[CLOSED] Mariko's

And that is the inspiration for this 3-year old Japanese fusion pub located at Jiak Chuan Road along Keong Saik, where you’ll still see remnants of the old (but still existing) red light district.
The place was quiet with few customers during our tasting on a weekday night, conducive for nightcaps and conversation, though a search on Facebook will reveal the party revelries on weekends. The session started off on good footing with three starters - fried manchego cheese balls (a little inconsistent with cheese filling), tiger prawns (fresh with added bite from smoked sesame crunch, drizzled with yummy aioli), and the takoyaki croquette which I liked more than expected (nicely fried on the outside with smooth but firm potato mash filling, and tangy savoury sauce plus bonito flakes adding to flavour).
The mains, however, weren’t as well-received by us. The Wafu Tagliatelle, Pork Belly and Chicken Poppers were all overly-salty. The dessert that followed ended the night on a disappointing note: the Matcha Creme Brûlée had a nice hard burnt caramel layer, but the matcha custard underneath was so bitter and unpleasant that I might want the recipe for my next friend’s wedding gatecrash games.
One small saving grace might be the beautifully presented Mariko’s Orchid, a tropical cocktail with Absolute Elyx, pineapple juice, caramel liqueur, cinnamon syrup and passionfruit purée that was torched before serving. It did take a while for the ice to dilute the drink a little before we could appreciate the combination of citrus and spice with the light smooth vodka. The cocktail menu might be subjected to some changes in the near future though, so you’ll have to wait and see if this makes the cut.
Thanks @marikos_sg for hosting us, and @burpple for the invite! #Burpple

One of the bar bites we tried at Mariko's, a Japanese inspired bar-restaurant nestled along Jiak Chuan Road.
While there are hits & misses, we concur that Mariko's is a good place to chill and have after-dinner tipples and light bites.

PS: Try the Takoyaki Croquettes if you are there!

Refreshing cocktails after a hard day's work.

Located in Chinatown, along the former red light district of Jiak Chuan Road, is Mariko's - a Japanese fusion tapas bar.

It's a bar great for conversations with the absence of blasting music and glaring lights. I throughly enjoyed the cocktails and snacks though the mains were less than impressive. A particular favourite of mine was the Mariko's Orchid (S$25++), an ingenious concoction of the more subtle #AbsolutElyx, pineapple juice, caramel liqueur, cinnamon syrup and a flambéed passionfruit purée. It's a smooth fruity drink but the sheer volume would guarantee a happy buzz.

Thank you @marikos_sg and @burpple for hosting and inviting me for the dinner!

you know they say eat before alcohol right. so eat full outside first k, then just drop by here to chill out for drinks.

5 munchies: Deep-fried to crisp perfection on the outside, warm and soft with a good bite of the tako on the inside. Topped with bonito shavings, what also stood out for me was the use of tonkatsu and béchamel sauce. The combination of sweet tang and savoury worked so brilliantly well together for the multi-textured dish. These takoyaki balls have got to be the tastiest I've eaten yet! I was still craving for more after wiping out at least 4 or 5 of them at one go.

This was a hosted meal by Mariko's.

The waifish pasta seemed to have slathered salted buttery all over its slithery body before sliding down a smoking chimney to join its thick, crunchy mushroom friends at the other end. 3.9/5
This was a hosted meal, courtesy of Mariko's.