Hakata Nihon Ryori

We are not out of the Japanese food crave yet. In long run, we may never be out of it either.

Anyway, one fine Saturday, while spoiled for choice at Robertson Quay, we remembered out of our sources citing quality Japanese food at a corner of Mohd Sultan. We decided to venture forth and the rest is history as tabulated here.

This nice, cozy Japanese restaurant actually resides among a row of Japanese restaurants. All of them look cozy and yummy actually and we were unable to confirm which is the "quality" restaurant among them. So, we picked Hakata Nihon Ryori. We never regretted.

This restaurant is a small restaurant with fewer than ten or twelves tables within and 2 private rooms for those that want the "Japanese party-touch".

The photographic evidence of our rendevous follows:


Sake with peas for starters, Sake(3 cups) - $7, Peas - Complimentary


Sashimi Teishoku - $22.00


Ten Zaru Soba - $13.00

Nothing we can fault and looking at the price tag($42 before GST/Service, $49 after), we can say that it is a very decent pricing for a very nice, satisfying meal.


Food: 8.0/10
Ambience: 8.0/10
Service: 7.5/10

Overall Rating: 8.0/10


Hakata Nihon Ryori
33, Mohd Sultan Road
#01-03
Singapore 238977
(T: 6836-1039)

Inagiku

For people who have just gotten into Japanese food, the greatest barrier to raising your bar from cater-4-mass-market joints of the likes of Sakae Sushi, has to be pricing.

After all, to the un-enlightened, what kinda food or experience can justify paying up to S$60 for a plate of assorted sashimi(averaging S$3.00 per thin slice)? How much fresher or satisfying can that $3.00 per slice be over a mass-market $1 per slice? And not to mention that sashimi almost always never filling.

As fans of Japanese cuisine however, it is almost certain or later, that next step to seek higher pleasures will be taken. That apply to the Boogies.

So here we are, at Inagiku for a dining session. Upon entry, you may find the restaurant dim but cozy, very suitable for a quiet chat over meals. It would take awhile to get used to the lightning(lack of), after which, you would ponder why you find it so dim in the first place.


Assorted sashimi, $60

The sashimi was the first item that we tried. If the benchmark of a good Japanese restaurant is the sashimi, then Inagiku would have been graded with an A on the spot. Lovers of sashimi would understand that the pleasure of such indulgence(when you sample a really fresh piece) is beyond words, hence I shall stop here. ;p


Grilled King Prawn, S$60

The grilled king prawn was really really tasty. The texture of the prawn was just nice and the way the topping was prepared(presumably mayonnaise and butter) was was heavenly as much as we knew it was sinful.


Tepanyaki Tenderloin, S$60

Ok, the above picture does not do justice to the actual serving size. Its actually a very decent serving. The tenderloin at medium-done, was juicy and easily chewable. Nothing we can fault here.


Charcoal grill Eel

The charcoal grill eel on the other hand, was one dish that we felt we could do without. There was absolutely no impression that we could form, after tasting those 6 pieces of eel. Period.


Green-tea ice-cream with red-bean paste.

This dessert's nice with generous serving of red-bean paste. But then again, few restaurants can go wrong with this item.

The above meal set us(two) back by approximately $270. It wasn't cheap, but we felt that it was value for our money.

To conclude, the quality of food, ambience and the very attentive service all made for a great dining experience. We will definitely be back.

Food: 8.5/10
Ambience: 8.0/10
Service: 8.5/10

Overall Rating: 8.5/10


Inagiku
Raffles The Plaza Hotel
Level 3
80 Bras Basah Road
Singapore 189560
(T: 6339-7777)

Red Dot Brewery @Dempsey!!!

One of us stumbled across this microbrewery with our friends earlier this year. Having had a good impression the last round, we decided to head down to Red Dot Brewery for some Beer and Food!

Red Dot Brewery is situated along the new stretch of restaurants along Dempsey Hill Green. Due to the greenery and space, it immediately made us feel more relaxed. Undoubtly, a good place to unwind.



The attraction here would be the beer! We had a RedDot Lime Wheat and English Ale. And it was prety good. Their house signature beer would be the Monster Green Lager Beer. Its green in colur as it is infused with green spruillna. Its a pity we dint try it, but we will be back soon for it.



The food was pretty decent as well. Total damage was $70+.

We'll be back for the beer (burp), chill-out and relaxed feel and the decent food.


Charcoal Grilled Rib Eye ($32)

Fish and Chips ($18)

Food: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Ambience: 7.25/10

Overall: 7/10
Red Dot BrewHouse
#01-01, Blk 25A Dempsey Road

Tel: 6475 0500

Picotin

Picotin on a Sunday evening!!

Picotin" means "horse ration of oats". I must say the food tasted no where near oats. This new restaurant is the latest addition to St Pierre Group. It consists of a bar, gourmet shop and a bistro that serves European food.

Upon arriving, we were presented withe the choice of 3 seating areas. Firstly, the al fresco area facing the old stables (now shops) which was full of Ang Moh families, secondly, the air con indoor seating and lastly, a patioed al fresco area on teh other side of the indoor seating. We picked the latter.


Now on to the food. The Menu was tastefully done up horsy style! Nice touch and good overall them with name of restaurant and setting. For starters we had Assiette de canard: Smoked duck, duck rillette, duck confit spring roll, walnut salad ($18) and Moules à la Parisienne Mussels: garlic butter, emmental cheese ($14). The selection of duck was pretty tasty and interesting. The mussels was just of an expected standard.








For mains, we had a Pizza ($21), Cuisse de canard confite; Duck leg confit, potato, mixed leaf salad, raspberry vinegar dressing ($29), Fillet de fletan au vin rouge; Halibut, potato, spinach, red wine reduction ($30), Tagine d’agneau; Braised lamb shoulder, braised organic vegetable, moroccan spices, harizza ($24).

Out of the 4 dishes, we would strongly recommend the pizza. Thin, crisp, flavourful with the right proportions of cheese. One of the better ones in SG! The fish and duck was as per taste of its same league of restaurants, good, but nothing to scream about. The lamb was somewhat not to my taste. It could be due to the moroccan spices which did not go down too well with me.













On to the dessert. The desserts were pretty good! We had Nougat glace, coulis a la framboise Iced nougat, raspberry coulis ($10), Gateau aux dattes Sticky date pudding, toffee sauce, ice cream ($10) and a complimentary birthday cake for my little sister. =)

The iced nougat was a little on the sweet side but however really good. A mixture of ice cream and nougat, it was very light and refreshing on the palette. The warm sticky date pudding was also pretty good. The dessert definitely ended the dinner on a good note!






I would return to Picotin again for the appetisers, pizzas, desserts and perhaps attempt some other mains again. This restaurant set amidst the old stables makes it feel far away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd. I like the concept and the relaxed feel it gives. Will be back again!

Food: 7/10
Ambience: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10

Overall: 7/10

Picotin
100 Turf Club Road,
Singapore 287992.
Tel: +65 6877 1191

Halia @ Botanic Gardens

It's Mother's Day! Instead of the usual Sunday brunches. We decided something a little different this year. A nice stroll in Botanic Gardens and a lovely meal with lush greenery with chirping birds and relaxed atmosphere at Halia. After we have parked our car, we took at 10 min stroll from to Halia (next to the Orchid Garden)

As it was a Sunday, Sunday Branch (around $60) was served in Villa Halia and ala carte was served in the restaurant. We decided on ala carte as to contain our eating, or rather the over-eating that we have allowed ourselves. :P

Halia Restaurant

Villa Halia

For appetisers we had 1) Soft Shell Crab with Wasabi Sauce and 2) Avocado with Orange Salad. The taste of the soft was heightened by the Wasabi Sauce. Comparing the 2 appetisers, we preferred the Salad. The citrusy sauce couple with juicy orange slices made the salad very refreshing!






For mains we had 1) Poached egg on brioche with hollandaise sauce on bacon ($16) 2) Chilli Crab Pasta 3) Portobello Mushroom with Parma Ham Sanwhich 4) Tandoori Chicken with Mango Sandwhich. Out of the 4 dishes, we like the poached egg, chilli crab pasta and portobello mushroom with Parma Ham! The savoury dish was poached egg was done very well. Tasty, satisify and fragrant due to the bacon i supposed. The chilli crab pasta was an innovative and tasty dish. For the Portobello mushroom, it was really tender and the mixture with parma ham brought out the flavours of both the ingredients.

Besides the food, there was also a cocktail and mocktail list which used ginger as an ingredient. We had a mocktail and a ginger iced milk tea. Whoa.. the ginger taste is strong! Definitely not for the faint hearted.

Would i come back here again? I might mainly for the lovely brunch atmosphere it brings. Not to forget the chirping birds and lush greenery. I could also head back to try the dinner menu which is different from the brunch menu i've tried. The main draw here is more of the location than food to me.

We paid about $120 for 2 appetisers, 4 mains and 2 drinks.

Food: 6/10
Ambience: 7/10
Service: 6.5/10

Overall: 6.5/10

Halia Restaurant
Ginger Garden
1 Cluny Road
Singapore Botanic Gardens (enter via Tyersall Avenue)
S (259569)
Tel: 6476-6711

Relish

We had a craving for burgers on a Saturday and off to Relish by Wild Rocket at Cluny Court we went.

We arrived there at 8.30pm for dinner. Thinking that it was pretty late, no reservation was made. We noted there were empty tables but were told that we had to wait for 15 min. 15 min came and went and we got a table! Relish is a small approximately 40 seater burger place. Cosy however a pretty noisy place with the chatter of the crowd predominantly in their 20s and 30s.

Now off to select the dinner for the night! There was a blackboard menu with the list of burgers for patrons to pick from. Nice touch. There was also a pasta of the day for non-burger lovers.. ha. As Relish is part of the wild rocket group, we were not surprised found local food inspired burgers like Ramlee, curry chicken and Char Siew!!


We picked the Wild Rocket Burger and Grilled Beef Burger with Black Pepper Sauce. The menu also listed out beers that would go well with the burgers we picked! The burgers by default came as medium rare, which in my view is the best way a burger as it retains it juciness.

The Wild Rocket Burger ($17) is a 170g beef patty served with argula, sarawak pepper cream and sun-dried tomato relish. The burger was tasty! Patty was tender and juicy yet surprisingly less oily compared to burgers from Seah Street Deli and Blooies'. The sun-dried tomato relish was sweet, together with arugula, brought a pleasant fresh taste to the burger.




The grilled beef burger with Black Pepper Sauce ($18) is a 170g beef patty served with home-made black pepper crab sauce, baby spinach and served with a sunny side up. The patty like the 1st burger was juicy and fresh. However, we felt the black pepper sauce was a tad overpowering and covered up the taste and freshness of the patty.


A nice place for group to catch up over burgers and beers. Do try to make reservations.

Food: 7/10
Service: 5.5/10
Ambience: 5.5/10

Overall: 6/10

Relish
#02-01, Cluny Court
Tel: 6763 1547

Au Petit Salut @ Dempsey

After many failed last minute reservations for Saturday nights, we finally managed to make one for Boogie's birthday on a Thursday night!


Au Petit Salut is a solitary colonial house along Dempsey facing Dempsey Road. It has both air-con and al fresco seatings. Being al fresco fans, we made a reservation outdoors. Ambience was great with greenery, tiki lamps and the calming sounds of waterfall.

For appetisers, we had Bisque de homard (Lobster bisque with tarragon and lobster ravioli) [$16] and Terrine de Foie Gras de canard au Sauternes (Terrine of duck Foie Gras infused with Sauternes wine served with mesclun and homemade brioche) [$23]. The soup was thick, tasty and a surprisingly big serving. The attentive waitress noted that both of us were sharing the soup and took intiative to split the soup into 2 servings. Thats service! Now onto the foie gras. We decided to take a deviation from the standard pan fried foie gras and went for the cold terrine foie gras. Creamy with a strong taste of wine, it went very well with the brioche. However, for non adventorous eaters, pan fried foie gras would probably go easier on the palette.

For mains we had, Caille rôtie farçie aux Foie Gras et champignons sauvages (Oven roasted French quail stuffed with duck Foie Gras and wild mushrooms, mashed potatoes and brown jus) [$32] Filet de boeuf pöelé au poivree (200gm) (Pan-roasted beef tenderloin caramelized with white peppercorn, mashed potato and red wine sauce) [$39]. The quail was tender and done pretty well. However, a bit too salty for my liking. The steak was juicy and done to a good wellness.

The total bill came up to $180 for 2 appetisers, 2 mains and half a bottle of wine ($50).

We would recommend this place for the extensive menu, attentive service (including the sommelier) and the relaxed and cosy atmosphere. However for food, Jaan might have been a better choice.
Food: 6.5/10
Ambience: 8/10
Service: 8.5/10
Overall: 7/10

Au Petit Salut
40C Harding Road
Tel: 6475 1976

Prive

Apologies for the long absence! Boogie has been eating but not posting.. will try to come back with some post dated blogs.. but for now.. lets review Prive..the lastest restaurant in town!

Arrived at Marina at Keppel Bay before dark. View is relaxing.. and it was pleasant sight to see the boats docked at hte Marina. Theres 3 outlets here. Prive the Restaurant, Prive Gastrobar and Prive Bakery Cafe. Having been here for drinks twice at Gastrobar...its time to try the restaurant!!

The restaurant is a small 80+ seater modern styled New York restaurant. Service standard is close to a fine dining restaurant yet atmostphere is lively with banter going on in the room. I must say Gastrobar has a much better view, a pity it only serves drinks!

For appetisers, we had warm spinach salad with goat cheese and tataki tenderlion. The tataki tenderloin is a japenese style raw beef. The beef was tender, however a little bland for our liking. The warm spinach salad with goat cheese on the other hand was very inviting! The spinach was fresh served with a tangy sauce. The goat cheese was soft and full of flavour. Yumz!

For mains we had: 1) Duck Confit Pasta [$30+] 2) BraisedOx-Tail [$30+] 3) Grilled Double Rib Lamb Chops [$50+] 4) Grilled Striploin Angus (300g) [$50+]

As recommended by the waitress, the grilled items were indeed more appetizing as compared to item 1 and 2. The lamb was succulent and very tasty. It was also very well done, with no parts overdone or too raw. The grilled striploin was also a pleasant surprise. Tasty, grilled on a even basis, with no parts too raw or overcooked. It was also a generous portion of 300g+!

However, the duck confit pasta was a dissappointment. The pasta was not al dente. The duck confit and the overall dish was also a bit on the dry side. The ox tail was pretty tasty but it did not wowed me. Tender and tasty, however the taste was pretty much like a chinese dish.

Other highlights of the dinner was the wine and dessert. Theres an extensive wine. We had a First Cru from Burgundy. It was a full bodied wine with a strong nose and a tinge of sweetness in its taste. Nice!

For dessert we had a chocolate platter. It consist of a warm chocolate lava cake, a chocolate tart and rich chocolate ice-cream served on top of a biscuit. Cake with warm and fluffy which flowed with hot molten chocolate. The ice cream was rich which complemented the cake very well.

An overall interesting find. Location at the Marina, grill menu and wine list are its main draws. A drink prior to dinner or after dinner at the gastrobar will definitly heighten the experience. Will be back for its grilled menu and perhaps its less pricey version at lunch.

Total damage for 2 appeitizers, 4 mains, 1 desser and a bottle of wine: $450

PS: The gastrobar is a great place for Chill out drinks! View: Yachts docked at the Marina..

Food: 8.5 (for grilled items), 7 (for other mains)

Service: 8 (attentive waiters who filled our water glasses without request)

Ambience: 8

Overall: 8

Prive

No 2 Keppel Bay Vista

Marina at Keppel Bay