Chinatown might not be bustling with activities with the restriction of incoming leisure travellers, but it might also not be so easy to find a less crowded place to sip tea and relax over cakes and snacks.
Over at the junction of Temple Street and Trengganu Street, existed a pitstop called Sweetea Caffe which was located at the second and third storey of the gazetted shophouse. It was not only air-conditioned, but also offered a nice view especially from the third floor.
Although they had brought in their cakes from their own supplier, I was pleased with the Durian Lava Cake (S$7.80), which was rich in real durian flavours. They were also thoughtful to plate some fruits by the side to add a bit of acidity to balance the desserts a little bit.
Some diners might debate that durians should not be eaten warm, so the café did not nuke their cakes by too much. However, it was always possible to specify that you want the cake more chilled or runny, whichever your preference might be.
I was slightly elated to learn that ĀTO opened an outlet at Marymount Community Club recently, providing some dining options to the visitors to the facilities.
Initially, I was not too sure if the Ramen could surprise me considering its price of S$9.90 with Chashu, Ajitama and black fungus added into the pork broth with thin noodles. Little did I know that the noodles were made in-house and cooked on point for that touch of quality.
As much as I would have yearned for more intensity in the broth flavour, I could not deny the fact that this was already an acceptably-good bowl of Ramen with a sweet price of under ten bucks.
While the taste of seafood was sufficiently strong in this bowl of Clam Chowder (S$11.50), I found the diced potatoes given out of proportion against the bowl of soup. As much as I would enjoy potatoes any time, this was a bit too much for me and it might not have value-added much to my meal.
On a weekday afternoon, it took me about 1 hour from queuing to having my food served at the food collection point.
The hype was largely about fresh seafood imported from Maine for their rolls. But the Lobster Roll (S$25.50) also attracted curious diners after the business’ success in US and Japan. Other than the natural taste of the lobster, I found the lightly-buttered buns perfectly done up to the point whereby the crust was crispy and the bread was airy. The mayo and lemon butter gave the roll some light flavouring, but there was also a slight chance that they would turn the bun soggy. In other words, it would be most preferred to be consumed on the spot.
Seats were really limited, as it appeared that the restaurant had maximised the space with or without safe management measures in place, but the tall stool seats was quite a relaxing configuration for diners to savour the rolls and watch people walk by. If there was a pint of beer on the table, I could almost imagine myself having a relaxing moment in a seafood shack by the beach.
Was it worth the time and effort queuing up? I reckon that it was worth the try to taste freshness in a sustainability-driven restaurant, but if the queue outside the mall exceeds 5 groups, perhaps it would be safer to wait for the hype to ease off, or for a second restaurant to open somewhere else (hopefully).
Wife Cakes from Hang Heung used to be my favourite goodies my friends would bring back from Hong Kong, with the little red box bundled with red raffia string. And as like many brands that expanded their market overseas, there was no longer a need to fly to Yuen Lang to buy them, as they opened their first Singapore branch at ION Orchard.
Each box would pack 6 pieces of freshly-baked pastries at S$15.00, though one could also get individual pieces of Wife Cake at S$2.80 each. And as far as I was concerned, these Wife Cakes were awesome, with very thin flaky pastry crust and a soft, mochi-like winter melon paste filling that was tastefully sweet for me.
Queue lines were said to be long to get your hands on a box of this, but the game plan was really to visit them during off-peak hours for the transaction to be quick and smooth. Just wondering how long it would take for the purchase limit of two boxes per customer would be lifted for this one.
Itacho Sushi had their Ikura Festival recently, serving two versions of their Ikura Don at 60% off.
I managed to try their Salmon & Roe Giant Mini Rice (S$11.90) on the last day of their promotion today. Featuring sushi rice buried under some raw salmon and a sea of salmon roe, the mini rice bowl was bursting with umami to a point where I wished I had more rice to pair with the Ikura. However, this was how exactly the Ikura Don should taste like.
Of course, in the absence of overflowing roe and the enthusiastic shouting of “Oisa-!”, the atmosphere lacked the element of drama that would come with the “festival”. Still, it was a good to have alongside the array of Sushi, Gunkan and other Tabemono that is familiar to the diners here. And the complimentary hot green tea did its job in cleansing the palate after emptying this bowl.
A surprise less noticed in my visits to TWG Tea Salon for my tea sessions, this Rum Baba (S$13.00) was listed on the desserts menu but was easily overlooked since I would normally go for their afternoon tea selections.
Comprising a cake soaked with rum and decorated with Chantilly cream, rum jelly and a scoop of Vanilla Bourbon Tea ice cream, this was like a light version of a liqueur dessert thanks to the alcoholic content from the cake and the jelly. However, it was well-balanced with the richness of the ice cream, making this a desirable dessert for two.
Where a tea pairing is concerned, try it with the Geisha Blossom Tea, as the fragrance from the cherry blossom and fruity notes could complement the dessert quite beautifully.
Sen of Japan might be one of the rare few restaurants in The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands that partnered with Burpple Beyond, but it was a must to check out their menu of mains, rice or noodle dishes.
One of the main ingredients that was stunning for me was their Uni (sea urchin). Having experienced many disappointing meals with this delicacy that was just not fresh enough in most Singapore restaurants, the uni here tasted really sweet without leaving behind that gross aftertaste.
Take this Mini Aburi Don (S$68.00) for instance. Although the sushi rice portion was really small, the deliciousness of the sea urchin and the seared bluefin tuna (Ootoro and Chuutoro) had a naturally pleasant taste especially when complemented with a pinch of fresh Wasabi. And of course, who would give the large scoop of Ikura a miss if it could add umami to this flavoursome bowl?
With so much going on in my mouth based on this dish, the price was not that much of a burn to the pocket, especially since I redeemed a Burpple Beyond deal. A point to note though, that the availability of sea urchin might be limited by the seasonal catch, so do check with the restaurant beforehand if you were solely eyeing on their Uni dishes.
#BurppleBeyond
Finding a lunch place around the Tanjong Pagar area was more complicated then I thought, as most restaurants were packed with diners. Fortunately, I managed to secure a seat at Salmon Samurai rather quickly.
I ordered the Salmon Mentaiko & Chilled Citrus Ramen (S$9.90) which came with cold ramen noodles tossed in cold sauce and some sliced salmon Sashimi that were lined with Mentaiko mayonnaise before delicately finished with some flaming.
The meal felt healthy, and also somewhat hearty (probably because of the noodles), but it was also possible to select the mixed greens option to make this an absolutely healthy meal.
Selling at S$6.00 per bowl, this durian dessert came with durian puree blended with some dairy and ice to create that mousse texture, and topped with two scoops of durian puree. Short of drizzling some Gula Melaka to become a Durian Pengat, yet this dessert was highly likely the top favourite of the dessert shop, as proven by the strong fragrance of durians even at the ground floor of the shophouse.
With the safety regulations in place, dine-in patrons would be required to drop an SMS to the designated number to collect a queue e-ticket. And you would surely understand why the crowd downstairs appeared like an assembly area for a fire drill at 8.00pm on a Friday night. Something must have been done right to deserve this dessert-hungry crowd.
I was very surprised to see that Chong Qing Grilled Fish was swarmed with fish fans who enjoyed loads of spice along with it.
Had it not been for my colleagues’ recommendation, I would really not know that they had a less spicy version, that is the Pickled Cabbage flavour. It came as dish with a tray of sourish base. Given the little amounts of bones and scales on the Patin fish, it became a good choice for us, especially since we liked our fish with less fine bones hidden under the flesh. On the whole, the dish was quite appetising with the adequate levels of sourness.
Paying S$39.00 for this was all right, but it was just not enough for our table of 5 to share. And so, we ordered another set in a different flavour of soup base. That was not inclusive of the many plates of “side dishes” and two towers of beverages to go with the meal. And since it was a weekend dinner, our table was expected to dine for a maximum of 90 minutes, which we managed to do so abidingly.
The “flaming” LCD wall outside Aburi-EN always catches my attention. And the chef grilling the meats and seafood by the window made me want to go in to try something there.
Funny that I ordered their Premium Sukiyaki Don (S$24.00). Maybe the name was the draw factor, but I was a little disappointed when I could only count three slices of Wagyu beef in that bowl. No doubt the slices were not paper-thin, but it just did not feel right for me when the meat was countable to that extent.
Another point to note that the Donburi was really saucy, which meant that the rice was not so dry. Mushroom lovers would enjoy the abundance of mushrooms, which added loads of flavour to the rice bowl too.
