Teppei Lunch

I have finally finally finally made my way down to Teppei - but not for dinner, I think that the wait list of like 3 months is ridiculous. So one fine day when we were walking by and realised that the queue was non-existent (we were quite late for lunch), we decided to go in and try.

What's the difference between Teppei and Hanare? I suppose since they're sister restaurants, they probably share the same supplier. Of course, Teppei's barachirashi was better - perhaps it's prepared with more finesse, the marinate isn't as salty, the chunks of fish somehow tasted better than I remembered it to be at Hanare.

Would I queue for the Barachirashi during lunch? No. I'd rather save time and just go to Hanare, though I think I would really like Hanare much better if they weren't so heavy handed with the soya sauce.

For $17.90, it's really competitively priced and I would definitely be back, just as long as there is no queue.

Free flow of bean sprouts and crispy deep fried fish as appetisers while you're waiting for your food.

The restaurant was small and cramped - I had the most irritating dining neighbour who had super long hair and refused to tie it up. Her hair was blowing all over the place and onto my arm. Hope she washed it. I was fortunate enough that she left before my food came.

Also, I walked out smelling like deep fried food cos it's an open kitchen. Don't come here if you have got to go back to work or for an important meeting immediately after - you'll definitely be reeking of lunch.

As usual, when I'm in the area, we always adjourn to Tsujiri  which is still as good as ever. I really hope they open a full size joint like those in Japan cos I want to eat their savoury dishes and have their full sized parfaits without going to Japan!

Teppei
#01-18 Orchid Hotel
1 Tras Link
Tel 62227383

Hanare

Was agonising on where to spend my post-call lunch so I spent the morning searching though random blog posts - and found Hanare. It's Teppei's lesser known sister restaurant, and they were really new (2 months old) when we went there, so it was relatively less crowded. 

They do 2 kinds of lunch - either the barachirashi or a buffet style lunch, both which costs less than $20. 

With the barachirashi, you get a free flow of appetisers - the 4 appetisers that day was edamame, salad, some preserved vegetables which I didn't like, and a stew with different root vegetables. 

Of course, I made sure I reserved enough tummy space for the barachirashi - though not as chunky as the teppei one, and way too salty, it was a steal at $17.90 - seriously for the amount of fish (it's a mountain) you probably won't be able to find anywhere else which serves such hearty portions at this price.

And of course, it's off to Tsujiri for desserts post lunch

Hanare
99B Tanjong Pagar Road
Tel 62221976
Monday to Sat 12-1430 and 1830 - 2200

Hashida

This post shall be loaded up with lots of sushi porn - partly because I can hardly remember what I ate just that the experience was so marvellous and delicious, I went into instant food coma after. 

I got the entry level sushi lunch set (Tsubaki), which costs $80++. Unless I'm not paying for it, budget is always a consideration, and I find that the $80 set sometimes gives me the same satisfaction as a slightly more expensive one. 

The meal kicked off with one of my favourite foods - yuba tofu, which is so insanely hard to find here.

 I think this was some white fish (can't remember what exactly)

 Snapper

 Isaki (Grunt fish)

 Katsuo (bonito)

 Hamachi (yellow tail)

 Ultra fresh roe and rice

 Tamago

 Chutoro

 Tuna maki

 Dessert


#02-37 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore 238897
Opened Tues to Sunday
12pm-3pm, 7pm-10pm
Tel 6733 2114

Shinji - Lunch

I've finally gotten my life back so I shall quickly blog about what I've been up to (in June, that is). 

Finally made it down to Shinji (for lunch, my wallet is bleeding) and I've been kicking myself since for not going down sooner.

Of course, it was for a special occasion - my friend was going to extract her wisdom teeth and wanted to have some nourishment before going on a fast. For me, it was so that I could boost up my omega 3 acid stores which will hopefully improve my poor memory.

Hamachi (yellow tail) - I declare that this has to be the best yellowtail - it tastes creamy and really unlike any othe yellow tail I've eaten
Squid - not particularly a big fan of squid, but I liked how they squeezed minimal lime juice on it that I couldn't even taste it very much.
Chutoro - I thought the chutoro was awesome, until the otoro came next
Otoro - to die for. I really didn't expect the Otoro to come with the entry level sashimi lunch set, but alas, it does! Such a treat.
Akami (lean tuna) - of course, after the otoro and chutoro, this was very unremarkable. Should have eaten this before the fatty tuna
Aji - not my favourite fish.
Katsuo (Bonito)- not my favourite fish either
Prawn - I'm not a big fan of prawn
Anago (sea eel) - so soft and delicious, melted in my mouth in a matter of seconds

 Tuna maki

Tamago and preserved radish

Clear clam soup

Dessert

 The counter, where all the magic happens.

The service here is so awesome. So my friend books the restaurant, and one day before we realise that she's booked the wrong one! Instead of the Raffles Hotel (which is the original branch), we have wrongly booked the St Regis branch. I call the Raffles Hotel branch to make a reservation, and mentioned that we wrongly booked the St Regis branch for lunch. Straightaway, they offered to help us call St Regis and cancel our reservation. And the dumbest thing was that my friend had booked the correct branch in the end (they gave me a call and told me that) -_-'

I'll probably never ever be able to afford dinner, but at $75++ this was to die for if you're a sushi fan.

Shinji by Kanesaka
Raffles Hotel
Tel 63386131

Kiku - Lunch

 

It's a tragedy - Aoki's lunch set has gone up in price, and they've taken to mixing short and long grain rice together, so it's not as fragrant. I still not sure if it's worth the price anymore, but in the mean time,  while I mull over this, I've been searching again for another mazechirashi worth eating. 

 Jane recommended this newish restaurant - Kiku, at Duxton, which has very reasonably priced set lunches, and on Saturdays and Sundays too! It is located where the previous Hanayoshi used to be. Decor and layout is still the same, they probably just changed hands.

 Complimentary appetiser - chicken soup which was very lightly seasoned and warming, one of the smoothest chawanmushi I've had in a long long time, and some steamed yam.

Since my main aim was to find a replacement barachirashi set, I of course had the barachirashi set. The portions are rather small, so I had lots of space for dessert. It's really prettily presented - with boiled octopus, salmon, squid, crab and tuna on a bed of rice (proper short grain rice, not the horrible mixed kind that Aoki has).

 This is the sushi set - which has a really tiny ball of rice on the side. Sushi is really fresh, but I think I'll be hungry still if I had this set.

 Fried cabbage, again, which was really lightly seasoned, super crunchy and fresh.

We added on ice cream for dessert - green tea and black sesame ice cream. 

The food here is very very lightly seasoned - so if you're a fan of heavier seasonings and sauces, this is probably not the place for you. I really like this kind of food though, cos I feel that the freshness of the food isn't overpowered by the added sauces and flavours. 

Kiku
1 Duxton Road
Singapore 089487
Tel 62255567
Opening hours: Monday  to Sat 12pm-11pm
Sunday 12pm to 10pm

Basilico Lunch

Awesome end of posting lunch at Basilico. The last time I came here was for my eopd a few years back (and we sat in the same place too!)
It's a full buffet lunch and even though it was a few days after Christmas, they had a roasted turkey, along with chestnut stuffing. I didn't eat the turkey but the roast lamb was in a league of its own. Pink, tender and juicy. There was even feesh mint sauce to go with it.
The cold appetiser section was superb as usual - lots of fresh cheeses (including fresh mozzarella and smoked mozzarella, and an assortment of tomatoes), salad bar, and a very extensive cheese selection with a variety of honeys. And lots of parma ham and melon too.
There's also a variety of hot foods including lobster bisque, salmon and cod, a variety of pastas (which were pretty average, probably cos they were pre-cooked), and a pretty good four cheese pizza.
I was pretty stuffed by the time it came to desserts, and the counters were closing cos it was 230pm, so I only managed to get myself some gelato (not bad, not spectacular).

I was in post-food coma for the whole day after.
(I read online that there's a foie gras counter? But I didn't see it at all. I hope I didn't miss out on the foie gras cos that will be the best thing ever!)

Basilico
Regent Hotel
1 Cuscaden Road, Singaproe 249715
Tel 67253232

Sushi Mitsuya Lunch

Sushi Mitsuya is now my to-go place whenever I have the luxury of having lunch out (which is fortunately or unfortunately, not a very common occasion). I think the sushi lunch set is awesome - for $70 nett, you'll get 8 pieces of sushi, prepared right in front of you. That's in addition to 2 appetizers, a soup and a dessert. I have yet to try dinner, but after my experience at Sushi Ichi, I have decided that my tastebuds are suited to sushi meals not >$100, and I can't seem to appreciate the sushi enough to justify the cost.

I've been here for about 4 times for lunch, and it has been consistently good. The season has just changed, so here's what I had for lunch about 2 weeks back. Out of the 8 pieces of sushi, one is usually a lean tuna (can't expect otoro with that kind of lunch price), usually a 4-6 piece maki at the end. I usually get to try about 2 new and 'interesting' fishes per lunch, and the other 4 will usually be a 'mainstream' fish.

I don't eat raw prawn, so I always let the sushi chef know of my dietary restriction. (Along with not having any yuzu brushings on my sushi, or any other forms of citrus fruits).

 Starter was baby sardines with grated daikon

 Prawn and carrot salad with pumpkin sauce

Ika (Squid)
I used to dislike raw squid cos it always tastes rubbery and hard and too chewy. However, eating a good quality squid can make all the difference. It is very smooth, firm and not too chewy. I liked how they cut all the ridges on the squid too. Makes it look like a pine cone.

This was a pinfish (not sure if I got it correct) with some salt on top. It's a non-oily fish

One of my favourite sushis of the day - kawahagi, which is also known as a 'filefish'.
It is served with its own liver (the creamy thing) on top. I've never tried this fish before, and boy, was it delicious. The liver was light and creamy - imagine something like foie gras, but a lite version of that. Which made the blander tasting flesh more interesting.
Go to this link if you're interested to see what the kawahagi looks like.

Katsuo (bonito). It was so red and meaty I thought it was a akami (lean tuna) - but do note the grated ginger and sliced spring onion on the side. This version wasn't seared, and was very meaty and delicious.

Hamachi (yellow tail) sushi. It was a very thick and fatty slice of hamachi, probably one of the best I've eaten. Can't compare to those from the average sushi chain.

Akami (lean tuna)

Ikura sushi (salmon roe)
Extremely fresh, and each salty bubble of roe will pop in your mouth. Whenever I eat this sushi I think of the starting scenes from Finding Nemo.

Anago (sea eel) Osaka Boxed-style
This was the first time I've seen this style of sushi. Pretty interesting, especially since the rice isn't your usual plain sushi rice.

Soup - clear soup with tofu fishcake.

Katsuo (bonito) maki
I thought this was negitoro maki when I saw it but atlas, it wasn't! Then again, I like how the meaty bonito reminds me of tuna.

Autumn fruits - sweet and crunchy perssimon and melon sherbert.

This is the barachirashi, for those people who can't have the luxury of having a piece-by-piece sushi lunch. I would still highly recommend the sushi set. For $70 it's really a steal.

Btw, I always thought that Harada-san spoke with a queer accent (not the typical Japanese accent) but I've finally figured out why! He sounds exactly like a Hong Konger when he speaks English.

Disclaimer here: I have yet to try Shinji, which, according to all the other online reviews, is Singapore's best sushi restaurant. I shall aim to try it one day...

Sushi Mitsuya
60 Tras Street
#01-10 Singapore 078999
Tel 64382608
*Do call for reservations as seating is limited.