Afterglow revisited

Finally managed to find someone to accompany me and eat Afterglow (even though it was a pre-dinner snack). The usual response I get is usually the nose wrinkling and head shaking on countless occasions. My whole logic on why I like to patronise such restaurants is that anyone (or most people at least) can make anything taste good with butter and an assortment of animal fats. So I personally think it takes great skill (or great ingredients) to make something taste good without the use of such tasty fats. And that's something that I am quite willing to pay for.

We had the Dragon Pom salad - which was lightly dressed in a lemon oil dressing and topped with chopped macadamia nuts and half an avocado.

I also tried the vegan nut 'cheese' platter - I swear that the nut cheese tastes like the real thing - and there's some herbs, peppers added in so the texture really reminds me of a cheese dip. The crackers on the side are dehydrated beetroot crackers and green apple crackers. Would definitely return to get more of these.

Afterglow

24 Keong Siak Road

Tel 62248921

Next to Muchachos

Neon Pigeon

Walked past Neon Pigeon a few weeks ago - while trying to digest the pre-dinner snack from Afterglow (more about that in the later posts) and stumbled upon this newly renovated building - the Working Capitol. 

They have a no reservations policy - but then if you end on time like most normal human beings, it shouldn't be a problem.  As most new restaurants nowadays, Neon Pigeon has this sharing concept - though the plates aren't that large. I would strongly recommend that you go in groups of 4, as the large portions are perfect when divided by 4. They recommend about 6-7 dishes so we got 7 exactly (despite haphazardly ordering random dishes).

Since we were ravenous (at least half of us were), we quickly ordered the Smoked Pork Buns with pickled daikon and ginger, umeboshi and hoisin ($24). It's an atas version of the kong bak pau, with nicely steamed leaf mantous. Of course, unlike the humble $1.50 cousin, the pork belly was well done and marinated with a layer of crackling skin, and the salty pickles gave an interesting twist to an old classic.

 The other dish we got really quickly was the slow cooked octopus with cauliflower puree and shimichi ($38). I really love octopus, but then it's usually a hit and miss and I dread getting a tough as leather extremely chewy and bland tasting octopus leg - plus octopus doesn't come cheap so it's double the sadness. This octopus totally hits the spot - soft and tender, with a slightly salty, creamy cauliflower puree.

Smokey Eggplant - mint shisho and lotus chips ($$17) 

one of the starters - the lotus chips were really nice (despite being slightly oily) and the eggplant was lightly marinated in a tangy dressing. I'm pretty partial to eggplant so I  quite liked this dish.  

The only dish of the day which fell short of our expectations - Tuna Crudo - miso pickled apple sprouts ($16). Essentially it was tuna sashimi with some salad leaves, the fuji type of apple and bean sprouts, with a mayonnaise based dressing. Absolutely nothing to shout about. I think you should try the other dishes - they sound much more interesting.

Crispy brussel sprouts - mirin glazed bacon, karashi ($26)
Good portion of brussel sprouts, with sweetish bacon bits - I conclude that anything cooked in animal fats will taste good.

Grilled duck breast - 'katsu curry' pumpkin sauce($38)
One of my favourite dishes for the night - the duck's breast was tender, juicy and completely unlike the over salted and preserved ready made kind. The sweet pumpkin puree acted as a foil for the saltiness from the duck, and I really liked how the little bits of red looked like the pickled ginger you get with the Japanese curry.

House smoked bacon crispy pork skin spring onion egg yolk on rice $38
Comes in a hot plate - I'm not a fan of the pork skin, but I really liked the rice. I would describe it as a cross between risotto and a bibimbap.

We also had some cocktails - the Ichigo-en - jasmine tea infused sake, campari, process, peychaud's bitters

 The kyoho fizz - campa de encanto pisco, june fleur de vinge, grape calpis and soda. Was completely sold when I saw grape and calpis together. Which reminds me that I have yet to try Naked Finn's kyoho grape cocktail :(

 The food came really quickly (perhaps because we were one of the earliest customers) and they were pretty efficient in topping up our iced water.
There's no service charge here (unless you prebook for a group >6) and they don't take in reservations unless your group is >8. Worth trying if you're in the area and looking for something new.

Neon Pigeon
1 Keong Siak Road #01-03 
Singapore 089109
Phone 62223623

Sushi Mitsuya Lunch

I've had the pleasure of dining at Sushi Mitsuya quite a few times since they first opened. Having lunch there  is really exciting as I always get to try new fish that I've never had before. Usually, I'll try to go during different seasons, so that I can try different kinds of fish. I usually go for the Ichie (entry level lunch set at about $70) because I'm feel too poor to indulge in anything else, and eating lunch there is an indulgence by itself already... Being the last minute person I am, I tried to book lunch on the day itself and to my horror it was nearly full! Managed to snag the last lunch seats there. Whew!

 Vegetables marinated in tofu and sesame sauce

 Short goldfish memory - can't remember what this was if I'm not wrong it's pickled sardine?

 Sea goby

 Scallop with black salt

 Baby snapper - it's called Hime Kodai in Japanese
Bland tasting whitefish

 Glass fish - I thought this was really interesting - it's similar to the baby fish that we usual fry in the egg, slightly slimy and a bit crunchy (I'm guessing the crunch comes from the skull or eyeballs here) and lightly marinated. I liked the way that it was moulded into a little mound on top of the sushi rice.

 Big prawn that has been marinated in egg yolk and vinegar - just noticed for the first time that they slice it into two if you're female and leave it as a whole if you're male (sneakily peeping at what other people around me are eating hehe)

 I think this was Aji (but I'm not too sure, I didn't write it down and can't remember now!:/)

 Akame (lean tuna) which was lightly brushed with sauce

 Their signature Osaka style bo sea eel  sushi

Light clear broth to end the meal

 6 pieces of assorted maki - with pickles and cucumber

 Dessert was red bean cake and pomelo

The lunch will not make you feel uncomfortably full - most of the time if I'm not exceptionally famished, this will leave me feeling about 80% full (which is supposed to be the correct level of fullness) but since lunches are rare, I usually fill the extra 20% of stomach space with dessert.

Of course, dessert is Tsujiri at the nearby 100am mall.


You can check out my other posts where I got to try different kinds of fish :
Barachirashi set lunch
4th November 2013
26th November 2013 

Hmm I actually went a few more times in between then and now but I think I was too lazy to blog... Can't remember what I ate anymore T-T

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

Fordham and Grand

Went to Fordham and Grand as recommended by Ms Type A aka the Pang Sei queen. Which was really not a bad recommendation, especially since she didn't do her last minute PS stunt ;P

So this is the entrance to the restaurant - had to whatsapp a photo of it so that no time would be wasted trudging around finding the entrance of the restaurant.

 Burratina, Cherry Tomatoes, and basil pesto ($20)
Burratina and all these other creamy cheeses are my favourite, so I'm always biased when it comes to these kind of appetisers.

 Corn Risotto, Artichoke and Kenyan Beans ($27)
I really liked the Corn Risotto, even though it costs a whopping twenty seven bucks before taxes, for no meat and just carbs and vegetables. The corn taste was so strong and distinct, the whole thing tasted like a really delicious creamy corn chowder. Wasn't a big fan of the beans though.

 Miso Eggplant, Shimeji mushrooms and jerusalem artichoke chips ($17)
Tastes and sounds better than it looks. I thought the artichoke chips were pretty interesting, but the eggplant was a tad too soggy and salty, probably from all that miso.

 Banana Cake, caramel, chocolate chantilly and vanilla ice cream ($15)
The banana cake wasn't too bad, and everyone enjoyed eating the chocoballs.

 Jivara Parfait, Araguani mousse and hazelnut dacquoise ($14)
I couldn't appreciate this parfait - or any parfaits before this one. Somehow I feel that a parfait is masquerading as an ice cream, but is not. Do correct me if I am wrong, but I just dislike the texture in general.

Velvet blanc - wild berries, lime and cream cheese ($14)

I really enjoyed this dessert, despite the lime (which I left aside) - wild berries granite and luscious cream cheese-cheesecake lookalike in a chilled martini glass. 

It was empty when we started, but packed to the brim when we were done.

43 Craig Road
Singapore 089681
Tel 62213088

Whole Earth

Tried the Whole Earth Thai/Peranakan Resatuarnt at Tanjon Pagar for dinner. 

The dinner started off with a soup, which was pretty unimpressive and unmemorable. A bit too salty for my liking but then again, my salt tolerance is pretty low.

I really liked the olive fried rice (brown rice option), which had a really intense umami taste. Nearly all the other tables around us were having this dish. It was very oily, just like the normal tzechar restaurants. Not sure if they use the whole olives or just the olive vegetable (tastes more like the latter to me), but I really liked the texture of the chewy rice, reminds me of a dry risotto.

Whole Earth - Penang Curry

What was impressive about this was that the 'meat', which is made from mushrooms, actually has the texture of real meat. The curry was very robust - lots of spices and I think there was even banana flower inside? Slightly too spicy for my liking.

I was actually debating between the mushroom kong bak stew (which is one of the highly recommended dishes) or the penang curry, but the server said that the kong bak stew was very oily, so we decided to go for the Penang curry.

Monkey Head Mushroom

My all time favourite dish of the night was the braised monkey head mushrooms with kailan. Though the prices was also astronomical ($25 for a vege dish!). I first tried monkey head mushroom at Li Bai at Sheraton, and I really liked the meatiness and texture of the mushroom. At Whole Earth, the mushroom is braised in a sweet and sour sauce, and has this incredibly interesting texture - which is very similar to meat. I suppose if you're vegetarian and want to eat something that reminds you of meat, then this is the mushroom to eat.

We had the mango pomelo sago for dessert - very underwhelming and I somehow cannot find my photo of this very forgettable dessert. We also tried their enzyme drink (about $10), which actually tastes vaguely like an alcoholic drink (not sure what exactly is inside, but tastes a bit fermented?).

Overall, there were hits and misses - I would definitely come back just for the monkey head mushrooms and the olive fried rice. Generally the prices here are quite steep, and I suppose if you want heavier vegetarian food, this is the place to go  - I found the dishes here to be quite oily, full of spices and chillies. If you're looking for cleaner tasting vegetarian food, I would suggest Real Food or Sunny Choice, where there's lighter, less oiler options. The restaurant was really crowded on a weekday and fortunately, we were early enough to get a seat but it filled up super quickly after. Do make a booking to avoid disappointment.

Tsujiri - Green Tea Desserts that never fail me 

Needed a proper dessert fix after so we hopped over to Tsujiri  at 100am mall for the usual matcha dessert.

Whole Earth
6 Peck Seah Street
Singapore 079331
Tel 6323 3308

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

Restaurant Labyrinth

Orangey Amuse Bouche

I first heard about Labyrinth at the Savour Food Fair earlier this year, but didn't manage to eat their chili crab ice cream. So I had to try it and see for myself.

Their very interesting dips to go with the bread - the powdery thing is actually olive oil, I think the black stuff in the jar is balsamic reduction, and the white foamy thing is some garlic espuma (if I'm not wrong)

Mango Tomato Bruschetta

The meal kicked off with an interesting starter, which looked like beef tartare, but was actually tomatoes with a mango 'yolk'.

Tomato 'steak' tartare, mango yolk and tomato marshmallow (which are the fluffy white things at the side).

Labyrinth Chilli Crab

Their signature dish, which has a sea-side inspired theme.
Chilli Crab ice cream - which I found really queer, cos it was creamy and cold like and ice cream, yet packed lots of spiciness
Tempura Soft Shell Crab - which was battered and fried to perfection, no hint of oiliness here
Sturgeon Caviar  - which I'mn to a big fan of.
I did like the 'sand' which was actually pulverised mantou, though I still prefer my mantou in it's usual form.

The next 3 dishes are actually the 3 options for the mains, we decided to have one main each for variety:

Siew Yoke Fan

Roasted pork belly, risotto 'ramen' and pork scratching

I personally thought that this was the better dish (minus the beef) cos it was a really good sized portion. I'm not sure why the risotto was was called 'ramen' but overall, this dish was really well done. Risotto was perfectly cooked, with still enough bite to the rice grains, the pork skin was crispy (not that I like pork skin), and the meat tender and juicy.

Satay Steak

Satay Marinated Steak, pan seared foie gras and Japanese Peanut Mochin(which is inside the kutupat/green thing)

Black Cod Miso

Miso cod and textures, black cod brandale, potato cannoli
My ultra tiny main - I was still so hungry after it! I suppose foam and chocolate soil can't make you very full... To be fair, the cod was really well done, but I could do with a larger portion (though I do appreciate the fact that cod is really expensive!)

Palate Clenser for the Satay Steak

Chendol Xiao Long Bao

Molecular chendol soup dumpling, gula melaka syrup

This was the dish that I really wanted to try - it was delicious as expected. Pandan flavour infused xiao long bao skin, with chin chow, gula melaka ice, and coconut and red bean capsules inside.

It comes with a jar of 'vinegar', which is actually more gula melaka syrup

Apple Crumble 

Apple textures, White chocole crumble, yogurt ice cream
 The dessert was a deconstructed apple crumble. I really liked the yogurt ice cream. Quote of the day was "I'm ambivalent about this soil".

Petit Fours

The durian madeline wasn't very well received cos most of us didn't like durian. The puff thing was filled with salted caramel, not spectacular and quite forgettable really.
I liked the weird tasting starfruit jelly - I think that more people should do stuff with starfruit!

We went for the Signature Menu ($98++) - the alternative was a degustation menu at $138.
I'm not a big fan of all these molecular gastronomy, but I would recommend going here at least once in your life - it's not often you see Chili crab ice cream, isn't it?

Labyrinth
5 Neil Road
Singapore 088806
Tel62234098