Little pig little pig let me in...

This was actually just a little side trip back to Mimigar for small bites and desserts. Apparently I have become quite fond of this orange hue saturated place that plays quirky and sometimes folksy (and sometimes also, strange & harmoniously discordant) Japanese music. The menu has changed a little from the last time I visited but I noticed that they no longer place the otoshi (which they charge $10 per person for) on the table. I guess they must have gotten feedback that it's either too costly or that no one really likes them.



I decided to check out a couple of the cocktail beers which they did not have on their menu previously. Those turned out to be a more delicious than I had expected. The sikuwasa which was actually draft Tiger beer mixed with what is described as Okinawan kalamansi juice turned out to be invigoratingly zesty a drink. There was enough of the kalamansi juice in there that the lime-ish flavour was actually predominant. This was actually addictively pleasing. The glass actually emptied itself before I knew it. The other cocktail beer from the same origins came mixed with tomato juice. This didn't turn out weird in any way at all and the taste was like a mildly carbonated gazpacho of sorts.  I think I might have found new drinks to like.

I mentioned small bites back at the top there so here's the rafute (fatty braised pork belly) and the umi budou (sea grapes) which I enjoyed.


The department of desserts has seen some changes as well. There was a rather enjoyable macha baravoi which isn't on the menu anymore, but we got a brown sugar mousse and red sweet potato ice cream. The brown sugar mousse which was smothered in a blanket of powdered peanut. The brown sugar flavour was quite....subtle. I had thought it to be some peanut mousse if not for the name. There wasn't too much that could be said for the ice cream which tasted slightly butter-y and milky, but then again. Not so much sweet potato flavour in there.

Ryoriya Sangokushi, Robertson Quay

I've walked past Ryoriya Sangokushi (30 Robertson Quay, #01-03 Riverside View, tel: 6238 8962) from time to time. Was told their food was a mixture of Taiwanese and Japanese. I'm not sure which was suppose to come first. There's bottled beer from both countries and the food was very much Chinese styled while a large number of the clientele were Japanese. I'm guessing that there was an element of Okinawan influence in the food as the Okinawa Prefecture extends all the way to Taiwan and the food that hails from that region is very much similar to Chinese food.

The menu item ranges from really affordable ($3 braised meat rice) to a brow raising pricey ($35 for fried oysters). I'm not sure I have the prices figured out here. Food was pretty enjoyable. Would like to come back again another time.

fried rice

deep fried pig liver with garlic

ruo cuo fan (braised spiced pork with rice)

guo tie (minced meat and chives dumpling)

One of the items which we got was the braised pork rice. I love that stuff. The one served here tasted much like the ones served in Peng Lai Ge - more savoury than slightly sweet. The portions were a little smaller than I had expected but it was so good that I could have easily downed two of them. 

There was a pretty good fried rice as well as deep fried pig liver - something I haven't had deep fried before. The guo tie was decent. No as memorable as a local stall at People's Park which were meatier, has more flavourful fillings and crispier skins.

I was hoping to see braised or fried pig intestines on the menu but they didn't have that. And I'll also stick to Asahi over their Taiwan Beer the next time. The coarse bubbly from the Taiwan beer reminds me so much of Tiger.

Yuzu gum candy from Muji

These jellies have the little devils in them that make you subconsciously reach out for the next one after you've had the first and then another. This will only stop when the packet is finished. There's actually very tiny bits of yuzu peel in them jellies too.

Chella's, Take 3

Chella's is fast becoming my current favourite Indian eatery. Little had I expected that for a place that didn't serve meat. Things were still looking pretty good from this third visit in a couple of weeks. What reeled me in were the tasty food, affordable prices and the interesting variety in the menu. Beside a couple of favourites like the kesari bath and the masala teas/milk, I was still finding new things to like.

One of the things that got me excited was the cheese pav bhaji; which was some sort of tangy and spicy mashed vegetable mash with potatoes or lentils. There were a couple of options for this pav bhaji. I picked the one topped with cheese. The bhaji was served with buttered and toasted soft buns and chopped onions on the side which added a very pleasant depth to the spicy dip. I found myself wolfing this stuff down really quickly.

The other notable mention goes to the jeera ghee rice which in spite of its plain appearance, was packed with an amazing fragrance akin to those found in good Chinese fried rice. Was pleasantly surprised by the aroma from this innocuous looking dish. Remember the old Gardenia tune "So good you can even eat it on its own."? That's what they were talking about there.


Over the past few months, I've had a few renditions of gobi manchurians at a few places. I thought the one here would be one of the better tasting ones. Along with the one from Spice Junction. The gobi (cauliflower) was lightly battered and deep fried before being stir fried in the gravy which tasted a little like a garlic-ky kung pao gravy. It would have been perfect if not for the ginger.


These dahi puri are part of what is known as chaat. Snacks by another name. They're spherical taco like shells that were hollow and filled with potato, some chutney and yoghurt before being blanketed by the crispy yellow bits which are known as sev. Each of these balls were a large mouthful to be popped in whole at a time. I liked these.

Akashi again!

As the saying goes, a picture paints a thousand words.......so I'll let the pictures do most of the talking here. I had always thought that Akashi (290 Orchard Road, #B1-01 The Paragon, tel: 6735 8887) was pretty good for Japanese. Think they've been around for about 10 years or so. While I normally avoid items like Californian and spider makis, I found them to be pretty tasty here. No complains on the portions or the freshness, though I must say that prices have noticeable inched up a little this year. But then again, prices always go up some time or another.

The Butterfly Effect

I was prompted to visit Le Papillion (28 Maxwell Road, #01-02 Red Dot Traffic Building, S069120, tel: 6327 4177) before they were closed for good at the end of the month because of their highly recommended rigatoni pasta with crustacean oil, shave bottarga and tiger prawns. Unfortunate that this dish may not see the light of day for much longer. This turned out to be one excellent pasta and one of the more enjoyable ones that I've had from memory. My photo of it unfortunately does not do it justice.

Rigatoni Pasta Tossed in Crustacean Oil, Shaved Bottarga, Tiger Prawns, Seaweed and Arugula Salad

Can't begin to describe how impressed I was with the al dente quality of the rigatoni. Some Italian restaurants don't even get that doneness right. Or maybe the restaurant wasn't very busy and more attention was put into the cooking of the pasta? The crustacean oil which I was told once tasted like hay bee hiam from Wild Rocket, didn't \taste so much that way here in Le Papillion. It was aromatic to an extent without being excessive and the spiciness was nice. Pasta came with four plump and crunchy tiger prawns shelled to the tail. The bottarga slices were unfortunately underwhelmed by the spicy nature of the pasta. So, where's the seaweed?

After extolling the virtues of the pasta which I thought should be mentioned before the rest, let's take a step back and start from the beginning......

As a whole experience, I wasn't very impressed with Le Papillion. With the exception of the rigatoni. The restaurant was barely a third filled on a Friday evening. Dinner started with an amuse bouche of a cube of green apple with crushed toasted almond, balsamic vinegar and a leaf of arugula. I had expected more out of this. I probably could have made this myself at home. Me, someone with minimal to no cooking skills of mention.

Freshly Picked Mud Crab with Mango and Tomato Salsa

Served with a Light Orange-Mango Espuma

Sauté Foie de Canard “Duck Liver” with Vanilla-Pineapple Compote Brioche Toast, Mesclun Lettuce and Spiced-Pineapple Syrup

Starters definitely didn't leave much of an impression. Thought that the mud crab smothered in everything mango turned out quite refreshing but that was mostly because it was nicely chilled. The description "freshly picked" didn't quite register. 

For a French place, the foie gras was quite unremarkable. There was a lack of the flavour associated with duck liver and instead of a charred appearance, it looked a little blistered. Usually, the accompanied glaze/compote/sauce would be something with citrus, a little soury zest or a tart flavour to compliment the rich fatty liver. This liver didn't taste fatty at all and the pineapple compote was all sweet.

Chicken Consommé with Foie Gras de Canard and Truffle Oil

So we see the same kind of foie gras here again with the chicken consomme which was decent but otherwise quite unimpressive. Saved by the truffle oil it was.

Grilled Yorkshire Pork Rack with Orange and Honey-Glazed Carrots
Granny Smith Apple Compote and Raspberry Vinegar Glaze

The Granny Smith apple compote was very nice, so were the orange and honey glaze carrot strips which was pleasantly sweetish. Cushioned with a small amount of fats, the pork rack was tender. Was also downplayed by the raspberry vinegar glaze which was again mostly sweet and didn't taste of raspberry or vinegar. I think salt and pepper would have sufficed.

There wasn't enough of a wow factor to this point to pursue desserts.

Au revoir, le papillion. Je ne m'affligerai pas pour votre perte.