From there, I could watch all the works in the kitchen, and I loved seeing how the head chef (guy behind) made sure that all the placement of the ingredients are exactly the same as the bowl on their poster.
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The seasonal tendon was the Ocean Gems Tendon āUmiā ($23++), and I went for the spicy version which definitely had heat but not overwhelming. The seaweed tempura batter on every piece was light and nori-shing. They ran out of snow crab (sad), so they made up with an extra piece of prawn on top of the two already given together with scallop, squid, oyster, generous drizzle of ikura, and my favourite the king crab stick. It was the size of a fish fillet from LJS so I hadnāt expected it to be crab before biting into it. The juicy umami burst was astounding and left me stunned in wide-eye emoji mode š³ I wish they had given more oysters instead of prawn, I tried my best to prolong finishing that fat morsel in three tiny bites haha.
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The multigrain rice had a nice chew and didnāt feel as filling as plain white rice, perhaps that's why this big bowl turned out to be a manageable portion. #burpple
The Uni Chirashi lunch set ($28.90) is an indulgence anyone can look forward to, with 65-70 grams of fresh Aka uni placed beautifully on Japanese rice. A single piece of uni sushi gunkan or nigiri style can already cost $8-10 - this bowl portion is equivalent to having at least 5 pieces, but at half the price?? Thatās an insane steal.
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If your Monday starts off pretty bad, cheer up with the Uni Ikura Chirashi set ($34.90) for an extra dollop of orange bliss that will get you through the rest of the day.
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Many thanks to @Burpple for the invite and @theprsalon for the wonderful meal! #Burpple
This Volcano Ramen is a mild Level 1 with a wee bit of heat that doesnāt overpower the flavours. Really enjoyed this chicken broth as itās not heavy and oily like the usual tonkotsu broth. Iām also a fan of thin ramen noodles, though Iāll prefer them to be slightly more crunchy.
Level 2 was enough to make my colleague sweat and Level 3... Iāll let you know if I get to try it next time š¤Ŗ
$11+ for a delicious bowl with chicken char siew, minced meat, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, wakame, corn (removed from this bowl) and boiled egg is a pretty good value. Thanks to my colleagues @aisyarila and @adeesardali for bringing me and @thundrrr here for dinner! #burpple
š¤Ŗ #wordsofasinglefemale
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Eating this big fat New Zealand oyster (almost palm-sized!) on its own wouldāve been blissful enough. Having it with that generous lobe of Aka uni and a spoonful of ikura on top for this Uni Oyster Shot ($25) sent my tongue into culinary orgasmic spasms. I admit to letting out a few appreciative moans of umami pleasure while chewing - trust me, itās uncontrollable.
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Many thanks to @Burpple for the invite and @theprsalon for the wonderful meal! #Burpple
Hereās what went down: uni. Rich, creamy, oceanic urchin roe. Uni on crab. Uni on oyster. Uni on its own. Uni on rice. Uni fried. Iām pretty sure I had a lifetimeās worth of uni in one sitting.
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The epic meal started with some uni-versity education. Uni Gallery carries three types - bafun (stronger-tasting and dark coloured when in season), murasake (mild and without the salty ocean taste) and aka, which is their house uni thatās sort of in between the earlier two and usually comes in larger portions.
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First dish was da bomb - the Uni Bomb ($99) that is. We were advised to work our way starting with the Bafun and fried Sawagani crab, move on to the Aka uni with kegani or hairy crab meat, the wagyu and uni shutou yuzu (seasoned uni), and finish off by downing that shot of Japanese gin. I love the deep ocean flavour from the bafun, but the aka and crab meat combination was even more of an intense flavour bomb! Best part was washing all the seafood down with the shot (actually two, because @fionatingx was on medication that night) of sake-distilled gin that had a strong citrus flavour.
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Iāll be posting more photos of what we had over the next few days... I try, Iām really slow with posts š¬
#Burpple
š· Aside from durians, Iāve been thinking back on this green chilli crab that I ate at HolyCrab some months ago. Yup you read that right, GREEN chilli! I usually avoid eating it because I dislike the sharp sourness - I make an exception for jalapeƱo, donāt ask me why.
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The green chilli sauce here, however, had none of that unpleasant acid, and plenty of yummy from the aromatic spice blend or rempah, scallions, candlenut, lemongrass and two types of green chilli. Kinda like chilli crab dressed in a kebaya. Wipe up the unique sauce with the mantous - here, they fry the kong ba bao buns so you get more surface area š¤¤
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This was from a hosted tasting thanks to @burpple and @holycrab.sg.
The gravy is loaded with capsaicin so if you plan to drink it, do it slowlyā¦ The stew comes with chewy jjolmyeon (wheat noodles), tteokbokki (rice cakes) and a mountain of beansprouts, so mix the pot well and let it simmer for some time before digging in. Get a pitcher of the grapefruit yogurt smoothie to quell the spiciness, or the Ladykiller (something like a beer frozen margarita) to cool off.
The mixed rice with seaweed flakes, flying fish roe and sesame oil lines the hotplate, with the roast chicken thigh pieces glazed in barbecue and soy sauce marinate resting on top - not for long though >D This dish is definitely safe enough for people who canāt handle spicy, but for those who need that fiery jolt, thereās a spicy version using barbecue sauce and gochujang! That, however, goes better with the Cheesy Dakgalbi ($32.90) with the ring of mozzarella to smother the heat when it starts to burn your palate.
Iām pretty sure the Curry Fried Chicken ($28.90) will be a hit with my friends on our next visit (whenever that will be). The aromatic curry seasoning powder full coats the fried chicken like a thin crusty shell, and taste a little like Japanese-style curry, or, dare I say, Maccas curry sauce dip - sweet, mildly spicy, and pretty addictive! You can dip the juicy tender chicken into the accompanying dip to amp up the flavour.
I found it fascinating that the tau pok gets grilled, whatās more over charcoal to get the crisp and aromatic char. At this Tiong Bahru Market stall, you can either be healthy and get just a few pieces of the tow kwar pop with some fruits for $3, or indulge in a rojak set for $4 or $5 portions.
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I like that the grilled tao pok is more pillowy than usual. The addition of fresh red apple was welcoming since most stalls use green apple for the tart flavour, but my tastebuds favour sweet.
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Confession: I only want to eat the fried youtiao (dough fritters) inside a rojak. I mean yeah sure Iāll take a few pieces of the turnip and nibble on the green mango or pineapple, but only to hide that Iām sneaking all the youtiao into my mouth - also easier when everything is (should be) drenched in the dark prawn sauce so ingredients are indistinguishable. The best part about this plate for me was surprisingly not the youtiao, but the thin crispy crackers, something Iāve never had in rojak before and itās way better than fried youtiao which isnāt always sold crispy. Likely to be a healthier alternative too.
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You may be slightly disappointed that this rojak doesnāt have that much prawn sauce drizzled on, even though they gave a bit extra on a separate saucer. Healthier choice label? š #Burpple
#BurppleTiongBahruMarket #BurppleTastemakerSGuides
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In Chinese itās called ę°“ē²æ, which is āwater cakeā translated directly. The batter, made from a mixture of rice, wheat and cornflour with of course water, releases water when heated (thus the name), and in the process creates a depression in the middle which gives the signature naked look. Jian Boās kuehs have a lovely mild translucence to it, and are so soft that it breaks apart when you lift too big a piece with the bamboo picks.
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The cai po taste best when fried with garlic, shallots, sesame seeds and dried shrimp, and the fragrant hint of the latter is probably what draws the Tiong Bahru hawker crowd. I love my chwee kueh with heaps of cai po, never mind the oil that drains off eventuallyā¦ I usually try to scrape it aside š¬
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Itās not a common dish at hawker centres these days, so Iām really happy to be able to feast on this for the #BurppleTiongBahruMarket assignment! Look out for #Burppleās next #BurppleTastemakerSGuides coming soon š
Braised pork with rice or å¤čé„ is one of the main classics of Taiwanese comfort food, something that every regular restaurant in Taipei would have, and never fails to taste delicious no matter how simple it looks. Iām glad that this version with a Southeast Asian touch is equally yummy to what Iāve had in Taiwan.
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You know how good satay must have a right ratio of fat-to-meat? I felt that the braised pork belly kind of fulfilled that same criteria with the tender soy-sauce-soaked meat vs the melt-in-your-mouth fat thatās not too heavy on the palate. The Penang touch of this dish comes from the āacharā added that not only made it more visually enticing, but the pickled vegetables acted asa palate cleanser. Curry sauce was added on by optional request to the mixed white and brown rice for extra spiciness!
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My office will be moving to Bugis in December. Itās an ideal place for lunch options, but itās sad to finally bid goodbye to Tanjong Pagar where Iāve been working at for 10 years. Iāve been posting pictures of my daily lunches on my ig stories and will do so till the start of December. This å¤čé„will definitely be one thing Iāll miss. #byetgpagar #Burpple
Level 7 Burppler · 463 Reviews
Some things I don't eat (eg. dairy, beef), but those that I can, I eat A LOT. Instagram: @dana_zincy