Chop Chop, JB

Chop Chop is a new eatery in JB town, bringing the interesting concept of taiwan railway bento for takeaways and dine-in with very reasonable price. The name, Chop Chop, not only refers to the meat chops on their menu, also showing their efficiency on serving food. It is not surprising that this place packed with lunch crowd everyday. 

Deep Fried Chicken Chop RM9.90

This deep fried chicken chop didn't disappoint me in term of tenderness and taste. It was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The rich and flavourful mushroom sauce went perfectly with the chicken chop.

Pork Burger RM11.90

The pork burger seems dry, but it wasn't. I wonder how this simple grilled pork and lettuces can taste so good. Again, the grilled pork was tender and I like the sweet savoury taste.

Fish and Chips RM10.90

Next, they impressed me with the breaded fish and chips. The fish fillet was fresh, tangy and deliciously satisfying. Needless to say the price is dirt cheap!

Chop Chop also serve breakfast from 9am - 12am and I'm looking forward to trying it! Wishing them a prosperous business and continue to serve good food in JB.

Chop Chop

54, Jalan Pelangi, Taman Pelangi

80400 Johor Bahru, Johor

(+6) 012-7343759 (for delivery)

9am - 7pm (closed on Fridays)

Gyoza Ya

I've heard so much raves about Gyoza Ya. Some claimed that this is one of the best gyoza they ever had, and some, being more humble, said this is one of the better gyoza in town. Whichever it is, this casual dining restaurant by Akashi Group has definitely gained reputation and popularity in less than a year from opening. 

Jya Jya Men $6.50

Gyoza Ya is the first to introduce Jya Jya Men in Singapore, something similar to Chinese Zha Jiang Mian, but I personally prefer Jya Jya Men more. There are two way in eating Jya Jya Men. First, mix the noodles with white vinegar and chili oil that provided on the table to your preference. This is dry version.

Leave half of the portion in your bowl, mix it with raw egg and ask the staff to pour some boiling hot noodle water into your bowl. Lastly, season it with JyaJya miso.

I love both dry and soup version. But it never taste spicy no matter how much chili oil I've added. 

Garlic Fried Rice $5.80

I've had a better garlic fried rice before, but the price is 3 times more expensive. It wasn't bad, quite good I would say, but too much garlic. The aftertaste is unpleasant.

Left: Pan Fried Dumpling with Vegetables $4.80/ Right: Pan Fried Dumpling with Pork $4.80

Gyoza Ya has their dumpling skin air-flown regularly in Japan, and made on the spot upon order with a special mixer for consistence of mass and size. I have a high expectation for the gyoza and the very first thought that appeared in my mind after my first bite was: Isn't it taste the same as any other gyoza???? 

But don't get me wrong. I guess I was just expect too much. I do appreciate their crisp skin, juicy meat filling as well as the crunchy minced cabbage. The vegetables gyoza, on the other hand, is less delectable. I will try their boiled dumplings next time.

I don't know if I am the only one who think the food portion here is small. I feel like I never eat anything when I left the restaurant. But what can I ask for more when all the dishes priced below $6.80? 

Gyoza-Ya

B1-02A Robinsons Orchard

260 Orchard Road 

S(238855)

6737 5581

Monday - Sunday: 11.30am - 10pm

Supply & Demand

Supply & Demand, an Italian Southeast Asian Bistro. They serve a range of Italian dishes with Southeast Asian influences, like spicy pork with Thai basil pasta ($19), Malaysian spicy otak-otak fingers ($10) and pandan panna cotta ($12).

They open their first outlet at Esplanade Mall in 2013, a bistro cum rooftop bar to caters the drinking crowd and theatre-goers, while the second outlet, opening at Orchard Getaway, is geared towards cafe-hoppers. They serve weekends brunch from 11.30am - 5pm.

I don't usually go places like this. To me they are always overrated, overpriced and the foods are just mediocre. But Supply & Demand was an exception to me because their foods that I saw on Instagram seems promising.

I dropped by their branch at Orchard Getaway on a weekday afternoon, surprisingly it was quite packed even it was over lunch hours. The ambiance is very good, decorated in an eco look with twist of new quirk and old vintage. Some views of the interior:

If you have seen people who posted their food at Supply and Demand on Instagram, you will find most of them are having sweet potato fries/ truffles fries, pastas and pizzas. Actually, they do have quite a few interesting dishes on the menu, like Asian inspired food, but I don't know why, I'm also another person who decided to go for truffle fries, pasta and pizza ._.

Honey Yuzu $9

 They offer a wide range of tea selection. Some of  the teas are certified USDA organic, honey yuzu is one of them. It doesn't taste like the normal yuzu tea that we can usually get in NTUC in a jar. This yuzu is sweetened with full blossom flower pollen, the taste was light, but I like it very much. The complimentary cookies and muffin were good too, save my money from order dessert.

Smoke Salmon And Avocado Salad $16

The salad comes with mixed greens, avocado, tomatoes, smoke salmon and almond flakes, topped with Thai inspired homemade spicy citrus dressing. It worked out pretty well with a touch of spiciness.

Garlic Truffle Fries $15

I had a dilemma to choose between sweet potato fries or truffle fries. Since they are voted one of the best truffles fries in Singapore, I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately it was a total let down, I could barely taste the truffle oil. The spicy dip was good thou but it doesn't worth $15 at all.

Aglio Olio With Shrimps $18

Their pastas come in main or tasting portion. The tasting portion is cheaper but very small, so main portion will be more value for money. The pasta was moderate, although the spaghetti was done well and the shrimps were fresh and crunchy, it wasn't not spicy enough for me.

Tartufo E Uovo/ Truffle And Egg (Regular 9" - $18, Large 13" - $22)

My sweet pie asked me y our egg wasn't in the middle. And see how's danielfooddiary 's pizza look like:

Photo credit to danielfooddiary.com

His thin crust pizza was done nicely and ours was over-charred. We find it hard to chew and gave up in the end. And again I didn't taste the truffle oil.

We paid $90++ for the foods after GST and service charge. Will I come back again? NO.

Supply & Demand

277, Orchard Road #02-13/14

Orchardgateway S(238858)

6702 6218

Monday - Sunday: 11.30am-10.30pm

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)