いま食べたい‼

Our impression of pudding would usually be sweet, but Ippudo had this Japanese Shio Pudding (S$5.90) that also carried a balanced twist of savouriness. Although it might not be silky in every scoop, it was still able to melt in the mouth.

The portion might seem small, but it was actually a sufficient size for one. Any larger might just feel too much for a dessert like this.

Not that I would usually find this in a Japanese restaurant, but the Asari Butter Ramen (S$14.90) was quite an interesting find, with a ricebowl full of clams submerged in the clear soup to give a light but flavourful broth. And I somehow appreciated the fact that it was a simple bowl of noodles that was aptly comforting, rain or shine.

Inspired by Kansai street food, the Hashimaki with Cheese & Mentaiko (S$4.80) was like a savoury pancake with fillings and blanketed by a sunny side-up on top. When eaten correctly, the runny egg yolk would break and coat the remaining part of the snack. And even the menu wrote that this was Instagrammable (i.e. not exactly worth re-ordering after the first try?).

The Japanese had always enjoyed their own local produce, and it was no surprise that a simple bowl of Japanese rice, an egg and some soy sauce would make a decent meal too.

Bringing this concept to Singapore, the Ultimate Egg Rice used imported eggs (with that distinctive orange yolk) to create this Ultimate Egg Rice. I liked to mix in the minced raw tuna (Negitoro) just for that extra nutrition, and some marinated salmon just for the chunky fish texture.

However, if S$11.80 was too pricey for this meal, then I would suggest to save the S$3.00 by not getting the salmon, since it did not exactly give me the satisfaction with those countable cubes of meat.

Bringing the hands-on dining to the next level, one could order the DIY Niku Sushi Set to make customised versions of his favourite grilled boneless beef short ribs with desirable amounts of condiments provided, at a low price of S$6.80 per set.

I’d love the experience of piecing everything together, but I was not too sure if the vinegar rice tasted a little too outstanding from the juicy slice of beef to the point that it was a slight off with disharmony. And I guess if I could request, I would have really appreciated some granulated salt and black pepper, instead of having that strips of seaweed.

Yakiniku-GO was a fuss-free, do-it-yourself Japanese restaurant that was newly open at The Seletar Mall. Although a similar concept might have already appeared in PLQ Mall last year, I was still thrilled to see this one appearing under the RE&S brands (so it would mean I could earn stamps on my loyalty card too, yay!).

The queue situation might have been a bit bad during lunch or dinner hours, with waiting times going as long as 120 minutes before a table could he assigned. However, one could choose to complete their grocery shopping while waiting for the table to be ready, since the automated system (triggered by QR code) would have notified me through my WhatsApp when I could be seated.

The Double Karubi Set (100g) was quite a hit for me, even though it only comprised short plate and boneless short rib, because there was a balanced portion of fat and lean meat. And despite having some dips served together with the set, I quite enjoyed the natural taste of beef, and its melted fats coating the bowl of rice for that seductive fragrance.

Dine-in was limited to 60 minutes only, but that would be sufficient to finish a meal and to chat up with your accompanying diners.

I bet SUKIYA was a highly-anticipated restaurant when boardings were placed around the restaurant before its opening.

Indeed, SUKIYA granted my wish for reasonably-priced beef bowls, with a medium-sized Gyudon at S$4.90 and a Half Boiled Egg Beef Yakiniku Bowl at S$7.90 respectively. In terms of flavour, the Beef Yakiniku Bowl would be slightly richer in flavour because of the additional sauté touch to the beef, but the Gyudon was not bad too given its lighter flavours to allow the natural beef flavours to subtly fill the mouth. A medium bowl would be sufficient to make up a regular meal, since it also came in huge portions of fluffy Japanese rice. Strangely, the rice was a tad marshy, of was that their unique texture that they were trying to deliver?

So perhaps Yoshinoya would now be facing a strong contender in the beef bowl scene. Hopefully, more outlets would spring across the country so that the affordable Gyudon and Yakiniku Don could be found everywhere.

While JAPAN RAIL CAFE would have their monthly specials, they would also offer their regular menu which were relatively delicious too.

Omusubi, or otherwise commonly known as Onigiri, would be a suitable choice for fuss-free lunch. At S$17.00, the plate would include 3 of the Japanese rice balls with salmon flakes, Ebi Tempura and a flavour of the month. I kind of enjoyed eating this, probably because I could just use my hands to hold on to the Omusubi and just eat it like a snack, perfect if I would need to multi-task. And most importantly, this would be one of those dishes that I would not have to try to “eat while it’s hot”, because it would still taste delicious anyway.

This was their most expensive set of Sashimi Moriawase in the menu. Costing S$46.00, the Koji comprised two pieces each of Chutoro (Fatty Tuna), Striped Jack, Greater Amberjack, Scallop and Swordfish. And if you would ask me, this would be quite a value option in comparison to ordering each pair of Sashimi à la carte.

Sometimes, when all I needed was a simple lunch with no-frill comfort food, Tori Q would appear to be a great choice because they would also sell steamed Japanese rice to go with the skewers.

Not sure of what to pick? You could select their preset combos that would come with a fixed menu of Kushimono. And if you were lucky enough, you might also be able to pick up some chicken skin skewers too!

But the convenience they had really provided was the provision of a dine-in area where one could just eat and go. Well, at least you would not have to stand around and chow down in the roaming crowds of Orchard Road, that’s for sure!

The Secreto Belly Don (S$13.80) was surprisingly good for me, considering the price point. In this bowl, there were five slices of the Secreto part of the pig, which was essentially described as the underside of the pig, just behind the forelegs, where it was hardly visible most of the time. Thus, this portion stood out in terms of its juiciness while also retaining a slight chew to it. And because it was grilled, the mild smokiness went quite nicely with the sauce.

And while pork jowl might be appealing, I thought the Secreto was more balanced in flavours.

I probably would not be wandering at Owen Road unless necessary, but yesterday I decided to check out this restaurant that housed 12 craft beer taps and served Japanese-Mediterranean bar snacks and mains.

Food orders were done via the Waitrr interface, and that would also mean that one could browse the craft beer menu before deciding to visit, just in case if there was a secret mission to dry out any of the craft beer kegs.

I must say that while they had just opened for business, the bar bites that I ordered were pretty impressive. Their Furikake Fries (S$10.00) was crispy with ample amounts of Furikake, Nori, mayonnaise and spring onions, pairing perfectly with the beers that I was having. If grilled skewers appealed to you, their Chef’s Choice Platter 1 (S$15.00) would likely delight you with their juicy pork belly, chicken thigh, chicken meatball and sliced eggplants served with two dips or sides of your choice. I would personally go with their salads and sweet butter corn. Their dips were nice but the skewers were already good on their own.

And as part of their opening special, they would be offering their craft beers at a one-for-one promo until 25 October 2020. As the prices would vary for the different craft beers, of course it would make sense to check out the rarer or the pricier ones first!