Ootoya again and again!

I'm getting to like Ootoya quite a bit. Even though the Atka mackerel didn't endear itself to me because it had so many bones which made them a hassle to eat. We've actually been back here a couple of times again and tried out more of their teishoku set dinners. The appeal was because these guys weren't very expensive  and the food was unpretentiously comforting and unsophisticated. Those were pretty compelling reasons.

The fried chicken with orange sauce set was unexpectedly good. I was thinking that the orange sauce would be viscous taste like the local sweet and sour variety. It wasn't as thick. The flavour was savory and sour.

I also liked their Japanese hamburg. I'm thinking that these guys could just give Ma Maison a run for the money. The quality of the beef patty was pretty good. This one I had was with the plum sauce option (there is also the regular demiglace option as well) and daikon. Tasted very much like how I imagined it. Pretty glad that their beefy patty wasn't ruined by excessive fillers. I could see myself looking forward to this.

The tonkatsu was a little disappointing. The meat was fine but batter felt a little too thick and greasy for my liking. I'll pick Tonkichi over this any day.

There was a cold spinach dish with sweet black sesame paste and some black beans. Liked it.

Another lunch at Sushi Yoshida

It's been some time since my last visit. Noticed a couple of changes. For starters, the plastic lobster under the bridge at the entrance of the restaurant doesn't exist anymore. I'm not sure where that crawled to but the area where it once resided is now filled with plants. Also, it seems that there's otoro these days in the chirashi box. Or has that become the norm?

I decided to try something different today and ordered a unagi shiroyaki set from the lunch menu (the onsen tamago from the lunch set is still good). As implied in the name, the eel is white as they were grilled without the tare and the flavouring comes from the accompanying shoyu and grated wasabi. The eel was served hot from the grill with the oils on the surface of the fish still bubbling. It was okay. I was actually thinking that it might have tasted something like anago but I guess they're just different.

I recalled that I've never actually had uni here so here's the obligatory uni test for myself. This stuff was pretty damned good. Although they weren't as chilled as I would have liked, the creamy texture and aroma made up for it. It seemed that there is a typhoon happening in Japan according to the chef and that the prices of uni had gone up. Although the restaurant didn't raise any prices, the prices of the uni gunkan here were already one of the higher ones I've come across. In the end, it still etched a smile on me so I guess that was the thing that really counted for $16 a pop.

And then, there was still the chirashi. But I'm pretty sure enough's been said about them. Nice of them to have otoro instead of chutoro as they did serve previously. I've thus incentive to come back again for that. I've noticed, the sushi set for the lunch looked pretty decent as well. Hmmmmmmmm...

Xin Wang Taiwan Cafe, Citylink Mall

Only at the second time when I passed by this place (#B1-23 CityLink Mall, Raffles Link, tel : +65 6341 9542) that I did a double take and realised that this was actually a Taiwan themed cafe instead of the usual HK cafe that Xin Wang has numerous branches of. I was never one for those HK cafes that seemed to be opening everywhere else. Some of those franchised outlets might have been interesting when they first appeared but after a while, success formulas inevitably get whored with the same template applied repeatedly and en mass. What we eventually got was just mediocre food that was priced way above what it was worth. The situation was also saddened by the fact that I could probably cook more than a handful of what they had on menu myself at home. There was little reason why I would walk into one of them. 

But this was the Taiwan version and being the sucker for stuff like lu rou fan, I bit onto the bait.

We didn't end up with the lu rou fan. It was the mei cai kou rou fan (braised pork belly with mustard greens) that got us instead. While it didn't look great, the taste of it was pretty decent. The sliced pork belly underneath the gooey vegetable stew was actually not bad at all. I meant, with fats that would disintegrate in the mouth. 

The beef bowl with rice was edible. Nothing special in particular. I'm looking at you, solid egg yolk. Still in search for a good beef bowl that would bowl me over. 

There was a crispy fried pig intestines which was done with very little seasoning. No complains about that though. Also ordered a very regular deep fried chicken similar to those one could find in the night market. These were a little better done in comparison.

 

Dessert was also pleasant as well. It was listed on the menu as a peanut smoothie and I was thinking of a peanut shake of some sort. Turns out that, it was something akin to a frozen version of peanut paste that one could find in Cantonese dessert shops. The frozen peanut paste was covered by peanut butter and blanketed in finely ground peanuts. This was nice.

Gary Baldy

I've been meaning to come back to Garibaldi for some time because it's been a while since we've eaten here. This would make our first visit since they time they closed up for renovations, re-opened and inched up prices noticeably higher from the time before. Still, one could find pastas at a price that could reasonably be considered non exorbitant or overpriced. I did have some good impressions of them from before.

 

Lunch started with prosciutto & gnocco. It was described on the menu as a Romagna fried dough. Might have been street food from its place of origins and possibly something one could get real cheap since the price of it was pretty much about the parma ham that came along. The taste of the freshly fried dough was akin to a sugarless fried doughnut or from another perspective of it, hum chim pang. The fun part about eating it was that one could just stuff the thinly sliced Parma ham into them before eating. It was otherwise pretty much as it looked.

One of the reasons for wanting to come back again was also, the selection of risotto that the restaurant has these days on the menu. One of those that got me curious was the risotto alla carbonara which was basically, a carbonara styled risotto which I've never tried before.

The risotto was on the whole rather predictable in taste. Was both eggy and cheesy at the same time with defined beads of rice that was cooked in the cream reduction. I thought this was comforting as a dish for a bit before it become little boring. Why? Portions were rather generous for something that was so rich in texture and there wasn't much dimensions. The crispy parma ham on the top was....meh.

What was unexpectedly good was their cannelloni stuffed with minced wagyu beef that came in a cheese sauce and leek confit. Strange as it might sound, what won me over was the beef which reminded me of that braised boar stracci from Oso. It was a brand of savoury delicious. There was a bonus in the cheese sauce which contained Gorgonzola - an icing equivalent if this was cake. Unfortunately, the sauce came in really miserable portions. Leeks were pretty good if ordinary.

You might have already noticed, this lunch was filled with rolls. With stuffings. Even for dessert. Did not have much expectations for their cannolo siciliano. Not that I think they're not good but they did turn out much nicer than the "no expectations" that I've had for it. We enjoyed the creamy ricotta fillings that were encrusted with a generous amounts of pistachio at the ends. The bar of chocolate that the pastry rested on was even filled with more of the pistachio stuff. Unexpected pleasant surprise there.

Small Potatoes Make The Steak Look Bigger : Year Three

Wow, it's been three years and counting still!

This has become something of an unexpected commitment and I really had no idea how long I could continue. Still I have to say that I've longer running interests so I shouldn't be too surprised that it's been going on for as long as it has been.

More interesting things to come, hopefully.

Like Tony Stark messing with Peter Parker's suit.

Mayim, Northpoint

This turned out to be a case of hits and misses for me. I remember Mayim (930 Yishun Ave 2, #02-01/05 Northpoint Shopping Centre, tel : 65 6758 3168) back from the time I had them last at West Mall. Recalled that I've actually eaten there a few times and enjoyed the food quite a bit. I've even taken out yu shen during one or two of the Chinese New Years then. So I was definitely interested when I found out that they have a new and only other outlet at Northpoint.

District 10, Windstedt Road

This was an unexpected trip down to Luca's new bistro (10 Windstedt Road, #01-17, tel: 65 6738 4788) beside the nice neighbourhood of apartments at Monk's Hill. Really serene location at night despite being located not too far away from the bright and noise filled Newton Food Centre. I remember having read about District 10 some weeks back but it didn't really register then. I was also hoping upon reaching the place that perhaps, it would be a little different from the regular bistro. I suppose it was just in the end, another bistro. The food wasn't too bad but nothing was special. It was a nice spot to hang out though.

 

Started off with some creamy green pea soup with roasted ham and mint. I had in mind cubes of roasted ham in the soup but it turned out to be a couple of strips of bacon and there wasn't the slightest hint of mint in the soup. In the end, what I had was just a mashed pea soup. Viscous but not really creamy. Wasn't too bad. Just not what I had in mind. There was some calamari which were decent but nothing really much to write about unless you've never had calamari before and had absolutely no idea what they tasted or looked like. I decided on the rigatoni with wagyu meatballs for a couple of reasons. There wasn't really much else on the menu that I found interesting and I wanted to prove myself that these meatballs would taste exactly like regular meatballs. True to my guess, it did taste like regular meatballs. Mixed with little bits of herbs which I felt would have been better without. Tossed in a lightly tart-ish tomato based sauce. I was also disappointed that they forgot the shaven Parmesan on the top but didn't feel like asking for them. Maybe it was a little too much to expect for these guys to be a little more like Bontá. Like I said, a really pleasant place to chill, but not terribly exciting in the department of food.

 

Pumpkin ramen from Menya Shinchan

This seemed to be relatively new on the menu at Menya Shinchan and because it was a pumpkin soup base, I just had to give it a go. With an extra order of egg. The creamy pumpkin and pork bone broth was mildly sweet (from the pumpkin likely) yet savoury in taste which was something I found pleasant. Broth didn't have much viscosity but there was a milky quality to it. I'm guessing this was seasonal. Maybe? This trip was also another reminder of what I like about this place. The smoky tasting egg and soft charshu slices. All excellent with the generous portions of crunchy bean sprouts and scallion toppings. I hope this item is going to be here to stay.

Zambuca, Pan Pacific Hotel

I never got to visit Zambuca (#03-00, Pan Pacific Singapore, 7 Raffles Boulevard, tel : +65 6337 8086) back in the time Angelo Sanelli and Dennis Sim were around to run the show. Those two chefs have since moved on to Mietta's, We came one evening not knowing what to expect. One of my friends absolutely detested this restaurant and no one I personally know have actually visited it since the old chefs have moved on.

Their web site was sorely in need of an update. I couldn't find out what the current menu as email inquiries were a one way affair. The first glance at the menu didn't really look that interesting. The server seemed to have the idea that their gnocchi and quail salad was actually pasta. Didn't appear encouraging. 

 

amuse bouche

Amuse bouche was something made with a blender. Tasted very much like gazpacho. There was tomato and olive oil in it. Light on the palate and also refreshing in a cold way. If you're wondering what's the stirrer like object resting on the rim of the glass, it's a single stalk of chive which I almost used as a straw.

warm gnocchi and quail salad

This was hands down one of the most enjoyable salad I've had. Not that I was big on salads in the first place. This was well tossed with olive oil and moderated amount of vinegar. There was something moreish and savoury in the dressing I couldn't identify. Loved those salted bits of morels and slightly crisp pan fried gnocchi. Quail tasted like chicken. I would come back for this again.

tomato and goat cheese tart

We got the tart with goat cheese. Light tartness from the tomato balanced the rich creaminess from the goat cheese. Would have liked more balsamic vinegar than those artistic drizzles but not complaining here. Very tasty warm tart. I wished that something like this was more readily available. I mean, I shouldn't have to come to a restaurant just to eat a tomato and goat cheese tart.

porcini risotto

Adequately flavoured with porcini but wasn't punchy enough with that. It was however quite cheesy as well and that made it up for me. Liked it.

tenderloin with red wine reduction & foie gras sauce

Zambuca did a nicely grilled hunk of medium rare tenderloin. Not as puny as the one from Valentino's. The foie gras in the red wine reduction didn't quite play itself out as I expected. When I read that fat liver is included into a sauce, I would want to taste that fat liver. Not much of those flavour. Those onion things on the side were however an amazing mix of sweet and tartness.

apple tartine

The obvious comparison that came to mind for this was the apple tartine from Saraceno. I can't tell which is the better dessert. I liked them both in their own ways. This one (apart from the carefully carved fruit) has apples which were baked and retained more then the other. Also the crust tasted less heavy. Both are what I consider something worth trying if one visits.

Barossa, Esplanade Mall

Wow, this prime rib from a watering hole (8 Raffles Avenue,Esplanade Mall,#01-11, tel : 6534 5188) was really not bad. It was in fact a much better deal in the department of both price and taste than the cote de beouf down at Absinthe which tasted quite flat by comparison. In fact it was one of those that made me feel quite agreeable to coming back again for another shot at it.



What made this prime rib a hit for me was that it wasn't overly thick, nicely charred without being overly so and was well flavored with a well measure of coarse grained salt over the top that was just sufficient to flavor the meat with savory goodness. Steak comes with an option of two sides. We picked the cream spinach and an option called apricots & walnuts. The latter turned out to be a chilled rocket salad with apricots, walnuts and goat cheese. Yes, nice crumbly goat's cheese so I would definitely recommend the latter over the creamed spinach which didn't quite match up to what I had imagined (think Lawry's). They had a roasted pumpkin soup with apple and almonds which unfortunately didn't taste like it was roasted to any degree, was totally absent of any apple whatsoever and used cheap sliced almonds that one could buy off the shelves. Avoid that soup. Waste of money.