Fruit juice mee siam from Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa

In spite of the name Famous Sungei Road Trishaw Laksa (#02-66 Hong Lim Market & Food Centre, Blk 531A Upper Cross Street), this stall is also rather well known for their mee siam. A fruit juice mee siam - unique even as a local dish by local standards. The lady proprietor had suddenly become very loquacious at my asking about what fruits were used. After artfully (somewhat) dodging the question with something about not using tamarind (the traditional ingredient for the tangy/sour element) and something about onions, she proceeded with how they had purchased their crayfish fresh every morning and that quality of their ingredient was of the utmost importance to them which adds to the cost and blah blah blah. I don't think they were keen on sharing their secret

But I liked it. An accurate word to describe the broth would be fruity. It was tangy like most mee siam with just a light warmth from the chilli. But that tangy element was just different. Maybe less sharp and more refreshing. I'm not too sure. Liked it enough that I finished up to the last drop.

A first visit to Tampopo this year

It's been a while since the last time. This was a quick dinner. One of the items that wasn't around the last time we were here was the Sakura tori paitan ramen. There was a mini-bowl option which was really perfect if you wanted to test drive for flavour. It turned out to be good. I'm getting the regular bowl the next time. Broth was creamy, savoury and had a hint of yuzu. Marutama it seems has a real competitor now.

There was an expensive seasonal menu premium barachirashi which had crab legs and little blobs of uni amongst the usual suspects. The rice was unfortunately not vinegared. But one cannot argue against the generosity of the seafood they piled on top of the bowl. The quantity of those seafood was at least that of the rice.

Tampopo's negitoro don is an old favourite of ours. Seems like it will remain an old favourite still in the foreseeable future. The price of the bowl has gone up by about a dollar since I last remember.

But look at the amount of chopped toro versus the rice. Though I remember a time when there was a lot more negi to go along with the tuna. In retrospect, the ones from the past did seem like they were also fattier than the ones they served today.

Singapore Shui Kueh, Whampoa Food Centre

These chwee kueh were what we were trying to get the last time we were here though I must admit that today was actually the first time I had paid attention to the name of the stall (#01-25, Whampoa Drive Makan Place Block 91, 91 Whampoa Drive). Such ubiquity. But this was a taste of childhood - while it might not have been exactly the same, it was close. They're pretty generous with the chai por and the chilli was pretty good. Located right beside that delicious kuey chap stall.

The Butchers Club Burger, Clark Quay

So this was the same burger shop from Wan Chai in Hong Kong that has set themselves up here (3A River Valley Road, #01-01B Clarke Quay). This local joint in comparison, was much more spacious and the area behind the counter looked like a luxury considering the staff to working space ratio. The vibe was also different. This space felt contrived.

Nakasei Sushi Restaurant, Central Mall

I had never noticed that Nakasei (#01-06/07 Central Mall, 1 Magazine Road, tel : + 65 6836 5325) had existed until recently. But then again, it's been quite a while since I was last in the vicinity. While trying to google for an address, I found out that they had previously been located at Gallery Hotel.

The menu looked traditional. So no truffle what-have-yous to be found. This was their chirashi which costs more to be had in dinner over lunch. The rice was served on a separate lacquer bowl rather than with the raw fish.

The quality of the seafood was pretty good. And a decent selection there was of tai, kanpachi, chutoro, amaebi, tamago, hotategai, ikura and crab sticks. Nothing fancy or exotic. If I had to remark a noticeable quality, the chef had a very light hand with the vinegar on the rice. Their wasabi was probably half grated and half from the paste.

Pasta Brava without pasta

Pasta Brava. A seemingly unwavering custodian on our sunny island for Italian food. The menu hasn’t changed since the first time I visited a decade ago. There are seldom/no specials of the week/day, no frills. Just the menu. Steadfast and steadfastly moving into what could be construed as retro. But not yet a relic like Pete’s Place.