I would guess that most people would have their favourite haunts to get their Tendon fix by now, but since Tempura Makino was a popular specialty restaurant chain from Japan, why not right?

Their Makino Special Tendon (S$25.00) comprised three pieces of Ebi Tempura and a piece each of Kisu Fish, Anago, Ika, Maitake Mushroom, Butternut Pumpkin, French Bean and Egg, all supposedly fried upon order. Hence, waiting time was understandably longer because of this “tsudoage” style.

The first impression of the Donburi was not too bad to be honest, because the mouth of the bowl was rather wide, but that also meant that the fried stuff were laying quite flatly on top of the rice. Somehow I hoped that everything was standing and leaning against one another. In terms of its flavour, I felt that the ingredients tasted a little delicate, relying on the Tendon sauce to add that Umami, but that was pretty much it.

Prices were definitely steeper than what many other places would offer. Even though the ingredients used could be said to be more premium, it might be quite a while before I make a return visit, since there was no lack of eateries to choose from in Suntec City Mall.

Exclusively available in conjunction in this year’s World Pasta Day, Eleven Strands was game in selling pasta kits for pasta lovers to bring the flavours home for consumption within a one-month shelf life.

Their pesto sauce tasted similar to what one would be able to get from the restaurant, with rich flavours of olive oil, garlic, fresh basil leaves and pine nuts exuding from the sauce. In the meantime, the pre-cooked linguine could be heated up in a pot of boiling water, so everything could be served up within minutes. I would say that the freshness of the sauce would justify for this Pasta Kit to cost S$15.00. (Note: Grilled salmon fillet prepared separately.)

While the offer only lasted for three days, I might seriously consider getting the pasta kit again when they would sell this again, should I want to have freshly-cooked pasta at home.

#BurppleBeyond

There was no doubt that the Prawn Basil Pesto Pasta (S$24.00) was a hit here. Creamy and fragrant pesto sauce was further thickened with grated Parmigano-Reggiano cheese to add an extra dimension of flavours to their freshly-made tagliatelle pasta (additional S$3.00) to perfect the meal.

One thing for sure, was that the pasta must be eaten freshly served, to have that piping hot satisfaction while slurping every strand of pasta. In fact, I wished that I would lick the remaining sauce off the plate, because it was that delicious!

#BurppleBeyond

Beauty in a Bowl (#02-130) was a dessert stall that specialised in peach gum desserts. Peach gum, a trending ingredient, was known to be rich in collagen (something that young folks would subscribe to for youthful, healthy skin). And their Signature dessert (S$3.60) was like a bowl of Cheng Teng with peach gum jelly mixed in.

The price of the dessert had likely accounted for the inclusion of the peach gum jelly, and a bowl of cold dessert was splendid for a super warm day. My only reservation was that this might be more of an occasional treat than a daily bowl, especially if a regular bowl of Cheng Teng might also do the trick.

Beauty in a Bowl (#02-130) was a dessert stall that specialised in peach gum desserts. Peach gum, a trending ingredient, was known to be rich in collagen (something that young folks would subscribe to for youthful, healthy skin). And their Signature dessert (S$3.60) was like a bowl of Cheng Teng with peach gum jelly mixed in.

The price of the dessert had likely accounted for the inclusion of the peach gum jelly, and a bowl of cold dessert was splendid for a super warm day. My only reservation was that this might be more of an occasional treat than a daily bowl, especially if a regular bowl of Cheng Teng might also do the trick.

Recently, a special feature on 8 Days brought a lot of attention to Hong Style Fried Rice, a hawker stall in Ang Mo Kio that specialised in fried rice. The owner, who was previously the assistant chef supervisor from Din Tai Fung, decided to start his own business and hop on the bandwagon to fried rice paradise.

Their Golden Egg Fried Rice with Pork Chop (S$6.50) looked like a familiar sight like what we would see from the famous restaurant. In my opinion, I felt that the fried rice was nicely coated with eggs, but the staple appeared to be minutely on the bland side. On the other hand, the freshly marinated pork chop carried stronger flavours, but because the fried rice tasted mild on sodium, both items combined would actually be just nice altogether.

Interestingly, I also noticed that many diners would take scoops of their chilli sauce to complement the rice. That could be something I would try the next time round.

At the moment, the business made some changes to their menu to cater to the snaking queues that came over to support. I would most likely come back in a month’s time, just to see if the food would taste more consistently than when they had to rush their orders.

#BurppleTakeaways

The Xiang’s Signature Dessert (S$4.20) was one Oriental dessert that I could never get sick of. Comprising a combo of grass jelly and soya beancurd, topped with assorted beans, sticky cake, yam balls, yam, sweet potato cubes, tapioca pearls and roasted peanuts, this dessert was a symphony of flavours, textures and love.

Personally, I found that the roasted peanuts gave a beautiful aroma to the dessert. But I must say, that because everything tasted like they were freshly prepared, that this place would provide me my preferred dessert over the other Taiwanese dessert kiosks around the island.

#BurppleTakeaways

Lately, Xiang Dessert and Food, otherwise known as Xiang Hao Chi (饗好吃), had become my regular haunt to pick up some Taiwanese flavours. Apparently, other than their range of desserts that was always chosen as my afternoon pick-me-up, another item that had become my comfort food was their Taiwanese Crispy Chicken Chop with Minced Pork Noodles (S$7.80).

The noodles would usually be slightly springy and nicely seasoned with the minced meat and its gravy poured over. Though there were options to how the fried chicken chop could be flavoured, I would always go for their salt and pepper seasoning for that more authentic feel. Did I also mention that the pickled cabbage and the Ramen egg were also like icing on the cake, and for that price point I thought the overall portion was actually quite affordable?

Of course, the Upper Thomson belt had no lack of good food, but for some Taiwanese treats, this place deserved a shoutout.

#BurppleTakeaways

Mookata had rooted itself in the heartlands, particularly in coffee shops where spacious outdoor seating is available. With an easy portable stove and cast iron plate setup, what would make one Mookata better than the others would be based on either competitive pricing or tasty flavours.

Over at Bedok Central, Jiak Mookata served up their a la carte plates of dishes from S$1.90 onwards. The flavours were on point one could get a really hearty meal at under S$30.00. Personally, I liked their Prawn Paste and their Garlic Sliced Pork, especially since the former had large chunks of prawns mixed in.

Though the dine-in restrictions had also put a toll on these coffee shop stalls, they also could provide a delivery service with all equipment included. Diners could still enjoy Mookata at home, and pack them up for the restaurant’s collection after the meal, at no additional costs. With the rainy season coming soon, this could be a good option to have a good time with friends and family over some tasty collagen soup and grilled marinated meats.

Mookata had rooted itself in the heartlands, particularly in coffee shops where spacious outdoor seating is available. With an easy portable stove and cast iron plate setup, what would make one Mookata better than the others would be based on either competitive pricing or tasty flavours.

Over at Bedok Central, Jiak Mookata served up their a la carte plates of dishes from S$1.90 onwards. The flavours were on point one could get a really hearty meal at under S$30.00. Personally, I liked their Prawn Paste and their Garlic Sliced Pork, especially since the former had large chunks of prawns mixed in.

Though the dine-in restrictions had also put a toll on these coffee shop stalls, they also could provide a delivery service with all equipment included. Diners could still enjoy Mookata at home, and pack them up for the restaurant’s collection after the meal, at no additional costs. With the rainy season coming soon, this could be a good option to have a good time with friends and family over some tasty collagen soup and grilled marinated meats.

#BurppleHotPotReunions

Mookata had rooted itself in the heartlands, particularly in coffee shops where spacious outdoor seating is available. With an easy portable stove and cast iron plate setup, what would make one Mookata better than the others would be based on either competitive pricing or tasty flavours.

Over at Bedok Central, Jiak Mookata served up their a la carte plates of dishes from S$1.90 onwards. The flavours were on point one could get a really hearty meal at under S$30.00. Personally, I liked their Prawn Paste and their Garlic Sliced Pork, especially since the former had large chunks of prawns mixed in.

Though the dine-in restrictions had also put a toll on these coffee shop stalls, they also could provide a delivery service with all equipment included. Diners could still enjoy Mookata at home, and pack them up for the restaurant’s collection after the meal, at no additional costs. With the rainy season coming soon, this could be a good option to have a good time with friends and family over some tasty collagen soup and grilled marinated meats.

When times are bad for the food and beverages industry and restaurants are pushed to innovate, perhaps the fun way is to play with the consumers’ minds.

Swensen’s recently launched their “Fried Chicken” Ice Cream (S$11.80) in a pint, which included two fake drumsticks made of their signature Vanilla ice cream, then heavily coated with crushed crispy cornflakes. For a more balanced flavour, a stick of rolled chocolate could be found in the handheld dessert to act as the leg bone.

Clearly, this was more of an ordinary dessert that seemed pretty amusing to have, especially when I added a serving of the strawberry sauce. Now, didn’t this look like dipping the drumstick into chilli sauce? Just imagine!