AFURI (阿夫利), Funan

We've finally made our way down to Afuri (#B1-29 Funan, 107 North Bridge Road, tel : +65 6970 1386). Ironically with less seating space due to the post circuit breaker social distancing measures, we managed to find a seat.

Loved the bowl with the yuzu shoyu broth. Savoury with a nice citrus fruitiness that was refreshing. The other ingredients were okay. Would have preferred to have more bite to the noodles but there wasn't an option for that.

The tsukemen had a saltier and punchier citrus intensity. Understandably so because it was a dip rather than the broth. Liked it. But the charshu cubes were disappointingly hard. 

Didn't think much of their gyozas. Ordinary at best with soggy wings.

Wasabi kani from Don Don Donki

Yep, these are indeed green. Wasabi flavoured little crabs which I stumbled across at Don Don Donki so I bought out of curiosity and blogged for posterity.

The question out there would be, how did it taste? It was a lot crabbier than I expected. Much more of that distinct crustacean flavour than the regular variety. On top of a little sweetness and saltiness that might or might not have been soy based and a noticeable sharpness from the wasabi.

I should not neglect to also mention that these were also very crunchy. I noticed myself munching on them with more care than I normally do because I didn't want any claw or leg impaling the roof of my mouth or gums. Seriously, they're sharp.

A quinoa plate with many other stuff

I thought this was pretty enough to deserve a picture and since there was a picture, there came this post. Might as well talk a little about it. Must have been one of the healthiest meals I've had in a while. It's quinoa, but it's also a lot of other stuff - like LSA meal, hijiki salad, toasted pine nuts and steamed butternut squash. I liked it. Sweetness from the butternut squash and some salt from the hijiki.

PS. Cafe, Great World

It's not news but PS. Cafe (#01-555 Great World, 1 Kim Seng Promenade) has an outpost at Great World. There's a "Spice Route" section in the menu here that the other branches don't seem to have.

I've seen their crab tart around for a long time. Finally tried it. Menu said buttery short crust but it didn't taste very buttery to me. The tart was stuffed with crab meat but those tasted like something out of a can/jar. The texture was very minced and there were no chunks. It was packed with crab though.

Tried the lamb pilaf pie from the Spice Route section of the menu. Nice puff pastry cover over rice. I liked the toasted seeds on them. Underneath were some lamb, rice and cauliflower. A third of it might have been cauliflower. The gravy had a lot of tang but not much heat - kinda like a not so spicy vindaloo. It's not bad per se but it wasn't impressive.

Finished with a banana cake with butterscotch. Liked that it wasn't too sweet.

Revisiting Ponggol Nasi Lemak

I've been looking forward to coming back here after the last time because I suppose this is likely to be the closest and convenient option to the impossible elusive "perfect" nasi lemak. Just my opinion. It's almost the same stuff as I got previously topped up with an additional fried chicken wing and extra rice. How do these guys get the batter on the wings so crunchy?

Brothers Ramen, International Plaza

I've known about Brothers Ramen (#01-20 International Plaza, 10 Anson Road) for a few years but haven't gotten a chance to visit them until now. Incidentally, their ability to endure marks them as serious survivors in our unforgiving F&B scene. Anyways, these guys are known for their tori paitan ramen.

Tried their supermen - the bowl that has ajitama, sous vide chicken charshu, pork charshu, and wanton. Seems that they're not serving wanton today and they were replaced by menma. Egg's not bad, chicken is not bad but I found their charshu to be a little lean. More fatty would have given the texture more dimension, made it more pleasing and also gotten them better flavour.

There wasn't any option for the hardness of the noodles that I could see so I'm guessing it's not a a choice they're offering. The default doneness was also okay. Liked that it wasn't too soft but I would have preferred harder with a bit more bite. Their creamy paitan broth was likeable - predominantly chicken flavour. 

The item that I had been eyeing with interest was their dry megamen. Megamen being their take on Jiro-styled ramen. The dry one has only a little broth. Opted for spicy as well. That chunky piece of braised pork belly was tender and flavourful if anyone was wondering.

Very solid and enjoyable bowl. Loved the textures from the cabbage, bean sprouts and chewy noodles. Garlic and whatever gave heat in the spicy option kept it interesting. It was almost reminiscent of certain characteristics of a bowl of lor mee with the starchy sauce broken down. I'd come back for this again.