Aoki

I have been wanting to try aoki's mazechirashi for ages, but I only got to eat here until very recent. Aoki is a Japanese restaurant located at Shaw Centre by Les Amis Group along with the famous Bistro Du Vin and Les Amis. It named in honour of their executive chef, Kunio Aoki. 

When I walked into the restaurant, I then realize y is this place always fully booked and so hard to make a reservation. Well, first is because of the top notch food quality, second, the place is so small and the seating arrangement is limited. But it has a great ambiance and really feel like an authentic Japanese eatery.

We were seated at the counter facing Mr Aoki and his chefs. They were serious at work. 

We ordered Mazechirashi ($40) that came with salad, miso soup, pickles, dessert and Nigri Sushi Tokusen ($55), nine types of sushi and one sushi roll, came with salad, chawan mushi, miso soup and dessert. 

After we placed the order, we were served with Otoshi ($3) which means appetizer as well as hot towel and green tea. 

We started the meal with salad. The greens were fresh and crunchy, but it is also something you will get in any other places.

Chawanmushi, miso soup and pickles. They were decent but ordinary.

The legendary mazechirashi. Hands down one of the best chirashi don. The assorted sashimi includes toro, uni, ikura and many more. Toppings to rice ratio was like 3:1, the portion is very generous and filling! Every mouthful was a luxurious burst of flavour. Definitely worth the price tag.

The Nigri Sushi Tokusen was fantastic too! The freshness was unbeatable, every sushi was of outrageously good quality. Most of the fish slices just melted in my mouth like instantly.

The set lunch ended with a trio of Japanese desserts consisted of sesame pudding, vanilla ice cream and yuzu jelly. I enjoyed eating all of them very much, not overly sweet, which lead to a perfect ending of the meal. 

The bill came up $120++ for two of us. Not a place that I can afford to come often for lunch, but recommended to all the Japanese food fanatics.

Aoki

1 Scotts Road 

#02-17 Shaw Centre

Singapore 228208

6333 8015

Lunch 12pm-3pm

Dinner 6.30pm - 11pm

(Mon - Sat)

Reservation is highly recommended

Axis Bar and Lounge @ Mandarin Oriental

My sweet pie is finally returned from London and will be working in Singapore soon. I'm simply over the moon about it :)

We went to axis bar and lounge at mandarin oriental for afternoon tea on one of the weekday. The design is chic and contemporary, which is perfect for either enjoying a selection of light bites by day or having a glass of champagne as night falls. It is located 4th floor, the waitress seated us right by the window overlooking the beautiful city skyline.

The afternoon tea set (S$42++ per person, S$80++ for two) comes with selection of tea from TWG and 4-course delicate treats. The good thing I like about axis bar and lounge is they change their afternoon tea menu every month, so you don't need to worry eating the same thing during the next visit.

The first course is Singapore sling jelly. I have never tried Singapore sling before but I love this jelly. It tastes like fizzy cherry soda, a very refreshing starter indeed.

Second, we had 7 types of tasty morsel with a local twist. From inner left: BBQ kurobuta pork wrap with lettuce & mayo, mini kaya sandwich, light curry egg salad petite sandwich, smoke salmon open face with laksa aioli. From outer left: otak canapé with black pepper creme, rojak sald in mini scone, light spice chicken compression with pineapple salsa.  Every bite is a surprise to us and we very much appreciate chef's creativeness. 

Next is scones and savoury pastries. While I'm a big fan of buttermilk scones, I find their banana scones and golden raisins scones are equally good too. It served with jam, clotted cream and butter, I personally really like the clotted cream. For pastries we had chicken rendang puffs and Singapore chili crab pies. 

Last is the 3-tier stand sweet treats. On the first tier, we had lychee rose montblanc and kumquat and walnut tea cake. Second tier, basil mango almond tart and pandan creme brulee with caramel chips. Third tier were peanut chocolate snicker bar and sesame macaroon. There were hits and few misses, mostly because I think it taste too sweet, but this is just my personal view. I am just not that into sweet food anymore. 

The service is impeccable and friendly. This is why I love to have afternoon tea at hotels, I get what I pay. 

Axis Bar And Lounge 

5, Raffles Avenue, Marina Square

Singapore 039797 

Mandarin Oriental

+65 6885 3500

Afternoon Tea

3 - 5pm (Mon - Sun)

Reservation is recommended 

  

Chikuwa Tei

I don't know why but I always craving for chirashidon recently. Perhaps too many people post photo on Instagram. And I really like to torture myself by searching #sgfoods #sgeats etc every night before I sleep. What kind of hobby is that?

So I went to Chikuwa Tei on one of the Sunday. It was full house as expected. I have no complaint on the service, as there were only few waiter/ waitress to serve all the patrons. When you catch their attention, they are actually quite friendly. My only gripe is they don't take your name while you wait to be seated. For a first timer like me I don't really know what was I queuing for (that was not even a queue everybody just stand wherever they like and the entrance is so small) 

Chikuwa Tei offers wide range of foods and the prices are mostly affordable. You can see almost every table will order their chirashidon. 

Chirashi Don (S$25)

It is a bento set that comes with appetiser (daikon pickles), miso soup and fruit. The sushi bowl consists of shake (salmon), mekajiki (swordfish), maguro (bluefin tuna), tai (sea bream), tamego (egg) and ikura (salmon roe). Every piece of sashimi cut into thick slices and very fresh! I also love how they seasoned the rice, went very well with the raw fishes. It was very satisfying.

Ishikari Nabe Teishoku, Salmon Head and Veg in Claypot (S$16)

The portion of this soup is very big, taste was just nice and the vegetables were full of flavour. William claimed that he never had such a fresh salmon head before. 

Tendon, Rice with Tempura (S$14)

I am a person who will forever order tendon whenever I eat at jap restaurant so although there are a lot of other better, more interesting choices on the menu, I chose to stick with tendon. But it was disappointing, the evilest comment ever: sakae sushi done it better.

Overall, my experience with Chikuwa Tei is still positive. If you are craving for some good quality and pocket-friendly jap food, this is the place u must go. 

Chikuwa Tei

9, Mohamed Sultan Road #01-01

6738 9395 

Mondays - Sundays 11.30am - 3pm, 6pm - 10pm 

Nam Nam Noodle Bar

I am such a sua gu that I always thought pho = beef noodles. Although I've always heard people say how nice is pho, I never think about trying it at all. Then one day I passed by Nam Nam at plaza Sing, I was first attracted to their Banh Mi. It looks good but there was a long queue and I was alone, so I decided to come back another day.

Two days later, I visited Nam Nam with William. It was already 9pm but the place was still crowded. Unlike other restaurants by Les Amis group, Nam Nam offers affordable food for busy urbanites who want a quick and hassle-free Vietnamese fix, and the prices are inclusive of GST with no service charge (best thing ever).

However, I find it a bit confused to order at the cashier because I didn't have much time to look thru the menu and there were a lot people behind me. So I got nervous and made wrong decision. Luckily after I got seated, I managed to ask the waitress to change my order.

Crispy Fried Prawn and Pork Rolls (S$4.90)

Couldn't remember the taste... my bad! I guess it was just average so I don't have any impression.

Prawn and Sesame Rice Crackers (S$3.90)

The prawn crackers was good, crunchy and not too greasy but the rice crackers was a tad bland and hard. It is best served with their salad but I didn't order that because I overlooked. Maybe next time.

Pho Chicken (S$7.90)

The first pho in my life! I really love the broth, I have missed it for the past 25 years and I can only keep eating it for the rest of my life to make up my mistake. The broth was rich and warm with lots of herbs and spices, no MSG at all but very tasty. The rice noodles was soft and smooth too. It easily become one of my favourite comfort food.

Cold Cut, Caramelised 5-Spice Pork Belly, Chicken Floss (S$6.90) 

Grilled Chicken, Egg Omelette, Chicken Floss (S$6.90)

Bahn Mi is a toasted baguette stuffed with savoury meats with chicken pate, mayonnaise, hot chili peppers, pickled carrots, daikon, cucumber and cilantro. The portion is quite big, bigger than subway lol. Although there are a lot of ingredients combine together but it worked very well. The sweet and sour taste burst in my mouth, very appetising. But two servings was too much I should probably just order one to share.

Nam Nam Noodle Bar (Plaza Singapura)

68, Orchard Road #01-55,

Plaza Singapura

S (238839)

6837 2234

Open daily 8am - 9.30pm (last order)

I Am Cafe

Went to I am cafe few weeks back, my office is so near to Haji Lane and I always see I am cafe is packed even during off peak hours. I guess it is because of the location,  nestled at the entrance of Haji Lane, there's impossible to miss if you pop by this area.

The cafe is small with a industrial look, provide both indoor and outdoor seating. My colleague and I shared fish and chips, hotstuff original (chicken sausage) and simply margherita pizza.

Cafe Latte (S$5.50)

Fish & Chips (S$15.90)

The fish and chips is one of their signature dish, and it looks huge in actual! The English styled batter was nicely done, very light and crispy, while the fish was fresh, juicy and tender on the inside. I also enjoy eating their 100% real potato fries, overall it was great and worth the price.

Hotstuff Original (S$8.90)

Hotstuff original is a classic 8" chicken sausage hotdog bun topped with onions, cheese, mustard and spicy mayonnaise. The sausage had a firm bite, and the overall taste was boosted with the sauces.

Simply Margherita (S$10.90)

The size of their pizza is perfect for sharing, and they made thin crispy crust just the way I like. The pizza was decent, but nothing really special.  

I am cafe is also famous with their rainbow cake and red velvet cake but we didn't order any dessert. Overall, I think they serve good food with reasonable price and I totally understand the hype now.

I Am Cafe

674 North Bridge Road #01-01 (Off Haji Lane)

6295 5509 

Monday - Thursday 11.30am - 11pm

Friday - Saturday 11.30am - 1am

Sunday 11.30am - 10pm 

(Closed on first and third Mondays of the month)

J's at Purvis Street

Been craving for paella for months so I finally went to J's on Raya holiday. J's is a halal restaurant that serves latin american food, tucked away on Purvis Street which is famous for Saveur, Gunther's, Garibaldi and Yhingthai Palace. I have to say J's is a very cute restaurant, because, it serves latin american food, but, its halal, also, they have separate menu for vegetarian. I understand from another blog rubbisheatrubbishgrow that the owner of J's has the philosophy of having food to bind people together, I think she did it very well.

The interior is as cute as the restaurant itself, colorful, cozy, welcoming atmosphere. Service was great, the waiter was very attentive and very patient on explaining every food we ordered. For drink, the waiter recommended lychee cooler.

Lychee Cooler (S$8)

It is slightly too sweet from my liking, I should have order cuban mint or salty lime next time. For food, we had paella and chicken fajitas to share. The paella is a bit different from what we usually see, there is chicken, barramundi, salmon and chicken sausage instead of seafood. Nevertheless, it tastes really good. The saffron rice is flavourful and we enjoy it very much.

Paella (1 serving S$28, 2 servings S$39)

Then, we had fajitas. It served on sizzling stone plate that come with chicken breast, sautéed onions, bell peppers, cabbage, mushrooms and warm tortillas.  

Chicken Fajitas (S$29)

The portion is quite big, suitable for sharing. My only complain is too less tortillas! I wish I could order more.

It comes with 4 type of sauces, from left is salsa, sour cream, guacamole and grated cheese. Love'em all except the sour cream because it is kind of bland. Last, we had churros for dessert. 

Churros with Bananas and Mangoes (S$12)

The churros taste good, however, I like to eat it with cream but the version here is serve with mascarpone sabayon that layered with salted caramel bananas and fresh mangoes. I find it a bit too sweet (nowadays I tend to say everything is sweet after half year not eating any desserts)

Overall, J's left me a good impression with good food and good service. I will definitely go back again to try other dishes that other food bloggers recommended.

J's Restaurant

7 Purvis Street,
#01-01
Singapore 188586

+65 6887 4787

Portobello Mushroom Burger

A portobello mushroom burger taste as good as a meat burger and u can enjoy eating it without feeling guilty. There are a lot of different ways to marinate the portobello mushroom, but the key ingredients are olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Serving size: 1 

Ingredients:

1 burger bun

1 portobello mushroom 

1 cheese 

slice of lettuce & tomato

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

sprinkle of chopped (or grounded) rosemary and black pepper

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, rosemary and black pepper. Toss the mushroom with sauce and make sure it coated evenly both side. Leave it at room temperature for 20-30 mins. 

Meanwhile, I prepare to bake some fries in the oven. If u love fries but scared of eating junk food, u can buy Alexia organic fries from supermarket at only 4 dollars+. One packet I can eat 4 times which I think super worth :D

Place a baking paper on the tray and spread the fries on it. Preheat the oven to 220C and leave it for 20-25 mins until golden and crisp. Oven bake is so much healthier than deep fried and the calories is much lower too.

Now, heat your pan over medium heat and put the mushroom. Allow it stand for 3-5 mins for each side until tender. 

Add the cheese when the mushroom is still hot and let it melt a bit. Lastly, dress the burger with your favourite greens and enjoy it! You can also add onions, avocado or cucumbers.