stale fries aside, the two brioche buns were a little on the over-buttered side. Lobster flesh and slaw was alright, though it's not spectacular.
4) Sticky Date Pudding - D. by Slake [$6.50]
While the date pudding was little too spongey and dense, the accompanying salted caramel gelato was pretty delicious.
Other outlets were still prepping, with The World is Flat opening during evening hours and Portico Platos launching on Monday, 4 April.
Dine-in items impose a $1 tray deposit, which can be refunded upon returning all utensils to a conveyor belt. Pretty cool stuff.
Live music during Wednesday to Saturday Nights. If you're feeling frugal, the adjacent cheap canteen food's got your back. Plus, it's just 1 bus stop away from Kent Ridge MRT; what a time to be alive in NUS.
Come Here: Again.
The Short Review
Price Range: $5-$11
Nearest MRT: Kent Ridge
Instagrammability: Moderate -
Previously occupied by Bing Bing, the space is buttered with yellow light, which is conducive for study pods but not so much for the gram.
Food:
1) All Day Breakfast [$7.00]
She chose Garlic Bread [$1.50], which was fragrantly garlicky but had the textural resolve of an ISIS militant; Mac & Cheese [$3.00], a squishy mound that's just okay; and Portobello Mushrooms [$2.50], which was aggressively salty.
2) All Day Breakfast [$10.50]
I chose Scrambled Eggs [$3.00], for the same price at Atlas Coffeehouse LOL; the same salty-inked Portobello Mushrooms [$2.50] and a very decent Waffle with Plain Honey [$5.00].
For 5 bucks, the waffle's actually quite good. Don't bother with the Truffled Honey version, which is distractingly overpowered.
No further student discount, unless you salaciously engage in the proverbial buttering of buns.
Come Here: Never (only buy waffles!).
The Short Review
Price Range: $9-$16
Nearest MRT: Kent Ridge
Instagrammability: High -
Taking over the late Late Plate's space in the NUS Shaw Foundation Alumni House, Waa Cow's outdoor verandah provides a nice spot for your photo op.
Food:
1) Wagyu Don - Main [$17.90]
Standards wise, it's on par with Tanuki Raw, but Waa Cow does throw in a bit more beef for its heftier price. Charring the tops of the rice is a little unusual, but the burnt taste hardly permeates through the bowl. The rest of the rice is better than Tanuki's.
At first glance, the shallot jam looks suspiciously like a dollop of chilli, but it was actually pretty delicious.
Any well-executed onsen egg is glorious, but perhaps swapping the common micro-roe for plump ikura could better justify its price.
Comes with token miso soup.
2) Soy Glazed Wings [$8.90]
Love at first bite. Crisp, flavourful; though my friend complained it was a tad oily.
Special thanks to Constance & Aaron for letting us try them!
Present & past NUS wayfarers enjoy 10% off. Though nearby joints like DSTLLRY may still triumph in the battle of the Dons, you can't beat being on campus. Waa Cow makes Wagyu Dons between tutorials a reality.
Their extended menu, which includes Chirashi Dons, launches today, so if The Deck's Japanese food is too sad for your liking, pop over to Waa Cow for a little splurge.
Come Here: Again.
