Kazu has updated

Kazu has changed. Well, visibly so since it hadn't changed very much from the first time I had visited. The place is looking a little more sleek these days with a very visible varnished wooden counter hewn from a single cross section of some tree. That came accompanied with elevated stools to match, replacing the old setup. Cabbage is no longer free and the main grill seems to have gotten an upgrade as well. There're now black curtains along the windows and Asahi Kuronama on tap to match. Yay for the last part!

Well, the menu has changed some. The almost always available ankimo is noticeably missing from the menu along with the Brussels sprouts with cheese that we had from the last visit that I was really looking forward to. The majority of the staples remain and rightly so since those are the consistently good items that has kept us coming back. The tori hatsu and lamb chops are still awesome.

And I've pretty much said all there is to say about the food save for the occasional seasonal item and perhaps, a new thing which I haven't tried previously like the soy braised fish innards which consisted of fish intestines and stomach. That was really good and would make the perfect pairing with rice. Enjoyed their salted chocolate ice cream too. The only thing that we would give a pass on the next time is probably those bacon wrapped lobsters. There's too little of the lobster to really tell and most of the smoky salted flavor came from the bacon anyway.

home made aosa tofu with aburi-ed uni

tomato

lamb chops

fish innards stewed in soy broth

hotaru ika with asparagus

lobster in bacon/oyster in bacon

scallops and prawn

tori hatsu and zucchini with cheese and minced chicken

Australian wagyu gyutan and tontoro ringo

ahem!

sweet potato

glistening sweet potato porn

salted chocolate ice cream

salted, bitter and not too sweet

More Punggol noodling

This time round, we headed down to the stall earlier because I was determined not to be the last customer again. As things would turn out, the noodles didn't quite taste as satisfying as the previous visit. I couldn't quite say what about this visit that didn't quite check out as nicely. Everything seemed to be in order. Perhaps, it was their meatballs that seemed to be more bland.

Dissecting Li Xin fishball noodles

Here's a true story. I've eaten at this stall several times. I've had it at the stall at ION and also tried them a couple of times at their outlet at the foodcourt at JEM. I surprised myself at that because I was never really big on fish ball noodles. Certainly wouldn't help one of them stalls tithe their landlords by paying $5.50 for a bowl. And I disliked them as a kid.

Back to the true story. Throughout the visits, I've had them with all the condiments (chilli, ketchup and vinegar). I would have omitted the ketchup if I had known then that they use them, but that's history. I've also had them with chilli and vinegar and no ketchup just to see the difference. Had them with chilli and nothing else because I heard the chilli sauce was good. Seemed that the best tasting set-up for me, was the one with nothing added on. Just the regular portions of deep fried lard that they spooned into the bowl of noodles. This was the ultimate bowl for me. The flavour of the lard came through, had a savoury ring and was unmasked by the really just average condiments which didn't do it for me. 

Just remember to ask for more noodles if you eat like man. I have this feeling that the sweetness from bloody ketchup makes one feel more filled up than you really are. Having none of the rest of those condiments also makes one realise how stingy they are with noodles.

Hotdogs at home

The Whampoa addiction!

I can't seem to break off from ordering this.

ƚnɒɿuɒƚƨɘɿ ɿɘdmɘ - back to 1929

My first visit to Ember was back in 06. Pretty much about the time Small Potatoes budded and through all that time after that, this pleasant little restaurant sheathed into an angular corner of a boutique hotel located in a former red light district on the fringes of Chinatown had constantly slipped my radar. I remember being interested in coming back again, but that never happened until this year. Time really flies.

The menu has changed some from that time. Some of the stuff that I had back then are still in the menu. They've become (or had remained?) signature dishes at Ember. 

The scallops, which have shrunk considerably still tasted pretty good. For all the years that people have been talking about their sea bass and me not noticing it, I've also had them for the first time this round and I wished I had not forgotten about them for the past 7-8 years. Very nice. Wished there was more punch from the yuzu component, but still made me wipe my plate clean. With bread, mind you. Miso cod was okay, but it was overshadowed noticeably by the sea bass. The foie gras with hour cooked egg and maitake mushrooms were outstanding as well. Good for returns. I'm sure the truffle helped, but I think the egg and maitake takes equal credit along with the nicely done sear on the foie.

How I feel about the food today is probably different from how I felt about it back in the first visit. The approach to the dishes are deceptively simple. It doesn't overwhelm with too much, gives enough of it and whatever there is, it's done well. 

Service still deserves thumbs up. Here's to hoping that they stay the same after April.

pan seared foie gras with caramelised apple and clove port and raspberry glaze

pan roasted scallops with Parma ham, citrus and tarragon vinaigrette

pan roasted foie gras with 1-hour poached egg, truffle salt and maitake mushrooms

pan seared Chilean seabass with mushroom and smoked bacon ragout, truffle yuzu butter sauce

marinated cod with black miso

crispy caramelized pear tart with home made Bailey's ice cream

spiced fig cake with Grand Marnier ice cream

mystery diner "A"