Hon maguro don at Tampopo

This was a super deal at $19 (before tax and service charge) from Tampopo (#01-23 Liang Court, 177 River Valley Road). Yes, it's that tripartite of akami, chutoro and otoro again from bluefin tuna which seems to be in season now. This was the uncommon occasion when the actual product looked better than the picture that the restaurant used. It's too bad that their foie gras and truffle tonkatsu is no longer around but the old favourites remain as good. And now, this maguro donburi....

Crackerjack, Tanjong Pagar Road

Where we were seated in Crackerjack (43 Tanjong Pagar Road, tel : +65 8121 1462) was a little dim so I was switching between an older Canon point & shoot and the iPhone 7+. Turns out the iPhone auto adjusts lighting much better better as seen with the barramundi on top. Major colour filtering going on though while the Canon rendered something more....erm, natural with what appears to be a weaker light sensor.

The food was honestly pretty decent. Decent but not spectacular. What I read was that the chef, an Alysia Chan, was previously from Wolf/Meat Smith. Yeah, the former restaurant being that nose to tail place that unfortunately didn't last for very long. But I could recognize nothing from the chef's former cooking in Crackerjack. Plating has also taken a nose dive. That was by the way, an observation rather than a complaint.

In retrospect, I did enjoy everything we ordered in spite of the rather small portions. While the skin of their barramundi didn't have any of the crisp I was hoping for, it was well flavoured and the meat was very good with or without the tasty Romesco sauce. Those charred beans were much better tasting than they looked. Likewise for the very edible bavette with an interesting tangy/sweet roasted grape salsa which I found quite addictive. Kale salad was very agreeable too.

Looks like I could come back.

Hon maguro sushi from Itacho Sushi

It just hit me that Itacho Sushi at ION has been around for a number of years. Time not only flew by but did so stealthily. The first time I ate here was back in 2009 when they were still located at the basement near the underpass. A few years ago, they shifted to their current premise and they've outlasted a number of food places which have come and gone. 

Anyway, bluefin tuna is on the menu and here's a plate of their hon maguro sushi which features the usual setup or nigiri, gunkan and maki. The quality of the tuna was very decent and for what they were charging, I felt was pretty good value knowing how much these things can normally rack up to. Don't come expect top tier quality sushi for these kind of prices though.

Sum lou hor fun from Quan Ji (權記)

Here's a plate of sum lou hor fun from Quan Ji. That name of the dish which I have used in Cantonese, was how I was introduced to it. The Chinese name is san lau he fen (三捞河粉). In both dialects, the name translates as I understand into "three toss rice noodles". The three tosses refers to the rice noodles (hor fun), the sliced fish and the bean sprouts.

The pale colours and messy appearance of the dish belied a lightly smokey savoury flavour. Quan Ji's rendition was not bad. The quality of their sliced fish was good. Gravy was a little salty which I didn't mind and a little saucier than I expected but still a good eat. This would be one of my favourite cze char items to order.

Violet Oon Satay Bar & Grill, Clark Quay

I googled for 'Violet Oon' and realized that the first few pages of the search results are entirely all about her namesake restaurants. Nothing about the person. 

One could reasonably come to the conclusion that the legacy of the Peranakan dame eclipsed the person herself whom could very well have been nobody of note beyond a brand. That person herself is of irrelevance. Or that Google’s defeat by SEO remains emblazoned across the Web even till this day and the most powerful search engine in the world is incapable of deducing objective relevance in human searches. 

I ramble. 

This place (#01-18 Clarke Quay, 3B River Valley Rd, tel : +65 9834 9935) looked spiffy. Must have cost a fortune to renovate and decorate. Even their serving boards and crockery were bespoke.

There's a nice stout called Black Magic Dry Irish Stout on tap. Chocolate-y and smokey and something drinkable apart from the usual Guinness. Not that Guinness is bad. 

We ordered a winged bean salad with hae bi hiam not realizing that the winged beans were raw. On hindsight it wasn't such a good move. The hae bi hiam, which was quite good by the way, helped a great deal in making the "greeny" tasting legume much more palatable. For some reasons, I had the idea that they would be cooked.

Their tripe satay was delicious and very tender. I was informed that they was braised before being placed the charcoal grill for that char grill aroma. The accompanying satay sauce was rich with coconut flavours - it's not the regular kind that one finds in hawker centres but I thought it was quite nice. Prepare to pay kushiyaki kind of prices for these. That being said, I don't mind trying the other satay the next time. The server had actually recommended us the pork skewers. 

I suppose ngoh hiang are a benchmark for Peranakan cooking. While I maintain preferring the home made ones that I can get, these were not bad. The fillings were coarse chopped which meant that there were textures and that's a good thing. The menu mentioned crab which I couldn't identify so that was an overkill in ingredients. The water chestnuts also seemed to be missing but that crunch was provided by chopped onions which surprisingly made very good substitute.

I really liked that the five spice seasoning wasn't overwhelming.

What we came across as unique was their buah keluak otak. There supposed to be prawns in them but all we were getting was a paste texture. We had no idea what to expect at all and after the first mouthful, the flavour that registered was chocolate. It tasted like chocolate. A nutty sweet and savoury warm chocolate-like paste grilled in a banana leaf. After my mind reconciled with that association, I found it strangely addictive.

These were known as meatless meatballs, made with walnut and cheese. I was imagining something akin to the ones at Afterglow but this turned out to have a mushy texture and we couldn't taste much walnuts. The rempah on the top was not bad though, reminded me of gravy that can be found used on fried chicken in Malay stalls.

We tried their nasi lemak rice where the flavours were okay. But in a place like this for the price we pay, I suppose it was fair that I was expecting it to be outstanding rather than just okay.

We were looking forward to their cendol because it had durian pengat in it. This was made with shaven gula melaka flavoured ice rather than actual gula melaka syrup drizzled over shaven ice. The sweetness was flat without the aroma. Bummer. Their red beans were hard, attap chee were harder and the cendol itself was stiff. If they were to offer this to me free, I would only eat the durian puree.

I'd take the one at Tangs basement over this any day. While that one may not have durian pengat, it is also traditional and proven. And about seven times cheaper.

Takeaway mixed veg rice from Ah Xi Prawn Crackers

Here's an old shiny rock (#01-83 Beo Crescent Market & Food Centre, 38A Beo Crescent,). Not the shiniest of the lot but a gem nonetheless. Which actually means something in an era where there are a million claimants to hidden gems who do not even understand what's a gem. Or even comprehend the word 'hidden'.

It's an unglamorous frills free and down to earth mixed vegetable rice stall run by an old local gentleman who likely serves more hungry people daily than any - any Michelin starred restaurant in the world at a cost that does not even amount to half the service charge for a restaurant we pay for these days. Here's what $3 buys in a foam box of comfort food. Tasty, satisfying and as local as it gets here.