Kamakura Nihon Ryori, Circular Road

The truth be told, this is one of those Japanese places (83 Circular Road, tel : 6438 0820) that I would normally avoid. But since a couple of other locations we were originally intended upon were packed to the brim and we had to get a quick dinner, having empty seats wins you customers sometimes. On hindsight, Shah Alam just across the road would have cost less and have been more satisfying. Lesson learnt.


I was initially wondering at the taco chahan which I've had my encounter with initially back in Mimigar as one of the identifying items of Okinawan cuisine in the strange hybrid of Japanese and Mexican styles. I ordered it despite a strong apprehension about what it would turn out to be and this would be one of those times when you feel like shooting yourself for not trusting your instincts. Lo and behold, ground beef fried rice at an amazing value of $8.50! I would have been a lot happier paying slightly more than double for twice the portions and a generous portion of crab meat. The strange salvation of the taco cha.......ground beef fried rice came in the from innocuous small bottle of fragrant and spicy La-Yu on the condiment tray which really upped the taste of the miserably portioned rice to lip smacking levels. Sometimes, the it's the small things that we overlook that make a difference. After all, the fate of Middle Earth once rested precariously upon the shoulders of a certain hobbit. I'll probably not return to this place, but I'll definitely stock up on that La-Yu.

The hotate mentaiko ($11.80) didn't really come across to me or anyone at dinner to be filled with mentaiko on the creamy top neither. And honestly, while palatable, I've had much better.

Balsamic mousse cake from Eden Cafe

Dropped by at Eden Cafe for some sweets again, so that means more of the ostrich egg creme brulee and hibiscus cheese filo. But, here's a look at the balsamic mousse cake. Despite the nondescript appearances as a cake this is interestingly quite pleasant with an above subtle aroma of balsamic vinegar in the light creamy mousse that wells up in your tastebuds as you wedge it between your tongue and the roof of your mouth. The chocolate sauce tasted like those from Hershey's squeeze bottles.

New Harbour Cafe and Bar, Tanjong Pagar

While clinging in the dawn of dusk (wtf! lol) slightly past seven on a Thursday evening, New Harbour Cafe (New Harbour Cafe & Bar, 114 Tanjong Pagar Rd, tel : 6226 2657) was brimming with people for drinks and dinner. Was glad reservations were made. I first noticed this place some time back on a couple of occasions when I visited Chen Li Yuan and Buko Nero along the same row of shophouses at Duxton. I then realised that this wasn't the just the regular watering hole that merely served un-nutritious and greasy bar snacks. They too have un-nutritious and greasy proper meals. There's a full menu of food to be had and despite the grazing mention regarding nutrition, it's rather decent food and a stop worth a second look for an evening pitstop.

The edibles here are a mixture of local western (read Hainanese originated western), bar food and  a smattering of local-ish fare. Hell there's even sashimi though I admit to being extremely apprehensive at ordering those in a place like this. One generally does not walk into a place like this looking for food that requires finesse to prepare. Ahem!

crispy pork with apple sauce

monster burger

cumi bakar (grilled squids)

The food's saltish, greasy and makes you want to drink. I thought the crispy pork belly wasn't too bad. I had expected bigger portions and it really wasn't that much despite appearances. The pork belly did come with very crispy skin and wasn't ladened with too much blood curdling fat. Would definitely have appreciated a more generous helping of that apple sauce. We had to ask for extras as it was merely a small dollop for all that pork belly. How does that even work out? The monster burger wasn't close to anywhere as impressive as the name might have implied. It's a basic bar burgers topped with some ham, cheese, sautéed mushrooms and an egg. There was definitely too much fillers in the patty which I didn't like. For the price of $18.50, one would definitely start to make comparisons. Squid was just passable. I definitely expected more char from being grilled instead of being limp, however the "kick in the face" spicy sambal paste and sweet sauce did help. Seriously, watch out for the sambal.

One Ring to rule them all!!

Apparently, there is also the ring version from the same place!

I couldn't resist...

How to make heads turn...

...truly, not for the faint of heart.

"Never trust a skinny cook"...

...as quipped in good humoured jest by the enterprising and loquacious Clement Ronald Ng, chef and owner of Eden Cafe (54 Club Street, S069431, tel : 6536 1181). It's been quite some time since I've last had his desserts which was back at Helio. Having made aware that he had made a batch of creme brulee with ostrich eggs, I decided to drop by for dinner.





Food at Eden is unsophisticated. Most of the dishes here are of simple design and leans towards being light in flavor. Like the mushroom black pasta. In most cases, black pasta brings forth imageries of squid ink black. Down at this place, the pasta (fettucine) is made in house with toasted black sesame which results in an interestingly textured grey-ish noodle speckled with black bits. Despite the use of toasted black sesame, I found the taste to be quite bland. The pasta is tossed with some fresh sliced button mushrooms and flavored with merely some bits of olives, capers and some sparing sprinkle of powdered parmesan cheese. I honestly think that this dish would be bettered by the use of shaven parmesan. Being a beef kind of guy, I tend to be more discerning when it comes to the associated meat. The brown sauce beef which is of a ribeye cut was a decently medium rare done piece of beef, but definitely wasn't what I would look for in a steak. A marinated beef stew was likewise subdued in flavor, but it being piping hot turned out to be quite the trick for a rainy evening. There was an earl grey milk coffee which was subtly accented by the fragrance of the tea. I personally found the coffee a tad mellow. It's usually thick and milky, or just strong black for me. But let's get to the desserts instead. It's really what I came here for.



Clement has managed to obtain an ostrich egg and has used it to make a small batch of creme brulee. Almost ethereally light and still creamily smooth, this crème brulee doesn't have as eggy a custard as the regular ones. And yes, the flavor of the custard comes from vanilla beans. The sweetness of the custard as explained is from corn extract. Oh, there is usually never added sugar for the desserts. It's all either natural sugars from the ingredients, or already available in them. So I guess in some strange irony, this would be the one naturally sweetened dessert with added sugar for the crispy glazed top.



The other attraction arrived in the form of the hibiscus cheese filo which Clement exclaims has put him up on his minutes of fame on a couple of occasion on television. Back in Helio, I devoured the predecessor which was a strawberry cheese filo. The dessert has apparently transcended from fruit to flower based and it's so good it puts a smile on your face. The fillings of the buttery tasting layered filo pastry are basically a mix of beaten mascarpone cheese and hibiscus. This is something that one has to eat to understand.



The molten chocolate cake here doesn't come hot. In fact it was barely lukewarm, but the cake comes in the form akin to the other molten chocolate cakes. It's soft and lava like. The chocolate wasn't excessively sweet as some which was a good thing for me. However the flavor could have been more robust. As with the previous rendition which was actually a white cake instead of a brown one, these are topped with rum marinated apricots.



These are yoghurt parfaits. I hope I got the name right and I don't remember seeing them on the menu. They tasted like the ice cream yoghurt filled with bits of blueberry and raisins and topped with a dollop of strawberry jam.