[Review] Popular Japanese restaurant Hokkaido Izakaya opens in Singapore

Nestled in one of the shophouses along Tanjong Pagar Street, HOKKAIDO IZAKAYA serves quality and reasonably-priced Hokkaido food within a friendly and casual atmosphere.

Hokkaido is a city renowned for brimming with the freshest seafood and prime cuts of beef, fresh vegetables and dairy produce. HOKKAIDO IZAKAYA promises to create an authentic dining experience, and so the ingredients are specially imported from 4 cities in Hokkaido: Yakumo town, Akkeshi town, Furano town, and Kamishihoro town.

Thanks to Food News PR, I was invited to HOKKAIDO IZAKAYA’s Grand Opening Party. There, I was given the chance to sample a variety of dishes from their dinner menu.

The meal started with Shirako. For those wondering, Shirako, otherwise known as milt (fish sperm), is a Japanese delicacy. Here is a steamed version of milt in a light dashi broth. It had  buttery, custard-like texture and a mild sweetness. Who’s up for some adventurous eating?

Assorted sashimi, five kinds (S$35++). Always a crowd pleaser, the sashimi, sea urchin, and ikura were all freshly prepared. No stinge-cutting of the sashimi – just look at those thick and gelatinous slices of heaven. I could lap up plates of these at one go.

Marinated saury (S$8++). This fish was perfectly grilled and nicely seasoned, served with a lemon wedge and some grated daikon. The flesh, encased by the blistered skin, bore a nice sweetness from the marinade and remained moist after grilling.

Hokkaido Wagyu Roast beef (S$25++). Generously portioned for the price, this tender and almost melt-in-your-mouth cold dish won the hearts of many.

Fish tempura. Like how the batter is light and the entire fish is used, but feel like it lacks some seasoning.

Maze Niku soba (S$15++), available for lunch. For those working around the CBD and looking for lunch options, HOKKAIDO IZAKAYA’s lunch menu is worth considering. The lunch menu includes their signature sobas that is made using 100% Hokkaido soba powder. Priced below $10, their small donburis, such as negitoro and ikura don, won’t burn a hole in your pocket.  

For dinner, I’d imagine it to be a nice place to chill with friends over grilled dishes, fresh sashimi, and Japanese draft beers.

Hokkaido Izakaya

95 Tanjong Pagar Road

Singapore 088516

Tel: (65)62217118

Mon – Sat:

Lunch: 11:30 – 14:30 (last order 14:00)

Dinner: 18:00 – 00:00 (last order 23:00)

Sun & PH:

Lunch: 11:30 – 14:30 (last order 14:00)

Dinner: 18:00 – 22:30 (last order 21:30)

Nearest station: Tanjong Pagar (Exit A)

This post is contributed by guest writer Vickii Ma, a Singapore-based blogger. She runs Vickii Ma, a site that documents her recipes, travels and various beauty and lifestyle content.

The post New Opening: Hokkaido Izakaya appeared first on Little Miss Bento.

Be prepared to have a stomach of a lion when you dine at Ginza Lion.

The Ginza Lion Buffet Feast is truly a #foodcoma session with its generous portion and meaty servings. I can imagine many gentlemen pleased with the portions and food served at Ginza Lion.

Decked up in dark wood tones, Ginza Lion is actually the Singapore outfit of Ginza Beer Hall with over 100 years history back in Japan.

Known as ‘Ebisu Beer Hall” back in 1899 in Tokyo, it was established by Sapporo Beer and was well-received with crowds from its first day of opening.

So yes, over at Ginza Lion, they bring you their beer – SAPORRO. The oldest beer brand in Japan.

They store the beer in the chiller at 2 degrees and for a minimum 24 hours so that the beer can ‘rest’, and by using a one pour action, what you get is a cold beer with lovely creamy foam on top with a ratio of 7:3.

After some drinks to start, lets go to food!

The concept here at Ginza Lion is actually pretty interesting. During the weekends (Sat & Sun) and public holidays, diners can enjoy their buffet feast with 2 hours of free flow of beer buffet at $50nett (adult). You child can also dine in with you (without the alcohol of course) at $20 nett *min above 12 years of age.

Under Beer Buffet selections, you can select Beer on Tap including Sapporo Premium Beer, Konig Ludwig Dunkel and Konig Ludwig Weissbier. If not, soft drinks or other drinks such as Coke, Coke Light, Sprite Ginger Ale, Ice Oolong Tea can also be served.

Your buffet meal will start off with their signature plate which is enormous not just in its tray but the serving size.

The signature plate consist of Roast Black Angus beef, pork ribs, chicken wings, edamame, Cumberland and arabiki sausage& mashed potato.

The picture above is for 2 pax serving.

After the signature plate, and still want more bite or light snacks? Feel free to pick from over 25 other items including Japanese appetisers, pasta, soups, beer snacks and side dishes.

We tried their truffle fries, one of the popular item here.

Prefer something light, tangy and more refreshing?

Their Asazuke pickled vegetables will help give you that tangy kick and refreshing change to your palatte before moving on to more dishes.

Their Baked Mussels were pretty satisfying. Fresh, buttery, topped with some baked cheese. Yum!

Ginza Lion Beer Hall

Suntec outlet:

3 Temasek Boulevard #01-649/650

Suntec City Mall Tower 4, Singapore 038983

Website http://www.sapporolionsg.com.sg/ginza-lion/

Tel/Reservations: 68366053

Opening Hours: 11am to 11:30pm (daily)

Blog post disclaimer: This was not a sponsored post. Meal was compliments of Ginza Lion as part of a media tasting session and all views expressed are my own. 

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G House Restaurant & Eatery is a fairly new kid on the map of Dempsey Hill, a area known to be popular with locals, expats and tourists. Don’t confuse this place with G House by Spa Esprit which is also located at Dempsey. 

Boasting an extensive menu, they wanted to offer a dining space where families and groups of people young or old can come together, where there will always be something that everyone likes. 

Their meny ranged from Eating Clean menu to All-Day Breakfast, Western items and even grilled dishes. 

In my opinion, would say that the pricing is rather on the high side for some of the dishes, but pretty acceptable (and expected) for the area the restaurant sits in. For the food, I would say stick to the Thai and pork items.

We started with Waldorf Salad (salad menu) – $15.90.

This was the most disappointing dish of the tasting menu, a lucklustre serving and variety of salad ingredients for the price tag.

Sorry folks, I rather spent my money at Salad Stop. Ham & Cheese Sandwich (Croque Madame) (all-day breakfast menu) – $18.90.

This sandwich was accompanied with Baked Truffled Egg, smoked ham and Gruyere cheese, a cheesy carb affair that was comforting but nothing very spectacular.

But the bread was pretty good. Liked the thick buttery flavour.

Tom Kha Gai – $16.90.

A fusion dish out of this traditional Tom KhaGai by the addition of coconut milk, I enjoyed the spicy kick and creaminess of the soup. Great with a bowl of rice too. 

Hosin Pork Ribs – $31.90 and the Asian Slow Cooked Pork Belly – $26.90 were both some of the more popular dishes that night.

The pork ribs was so tender and well seasoned, with its meat just slipping off the bones like that. Very delicious.

While the pork belly spoke volumes of its long slow cooked process, with melt in the mouth texture that was pretty addictive. 

Grilled Cajun Chicken – $18.90 and the Spicy Grilled Squid (Asian menu) – $26.90

he squid served with in house sambal jam is definitely playing up on the Singaporean’s love for spicy food. 

Fish & Sweet Potato Fries (eating clean menu) – $20.90.

That sweet potato fries was the ultimate. Not sure if they sold the fries separately (forgot to ask) but if they do, you should order that!

For desserts, you can choose from the wide selection of bakes from little House of dreams. Sounds familiar? Yes, this is the physical restaurant space apart from its Clarke Quay Central store.

Overall? I wouldn’t say the food was exceptional though wasn’t too bad either. This restaurant will however be great for gatherings and familiar groups with his extensive menu and slightly cheaper prices (relative to the other eateries in that area).

Looking for a venue space at Dempsey? G House Restaurant also has a Party House (max 40pax capacity) located at the back of the restaurant, catering for solemnization parties, birthday parties and those that are looking for a cozy and private area amongst the greenery to hold a gathering. 

G House Restaurant & Eatery

10 Dempsey Road #01-21

Facebook page

Blog post disclaimer: This was not a sponsored post. The food was compliments of G House Restaurant & Eatery as part of a media tasting session and all views expressed are my own.

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Located at Parkland Green at East Coast Park, Bakery & Bar ST. MARC offers something more than its usual array of desserts and pastries found in their regular bakery outlets.

The first thing that struck me when I entered Bakery & Bar ST. MARC  was the extensive menu and the choices of main meal items including pastas, sandwiches and even brunch items. Bakery & Bar ST. MARC is a newly concept from Saint Marc Cafe, where  they also serve wine, beer, pasta and bar food.

The 100-seater cafe includes a spacious set up with lots of natural lighting, making good use of its location just in front of the beach. Bakery & Bar ST. MARC is so popular on weekends that queues are known to form even more its opening hours.

To start our meal, we choose to have the Carbonara $15.80 full size / $6.80 half size.

Bakery & Bar ST. MARC uses authentic Japanese nama pasta made from 100% semolina durum wheat, giving it that signature mochi mochi chew texture. It is also lovely that the cafe offers size options for selected pasta items, giving diners a choice of a light bite or a full size meal.

The Cabonara served with a creamy sauce of bacon, parmigianino, black peper and an egg yolk. Its rich flavours makes this meal a satisfying one, abeilt better if the bacon was more charred and crisp. Ladies may also wish to opt for the half size portion and leave some space for other sides or desserts :)

The one pasta I enjoyed was the Sepia Nero squid ink pasta $18.80.

Perfectly al dente nama pasta served with squid ink, cream, fresh squid, clam and cherry tomato. Would have scored it even more if there was more seafood, but flavour wise, it hit the right notes. The cherry tomatoes also provided a nice tartness balance with the pasta noodles.

Beef lovers rejoice, their The Bakery Wagyu Burger $21,80 will fill your tummy well.

A huge size burger with juicy wagyu beef patty, melted cheese in homemade sesame bun, tomatoes, lettuce, onion and jam served with a french fries side.

And of course, we had to end our meal with some dessert.

Here is one of their most popular parfait dessert, the Miyako $7.30. Soft serve with azuki red bean paste, matcha ice cream, shiratama rice balls, warabi mochi dusted in kinako (roasted soy bean powder).

So huge that it is best as a sharing portion. Many might also know St Marc for their signature Chococro pastries.

In celebration of SG50, St Marc launched a brand new limited edition flavour – Chilli Crab ChocoCro $2.60.

A combination of the local dish in their popular chococro croissants. Available until 31 August 2015 only!

Best eaten warm, get them to toast up for you if dining in.

Bakery & Bar ST. MARC

Facebook Page

Website

Address: Parkland Green @ ECP 920 East Coast Parkway #01-09/10 Singapore 449875

Opening Hours: 11:00 – 22:00 (Tue – Fri) | 09:00 – 22:00 (Sat, Sun PH) |Closed on Mondays

Blog post disclaimer: Media tasting and review was organised in collaboration with WAttention Singapore. All views expressed are my own. 

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Skinny Salads Food Review

People working in the Tanjong Pagar area can rejoice with the opening of the first-ever Skinny Salads. More options for lunch and dinner! yay!

Opened by the same folks behind Skinny Pizza, comes Skinny Salads where they dish up fresh and satisfying salads, tasty grilled wraps and vitamin packed juices for the busy urbanite on-the-go.

For their debut, Celebrity Chef Philip Davenport of Toque 12 TV show fame has put together 8 perfect salad combinations and seven toasty wraps.

And keeping things fresh and interesting, Skinny Salads’ menu will be updated regularly as well.

Some of my favourites included their Coconut & Turmeric Chicken wrap $8.50 of cucumber, bean sprouts, tofu, baby cos

lettuce and that creamy yummy coconut & tumeric chicken wrapped smugly in soft flour tortilla.

If you prefer hot toasty meal, then I would recommend trying one of their wraps.

For salad selection, one of my personal favourites is the Cabbage & Nouc Cham $9 (added pork – top up $3) that includes a salad mix of red cabbage, white cabbage, carrot, coriander, bean sprouts, Vietnamese mint, nouc cham dressing, crispy shallots and pork.

You can also choose to add other meats instead of pork, including confit salmon or more of that yummy coconut chicken for $3 top up. 

Another great salad was their Fermented Cabbage & Yuzu $11.50 (added Salmon – top up $3).

Extensive ingredients including shaved carrot, shaved cucumber, pickled spring onion, tofu, snow peas, enoki mushrooms, radish, fermented cabbage, mung bean sprouts, Asian salad, spicy yuzu dressing, spicy seaweed.

Instead of adding confit salmon, you can choose seared tuna for $3.

Crisp leaves with fresh refreshing choice of ingredients makes this Asian inspired salad tick. The yuzu dressing also adds that vibrant zing to the dish. Yums.

I also enjoyed their Organic Chicken & Spinach $12.50.

Yummy roast chicken meat served with fresh corn, spinach, red radish, sunflower seeds, parsley, chickpeas, cumin-yoghurt dressing.

I always love corn in my salad :) This salad is both light and satisfying, which is important since I like to have my salads as a main course.

Superfood lovers will definitely love their Kale & Quinoa $11.50. Kale, green beans, zucchini, sprouted lentils, spinach, watercress, cherry tomatoes, beetroot, quinoa, tarragon, parsley verde.

Need some meat? Add either roast chicken, lamb or salmon for a top up of $3.

Then, squash your cravings for dessert by ending the meal with Skinny Salads’s refreshing plantation of freshly juiced fruits and vegetables. 

Their most popular juice is The Great Detox $5 (Orange, carrot, ginger), but I personally preer their Watermelon Rush $5 (watermelon, pineapple).

I would imagine The Great C $5 (orange, grapefruit) will be citrus-y awesome too, shall try that the next round.

Skinny Salad

Address: 100AM, #01-03, 100 Tras Street, Singapore 079027

Tel: 6444 2136

Opening Hours: 8am to 8pm

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Blog post disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was received. Meal was compliments of Skinny Salads as part of a media tasting session. 

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HOUSE @ Dempsey Food Review

After 7 years since its establishment, I can see why HOUSE @ Dempsey remains to be one of the popular dining choices at Dempsey area.

HOUSE recently updated their menu with some new additions as well as tweaks to refine the popular items.

It was an enjoyable tasting session that left me with a satisfied tummy. Really enjoyed their salads and mains.

I also recently made a return trip there (with my family), and ordered some of these items again such as the Warm Mushroom and Tofu Salad, Elegant Black Pepper Prawn Linguini, Wild Rice Mushroom Risotto and Baby Back Ribs.

The service and food quality remained consistent in my return visits :)

So yes, lets start with my favourite of their new menu. The Warm Mushroom and Tofu Salad $17 (Vegan) / (Gluten Free).

Crispy tofu with wafu dressing tossed with sautéed mushrooms and crispy shallots.

The tofu squares were light with crisp exterior and silky soft inside, left no oily after taste and was a delightful marriage with the mixed mushrooms, greens and a balsamic vinegar based dressing.

Feels light and satisfying.

The Elegant Black Pepper Prawn Linguine $33, a long-time popular favourite in their menu of Char-grilled prawns served atop a pile of linguine and prawn bolognese tossed in black pepper sauce. Finished with a sprinkling of salmon caviar.

Loved the peppery kick, addictive and yummy!

In fact we even requested a second plate of this yummy linguini. The flavours here are quite pronounced. If you prefer very light tasting pasta, then this might not suit your palate.

Another lovely item from their new menu is this Wild Rice Mushroom Risotto $25 (Vegetarian).

Wild rice and mushrooms risotto is topped with sour cream, pomegranate seeds,zucchini and carrots.

Another well executed dish with each risotto grain cooked well and creamed, the mushroom stock base risotto dish is comforting yet light at the same time.

The pomegranate bits also added a wonderful fruity crunch to the dish, providing a lovely contrast in taste and texture each time one pops in your mouth.

Do not understimate this dish. This is quite filling on the tummy if you eat this by yourself. :)

Another new menu item is the Baby (Got) Back Ribs $29. 

Tender grilled pork ribs in a flavourful Chinese five-spice and soy sauce. Served atop a celeriac puree, then paired with broccoli and sugar snaps with a sprinkle of crispy fried shallots and toasted sesame seeds.

The well grilled pork ribs with tender meat falling off its bones ~~nom nom

Prefer a yummy but more filling salad?

Then try their Macadamia-Crusted Pumpkin Salad $17 (Vegetarian).

The salad comes with 2 large slices of pumpkin, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted macadamia nuts and arugula greens and served with a light, tangy mustard dressing.

The natural sweetness of the pumpkin flesh was a perfect marriage with nuts, tomatoes and greens. I did however wished they gave more greens in this dish.

Truffle Fries $12, a long time popular item on their menu, of straw-cut golden fries sprinkled with salt and white truffle oil.

Prefer Taro? Then try their Truffle Taro Fries $9. Super thin shoestring yam fries with truffle oil.

Beef-lovers and meat-lovers are not forgotten.

(NEW) Hanger Steak with Tomato Salsa & Tahini-Bacon Spud $36

Seared hanger steak served on a blanket of chunky smashed potatoes flavoured with tahini and bacon, and a dash of tomato salsa.

Desserts at HOUSE follows the western style of richer sweeter cakes. Personally, I prefer their savory menu mains and salads over their sweets but some of the folks with me enjoyed their cakes.

Pomegranate Red Velvet $8.50.

Ruby red pomegranate and raspberry jelly crown a classic red velvet cake for a royal bite.

Grilled Gluten Free Almond Cake $12.50.

Grilled Gluten Free Almond with Salted Caramel ice Cream

Gula Melaka Cake $6.50. A cake suited to local tastebuds :)

HOUSE @ Dempsey 

Website

Facebook Page

Address: 8D Dempsey Road Singapore 249672

Reservations/Tel: +65 64757787

Opening Hours:

Mon to Thur 12pm-11pm (last order 10pm),

Fri 12pm-12mn (last order 10.30pm)

Sat 11am-4.30pm (last order 4pm) & 6pm-12mn (last order 10.30pm)

Sun 9am-4.30pm (last order 4pm) & 6pm-11pm (last order 10pm)

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Flock has continued to impress me in my return visits to this cafe with their consistent food quality and service standards.

With is first outlet in Tiong Bahru, they have opened a second cafe outlet at Ghim Moh serving up the same quality cafe food.

One of their must-order all time favourites include the Cheeky Eggs, which consists of thick slice of brioche bread topped with braised pork jowl, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

The pork jowl was well braised, soft yet meaty in the mouth.

Its savoury flavour and bite is a perfect marriage with the richness from the egg yolks and hollandaise sauce.

No wonder this continues to be hot favourite (and mine too) amongst their customers.

And lucky for me, I was with a group of bloggers friends for this makan session at Flock and we got to try more than just their Cheeky Eggs. The perks of dining in a group – EAT MORE! haha

Another high recommended dish at Flock Cafe will be their Pulled Pork Pasta and their Dried Shrimp and Prawns Pasta.

Flock Cafe nailed the Asian element in their pasta dishes perfectly.

The Pulled Pork Pasta was bursting with flavours of the braised pork jowl (the same one served in Cheeky Eggs).

So this is a good option, if you are more a pasta than bread person.

The choice of tortiglioni was also excellent, as the pasta provided the starchy sturdy bite that paired well with the soft pork meat and full-bodied gravy.

Need a little more kick with that local taste? Then think no further and order their Dried Shrimp and Prawns Pasta.

Seared prawns tossed in linguine pasta with garlic and Hebi (Dried shrimps), this dish was bursting with flavour and yet does not feel too rich for the stomach. In fact, I find this pasta addictively delicious!

For those who are not so so keen on poached eggs or eggs benedict, why not try their burger and sandwich options, including the Chicken Burger and homemade Otah Ciabatta Sandwich.

The Chicken Burger includes a meaty patty of deep fried chicken meat, and vegetables between the burger bun slices.

I wouldn’t say this is the best burger dish, so go for it if you are really craving for burger.

In comparision, the Otah Ciabatta was a more interesting dish for me.

Their homemade Otah patty was packed with spices and fish meat and actually feels quite healthy with the generous cabbage and ciabatta served alongside.

Now that we have enjoyed the savory items, it is time to slowly ease into the sweet flavours.

Bacon? (check) French Toast? (check) Maple Syrup? (check)!!

The result is a wonderful combination of thick brioche french toast with fried bacon and generous amount of maple syrup.

Still have some room to spare? Flock Cafe also have desserts including cakes and tarts.

We tried their Lemon Tart and Cheesecake. The Lemon Tart was refreshing and light, though the tart shell would be better if more crisp.

The other worth mentioning about Flock Cafe is that there are non-coffee options (perfect for tea lovers like me) including their Genmaicha Latte and Hot Chocolate.

Genmaicha Latte though a little sweet was packed with roasted rice tea and green tea flavours. Best enjoyed hot/warm!

Flock Cafe

Website

Facebook

Flock Cafe @Tiong Bahru

Opening Hours: 8am-6pm (Mon-Sun)

Address: 78 Moh Guan Terrace #01-25

Tel: 65363938

Flock Ghim Moh

Opening Hours: 9am-6pm (Tue-Sun)

Address: 21 Ghim Moh Rd #01-213

Tel: 67107804

Blog post disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was received. The meal was compliments of Flock Cafe and all views expressed are my own.

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Still thinking where to bring your father to dine for Fathers’ Day or looking for the best cake for Daddy?

Antoinette is definitely a good choice.

I was blown away by the creative use of ingredients that resulted in this savory cake created specially for Father’s Day by Chef Pang. 

A Nordic style cake that will be a centerpiece for Father’s Day celebration and plays along with men’s general preference for savory food.

Yes its a tall savory sandwich cake consisting of salmon, prawns, prawn mousse and egg mayo between the layers of rye bread.

With ‘frosting’ of cream cheese mascarpone all around and topped with beautiful garnish such as prawns, zucchini and salmon.

The layers of fillings came well together, and provided a nice change from the usual creamy and sweet cakes. This is definitely a manly masculine cake that would delight my dad.

Available $48+ and requires 3 days in advance reservations.

And while you are there, try out their special 4th anniversary set menu.

At only $40++ per pax, its a four course meal of well executed and well thought out dishes. Starting with this Smoke Salmon Mousse with Toasted Levain served with crunchy lotus roots slices and octopus.

Levain is a sourdough bread made by long fermentation hours. and the toasted slices provided a lovely constrast in flavours with the smooth light salmon mousse, lotus roots and octopus.

And a beautifully presented Mosaic Vegetables Terrine with pepper coulis and pesto.

If you love your vegetables, then this multicolour and multilayer Mosaic Vegetables Terrine is right up your alley. Its fresh, light and flavourful tastes makes it an awesome appetizer.

The artistry of their presentation is a feast for the eyes just as the combinations of the flavours are for the tummy.

For the main course, there is a choice of either the Braised Beef Cheek with Potato Puree and Port Jus or the Chicken Roulade of Morel Mushroom and Pistachio Wrapped in Savoy Cabbage, Potato Puree and Madeira Sauce.

Both of the main dishes were exemplary. I couldn’t try the beef since I can’t take the meat but it won praises around the table from those who tried it.

The chicken roulade first impressed me with the moist chicken meat. The one thing about roulade is that sometimes the meat could be dry but this was so moist and yummy.

All the flavours came together so well and that sweet corn~ yummy. I want more of this dish! :D

And a refreshing Citrus Yogurt Sobert with Peach Cream and Poached Apricot.

Another of my favourite from Chef Pang’s creation, a light and refreshing dessert that is almost addictive. A wonderful way to end the meal plus you can choose either coffee, tea or a glass of house pour for the set menu.

Antoinette

Address: 30 Penhas Rd, 208188

Tel/Reservations: 6293 3121

*reservations are highly recommended

Operating Hours: Mon to Thur – 11am to 10pm | Fri and Eve of PH– 11am to 11pm | Sat – 10am to 11pm | Sun & PH – 10am to 10pm

Nearest MRT: Lavendar

Note: they have another outlet at Mandarin Gallery but they do not take reservations at their Mandarin Gallery outlet.

Blog post disclaimer: This was not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was received. Meal was compliments of Antoinette and all views expressed are my own. 

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d’Good Cafe

Nestled in the prime location of Holland Village, d’Good Cafe has been around for some 2 years, but continues to serve their regulars and attract new customers.

Why? I think it is because d’Good Cafe is able to serve good consistent cafe food and coffee at their cafe.

The passion of the owners also shines through, from the execution of their menu to the little details in their cafe set up.

The moment we stepped into the cafe, the decor already spoke volumes of the passionate folks behind the cafe.

Spanning a total of 2 floor space and an alfresco dining area, d’Good Cafe has a cosy country style decor with many homely touches and great natural lighting.

The special swing area while not the most conducive space for eating main courses, is a perfect spot for some drinks and chill out. Plus photo taking too.

Coffee Lovers behold! d’Good Cafe offers a special coffee blend customised to your taste. A short coffee appreciation and some filling up of forms, their barista will lead you through a short tasting and appreciation session to customise a coffee blend suited to your tastebuds.

You can then ‘saved’ this blend for your future visits.

How totally awesome is that?

Non coffee drinkers also have options such as Matcha Latte (cute latte art!)

While the menu at d’Good Cafe is what we would call standard cafe items, it definitely has a much more extensive list than most and more importantly is in the excellent execution of their food.

This was also one of the few tasting sessions that all the menu items served to us were satisfyingly delicious.

Starting with the Prawn linguini. Perfectly al dente spaghetti pasta tossed in olive oil, garlic, chilli and a generous serving of pan seared prawns.

So delicious~

The second pasta dish impressed us further. It was their Clams Vongole.

Few is able to nail this dish well and d’Good Cafe did just that with this classic Italian pasta dish of perfectly steamed clams and al dente pasta cooked in white wine.

This is definitely my top pasta choice here.

Prefer a healthy option but yet love eggs benedicts?

You would totally dig their Portobello Mushroom Eggs Benedict of well poached eggs on two large portobello mushrooms topped with hollandaise sauce.

The mushrooms gave a earthy ‘meaty’ taste and texture to this dish, so satisfying that I did not even missed not having my usual brioche/bread.

Meat lovers will find joy in their Chicken Skewers.

I was rather shocked at how generous the portion was. Just check out the large meaty chicken meat on sticks.

Even with this large meat chunks, d’Good Cafe baked the chicken meat with perfect timing, retaining its flavourful meat juices, moist on the inside and nicely charred on the outsides.

Another delightful chicken dish was the Baked Lemongrass Chicken served with mashed potato and some sautéed zucchinis and mushrooms.

Remember to save some room for desserts!

Their in-house baked cheesecakes are one of the best. Came highly recommended is their Maple Sea Salt Cheesecake.

Chocolate lovers can opt for their Triplet Cheesecake which consists of cheesecake, chocolate mousse and an oreo base, topped with a chocolate macaron.

Its rather rich for me to finish one slice on my own but chocoholics will definitely satisfy their cravings with this.

Being a waffle lover, I was rather excited to try their Purple Sweet Potato Waffles. A surprising unique texture of crisp exteriors and a soft cake like texture on the inside, quite a delightful sweet treat. Best enjoyed hot.

The use of sweet potatoes also meant that this dessert item could be quite filling, so do share the calories with someone! :D

d’Good Cafe

273 Holland Avenue #02-01/02 Singapore 278992

Tel: 6219 9807

Email: whatsbrewing@dgoodcafe.com

Website: http://dgoodcafe.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/dgoodcafe

Nearest MRT: Holland Village (Circle line)

Blog post disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was received. The meal was compliments of d’Good Cafe and all views expressed are my own.

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Ippudo Ramen is one of the popular ramen restaurants in Singapore. Based on a voting survey conducted last year, Ippudo Ramen was ranked as the second most popular Japanese ramen joint by Singaporeans.

So rejoice! As they have opened at the newly renovated wing of Shaw Centre in Orchard Road.

Ippudo has a total of 5 stores and 1 express store in Singapore, and each outlet gives diners a different concept, dining style and experience, complete with a unique menu.

Ippudo SG @ Shaw Centre positions itself to be a ‘smart casual dining-style’ store, featuring an array of attractively-priced otsumami (smaller dishes) for diners to sample and share while relaxing in theintricately-designed interior.

The menu at this Shaw Centre outlet offers Japanese otsumami dishes at pocket friendly prices of $6 each as well as exclusive Ramen such as the Tan Tan Ramen.

Amongst their Tapas selection, I enjoyed really enjoyed the Goma Q, Ippudo Original Buns and Crispy Corn.

The Goma Q $6  is one of Ippudo’s signature dishes. Crunchy Japanese cucumbers with fragrant in-house made sesame dressing.

This dish is refreshingly light and very addictive.

Kani Cream Croquette $6

Croquette of a golden crisp shell with crab filling and drizzled with tomato cream sauce.

Texture wise, this was a good croquette but I find it rather pricey for $6 a piece as the crabmeat taste or texture was not distinct. But it scored well with the creamy filling.
Totally digging the Crispy Corn $6.

Just imagine lightly battered deep fried sweet corn, sprinked with some paprika.

When you bit into the corn, its a perfect marriage of the sweetness of the corn, the spice of the paprika and the crispy batter. So yummy and a must-order!

Another signature on their menu that has been kept at the Ippudo Shaw Centre outlet is the Ippudo Original Buns (1 pc $4, 3 pieces $9, choices of pork, chicken and shrimp)

We of course went for the pork since it uses the popular Ippudo melt-in-the-mouth chashu enveloped in a soft steam mantou bun with lettuce and mayo.

Definitely reminds one of the traditional kong bar bao but instead its Japanese chashu.

The Beef  Tataki $6 also won unanimous praise around the table. Just check out the marbling of the beef!

I would say skip the pork and beef  Teppan and move straight to the ramen noodles.

I have never eaten so much Ramen in one sitting! We tried a total of 4 ramens and shared some 8 different Tapas dishes.

Before I go into the details of the ramen dishes, one highlight is their vegetable side selection which is available only at this Ippudo outlet.

For a vegetable lover like me, I particularly like this option and will order it to go along with my ramen noodles. This also reminds me of the Ippudo Ramen menu back in Japan.

My favourite is still their Shiromaru Motoaji Ramen, which is considered the lightest in flavour in their entire Ramen selection. If you prefer a good original creamy tonkotsu ramen soup base, then this would be your choice.

Served with thin straight noodles, pork loin, cabbage and black fungus, this is a classic Hakata style ramen.

Ippudo Ramen shared with me that their most popular Ramen is actually their Akamaru Shin-Aji Ramen which is a rich bodied tonkotsu ramen soup base with their in house blended miso paste and fragrant garlic oil.

Served with thin straight noodles, melt-in-the-mouth pork belly, black fungus and spring onions.

For those who enjoy garlic and a stronger richer soup base, then the Spicy Black Ramen will satisfy your hunger pangs and cravings.

Did you know that this is a unique Singapore creation that has been included in Ipuddo? Feedback from local diners is a love for spiciness and this ramen is targeted at spicy lovers.

In house minced meat miso paste with spices and peppers added into Ippudo’s original tonkotsu broth topped with some fragrant oil.

Of course, one has got to try their Tan Tan Tonkotsu Ramen, exclusive to this Shaw Centre outlet.

Surprisingly, this Tan Tan Tonkotsu Ramen came with a good nutty sesame flavour and mild chilli kick, invoking the nostalgic feelings and familiarity of Tan Tan Mee.

Japanese sesame paste blended into Ippudo’s signature tonkotsu broth, served with thin straight noodles, spicy minced pork miso, pork loin and fresh coriander.

I also particularly enjoyed the lemon slice (served with) squeezed into the soup. It gave a citrus tangy note at the end of each mouthful, quite a refreshing touch to an usually very rich ramen meal.

Ipuddo Ramen @ Shaw Centre

1 Scotts Road, #04-22/23
Shaw Centre, Singapore 228208

Tel 6235 2547

Opening Hours: Mondays to Sundays 11:30 am – 10pm (L.O. 9pm)

Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS line)

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Blog post disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and no monetary compensation was received. The meal was compliments of Ippudo Ramen and all views expressed are my own.

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