THE CRONCH was greatly cronchy, even with the sauce slathered over it. It’s also hard to eat because there are several pieces of pork belly stacked on top of each other, but no complaints because I enjoyed every bite. I didn’t quite like the mustard, but it cuts through the fat so makes sense. Service was good too. 100/10 happy.
There are two milkshake options - a mini one in a mason jar (8.90) and a mighty one that LOOKS like a regular cup in the photos (10.90). Anyway, the mighty version turned out huge. It was lovely. Mind you, it’s a lot of cream on top, but the cream was quite light and different.
Usually reviews say it’s crowded, but it’s blissfully empty just after opening time! Have had the tomyum pasta with chicken twice, and it always hits the right spot. It gets spicy for me (for reference, mala xiao la is ok for me) and a drink is a must. Chicken also nicely done!
Burger > fries. Patty was nicely seasoned, and the mushrooms tasty. I personally prefer more mushrooms, but it’s still filling. Fries were more soggy than crisp, but otherwise ok. Also appreciate the clean toilets and sinks for hand washing!
Had the Kinyama Ramen ($10.90). Came with a heap of crispy enoki mushroom and a stack of thin charsiu just below. Enoki was beautifully fried, and generally stayed crisp even when soaked in the soup. I’d say this is more like fast food ramen (but with a fairly long waiting time because of the crowd) with a generous portion.
First time having burrata pizza, and loved the contrast in texture and temperature! You have to burst the cool cheese and spread it over the hot pizza. Was simple, but delicious and satisfying.
Eligible for Burrple’s 1-for-1 and worthy of its crowd-favourite status. Would return for this.
* Note that they’ll ask for everyone in your group to be present before seating you. I was fine with waiting at the chairs provided outside, though it was strange because it was empty when I arrived. Starts to fill up from about 7pm onwards on a weekday.
Ordered the ragout tagliatelle ($25++), which turned out to be a fancy beef bolognese that still isn’t the best out there :’( The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the sauce rich. However, dish felt cheap with the use of ground beef that didn’t have much bite to it. It also turned out to be jelak / fairly overwhelming about halfway through the dish. Perplexing as they are generous with the ingredients for the seafood risotto (also heavy tasting, but very much worth its price point). But worth a mention that service was good :)
TL;DR you really have to love beef bolognese to enjoy this dish (which I did), but likely leave feeling cheated.
Had a Hot Shot Set (pork katsu curry, white rice, broccoli, potato salad) + DIY salmon mentai with furikake rice, cabbage salad, and kinoko mushroom + add-on miso soup and mentaiko egg. It was about $28 with GST and a 0.1% service charge.
Quick thoughts - The mentaiko salmon was great, it was a large slice and had a generous heaping of mentaiko. Loved the mushrooms too. The pork katsu curry, potato salad, and add-on miso soup+egg were average, so I wouldn't recommend it. It was also hard to eat with the small bowl and large spoon, which requires some skill or a second bowl.
It was less crowded than the other eateries up till about 6pm on a Sunday, then quickly became packed. The crowd does move quickly though, and food was served in eight minutes. Would return if I need a quick meal, especially once I figure out which dishes are the better ones.
Still love the double boiled soup, and was surprised to find out that they use white tofu for their hot plate tofu rather than the more common egg tofu. Though it didn’t have that sour edge I love and had a sweet sauce hur hur.
Second time I’m here in a month and went for the tiger prawn aglio e olio ($14.90). Five! Prawns! and a generous serving of pasta with garlic. May be too spicy if you’re a xiao la kind of person, but otherwise manageable.
Much better than the raved about truffle tortellini, which had delicious mushrooms but tragically hard tortellini.
Fortunately skipped the Valentine’s Day crowd/menu ($168++ for three courses?!) to have a quiet dinner the day before. Opted for the double boiled soup ($6 for a serving) and the tom yum seafood rice ($10 for a serving). The double boiled soup was comforting old cucumber pork rib soup, which was tasty and soft to bite. The rice was average, with three pieces of prawn. I think the curry fish head ($30) would be a better option if you have interested dining companions! It smelled delicious, and I spotted multiple tables sharing it. Service staff were also really good!
Looks like you can’t go wrong with the Winestone Signature Burger ($27++). The portion was large, the wagyu patty tender, and there was a generous serving of portobello mushroom. That might be a minus if you do not enjoy mushrooms, as the taste often overshadowed the other components of the burger.
