I Makan SG

Opened in Holland V, we tried both their black herbal and white pepper BKT which were fabulous in different ways.
The herbal soup definitely stood out on first comparison, which its distinctly different flavour from our local pepper soup. The mixed claypot we picked was packed with lots of yummy ingredients.
White pepper soup was a more familiar taste at the beginning; though towards the end we kinda preferred it to the former especially when it’s cooled down. A very special dish was this pork tendon in white pepper soup. A chewy texture with fatty bite, probably only available here in SG.

Ours was a simple, pleasant and delicious grilled chicken meal at @binchosg in place of turkey or beef.
With their 7-course Tori Zukushi set, there was a spread of chicken done many ways. Think crispy chicken skin salad, Yakitori “Shio” and “Tare” platters and Yaki on Don. The Tsukune was also exceptionally memorable with the creamy smooth egg yolk.
Their ala carte menu also offered a variety of seafood and other meat on grill; or fresh sashimi for the Japanese meal.
With a modern-nostalgic setting in an old coffeeshop space, it was a homely experience especially by the charcoal grill counter seats.
Again, wishing everyone a happy holiday!

Sharing our memorable modern French dinner by Chef Lerouy as we watched the crew put together each beautiful and delicious dish over the 26-seater counter.
Our 7-course Omakase was a treat to the senses with delicately prepared seafood and a tasty lamb medallion. Of cos, the experience was much enhanced with several appetising amuse bouche.
We definitely gotta mention the amazing flavoured butters that we couldn’t get enough of. Think flavours like beet roof and key lime that we enjoyed the most.
With the ambience, food and friendly staff, there were many good reasons to check this place out. And also, great that they got a Michelin Star this year.

eclairs do make a good dessert, for self or as gifts.

Instead of the usual softserve or cakes, we tried out their savoury items today and were impressed.
The curry tempura prawns were nicely executed. So were the stewed beef ribs that were really tender and flavourful. The meat to rice ratio and portion were just good to finish our meal with just the right sweet spot, not stuffed but satisfied with a smile.
Besides the taste, presentation of the dishes was very appealing as well. Overall, we felt that their dishes were prepared and presented with such balance and beauty it made the meal a memorable one.

Dunman Rd Char Siew on the upper level was a much more humble stall and identifiable by their blue plate. The noodles were springy good. Frankly, the Char Siew and wanton were old school and simple, but the Star was that fiery kick-ass chilli on the noodles. Put everything together this was a satisfying dish with a homely touch.
Ah Huat on the lower level looked more elaborate with a bigger stall space. Identified by its black plate, this was pretty forgettable in taste. Interesting how they command quite a queue compared to the former.
Guessed taste is subjective after all. Nonetheless, our preference is clear.

An absolute good place for the season, to dine over the grill with an iced cold beer.

First up, the curry tiger prawns were just atrociously delicious. Totally loved the curry which we only wished there was more after cleaning up every drop with our fried mantou. Sucking on fresh prawn head with the curry was freaking satisfying.
Of cos, the recommended pairing of the curry prawns with the olive fried rice was great match. On its own, the olive fried rice already had our thumbs up.
We also tried the battered assortments which was kinda interesting without knowing what you gonna get each time. From mushroom, to wasabi prawn and banana, it was a fun dish to go along with a glass of beer.
This collab was a good one especially to try out some different dishes other than the prawn mee and Beehoon at 大食家. Another good reason to return would be for the beer and beautiful surrounding to dine in.

Its signature Nasi Lemak Tower lived up to the expectations with the spread of quality ingredients. The short rib beef rendang on top was tender and delicious, while the thick layer of Otah at the bottom made the dish even more satisfying. Together with the chilli, achar, crunchy peanuts and ikan bilis, this was a wholesome dish that justified for its higher price.
We also had their premium fish soup with rice and crispy puff rice. This was light, flavourful and totally worth it with the large pieces of fish that were fresh.

Taste-wise, the plate of Hokkien mee was still flavourful with a good consistency. However, we felt that it could do with a little less garlicky taste. We also wished that the chilli had more punch to elevate the taste of the dish.
For $6, there were substantial amount of ingredients which were also nicely cooked; although the price point might be a factor for some reconsidering to choose this over other Hokkien mee stalls in the adjacent food centre.
Frankly, it won’t be easy to stay competitive to draw customers to travel here as there are plenty of good Hokkien Mee places around SG that attract regular crowds from across the island.

Together with Ikura, Tobiko and tiny silver fish, this bowl of Uni-Chirashi was a pleasure for palate.
The ribeye steak in our set lunch was a good match, especially with those crispy garlic chips and sautéed mushrooms.
They also offered fresh sashimi to complete the meal. Our salmon belly and Kajiki were just great, chunky and on point in firmness.

While they have already launched their Christmas set menu, we kept to the standard menu for some scallops, carpaccio and pizza for sharing.
To celebrate 1 of the food trend of 2019, I picked the Impossible Wellington over their standard signature dish. All scepticism aside, the Impossible patty did impress in terms of its realism to the real stuff. However, the pastry crust didn’t wow me. Wished it was more flaky and buttery in taste. Still an interesting dish to talk about though not beyond its novelty.