Oishiiiii !

Was pleasantly surprised with the huge slab of foie gras, considering the moderate price tag. Unagi was pretty fresh as well and it went well with the foie gras. Rice was flavourful- the typical Tanuki Raw’s rendition- but too soft for my liking.

Had a very high expectation on this, especially after knowing that Ginjo pork is well-known for its high standards. I find the pork was a tad chewy for my liking— we felt really full halfway from chewing the thick meat. Batter could be improved as well as the current one lacks flavour and the bottom layer of the “crust” disintegrates quickly upon serving, probably because of the juice/oil dripping through the pork. Side dishes are alright but not particularly memorable.

Thought it would be overwhelmingly sweet but I was clearly wrong! The Okinawan brown sugar used lends an aromatic fragrance to the crepe and it’s not too sweet. I’m never a big fan of whipped cream or cream but I legit love the cream they use here— tastes milky like Hokkaido milk soft serve but very light. So addictive and makes a great pair to the crepes.

Umibudo (or sea grapes) serve as a really good beer snack. The briny pops reminds me of tobiko but saltier. Dip them in the ponzu sauce to get the tangy kicks amidst all the saltiness.

Many Okinawan dishes are influenced by Chinese cuisine, just like this one. Essentially braised pork belly, rafute boasts a sweeter flavour profile as compared to the Chinese version as it uses Okinawan brown sugar and awamori (Okinawa’s distilled liquor). Meat is juicy and it just melts in my mouth. Would go really well with a bowl of rice.

Although it’s called soba, Okinawans use egg noodles instead of the usual buckwheat noodles. As a result, noodles are springy and al dente to our liking. Broth is light yet flavourful thanks to the bonito base. And the two pork ribs are super tender yet flavourful from getting braised in soy sauce. We tried this just before our trip to Okinawa and tbh we couldn’t even find a bowl as good as this one, let alone better. Le bf and I love this so much that we promise we’ll come back just for this.

The 5-course lunch set at Naga Imo is pretty value for money. The bara chirashi came loaded with fresh ingredients and topped with caviar, though the rice was a tad soft. The tiramisu cake was a pleasant way to end our meal as well - light and sweet with a hint of alcohol.

Served with 2 slices of blue fin tuna and negitoro, the King Kong Bowl is pricier than most of the offerings here. I quiet enjoyed the lightly aburi-ed sliced tuna that came with decent amount of fats. My gripe was the small amount of negitoro given. The portion seemed to have shrunk over the last year (?) A lot of people were raving over the truffle rice. Although it is fragrant and has contrasting texture thanks to the furikake, I didn’t find it exceptional. Perhaps I appreciate a more traditional take on Japanese dishes. Overall portion was rather small as well- all my guy friends were going for 2nd rounds.

Love how creamy yet light the broth is, thanks to the combination of pork, chicken and fish. The straight house-made noodle is eggy with a nice bite while the fatty braised pork belly melts in the mouth so easily. They also served free-flow beansprouts and cabbage when I was there that Friday. I feel Brothers Ramen tries to embed some local touches to their ramen and they manage to do it pretty well. A bowl of quality ramen at $13.90 is hard to get so this is so good at its price point.

Was pleasantly surprised with the quality and freshness of the seafood used here. Pace was comfortable, not too fast unlike some other places. My favourites are the seambream with shio kombu and the amberjack with truffle soya sauce. The whole omakase experience consists of 1 handroll, an appetiser, red miso soup and ice cream at the end. Considering the price, overall, the omakase was pretty worth it although the rice portion was rather small.

Not a big fan of salmon and mayo in general, so this won’t be my go-to dish here. Mentaiko mayo was sweet with very subtle hint of umami. Salmon was aburi-ed but I couldn’t really taste the smokey flavour either. It’s a safe choice to please the crowd, but not for my tastebuds.

With a small menu focusing on Japanese dishes that are popular among most crowds in Singapore, Monzen serves some quality items. Tried their una don and was pleased to find the unagi fresh and well-seasoned. I feel the rice portion was a tad small but other than that, it’s a good option to get some donburis in the area.