Manpuku Japanese Gourmet Town at Tampines 1

This place is really overhyped...I had been wanting to try Botejyu's okonomiyaki for the longest time and when I really tasted it at Manpuku Japanese Gourmet Town at Tampines 1, I was damn disappointed. The texture was nothing to rave about and the taste was just so-so.
















The saving dish was the ramen that Marky ordered. The soup tasted not too bad and the noodles were springy.















The worst has yet to come...before that, look at the pictures...

























































All these beautifully decorated pies had us queuing for probably 20mins just to get our slice of Caramel Banana Fruit Tart and the resulting taste was a huge disappointment! Worse still, we had to pay $7+ for this slice and a cup of tea (The tea was even better than the pie!)
















My verdict: I will just stay off this place for good.

Obolo - Gourmet Cheesecakes • Pâtisseries • Desserts

A little shop tucked away in a small corner of Joo Chiat, producing some eyes and taste bud pleasing pastries & desserts. Worth giving it a try if you're into these petite crowd pleasers.

Obolo - Gourmet Cheesecakes • Pâtisseries • Desserts
http://www.obolo.com.sg/
452 JOO CHIAT ROAD
SINGAPORE 427665
TEL: 63489791 FAX: 63487961

Himawari Restaurant

Marky's Birthday Treat at Himawari didn't turned out as fantastic as all the rave reviews mentioned...Quite disappointed...

Bosses aka 黑色会

Don't be intimidated by this restaurant's name as there won't be people carrying parangs or guns, waiting for your arrival.

I've heard about Bosses through my mum who went there for dim sum during tea time and they have a 50% discount off dim sum (2 -5pm), which is probably the reason why it was pretty much full house inside, despite an empty outside area. The decor of the restaurant is very unique, with its black theme and tastefully done upfurnishing. However, the dim sum wasn't all as fantastic as some raved about. Even with the 50% promotion, we spent around $35 ++ for 2 of us, which I felt was a tad expensive for the quality of food, but the ambience and scenic view made the dining experience more worth it.

First up, we were served a plate of glazed walnuts with sesame seeds. These were pretty good, with the right amount of crunchiness and sweetness. But they come at a hefty price of $3.50++ i think. We ordered chrysanthemum tea ($4++) which was served in a pretty glass pot, which made me enjoy my tea better =)




















Next dish was carrot cake (萝卜糕) and the accompanying XO sauce look-alike stuff on the left. This was pretty decent but nothing really fantastic.















We had the zhu chang fen (猪肠粉) with deep fried bean curd skin wrapped around crunchy prawns. This was quite okay as the bean curd skin maintained its crisp despite being wrapped with the 肠粉.














The shrimp dumplings (har gow) had succulent prawns and they were pretty big in serving.














Our 2nd last dim sum was a very crispy roll with salad prawns. When you first look at it, it doesn't look that oily, but the oiliness came out when you bit into it, thus it gets very jelat after eating 1.















The most disappointing dim sum was the green tea xiao long bao. There was only a very subtle taste of green tea and the skin of the xiao long bao was the thickest I've ever eaten! I had to force a 2nd one down my throat & left Marky to finish the rest.















Overall, if you are craving for dim sum at Vivo so much, it's okay to visit Bosses, but then again, don't expect too much and you'll probably enjoy your meal more.

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Bosses (黑色会) @ VivoCity
1 Harbourfront Walk
#02-156/157 VivoCity

Tel: 6376 9740

Just Noodles

If you're looking for a cheap and decent meal, I would recommend Just Noodles at Suntec. I usually have my reservations about such places but I changed my perceptions after the 1st time Marky brought me there.

They serve value for money meals starting from $5++ and they include free flow ice cream and drinks!

I was rather impressed with their teriyaki chicken and soft shell crab set (Should be $14 or so) which was a little steeper but definitely worth the money. The teriyaki chicken's sauce was very tasty and the chicken was tender. The soft shell crab was really the highlight as it was fried till crisp. Even their rice was pretty decent and not the normal hard rice you get at foodcourts.

Marky's set was some cod fish noodles which looked like they're those frozen food we buy from supermarkets. But the noodles was pretty decent.

Service wise, they're quite prompt everytime when I'm there so no complains for the time being =)


























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Just Noodles
3 Temasek Boulevard
#B1-057 Suntec City Mall
Tel: 6238 7600

Operating Hours:
Daily: 11am - 10.30pm

Waraku restaurant (Part 2)

Just went Waraku yesterday with my friends and I was so sad to know that my favourite Waraku branch at Starhub centre had closed =( But the good thing is that they opened another branch at Heerens..and the standard of the food is on par with the old Starhub centre branch!

And a piece of good news for Waraku fans is that they are having an opening promotion (Heeren branch) of a 50% rebate on your bill so that you can use the cash vouchers on your next visit!

My current 2 favourite dishes at Waraku are the first 2 pictures below! (Ebiten Maki and Waraku salad)

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ADDRESS	260 Orchard Road #05-04 The Heeren Singapore 238855
TELEPHONE	6834-1123
FACSIMILE	6732-8853
OPEN DAILY	11:30am - 11pm (Last order 10:30pm)

Togi Korean Restaurant

My first favourite Korean place, recommended by Eden and Jon. After the first time we ate there, I went back around twice within the subsequent week. Perfect place for Korean food with your family or a group of friends.

The best thing about Korean food is that we'll always get free flow of Banchan (side dishes) that are sooo good with hot piping rice! One grouse I have about Togi is the overly sourish Kimchi which I do not know how to appreciate but at the same time, it is Marky's favourite.

My favourite dishes there are the stir fried chicken with oh-so-delicious rice cakes (The big plate of red stuff in the 2nd pic), the potato pancakes (Just below the stir fried chicken), their beef bibimbap and last but not least, their purplish "brown rice" which has legumes added to them and it's really really soft and fluffy! (Yummy =Þ)

Service wise, it is quite ok when it is not that packed but when it's crowded, there will be a lack of man power and it will be quite difficult to get their attention. But don't worry as their food is served relatively fast and with the free flow side dishes, you won't have to starve while waiting.

Do note that if you're going down to Togi during dinner hours, make sure you reserve your seats so that you don't have to wait as it is usually very crowded even on weekdays.

_____________________________________
Togi Korean Restaurant
11 Mosque Street
Tel: 6221 0830

Operating Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12noon - 2pm, 6pm - 9 pm
Closed Sundays

Astons Prime

Our unexpected dinner at Astons Prime as the restaurant we wanted to go to was closed, turned out to be a delicious one. After hearing all the rave comments by our friends about Astons Specialists, we decided that we should try the higher end of Astons.

Here at Astons Prime, the queue was not as bad as the Specialists. Probably because of the steeper price, but this doesn't stop the crowd from coming. We were lucky to get a seat early as the crowd started to come in around 6 plus -7pm.

Marky started off with a decent cup of coffee.

















We shared a bowl of mushroom soup which is very normal & it was served with a warm bread roll & tasty garlic spread.








Actually the highlights of the meal seem to be the side dishes which came at a separate cost ($3 for 1 side dish)

The potato jackets were sinfully covered in what seems like cheese (but being someone who don't really eat alot of cheese, the cheese was really subtle) & bacon bits. I like the sauce so much that I kept dredging my potato in the sauce. The potato jackets were baked to the point that it was really crisp. Totally love this!!!!

The sauteed french beans with garlic & tomato was a hit with me too. Very tasty indeed!










We ordered the sirloin & some herb crusted baked chicken. My chicken was rather tender & even my least favorite part, the breast meat, was tender too. But taste wise, it's nothing to rave about.

Marky's sirloin was a tad overdone but the char-grilled taste was perfect!

We spent around $60+ for 2 & since our experience was pretty good, I would say it was quite worth the money.

We had the chance to try the Astons Express at Bedok the other day & although it was coffee shop style (similar to Botak Jones & e-blackboard), the food maintained a pretty decent standard. Their steak had the familiar char-grilled taste & my dory fish was delicious.

We were most impressed by their service as a guy even came over to ask if the food was okay (Remember that we're in a coffee shop).. So we told him that they mixed up the doneness & gave us well-done instead of med-done & he told us politely that we could have asked for an exchange as they will definitely do an exchange with no questions asked.

This is exactly how customers should be treated!
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Astons Prime
467 Joo Chiat RoadS(427678)
Tel: 63442447
Opening hours: Wed - Mon 11.30am - 11pm, Closed on Tuesday
http://www.astonsspecialties.blogspot.com/
Astons Express (Bedok)
Bedok North St 1 Blk 205 #01-357 Stall 2
(Kopitiam Coffeeshop)
Tel: 6443 8058
Opening hours: 1100-2200hrs

Soup Spoon

I must say that Soup Spoon really serve some fantastic soups! I ordered the Velvety Mushroom Stroganoff which is the thickest and most 'mushroom-y' soup I've ever tasted. It is definitely good but imagine drinking such a big bowl of the rich mushroom soup and you will be able to see why I can't finish their smallest bowl of mushroom soup.

Marky on the other hand, ordered the Beef Goulash which comes with generous portions of tender beef pieces that simply melts in the mouth.

All soups are accompanied by a warm bread roll which is very white and soft.. Just how I like my bread rolls to be like!

As we ordered the "SouperValue Combo meals", they come with either a salad/sandwich & a choice of either a pack of chips or apple.

Price range: S$9.50 – S$12.10.

For me, I had the Asian Tofu salad which is made up of tofu, mandarin orange, snow pea sprout, carrot, sunflower seeds, wanton crisp and topped with Asian vinaigrette. I enjoyed combination of the fruits & veggies with the vinaigrette but fried hard tofu simply doesn't work for me...

Marky's Roast Beef Wasabi sandwich is made up of roast beef (but of course), red onion, gherkins, cheddar cheese, green salad and dressed with wasabi mayonnaise. Can't really comment on that as I'm not a fan of the combination.
__________________________________________

On our 2nd trip there, I had Tokyo Chicken Stew, which is my current favourite. This complex soup contains many ingredients like lotus roots, shitake, enoki mushroom, white radish and bamboo shoots. Not to mention, the chicken was simply delectable and melts in my mouth too! Somehow, the soup reminds me of my mum's chicken stew...

Marky's Boston Clam Chowder was very 'jelat' and even he couldn't take it towards the end...

This time round, I had the Indochine Prawn Wrap while Marky had the Herbed Chicken Caesar
sandwich. The refreshing taste of the Kaffir lime in my wrap & the delicious herb dressing in Marky's sandwich totally won both of us over!

Thumbs up for these 2!

Finally, we also ordered Breaded Buttons with Garlic Aioli to try.

Imagine button mushrooms stuffed with Mozzarella cheese and breaded before deep frying. The garlic taste in the Aioli is pretty mild & adds a lot of taste to the mushroom. Be careful when eating this as biting into the mushroom causes the melted mozzarella cheese to flow out --- A gastronomical experience!

However, this must be eaten when it's hot as the taste is not as good when it's cooled.

________________________________________

We've only been to the Tanjong Pagar MRT's branch & they haven't failed us in terms of food & service. So I foresee us going there again very soon..

Oh by the way, they sell their soups in sealed packets for people who wants good soups & are lazy to cook their own/have no idea how to cook.

The Soup Spoon

Website: http://www.thesoupspoon.com/
Branches' Location: http://www.thesoupspoon.com/aboutus_where.asp

Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar

Since the closure of Marché, there has been a new kid on the block to replace them in offering a bazaar style of ordering food. Here we have Shokudo, the Japanese "Marché".

Every patron is given a shokudo card to charge your purchases to it and very important thing to note is not to lose your card! A hefty fee is charged for the lost of cards.

THE QUEUE
This is what irks me when I think about eating at Shokudo. The queue seems neverending. Luckily for us, it was rather fast moving when we went the 1st time.

Side Tracking...
Actually I was a little hesitant about trying this as my previous experience at Shokudo Pasta & Pizza (City Link) was horrendous. All 3 of us hated the food while Marky went on to clear them for us and even felt that they tasted okay.
We had to wait super long to get seats, waited even longer for our food & bill to arrive. The service just sux. Plus they serve the worst pasta & pizza ever.. I can't even remember the exact pasta dishes we ordered. It was some Wafu sauce pasta. The worst part was the thin crust pizza..Somehow, the cheese just smells of vomit. SO UNAPPETIZING.
Our horrible dinner experience was freaking expensive & left us hungry still...so off we went to New York New York for some small bites & desserts to make up for it.

The moral of the story is ... don't bother eating at Shokudo Pasta & Pizza (City Link).






















Back to the main topic of Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar. It is way better than their sister branch (Shokudo Pasta & Pizza). We enjoyed every morsel of food that we ordered. At least their pizza didn't stink and the wasabi on the pizza wasn't that bad, being the non-wasabi eater that I am.

The yakitori which I forgot to take pictures of, tasted really good! Especially the Tsukume (Minced Chicken Ball) Stick ($2.50) and bacon wrapped quail eggs.

The unagi omelette was pretty interesting & tasty (when it's hot) ($5.80) and the BBQ Eel with egg on hot plate ($6.80) was mediocre.

If you're a fan of mushrooms, the mushroom tempura will satisfy your cravings. The portion is huge & they're really crispy!

The Katsu curry lacked some kick but the rice made up for it =)

It was my first time eating sakura ebi on fried rice & it does add flavour to the boring fried rice.

Overall, it was a good experience @ Shokudo Japanese Food Bazaar despite the expensive price tag. I might just be back again on a weekday when I don't have to queue...


















Raffles City Shopping Centre
252 North Bridge Road
#B1-44E

Telephone:
6837 3793

Operating Hours:
11.30am - 10.00pm (Daily)

Shimbashi Soba

Those of you who have been to Paragon's basement will be no stranger to the interesting sight of a soba master kneading and cutting soba noodles from a piece of dough through a glass pane. This is today's recommendation of the day --> Shimbashi Soba

The good thing about this place is the promise of really fresh soba as it's done on the spot. Good service was also experienced on both of my visits there. They even hired some Japanese waitresses there to serve their Japanese customers.

Below are the stuff that Marky and I ordered the 1st time we were there. I really loved their cold soba with vegetable tempura though I can't remember the name of it. I was initially attracted by the half-cooked egg in the middle of the dish and boy was it goooood! However, I found that the portion was too big...I would have enjoyed it better if it was a smaller portion as I felt very 'jelat' towards the end.

Their cold noodles are pretty good but I will never order their soba in soup which was what my mum ordered the 2nd time I went there. The noodles were too soft for my liking though mum likes it.

Something worth raving is their Tamago Yaki, which came with Marky's Cold Soba set (Bottom right). The sweetness and texture of this simple omelette left me craving for more each time I visit there...

Shimbashi soba also serve different types of teas in pots, other than the usual Ocha.

Pop by for afternoon tea as dessert and tea sets you back by only $5++ (2.30 to 5.30pm). It's a real cheap deal!

The Paragon

#B1-41290 Orchard Road (S)238859

Opening Hours
Daily: 11.30am - 10pm
Telephone: 67359882

Jacobs Cafe

This laid-back alfresco cafe hidden in Changi Village serves really good bread rolls and Focaccia bread to pair with their very thick & tasty soups. I got to know about this place through Zoie's recommendation and I'm sure glad that I visited Jacob's Cafe =)

The boss makes sure that their bread are warmed before serving, which is not always the case for other cafes. One of the highlights here is the Oven Baked Dory which even Marky the red meat lover fancied. The portion was big enough to justify the $26 price tag and most importantly, don't be fooled by the pale outlook of the fish. The meat was really tender & juicy. Thumbs up for that!

The chicken cutlet is not the usual deep fried cutlets you see at western food stalls. Jacob's cafe's

chicken cutlet is pan fried till there is a crisp layer outside while maintaining a juicy inside. It is interestingly accompanied with fried shallots (My FAV!) & sits on a pool of mushroom like sauce. Totally awesome!

And not to mention, they absorbs the GST & service charge! Hooray!


















If you're looking for a relaxed evening with your loved ones, do pay Jacob's cafe a visit =)

Jacob's Cafe
Block 5 Changi Village Road
#01-2049 Singapore 500005
Tel: 65431106
http://www.novabell.per.sg/

Ma Maison

One of the highly recommended place for Japanese-western fusion food would be Ma Maison Restaurant. I've been to each of the two branches (The Central & Bugis Junction) and the food were pretty up to standard every time.

The interesting thing about Ma Maison is the English cottage setting in the restaurant which gives patrons a homely feeling as what it's name suggests in French (“My Home”). Check out the pretty table lamp!
















Each table also receives a big brass key for billing purposes.















On the whole, the prices are pretty reasonable, service is average and the food...just look at the pics and you'll know. Yummylicious!

Highlights:
The Spring Rolls served here is rather different from the usual deep fried one we have outside. It's kinda like the Vietnamese types with vermicelli wrapped inside. Combined with a sweet & light dressing + lots of veg, it's a great appetizer to start off your meal.

The cold Cha Soba Salad is perfect for the hot summer's weather. The light taste of it refreshes and cleanse your palates for the heavier tasting main courses.

Another highly recommended dish is the omu rice in a light sauce (I can't remember the name) which seems like miso. The whole taste of it just works so well for me. The omelette was really light and fluffy + the rice was chewy & tasty. Although I have no idea what the sauce is, it is well paired with the egg & rice.

The hotpot hamburger steak was the most interesting. Imagine a thick beef patty soaked in the delicious special brown sauce, accompanied by vegetables, a sunny-side up egg & FRIES!

I even have a video to show! hahaha enjoy!



Give this place a try and I hope you won't be disappointed =)

The Central @ Clarke Quay
6 Eu Tong Sen Street #03-96
Tel: 6327 8122

Bugis Junction
200 Victoria Street #02-51
Tel: 6338 4819

Ministry of Food (Bugis)

The first time I stepped into MOF@ Bugis with Marky, I was attracted by the appetite-whetting desserts. Especially the Imo Soft serve..It simply took my breath away!!!

The yam and sweet potato (The 2 roundish fried thingy beside the soft serve ice-cream) were so naturally sweet and fragrant is the word to discribe them. An interesting thing that I observed was the tips card that came with our desserts which teaches us the way to enjoy what we ordered.

After having 2 desserts, I made a decision...to sign up for their membership card..=Þ

Marky's Shiratama Kurian which is soft serve with red bean paste, fruits, mochi and Kanten jelly. It comes with some sweet honey like sauce for the sweet tooth. Pretty good stuff!

2nd Visit
Please bear with the following pictures as I didn't know how to focus my HP's cam at that time... The pics didn't do justice to the food. So here's a link for better pics of the food...


The Unagi hotstone rice is one of the items that kept me going back. As mentioned in the earlier posting, I love hotstone rice, bibimbap, claypot rice...Anything that results in my rice getting slightly burnt is good stuff!! The special blended sauce enhances the flavour of the rice, although I can do with bigger pieces of eel in it =)


This was my main dish, Chicken Katsu Hotpot accompanied by Chicken Kaarage. It was reasonable and interestingly, the chicken kaarage tasted rather flavourful...

















Marky's Cold Seafood Ramen Salad of some sort was refreshing and most importantly, COLD. The seafood used were very fresh and succulent. The sauce on the other hand, was kinda like a wasabi based mayonnaise which was light enough for a non-wasabi lover like me to accept it.

Lastly, we shared a cold red bean paste with soft serve and mochi. It was rather decent, but could be less sweet.

Things to note:
Coffee/Tea is complimentary with all their set meals & a voucher is presented to you with no expiry date

Desserts (<$6.50) can be purchased at just $3 with every set meal ordered.

Overall, there is no reason why I wouldn't go back again =)

__________________

Where is it?

Marina Square (Cafe & Restaurant)
6 Raffles Boulevard #02-128E
Center Stage S(039594)
Tel: 63342202

Raffles City (Takeaway Kiosk)
252 North Bridge Road #B1-49 S(179103)

Bugis Junction (Cafe & Restaurant)
200 Victoria Street #02-45
Bugis Junction S(188021).
Tel: 65-63386466

Website: http://www.ministryoffood.com.sg/ (Not very informative)