Mojo Potatoes from Shakey's Singapore

Ever since I noticed that Shakey's had opened at Liang Court (177 River Valley Rd #02-32), I couldn't shake (no pun intended) the thought of those darned Mojo potatoes. So a few of us came down here from the office for lunch today, in large part out of sheer amusement and nostalgia.

Now, the Mojo potatoes that have been burned into my memory were half-cold and half-soggy pieces of thickly cut potato, and that was probably because we let them sit around too long at the time. Today's Mojo potatoes, however, were scorching hot, crispy, and thinly sliced. One might think that those are good qualities, but somehow I was hoping for the nastiness that I remembered from back in school.

That aside, the pizza was surprisingly better than I thought it would be, with a pleasantly thin crust that I don't really remember having before. Of course, it's multiple levels down from Mozza nor L'Operetta, but it sure beats Pizza Hut and Domino's. I'll skip the chicken next time though...those things were totally dried out.

Another Special at Sandaime Bunji

Sandaime Bunji finally changed their weekly special, this time being this beef curry, which admittedly was a bit of a disappointment given how thin it was. Granted, this isn't exactly a dedicated curry shop, but I think I'll forego the weekly specials next time and just pay the price for the normal meal, which so far has been much better than the cheaper special. I guess you get what you pay for.

Sydney's Charlie & Co. in Singapore

A new burger place has opened up in the basement of ION Orchard (2 Orchard Turn #B4-56, 6509-9511). I grabbed this classic burger, which was loaded with fresh veggies and was something that I liked much better than that overhyped Omakase Burger. But they also overloaded this thing with wayyyy too much sauce, thus defeating the point of featuring a wagyu patty, as I couldn't even taste the beef at the end of the day. Oh well. At least there was no beetroot inside, which was surprising considering that this place is from Australia.

The Naked Finn, Gillman Barracks

When I first moved to Singapore many years ago, one thing that I immediately missed from back home was simply-prepared seafood, as many of the dishes around here tended to be covered up in heavy sauces instead. So when I heard that this little "no frills grill" place had opened up (41 Malan Road, 6694-0807), I was immediately intrigued. A place serving grilled seafood that was not overpowered by sauces nor garlic? This one I had to check out.

I liked it a lot. Nearly everything that we got in our set was deliciously bursting with the natural taste of the sea, be it those fresh and firm razor clams that they started us with, or the langoustines that they finished us with. My favorite of them all was the baby squid, which carried a delightfully smoky aroma and was seasoned only with salt and olive oil rather than being all candied up like the way this stuff is usually done around here. Yum.

Now, this wasn't Finnish like the name might suggest. Indeed, it was actually still very local, as evident not only with the bee hoon and kangkong that were provided on the side, but also with the fried shallots that many of the dishes were garnished with. Still, none of this interfered with the taste of the seafood itself; instead, it complemented it just nicely, making this place uniquely local yet simple. I just wish that these guys were open during the daytime. This is such a tranquil little place that it would be a great place to ride one's bike to and pop in for a quick snack at the bar.

La Luna Rossa, Scotts Square

There seem to be a lot of Italian restaurants run by Japanese chefs in Singapore these days. I'm talking about both Japanese pasta places like Youmenya Goemon, as well as more traditional Italian places like Caffé B and Pizzeria L'Operetta. So when I read about this rather upscale-sounding place from Japan last year, I kept it on my radar screen, but figured that it probably wasn't distinctive enough to be worth the money nor the effort to go over there (6 Scotts Road #02-01, 6636-2951).

And yet, while passing by last week, we noticed that they had some reasonably priced two-course lunch sets for only S$25 (US$20). And even more interestingly, spaghetti mentaiko was one of the options available. I immediately earmarked this as a place to come back to the following week, and I'm glad that I did.

The food was delicious. The prosciutto-wrapped Spargel with scrambled eggs above went down the hatch in no time, and the sauce in my firmly-cooked spaghetti mentaiko was so good that I mopped it all up with bread afterwards, wishing that I could have more. I'm definitely coming back here again; I'd love to see what they can do with the bistecca alla Fiorentina that they were advertising outside.

Another Meal from Sandaime Bunji

Yep, I'm back here again. I was in the neighborhood this morning and needed a quick lunch before heading back to the office when I realized that I was within walking distance of these guys. And I was curious to see what the weekly special was this time, hoping that it might be better.

Unfortunately, the weekly special turned out to be the exact same thing! So I fell back on the normal menu instead, where I got this "M Size" set for considerably more money at S$26.70 (US$21.50), and that was excluding the serving of oden on the side too.

But the good thing is that I was actually full from this meal, and that gyutan was deliciously tender and tasty. I should have remembered to bring that 50% off coupon!

VeganBurg at the Grandstand

I was still hungry after I left Omakase Burger, so I figured that it might be a good chance to top up with something from that VeganBurg place that I saw on the way in (200 Turf Club Road #01-32). A vegan burger doesn't exactly sound very exciting, but after having had that mindblowingly-good veggie burger at Umami Burger back home, I figured that this place could probably be just as good.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. Granted, that's just the kid's meal above (featuring tofu-based sausages, BTW), but I even got a full sized burger afterwards too, and it just ended up being like your everyday garden burger: dry and uninspiring. That's too bad. Maybe one of these days I'll stop by one of their locations in the CBD for a snack though...there was some kind of a crispy potato and spinach snack that looked like it might have some potential.

Side note: they've really done an interesting job with this Grandstand place, eh? It's still the same beat-up old building on the outside (with those second-hand car dealers underneath the parking lot), but that dismal "shopping" area that was previously inside Turf City has completely been revamped with brand new food places like this one as well as Omakase and even the new location for Yoyogi. Interesting.

Omakase Burger at the Grandstand

Man, that was not worth the wait (220 Turf Club Road #01-05, 6763-2698). Granted, Sunday afternoons are probably one of their busiest hours, but it was already after 2 PM. After standing in line for maybe 10-15 minutes, I had to wait another 30 minutes after that before getting my food (compared to the ten minute wait that they said orders require). Even fine dining places serve food faster than that. Apparently there was a big order ahead of me, and I was getting hungry and cranky.

When I finally got it, it was puny...maybe just a little bigger than the size of the basic cheeseburger at McDonald's, except that this was a whopping S$13.90 (US$11.20). More importantly, it wasn't anything that special. OK, I liked the pillowy yellow bun a lot, and the cheese was pretty tasty too. But that was also part of the problem: the cheese was so rich that I could hardly taste the beef itself. That, and I think the West Coaster in me missed having this thing loaded up with fresh raw veggies.

Anyway, contrary to how the name might sound, this was not Japanese, nor was it like Umami Burger from back home either. It was American, but their philosophy was "let the chef decide" (and yet, there were four standard variations of their burgers on the menu). Strangely, they were touting Mexican Coke today too. But Coke in Singapore also uses sugar, not American fructose, so I'm really not sure what the point was.

Japan's Ito-Kacho in Singapore

That was a lot better than I thought it would be. When we first got here (333A Orchard Road #04-08, 6836-0111), I was a bit worried, as it looked like it might be like Gyu-Kaku, a place that I've tried to like but can't stand how much they over-marinate everything. Fortunately, this place kept the seasoning simple, making most of what we got decently enjoyable, if pricey. Granted, it was still nowhere as good as Yakiniku Yazawa, nor even Aburiya. But it was better than Gyu-Kaku as well as many of the other places around town. Interestingly, it looks like these guys are affiliated with Tsubohachi.

Heniu Teppanyaki at Wisma Atria

I have a confession to make. I like eating cheap Taiwanese teppanyaki. I'm not sure why; normally I despise stuff that's totally slathered in sauce and garlic. But somehow I like those thin gamey slices of lamb, and the salty black pepper sauce helps me wolf down rice and bean sprouts while I'm at it. Plus, it's fast when you are dining solo and can just sit down at the counter like this one at the Food Republic food court at Wisma Atria (435 Orchard Road #04-02 Stall 24), where my Value Set B came at the bargain price of just S$7.90 (US$6.40). Man, I haven't had this stuff in a while.

Bukkake Ramen from Menya Sanji

After that sandwich, I was still kinda hungry, probably because I hadn't really eaten much in the morning. So I stopped by Menya Sanji on the way back to give that bukkake ramen a try. It may look like tsukemen above, but like bukkake udon, the broth was cold and meant for pouring over rather than dipping into.

It was fine, and thankfully the chashu was surprisingly more tasty today. But after having tried nearly everything on the menu by now, I can confidently conclude that my favorite thing on the menu here is their original Sanji ramen; the rich broth in that one is hard to beat.

PLT Sandwiches on Robinson Road

I think they need to rename Robinson Road into Sandwich Street or something. This area already has places like the Sandwich Shop, Munch, and Simply Sandwich. Now yet another one has opened within spitting distance (39 Robinson Road #01-01A, 6438-4192). Judging by appearances alone, it looked like it was a chain from overseas or something. But from what I can see, I think these guys are local.

Anyway, I grabbed their namesake PLT above (the "P" standing for pancetta, in case you were wondering). And it was a heck of a lot better than I thought it would be, especially with those tasty ingredients inside. Too bad that the French bean salad on the side was totally over-garlicked though; I nearly couldn't finish it due to all of that dragon breath. I'll be interested in coming back to try some of their other sandwiches either way.

Hokkaido Soba from Tampopo Deli

Tampopo Deli in the basement of Liang Court (177 River Valley Road, #B1-16, 6338-7386) had a big sign today that boasted of some kind of special dashi broth. I immediately wondered if it would be anything like Marusaya, so I ordered a bowl to try it out, complete with an upgrade to some soba from Hokkaido while I was at it.

It wasn't anything that great though, be it the noodles nor the broth. It was only when I looked up at the sign again did I realize that the promotion for the broth ended last weekend, so I guess that meant that they had regressed back to their usual broth instead.

Oh well. Interestingly, it looks like Shakey's Pizza has taken over the former location of Botejyu upstairs. No, it's not exactly anywhere that I'd want to go eat, but somehow I just can't shake those college flashbacks of Mojo potatoes and pitchers of cheap domestic beer!

The Weekly Special at Sandaime Bunji

This seemed like a steal when I passed by Sandaime Bunji today: a lunch set that normally runs for S$22.90 (US$18.50) for only S$9.00 (US$7.25), including a small salad and starter? Cool. I topped it up with a side of oden for S$5 (US$4) more.

Unfortunately, the portions in this thing were puny (nothing like the picture on the menu), and the meat quality wasn't anything great either. I know that one can't really complain at such a price, but I can't help but wonder if I would have gotten more if I insisted on paying the full S$22.90.

Well, it was still tasty, so I might come by to see what other specials they rotate to on other weeks. I need to remember though that there is surprisingly no SingTel signal inside the restaurant, which meant that I couldn't get work done while waiting for my food to come out.

Teochew Pig Foot Jelly for CNY

I wasn't exactly a huge fan of this when I first tried it earlier in the day. When asked how it tasted, I responded, "It tastes like meat-flavored jelly," which isn't exactly the most ringing of endorsements. It generally was rather tasteless and of course strange in consistency too...basically, it was headcheese (or was it footcheese?).

And yet, somehow this stuff kept growing on me through out the day, so much that I gobbled up multiple other portions worth before sundown. Some of it was simply because of the cilantro and scallion garnish. Some of it was because of that sour hot sauce that one usually gets with local beef noodles around here. And some of it was because it went down surprisingly well with some cognac that seemed to keep coming in unlimited quantities over the past few days.

Either way, I'm not sure if this Teochew aspic is necessarily anything that I'll go out of my way for, but I have to admit that I had a lot of fun with this ter ka dang stuff today. Maybe once a year, this stuff will be something to look forward to, but any more than that, and I'm not sure how excited I will be.

Trying Out Some Sauce From Chilli Buddi

This stuff packed quite a punch. It wasn't any hotter than freshly cut chili padi, but it had the added dimensions of those distinctly tangy local calamansi limes as well as some of the fermented stank of belachan. I'm not exactly one to get cravings for Peranakan flavors, but this stuff was fun to eat with some bee hoon for breakfast this morning (and apparently you can only keep a jar of it for a few weeks before it goes bad).

I Need To Go To Menya Sanji More Often

I haven't been here in a couple of months, and after today, I regret not having come here more often. That namesake bowl above was deliciously milky and rich, so much that I wanted to eat even more after I finished. Granted, the chashu wasn't anything that special (despite how great it looks in the photo above), but I really have to come back here more often to eat their other stuff. Interestingly, they even had a bukkake ramen on the back of the menu too.

Ribeye and Broccoli from IKEA

Yes, that looks rather atrocious...it was from the IKEA cafeteria after all. But somehow the idea of some cheap institutional-style steak for only S$9.90 (US$7.95) was kinda appealing tonight, in a guilty pleasure kind of way. Some of it might have been nostalgia; that brown sauce made it taste like a Swanson's Hungry Man TV dinner. Haven't had one of those in a while!

Ramen from Ichimonji in Singapore

That was a surprisingly respectable bowl of ramen. Just a few doors down from Al Forno, it's not exactly where one would expect to find a place like this (392 East Coast Road, 6440-7541), but the broth was packed with flavor and the noodles were nice and firm. Now, admittedly I won't exactly make any huge effort to come all the way out here again either, but it was good to have my expectations re-calibrated after that disappointing bowl from last night. Too bad that he didn't have any gyoza though.

Daruma Ramen House, TripleOne Somerset

Plenty of ramen has been arriving from Japan lately, but from Hong Kong?? Yep, this shop is from Hong Kong, where apparently the guy wished he could get ramen that was more like what he had in Japan, and thus started up his own store. It seems that he has now expanded to Singapore, on the former grounds of Sanomaru (111 Somerset Road #02-15, 6235-6079). I had a minute before dinner tonight to stop by for a quick snack.

It was better than I was expecting...for the first few bites, at least. The broth wasn't as diluted as I thought it would be, while the noodles were firmer than I thought they would be too. The chashu was also decently tender and fatty. Alas, it didn't make it past my ultimate litmus test though: I couldn't get myself to finish the broth. For some reason, both the broth and the chashu had an ever so slight tinge of sweetness in them that I didn't care for. Is that a common thing with ramen from Hong Kong?